Aerith

Your future ….. Man with a sword at his back … Planet is in jeopardy …. Must find ….. materia ….northern cave ….. devil awaits ….. death …..

The lifestream swirls around her face. There's so much Mako energy being pumped into Midgar it sometimes seeps through open electrical outlets. This is where she can hear it, all those voices streaming to her from deep within the Planet. They always speak in riddles, and always about the future – that which is to come. She stands up from her kneeling position and turns to walk down the alleyway toward the busy street. She tries to take it all in and process the message the Planet is sending her. As reaches the street, after hearing with those cryptic words, a heaviness sits upon her heart. Death? Devil awaits? But what ties her thoughts most of all, man with sword at his back. Can it be … him?

She looks up at the sky above. The stars are tinted green from the mists of Mako pumped from the many Mako reactors lining the city. She says a little prayer to the Planet and waits underneath the sign for the play Loveless. There is something about this place that makes her feel comforted, although she's never actually seen the play before. That royalty is reserved for people who live on the upper plate and can afford frivolous expenses such as opera tickets.

She's been standing underneath the Loveless sign for about an hour and hasn't had much luck, only a couple of flowers sold for a few measly Gil. Tonight is not a good night. The people of the city seem on edge, even if she hasn't heard anything, she can feel it. The city is rife with masked anxiety and fear. It rises from the streets filling the air thick with its tension.

All of the sudden there is an explosion off in the distance. A man running down the street knocks into her, making her fall down. He then just runs off, not caring that he may have hurt her.

She dusts herself off and as winces as she stands back up. A young man walks toward her and she approaches him. "Excuse me," she says, catching his attention. He has blonde hair and a familiar look in his eyes. "What happened?"

"Nothing," he replies in a taciturn manner. He doesn't leave and stares at her for what seems longer than normal. She can tell he wants to say something to her so she flashes her eyes and smiles gently at him, trying to make him feel comfortable.

"Hey, listen," he then says, breaking out of his shell. "You don't see many flowers around here." She blushes and gets the feeling the 'flowers' he's talking about aren't only the ones in her basket.

"Oh these," she teases, as if she doesn't know he's only talking about the flowers in her basket. "Do you like them? They're only 1 Gil." She is giving him the reduced rate because he's so cute.

He reaches in his pocket and hands her 1 Gil. "Oh, Thank you!" She smiles and hands him a yellow daisy. "Here you are!" She walks off but feels his eyes on her until she's out of his sight.

Cloud

The flames lick around his face and in the distance he can hear commotion. He is to split and meet with Barret and the rest later. There are people running all around in fear and confusion as he walks into the city. Only he knows that he is the cause of it all. He walks instead of runs to avert suspicion. All of the sudden a girl approaches him. "Excuse me," she asks, "What happened?" She looks a little apprehensive and nervous.

"Nothing," he responds immediately, but when he gets a good look at her face he notices that she is very beautiful. But, what strikes him most of all is her impressive eyes. They draw him in and he is completely mesmerized. He's never seen eyes like hers before. She is his age, maybe slightly older, but the look in her eyes is pure innocence and makes her appear much younger. He feels his face turning hot and has an uncomfortable nervous feeling, like he should leave, because she's the type of girl who never talks to a guy like him.

But as he gazes into her eyes he doesn't see rejection. In fact, they make him feel acceptance and comfort. This is quite amazing, as it has never happened before. He then sees a flower basket on her arm. "Hey, listen," he suddenly has the courage to speak. "You don't see many flowers around here." And he doesn't only mean the flowers in her basket.

"Oh, these," she exclaims, and her voice is soft and sweet. "Do you like them? They're only 1 Gil."

He immediately reaches into his pocket giving her the money. She brightens up. Her smile is infectious and it spreads a small joy throughout him. If this smile only costs 1 Gil, then it is a good purchase, he thinks to himself. "Oh, thank you!" she says and hands him a flower. "Here you are!"

He watches her as she walks away until she is no longer in sight.