Tseng x Aerith x Cid

Fly Away

Author's note: So you have to admit, Tsenith is pure angst 8D Cant have it without angst lmao and there needs to more CidAerith lovin! Oh, and there is a smidge of Reno/Aerith in there 8D

I'm pretty proud of this one XD Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer? I don't own FFVII ;___;

The leader of the Turks had lost count of the years he's been chasing the remaining Cetra. Chasing, or watching over he wasn't sure anymore. It has come to the Turk's attention as of late, though, that he hasn't been the one watching over the flower girl. Someone else has.

Someone he doesn't want to watch her.

Reno.

The red haired Turk had always been a good asset to the team. Excellent fighter, outgoing personality, and most of all-he was good with the ladies.

Reno was always helping Rude with women problems, and sometimes he tried to help Tseng. Reno only wanted to see the Turk with a chick, but Tseng always refused.

He had no time for games.

Until the red head was playing games with his flower girl.

Was she really his?

"Reno," the Turk said sternly when he walked into the main room for their meetings.

Reno was the only one present in the small room; eyes closed as he sat slouched on the couch.

"Yo!" he waved his hand lazily not looking up.

"Do you have your report completed on the ancient?"

"Hm?" he yawned, "'course I do!" he grinned and pointed to the folder on the table where his feet lay.

"Good," Tseng picked up the folder, "you are dismissed from watching over her any longer."

"Ok, sure, wait what?" he shot up instantly, "Why?!"

"I'm back on the case."

He lied.

It took a few days for the red headed Turk to stop whining to Tseng about the infamous flower girl. Reno gave up after multiple times of being ignored by Tseng.

Tseng was not letting Reno get back on his case.

It was early in the morning in the Sector 5 slums of Midgar when Tseng waited at the playground for the flower girl.

And he waited, and waited…

She was never this late to go to her favorite place. What was taking her so long?

…was she alright?

Tseng decided to head towards her house. On the way to the market he saw kids running past him holding flowers. As he entered the market that hid the home of the ancient he saw multiple people gathered around a giant poster.

Puzzled of what the poster was advertising he went up to it. He gently glided through the crowd and got to the front, only to see the girl he had been looking for.

Her head was looking up at the wondrous poster as if she hadn't seen anything like it before.

He looked and to his disgust, he was not impressed.

The poster showed a huge airship flying through the clear ocean blue sky. There was a lady in a bikini on the ship and in huge letters on the top it said: The Highwind.

On the bottom of the poster it read: "All your worries will disappear by riding the Highwind! The builder, owner, and flyer of this marvelous ship is coming to Midgar in one week to pick a person to ride the sky with! Will you be the one to ride off with Cid Highwind?"

"Hmm," she hummed to herself.

Tseng hadn't realized he walked up and stopped right next to the flower girl.

"Doesn't have a picture of him, I wonder what he looks like," she looked to Tseng.

"Hmph, probably some young rich kid," he scoffed.

She giggled, "You think? Maybe not!"

"Does it matter?" he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"Probably not," she smiled.

Tseng had known this young woman for so long he didn't even have to look to know when she was smiling. He could feel it.

"Then why ask?" he opened his eyes.

"Hmm," she pondered, "I think it would be amazing to fly in the sky like that."

"Heh, pointless." He muttered and walked off leaving the woman behind.

"What about you Tseng?" Reno turned to the Turk.

"What?" he asked, eyeing the red headed man.

"Do you have any regrets?" he asked again.

"No," he closed his eyes, "I like my job."

Reno laughed, "Well I don't mean the job. Of course you can't have regrets with this job. I mean in your life." He explained.

Did he have any true regrets? He didn't know himself.

"No." He opened his eyes and walked out of the room.

Tseng had perfected getting from the Shinra building to the Cetra's church in a decent amount of time. He hadn't talked to her since a few days ago where he saw her at the poster of a Cid Highwind.

