Disclaimer: Hi, I'm Asuka and I am a fanfiction author. I'd like to take some time to point out that 'fanfiction' is made up of the words 'FAN' and 'FICTION'. Thank you.

A/N: I like April…my birthday is then. But I'm with Zack, I don't like rain.

What April Showers Bring

Spring in Midgar was rainy, wet, and muddy. Zack hated the rain, it soaked through everything and made it hard to go on missions without slipping around in the mud and falling all over the place. The rain also made it harder to see, and sometimes it flooded the streets, leaving dark, swirling, polluted water pooling around the city. Rain made Zack sleepy, too, so he normally stayed inside during storms, preferably curled up on the couch wearing comfortable clothes and covered with a blanket. It was even better if Aerith was over too.

Aerith liked the rain, because it made flowers grow and washed all of the collected dirt and grime out of the slums. She knew Zack didn't like rain, and he always slept during rainstorms. He wasn't as hyperactive and energetic as he was during sunny days (or snowstorms, Aerith remembered him dragging her outside to play in the snow), but she couldn't say she minded snuggling on the couch with him all day long. Currently, he was lying on his side and she with her back against his chest. One of his arms was around her waist and his other hand was running along her back.

The rain was pouring outside, almost to the level of a torrential downpour. Aerith bit her lip, worrying that her flowers would be washed away. Zack noticed her tense, so he squeezed her shoulder and gently pressed his lips to her cheek. "You alright?" he murmured, his voice nearly drowned out by a rolling growl of thunder in the distance.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"Liar," Zack sighed, securing both of his arms around her waist and sliding one of his legs over hers so that he could roll over her and look her in the eyes. The motion was somewhat clumsy and awkward, but effective, as Aerith found her back pressed against the couch and her nose pressed against Zack's. "Your flowers will be fine, Aerith," Zack said, reaching up to stroke the side of her face with his thumb. Aerith pouted and made a little noise of distress.

"How do you always know what I'm thinking?" she whined. Zack chuckled and kissed her lightly on the nose.

"I'm just cool like that," he proclaimed. His face suddenly fell again and he looked at her with those big, blue puppy eyes that no one in their right mind could say no to. "But seriously, Aerith… don't worry about it." Zack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, laying his head on hers and closing his eyes again, smiling contentedly. "You always did say flowers like the rain."

"You're obviously not like a flower at all, then," Aerith said. Zack laughed quietly, a low sound that came from deep in his chest. His breathing was beginning to even out, leaving Aerith to guess that he was falling asleep.

A few hours and more than a few scattered dreams no one would remember later, Zack woke up to find Aerith sleeping next to him.

"Her mother would kill me…" Zack muttered under his breath as he slid into a sitting position and got off the couch. The living room was dark except for a small sliver of light filtering from between the heavy curtains. Zack crossed the room, opened them, and looked out the window and onto the street below. The street seemed to be less like a roadway and more like a muddy river winding between the buildings.

The light woke Aerith, and she sat up and slid the strap of her dress back over her shoulder as she watched Zack staring out the window. He seemed so engrossed with whatever was outside that he didn't notice she had woken up. Aerith leaned her elbows on the arm of the couch and gently tossed the blanket at Zack's head. It landed on his lap instead, and Aerith frowned. She missed.

"'Morning, babe," Zack said, moving the blanket so that Aerith could sit on his lap. She placed herself perpendicularly to him, so that her cheek rested against his chest. "It stopped raining." He pointed out.

Aerith glanced up at him. "Can we go see if the flowers are okay?" she asked.

"Mm-hm," Zack replied, kissing her and then standing and leading her out of the house.

They walked down the streets arm in arm, trying their best to avoid the muddy water rushing down the streets. It was to no avail, and by the time they reached the train station, their shoes and clothes were soaked. The slums were relatively dry, however, except for the places where the water leaked through the plate, and once they reached the church, Aerith had dried off considerably, although Zack's pants were still soaked through. Zack waited outside the church as Aerith ran inside to look at the flowers, arms folded and leaning with his back against the wall.

A good portion of the flower patch was washed away, fragments of petals floating in the water that flooded the church. The only place still intact was a small group of flowers in the center. A bright yellow umbrella was perched over them, and Aerith recognized it as the same umbrella Zack brought over when he dropped by the previous day. She remembered waiting outside forever before they left, because Zack was still inside doing something. At that point, she couldn't have imagined that he was actually protecting her flowers.

Aerith turned and noticed Zack standing in the doorway, surveying the rundown church. "Ah, so it did work," he said, grinning at the sight in front of him. Aerith ran down the aisle, her boots echoing loudly on the old wooden floor, and leapt into Zack's arms, thanking him for what seemed like a thousand times.

Zack smiled. "It's really no problem, Aerith. Honestly."

And then he leaned over to kiss her and they almost forgot the remnants of the flower patch underneath of a bright yellow umbrella and an even brighter blue sky.