Aerith was tending her flowers as usual. She grabbed the watering can near the wagon and started watering her daffodils, humming the tune that Zack plays on his guitar in his long visits. 'A Flower Blooming In The Slums', that's what Zack called it. It was actually really good and Aerith loved it. She loved listening Zack playing his guitar.

Her eyes darted around her much-better-looking church. Zack had helped her tidying up her church and he also painted the walls with a brighter shade of wooden-brown. He basically fixed everything aside from the roof, where the sun shines through straight to her flower bed. He even added a nice, fluffy carpet that matched the color of the wooden-floor and a coffee table near her flower bed, where they usually sat together and talk about some silly things. Or just listening to Zack playing his guitar as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

She smiled proudly as she looked at her garden. Her daffodils have fully bloomed, decorating the church with beautiful shade of green and yellow, adding a strong floral scent in the air. Zack had told her to sell the flowers when they're fully bloom so she could make some money. 'Midgar Full of Flowers, Wallet Full of Money', she remembered Zack said. She smiled at the memory. That guy has head full of ideas. She glanced on the unfinished wagon. Zack had left the town last other week for a mission, and he had promised he would finish it today. She was really looking forward to it, because that means spending more time with him.

It had only been a week since the last time they saw each other, but she really missed him. And really worried. She always worry whenever he's out on a mission since she knew that his works was often dangerous. He told her not to worry countless times- by puffing out his chest and flexing his biceps and said 'I'm a tough guy', it did not make her any less worried. But despite her worrying, deep down she believe that Zack would always come back to her. There were twenty-three of her wishes that he promised to fulfill.

The sound of someone barging through her door broke her away from her thought.

"Aerith!" A familiar voice called her name eagerly.

Zack, Aerith thought.

She spun around and grinned widely as Zack walked up to her.

"Hi, Zack!" She quickly put the watering can on the ground and ran into him.

Zack caught her in his arms. "Hey, Aerith." His arms were wrapped around her, embracing her in a warm, gentle hug that she had been craving for days.

He was about to pull away but Aerith tightened her hug, "Wait. Don't pull away.. Not yet." She murmured against his chest.

"As you wish," he murmured into her hair.

Aerith looked up, catching his gaze. "How was your mission?" She asked.

"It went fine," She suddenly felt her body being lifted from the ground, Zack's hands gripping her waist firmly as he spun her around. She was laughing and clutching Zack's shoulder, and she was looking at Zack's grinning face. "And before you ask," He said as he put her back on the ground, "I'm fine!"

"I can see that." She smiled at him.

"Oh, and I have something for you!" He fished something out from his bag and showed her a plastic bag of seeds on his palm, "Here it is!"

"..Seeds?" She asked, somehow a little bit disappointed. That's certainly not what she expected. Well, she didn't know what she was expecting, but she was certainly not expecting that.

"Yeah, flower seeds!" He answered excitedly. "I got this from the merchant above the plate that I helped the other day, he was selling many high-quality flower seeds. I told him that my future-" he suddenly cleared his throat, "I told him that my girlfriend grows flowers below the plate, and he gave me some for free. But not all of these are free, though. Don't worry, I wouldn't give you any given free stuff as gifts. I bought even more seeds, see?" He said as he took several plastic bags containing seeds from his bag. "There are more!" He took out more seeds and lined them up on the church's seat beside him.

"Wow, that's plenty of seeds. That's very thoughtful of you. But I don't know if we can plant them all, I don't think there's enough space." She said as she glanced at the garden behind her, which was already full of blooming daisies.

His smile faltered, and Aerith's heart dropped. There has to be a way to bring that smile back to his face. Then, she remembered the wagon.

"Oh…" Zack said, disappointment clear in his voice as he glanced at the garden behind her. "Um.. Okay, I guess I should-"

"Finish the wagon so we can put the daffodils there and plant those new seeds?" The flower basket wouldn't fit all those daffodils. Or maybe she just want him to spend more time with her. Besides, Zack really seemed so eager to plant those new seeds he brought, so she wouldn't let him down.

His smile returned, and so did Aerith's. She had always thought that Zack's smile was contagious. And quite charming, if she might add. But she would never admit it in front of him.

"Right! Stay put and I'll finish it real quick!" He quickly made his way toward the wagon excitedly.

Aerith giggled as she followed him behind. "I thought we're finishing it together?"

"Nope, I'm finishing it. I only need to attach those wheels and make sure the wagon is sturdy enough. Won't take long, I promise." He grabbed the tools in the corner of the room and started working. "We can paint it together after it's finished. We can visit the store to get the paint tomorrow."

"Alright then." She sat on the fluffy carpet, watching Zack did his work. "Are we going to sell the daffodils afterward?"

"Well, of course. I thought that was the plan?" He glanced at her. "Unless.. You don't want to?"

She shrugged. "We can't just give them for free?"

He laughed at her response. "You can, if you want. It's your flowers, I wouldn't force you into selling them if you don't want to. I just thought that it would be better to sell them since, you know, it gives you money."

"Hmmm.." She glanced at the daffodils on the flower bed. True, she needed the money, but she also wanted the people below the plate to be able to enjoy her flowers too. Maybe she should sell the flowers with a cheap price, making them affordable for everyone below the plate. "I think I'm going to sell it for 1 gil each." She looked at Zack as he attached the last wheel into the wagon.