That man was the talk of Midgar. Everyone wanted to ride with him, but in the poster he would only pick one. Why only one? That airship was huge.

It bugged Tseng terribly. Even Elena had hoped to be picked by Cid Highwind. What troubled him the most was that the flower girl even seemed to like the idea of the airship.

He never thought she would say that.

He walked up to the church, hopeful that she would be inside. As he creaked the door open he poked his head instead.

She was there.

She looked up and gave a gentle smile.

"I was wondering where you've been," she looked back down at the flowers.

Tseng didn't reply as he walked up and sat on one of the benches in the front row on the left side. Silence overcame the church as he watched her tend to the flowers.

He always wondered why she loved flowers so much.

"Do you still want to go on that airship?" He finally spoke.

She didn't look up from the flowers when she spoke, "hmm," she grinned, "why do you ask?"

He shifted uncomfortably, not ready for the question, "curious."

"You sure that's it?"

"Yeah, why else would I ask?" he grew irritated.

She shrugged, "I don't know that's why I was asking," she lightly laughed.

A few minutes went by with her not answering him. Tseng grew impatient and thought she was avoiding the question all together.

"Well…do you?" he spoke.

"Oh!" she giggled; "sorry!" She stood and wiped the dirt off of her pink dress. "I still would love to go on the airship, but I doubt I'll be the one going on it."

"What's so special about an airship?"

He really didn't see what was so special about it. He had been on plenty of airships small and big. What was the big deal?

"I've never been flying before, I would love to see the sky and the earth…," she trailed off in her thoughts. "…I've never even been out of Midgar," she smiled softly.

"Don't you like it here?" Tseng asked looking at the broken ceiling.

She looked at Tseng, "'course I do," she nodded.

But there's so much more out there.

It had come to Tseng's attention that the day had come to where Cid Highwind was arriving in Midgar with his airship. A giant crowd had gathered where Cid would be landing his ship. Tseng wasn't ordered to go to calm down the crowd, no…

He went for another reason.

While searching the crowd he saw nothing but black and white with no small figure of pink amongst them. Relief came over him then as he only saw bland colors. As the wind started to pick up around the area people began cheering as the airship descended from the sky.

Tseng looked up at the ship, annoyed. All these people were excited for this one man. There were plenty of people who could fly ships, why was he so special?

'Cause she thinks it's special.

The airship landed and people were holding their breaths for the sight of Cid Highwind. As the door swung open on the deck of the ship people became impatient.

A man walked out and let down the rope latter. He climbed down and looked at all the people. Their mouths open, but no words came out; not even cheering.

The man stared back, "Cid's up there." He pointed up.

Everyone looked away from the black - hair man with a torn red cape to the deck of the ship. There stood a middle aged man with short blonde hair and a cigarette in his mouth.

"How ya'll doin?!" he yelled.

And the people cheered.

Cid was on the ground in a second, "Thanks Vincent," the man chuckled.

This was Cid Highwind? Tseng shook his head.

"Worse than a young rich kid," he grumbled.

He looked through the crowd once more for the pink figure but she was nowhere to be found. As he walked through the people he could hear Cid talking amongst the people and laughing.

"Why only one ya ask?"

Tseng stopped and looked through the people to see Cid.

"It would be a hassle to have so many people on my beloved ship!" he scratched his chin, "plus I'm more looking for a woman to fly the skies with me!"

A woman?

Tseng couldn't take the idiot any longer. He left without so much of a glance back at the airship captain.

"Shit!!!"

It had been a few days since Cid Highwind had arrived in Midgar.

"Crazy people!!"

And he had no luck in finding someone to ride with him.

"God Damnit! I don't know where I am!!"

The airship captain ran through the slums of Midgar as he was being chased by multiple people who wanted to be chosen by him. This is why he had no such luck.

Cigarette in hand Cid turned a corner and spotted a lone church. Without thinking he darted away from the people and went inside the church.

