arrays | our hearts will bring us together again

[He’d been young when Radiant Garden had been taken by the Heartless, Zack could really only remember bits and pieces of it before waking up in a place called Traverse Town with others who had been lucky to survive. Of course, he hadn’t stayed there for very long, sneaking aboard a Gummi Ship with the initial intention of going home with the childish belief that he could stop the Heartless. The plan had quickly been thwarted by the owner of said Gummi Ship – a man named Angeal.

Zack’s been to quite a few worlds since then, training to become a hero, but he had never returned home. Not until now, at least.

It looked different then what he remembered, but that was probably because those memories had been tainted by its destruction.

He wandered down the streets with a wide smile, hands in his pockets and not entirely paying attention to where he was going. This fact was further proven as he began unintentionally stepping on flowers.]

[ In the ten years since its destruction, Radiant Garden had been through a lot. After years of Darkness, it had been brought back in the form of Hollow Bastion, a place that even the natives of the world were hesitant to go. They’d scattered throughout the worlds, clinging to remnants of what they’d lost and to each other, with only hope and each other’s help to see them through. Their hearts were strong, but even the strong sometimes faltered, and Aerith had been the center of their little circle in Traverse Town for years, the pillar that held them all up through the darkest days.

It was only through Sora’s help that they’d gotten their home back, and even now, it was a struggle to keep their claim on it. Heartless still appeared in the streets, wreaking havoc and hindering their progress in the Restoration, tearing up stones and mortar, destroying homes, lunging at innocents who were still learning to protect themselves. They’ve made remarkable headway already, but there was still a long way to go to restore Radiant Garden to its former glory.

Part of that, of course, included the gardens themselves, the very namesake of the world. None of the others on the Restoration committee had a green thumb like Aerith, so she had taken it upon herself to reconstruct those gardens herself. It took a personal touch, and the willingness to speak to them and give them encouragement, and soon enough, the plants started to flourish under her care. Most of the people who had come back knew of her work, and were careful not to bring any harm to the flowers that reminded them of the Radiant Garden of old.

All but one, so it would seem. ]

Hey! Don’t step on the flowers!

[ It wasn’t often that Aerith would show her temper. Leon and Yuffie had learned early on not to test it, so it was easy to remain in a calm state of mind where nothing could bother her. The gardens, however, were such an integral part of their world’s history that she would simply not tolerate them being stomped on, even by a visitor. ]

[Said visitor jumps at the reprimand, stumbling back a step and right on to more flowers.]

Huh? [His eyes widen a little as he looks at her, then down at his feet. When he sees the crushed flowers beneath his boots he let's out a surprised noise, awkwardly hopping away until he's safely on the paved stones.] Yikes! Sorry, I didn't see them.

[He offers Aerith a grin, rubbing the back of his neck.]

Most people are more careful with flowers, [ Aerith tells him, expression fading into a small frown, ] especially around here. It took us a lot of work to get them to grow again, you know.

[ Her head tilts, curious, as she squints at him. ]

You don’t look familiar… Are you new here?

Guess I'm not most people. [He laughs, squatting down and tries to salvage a few of the squashed flowers.] You're right, I'm not from around here. Or at least not anymore.

[Angeal had always made it clear that they should never speak about their being more then one world, let alone mention he'd come from another one and been to multiple. Given the circumstances of Radiant Garden, however, Zack had a good feeling that rule didn't apply.]

I used live here, before, y'know... That pest infestation. [Standing back up he plants his hands on his hips, frowning himself.] Which actually still seems to be a problem.

[ Her mouth forms a small O. ]

The Heartless.

[ Aerith pauses, watching as he tries to help the flowers. He… must be a good guy to do that, if a little careless. There’s no one in her memories like that, though, no one she remembers from before the fall or even later, in Traverse Town. Everyone she knew that survived had stuck together - all but Cloud and Tifa. ]

They’re still around, though it’s better now than it used to be. They don’t come into the city as much anymore, [ Aerith assures him, head tilted. He’s piqued her curiosity, that much is certain. ] Is this your first time back since… before?

That's what they're called? [He frowns, head cocking to one side like a puppy.] I thought they'd called it something different.

[They, being the three keyblade wielders that had passed through the Coliseum all those years ago. He may have encountered a few Heartless in his travels, but he'd never actually known what to call them.]

Yeah, I've been traveling around since. [He steps back on one foot, crossing his arms over his chest.] Probably should've come back sooner, though.

Actually, it’s best that you didn’t, [ Aerith tells him honestly, a hint of sadness in her eyes. She hates to say that about their home, but she wouldn’t have wished for anyone to come back here before it was safe. Even now, they’re not at 100%, but Sora has done so much for them since Maleficent turned it into Hollow Bastion… ]

It wasn’t safe here until recently, [ she explains. ] We couldn’t come back for a long time - not until Sora helped us. There are still some places that are too dangerous to go, but we’re working on it. Cloud and Leon and the others are doing what they can to keep the Heartless out of the city.

[ Bemused, she looks at their visitor. He doesn’t look familiar to her, but there were many more people around in the old Radiant Garden. It’s possible they never met. ] Who called them something different?

That's more the reason why I should've come back sooner, to help. [But what's done is done and he can't change that. All he can do now is help keep the city safe.

He's about to ask her how to even go about doing that when her words register. His eyes widen, and you'll have to forgive him for not answering your question Aerith.]

Did you say Cloud?

[That can't be, there's no way. He couldn't get his hopes up.]

[ Her expression turns to surprise, mingling with curiosity. Were they friends before, Aerith wonders? Or had they met while they were both wandering through the worlds on their own? ]

Yes. He was gone for a while, but he came back to help protect the town. You know him?

Yeah! I mean, uh, if he's the same Cloud I'm thinking of. Probably is, since it's not exactly a common name.

[And he still sounds a little in disbelief, even with the confirmation.]

We met back when I was training at the Coliseum but... [He trails off, quiet for a moment, the cheery expression turning momentary sad.] Stuff happened. I haven't thing him in years.

He's alright?

So you didn’t know him from before? [ she asks slowly, watching him. The way his expression changes makes her curious, but it doesn’t look like he wants to talk about it, so she doesn’t ask. Better to focus on the positive.

Instead, she offers him a smile. ]

He’s doing great. Still not very talkative, [ Aerith comments, frowning in mock disapproval, ] but he helps us a lot, when he’s around. He and Leon have been fighting off the Heartless in the Great Maw now and then, to make sure they don’t reach the town.

[ Tapping her chin thoughtfully, she asks, ] Are you going to stay for long? I could tell him you’re here the next time I see him, if you want.

our hearts will bring us together again

Oh hey there let's pretend I have KH Zack icons here.

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