"Okay, good price. Bet you want everybody to be able to buy your flowers, right?" Sometimes she wondered if Zack was a mind reader, since he always seems to know what she was thinking.

She nodded. "Right. So, operation 'Midgar Full of Flowers, Wallet Full of Money' is finally happening." She said. "Will.. Will you do it with me?"

Zack put the tools down as he finished with the wagon. "Of course I will. I'll be with you every step of the way whenever I'm not on mission. There's no other place I'd rather be, Aerith." He smiled at her.

They were planting the seeds on the soil where the daffodils used to be. The two of them had neatly placed the daffodils in the wagon, ready to be sold. The flower bed that used to be full with flowers was now empty. It felt odd to see it bare. It would take a long time until the new seeds bloom, but she was thrilled to have some new flowers in her church. Though, she wondered what kind of flowers she would see when they bloom.

Her fingers were covered with dirt as she planted the seeds on the soil. She didn't mind though, she was never afraid of getting dirty. She liked how the damp soil feel on her skin, and planting seeds had always felt so therapeutic for her. She enjoyed every second of it.

She glanced at Zack, who seemed to be also enjoying himself as he put buried the seeds with his hands.

"Zack?"

"Yeah?" He glanced up, his hands went still on the soiled ground.

"What kind of seeds are these?" She asked.

"Uh.." His eyeballs rolled up as though as he was thinking. Then he shrugged. "I don't remember." Zack said as he planted another seeds on the flower bed.

"What?" Unbelievable. "What if these are tree seeds? I really don't want to plant any tree in the middle of my church, Zack."

He laughed at her response. "No, of course these are not tree seeds. I asked the merchant for flower seeds, and I guarantee you-" He gestured at the bags of seeds on his feet, "these are flower seeds. I just- I just don't remember what kind of flowers those are. The merchant was stupid for not giving labels for the bags."

She stared blankly on his boyfriend and shook her head. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to trust you."

He gave her a dashing smile. "You'll see. When the flower blooms, you will be the happiest maiden in the slums."

With you, I already am, Aerith thought.

"Any particular reasons of why you're giving me the seeds?" She asked him curiously. Zack had given her many presents, but he was never one to bring flowers or anything related to it. He would give her some nice bracelets or necklaces, occasionally tickets to some carnivals and romantic dinner after, and many nice trinkets he got from the places he visited on his mission. But never flowers.

"…I have a reason, actually." He said. "But.. I think it's kinda embarrassing."

"Oh? But I still want hear it, though."

He blushed and shrugged. It's the first time she saw him blush, and Aerith thought it's kinda cute.

"It's.. You see, I often see guys gifting their girlfriend -or wife, a bouquet of flowers. I just thought that, a bouquet of flowers might be nice as a present. But the best thing those flowers can do is to make a good display for a few days before they wither and die. I don't want to represent my love like that- like a short-lived admiration." He rubbed the back of his neck. He looked like he was struggling with words, but she didn't stop him. "I don't want to be someone who picks a flower just because I like it. I-I mean, why pick flowers and kills them when you can grow them?"

Then, he smiled sheepishly as he gazed into her eyes. She gazed back into his sky-blue eyes. She could get lost in them for a long time and she wouldn't mind. "The seeds- we need to cultivate and nurture them so they will grow healthy and bloom beautifully. Together, we will see the flower bloom. That's how I want to represent what I feel about us."

Aerith didn't know what to say. She just stared at his bright blue eyes for a what felt like a long time. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach fluttered. She felt a sudden wave of affection toward the hero standing in front of her.

Now, she was the one struggling for words.

"I actually have another gift for you. But I need to wait until the seeds grow. I will give it to you after the flowers fully bloomed." He said, "So we need to look after the seeds and make sure they bloom beautifully." He flashed her a loving smile.

Another gift? She was really curious, why did he need to wait until the flowers bloom? He was never the patient type. "Why do you need to wait that long?" She asked him.

"Hmmm.. I guess I want to make sure that the time is right and the moment meaningful."

"What for?"

"That's a secret." He winked at her.

Zack cleared his throat. "Aerith? I guess.. I guess what I've been trying to say is," He took her hands, clasping them firmly but gently in his own as he took a step forward. His eyes were fixed on their clasped hands. Then, he lifted her right hand, opening up her palm. She felt the soft, gentle caress of his thumb running across her palm before he kissed it softly. He let his lips linger for a few more seconds. The gesture sent a shiver up her spine.

He glanced up at her and their eyes locked.

She knew what he was going to say. He had showed it through his actions more than she could count. And the feeling conveyed by the actions had always reached her every single time. He didn't need to say it out loud to let her know what he felt. She felt the same towards him, and she didn't think she need to say it out loud for him to know that she returned his feelings. The feeling of attraction that sparked between them when he crashed into her church, had grown into something more. Something deep and strong.

Something beautiful.

"Aerith.. I-"

Aerith stepped forward and silenced him with a kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Zack let out a surprised yelp, but he immediately leaned down to kiss her back, putting on hand on her waist and one on her back.

It was a very affectionate kiss. Their very first kiss.

The next wish in her list was blissfully fulfilled.