A/N : I'm putting this up pretty quickly for two reasons. One : Today is Project Runway, so it's cause for celebration! Two : Between seeing The Dark Knight four times on Friday and going on vacation the day after, I don't really have much free time, and I wanted to get this up.

This is the first 'happy' piece of writing I have ever seriously tried, so I don't know how it came out. Therefore, I really, really appreciate reviews and thoughts on it, so please review? :)

Thanks for reading, and thanks for the reviews I have received (ZacksFlowerGirl and Warrayfinson). It meant a great deal to me and was part of the reason I have so many of these saved to my desktop now!

(Author's Notes will not normally be this long :) )

Prayer

"Hey, Aerith?"

Aerith glanced over her shoulder, squinting slightly from where the light stung her searching green eyes. Standing from the flowers she had been tending, she brushed off her white sundress before stepping out of the plot, carefully guiding her feet in the maze that others would find dizzying. Her long, tightly woven braid flopped over her shoulder when she finally gave Zack her full attention with a knowing smile.

Zack sat in one of the dusty pews, his head thrown back with his arms stretched fully against the aged wooden rails. His legs were propped up against the back of the row in front of him, and his blue eyes were lazily trained at the ceiling, where a splitting hole allowed the sun's rays to cater to the garden growing against the norm. A tiny frown was imbedded in his normally cheerful face, and his gaze flickered to Aerith as he waited upon an answer.

When Zack noticed her patient attention was focused on him, he continued, his lips forming each words sluggishly to betray his deep concentration.

"This is a church...but no one comes here," he pointed out, "to pray or anything."

Aerith paused, her large eyes scanning over the deserted benches, the homey feeling of comfort she was used to retreating back into something bleaker, empty.

"I..." she mentioned quietly with a little unsure sadness. "I guess not."

"Why is that?" he pressed, springing to his feet. He glanced at the other, unleashing his inquisitive mako-intense gaze with a pensive subtly that wasn't exactly like him. Aerith moved to his side, wondering what touches of thought were on tip-toeing around his mind.

"Things can be sad here under the plate," she began unsurely, watching Zack's face soften. "They might have...lost their faith?"

Trying to lighten the heaviness, she smiled sweetly, "Or maybe they just don't have the time."

"Have you ever done it before?" Zack wondered, and Aerith pondered if her thoughts counted.

"Not in the traditional sense, no," she admitted, and Zack grabbed her hand with a grin, pulling her towards the pews.

"Let's try it!"

"It's not a game, Zack!" Aerith giggled, staring down incredulously when Zack kneeled down experimentally, wiggling his legs slightly against the stiff surface. He tapped the back of the row in front of him for a few seconds into he realized that he was supposed to be revering. When his hands were planted together in a lopsided steeple, he raised his eyebrows at Aerith expectantly.

"Well?" he prompted, and Aerith couldn't have denied his childish excitement for anything. She seated herself on her knees next to Zack, placing her hands in a more relaxed imitation of Zack's eagerness.

"So," Zack prompted, "how does this work?

"You say what you're thankful for," Aerith instructed, bowing her head respectfully. "And ask for what will make you and those you love happy."

"Alright!" Zack nodded brightly, clearing his throat.

"Gaia, thanks for letting me be a SOLDIER First Class," he started, his playful eyes settling on the field of flowers basking in the sun a few yards away. "It was really challenging, but there's nothing else I'd rather do."

"Thanks for my friends, like Angeal," Zack continued, allowing his cheerful words to hide the somber mood lying in disguise where only Aerith could see, but pretend not to. "Thanks for helping me keep my honor, and I hope he's proud wherever he is. Make sure he knows I have great focus now, too!"

Zack winked at Aerith, "He was always ragging on me about that."

Moving on, Zack closed his eyes to think a little before stampeding onward.

"I'm grateful for my mom back in Gongaga," he changed his path swiftly. "And speaking of backwater towns, thanks for letting me meet Cloud. I think he's going to be a really good friend someday."

"Most importantly," Zack paused, his tone softer when his eyes shifted to meet Aerith's waiting ones. "Thank you for Aerith. I love her a lot, even if I had to risk a concussion to meet the girl of my dreams."

Aerith pushed him playfully, barely able to move his muscular chest with her delicate ones.

"I'm finished," Zack announced, crossing his arms in a relaxed position. "Your turn."

Shaking her head fondly, Aerith rearranged her hands and lowered her head, closing her eyes in respect but unable to cease the upturned corners of her lips.

Her words, as few as they were, said just as much.

"Thank you for Zack."