[To Aeris]

[1st_class_zack]

They had been corresponding by letter the past few days. He should have known she was fond of letters by the 89th one he'd received in Banora.

Her last note had asked him if he was afraid of the years and years they had to catch up on.

He wanted to write back: "No. And I'm sorry that I left. I was going to tell you, when Cloud and I got back to Midgar, that I would never leave again." But it didn't seem like something one should write in a letter, if face to face conversation could be had.

So he took his note which had only one word, No, written on it and stood by her mailbox. He hoped she would be along sooner rather than letter to check it.

Comments

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

It was fun writing Zack letters again. She knew it was silly, since they lived in the same place now, but it wasn't always easy to catch Zack at a time when it was convenient to talk...and she needed to use the papers she'd found somehow.

She was just heading for the mailbox again, to see if she'd gotten any more answers--or if she'd pushed as far as she could with Cloud--when she saw Zack standing nearby the mailbox.

She smiled brightly, and quickened her step to approach him. "Caught you!"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

He'd been slouching around, kicking a rock back and forth, but brightened up as soon as he saw her coming.

"I caught you. I brought you something." He handed her his one word note, with a grin, folding his arms across his chest as he watched her open it.

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

She grinned, taking the letter and glancing down at it, before giggling. "That's what the mailbox is for, silly."

She leaned forward to study his expression a moment. "Is that all?"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

"No," he paused a moment, teasing her. Then turning a little more serious, he continued "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for leaving. I was going to tell you when we got back to Midgar that I would never leave again. But...that didn't work out."

He'd tried to apologize before, but she'd shrugged it off easily enough. He wanted to really apologize this time. It had been left along for too long as it was. SOLDIER members faced conflict. That included apologizing to girlfriends from a former life.

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

She considered his words a few moments, straightening and touching her chin with her hand.

"You know...at first I thought 'That Zack...he's probably found someone else!'" She smiled slyly, pacing to the side of him, before gathering her hands behind her, and leaning toward him again. "But then I knew. When you died, I heard the Planet crying. So you see, there's no reason to apologize!" She lifted a finger, grinning. "Unless you want to apologize for protecting Cloud!"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

"Huh? Found someone else, huh?" He shook his head, a sly smile on his face as well. "The Planet cried for me? I could never apologize for protecting Cloud. No matter how much he's changed."

He leaned down toward her too, lowering his voice slightly. "It just wasn't fair to write that on a piece of paper and leave it in your mailbox."

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

"Of course! The Planet always cries for those it cares for." She smiled lightly, bringing her hands behind her once more, watching him with amusement.

Those who knew the Planet spoke, and those who knew the Planet hurt, rarely knew how much it cared for those living with it, and how often it hurt for them, as well.

"I think you just didn't want to write that much!"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

He never knew the Planet cared so much. He smiled brightly at that. Did the Planet think he was a hero?

"I would have written that much! I...uh..." She had successfully caught him off guard. He didn't have an answer. He could sense an upcoming giggle from her. Sliding his hands into his pocket, his fingers brushed against a second note which he pulled out of his pocket. This one was several years older and slightly blood stained.

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

His senses were well tuned. She did giggle at his awkwardness, standing, and covering her mouth with a hand. Her expression turned to one of curiosity when she saw the second note.

"What's that?"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

He stared at it for a moment, taking a page from Cloud's book, or was it vice versa? He almost wanted to put it back in his pocket to avoid the conversation, but part of him wanted to show her that he still had it.

"I also wanted to show you this." A lie as it wasn't this note that brought him to her mailbox. Still he held it out to her.

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

She took the note curiously, the lines were older, and the script smaller than the one she used now, but she could recall writing it. The last of many unanswered letters before she'd decided he had moved on.

"That's a long time to keep a letter, you know." Her voice was lilting, but fractionally softer than her previous statement.

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," he agreed lamely, his right hand already moving to rub the back of his head, then back down by his side.

"Still...I wondered if it was still true." He pushed forward past the awkwardness and uncertainty in hopes of an answer. He wouldn't argue with fate for putting his hand in his pocket to find the note. He'd just go with it because he had to know.

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

She considered the note for a few moments, before offering him a bright smile. "Of course it is! You have lots of years to catch up for, too!"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

He shrugged. He didn't have the first idea how that stuff worked. Well maybe the 1st idea, but a second or third idea, no.

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

She mirrored his shrug, and grinned. "I'm sure we'll figure out if we ask around!"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

He nodded. "You never did tell me about your bodyguard." He smiled, teasingly.

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

"What about him?" She arched a challenging eyebrow. "I think you know him more than me!"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

"Maybe." He paused. "But that's different. And I haven't heard that story."

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

"Which story?" She grinned lightly, arching an eyebrow. "We had an adventure around the world, you know!"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

He sighed. It seemed getting some things from Aeris was as easy as getting Cloud to talk...about anything.

"Tell me about your adventure then."

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it was, but she was ever so much more pleasant about it than Cloud. And if one were honest about it, so was it with everyone.

"What part of it?" She grinned

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

He shook his head, exasperated now, then throwing his hands into the air and taking a few paces forward, before stopping. Maybe he'd been spending too much with those two.

Finally he composed himself. She was probably enjoying his frustration, that was her way. Teasing, but only to a certain point. He hadn't reached that point.

Turning back, he spoke again. "How about we go take a look at that giant wheel?"

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

She giggled lightly at his reaction, before moving to grab his arm and grin up at him. "That sounds fun!" She watched him a moment with a sly grin, before speaking again. "He fell through the roof. I'd only just finished repairing it!"

[1st-zack.livejournal.com]

Zack smiled back at her. Happy, in spite of himself, for getting a reaction out of her.

Suddenly she answered his question. His shoulders slumped. In this battle of wills, Aeris would always win. And it was a moment before he actually understood the irony of what she'd just said.

"He fell through the roof? Took a page right out of my book. He didn't hurt any flowers did he?"

[midgar-flowers.livejournal.com]

She giggled, and made a flattening motion with one hand. "He landed right on top of them! He took a while to wake up, too." She grinned lightly. "I knew he was alive, though, because he kept muttering about skinned knees."