Thank you for the reviews Townberry and Ranea!
Ranea- I don't know how to utilize beta readers/editor, and if I do will I have to pay them? (Coz I won't be able to afford it if they asked for fees. .)
I'm trying my best to improve my grammar, I hope I'll get better in time. ^_^
Chapter 4 – A Spark of Hope
"Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be." – Sonia Ricotti
It was a cloudy day in Edge and Aerith is selling her flowers quickly as people purchases a bundle of threes or dozens. She occasionally glances at Sephiroth who's in his usual spot in the dark alley, observing her and at times, gazing at the sky in silent contemplation.
The walk they shared last night has somehow let her see him in a totally different light, she finds him fun to be with as she discovers some little facts about him. If he was once the General of SOLDIER, she wouldn't even dare to be near him, roughly because she's intimidated. She finds his cold exterior and professional behavior somewhat threatening.
Sephiroth catches her looking, his eyes met hers and she smiled while giving him a small wave, in which he returned with an acknowledging nod. She feels warmth in her heart knowing that Sephiroth, isn't exactly the way he was when he was trying to destroy the world. Surely he was intimidating at first, but once you tap that part of him which opens up to people he finds to be trustworthy, he's actually a gentle and kind person.
Also, she finds him quite the conversational type which actually is a surprise! He may be quiet most of the time, but he's also the kind of person who's quite verbose once he warms up to you. She smiled to herself knowing that Sephiroth trusts her so much, for him to open up to her about his favorite things.
It was midday when all her flowers were sold out, she was thanking the last customer when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She glances and saw Sephiroth looking at her.
"Shall I take you home?" he asked politely.
"Uhmm… I need to head to the market first to buy some stocks at home. It's alright if you want to go on ahead, Josie might be waiting for you." She said with a smile.
"To the marketplace at noon?" he asked bewildered.
"I just noticed that I'm out of basic ingredients at home, I badly need to go to the marketplace or else I won't be having dinner tonight and even breakfast tomorrow." She explains.
"You do understand that you're running a risk to be seen by your friends." He retorts.
"I don't think someone would be going to the market by noon. Tifa manages a pub, she won't go out to buy in the market during business hours." She counters with a frown.
Sephiroth regards her for a couple of minutes before sighing. "I can accompany you if you won't take long. Perhaps I can stay for a couple of hours, I just have to go somewhere by three." He offers.
"It won't take me long, I just need to buy a few things. Are you sure it's alright with you?"
Sephiroth just nods and she grins. "Okay, let's go to the market then."
They went to the market together with their cloak hoods on, Sephiroth is carrying her now empty flower basket which will be used for her groceries. Aerith looks around for salt, pepper and sugar. She also buys a loaf of bread and some cheese, Sephiroth just trails behind her wherever she goes. While Aerith was haggling with the vegetable vendor for some onions, a woman who looks so utterly familiar stands beside her in the same vegetable kiosk.
"Good afternoon Bertha, I came to pick up my orders of garlic, onions and cabbages."
"Why good afternoon Tifa! You're late today! Of course I've prepared them all for you, three kilos each noh?" Bertha the vegetable vendor tells her.
"Yeah, I forgot to do my usual inventory last night, I was so tired and now I've run out of supply. Thanks so much, you're a lifesaver Bertha!" Tifa said in relief.
"You might want to take a look for some broccoli and bell peppers too, it's imported recently all the way from Wutai." Bertha offers.
"Sure."
Aerith did a side-glance on Tifa, unknowingly dropping the onions from her hands, but Sephiroth catches them before they fall to the ground. He saw how Aerith just stands still, he places the onions back and said, "Thank you, we'll just come back later."
Tifa didn't pay any attention to them and just continue to check for more available harvest at Bertha's, the vendor just gave a smile and a nod to Sephiroth then went back to entertain Tifa. Sephiroth grabs Aerith's wrists gently as he quickly makes his way out of the marketplace. They were walking so fast Aerith almost trips but Sephiroth catches her. He saw her face from under the hood, she was silent, passive, but she was shaking. Sephiroth drags her towards a dark alley and into a dead corner.
He faces Aerith and removed his hood, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "We're safe now, you don't have to worry, she didn't notice us."
Aerith just sighed and clasps her hands on her chest, "I… I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you. What was I thinking? I did my grocery at noon… the marketplace is so full of people, someone might actually recognize us! I can't believe I even drag you to my own carelessness, what could've happened if she finds out? I… I…" she covers her face with her hands and starts to sob.
