Cid walked up the wooden stairs of the bar " Promised Heaven". He was carrying too bags of sake in his hands, whistling the tune ' Cid's Theme ' as he slowly walked up the stairs.

" Heh heh…nice day…it is…hic!" His face was a little red from the drinking earlier but he didn't mind. He was going to drink another box anyway.

" Yo, Barret! Tifa!! I brought the…hic…drinks!!" Cid said as he came tumbling inside the bar. " Mm? 'the hell is going…hic…on around here?"

"Cid…"

He looked up to see Tifa with a sort of blue expression. He also looked around to see the others wearing a gloomy expression on their face too. The space pilot scratched his already drunken head and let out a loud hiccup.

Suddenly, Cloud, who was in the center of the group and was bending down, stood up and walked towards Cid.

" Aye, Cloud! Wanna…hic…drink?" Cid made a goofy smile as he showed the blonde soldier the bag of drink.

Cloud ignored Cid's question and walked pass the space pilot, placing his hand on the doorknob.

" Wait, Cloud! Where are you going!?" Tifa shouted, running over to him.

" …I'm going to take…a walk…" Cloud said shortly before turning the knob.

" But…" Tifa was suddenly cut off when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Barret shaking his head. " But Barret!"

" I'll go after him!!" Yuffie shouted as she followed after where Cloud left.

' Cloud…'

' It can't be…It can't be!!' Cloud squinted his eyes shut as he walked into the streets fast. ' It can't…'

" Cloud!!!"

Cloud turned to find Yuffie towards him. " What?"

" Uh…ummm," Yuffie stuttered. " Um, about that whole flower girl thing. I'm pretty sure it's not about Aerith. I mean…think about it! Aerith…is gone! She's…not here anymore!"

" Excuse me, would you care to buy a flower?"

"Eh?" Yuffie widens her eyes and slowly turns around. She then gasps in surprise as tears sprang from her eyes. " A…Ae…"

"Hm?" The flower girl tilted her head but makes a small gasp when she saw Cloud behind Yuffie. " Oh! We meet again…"

"Eh," The ninja girl looks to Cloud and to the flower girl. " C…Cloud…you know…her?"

The blonde hair soldier turned his eyes away from Yuffie and slowly nods his head,

" Umm…I'm sorry…was I a bother?" Aerith asked at the serious tension between them.

"N…No! Of course not!" Yuffie answered quickly, smiling as though to assure her it's all right. " W…wow! These are nice flowers!!! Where do you get these?"

" Oh…I grow them…myself," Aerith smiled. " I must see that you must be Yuffie Kisaragi."

"Eh? Y…You know me?"

The flower girl smiled softly, which made the ninja girl blush in surprise, " I've heard about you…and also the other AVALANCHE members. You guys are the one who saved the Planet, right? From that…what was his name again? Sephiroth? Well, anyways, I'm really thankful that you guys did that…"

"Uh…umm…" Yuffie scratched her cheeks. " Aerith…right? So…I see that you're selling flowers. And pretty nice ones too…did you grow them yourself?"

"Some. I pick some of them out while I travel…I'm pretty sure there are a lot more beautiful flowers out there. I just picked some and sell them so I can make the people see…and to also earn some money for my traveling"

" You're traveling? Why?"

"I'm…searching for something…or someone. I just don't know it…yet." Aerith smiled, " But I'm pretty sure I'll be able to remember along the way."

"Hmmm…" The ninja girl made a thoughtful expression. Cloud was behind her staring at Aerith with an expressionless face.

"Ae…"

Baaaaaaaang!!!!

They all looked up from the sudden explosion with a few screams following after.

" What the…!?" Yuffie said as she grabbed hold of her large shuriken she always carries.

Cloud, too, reached out for his sword and looked up as another sound of explosion erupted from the town.

" Aerith! Go hide somewhere safe! Ae…" He turns to the flower girl but widen his eyes in surprise to see she was not there. " Aerith!!?"

" Wh…where did she go?" Yuffie seemed surprise as well. " Cloud!"

" We'll find her later! We need to deal with this right now!" shouted the blonde soldier and ran towards where the explosion was with Yuffie following right after.

"Everyone, please calm down!!" Tifa shouted at the panicking crowd. But they were too eager to save themselves rather than listening to a certain girl from the burning houses.

" Oh gods! What to do!?" The long, black haired fighter was starting to panic too. If only…if only Cloud was here. Then maybe he will know what to do. She bit her tongue at the knowledge that she, herself, can't do anything without him.

