Disclaimer:I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or its franchise, in any way possible. All characters and mentioned names belong to Square Enix.

~"I Heard You"~

The flowers seemed somber today... or at least that's how Aerith felt about them.

Years of cultivating the flowers helped her understand their own emotions, and more so hers; feeling the pulse of life itself helped her heart feel more than she could. Though she was aware that in some cases it was quite a negative thing because some would maybe find her too sensitive and odd, or maybe she was too emotional, she found joy and fascination in being able to emphatize with things and people.

Today, however, he empathy was something that worried her. She felt something in the air that she couldn't describe - some sort of loneliness, numbness... but she struggled to believe it was going to be a good day, although she felt the opposite.

As she sat by the flowers and quietly watched them, her eyes slowly closing, the church doors creaked open and in came a man in a suit. She knew him all too well - the sound of his footsteps, the rhythm... and Aerith smiled, to which the familiar face only nodded at.

"Are you alright?"

Aerith, with her elbow on her knee and her chin on her set of soft, porcelain knuckles, only nodded slightly. "...I'm alright."

Tseng approached her and looked at the flowers as she answered. "I see you don't have pen and paper in your hands at the moment."

"Oh!" Aerith chuckled. "Mm. Well... I've pretty much stopped writing at number 89..." she replied. She looked up, through the roof.

"89?" Tseng blinked disbelievingly. A soft smile twisted onto his mouth. "Impressive." The Turk bent down to touch the flowers as softly as he could with his fingertips. "...Have you stopped hoping?"

The flower girl, her mouth slightly parting as she was about to answer, paused to ponder on it. She stopped at the 89th letter and wondered if he ever received it already, and for some reason she didn't really want to ponder on the numbers or if he tried to reply because it made her sad. Yes, she was hurt, and yes, she was worried - but yes, she was also hopeful, although she tried not to be.

"...I don't know..." she answered. "...Would you consider my next answer a valid one?"

Tseng looked up at her and tilted her head questioningly.

"...I hear the Lifestream sometimes, telling me things..." Aerith got up and paced the broken wooden floors. "...about him, Tseng. But I don't believe them. They're usually very negative."

"Like what?"

Aerith felt a lump in her throat collect, and a pint of sadness began to gather up inside her. "...That he's about to go. Join them."

...Tseng knew that there would be a day Aerith would finally know about what Zack Fair was facing, whether anyone told her what he was up to or not. Tseng always knew Aerith was special, as he'd gathered from his sources in the company, and maybe leaving Aerith to that was best. She was some sort of 'geomancer' - Tseng had heard the term in history books, and it seemed to be an advantage for her. But Tseng felt too that Aerith deserved to know what was happening to Zack - how to say it, however, was another story.

"Do you want to know why I stopped writing?"

The Turk only listened.

"...I stopped writing because... well... I feel like I'm only disturbing him," Aerith said with a chuckle, "I don't want to be a nuisance with his work."

"...Mm." Tseng stood and looked around. "I don't think he thinks of you that way, though. ...Well. Who am I to say." He chuckled very quietly.

"But you know him," Aerith responded. "...Has he said anything about me? When was the last time you talked? What did he say?"

Tseng proceeded to sit on a nearby pew. As he gazed up at Aerith, he saw worry and soft sadness envelope her emerald eyes. Being her guardian, he didn't want to fail her - especially Zack. After all, he did promise him that he would look after her.

"...The last time we talked... he asked me to look after you."

Aerith had heard that many times from him, because over the course of three to four years, that had been brought up over 5 times. But that wasn't all, she felt.

"...There's something you're not telling me..." She bit her lip, shaking her head. "...Don't you think I have a right to know?... The news about that fugitive on the run from the company... that was him, wasn't it? Did he change his uniform to red? Did he grow his hair? Or was he the one hiding in Nibelheim where he was submerged in mako? Please, tell me. I deserve to know."

"Aerith-"

"I've written for three to four years, and I've heard nothing from him." Her voice quivered, and she cleared her throat, trying to remain calm. "I don't want to believe that all that paper, that ink I used up, was for nothing. No one has told me anything about him - especially you, since you come here a lot to watch over me."

"...Aerith," Tseng began, "...you see, there are some things that are kept because they might hurt people..." He fidgeted his phone, and flipped it open, wondering if he should call the cadet - just a try. "...And the mission is confidential. I am not supposed to give out information..."

Aerith knew that no matter how many times she tried to ask Tseng, he wouldn't give in, and he would obey his company. She respected that, but she felt betrayed and lost; what more was there to say?...

"...I..."

"I'm sorry."

"...It's okay," Aerith said, for possibly the millionth time in her life - even if things weren't okay. "...I understand."

Tseng, unable to explain himself any longer, stood and approached her. He laid his hands on her shoulders and looked at her. "Don't worry. It'll be alright."

Aerith didn't know what to say.

"I have to leave," Tseng sighed. "I'm sorry for the abrupt visit." He turned on his heel and walked to the door, feeling bad for what's happened, but stopped before he could completely walk out into the street. "...Aerith?"

The flower girl, fidgeting with her soft fingers, looked at him one last time.

"...You really do love him, don't you?"

She replied without thinking twice. "Incredibly so."

Tseng smiled softly. "Trust me," he said, "He does too."

The Turk left, and once again, Aerith was left alone with the sunlight, the run down church, and the flowers. She tended to the flowers to take her mind off of what Zack's status currently could be, and quietly prayed that he was safe.

... Minutes passed and she heard the Lifestream, speaking to her quietly in tones she didn't want to believe. A pause drifted by and she raised her head from the flowers, and stood.

Her hands clasped together, she quietly prayed for safety.

And in the silence, as she raised her head in a single, split-second, she heard the battle cry of someone closest to her heart, and knew it was time.