Rainfall

Aerith was tending to the flowers in the church when the Planet told her Zack Fair was going to die. Her nimble fingers seized up within the moist soil while the Planet's message reverberated in the pit of her soul. The flower she had been tending to was suddenly a tangled mass of roots and petals as her hands gouged the earth. Her vision darkened at the edges, but then she remembered breathing was important and inhaled a shuddering breath.

Clinging to the fringes of her crumbling emotional stability, she asked for clarification.

No response. She called louder, but the Planet had turned its attention away from her much like a human avoiding eye contact.

Eyes misty, Aerith persisted. What do you mean he'll die? How will it happen? When will it? Where?

The Planet held its silence. Then Aerith was screaming at it because why him? Zack was her sanctuary much like she suspected she was his. With eyes the loveliest shade of blue, open and boundless as the sky, Aerith got a little taste of freedom every time she gazed into them.

The Turks were always watching her. She noticed them on her strolls through Wall Market, as she cared for the flowers outside her house, and even caught them lingering at the park. Any day now Shinra would order them to do more than watch and the small scrap of freedom she had would be lost for good. So why was her reprieve from walls and locked doors and the plate smothering her above being taken away from her?

And Zack, her Zack, a beacon of life and warmth. Death would turn him so still and cold, into just another thing for the Planet to swallow up.

She would never see him again. Aerith would never peer into those bright blue eyes or glimpse his golden smile again, and she would wilt a little more every day he was gone until the Planet took her too.

A sob bubbled in the back of her throat just as the Planet glanced back.

It doesn't have to be him.

She gasped, but before she could question the cryptic message the Planet quieted. Once more she could only hear its usual indecipherable murmuring.

Now Aerith didn't know what to do. These omens had shaken her, ruptured her heart and left her bleeding. Her thoughts spiraled round and round for minutes turned hours. The dirt crusted over her fingertips and her dress wrinkled as she stayed kneeling beside the flower bed. She may have remained paralyzed all night if the church doors hadn't suddenly opened.

Familiar raven hair poked through the doorway and Aerith was already standing on numb legs and forcing them into a run. Halfway down the aisle she lost the battle against unsteady feet, but of course Zack's arms wrapped around her before she could so much as stumble.

Face flush against his chest, Zack's heartbeat whispered in her ear as he said, "Wow, Aerith. I know you fell for me and all, but don't you think you're taking the phrase too literally?"

A startled giggle erupted out her throat. The corny line was just so Zack, and after the Planet's ominous message she had been so sure she would never see him again. Yet here his heart drummed against her ear and she basked in his radiance. He was real and solid and wonderfully alive. How she longed to stay in his arms forever, stay together forever because Zack would remain safe as long as they were never apart.

Maybe it was wishful thinking, but something deep inside told Aerith that their separation could only lead to death, maybe their deaths. Regardless, Aerith had made a decision.

She pulled back within the circle of his arms. Zack made a disappointed sound, but then she tossed her arms around his neck and used the leverage to pull herself up on her tippy-toes.

Their faces only inches apart, Aerith grinned. "What can I say?" Her smile sharpened before she pecked the edge of Zack's mouth, causing the SOLDIER's eyes to widen. "It really is a pretty face." Her smile was downright wolfish as she released him and spun out of his loose hold. Then she clasped her hands behind her and inclined her head towards the hole in the roof.

Zack froze with his hand hovering over the spot she had kissed him when it struck him that Aerith was referencing their first date. Embolden by the memory, he smirked and hurried up to Aerith's side.

"So," he drawled out. "My eyes, my face, what else do I have that's pretty?" He felt silly saying "pretty" since it was an adjective seldom used to describe him.

He must have sounded as ridiculous as he felt too because a couple of giggles rippled out of Aerith as she obliged his tease, pretending to look him over.

"Hmm," she tapped a finger against her cheek, but then the ring of his PHS sliced through the spell of levity. Aerith's lips dipped into a frown while he sighed and flipped open the device. As expected, he was being called back to Shinra HQ for a mission briefing. He looked up from the screen to give Aerith the bad news, but his mouth snapped close at the sight of raw despair in her eyes. She always got upset when their dates were interrupted, but never had she looked so broken up over his being called away.

Aerith noticed his attention on her and tried tucking her emotions behind a playful pout, but her jaw was clenched far too tight and her eyes were shimmering. "You have to go?" She already knew the answer, the slight tremble in her voice confirmed this.

"Yeah," he heaved a heavy sigh, wondering if he should address Aerith's emotional outburst and quickly deciding he didn't want to end their time together with a serious discussion.

"Don't worry," he slapped a smile on his face. "I should be back by tomorrow and I'll visit you then." He leaned down to embrace her, but was stunned when her silk lips pressed against his for a deep yet fleeting kiss.

