{AERITH} && it's Y O U i want

[Zack Fair]

It was weird, walking around without the Buster Sword. He felt half-naked and strangely light without the massive blade attached to his back, and while he was in fact half-naked, that wasn't nearly as discomfiting as the lack of his mentore's sword.

The SOLDIER First Class sighed and ran his fingers through his spiked black hair, placing a hand on his hip as he glanced around. Aerith would be there soon... he only hoped that she hadn't run into trouble on her way. What if she got attacked just 'cause he wanted to spend some time with her? Null was supposed to be a neutral town, so hopefully she wouldn't have any problems there... but Chaos could have launched an attack on the town, or maybe someone got out of hand, or maybe or maybe or maybe. A thousand scenarios were running through Zack's whirling head, and he was freaking out even more every second because of them.

He hopped from one foot onto the other, the burning sand vaguely uncomfortable on his bare feet. The last time they had been apart, he had died. What if it was the other way around this time? Granted, that had been a four-year-long separation and he had practically all of ShinRa plus the Turks after him, but that was besides the point.

Zack looked down at himself and suddenly wondered if showing up in a bathing suit had been a bad idea. What if Aerith was wearing a dress? Then he'd just feel awkward. But... if she was wearing a bathing suit too...

He flushed a bright scarlet color as the image of his girlfriend in a bikini popped into his head, and he eagerly facepalmed at his own idiocy. Maybe a date in Costa Del Sol wasn't such a good idea after all...

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Why did this place seem so familiar to her? Aerith was currently looking about the coastal surroundings, wondering why it felt like she had been here before. Of course she knew about the resort town, because it had been quite a wonderful vacation spot in her world, but she could not remember having ever been here. Well, there was the answer she had been searching for! Aerith knew that much of her memory was missing, and sadly Cloud had not been able to inform her before Lightning had interrupted their reunion, but enough of those thoughts! It may be a long while before she would have the chance to spend time with Zack, and there was the reason she was currently here~! The weather was lovely, and journeying around this world was such a balm to her wondrous heart. Aerith had always wanted the chance to venture away from Midgar, and it seemed her wish had been granted. Not exactly the way she had wanted it, but one did have to be careful what they wished for.

Aerith ran her hand through her unbound locks, finding the heavy weight of her hair against her back a little uncomfortable. She refused to braid them back, wanting Zack to see her with her hair down for once. Of course, her hair was tied back into a low ponytail with her pink ribbon. She had promised to always where it, and she had kept that promise so far. Seeing that he was not among the enclosure of beach houses and shops, Aerith knew he must have already ventured onto the beach. Thank goodness she had opted for a pair of dainty blue and pink sandals, and they matched her bikini quite well! She had always had a weakness for cute clothing, and that would never change. Emerald eyes flickered to the steps leading down to the beach, and she made her way onto the rather empty beach.

Her gaze flickered over the sandy beach, perking up as she spotted her boyfriend hopping up and down a little upon the obviously hot sand. He forgot to wear sandals? Aerith sighed just a little, but the actions were just so endearing and adorable. It was entirely Zack to act that way, and be rather forgetful at times. Holding back a laugh, Aerith made her way forward to greet Zack. It did appear he had yet to see her, but she quirked a brow as his cheeks suddenly flushed, and he smacked his palm against his face. What could he have been thinking about? A teasing smile appeared on her lips, and so she continued on until she stopped before him. Clasping her hands behind her back, Aerith leaned forward with that sly smile in place. "Thinking about me, Zack~?" she teased lightly.

[Zack Fair]

He blinked and his head shot up as soon as he heard Aerith's voice, and for at least a minute he stared at the flower girl like a deer in headlights. Somehow, ridiculously, the first thing he noticed was that her hair was down; he liked it that way, but he missed the obvious presence of the pink ribbon he had bought her. She was still wearing it, he was happy to see, but it somehow wasn't the same~ Still amazingly, though, the second thing he noticed was a scar that marred the smooth surface of her midriff. When did she get that? he wondered, concern etching his brow as he stared at it for a few moments.

Then, finally, he realized that he was staring at her stomach, which was bare because she was wearing a bikini. Needless to say, he promptly facepalmed again, after which he ran his fingers through his spiky hair. He grinned sheepishly before pulling the girl against his bare chest, lightly pressing his lips against her hair. "That obvious, huh?"

Zack's grin only broadened as he pulled away, and he put his hands on his hips and glanced around. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her; how she got the scar, how she was doing, if she got hurt, if she met Cloud, what she thought of Angeal, did she possibly want to put some clothes on so he wouldn't just stare at her gorgeous body the entire time they were together, etc. He had a few of his own personal worries, but those weren't nearly as important. He just got Aerith back, after all. He wasn't about to lose her again.

