Title: Old Flames

Author: Videl Warrior Princess

Category: Final Fantasy VII

Pairing(s): Clorith Cloud/Aerith, mentions of Zerith Zack/Aerith, one-sided Cloti Cloud/Tifa

Rating: PG, for emotional situation

Genre(s): Angst, Romance, Drama

Summary: AU Post Advent Children Early one morning, Cloud wakes up and decides to ask Aerith a question… And Aerith has one of her own.

Author's Notes: This is probably the most controversial Clorith fic that I've ever thought of and wrote. In part, this fic was inspired by an actual conversation between my boyfriend and I, but mostly it came from the fact that I've never really seen a Clorith fic that dealt with BOTH Tifa and Zack in Cloud and Aerith's relationship. So, here is my four-page, 1200 word idea about it. Please review as reviews are nice to receive. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or the movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children or any of its characters (such as Cloud, Aerith, Zack, and Tifa) in any way, shape, or form.

Old Flames

Cloud sat up in his bed and looked to the window to see his wife of three years standing there, intensively gazing out of it, staring at something he couldn't see.

"Aerith?" he asked softly.

She jumped slightly and looked over her shoulder at him, as if checking to see if it was really him, before smiling sheepishly like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Morning Cloud. I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked.

He shook his head before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "No, the rain did," he answered.

The former flower girl nodded and looked back out the window, staring at the rain with a faraway, sad glint to her normally cheerful green eyes. Her hand was resting on the frosted, cold glass as her gaze remained unwavering. A bomb could go off in the very apartment building they were living in, but she wouldn't have noticed it, lost in her own world.

Cloud stared at her back a moment longer in deep thought before sighing heavily. "You're thinking about Zack…aren't you?" he asked, his voice saying the hidden word 'again' in there.

Without looking back, Aerith frowned, her hand slightly down a little on the fogged glass, and she nodded, her frown only growing when she heard her husband sigh and saw his reflection in the glass.

"I always see him better in the rain…" she commented softly.

The blond-haired swordsman sighed again. "Aerith…aren't you happy?"

"Of course I'm happy… Why?" she had answered, her gaze still out the window.

"Then, stop thinking about him!" Cloud suddenly snapped, and Aerith jumped in shock, looking back at her husband shocked, never having seen him act like this before towards her.

"Cloud…" she whispered, her green eyes wide with almost fear.

He sighed softly, looking down for a moment. "I'm sorry…" he murmured, "I didn't mean to yell…" Slowly, he brought his blue eyes back up to look at her. "But why do you think about him so much?... Aren't you happy? Don't…Don't you…love…me?" he asked.

Aerith's mouth dropped slightly in surprise before she frowned, her green eyes now staring at him gently, as she took a step away from the window, closer to him. "Cloud…you're my husband… Of course I love you…" she answered, trying to soothe him.

"Then, why is it I wake up in the morning and find you half the time staring out the window, as if you're searching for him?"

For a moment, Aerith slightly gaped at him, unaware he knew of her habit. Then, she closed her moth, staring down at her husband sternly. "Probably the same reason some nights I find you sitting on the rooftop, staring at the stars with a sad look on your face…" she replied.

Now it was Cloud's turn to be shocked. He opened his mouth, trying to defend himself, but just shut it.

Her green eyes looked down to the floor, not willing to let him see the tears that were almost forming in them, as she held her hands. "You think of her," the young woman stated, pain heard in her voice. She paused for a moment before looking back to him. "Do you regret leaving her?..."

"No! Of course not!" he exclaimed, quick to answer her question.

Yet, it didn't cheer her up. Her frown was still present, her eyes now sad. "Then, why do you think of her still?..."

His eyes glanced down at his hands, unable to bear her gaze with her sad eyes any longer, and sighed heavily. "It…It's not like I love her…" he began carefully. "It's because… It… It's just different!"

"Different than me thinking of him?" his wife asked, sitting down at the foot of the bed, looking across the wide, covered mattress to meet his gaze. Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but Aerith wouldn't let him. "I don't think of him because I love him, Cloud…"

"Then, why?"

"Well, I asked you first…I think you owe me your answer," she commented stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest, staring at him with a look in her green eyes, letting him know that there was no way he could talk her out of it.

Cloud looked down again, his eyes fixated on the bed sheets and blankets. "I think of her…because I feel guilty, Aerith…" he started. Aerith was about to ask him why, when he continued. "I…I used to love her…back when we were kids… Then, we grew up…and she loves me." He sighed and looked up the ceiling, staring now at the fan. "She's my best friend…I never meant to break her heart like I did…" Finally, he looked at her. "I don't regret falling in love with you or marrying you, Aerith… I never could… It's just…I feel bad for hurting Tifa in the process…"

She smiled sadly at him and reached over, gently placing her hand on top of his. "…I understand, Cloud…" she whispered softly. "We…We can't always choose how our choices will affect others… All we can do is do what we believe is right and hope for the best…"

He gently squeezed her hand, looking down. "And I know what I did is still right…" he began, finding the courage to stare into her eyes once more. "I just wish she could find the happiness that I've found with you…"

The young woman nodded in understanding, sympathy, and Cloud let go of her hand, Aerith withdrawing hers as well. He cleared his throat and sat up straight in their bed, still looking into her eyes. "Your turn," he replied.

"Of why I think of Zack?" she asked knowingly, and he nodded. "Well, I think of Zack, because…I miss him," she began. Cloud looked at her shocked and opened his mouth to speak when Aerith interrupted him. "He wasn't just my first boyfriend, Cloud… For years, he was my best friend—the only friend I had…" she continued before sighing softly. "It wasn't serious, but he was there when I needed someone to talk to…when I needed someone to protect me before you…" She looked away from him, a small frown on her face. "I feel bad, because I couldn't be there for him… I couldn't help him when you two were escaping from ShinRa…that…that he had to die all alone…" A soft sniffle came from her as she slowly looked back at Cloud, tears in her green eyes. "He didn't deserve to die like that, Cloud…" she finished with a soft, sad whisper.

Knowing that she needed comfort, Cloud pulled her close to him and embraced her tightly. Instantly, she clung to him and cried softly into his chest.

"…I know, Aerith, I know…" he murmured softly, stroking her hair.

A few minutes past by in silence, and Aerith slowly stopped her tears and looked up at him. "Anything else?" she asked in a whisper, her voice soft from crying.

Cloud shook his head. "No, I think we've heard enough about our old flames," he answered.

Slowly, Aerith sat up, looking at him gently, yet seriously. "That's the thing…their old flames… They died out… They aren't burning anymore…" she explained, the unvoiced question of if he agreed with her asked in her voice.

He smiled faintly at her. "Right," he said gently, before opening an arm up, and Aerith cuddled back down with him on the bed.

"Sweet dreams, Body Guard," she whispered, resting her cheek on his chest, a smile on her lips as she closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

"You too, Flower Girl…" he murmured into her ear and kissed the top of her head before falling back to sleep with his wife, listening as the rain slowly stopped.

END