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One
Time seemed to stretch while he waited, and the night’s chill crawled deeper into his bones. He wiggled his fingers and toes to reassure himself that he had not turned into ice.
Was she coming? Maybe she had forgotten, or more likely, she had received a better invitation from someone else. Even in their tiny town she had a large following of friends. The longer he waited, the greater his doubt grew.
The sound of footsteps on the boardwalk behind him sent a shock through his body, turning his doubt into sudden panic. What would he say to her? Could she hear his heart pounding?
He made himself turn around to look. She was wearing a dress that might have been cut from the same fabric as the starry sky overhead, and her lips were painted with something shiny. The breeze that stirred her hair carried the scent of her perfume, made from the wildflowers that grew between their houses.
On that night, he would have promised her anything she wanted.
Two
They had hired a local girl to guide them up Mt. Nibel. His heart rose in his throat when he saw who it was: the person he most wanted to see in the world, and the person he least wanted to see him wearing the nondescript uniform of a Shinra infantryman. He was never more grateful for the helmet and visor that concealed his identity.
Even so, it stung when she took no notice of him, her quick glance dismissing him like the faceless grunt that he was. He saw the smiles she gave Sephiroth, the celebrated hero, and Zack in his proud SOLDIER uniform, and his failure tasted bitter in his mouth.
Three
He had come to see a man in Midgar about a job, and as fate would have it, it was her bar that he found himself walking into.
The place was jam-packed, but the crowd parted readily for a SOLDIER wearing a giant sword. He saw her standing behind the bar, wiping a hand across her forehead as she poured drinks with the other. The years they spent apart had only filled out her beauty, and the harsh neon lights took nothing away from it. Her breasts rose in luscious curves above her slender waist, softly framed by her hair, which had grown even longer than he remembered.
She glanced up as he approached, and her dark eyes grew wide. He looked at her with hunger, self-confidence, and only a hint of his old reverence. He was gratified to see her blush.
Four
As the brightening dawn drew him out of sleep, he became aware of a presence, a soft weight next to him. She was surprisingly light, like a butterfly that had landed on his arm. He held himself still, afraid the tiniest movement might make her fly away.
Her hair smelled of crushed flowers, and memories of the previous night came flooding back to him. The shimmer of tears in her eyes as he told her everything he had always been afraid to say. The change in her breathing as his kisses grew hungry and then desperate. The cool grass beneath him as her warm body glided over his.
He heard the sound of their friends approaching, and reluctantly kissed her awake.