"Don't overthink it…" he says as an assurance, trying to console her.
"Let's go to the church please…" she whispers as she holds his hand. Sephiroth just let her and they started their way out of the dark alley and into a shortcut towards the rubbles of old Midgar.
They just sat silently on the front pew, the basket of groceries in between them. Aerith was staring on the spot where her flowers once grew, which has now turned into a small pool of Lifestream. Minutes trickle by, and Sephiroth just observes her in silence. She just sighs every now and then, thinking deeply to herself.
"I must take my leave now, I believe it's safe for you to go home from here." Sephiroth said casually as he prepares to leave.
"Thank you… you take care, okay?" she said in a quiet voice, glancing at him. Sephiroth spared her a glance and nods as he went out of the church.
Aerith felt a sudden chill, she felt so cold and alone, she stays for half an hour more. The church always gives her peace despite its now dilapidated look. She grabs her basket and started her way back to her house in sector 5. That night, she wasn't able to eat dinner thinking about her best friend. They were so close yet she felt so distant, so far from each other.
"None of them should know I'm still alive… it's for the better." She says out loud before covering herself with her blanket and drowning her thoughts away on her pillows.
The next day Aerith decided not to go above the Plate, she spent the whole day taking care of her flowers in the garden of her home. During times like these, the flowers help her to relax, talking to them gives her a soothing feeling that completely eases her mind from all the disturbing thoughts.
"There… all pampered up. You all look blooming today despite the chilly wind. The Planet is really generous isn't she?" she said happily to herself. She fixes her gardening tools and went inside the house. She prepared some tea and stands on the porch admiring her handiwork on the garden. As she sips her tea, her mind drifts back on the event yesterday afternoon.
Tifa looks well, she wanted to talk to her, she wanted to hug her bestfriend and tells her she's alive but that would also mean Cloud would know about her return too. She loved Cloud genuinely, she did. If she didn't, she wouldn't feel so hurt when she learned of his engagement to Tifa.
She looks back on the night at the Gold Saucer, when she and Cloud went on a date. It was the happiest memory she has prior to her death. What could've happened if she didn't die? Will she be in Tifa's place as Cloud's fiancé? Will she be the one in his arms that night as they break the news of their engagement to their friends? Will she be the one wearing the small diamond ring Tifa wears around her ring finger as she stands there in the vegetable kiosk?
She sighed and shakes her head lightly. "Nothing will change, I should just stop thinking about it." She takes another sip of her tea before going back inside. After drinking her tea, she washes the cup and put it back in her cupboard. Her mind drifts to Sephiroth and Josephine then she smiled to herself. "Perhaps, I should pay them a visit."
Aerith prepared some grilled cheese sandwiches and carefully placed them on her basket as she covers the lid with cheesecloth. She put on her cloak and went out. She also bought three bottles of milk along the way before heading to the shelter where Sephiroth and Josie lives. It was five in the afternoon when she arrives at the shelter. She saw Josie who's busy arranging some goods in the cupboard. She smiles and approaches her.
"Good afternoon Josie!" she greets as the old woman glances at her and gave her a wide grin.
"Hello Aerith my darling, good afternoon to you as well, are you looking for dearie?" she asks her kindly.
"I came here for both of you. As a matter of fact, I've brought some grilled cheese sandwiches and milk." She carefully puts down her basket as she removes her cloak, she then folded it neatly and placed it beside her. She places the basket on the center and gently removes the cloth cover.
"I appreciate your generosity my dear, thank you very much." Josie said with a smile.
A feeling of warmth spread across from her chest as she smiled back at the old woman. She then scans the area and asks Josie. "Where is Sephiroth, Is he inside? I can call him so we can all eat together."
"Dearie's not here, he left early this morning and hasn't come back yet."
"Oh… is that so…" she responds trying to hide the disappointment from her voice. "It's alright, we can just save some for him. Let's dig in!"
Josie happily takes her seat across from Aerith and picks up her share. "Uhmm… Josie, do you know where he went?"
Josie is currently nibbling on her sandwich, she swallowed it first before answering her, "Sephy dear is at work, he's working all day today."
"I didn't know he was working."
"He is, even before I found him. You didn't know?"
