Aerith pushed another seed into the fresh soil, softly pack the dirt back in place afterwards. Midgar was the same as it always was in the summer. Muggy, dirty and dismal, but she was happy that she had a place she never tired of. In the church, she felt clean and almost safe.

She had been there all day, in fact as she looked out of the window she could the swirl of pink and orange that was the sky. She always thought Midgar looked its best at twilight.

Suddenly the quiet of the church was extinguished with the familiar roar of the monstrous machine her friend called a motorcycle. Perhaps she'd been a tad curious at first, but her mother had made sure to blot that out.

"That boy that's been coming to the church..."

"You mean Zack?" Aerith blushed and tried to hide it, but nothing escapes mothers.

"I don't know about him." Aerith turned her head to face her.

"Why not?"

"Those SOLDIER men have reputations Aerith. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Zack's not like that, he's my friend." Aerith said hoping her mother would understand. Aerith knew he was a ladies man. And understandably so, he was charismatic, fun, and handsome to boot.

"You're a pretty girl Aerith and I'm not completely sure that he only wants to be friends."

"Mom..."

"Men think like that Aerith, it's in their nature." Aerith sighed and held her head. "And another thing, I hope you haven't let him take you out on that monster."

"What?"

"That motorcycle, a sure sign of trouble if I ever did see one." Aerith shook her head but didn't say anything, knowing it was coming from a caring place. But boy was Elmyra serious about that motorcycle. For days after that she started to see her fair share of pamphlets concerning injuries, traffic accidents, casualties...all related to motorcycles. Aerith had to admit that her favorite ploy had been the novel her mother had brought home one day.

Screaming Metal Death Traps and How To Avoid Them.

And she had to admit, all that stuff had left its mark on her. Zack had asked her just a few weeks ago and she had declined. Finding more and more safety sayings resurfacing in her head every time she looked at the thing. Truly thought, she had wanted to ride with him. As more time passed she found that maybe she didn't want to be simply friends with him and she secretly hoped he felt the same way.

But that was just a fantasy. He probably went for older women and her mom would undoubtedly pop her top if she knew.

"Hey!" He knelt down beside her, eyes following her hands as she worked in the dirt. He didn't know a girl that could make dirt look as good as she did. The times he'd seen her spotless were few and far between, but either way she always looked just perfect to him. But he was reluctant to say anything like that to her, lest he scare her away or ruin the harmony of their irritatingly platonic relationship. He had an obvious chemistry with women and he knew it, but when it came to Aerith things were just different. She was different. And he really didn't want her to think he was a pervert or something. From what he knew her mother already had that covered.

"Hello Zack." she smiled at him and continued her work. "How are you tonight?"

"I'm alright." he held out his hand and she dropped a couple of seeds into it. "How are you? Working in the flowers all day?"

"You know me too well Zack." she smiled as he struggled to make a decent hole in which to drop a seed. She knew he was skilled in battle, but he was a horrid gardener. Horrid. But his feeble attempts and the bit of damage he did in her garden were small prices to pay for his company. This was becoming kind of a ritual for them and it seemed that he would never improve. She watched him, the slight crease in his brow, his eyes narrowed in concentration and the way he stuck his tongue out. She thought it was the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

He noticed her watching and stopped working.

"Wow, I really suck at this." he laughed and ran a dirty hand through his hair. He really couldn't say he like gardening, but if he could be close to Aerith he would keep on trying. Besides, Sephiroth had said just the other day that he needed to broaden his horizons. Though he was sure that if he could see him now, the General, along with the majority of SOLDIER would laugh loud and hard as they watched him get his butt royally kicked by a garden.

"Here, like this." She quickly made a small hole in the moist soil. Zack sighed and tried again.

"Uh, it keeps on caving in." Aerith finally took his hand and guided him in the right way to do it.

"Like this, not too fast..." she realized he wasn't looking at their hands but her. She kept on glancing at him out of the corner of her eye nervously, trying to discern what the intense look on his face meant. Her laugh was forced as she turned towards him, her hand still on his.

"Hey silly, you have to watch what I'm doing..." She let their eyes connect and froze when she could really see his face clearly. Zack decided against his better judgement and moved in to kiss her but she quickly scooted away from him, landing ungracefully on her back. She stared up at the ceiling of church feeling unbelievably embarrassed.

Zack got to his feet looking a bit embarrassed himself.

"Sorry." He said quietly. A long silence settled. "Maybe I should leave."

"No, it's okay."

"I really didn't mean-"

"Zack, it's fine." Aerith smiled and picked herself up, feeling her face burning. Zack didn't say anything for a while, as if giving her a chance to change her mind.

"Okay, I'm going out for some air. Be right back." Zack left, thinking maybe some air would help him cool down. At least, he hoped.