She laughed at his shocked expression because while this wasn't their first kiss, Zack normally had to work to get one out of her let alone two in one day. Though he never got to question the sudden display of affection since the kiss left him breathless and once he'd recovered his flower girl had already returned to her garden.

Recognizing the dismissal for what it was, Zack left the slums wondering what was up with Aerith today. Her emotions had been skimming closer to the surface than was usual and the cause of this change eluded him. Maybe he did something or perhaps it had nothing to do with him. Either way, should he be concerned?

Zack arrived at Shinra Headquarters still wondering what to make of Aerith's behavior. It never occurred to him that Aerith Gainsborough had decided to save Zack Fair's life, and to do so, she would make sure every time Zack walked out those church doors he would leave wanting nothing more than to see her again.


Zack stopped so quick he nearly fell over. Holding fast to the church doorframe, he stared dumbfounded at the girl crouched by the flower bed. She was wearing a shell pink, cami dress held up by spaghetti straps and flowing down just past her knees. Floral embroidery lined its top and bottom trim so the dress seemed to begin and end in a garden of lilies.

For a second Zack worried he was admiring the wrong girl because her dress was pink and only pink, and such a contrast to the white Aerith's been wearing since the day they met.

"I was wondering if you could build the flower wagon today." Aerith rose, her dress fluttering as she turned, and his mouth ran dry. Every sway of her dress was like an invitation to dance and he was eager to be her dance partner.

He walked up to her and took the initiative to kiss her cheek. After four visits filled with an unprecedented amount of kisses from his favorite flower girl, Zack had quietly accepted they reached a new comfort level in their relationship. Now they greeted one another with a chaste peck and ended each visit with a quick smooch. Although he swore those goodbye kisses got longer and deeper every time. Not that he minded.

"What are you smiling about?" Aerith placed her hand on her hip and pretended to scrutinize him, which was funny since he was the one eyeballing her and that dress.

"Well, I can't help but notice someone is wearing pink." Zack raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Especially since I recall a pretty lady saying I was being silly for asking her to wear more pink." His smugness was poorly concealed and Aerith hummed in feigned innocence.

"That's not what I remember." Aerith walked up the aisle and trailed her fingers over a pew as she strolled past it. "I remember this pretty lady," she smiled to herself because Zack thought her pretty, "saying it was silly to promise to wear pink every time she and this handsome gentleman would meet up." She stopped and side-eyed him. "Because how would she know when to wear pink if she never knew when the gentleman was going to visit her?"

Zack faltered, uncertain if this was Aerith's subtle way of telling him to visit her more regularly, but then her shoulders shook from silent laughter and he knew she had freaked him out on purpose.

He mock-scowled at her before regaining his smug countenance. "In that case, maybe the pretty lady should wear pink every day just in case he stops by." He walked up to her and curled his arm around her waist so the cotton soft texture of her dress rubbed against the worn leather of his gloves. Gritty and dainty shouldn't have worked like this. A flower girl afraid of the sky and a SOLDIER with sky blue eyes shouldn't have fit so perfectly, but he didn't care. Normal was overrated anyway.

"Okay, I promise to wear pink every day if you promise to show me the sky." Aerith tried to keep the fear out her voice, carefully bundling it in a layer of good humor, yet Zack tensed. Soon his arm dropped off her and she knew she had failed.

"You serious, Aerith?" His voice was low and gentle as he moved in front of her and carefully took her hands in his. Earnestly his eyes sought hers while she did everything she could to appear at ease.

The sky did terrify her, partly because it was the opposite of everything she had ever known. The plate above was like the ground below. Solid, safe, and static by nature.

The sky was different. Air was intangible, and the sky could be calm one second and storm the next.

Every time she looked up at the sky she imagined a gust of wind suddenly sweeping her off her feet and carting her up to the heavens above. However, Aerith couldn't afford to fear the sky, not anything, if she was going to save Zack.

She squeezed his palms and asked, "Weren't you the one who offered to show me a beautiful sky someday? I bet the sky has been beautiful plenty of times since we met, so why haven't you taken me above plate already?" She huffed despite how it was too soon. She wasn't ready to see the enormity that was the sky, was terrified by the mere idea, but it couldn't wait. She needed to be brave.

Zack didn't look convinced. "Yeah, but doesn't it scare you?"

Aerith looked to the hole in the roof, risking a peek at the sky. "Yes, but you'll be there with me, right?" She turned to him and prayed he would agree because she couldn't do it alone, not yet. The sky scared her more than anything and it would be so easy to let him talk her out of it.

"Of course!" Zack let go one of her hands to point his thumb at his chest. "When you go above, I'll go with you. There's no need to be scared."

