So sorry for the long wait guys. My computer started playing up and the internet wasn't working so we had to get that sorted.
With or Without You
Chapter Three
Aerith giggled as she walked in a circle around him. She came to a stop and placed her finger on her chin in a playful manner while she took in his proud stance.
"Something's different." She commented, acting as though she didn't know a thing. Cloud waited patiently for her to speak, thinking she knew nothing about it. She suddenly clicked her fingers, as though a thought had suddenly hit her.
"You've been abroad!" His proud face suddenly fell and he gave a small sigh.
"How did you guess?"
"Because I know everything!" She replied, shoving him playfully. Cloud frowned a little and she cocked her head to the side.
"Aww Cloud don't be mad. Come on…Tag!" She said before she took off across the playground. Cloud looked up, watching her dart among the crowds of people before he gave a small smile and chased after her. She peeked around the wall of the building and shrieked as he raced towards her. He stopped suddenly, and changed direction to run around the other way. He caught Aerith as she ran around the corner.
"Ah! No fair!" She cried but she was laughing uncontrollably. Cloud smiled and let her go as the bell rang.
"Cloud?" She said suddenly. He turned to her, his grin still plastered on his face.
"When we're older, let's go somewhere. Just you and me, okay?" She asked. Cloud blinked at the request.
"Okay." He agreed with a small shrug. "So, I'm your bodyguard now."
"And my future husband." She reminded him of his promise of five years ago when they were in Primary One. Cloud blushed.
"God we were losers." He laughed. She gave a pretend hurt expression.
"You don't want to marry me now? Is it because I'm ten now huh?" She gave him another shove.
"Cloud. Aerith. Please leave the mushy stuff for your private time." The teacher said scornfully, causing the two to blush as all heads turned to them in amusement.
He groaned as he opened his eyes to darkness. The moon slipped through the gap in the curtains and bathed his covered body in ghostly pale light. He rolled over to be confronted with Tifa's peaceful slumbering body. He smiled a little and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to him before closing his eyes and succumbing to sleep.
Cloud awoke later that morning when Tifa brought him breakfast in bed. He vaguely remembered the dream and wondered why they seemed to be happening lately. Was it a sign? Tifa noticed his frown as she bit into her toast.
"What's wrong? Are you having second thoughts about us?" She asked. Cloud jumped slightly at the question and quickly shook his head.
"No…it's not you." He replied, taking a sip of orange juice.
"Then what is it?"
"It doesn't matter." He cut off sharply. She looked hurt but didn't say anything more. Cloud sighed.
"I'm sorry Teef. It's just that…it's in the past. I don't want to think about it." He glanced the clock and sighed as he stood up and dug out his work clothes. As he pulled his shirt over his head, he turned back to her.
"What are you going to do today?" He asked.
"Well," She began but stopped suddenly, immediately letting Cloud know she had an idea.
"What?" he asked.
"Well I thought since we're getting engaged, shouldn't we be moving in together?" Cloud gave an amused look, wondering why she was nervous about asking such a simple question.
"Teef, of course you can move in." He laughed, leaning forwards and brushing his lips tenderly against hers. She smiled and laced her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer.
"I've been meaning to have a clearout anyways," He explained as he slipped on his shoes. Tifa grinned.
"Well great minds do think alike." She joked, slipping out of bed and stretching. He nodded and walked over to her, grabbing her hips and pulling her into a passionate kiss.
"I love you." He whispered softly after he pulled away. Tifa giggled and lightly stroked his cheek.
"I love you too. Have a good time at work." She replied. He waved as he left the room. Tifa sighed to herself, flicking her raven hair over her shoulders as she thought of what to do with herself. She settled for a shower before anything and grabbed her clothes before leaving the room for the bathroom.
She watched the rain bounce against the ground as the train kept moving. She leaned back in her seat and gave a long, tired sigh. Normally, she was known for her patience but in this situation, she wanted to get to Midgar as fast as possible. She needed to see him again. She raised her hand slowly, placing it across the cold metal.
"Cloud…will you still remember me?" She whispered softly.
Cloud frowned as she took his hand, wondering where they were going at the end of the school day.
"Aerith…?" he began but she hushed him, continuing onwards.
"Come on, it's not that far." She said as they walked to the edge of the city. Cloud glanced behind him and gave a small sound as a protest. Aerith giggled in response.
"Cloud, you big wimp!" She joked as she raced across the field. Cloud stood still for a moment, wondering whether he should turn back or not. Aerith turned, her body illuminated by the sun as she flashed her bright smile.
"Come on!" She called. Cloud sighed and gave in, chasing her across the field. He caught up with her at the river and looked at her. She smiled and moved onto the stones, jumping from one to the other.
"Aerith! That's dangerous! You could be hurt!" He warned.
"Well then Mr Bodyguard. You better follow me closely to catch me." She replied. He rolled his eyes at her antics but complied and started to jump across after her.
The field on the other side was covered in flowers, a sea of rainbow colours. Cloud had to admit, it was a pretty sight. Aerith grinned at his reaction and walked forwards into the small woodland area. He followed her, this time with no protests and watched her sit down on the dry mud under the shading trees.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked. Cloud looked around as he slowly sat next to her and gave a nod.
"Not many people come here," She continued. "Just the odd people who walk their dogs."
"Have you been here before?" He asked, astounded. She giggled and nodded.
"Yeah, this is where I go when I want to think but…I want more than that." Cloud frowned and waited for her to continue. After a moment, she did.
