AN: I'm sorry you all had to wait so long for this chapter! In addition to busy real life, I had a bit of trouble with this story since it's still in its early stages and I had to decide what path I wanted to take with it. Hopefully, future chapters will not take as long for me to finish and post!
While I originally intended to focus solely on Zack and Aerith's relationship, I realized that a lot of the outside events are important, especially due to their influence on the characters' thoughts and feelings. I therefore decided to incorporate a little bit of Crisis Core's plot into this story. However, if that's not what you were expecting to see, don't worry; Crisis Core will never overshadow its characters as the main focus of the story, and I will only be including its plotlines when I feel they are relevant to the particular story I'm telling with each chapter.
Also, I just want to say here (I forgot to in the first chapter) that I never actually played Crisis Core myself, so I'm writing this story based solely off of what I could find on the internet, like cutscene movies and articles on the Final Fantasy wiki. If I accidentally overlook gameplay relevant to the story which isn't actually a cutscene, that's most likely why.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy! I hope this chapter is worth the wait!
Zack couldn't stop thinking about Aerith.
Even as he dodged attacks from the holographic monsters in SOLDIER's training room and slashed at them with his sword with a fluid grace born of hours of practice, he was conscious of the fact that he was distracted. His fighting was still far from sloppy, but Zack was finding it nigh-impossible to concentrate on anything besides reliving his meeting with the mysterious flower girl a few days before, and that bothered him.
If Angeal were here, he'd call Zack out on it.
But he wasn't. That was bothering Zack, too.
With a grunt of frustration, he slashed his sword in a wide arc, forcing the illusory monsters back and giving himself a moment of reprieve.
The three remaining cat-like creatures prowled warily around him through the grassy field the room had emulated for the battleground. They weren't attacking yet, but clearly waiting for an opening to strike. Their shapes were mostly obscured by tall grass, perceivable to the SOLDIER only in small hints of movement and the faint rustling sound of fronds against fur. He needed to pay full attention to all his heightened senses in order to kill them before they killed him.
Zack couldn't let his guard falter, even for a moment.
He lunged for one of the beasts, impaling it with his sword, and immediately the other two pounced from the sea of grass. Zack whirled around just in time to block their attacks with the flat side of his sword; his ears caught the sound of both monsters' claws striking the metal with a resonating clang.
The sound pierced through his unfocused thoughts, clearing his mind a little, and he did his best to shake off the rest of lingering daze as he pushed the monsters away with the flat of his blade. They disappeared into the meadow again, but Zack pinpointed their location with keen senses and slashed through the grass with his sword to reveal his targets. Before they could slip away again, he struck one in the back of the neck with deadly accuracy, and then whirled to slash the throat of the other.
When he had finished, he was a bit sweaty but otherwise no worse for wear than when he'd started, and he couldn't help but grin despite the distractions burdening him. The bloodless practice fights the training room gave him didn't have the literal life-or-death urgency that a real battle would, but they were still exhilarating.
His grin faded along with the meadow as the training room reverted back into its actual form. He was now surrounded by four grungy cement walls that he'd come to know as typical of Midgar—colorless and boring. In fact, he'd thought everything about Midgar was boring until he'd fallen through the floor of a mako reactor and ended up in a church full of flowers. It had been beautiful, and home to an even more beautiful girl. Aerith was unlike anyone he had ever met before—maybe strange, definitely different, and unquestionably the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
He closed his eyes as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, and shoved away the memory of Aerith's wide green eyes that automatically filled the empty space beneath his eyelids. He didn't have time to wander back to her church like a lost puppy. He had to train. He had to defeat Genesis. He had to find his mentor and bring him home.
But what his brain knew as common sense, his heart refused to listen to.
All he really wanted right now was to see Aerith again, to convince himself that he hadn't imagined the way they'd both been drawn to each other. He didn't know her, but he wanted to, and he thought she wanted to know him too.
But he had more important things to do than figure out the mysterious flower girl. Maybe after he'd found Angeal and stopped Genesis and Hollander, he could afford to spend some time with Aerith, but not until then. He'd have to wait... and hope that she wouldn't lose interest in him by then.
Zack heaved a weary sigh. He was quickly learning that life was infinitely more problematic when starry-eyed infatuation became involved.
"You sound quite conflicted," observed a quiet voice, and Zack opened his eyes to see that Sephiroth had entered the room without him noticing. The silver-haired SOLDIER was leaning against the doorway and watching Zack with sharp green eyes—eyes that were technically the same color as Aerith's. But Sephiroth's were pale and cat-like, whereas Aerith's pupils were rounder and her irises more vivid, a hue Zack would describe as the color of life itself.
Zack bit back frustration. He really was hopeless.
"It's nothing," he said. Sephiroth was friendly enough, but he wasn't Angeal—he wasn't the one Zack would feel comfortable telling anything to. "I'm fine."
Sephiroth rarely blinked, but when he did, the movement was eerily unhurried, like that of a predator who was completely certain that his prey would never be able to escape. Zack wasn't easily intimidated, but under Sephiroth's intense stare, he was glad that the other SOLDIER was his ally, not his enemy.
