Crisis Core: The Female SOLDIER

32

"I don't see how asking me would help you make the wagon," Sera told Zack as she followed him towards the church. "Aren't you making this for Aerith? Why not ask her what she would want in a wagon?"

"Didn't think of it really," His response nearly made her trip, but quickly balanced herself before she did. It would be humiliating if she tripped on mere air. "Plus this way you two can get to know each other. She's been wanting to know more about you actually. This would be like hitting two birds with one stone."

"Why would she want to know more about me?" The two of them only just met that day when Sera went looking for Zack.

"Didn't ask. And why not? I want her to get to know my best friend." She turned away at that, hiding the heat suddenly appearing on her cheeks at him calling her his best friend. She shook it off as she continued on with Zack towards the church when the two suddenly stopped and turned around to look behind them.

But there was nothing there.

"You felt it, too?" Zack nodded at Sera's question. "I thought there was some kind of presence... but, there's nothing there," Zack added.

'Was it our imagination...?' Sera wondered to herself as they continued on towards the church, not knowing that a machine was slowly following them a distance away.

Upon entering, Zack and Sera froze in their steps, seeing a winged beast, one that looked like an Angeal copy back at Modeoheim, standing by the Aerith who was still wearing Zack's gift on her hair and the same blue dress with flower designs. She had a hand to her chest before she looked up.

"Zack!" Aerith called out to him.

Zack slowly moved forward, a hand on the Buster Sword as he waited for the creature to attack.

"Wait, Zack," Sera stretched out an arm in front of Zack to stop him, her gaze glued onto the creature. "Something's different about it, compared to the others," Sera could feel it, she's not sure how to explain it but she could. Compared to the other copies and enemies she and Zack had dealt with, where she could sense hostility from them, this one held none, but instead...

A sense of loyalty, and protectiveness.

It's not here to fight. "I don't think it's here to cause any harm," Sera told him. "If it did, Aerith would not be standing there completely unharmed." It looked like it was guarding her instead.

Zack gave her an odd look. "Look, just trust me on this, alright?" Sera told him, and after receiving another unsure look from him, Zack nodded and stepped back, albeit reluctantly with his hand still on the Buster Sword.

Sera turned back to the winged creature and moved forward slowly, a hand stretched out towards it as though trying to not startle the creature into attacking before the creature suddenly raised its head up.

Revealing Angeal's face on its throat.

Sera drew back in shock. "An Angeal copy?" Zack gasped, removing his hand from the Buster Sword as he, too, began to move forward. But then, the door behind them suddenly opened to reveal a small Shinra war machine wheeling towards them. It took a look at each of them, before suddenly preparing to attack. Zack rushed to stand in front of Aerith protectively and Sera moved to stand in front of them both, her hand about to take out the gun, when the Angeal copy suddenly rushed forward and slammed against the machine, resulting in a small explosion that Zack and Sera shielded Aerith from.

The creature landed before the three of them again and stared.

Sera, as she was the one in front, moved towards it, somehow knowing what it wanted and she reached out to lightly place a hand on its head. She saw the creature nuzzled against it and she smiled softly. "Thank you," she told it. 'You're still protecting us, aren't you, Angeal?'

"Was it... protecting us?" Aerith asked from behind as she looked to Zack.

He shrugged. "Yeah, probably."

The creature then fell over, prompting gasps from all three of them. Sera quickly knelt down and placed her hands over it to cast healing magic as Zack and Aerith rushed toward them. The magic faded and Sera looked to her hands in confusion before turning to the two as they joined her. "My cure," Sera started, her face matching their looks of worry. "It's not doing anything... It's degrading."

"Poor thing," Aerith lowered her head.

"Does this mean... Angeal is out there, too?" Zack asked, but Sera didn't answer. They both knew it wasn't possible. They knew the truth, but they could hope though.

The three of them backed up as the creature struggled to stand, before it lifted to the air and slowly flew up to perch on the ceiling rafters.

"It was so... I don't know... sad," Aerith voiced out, and Sera and Zack looked to her.

"What did you... come here to do?" Zack asked as he turned back to the copy.

Then Aerith lifted her head up and she turned to Zack, "So... a flower wagon! Let's make one!"

"Yeah, but..." Zack trailed off.

"Don't worry," Both Aerith and Zack turned to Sera as she spoke, her eyes on the copy at the ceiling. "I don't think it'll be leaving anytime soon." Sera could feel it, but she didn't voice it out.

She missed the contemplating look Aerith gave her as Zack turned and pointed at the copy. "Can you hear me? Stay right where you are!" Aerith walked away as Sera placed a hand on Zack's shoulder in support. "Me and Sera... we'll take care of things."

Sera gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as Aerith entwined her fingers behind her back. She turned back towards the two of them. "So, that flower wagon... let's do it. All three of us!" Aerith smiled at them.