"Before the worst,
before we met,
before our hearts decide it's time to love again;
before too late,
before too long,
trying to take it back before it all went wrong."
-"Before the Worst", The Script
For a moment Aerith wonders how Tifa can be so confident.
She smiles and laughs like she doesn't have a care in the world; she can hold her own in one of the guys' wrestling matches but loves to play with the girls; she fits in well with anyone she sees. She's a born tomboy, and has just as many boy friends as she does girls.
Eight-year-old Tifa isn't afraid to run down the middle of the street, pulling Aerith and Rinoa along beside her. People don't say anything as they run by. They're used to her antics, and they're "just kids".
Aerith and Rinoa are used to it, too. They don't question what Tifa's doing or even why. They just allow themselves to be pulled along like rag dolls. When Rinoa finally does catch her breath to ask where they're going Tifa shrugs like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "We're going to go play with the guys today. I promised I'd go over there, and you two are going with me."
The girls stop at this--both of them haven't grown out of the "boys are stupid" stage and hanging out with them on the weekend sounds strange. But Tifa looks at them and puts her hands on her hips impatiently, and all Aerith and Rinoa can do is glance at each other before following her again.
She takes them back to her house--which Aerith finds as strange, because why couldn't she have just told them to come to her house in the first place?--and allows them to stop and catch their breath while she pulls her long dark hair into a ponytail. "I'm just going to go tell my dad," She explains and darts up the steps.
After she talks to her father she jumps down the steps two at a time and gestures for the girls to follow. "They're right next door," She explains hurriedly, not bothering to use the road as she cuts through to the next house. Aerith and Rinoa are hot on her heels as she knocks on the door.
"Who's there," A boy's voice calls from the other side.
"Tifa!" She shouts.
"Tifa who?"
"Just open the door!"
Aerith can hear laughing as the door finally opens, revealing a grinning dark-haired boy. "Hiya, Teef."
Tifa rolls her eyes. "Guys, this is Zack," She explains quickly before turning back to the boy. "Where are the others?"
"Outside. We're training." Zack turns and walks through the house, leaving the girls to follow. "They're such know-it-alls," Tifa says. "Ever since Squall got a practice sword for his birthday they do nothing but swing sticks around."
She opens the door to a tiny backyard; a row of hedges is all that separates it from Tifa's house. Just like Tifa had said, two boys are play fighting in the backyard, sticks in hand. Zack cheers them on from the sidelines. "Come on, Cloud! Take him out! Squall's got nothing on you!"
"Come on," Tifa tells them, running to stand beside Zack. "Go Cloud go!"
Aerith recognizes one of the boys; he's in her class, a timid kid with spiky blond hair. His cheeks are red and he's panting as he swings his stick forward like a baseball bat. The other boy she doesn't know, but he seems a couple years older than her, with straight brown hair.
As Cloud swings his stick Squall spots an opening, and jabs his stick at the blond's side. Cloud gasps dramatically and drops to the ground, catching his breath.
"My turn! My turn!" Zack shouts, grabbing Cloud's dropped "sword" and pointing it at Squall. "The only reason you beat him was because you're older. But you ain't got nothing on me!"
Squall rolls his eyes and ignores him, looking at the forgotten girls instead. "Who'd you bring, Tifa?"
"Oh! Yeah! This is Squall and Cloud. Guys, these are my best friends, Aerith and Rinoa."
"Nice to meet you," Aerith says politely. Squall doesn't blink but Cloud stands, and having caught his breath, walks over to them. "Hi."
"Now come on, Squall! Let me kick your butt already!" Zack insists. Squall rolls his eyes and picks up his stick. "Like that's going to happen."
"Go ahead and take a seat, this could take a while," Tifa says, sitting in the grass. Rinoa and Aerith sit down, Cloud hesitantly sitting down beside them. "Zack and Squall are pretty evenly matched. The only thing that's different is that Squall's a year older." She cups her hands around her mouth to make her voice louder. "Come on, Zack!"
Zack grins and swings the stick; Squall smirks in reply and blocks it. Tifa and Rinoa cheer them on--Tifa rooting for Zack and Rinoa for Squall--while Aerith and Cloud just sit and watch.
"They're a lot better than me," Cloud says suddenly. His voice is quiet, so Rinoa and Tifa don't hear him, but Aerith does. "It's probably just 'cause they're older."
"You think?"
"Uh-huh. I bet as soon as you get to practice more, you'll be just as good, even better."
Cloud laughs awkwardly, a blush rising to his pale cheeks. He smiles a small smile, the shy expression matching him perfectly. "Thanks."
A/N: I know this isn't tragic yet, just wait until later -.-
This story is supposed to be a group of oneshots about Cloud and Aerith; however, the more I write the more it seemed to focus on other characters as well. Now it's going to be just a collection of Hollow Bastion/Traverse Town Oneshots Pre-KH1. However, Aerith and Cloud will hopefully still be a big part of the story.
Oh, and this originally isn't supposed to be Clerith (sorry to any Clerith fans). But I never know what will happen when I write, so... yeah. But thanks for reading!
-Twila