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"Cloud, are you still up?" the young flower girl asked from the ex-Soldier's door.
"Yeah. I can't sleep. Never have been able too." Cloud replied. Aerith walked inside and shut his door. She was careful not to wake Red XIII or Cid. "Why are you in here anyways?" he then asked.
"I guess I couldn't sleep either. Something's nagging at me. It's like one of those bugs that you can't get rid of." Aerith replied.
"I know what you mean." Cloud said.
"Can I sit down?" she asked. Cloud moved over so there was enough room for both of them.
"Cloud, remember when we were on that date?" she asked.
"Yeah. What about it?" he replied.
"Well, it finally hit me. I realized something just a few days ago. After all these months of traveling with you guys. You were the one that could truly make me happy." Aerith said pitting a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Cloud looked at her.
"What are you saying?" he asked acting hard headed.
"Cloud, I... I love you." she said finally.
"I don't see why. What makes me different from Zax?" Cloud asked.
"You think that you are just like him, but in reality, you aren't. You are your own unique person Cloud. You may not think you are, but you are a completely different person from Zax. You may think you are the same, but you're not." Aerith explained.
"Oh really? Then how come I seem to see all the things that he's done?" he asked.
"You don't. Those are just implanted images from Sephiroth. He wants you to think you are a puppet. You are not a puppet Cloud. You are a person and you can block those images out of your head if you wish, it's just that you don't want to." she said.
"Aerith, I believe you, it's just that something's telling me not to." Cloud said.
"What does your heart say?" Aerith asked.
"My heart...?" Cloud asked sounding confused. He looked into Aerith's eyes to help him. "My heart... it tells me to love you too. It's like it's yelling at me to love you. To show you all that I am, but I can't." Cloud replied finally.
"See. I knew you would show yourself to me eventually." she said smiling.
"I guess I should tell you formally." Cloud said putting on a smirk. "Aerith Gainsborough, I love you to." he said still smirking.
They sat up talking about how they loved each other and when it hit them and why they were so afraid to tell one another. It wasn't until Aerith yawned that Cloud stopped.
"Tired?" he asked.
"Just a bit. Do you think we should go to sleep now?" she replied.
"Yeah. That would be a good idea." he said.
"Cloud... can I sleep in here?" she asked suddenly. He looked at her and blushed.
"Sure." he said and moved over again so she could have enough room to lay down.
"Thank you Cloud." she said and drifted into a light slumber.
"You're welcome." he said and did the same.
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Cloud awoke the next morning. He looked around for Aerith, but she was nowhere to be seen. He woke up Cid and Red XIII. They went into the room just below theirs and woke Barret and Vincent. Barret went into the girls' room to wake them up.
"Well, we have to find her." Yuffie said.
"We know this Yuffie." Vincent said from his corner.
"I think I know where she's at. Follow me." Cloud said.
He ran with Yuffie on his heals. Yuffie thought of Aerith as an older sister, and she couldn't imagine what she would do if she lost her.
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"An alter?" Cloud heard Barret ask.
"Cloud, look." Tifa said pointing at a small object. He looked and saw Aerith on her knees in prayer.
"She's praying for Holy." Red XIII stated. Cloud didn't hear him for he was half-way up the stairs.
When he got there, he looked at her. She looked so peaceful. He didn't want to stop her, but he could feel something horrible was about to happen.
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His arm twitched. He tried to ignore the fact that his arm seemed to be moving on it's own to his buster sword on his back. He un-sheathed it and held it over his head.
"Cloud what are you doing?" he heard Tifa yell.
"It's not me!" he yelled back. "I can't control it!" he finished.
"Well, if it's not you, then who is it?" Cid asked. Cloud didn't reply, but continued to hold the sword over his head.
His arms made him swing at his angel. He stopped just before it hit her every time. When he felt that he had control of his arms, he dropped his sword and stared at Aerith.
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His angel looked up at him. He beauty was flawless. He wanted to run up to her and take her into his arms and show her what he could really do, but his feet protested. It was like they were glued to the ground.
Then it happened. A man in black came down and pierced her stomach with his sword making her wince in pain. Everything was going to fast for Cloud to sink it in. It was only after the sword was removed did he see who it was.
"Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled running up to his angel before she fell to the floor.
"C... Cloud... I..." Aerith's weak voice said.
"No, save your energy. You're going to live." he said. He watched Aerith's eyes close and felt her chest no longer rise. "Aerith..?" he said shaking her. "This can't be real!" he yelled.
"Do not worry. Soon the girl will become part of the Planet's energy." Sephiroth said. "All that is left is to go North. The 'Promised Land' waits for me over snowy fields. There I will become a new being by uniting with the planet. As will this girl..." he explained.
"Shut up!" Cloud said bowing his head closer to Aerith. He looked up to Sephiroth and said; "The cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a thing." He looked back at Aerith's face. "Aerith is gone... she will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry... or get angry..." he said holding her head closer and bowing his head forward as if holding in tears.
"What about us... what are WE supposed to do?" he asked and rest Aerith's body on the floor. "What about my pain?" he asked trembling. "My fingers are tingling, my mouth is dry, my eyes are burning!" he yelled.
"What are you saying? Are you trying to tell me that you have feelings too?" Sephiroth said lowering his arms and stepping forward. Cloud stood up to face him.
"Oh course I do! Who do you think I am!" Cloud yelled. Sephiroth started laughing.
"Stop acting as if you were sad. There's no need to acting as though you're angry either. Because, Cloud. You are.. A puppet!" he said.
"I'm... a puppet? I'm just as Aerith explained?" he said sadly. Sephiroth laughed more and finally vanished.
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Cid walked over to Aerith's body which was now resting against a wall of the alter. He looks upwards as if in prayer and then turns to leave. Tifa then came up and touched her face and hair and then ran off. Cloud followed their pattern. He picked her up and carried her away from the alter to a pool located outside the City.
He placed her body in the water with the utmost care. He watched her body float there for a few seconds and then she slowly began to sink. He watched her hair fan out around her, making her look more like an angel than before.
"This is the last time that I'm going to see you Aerith. I just want to remind you , I love you and I always will. Death can't separate us, only me forgetting you. I'll never forget you. You were my angel, my light. Please rest and peace and then maybe one day... one day we can be together again. Until then, Aerith, please rest in peace." Cloud said backing away from the spot where he lowered her.
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Hope that you liked it. This was a one shot deal, so tell me what you think.