This is just a little one-shot tying up the loose ends in terms of the whole CloudxAeris relationship, using Clouds lines from the end of the game and that scene from the credits of Advent Children. And yes I know that Aeris is a mistranslation and the proper name is Aerith but well... I don t care.

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The Promised Land... I think I can meet her there one day.

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The roar of the motorcycle shouldn t have startled her, but Aries couldn t help but tear her gaze from the endless sea of wonderfully blooming flowers, turning towards the noise. She d known he was coming, had felt his presence that after all this time still managed to make her giddy with anticipation. Her lips curved into a bright smile before a small giggle escaped. Only Cloud would bring that hideous hunk of metal with him into the next life.

The thought that he was actually here with her only made her smile wider. In the years after her death she'd been there to guide him, intervening occasionally when his overdramatic tendencies got the best of him. She imagined of the scowl her words would induce if he heard such a description of him and erupted in another fit of giggles. And when he d no longer needed her guidance, when he'd finally accepted that he wasn t alone that day in the healing water of her church, she'd retreated here to the meadow of flowers, content to watch over him and their friends.

Sometimes, in moments of weakness, she found herself hoping he'd arrive sooner, and Zack would chuckle and tease her for her lack of patience. Something he found amusing in a supposedly sentient being. As the dark motorcycle approached, in clear view of her position on the hill above, Aeris stood in the soft grass, her arms loosely held at her sides. Now that he was here, she could wait. Just for a few more minutes.

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Cloud was flying, his destination clear.

It had never occurred to him that when he awoke into the next life, he would actually have to work to reach her. He'd always assumed it would occur similarly to the visions...or dreams, or whatever they were...he'd experienced before. It would be as simple as closing his eyes one last time, only to open them again to an endless field of flowers. Because flowers meant her... Aeris. The familiar heat from her back would seep through, warming and reassuring, and when he turned around, she wouldn't disappear like before. Green would meet a glowing blue, because although his eyes were a symbol of everything unnatural, wrong and so very evil inside him, she'd loved them, and he wouldn't deny her anything.

That hadn't been the case.

The only sight that greeted him had been his faithful motorcycle, perched on the side of a deserted road, its black paint glinting in the sunlight. Instead, he felt an all consuming pull at his heart and instantly knew where he most needed to be.

"Aeris". He spoke the name reverently.

This was something he'd anticipated since that day on the rooftop. Cloud wasn t stupid; he knew he'd died in that explosion. What was unexpected was the overwhelming sense of relief he felt. There was no more fighting, no more pain, no more sadness. But he d been sent back, there were others who needed him. Aeris had sent him back, so he went on living, if only to live for her.

He'd resumed the small delivery service, begun only out of a need for cash. He watched over Denzel and Marlene, who seemed to be the only ones to coax the occasional smile from him. And every now and again the need for their strange group of warriors would arise and it would almost be like old times. Almost.

That was how he came to be here today. It seemed fitting. A respectful way to die, in battle, fit for a SOLDIER, he mused. How could he be upset by his death when he had lived and seem more in his short life than most would over several lifetimes?

He knew he'd reached his destination when the pull suddenly changed. He brought the bike to a halt, not even bothering to kick the stand down, simply letting it fall to the ground. He could make out a form of pink surrounded by flowers and swaying grass. Cloud briefly noted as his legs carried him numbly up the hill that his heart still stuttered at the sight of her, despite the nonexistent need for its beat.

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Aeris heard the cease of the bikes rumble, watched as he stomped his way up the hill in heavy boots. He was not looking at her, but watching his feet, calculating each step. They now stood feet from each other, and finally, glowing blue eyes met green.

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She was exactly as he remembered, a small smile on her beautiful face.

Every foreign emotion she brought out in him Cloud conveyed with his eyes. It was something that was uniquely them. The way they communicated without words. Their expressions saying more than words ever could.

I m sorry.

I missed you.

I love you.

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She could see it in his eyes. The uniquely glowing orbs revealing his emotions. They stood there for an immeasurable amount of time before something in him snapped. He closed the distance between them in a few quick strides and Aeris felt soft lips pressed against her own. It wasn t a harsh or passionate kiss that left them both burning. It was slow and sweet and perfect, everything a first kiss should be, she thought. Her hands wound into his spiky hair while his were wrapped tightly around her waist, as if he never intended on letting go.

She broke the kiss first, giggling at his grunt of disapproval, and brushed her lips against his ear.

"I love you too."

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Fin.