Yet another fic to get the refurb treatment :P

Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts characters they belong to Squaresoft/Square-Enix

Aeris sighed softly, shivering in the cool evening air as she stared up at the sky in wonder. She had found it impossible to sleep and had thought some fresh air would help clear her mind before attempting to go to bed again.

Below her, she could see Cosmo Candle still going strong, bathing the ancient village in a warm glow. Though they had only been here a short while, Aeris would have to say that Cosmo Canyon was her favourite place. It was mysterious like her and she had really learned a lot about her Cetra heritage from the Elders.

Her gaze still fixed upon the flame, she smiled slightly as she remembered how the group had sat around the fire in an air of complete trust and companionship. It had been so long since they had all been together peacefully in one place at the same time. Her smile widened slightly as she remembered how Cloud had walked over to her after she had been quieter than usual.

She had be rather down at that particular moment, after speaking to the Elders about her duties of being the last of her race. She had felt completely alone and when Cloud had asked if she was okay, she couldn't answer him properly. She couldn't handle the truth herself and pushing her worries upon Cloud wasn't fair.

Aeris frowned slightly as she replayed the scene once more. Cloud being caring and considerate was rather strange. Normally he was cold-hearted and arguing with Barret constantly. Or at least, he had been like that when she had first met him but she had to admit, she had been noticing a change in Cloud's behaviour recently.

She always caught this shy and vulnerable vibe off him whenever they were alone together and Aeris wasn't entirely sure if this was Cloud's real self or her just wanting to see Zack's traits in him. That was another thing she had noticed, the likeness between Cloud and her first love. But yet, beneath the cocky, cheeky traits of Zack there were glimpses of a insecure, lost little boy who needed someone's hand to guide him back onto the right track. That was the Cloud she wanted to reach out and pull out.

"I want to meet...you," she whispered to the air around her.

"Who do you want to meet?" came a familiar deep voice from behind her causing her to jump and whirl around. She blushed as she was met by the sight of Cloud in nothing but pyjama bottoms and quickly averted her eyes, clearing her throat to answer his question.

"It's nothing."

"What? Like down at Cosmo Candle was 'nothing'?" he replied, looking her straight in the eyes. Aeris lowered her gaze a little before looking out at the horizon as she took a moment to answer.

"It's just...everyone sees me as the happy one, the one who never let's anything get her down. So when I am down, nobody knows how to cheer me up. And I would rather sort my own problems out than add them to everyone else's burdens."

Cloud frowned and studied her closely before shaking his head and looking ahead like she was. "You're a strange one," he teased. She responded by giving him a playful nudge in the arm. He gave her a mock glare. "You'll pay for that," he muttered. Aeris straightened up.

"Only if you can catch me!" she challenged before racing off down the steps with Cloud just seconds behind. She squealed as she ran around Cosmo Candle only to find he had gone in the opposite direction. She turned around quickly and ran again but Cloud did the same. The routine carried on for a minute before Cloud finally caught her by the waist. The force of her body colliding with his sent them both tumbling to the ground.

"No Cloud stop! I'm ticklish!" she shrieked, struggling in his grip.

"Oh really!" Cloud replied slyly before proceeding to tickle her mercilessly, smirking as the flower girl became nothing more than a shaking pile of giggles. He finally stopped and she turned around so she was fully on her back and staring up at him. For a moment, they stayed as they were, basked in the light of the candle.

And then Aeris felt her heart skip a beat as Cloud's gaze drifted to her full lips then to her eyes and back again before he slowly leaned forward. Her head swimming with the emotion, she threw her arms around his neck and raised her own mouth to meet his in a passionate kiss.