"Huff…Huff," he peeked out the door to see the people running past the church, "Crazy fuckin' people! Damn!" he breathed.

Cid took a few moments to catch his breath and when he did he turned around.

"Fu-," he cut off his word as he looked to see a young woman on the other side of the church looking at him. "Oh!" He put his cigarette in his mouth, "sorry, Miss. I didn't know you were in here."

"It's alright. What's all the commotion out there?"

As Cid walked down the aisle he began to see how beautiful this woman was. The pink dress she wore showed her slender form well. She had long brown hair tied up by a simple pink ribbon. Her features soft and smooth and her eyes were the color of an emerald.

Was he in heaven?

"Just stupid people," he coughed.

As Cid came into the light the flower girl got a good look at the man. Tall and scruffy, yet masculine and rough. His blue eyes matched perfectly with his somewhat spiked short blonde hair.

She giggled, "You found the perfect hiding place."

Then she smiled.

Wowzers. "Did I?" he grinned.

"Yeah," she nodded, "no one really comes here."

"Now, why is that?" he took a puff of his cigarette.

She lightly shrugged her shoulders, "I…don't know." She laughed to herself.

"Well, that ain't right! People should be coming here to see the flowers more!"

"You noticed them!" She jumped happily, "they only grow here…,"

"How the hell could I miss them?" He still had plenty of his cigarette left but he took it out and smashed it with his fingers.

"But it wouldn't be peaceful if a lot of people came here! So I guess it varies."

He chuckled and knelt down, "I don't think the flowers would like my rough hands..," he scratched the back of his head.

She knelt down beside him and took his hand and guided it to the flowers. She put his hand on one of the flowers and smiled.

"They aren't bad."

"Heh," he stood up, and she stood up with him, "now what's yer' name?"

"Aerith."

"Nice to meet ya Aerith! Names Cid-Cid Highwind," he grinned.

"Cid?" she tilted her head.

"Yep!"

"You're the one that has the airship!" she clapped her hands together.

"Heard of me, eh? Not surprised really, heh heh!"

She giggled, "have you found someone to ride with you?"

"Maybe…," he trailed off.

Tseng hadn't been so annoyed in his whole life. All he heard was Cid-this-Cid that. He was under orders to watch Cid wherever he went. He hated that man.

And now he had lost that man. The crowd began to chase him, and he ran from them. He didn't know the guy could run so fast.

Tseng searched for what seemed like hours before he realized he was coming to a very familiar place. Sector 5 slums, he had visited it more than any other place. He sighed as he walked up to the church. He needed a break and he knew the most peaceful place in Midgar for that break.

As he reached for the door to the church, he stopped. Not only did he hear the flower girl's voice but he heard a man's voice as well. He quietly opened the door slightly and looked inside.

He couldn't believe what he saw.

The Cetra was laughing with Cid Highwind.

So this is where he was hiding.

The bastard.

"Think about what I said, now!"

He heard Cid say.

She giggled, "I will."

"See ya around, Aerith."

He said and began to walk towards the entrance of the church. Tseng jumped off the steps and went around on the side of the church to hide.

Cid opened the door and stopped, "I could have sworn I shut this door all the way…," he shrugged and closed the door and walked off.

Tseng clenched his fists in anger. What was Cid Highwind doing in there with Aerith? What did he say to her?

Surely he didn't pick her…

Once Cid was out of sight Tseng entered the church. Aerith was back to tending her garden. She was humming a simple tune as she touched the petals of one of the flowers.

Tseng walked up to the flower bed and Aerith still hadn't noticed his presence.

"Ahem," Tseng coughed.

She looked up instantly, "Tseng," she smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"I was walking by and I noticed Cid Highwind was in here," he got straight to the point.

She looked surprised, "Oh really? He's such a nice man!" She stood.

"You think so?" Tseng mumbled and looked away from Aerith.

