Title: Skylight

Author: Novlomien

Chapters: 1/1 (Oneshot/Slight AU)

Rating: T

Summary: Takes place during Crisis Core (slight AU, possible spoilers). Zack wanted to spend as much time with Aerith as he possibly could before the next assignment so he decides to finally take her above the Plate.

A/N: I just wanted to write a "what if" story and this is what came to mind. It is short I know but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Please read and review!

Skylight

The dank and dark streets that made up the Slums were never inviting and developed a somewhat depressing presence. The air was heavy, filled with heavy fumes from the surrounding areas and from the lack of oxygen. Those who did not live there would find it uncomfortable, but for the neighboring folks it was home; not that they had a choice since most of them grew up there and never knew of the world that existed above the Plate.

The little children, stubby legs and waving arms as they played, kicked up some of the sand that was in the playground on the other side of the area. Little handmade swords were thrashing about wildly as the children giggled and ran around each other, playing some imaginary game. It was always so nice to see the kids goofing off since it made the Slums a brighter place at times. Entering the playground area, a girl with a pink bow in her auburn hair that matched her pink and white dress came strolling in as she pushed a wagon full of fresh flowers. Accompanying her was a SOLDIER member with jet black spiked hair, navy blue outfit, and a sword that hung off of his back. He seemed to be a little uncomfortable at times since he was still familiarizing himself with this place.

Zack was running his fingers through his styled hair, watching Aerith as she positioned the cart just right so that the people walking by would be able to spot the fragrant flowers and be intrigued to buy a few. After all, it was Zack's idea to fill her wallet full of money in exchange for Midgar to be full of flowers, even if it just started out in the Slums. Aerith loved the idea, not so much for the money, but for the happiness that she would see on the people's faces as they each buy a flower; finding that the simplest things could always cheer someone up.

Zack stood there with his arms folded as he stood beside her, finding this to be a good thing for her. It's not like they knew each other for long, even meeting each other by accident, but he was finding himself liking Aerith more every minute; her sweet personality hard to resist and the beauty that she possessed was far more than he had ever known.

His eyes caught sight of the familiar blue business suit on a lean framed woman that only a certain group wore and he sighed. He didn't recognize the woman but he recognized the familiar seriousness and sly look to the face. Zack sighed to himself as he shook his head; the Turks had been coming by once in a while, watching Aerith for some unknown reason. He knew of the Turks through Shinra and knew that usually if they were around, it was them being up to no good. He found himself curious and started to head towards the figure that stood beside the big slide in the playground.

The woman in the shades with long raven hair turned her back to him as he came closer, not wanting to speak with him. She knew who he was and why he came here; knowing a lot of things about your target and those associated with the target comes with the job.

"You two make me sick, you know that?" she stated in a velvet voice as she turned around to face him, taking her shades off to look at Zack better; her crimson eyes were almost frightening, even when she was irritated. Zack closed the distance between them, placing his gloved hands on his hips.

"Which one are you?" he asked, wanting to know her name.

"I'm Mia," she replied nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here? Can't you guys just leave her alone?" he asked, finding the irritation coming to play in his voice.

"If you know the answer, then why are you asking the question?" she asked, folding her arms in front of her gently.

"Why don't you just talk to her or something, just get it over with instead of stalking her constantly?" he asked annoyance evident in his voice.

"Because that's not our orders, not yet anyway," she mentioned coyly.

"Where's Tseng?" he asked, looking around his surroundings slowly as if to find him hiding.

"On another assignment," she answered simply. "Enough with the twenty questions and go back to playing shop with your girlfriend." She slipped her shades back on and leaned her shoulder against the wall beside her. Zack sighed and was reluctant to leave her but he did. He trotted towards where Aerith had been waiting for him, next to her wagon full of aromatic flowers.

"Anything wrong?" Aerith asked, folding her hands behind her back. Zack seemed to be thinking intently when she asked, but forced himself out of it.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Zack replied which was basically the truth. He cupped his hands together as a distraction. "Let's head back to the church for a bit, take a break from selling." Aerith nodded in agreement and placed her delicate hands on the frontal bar of the wagon. She started pushing the cart and Zack followed beside her. Zack instinctively looked behind him to find Mia had not moved but kept her gaze on them. He turned back around and continued to walk with her.

