Well, the rulers are working again...sort of. I'm not sure when this chapter is going to come up. I actually posted the previous chapter a day or so earlier, but it didn't show up until late yesterday. Oh well. For all of you, that means you get two chapters in a row. This was one of the hardest chapters to write so far, so I hope it works out.

I shouldn't be doing this.

Maybe she'd understand if I told her that. I mean…the New Shinra are entrenching themselves five miles outside of Midgar, there's still tons of people injured, and there's a lot of work still to get done… I have to reappoint half the positions I had already made officers. She's a reasonable woman, right?

Ragnar's thoughts were interrupted as a ringing suddenly went out from his pocket. He was so tensed up and high strung at this point that he nearly jumped out of his boots before wheeling around to the source. On seeing that it was his cell phone, he immediately sighed in relief. As his heart calmed down slightly, he managed to reach into it and pull out the device. Maybe that was her right now, cancelling for who knew what reason… But...she was upstairs, and a phone seemed impractical... He didn't care what anyway…

However, as Ragnar opened the phone and looked at the number, he soon saw it wasn't. And on seeing those particular digits…he felt some of his nervous anxiety get replaced with growing uncomfort and dislike. He paused a moment, wondering if he should answer it. But in the end, he sighed, pressed the button, and held it to his ear.

"…General Ragnar Vice speaking."

"Hello, General." He heard the unmistakable voice of Rufus Shinra answer. "I just wanted to call personally to say thank you. I understand your qualms about this now, but I assure you that you won't regret this."

Ragnar stiffened a bit, but then spoke back in a firmer voice. "Just remember…no one knows you're alive, and that's how it stays. As far as we're concerned, I contracted a new independent firm. And so help me, if you give me the slightest inclination that you're going to overstep your bounds…"

"I'm well aware of my restrictions and what compromising the truth of our little deal could do to us both."

"As far as I'm concerned, I am your boss here. I don't even want you to eat lunch somewhere I don't know about…"

"Relax. It's all taken care of. I've already got a puppet ready and waiting for me to pull his strings. We're already getting started. I've bought some of the best utility area in this city to build our first munitions factory. Cleanup of the old site begins tomorrow. I understand time is of the essence, especially now. But you better do something for me,General. Get the Turks out of here as soon as possible. They know I'm alive, but I'm pretty sure they don't know I'm working for you yet. They find that out and the New Shinra gets their biggest propaganda bombshell against you that they could obtain."

"Well, I've got something on them too, but I'm just as eager to get them out of here as well. Goodbye."

Ragnar hung up the phone and sighed. He still couldn't believe he had gone through with it. He hoped he wasn't making some cosmic mistake. He had already done too many of those in the past. It also reminded him of the burden he had of responsibility since he had taken command of this army. In retrospect…cutting out after the battle, even if it was to save Aerith, was irresponsible. He hadn't even told anyone where he was going. Luckily, it hadn't turned into anything…but this now made three times that he had cut and run on his own army.

Cloud thinks he has it so rough because I made him a general, but he still gets to go and help his friends when he needs to. I'm stuck here making all these decisions. I can't even take care of my own health that well. And only about a year ago I was some country boy training in the City of the Ancients. I wasn't even sure where Midgar was…

…I wish the master was here.

Ragnar let out one last sigh, but then pushed this aside. Afterward, he turned to look at his neck. Somewhat nervously, he adjusted his collar a bit more, making sure he looked pleasant enough. In light of what he had just thought, it seemed kind of dumb to be going out. But…he had said yes to Aerith…well, sort of…and he did need to unwind once in a while. He had been working pretty hard ever since Zola's burial… That was another thing. This almost seemed in bad taste to be doing it so close to his death. But then again, was it really? Was it "bad taste" to try and enjoy oneself soon after a tragedy? He didn't know…but maybe-

"Ragnar?"

The young general nearly leapt out of his boots, his train of thought broken again. He whirled around behind him in a snap to the female voice, thinking Aerith had come down already and he hadn't even noticed. However, this female was considerably smaller, although similar in hair style. He looked down, and saw that Marlene was standing in front of him instead. She was holding a small bouquet of wild flowers, probably picked from the Church Ruins. His heart immediately slowed, and he let out a nervous exhale.