"You should know," the silver-haired man told him, "that our current situation rests in a precarious balance. The defining events to disrupt it may unfold at any time, without warning. Those things might occur several months from now, but they could just as easily happen tomorrow." He paused, narrowing his eyes as if he saw something in Zack's gaze which displeased him. "You cannot afford to be distracted when they do."
Zack was silent, watching Sephiroth warily. His cat-like gaze was as unreadable as ever, and Zack found himself wondering if Sephiroth knew something that he didn't. It certainly seemed possible, but the older SOLDIER could just as easily be speaking from previous experience or intuition.
"Does that," Sephiroth asked at last, "change your conviction in your response?"
"Maybe." Zack tried his best to keep his expression neutral, but he wasn't sure he succeeded. "I need to think about it."
"Take your time," the silver-haired SOLDIER told him, and the dangerous edge to his voice softened into his usual indifferent tone. "But if you do come to the conclusion that there's something you need to do, I advise you do it rather than hesitate. Your own distraction can be a more dangerous enemy than monsters."
Zack supposed that made his decision for him. It definitely gave him the excuse he needed to go running back to Aerith like he wanted to, but he wasn't sure whether to feel grateful to Sephiroth or anxious about the warning the other SOLDIER had given him. He settled for a polite nod of farewell as he walked past Sephiroth and the older man's unblinking green eyes followed him through the door.
When Zack reached the church, his heart leapt at the sight of Aerith sitting on the edge of the floor near the flowerbed, sunlight from the hole in the roof pouring in over it. But she sat just far enough away that she was in the shade, deliberately, as if staying out of reach of the sky which frightened her. She had her back to the door, so it was hard to tell what she was doing, but she didn't appear to be watering the plants or transplanting one, just watching over them, deep in thought.
She looked so pensive that he hesitated to disturb her, but Aerith seemed alerted by something, perhaps his footsteps against the smooth stone floor. She didn't look up from the flowers, but something about her mannerism changed—her shoulders became a little tenser, her previously restless hands more still.
"Zack?" she asked quietly, uncertainly. She sounded as if she were talking more to herself than to him, like she had the first day they'd met, speaking so quietly that even his mako-enhanced senses strained to make out what she was saying.
That didn't stop him from grinning. "That's me!"
She jumped, and the look she gave him over her shoulder was wide-eyed, but her surprise turned to delight when she took in his presence. "You came back!"
"Of course I did," he replied, a warmly pleased feeling bubbling up in his chest at the way her whole face lit up when she saw him. "I told you I would, didn't I?"
"How did you hear what I was saying?" she asked, getting to her feet and meeting him halfway as he walked toward her down the church's aisle. She seemed genuinely curious, but there was also a spark of wariness in her vivid green eyes that Zack didn't understand. "I thought I was speaking quietly."
"You were," he said. "I just have really good hearing."
"Inhumanly good?" she asked, giving him a half-skeptical, half-curious look, as if she weren't sure whether or not to believe him.
"I'm inhumanly good at a lot of things," he said modestly.
She made a surprised sound—a laugh—and shoved him.
He obligingly fell back a few steps, laughing. "What was that for?"
"I can't tell whether you're being serious or not," she told him, looking as if she weren't sure whether to be amused or exasperated. But to Zack's relief, the guarded look in her eyes had faded.
He winked mysteriously, wanting to keep her wondering about him, intrigued by him the way he was intrigued by her. "Decide for yourself. In any case, I was definitely serious about that date, so I think we should go on one now."
"Right now?" she asked, a little doubtfully.
"Absolutely," he said, grinning. The restless feeling which had consumed him had gone as soon as he entered the church, and he felt like this was where he was meant to be. With Aerith. He felt lighter than he had in days.
Part of him expected her to say no, but to his surprise, she just laughed again, this time at his enthusiastic expression. "All right."
With one last glance back at the flowerbed, as if she didn't like leaving it, Aerith followed him as he led the way out of the church. Zack wanted to make some kind of conversation, but he wasn't sure what to say. Aerith seemed slightly uncomfortable, looking at the ground instead of at him, though he wasn't sure if it was leaving the safety of the church or being alone with him that bothered her.
He hoped it was the former.
"Do you talk to yourself a lot?" he asked. She looked up, her expression alarmed, and he hurriedly added, "Not that that's a bad thing. I just noticed that you were doing it the first time we met and again today. I figured you must be lonely."
Aerith hesitated before responding, looking cautious.
"It is a bit quiet," she said slowly—carefully, Zack noticed. "But... I'm not really talking to myself. I know this might sound silly, but... I talk to the flowers. They... can't answer, of course, but... it's like they're listening."
Zack tilted his head to one side, thinking about it as they walked along the empty city streets. Though the church was in pretty good condition apart from the hole in the roof (and the broken floorboards, which he didn't count since the beautiful flowers were better than flooring anyway), Aerith seemed to be the only person who ever went there. The church and the roads in its vicinity were relatively abandoned, and Zack wondered if the conditions in the slums beneath the plate were so grim and hopeless that the people living there found faith impossible.
