( I do not own Final Fantasy VII or its characters… obviously these characters aren't acting to much like themselves, but its my story, so… Heh. : D )
She held her hands together and huffed out a breath of warm air onto them, interlocking her fingers in an attempt to cease their lack of heat. Her brown hair swayed with the chilled wind, and she hugged her jacket closer. It was winter. A cold, harsh winter. A winter evening, to be exact. Though school was out for the next few weeks, Aerith Gainsborough had absolutely nothing to do. She sighed. "What good is high school life if there's no one to spend my vacation with?" She questioned sadly to herself. She looked around at the few people still wandering the park, all of which she knew, but wasn't exactly friends with.
She was one of the outcasts in her school. Only a handful of friends, didn't partake in any other activities, never went to social events… She didn't mind, though. All she really needed was her best friend, Tifa Lockhart, one of the most popular girls in school, mind you, and the flowers. She loved flowers. She had a whole sketch book at home filled with pictures of many different kinds of flowers. Apparently, she was fairly good at drawing them. Tifa always complimented her on it, and she'd blush, overly flattered. Aerith wasn't really the type of person who handled the few compliments she got well.
She had been heading home from the flower shop in which she worked, which wasn't doing to well in the business category, considering the season. They had just gotten a new shipment of Chrysanthemums, and she had spent hours secretly slacking off to doodle them in her miniature sketch book, which she would then add to her larger one and color. She pulled out her old, beaten flip phone and dialed Tifa's number. After it rang several times and there was no answer, she gave up. "Probably at a party or something," She murmured to herself. "It is Christmas Vacation, after all…" She muttered.
She looked ahead of her to see Cloud Strife, walking along the sidewalk towards her, his hands in the pockets of his long leather jacket, his head down. She slowed down for a moment, her face getting red. Yes, of course she liked him, but she'd never admit it. She hadn't even told Tifa, who was obviously obsessed with him, and probably couldn't keep it a secret for long, especially from Cloud himself. She turned her head to the side, incase he looked up. Her breath hung in the air, white as snow.
Before she knew it, she was on the ground, next to him. She put her hands over her mouth and gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She said worriedly. He stood up and held his hand out to her. She hesitated for a moment before taking it and rose to her feet with his assistance. Her face was beet red. "I-I'm sorry… I wasn't watching where I was going, and I guess I must have slipped or s-something-" She stuttered before being interrupted. "It's quite alright," Cloud replied with a smile, his voice like honey. She was speechless for a moment, staring at him, before she snapped back to reality. "I must seem like such a fool… Um… Is there anyway I can repay you?" She asked quietly, like a child being punished. He laughed. "There's nothing to be sorry for, but you could let me walk you home," He said. "Besides, I believe I owe you, anyways," He smiled once more.
She blushed, and agreed. They walked in silence, her hands in her pockets, head slightly turned down. She attempted to cover her face with her hair, so he couldn't see how red it still was. 'Gosh darn it, I have to face my fears on day, why not start now?' She turned to look at him. His face was set on the road ahead. She sighed mentally. 'Thank god…' She didn't avert her gaze from him. She studied what she could from his expression. 'If only I knew what he was thinking…' She said to herself. 'Might as well start a conversation, I suppose… might calm me down a bit,"
"So… what brings you out here at this hour?" She asked him, seeming totally different on the outside than she truly was. He turned his head to face her and smiled. "I could ask you the same," He replied. "Anyway, I was just getting away from my parents… The drunken idiots decided to go psycho, so I was just walking around, doing some thinking." Aerith looked down, a slightly sad expression on her face. "At least you have parents… I live by myself, so I guess I wouldn't know how to relate," She sighed. "Yeah, well, sometimes it doesn't feel like it…" Cloud murmured. "Anyway, enough about my problems… what were you doing out here so late? Its freezing… Wouldn't a girl like you get to cold?" He joked, playfully nudging her arm. She laughed. "I was on my way home from work… they need people to work the late shift at the flower shop since its Christmas vacation, and I thought, 'Hey, what the hell, lets do it!' " Cloud playfully gasped. "Such language for such a young woman! I'm appalled!" He teased.
She laughed again. "Oh, and about that cold remark? Yeah, your right… It really is cold. But what do you expect? Its not like its ninety degrees in the winter." She said, looking forward. He chuckled, looking forward as well. "Yeah, I suppose your right." He replied. "You know, you're alright." He said. She looked at him. "Well, I sure hope so!" She replied. They both laughed.
"But seriously," Cloud continued, "I'd like to talk to you more. You know, get to know ya a little better?" He asked. She blushed, pulling hair behind her ear. "R-really? I honestly don't think I'm to much to be desired… you shouldn't waste your time," She said bashfully.
"Hey, don't say things like that about yourself!" He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly at the sudden gesture. "I'm serious! Tell you what… are you busy tomorrow?" He asked. "No… I don't think so…" She replied hesitantly. "Ok. Then I'm taking you out somewhere… I declare it as of now!" He said playfully. He jotted something down on a piece of paper, and then handed it to her. She looked at it with a puzzled expression. "Whats this?" She asked. "That's my phone number, silly!" He said laughing. "Huh?" She asked, then continued, "Oh, oh… right. Sorry…" She said, her face even more red then she thought possible. He laughed again. "Is this the place?" He asked. "What…?" She looked up, and realized that they had stopped walking. She looked around. "Oh, yeah… thanks for the help." She said, smiling.
"Ok, well… I'd best be off." He said. He took a step, then turned back to her and took her hand. "M'lady, I bid you good night," He said smoothly, placing his soft lips on her hand for a moment before continuing down the road. She watched him leave until he was out of sight, speechless.