Aerith shakes her head lightly and said, "No… and I didn't even ask him about it." She really has no idea what Sephiroth do in his spare time. It's been a month since they were brought back by the Planet and she really didn't care about him that much. She thought then, that she's already done so much by just talking to him. However, lately she has gotten used to having him around, even trying to find him when she thought he went off somewhere.
"Are you okay my dear?" Came the old woman's concerned voice.
She smiles at her and said, "Yes I'm alright. Nothing to worry about, by the way Josie, can I ask you something?"
"Anything my dear."
"How did you meet Sephiroth?" she asks curiously, knowing how Sephiroth can be so elusive.
"Well it started one rainy day in the park…" she started as she reminisces the day she stumbled upon the silver haired man.
"I found him in the park, settled in the corner as he sleeps. He looks so tired and alone, so I approached him in his sleep and offered him to stay with me. He politely refused my offer saying he doesn't want to burden or bother anyone. So I give him my packed dinner instead. I work in the wall market, as a dishwasher in the Honey Bee inn's cafeteria. The boss there always hands me packed dinner for take away. I always see dearie every day for seven consecutive days, and in those days, I always give him my dinner. And you'll be surprised to know that after three days of doing so, I always notice my huge jar of water were always filled to the brim with clean water. I think he was the one refilling it as a form of silent gratitude."
"You mean, Sephiroth refills your water jar?" Aerith asks surprised.
"I never confirmed it, but I think he did. Refilling that water jar myself, always makes my back aches terribly. And no one's ever done that deed to this old woman, except after I showed kindness to a homeless, young man!" she exclaims with delight.
"Then on the tenth night, I saw him again, but this time, I felt something was wrong. I approached him and noticed that he was shivering. I placed my hand on his forehead, he was down with a high fever that he's having chills! So I asked him to stand up and walk with me towards my home, he was still refusing but I insisted and I guess he was so weak to protest and just did what this old woman asked him to. I took care of him that night, I bought some medicine for treating fever and I stayed up all night telling him stories about my grandson. When I wake up the next day, he was well enough like he was not even sick in the first place! I thought that he must be so strong but then he builds this makeshift shelter for us in a week which is no easy task. Dearie must have special powers." Josie continued with a giggle in which Aerith giggled softly too.
"How did you make him agree to stay with you?" Aerith asked curiously.
"Well, I badgered him and told him how all of us victims of meteor should stick together in times of trouble, no one will help us but ourselves and fellow victims. At first he told me he was the reason why meteor strikes the Planet in the first place but I dismissed it, I mean how could he right? There's no way he would do that. I just dismissed his nonsense and asked him to stay cause he made me feel like I can be a grandma again. I think my insistence made him gave in."
Aerith smiled at that as Josie laughs happily at the memory. Then Aerith noticed the old woman tearing up as she continues, "My grandson is never coming back… That is a reality I can no longer change. I could just accept it and let go of the pain it brought me. But I should always have faith in whatever the future may still hold for me. That's why I think, I met dearie for a reason. So I can experience again how it feels to be like a mother and at the same time, a grandmother to him. He said he was orphaned at birth, he didn't tell me more than that. Two souls so alone in this world, finds each other to become family, my life has been given a new purpose again. As long as you're alive, the future holds so many beautiful things, so always have faith in whatever will be, Aerith my dear."
Aerith listens carefully and smiles as she saw how pure Josie's smile is when she tells the whole story. She helped Josie cleans up while they chat a little more. The old woman telling Aerith stories about her grandson and Aerith enjoying the woman's heartwarming tales about her family, they haven't noticed how time passes by so quickly. It's been a good hour and a half and Sephiroth still hasn't returned. So Aerith decided to go home before it become so late.
"You take care on your way home! I'll tell dearie you drop by, thank you again for the little surprise." Josie tells Aerith with a grateful heart.
"Thank you for the lovely tales, I'll drop by again when I have the time. Goodnight Josie." She embraced the old woman as Josie did the same. Aerith went off with her cloak on, and the basket hooked on her arm.
As she walks the path going home she decided to head over to the park. When she arrives, the park was empty except for Sephiroth who sits on a swing. He cocks his head to one side, he had a fleeting expression of confusion before he goes back to gaze at the sky. Aerith smiles to herself as she approaches him.
"So I thought I might find you here."
Sephiroth just raised a questioning eyebrow. She giggles softly as she sits on the swing right next to him.
"You didn't sell your flowers today." He said without sparing her a glance.
"Yes, I decided not to, aside from being not in the mood. How did you know I didn't?" She answered.
