She was kneeling down, praying amid the silence of the Forgotten Capital. There, home at last, she seemed much more beautiful: she was unearthly, celestial even. And she was smiling. Oh Odin, she was smiling. And even that smile was different. It was not the mischievous smile she had worn when she bargained for his bodyguard services for a date, when she coaxed him to put on a lady's attire, or even the time when she pulled him into the Speed Square and drove him dizzy.

She was… an… angel.

She looked up at him, still smiling…

And then…

She –

A black and silver blur dropped from a great height. In one deft motion the shadow brandished a long blade. And then, as quick as lightning, the blade pierced through her fragile form.

Warm crimson blood spattered.

And, looking down, Cloud saw that his hands were stained – stained by the same blood.

AAAAAAAAARGH!!!

"CLOUD!!!"

A hand laid itself on his cold, sweating shoulder. The hand, in contrast, was so soft, so warm, albeit a little tense. Cloud hastily glanced toward the hand's owner.

And worried emerald eyes greeted him.

"What's wrong, dear? You were thrashing about, screaming. And then you jerked just like that, sitting up."

Cloud felt his mouth and throat run dry.

"I… I… had a nightmare…"

Without warning at all, Aeris pushed her index finger hard on his nosebridge. Ouch.

"There you go, Mr. Strife!" she reprimanded him. "I told you not too eat too much before bedtime, didn't I? And so you got yourself a nightmare! And in Costa del Sol, of all happy places on the Planet! What did I tell you, huh? Now you've ruined our honeymoon…"

And, in spite of his better self, Cloud's lips began curling upward into a smile.

Damn. Aeris hated him smiling whenever she was carrying out a sermon.

They were now out of the Inn, gazing towards the wide sea separating Costa del Sol from Junon. And, of course, they were doing what any couple would do: strolling by the shore, holding hands, you know.

Everything was quiet.

The cool ocean breeze blew against then, mingling auburn hair with flaxen.

The moon shone brightly against the navy blue night sky.

It was Aeris who broke the silence. "So, what was your dream all about, huh?" she asked.

Cloud considered not answering; after all, the mere memory of that nightmare was making him shiver.

Oh, yes… he thought about that, every day, every night, every moment. What could have happened…? What if…?

But those bright green eyes were beckoning him to speak.

"You… you remember… about the events in the Forgotten City… right?" he began.

"Yup," she confirmed, nodding. "What about that?"

"See… well…" he could not go further.

"That's when I prayed for Holy, Sephiroth came crashing down with his longsword, and you parried him and fought him until he retreated, right?" she added, trying to help him. "So, what about that?"

Cloud had never said this to her before. Nor had he allowed Tifa and the others to tell this to her. But, perhaps, now was the time…

"That wasn't everything."

"Hmmm? What do you mean?"

Cloud halted, directly facing her, blue eyes fixed on green. "I… I tried to… kill you before that," he confessed, and then hurriedly added, "no, not like that… ummm… erm… kinda hard to explain… well, the Jenova in me… Sephiroth's will, y'know… was pushing me to. I… raised… my sword, then. I – I tried to fight it. But – but –"

"But it didn't happen, did it?" There she was again, hands behind her, tilting her form, the better to scan his troubled look. "You didn't kill me. Sephiroth failed to kill me. I'm here. We're heroes. You're a hero."

Cloud scratched his head. How could she simplify things just like that?

"Yeah, but…"

What if I do it again? Cloud thought to himself.

"No buts." She said this with a tone of finality. "What's done is done."

But what bodyguard would hurt his charge? He almost did.

"I – I just wanna say… sorry. Sorry for almost hurting you."

Aeris shook her head. In a solemn voice, she said, "I never blamed you. Not even once. You ought to know that, Cloud."

Then a mischievous grin flashed across her moonlit face. "Now, really. You are such a perfect honeymoon buster, you know? Look at what you've done! You even got me emo, for Shiva's sakes!" she exclaimed, beating Cloud's upper arm with her tiny fists. "You should know better than to ruin our moments! If this is how we'd spend the rest of our lives, then I got more than I bargained for, you jerk!"

"Ouch! Hey, hey! I didn't force you to this. You pulled this through!" Cloud shouted in response, running away like he had cast Haste upon himself, laughing manically.

Cruel intentions shone through Aeris' emerald eyes. "Oh, so that's how you wanna play, huh?" she called out, actually casting Haste upon herself and chasing after him under the moonlight.

Why are you asking for forgiveness? There's nothing to forgive.

Cloud was smiling. As in really smiling. (Or so it was until his newly-wedded wife Aeris caught up with him, at least.)