"I guess that makes sense," he said at last, trying not to think too much about the poor living conditions. He didn't like worrying about things he was powerless to change. "They're not the same as us, but they are still living things in their own way."
"So you do understand," she said, looking relieved.
"What made you think I wouldn't?"
"The fact that you almost trampled them the other day?" she suggested, and he couldn't tell whether her tone was amused or exasperated. The harsh greenish lighting which made everyone else look unnaturally pale and sickly only enhanced the vivid color of her eyes, and trying not to stare into them seemed to be a lost cause.
"Ah, you've got me there," he admitted. "But I've been educated since then on the importance of respecting flowers."
"Now you're just teasing me," she said.
"But you don't mind," he pointed out, and she didn't argue with that.
Zack hadn't consciously had a destination in mind, but he realized that his feet were following the path he and Aerith had taken to the central slums the other day, and he let them continue on. He remembered Aerith telling him that there were lots of people there, and the familiar bustle and chatter might ease her nerves now.
"Where are we going?" she asked him.
"Anywhere," he responded. "It doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm with you."
She looked unsure of whether to graciously accept the implied compliment or blush and look away, so her expression ended up somewhere between the two as she gave him a fleeting smile and then her gaze darted immediately back to the ground. Her shyness was really quite endearing, and Zack couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hmm..." he said, as they reached the central slums. Last time he'd been there, he hadn't really had the time or motivation to look around, when Aerith was clearly the most compelling part of it. Now he scanned the bustling marketplace with curious blue eyes. "Looks like an interesting place."
Aerith turned to face him. "Maybe we should take a look around—" she started to say, but stopped as a boy about half Zack's height darted across his path, almost tripped him, and then yelled, "Whoaa! Watch out!"
"Hm?" Zack said, and then realized that the boy was giving him a rather accusing look. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, sorry..."
"Be more careful!" the kid scolded him, and Zack had to force down an indignant retort. If you hadn't been running right in front of me, he shot back silently as the boy ran off, I wouldn't have almost tripped over you.
He turned to Aerith once the offending boy had gone, only to find her gazing after the kid with a troubled expression.
"Hey Zack?" she asked, turning to face him with an oddly intense look in her eyes. "You didn't just... lose something, did you? Like any of your belongings?"
"Did I lose something?" he echoed, puzzled. "I don't think so..." He felt around in his pockets, not expecting to find anything out of place, and gave a yelp of surprise as he realized she was right. "My wallet!"
"It's gone?" Aerith asked anxiously.
"Was it that kid?" Zack asked angrily. "I'm gonna hunt him down!"
First the little brat has the audacity to yell at me after he almost tripped me, he thought incredulously, and now he thinks he can steal my stuff? No way am I going to let him get away with that!
"Zack, wait," Aerith said pleadingly. "I'm sorry, but I know that boy. There has to be some reason. He would usually never do something like this."
"Whatever the reason," he snapped, a bit stung that she sounded more worried about the little thief than she was about what he would do without any money or his ID, "stealing is wrong. I'm gonna find him, and..."
"Let's ask him why he did it," she interrupted. "I'll bring him here."
"Hey Aerith!" he called, but she had already run off, disappearing into the crowd of people milling around the marketplace. She's gone. I'll have to look for him too.
Where did he go? Having never been there before, it was tricky to navigate the marketplace, with its small twisting streets and array of nearly identical-looking stalls. Dodging around people with as much agility as he could muster, Zack eventually spotted the kid by one of the vendors. There he is!
"Hey you!" he called to the vendor. "Get him for me!"
He ran over as quick as he could, but the boy had disappeared by the time Zack reached the clerk. "Ha ha... I tried to catch him," the older man said, breathing heavily, "but... he stole my prized materia before I was able to do anything. Once he used that, there was no way I could catch him."
Looking into the older man's eyes, Zack saw that he was lying. His impression of being out of breath had been pretty convincing, but he didn't have the desperate look of someone who had just been robbed.
"You didn't even try to catch him, did you?" he asked, frustrated. The people in Midgar had no sense of honor. If you didn't pay them, you couldn't expect their help.
"No, you got me all wrong, buddy!" the man protested, but Zack wasn't interested in talking to him for even a moment longer.
"It's all right," he told the vendor. "It'll try looking elsewhere."
If there was only someone trustworthy enough to ask for help... he thought as he made his way back into the crowd, wondering if Aerith was still looking for the boy. Can she really catch him by herself? True, she probably knew the layout of the marketplace much better than Zack did, and she claimed to know the little thief, but it would be hard to catch him if he didn't want to talk with her.
Eventually, after milling aimlessly around for a while, Zack spotted Aerith's white dress and rushed to catch up to her, hoping she'd had better luck than he did.
"Aerith! There you are!" he called, and beckoned to her when she made eye contact with him over her shoulder. Zack waded through the crowd until he reached an opening, and Aerith met him by a large building in the center of the marketplace. To his disappointment, she didn't have the boy with her.
"Zack..." she said, trailing off as she searched his gaze with worried green eyes.
"Looks like you've had no luck either," he sighed, and she looked away instead of responding, lowering her gaze to the pavement again.
