Author's Note -

Woot! I finally got this story up! So I actually made a trailer for it on youtube. If you would like to see it, just go to you tube and type in my name: Alyssa1818. I also have it linked on my FF page. I hope everyone enjoys this story! This is AU so they are going to be fifteen in this.

Cloud x Aerith

The Ghost of You

"Have you guys heard about the rumors?" a boy whispered.

"Yeah, a ghost in the Shinra mansion?" another boy asked.

"I heard," an older boy began, "That it's a girl, and she died in there long ago betrayed by her love and if you go in there she'll rip your heart out!" the boys gasped as he pretended to take his heart out.

"I heard," his friend started, "That she killed her whole family then killed herself! So if you go in there watch out!"

All the boys in town were talking about it. The rumors about a ghost in the mansion. All but one. He was rather quiet and didn't fit with their group. He had sapphire eyes with the spikiest yellow blonde hair.

"Hey, Cloud!"

Ah, speak of the devil.

He turned and looked at the group of boys waving him over. He hesitated because he knew those boys were trouble. He decided to go over to talk with them, plus she might come by.

"Yeah, Jak?" Cloud walked over.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" he grinned.

Cloud looked down and shook his head.

"You don't? You don't think that ghost cursed you with Geostigma? You're the only one that has it! Then why don't you go into the mansion?" the group of boys laughed.

Cloud flinched at the subject of his Geostigma. He was the only one in town that had it and no one knew where it came from or how to cure it. It was on his left arm and he always covered it. It did cause him pain every now and then but he ignored it as much as he could. He hated it.

"What are you guys laughing about now?"

They all turned and looked at Tifa, the most popular girl in town. She had dark long hair with brown piercing eyes. She wore a short shirt, a top, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat.

"Tifa!" Jak grinned and walked toward her. "We were talking about the ghost rumors, do you believe in ghosts?"

"Hmm," she thought for a moment, "I think their real!"

"Really?!" they all remarked.

They began to laugh and soon the whole group walked away leaving Cloud alone again. He didn't pay attention to anyone except her. Tifa. He had had a crush on her since he could remember but she never noticed him at all. Its like he didn't exist to her but he couldn't help it, he liked her even still.

Cloud sighed and walked back to his house. He opened the door and looked up to see him mom making dinner. He quietly went up stairs to his room and shut the door. (In the game it's a one story but I'm changing it so he can have some privacy.) He sighed and laid on his bed.

"Ghosts?" he looked out his window, "I don't believe in them." he began to think about it till soon he drifted off into sleep.

"A ghost…"

"A ghost…?"

"In the…Shinra mansion…"

"Who is this? Hello?"

Cloud opened his eyes and realized he fell asleep. He sat up and looked out his window. It began to get dark outside.

"What a weird dream…," he rubbed his left arm.

"Cloud, time for dinner!" his mom called.

The next day Cloud ran downstairs and was about to go outside when his mom stopped him.

"What is it?" he wondered.

"It's Tifa's mom…," she trailed off.

Cloud's mom told him of how Tifa's mom died last night. She said Tifa hasn't been out of her room all day. Cloud looked to the ground, he felt so bad for Tifa. Sure Cloud didn't have a father but he didn't remember him either.

"Why don't you go comfort her?" his mom suggested.

"Yeah…," Cloud trailed off not wanting to tell his mom that Tifa actually didn't pay any attention to him but he would go check on her anyway. He couldn't help it.

Cloud ran up to Tifa's house next door. Her three bests friends were outside the window trying to get her to come out. Tifa eventually came out of the house and ran off with them. Cloud, not far behind, wanted to make sure she was safe. Tifa, blinded by her tears, was heading for the Nibel reactor. Her three friends joined her of course and Cloud followed unknowingly. As time went on and Tifa kept walking within the two hours of walking her three friends headed back to town but Cloud kept going.

Soon Tifa came to a bridge. It wasn't a very safe bridge but at that time she didn't care. Half way on the bridge it began to snap. Cloud saw this and ran to her, he grabbed her arm with his left hand. His Geostigma began to act up and his arm began to feel sharp pains. His grip on Tifa's hand broke and they both fell from the bridge.

Soon Cloud woke and saw two men running their way. He sat up and was about to say something when they snapped at him.

"Tifa!"

"Cloud! How could you bring Tifa out here all by herself?!"

After that they took Tifa and left him there. Cloud gathered his strength and walked home while holding his left arm against his chest. It still hurt. He wondered why it had to happen at that particular moment. When he got home his mom was outside crying. She ran to him and hugged him.

"Arrrghh," Cloud winced when his arm began to hurt.

"Oh!" his mother let go. "I'm sorry! Your arm? Why do you have that…," she sniffed looking at his covered arm.

Cloud went to his room and laid down on his bed. He sighed at the situation. Tifa was in a coma and he was perfectly fine. He wondered why he had the Geostigma. It made him so mad. He was the quiet one in the town, the one that followed the rules, the nice one and he was stuck with this sickness. He soon fell asleep angry at himself.

"Shinra…mansion…"

"What?"

"Go…there…"

"Why? Who is this?!"

Cloud woke, angry at the strange voice in his head. He looked at his clock, three in the morning. He clenched his fists and got out of bed, went downstairs, and quietly went outside. It was really dark outside but the full moon gave him light. He paced toward the mansion, whether it was just a weird dream or it was leaded him to something he wanted it to stop. He had enough on his mind as it is this was not helping him. When he reached the mansion gate he stopped and realized what he was doing. He was going inside the mansion which no one had been in for years. He pushed the gate open and went to the door. As he reached for the doorknob he took one more deep breath.

It was dark, really dark. The only light was through the windows and the windows were dusty. He slowly walked in and let go of the doorknob. As he walked on the floor boards it creaked. A wind blew and slammed the door shut making him jump around. It was bigger then he expected, but he kept walking forward.

"Flo-….I mis-….,"

Cloud stopped thinking he heard a voice. It was muffled, he couldn't quite hear what the person was saying. He took another step forward and suddenly a fuzzy bright image was forming in front of him. In all this darkness, the image was bright and white.

"I wonder how my flowers are…," she looked at him and stopped.

It was a girl. She looked about his age, with chestnut brown hair and beautiful jade eyes. Her little white dress took on her slender form well and she wore sandals with little heels on them.

Cloud realizing what he was seeing started to panic and his Geostigma started reacting again. He grabbed his left arm and fell to his knees.

"Arrrrfff," his vision started fading and he looked up to see the girl walking toward him. Before he could say anything he blacked out.

"……are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"……Yeah….."

"Back then….you could only get by…with skinned knees…"

"What do you mean by 'back then'?"

"What about now? Can you get up?

"What do you mean by 'that time'? What about now?"

"Don't worry about me you just worry about yourself now."

"…I'll give it a try."

"Oh! It moved! How about that? Take it slow now little by little."

"I know….hey who are you?"

"Helloooo!"

Cloud slowly opened his eyes to see that girl. Was he in heaven?

"Hurray!"