There's no escape for the broken hearted,
There's no return, once you've lost your way.
I say a prayer now, your love's departed,
That you'll come back to stay.
Bring back the Perfect Day.
-Roxette "Perfect Day"
It was a bright and sunny day, though the people of Midgar wouldn't have really cared. Much less so for those under its gigantic plates, who, even if they did have access to it, wouldn't have had the time to notice.
There were a few cracks in the plate where sunlight did shine through, however. One of them was in a church in the slums of sector five. It was here that a young woman was trying to decide what type of flower to plant in the corner of her small garden.
Yes, it was somehow possible to grow them in the dead city, where nothing could grow. No one really knew how, but they simply did. Some called the young woman a witch, but many called her a miracle.
One of them was her lover, who was currently sitting in a front pew, waiting for her to choose which seeds she would plant. She had already prepared the ground for the planting, but she simply couldn't figure out if she wanted to plant black eyed susans or daisies.
She was taking so long, but he wouldn't go as far as to say that she was wasting his time. No, because he enjoyed watching her no matter what she was doing. She held up the packets as if to ask 'Which one?'. Truth be told, he couldn't have cared less which one she planted, but it was important to her.
Her basket of seeds was sitting next to him, and he picked the topmost one: daffodils. He took it over to her and took the other two from her. Aiming carefully, he was able to make perfect shots into the basket. He kneeled down and handed her the packet.
As he went to stand, she placed a hand on his shoulder. He stayed in his position, a look of question in his eyes. She opened the packet carefully and placed some in his hand. She helped him plant them in the soil and cover them, her hands over his the whole time.
When everything else was ready, she handed him the watering can and he poured the life giving substance over the recently turned soil.
They both went back to the pew and sat side by side, his arm around her. She rested her head back on his shoulder and looked over at the new patch of her garden. Their garden.
He felt as she started to fall asleep next to him. How he wished that it could always be like this. But he knew that it couldn't. His time with his love was precious, because as of lately, it was few and far between.
Not only that, but they would never let him go, those damnable people. Especially the one he could only label as the Devil's associate. He also knew that if that man ever got his hands on the one next to him, there would be no end of torture for the both of them.
He would have given almost anything for the both of them to just leave this place, for her to have the largest garden on the Planet, to have the family they wanted together…
…for happiness…
For the month that followed, they both came to the church as they usually did. Since they had planted the daffodils together, they cared for them together as well. He watched as the green stalks came above the soil and grew tall, then bloomed.
Though they knew that the flowers were not the real thing, it still felt as though they had given life to a child of their very own. They cared for them, nourished them and loved them, though not nearly as much as they loved one another.
She didn't have a television, but there was still a battery powered radio that was listened to in the kitchen. She was making breakfast, waiting for the afternoon. He had told her that he would meet her then.
Her mother wasn't up yet, but she was clothed and ready to go. She couldn't wait to see him again. He'd been gone for about a week, and she missed him so.
She was cracking eggs over the bowl when he heard the words that she prayed day and night that she would never hear. She dropped the egg she was holding in her hand into the bowl and began to shake horribly.
They repeated it again. She could hear her mother coming down the stairs. She called out for her daughter, but the words were lost on the young woman. She instead ran out the door, her small jacket left forgotten on the coat rack.
There was no sunlight over her home garden, but she didn't notice. Instead, there was only rain.
The church was cold this early, but that didn't matter to the girl lying on the floor. She lay with her hand stretching forth into the young flowers. Her tears spilled down her cheeks; she did nothing to stop them.
She half expected him to come running to her side, telling her that everything was alright and that he would never leave her. She wanted so bad to be held tight in his arms and telling him of how much she loved him, be told so in return.
So great was her grief, she hardly noticed the flowers she was reaching out to seemed to droop a little.
He found himself floating in the green river known as the Lifestream. He was thinking of what he had learned during the last couple of days, of what actions he had taken, and about the one he'd underestimated.
But mostly, he thought of his love. He could feel her grief, as much as he could feel his own. He didn't want her to feel this way. He didn't want her to be sad, only happy. He wanted the garden, the family, and all of the happiness that came with it.
And he knew how he could get it.
Well, this is something that just suddenly came to me. I hope that it clears up the part of the daffodils for those who have been reading 'Allied with Evil.' I'm actually very proud of this short little ficlet. As always please review.