"I want it to be our place." Cloud blinked, surprised and a little embarrassed at the proposal. She sat patiently, her eyes almost pleading even though she was not aware of it.
"Okay." He said eventually. She broke out into a grin and threw her arms around him. If Cloud's cheeks had been a little red before, he was sure that they were scorching now. She finally pulled away but her grin remained.
"Promise you won't forget it." She urged. Cloud opened his mouth to protest but she just begged more.
"I won't forget it." He said eventually, standing up. Aerith took the hand he offered and was pulled to her feet.
"And you won't forget me either, will you?" She added slowly.
"How could I forget you?" He laughed nervously. Aerith smiled reassuringly and shrugged.
"You know, if one of us moves away." She said simply. "I know I wouldn't forget you…would you forget me?" Cloud tilted his head to the side, amazed to see Aerith look so upset.
"No." He replied honestly. "After all, we were almost married once." He joked. She laughed and shook her head at the joke.
"Ah…the good old days." She answered in a rubbish attempt of an old voice. Cloud snorted.
"Grandma," He teased as they reached the river. Aerith raised a brow as she watched him start to cross before she smirked.
"Shut up," She replied playfully before she ran forwards and pushed him in. Cloud hit the water with a massive splash and looked up in time to see Aerith hopping from the stones, humming a cheerful tune. She stopped at the edge of the other side and tossed her pigtail over her shoulder.
"Catch me if you can," She teased before she took off. Cloud stood up quickly, shaking water off his body. Oooo, when he caught her, he was going to make her pay for that!
She sighed again at the memory that crossed her mind but she soon smiled. She couldn't wait to see his face again! What would he think? She giggled slightly as she tried to imagine what his reaction would be. She leaned back against her chair, closing her eyes in bliss as the train plunged on.
Cloud opened the door to be greeted by the smell of roast chicken. His stomach grumbled as he hung up his coat and made his way to the kitchen. Tifa was standing beside the cooker, slicing some peppers.
"That smells good." He commented before wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. She turned her face to him for a second with a soft smile.
"Well that's good to know." She replied. "I thought we'd better have something to eat before we tackled this place."
"You've changed clothes." He said, noticing she was dressed in a white tank top and long black trousers. She laughed.
"You didn't expect me to wear that dress all day today did you. I needed something fresh." She replied as she tipped the peppers into the pot. Cloud sat down at the table and shrugged in response.
After dinner, the two made their way through the rooms, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. They were now in Cloud's bedroom going through drawers and wardrobes.
"Hey, Cloud." Tifa said suddenly, causing him to turn around. She moved away from the wardrobe and faced him. In her hands, she held a rectangular, wooden box that had a small pattern of a flower on the top. Cloud stared at it for a moment until her hands moved to open it.
"Don't." He said harshly. Tifa blinked.
"Why? What is it?" She asked in a hurt tone. Cloud walked over and gently took it away from her.
"It was a gift for a friend…a long time ago."
"Oh," was all she replied with before she yawned. "Well, I think we've done enough tonight. I'm going to the bathroom for a shower before bed. Do you want a drink or anything?" Cloud took a moment to respond.
"No I'm fine." He answered. She didn't say anything else, instead walked away down the corridor. As soon as he heard the door shut quietly, he opened the box. Immediately, a piano tune started playing and two figures danced across the mirrored flooring. Then a soft voice started singing along.
You and me together we'll be
Forever you'll see
We'll always be good company
You and me
Yes together we two
Together that's you
Forever with me
We two can be good company
You and me
Yes together we'll be
Cloud slammed the lid down, a little harsher than he had intended. For a moment, he stood with it in his hands, contemplating what to do. He sighed as he looked between the wardrobe and the boxes before he made his decision. Slowly, he placed the music box in a half-full cardboard box and pushed the lid down. The past was over.
"Hey Cloud!" Aerith greeted as she opened the door. Cloud smiled at her as she moved aside to let him in.
"I'm in the middle of my piano practise. I've written my own song, want to hear? It's kind of about us." Cloud flushed at the words but nodded. The girl grinned and took his hand, tugging him up the stairs.
They entered a large hall-like room, decorated with soft lighting and in the middle stood a large wooden piano. Cloud slowly followed Aerith and watched as she sat in front of the instrument. She stretched out her hands before placing them on the keys. At first, she started a small tune and Cloud crept forwards.
"You and me together we'll be,
Forever you'll see
We two can be good company
You and me
Yes together we two"
Cloud leaned on the piano, watching her fingers move in fascination. She took a small breath before she continued.
"Together that's you
Forever with me
We'll always be good company
You and me
Yes together we'll be."
She stopped after a few more notes and sat still. Cloud snapped out of his half-dreaming world and smiled.
"It's good."
"Really?" She asked. He nodded and she beamed. "Well, you were my inspiration." She admitted softly. Cloud tilted his head to the side.
"How come?"
"Well, because you used to think everyone hated you so…I wrote this song to convince you that no matter what I'm always going to be with you. And if we get separated, I'll find my way back to you."
She opened her eyes and was slightly annoyed to see that the train still hadn't reached the station. She knew that it would take a long time to reach Midgar but she wanted it to be sooner with every passing second. She placed her head on her window, her breath rising against it and covering the glass in steamy paint. She hummed slightly under her breath before the words found their way to her mouth.
"You and me together we'll be,
Forever you'll see
We'll always be good company
You and me
Just wait and see."
I was watching Disney's Oliver with my niece yesterday and decided the song was sweet fr this fic. It'll be Cloud and Aerith's special song