Disclaimer: FFVII is the sole property of Squaresoft, and most importantly, not me.

Enjoy…

O rose, thou art sick!
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night,
In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy,
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

--William Blake, "The Sick Rose"

The Sick Rose

Standing in her little room in Elmyra's house, Aeris stared hard at her reflection in the mirror. She frowned at herself, glaring down at her worn pink dress, and glanced at the open closet. Her precious few other clothing items hung inside, but she didn't go to change just yet. Aeris returned her eyes back to the mirror. She pursed her lips in a pout, and piled her hair on top of her head, soft curls dangling through her fingertips. Slowly, she swiveled the lower half of her body halfway to admire the curve of her back.

"I always did like it when you wore your hair up," a soft voice from the doorway commented. "You look very sophisticated." Aeris jumped in fright and turned around to see her foster mother Elmyra watching her. Faint amusement sparkled in the woman's knowing eyes, and Aeris blushed fiercely, feeling guilty for no reason.

"So who is this special someone you're dressing up for?" Elmyra asked, bustling into the room and sorting through Aeris's closet. "Is it that horrid young Materia vendor from down the street?"

"What?! Mother!" The embarrassment in Aeris's voice made her exclamation come out as a squeak. "NO!"

Elmyra smiled gently, to show that she was just teasing. "Well, whoever he is, I hope you'll bring him here one day. I'd love to meet him."

"Mother!" Aeris huffed in indignation. "How do you even know that I'm going out to meet a guy? I haven't said anything!"

"Believe me, a mother knows," winked Elmyra. "The way you danced about when you got home, all bubbly, humming to yourself, rambling on about what you were going to wear…what else could it be?" Aeris's cheeks were flaming red by now, and she buried her face in her hands.

"It's alright, dear," Elmyra said demurely, patting Aeris's knee. "I'm sure he's a charming young man. I would love to meet him."

Aeris's green eyes showed a spark of alarm before she covered it up. "Oh, Mom…we just met and everything. It's not even serious." This was as close to a lie as Aeris could get. She knew, of course, about Elmyra's late husband, who had been an honorable man before getting involved in Shinra's SOLDIER program. Once he gained prominence in the ranks, he stayed away from home more and more often. After a six-month station in Junon, he visited Elmyra, and they had a fight. He left the next day, was transferred to the front lines in the battle against Wutai, and Elymra never saw him again.

Aeris could see the raw wound the death of her husband had left on Elmyra, even after all these years. Elmyra hated SOLDIER with a passion, blaming the project for stealing her love away…and eventually sending him off to die. Her heart had never healed; Elmyra had never moved on. She had strictly forbidden Aeris from having any contact whatsoever with employees of Shinra, a rule Aeris had had no trouble keeping, until now of course.

So telling her Zack was a SOLDIER, and a good one at that, would not be very wise.

"Still," Elmyra was saying, "I have to make sure he's good enough for my Aeris. No common boy will do for you, I can tell already. You're going to capture the attention of someone special. Someone…great."

Aeris bit her lip and smiled shyly. I think I've already got it.

Elymra embraced Aeris tightly, then drew back and grinned mischievously at her. "Now, about those clothes…I think I may have something just a bit nicer for you to wear…"

The older woman abruptly rushed from the room, then returned in a flurry, her arms filled with bright, nearly-new clothing.

Aeris was astounded. "Where did you get all of these outfits? They must have been awfully expensive…"

"No, no. When I was your age, my elder sister was an excellent seamstress. She could make a silk purse out of a potato sack. She was the one who made all of these; many of them were hers originally. I've saved them for years, so one day I could pass them along to my daughter as she passed them to me." Elmyra said affectionately, her voice serious but loving.

"Mother…" Aeris teared up a little, and wiped at her eyes. "Thank you. It means a lot to me, that you would trust me with things that obviously mean so much to you."

"Well, I want you to have them. I'm sure they'll look nicer on you than they did on me! So humor an old woman, and start trying them on! You need an experienced opinion on this, after all…"

"Right!" Smiling, Aeris reached for the first dress. 

Zack lay awake in the darkness of his barrack room, eyes staring at the ceiling. Lights out had been called about five minutes ago, and his cell pitched into darkness, the only light coming from the milk pallor of the stars. It cast a pale glow over his face, outlining his rumpled black hair in silver. Zack's body was still, but his heart was racing as he contemplated the seriousness of what he was going to do.

His mind had been on Aeris ever since he left her at the crumbling Church, and she invited him to come back that night to watch the meteor shower. Her twin green eyes were so lucid and bright, gazing unassumingly into his pair of Mako-enhanced blue ones…he couldn't have said no to those eyes even if he had wanted to. Which he didn't, of course. It was just that…sneaking from the barracks after lights out was called was, in its harshest form, an offense punishable by discharge from SOLDIER.

