Drabble #45: Sun

Summary: He brought the sunshine

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot. Characters and places belong to SquareEnix

"Has anyone seen Aeris?" Cloud asked, turning his head to each member of the group. They had just arrived in Costa De Sol a few hours before and the blonde leader hadn't seen the flower girl since they had seen Hojo on the beach when they had first arrived. She had just wandered off.

"Aeris is a big girl." Yuffie sighed. "She can look after herself."

"Nobody should be walking alone," the leader replied, ignoring how the ninja stuck her tongue out at him.

"Last time I saw her, she was on the beach. That was about an hour ago." Nanaki stated, stifling a yawn.

"Teef, you're in charge okay? I'll be back in a minute." Cloud said, turning to the raven-haired girl beside him, who gave a nod of understanding.

He hadn't expected the evening air to be so cold, with Costa Del Sol being the hottest place in the world but he thought about turning around and grabbing his jacket but the thought that Aeris could be out there alone and in danger prevented him from wasting any time.

With quick steps, he made his way across the golden sandy street to the stone steps that led to the beach. He glanced across the horizon, instantly catching the flower girl's frame that was highlighted by the golden light of the setting sun.

"Aeris, what are you doing out here?" he asked, walking to stand beside her.

"I just wanted to see it," she replied, her eyes never leaving the golden star ahead of them. "The plate in Midgar prevented the sun from coming through," she added, turning to meet his eyes. "Until you came along."

Cloud blushed despite himself, knowing that what she had said wasn't exactly embarrassing but he still felt a warm feeling course through him. She had turned her eyes back to stare across the ocean but now Cloud was stealing glances at her.

"Cloud," she said softly, looking at the ground for a moment before glancing up at him. "Thank you," she whispered. Cloud frowned.

"For what?"

"For making me see the sunshine," she answered, gently taking his hand in hers as the sun finally set beyond the horizon.