The day Zack fell through the hole in the church everything changed. He literally came spiraling into her life and shattered the small proximity of Aerith's world. Though feigning annoyance for the sake of a few crushed flowers, she was delighted at the prospect of a new friend. Elmyra said she didn't have any friends, Aerith could think of only one and she wouldn't dare tell her mother. Although his presence was often rare and brief, she craved interaction and genuine friendship. Genesis held a special place in her heart but he brought sadness to her when he came, a shared pain that she wanted to absolve but it was beyond her power. She felt his absence for days and worried for him endlessly.
Zack held none of this, he was optimistic about the smallest of things, charismatic, funny, charming, and dare she say kind of cute. He made passes at her quite a few times, she acted oblivious to every one of them, and her innocence seemed to drive him on. She felt like she was cheating on something she wasn't sure of, so she blushed and ignored the changes in the subject half the time.
Zack told her he was in SOLDIER and a first-class at that; she almost died wanting to ask questions about other first-class operatives, particularly a redheaded runaway. Aerith held her tongue because Zack was the enemy, probably tracking Genesis on his missions to eliminate a dangerous traitor. Looking at the impish grin made her feel almost bad for thinking that, Zack didn't look like a killer; he wasn't like Genesis who radiated a sense of predatory power.
She let herself get caught up in his exuberance though, an exuberance that could rival her own. They'd wander the slums together playing nonsense games or chatting about nothing at all. It felt good to be in the open with someone, even if the Turk's eyes followed them, Zack was not a company traitor and their actions didn't have to be discrete or behind the walls of an ancient church. She even told Elmyra about him, Aerith said he was in SOLDIER but she never mentioned first-class, that right seemed reserved for someone else. Her foster mother approved of course, happy to see her daughter with a genuine friend and not holed up in the church or her room. She even hoped to see a romance spark between the two; he was a SOLDIER, which meant he was with Shinra, which in turn meant he was going places in Midgar. If Aerith could leave the slums and start her life anywhere but here Elmyra could die a happy woman.
Aerith saw a lesser picture than her mother; she saw no romance between her and the young warrior. Their friendship was simply that, a friendship nothing more. Yet every time they prowled through the slum market or talked for hours on the park swings guilt made her heart heavy. Often a nonchalant eye scanned her surroundings for a crimson figure, always wary of the consequence.
OOOO
She had a friend now. He supposed that he saw no concern with it, except for her friend was Angeal's puppy. The cheerful youth and his ignorance had always been one to boil Genesis's blood on several occasions; his primary concern should have been on Aerith's knowledge. Had she let word slip to Zack about his location? He found that he was not worried at all; Aerith would never let anything past those rosy lips.
Genesis watched them on their "play dates" he let his integrity believe it was for his own purposes, but as time slipped and the duration of Zack's stays increased, the former commander found his emotions had slipped into jealousy. Burning jealousy, the kind that sat like a lead weight in his stomach and never left, and the kind that sent every nerve on fire for the taste of bloodshed.
It was good for her to be out and about, he knew this, but the selfish part of him enjoyed having Aerith alone and waiting solely for him. She was like a caged bird, bound by the bars of her small world, and now Zack had set his songbird free.
He did nothing about if of course, choosing to stay his distance and watch like some sleazy Turk he knew a lifetime ago. Sometimes he'd see an earth green eye search out amongst the atmosphere, he liked to believe she was looking for him but thought otherwise. Aerith was a strange girl after all, besides Zack never let her gaze wander away for too long anyhow.
OOOO
He was mad at her and it didn't take her too long to figure out why. She had visited the church later in the night to water her flowers and had stumbled upon the neglected man. Her timing was oddly late, she knew this and she also knew that Genesis was probably aware of it also, but how could she mutter an excuse to him when Zack had been the one to keep her late?
Genesis nodded at her presence from his seat in the distant corner, she smiled feebly unsure of how to greet him or even what to say. So she watered her plants in silence, silence was not unusual to them but this quiet certainly was. It was one of aggression and apprehension, like at any moment one of them would get up and leave never to return.
Aerith wanted to flee the intense stare she felt at her back, it was accusing and hateful, she felt its judgment blister her skin. Her hands quickened to do their work and to be gone from this place. He sensed her haste and rose from his seat, taking to pacing the walkways between the pews. The wood groaned beneath his feet, Genesis was like a caged animal prowling back and forth, muscle vibrating with the need for action.
Aerith swallowed her fear, "You're angry with me."
The man bit back a sudden laugh and she winced, it was not a happy laugh.
"Angry with you? That would have to imply that I even cared."
His statement hurt her more than she anticipated and that hurt fueled her into bitterness.
"So than you wouldn't mind if I spent more time with him?"
His prowling stopped suddenly and she dared to steal a look at him from the corner of her eye. Rage burned his blue eyes an intense color and his shoulders rose with the usual arrogance, but she was getting better at spotting the cracks in his countenance. Indeed his shoulders rose and his sharp chin angled a degree higher, but he swallowed hard causing his Adams apple to bob and the corners of his mouth dropped ten feet lower. Broken, broken, broken, the words repeated themselves in her mind.
"By all means do," His words were cold and calculated with practice.
Tears pooled in those green eyes and blinded her sight; she stopped her pruning with resentment before slamming two tiny fists into their dirt. A frustrated scream followed her next as her hands grabbed for every budded bloom and tore them from their holy earth. She threw them against the nearby stonewall, and as one slid to the floor another soon joined it, again and again.
OOOO
Shock replaced his anger almost instantly as he watched the young Aerith rip apart her entire world. Those flowers were the most precious things he had seen in all of Midgar. How could she? Yet his pride kept him rooted to the spot and away from stopping her. Why would she? Had she not slaved over them for years? He watched one suffer the same fate at the hands of their caregiver, and another and another. He himself cringed to watch them fall to the floor with such sick surprise, finally unable to bear anymore he reached for the girl and pulled her crouching form away.
"Stop," he whispered into her hair.
The girl froze completely as her eyes inspected the flower patch before her. Stunned, she trembled in his arms before a loud sob rocked her whole frame. Guilt oozed in her features as she realized she had laid waste to what she loved. Thoughts of Angeal, Sephiroth, and Banora all plagued his mind and he could relate to the sobbing girl for a small second. His anger had always gotten the best of him.
"Come now, they're not all gone some are still left."
The flower patch was indeed massacred, but some survivors had managed to escape the purging hands.
"They'll grow back and you can start again."
His words seemed to soothe the girl for her cries turned to sniffles and she grew silent.
"I never wanted to see Zack more often," she whispered.
A small smile lightened his face, "And I never wanted you to."
Night had fallen outside and a chill air surrounded the church. Aerith shivered against him, her breath forming clouds.
"Lets get you home."
A bereaved eye surveyed the flowers again and she nodded.
Author's Note: A big thank you to all the lovely reviewers! You're all motivating me to write faster!