Zack favored the whitewash ceiling with a wry smile. And I've got the feeling I'm not on General Sephiroth's good side right now, who knows why. He'd probably leap at the chance to kick me out with as much dishonor as possible. He sighed, and idly scratched his chest, knowing full well no matter what the danger, he would meet Aeris on the Church's rooftop tonight. Yeah, so what that I've dreamed and worked my entire life of being a SOLDIER. Aeris disproved my entire way of thinking in a day. I'm not even sure I want to be a SOLDIER anymore, and all it took was a talking-to from a flower girl. No, not just any flower girl: Aeris. A goofy grin spread over his face, and he steadied his breathing reflexively to prepare himself.

Zack listened for a moment, tracking his roomate's relaxed snoring; after deciding the other SOLDIER was truly asleep, he slowly sat up in bed and shifted his legs to hang over the side. He slid noiselessly from the stiff white sheets, and propped some pillows under them to give the guise of a slumbering man. Zack put on a tight, long-sleeved, black turtleneck and, with some difficultly due to the dark, struggled into his pants. He clipped his leather belt around his waist, cinching it as quietly as possible, and slipped on his heavy brown boots. As he moved across the room to the door, his eyes caught the metallic gleam of his Buster sword leaning in the corner. Zack took a step towards it, then changed his mind and continued to the door.

True, the Buster sword had been his constant companion for several years now, strapped faithfully to his back on every mission he went on, and in his hands during every battle. But to bring it to the Church, and to have it in the untainted presence of Aeris, just seemed wrong somehow, like it would just bring more fear and coldness into her life.

Zack opened the door with deliberate slowness, wincing as the rusted hinges let out a squeak. He stepped outside on light feet, and shut the door as quietly as he could. Sticking close to the gray concrete walls, Zack edged away from his barrack, his keen Mako-blue eyes piercing the darkness. The night was warm, and Zack smiled up at the stars. He could already see past the end of the SOLDIER compound, which only consisted of two long, dull building clumped side by side, to the Midgar streets beyond. Joy beat in his chest; the knowledge that he would see Aeris again made him speed up his stealthy pace. Zack was completely focused on his anticipated goal, which was perhaps why he failed to sense the tall black shadow behind him.

There was a tap on his shoulder.

"You wouldn't be sneaking out anywhere, would you, Lieutenant?" said a familiar voice, devoid of emotion save a certain sadistic smugness. Startled, Zack leapt forward and pressed his back to the wall, crouched in an alert position, hands itching for his sword.

Oh no…Dread tightened its black-scaled coils around his heart as recognition immediately set in. He was the mouse caught in the claws of a very cruel, powerful cat. A cat with silver fur.

"Well, Lieutenant? Do you have anything to say for yourself?" The fierce glow of Sephiroth's green eyes illuminated his face, showing the slight smirk on his lips. Zack stared at him, speechless…struck dumb.

"Pathetic," scoffed Sephiroth disgustedly, delightedly, "this behavior for a SOLDIER is reprehensible and dishonorable. Sneaking out after-hours is strictly forbidden, you do realize that? And if you did attempt to sneak out, you should have not been so easily caught. You could have at least brought a weapon…I really thought you were more capable than this. You're a disgrace to your instructors and to this unit."

Zack just shook his head; in disbelief or denial even he didn't know.

Sephiroth regarded him as one might regard a bug, or some other lesser life-form. Zack met his gaze steadily, not letting any of his fear show in his eyes. The General seemed to come to some sort of decision, and actually smiled, showing even white teeth.

"Report back to your barrack immediately, Lieutenant. Because this is a first-time offense, I'll let you off easy. But expect to train harder than you ever have; your skills are growing lax." Sephiroth's voice grew softer. "It's almost a shame you won't be going tonight. You could have prayed to improve your abilities." His voice became hard and authoritative once more. "You are dismissed."

As if in a daze, Zack stumbled away from the wall and the shadow, and blundered into his room. His mind was frozen. All the excitement and fervent joy had been sucked out of him, leaving only numbness. Zack sat down heavily on his bed and rested his head in his hands, shoulders slumped down in disappointment.       

Several minutes later, Zack realized something, and in that moment all the blood drained from his face. Sephiroth's exact words came rushing back at him, his memory suddenly sharp and poignant. "It's almost a shame you won't be going tonight. You could have prayed to improve your abilities."

Sephiroth knew. It wasn't important how he had found out…but he knew where Zack had been going the whole time. And if he knew that, he probably knew who was going to be there. Zack felt violently sick as he made the connection.

Sephiroth was going to Aeris's Church.