He'd glimpsed this sadness before, the first time they'd met. She had smiled and laughed along with him, but he could see that somewhere under the surface, Aerith was deeply unhappy. He wasn't sure if her lingering dissatisfaction was pure loneliness or if it was caused in part by the stifling air underneath the plate, but Zack wanted to make her happier somehow. She deserved better than Midgar.
"You don't have to be so glum!" he said lightly, trying to cheer her up. "It was my wallet that was stolen, after all."
"I'm sorry," she said. "But there has to be a good reason."
"Well, if he's gonna use the money," Zack reasoned, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "he would still be in the city, right?"
"Yes," she responded, still frowning. "I'm sure he is."
"Then help me find him, Aerith," he prompted, knowing that if she didn't, he had basically no chance of ever seeing his wallet again. He needed her help, but she didn't seem to realize it, or else didn't seem to be taking the theft as seriously as he was. "We won't get anywhere unless we catch him, right?"
"Yeah... but if you do find him, you have to hear his story out." She lowered her gaze, but her voice was startlingly firm. Studying her guarded expression, he realized that she didn't fully trust him. She seemed to like him, but she would still put the people she knew before him, who she didn't really know at all, even if that meant withholding knowledge that would help him get back an object which was rightfully his.
"All right, all right..." he said, trying not to feel stung. "I'll ask him why he did it."
"Okay," she said decisively, "then I'll help you."
With his sharp hearing, Zack picked up an undercurrent of relief in her voice. Apparently, she at least wanted to trust him, even if she didn't yet, and that made the clenched feeling in his chest ease up a bit.
Okay, he thought, turning back to the task of tracking down the boy who'd stolen his wallet. They had a better chance if they worked together to corner him somewhere. I guess Aerith can stay around here, and I'll make another round of the streets.
Eventually, after wandering and becoming familiar with the different streets, he spotted the boy near a store with a sign which read, Shopping Paradise. He was pretty sure the store was close to where Aerith was waiting.
There, he thought with grim satisfaction. I've got you now!
"Aerith!" he called, wondering if she would really help him. She had seemed to genuinely want to, but the truth was he didn't know her very well. He hoped he could trust her. "He's running towards you!"
To his relief, he turned the corner just in time to see the boy skid to a halt in front of Aerith, who was blocking his way with her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. "Hey, you, no more running."
"We got him!" Zack cheered, relieved, but his lightheartedness was soon replaced by annoyance as he took in the boy's stubbornly unrepentant expression.
"You sneaky little runt!" he scolded. "Stealing from people is a—"
"Zack..." Aerith interrupted. When he met her gaze, she shook her head slightly, as if to say, Don't be so harsh on him.
"...a very, very bad thing," Zack finished, attempting to make his voice somewhat gentler for Aerith's approval. "So what made you do it?"
"It's none of your business," the kid retorted, turning away.
"When you stole my wallet, you made it my business!" Zack snapped.
"You promised me a long time ago that you would never steal again," Aerith intervened, more sympathetically. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"
The boy remained silent, and Zack saw Aerith look away. Her gaze had fallen on the cement walkway, but she seemed to be looking more at something in her mind than at her surroundings. Her troubled expression indicated that she was imagining all sorts of horrible things that could have happened to the boy.
"If you're in trouble, just say so," he said, trying to copy Aerith's gentler approach. If Aerith was so concerned about this boy, they were probably pretty close, and he might be convinced to say something for her sake. "Now you've got Aerith all worried."
The boy glanced at Aerith, and his expression finally softened into something like shame. "My own wallet got eaten by a monster," he admitted reluctantly. "But I have to buy medicine and get home quickly."
"Medicine?" Zack echoed, torn between worry and relief at finally having a clear explanation. It seemed Aerith was right in thinking there must be a good reason for the theft. Now that he knew that, what could he do about it?
While being SOLDIER was a glamorous job, it didn't pay as well as one would expect (unless you were First Class), but he could probably scrape up enough money to buy the medicine the kid needed.
However, that would only solve the immediate problem. If someone in the boy's family was sick, it would probably be a while before he or she recovered, and going without money for a long time was never a good situation to be in.
"I'll get your wallet back from the monster," he decided.
"R-really?" the boy asked hopefully, and for the first time, Zack felt sympathy for him. It had to be hard dealing with the responsibility of buying medicine and traversing the dangerous city streets at such a young age, especially without his wallet.
"Leave it to me!" he said reassuringly.
"But it's dangerous," Aerith protested, looking worried.
"No worries!" he told her confidently. "Monsters in this area are no match for me!" They suffered from the poor conditions just as much as people did, and were more like pests than actual threats. Still, Aerith didn't look convinced, so he added, "Besides, if I don't do this, he's gonna have to steal again, right?"
"Then I'll help, too," she said, with a surprisingly steely look in her eyes.
"No, it's okay, Aerith—really." To her, any monsters probably seemed immensely frightening, but he realized that she didn't know that he was a SOLDIER and that he had been trained to fight them. The pests in Midgar were nothing compared to the beasts he had practiced against in the training room just that morning. "I'll take care of it. You can stay here and keep that kid out of trouble."
