It was a late December night.
All of AVALANCHE had set up their own tents in hope for much needed warmth from the harsh winter weather. They were a far distance away from any town and they didn't have enough money for any INNs so they all decided to camp because of the quickly building snow around them.
It was well into the night so all the members of AVALANCHE were fast asleep. All except one. For some reason, Cloud couldn't fall asleep. He found himself listening to the soothing sound of snow gently falling to the ground outside of his tent. He couldn't help but think of what happened earlier that evening. He dove into his thoughts...
*
It was around 8:00 at night on December 22.
Cloud and Aerith decided to run into the nearest town to purchase some food for the group. Small pine trees were placed throughout the cheery town. Their creamy, white lights shined brightly as the snow glistened in the moonlight, making the ground look as if it had small diamonds scattered everywhere. On both sides of the street were tiny shop, their doors had holly wreaths decorated with tiny bells. Cloud and Aerith slowly made their way down the street. They were looking for some kind of food shop...
"Well, there has to be a food shop somewhere, right?" Aerith asked, her cheeks and nose a light red from the cold. Cloud stepped by her side. " Our luck, there isn't..." Aerith puffed her cheeks out from the pessimistic remark her bodyguard just made. She playfully poked him in his chest and spoke in a sweet tone; "Oh, be a little more optimistic, Cloud."
As Cloud and Aerith made their way down the street they could hear soft holiday music ringing through the winter air. As Aerith walked along she turned her head left...then right. She looked intently for any open stores but they were all closed. "All of them are closed." She said as she walked farther down the icy road. Cloud was following behind her as they walked deeper in the town. "Aerith... I don't think any of these stores are opened." Aerith stopped in her tracks, the snow piling over her boots. Aerith was pointing above them with her hand. Cloud traced up her arm with his eyes, then spotted what she was pointing to. It was hanging on a strand of Christmas lights that hung from the street-poles on both sides of the road. It had dark green oval shaped leaves and white berries the size of peas.
"...Mistletoe..." Cloud murmured as he turned his head towards Aerith. A soft smile was playing on her lips. There was a moment of silence between the two, all that could be heard was the soft sound of snow falling.
Something about Aerith standing in the moonlight; the snow gently landing on her face and hair, made Cloud's heart beat fast. She stood there looking at him. Their gaze locked on one another. Neither of them spoke a word, because both knew they didn't have to. Cloud all of sudden got a rush of nervousness. He swallowed. "...She's beautiful..." he thought.
Pushing aside any nervous feelings racking his heart and mind, Cloud slowly leaned his face closer to Aerith's, until he felt the warmth of her lips pressing against his own.
Their kiss was slow and sweet, their lips slightly opened. They stayed like that for a few moments until they both heard footsteps coming from behind them. They quickly pulled from each other's kiss and stepped back away from one another. A teenage girl with black hair walked up to them. "Hey, whatcha up to, you two?" Yuffie asked in a happy voice. Without answering, Cloud stepped ahead of the two girls, his back turned to them. He knew he was probably blushing, so he kept his head low. Cloud was lost in a nervous thought and all he could repeat to himself was; "Please, don't look up... please don't look up." He knew Yuffie would most likely guess what had happened between the two if she spotted the mistletoe. And he knew even more that she would be sure to let everyone know about what had happened. "She's short, she won't be able to see it--" He pleaded to himself.
Yuffie saw the ex-soldier acting as if he was caught doing something and she grew suspicious of the two. "What did you two say you were doing again?" The ninja's eyebrow rising as she leaned in closer to Aerith so she could further examine what was going on. Aerith was blushing slightly, but because of the cold Yuffie wouldn't have been able to tell. Aerith rested her fingers over her mouth and let out light giggle. "Yuffie--we never told you what we were doing." Yuffie leaned away from Aerith's face and put her hands on her hips. "Oh, yea... Well, I knew that." The young ninja proclaimed with honor as she turned to walk away. But she stopped in her tracks and turned back around. "Hey! Where's the food and crap?"
Aerith placed her hands on her hips and turned to Yuffie. "Yuffie!" she said in a high voice--"Young ladies do not speak like that!" Yuffie crossed her arms in annoyance. "Crap, I forgot. Sorry." Aerith's arms fell to her side. She let out a quiet sigh and spoke, "Well, come on. We better get back to camp."
Cloud looked behind him to see both Yuffie and Aerith walking back. Cloud let out a sigh of relief. "...they choose now to come check on us..." He scratched the back of his head and followed the two girls.
*
Cloud let out a slow sigh--"Yuffie sure does have good timing..."
