Note: Hello! So, I couldn't resist and I had to write something Clerith. I really like this couple… I want to thank chibipinkbunny for all the help she gave me correcting my mistakes! Thank you so much Bunny! You're awesome!! I chose this title for this one-shot because I think both Cloud and Aerith carried this weight on their shoulders and well, I had to write about them wanting to forget about it for a while. Ok, I'll let you read… I hope you enjoy!

The Burdened

When the group found an Inn to spend the night in, they didn't realize just how tired they were until their bodies hit the bed, and they succumbed to the tiredness that racked their bodies.

It had been one tough day fighting monsters and walking through the fields to find some town they could rest in.

Cloud was tired and bruised and those should have been enough reasons for him to be fast asleep. Except that he wasn't and couldn't sleep. He turned around on his bed, forcing his eyes to close when they wouldn't obey. His heart was anxious like there was still something left to do before going to sleep.

Even if he wanted to sleep, just the thought of the nightmares coming back made him stay awake. He was getting even more afraid of sleeping because it would most certainly take him to places he feared, dark places that would make him wake up screaming in the middle of the night. The nightmares were filled with blood and pain that haunted him deep in his sleep. He didn't feel like going through that just now.

He sighed before finally sitting up. He ran a hand through his spiky blond hair and got up to walk to the window. Drawing the curtains to the side, he stared out into the night.

Soon, his gaze fell upon the delicate silhouette of a young woman sitting on the roof not too far from his bedroom window. He had forgotten that her bedroom was right next to his. The roof was triangular and sloping slightly down, their two bedrooms were on the attic and their windows were part of the roof covered by its red tiles. He carefully opened the window and stepped out into that same place she was sitting on.

She was staring up at the sky when he reached her. The light of the stars reflected in the deep green of her eyes. Her mahogany hair waved gently in the breeze and luminesced an almost ethereal quality in the light of the moon.

When he approached her, she didn't move, she just remained still and gazing up at the stars. When he sat down next to her, her pink lips curved into a tiny smile. She closed her eyes and breathed in the freshness of the night air. The trees waved slightly with the wind, their leaves carrying the scent of earth as they fell softly to the ground.

They sat quietly, side by side, watching the night.

Aerith finally broke the silence. "What do you think?" Her eyes didn't turn to look at him. Instead she kept looking up into the sky.

"About what?" Cloud's voice came out a little rough from not talking for a while. He felt her body stiffen next to his even though they weren't touching.

"The stars." She said quietly, her voice soft and clear.

"What about them?" Cloud shrugged trying to follow her gaze with his. He looked at the dark sky sparkling with bright white stars and a half full-moon, it seemed normal to him. At first he didn't understand what she wanted him to say but then he realized that she had lived her entire life under Midgar's plate. She was barely able to see the sky from Midgar, so it was only natural that she felt overwhelmed by its vastness.

"Oh Cloud!" She giggled and turned to face him. Her eyes smiled with her lips. Two deep pools of emerald green stared at him intently for a moment.

He felt his cheeks burn and cursed himself for not being used to getting any kind of attention from a beautiful girl.

He looked away from her gaze and looked up again, trying to find what was so special about that dark sky again. He felt her shift next to him. Her hands went behind her back to rest upon the tiles of the roof, supporting her body. "I couldn't sleep either." She said after a while. "It felt kind of lonely in my bedroom. I was hoping you would meet me here."

"Really?" Cloud asked without thinking. That took him by surprise and once again Cloud didn't know how to react. Aerith was always keen on making him feel uncomfortable. Not for the wrong reasons of course, but she had a special talent for making him feel especially nervous.

"Yes." She said, this time her voice was serious.

"How did you know I would come here?" He asked, but then he realized that he didn't need to know the answer. He knew by now that Aerith worked in mysterious ways.

"It was just a feeling." She smiled, a beautiful gentle curve on her lips. Her head tilted slightly to the side. Cloud stared at her bewildered for a couple of seconds before finally turning to face her.

"Did you want to tell me something?" He asked curiously, wondering why she wanted him to come find her.

"Not exactly… I just wanted you to see the sky tonight." She said looking up again. "With me." Cloud remained silent so she continued. "Don't you think it's beautiful?"

"It's ok I guess," he said. She laughed a clear delightful chuckle in response. He turned his attention to her, and saw her hand coming to rest gently on his shoulder. He had taken his shoulder pads off to sleep so her hand was directly touching his skin. Many years later he would still remember the pleasant feeling. Her touch was warm, silky and comforting, like the hand of a mother keeping her child close by in a very crowded street. That hand pulled him down tenderly and he obeyed. Slowly his back leaned against the cold tiles of the roof until their eyes met while they lay down side by side.

