 Aerith also appears in the prequel game Crisis Core : Final Fantasy VII . At the age of 16 , she meets Zack , for whom she develops feelings during his stay in <unk> . Aerith and Zack develop a romantic relationship , but Zack is killed at the end of Crisis Core after being held in a Mako chamber for four years in the Shinra Mansion basement . During those years , Aerith helped her adopted mother earn a living by growing and selling flowers , a job that results in her meeting Cloud at the beginning of Final Fantasy VII . 