They arrived at the run down church and entered, being greeted by the soft glow that beamed down in the center from the large hole in the roof and the greenery that bloomed beneath it. Aerith seemed to walk a bit faster than Zack since he was lagging behind in thought. She set the wagon off to the side of the flowerbed and then knelt down to the garden to see if anything else needed to be done on them. It was as if they were her babies, her natural maternal instinct coming out in full force as her fingers danced gracefully over them, nurturing them. Zack always noticed this, finding that since she was usually alone, the flora became her friends. He rubbed the back of his neck slightly, feeling his hair in the process. He then headed towards her, his boots clunking noisily as he slowly made his way. When he was next to her, he knelt down on one knee upon the cracked wooden boards, careful not to touch the plants before him and rested his arm on his bent leg.

"Hey, Aerith," he said to get her attention. She didn't answer right away as she was pulling the dead leaves off one of the white flowers.

"Hm?" she mumbled, but still kept her gaze on the garden as she tended to it.

"Um, I was hoping that I could take you above the Plate today," he offered, hesitant because of her fear of going above the Plate; she had told him before that the sky scared her. That sentence made her stop and look at him. Her face had concern and fear mixed together.

"I know that you are afraid, but I'll be right there with you," he consoled then added quickly. "If you ever get scared we can come back here, no problem." She turned her gaze down towards her garden once more in thought before looking back at him.

"Okay, I will," she agreed. Zack was shocked by her answer; he assumed she would reject it.

"Serious?" he asked, wanting to make sure he heard her right and that she wasn't joking.

"Uh huh," she said. "As long as you're with me I know I'll be safe."

"Of course, you know I'll always protect you," he assured her. She smiled at him. Zack knew that she was still scared but this was going to be a giant step for she had lived in the slums all her life. He rose to his feet and extended his hand to help her up. She took it with a cute smile. The moment was lost as Zack's stomach began to rumble with hunger. Aerith heard it and automatically held up a hand to cover her imminent giggle, finding it amusing. Embarrassed, Zack chuckled and held a gloved hand over his abdomen.

"Guess my stomach has other plans," he said, glad that gave her a smile even at his own expense.

"I know," Aerith said, having thought of an idea. "We can have a picnic when we get above." Zack was a little surprised that she suggested that; it seemed her fear was going away with each minute and eagerness was taking over.

"That sounds wonderful," he simply stated, a smile forming on his face at the thought of this picnic as being a potential date.

"I'll get the items from the market," she mentioned going to the side of the church and grabbing a woven hand basket, placing the handle on her forearm.

"We'll go together," he suggested, wanting to spend as much time with her as possible, just in case the dreaded phone started ringing, alerting him on another assignment.

"Okay," Aerith agreed, taking her leave out of the church while Zack followed.

A while later they had some food, drinks, and a few supplies for their picnic. It was uncomfortable for Zack to go to the market on an empty stomach though; the smell of the foods tempting him immensely. They decided it was time to try to go to the surface above the Plate. When they reached the pathway that lead there, Aerith stopped walking abruptly. He had a feeling she would. He stood in front of her to face her and was about to say something but she raised her finger to her lips to quiet him. Zack pursed his lips in a comical way and she giggled, trying to regain composure once again. She closed her eyes and sighed silently, her whole body seemed to have taken a deep breath along with her, seemingly psyching herself up for this. Zack folded his arms across his chest, finding this amusing but did his best to try to hide the smirk that wanted to form on his face.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and smiled at him, letting him know that she was ready now. He nodded and stood by her side once more, ready to walk beside her. Suddenly, he felt a delicate hand wrap around his own. He looked over at the two intertwined hands and then back at Aerith. Her shyness could be seen but she kept her gaze at him. He automatically knew that she felt safer if he was holding her hand. He nodded to her and seemingly escorted her towards the entrance.

