Go me, this didn't take long at all. Cheers for Cloud/Aerith/Zack! (Because I'm evil and live to torment.)

Takes place after Kairi's rescue; contains spoilers for the end of Kingdom Hearts.

Written from Cloud's perspective.

Onward!

Ephemeral Blossoms

Akai Kitsune

Part 16: Say You Won't Say

I jogged through the halls of Ansem's castle, trying to keep the mask of irritation from entering my expression. Over two weeks, we'd been working there - Aerith in the gardens, Zack and I in the barracks with the other guards, and Tifa in the kitchen. I was just coming from the kitchen, bearing with me our next assignment... as well as a rising anger in my heart.

Two weeks, and we'd found nothing to connect Ansem any further to the Heartless than what we already knew. Knowing was one thing, but proving it...

How do you bring down a -king-?

I had to admit it was a valiant effort. Though small, Avalanche was surprisingly organized, and where they lacked intelligence or common sense - particularly their hot-headed leader - they made up for in spirit. Saving the planet from the growing threat of the Heartless was obviously important to them. And it wasn't as if the king made it easy for us. Certain areas of the castle were blocked off or restricted, and even the highest ranking guards were limited as to how far inside the castle they could go. As one of the newest guards - and the youngest, besides - I didn't have many privileges. Zack just said it took time, but that was something we didn't exactly have a lot of.

And Zack... I was sure it was his fault I was so angry.

I'd spent nearly an hour trying to find him before I finally went to the kitchen for help.

"Zack?" Tifa echoed the name when I asked her, and then she smiled cheerfully. "Sure, I saw him earlier. He's in the gardens."

With Aerith. The words lay unspoken between us. I don't know what she was so happy about; the thought of them together infuriated me for reasons I couldn't yet acknowledge.

From what I had seen of Aerith, I figured she was bright enough not to fall for Zack's typical girl-chaser charm. He'd had a notorious reputation in Midgar, and... well, part of me had been hoping Aerith wasn't going to be his first target upon arriving. Even the business-minded Avalanche woman seemed more likely to fall for his blunt flirtation. Not Aerith... she was too smart for that.

Except that she was always with him. Except that whenever we were together, all she could talk about - eyes averted, face flushed - was Zack.

I was constantly torn between keeping silent and telling her how less-than-reputable he could be if it suited him. Probably the only reason I cared was because I'd met her first... she had asked me to guard her.

But... did I really have to guard her from her own teammate? And it wasn't like he would force her into anything...

It didn't quell my anger, though, and I was all too obliged to interrupt them with another scouting mission.

The captain of the castle guard was an exceptionally resourceful man. He'd accepted Zack and I into his squad, no questions asked, but at the same time limited our duties mostly to outside the buildings, in case we weren't as loyal as we wanted him to believe. Tifa was treated mostly the same in the kitchen; she was getting sick of washing dishes, but to the cook - and probably Ansem and his court - poison wasn't a worthwhile risk. It showed he was an intelligent man, if anything, but it also meant that our job was a lot more difficult.

So, there I was, with another scouting mission waiting for us later that night. I just needed to find Zack... and that was often a chore by itself. Him being with Aerith was good and bad, in a way. It was easy to find him, but I usually didn't want to.

I was halfway through the gardens when I heard voices, hushed and familiar. Ordinarily I wouldn't have waited to interrupt, but for some reason I hesitated; there was something in the tones that made me want to listen.

"How long are you going to wait?" I heard Zack ask. There was no indication of his usual jest or flirtation, something I found surprising.

"I don't know," Aerith replied quietly. "I'm not so sure of anything anymore."

"Maybe it would be smarter for you to wait."

She laughed lightly. "This from you?"

There was a long silence. Then, Aerith's apologetic murmur, "I'm sorry. That was unfair."

Zack shrugged it off, though his voice was clipped. "I probably deserved it at some point."

"But not from me."

"No?" he repeated questioningly. "You can't say I've acted exactly the way I should have. Not the way you wanted me to, anyway."

I could hear the smile in her words. "Oh... I really should apologize. You're awfully concerned with my needs."

"Don't tease me," he almost growled. "That is unfair, and you know it."

"I'm serious."

"But not as serious as I am," he finished, and I was surprised to hear... resignation? ... in his voice. "Isn't that why you called me here?" She hesitated, so he forged ahead. "Why am I here, Aerith? Are you asking me to tell you what to do? As if you don't know what my answer would be?"

"Zack-"

"Why?" he repeated firmly. "What is it you're trying to say?"

I shifted to see them, still concealed by the plants around me. I looked at Aerith, and I waited for her response, breath caught in my throat.

When she finally spoke again, her voice was timid, her head bowed to hide a blush. "What if... what if I told you I loved you?"

