Hey there everyone Narisa here! This is my first CloudxAerith fanfic! I love this couple soooooooo much! Cloud and Aerith are truly perfect for each other! Please enjoy the story and please review! Thank you! ~ Narisa

True

How does it feel? When do you know? How do you know when you are truly in love? Can you tell you are in love when you get tongue tied when you talk to that one special person? Or when you feel your heart beating so fast that you think it's going to come out of you? Or when you feel butterflies that fill you up to the brim?

When do you know when love is pure, when it's real, when it's true? Do you remember that day Cloud? Do you remember when we first really spoke to each other? When we became friends...

Prologue ~ Aerith's P.O.V ~

I was staring again but I didn't realize it, it seemed liked my eyes were constantly on him. I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop myself from staring… This man wasn't like others, he was quiet and to himself most of the time, but there was a special something about him that made me quite attracted to him. It wasn't just his looks, I mean he was handsome! He was the type of guy that all women would fall for, with his spiky blond hair, his gentle blue eyes, his slender nose, and his perfect lips. He had a face of an angel… But anyway, like I saying it wasn't just his looks, it was something much more that. There was just something so special about him.

I let my hair down out of my pink ribbon as I sat down in front of the window continuing to watch Cloud train alone as he normally did at this time of day. Just watching him swing the humongous sword around made me tired! But I knew he couldn't be tired, not from just what he was doing. Cloud was strong; I knew for sure that he was! He was quite the tough guy and bad boy too! It was yet another trait that all girls loved about Cloud but he didn't seem too interested in the girls that liked him. He would always turn down a date; he would say something like, "Not interested…" or "No thanks. I'll pass." or "I don't have time for something like that." He didn't really say much when a girl complimented him; well he said something but not much! And he never asked a girl out on a date! Not once! I smiled gently as I shook my head a bit; Cloud was definitely a different sort of guy.

Cloud finally took notice that I was staring out the window at him; I gasped ducking before he saw me. But it was too late he had seen me already because when I peeked up at him, he was still staring back over here. I blushed faintly in embarrassment this was the first time he had caught me staring at him. I saw him lower his sword and turn his body in my direction. I swallowed hard as my heart beat rapidly, Cloud, staring at me like this was almost too much for me to handle. What was he thinking right now? Was he thinking about…? My cheeks grew a deeper red as my eyes left him feeling crazy to even think that he would be interested in someone like me. I was just a simple flower girl that lived across the street from him.

I looked back up out of the window seeing that Cloud was now gone from place he was standing and no longer staring at the pathetic little flower girl. I sighed, being partly relieved and partly sad. I was relieved that he had stopped staring at me and sad that he had stopped; it was a weird combo but that's how I felt at the time.

I got up, brushed my pink dress off, and started to walk away from the window; then I heard a knock on the door. I placed my hair ribbon in my dress pocket and headed over to answer the door as I did the person on the other side knocked again.

"Coming!" I said.

I stood on my toes to look out of peephole my eyes grew wide. I unlocked the door, opened it, and looked up at the person that stood before me,

"Hello, I hope I'm not intruding or anything."

"Oh no! Of course not! Is there um something you want?" I asked frantically.

How I wanted to kick myself, I sounded so stupid! Here he was at my door, the CLOUD STRIFE and I was acting like this! I was certain my cheeks were brightest of red; I knew for sure my heart was pounding out of my chest practically. My mind was full questions… the biggest question was, "What was someone like him doing here?"

"Are you sure?" Cloud asked, leaning against the doorway. "I was going to ask you something but it could wait."

"I'm positive! I wasn't doing anything!"

"Yes I saw you at your window watching me like you normally do every day I train…"

"This isn't the first time you've seen me watching you?" I asked, blushing even harder.

"Far from the first time I assure you. This is actually the… fourteenth time I've caught you staring at me? I'm not sure, I've lost count."

I gasped softly this wasn't the first time he has caught me staring all this time he knew I was watching him! I lowered my head my hair now in face, I was so embarrassed more embarrassed now then I was five minutes ago!

"So anyway, I was just wondering if you happen to have something cool for me to drink. Something like lemonade? I would make it myself, but sadly I don't know how!" Cloud began, running one of his hands through his hair. "And I was thinking someone like you just might know?"

"You've come to the right house." I said, looking up and putting one side of my hair behind my ear. "Please come in."

I stepped to the side and smiled up at him, he smiled back at me as he walked inside my house. I turned and shut the door behind me, then looked at him; I could hardly believe that he was standing there!