The sun was beaming brightly as they both stepped out onto the lush greenery of the hill. Aerith had her eyes closed the entire time due to Zack's request; he wanted to take her to the hill he deemed the one with the prettiest view. He made sure she was protected and to not trip. As they made their way across, Aerith seemed to be all right with the trail. He made sure he never let go of her hand, knowing that she felt safer that way. He stopped when they were on the hill and led her to the center.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now," he commanded, grinning and eager to see her reaction. She didn't open them at first but slowly she started to pry them open. Eventually, her eyes widened to see the beauty that stood before her; the lush greenery and the clear blue sky. At first, she seemed to want to hold Zack because her fear was setting in but he assured her that it was okay. She started to distance herself slightly so that she could get a better look at her surroundings. Carefully, she set down the picnic basket on the tall grass and stepped a little more.

"You like it?" he asked, the silence getting to him.

"Yes, it's beautiful," she breathed out, turning to him with a grin.

"Ha, see?" Zack pointed to the sky. "The sky's not so scary."

"No, it's not," she agreed, taking a look once more.

"Come on," he told her. "Let's have that picnic." Aerith nodded as she returned to the picnic basket that was on the grass and rummaged through it to find a blanket that she had brought. She unfolded it and laid it on the ground underneath the shaded tree nearby and knelt down upon it. Zack reached behind him and grasped the handle of his sword, removing it from the magnetic plate that was on his back. He placed the blade into the soft ground so it stood up on its own. He strode towards Aerith to join her on top of the neatly placed blanket and sat himself down cross-legged while she was placing the items from the basket onto the cloth.

As the time went by, they enjoyed each other's company as they ate the delicious meal. Zack tried to be polite with his eating habits even though he hadn't eaten in what seemed to be days. They were silent for the most part, just savoring the moment of being together and for Aerith to enjoy the fresh crisp air that surrounded her.

The trip back was a lot slower this time as the two of them took their time walking back the path. Aerith seemed to enjoy it a lot more, knowing that she wouldn't be harmed as long as Zack was around to make sure she was safe. At one point, Aerith had taken her shoes off so that she could feel the lush grass that they walked on, finding the softness of the greenery very inviting. Nature was a part of her life as introduced to her by the flora that mysteriously grew in the church with little sunlight.

They eventually found their way back to the Slums and back to the church ruins. A shrill rang through the air as Zack's phone started to ring. He knew it was only a matter of time before that would happen, being a SOLDIER it seemed that you were always on call for something, however, it did come at a good time now than if it rang earlier. He searched through his pocket for it and flipped it open. He listened to the voice on the other end and confirmed. He then flipped it back, ending the call and turned around to face Aerith. She understood, of course, knowing that he had a job to do.

"I'm sorry but I gotta get going," he decided to mention anyway, being apologetic.

"Don't be, I know," she said, understanding. "I enjoyed being with you today and I hope to see you again real soon."

"You bet, I will come as soon as I am able to," he promised her, making sure that she knew he enjoyed her company as well.

Aerith then approached him, taking his gloved hand in hers. She surprised him by slipping off his black glove and held his naked hand in hers. Taking his hand, she placed it against her cheek to feel the touch of his skin, almost as if she was trying to make sure that he was real. Zack smiled softly as he watched her, knowing that she was going to miss him since she got to spend better time with him. He used his bare hand to keep it on her cheek, softly stroking it. She closed her eyes at the touch and smiled sweetly. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that he was closing in the distance between them, his face coming closer. She wanted this and yet, she felt it was too soon.

"I can't…" she whispered, feeling extremely guilty for letting this on when she wasn't quite ready. Zack pulled back, feeling slightly embarrassed that he was coming on too strong. He was respectful and nodded his head.

With one last squeeze of her hand as a sign of goodbye, Zack put the glove back on his hand and turned around. He made his leave and the clunking of his boots echoed in the church as he made his way towards the exit. Aerith watched him, keeping her hands close to her heart…

With a start of pain, Zack's eyes shot open as he lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood… having realized that his life was definitely flashing before his eyes… but more than so, the most important thing that was in his life…