The city was loud. Engines roared, sirens screamed, and the air carried the faint tang of smoke and dust.
But tucked away between two forgotten buildings stood an old church, half-crumbling and nearly invisible to the rushing world outside.
Inside, sunlight slipped through the broken roof in golden beams.
And where the light touched the earth, flowers bloomed.
Lilies, daisies, and roses swayed in the breeze, impossibly vibrant against the cracked stone floor.
At the center of it all knelt Aerith, humming softly as she arranged a fresh bouquet.
Her pink dress fluttered lightly as she worked, tying the stems with a gentle hand. A small stand near the doorway displayed neat bundles of flowers — all for sale, though she never seemed to mind when people couldn't pay.
> "One for courage," she said to a little boy clutching a single coin, offering him a bright yellow flower.
"And one for kindness," she added, tucking a smaller bloom behind his ear.
"Those two always go well together."
The boy beamed before running off, clutching his treasures.
Aerith smiled after him, brushing soil from her hands. The world outside was hard and busy, but here, in her little garden, everything lived again.
---
Above the city, Hawks soared lazily through the clouds, wings spread wide. His patrols were routine now — villains, chaos, paperwork, repeat.
But then his sharp eyes caught something odd.
A roofless church.
Greenery spilling out of cracked stone.
And… flowers? In the middle of Musutafu's gray district?
He tilted his head, curious. "Huh. Guess nature's making a comeback."
But then he saw her — a girl in pink, kneeling in the ruins, sunlight in her hair, surrounded by blossoms.
He slowed midair. His feathers twitched, unsettled.
Something about her felt… different.
---
Moments later, boots touched the ground outside the church doors.
> "Excuse me," Hawks called, peeking in with an easy grin. "Didn't mean to drop in unannounced. Nice setup you've got here."
Aerith looked up, eyes soft and green like spring itself.
> "Oh, hello there. You're a hero, aren't you?"
> "That obvious?" he teased, spreading his wings a little.
"Kinda hard to miss the feathers," she laughed.
Her laugh was light — not the nervous or admiring kind he was used to, but genuine.
She offered him a small bouquet.
> "Would you like some flowers? They're good for brightening up even the toughest days."
> "You sell flowers here?" he asked, taking one without thinking.
> "Mm-hmm. Well, it's less 'selling' and more… sharing. People don't smile enough anymore."
He turned the flower between his fingers — soft, delicate, and alive in a way he couldn't describe.
> "You grow these in here? There's barely any sun."
> "They grow because they want to," Aerith said simply. "The earth just needed a little kindness."
That made him blink.
Most people in this city only talked about quirks, power, and rank. But this woman… she talked like none of it mattered.
> "You got a quirk for that?" he asked, half-curious, half-testing.
> "No," she said. "Just a bit of magic, maybe."
He raised an eyebrow. "Magic, huh? You're full of surprises."
Aerith smiled faintly and returned to her flowers. "And you're full of feathers. Seems fair."
For the first time in a long while, Hawks laughed — really laughed.
He stayed longer than he meant to, watching her work, the sound of petals rustling instead of police sirens. Something in her calm felt contagious.
When he finally left, the bouquet was still in his hand.
As he took off into the sky, a single petal drifted free —
and where it landed on the street below, a small, bright flower bloomed between the cracks in the concrete.