"This way," she said smiling, "we'll be able to see the sky better."

Cloud didn't know for how long they stayed there looking above into the universe but he knew one thing for sure… that night he saw the sky like he had never seen it before and he was finally able to give her a decent answer.

"It's beautiful," he said, and to his surprise his lips curved into the tiniest smile, but it was the most meaningful of them all.

When it was late and the night started to get chilly, he felt her body shiver with coldness beside him.

"Do you want me to go get a blanket?" Cloud asked, he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable there.

"Actually… We probably should get some sleep." She sat upright but didn't move from where she was. "Cloud… Do you mind if I sleep in your bedroom tonight?"

Cloud's eyes widened for a slight second and he swallowed, but he didn't question her.

He nodded once and helped her up, making sure she wouldn't lose her balance and fall off. He held her by the arm while she crawled down into the window and jumped into the bedroom. He followed her, wondering about the sleeping arrangement. Maybe he should sleep on the floor or on a chair while she took the bed.

She sat down on his single bed against the wall and started taking off her brown boots and then her red jacket. Cloud sat on a chair and did the same, keeping his trousers and turtle-neck vest on. She tucked herself inside the sheets leaning against the wall as much as she could. Her green inquisitive eyes stared in his direction.

"You don't have to sleep on the chair." She said from within the bed. He stood up and hesitated for a moment.

"Yeah, I can sleep on the floor." He said looking around for a nice spot he could use.

"No silly." Aerith giggled and looked at him hoping he would understand what she meant. "It's your bedroom."

"You mean in the bed?" Cloud asked blinking. "In the bed with you?" And then something dreadful happened to his voice as he asked. It squeaked and got caught on his throat. He swallowed nervously and cleared his throat with a small cough. Aerith couldn't help but snicker.

Despite the nervousness he was feeling, and the flushed cheeks, he didn't see why he shouldn't join her; it wasn't like they were going to commit a crime. Finally, he quickly lay down next to her and pulled the sheets up covering them. He laid there, back to her for a moment, his body not touching hers and almost falling off the edge of the bed.

He then reached for the lamp to turn it off, but his trembling hand went for it with an eager strength. He clumsily knocked the lamp off of the nightstand and it fell onto the floor with a loud bang.

"Oh, shit!" Cloud said picking it up and placing it back to where it belonged. But then he cursed himself inwardly for cursing in front of Aerith. He heard her giggle, which made him even madder at himself.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"It's ok Cloud." She said kindly.

When he was finally able to turn off the light, the bedroom fell into complete darkness and he concentrated on hearing her breathe softly behind him. He heard the ruffling of the sheets as she turned around to face the wall. Her breathing started to become heavier, and when he was sure she was asleep, he turned around and slightly brushed her elbow. He felt the soft touch of her skin once again. He found it hard to fall asleep at first, but the sound of her even-breathing slowly started to lull him into closing his eyes and resting his tense body. He leaned his head into the back of her neck and a tingling sensation of a tiny electrical shock ran through his body as he felt her warmth. The smell of her skin still lingers with him when he breathes more deeply.

She smelled of fresh flowers and sunlight. Slowly he placed one arm around her waist and pulled her carefully to him until her back touched his chest. His heart thumped loudly in his ears and he wondered if she could feel it thumping against her back, the way he felt it beating.

He noticed how perfectly her body fit in his arms, and he closed his eyes at last, just wanting to be lost in her scent

"Cloud?" She whispered tenderly, her voice breaking the silence. His body froze and his eyes popped open. She wasn't sleeping and he had just embraced her.

"I'm sorry." He quickly let go and turned around away from her.

"No, don't let go…" She said, her voice a pleading whisper. "It feels nice."

"Really?" He asked in surprise. He didn't mean it, and he felt ashamed of himself for holding her like that.

He thought she would take it wrong. Hearing her say that it felt nice inspired a sudden feeling of protectiveness towards her. He turned around again wanting to keep her safe, and his arm rested around her waist while his lips slightly brushed the back of her neck.

His fingers interlocked with hers, he liked that too.

That was the first night in almost five years that he slept.

The next morning when his Ocean-blue eyes opened, there was a blank space next to him on the bed. His arm was stretched across the place she had been during the night, and he could still feel her earthy smell next to him, but she wasn't there.

She would no longer be from that day on.

- Fin

Note: Thank you for reading. Tell me what you think please.