Author's note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or its characters. This is for the 30 Kisses challenge using list kappa. This is AU and set before the game. Theme 4: Maiden Voyage.

Setting Sail

Sephiroth had to admit to being very intrigued by Aeris Gainsborough. Despite having met her only once and rather briefly, there was something about the young woman that drew him in. He had waited until Zack was sober after his little adventure to ask about the young lady. Once Zack had recovered from his hangover, his subordinate was more than willing to talk about the woman in question.

However, while Zack did have some answers, Sephiroth quickly found that he didn't have many of the details he wanted to know. And Zack's information led to more questions. Apparently, Aeris lived with her mother in the slums of Midgar. She grew flowers there and sold them to help make ends meet. Sephiroth was baffled how she could grow anything in Midagar's slums let alone flowers pretty enough to sell. And it simply intrigued him all the more.

So there really was only one solution. After getting the location of Aeris' garden from Zack, Sephiroth set off to pay her a visit. It was not his maiden voyage into the depths of Midgar, but it was the first time he had actually sought someone out there. Despite Zack's directions, he managed to find the church without too much trouble. The moment he stepped inside he was almost overwhelmed by the amount of plant life. This was not what he had expected when Zack had told him that Aeris grew flowers. A little well tended plot, yes, a veritable nursery, no. He didn't thing he had ever seen this many flowers in Midgar before.

Aeris looked up at his entrance. She was up to her elbows in dirt as she appeared to be in the middle of transplanting starts from pots into the ground.

"Hello, General."

He nodded. "Miss Gainsborough."

"What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

Sephiroth shrugged slightly, not quite sure how to explain himself. Saying that she had interested him the one time they'd met, and he wanted to satisfy his curiosity about her might not be the best way to start a conversation. He settled on an acceptable explanation. "Zack mentioned you grew flowers. I found it hard to believe. This is rather amazing."

Aeris shrugged. "I have a green thumb, and I like gardening."

"Still, this is very impressive. Have you always had an interest in gardening?"

"For as long as I can remember. I've always loved growing things. What about you, General? Any hobbies?"

"You mean besides rescuing my people from jails?"

"Surely that's not a hobby," Aeris laughed.

"It happens often enough." Sephiroth gingerly sat down a pew. "Zack thinks I should get a hobby. Of course, I'm not quite sure at times if his is the best advice to follow."

Aeris grinned as she reached for another pot. "I can understand that. He does have a knack for finding trouble, doesn't he? I love him like a brother. An obnoxious, irresponsible little brother, but life would be a little more boring without him."

"True enough. How did you meet him?"

They continued chatting as Aeris carefully tended her flower beds, watering her freshly transplanted starts and weeding. Sephiroth liked her more than he had expected to. Aeris was something special, even if she might not think so. He felt very at ease with her which was quite unusual. There were very few people he felt comfortable spending time with, and most of them had taken time to reach that level. He had been comfortable with Aeris in the space of a few minutes. She was also very welcoming of him, and that wasn't usual for Sephiroth. Most people felt uncomfortable in his presence. Aeris was slightly shy and a little wary, but she wasn't afraid of him, and she treated him like a normal person for the most part.

He genuinely liked her. That was also rare for Sephiroth. There were very few people he actually liked. Zack, Tseng, and Reeve were most of them. Aeris was different from anyone else he'd ever met though. She would seem like a like a very open person to most, but Sephiroth caught slight hesitations and her self editing. They mostly centered on her past and her background. She was oddly intuitive at times as well. She seemed to instinctively know which subjects to shy away from as they talked, leaving things like his background and origins alone. She never pressed for answers either.

When he finally left later that afternoon, Sephiroth found himself carrying several irises, and he was unable to keep a smile from kissing his lips. And Sephiroth found he was looking forward to seeing her again.