Hey, Rikkumi here. I started playing FF VII a little while back and some of the scenes between them are so adorable . . .so I decided to make this. Each chapter is a different scene between the two. Not the best writing, but this is just a side-project of mine because too many good moments to pass up without some of my fangirly-ness out. Please excuse me for this. |D The majority of the dialogue is taken straight from the game, with a few exceptions and an addition a little later on, heheh.

Edit: Thanks for the reviews! ^_^ I really enjoyed this scene so I'm glad you all liked it.

"Wait...wait I said!"Aerith huffed, trying to quicken her pace—and failing. She stumbled over the piles of debris of the slums, catching herself on part of an old tower. "Cloud, stop!"

Cloud looked back; had the flower girl he had met earlier and just saved from Shinra asked him to stop for her?

"Slow…down…Don't leave me…"

He smirked. "Funny. I thought you were cut out to be in SOLDIER?"

"Oh!" She laughed, trotting over to his side and trying not to slip. "You're terrible!"

Cloud shook his head and chuckled at the silly girl before him.

"Hey Cloud," she asked before he could turn back and start moving again, "were you…ever in…SOLDIER?"

He looked away. "…I used to be. How'd you guess?"

She smiled. "Your eyes. They have a…strange glow."

"That's the sign of those who've been infused with Mako." Taking a step back now, he added, "A mark of SOLDIER." He glanced up at Aerith, who seemed to be nervously fidgeting with the buttons on her dress. "But, how did you know that?"

She looked as though she wanted to say something, but instead bit her lip. "…Oh, nothing."

His eyebrow was raised in question. "Nothing?"

She nodded, and said a bit too cheerfully, "Right, nothing!" She grinned as she said, "Come on, let's go! Bodyguard!"

Although confused about her knowledge of SOLDIER—which was rare among a slum girl—he shrugged and surged forward, once again leaving Aerith behind in the dust.

"Please, wait!" She cried.

Finally, he skidded to a stop. "You really are slow." There was a mocking tone in his voice.

Slightly embarrassed, she said, "Sorry…I know I'm not the best, but at least I'm trying—!"

Before she could finish her sentence, the spiky-headed blonde had scooped her up off her feet and adjusted her in his arms.

"W-what are you doing?" She tried to sound mad, and failed miserably.

"Carrying you."

"And why is that?"

"It's faster than if you walk, right?"

She couldn't protest further, as he already had her firmly in his grasp. Quickly he maneuvered through the rubble and towards Sector Seven and the bar. She let herself close her eyes, more comfortable than she would have thought, when he decided to jump down a pole instead of walking on it. Her eyes flew open and a small shout escaped her lips; without thinking her arms wrapped around his neck, shoving her face in his chest for protection.

Cloud rolled his eyes. "We were six feet from the ground. It's not that scary."

"Yes it is!"

"Fine," he sighed, and pretended to dump her on the ground, swinging her so close that her braid barely grazed it.

She screamed anyway. "Noooo, Cloud! Don't—please don't—huh?" Puzzled, she looked up to his face. She could feel his body shaking; was he…crying? "Ah, I-I'm okay, Cloud, you don't need to…Oh."

He was shaking all right…with laughter.

"It's not that funny," she said grumpily, puffing out her cheeks as he smoothly set her back down.

He was attempting to choke down his laughter, but it wasn't working. "It's hilarious. When you started screaming 'nooo', ha-hah…you were cute."

"You're mean—wait, what?" Had she heard him right?

Instead of responding, he mumbled, "Nothing," shaking his head a little as he said it. But there was a flush to his face, and as they started walking again, he took her wrist in his hand. "Don't want you to get kidnapped by those Turks," he explained as they continued through the cool evening air.

She simply beamed.