"The monster should still be on the street that goes to the park," the boy told him, much more agreeable now that Zack had promised to help. "Here's your wallet back... Get whatever you need before you go." His dark gaze was serious, and Zack realized that the monsters must be more threatening to the people of Midgar than he'd originally thought. Both Aerith and the boy seemed disproportionately worried about him.
I might not be able to do anything about the poor living conditions, he thought, but maybe I can deal with their monster problem... after I deal with this Genesis crisis. Like Sephiroth said, I can't afford to be distracted right now.
He'd passed signs pointing to the park in his search for the boy, and doubled back to them now. It was a relief to think of nothing besides the battle ahead of him, without worrying about how Aerith felt toward him. Now that he'd seen her again, he knew for certain that he hadn't imagined their mutual attraction to each other.
He'd expected the park to look like the ones in other towns—grassy and bright and hopeful—but it was as colorless and lifeless as the rest of Midgar, lit only by the pale green lights under the plate and completely void of even a sprig or two of grass. Zack couldn't imagine growing up here, never seeing the sun... There were slides and monkey bars to play on, a bit battered, but there weren't any children playing on them now. Only a few monsters inhabited the playground, prowling lazily around.
Those must be the creatures that ate the kid's wallet.
He defeated the monsters quickly, and as they dissolved into dust, Zack spotted a fluid-covered but otherwise undamaged object lying on the ground. Aha! I've found the kid's wallet, he thought, relieved. The inside's still intact... right?
He picked it up and opened it, just to make sure, and was startled to realize that it was full of money, a lot more than was in his own wallet. This must be the kid's entire life savings, he thought, glad he had decided to retrieve it for the boy. It would have been a waste to let a common monster digest all that cash just because the citizens of Midgar were too intimidated to fight it.
"You really got it back!" the boy exclaimed, relieved, when Zack returned with the wallet and offered it to him. He took it eagerly, only to wrinkle his nose in disgust as he took in the digestive fluids smeared all over it. "Eww, it's all slimy!"
"Quit complaining!" Zack responded, only half-joking. Aerith's friend or not, the kid was too bold for his own good. "You should be glad just to have it back!"
Aerith rested her hand on his arm. "Zack, were you hurt?"
"Not a scratch!" he assured her. "No problem whatsoever!"
"Now, to deal with this brat..." he said, turning to the kid. The boy could use some scolding, but getting the medicine he needed was more important right now. Zack could lecture him another time. "'Get ready for the longest lecture of your life!'... is what I'd like to say, but you can go. You're in a hurry, right?"
"Thanks mister," the boy said, and most of Zack's annoyance ebbed.
"Next time you're in trouble, don't steal!" he said sternly. "Come talk to me first."
"Hmm... I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll pass," the boy responded cheekily. "I thought you looked pretty rich, but your wallet told me another story."
Zack was taken off guard. "Don't mock me, Junior! I'm gonna be a wealthy man soon. Aerith and I are gonna sell flowers! We call it Operation Midgar Full of Flowers, Wallet Full of Money!"
Aerith laughed, as if surprised he'd remembered. "That's right!" she told the boy. "Midgar full of flowers, wallet full of money!"
"Aerith, are you seriously doing this?" the kid asked her.
"Yes," she told him, nodding. "I'm gonna try, anyway. So, no stealing! Come talk to me if you're ever in trouble, okay?"
"All right," the boy agreed. "I'll come talk to you. Well, I really do have to hurry. Thanks, Aerith, mister." He started to run off, and then paused to turn back with a piece of advice. "You should be more careful on the street," he called to Zack, "unless you want your wallet taken again!"
"Obnoxious little brat!" Zack called back. "Get lost already!"
"Thanks for helping that boy, Zack," Aerith said softly.
"Oh, it was nothing," Zack said, a little surprised. Had she really expected him to do nothing to help even after hearing that the boy's wallet had been eaten by a monster? Perhaps in the slums, people were too afraid of being taken advantage of to risk helping each other. But Zack knew he would feel guilty if he didn't help as much as he could.
"Hey, Zack?" Aerith asked. "Were you really serious about selling the flowers?"
"Of course!" he responded. "How can I turn back now, after all I said?" It would be a good way to earn money, and even better, a good way to get to know Aerith. He had to admit, he felt as if he knew her better already. He knew that she was kind and that if she agreed to do something, he could trust her to do it.
And thinking about the park, barren of color, made him want to do it even more. Even a few flowers would make everything so much brighter, so much more hopeful. He could see now why despite her naturally cheery personality, Aerith was so sad, repressed by the gloomy atmosphere permeating throughout the slums.
He thought about it. "I have an idea! Let's make a wagon."
"A wagon?" she echoed, but she looked more intrigued than doubtful.
"Yeah!" he said wholeheartedly. "A flower wagon! If we have a wagon to put the flowers in, we can cart them all around Midgar selling them!" He gestured as he talked, hoping his enthusiasm would convince her.
"Oh yeah, that's true," Aerith said, and he saw a spark of excitement light up her pretty green eyes. She was always beautiful, but seemed even more so when she wasn't weighed down by lingering sadness. "That is a good idea!"
