Author Notes: So happy to finally be able to post this. I wanted to try my hand at the Sephiroth/Aeris pairing, and decided to come up with a unique twist. Updates may or may not be frequent, I'm pushing myself to write at my best with this.

"I'll be back in two weeks, little Cetra. We'll get everything arranged then."

A hug, surprisingly tender, especially coming from a SOLDIER. Lips against hers, the gentle kiss showing how much he cared for his flower girl. As sure of himself as he was, he still had trouble telling the pink-clad girl how he felt. It still felt so odd saying those three little words. His kisses were far more efficient at conveying such emotions.

Boots thumping against the church's wooden floor, the soft noise of leather brushing against leather, and he was gone.

His companion remained a moment longer, grinning broadly at the girl. The black-haired man's grin could show so much...but now, all the half-Cetra could see in it was her friend's happiness. He was happy for them, her and her silver-haired love. A little jealous too, maybe, after all, she and he had once been in love. But now, he was just happy.

A wave of a hand, light reflecting off his single shoulder guard, and he too was gone, leaving the brunette alone in the church.

A voice, unheard by human ears, reached her, and she held her hand up, studying the golden band around her ring finger. The voice whispered something else, and the girl's hand dropped to her chest, closing protectively around the tiny gold locket she wore.

"Bring him home safe, Planet." She whispered to herself, smiling softly

Six days later, word of the SOLDIER's death reached the young woman.

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Five Years Later...
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They say the truth hurts. Aeris Gainsborough knew this, yet still she had sat quietly and listened as Cloud told everyone how Sephiroth had gone insane at Nibelheim. How Sephiroth had believed himself to be an Ancient, a Cetra. How he had killed everyone in the town, tried to kill Cloud and Tifa, how Cloud had faced off against him in the end. And Cloud's story had ended there, despite Barret's loud protests. Cloud had said he didn't remember how it had ended, how he had survived the encounter. All Aeris could do was wonder how much of it had been a lie. And why would Cloud lie in the first place?

Aeris knew that Zack had gone with Sephiroth on that ill-fated mission, yet not once was her outgoing ex-boyfriend mentioned. Zack was not the easily forgotten type either. She also knew that Sephiroth was not a Cetra, and she knew that Sephiroth knew that. She knew, of course, that Sephiroth was a soldier, a warrior, a man who had built his reputation on and earned his rank for his tactical expertise and ruthlessness, but still...it was so hard to believe that he would massacre a town full of innocent people. There had to be a logical explanation for everything; she just couldn't find it yet.

Cloud and Barret had left to buy supplies earlier, and just a little while ago, Nanaki and Tifa had left as well, leaving Aeris alone. Aeris had wanted to speak up before they left, to say that Cloud's story was a lie, but the Planet had warned her not to. The Planet didn't speak exactly; it conveyed its messages, warnings, and such through emotions, though on rare occasion, it did use words. An awful dread had filled her the moment she opened her mouth to speak against Cloud, and so, the warning understood, Aeris had kept quiet.

Now alone in the inn room, Aeris sat down and sighed deeply. She thought she had come to terms with Sephiroth's death, thought she had come to terms with the fact that he wasn't coming back, that there would be no happy ending for them. Shaking her head, she stood and paced around the room, pausing as she came back to her bed. She reached for her pack and dug through it, pulling out her locket. Letting the fine gold chain slip through her fingers, she held the locket, and shut her eyes, fighting back tears as she touched the other object hung on the chain. The ring Sephiroth had given her, a simple golden band. It had been four years since she had last worn it, but it had never been far from her, always strung on the locket's chain.

Sitting down on the bed, she flipped the locket open, running her finger over the inscription on one side. I love you, little Cetra was the simple message, but it was the picture in the other side of the locket that Aeris treasured. It showed herself and Sephiroth standing together, the famed ex-general resting his head on her shoulder, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist, while her hands rested on top of his. As usual, the expressions on their faces brought a smile to Aeris's. She looked exuberantly happy, while Sephiroth had maintained his usual quiet dignity, a small smile on his lips.

The sound of steps on the stairs reached the half Cetra, and she snapped the locket shut and placed it back in her pack, quickly wiping tears away. By the time Tifa opened the door, Aeris had composed herself again. The younger woman ran in, grabbed Aeris's wrist, and pulled her to the door, laughing happily.

"C'mon, Aeris, you've gotta see the stars! The sky is so clear tonight, it's amazing!" Aeris eagerly followed Tifa downstairs and outside, to the inn's small porch. She'd seen the stars before, just once.

Sephiroth had taken her outside Midgar's walls, the trip intended as a birthday present for her, and the two of them had camped out that night. Neither of them had gotten much sleep, for once the General realized it was her first time outside Midgar, he'd shown her the constellations. The stars hadn't been the highlight of the night, however. Sephiroth had asked her to marry him that night. For the first and only time in her life, Aeris had made a decision without asking the Planet for advice...

Tifa watched her friend closely, puzzled by Aeris's sudden quiet mood. She'd been pointing out the constellations to the older girl, and at first Aeris had been enjoying herself, laughing with Tifa. And then, she'd gone quiet all of a sudden. Tifa sighed. She'd seen that look before, not on Aeris's face of course, but on other people's. Being a pretty bartender, people had a tendency to talk to her, to tell her their woes. She'd seen that look before. Missing someone, perhaps, Tifa mused to herself, then grinned briefly.

Sighing inwardly, Aeris pulled her attention away from the past, in time to see Tifa watching her. "What's wrong, Aeris? Homesick?" She shook her head, and to her surprise, Tifa giggled. "Thinking about some handsome guy you left back home?" The little inner peace Aeris had pulled together shattered, her thoughts immediately leaping back to Sephiroth.

Tifa's amused look vanished in an instant as she took a step towards her companion, reaching out and resting a hand on Aeris's shoulder. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry Aeris. I didn't mean to poke fun." When Aeris remained quiet, Tifa ventured a question, "He left you, didn't he?"

When Aeris spoke, her words could barely be heard. "No, he didn't leave...he died, a long time ago. It's just...the stars, seeing them reminded me of him. He took me to see them once...and asked me to marry him." Shaking her head, Aeris turned around and ran back to the room.

Feeling shocked, and a little guilty for bringing up something that obviously still bothered Aeris, Tifa plopped down on the porch, wrapping her arms around herself. She blew out a sigh, feeling terrible for trying to make a joke out of it. As soon as they sorted out this whole mess with Sephiroth and Shinra, she thought to herself, she'd have to find a way to help Aeris with this.

Many thanks to my beta, Kitahoshi!

R&R, please!