Dedicated to every Zax (Zack) and Aerith (Aeris) fan who has stayed true through all these years...

It did not take a genius to realize that the flowers would never be as beautiful here as they were in the church where they really grew. He did not care though, this was as close to happiness as he could get and he didn't care that the yellow wasn't as vibrant nor did he care that the scent not as strong. Death had robbed him of a lot of things, it would take another army of soldiers with their damn helicopters to take this from him. The flowers never wilted and died, truthfully they never changed. Unlike real flowers they never opened nor closed their blossoms and in truth, he was a tiny bit disappointed at that fact. Yet he knew it was for the best, he probably would have ended up killing them if they had acted like real flowers.

Zax was not in possession of a green thumb or anything looking like a green thumb.

So he sat near the flowerbed and waited not knowing exactly what it was that he was waiting for. Death didn't exactly bring a lot of new adventures and he never left the church that served as his home in the afterlife. If one could even call it that. What he had encountered certainly hadn't been worth dying for. No one bothered him though, the church was his sanctuary and no one crossed to it.

No one.

With a sigh, Zax lay back on the floor fingers laced under his head and stared up at the broken ceiling. Beyond the rafters there was no plate to look at and there was no blue sky to take its place. The sky above his head was a plain white color without a single speck of blue and no sun to be seen. As artificial as the flowers his boots were currently dangerous close to touching.

"She would kill me if she found out I actually stepped on you guys," he told the flowers, mentally chiding himself for thinking that the flowers actually cared. "I can even hear her yelling stop in that tense tone she takes and can I confide in you guys? Of course I can. That tone is so cute I would attempt to step on you everyday just to hear it."

He has even tried that a few times, stopping when she finally got fed up with him and forcefully kept him from attempting to step on her flowers. With a warm smile he remembered that her forceful action had pulled him off his feet, resulting in his head connecting solidly with the floor. The only bright spot was that he had grabbed her and ended up with a very embarrassed looking flower girl sprawled across his chest.

The idea that all he had were memories now unsettled him greatly. Returning to a sitting position he looked at those flowers closely and realized he had no idea how much time had passed. Sometimes the days felt like they dragged on into eternality while others they were gone as quick as a breath.

Memories comforted him though, those beautiful green eyes that would light up every time he saw her. Two soft lips that smiled remembering how they could easily slip into a straight line of unhappiness when she thought he was doing something wrong. Skin that was warm and a soft figure that could fit into his embrace perfectly. The tiny sounds she would make that drove him wild and the sound of her breathing that lulled him into tranquility.

Something familiar yet oddly foreign caught his attention, breaking him out of his memories. The door of the church with its un-oiled was being pushed open, someone had broken through his barrier. Said someone gave a gasped that sounded chocked, a gasp he barely heard over the sound of feet pounding against the floor.

Turning slowly he was startled by the vision in pink rushing at him, arms open wide with a large smile spread across that all too familiar face.

"Zax!"

Instinct made him brace for the collision, reflexes brought his arms up and she was in his arms, her own wrapped tightly around his waist, face buried against his chest. Attempts to push her back so he could look at her properly failed as her grip tightened around his waist and for a brief moment he feared she would squeeze the breath out of him. Not that he would have minded in the slightest, inhaling the scent of her hair as he rested his cheek atop the crown of her head.

"You are wearing pink," he whispered against her hair. "It really was just a joke."

"What?" She asked, pulling back to look up at him. "I couldn't he-"

He couldn't take it anymore, he cut her words off, sweeping her off her feet and kissing her thoroughly. The taste of peaches his mind automatically associated with her was there, the feel of her lips against his was the same, down to the tiny hesitation before she parted her lips to him.

It all drove him insane and made him never want to let go again.

"I always knew," she said as they parted and he finally lowered her back to the floor. "I want to kn-"

Finger against her lips, he silenced her question.

"Same. But later."

Lips curved into a smile and he lowered his hand to look at her closer. Analyzing every inch of her face, knowing she was doing the same. Standing in silence, arm in arm, they couldn't look away from each other nor getting enough of the other.

Smiling at her, he ran bare fingers through her bangs loving the feel of her in his arm and the sound of their intermixed breathing.

Finally at peace.

Wow! I cannot believe I finished this! I claimed this couple April 17, 2006 and over a year later I am finally finished! I am both happy and sad as I hate to part with this couple, I love them far too much! But it was time to let them go, NaNoWriMo is just around the corner and I wanted this finished before then.This final piece was inspired by an image by Garakuta and since I find their reunion in Maiden so boring! The reference to Aerith wearing pink is something that you pick up in Crisis Core, totally cute scene!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and fav'd this story! Thank you to the one who nominated this for an award, just being recognized is wonderful! Thank you all once again!

Tifa Gainsborough (Malee) October 23rd 2007 10:30pm (JST)