Bittersweet
By: veils
Final Fantasy VII, Zack/Aerith (hints of Tseng/Aerith & Cloud/Aerith); Their love blows away with the changing wind

Visions of seeing an expansive blue sky with no end in sight thrill her to the core; while dreams of a man with black hair and oceanic eyes coupled with the thought of spending the rest of her life with him fill up her pretty little head, and make her giggle at night under the covers.

"So young and already dreaming your life away. Bask in your flowers and do not dwell on men so soon," Aerith's mother say.

But she is young and naïve and treats fairy tales as the gospel; envisions a kind of love that begins with "one glance and they knew they were destined," and ends with "happily ever after." Each day that passes the finger on her left hand aches for something not there: a shining ring that would be shown to everyone with a twinkle in the eye and a girlish glee that only another woman in love could understand.

… … …

She thinks she feels him fade away. Aerith felt as if she was the heroine in one of those stories, and the hero was dead, dead before "happily ever after" could be cemented. She tries to block the endless void in her heart, and digs deep into the earth and plants a single flower in his name. Forgetting is easier said than done.

… … …

It rains for weeks without ever stopping, and Aerith finds the weather fits her mood perfectly. The clock on her credenza ticks time away, but it feels like she is forever frozen in time. In the stillness she wished she could have bottled up the memories and emotions felt with him, place them on the mantle and take them down from time to time and go through them with a wistful sigh.

"It's only right that you should feel the way you do. You let your heart run free without restraint, and did not think of the consequences, my love. I want you to listen to the sound of your loneliness: like a heartbeat, it shall drive you mad. Only then you will realize to latch on tightly to your heart, like a precious treasure," Elmyra sighs with a sad familiarity.

(And latches on to it she does)

… … …

Aerith is not brainless. She sees through him (Tseng? Was that his name?); draws in a shaky breath, avoids his tender gaze and promise to always protect her. (They all recycle the same lines, don't they?) He once makes the mistake of buying her roses: he learns never to make the same error again as she looks at him pointedly. ("They've been cut from their bushes. They are dead, and I do not like dead flowers.")

Her mother likes this one. That Fair boy was fleeting and always moving, like the wind; had a dreamy glaze in his eyes that could never promise forever. Oh but this Tseng, has it all planned out; so young but already rising in the ranks. What could be better?

(Aerith rather liked that dreamy look in his eyes)

… … …

And then the golden boy enters, (cue fanfare) and for a moment Aerith's heart gasps because it thinks it fleetingly sees him. But they are not the same. Cloud is lovely and divine, but perfectly broken and in need of some mending. (She needs mended too, but would rather look after someone else than herself)

There are times when he looks upon her with an almost childlike affection, and she feels warmth spread through her chest, but there is still a numbness that cannot be rid of. Cloud is not the one, no matter how many times she likes to chant it over and over like a spell in her head.

(It'll always be Za—)

… … …

When it happens there is pain, oh yes, there is pain. The sword is cold and sends a shiver up her spine, makes Aerith itch for Costa del Sol once more. But the pain is next to nothing upon the realization that her dream for a fairy tale is over. It is dead, like she will be, soon. As she slowly falls backward and is caught, (Cloud? Oh that darling boy) she chides herself for being so childish; for reading the fairy-stories and trying to mirror her own life off of them. Fairy tales do not exist.

(No matter how hard you wish)

… … …

Aerith is blinded when she first opens her eyes. (Why is heaven so bright?) There is a stillness in the air that makes tears come to the eyes, as she realizes this is her fate. It's time to become resigned to it.

And yet—

Aerith slowly becomes aware that she isn't alone, and in fact her head is resting in someone's lap. Instantly she shoots up, breathless.

"Aerith."

His voice solemn, but she detects a burgeoning ecstasy in his voice at the sight of her.

"You're dead? No, that's not the way things should be at all. You should be planting flowers and humming lullabies, staining your hands with the dirt from the earth. Not…dead." Anguish seeps into his eyes, and Aerith feels uncomfortable seeing this side of him. (Where is the proud boy that was so sure of himself? That drove her to want to do something more in her life? She longs for him) He lifts a hand as if to touch her cheek, but she pulls away; almost hears his heart break.

"Why can we only be together…when we're dead? It isn't fair. We should've had the sun; we should've traveled and experienced so many things, like everyone else. But we're...dead. How can we possibly find happiness in the stillness of the afterlife? I-I wanted to see the sky with you..."

He smiles: "Those that love beyond the living world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies."

They embrace.

"Zack, I've missed you."

(Happily Ever After)

a/n: About time I wrote something about these two. Dunno if I did the pairing justice. Hope I did. Aerith always struck me as a fanciful girl that longed for her own fairy-tale, so I wanted to build on that idea.

Comments, thoughts, and assessments are adored.