He continued to lay there in quiet until his eye caught sight of a silhouette walking by his tent. "What the?" The ex-soldier leaned up and quickly put on his SOLDIER boots. He then crawled out of the tent, the frigid air engulfing his body as soon as he was fully out of the tent. But because he was Mako enhanced he was barely bothered by it. "Who the hell was that?" He looked off in the distance, but couldn't see anyone. He glanced around and found that there were small footprints in the snow leading off ahead of his tent.
Cloud followed the prints until he came to a small snowy hill. He walked up the hill top and looked over and saw a semi-large pond completely frozen over. The moon was shining over it brightly, causing the pond to glitter in colors of an aurora borealis. Around the pond were bare trees, snow piled on it's naked branches. It all looked so dream-like. Cloud wasn't one to think something was pretty but even he had to admit that it was a dreamy winter wonderland.
Cloud glanced over the area and saw a delicate, female figure standing in the center of the solid pond. She had her arms out-stretched, her fingers were gliding with the cool breeze as if she was running her fingers through wheat. Her hair was let down and was very long, almost to the small of her back. The woman looked angelic. Mesmerized, Cloud slowly walked down the hill until he came to the edge of the pond then he stopped. The woman was wearing a long, almost shear white night gown that hung to her knees. White lace bordered the edges of the gown. The bosom was V-shaped and cut to her mid-bust and was made up of white lace. A gust of wind blew through the area and her gown flowed in the air like water.
Cloud stepped on the ice, his foot skidding a little but he quickly gathered his balance and continued to walk towards the woman. Once he was a few feet away he saw that she had her head pointed to the stars. He recognized the beautiful woman now-- "...Aerith" Cloud said in a low voice, trying to get her attention.
Hearing the voice, Aerith abruptly looked at him, her arms dropping to her sides. "--Hi, Cloud." A small smile spread on her face. Cloud stepped closer to the flower girl. "Aerith, what are you doing out here? It's freezing. You don't even have a coat on or anything. You could-"
" It was snowing... and the stars looked so--so pretty." Aerith turned her face back towards the night sky. "I just wanted to see it again before tomorrow." Cloud crossed his arms and stepped closer. "Why 'before tomorrow'? The snow will still be here." Aerith shook her head. "I know... it's different tonight, though..." Her gentle smile faded and became rather weakened with a sense of sadness. She closed her jade eyes and outstretched her delicate arms once more. Cloud's face grew perplexed. "What's different about tonight?"
Aerith didn't answer right away. She was thinking of the right answer. "I'm not sure..." She said in murmur. "I just feel like tonight's different than any other. I can't explain it." Cloud sensed some kind of sadness in her voice and he didn't know what to say so he stayed quiet. The silence dawned on Aerith so she turned her face back to Cloud. "Doesn't make much sense, huh?" Aerith teased. Hearing her usual happy tone again Cloud couldn't help but let a small smile spread on his lips. "Just--don't let whatever it is make you sad..."
"Why?" The cetra asked in a soft murmur. Their eyes were locked as a moment passed. Aerith saw a softness in Cloud's eyes as he spoke. "Because--" he paused for a moment, his voice soft and low, "I hate when you're sad..."
The sweet tone of his voice filled Aerith with happiness. Her stomach felt as if it had dozens of butterflies fluttering around. Cloud wasn't the one to say such sweet things and she was a little taken back by it. Not knowing what to say, Aerith stepped closer to him and shivered. "It sure was smart of me to come out here in just this, huh, bodyguard?" A light smirk spread on Cloud's face. "Yea, it was."
"You're terrible, you know that Cloud?" Aerith giggled as she placed her hand over her pink lips.
Cloud couldn't help but remember what happened earlier. The kiss... Cloud could still feel her lips on his. It was a moment Cloud would never forget. "Aerith..." He murmured. He wanted to tell her his feelings for her but when he saw her shivering, he changed the subject on his mind and spoke. "Cold?" Aerith moved her hand over her heart. "A little. But not much." Cloud nodded, "Then, we should head back." Aerith pouted a little. "Cloud, I want to see the stars..."
"I know... but, you could get sick, Aerith. Or worse, you could get hurt out here." Aerith looked towards the floor in disappointment. Cloud saw the sad expression on her face. He didn't want her to be sad but he also didn't want her hurt either. He racked his brain to figure a way out so she'd be able to see the stars and be safe at the same time. And finally, it came to him. "Aerith, wait here, all right?"
Aerith's eyes filled with question as she saw Cloud walk back up the snowy hill. "What's he doing...?"
