For seven days, she had dreamed.
Normally, her dreams were of a Planet trying its best to reach her. They were dark, full of the Planet's pain. Sometimes she could hear the voices of the lost inside of them. Other times she dreamt of those she had lost, those she couldn't touch and didn't know how to find. She dreamt of the dark Soldier she had loved, of the mother she had lost, of the father she had never been allowed to know. But all of them faded upon her waking.
This dream was different.
It had begun with a red thread. All she saw was a misty haze of darkness. Through this haze, a red thread tentatively floated. Each night it came closer and closer. She saw how fragile it was, but she could never reach it to give it strength. But it was searching for something, something she felt she could give it. Something to anchor it, to hold it in place until it could find its own strength.
But she could never reach the red thread.
Aerith went to the upper plates frequently without her mother's knowledge. She didn't want to alarm her mother, because it was dangerous on the upper plates for a slum dweller. But she made good money selling her flowers to the upper city's citizens. To keep their house in Sector Five, they had to have money. Elmyra worked hard, but Aerith knew how much she scrimped and saved to keep their lives as comfortable as they were. There weren't many opportunities for Aerith down in the slums, besides the Honeybee Manor.
Aerith giggled a little, thinking of the Honeybee Manor. There was no way she would ever work there. Elmyra would die before she'd let her daughter work at a place like that. Aerith felt similarly about the whole thing. Since she had never been the best with numbers, she felt a business career was something she probably wouldn't be able to pursue. However, she'd always had a remarkable gift with plants, due to her special heritage. Their home was the only house in the slums that actually had its own garden, due mostly to Aerith's intervention.
So Aerith went to the upper plates every day to sell the flowers she grew. As she was doing today.
She wasn't selling as much as usual. Her thoughts kept drifting to the strange dreams that had been haunting her sleep over the past few days. She couldn't puzzle out their meaning. Rarely did she have recurring dreams unless it was something important. Generally her recurring dreams had something to do with souls or the Planet trying to reach her. She couldn't put her finger on just why this dream puzzled her, though.
She looked up at the sky and jumped. Night had fallen and she was still on the upper plate! She shook her head with a sigh, glancing down into her basket. She'd sold hardly any flowers today. Hopefully her mother wouldn't be too upset with her if she came home a little later than usual. She was twenty-two, after all. There shouldn't be a problem with her staying out late for one night.
Rationalizing in her head didn't assuage her guilt, however. She decided to start heading for home; she'd sell her flowers along the way. As she walked, a green light caught her eye. For the moment, the call of the Planet surged around her. Drawn to its power, she moved over to the side of a building. There, a green light pulsed gently. Without thinking, she reached forward, closing her eyes. The energy swirled around her, and she knew it for what it was. The condensed lifestream, makou energy. Sadness tore through her. This was a place where the Planet was calling for help, and she could do nothing to protect it.
She stood, bowing her head before the swirling green. Troubled, she began to walk away from the energy. Elmyra had offered, long ago, to move them, but Aerith told her that the problem was not with the people of Shinra—it was with the idea of Shinra itself. No matter where she moved, the dark cloak Shinra brought with it would cover the Planet. Moving would not save the Planet.
Suddenly, a great roar forced Aerith to cover her ears. Startled, she turned, her eyes searching frantically for the source of the noise. She couldn't see anything because of all of the huge buildings, though. But it sounded more like an explosion than anything else. Aerith closed her eyes, offering a quick prayer for the safety of anyone involved.
Mired by her thoughts, she almost ran into a handsome blonde man. Startled, she looked up, taking in the uniform, the flaring bright eyes, and the serious face. Something tugged at her as she looked at him. Before she could stop herself, she found herself reaching out toward him. "Excuse me," she said, "What happened?"
He turned toward her, giving her the full intensity of his attention. He studied her for a moment, as though he might tell her the truth. But then he tossed his head back as he said, "Nothing." His eyes moved from her to the flowers in her basket. He unnerved her; everything about this encounter was unnerving. "Hey, listen. Don't see many flowers around here." His eyes returned to take in her face. She could drown in them, they were so bright.