Aerith gazed into his sky blue eyes and her worries soared away. Surely anything as pretty as them couldn't be that bad. Besides, Zack would be there. He would keep her grounded. The sky couldn't take her, not with him around.

"It's a promise then."

It wasn't a question yet Zack nodded. "I promise." He smiled so wide she wondered if it hurt as he swore to be on the lookout for the most beautiful sky from this day on. He even asked which type of sky she wanted to see first. Day, night, or the twilight between.

Laughing, she told him to surprise her.

Soon after, he left, but the warmth of his hands lingered on hers as she prepared to leave the church.

Zack's death begins in Nibelheim.

Aerith stiffened, not expecting to hear from the Planet so soon again. She didn't try calling to it, though, as it was unlikely she would receive a reply if she did. Instead her eyes screwed shut and she grasped the sides of her dress, bunching the cloth in her fists. Slowly she exhaled, released her stress into the world and regained her inner peace.

The Planet was helping her at its own pace, which was fine. Aerith was a patient girl. After all, it took time to raise flowers in Midgar's dry and dead earth. It took time to accept that Turks would always spy on her, that her freedom was an illusion.

The ticks of a clock were of no concern as long as there was time enough to save him.


Aerith started hiding a journal under her pillow. She titled the first page Messages and wrote out below all the Planet had told her so far. It was short work to write out the three messages, but it felt good to have them laid out on paper. The Planet was usually a steady stream of murmurs in the back of her head, something she could and had dismissed as imaginary.

But now Zack's life was in danger. As much as she didn't want to accept what it meant for her to hear and understand the Planet, specifically what this implied she was, Aerith would do what she had to in order to save him.

Already wearing her pink dress, she sat on the edge of her bed during the early hours of morning with the notebook open on her lap. Her eyes glossed over the page, pausing on the second message before she deemed it too cryptic to tackle, and coming to rest on Nibelheim. It sounded like a location, a backwater one at that, which would explain why she never heard of it. Midgar had been her home for as long as she could remember, and it was an unspoken rule between her and Shinra that she was not to leave it. Therefore, her knowledge of far off places was limited to what appeared in the media and what others told her.

Mostly her mental world map was founded on the stories Zack had told her, so maybe he knew of Nibelheim. He did travel often on Shinra's behalf and she recalled Zack mentioning he was from a small country town. Was Nibelheim his hometown?

She shook her head. No, Zack also said he hadn't been home in ages so it was unlikely he would go back in the near future. This didn't coincide with the urgency underlying the Planet's messages. It was obvious something dreadful was hurtling towards them, and if she didn't stop it soon, her Zack would die.

For that reason, Aerith took the long way to the church in the hopes of spotting a familiar face. When no trace of Tseng was to be found around the Market and she only noticed a bald and red-headed Turk following her, she circled back. Over and over, she must have looped around the sector for hours before she finally spotted slick, black hair peeking out behind the slide at the park.

On throbbing ankles, which had her thinking about replacing her wedges with a more comfortable pair of footwear in the near future, she made her way to Tseng. He didn't acknowledge her until she stood directly in front of him and even then he avoided facing her head on.

Aerith giggled over the pretense. Tseng must have thought he was pretty good at concealing his emotions, but she could tell from the rigidness in his shoulders and crossed arms that he was uncomfortable. Likely this was because he had figured out she'd been looking for him. A break from her usual routine did warrant a healthy dose of suspicion since she was normally a complacent target and happy to ignore her Turk stalkers. Aerith always had treasured her illusion of freedom, but for Zack's sake she would face any reality.

"Hello, Tseng. How are you today?"

Near indiscernibly, the Turk's eyes scanned over her person. "I'm fine." Seeing no injuries or signs of illness, his lips quirked up minutely. "And you?"

"I've been having a great day, but I've got this tiny problem." She raised her hand and pulled her pointer finger and thumb an inch apart.

Amusement crept into Tseng's stoic expression and she sweetened her smile while clasping her hands over her chest. "I found this pretty dress in the store, but I can't tell if it looks good on me. Of course the shop owner says it does, but shop owners will say anything to get you to buy. What I need is someone who can give me an unbiased opinion, someone who doesn't know me and will tell me the truth without sparing my feelings." She pouted, imitating a kicked-puppy look that rivaled Zack's finest.

"Is that so?" Tseng's face was carefully neutral, though his tone implied he was invested in her dilemma. "Do you have someone in mind?"

Aerith cocked her head and tapped a finger against her cheek. "Well, I need someone from this place called Nibelheim. The shop owner told me that's where the dress' fur collar is from and I want to make sure it's authentic. I wonder, could you help me find a nice stranger from Nibelheim?"

"How do you expect me to help?"