"Mar…Marlene…" He said aloud. He exhaled and whistled. "Phew…you scared me."

"Sorry." The girl apologized.

Ragnar paused a moment, and looked over her. On seeing what she had, he raised an eyebrow. "Picked something for Tifa?"

"Oh no." Marlene answered, holding them up as she did so, seeming to just remember them. "They're for you."

The youth was a bit puzzled at this. It was a nice gesture…but one traditionally didn't give flowers to a boy… In the end, he thought he might as well go with it. After all, it was the modern era and all. "Um…thank you, but…I don't think I have a vase to put them in."

In response, the girl grinned and let out a giggle. This only confused Ragnar more, until she calmed down and went on.

"Not for you you." Marlene explained. "For you to give to Aerith."

Ragnar's face flushed red. "Um…pardon?"

"Girls like getting flowers. It lets them know you love them." Marlene explained matter-of-factly.

This, however, only made Ragnar turn rather beet like. "L…L…Love…them…?"

Marlene, on seeing Ragnar's reaction, frowned a little. She walked forward and put the bouquet in Ragnar's hand, which was easy seeing how it had suddenly grown flaccid and clammy. "Oh, you're just like Cloud." She scolded as she did so. "He could never tell Aerith he liked her either."

Ragnar felt like pointing out that there was a big difference between like and love, but his mouth was still a bit mushy from his sudden onset of nervousness. Having the bouquet thrust into his hand didn't make it easier, and before he could get his vocal chords working, Marlene had turned and walked out of the room, shaking her head at him all the while. The youth was left staring back at her as she left, still not fully conscious of what he had in his hand…

"Ragnar."

Again, the youth felt a cold snap go through his spine, and whirled around to the cause. This time, it was for good reason. It was Aerith. Seeing as Ragnar hadn't had much of a "dressing room", he had gotten ready downstairs. And since Aerith was living in the Seventh Heaven as well, she had been upstairs. However, now she had finished changing, and was coming down to meet him. She smiled as she approached.

Aerith was dressed simply, but still nicer than she normally was. Her pink slip and brown jacket had been replaced with a light blue dress that was still casual but pretty. It was a lot like a blue version of her pink slip, only without the jacket. As a result, Ragnar could easily see her exposed shoulders and upper body. She had a rather nice figure…

On hitting the bottom and turning to the young man, Aerith noticed something. On seeing it, she blushed a little herself. "Oh…did you bring flowers?"

Ragnar, in seeing Aerith appear, changed and ready to go on their date, had almost forgotten about the flowers. He turned to them and reacted as if they had magically sprung out of his sleeves. He turned back soon after, and after swallowing managed to hold them out.

"They're…they're…they're…they're…" He began to stutter. "For…you know…um…I mean, um…they're yours. I mean…I got them for…well, Mar…Marlene did…the getting… She wanted me to give them to you…but from me…but they're not from me…well, they are…but I didn't get them, so…um…here." Finally, Ragnar simply clammed up and held them out in front of him. A fine general he was. Fearless on the battlefield…and a mumbling idiot on a first date. Then again…he had never actually gone out with a girl before…

Aerith couldn't help but smile and snicker a little at how nervous Ragnar was. Out of politeness, she covered her mouth to try and stifle it. She came forward and soon relieved Ragnar of the bouquet. She noticed as she did that although Ragnar had only had the flowers for a moment, already where his hand had been on the stems was wrung and wrinkled, likely from how much he was sweating. After taking them, she looked back to Ragnar, who was calming down now that he had gotten the obvious "boyfriend/girlfriend exchange" item out of the way. She looked at him a moment, and then seemed a bit confused.

"…Don't you ever wash that uniform?"

Ragnar raised an eyebrow to this, confused. He looked down at his body. However, his uniform was spotless. He looked back up in puzzlement and shrugged. "This is clean. I changed just now."

