Cloud Strife hadn't slept in days.
As he sat on the ground, back pressed up against the sturdy trunk of a tree, his eyes scoured the near darkness around him. His only sources of light were the dying embers of a campfire and the dim, silvery glow of moonbeams from the sliver of a crescent moon that shone on the grassy meadow they were inhabiting. Trusty sword laying peacefully at his side, Cloud's eyes swiped over the blade to examine its reflection in the moonlight for a moment. It felt like an extension to his arm, and he was glad he had it here and now.
Around him were the sleeping forms of his friends, each resting in their own unique stance. Tifa was closest to him and laying on her side, blanket draped over her and a satchel as her pillow. Nearby, Barrett was sitting up against a log, his head lolling behind him. Yuffie was splayed on her back on the ground, closest to the remains of the fire with her arms outstretched and her mouth wide open. Cid was laying on his back, hands behind his head. Vincent was sitting opposite Barrett, posed much more gracefully even in his light sleep.
Cloud studied the forms of each of his friends, taking in their slow, steady breathing. Then he turned to face the remaining member of the group, narrowing his eyes and staring to make sure she was still there. And she was, laying on her side with her hands under her head, eyes closed and breathing easy and slow. Even asleep, her presence carried itself in his mind and made him gravitate towards her.
Cloud sighed and shook his head. For weeks now, they had traveled together, discovered new friends along the way, and for weeks he had been slowly piecing together what his visions surrounding her had meant. It had taken a long, embarrassing amount of time for him to realize just what his mind and some unknown entity had been trying to show him. When he had finally figured it out, he had made a firm vow to himself then and there to not sleep a wink. He couldn't anyway, not when he knew what was going to happen.
They were camped out near the sought-after temple of the ancients, a place Aerith had been getting very excited and anxious about as they had drawn closer. She could feel the presence of the lifestream very strongly here, and felt as if her eyes were opening. Cloud had studied her every move, seen her body language sharing just how much this meant to her. He had seen the apprehension buried deep beneath her eyes. He wondered if she knew this would be the beginning of the end, too.
An unwanted tinge of green stained his eyes and a headache blossomed across his head. He grunted and put a gentle palm up to his hair, taking deep, even breaths to help it subside. Yes, having too many thoughts about the future and about Aerith seemed to make his headaches worse. If he could prevent the horrible future that he had seen, however, he would take these painful headaches a thousand times over.
"Are you okay?"
The familiar, sweet voice cut softly through his fog of headache, and Cloud blinked the green away, turning his head to see that Aerith was now awake and sitting up, frowning in concern as she stared at him. He dropped his hand.
"Fine," he replied in a voice a bit more curt than he meant it to be. "I'll be fine," he said, more gently this time. Aerith nodded once, stretching her arms and standing up. She meandered over to him and plopped down next to him, sitting on another side of the tree he was leaning against.
"Can't sleep?" she asked. Cloud shook his head and grunted again.
"Haven't been tired," he answered, sharing the bit of truth he felt he could tell her. "What about you?"
"Mmm," was her hummed reply, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her fold her arms in her lap. "I've been worried about you, actually."
Cloud blinked in mild surprise.
"Why?" he said, turning his body to face her more fully. Aerith was studying her hands, head down so her hair covered her eyes from him.
"You're not sleeping," she pointed out. "You've been on edge. What's going on, Cloud?"
Cloud remained silent, unsure of how to proceed. He returned to leaning against the tree, stretching his legs out in front of him and cracking the knuckles in his fingers before crossing his arms. He stared at the embers of the fire, admiring their small dance as he chose not to say anything.
Aerith seemed to accept this as an answer for a moment, but then Cloud realized that wasn't at all what she was thinking when suddenly she scooted closer to him, their arms touching, and she snuggled into his chest. He froze, staring down at her hair that was suddenly very close.
"What are you doing?" he asked incredulously, raising his arms in shock. She wrapped an arm around his waist, squeezing and tucking herself into her side.
"Making sure you can keep an eye on me," she said sleepily, yawning and leaning more heavily against him. "That seems to be what you want to do."
Cloud blushed, unsure what he should do in this situation. Carefully, he set his arm down over her side, keeping minimal pressure on her.
"I've just figured out something that I'm doing my best to prevent," he finally conceded, glaring off into the distance as his memories of his visions swelled. Aerith sat up, turning to face him. Her green eyes bore into his, much more closely than he was used to.
"What do you mean?" Her head tilted. He turned his face away.
"I've been having these…visions," he admitted lowly. "I keep seeing a future, and I'm going to stop it."
A hand snaked up and carefully touched his cheek, shocking his gaze back towards hers. Aerith's eyes were shining and full of empathy as she studied him for a moment.
"Some things need to happen," she whispered.
Cloud shook his head, anger flashing through his bones and propelling him away. He knelt and crossed his arms stubbornly.
"I won't accept that," he retorted. "I won't let my actions hurt anyone, especially you."
Aerith smiled sadly.
"Everyone dies eventually," she reminded him calmly. This statement brought back a flood of memories from the last time he had felt this close, this bold in front of her. He remembered this statement and how he had been confused but accepting of what she had told him. Now, he would not let that be.
"Not because of me," he snapped. "Aerith, you're too important."
Pink blushed onto her cheeks and she looked down.
"I'm the only one who can stop Meteor, Cloud. I'm the last of the Cetra. It's my responsibility to protect the planet and its inhabitants."
Cloud stared at her, feeling a desperate, raw urge claw its way through his stomach and rest painfully in his heart. She looked so beautiful, so sad. It was reminding him of her calm demeanor in his visions, and his head began to pound once more. Squinting, he pushed tightly against his head, trying to force the aching down again. His heart was beating rather quickly now.
"I'm not going to let you die, Aerith."
A cool, calming hand returned to his cheek and Cloud felt the pain fall away. He opened his eyes and stared at her, willing his desperation to change the story to brim in his gaze. Her expression was impassive but lingered in sympathy.
"Please stop hurting yourself," she asked gently, rubbing his cheek gently with her thumb. The touch was indeed calming, and he took a deep breath.
"It's worth it if I can rewrite the stars for you," he told her. This was the truth, and before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning forward and kissing her soft, warm lips, his entire body pulsing in the knowledge that she was completely, unequivocally worth every headache and every pain he had experienced. Her lips molded against his, welcoming the kiss.
When Cloud broke it off a moment later, he had tears brimming in his eyes. Fighting them away, he kept his face close, leaning his forehead to meet with hers. He felt feverish, persistent.
"You didn't take my advice, did you," Aerith chuckled softly. Cloud felt his face heat up a bit.
"No," he said stubbornly, "I didn't."
Aerith turned her head and leaned against his chest again, and this time Cloud pulled her closer, giving her a quick hug. He left his arm around her shoulder, holding her to his side.
"We can find another way," he insisted.
"Rewrite the stars…" she mused to herself. "That would be nice."
"Let me try," he begged her. "Please, let's find another way. I don't want to lose you."
Aerith sighed and snuggled in closer.
"All right," she finally gave in. "For now, at least."
Cloud sighed in relief, looking away and letting a couple stray tears fall. His heart soared as he inhaled her scent of flowers and sunshine, content for now that she wouldn't try to run off and kill herself for the planet. For now, for tonight, she was safe.