"I don't know." Aerith held her hands back and shrugged. "It's just you know so many people, I figure you could find someone from Nibelheim faster than I could." She pouted again. "I really want this dress, but I can't wear it unless I know it's authentic and I need a stranger to tell me if it looks good on me. So you'll help me, won't you?"

"I don't-"

"I'd only borrow them for a day." She peppered her voice with desperation while hope glimmered in her emerald eyes.

Tseng's face gradually softened, and the web of fear entangling her heart was brushed aside as he said, "I'll see what I can arrange."

"Thank you!" Aerith cheered. Nibelheim was unreachable, however, a native was sure to give her reliable information. It was a bit of a long shot, but if she could learn of the threats awaiting Zack in Nibelheim and determine which one would lead to his death, she could figure out how to save him.

Tseng bid her goodbye and a touch of guilt dampened her joy as she watched him go. She had used him, but it wasn't as if she lied. There was a rather lovely dress hanging in a Market shop window, which caught her eye during her rounds around the sector. Although she doubted its fur collar was imported from a small town like Nibelheim.

Consoled somewhat, the guilt faded as she carried on to the church only to see Zack waiting for her on the front steps. He beamed when he noticed her approach and his smile dazzled Aerith in a way nothing else could. As they embraced his warmth seeped into her skin and she tried to picture herself going without this feeling for months or even years.

The image came easily, as it had once been her reality. She went sixteen years without knowing Zack, yet now that he was in her life she could not imagine a day where he was gone for good. Compared to such a nightmare, even the sky didn't seem so menacing.


Cloud was having trouble sleeping, or more accurately, he was having trouble getting up. For the past week he awakened clammy to the touch and dizzy beyond belief. He would have blamed nightmares, except he never remembered anything frightening happening in his dreams. The only thing he did remember was a voice. It was impossible to assign it a gender, though it did have a feminine ring to it, or identify the speaker's age. All Cloud knew was that he had dreamt about this voice every night for seven days straight.

Most of what it said was hard to make out, as if it was speaking through a bad transceiver. Fortunately the dream repeated itself so many times Cloud eventually caught a few snippets of dialogue. Fair and die were the first set, the next was be him and the final was in Nibel. Cloud garnered the last bit referred to the Mt. Nibel of his hometown and maybe that was where his strange dreams were set. He also guessed from the him that his dreams involved a guy, probably Cloud himself. Fair and die, however, were meaningless as they lacked context.

Still he didn't understand why these dreams caused him to wake up so dizzy he couldn't even sit up properly. Going to a doctor might clear things up, but he had little time to spare in between missions and it wasn't like the dizzy spells were debilitating. They only lasted a couple of minutes, and while they were worrisome, he didn't want to go to the doctor in a panic just to be told they were something minor like a symptom of fatigue.

"Cloud!"

He stopped in the middle of the Shinra Building lobby and looked up in time to glimpse raven hair before an arm was slung over his shoulders.

"Zack?" He was surprised the First had recognized him when he was in full uniform and his helmet concealed his face.

"The one and only." Zack laughed, jostling Cloud. "How have you been, buddy? I haven't seen you in forever."

Cloud raised a brow. "We saw each other two days ago."

"Exactly, forever."

Cloud snickered. He never thought a SOLDIER could act childish until he met Zack. Not saying the First didn't have bouts of seriousness, just his eagerness and upbeat personality made him seem immature at times.

"So you're free, right? 'Cause I'm starving." Zack lamented and started leading the infantryman out towards the elevators.

"Actually, I already ate-"

"See there's this place down the street I've been meaning to try, but I can't get one foot in the door before my PHS rings and I'm called back to Headquarters. It's happened like five times now, and I'm starting to think it's a conspiracy, like a food conspira- Hey, Kunsel!" Zack waved at a Second Class who entered the elevator as they were exiting it.

"Hey, Zack," the Second inclined his helmet towards them and Cloud again questioned how Zack recognized masked individuals. "I got an assignment I'm finishing up right now, but we can talk later."

The elevator doors started closing when Zack grinned. "Definitely!"

Cloud thought that was the end of discussion until the Second's unseen gaze suddenly met his own.

"Cloud." Kunsel acknowledged, and he was unnerved by the shadow of a smirk on the Second's face as the doors sealed over his image.

Cloud gaped for a second, then turning to Zack he blurted. "H-how did he know my name? Did you tell him?"

"Nope!" The SOLDIER shrugged before steering Cloud down the staircase and out the building. "That's Kunsel for you, the guy knows everything and anyone that has to do with Shinra."

Cloud frowned. "That doesn't explain how he knew it was me under the helmet."

