Title: Desert Garden

Author: pixeled (Sars)
Pairing(s): Retrospective Angeal/Zack, Zack/Cloud
Rating: R (Male/Male relationships, violence, dark themes)
Summary: Angeal/Zack, Zack/Cloud, eventual Cloud/Tifa. YAOI. Fate brought them together and fate would pull them apart. If a flower could grow in the city of Midgar, then the memory of their lives and how they loved would live on as if a desert garden.
Warnings: Still spoilery, still angsty, but this story now has a new summary! That is spoiler-free, even! And it will let you know the trajectory of the story better, too. It will be jumping from the end of Crisis Core and straight into Advent Children era, mostly ignoring what really happened in the movie in favor of more deep deep angst. I always feel like I have to apologize for this story, but then I am intentionally trying to make it even angstier than it already is, and I believe that requires an apology.
Author's note: The writing bug has bitten me, what can I say? As always, comments are always welcome! This story almost has 15K hits on fanfiction.net so I'm going to draw gardener!Angeal once that happens. After all, this story came about because of the Keepers of Honor e-mail you get about Angeal reading gardening mags. :) I'm probably also going to do an Angeal/Zack/Cloud drawing once it gets 100 reviews over on ff.net, so if you'd like to review over there to hold me to it, by all means go ahead. XD

Oh, and if you want to, look up the song “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” (the song used for this chapter) as sung by Nina Simone on YouTube. It’s such a powerful song--almost as powerful as the opera song I had Seph listening to before he went crazy. Sorry for this long-windedness! I hope you enjoy the chapter!


Previous parts: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16

( the purest eyes and the strongest hands )

Title: Desert Garden

Author: pixeled (Sars)
Pairing(s): Retrospective Angeal/Zack, Zack/Cloud
Rating: R (Male/Male relationships, violence, dark themes)
Summary: Two years after Angeal's death, Zack is still deeply affected by the memory of his mentor, friend, and lover. When Zack takes the young cadet Cloud Strife under his wing he relives his relationship with his mentor by becoming a mentor himself.
Warnings: Spoilers for Crisis Core. In the summary even. You know, I realized that only a few chapters ago. Whoops.
Author's note: I go three months without updating, then I update again in less than a week? Am I not the very definition of capricious? This is a pretty good-sized chapter, too. Over 5,000 words, even with the song lyrics thrown in. The last few chapters have been on the short side, so why not throw you a curve ball? Annnnd, it's almost finals time. I believe this fic-writing business may have something to do with that. Anyway, enjoy, and please do leave comments. Especially if you've been lurking all this time. Please? :3 I promise I don't bite . . . much.

Previous parts: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15

( Traveling I only stop at exits; Wondering if I'll stay; Young and restless )