Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
Aerith and Yuffie talked amongst themselves while Leon leaned against maroon walls. The flower girl turned to her friend and asked, "Why must you always be so glum, Leon?"
"Why must you always be so happy, Aerith," he teased, still not smiling.
"Lighten up, Squall!" Yuffie exclaimed, chuckling.
"How many times do I have to repeat myself before you get the message? It's Leon." Leon said, firmly, glaring at the young heroine.
"No. It's Squall." She smiled cheekily as Aerith giggled at them.
The door knob turned and the door opened, silencing any sound in the room. Aerith shared glances with her friends as she whispered, "Do you think that it might be the Heartless?" Leon took steps closer to the door, standing in front of Yuffie and Aerith, trying to play the role of a protector. "Leon, don't."
"Shh…" He said under his breath.
The flung open faster than a person could blink. Cid Highwind stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "Look who I found."
"Cloud…?"
Flashback
Cloud sat on the mountaintops somewhere in Midgar. He looked at the city with wonderment. All day he had been thinking about the dreams he had been having of his sweet Aerith. It had been a month since he had defeated Sephiroth and seen her last. A day had never gone by where he did not think about her or remind anybody of the great person she was. Everyone said that he crazy for holding on to his memories of a dead woman, but Cloud did not see it that way, and he knew that Aerith would agree with him.
He thought of everything he was to her. She not only offered flowers to him, but smiles. He hadn't ever been the type to smile, but when Aerith came into his life; he couldn't help but do so whenever they were alone together. Cloud felt like he could tell her his biggest secrets and fears, and she would not judge him, let alone tell a soul. And, he had told Aerith his every secret. Yes, she had never been exactly visible when he was doing so, but he could still feel her presence.
Cloud no longer mourned Aerith's death. He couldn't, because she wouldn't want that for me. However, the thought remained in his head that he needed to hold her in his arms one last time, even just for a second. That was his newest adventure: trying to find away to see her. The least the planet could do was granting that one miracle.
"Aerith, you're always with me wherever I am, but I just wish I could be with you." Cloud said, looking up at the gray skies. "I don't think you'll ever know how much I miss you."
"One day, Cloud. You just have to wait." Aerith's voice whispered into the wind to where Cloud could just barely make out what she was saying.
"I just- I just wish I were with you, Aerith. Maybe in a different world we could have been together…"
End of Flashback
In front of him, stood Aerith, leaning forward to look at his face. She looked at him suspiciously. "I must be dreaming. You're alive? But how?" Her green eyes filled with warm, salty liquid. "All this time, I thought I had lost you, but here you are. It's almost like you're back from the dead."
Because I am not your Cloud, the chocobo- haired blonde dared to think. He knew that this wasn't the world where he belonged, but should it matter? He was back with Aerith. It may have not been his Aerith, but she looked, talked, moved, and smile like the one he knew long ago. Cloud owed these people the truth. These were, after all, the other Cloud's friends. Most of all, he owed it to the woman he loved. But, this wasn't the woman he loved, was it? Did she really count as Aerith? Could Cloud pretend that his Aerith meant nothing while this could be the one he held at night?
It seemed to be that his biggest wish had finally come true only to have Cloud not want it anymore. He loved Aerith and he always would, but he just couldn't pretend to be this other Cloud. It wouldn't be right, especially since this was his girlfriend. And, as much Cloud needed this Aerith, he somehow knew that he needed his real Aerith more. Nobody could ever replace the real Aerith, especially not some alternate universe one.
"Say something, Cloud!" Leon exclaimed, happily.
"I'm not your Cloud, Aerith," he spoke, looking downward.
"W-What?" Aerith asked, faking a smile. "But you must be."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not. I wish your Cloud the best." Cloud silently gulped, finally looking at Aerith. She was so beautiful just like the one he so longed to hold, but couldn't. "In my world, Aerith, you are dead. For so long I wanted to see her and I guess I ended up here, to see you. I want to be your Cloud and I need you to be my Aerith, but that can't ever happen."
Aerith shook her head, now with tears trickling down from her emerald eyes. "I guess you're not him, then. I still have a lot more waiting to do."
"We both do."
Author's Note: This was going to be a oneshot, but I think I might continue this, depending on the reviews I get.