A few moments later, Aerith turned her head back towards the sky. The winter air intensified the scenery of the millions of stars decorating the night sky and it looked breathtaking. Not a cloud was in sight and all the stars looked like jewels. A few moments later Aerith found herself completely lost in the beauty of it all.
Cloud was coming back down the hill and saw Aerith standing there. He walked up, not making much noise. He stood and spoke. "Hey..."
Aerith quickly turned her head towards Cloud. He was holding some kind of blankets. "I'm not leaving you out here alone--in the cold. So, I brought this." He held up two thick, dark wool blankets wrapped around each other so she could see. "I figured you'd be cold--" he paused then continued to speak, "--maybe this can be my Christmas gift to you..." Aerith put her hands over her mouth and let out a few giggles.
Cloud walked besides Aerith and flung the blanket out to where it was completely flattened on the ice. Cloud gestured with his hand for her to sit and Aerith walked onto the fuzzy blanket and sat down, her legs to the side. Cloud sat down besides her and took the blanket and wrapped it around her body loosely. All of a sudden he felt Aerith lay her head against his shoulder. Cloud was a bit taken back but he was glad she did it. He returned her warm embrace and wrapped his arm around her, holding her closer to his body. They sat, gazing at the stars together.
Shortly after that, Cloud felt Aerith's arm around him losing it's grip on his waist. "She's falling asleep..." He thought to himself. "Aerith..." He whispered. Cloud felt her grip on his shirt tighten and she adjusted herself, snuggling her face in his chest. "Mmm, yea..." she said with half a yawn.
"You're falling asleep..." His voice was low and gentle. "No... really, I'm not."
"...Aerith, if you're tired we can go back.." He replied with a smile. She didn't answer, instead, he felt her arms move from around him and her head move from his chest. She was sitting straight up. Cloud watched her, not knowing what she was doing. All of a sudden, Aerith laid back, her back flat on the wool blanket. Cloud looked back at her, she was looking off into the night sky. Large, fluffy snow flakes began to gently fall. "It's snowing..." Aerith said in amazement as she closed her eyes.
Cloud couldn't help but look at her in awe. She looked so beautiful. Her delicate arms were above her head, laying on the floor. Her skin had a creamy glow to it from the moonlight. And her hair looked like a waterfall of brunette waves and curls. "...what are you waiting for?" Cloud asked himself.
All of a sudden, Cloud leaned down, his body hovering over hers. He brought his face up to Aerith's, just inches away. Feeling his warmth, Aerith's eyes opened slowly. Her jade gaze locked with his crystal blue eyes.
Aerith gazed at Cloud intently, anticipating what he'd do next. Slowly, Cloud moved his hand up to Aerith's and intertwined his fingers with hers. Aerith felt Cloud's lips brush against her cheek as he moved his face to her ear and softly whispered in a slow voice; "--Can I kiss you?"
At that moment, Cloud's words took her breath away. Cloud slowly moved his head to look at her again, as if wishing for her to say he can kiss her. They gazed at each other lovingly for a moment then, without either of them saying a single word, Cloud hovered his lips over hers, and after a small pause of hesitation, he gently brought his face closer to her until his lips were pressing against her own soft, light pink lips.
The kiss started out slow, their lips partially parted, full of innocence and love. But as their yearning for one another grew, so did the passion in their kiss. Slowly and gently, Cloud deepened the kiss. Aerith felt Cloud's tongue gently brush against her bottom lip as he opened his mouth partially. Liking the feeling of his kiss, Aerith parted her lips a bit more, inviting him in to deepen their kiss. And so it did.
Their mouths slowly moved with each other, opening and closing over one another in a slow, gentle manner. And every so ofter, Aerith would feel Cloud's tongue lightly flick against her own. Their fingers intertwined while Cloud's other arm moved under Aerith's back to hold her closer to himself.
This was the first time Aerith's ever really been kissed, so she was nervous. She didn't know what to do, but Cloud restored her comfort with the way he lovingly led her through the kiss. Pulling her closer, Cloud turned his head to kiss her deeper. Aerith pushed her insecurities to the side, and relished in his kiss. She placed her free hand on Cloud's chest and she felt his heart was pounding. Aerith slowly ran her hand up his chest, stopping right at the bend of his neck. The warm touch of her hand on his skin made him yearn for her touch even more. Cloud untangled his fingers from hers and brought her other hand to his toned shoulder. Aerith slid her hand to the bend of his neck, her soft skin clashing with his own rougher skin. Cloud took his other free hand and moved it under Aerith's head, lifting her face closer to his own, so he could kiss her deeper. His hand was at the back of her head, his fingers running through her long, thick hair.