"I checked." He replied pointing a finger up, an indication of 'above the plate'. Then he asks, "Was it because of what happened yesterday?"
"Hmm-mm. I decided to stay at home and reflect on things." She says truthfully.
"Reflect… huh?"
"By the way, Josie told me the story about how you've met each other."
Sephiroth didn't say anything, just remained silent while looking on the ground.
"I asked her to tell me." Aerith added.
"Curious?" he comments with a smirk.
"Yes… she was such a kind hearted person Sephiroth."
"I know."
"Don't ever do something which might hurt her, she's old."
"What made you think I would hurt Jo?" he asked quite offended.
"I didn't mean it the wrong way. It's just that…"
"Because it's the way I am?" Sephiroth said, his voice tainted with anger. He rises up from the swing and turned his back on her as he attempts to leave.
"No! Don't go please…" she pleads. Sephiroth halts but never dared to look back.
"The reason I said that was… because I know once we find out something about your mother's whereabouts, we'll be leaving Midgar. That means, we'll leave Jo all alone too, so I… I know… if we do leave her, she'll be hurt." She finished in a sad tone.
"I can't stay forever in Midgar Aerith…" he replied. She felt a current run down her spine the moment her name rolled out of his tongue, she felt something stir up inside her - something she can't explain.
"Sooner or later, I have to leave… with or without you. The reason I asked to be returned was to see my mother." He said in a low voice.
"I know… I'm sorry."
This time Sephiroth glance at her, she stands unmoving , just staring at the ground. He looks the other way and said, "You don't have to apologize, I… don't deserve Jo's kindness, I'm a selfish person who only thinks about himself and not the others."
"That's not true, Jo said that it was you who returned her kindness with gratitude. Simple acts of kindness on your part such as fetching a huge jar of water for her, fixing her shelter, bringing her home… those are not just small things for her. For the first time after she lost her beloved grandson, she felt that she was not alone. You gave her hope Sephiroth." Aerith protests.
"I…" he shakes his head lightly and said, "I was not the one who gave her hope, it was her who gave it to me."
"Then it was for the both of you." She replied.
"Perhaps…" he answered and gazes up at the sky.
"Perhaps Fate brought you together so you can acquire your chance for atonement through a victim of meteor." Aerith added with a smile.
"Atonement… that's what I want to do. To redeem myself once again." He said with a spark of hope in his voice.
"You did something wrong in the past, but it doesn't mean you're a completely awful person." Aerith said as she closes the distance between them and held his hands. Sephiroth looks at her and it's like he's seeing her for the first time again. He finds her ethereal, beauty radiating from within the depths of her soul. He knows she is Cetra, and Cetra are known for being highly spiritual beings who cultivates love, forgiveness, kindness and all other beautiful traits humans can never attain. That's the reason they can commune with the Planet, because their souls are pure, innocent, pious. Only Aerith can show kindness like this towards her own killer, her own nemesis.
"I'd like to think that way too." He said truthfully and Aerith smiled at him, he almost forgot how to breathe then.
"Right, just be positive and everything will turn out alright." She said happily.
"Just as Jo always says… 'Accept what is, let go of what was and… have faith in what will be.'" Sephiroth said.
Aerith smiles and said, "Josie is a woman of wisdom isn't she?"
Sephiroth nods before looking at their hands. She followed his gaze and noticed that she's still holding his, she immediately pulls her hands away blushing.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
"You did not. Shall I take you home?" he offers with a small smile. She gazes back at him as if looking for approval and said, "Sure, if it's okay with you."
"Let's go." He said and Aerith follows.
As they were walking home three bulky men appeared out of nowhere. Sephiroth moves in a protective manner towards Aerith and whispered to her, "Keep walking." Aerith nods and keeps walking pretending not to see them.
"Yo Seph! I know ya can hear us, dun go walkin' an' ignorin' us!"
Sephiroth and Aerith keep walking as they continue to ignore them. However the mutts keeps on trailing behind, When they were about to reach the curve towards sector five, that's when Sephiroth decided to stop and face them.
"What do you want?" he said sharply.
The three men laughed maniacally and the bulkier of the trio was the first to speak. "We juz pasz by an' saw ya wit ze young lady. She looks gorgeous, why dun ya share her wit us? I think she can take four men wit ease."
