The couple had been wandering the slums for a little over a half an hour when they found themselves at an old playground. A pair of dirty children flitted about, but neither Zack nor Aerith paid them any mind. Aerith had been in deep thought as they navigated through the play structures. This Zack fellow looked almost familiar too her . . . then it hit her. He was affiliated with the Turks. She had noticed that a small red ornament on Tseng's lapel matched the logo that Zack wore on his belt. She felt a dull anger build up inside of her.

"So," Aerith pressed slowly, "Ever meet any SOLDIER member's?"

"Maybe . . ." Zack answered hesitantly. He glanced at her guardedly, his eyes narrowing. She walked in front of him, careful not to look back at him. She had her suspicious, but had refused to humor them because of how much she liked Zack, but the varnish was starting to wash away. She remember his eyes urging her not to trust him, that he was danger, and suddenly she was scared. Was this another crony sent by Tseng to hurt her? She had dealt with SOLDIER's before, but not that looked like this man.

"Do you think that they're happy?" She asked quietly, almost a plea not to hurt her, as if making him feel guilty would stop him.

Zack stopped walking, "What do you mean?"

"Heroes to children . . . protectors of the peace . . ." Her voice shook with irony. She still was not looking at him. His eyes bore holes into her back. "But they're not normal . . ."

She thought for a second that she had gone too far, but continued, "They get some kind of special surgery . . ." She turned and flicked her eyes up to meet his, "Don't they?"

"So they say."

He was being vague, but she knew he was a SOLDIER. She could see It in his eyes, literally. They shone a vibrant, unnatural blue.

"Normal is best. I think so, at least. Those SOLDIER people are kind of . . . weird."

"They're . . . Weird, huh?" Zack mused.

She had been looking down again, but stared piercingly into his eyes, her voice rigid with seriousness, "They're scary."

She locked eyes with him, but he turned away. She continued, "They fight, and they love it."

Zack thought for a moment, leaving Aerith to believe she had overstepped her boundaries. She looked at him, and he looked genuinely sad. Aerith was ashamed that she could think that Zack was hired to hurt her.

"Actually, I'm with SOLDIER." Zack said, an edge on his voice.

"I'm sorry." Aerith apologized, really meaning it. Zack looked defeated, but he lifted a hand on his crossed arms as if to say 'it doesn't matter'. He shuffled around awkwardly, somewhat embarrassed that his feelings had been bruised. The hurt look on his face remained as Aerith edged forward.

"So pretty." Aerith breathed, just as Zack's eyes caught in the flickering green light.

"The face?" Zack joked.

Aerith laughed, "The eyes!"

"You like 'em?" Zack asked confidently, He sauntered towards her, crossing his arms. "Then take a closer look."

"Eyes infused with Mako energy," He said almost proudly, leaning in closer with every word. "A SOLDIER trademark"

She was so intent on staring at his beautiful eyes that she didn't know how close he was. He was leaned down so close that his breath tickled her nose. She flinched and quickly pushed him away reflexively. He laughed, almost relishing her discomfort.

"Color of the sky, right?"

She wouldn't know, but she nodded in agreement anyway. "And not scary at all."

"I'll admit it, things haven't been normal at all lately . . ." Zack opened up. He quickly changed the subject, realizing that he barely knew anything about Aerith. "What about you Aerith? How's your life going?"

She laughed and turned around, "Well, 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."

Aerith started to say something, but Zacks phone rang, interrupting her.

"Oh." He said, slightly surprised. He excused himself and flipped his phone open. He shared a short conversation with the person on the other side. Aerith wondered fleetingly if it was another woman, but dismissed the thought immediately. She was sure it wasn't from the tone of the voice, but even if it was she had no reason to be mad.

"On my way." He said in a deadly serious tone.

He flipped his phone closed and smiled up at her. "I'm sorry, but duty calls."

She gave him a somber look before replying, "Well, I guess I should be going then." She turned to leave, but stopped herself. Suddenly she remember the boy from the market all the Sundays ago, the man she had stopped to stare at. She realized that the person in front of her and the person from the marker were one in the same. She faced him.

"Will I . . . see you again?"

"Of course!" He assured her with a brilliant smile.

Aerith waited a moment before continuing with a small smile, "I hope that your friends okay, Zack."

"Huh?"

"You talk in your sleep." She said sheepishly

He chewed over the thought. "Yeah, it'll be fine. I know that now."

He looked up at her in surprised as if suddenly thinking of something. "Do you have a cellphone, Aerith?"

"Of course!" She said, trying to copy his priceless smile from before. She pulled up her skirt on one thigh as if reaching for something and Zack turned away for modesty's sake, to his astonishment. She unclipped her phone from the band that wrapped around her naked thigh. He skirt drifted back to its place by her knees and Zack whistled.

"That's one hell of a hiding spot."

She flashed him a look, "I live in a den of thieves, where do you expect me to put my valuables?"

He lifted his hands in feigned defeat.

"Just scan my phone." She said, thrusting her phone at him in embarrassment.

"Alright, Alright."

He took the phones and touched them together for a moment before giving her's back. He turned to jog away, but stopped.

"If you don't mind me asking Aerith, how did you get a cellphone?" Zack didn't mean to come off as condescending, but it really was unheard of of a slum resident to have something as valuable as a cellphone. Aerith look offended for a split second before becoming stoic. Tseng had given it to her to keep track of her.

"I don't know, maybe someone at Shinra knows." She answered more bitterly than she had intended.

"What?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"It doesn't matter." She smiled, shaking her head, "I should get going and so should you." And with that, she turned and began walking away. "Good bye Zack"

"Wait, Aerith call me later?"

She didn't turn around. "Why don't you call me?"

He smiled and back away, "Okay, I will!"