Aerith paused a moment at that and looked to him peculiarly. "…I mean…don't you want to change into something more casual?"

Ragnar swallowed a bit at this, growing nervous. He rubbed his hand behind his head. "Um…to tell you the truth, my uniforms are about the only clothes I have." He admitted, a bit to Aerith's surprise. "I trained in the same stolen New Shinra uniform for months, so they were almost rags when I threw them out. The only other clothing I have is Cloud's hand-me-downs, but that's a sweater and it's too hot for one."

Aerith hesitated a moment after hearing this. But then, she smiled and folded her hands behind herself again. "Well…in that case," She answered. "We know at least one thing we're going to have to do tonight. I'll have to take you shopping."

Ragnar once again looked uneasy, grimacing a bit at that. "You mean…clothes shopping?"

"You need to have something to wear besides uniforms. What will you wear when the war's over?" Aerith answered. "And I need to go too. I had to borrow this dress from Tifa."

The youth still looked unhappy. He hadn't been clothes shopping in nearly five years. And then he only bought clothing from his mother's store. He always hated it. He would just put on something and say it was good, but his mom wouldn't stop until he had tried on every last thing in the store…

After saying this, Aerith brightened up and stood straight again. "So…where do you want to go first?"

Ragnar stopped his train of thought at this, now that the fateful decision came to him. This was the moment he had been afraid of since the date was announced. What were they going to do? The only thing he could think of was eating, but he wasn't that hungry right now. At the thought of that, he mentally slapped himself, saying that it didn't matter what the guy felt; if the girl is hungry you go eat regardless. On thinking of that, he saw a way out of his dilemma.

"Well…is there anything you want to do?"

Aerith paused. She looked up for a moment and developed a thoughtful expression, trying to think of something she had her mind on for a while. Ragnar waited patiently, for it took some pressure off of him. In the end, the Cetra cracked a smile.

"Well…there is one thing."

And I thought Bahamut's endurance training was tough…

Ragnar managed to slip this thought in edgewise before he focused his full attention on trying to keep his feet moving. Out of all the places in Midgar that they could have gone, he never would have imagined here was one of them.

Aerith had taken them to an arcade. It was easy getting in. Most parents were keeping their children indoors in the wake of the recent battle. Businesses hadn't shut down completely, however. There was still a lot of commerce going on south of the city, namely on the new road to Junon. Ragnar had ordered that area extensively guarded at all costs, for as long as that "lifeline" was held they could endure a siege indefinitely. It also provided their only viable escape route. At any rate, there were few kids here, and most of them were rather rough looking types. Both of them found it easy to get on one particular game Aerith had wanted to try.

It was some sort of dancing game where the player had to move their feet on a directional pad underneath them to match symbols that appeared on screen. It seemed simple enough, but it was rather hard if you didn't pay attention to the beat of the song. And if you missed a step, it was rather hard to get back on before you accumulated enough mistakes to get thrown out.

Aerith had picked one of the hardest dances in the game, and was now parallel to Ragnar, moving her own feet as fast as she could. She wasn't doing too well, this being her first time too, and was relying on Ragnar to keep the song going. As for him, it was only because he had trained himself to be light on his feet and have good reflexes that he was able to keep himself going. As it was, his legs were burning and drops of sweat were flying off his brow one way and another. Doing this in his uniform was hardly a cool experience…

"How do people do this without being trained?" Ragnar asked as he struggled to keep up.

"Don't talk to me! You're messing me up!" Aerith called back playfully.

After another ten seconds that seemed like ten minutes to Ragnar, the song finally ended. The machine began to cheer and display the results. But Ragnar hardly cared. His face was red and his brow was sopping, and the bottoms of his feet felt like they were trying to rip off of his soles. Panting, he managed to walk off the machine and sit nearby, resting his end on the pad. Aerith herself was rather flushed and sweaty as she sat down next to him. However, she was still smiling. She looked up to the score while Ragnar caught his breath, and soon saw the results.

"Hey, you got an A, Ragnar!" She called to him. She formed a pouting look soon after. "I only got a D… You're a natural at this."