"We can figure out how to make one later," Zack said. "First, we should actually go on our date... assuming I don't get robbed again."
Aerith giggled. "The boy was right. You should be more careful!"
"I will," he said, taking her hand. "I'll stay close to you. The people around here seem to like you a lot, so they wouldn't steal from your friend, right?" He was partially joking around, but he wanted an excuse to stand closer to her. She didn't seem to mind, letting him hold her hand as they walked through the marketplace and not leaning away from him when his arm brushed against hers.
They didn't go anywhere in particular, just stopping at the various stalls. The two mostly just looked around, but Zack did stop to blend some perfume for Aerith, who accepted the gift with a curious look on her face. "It smells really good," she told him, after giving it an experimental sniff. "I didn't know you could make perfume!"
Hey, he thought. She's pretty into it!
"It's one of my inhumanly good talents," he teased. "Keep hanging out with me, and maybe you'll figure out what the rest of them are."
"I already know another one," she said, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Oh, really?" Zack raised one eyebrow, feeling curious. "What's that?"
"Boasting," she teased. "You're inhumanly good at boasting!"
Taken by surprise, Zack laughed. "Touché."
As they continued walking, Zack couldn't help but smile. He was glad that Aerith was starting to get comfortable being with him. He hadn't expected to find that beneath her shy exterior, she was willing to joke around as playfully as he did. Now he was more certain than ever that Aerith was the most captivating person he'd ever met.
Zack tensed slightly as they passed by the shop with the clerk who had lied to him about the boy stealing his materia. He hoped that he and Aerith could slip past the stall without being noticed, but the vendor spotted them immediately.
"Oh, hi, Aerith," he said, in a much friendlier tone than the guarded one he had used with Zack. Zack felt a small sting of bitterness at the unfairness of this, but was soon distracted as the man asked, "Is that your boyfriend?"
Zack glanced at Aerith, wondering how she would answer.
"Hmm..." she said, looking thoughtful. "I'm not sure yet."
The vendor looked at Zack and seemed to recognize him. "Hey, aren't you... You are! The guy who was chasing that kid around!" Zack winced, but instead of getting angry, the man added, "I heard about you from the neighborhood folks. I thought you were just a dumb outsider, but it turns out you're a pretty good guy! I'm sorry we misjudged you. This is just a small token of our appreciation."
The clerk handed him a few materia, and Zack accepted them gratefully, realizing that some of the shopkeepers must have noticed him retrieve the stolen wallet—the whole event hadn't been exactly quiet—and relayed the information to the rest of the vendors. Apparently, there was more of a community here than he'd realized. Looking into the man's eyes, Zack could see that he was genuinely sorry about their earlier misunderstanding, and his bitterness faded. "Don't worry about it!"
The older man's furrowed brow relaxed in relief, and the two shook hands, their conflict forgotten.
"I have to say, though, Aerith..." the vendor said, turning to her as she watched the exchange with a pleased look on her face. "You're not gonna find a decent, honest, kindhearted guy like this very often. This one has my stamp of approval. I hope you're very happy together!"
"No," she protested, blushing. "He's not my boyfriend. I just met him." Zack felt his heart sink, but she glanced at him before adding, half-shyly and half-teasingly, "But maaaybe... there's something there. Maybe."
Zack felt his heartbeat quicken hopefully, and beamed at her. She smiled back.
They started to bid the clerk goodbye, but Aerith said, "Oh, wait. Zack, would you mind if I take a look inside this store?"
"So, what?" Zack joked. "The whole reason you wanted to go out was to shop?"
To his surprise, she lowered her gaze. "Then I won't."
"I'm just kidding!" Zack hastened to assure her. "Go look as long as you like."
"Thanks," she said. "Just for a little bit, I promise."
As she turned to look at the vendor's wares, Zack tried not to feel stupid about accidentally ruining the mood. Bantering with Aerith felt so normal that he'd forgotten that she might not know when he was joking and when he wasn't. He watched a bit wistfully as she studied the objects displayed for sale, running her fingers over a group of velvety ribbons with a kind of almost reverent intensity. Zack wondered if it was really the bows which interested her, or if there was something else on her mind. He never knew what she was thinking when she got that distant look in her eyes.
"You really like this store, huh?" he commented lightly, mostly for the sake of getting her attention back from whatever had distracted her.
"Yeah," she said softly. "It's fun just looking around."
"Hey, Aerith," he said.
"Mm-hmm?" She turned around to face him.
"To show my gratitude for that 'hell-loo' that woke me up," he said, a bit playfully but meaning it all the same, "I'll buy you something."
"Oh you don't have to," she responded, laughing a little, though he couldn't tell if she was amused or embarrassed. "You're repaying me with one date, right?"
"You said 'Don't be silly'," he reminded her.
"Well..." she said, still looking unconvinced.
"Then consider it a one-day anniversary gift of our friendship," he suggested.
"Are you sure?" She still looked hesitant.
"Positive," he assured her.
"Okay..." She turned around to look carefully at the assortment of ribbons, before pointing to a coral-colored one. "This one."