Aerith cringes and clutched her cloak tighter, Sephiroth is standing still in front of her as the trio guffawed at the maniacal thought. Sephiroth clenches his fists and smirks, "Sorry boys, I'm not planning to share."
"Wut?" one of the trio said as he starts to crack his fists.
"Back away Aerith." Sephiroth commands in a dominant tone. Aerith obeyed and hides behind a large debris. Peeking at the scene that's about to take place.
The hulky man who just cracked his fists grabs Sephiroth's cloak collar and said in his face, "Ya dare to fight back huh?"
Sephiroth just swats the man's hands away from his collar and looks at him with his sharp eyes. "When you disrespected her, you've signed up for a deathwish. Leave. Or else, you'll face the consequences."
"Threatenin' us wit yer lousy words now eh? Lookie 'ere! Sephy who ne'er fights back is threatenin' us!" they all cackled.
Sephiroth remained still with his hands on his cloak. One of the trio charges at him and tries to punch him but Sephiroth evades the attack with ease as he hits the bulkier man's nape with a karate chop. Another man tries to punch him but he simply sidestepped and delivers a straight punch right on the man's stomach. Not satisfied, he jumps and spins in mid air before hitting the goon's head with a strong kick before landing gracefully on the ground.
Furious at how Sephiroth simply played with his team mates, he charges at him in full speed and tries to grab Sephiroth with both his hands. Smirking, Sephiroth dodged by crouching and landed a mighty uppercut right on the man's chin before he did a roundhouse kick, hitting the buffoon right on his face as he plummets shamefully on the solid ground.
"You should know better than to pick a fight with me. Inferior dullards." He turns his back against them and walks to where Aerith is hiding.
"It's alright now, let's go." Sephiroth said as he assisted Aerith in standing up.
They started on their way, however the leader of the goons refused to accept defeat. He stands up as he wields out a rope knife and run after Sephiroth. Sephiroth senses danger and shove Aerith away from the assault as the goon thrusts the knife at him and hit him in his upper arm.
"Sephiroth!" Aerith calls out to him.
The leader pulls out the knife as Sephiroth flinches from the pain, it was not too deep and he can fight back. He ignored his bleeding arm and prepares to intercept his attacker.
"Ya think yer tough eh? I'll show ya who's tough!" he charged at him again but this time Sephiroth grabs the attacker's wrist which holds the knife and lowered it, he delivers three strong knee strikes on the leader's elbow while also twisting the arm. Eventually the knife fell from his grip and Sephiroth immediately kicks it far away from both of their reach. He then performed a single handed back throw on the enemy, the other two bulky men tried to attack him at once, he evades the other but wasn't able to defend the second incoming punch which hits him on the side of his lip. Blood trickles down as he wipes it away with his thumb.
His eyes glows dangerously green and with a smirk he says, "I spared your pitiful lives, you want more? Very well, I shall give it to you."
This time, it was Sephiroth who charges on his attackers, as he gave three of them all a nasty beating. Sephiroth's attackers fell one by one on the ground, all bruised and battered. They all stand up again as Sephiroth readies himself for another round.
"Ye vermin! Try to show yer face at d' pier an' I'll make sure ya'll be food fer d' sea beasts!" the leader said as they all run away with their tails behind their backs.
"Cretins." He muttered under his breath as he went to pick up the rope knife and put it inside his coat pocket. Aerith runs up to him with a concern expression.
"Sephiroth, you're wounded we have to get it treated." She exclaimed in a panic as she saw his bloodstained sleeve.
"Don't worry too much about it. I'll take care of it back in the shelter."
"No, I insist and I won't take no as an answer." She threatened as she grabs his unwounded hand and drags him to her home in sector five. After a few walks they have arrived at Aerith's humble abode. They stopped at the doorstep as Aerith fumbles for her key, he noticed that she was shaking as she tries to unlock the door.
Sephiroth placed a hand on her shaking ones and whispered, "It's alright, calm down."
She looks up at him as her eyes turns glasslike with tears. "Y-you got hurt because of me… if… if you're not cursed I could've just used my healing magic on you. But…" she whimpers as she unlocks the door.
"Please have a seat, I have a first aid kit upstairs." She hurriedly went upstairs as he follows her with his gaze. He then removes his cloak and hangs it on the back of the dining chair. He strips off his black long sleeved shirt. He went to the kitchen sink and washes his wound, blood trickles down his arm.
Aerith came back down with a first aid kit and saw Sephiroth in the kitchen shirtless. She can't help but notice how well built he is, his skin would've been flawless if it weren't for the scars.