"Ugh…" Ragnar moaned, regarding his feet. He pulled them off the floor soon after. "It hurts to even put them down…"

Aerith turned to him at this, looking to his feet and footwear. "You know…it would probably be easier on you if you took off your shoes…like me." Here, Aerith extended her own bare feet, stripped of her normal boot-like footwear, and wiggled her toes.

Ragnar himself didn't even own a pair of tennis shoes, and he had just done that dance not only in his uniform and cape, but in boots. Although he usually tried to hold off on washing a uniform, he had a feeling this one would be a little ripe tomorrow…

Aerith caught her own breath only for a few more seconds, and then turned to Ragnar once more. "Let's do it again!"

Ragnar groaned and nearly fell backward. "Ugh…no way. Not until I stop feeling my heart pound against my ribs…"

"Oh, come on." Aerith answered, scooting in a bit more and nudging him with her elbow. "You did so good, you can't be that tired."

"I also let you talk me into doing the Hard mode while you're still on Very Easy." Ragnar pointed out with a somewhat mock disapproving look. "Let's see you do that and want to go again so quickly."

Aerith merely shrugged and smiled. "Isn't this what the guy is supposed to do on a date? Impress the lady?"

On hearing this terminology, Ragnar's brief period of feeling natural once more faltered, and he once again found himself turning red, but not from heat. He nervously turned his head to the side and ran his fingers through his wet hair. Aerith merely smiled, and then turned back to the machine once again and waited. The youth himself stayed quiet a moment, but then decided to change the subject. Sighing a bit, he leaned back again.

"Look at me…"

Aerith, on hearing this wistful comment, turned back to the young general.

"Playing around on some arcade game like a little kid…" He continued, shaking his head at himself as he did so. "And here I'm supposed to be some big volunteer army general."

The Cetra shrugged. "Why do you think it's so bad to be a little kid?" She asked. "Things are newer then…you get to play all day…you don't have to worry about all the things adults do…"

"Yeah…and people treat you as a stupid inequal." Ragnar added. "Nobody listens to you because you're just a kid. Older kids treat you like property when they beat up on you. You're helpless if an adult decides to do something to you, and if they're enough of a big shot to where the adults will back them you're out of luck. You see your family slipping into poverty and despair and you can't do anything about it. You live thinking only about how great other families have it and how bad you have it, not understanding that your mother is breaking her back every day to feed you. You wonder how come you don't have a daddy like everyone else, and you can't say anything back when the other kids when they call you a bastard and your mom a whore."

Aerith looked uncreasingly uneasier as Ragnar continued to darkly roll these things out. A dark silence lasted between the two once he was done. Aerith looked uncomfortable for a moment, but then shrugged. "…I suppose that's one way to look at it. But I still think it's a good time. You're so innocent then, and the world is so simple. You can't understand why people hate or kill or steal or make war or ruin the environment, and you'd stop it yourself if you could. People can be so selfless then, and so hopeful…"

Ragnar sighed in response, continuing to look down at the ground. "We were rather short on hope growing up. It was bad enough that we could barely get by on mom's store. If it was an especially cold or hot year, tourism would stop, and we'd be out of luck. After all, everyone in town already had warm clothes. And growing up in a town so small that everyone knew that my mom had ended up pregnant one day yet without my dad there…people started to make assumptions. And they talked and let their kids hear it. Needless to say…I never really had any friends growing up. It wasn't until slavery had made us all equals…that is, human pieces of excrement…that we forgot about that stuff and treated everyone the same. Luckily, most of the people hardly recognized me when I came back."

Aerith furrowed her brow. "Your dad? I thought you grew up without a dad..." She hesitated at this, realizing what she had said. Immediately, she cringed a bit and looked regretful. "Oh…I'm sorry if-"

Ragnar shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I should have really said my mother's husband, I guess. He would have been my dad. He died about two years before I was born. It was a hiking accident. If you do the math…you know that there's no way he was my biological father. I tried asking my mom about it a few times once I learned about the birds and the bees. She would always clam up and stiffen afterward, like something had just stabbed her in the back. Over the years, I learned to not ask about it." The youth hesitated, and then sighed. "…Now I'll never know, I guess."

