Flowers Blooming In A Church.
By Rachel
The Midgar slums were exactly that, slums. It was home to dirt, poverty, cruelty, and the worst of humanity. But people lived there none the less. What other choice was there; they had not enough gil to buy a home on the surface where there was clean air. The inhabitants were always busy working in some way or another to earn money. So it was not unusual to young kids running around unsupervised.
"Hurry up. You are so slow." The boy with the ebon hair called back to his friend. He grinned at her to show her he wasn't being mean.
"Tseng!" the girl called back a bit defensively.
Tseng laughed slightly. He could just see the top of her emerald bow and a little of her chestnut hair over the large overturned cement pillar. She usually had trouble with this part. The outfits her mother made her wear weren't suitable for climbing over the ruins in the slums. That never stopped her though.
"Need some help, Aeris." He teased.
"No I don't." she said indignantly, and a hand appeared.
Aeris took a deep breath and prayed to the planet that she didn't ruin this outfit that her mother had gotten her the other day. The she'd gotten her daughter after she had ruined her last one by climbing this very same pillar. She pulled herself up most of the way, and much to her childish dismay, Tseng helped her the rest of the way.
They were headed to the old abandoned church past all the debris. Aeris had come across the place one day about two years before. She had seen a commercial on a television once when her mother took her shopping in Wall Market. It was of a beautiful flower field outside of some surface town. She wished she could see flowers more. They were the loveliest things she had ever laid eyes on. Aeris wanted to see flowers again. The problem was they didn't grow in the slums; it wasn't possible.
Her desire however led her to this church. She had always heard the call of the planet when she was young, and it grew stronger as she got older. Well the planet wanted to grant her wish to see flowers again and led her to the church. Inside was a small patch of flowers that grew in one of the few streams of sunlight that could get through the plate. They were mostly dead having no one to tend to them. They just grew each year and died each year alone with no solace. That was until the little Cetra came along.
"Here we are," announced Tseng as the finally made it into the church. He was glad that Aeris had told him about this place. It was absolutely gorgeous. And mostly he liked it because it was their secret place. As far as they knew no one else knew about it. It was between him and her. It made him feel glowy inside that she was willing to share something to nice with just him.
Aeris knelt down by the flowerbed, reaching the sprinkling can she made out of an old soup can into the small pond of water. She let it empty over the plants with a soft smile on her face. She felt best when she was here. Perhaps it was because this was the closest she could get to the planet in the slums. Maybe because it was her secret. Hers and Tseng's.
The Asian looking boy flopped down beside her and grinned, petting one of the flowers, "When I get older, I'm going to be a Turk!"
Aeris frowned slightly. It sounded like a Shinra job. "A... Turk?" she asked hesitantly, not sure what it was.
"Yeah," he nudged one of the broken pews with his foot, "Dad said it's this new branch the Shinra were thinking of hiring. They are a specialized mercenary force. I don't know, but apparently the president wants to hire them to hunt for something. But they get to travel all over the world."
She could see why he wanted to join now. She had been confused and worried for a second there. One of their favorite pass-times was ragging on how horrible it was here, and how the Shinra were awful people. Tseng's dad worked in the lower levels of Shinra. Not even out of the slums, but he heard things. And the truth was that the Midgar slums were a horrible place to live. Most would do anything to escape up to the surface. The words, 'Travel all over the world' had been the key and he had said them with such a wistful hope.
She turned and gave him a winning smile. "You better train then. They'll only take the best and well... you know?" she winked at him.
"Hey now Aeris," he protested in mock defense, "You know I'm the best there is."
"Yes, that's true. Tseng excels at everything he does." She stood up and brushed off her pink skirt. She then went over and sat beside him. They stayed there like that for a while, gazing at the streams of sunlight that shown through the roof.
"It's getting late." Tseng finally pointed out.
"Yes, it is."
"We should go.'
"Yes. We should."
"...Soon."
"Yes. Now would be good."
"Yeah."
There was a moment of silence and then Aeris burst into a fit of giggles. He soon joined her and they sat there laughing for what seemed like a long time. When they finally stopped both stood up and gazed at the entrance to the church. A sudden bold thought crossed Aeris' mind. A light blush spread over her cheeks, but she turned to face Tseng. She leaned forward on her tiptoes and pecked him quickly on the lips.
"Race you back!" she called as she dashed out of there as fast as she could. He wasn't far behind her.
And the flowers watched peacefully as their caretakers ran off into the fast approaching night.
The End.
~*~
Author's Notes: Hi everyone. So how was it? You should tell me that in your review which I know you're going to leave. –Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, pointed look- If anyone was wondering about age I pictured them as between about 11 and 13. I don't exactly know why I wrote this. I was reading Noacat's story, 'In the Eye of the Storm' (Shameless plug. Go read) and it inspired me to write this. So far I like her story though. It's Aeris/Sephiroth.
