"Ain't she a 'bute?" Cid smirked. He lit a cigarette and placed it at the corner of his crooked smile.

"She's the only baby I'll ever god damn have..."

Cloud's body was suddenly jolted forward as Cid's elbow met his arm. The smoke of his cigarette clouded around Cloud's head as Cid whispered in a raspy voice: "or want, that is."

Cloud looked at the airship dejectedly. There it was.

The Highwind.

"Long story short, we stole this sumbitch right from under those assholes while you were outta it. She's a little dinged up, but she's alright"

Cloud nodded absentmindedly and continued to stare at the giant aircraft, watching it float effortlessly against the blue sky. It looked just like it did the last time he saw it...

...

"Pssst, over here!" came a whisper. Instinctively, Cloud looked over his shoulder and spotted a Shinra grunt hiding behind a few wooden crates. This wasn't a grunt, Cloud thought. The over-sized uniform failed at disguising the petite body hidden beneath the baggy material. The military boots looked ridiculously large on the short stature and the pauldrons looked almost comedically big. The brown gloves looked as though they could slip off at any moment had it not been for the grunt fidgeting with the rifle that they were holding. Below the helmet Cloud saw a set of pink lips smiling at him...

Cloud knew instantly who it was and walked in the direction of the familiar smile, looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody was spying on them as he made his way to her. With his hand on her back, he led her back behind the large boxes.

"What is it, Aerith?" His voice was a husky whisper.

"Ah, man. How'd you know it was me?" Aerith frowned.

With the upper part of her face hidden under the grunt helmet, Cloud found his eyes lingering on her smile. It was a smile he could never forget.

"Just a guess." Cloud feigned.

"Phew, that's good to hear. You had me thinking I blew our cover for a second there." Aerith whispered back, tip-toeing closer to his face so that she could keep her voice to a whisper. Just as Aerith finished speaking, the strap of her rifle had come undone and started to fall, hitting the floor with a hollow thud. The flower girl and bodyguard both jumped at the sudden sound. Cloud's face scrunched with each echo that rolled through the empty storage room and watched as Aerith's face began to blush. A guttural, huff of a laugh escaped Cloud as he picked up the loaded weapon and attached it back to the strap for her.

"I don't think you have to worry about that." He teased.

Cloud noticed Aerith's body tense as he wrapped the rifle strap back around her shoulder. What was that for? Had he gotten too close? Not wanting to overstep boundaries, Cloud quickly dropped his arms to his sides.

"Sorry..." Aerith began, "I think the last guy that wore this thing broke it or something..."

"It doesn't matter, nobody's down here but us anyway. So don't worry about it... alright?"

Aerith nodded and let out a sigh. "Boy, it's hot down here. It's so hard to breathe in this thing..." Aerith adjusted her helmet, a feeble attempt to try and cool down.

Cloud removed his helmet, his messy blonde locks springing from the heat of the helmet, and wiped his brow with his forearm. "Little bit" Cloud grumbled, with a tilt of his head in agreement. Cloud placed his helmet on top of the box nearest him and let his rifle fall to his side. "You'd be a lot cooler if you took yours off to, you know." Cloud gestured towards her helmet and slowly lifted it off of her head. Aerith opened her mouth to protest but before she could utter a single word, the helmet was already off. Her auburn bangs were messy, a few stray strands of hair clung to her forehead and temples. Aerith quickly tried to fix herself, wiping her brow with her hand then adjusting her hair, but it didn't seem to help much. Her soft, green eyes were cast to the ground and she seemed... nervous.

Cloud watched her closely, trying to examine her behavior but just as soon as he noticed it, Aerith was beginning to crouch to the floor, crisscrossing her legs in-front of her as she sat down. She motioned for him to join her. And he did. Their backs were to the wall and a silence fell between them. Despite the fact that it felt like 90 degrees in the stowage room, the sound of the ocean waves made it a pretty calming moment.

"Hey, did you see the airship at Junon?"

"Little hard to miss." Cloud replied.

"Good point..." Aerith said with a smile.

The Cetra's voice softened, "I wonder what it's like..."

Cloud looked at her. "Flying?"

Aerith nodded. "I bet everything looks so pretty from way up there."

"I didn't know you were into that sort of thing?"

"I didn't know either until I saw it." Aerith confessed. "I don't understand how something that big can even get off the ground." There was a sudden pause in Aerith's words, then her voice softened to a murmur. "I bet the sky looks so beautiful from way up there..."

Hearing Aerith say that made Cloud remember that the little things he took for granted everyday were something rare and precious to her. Sure he grew up under the big sky of Nibelheim, but Aerith only knew the inside of a laboratory and the depths of the Midgar slums. Just seeing the sky was something she didn't get to experience while growing up.

Aerith turned to Cloud, their gazes meeting on cue. "Do you think I could ride it someday?"

Cloud shook his head from side to side. "It's a Shinra weapon... I don't know why we didn't destroy it."

Aerith's eyes grew sad and she averted her gaze to her lap. "Just once... I'd like to ride it."

Cloud felt his heart sink at the sadness in her eyes. "Hey," Cloud began. "I'll take you someday."

Aerith shot her head up to look at Cloud, and an uncontrollable smile spread on her face. "Really?"

Cloud felt his cheeks growing hot as Aerith peered up at him, her dark lashes urging him to say yes. "Y-yeah." he hesitantly replied, but tried to sound as cool as possible.

"Promise?" she cooed and Cloud felt his heart skip a beat.

He'd still that damn airship if she asked him, too.

"I promise."

...