Even after he looked around, the SOLDIER's eyes were drawn back to the flower girl; he found himself staring at her face, though, that beautiful expression that sent his heart flying out of his chest every time he looked at her. He flushed again, reminded suddenly of the feeling of her lips on his, and he spun on his burning heel and entwined his fingers together behind his head.

"So what do people do here, anyway?"

Zack knew, kind of. He'd been here before on vacation with Cissnei, but half the time he was either doing squats or calling Aerith. Now that he was here with her, though... he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself~!

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Amusement shone brightly in her emerald gaze as Zack's eyes widened in surprise, and she giggled at his rather adorable behavior. Well, he had never seen her in a bathing suit before, and this would be their first date in a very long time. Her head tilted to the side, and Aerith watched the emotions flicker across his face. Shock, happiness, and then concern. What was wrong? Was there something wrong with her appearance? Aerith blinked, and she glanced down at herself. Well, the bikini had been rather cute in the shop window, and she believed she looked quite nice in it. Emerald eyes flickered over the scar that stretched along her abdomen, her brow furrowing as she glanced down at it. It was a clean-cut scar, and she knew there was a matching one in the middle of her back. Slim fingers ghosted over the long-healed scar tissue, waiting for the memory that would answer where it had come from. No recollection came, and the young woman had a feeling that it was a memory she did not wish to recall anytime soon. Her heart beat just a little more quickly, enlightening her that perhaps her subconscious mind did not wish for her to know. Would Cloud know? If she asked him, would he tell her? Aerith certainly did not notice that Zack had been staring at her stomach, too focused on wondering where the scar had come from.

Her thoughts dispersed as she was pulled against Zack's warm, broad, and bare, chest. A small blush dusted her cheeks, but her lips curled into a sweet smile. His lips pressing a brief kiss against her head had her heart quickening, and a familiar warmth of love rush for her boyfriend. He had always been such a sweetheart, and she wondered how she had been so lucky to have him fall right into her lap. [Really, she had almost crashed on top of her when he fell through the roof.] Aerith leaned into the embrace with a giggle, glancing up at Zack with mischievous green eyes. "Very obvious, but that's alright. I was thinking of you, too~!" she teased. She leaned up to press her lips against his cheek before he could pull away. This would be a very good day, and the two of them could forget about this conflict for awhile. A break was needed every now and again, enough to restore spirits. Being here with Zack was a perfect reprieve for her, because she had not spent time with him for four years, and it was wonderful to know he still felt the same for her as she did for him.

Aerith leaned back as Zack pulled away, smiling brightly up at him. She regarded him with all-knowing eyes as he looked around the beach. She knew that he was full of questions, but she was unsure if she could give him any answers. At least not ones pertaining to how she obtained the scar. Emerald eyes remained solely on him, more than amused that he was trying to refrain from looking at her for too long. At least she knew that she did look nice in her new bathing suit, and it was flattering at how flustered Zack appeared. Honestly, the attention was pure and just endearing to her. She brought her hand up to stifle a laugh as his face flushed a bright red. Oh, the poor thing! Aerith watched as he turned away from her, trying to act nonchalant about his embarrassment. Well, she was not going to make things easy on Zack! They had four years to make up for, so he would just have to become used to seeing her in a bathing suit! Biting back a grin, she quickly walked around him, clasping her hands behind her back as she did so. Chestnut locks swayed as she moved, and she glanced back at Zack with a bright smile.

"Hmm, how about we go swimming~?" Aerith asked. Spinning on her heel, she looked up at Zack with an expectant smile. She had never been swimming before! At least, not that she could really remember. "You'll be able to call off your feet, too," she teased with a laugh. It was obvious that the sand was still uncomfortable on his bare feet.

[Zack Fair]

Zack had a few scars of his own; it'd be impossible to make it in SOLDIER without getting a couple of bumps and bruises along the way. A majority of his scars, however, were on his upper body; they were small, pale little dashes that marred his otherwise smooth skin, and even just looking at himself brought back memories of the intense pain that had caused those scars. He had barely felt the bullets as they were being pumped into his body, but afterwards... it was all he could do to stay awake so he could say goodbye to Cloud.

That didn't matter now, though. The past was the past, and even though he had a worry or two about a couple of things, he pushed that out of his mind. He had Aerith back, after all~! And Angeal and Cloud were around too, so it was practically like old times, only even better 'cause they were in the same generic place. Even though they were at war, it wasn't like he was being sent off every five seconds to some random place. This time, he could stick with Aerith and take care of her and make sure that some asshat with a superiority complex didn't shish-kebob her. Not that something like that would ever happen, right? Right.