The Midgar slums were exactly that, slums. It was home to dirt, poverty, cruelty, and the worst of humanity. But people lived there none the less. What other choice was there; they had not enough gil to buy a home on the surface where there was clean air. The inhabitants were always busy working in some way or another to earn money. So it was not unusual to young kids running around unsupervised.
"Hurry up. You are so slow." The boy with the ebon hair called back to his friend. He grinned at her to show her he wasn't being mean.
"Tseng!" the girl called back a bit defensively.
Tseng laughed slightly. He could just see the top of her emerald bow and a little of her chestnut hair over the large overturned cement pillar. She usually had trouble with this part. The outfits her mother made her wear weren't suitable for climbing over the ruins in the slums. That never stopped her though.
"Need some help, Aeris." He teased.
"No I don't." she said indignantly, and a hand appeared.
Aeris took a deep breath and prayed to the planet that she didn't ruin this outfit that her mother had gotten her the other day. The she'd gotten her daughter after she had ruined her last one by climbing this very same pillar. She pulled herself up most of the way, and much to her childish dismay, Tseng helped her the rest of the way.
They were headed to the old abandoned church past all the debris. Aeris had come across the place one day about two years before. She had seen a commercial on a television once when her mother took her shopping in Wall Market. It was of a beautiful flower field outside of some surface town. She wished she could see flowers more. They were the loveliest things she had ever laid eyes on. Aeris wanted to see flowers again. The problem was they didn't grow in the slums; it wasn't possible.
Her desire however led her to this church. She had always heard the call of the planet when she was young, and it grew stronger as she got older. Well the planet wanted to grant her wish to see flowers again and led her to the church. Inside was a small patch of flowers that grew in one of the few streams of sunlight that could get through the plate. They were mostly dead having no one to tend to them. They just grew each year and died each year alone with no solace. That was until the little Cetra came along.
"Here we are," announced Tseng as the finally made it into the church. He was glad that Aeris had told him about this place. It was absolutely gorgeous. And mostly he liked it because it was their secret place. As far as they knew no one else knew about it. It was between him and her. It made him feel glowy inside that she was willing to share something to nice with just him.
Aeris knelt down by the flowerbed, reaching the sprinkling can she made out of an old soup can into the small pond of water. She let it empty over the plants with a soft smile on her face. She felt best when she was here. Perhaps it was because this was the closest she could get to the planet in the slums. Maybe because it was her secret. Hers and Tseng's.
The Asian looking boy flopped down beside her and grinned, petting one of the flowers, "When I get older, I'm going to be a Turk!"
Aeris frowned slightly. It sounded like a Shinra job. "A... Turk?" she asked hesitantly, not sure what it was.
"Yeah," he nudged one of the broken pews with his foot, "Dad said it's this new branch the Shinra were thinking of hiring. They are a specialized mercenary force. I don't know, but apparently the president wants to hire them to hunt for something. But they get to travel all over the world."
She could see why he wanted to join now. She had been confused and worried for a second there. One of their favorite pass-times was ragging on how horrible it was here, and how the Shinra were awful people. Tseng's dad worked in the lower levels of Shinra. Not even out of the slums, but he heard things. And the truth was that the Midgar slums were a horrible place to live. Most would do anything to escape up to the surface. The words, 'Travel all over the world' had been the key and he had said them with such a wistful hope.
She turned and gave him a winning smile. "You better train then. They'll only take the best and well... you know?" she winked at him.
"Hey now Aeris," he protested in mock defense, "You know I'm the best there is."
"Yes, that's true. Tseng excels at everything he does." She stood up and brushed off her pink skirt. She then went over and sat beside him. They stayed there like that for a while, gazing at the streams of sunlight that shown through the roof.
"It's getting late." Tseng finally pointed out.
"Yes, it is."
"We should go.'
"Yes. We should."
"...Soon."
"Yes. Now would be good."
"Yeah."
There was a moment of silence and then Aeris burst into a fit of giggles. He soon joined her and they sat there laughing for what seemed like a long time. When they finally stopped both stood up and gazed at the entrance to the church. A sudden bold thought crossed Aeris' mind. A light blush spread over her cheeks, but she turned to face Tseng. She leaned forward on her tiptoes and pecked him quickly on the lips.
"Race you back!" she called as she dashed out of there as fast as she could. He wasn't far behind her.
And the flowers watched peacefully as their caretakers ran off into the fast approaching night.
The End.
~*~
Author's Notes: Hi everyone. So how was it? You should tell me that in your review which I know you're going to leave. –Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, pointed look- If anyone was wondering about age I pictured them as between about 11 and 13. I don't exactly know why I wrote this. I was reading Noacat's story, 'In the Eye of the Storm' (Shameless plug. Go read) and it inspired me to write this. So far I like her story though. It's Aeris/Sephiroth.