I left you in the morning,

And in the morning glow,

You walked a way beside me

To make me sad to go.

Do you know me in the gloaming,

Gaunt and dusty gray with roaming?

Are you dumb because you know me not,

Or dumb because you know?

All for me and not a question

For the faded flowers gay

That could take me from beside you

For the ages of a day?

They are yours, and be the measure

Of their worth for you to treasure,

The measure of the little while

That I've been long away. – "Flower-Gathering," Robert Frost

            Aeris knew he was behind her long before he spoke. She recognized his footsteps, his scent, his shadow. She concentrated on the task at hand, watering her roses conscientiously but acutely aware of his presence. She brushed a few bugs off the rose petals, knowing he'd wait until she was done. She moved deliberately through the neat rows of bushes, tending to each one in turn before joining Zack on the garden bench.

            She sat next to him, feeling the pleasant warmth of his skin. The garden was still cool on that early June morning, but the sun was halfway risen and the day promised to be a hot one. Aeris leaned against Zack, enjoying the sleepy peace of the sunrise and the smell of a hundred roses.

            Zack slipped one arm around her slender shoulders and squeezed lightly. Aeris smiled, allowing herself to relax.

            They sat that way for awhile, neither wishing to break the languid silence—and yet…

            Zack was uneasy, Aeris could sense that. He was watching her intently, never meeting her eyes, and turning away when she looked back at him. Perplexed but not willing to push an unwelcome topic, she waited for him to speak first.

            Reluctantly, he did. "I was promoted, Aeris."

            "Promoted? That's wonderful!"

            "Yeah." No, it's not. "I don't have to patrol anymore."

            "Are you a guard captain, then?" She looked up at him; even sitting, his six feet towered over her five feet, three inches.

            "Not quite. A little higher than that." For the first time, she noticed the new glow his eyes had taken on—a decidedly unnatural glow. "I was promoted to SOLDIER, First Class."

            "First Class? But that's the highest rank there is!"
            "I know. Sephiroth heard of my battle skills, apparently, and wanted me in." He blushed slightly, wishing he hadn't mentioned the great general's compliment.

            "But…that's wonderful!"

            "It's a change. And the pay's higher," he replied guardedly.

            She noticed his reticence. "Why aren't you happy about this, Zack?" Aeris asked gently.

            He was silent a moment. "Aeris, I have to leave. I'm being transferred to Upper Junon for training."

            "Junon's not that far away. It's only across some mountains. You'll be back for leave."

            "Possibly. Hopefully I can see my parents sometime, too. My first mission is to Nibelheim, that's not too far from Gongaga." He paused. "I don't know when I can come home again."

            "When are you leaving?" Her voice sounded small to her.

            "Tonight," he replied heavily.
            "But…you'll be back? You'll come back to me?"
            He raised her tiny white hand to his lips. "I'll always come back to you."

            She rose from the bench and quickly plucked several white roses. She pulled the pink ribbon out of her hair and tied it around the little, delicate bouquet. "I don't have any speeches to give you, or a token of love, or anything. All I have are my flowers." He took her bouquet.

            "I'll dry them, and remember you when I see them," he promised.

            "Oh, don't. If you need faded blossoms to remind you of me, I'm not worth your remembrance."

            He nodded gravely, and held her tightly for a moment. She gently detached herself, and, her hand in his, walked out of the garden.