Everyone faded in time. He watched as they stumbled through nothing, reuniting and embracing and withering away to whispers and white light. Everyone faded, save for the two of them.

Time and space is a funny thing in the lifestream, and so the two were never far, whether or not they wanted to be. White and yellow lilies sprung up at her feet, dying away to packed and solid earth wherever he stood. Blades of grass marked the boundary between them. He had wondered what might happen if he entered the flowerbed, but had never ventured to find out. They had an accord between them, after all, though it had never been articulated: The two would coexist in silence 'til the end of time.

"So, have you ever been in a hospital?" Aeris asked, bent double over her flowers.

"... What?"

"I asked if you've ever been in hospital."

"Why are you speaking to me?"

"Why aren't you answering me?"

"Because, we're not speaking."

"We're speaking right now."

"We shouldn't be."

"Well, what do you recommend we do, then? Coexist in silence until the end of time?"

With a glare and some hesitation, Sephiroth attempted to make plain what he had thought was obvious.

"We are enemies."

"And we're stuck here."

"So you want to make small talk."

"That's right."

"... Ridiculous."

"You don't feel like talking at all?"

"Not to you."

"There's no one else."

"Then not at all."

"You can't live that way."

"I'm not alive."

"You can't... exist, that way."

"How would you know?"

"I don't know. You look human enough, despite my previous experience with you."

"Your previous experience should have taught you the consequences of butting in."

"Maybe. Obviously, it didn't. So, how's your mother?"

"... "

Sephiroth stood rigid and silent, glaring daggers at her back while she stayed hunched over her flowers, fidgeting anxiously. Images of the masamune were creeping to the forefront of both their minds.

"... Guess we're getting off on the wrong foot," she muttered, pulling herself to her feet and absently brushing off her dress. She stopped when she noticed there was no actual dirt to be brushed off.

"It's a little late in the game to be worried about first impressions."

"... Yeah, I know."

His eyes stayed narrowed, though he let his shoulders relax.

"My name's Aeris, you know."

"I know."

"Oh."

"Yes."

Aeris turned 'round to face him for the first time, her brow creased. Their eyes met for only a moment before she decided that her flowers were infinitely more interesting and kneeled to tend to them once again.

"Why were you asking about hospitals?" asked Sephiroth, careful to lace his voice with as much suspicion and derision as possible.

"I don't know. I can't ask about the weather and it seemed better than 'how are you.'"

"But more intrusive and less useful."

"Would it really be useful to ask how you are? You're dead."

"So are you."

"Then I guess you're doing about as well as I am."

"That's presumptuous."

"Should I ask, then?"

"I don't care."

"Then why are you hung up on it?"

"It's just a strange question."

"Well then, how are you, Sephiroth? Is the day treating you well?" Aeris' tone was saccharine bordering sarcastic, and Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow in response.

His expression returned to normal as he considered the question, slowly turning his back to her.

"Terrible."

"And that," she responded merrily, completely unfazed by his cantankerous reply, "is why I asked about hospitals."

He snorted, shaking his head in resignation.

"What do you think? I was a member of SOLDIER. A combatant. Of course I've been to a hospital."

"Well, you never know. Everyone said you were supposed to be legendary. It's hard to picture legendary men in sickbeds."

"It's interesting that you're so eager to hear about me being wounded."

"Even if that's why I was asking, I don't think you could blame me."

"No, I suppose not. So, have you been maimed by anyone other than me?"

"Fell out of a tree and broke an arm when I was nine, so I guess that means I've also been beaten by... a tree." She was doing her best to keep her tone even, but couldn't help a small sniff of indignation. Contempt seeped into her voice as she continued. "Anyway, I wouldn't be so smug. It's not like… what you did, was any big accomplishment."

He responded with a quiet grunt. She noted that he must be quite practiced at such noises, as he managed to make it sound both derisive and dismissive at once.

"Don't play dumb," he commanded, hints of loathing bleeding into his voice as well, "We both know what that materia did and how crucial it was." He paused and murmured more to himself than to her, "I might have still succeeded, if—"

"'—if it weren't for us meddling kids?' Come on, don't embarrass yourself. You sound like a villain on those old cartoons."

"Hn. What happened to 'getting off on the right foot?'"

"Well, I guess it's like you said." Aeris sighed, a note of resignation behind her otherwise amicable tone. "It's probably too late for that. So, instead, let's… make the best of the situation."

She forced her eyes up to his face and looked, for a moment, like she was going to offer a smile, but the friendly expression withered on the vine and left her mouth twisted into a weak simper.

His eyes scanned her face for as long as was comfortable and after a few moments, he gave a slight nod.

I hope to do a series of these. Really, I just want to see where it goes if I keep them strictly in character. I obviously have an Aeris/Sephiroth bias, but if it never explicitly goes there, then so be it. This is kind of an introductory or a teaser chapter... I guess I'm intending the rest as psuedo-comedic character studies. Or maybe I just wanted to play with dialogue. You decide?