My eyes widened in surprise. And then, Zack did something I never expected him to do; he threw his head back and laughed at her.

I stared at them, shocked and silent, as Aerith's tiny blush set her whole face aflame and she turned away. Infuriated by Zack's response, I spun and fled the gardens, unable to listen any longer.

Why... why did she ask -him- that? And... why'd he laugh...?

Zack returned to our shared bunking several hours later, looking surprisingly cheerful if one ignored the bright red handprint on his cheek. My face had already formed into a permanent glower since leaving the gardens, so it took barely any effort to focus on the book I was reading with the angriest glare I could manage.

Zack wasn't bothered by it, though he must have noticed. "What are you reading?"

"Aerith lent it to me," I replied meaningfully, "From the library."

Zack blinked innocently. "That's a weird answer, but okay."

If there was anything that made me even more angry, it was Zack feigning ignorance when I was trying to be serious. I sat up on my bed abruptly, eyes blazing. "Why did you laugh at her?"

He didn't even miss a beat, although I expected him to. "Why did you listen?"

I stopped short. "You... you knew I was there?"

Zack grinned. "Hey, I taught you how to fight. But you taught yourself how to be a womanizer, and you're not very stealthy about it."

I spluttered. "I am not-"

"Uh huh, sure."

"I'm not!"

"But," Zack leaned towards me, the grin broadening, "You never answered my question."

I gave him a sullen stare. "Neither did you."

"Good!" he laughed. "We're even. What's next?"

I sighed inwardly, knowing I wouldn't get anywhere with that subject, and tried a different approach. "Did... did Aerith do that?" I gestured vaguely to his new face decoration.

Zack shook his head, plunking down on his own bunk. "Nope! After I left the garden I thought I'd go visit my other favourite lady." He eyes shone with amusement. "I said something to Tifa that she was too young to understand. Turns out there's a woman working in the kitchen - an older woman - who looks exactly like Tifa from behind..."

"And she got the joke," I finished sardonically.

Zack grinned almost proudly. "Seems there are some things a good-looking face can't fix."

At his words, I gave him another glare, then turned away.

"Aw, Cloud, will you stop that?"

I ignored him.

"You're sulking like a little girl."

Burning bright red, I growled, "Am not."

"Yeah... fine, I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

He was quiet for a long time, and then I heard him stand. At first I thought he was heading for the door, but then he appeared in front of me, crouching down with the most serious expression I'd ever seen on his face.

"You want to know why I laughed?" he asked quietly.

Eyes startled wide, I nodded wordlessly.

Zack shook his head, averting his gaze for a long moment. Then glanced back at me, a small smile on his lips.

"Cloud, you twit," he told me with the utmost conviction in his words, "I laughed because she loves you. God knows why."

"Wha-what?" I spluttered. So much for dignity.

Zack rolled his eyes. "She. Loves. You."

"But she's always with you!"

"No," he corrected firmly, "I'm always with her. She's never been the one to do the chasing, unless it's as nothing more than a friend. And... as her friend, I know what she's after."

I swallowed hard, not sure how to respond to the words or the odd expression on his face. "But... why would she-"

"Didn't I just tell you?" Zack shrugged, getting up to return to his bed. "Damned if I know. You're not even as cute as I am." He grinned playfully.

"Zack!" I leaned forward angrily, but before I could speak, or even blink, suddenly his sword was in front of me, pulled from beside his bed, the handle inches away from my eyes. I lurched back in surprise. "Hey..." I objected quietly, pushing it away, but he moved closer, holding it out to me.

"I'm telling you now, Cloud," he murmured, his expression intense and serious, "This is the sword that is going to protect her. It'll be the one to keep her safe, because the one who holds it will be the one who holds her."

I blinked. "Is this some sort of bet?" I asked warily. Zack had a strange relationship with women in general, but it wasn't like him to treat his source of affection so flippantly.

He shook his head, still unsmiling. "It's a promise."

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm not-"

"Interested, I know," Zack finally grinned, his tone playful again. "You're not interested in anything except fighting and just getting by. That's the trouble with you, Cloud - you're too full of it to let yourself out a bit."

"Full of what?"

"Full of strife," he smirked, then dodged my angry punch. He tilted the sword towards me again. "Seriously though, kid, I want you to understand."

"I understand," I scowled, putting my hand on the hilt below his, "But I don't know why you're so worried."

Zack just laughed, the same loud, piercing sound that usually made everyone turn to look and see who was so happy. He clapped me on the shoulder, still chuckling to himself as I watched him in irritation.

"You," he finally choked out, "Are hopeless."

I knew that. I had known that for a long time. Hopeless in so many ways, on so many levels. Growing up a forgotten child in Nibelheim, living as nothing more than a lab specimen for months with Hojo - in MY town, even - wasn't exactly the best way to become someone like Zack. I couldn't act like him. I could never be the sort of man Zack was.