He considered how both Zack and this Kunsel guy had SOLDIER enhancements so potentially that played a role in their recognitive abilities. He turned to ask Zack, but the First was looking up at the sky. Instinctively Cloud followed his line of sight, knowing his visor would protect his vision from sun rays.

Upon seeing nothing out the ordinary, he asked, "Zack, what are you looking at?"

His inquiry went unheard as the SOLDIER scowled at the puffy, gray clouds above. A storm was brewing, but that didn't explain why the First's shoulders drooped as they entered the diner and were seated at a booth.

Cloud wrangled his helmet off and set it down next to him, growing more and more worried once only silence reigned after the waitress took their orders. Zack was frowning at the tabletop and muttering something about the sky and Aeris, or maybe an Aerith, under his breath. Cloud wondered if he should say something, but he was never one for words, so he decided to wait it out. When the First continued to sulk, however, the wrongness of seeing Zack upset became too much so tentatively he asked, "Are you okay?" He was barely audible over the clatter of dishes and chatting customers yet Zack started at the sound.

"Huh?" Zack blinked, rewinding what Cloud said in his head. "Oh," his eyes brightened in understanding. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about guy stuff." He flapped a hand dismissively.

"Guy stuff?" Cloud muttered, a bit concerned this conversation was marching into personal territory. Yet it wouldn't be right to leave Zack hanging when something was clearly bothering him. "You want to talk about it?"

Zack hesitated for half a second, but soon nodded. "Alright, maybe you can help. A couple of days ago me and my girlfriend were talki-"

Cloud nearly asked him to stop then and there. He wasn't exactly comfortable with the subject of girls and his face burned at the mental image of Zack and his girlfriend doing intimate things.

Zack laughed loud and abrupt, startling the patrons behind him and making heads turn. Cloud didn't get why until the SOLDIER pointed at Cloud's face, which currently resembled a cherry.

"Just wha-" Zack struggled to stifle his laughter and Cloud wished the floor would just swallow him whole as he hunched into his mint green scarf. "Just what did you think I was about to say? You look like your head's gonna blow, Spiky!" He reached over and patted Cloud's shoulder in consolation.

Cloud averted his gaze, feeling foolish. He shouldn't have assumed Zack would talk about anything perverse, especially since the one time the First had mentioned his girlfriend he hadn't divulged her physical characteristics. All he said was that she was amazing, kind, and he missed her. Really, Zack seemed the chivalrous sort, or at least valued his girlfriend enough to keep the personal aspects of their relationship to himself.

A hand suddenly landed atop his head and ruffled his hair. Instinctively he shoved it off before seeing it was Zack, mirth alit in his eyes and grin wide. "Thanks, buddy, I needed a good laugh today."

Cloud took offense, but Zack's sincerity appeased him. It wasn't like back home where the other boys teased him for cruelty's sake. Zack didn't have a cruel bone in his body and all the teasing between them was mutual, never borne from malice. If only Cloud had the courage, he would tell Zack how much he cherished their friendship.

"Anyway," Zack glanced outside while the first drops of rain pattered against the window. "This is probably something I should do on my own. It will mean more to her that way."

Cloud was admittedly curious, but soon their food arrived and he couldn't get another word in. Not while Zack was simultaneously devouring a thick, meaty sandwich, and regaling a likely exaggerated tale about his latest mission.

To be honest, Cloud didn't mind. Exaggerated or not, he loved hearing about Zack's adventures. Hearing about the challenges a SOLDIER faced and overcame inspired Cloud. As long as he didn't give up, he would get to do all those amazing things too. Zack said so himself, was the first person since Cloud joined Shinra to express an ounce of confidence in him, and there was no way Cloud was going to let his friend down.

There was no way he would let her down either.


The first droplets of rain fell while Aerith tended to the flowers outside her house. She had been neglecting them lately in favor of caring for the ones inside the church. The favoritism hadn't been intentional, simply a result of Aerith spending less and less time at home. These days she didn't even window shop at Wall Market like she used to. It was just that the Planet's voice was clearest at the church and she didn't want to risk missing a single message.

She was running out of time, she knew it. Every day she sensed Zack's death encroaching closer, every night she fell asleep picturing the many ways he could perish. A Midgar zolom sinking its fangs into the tender flesh of his neck, the flames engulfing him in the aftermath of an anti-Shinra bombing, a rival swordsman hacking him to pieces, and that was without factoring in the dangers outside Midgar.

She woke up each morning believing his death already came to pass. Aerith had slept on oblivious while the light in his eyes faded like a sun gone cold. It was ridiculous how paranoid she'd gotten, she knew, yet she couldn't breathe easy until Zack walked through those church doors.