Aerith tried to keep on working but her mind kept on wandering. And strangely enough, it wasn't to Zack. It was to his motorcycle sitting in the far corner.

She planted a few more seeds and stopped, glancing over her shoulder at the bike. She turned away, desperately trying to ignore the intriguing vehicle. But she couldn't help herself and she found herself walking towards it. It was just so shiny and red. She was sure it should've had flames on the side, but there were none. Alcohol breath, instant death. One of the stupid little rhymes popped into her head and she rolled her eyes. Zack wasn't drunk so if he wanted to take her out... No! Motorcycle. Bad. Staying in one piece. Good. Still it was so tempting. She ran her fingers across the poppy red finish, smooth and bright under her hand. Aerith smiled, it even felt nice. Then, she had to try. She swung a leg over the side, having some trouble because of her height, but she eventually managed to sit atop the bike, feeling awfully small in comparison. She leaned forward and gripped the bars, trying to imagine what Zack felt every time he rode.

"So you like Betty?" Aerith jumped at the sound of Zacks voice. Busted. Aerith had more than one excuse at the tip of her tongue, but she knew it was useless.

"Betty?" Aerith asked.

"Eh, it just seemed to fit." Aerith tried to get off the motorcycle, afraid he was angry at her. But it was just the opposite. Imagine his surprise when he walked in and the girl who had refused his ride only weeks before was sitting on his bike. But not just sitting. Straddling. Boy he wished she'd worn a longer dress. He would have to go out for more air if he wasn't careful. He turned his back to her and Aerith took it as a sign that he was angry at her.

"Sorry." Aerith tried to get off the bike and got her other foot caught on the seat. But before she could tumble awkwardly to the ground, she landed solidly in Zack's arms. He sat her back up on the bike and gave her a puzzled look.

"What are you sorry for?" Aerith motioned to the bike and Zack smiled. "Betty? Aw, she never minds when a pretty girl wants to hop on." He laughed .

"So, you don't mind?"

"No way! But I thought you hated motorcycles?" Zack said, remembering when she'd turned down his offer. Aerith averted her eyes to the far corner. If it's a ride you crave, you'll ride straight to the grave.

"It's a long story."

"So...you wanna ride?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Aerith said, trying to ignore how much she really wanted to.

"Why not? I know you want to." he said, sing-songily. "Don't you hear her calling to you? She's saying, Aerith, Aerith...come ride me." Aerith pushed him playfully.

"Nice try."

"If you're afraid that something will happen, don't be. I happen to be an excellent driver."

She looked at him, surprised. Zack was always strangely perceptive.

"Really?" She asked, unable to veil the hopefulness in her voice.

"Absolutely, so, whaddya say?" Aerith scooted to the back.

"Okay." He got on in front and turned the key in the ignition. The roar made the approaching ride final and Aerith hung on tight. They were out on the streets of Midgar in no time and the summer heat wasn't nearly as bad when they were cutting through it at who knew how many miles per hour. The sky was a murky blue now and the brightness of the headlights belonging to vehicles they passed stood out intensely in comparison. It was like a world of stars. Aerith thought the sight was nothing short of dazzling.

And if that wasn't enough, the soft rumbling of the motorcycle was doing quite a job of speeding her already racing heart up. But Zack's presence made it all so much better. Safer even. She held on tighter and Zack smiled. If there was anything to be said about chicks and motorcycles, it was that they did mix, wonderfully. He rounded a corner and she buried her head between his shoulder blades, her throat going a bit tight as she tried her hardest not to scream and look foolish. She hoped he was at least refraining from speeding. Speed limit breakers, fast meet their makers. She sighed, wishing she had never read that book. He looked back at her and smiled.

"You can scream if you want to, I do it all the time." Aerith laughed, wondering how he could've known. But soon the ride came to a stop and Aerith had to admit that she was sorry it did. She had liked her taste of rebellion. He walked her to her doorstep and she couldn't help picturing those old black and white movies.

"So how did you like it?" Zack asked.

"It was...fun." Aerith said trying to downplay how much she really had enjoyed it.

"See, I told you you'd like it." he said with a light in his eyes that made the sky in back of him dull in comparison. An awkward silence settled.

"So..." Aerith started.

"Yeah..." Zack said. "I guess I'll be going then." he started off, but Aerith grabbed his wrist. He looked at her quizzically. She bit her lip and tried to figure out how to go about it.

"Um...remember earlier and I...well...just wanted..." why was she so incredibly nervous? She knew there was no way she was going to get it out of her mouth anytime soon, so she settled for actions. She moved towards him and stood up on her toes, her hand still tight around his wrist. She leaned in a kissed him, quickly but softly on the lips. She walked towards the door and with a her hand on the knob and her back towards him she spoke.

"Goodnight, Zack." She slipped inside and he was left outside on the porch, still shocked as hell, vowing to take her out on the bike more often.