Aerith turned away and bowed her head again. Her expression grew dimmer. "…I'm sorry." She finally said. "I suppose I'm hardly one to talk about childhood being a happy time. My childhood sure wasn't that great." She shrugged. "Then again…neither were my teenage or adult years. I guess I got used to it. I never had a father either…and I'm not sure I would have been too crazy about him if he had been there."

Ragnar finally looked up to this, and over to Aerith. Seeing her beginning to look a bit sad somehow affected Ragnar's own sadness, and he found himself softening up somewhat. In the end, he managed a small smile and reached over to put his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh…I'm sure it would have been fine." Ragnar answered. "I'm sure he wasn't like that freak Hojo, and he wouldn't have hit you or anything. That's perfect on my standards. It's better than no father at all…" On saying this, however, Ragnar's spirits sank a little, and he began to bow his head again.

The two were silent for a short while, both looking rather downcast after their fast-paced exercise. Aerith let this go on a moment, but then looked up and turned back to Ragnar. She managed a smile, and gave him a nudge. On doing so, he snapped out of his own glum mood and turned to her.

"Oh, enough of this." She said in a somewhat playful tone. "We're supposed to be having fun tonight, and we're both being sourpusses. Let's go do something else, now that we've worked up an appetite."

The change of scenery may have helped Ragnar feel like more than just a kid…but now it made him feel like a clean teenager.

There was one ice cream parlor in town still open at this time of night, and that was where Aerith had taken him. Ragnar was rather embarrassed to enter. There weren't many people here…but seeing a highly decorated officer of the Planet Protector Army just walk into some place as mundane as an ice cream shop was weird enough. Most people never even interacted with or saw any members of the PPA who weren't local residents or family members. However, some of them recognized a general's distinction, and were a bit amazed to see that someone who barely looked like more than a kid was dressed like one.

Ragnar and Aerith sat across from each other in one booth. Aerith had nearly finished her banana split at this point. As for Ragnar, he had barely touched his simple dish of vanilla. He seemed mostly waiting for Aerith to finish eating so they could leave. They were silent for a long while as they sat. However, Aerith eventually realized that Ragnar appeared finished. She looked up to him in puzzlement.

"Aren't you eating?"

Ragnar hesitated a moment, and then shrugged. "You know…growing up in Icicle Inn…you kind of aren't that big on cold food. It's good, but I'm just not that big on it."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot." Aerith answered. She put her spoon down afterward, and then put her arms on the table. She focused more on the youth across from her. "There's one thing I really don't get, Ragnar. Icicle Inn…well, I was born there but I hardly remember it, but…it's a rather lifeless place. I mean, there aren't many forests or plants or animals around there. It kind of makes me wonder how you got into liking the Planet and the Cetra."

Ragnar paused again, but then straightened up a bit and folded his hands. "Well…it might not be a jungle like in Mideel, but Icicle Inn still has a lot of life around it. There's wolves and bears and caribou, and there's more boreal forest to the south. If you travel just a little south of it during the summer months you can get to some wild grass and flowers. I guess it's still pretty sparse, but it's also a lot wilder than someplace like here. I mean…here there's still trees and flowers and everything, but it's all paved over or zoned off or on the outskirts. Around Icicle Inn, it's still really untouched.

"Of course, when I went to the City of the Ancients, I went into a place that was both untouched and had a forest around it. And I really liked that. But even before then, I liked the outdoors. I liked hiking and swimming…"

"Swimming." Aerith echoed, shaking her head and looking overwhelmed. "I can't believe you could stand to swim out there."

Ragnar merely smiled and gave a shrug. "Yeah. But you get used to it…once your skin goes numb, that is. Anyway, I liked just sitting on the roof sometimes and listening to the wolves howl during a clear night. Or looking up north and see the lights reflect from the Northern Crater." The youth slowed here a bit, and his eyes began to grow a more faraway look as he turned his head up and away from Aerith.

