Drabble #49: Taste
Summary: Whenever they had kissed, there had been a faint taste of strawberries
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Characters and places belong to SquareEnix
Many things reminded Cloud of Aerith. Whenever he saw Marlene, he always saw Aerith too. It wasn't just because of her pink ribbon holding her brunette braid in place that was similar; Marlene had the same innocence about her as Aerith did. Sometimes, he was convinced they had the same smile.
Flowers also reminded him of the beautiful Cetra for the obvious fact that she had been a flower girl. Flowers were what brought them together and allowed them to meet.
He still remembered that day vividly, as he was returning from an Avalanche mission he had seen her across the way. She had asked him what had happened but when he gave her no information she changed the subject and asked if he wanted a flower. He had been so entranced by her sweetness and beauty that he found himself digging into his pocket for money instantly. It wasn't like him at all but he had pushed the matter aside, thinking he would never see her again and nobody would have seen his brief moment of weakness.
But they had met again when he came crashing through the roof of her Church onto her flower bed. When he opened his eyes, he had met hers and he had recognized her instantly. Her large expressive eyes and soft brunette curls were captivating and, though he had tried, he hadn't been able to shake her image from his mind since the day they had first met on the streets of Midgar.
The Church was his home for a little while because it made him feel closer to her. It felt as if her presence still clung to its walls. It brought back painful memories of happier times but Cloud could deal with that. Sometimes, reliving those happy moments was all that made him feel human.
All these things people would expect him to remember Aerith by but there were also things that they wouldn't expect. Strawberries, for example always made him think of the flower girl with a mixture of sadness and joy. Because whenever they had kissed, there had been a faint, alluring taste of strawberries on her lips.