It was the first time he had ever stepped foot on anything like it. He had apologized to his friends for everything and now he was alone, left to explore this strange vehicle. He had started to wonder by himself, looking about the new place they would all call home for the time being. He passed the sleeping quarters, the dining hall, even a chocobo stable. Now he knew why it had to be so big. Instantly, Cloud found himself thinking about the flower girl. She would have loved every inch of this place. She would be here with him if only... Cloud shook the invasive thought from his mind, trying desperately to stave off the guilt. But like always, the thoughts followed him regardless of how many times he tried to ignore them. Cloud wondered if there was a bar on board... Something to take the edge off was what he could really use right about now. He woke himself from his dejected haze and found himself in a hallway with a lone door at the end that read "Balcony". For a reason unknown to him, Cloud decided to seclude himself there.

When he finally opened the balcony door, the overpowering sound of the Highwind's engines startled him. He didn't expect for it to be so loud. The strength of the wind wasn't as powerful as he expected it to be, but it was windy nonetheless. He walked to the balcony's railing and rested his hands against it. He watched as the dark blue sky moved past them, the clouds big and puffy and white, casting dark shadows on the landscapes below. It was impressive.

She was right, he thought. It's beautiful. As soon as that thought entered his mind, Cloud was overcome with guilt... Here he was appreciating the awes of nature when she couldn't. And just like that, his mind wondered back to the flower girl he had fallen in love with. She should have been here to see this. It wasn't right that she wasn't here to experience it. And who's fault is that? Mine. Cloud lamented. He promised to take her on the Highwind and he couldn't. She wouldn't feel the wind kiss her cheek or play in her hair, wouldn't feel the thunderous roars of the propellers above them... She wouldn't see the way the sky met the horizon. He promised... and he couldn't keep that promise. I should have stolen this thing when I had the chance... Cloud's gaze, now riddled with guilt and heartache, looked to the world below. Giant fields of yellow and white blurs were all Cloud could make out... flowers, he thought. It must have been flowers. A sad smile played on his lips as he watched the fields move under him, the colors were the same as the ones in her church and Cloud felt a bittersweet feeling breaking his heart all over again. He wished she was there so dearly. He would have given anything to have her by his side in that moment. So he could see the way the sun lit up her face, the twinkle in her eyes as she giddily watched the passing scenery. So he could see that smile once more.

But none of that could come true. She was gone forever.

The pain proved to be too much and Cloud decided that he needed that drink more than ever. He looked up from the horizon and saw a pink blur out of the corner of his eye. Magnetically, his gaze moved in the direction of the pink image. Standing there, at the edge of the balcony, he saw her. Her pink dress and auburn braid fluttered in the wind with such elegance Cloud found it hard to spot the difference between her and an angel. Was he hallucinating? Cloud quickly came to accept that he didn't care if this was just a dream. Truth be told, he would gladly stay in this imaginary moment if it meant he could be with her longer. So he watched her. He stood and looked at her as long as he could, too afraid that any movement could shatter this moment, and with each second that passed he held his breath. Remembering every detail he could.

Then, she started to move. She looked in his direction. Green eyes met with blue and Cloud felt the world stand still as he looked upon her face. The smile on her lips was the same as the day he first met her... Gentle and bright. Hypnotic and pure. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he last saw that smile and every moment he gazed at her, Cloud felt his sense of control crumbling. His heart was breaking. Part of him was thankful to see her again, but he knew she was gone and that this was just in his head. Still, he moved towards her, hoping that he could wrap his arms around her and hold her close.

"Aerith" he called out, his voice tinged with pain and hope. Maybe she was real... Perhaps not in the sense of the living, but real in a way that the Planet had allowed her to speak with him. Like Aerith said her mother did when she was a child. She was a Cetra after all... Was it really that far-fetched? Hoping with all of his broken heart, Cloud held out his hand as he slowly moved in her direction. In unison, Aerith matched him. Her delicate limp lifted, her hand open for his taking. Closer and closer, he drew near her until he could see his own reflection twinkling in her evergreen eyes, and the soft smell of lilies invaded his senses. She's real... She has to be real.

Their fingertips almost touched when suddenly, a loud bang erupted behind him, but Cloud never looked back. His eyes were locked on the image in front of him. But somehow, the image vanished. Wisped away with the wind. Gone before he could even realize what had happened.

"Yo, Cloud!" came a deep voice.

Cloud stood there, frozen in place. His eyes darted across the deck, hoping to see a trace of her. Nothing. She was gone just as swiftly as she appeared.

"C-l-o-uuuud", Barret called out again, this time the irritation was clear. Without turning to face his friend, Cloud responded.

"I'll be right there..."

"Well, hurry your ass up. We ain't got all day."

Cloud heard another bang as Barret shut the door and left. But he lingered there for a moment longer, hoping she would appear again. He waited for what felt like forever and decided it was time to go.

"I'll take you someday."

That's what he said.

Maybe he can keep that promise in his dreams.

The end.

A/N: Big apologies for the bad quality. It's not an excuse but I've been depressed lately and with #ClerithMonth being here, I decided I should finally participate in one of the events I throw (this was my first entry I started). It's slow and a bit blocky but it's progress. Two years ago, I couldn't even find the will to write so getting a story published is a pretty big deal for me. I hope you can find some decent aspects about this and enjoy it in some ways. In the mean time, I'll continue to write so I can improve. If you have any clerith fics you're writing please comment and let me know so I can read your stories.

Also, I really hope they add a moment like this in the remake.

Thanks for reading and HAPPY CLERITH MONTH!