Roles Reversed

(Ghost in the mirror Clorith challenge 7)

By Wolves'n'motorbikes

Chapter 1 Through The Roof

She ran lithely across the bridge, trying to duck the shots from the Air Buster. The other members of her team, Tifa and Barrett, were ahead of her, already behind the only safe part of the bridge, calling for her to move faster. She tripped on a loose cable and went flying. She rolled over, ignoring her nosebleed, and threw her staff up, casting a Bolt spell at it. It made the Air Buster stop for a moment, and then the bridge collapsed.

All she knew was the feel of the air rushing past her as she fell. Falling. Faster.

CRASH.

Blackness.

Silence.

Then a voice. A man's voice, sounding concerned, gently whispering to her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Hey! Are you even alive?"

She screwed her eyes up and then opened them. The light rushed her to shield her eyes and then the man talking to her came into vague focus. Ridiculously spiky blonde hair, bright blue eyes full of concern. He had fair skin, and his muscled chest was bare, thrown into the light, his skin pale against his dark trousers. His shirt seemed to be tucked into the back of his trousers and there was an enormous sword at his side. He wasn't her type, but he was handsome.

"I'm fine. Don't look at me like that," she growled, rolling onto her side to fight unsteadily to her feet.

"I'm just concerned. You crash through the roof of my church like nobody's business and then lie unconscious in my flowers for god-knows how long. Not many people do that."

She grunted her response. "Who are you?" Not that I care.

"My name's Cloud Strife. What's yours?"

"Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough."

Reluctantly, she grasped the hand that he held out for her and he pulled her to her feet. As soon as she could, she let go. Physical contact wasn't something she aspired to. The look this 'Cloud' was fixing her with aggravated her. He was looking at her in concern, and worry, and as if he'd never seen another woman before.

"What?" she growled.

"You've got really beautiful eyes," he mused.

She rolled the emerald orbs she had for eyes and turned to walk off, but she started to collapse. Before her knees could hit the floor though, Cloud's arms were around her waist, pulling her upright. There was a simple bedroll beside a fallen pillar, which was where he lay her. Instructing her to sleep, he cast a furtive look at the door, before turning back to the flowers. In the midst of busying himself by fixing the flowers Aerith had landed on, his head shot to the door and he literally leapt to his feet, the heavy soles of his boots smashing into the floor, but not breaking it. His sword was in his hand before Aerith had even blinked.

"For god's sake, not again," he sighed as a man with bright red hair in a suit walked through the door, two SOLDIERs flanking him.

Aerith fought to her feet and picked up what she assumed was her staff. The top had snapped off, but she could not see it anywhere. So all she was armed with was a stick.

"Now, Strife. Are you going to come with us willingly this time, or will we have to force you?" asked the red-head.

"For god's sake Reno," sighed Cloud. "You know every time you come here with your silly friends that they won't make it out alive and I won't be in your clutches. Just leave."

He turned away and went to kneel, but something was already hurtling towards him at tremendous speed. Aerith threw her stick. It deflected the bullet. But now she had no weapon. Cloud's eyes smiled at her as he placed his sword down, and returned to his flowers. Aerith watched as the two SOLDIERs approached him, hands outstretched to clasp his bare shoulders.

"Don't think about it," he whispered.

"Take the girl!" called the red-head then.

Instead of going to Cloud, the two SOLDIERs turned and headed towards Aerith. She didn't know what to do. She was not armed and too weak to fight.

"Get to the rafters. I can help from there," whispered Cloud. "Use the pillar."

Aerith glanced to her side, took note of the pillar by the bedroll, nodded once in thanks, and began to stumble over to it, her boots loud in the silence. She hoisted herself onto the pillar and began to head up it as quick as she could. In the silence that filled the church, she could hear the SOLDIERs pursuing her. They were no match for her, weakened or not. She could easily escape, and then-

She tripped on the edge of her dress. That small stumble, merely a double-step, cost her valuable seconds, and she soon lost ground to the SOLDIERs. They were right behind her now. Luckily, she reached the rafters before they could get to her. She got as far as she could without tipping all the barrels off and then turned to face them. She was not armed. She wasn't that strong, though she'd die than admit it.

"Aerith!" Cloud's voice bellowed then, realising her predicament. She ignored him, though her eyes glanced down.

Cloud searched frantically for the head of her staff. Where was it? He'd seen it when she landed, a small u-shape of iron. Where was it?

"Yes!" he exclaimed quietly, discovering the metal behind a pew. He grabbed it and the bullet-wounded stick, and ran to where he was stood underneath her. "Aerith! Here!" And he threw them upwards.

Aerith's hands clasped them. Though they weren't much good, she could still use them to cast some magic. It would have to do till she obtained the gil Barrett promised her. Then she'd get out of Midgar and go back to Kalm. She wove the spell and cast it.

The two SOLDIERs froze on the spot, wavered and then fell off the rafters onto the ground. "Poor guys," she muttered. "They just need to be loved." She laughed bitterly, despite her usual pretence of not ever smiling.

Cloud looked at the two SOLDIERs at his feet, then up at Aerith. She'd begun to make her way back to the pillar when it gave way, crashing to the floor.

"Oh for gods sake," Cloud hissed. "Why did you have to make my church fall apart?" He wasn't talking to Aerith, she knew that much. Just who was he talking to? She doubted it was that red-head stood by the door. Then he moved to stand a little way off directly beneath her. "Jump," he said simply.

"Do you think I'm insane?" she replied.

"You would rather break both your legs on the floor? Okay," said Cloud, stepping out from underneath her. She did not move. He returned to where he had been stood. "Don't worry. I will catch you."

Aerith took a deep breath, clutched the shards of her staff and then stepped off the rafters. Before she'd realised it, Cloud's arms were around her and she was pinned to the floor by one of his knees across her own.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, trying to force him off.

"Stop moving. Reno's about to go back to his helicopter to go get you from the roof."

"How do you know?" she asked him then.

Cloud merely tapped his brow in reply. She huffed, but didn't say anything else. True to his word, the red-head turned and walked out, bellowing orders about his helicopter being brought to him. Cloud removed himself from her as soon as they heard the helicopter. He ignored her after giving her a wistful look and moved to retrieve his sword.

"Just who are you?" asked Aerith, as Cloud swung the ridiculously sized blade around, before placing it down gently, slipping his turtle-necked loose black-purple tank top over his head, followed by a spiky metal shoulder-plate and then a belt-like thing with two enormous clips on it.

Aerith realised her look must have been enquiring and confused, for Cloud then said, "it's the scabbard for my sword."

Aerith merely gave him a look that clearly said she didn't care. But she watched in interest as Cloud swung the sword over his shoulder and fastened it to the clips on his back. He ignored her previous question however and went to leave. Aerith heard something thud on the floor, but didn't realise it was her till she saw Cloud's feet by her head.