Despite the degree it was and the thin gown she had on, Aerith was surprisingly warm from Cloud's body hovering above her own, providing protection from the freezing air. All she could feel was his passionate kiss, his muscular arms wrapped around her fragile body, and the warmth of his body against her own.
Suddenly, it dawned on Cloud. Without breaking from the kiss, he gradually removed his hand from under Aerith's back and lifted the thick blanket over the both of them, creating a tent-like image. The blanket provided some shelter from the winds and let their own heat warm each other. Cloud moved his hand back besides Aerith's side, allowing his body to lean on it. They stayed like that, filling each other with love and passion.
Both Cloud and Aerith wanted this. They wanted nothing else than to be with each other and they finally were.
Their kiss broke after a while. Their breaths escaping them from the passionate kiss they just shared. They sat there, Cloud's lips hovering over her forehead as he soaked in what happened. All of a sudden Cloud sat back on his legs that were on both sides of Aerith's own legs. He took Aerith's hands in his own and lifted her up until she was sitting straight. A smile was on his usually empty face as he placed her hands around his neck. He moved his hands to her hips and firmly lifted her on his lap. Aerith shivered from the cold air quickly hitting her back and Cloud realized she was cold and knew she should be taken back to her tent. With that in mind, he moved his arm under her legs, and the other behind her back and began to stand. She wasn't wearing her shoes so he wanted to carry her back so she wouldn't freeze her delicate feet. Aerith sat there, her head leaning against his toned chest as they made it back to the tents.
As they walked, Aerith couldn't help herself from diving into the saddening feeling pulling in her chest. For some reason, she felt like today was different. Maybe it was because they were heading towards the Temple of the Ancients tomorrow, but it still filled her heart with a sense of sadness. She was happy being with Cloud, but she couldn't help being worried. After a short time, they arrived back at camp. Cloud walked to Aerith's tent and when he was about to put her down he felt Aerith adjust her head and tighten her hold on him. He looked down at her, their eyes locked. Aerith didn't want to be alone, she couldn't explain why, she just wanted him to hold her all night. "Cloud--can I... stay with you?" Cloud's eyes widened with shock of what she asked him but without hesitation he nodded his head and turned in the other direction and headed towards his tent.
*
Morning was dawning, the north star was twinkling in the bare sky. It was still dark out, but the sun was slowly rising. Cloud was laying on his side, Aerith in his arms. His hand was on her small shoulder, and he was moving his thumb back and forth, caressing her skin. Aerith's hands were folded in between hers and Cloud's body, her fingers gently resting on the bend of his neck and upper chest. They were laying besides one another, skin on skin. A thick blanket covered the lower half of their bodies, while everything above their hips was uncovered. Cloud was gazing at her jade eyes lovingly, as if to tell her he didn't ever want to let her go.
Aerith couldn't get over the fact that Cloud had just made love to her. She would have been blushing to the whites of her eyes if she was completely naked with anyone else, but she felt so comfortable with Cloud, the thought of being nervous or embarrassed never entered her mind as they made love and held one another. The touch of Cloud's hand on her shoulder tingled through her body with tenderness. She couldn't help but let a soft smile spread on her face.
It was Aerith's first time, and Cloud tried his best to not hurt her. So their love making was gentle and pure. The love Cloud showed her somehow made all of her worries blow away in the winter winds. No matter what happened, she knew she would always have Cloud. And Cloud would have her.
Aerith broke the silence, her voice low and soft, "...Do you love making love to me?" an innocent look in her eyes. Cloud pulled Aerith closer until his face was inches from hers. He answered in a low and honest voice; "--Yes." Happiness washed over Aerith's heart from his answer and she couldn't help the next words escaping her mouth, "--I love when you make love to me, Cloud..."
Cloud couldn't help but smile himself. He spoke in a low voice, "...will you be my Christmas gift, Aerith?"
"--I'd love to be your gift, Cloud."
And with that, they fell asleep, locked in each others warm embrace. The next day they woke up and started their way towards the Temple of the Ancients with the rest of the group. No one knowing about the love they shared the night before. Both of the lovers left camp, a feeling of hope and love filling their hearts. Hope of a future together. They didn't need any other gift, for their love for one another was the only gift either of them wanted. Cloud was everything to Aerith, he made her feel whole as if her destiny was with him. And Aerith was all Cloud could have ever asked or wished for. And he wanted no one else but her.
The end