Disclaimer: Don't own FFVII in any shape or form.

A/N: Read, enjoy, review. :)

025. Strangers

Aerith's endless selflessness still stunned Cloud, even after months of knowing her. He had never believed it possible for someone to give and give so much, but with her, there seemed to be no end to her generosity.

They had arrived at Gold Saucer, and after dividing up their collected gil as evenly as possible, the group had split up- off to all different parts of the park for relaxation and a well deserved break from their quest. Yuffie had dragged Vincent off to watch one of the plays, and Red had tagged along while Tifa and Cait Sith had gone to the arcade and Cid and Barret had made their way to the Chocobo races to place bets. As for the other members of the party. . .

Cloud had wandered around uncomfortably for awhile, not sure how to spend his gil. He had dropped in on each of his companions before moving onto the next, feeling restless and bored. After playing a few rounds of arcade games with Tifa and Cait Sith, he realized that he had not seen any sign of Aerith and had left in search of her. After turning Gold Saucer practically upside down without seeing even a hair, he suddenly wondered if she had maybe taken the cable car back down to Coral.

Acting on this thought, he took the path he thought she must have gone, and no sooner had he entered the run down, broken mining town did he see her. She was smiling radiantly, a crowd of people surrounding the lithe girl so that Cloud could only see flashes of her; the pink of her dress, a flash of the silver bangles on a pale wrist, mahogany hair, and emerald eyes. Trying to get a better look, Cloud moved closer, and his jaw dropped as the realization of what Aerith was doing struck him.

At her feet was a huge sack that he had no idea how she had carried, bulging with supplies. Apparently Aerith had asked the townsfolk to gather, and she was now distributing the various items such as blankets, clothing, and food. Eventually the group thinned out and returned to their own tasks, leaving the flower girl to fold up the bag neatly. She started to walk in his direction, and caught sight of him. Smiling, she waved and ran to meet him, her long mahogany braid flying out behind her.

"Cloud! What are you doing here?" she asked, flicking her bangs back from her green eyes as she slipped her arm through his.

"I could ask you the same question," he responded, allowing her to steer him back towards the cable car. "I saw what you were doing."

Puzzled the girl cocked her head to the side. "Yes. . ." she responded slowly. "And?"

"Why?" Seeing the confusion in her expression, Cloud tried to explain as they took their seats on the car, waiting for it to return them to Gold Saucer. "I mean, why did you spend your gil on them? They're strangers- you don't know them at all. Who are they to you Aerith that you would do something like that for them?"

Aerith pursed her lips as she considered his question. "Well, I suppose I could have spent my gil playing games, or buying toys and things I don't really need, but that seemed silly to me. Then I remembered all these people, and how much they struggle to make ends meet. So I thought, well, why not? They could certainly use the gil more than I can!"

"But. . ."

"They're strangers?" she finished. "Should that matter? You were a stranger to me when you fell through the roof of my church, and I helped you. Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet!" Aerith tapped the end of his nose, smiling at the expression in his sapphire eyes before resting her head on his shoulder with a happy, contented sigh.

Numbed, Cloud sat there, her words still washing over him. 'You were a stranger to me when you fell through the roof of my church. . .' What would his life have been like if Aerith was not as kind to strangers as she was? The thought chilled him.

"Thank the heavens for your selflessness, Aerith," he thought silently, closing his eyes as he allowed his cheek to rest against her soft brown hair. "Thank heavens for you."