Every time he didn't it took all her strength not to call him, but she didn't want to make Zack feel like he was neglecting her or make herself appear clingy. Above all Aerith didn't want to tip him off that something was wrong. If she did, she would have to explain how she heard of his impending death. Assuming Zack didn't immediately deem her insane, the term "Ancient" would undoubtedly come up and she wasn't ready for that. Maybe Zack would accept what she was, but it gave her chills simply thinking that word.

Heavy raindrops and a light breeze tunneled down the hole in the roof as she stepped into the church. The flowers bowed under the weight of the rainstorm and she observed them for a minute before deciding they were in no real danger and would probably appreciate a little rain.

"Ms. Gainsborough?"

Aerith spun back, inhaling sharply as her eyes locked onto the Shinra infantryman standing at the doorway. She backpedaled, terrified Shinra was finally taking her in and there would be no one left to save Zack once she was locked away. He was going to die and there would be nothing she could do to save him.

"Sorry!" The infantryman raised his hands and made a placating gesture. "Didn't mean to startle you." His soft, youthful voice took her aback. Brow furrowing, she noticed water dripping off the tips of his gloves. In fact, his whole uniform was so drenched the fabric clung to his lean figure and his scarf hung off his neck like a limp noodle. Although his helmet visor glowed blood red, the longer she stared the more certain she was that this infantryman was no threat, just a boy, and there was no way Shinra sent a mere boy to capture her.

Realizing she had jumped to conclusions, Aerith shook her head. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault I wasn't paying attention."

Seeing she had relaxed, the boy lowered his hands and Aerith noticed his whole body was trembling. He must have been freezing in those soppy clothes.

"I was sent here by Shinra." The boy started walking down the aisle, his boots squelching with his every step. "To be your personal bodyguard for today so-" His boots squeaked obnoxiously, and he paused to stare down his feet as if to silently reprimand them.

Aerith couldn't help it, she laughed. The infantryman whipped his head up, and seeing he was the source of her amusement, hunched into himself.

"I'm sorry." Aerith got a hold of herself. "That was a little mean of me." She smiled, but her eyes were drawn down in sympathy, and the boy perked up at the genuine apology.

"Let me see," Aerith turned to the flower bed. "If I can make it up to you." She crouched down, plucked a bright yellow lily from the field and swiftly sprung into a stand. "Here, this is for you." She held out the lily.

"A flower?" It took him a second to grasp the stem, giving off the impression he was shocked. "Uh, thanks." He drew the lily closer to his chest, helmet angled down as he appraised it. Then he looked up to send her a smile. "Really, I appreciate it." Sheepishly, he tacked on. "Don't see many flowers around here."

Aerith almost explained how this was the only place in Midgar where flowers grew, but her PHS beeped. She excused herself, pulled it out, read the message's first line and nearly dropped the phone.

Subject: Bodyguard

From: Tseng

I found a kind stranger from Nibelheim per your request. He is an infantryman-

She ceased to breathe. Her mind whirled and her heart bounced to her throat. Nibelheim, Nibelheim, she found Nibelheim!

"Ms. Gainsborough?" The boy's concerned inquiry knocked her out her stupor.

"Aerith," she rushed out before taking a much needed breath. "Just call me Aerith."

The boy stiffened. "Aerith?" Surprise sharpened his tone, but the light chattering of his teeth distracted her from noticing.

She frowned, calculated the expense, then came to a decision. "Wait here."

"What?" The infantryman reached out to her as she darted around him. "I can't wait here, I'm your bodyguard."

His earnestness was touching, so from the doorway she reassured him. "I won't be long."

Aerith sped out, and though it left her breathless, she made it back in five minutes. The infantryman was standing on the church steps, likely having decided to search for her until he saw her returning.

"I hope these fit." She handed him a large paper bag, glad to be rid of the weight while she tried catching her breath.

"You bought me clothes?" His tone was laced with incredulity as he followed her into the church.

"Yes." She went to her garden, but the downpour made her hang back. "I bought a towel too. Use it to dry yourself off, then you can change over there." She pointed back to a shady corner of the room.

The boy looked from her to the corner and back. "I can't. Uniform is required when on duty." His frustration wasn't aimed at her.

Aerith regarded him. "It's not like anyone will see you." She smiled serenely and overly-sweet asked, "Or do you expect me to peek?" She winked, then giggled when the boy started and began waving his hands wildly.

"No, no, no, no," he stuttered. "I'm not worried about that!" He sounded downright scandalized.

"Good!" Aerith clapped her hands over her chest, the personification of innocence. "Hurry and change then, I don't want you to catch a cold." She turned back to her flowers, half-expecting a protest, but upon hearing a sigh instead she knew he had given in.

