The night grew late, leaving a peaceful silence after the warmth of the family dinner. Johnny guided Aerith, walking slowly across Sector 5, returning to their sanctuary: the Church. The footsteps of Johnny's steel boots and Aerith's shoes blended together, breaking the silence with a soothing rhythm.
They stepped inside. The atmosphere within the church that night was so poetic. The silvery moonlight pierced through the glass roof, illuminating the expanse of yellow lilies blooming gracefully. The air here felt purer, as if the Lifestream itself were resting soundly between the petals.
Aerith walked slowly and stopped right in the middle of the flower bed, then turned to face Johnny. She reached into the pocket of her bolero jacket and took out a small wooden box.
When the box was opened, there lay a silver necklace with a Star Pendant gleaming softly.
"Johnny..." Aerith's voice sounded very quiet and trembled slightly. "You have given me so many things. You gave me this Guard Stick, made me a Bangle, a ruby ring, renovated this church, Our house in sector 7... you even made sure Mother lives comfortably."
Aerith lowered her gaze, looking at the pendant in her hands with a sad expression. "While I... I have never bought you nice things. My money from selling flowers isn't much. I only have the flowers here."
Johnny's heart sank. He stepped forward, pulling her petite body into his embrace. The Izo steel armor he wore felt cold and hard in the night, but Aerith didn't care at all; she instead rested her head against his iron-clad chest.
"Aerith," Johnny whispered, his voice hoarse yet full of tenderness. "You know? Seeing you smile, and having you as my fiancée... that is more than enough. Being your protector is the greatest happiness in my life."
Aerith cried softly, shaking her head against Johnny's chest. "No, Johnny. You are the man I have always dreamed of. You always give me everything, and I want... I want to give you something too."
Aerith wiped her tears and slowly released Johnny's embrace. "Could you lean down a little, Johnny?"
Johnny complied with her request, lowering his giant body to be level with Aerith. With her slender fingers, Aerith clasped the Star Pendant around Johnny's sturdy neck.
"This Star Pendant has an immunity effect against all types of poison, Johnny," Aerith explained softly, adjusting the pendant's position over Johnny's steel chest plate. "I hope this can protect you."
However, her gifts were not finished. Aerith then moved to the side of one of the long church pews. She picked up a cloth bundle and opened it. Inside was a pitch-black protective cape.
The cape was made of thick cotton sewn by hand. The stitching might not be as perfect as a sewing machine on Loveless Avenue—a little rough in some parts—but it felt very warm, sturdy, and most importantly: the cape held the sweet scent of lilies that never truly left Aerith. On the inside, there was a thin wool lining specifically designed to ward off the cold night for the two of them when camping later.
Aerith stepped closer. Without needing to be told, Johnny leaned down again. Aerith fastened the black cape to his armor's pauldron, tying its securing straps. Its length fell to sweep the floor, the size fitting perfectly to wrap the large body of the Black Swordsman.
"I made this myself, Johnny. I sewed it every night," Aerith smiled sweetly, her eyes tearing up as she looked at her handiwork now resting on her fiancé's body. "In your memories... I always see you, 'Guts', always wearing a black cape. Black is your favorite color, right?"
Hearing those words, Johnny's chest felt incredibly tight. Suddenly, his vision blurred.
A teardrop fell, wetting his rough, scar-filled cheek.
His memory flashed back to a brutal past. He remembered Casca. In his past life, Casca was a woman he deeply cherished, but Casca never gave him an object to remember her by. Their relationship in the past was only forged by swords, gaping wounds, mutual trust in the midst of slaughter, and bloody battlefields. There had never been pure tenderness like this. There had never been a simple gift made by hands full of affection.
But Aerith was different. For the first time, someone gave him something purely based on simple love, stitched with patience, to protect him from the cold. Someone had finally given him a home.
Unable to hold back the dam of his emotions any longer, Johnny dropped to his knees in the bed of lilies. His large body gave way. He wrapped both of his muscular arms around Aerith's waist, buried his face in the girl's stomach, and sobbed in silence. The tears of a man who had finally found peace after hundreds of wars.
Aerith smiled, full of emotion. Her own tears fell. She gently stroked Johnny's short, spiky red hair, letting her hero become a fragile man in her embrace.
As Johnny slowly stood up, he then kissed Aerith's forehead. His deep gaze met Aerith's green eyes, which reflected the starlight. In silence, there was a conversation of souls far stronger than any words—a promise that whatever awaited them in Nibelheim, they would face it together.
Aerith slowly touched Johnny's sturdy jaw, guiding the giant man's face. Johnny welcomed it, wrapping his strong arms around Aerith's waist, pulling her into an embrace.
Amidst the fragrance of the lilies, along with the glow of the Star Pendant and the Ruby Ring, they shared a deep and emotional kiss. That kiss wasn't just about the passion of young adults coming of age, but a seal upon their Lifestream Bond. Through that touch, Johnny channeled his unwavering resolve, and Aerith channeled the warmth of her soul, uniting their pain and hope into one whole, complete strength.
Above them, Puck and Ivalera flew in graceful, swirling dances. Puck wiped the corner of his eye in sheer emotion, while Ivalera smiled widely as she sprinkled glittering light dust, like a shower of stars, around the couple.
The two fairies knew that in a world soon to be devoured by the fires of tragedy, a sacred moment like this was the light that would guide Johnny and Aerith home.
Slowly, they parted. Their foreheads were still touching, their breathing gradually steadying.
"I love you, Johnny," Aerith whispered softly, her voice trembling but full of conviction.
"And I will protect you until the end of the world, Aerith," Johnny answered in a low tone that vibrated warmly against Aerith's chest.
The night concluded with the most beautiful silence in Midgar, a calm before the great storm named destiny would begin to move the next morning.
"Sleep well tonight, Aerith," Johnny murmured. "Tomorrow, the sun will take us on a new journey."
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The morning light crept slowly over Midgar, casting a tinge of orange on the cold steel pillars. Johnny was already warming up his motorcycle's engine in front of the Sector 5 gate. The low, heavy sound of its exhaust echoed between the concrete walls, as if declaring its readiness to challenge the outside world.
Johnny helped Aerith into the sidecar he had so carefully modified. He handed her a helmet and draped a thick blanket over Aerith's legs to protect her from the desert wind.
"Ready?" Johnny asked, his voice steady behind the helmet.
Aerith nodded, her eyes sparkling as she watched Midgar's giant gates slowly open.
As soon as they crossed the border, the hue of life amidst the Sector 5 ruins instantly gave way to the vast, arid desert expanse surrounding Midgar. The dry wind brushed their faces, carrying hot dust.
"Wow..." Aerith murmured softly, her hand touching the edge of the sidecar.
Even though the land was dry and full of obstacles, this was the first time she truly felt free from the suffocating shadow of the Midgar plates.
Puck sat on top of the gas tank, squinting his tiny eyes against the wind, while Ivalera flew low inside the sidecar with Aerith, keeping Aerith's energy calm. Johnny accelerated his motorcycle slowly, following the route toward Junon. He was highly alert; his eyes constantly monitored the radar and the shifting sand, knowing that wild monster species often hid behind these dunes.
"The road is going to be a little bumpy," Johnny called out over the roar of the engine. "Hold on tight, Aerith!"
They traversed the desolate desert, leaving the giant silhouette of Midgar growing smaller behind them. The journey to Junon had just begun, a journey that would take them across the ocean to the Western Continent.