Now Cloud and I have spoken to each other before in the past six months that he had first moved across me, but he had never actually come to my house! I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get to know him…

Cloud's P.O.V. ~

I hadn't exactly been in her house nor did I expect to ever step a foot into her house! Not that I thought she wasn't appealing or that I thought that she was weird, it was actually quite the opposite. Truth be told was that I was actually quite attracted to her and was kind on the fence about making a move. There was no going back now though, I was here and was best of making the best out of everything. I felt her eyes on me again, I looked at her,

"Um, please do have a seat; the lemonade will be done a few minutes." She said.

"Thanks." I said, with a nod.

I pulled out a wooden chair from the round dining room table and sat down. My eyes searched the little, cozy wooden home; it had only one floor just like my house, and consisted of one bedroom, one bathroom, a dining room, a living room, and a kitchen. It was replica of my own house but though it was a little bigger then my house, it was certainly suited for one or two people for sure.

My eyes then turned back to her, Aerith… This was the first time I had seen her with her hair down; it was normally up in a hair ribbon that matched the color of whatever dress she was wearing. I perched my lips, this girl, no this woman, she was perfect everything about her was perfect. From her perfect long, light brown locks, to her beautiful green orbs, to those pretty lips of hers. She was someone I thought I almost didn't deserve.

I watched Aerith make the lemonade diligently, like she was trying to make it to complete and utter perfection just for me. I smiled; wait I… smiled? This was so surprising to me. I mean I knew how I was; I was the type of guy that didn't smile about much, in this sad, lonely world there wasn't much to really even smile about. But being around her, seeing her made me feel so good inside, it made me smile, it made me maybe even… Happy?

She turned now done with the lemonade and ready to serve to me,

"There all done! I hope you enjoy it!" Aerith said, as she sat a glass of pink lemonade in front of me.

"I'm sure I will." I said, picking up the glass.

I took a sip as I looked her. It was perfection; it wasn't too sour or too sweet.

"It's perfect."

"You think so? My mother taught me how to make it when I was younger."

"Your mom is genius. She knew what she was doing in making lemonade."

"She was a very good cook, I learned everything I know from her." She said, sitting the pitcher of lemonade on the table.

"Was?"

"My mother died when I turned sixteen, I didn't have a father so I was alone for a long period of time."

"I'm so sorry…" I said gently, sitting down the glass.

"I survived as you can see." Aerith said, as she began to clear the counter.

All of the sudden I felt sorrow for her, she had been alone most of her teenage life and now here she was at the age of twenty-two and still alone. I didn't believe she had any friends but I wasn't one-hundred percent sure of that though. I wanted to ask her, but I had to ask her very slowly and had to be careful about what I said.

"Hey Aerith?" I began.

"Yes?"

"How long have you been living here?"

"Well since I was seventeen-years-old." She replied.

"So I bet you've made a lot of friends then huh?" I said.

"Actually I don't have any friends here."

"Well then… Let me be your first Aerith."

She turned and stared at me for a moment, her mouth opened a bit. I took another drink of her lemonade and looked at her. She closed her mouth and turned back to what she was doing, a light blush on her face.

"Do you really want to be friends with someone like me Cloud?"

"And why wouldn't I want to be friends with you?"

"Because… I'm…"

"Your?"

"Well I'm not like you. You're so cool and all…" She replied,putting a knife and cutting board in the kitchen sink.

I got up and started to walk towards her, how could she think of herself anything less then perfect? Aerith was angel perfect…

"Friends don't judge friends on their looks or popularity or whatever Aerith. Not true friends anyway." I said, walking over to her, still looking at her.

"Hmm, well if you really want to be friends with me then, I guess we could be friends."

"You guess? Do you not want to be friends with me?"

"No, I do want to be friends with you Cloud! I really do!" She blurted out, sharply turning toward me.

We looked at each other; we were now a few feet a part from one another. I stood looking at the beautiful woman the lived across the street from me. She stared directly back at me, I held my hand out to her,

"Let's be friends then, okay Aerith?" I said. "From now and forever."

"Okay… Cloud…" Aerith said, with a nod. "Let's be friends from now and forever."

She laided her small, soft hand in my hand and smiled up at me warmly; I closed my hand up and held her hand in mine smiling back. I held my breath; feeling like this was a new beginning for me… Aertih was my first friend actually, since I had isolated myself from other people and that included when I was a kid. But she had changed that in me when I first saw her; she was slowly tearing down my walls I had built around me. And this was just going to be the beginning of my change.

So what do you think? Please rate! Thanks again!