'The Planet's curse.' She thought to herself. Her gaze drinks in the sight of him until she shakes her head lightly, 'Get a grip Aerith! He's wounded!'
She placed the kit on the table and handed Sephiroth a soft towel which Sephiroth takes from her and said, "Thank you." He used it to apply pressure on the wound to stop it from bleeding.
Aerith went back to the dining table and readies some antiseptic , cotton balls and bandages. Sephiroth takes his seat and said, "I'll do it myself, I know how to perform first aid on my own."
Aerith was currently putting some antiseptic cream on a gauze pad she formed into a ball. When she's done she faces him and said, "Let me do this okay? Just sit there while I treat you, this is the least thing I can do for you after you defend me from those buffoons." She applied the antiseptic on the punctured wound.
"Good thing this wound is not too deep. I'm sorry, if it weren't for me you won't have to waste your energy fighting them and getting yourself wounded in the process." She said sadly as she treats him.
"Don't blame yourself, those guys were sailors in the pier off the coast of Midgar. They really hated me I don't even know why. To think they even went to Midgar just to see me." He scoffs at the idea.
"You know those guys?" she asked surprised.
He nods and said, "I work at the pier, carrying cargos to and fro. This is not the first time I got involved in a fight."
"You mean… you always get yourself hurt?" she asked.
He shakes his head lightly and with a smirk he says, "I'm not on the receiving end of pain. Though there were a few times they were lucky to land a hit on me."
Aerith is now applying a gauze over the wound before dressing it with a bandage. "You should avoid those good-for-nothing mammoths. Please, don't get yourself hurt, my healing magic and even materia doesn't work on you. What if you're in grave danger? I couldn't even think about it… No, more like I don't even want to think about it."
Sephiroth was speechless, he doesn't even know what to say. Is she worried for him? Does she care?
She finished tying up the bandage neatly and observed Sephiroth's face, there's a small cut on the side of his lip and on his left brow. "Let's treat those cuts."
She used a cotton ball and treats the cut on his brow before putting a bandaid on it. She takes another cotton ball with antiseptic and treats the small cut on the side of his lip. She holds his chin as she treats him.
Their faces were so close to each other that Sephiroth can't help but notice her pink, rosy lips. His chest was thumping so hard against his chest, he's finding it difficult to breathe normally again. Aerith always elicit this kind of effect on him.
'Is this attraction? I wonder.' He thought to himself.
"There… all done." Aerith said with relief. That's when she noticed how close their faces are with each other. They held each other's gazes, eyes hooded with desire as Sephiroth starts to close the distance between them. Anticipating what's about to happen, Aerith closed her eyes and swallowed hard, holding her breath.
He stopped himself an inch away from her lips before he whispers in her ear smiling, "You should get some sleep."
Aerith's eyes snap open and she was blushing hard. "Y-yes of course, I-I suppose so." Sephiroth stands up and wears his shirt and cloak. He then looks at her as she was busy putting back the items inside the first aid kit. He was just observing her in silence, trying to suppress himself from grinning.
Once she's done she let out a deep breath and looks at him sheepishly. He can't stop himself from smiling and said, "Thank you for fixing me up."
'Oh dear Planet… can he stop being so attractive?' she mentally told herself as she can't help but notice how exquisite his features are, now that she's looking at him up close it's as if the scars on his face has been lifted completely. His smile is just too perfect, it made her knees buckle, this is the very first time she'd seen his most beautiful smile so far, playful and joyful at the same time.
"Well…? I better get going now." He said again interrupting her thoughts.
"Oh! Y-yes, r-right. Uh… I'll see you out." She said nervously as she leads him out the door of her house.
"Thank you again for earlier… take care!" she said with a smile
He glanced at her one last time and said in his deep, velvety voice, "Goodnight and sweet dreams, Aerith."
"Goodnight and sweet dreams too, Sephiroth." She replied sheepishly, feeling the heat creeping up her cheeks.
Sephiroth started on his way home until she can no longer see him. She closed the door and locks it, she put her hands against her chest trying to stop it from beating too fast.
'Goodnight and Sweet dreams'
The sound of his voice lingers in her thoughts, Aerith can't seem to put off her ear-splitting grin as she thinks, 'I'll definitely get a sweet dream tonight.'
A/N: Hope you guys enjoy reading this, please R&R! Thank you so much!