"I just…felt peaceful sometimes. I felt almost like…like I was a part of everything then. That I could feel the Planet move around me…and that I could almost feel the order around it, the ebb and flow of everything… I felt that sometimes at home…but I felt it even more in the City of the Ancients. I could almost sense some sort of…I don't know…some sort of energy coming around everything…and moving through me and the world itself."

Aerith stared quietly at Ragnar as he said these things, growing more faraway and distant in expression as he spoke, as if he was recalling the feeling right now. Hearing this, however, made her smile somewhat, and she spoke more softly after a moment.

"…That reminds me of how I feel when I communicate with the Planet." Aerith responded. "It sounds a lot like it. But I didn't think a human would be able to feel it."

"Neither did I." Ragnar answered, turning away from his vision and back to Aerith. "I read about it when I was in the City. I thought…the Cetra must be able to have this kind of feeling all the time, and much stronger than what I'm feeling. And I loved that about them. It wasn't just the feeling of unity or flow. It was…I don't know…a feeling of peace. Things seemed so much more manageable then. The world seemed simpler. I felt connected to something greater than myself…and when I did, I didn't feel alone or confused anymore compared to everything that was going on around me."

Ragnar paused for a moment, but then turned back to Aerith and shrugged again. "I guess that's why I grew to love the Cetra. I felt that they must have this unity to something great and spiritual…something that most people don't even believe in anymore. Everyone always talks about science and war and politics and work and all of these things that we created for ourselves. But the Cetra…they were able to live more simply. They were able to attain that ever-elusive bond between mankind and creation that the rest of the human race has just been trying to make more separate ever since the day we built the first fire. I wanted to try and imitate that lifestyle. I wanted to see if there wasn't some way I could reestablish that order. That's why I wanted to live in the City and learn everything I could about the Cetra. I guess…" Ragnar paused again, and then finally shook his head. "…I guess I wanted to be more like a Cetra myself."

Aerith kept her eyes on the youth. As she saw his expression change and his mood shift to softer and softer, she began to realize just how serious this young man was. Until now, Aerith had considered him to be an environmentalist of sorts. Perhaps he was a big lover of nature and a fan of the history of the Cetra. But it wasn't until now that she saw exactly how great his love truly was. He didn't appreciate the Cetra because they could talk to the Planet. He appreciated the ability itself, and what it meant. It was that kind of peaceful existence he longed for. It meant everything to him. Here was a young man who, Aerith realized, might have been born human by some cosmic unhappy chance. He seemed to truly understand the feelings and emotions of her species, and looked like he yearned for them even more than she. Perhaps had there been a thousand humans like Ragnar, then the mako reactors would never have been constructed, and her race would not have been viewed as mutants to be studied.

Ragnar had been held in a favorable light in Aerith's eyes until now…but after this, he had grown even further in her estimation.

The young woman leaned forward after a few moments of silence, and looked closer at Ragnar.

"In that case, I think I know what would be the best place to finish up the night."

Ragnar agreed. This was a nice place. And he enjoyed being here.

Ragnar and Aerith both rested on a floor of soft grass and flowers. They were leaned back with their hands behind their heads, looking up to the open roof above. The stars glittered overhead, and in this part of the city it was dark enough that you could see thousands of them. Not even in the relatively dim lights of Icicle Inn could Ragnar see this many. He loved it.

They had gone to the Church Garden. At least, that was what it was now. The church itself was now just a ruin of columns and walls. But it had sprung to life in the wake of the minor mako eruption, and now it was filled with trees and plants of all shapes and sizes, which were progressively growing out from it to the rest of the city. Most of the birds had gone in for the night, although insects were out chirping. Occasionally, Ragnar saw a firefly move by his line of vision. The sound of rushing liquid from the "waterfall" near the Baptismal Pond created a very relaxing and pleasant natural melody as they looked up at the heavens.