Zack grinned as Aerith's lips brushed against his cheek. He'd never get tired of the feeling of her lips on his skin, that was for sure. Silly as it sounded, he had a feeling that while Aerith was definitely his first "true" love, she was also going to be his last. He just couldn't imagine not being with Aerith, and he was having a hard time remembering what exactly he had done before he had quite literally fallen into the flower girl's lap. So yeah, maybe he was being stupid, but he honestly didn't care. As long as Aerith was around, he was happy~

"Swimming?" Zack tilted his head as if the idea was foreign to him. Had he ever been swimming? He must have, but he honestly couldn't remember. Did he even know how? That didn't matter anyway, 'cause he was about to find out!

He grinned sheepishly as she teased him about his feet, which were extremely uncomfortable by that point. He'd have to pick up some sandals sometime soon~ The SOLDIER grasped Aerith's hand, a sweet, almost shy smile replacing his grin. He really couldn't hide his emotions, even if he wanted to. It was a trait that usually got him into trouble, but no one ever said that Zack Fair was afraid of getting rough~!

He started walking down the beach at an easy pace, pretty much forgetting the pain in his feet as his friends once again returned to his mind. He had asked Cloud to watch over Aerith... he thought he did, anyway. It was all really hazy. "Say, have you ever met a guy named Cloud?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he gesticulated with his free hand. "He's about yay tall, really spiky blond hair, kinda quiet sometimes... he's in SOLDIER too-- oh, wait, I don't think he ever made SOLDIER. He was an infantryman when I met him, but he wanted to be in SOLDIER..." Zack trailed off, wondering. He hadn't even thought to ask his friend about what he had been up too; he was too intoxicated by the combination of being alive and having a good majority of the people important to him close by. He wondered where Cissnei had gone, and Tifa; Tseng, Reno, Rude, that Treasure Princess girl, as far as he knew, they weren't here either. He missed them, but he was happy at the same time; even if they weren't here, Aerith, Cloud, and Angeal were, and they were more than good enough for him.

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Aerith nodded at his inquiry, because she was quite keen on trying to swim. Zack knew how to do swim, right? He was in SOLDIER, so it seemed like he would know how to, if a mission needed him to do any physical exercise. The young woman did not know for sure, because most of her knowledge about Shinra surrounded the Turks. Not the most pleasant of thoughts, and this was meant to be a fun date with her boyfriend. His habit of tilting his head was so adorable, and Aerith did believe the title of 'Puppy' fit Zack so well. Always so loyal and cheerful, and there for comfort when needed. And he followed directions so very well, too! Aerith thought back to the flower wagon she had requested he build her, and would admit that she had been very picky as a teenage girl. It had to be perfect and pretty to match her lovely flowers, and she had used it throughout those four years. Smiling up at Zack, she just had to wonder once more how she had gotten so lucky. "Yes, swimming, silly! I've never been to the ocean before, and I want to try it," she answered with an excited glint to her emerald eyes.

A small blush colored her cheeks as Zack grasped her hand, and so Aerith twined her fingers through his loosely. His shy smile was so adorable, and it had her heart fluttering within her chest. How silly of her to be acting such a way, but it felt so nice. Aerith walked by Zack's side as they strolled slowly down the beach. Relaxed and easy, and it was such a beautiful day out. The silence certainly did not last for too long where Zack was concerned. Emerald eyes flickered to the SOLDIER, her head tilting to the side as he suddenly asked about Cloud. Her lips parted to answer, but soon he had begun rambling about what the blond male looked like. Smiling in slight exasperation, she patiently waited for him to finish. It was endearing how excited he could become, and Aerith knew she loved that about him. Eventually, he had trailed off, and so she took her chance to answer. "Well, I did meet him after that gathering with Cosmos. I think I knew him before that, though. My memories are a bit hazy," Aerith mused. Her expression turned pensive for a moment, wondering if they would return to her. The more she battled, the more they would return, right?

Shaking off the silence, she did notice that Zack had turned rather thoughtful, too. He was lost in his own musings, and a rather mischievous idea flickered into her mind. Aerith slipped her hand from his gently, and she quickly moved to wade into the shallows of the ocean. The water was rather cool, but soon she leaned down, hands skimming the surface of the water. With a bright laugh, she splashed the cool, salty water at her daydreaming boyfriend. "Come and get me, Zack!" she called out. For added measure, Aerith splashed the poor male once more. It had been far too fun of a chance to pass up, and she enjoyed her first experience in the ocean. The sun shining so brightly, and the salty breeze that called for her to explore all the beach had to offer.