But he tried; he tried to help me, and he never gave up. That's why I never wanted to leave him.

He was... my friend. My first real friend. My best friend.

And even I knew what he was giving up, then.

Pulling the sword back and propping it up against the wall, Zack lay back down on his bunk, arms crossed behind his head. After a moment, as I stared at him in silence, he gave me an odd look and said, "Why the hell are you still here?"

"Wha-"

"Go talk to her!" He rolled his eyes. "She's waiting for you in the gardens."

I was on my feet before I even realized it, and my expression made him laugh again. Giving him a nasty look, I left the guardhouse, the focus of my thoughts drifting to the girl who - supposedly - awaited me.

He had to be mistaken. We'd barely spoken since that first day... certainly not like she and Zack. Most of our time had been spent trying to accomplish our goals for Avalanche. At least that's what I'd been concentrating on, despite our miserable progress so far. I wasn't really the type to go for romance anyway. I'd always been far too shy, but after Nibelheim, especially, it was the furthest thing from my mind.

So why am I practically racing to the gardens if I'm only going to tell her no?

I was so deeply immersed in my thoughts, I didn't even notice the figure in front of me as I turned a corner and barreled straight into him. It was like hitting a wall, and I stumbled to the ground, eyes startled wide. "H-hey-" I protested, and was interrupted by a laugh.

"Whoa, kid! Why such a rush?"

I blinked, looking up to see a rough, blond-haired head peering down at me through a faint cloud of smoke. "Cid?" I gaped at him, even more surprised that it was him. "You're... back early."

Cid reached out and pulled me to my feet. "You can say that again. That's 'cause I got my girl back."

I let the ghost of a smile touch my expression. "Your ship, or Yuffie?"

He snickered, cuffing my head none-too-gently. "Feh. You're more of a brat than she is. What I mean is, the Highwind is back in the sky again, and as ready for duty as I am."

I nodded my congratulations, but inwardly I winced. The repairs went ahead of schedule, and that meant Avalanche would have to work a little harder as well. We figured that Cid - the castle's best pilot and master of the shipyard - had neither idea nor care of what he was carrying, but we had our suspicions. Zack himself remembered seeing the insignia of the royal family on one of the boxes used to transport the Heartless... not that we could accomplish anything on his word alone.

"Speaking of the little princess," Cid continued sarcastically, "You haven't seen her around, have you?"

I shrugged. "Not lately." Yuffie - the annoying kid I'd met on the train - was living in the castle at the behest of her rich (though often inebriated) father, who was a fallen lord of the western continent. As his heir, it was her duty to learn how to act like one, and the castle's duty to teach it to her, apparently. A joke among the castle's servants was that no one was certain what exactly an heir was supposed to learn, for Yuffie's daily activities mostly involved annoying everyone and practicing her meager ninja skills whenever it was the most inconvenient.

Despite her antics everyone seemed to like the kid. I avoided her like the plague.

Cid was with her the most, it seemed; he had been the one to bring her to the castle, and she'd latched onto him. I figured she was just another lonely kid at heart.

Didn't mean I had to like her, but I didn't hate her, either.

Cid sighed in exasperation, raking a hand through his hair. "She's probably trying to cartwheel her way through the library or something," he grumbled. "She'll never learn unless she breaks something, I swear."

"You mean breaks something of her own," I commented dryly, but my mind was drifting to other things. Thinking of the library made me think of Aerith, and I didn't really want to think of Aerith...

The other man just laughed, ignorant of my thoughts, and flicked the ashes off his cigarette. "Good point. In that case, I better keep looking, huh..." He pounded casually on my shoulder and started off down the hall. "See you around, kid."

"Don't call me kid," I muttered after him, my lips pursed into a faint scowl. I hated being called one, but being treated like one was infinitely worse. Probably the only one I didn't argue with about the nickname was Zack.

Zack was the only one who could call me kid without me getting mad at him. I guess it was because when he was around, I felt like a kid - simply because he acted like one. With him, I almost felt like I could be a kid again too. It wasn't so hard anymore.

Nothing was ever hard with Zack around. He always had a way to make things easier for everyone. I don't know how he did it...

... and again, thinking - this time of Zack - brought my thoughts back to my own destination, and I quickened my pace, moving swiftly towards the gardens.

Aerith had done wonders for the place. She'd been hired to work in the library, but it was obvious that her true gift lay with plants. The castle garden had been changed from an overgrown mess if misshapen trees and shrubs to an incredible arrangement thriving more beautifully than her garden at that broken-down church. She claimed that it was simply a "gift of the planet", something I didn't exactly understand, but to me it was just modesty.