Within seconds wet clothing plopped on the floor behind her, though Aerith paid it no mind as she pondered which questions to ask the boy from Nibelheim. The grass and stems of the flower bed rustled under the rain while she planned how to pose her questions without giving herself away. She highly doubted the infantryman had replaced her Turk followers for the day so much as he was added in, which meant even now they were spying on her.

Tseng may have bought her cover story, but he would grow suspicious if Aerith didn't go dress shopping soon. Asking too many questions about Nibelheim, if overheard, could warrant the same reaction. She needed to act casual. Although she desperately needed answers, it could jeopardize everything if the Turks noticed her abnormal behavior and started asking questions.

"I'm done."

Aerith twisted around and her eyes widened. The boy's helmet was tucked under his arm, pressed against the plain, black t-shirt and sweatpants she'd bought while his gloves were the only remaining piece of uniform he wore. His blue eyes shined not as brilliantly as Zack's, but were lovely just the same, and spiky, blond tufts framed them.

She was stunned, but upon noticing the boy shirked under her gaze, she looked away. "I'm glad they fit you."

"I can pay you back." He suddenly came up to her, leaving his helmet on a pew by his damp clothes. "How much?"

"There's no need." She waved him off. "It's my fault you got caught in the rain, I requested you."

He frowned and she marveled at the expression. She always hated the helmets SOLDIERs and infantrymen wore, it made them all blend together into a shapeless mass that did little to dignify them as individual human beings.

"You requested me?" His quizzical expression was warranted. A girl from the slums having the type of pull to request a Shinra bodyguard was unusual enough, but then that same girl thwarted said bodyguard's attempts to guard her in favor of getting him dry clothes. It sounded outlandish even to her.

Aerith nodded and the infantryman mulled this over before asking, "Do you know me?"

She shook her head. "I don't even know your name." Her expression was pleasant, yet the boy flinched.

"Sorry," he amended and hastily stretched out his hand. "I'm Cloud."

Aerith brightened, happy to see the infantryman was opening up already. "Nice to meet you, Cloud." She grasped his hand.

And the Planet roared to life.

Their wide eyes met as the world blackened around them. A tidal wave of voices drowned out their joint screaming. The shadows crept over their bodies. All sense fled and they were lost to the dark.

This is how he dies.


Aerith stood taller and older in an outfit she had never seen before. The red jacket and silver bracelets adorned a pink dress that fit her like a glove and was comfortable to boot as she crouched beside the church flowers. She was feeling content, not happy, but content as she gently ran her fingertips over the blossoming buds.

Rain sprinkled overhead, startling her into looking up at the hole in the roof. As she stood, the Planet's mummers dwindled into a single, distinct voice.

He is soon to die.

Confused as she was by the message, pity still welled up in her heart for the man spoken of. He was dying, and though she wasn't sure why the Planet cared for this poor soul, she shut her eyes in reverence for the loss of life and cupped her hands over her chest. Silently she prayed the man would go in peace. Too few ever did.

Bright blue eyes flashed in her mind and horror drenched her soul. She gasped and flung up her head as those eyes were his. Those were Zack's eyes, he was dying!

It didn't matter that he left her waiting for years, how eighty-nine letters went unanswered. He was dying. Blood puddling around him under the overcast sky while he laid broken and the Planet prepared to take him away.

Please, no.

This is why he dies.

Cloud couldn't think beyond the name Zack as he crawled under the torrent of rain. He was wearing First Class SOLDIER uniform, mako-infused eyes a stunning blue, yet the dream attained meant nothing.

His arms were throbbing and numb at the same time, but once he reached that scarily familiar body on the cliff side, the pain didn't matter.

"Z-Zack?" Cloud stared down at that unblinking, pale face fearing his friend was already dead. There was just so much blood running off his skin and he was far too still.

Suddenly Zack grimaced, proving himself alive, before his expression relaxed and his gaze landed on Cloud. "For the...both of us."

"Both...of us?" Cloud repeated, the syllables strung together meaningless in his hazy mind. Human speech was a puzzle, one he didn't care to solve when his best friend was dying right in front of him. Rather his mind ran on auto, unaware of anything besides his dying friend as he repeated Zack's words again and again without comprehension.

All that registered were feelings. How safe he felt as Zack's trembling hand landed on the back of his neck and pulled him down for an ephemeral embrace. How he wept inside as he heard Zack's wheezing gasps for air and felt the warmth of Zack's body lessen the longer his head rested on his chest. Cloud's heart shattering when Zack's hand slid off him and his warm blood marred his skin and hair in a twisted version of a blood pact between brothers.

Zack smiled, his eyes locked onto Cloud one last time and then drifted close. He waited for them to open again. He stared at that smiling face and waited and waited and waited.

But Zack was dead. Zack was dead, dead, died for Cloud, and it was all too much! Memories and emotions filtered in fast and coupled with Zack being dead dead dead until he couldn't take it. Mind splintered in a thousand pieces, Cloud threw back his head and screamed.

