A Loving Couple's Memory

"M-My parents... Who are they?" Anastasia wondered out loud, voice brittle and barely audible.

That sweet, nostalgic taste that comes with the cookies has triggered another forgotten detail to crawl up from the depth of her slumbering memories. Now, she remembers that she's the only daughter of a couple who owned a bakery, though she still can't recall who they are.

All she knows is that she was deeply loved and treasured. Despite the fact that they could barely earn enough for both of them, they still had her and raised her well.

"A-Are they alive? Where are they?" she questioned while her tears continued to flow down like gushes of a river.

"Sia..." Zen called out from the opposite side of the table, concern laced in his voice.

Troubled by her sudden outburst, he stands up from his seat and walks towards her. He then turns her chair to face him before kneeling down before her.

Anastasia only remains still, drowning in her tears of misery.

She desperately wants to know more about her parents, but judging by how he just persistently zips his mouth until now, she has a feeling that she has to settle for only one inquiry.

"C-Can you at least tell me if they're alright? Please...?" she asked almost pleadingly, making his eyes widen in surprise.

At this moment, Zen is being stirred by a whirlwind of emotions.

Ever since Anastasia woke up, this is the first time he sees her make that sincere expression. She's finally opening up to him, letting her heart and inner thoughts come bare like this.

To say that he isn't immensely relieved and delighted would be a lie.

Even then, however, Zen can't help but feel his insides churn at the sight of her crying. At every tiny drop of her precious tears, he feels like breaking into a thousand pieces.

"Sia, listen to me..." he started, gently encasing her face with both of his hands.

"Your parents are very good people. They helped me a lot in the past and treated me like I'm their own. They're understanding and considerate. Not once did they stop looking after you."

"Yeah?" Anastasia replied with a nod, urging him to continue.

"But I'm very sorry to tell..." he then trailed off, suddenly grief-stricken.

"W-What? What happened?"

"They did not survive the apocalypse."

For a second, everything comes to a standstill.

With eyes as wide as an owl's, she only stares at his remorseful frame as she tries to search for any sign of bluffing. Though she already somewhat expected that something grim befell them, considering how the world turned out to be, she was still unprepared to hear that particular answer.

She remains in denial for a fraction of time, her entirety frozen stiff. More tears then begin to surge as she just stays benumbed by his revelation.

"Sia..."

Zen does his best to ease her pain, caressing her face with his fingers as a form of solace - as a way to tell her that she's not completely alone.

That afternoon, he escorts Anastasia back to her room. She was unmoving and speechless the whole time. The two then ended up not finishing the cookies at all.

"Hmmm..."

Zen is all by himself at the moment, striding down the hallway in silence. Deep pondering is weighing down his mind as he lets the cascading chain of events sink in.

He made sure not to leave Anastasia awake by herself before parting ways. Unable to bear the thought of her shouldering the whole revelation alone, he kept her company until she fell asleep.

Despite how troubled he is from seeing her so miserable, he also feels guilty about one certain action that he deliberately kept as a secret from her.

"So, it's the cookie that did the trick. Since the start, I've been making her eat every single dish that she used to be fond of in the past - all for the sake of using her sense of taste to help bring back her memories..."

Zen recalls all those fancy meals he prepared with the help of his accomplices. In an attempt to help Anastasia retrieve her memories, he secretly pulled out each of her all-time favorites.

She didn't realize this since she still has no recollection of them.

"But to think that those cookies were the real deal after all..."

At this, he can't help but heave a sigh. He didn't expect any of what took place earlier today. Not to mention, it's her parents this time - a crucial subject that he hoped to tackle later when she fully regained her memories.

Thinking about them, Zen halts on his tracks all of the sudden.

That's when pictures of the couple begin flooding his head. His heart wrenches just from the mere dictate of their horrid death. After all, he had a clear view of how everything played out that time, and it's one of the scenes that kept haunting him every night.

The whole truth is that, Zen was there when they died.