AN: I've been really into the Final Fantasy series lately (specifically VII) but before I was Final Fantasy, I was Kingdom Hearts and since this was my first ship in that fandom, it only felt right to do my first Kingdom Hearts fic based on them. And because Squall/Aerith (Squerith) doesn't really have much fic.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts are owned by Square Enix. The song "Good To You" belongs to Marianas Trench.
Everyone's around
No words are coming out
And I can't find my breath
Can we just say the rest with no sound?
They were laying down in bed together. Snuggled up like the new lovers that they were. Truth be told, Aerith and Leon had been in love with each other for a while now. Ever since they fled for Traverse Town after the fall of Radiant Garden, they had always looked out for each other. It was only a matter of time (especially with the young ninja's urging) until they actually got together. And now they were.
They were happy. The heartless were gone. They were helping rebuild, not just their world, but their own lives as well. But sometimes, times like right now, the silence would be too deafening. And as they looked into each other's eyes, sometimes they couldn't help but think about the past and the sadness that followed it.
Aerith sighed as she ran her fingers through Leon's long hair. "What was her name?"
Leon looked at her genuinely confused. "Who?"
Aerith's face fell into a frown. "The other day I heard Yuffie crying in her room. When I went to check on her, she was clutching the red cloak Cloud had given her. She told me that before Cloud had it, it belonged to another man. A man she was in love with." That hurt Leon. Yuffie was like a little sister to him. Knowing she was hurting hurt him. "She said she doesn't know what happened to him. Just that he's lost to her."
Leon could only nod. "It made me really think of all of the people we've lost. The people we've loved. I know I'm not your first love. So who was she?"
Leon felt his heart constrict and his mouth go dry. "Rinoa. Her name was Rinoa."
And I know this isn't enough
I still don't measure up
And I'm not prepared
Sorry is never there when you need it
"And what was his name?" He asked back as he pulled himself up to lean against the headboard.
He looked down at her as she snuggled further into his chest. "Zack."
Leon could only nod. Before he could even say anything, Aerith spoke up again. "But he died long before the darkness engulfed our land."
"I'm sorry."
Aerith had a small smile on her face. "He was a SOLDIER. He believed in honor and embracing your dreams." Aerith stops and Leon can see a ghost of a smile on her face before she looked up at him. "He would've liked you, you know?"
Leon tried to imagine this man Aerith once loved. Would he really? This man who was brave and honorable. Would he approve of Leon for Aerith? He doubted it. Leon was cold and aloof. This man, Zack, who Aerith held so highly, he sounded like a good man. A great man. He was things Leon wasn't. Aerith obviously deserved better.
Aerith saw Leon's far away look and knew exactly what he was thinking. She put her hand on his cheek and gently tilted his head towards her. "He would've liked you." She repeated more firmly. Leon smiled at her as she took her hand back and again snuggled into his chest. "And would she have liked me?"
Leon thought of Rinoa. He supposed she and Aerith were alike in most ways. They were both good and kind and loyal to those they loved most. Leon smiled. Rinoa would've liked Aerith very much. Probably more than Zack would've liked him. "She would've loved you."
And now I do want you to know
I hold you up above everyone
And I do want you to know I think
You'd be good to me
And I'd be so good to you
I would
Aerith looked up at him again. "I'm glad." Leon smiled back at her and gently leaned forward to place a kiss on her head. Aerith sighed contentedly. "I think they brought us together."
"What?"
Aerith looked at him with truth and live in her eyes. "I think they both knew we'd be good for each other. And so they brought us together."
"I...never thought of it that way," he said not really knowing what to feel.
"You make me happy. Do I make you happy?" She asked genuinely curious.
Leon pulled her closer to his body. "Of course you do."
"You see?" She giggled. "They wouldn't want us to be alone, so they brought us together. They knew we'd be good for each other."
Leon leaned down again and this time placed a kiss on her lips. It felt good. It felt right. Something this good had to be fate. And Aerith was rarely wrong about these things. "As long as you think I'd be good for you. That's all that matters."
"You are. And that's why I have to be just as good to you."
There was no one better, he knew. He had Aerith's heart and she had his. They would have a good was fate after all.
