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Idle Wishes ~ Chapter 1
------------------------------------------- Zack leaned against the back of the plastic moogle's head in the Sector 6 playground, wishing idly for a smoke. Something to distract him, to get him just a little out of touch with this drab metallic world of plates and Sectors. Just for a little while, he'd like to be somewhere where green things grew, even if it was only in his own mind. Picking up a hand sized rock, he tossed it up and down against his palm. Strange to think that he was actually missing his childhood home of Gongaga, after he'd sworn he never wanted to see that jungle again. But now he sorely missed the greenery, the feeling of life that the jungle had. Midgar felt like metal and decay, especially on the plates, where he'd spent most of his time since the war against Wutai ended. He was about to hurl the rock at the gates that seperated the playground from Sector 7 when he heard someone approaching. Light footsteps, but not timid ones, and... yes... it was someone singing a soft, wordless tune. Setting the rock down, he waited, hoping that whoever it was would just pass him by. On the other hand... his curiosity was nagging him to find out who could find something to sing about in the slums. "Oh!" He was on his feet, sword in hand, before he realized it was a girl peeking around the moogle at him. Her eyes were very wide and very green, but she held her ground. He sheathed his sword slowly, glad that his skin coloring didn't show blushes very easily. "Oh my," she said. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was just worried that you might be hurt. This isn't a place where people usually just sit around, you know." She stepped around the edge of the moogle, smiling calmly. "I'm not hurt," he replied evenly. She held a worn and notched staff in one hand and a basket in the other. The staff didn't surprise him; anyone with any sense would make sure they were armed and capable of self-defense in these slums. The basket, on the other hand, seemed to have flowers in it. He couldn't help but wonder if he was hallucinating that, even though he knew he was sober. He had to ask. "Are those really flowers?" Propping the staff in the crook of her elbow, she reached into the basket and drew out one of the slender yellow flowers. She held it out to him and he took it gingerly, afraid to crush its fragile beauty. "I sell them," she said. Running his fingers over the petals, he stared at the tiny veins in the leaves, fascinated by the varying shades of green. It was so delicate, the top of the leaves soft and velvety, the underside ever so slightly sticky. "But where... where do you find them?" Raising his eyes from the flower, he met her frank green gaze. For a long moment, she held his gaze, studying him, he thought. Then she smiled. "I'll show you," she said.
"Do you have a name?" she asked, as they headed into the "residential" area of the slums. "Mine's Aeris." "Zack," he replied, moving to put himself between her and a stray dog. It growled fiercely at him, but quieted at her soft spoken command. The few houses in Sector 5 were a motley mix of clapboard shacks and renovated vehicles. They were placed in a loose circle, around the edges of the Sector defined by a steel wall and yet more scrap heaps. Two or three houses hunched together in the center of the circle, a mish-mash of haphazard walls and misaligned rooves. At least they didn't have much to fear from the weather, down here under the plates. "Zack," she murmured thoughtfully, but she said nothing else. Passing through a narrow archway in the northeast corner of the sector wall, they stepped into one of those rare areas along the border of two plates where sunlight actually filtered through to the slums. A large, two-storey house stood off to the left, while the right hand side of the path was fenced. Zack's gaze swept over the house absently as the gardens before them caught his full attention. Forgetting Aeris's presence, he ran up the short staircase into the garden. Flowers bloomed in circular beds all around him. Most were a soft golden-yellow, but here and there red, white, and pink blooms stood out amidst the others. Walking slowly forward, he knelt in front of the central bed. Reaching out with fingers that would have trembled if he hadn't been a SOLDIER, he swept his palm across the wide expanse of petals. "It's all... so... alive," he whispered. Awe and amazement left him otherwise speechless. Aeris knelt beside him. He hadn't heard her approach. "I thought you would like it here," she said quietly. He turned to look up at her, his fingers still exploring the leaves, fascinated by the green and growing feeling of it all. "How did you know?" Her green eyes were thoughtful, but her smile was warm. "I saw it in your eyes." Sitting back on his heels, he tried not to let his surprise show. It was not like him to let any deep emotion show, but this stranger had picked up on his longing so easily.... She laid a gentle hand on his knee. "Don't worry. No one else will see. But you mustn't tell anyone else about this place." Her voice held sadness that he didn't understand. "Please don't tell anyone." This time, he studied her eyes -- fell into their green depths and emerged again willing to trust her with his life. For a moment, all his soul's secrets were bare between them, seen in the depths of her eyes and understood without words. Then the moment was gone, leaving him breathless and dizzy, and confused. "Who are you?" he whispered hoarsely. She smiled. "I told you, silly. Aeris." Her hand was warm on his knee and the sweet scent of flowers rose all around them. Suddenly it was all too much. He rose swiftly to his feet, backing away from her, from the flowers, from the enchantment of this impossible place. "I... I have to go...." he stuttered. She simply nodded, her smile turning a little sad. He turned and walked away, forcing himself not to run and not to look back.
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