Sometimes, all it takes is something as simple as a word or one smile, one touch of a hand or a mere glimpse into tomorrow.
And the frail line of destiny changes its course.
Forced by the tiny bronco breaking down, Cloud sat by the edge of the lake, quietly and restfully, watching his companions enjoy the moment of peace. The lake had came across their path in due time, they needed to freshen up a bit, the sun had been relentless during the day and the walk had been a long one across the plains.
Tifa dove right in, a little far from the rest of the group, Yuffie followed her in a swimming race, loudly complaining about the water being too cold. Barret took off his boots, sunk his feet into the gentle curb by the shore. Cid took off his shirt and in he went, no problem at all if he had no change of clothes. Vincent, along with Red and Caith Sith - cats and water right? - stood under the shade of a tree, savoring the breath of fresh air.
And Aerith…
…she pulled the hem of her dress up and entered the water knee-deep, he watched her struggling between dipping her hands into the fresh water or holding her dress. She quickly gave up and let the fabric drop, slowly soaking in to the length above her knees. He heard her laugh carefree, then cupping her hands, she let the water pool on her palms and splashed it on her face, happily welcoming the freshness as she rubbed her wet hands on her neck and hair.
He felt his cheeks heating, not from the sunlight, but for staring too long.
When she flit her eyes his way and he immediately flicked his away, he knew it was too late, he had caught her attention, could almost feel the smile spreading on her lips.
She walked towards him, her bare feet dragging from the water's pull on her legs, she slowly made her way to him at the shore, her drenched steps leaving a water trail behind her.
As she reached him, he glanced nervously at her and then back at the far distance in the horizon, someplace else would do.
She sat next to him, quietly, until the silence made her restless. She bumped his shoulder at his stillness.
"What?" He asked.
"Aren't you going in?" She asked back.
"Not my thing." He said bluntly, not sparing a second more on the matter.
"What is not your thing? Going in the water under this hot weather?"
"…. Guess so."
"Why is it not your thing?"
"Just isn't." He shrugged.
"Would you come with me if I asked you nicely?"
"Don't think so."
"Not even going to ask what is asking nicely?"
"Better not."
She pouted, sighed, tapped her fingers on her knee and then her lips curved into a playful eager smile.
Nothing.
"Well, I'll ask you anyway." She informed and he readied himself for what was coming. "Dear bodyguard, would you mind coming in the water with your friendly florist, please?"
He blinked. Then made a sound that was something close to a cross between a laugh and a grunt.
"You call that asking nicely?"
"Isn't it?"
"Not even close."
"Well, what do I have to do then?"
"Maybe, just drop it?"
"You know I won't."
"You're wasting your time then." If her goal had been to make him lighten up, well, he would give her that. He stood up, stretched his arms up and exhaling sharply, he started walking along the shore.
"Don't wander away for too lo—
Before he could finish his sentence she had already kicked a good amount of lake-water over at him. It hit him ice-cold sharp on his back, made him lose his breath to a surprised gasp. He turned around and before she could run for her life he countered with another wave of water he threw at her. It caught her off-guard, drenched her hair and soaked her dress.
She shrieked a laugh, her mind weaving a response. When she bent down to dip her hands under, he soldiered-up and dashed towards. When she turned around to escape him, a faster wet arm wrapped around her waist and sent them both flying into the margin of the lake, falling deep into a clumsy splashing wave of two bodies wrapped around each other.
When they sat - awkwardly and impossibly - her on top of him, she laughed in complete joy. He stitched down a smile.
"What was that for?" He asked, completely dripping from head to toe. The shock was what shook him. He wasn't mad, couldn't be mad at her. It was a sort of play he was already too familiar with from her.
"It's fun, you know, you're fun, even though you think you aren't." She grinned innocently, a smile drawn with sparkles of devilish intentions. It disarms him. Everything about her unsettles him. Crystal water drops ornamented her hair, cheeks flushed lightly beaconing her into awareness of their position, still she didn't move an inch.
He heaved a heavy sigh, noticing how her teeth chattered slightly and her breath stuttered faintly.
"Didn't think this through did we?" There were no dry clothes they could change into.
"No sir." She shook her head in unconcerned amusement. Then tipped her eyes down at her steeped dress, uncomfortably smothering the pores of her skin. He glanced momentarily to where she was looking at, droplets of water trailing down her collarbone to her cleavage distracted his eyes to the soaked fabric of her dress, glued to her skin, turning gravely transparent… Gravely. Transparent.