Ragnar turned his gaze over to Aerith for a moment. She looked like she was sleeping. She had her eyes closed and was breathing slowly, A gentle smile was on her face. She looked so peaceful now… But more than that, Ragnar realized again how lovely she looked. She had looked this way when he first saw her…and now alive… At any rate, Ragnar found himself beginning to sweat again, and so he turned away and looked overhead once more.

A few more minutes went by. But at length, Aerith stirred and inhaled deeply. As she did, her eyes opened again and looked to the heavens. "…I love it here. The voice of the Planet is so distinct…" She commented aloud in a soft voice. "I wouldn't think it possible in a place like Midgar…but this part of the city is so full of life…" She paused after saying this, and then turned slightly to her side.

"How long have we been here?"

Ragnar turned his head down and raised his wrist, exposing a simple digital watch that he kept for punctuality purposes where his duty was concerned. "About two hours."

This surprised the woman, and her eyes widened as she began to lean up. "Oh…really?" She nervously answered. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had been talking for so long. We can go if-"

"No. Really, it's no problem." Ragnar answered, still looking at the sky and not even turning. "I enjoy spending time here too. I never have a chance, and usually when I do it's with a group. I haven't had the opportunity to just lie down here and listen to the world around me for a while. I was enjoying it probably as much as you."

Aerith looked at him a moment, somewhat disbelieving that. She didn't see very much how a human could enjoy listening to the world around oneself compared to a Cetra. But he seemed very genuine in his comments. And so, she leaned back down and turned her head back to the sky.

"Sometimes…I feel like I can almost hear it myself." Ragnar continued. "I just listen to everything for a while… The crickets chirping, the wind blowing, the water gurgling… It blends together into this one natural symphony. And then, I lean back and close my eyes…and as I'm drifting off and about to sleep…right at that point between sleep and awake…it turns into a voice. Not like any voice I've ever heard though… It's like…a feeling. A feeling so distinct that you know exactly what it means…"

Aerith listened to this, and did so with greater interest as Ragnar went on. Soon she was hanging on his words.

"And it's right then…that I suddenly feel that unity. I feel some sort of bond…as if the world feels what I'm feeling, and I feel what the world is feeling. And try as I might…I can't get that feeling everywhere. I can only get it from out here…out where the world is still untouched and unspoiled. When I feel it…I feel so calm and controlled…and that in the seeming chaos of my life there is order. I'm reminded of what I'm trying to preserve…what will be lost if the New Shinra win."

Aerith turned her head and looked to the young man again. His own eyes had closed now, as if he was trying to remember the essence of this feeling as he spoke. But to Aerith, that feeling was all too real. Ragnar spoke of the same sensation she received when she spoke with the Planet herself. She too heard that voice only at the point between sleep and awake…and felt that unity with all things when it finally occurred. Who was this young man, that he could feel the things that a Cetra felt?

The Cetra traced her gaze over his face and body…seeing his own youthful and ruddy appearance. He was handsome by most standards… However, what she truly was captivated by was this youth's spirit. It was a powerful and nobler quality, just as it had been in her friends. But there was more than that… His seemed so much…cleaner…purer… His had a quality of honor and duty, but also one of justice and care. Many lesser people in this world would not have undertaken the quest he had, nor would have been capable of such qualities. He bore his own mantle with dignity and responsibility, and with an unfailing devotion and care for the welfare of the people as well as the world he fought to protect. That made him truly beautiful on the inside.

Aerith had admired the hearts and spirits of Cloud and Zack…but it wasn't until now, faced with the kind of person she saw that Ragnar was that, for a few brief moments, she felt herself…enamoured.

The moments passed, however, and Aerith found herself exhaling a bit and feeling that she had turned a bit red herself. That, in turn, only made her more embarrassed, and so she blushed more and turned away to the sky again.

"…Do you want to go home?"

Ragnar paused for a moment, but then leaned back a bit more.

"…I'd like to…listen to the Planet…with you for a bit longer." He answered, somewhat hesitantly.

Aerith paused herself, but in the end turned to him and smiled.

"I'd like that too."