Cloud was still screaming when his knees hit the floorboards of the church and may never have stopped screaming if the girl in pink hadn't tumbled into him. Falling back on the floor with Aerith's trembling and prone form landing atop him, Cloud tried screaming again but found he was too winded.

He needed to run, needed to escape that horrible horrible vision, but hysteria had locked up his joints and scrambled his brain. His heart beat louder than the clashing of cymbals and outpaced the beating of a hummingbird's wings. His hands clawed at the floor in a panicked search for something to grasp.

When his fingers found purchase in the floorboards, he dug his nails into the thin gap and held on for dear life. It wasn't real, that must have been a dream or nightmare, a hallucination!

"You saw it too, you saw it too, I know you saw it, Cloud." Aerith was bracing her arms on either side of his head, he suddenly realized, and fervent desperation shone in her red-rimmed eyes.

Oddly enough, the sight of tears dribbling down her cheeks was what drew him out of his turmoil. "What was that?" He whispered in a strangled rasp of a voice.

"His death, Zack's-" Her hand shot up to her mouth, muffling her own horror. Abruptly she pushed herself up and sat aside, pulling her knees to her chest while Cloud sat up. Numbly he stared ahead to the same place Aerith had stood while Zack died.

Aerith sniffled and Cloud turned to her as she bowed her head so the fabric of her dress hid her from the world. Though she only allowed herself the luxury for a minute. Soon she lifted her chin and scrubbed at her tears. Cloud did the same, unsurprised to find his own face damp.

"This-" Her voice cut out, but she shoved past the lump lodged in her throat. "This church is special." She set her sights on the garden ahead, voice hardly above a whisper. "It's the only place where flowers grow in Midgar...and the only place where the Planet talks."

"The Planet...talks?"

Aerith flinched and Cloud realized he sounded exactly like he did in that dreadful vision. He always did have a tendency to repeat phrases he didn't understand, a habit he would be nipping in the bud after today.

"Yes, it talks sometimes." She recovered. "I thought I was the only one who could hear it, but apparently so can you." The half-truth slipped off her tongue too easily, but there wasn't time to elaborate. More than ever she understood now what little time remained. If the Planet had elevated from messages to visions, and even roped in another person, Zack's death had to be imminent.

Aerith exhaled through her nose and Cloud waited patiently for her to say, "Let me start from the beginning."

They spent the next two hours talking in hushed tones, as Aerith had mentioned the Turks might be listening. Cloud never asked why the Turks were spying on her and Aerith explained everything she could without mentioning "Ancients".

It was mainly an exchange of information between them, Cloud telling her about his strange dreams and his friendship with Zack. She did the same, even revealing her original intention to learn of Nibelheim through him.

"Do you think the Planet meant for this to happen?"

Aerith stared at him, so Cloud clarified. "The message about Nibelheim. Do you think the Planet was telling you where Zack's death begins or it wanted you to find me?"

"Both." Aerith had long ago decided the Planet always knew what it was doing, it just needed a little help sometimes. "It was answering one of my questions and leading me to you."

Cloud nodded and the silence filled the air between them for the first time in hours. Aerith peeked at her PHS and frowned at the time. Her mother would be expecting her home soon.

"What are we going to do?" Cloud's voice cracked on the last word.

Only now did Aerith recognize the bombshell she had dropped on the boy. If the emotional upheaval from learning his best friend was heading into the jaws of death wasn't enough, the vision sent from the Planet would certainly be giving him nightmares tonight, assuming he could sleep at all.

"We're going shopping."

Cloud reeled back, mouth falling open, but Aerith was stone-cold serious. "That's what I told the Turks we'd do."

"Oh." He nodded, but soon asked, "And after that?"

"We keep in contact, message each other about theories, call the second one of learns something new. We'll meet up next chance we get."

"Okay." Cloud ran a hand through his hair, sighing, but soon noticed she was trembling. "Aerith?"

"We'll save him, won't we? There's still time?" Her brittle voice broke apart into a sob and the world blurred into a mash of colors, the patter of rain quickly drowned out by the intensity of her cries.

A kind voice called to her and hands gently grabbed hold of her own, but they weren't warm like Zack's and Cloud's eyes were blue, but she didn't taste freedom when she gazed into them.

Wailing as Cloud's arm curled over her shoulders and bundled her tight against his chest, Aerith fell to pieces. She finally let herself tear apart at the seams because now she wasn't alone. Her burden had been shared and she didn't have to be strong all by herself anymore. It was okay to let go.

"We are going to save him." Cloud rubbed circles on her back, his jaw clenched in determination.

"I know," she lied, and sobbed ever more.


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