Disclaimer: I don't own FF VII, and as much as I would like to, I don't own Cloud or any of the other characters either.
READ, IMPORTANT- I have never played Final Fantasy VII. I've only ever watched Advent Children. I know the general story line, and I can follow the story pretty well, but it doesn't change the fact that I haven't played the game. So if I make a mistake, that's probably why.
This is just a completely pointless one-shot I made up after watching Advent Children for like the fifth time. It's set after the movie. Enjoy!
"C'mon, Cloud, let's go, let's go, let's go!!!!" Marlene cried, hurriedly pulling at Cloud's shirt. Denzel already took the other side, slowly but surely steering Cloud to the doorway of the house.
"Let go of me first, then you can go outside," the adult said softly, prying their hands off of his shirt. "And put on your coats."
"Okay!" the children said, darting up the stairs to their room at breakneck speed. Cloud couldn't remember them ever moving that quickly before. Then again, it never snowed like this in Midgar.
An unexpected storm had completely blanketed the city in a dazzling layer of white snow. It was still snowing, even now, but so gently that it was barely noticeable. The thick white powder already went up to the middle of Cloud's shin. Even with the bleak outline of the nearly colorless city, the snow made it seem a little more...liveable. A little happier, especially with all the children making slightly lopsided snowmen in the streets.
Thump, thump, THUMP. "We've got our coats!" Denzel and Marlene said as they jumped down, step by step. "Let's go!"
They never even stopped for Cloud. The excited children bolted through the door with a bang and were out romping in the snow before he could even blink. He could feel a pitifully weak smile tugging at the corner of his lips, but he still couldn't pull it off. Not even for them.
Cloud began to cross the threshold after them when everything went white. Well, everything was white in the first place, but this was completely different. It was...softer, somehow, almost angelic. And Cloud couldn't feel the cold bite of the snow anymore, but he couldn't feel the warmth of the house either. He looked down suddenly, the whole experience being all too familiar. A carpet of yellow and green covered his feet. Lilies? In December?
A sudden, gentle hand laid itself on his shoulder. If he hadn't been expecting it, Cloud would have jumped.
"Don't get frostbite, Cloud," a man's voice said teasingly. It wasn't the voice Cloud had expected, and he tried as hard as he could not to turn around. They always disappeared when that happened.
"And don't forget about yourself, either."
Cloud looked straight ahead, his eyes widening slightly, as he looked into Aerith's sweetly smiling face. Her words had that beautiful ring of laughter in them that he remembered so clearly. Before he could say anything, she slipped something tenderly over his head.
And as soon as she did, Aerith and Zack disappeared, to be replaced with the sight of Denzel and Marlene's snowball war.
Cloud shook himself to clear his head. He hadn't seen Zack and Aerith in awhile.
As he shook his head, he felt something warm entwined around his neck. He reached back and felt the soft, knit wool of a scarf around his neck and shoulders. The bright scarlet object suited him, blending well with his black clothes. As Cloud stepped out into the thick snow to watch the kids, he inhaled the almost faded scent of lilies. A small, but finally true, smile graced his lips as he formed a silently thank-you to his friends.