" Goooooood Morning, Cloud!!!"

Cloud held his ears as he slowly woke up from his bed. Yuffie was in his room yelling into his ears with a megaphone in her hands.

" Yuffie, why must you yell out so LOUD this early in the morning?" Cloud said and shook his head to stop the ringing in his head.

" ' The hell you talking about! At Wutai, everybody wakes up at least five o' clock in the morning!! It's seven right now and as far as I know, you're late!" Yuffie said again with her usual high temper, bouncing on top of Cloud's bed.

" Well, as far as I know, this place is not Wutai. And stop bouncing on my bed!!"

Yuffie stopped and smiled, " Well anyway, Tifa is up already. She's already making breakfast. So now why don't you go downstairs and greet your in-two-days-she's-going-to-be-your wife."

" As soon as you get out of my room. I'm going to change." Cloud sighed, " Why don't you go bother Vincent or something? I know you wanted to do that but seeing that Vincent always locks the door, you just came in here to bother me instead."

Yuffie blushed and throws her shuriken at Cloud, which he barely dodged. " I swear if you tell Vinnie…!!"

" Alright, alright! I get you!" The blonde-soldier raised both of his hands, as though to give up, "Now would you please get out of my room?"

" Hmph!" Yuffie huffed but obediently left his room, leaving Cloud to sigh once again.

" Good morning, Cloud?" Tifa smiled as she saw Cloud walking down the stairs.

" 'Morning. Where are Barret and Cid? I assume Vincent is still in his room." Cloud asked and sat on one of the tables in the bar.

" Barret and Cid went to buy more drinks. But I'm thinking they're going to finish it all again tonight and Yuffie is outside with Nanaki."

" I see…"

Tifa smiled again and then walked towards Cloud carrying a plate of food. She placed the plate in front of him, telling him it's breakfast and to eat. Cloud smiled at her and picked up his fork.

" Oh, and Cloud?" Tifa turned to him as she washed the dishes.

" Yeah?"

" Can you do me one small favor?"

" What is it?"

" There's a group that is planning a birthday party here tonight but then I just found out that I don't have enough ingredients. I forgot to ask Barret and Cid to buy for me so…"

" I will go."

" Really!!?" Tifa's expression brightens, " I'm sorry…I wish I could go but I'm so busy …"

" No problem…just give me the list of ingredients you want me to buy and I'll go as soon as I'm done eating." Cloud smiled at her.

" Thank you, Cloud!!"

" Oi, Cloud! Where are you going!!?"

Yuffie spotted the blonde-soldier leaving the bar while she was playing with Nanaki and shouted out at him.

" I'm going to buy some stuff Tifa asked me to…" Cloud sighed and turned to leave.

" Well, okay then. Don't get lost!!"

" Look who's talking!!"

Cloud sighed for like how many times this morning and started walking into the busy streets. He glanced at the sheet of paper Tifa gave him, " Let's see…"

" Excuse me…"

" Four cans of vegetable soup and six packs of…"

" Excuse me!!!"

Cloud sighed irritably and turned around. " What is it that you wa…"

He widens his eyes in shock at the girl standing in front of him. The girl had long wavy, brown hair which she held into a ponytail with a pink ribbon, and two long strands of hair was hanging at both sides of her face. She wore a small, red jacket over a pink one piece and was carrying a basket with many variations of flowers inside. But the one thing that surprised him was her emerald green eye. The same eyes as hers…as…

" Ae…rith?" He whispered softly in disbelief.

". . . . ." The girl tilted her head to the side, " I'm sorry but do I know you?"

Cloud blinked twice before comprehending what she said, " E…eh? Wha…?"

" I was just surprise because you knew my name…" The girl smiled and then stared into his eyes, " Do I know you?"

"U…Umm,…your name is…Aerith?" Cloud said in surprise again.

" Yes. My name is Aerith…how do you know my name?" The girl, Aerith, asked again.

" Umm…I…I…" Cloud hesitated and wondered. Is this the Aerith he knows…or just someone that looks exactly like her?

Aerith stared at Cloud for a moment. She then gasped in surprise as though she remembered, " Are you…Cloud Strife?"

" Eh?"

" You are, right? I recognized your face…" Aerith smiled, " I saw your face in some kind of news…saying that you're a hero of the planet or something. You must have done something really good to be called like that. Nice to meet you, Cloud Strife."

" Nice to…meet you," Cloud hesitantly shook her hand. He could feel his face turning red quickly.

"Oh…would you care to buy some flowers?" Aerith said as though she remembered. " I've been having problems with money lately…so I thought of selling some flowers so I could earn some money to go to the next town."

" Eh? You don't…live here?"

Aerith shook her head. " I'm…traveling. I think I've been traveling ever since…I don't quite remember anymore…but I know I'm traveling to look for something…or someone. I just don't know what it is…"

" You're…traveling…all by yourself?" Cloud said in surprise. He couldn't think of such a girl like her to travel around this big world by herself…especially if that certain girl looks exactly like her.