"Oh yes, he is," she giggled, "why do you ask?"

"No reason." He snapped back.

And suddenly Aerith was so close to the Turk he could feel her body heat. She lightly touched his arm and looked into his eyes.

"Are you sure? Truly sure?"

As she looked into his eyes it seemed that she was searching for something in him. She was searching for an answer.

"W-what do you mean?"

In the years of knowing this beautiful woman he had never been so close, so intimate.

"Do you not have an answer for me Tseng?" she whispered.

Tseng looked into the girl's eyes, and stepped away from her.

"I told you, I was just wondering. There's no other reason to ask," he said sternly.

He was surprised then when the girl in front of him looked sad. He had never seen her sad before, it didn't match her features well.

And he was the one that made her sad.

But how?

"I see," she looked down. "I think you should go now." She turned away from him and went into the back of the church, and out of sight.

What had he done?

It had been a week since Tseng had seen the precious flower girl. He didn't have the courage to see her sad again. He waited until it would die down, she would be happy again soon.

…right?

"Hey, Tseng!" Reno ran into the room where they held their meetings.

"What is it Reno?" Tseng turned and walked up to the red headed Turk.

"Did you not hear?"

"…hear what?" he hesitated.

"Oh shit…," Reno shook his head. "What did you do?!" he yelled at him and went out of the room leaving a confused Tseng.

The next day Tseng decided to go back to the church and see Aerith. It was too gloomy without her around.

He went through the playground – no Aerith. He went to the church – no Aerith. He went everywhere in the Sector 5 Slums and Aerith was nowhere to be found. Tseng quickly went to Aerith's home and knocked on the door.

It didn't take long for Aerith's mother to answer the door.

"Oh, Tseng," she seemed surprised.

"Where's Aerith?" he instantly asked.

She looked even more surprised then, which Tseng didn't like.

"She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" he became irritated.

"She…left with Cid Highwind yesterday morning."

No.

No no no no no no no no…

"She…left with Cid?"

"Yes…she and Cid were inseparable all week and she brought him here too. He's such a nice man! He wanted her to go with him to see the world and at first she was hesitant but then she accepted," Elmyra explained.

"But…why…?" Tseng clenched his fists.

"He made her laugh and smile…and well he offered her a chance to see the world."

"But…," he looked down.

"Tseng, here," Elmyra held out a letter, "Aerith wanted me to give it to you when I saw you next. Sorry, though, I had no idea she didn't tell you about Cid! I'm sorry."

Tseng reached out a grabbed the letter. On the cover it had his name written on it.

Written by her.

"I'm sorry again," Elmyra said and closed the door.

Tseng turned and walked from Aerith's home and slowly made his way to the flower's girl church. Whether she was there or somewhere else, it would always be her church.

He sat at his usual bench and opened the letter.

Dear, Tseng.

I probably won't see you again, at least not in the near future. I have known you almost my whole life and I always thought you wanted more than what we had. And in all honestly we didn't have much but…I always thought that maybe you loved me. I was searching for an answer from you and I got it. I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable. I hope you find happiness in your future!

Love always, Aerith.

Tseng was trembling like a frightened child. A week ago she was asking him why he asked her. She always asked 'why' and she just wanted an answer and he gave her one; one that was the wrong answer.

Of course he loved her. He loved her more than his own life. When he saw her lips all he wanted to do was kiss her, when he heard her voice his knees weakened, when she held her hand up in a gesture all he wanted to do was grab her and embrace her.

All he wanted was her.

And now she was gone because he was too stubborn to tell her how he felt. He had her in his hand and with his words she jumped right out of his grasp.

She was waiting for him…and he walked away from her. She offered him a life with her and he rejected it because he couldn't get past himself to tell her.

"I love you, Aerith," he whispered, but she wasn't there to hear it.

Now he realized what it was like to have a regret. To feel regret.

The one and only regret was letting the best thing in his life slip through his fingers.