I made my way through the garden paths, finally tracking her down among the rosebushes. I'd always wondered why she liked them so much, but at least it made her easier to find. Like Yuffie and bookshelves, I couldn't help but think wryly. "Aerith?"

She started and turned her head to face me, her expression brightening into a smile as she caught sight of me. "Cloud! Ah... I was, um... wondering if you'd come. Zack, he..."

I pursed my lips. "We talked," I mumbled, suddenly feeling very foolish. What was I supposed to tell her? Wait for her to speak first, have her reject Zack then be rejected by me all in one day? Was that fair?

Who says Zack's right? a voice whispered in my head. Who says she really does love you?

... and who says you'd say no?

I quickly crushed that voice like an irritating fly. I had no mind for romance. Especially not for Aerith, whom I barely knew.

"Here," she spoke up, passing me a tray of tall seedlings, "Hold this, will you?"

I took it numbly, distracted from my thoughts by the sudden scent coming from the plants. "You..." I swallowed hard. "You're planting... lilies?"

She looked up at me, pleasantly surprised, probably because I knew the flower. "Why yes. If you find the right type, roses and lilies are the perfect match." She reached for the tray again, our hands touching for only a moment as she gently pried a flower from its small cubby. "But you have to be careful," she added almost teasingly, "Or the roses will choke the lilies."

I watched her as she dug a hole and planted the first of the new flowers, her fingers deftly moving and adjusting the soft earth to support the roots, before moving on to the next one. I waited in uncomfortable silence, not wanting to interrupt her work, until she spoke again.

"Zack told me you liked them," she told me in a soft tone, lifting her eyes to meet mine. "The... lilies, I mean."

I tried to make my expression sullen, but it fought with the blush streaking across my face. "W-well... Zack's wrong," I mumbled.

"Oh?"

"I hate lilies." My gaze fell to the half-empty tray in my hands.

"Oh." When I looked up again, she had turned back to her work. "Strange, then, that he'd said that."

Strange that he'd known, actually. "Maybe he's a bad guesser." Or maybe I talk in my sleep. My mind drifted briefly to my Mako-induced illness, and I wondered what else Zack knew.

"Could be," she replied curtly, and I winced, hoping she wasn't insulted.

Taking a chance, I swallowed hard, and added, "Maybe you got us mixed up."

She laughed lightly, though by her expression, it seemed forced to me. "And how would I have managed that?"

"Zack..." My gaze drifted back to the flowers. "He... he likes roses."

Aerith was silent for a long time, her hands frozen against the soil.

"One of the roses hurt him," she finally whispered. "I... don't think it's mutual."

I closed my eyes, now regretting my harsh words to him. I'd badly misjudged the situation, as well as Zack's own feelings. And hers, apparently, though I didn't want to acknowledge it.

"What would you plant with roses, Cloud?" I opened my eyes, only to meet hers, the green gaze full of anticipation... almost pleading for an answer.

What answer?

"She loves you."

What would I...

"I..." I held her gaze for as long as I could stand, trying to find my words, my own feelings... but I found nothing but more questions.

And in these questions, I grasped at an answer that was more of an escape than anything.

"I think... roses... I'd leave them by themselves," I mumbled, lowering my eyes again. Coward. "At least... until a... another flower plants itself there. The right flower."

Carefully, I crouched down and put the tray on the ground beside her. As I straightened up, I heard her murmur, "By themselves... is it?"

Cursing my own indecision, I could only nod, then, without waiting for a response, turned and nearly fled the grounds.

She didn't move to follow me, thankfully, but her words echoed through my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder if I had made a terrible mistake.

"She loves you."

When have I ever had that luxury...?

AN: Does it seem like I'm rushing it? My bad. I guess I'm just anxious to dish out a good dose of verbal Cloud-bitchslapping. And everyone loves that, apparently.

The rose and lily patch - This is actually true; we have a spot at my cottage with a whole pile of tiger and orange lilies tangled up in roses. Only problem is, the roses have a tendency to die on us. One of life's little ironies, if you consider the paradox with the characters...

It's really hard to explain Zack's actions in this chapter. Like, really, seriously, almost impossible. This was a horrible chapter to write, and next chapter will be ten times worse. I dread it... so my question to you is, am I posting another interlude to attempt to explain myself, or shall I just leave you wondering? Heh...

I was amused and surprised that nobody got the old dude. It was Maechen from FFX, better known as Exposition!Man. I figured the "Lady" reference would give him away, but I fooled you all! Bwahaha...

Reviewer Responses:

link no miko: So I've finally answered your question. Ne, is the squeak happy?

Koorino Megumi: I wrote that comment just for you. Be grateful!

Seishin Kibou: That is the BEST SCENE in the entire game. Seriously. Find it! And Hojo in AC... shudders Only if he dies.

Till next time!