"All right, I'll go buy it," Zack said, "I'll be right back." He picked the bow up and held it as delicately as he would one of Aerith's precious flowers as he went to purchase it from the clerk. He had never been a very careful person—in fact, he tended to act first and think later—but Aerith's sensitivity seemed to be bringing out a gentler side to him. She seemed constantly aware of the fragility of things around her, and Zack didn't want to accidentally damage something that she saw value in.
When he returned, Aerith was looking absentmindedly around with her back to him. Zack touched her shoulder lightly to get her attention. She jumped, but relaxed as she glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was only him.
He carefully tied the ribbon around her ponytail. "How's that?"
"Did you put it on right?" she asked worriedly. "Will it stay on?"
"It should be fine," Zack told her, studying his handiwork. "Yeah, it looks great!"
Aerith tentatively reached up to touch it, feeling the soft fabric brush against her fingertips, and then smiled with genuine delight as she turned to face him. "Thank you, Zack! I'll always wear it from now on!"
As they left the store, waving goodbye to the clerk, Aerith gently nudged Zack's arm with her own. "Hey, do you still have some time?"
"I guess so," Zack said. He should probably be heading back to Shinra now, but he wouldn't turn down spending more time with Aerith. "Why?"
"Why don't we go to the park?" she suggested.
"Whoa, that kinda sounds like a date!" he remarked. The park hadn't seemed like much of a place to hang out at when he'd gone there, but maybe it would see more lively without monsters infesting it.
"Uh-huh!" Aerith said, nodding. Her eyes twinkled with anticipation.
"All right," Zack agreed, grinning. "Let's go right now!"
They walked to the park together in companionable silence. Shopkeepers nodded to Aerith in greeting as they walked through the plaza, and she waved back. Everyone seemed to know her, and everyone seemed to like her. Though he'd never met someone who seemed to have such widespread popularity, he had to admit it was understandable. Aerith seemed impossible to dislike.
Eventually, the hubbub of the marketplace faded and they found themselves at the park. There were already a few children running around again, and though it still wasn't picturesque, their presence made the place look a little better. Apparently, word had already spread that the park was now free from monsters. Zack felt a little spark of pride, happy that he'd been able to make a small difference.
"So, ever meet any SOLDIER members?" Aerith asked lightly. Zack gave her a sideways look, wondering if she had figured out that he worked for Shinra, but she was looking at the ground ahead of her rather than at him.
"Maybe," he replied. He wasn't sure why, but something made him hold back from telling her that he himself was in SOLDIER. Maybe he'd just rather her look at him the way she did now, as a friend, without getting his ranking involved. Too many people thought differently of him once they knew.
"Do you think that they're happy?"
The question took him off guard. Why wouldn't members of SOLDIER be happy? They had admiration, fame, glory—everything Zack had always dreamed of as a child. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly.
"Heroes to children, protectors of the peace," she said thoughtfully. "But... they're not normal. They get some kind of special surgery, don't they?"
"So they say," Zack remarked lightly.
"Normal is best," Aerith responded. Zack wondered if it was a hint of wistfulness he heard in her tone, behind the decisive words. "I think so, at least. Those SOLDIER people are kind of... weird."
"They're... weird, huh?" Zack echoed, trying not to feel hurt.
Aerith turned to him, worry in her eyes.
"And they're scary," she admitted. "They fight, and they love it."
Zack was silent for a long moment, unable to come up with a reply past the tight knot in his chest. It was true. He did love to fight. How could he make her understand the thrill that made him feel truly alive in a way that nothing else did? How could he convince her that it wasn't the blood and the violence he loved, but the danger?
"Actually," he said at last, "I'm with SOLDIER."
She took a sharp intake of breath, looking horrified at the thought of having upset him. "I'm sorry..." They stood there for a long moment, a few feet apart, Zack with his arms crossed defensively over his chest, Aerith with her face angled away from him. She seemed to be thinking, as much at a loss for what to say as he was. He knew she hadn't meant to hurt his feelings, but her words still stung.
Silently, he let his defensive posture fall and rubbed the back of his neck.
"So pretty..." she said at last.
Zack forced a playful smile. "The face?"
Aerith laughed a little at that. "The eyes!"
"You like them?" he said, trying to joke away the lingering awkwardness between them. He took a few steps closer, relieved when she didn't move away from him. "Then take a closer look. Eyes infused with mako energy. A SOLDIER trademark."
Aerith took a step toward him, and he leaned in closer so that she could see his eyes more clearly. Her gaze as it searched his was curious, unafraid, and slowly his hurt began to fade, replaced by a spark of mischievous energy. Zack quirked one eyebrow at Aerith, making her laugh and push him away. "Oh, you!"
When he laughed with her, his amusement was genuine, not bogged down by any awkwardness between them. "Color of the sky, right?" he teased.
"Mm-hmm," she agreed. "But not scary at all!"
The rest of the lingering tightness in his chest loosened its grip as Zack realized that the statement was an apology for what she'd said before. She wanted him to know that even after learning he was in SOLDIER, she didn't find him frightening.
"I'll admit it, things haven't been normal at all lately," he said, thinking of Angeal, Genesis, and Hollander. He hadn't forgotten Sephiroth's warning, either. Whatever happened next could happen any day now.
