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Hades and Persephone
by KageSakura
It's been a while since he's stopped by.
The flowers are the same; growingly defiantly around the benches in the center of the church.
She is kneeling there, as if in the middle of spring itself.
Her back is turned, a braid, long and taught, like a rope tied around his heart.
If he were to move, too fast, not enough, it would close like a vice.
Her face is framed, turned away.
She barely notices, how heavy the air is in this old church.
But he can tell.
"It's been a while." her voice almost a whisper reads his mind. "I hardly ever see you any more."
"I came on an errand." His quick reply, if he were to say more it would be complicated.
"I see." She turns to face him fully, the sun catching the emerald in her eyes, like mako.
Like life.
But he brings news of death, so he looks down at his shoes.
"I suppose there's no point in asking if you've heard anything."
He shakes his head. "We're doing all we can but--"
He is pacing now.
She reaches out a hand to stop him. "I know."
"But, if you see him," she picks up a folded paper, as if by magic, by her side and holds it up.
He hadn't noticed. No, hadn't looked.
"Would you please..."
His eyes turn towards the church door behind her, the floor, the stained glass windows. Anywhere else.
He'd made a promise, after all, to watch over her.
"Tseng..."
And that required a certain distance.
"Look at me."
His eyes immediately find hers. It's an order, after all.
"This letter…" she says her eyes determined in contrast to the shaking hand. "It's the last one."
"I won't--" Her eyes closed in the space of one shuddering breath. "I won't write anymore."
He reached out to take it. "Understood."
He would put it in his desk. With the rest.
He slides it in his suit pocket, the rope around his chest pulls tighter.
"In any case, I'll put it...with the rest."
Now, devoid of purpose, his hand falls limply at his side. Her own hand finds his, however, and give it a tight squeeze.
Her eyes are shining. "Thank you."
He feels himself almost say something. His lips parting as if to offer some solace; any kind of comfort or message of hope. If only they could.
If only he could.
He stays silent.
The flowers in the church glow in the sunlight. He notices now, their pollen fills the place, but that isn't the heaviness that makes the room so stuffy. Stifling.
He'd made a promise.
"I have to head back now. Stay out of trouble. Shinra has eyes everywhere. It would do you well to remember that."
"I know. If I venture around too much Shinra will try to take me back. But isn't it a little unfair? Sector Five is so tiny compared to the rest of Midgar. Besides this church there's really nowhere for me to--"
"--It's better than nothing, Aerith," he says through gritted teeth.
He composes himself in the wake of her hurt look. "It's not ideal, but it's the safest place. You don't have to live in the Shinra building, and you can live freely if you abide by a few rules. That was the agreement."
"I know. I know, I'm in the church now, aren't I? Haven't gone anywhere else, as per the agreement." She says using her fingers to punctuate the words.
He let out a sigh. He hadn't warned her for no reason, after all. "Right...However--"
"--Completely safe and sound," she says whirling around as if to illustrate her point. "So you have nothing to worry about."
So they were forgetting that incident with AVALANCHE, apparently. Her little attempt at running away and searching for the SOLDIER who disappeared just because his bosses willed it.
Perhaps it was best to just never bring it up.
She turns and kneels down surrounded by yellow as her shoulders slump. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to tend to my flowers."
The pink ribbon in her hair looks defiant as he stares down at the crown of her head.
"Rude and Reno will be around later." His jaw tightens. As of five minutes ago they were late.
"As if anything else is new."
"Aerith…"
"Tseng."
Her back straightens. Suddenly the silence in the room is deafening. For a moment he isn't so sure if they are still in the church or some other dimension, filled with light and spring.
She seems to be waiting for him to speak, but the rope in his chest has him immobile now. His heart like a trapped stone. His breath gone with it.
This really was going nowhere. He was wasting time, his mind fighting with him to just deliver the message.
Zack had been filed as missing in action, about a year ago there was word that he was on the run, orders were to retrieve him. They'd lost all trace of him.
Well, that is, until yesterday...
He had sent Reno and Rude out on a rescue mission, but based on their last report the Shinra grunts had been there waiting at the same spot.
There had been no need to ask the rest.
It's what he'd been trying to tell her. Tried to tell her. Had come here to tell her.
But from the way she'd said his name, he was certain she knew.
He knew she knew, but he couldn't tell her. A dilemma indeed.
Furthermore, he can't help but feel a certain sense of foreboding. Zack's death was unfortunate enough. He felt a certain sadness of course, for his comrade.
But now that Shinra had none other than that infernal scientist at the forefront of their research division how long would it be before he got tired of playing god with his grotesque experiments and turned his sights onto--
He feels his fists clench.
She hated the Shinra building, he knew that better than anyone. He understood.
And that's exactly why he shakes his head as if he's lost track of an unimportant matter.
"Reno and Rude have offered to escort you to Wallmarket."
"Really?" Her voice filled with a smile. Though it was off.
"What is it?"
"You were standing there so long, I thought you'd say something more serious."
"It's...imperative...that you be on your guard."
She smiles. "Hm. There's the Tseng, I know. Something on your mind?"
Of course she was making this difficult.
"Just...don't cause them trouble." He said lamely. His eyes went to the door.
"I'll be good…I'm twenty two now, you know." She laughed. "Too bad you can't take me instead, Reno is likely going to ditch us once he finds a bar and Rude is….well…"
"I have a multitude of things to take care of."
"Hmmmmmmm." Now she looked up her sunkissed bangs falling back as green eyes widened. "Even more important than spending the day with a delightful flower girl?"
"Yes."
"I see." She stood and dusted off her skirt. Good luck with those important things, then."
He turns to leave but stops short when he feels her breath on his neck. The Cetra's arms wrap around him in a loose embrace. His sleeves are wet.
Crying. She is crying. And he's suddenly rooted to the spot, like the flowers at his feet.
"Thank you…"
"It's nothing."
It really is nothing. The man she is waiting for will never come back. Nothing he can do for her can change that. Nothing he did do for her made any difference. If he were to think logically about all that he has ever done for her it would pale in comparison to the amount of pain his mere presence, and that of his superiors in her life had caused.
And what had he ever done about that?
"Do you really have to go back, right now? I wanted to...ask you about something."
There it is, the line he won't cross. His eyes find the stained glass on the ceiling of the church.
He untangles himself before she can say any more.
"I'm terribly sorry, Aerith. But I must get back before the higher ups start to wonder why I wasn't present at this afternoon's meeting."
Her voice is filled with lingering sobs. "Of--Of course. I'm sorry. I...didn't mean to mess up your suit."
"It's alright."
But he doesn't look at her.
Doesn't waste any more time as he walks towards the door leaving the flowery spring behind. "I'll tell those two to hurry it up. It's impolite to keep a lady waiting."
A few months later, he knew he'd return.
And depending on how things went when Reno and Rude reported on the status of the runaway SOLDIER (the last of their clone subject supply after that mess with the Genesis Clones) to the higher ups, the next time might might be the last.
It wasn't even a matter of hypotheticals.
Soon, he'd have no choice but to take her from this spring. To the cold dark winter of a past memory.
However, for now…
For now he'd keep his unofficial contract. He'd follow his duty.
He'd watch over her.
Without a word.
***
When he arrives in his office the lights are all off. Dusk outside the window provides a subtle glow. The air is thinner here, but stuffy nonetheless.
Soon it will be winter.
The letter in his pocket is tossed on the desk as he stalks to the window and opens it; letting in the cold, brisk air.