It was past midnight when the two finally returned to their mutual home. Ragnar realized with some embarrassment that he wasn't going to be "seeing the girl to her door", as they both lived in the same place. What more, having to go around the back was a bit unusual too, considering that the front was still wrecked. The place was dark. The kids had long since gone to bed, and Cloud and Tifa had to have turned in as well. They had good reason to. They had to work tomorrow. Ragnar realized he had to as well, and that made him a bit rueful about tonight. He'd be tired tomorrow when he had to get up bright and early…

But then…he turned to Aerith and saw her looking happy…and he didn't feel so bad anymore.

It was hot out even this late, so the two went right into the house through the rear door. Once they were inside, it was a bit cooler. Normally, Tifa wouldn't have splurged on an air conditioner, but it was a good way to attract customers. And it was a bit of a relief now. It had been cool in the garden, but back in the "concrete jungle" it was something else.

Ragnar shut the door behind him, and then turned and looked to Aerith. She had turned and faced him now. Both of them were silent. They were both a bit nervous at this point, and grinned slightly at each other as they stood in place and tried to think of a way to end this. Both looked up once to each other, and on seeing how embarrassed they both were, they looked down and laughed together.

"…I had a great time tonight." Aerith finally said.

Ragnar paused, but then nodded. "Good. I mean…I'm glad you had a good time."

"Did you?"

"Yeah…yeah, I had a great time. It was fun."

Both stood still for a bit longer, still looking nervous. Ragnar himself looked to the floor and dug his foot against the ground.

"…Never went shopping, did we?"

"…Nope."

Another brief pause.

"I guess we'll just have to do it on our next date."

Ragnar looked back up at this, and back to Aerith. His face was a bit surprised. "Um…next date?"

Aerith looked up after that, and was hesitant. "…Do you not want to date again?"

"No!" Ragnar found himself immediately blurting out. He immediately recoiled a bit at his practical shout, a bit embarrassed again. He didn't seem to realize that last time this had come up he hadn't been nearly so firm or decisive about it… "I want to. I'd…I'd love to. It's just…I'm so busy all the time."

Aerith hesitated, but then nodded as she bowed her head. "Yeah…yeah, I understand." She slowly answered…disappointment leaking through on her voice.

"I'm going to be busy for a few weeks, getting the city ready."

"Yeah…"

Ragnar held on a moment longer…realizing that he too was feeling sad about this. In the end, he looked up a bit, and then shrugged.

"But…" He slowly managed to say. "First chance I get off…I want to go out again."

Aerith looked up at this, seeming almost surprised…and pleased. "…Really? You want to go on another date? I'm not pressuring you or anything, am I…?"

Ragnar earnestly shook his head. "Oh no…no, no… Not at all. I…" He paused a moment, growing a bit nervous again. But in the end, he swallowed back, and managed to spit it out.

"…I really want to go out with you again."

Aerith looked at him a moment. But slowly, as if in realization of this fact, a smile began to spread across her face. "…I really want to go out with you again too." She finally answered.

Ragnar began to smile at this as well. Both were still nervous, but felt a lot more relief now that this was over with.

"…I'll call you as soon as I get a first chance."

"That's great. I hope it's soon."

"Alright. …I guess this is goodnight."

"Yeah…"

"…Good night."

"You too."

The two stood still a moment longer, not sure how to proceed. In the end, they both moved as one…and nearly bumped into each other. After nervously laughing again, and both waiting for the other to move for a moment, they both tried again. Once more, they ran into each other. Both were blushing now, and slowly made their way forward. Now, both moving together, they slowly made their way down the hall, side by side. Both were sweating in each other's presence, and nervously looked to each other as they made their way along. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they reached their junction. Ragnar went into the living room, while Aerith walked around the banister and went up the stairs.

As Ragnar walked into his own "chamber" where Cloud was already snoozing away, he sighed in relief and thought of one thing until he went to sleep.

Does she actually like me as a boyfriend?

What Ragnar didn't realize was that the same night, up in her shared bedroom next to Tifa, Aerith thought something as well as she slowly went to sleep.

Does he actually like me as a girlfriend?

To be continued...