But he didn't want to think about that now. "What about you, Aerith?" he asked, genuinely wanting to know. "How's your life going?"
She was quiet for a moment, thoughtful, and then laughed. "Everything was pretty uneventful for a while." She looked up at the plate above their heads, smiling to herself a little. "Until a few days ago. I was thinking it would be a normal day, but then suddenly... some guy fell out of the sky."
"That's not all that bad," Zack joked lightly.
"Mm-hmm," Aerith agreed, nodding. She looked as if she were starting to say something else, but stopped as Zack's cell phone began to ring.
"Zack," a voice said urgently, as soon as he answered the phone. "Return to the Shinra building now. Genesis has attacked us."
Zack became immediately serious. "I'm on my way."
Aerith was watching him with a spark of worry in her eyes. Her gaze searched his for an explanation, but he didn't have time to give her one.
"I'm sorry," he told her. "I have to go."
"You'll be careful... right?" She was perceptive.
"Always am," he promised. He held her gaze for a moment longer, backing away, before he turned and headed for the central slums so he could return to the surface.
As he ascended back into the sunlight, he pushed away any last traces of worry. He'd make it through whatever was coming, and when he returned, Aerith would still be here, waiting for him.
Zack traveled as quickly as he could. The Shinra building, he thought, pausing at the sight of the place he called home. How could Genesis turn on the place where he'd trained and made a name for himself, the place where he'd met his two best friends? Damn you, Genesis! What's the matter with you?
I'll stop you once and for all, he vowed silently, and continued running.
He was about halfway there when Angeal descended from the sky to land in front of him, floating gently on angelic wings. Zack slowed to a halt, uncertain as to how to feel. Part of him felt a flood of relief; he'd missed Angeal, and was glad to see him again. And yet, part of him felt a surge of stubborn anger. His mentor had been gone for so long without any explanation. He'd only reappeared once, a few days ago, when he'd turned on Zack and sent him flying all the way to Aerith's church.
"I need your help," Angeal said simply, clearly taking note of the hurt, angry look etched into his student's face. As if needing Zack now would somehow make up for his past betrayal and his continuous absence.
"Do you?" Zack asked, turning his face away as he walked slowly past Angeal. He kept a few feet between them, standoffishly, and his voice came out sounding cold even to his own ears. Suddenly, the part of him that welcomed his mentor was gone, and he was completely furious. "Honestly, what are you thinking, Angeal?"
To his surprise, his mentor didn't try to defend himself. He only remained silent for a moment before admitting, "I'm not... really sure myself."
Zack had been purposely avoiding looking at Angeal, but he couldn't help turning his chin now, glancing over his shoulder in surprise. The eye contact they made was brief, but Angeal must have seen something other than hostility in Zack's gaze, because he tentatively walked up to his student. "At times, I feel as if my mind is mired in fog. But Zack, no matter what happens, I have to protect my honor."
He paused behind Zack, who was standing with his back to him and his arms crossed defensively across his chest. "As long as I hold the Buster Sword."
He slashed the weapon out emphatically behind him. "Zack, join my battle," he urged. "Our enemy is all that creates suffering."
The argument certainly sounded compelling, but Zack wasn't sure it would be so simple. Still, he hesitated to push his mentor away. Angeal wanted to know that he still had someone on his side, after both Genesis and Angeal himself had defected separately from SOLDIER. He wanted to know he could trust Zack.
Aerith helped me when I asked her to, Zack couldn't help thinking, despite his reservations. She didn't know whether she could really trust me to keep my word, but she chose to help me anyway. And where would I be right now without her?
He sighed and bowed his head, wondering if he would regret this choice later. "All right... I'll help you." He turned to face Angeal, only to find that his mentor was no longer standing where he'd been a moment before.
His mentor grabbed him around the waist, and despite his protests, carried Zack to the Shinra building, where he deposited him beside Sephiroth, who was already in the midst of battle. Masamune flashed in the electric lighting as the silver-haired SOLDIER felled enemy after enemy. He glanced back at them with cat-like eyes as they arrived, seemingly unsurprised by Angeal's presence.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Zack called, running up to join him.
"You're late," Sephiroth observed shortly.
Angeal narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Sephiroth, have you lost weight?"
"Humph." He looked away. Zack hadn't noticed the change, but Sephiroth did look more stressed than he had the last time he'd seen his mentor and the silver-haired SOLDIER in the same room. The Genesis problem had made Shinra's work especially taxing for all of its employees lately.
Zack couldn't help thinking of what Sephiroth had said just this morning. Our current situation rests in a precarious balance. The defining events to disrupt it may unfold at any time, without warning. Those things might occur several months from now, but they could just as easily happen tomorrow.
He met Sephiroth's eyes questioningly. A ghost of a smile flitted across the older SOLDIER's face, and he shook his head. Not yet.
The end of their battle with Genesis wasn't here yet.
But when it was, Zack knew he wouldn't be distracted anymore and he wouldn't falter. He would throw himself wholeheartedly into battle beside Angeal and Sephiroth. They could count on him. When the end did come, he would be ready.