Dreadfully, he felt his cheeks heating again at the sight of her curves, he didn't know what to do with his eyes so he quickly and uncomfortably blinked the other way.
"Come on, let's dry it out in the sun." He shifted to get out from under her and she gladly took the slick wet hand he extended, still his eyes looked everywhere but at her.
Slopping out of the water, he laid down on the grass, kicked his boots off and placed his hands under his head facing the sky and closing his eyes at the warm tendrils of sunshine softly touching his skin. It felt warm, under the sun, his mouth turned up the slightest as he felt his cold skin drying out in the gentle breeze.
She watched him for a moment while she twisted the soaked hem of her dress. He looked so tranquil… lively green eyes observed the soft lines of his features, she smiled warmly before laying down next to him, stretching her dress as much as she could over her body so it could dry evenly.
"Hey Cloud." She called.
He hummed in placid quietness.
"What are you going to do… after it's all over?" She asked, her voice glazed with a bit of wistful discomfort.
"Don't know." He replied. But he could understand the question. All her life had been under the plate, now that she had tasted the fragile lines of freedom, being out in the open, the world was too big of a place to explore. "So many possibilities can come up."
"Will you stay close?" She asked, her eyes set on the sunlit underlines of the clouds moving slowly over the blue of the sky.
He slightly turned his gaze at her, green-flecks of blue behind half-open lids glittered in the sunshine.
"Want me to?"
"That would be nice, if you can." She turned her head to meet his eyes.
"Then I will." He reassured.
They smiled at each other during one solid moment where their gazes meant everything they couldn't say aloud.
"Don't let me go then." She broke the premise, the pure smile on her face melted in nostalgia as her voice unfolded the longing of another life without her.
The blissfulness cracked open, turned the clouds dark, the sky ablaze. She stood up and turned to leave.
It broke his smile, broke his heart.
He stretched a hand to reach her, but it closed around hollow air, she was already gone into the sunlight. So fast, so achingly, he's washed over by regret.
"What?"
Cloud wakes up out of breath, bracing for anything he could grab onto as he feels the darkness taking over his vision.
Sweat clung to his skin, dampening his hair to his forehead, he presses a palm to his chest, his heart vibrating furiously beneath his hand wakes him into a state of alert. The specters of his dream withdraw to the back of his mind as he situates himself. He hears crickets, hears the wind gushing. He slips out of his sleeping bag, eagerly breaking his legs free, breathlessly tossing the fabric aside to get out of his tent.
The cold of the night seeps into his lungs in crisp painful gasps for air he takes in panic, it twirls thickly inside his lungs.
His eyes search frantically across camp, his gaze lands on the zip of her tent. He drops down on one knee, slowly pulls the zip open to take a look inside. There's only Tifa sleeping. Aerith's empty space clenches around his throat. And before he realizes what he's doing, he's already running into the forest, running for his life, running for her life, across the path leading into her disappearance.
The trees whisper words of encouragement around him, gently swaying their leaves, taking him to her. He gets a glimpse of her dress fluttering ahead, a pastel pink shimmering under the starlight, flower patterns dancing under carved shadows.
He extends his arm desperately, trying to grasp her, trying to call her, between draws for air.
"Don't go!" He cries, the sound disrupts the quiet. He watches her turn around in a startle. Her eyes shine with old tears, old tears he wants to wipe from her cheeks with his lips.
Before he knows it… before he can say anything more… before she has a chance to as well, with no restraint he crashes into her, wrapping arms around her small frame, pressing hard against her. Her warmth seeps in to his chest and she smells of spring, everlastingly blooming. For a hazed moment he thinks he sees petals of yellow flowers wafting around them so he squeezes his eyes shut, it can't be another dream.
"I'll stay close." The bodyguard says in gentle appeal, a hand bracing the back of her head, fingers entwine in her hair. "I promise I'll stay. If you want me to, I'll stay as close as you let me. Just, don't go. I'm not letting you go." His mind set and his heart exhilarates against hers, inebriated by the rush of realizing just how close he was to losing her, how narrow the window had gotten.
Her slender hands grip the back of his shirt and she tightens her arms around him. She knows what motivated him and it confirms what she suspected he already feels for her. Her lips burnish into a fondling smile, aligned with the acceptance that he will always come for her.
And after a long moment that passes ever briefly, she tells him.
"I won't."