But this is not the time to think about such things. Tifa brought her head up in determination and ran towards the still panicking crowd.

" Everyone! Please do not panic! If we work together then we will be able to stoop the fire from spreading! Please!" She shouted with all her might. Barret and the others are busy rescuing the people from the burning buildings. She has to calm the crowd herself.

The crowd seemed to have heard her voice since now they all ran towards the fountain and wells, carrying small buckets in their hands. They scooped out the water and splashed it onto the burning buildings, slowly but gradually, extinguishing the fire.

" Tifa! "

Tifa looked up at a voice calling her and her expression brightens. " Cloud!!"

Cloud and Yuffie (who was starting to get tired from running) were running towards her.

" Cloud! Oh, I'm so glad you're here!!" She shouted in joy, running towards them.

" What happened!?" Cloud asked " What was that explosion I heard!!?"

"I…I don't know. I just heard it when I was in the bar and then when I came out, I saw all these buildings burning! Barret and the others are working with rescuing the people in the buildings." Tifa explained quickly, "But I wonder what caused this."

Cloud placed a hand on her shoulder, " Tifa, you and Yuffie stay here and watch over the crowd while I go check out what's going on."

" Eh? W…wait, Cloud!!"

The blonde-soldier ran into the fire, grabbing hold of his giant sword.

" Cloud!!" shouted Yuffie but he soon disappeared into the fire. " How can he be so stupid jumping into the fire like that!?"

" Yuffie! There's no time to think about that now! Cloud would be alright!" Tifa shouted, carrying a bucket of water, " We've got to stop the fire or the whole town will soon be covered with it!

--- --- ---- ---- ---

" Hey, Vincent! You see anything there!?" shouted Cid

" No!" He heard a familiar voice, " There's no one here! It's clear!"

" Shit!" The blonde pilot wiped the sweat trickling down his face, " Damnit, it's hot! Who's the fuckin' bastard that started all this!?"

They were in a building, where the fire has already covered up to half of it. They acquired information that a small girl was trapped in this building and is now looking for her. So far, they haven't found anything and the fire is starting to catch up to them. If they don't hurry, the people will soon find them burned to crust.

" Fuck this!" The pilot said, " Hey!! Hey, whoever is in this building!! You better come out now or I swear I'm gonna kill you!!"

The question of how you're going to kill that person when you don't even know where he or she is doesn't matter to the already pissed-from-the-heat pilot.

" Cid!!" He heard Vincent's voice.

" Did you find her!?" Cid asked, as he walked through the burning hallways.

Vincent was standing in front of a closet with his eyes closed.

" What's wrong?" The pilot peeked inside and held his breath.

Surely, they have found what they were looking for but she laid lifelessly inside the hot closet." Is she…?"

The ex-Turk nods his head slowly, " The smoke must have killed her."

" Damnit!!" Cid slapped his forehead almost angrily. " Fuck!!"

They stood there, staring at the lifeless girl sadly and with aggravation about not being able to save her in time.

" Come on, we should go…the fire will be catching up soon," said Vincent.

"…yeah, sure." The blonde pilot said as he lowered his goggles as to cover his tearful eyes.

--- ------- ----- ---- ----

Cloud ran into the fire with sweat trickling down his white face, and his blue mako eyes glowing.

' It's hot…' He thought as he wiped the sweat on his forehead. So far he haven't found anything to have cause that explosion. ' I guess it is no use running around in the fire and be burned to crisp.'

He was about to leave but stopped, hearing a faint sound from the roaring fire. ' What's that…?'

He listened closely waiting for that sound to come again.

H…el…m…

There! Again!

Cloud closed his eyes and strained all his nerves to hear the sound again, ' A child…?'

Help me!!!

The blonde soldier snapped his eyes opened and ran towards the direction where he had heard the voice. The heat burned his skin but he didn't mind at all. He ran further until he reached a small corner of a building.

" Help me!!" He heard the cry again. But where?

He looked around and saw a small figure squatting down behind a few barrels. " Hey…"

The small figure, a child about the age of five, looked up and widens his eyes to see the tall man standing above him.

" Are you okay?" The tall man, Cloud, asked. Sweat was dripping from his face and his blue, mako eyes were staring straight into the brown, chestnut colored ones.

The small boy nods his head slowly, tears forming unto his eyes, " I got lost…and then all the fire started burning around me…and…and…I couldn't find my way home so…I…I tried calling for…hel…"

" It's alright, kid." Cloud said, kneeling down on one knee, " Now, let's get out of here before we both get burned into crisp."