" Yup!" Aerith smiled, " That's why I'm in desperate need of money…so…do you care to buy flowers, sir?" She showed the basket to him.

"…sure, why not?" Cloud smiled, " How much?"

" It's a gil for each…but since I met the proud hero of the planet, I'll make it free for you!"

Cloud lowered his eyelids, " I'm no hero…"

"?" Aerith tilted her head in confusion but soon smiled, " Well, whatever you're being sad about…I'm sure this will cheer you up." She takes a red flower from the basket and hands it to him.

" Um…thank you," Cloud said and accepted the flower. He flinched when their hands met but stayed clam as usual.

Aerith smiled softly and then turns to leave, " Good-bye, Mr. Hero. I hope we meet again."

" Ah…Aerith!!!" Cloud called out her name, which Aerith stopped and turned to him.

" Yes, Cloud?"

" . . . . . . It was…nice meeting you. I…I hope we meet again, too." Cloud muttered softly as he held the flower tightly, " And…thank you for the flower."

The flower girl smiled, " You're welcome. Just say it's an early wedding gift for you." She then left, disappearing into the crowd.

Cloud watched in surprise but soon noticed something. " Wait a minute…how does she know that I'm getting married?"

He looks back to where he last saw her. " Aerith…is that really you? Or someone else?"

" Bye, Marlene! See you tomorrow!!"

" Bye!!"

Marlene waved at her friends and started running towards her home. She had just finished school and couldn't wait to get home to tell him what happened.

' Daddy will be really proud when I tell him I got an A on my test!!' She thought happily and turned the corner. But then she bumped on someone and fell on the ground, scraping her knee at the same time.

" Oww…" Tears formed in her eyes but she tried not to cry.

" I'm sorry!"

She looked up to see a certain flower girl standing above her. The flower girl kneeled down and studied the wound.

" I'm sorry…I wasn't looking. Does it hurt?" The flower girl asked. Marlene slowly shook her head, which made the flower girl smile in relief.

" Just wait a minute, okay? It'll finish fast…" The flower girl said and placed a hand over the injured knee. A greenish-white light emitted from her hands and Marlene stared in surprise. The wound soon disappeared into the light and her knee was completely healed.

" Thank you, Ms. Flower Girl," Marlene bowed her head politely.

" You're welcome…here." The flower girl gave a white flower to her, " It's a present for you for being a good girl."

Marlene's expression brightened, " Thank you!! This is so pretty!!"

The flower girl smiled and then stood up, dusting herself. " I'll be going now…are you going to be okay by yourself?"

Marlene nods her head, " You're really pretty. Are you an angel?"

The flower girl made a surprise expression. She soon smiles warmly and pats her head, chuckling softly, " No, I'm not. I'm just an ordinary flower girl…but thank you for thinking of me as that. Here's another flower."

" But you healed my wound! I heard only an angel can do that!" Marlene said.

" Sssh…" The flower girl placed a finger over her soft, pink lips and winked, " Would you mind not to tell anyone about that?"

"?" Marlene blinked in confusion but nods her head. " Okay!"

" Good girl." The flower girl smiled and left.

Marlene smiled to herself and looks down the two flowers in her hand, " Wow! I just met an angel!!"

She then happily and excitedly ran towards her house. She now has two things to tell to her father.

" Welcome back…Cloud," Tifa looked up at the sound of the door opening and smiled to see Cloud walking in with two bags of ingredients in his arms.

Cloud nodded and walked in. Tifa walked over to him, " So how was your day?"

" Fine…" Cloud sighed. " Oh…and here's a…flower for you."

" Oh, wow!! This flower is really…beautiful!! Thank you, Cloud!!" Tifa smiled and hugged him tightly.

Cloud smiled nervously, though he felt a little sting in his heart but he ignored it.

" Here are the stuffs you wanted me to buy…" He said as he placed the bags on the nearby table. " Sorry…I'm late. I had…my mind set on something else."

Tifa stared at him in confuse, " Are you hurt?"

The blonde soldier turned his face away as though to hide it, " No…just…something."

" Just something?" Tifa burrowed her eyebrows in worry, " Oh, Cloud…please…please don't try to keep everything to yourself. You're just hurting yourself more…I don't want to see you like that."

' She says the same thing as her…' Cloud closed his blue eyes and stared into the darkness for a while. "I…"

" Yo, Tifa-lady!!!! More drinks here!!!" A man, who was one of the regular costumers in this bar, yelled out from the end of the bar, interrupting Cloud. The blonde-soldier felt somewhat relieved though about the interruption.

" Ah, yes, yes! Coming!" Tifa said quickly and went behind the counter to get more drinks for the costumer. Cloud watched Tifa for a while, and suddenly felt a slight headache so he squinted his eyes in pain.

His mind drifted to the flower girl he had just met today. A flower girl that looked so familiar to her but he wasn't quite sure himself if she is the same person.