As his words finally sunk into her mind, she started slightly. "Oh, these? Do you like them? They're only a gil."
He laughed as though he didn't quite believe her. But she was sincere, and he soon realized it. "Are you serious?" he asked incredulously.
She nodded, unable to say anything. The tugging inside of her was becoming stronger.
He shrugged. "Sure. I'll buy one."
Unexpectedly, Aerith felt a smile blossom on her face. "Oh thank you!" She pulled out the flower that she felt was the loveliest. "Here you are!" As she handed him the flower, their fingers touched. She froze as her vision blurred. For a moment, she couldn't see anything but haze and the outline of his form. She shut her eyes fiercely. Upon opening them again, she saw that he had turned and was walking away. She placed her hand on her heart to feel its beating. There was something important about that young man.
She walked the way he had wandered, heading back to her own home.
She dreamed that night.
The haze covered her vision. She watched for the thread, waiting for it. It came, winding its way through the haze toward her. It was still uncertain, still unsure of itself. At last, she knew why she could not reach the thread. Smiling within the dream, she reached inside of herself to find her own thread.
Her own sprouted from her heart. Hers was sure and strong. She knew what she was looking for now. With her own thread, she bound the wandering thread, anchoring it and harboring it. As her thread connected with the other, the haze parted like a veil. In the distance, she saw a figure. It was dark and still in shadow; she could not make out who it was.
The figure turned.
Elmyra had been unhappy that Aerith had stayed out so late the night before. Aerith had apologized profusely, but nothing could spoil her good mood. She had hummed and smiled as she darted about the kitchen, cleaning in order to improve Elmyra's mood.
At last, Elmyra had laughed and said, "You haven't been this happy in five years. What happened?"
Aerith shook her head, holding the secret of the strange blue-eyed man to herself. "Nothing, Mom. I'm just trying to get back on your good side, that's all."
Elmyra laughed, waving Aerith off. "You sly thing. Just promise me you won't go up to the upper plate anymore to sell flowers."
"I promise I won't," Aerith replied. She froze as a sudden realization slammed into her. For whatever reason, those words were true. She wondered what changes were about to take place.
That night, she had had the dream again. When she woke, she realized that whoever it was that was in the dream was coming closer to her. She would be able to find that person now. The thought made her even happier than thinking of the blue-eyed man. She hadn't met anyone who interested her in a long time. The idea of a new encounter now thrilled her.
So, fulfilling her mother's wishes, she decided to go to the church to find peace with the Planet in the only way she could. She gathered her basket to her, leaving her mother with a kiss. As she walked through the Sector Five slums, she greeted the various people she knew and stopped in to see the sick man who had come a few nights before. Then she hurried off to the church.
She stepped into the church, the peace and calm of its still atmosphere immediately enveloping her. She reveled in it, closing her eyes to let it fill every part of her. This church was her favorite place in the world. She had loved it ever since she was a child, and it was a sanctuary for her even in her youth. Smiling, she walked forward. She bent to tend the flowers in the center, frowning slightly in concentration as she pulled out some of the weeds that had grown in the wrong places.
Without warning, the roof began to cave in.
Startled, Aerith looked up. Before she could move, a portion of the roof broke. Aerith gasped, raising her arms to shield herself as part of the roof fell along with another object. When the haze of the breakage cleared, Aerith pulled her arm from her face. Miraculously, the debris had fallen mostly to the side of the flowerbed. But in the center of the flowerbed was a figure.
Concerned, Aerith immediately ran to the figure's side. She sucked in a breath as she realized that the person in front of her was none other than the blue-eyed soldier she had met earlier. Carefully, she tried to lift him, but he was too heavy for her. She leaned back on her knees, wondering what to do. At last, she decided to shake him and try calling to him.
He moved, and she quickly realized he was alive. "Hello? Hello, can you hear me?"
Heavy lids slowly revealed blue eyes.
The red thread pulled.