Yet another ZackAerith fic. Admit it; you can't get enough can you? Thankfully, this isn't a sad fic. Enjoy! This plot bunny was captured by Heroes4. Arigatou gozaimas!


It happened in a blink of an eye.

Aerith Gainsborough saw the look of horror on the face of Cloud Strife. She tried to tell him it was not his fault, but she could not summon the strength to. She was dying, she knew that, and although she was sad to part with Cloud and the others, it made her happy to know that she was going to reunite with him. Zack Fair.

In her mind's eye, she saw the smile the raven-haired SOLDIER had on the first day they had met. She remembered how blue his eyes were. Blue as the sky. Not scary at all. She remembered the day he fell through the roof of the church, how she had thought the sky was falling – with the loud sound and all. She remembered how he talked in his sleep, calling to his mother, and she had thought he looked vulnerable then…and rather cute. She remembered how her heart had fluttered when he thought she was an angel.

She used to think SOLDIERs were scary, but not Zack. Zack was the exact opposite - that was the reason she loved him.

"Zack…?" Aerith found herself standing in a field of flowers. Was she in the lifestream? Looking around, she realized that there was hardly anyone around. This was not exactly what she expected.

"Zack?" The name escaped her lips again. She dearly wanted to see him again.

A pair of arms wrapped itself around her thin waist. She felt the person resting his chin on her shoulder, his black hair tickling her cheek.

"I'm here," he whispered huskily. Her heat skipped a beat.

"Zack!" She turned in his embrace and returned the hug.

A chuckle escaped the former SOLDIER's lips. "Missed me, didn't you?" he teased. A warm feeling filled her as she relished hearing his voice again.

"But of course!" she replied, pulling away. "It can't be helped when almost everything I do seems to remind me of you…"

"Why, I'm flattered!" laughed Zack. "Although it seemed you did well selling flowers without me."

"Life still goes on, Zack Fair. After all, I promised the people of Midgar to fill their home with flowers," said Aerith matter-of-factly. "Is this your doing?" She gestured to the field of flowers around them.

Zack nodded, giving her a one-arm hug. "I seem to have a lot of time on my hands when I'm not watching over you and Cloud. I figured you'd want your afterlife to be filled with flowers as well."

"You've done a great job, Zack." Aerith sat down to examine his handiwork. The flowers stood tall and were vibrant in colour. She couldn't believe these flowers grew under the care of the same person who almost stepped on her flowers at the church.

"I did learn from the best." Zack lied down beside her, and started absently playing with her brown locks. A comfortable silence settled between them. Zack turned his head to look at the girl who he had been patiently waiting for. He saw her eyes filled with worry and instantly knew what had invaded her thoughts.

"Cloud will be okay," he said quietly. "He's not alone. Besides, he's my living legacy, he won't go down easily."

"I'm more worried he will be blaming himself for my death, Zack," said Aerith.

"No one around him will allow him to wallow in guilt," Zack said confidently.

"I suppose so." Silence followed her words. Zack continued to watch her intently. It was almost difficult t believe she was already here – with him. How long had he waited for this day to come.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked anxiously as Aerith let out another sigh.

She shook her head and lied down beside him. "It's just so…surreal. I didn't expect death to be so…"

"Painless?" said Zack, an amused smile on his face. "Yeah, that was the first thought that came to me, too."

He returned his gaze to the sky, and said, "What's your take on the sky, Aerith?"

"It's endless," she replied almost without thinking, "and…fascinating."

"How so?"

"The sky seems to have an effect on people's moods. People are happier when it's blue, and they turn gloomy when the sky turns grey. How can something so…abstract affect our feelings?"

"Because everything seems so much nicer when the sky is blue."

"Correct," laughed Aerith. "Of course, I think the colour of the sky would not matter if you're here next to me."

Zack chuckled, and kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"Me, too."

"Cloud will be okay."

"I'm sure."

"We'll be watching him, won't we?"

Aerith turned to lock her gaze with his. "Together."

"Certainly."


Altogether now: AWWWWW!! They're sweet, aren't they? I was listening to 'Loving You' by DBSK when I wrote this and the juices started to flow! Yeah! Kudos to DBSK! Thanks for reading! Please spare a minute to review. Keep the plot bunnies coming!