' Even if it is the same person…she doesn't have any memory about herself, about everyone…about…me.' He thought. ' Wait…if it is the same person…then why is she here? Isn't she supposed to be dead? Did the Planet resurrect her? '

The blonde soldier shook his head, ' Calm down, Cloud Strife. That person isn't Aerith…even if she has the same name and looks exactly like her. Aerith…Aerith Gainsborough died… a year ago. She…is not here anymore.'

CLING…

Cloud lifts his face by the sound of the bar door opening. Yuffie came walking in all sweaty and tired with Nanaki beside her.

" Ah! I'm sooooooooooo tired!!!" Yuffie cried out as she sat on a nearby chair, " Tifa, would you mind if I get a cold drink?"

" Sure…" Tifa smiled.

Cloud sighed, " And what were you doing this early in the morning?"

" Training, of course!!" Yuffie beamed. " Just cause the fight is over…doesn't mean I can't train, does it? Besides, you never know when another danger can come anyways. Gotta be ready for that!!"

" Oh, Yuffie don't say that…" Tifa smiled nervously and placed down the cup of ice water in front of Yuffie. " I rather like the peace right now…I don't want anything to happen that will break this peacefulness."

" But, it's soooo boring!" Yuffie said as she folded her arms behind her head, " It's not like I'm saying that I like fighting and all…just that, with all this peacefulness and doing the same thing every single day is just…plain boring."

Cloud and Tifa silently listened to Yuffie, who started whistling to herself as soon as she finished talking. Tifa glanced at Cloud who shrugged his shoulder. Suddenly, they all looked up to find Barret barging into the doors.

" Damn that stupid shop owner!" He shouted, making the other customers in the bar turn to him. He saw Tifa's expression and lowered his voice, " I'm gonna make him pay…"

" What? What'd you do now?" Yuffie said, almost boringly.

" I didn't fuckin' do anything!" Barret raised his voice again. " That stupid shop owner thought I was stealing things from his store!! He blamed me for all of his products missing and told me that if I don't give them back, I'll have to pay for all of the things stolen!!!"

" Well…guess he thought you were suitable because of your face…," The Kuno-ichi said. But apparently, she said too much since Barret started stretching his arms at her as though to strangle her neck but the ninja girl quickly hid behind Tifa.

" I swear I'm gonna…!!!"

" Daddy!!!"

" Hm?" Barret was suddenly hugged by someone smaller, " Marlene!!?"

" Daddy!! Daddy!! Guess what!!?" Marlene started to say as soon as she let go of her dad. She was smiling brightly and her eyes was shining with excitement, " Daddy, I saw an angel today!! Right when I was walking towards home. I bumped into this beautiful flower girl!!! And she was really pretty!!! Look! She even gave me flowers!!"

" Hm? Let me see that…better not be poisoned or anything." Barret studied the two flowers in his daughter's hand. " Hmm…pretty flowers you got there."

" See!!? I know it! That flower girl I saw is an ange…"

Marlene never got to finish since she was interrupted by a loud clank and they all turned to find Cloud standing, his chair fallen to the floor almost like he quickly stood up, with a shocked expression on his face.

" Cloud?" Tifa made a confused expression.

Cloud ignored Tifa's question and quickly approached Marlene. He bent down to match her height and looked at her straight in the eyes.

" Did you…say you saw a flower girl? At the streets?" He asked, almost hesitantly.

" Yes!" Marlene nods her head with a smile. " She was really, really pretty!! See? These flowers…she gave them to me."

The blonde soldier glanced at the flowers; it was almost the same one he had gotten this morning. Tifa, who was beside him seemed to recognize the flower too. She turned towards the glass vase at the counter where she placed the flower in. ' The same…flower…'

" Did she…say anything else?" Cloud asked again.

" Well…" Marlene was about to speak but remembered the promise she had made with the flower girl so she just silently shook her head. " She just told me that I was a good girl…"

" Is that…is that all?"

Marlene made a thoughtful expression. She then remembers something and gestured Cloud to come closer. Cloud blinked his eyes in confusion but did as he was told. The small girl leaned down and whispered in his ears, " I didn't want to say this in front of everybody…but I think that flower girl looked like Aerith."

" !!?"

" I just wish it is her though…" Marlene lowered her eyelids and smiled sadly.

" Wished what?" Barret asked from above but she shook her head.

" It's nothing! I just wish that I'll be able to meet a pretty angel like that again!!"

Yuffie was listening almost boredly as though she didn't care. But Nanaki, who was lying down on the floor beside her and listening, was sure he saw her twitch at the mention of the ' flower girl '. He looked up to see Cloud, still with a shocked expression, and narrowed his eyes.

- Hikaru

Well...here's the second chapter!! Finally!! Aerith appears!!…or is it really Aerith!!? Maybe someone else that just happen to look exactly like her!!!?

Even if it is Aerith or not…how will she get involved in the story!!? Well…wait till you read the next chapter!!! What will happen to Cloud and the others!!? What will happen to Cloud and Tifa's wedding!! ( Hmm…thinking about the fact that this is going to be a CloudxAerith fic…well…you guessed it.)