The boy nods his head and took Cloud's hand, " Thank you, Mr."

Cloud smiled, " It's alright. Now let's hurry!"

" Okay!"

Cloud carried the boy unto his back with the boy wrapping his small arms around the soldier's neck. " Hang on…"

He was about to take step when they heard a crackling sound above them. " Wha…!?"

They both looked up to see burning debris from the building falling down towards them.

" Look out!!" shouted the boy. But it was too late.

' Damnit!!!' Cloud shouted in his mind, ' Is this the end for me!?'

Suddenly, a white light surrounded them like a barrier as though protecting them for the falling debris and the fire. The white light soon wiped all the surrounding fire away. Cloud winced his eyes from the brightness. He soon saw a figure approaching them from the light.

" A…Aerith?" The blonde soldier widens his eyes at the figure approaching them.

" Are you alright?" asked the flower girl. She took the boy into her arms and set him on the ground, " It's alright now. It's safe to go home, the fire is gone now."

"O…okay!" The boy smiled, " Thank you, Ms. Angel!"

The flower girl smiled and pats his head, " I'm not an angel…but thank you anyways. Be sure to go home to your mother! Not anywhere else!"

" Thank you, Mister! Thank you, Ms. Angel!!" The boy shouted, waving his hands.

Aerith waved her hand back as she watched the boy leave. She then turns to Cloud, " Are you okay, Cloud?"

" A…Aerith…" Cloud whispered in his still-surprised state, " Were…that…that light. Was that you?"

The flower girl giggled, " Oh Cloud, did you get hit by the head? Well anyways, it'll be all right now. The fire is gone…you could go back to your friends now. I'll be going, okay? See you later…"

The blonde soldier grabbed her hand, " W…wait! Don't go!"

"?" Aerith turned to look at him, " Is there anything else?"

"Ummm…Do you…want to come with me? And…and meet the others?"

Aerith stared into the soldier's blue eyes, making him feel a bit uncomfortable. She soon smiled her usual smile, " Okay. If it is…okay with you."

" O…Of course!!" Cloud nods his head happily.

" Alright then! Let's go!" The flower girl said and wrapped the soldier's arm into hers, pulling him.

" A…Ae…!!" Cloud blushed. ' Wh…What am I thinking!!? I…I can't just make everyone see her…especially to Tifa!'

But too late. Aerith was already dragging the poor soldier towards the bar, humming a happy tune along the way.

--- --- -------- --- ----

- Hikaru

Well…the third chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed.

I was just reading a good Clerith story and my heat for CloudxAerith is rising yet again!!! Well…it was already high but I guess it broke the limit.

Ahhh, I just so love Aerith…she is just sooo cute!!!

Now my friend, who is a CloTi fan, read this fic and said that Cloud is waaaaaay better with Tifa ( Which ticked me off) and said that Aerith only liked Cloud because he looked and acted like Zax/Zack ( which made me even more angry).

Well, from my view, I don't think that is true. I think at first, she did like him because he looked a lot like Zack…but then she eventually fell in love with the real Cloud. Remember, she was the first one to find the true Cloud beneath that fake one? ( Well aside from Tifa, since she knew the whole thing all along) But, she found him and said that she wants to meet him…meaning that she wants to meet the real Cloud.

I don't think she would have said that if she only liked him because he looked like Zack. I don't know about Cloud's feeling towards her but I think that Aerith truly loved Cloud…that's why she went to pray for Holy by herself. Because she wants Cloud to find himself…to give him time to be able to find his true self. I guess she found out that Tifa was the only one who could help Cloud get his real self back…so the only she thing she can do was to give him time…

With Sephiroth already summoning the Meteor, the wasn't enough time left to have Cloud get his real self…so I think that's why she went to pray for Holy to give him that time. It's really sad to think of it…

Well, that's my view. I don't know about yours. But even if everyone in this whole world says that Cloud should go with Tifa…I'll stay as a Cloud x Aerith fan. Forever!!! That will definitely never change! For the sake of Aerith!!! sniff

It's not that I hate CloTi…but as an Aerith fan…I want her to be happy. And since I'm not the type of ZackAer, SephAer, VinAer, RenoAer, or TsengAer fan….I chose Cloud to be with her…because I know he can make her happy.

Cloud x Aerith forever! Yeah, baby!!