Okay, in the movie, they only meet once and then fall in love, which just doesn't happen so I've made it that they've met over a period of two weeks…that's all.

The Spark That Lit the Fire

That night, Eric sat with his father under the stars. They were silent most of the time, just enjoying the peaceful air. His father smiled as he looked up at the sky.

"Do you know what's up there Eric?" He asked. The younger man glanced at his father.

"The stars." He stated simply. Cid laughed.

"No, beyond the stars there is a place of the Gods, the Promised Land."

"I never really understood the Gods." Eric said, staring at all the sparkling dots that littered the sky.

"Well, the Cetra ways tell us that Holy is the mightiest of all. Then there are the less powerful ones such as Shiva, the ice Goddess and Ifrait the fire God. There are different Gods for different things."

"Christians say that there is only one God and he is forgiving." Eric replied. His father scoffed. Eric had long known of his father's hate towards Christianity. He was a firm believer in the old, Cetra ways of the world and was disgusted that so many people had turned to the new ways.

"Christians know nothing." He answered coldly. Eric took the hint and changed the subject away from the new faith.

"So, if there are Gods, how do we know they are real?" He asked. Cid seemed pleased with the question as he sat up with a big grin.

"They send us signs." He explained. "They choose the fate of us all and they use us to pass the message of their existence."

"How do we read the signs we are given?" Eric continued. "What if we read them wrong?"

"They make them obvious enough but only to the person it is meant for." Cid replied, a hint of pride in his voice from his knowledge.

A moment of silence passed before Eric's eyes widened. There seemed to be a ball of fire streaking across the sky and heading towards the forest. He stood up, staring at it in awe.

"Fire is falling from the sky." He said aloud. Cid stood up also.

"Ifrait has given a message." He explained. Eric glanced at his father and then at the forest. Without warning, he started running for it.

"Where are you going?" Cid cried.

"To investigate." Came the hurried response.

Aerith looked up as the sky lit up. She stood quickly on her feet and took a breath at the sight. She watched as the ball of fire landed in the forest. She pulled her hood up around her head and untied her golden chocobo before she hurried out. Elmyra rushed out of the tent in time to see the Queen race into the forest and a small smile graced her face. This was the night.

Eric stopped as he approached a large crater. He looked around but could not see anything that had been set alight by the fire. Slowly, he walked towards it and stopped again. The forest was unusually quiet tonight not even an owl hooting or a fox stalking across the ground. He frowned and looked around again. It was then that he saw a golden chocobo and its rider, who dressed in black and their face hidden by a hood approaching the crater fast. Thinking quickly, he hid behind a tree, his fingertips brushing the handle of his sword that he carried in his pocket. He heard boots landing on the ground and pressed himself right against the trunk. He needed to get himself the greatest advantage.

As he heard the footsteps coming his way, he unsheathed his sword as quietly as possible, and waited. One more step from the rider and he leapt out. He was caught by surprise to find that they were already prepared and their weapons clashed. He moved his sword around and tried to attack from the other side but again was blocked. Thinking quickly, he kept battering the sword against the silver rod, driving the other back. The intruder suddenly moved the rod and sidestepped Eric's attack while aiming their own at his head. He ducked out of the way and the rider took the advantage and kicked him down. Eric grabbed their leg and pulled them down too. As they let out a cry of surprise, he thought that it was a female's voice. He pushed his body up, rolled their bodies so he was on top, pinning the other securely underneath him despite their struggles, and forcefully removed the hood.

His thoughts were right. The woman stared up at him with wide green eyes, her breathing deep as she lay on the ground. Slowly, he moved off, freeing her but she lay still for a moment. Eric pushed his hair back.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. "I thought you were another thief or murderer heading for the village." Her eyes turned to him, a new emotion burning in them. A look of awe. The woman sat up, her eyes never leaving his face.
"Do you believe in destiny?" She asked. Eric frowned at the question. He had wrestled her to the ground and she asks him that question of all things? She did not even say his apology was accepted. Eric shrugged in answer of the question. The woman smiled slightly.

"You beat me in battle." She said, changing the subject suddenly. Eric blinked and shrugged again.

"I just wrestled you down." He started to argue but the shock and awe were still evident in her eyes.

"No one has ever done that before." She breathed. When she saw Eric's frown of confusion she continued speaking. "My maid read the ancient stones." She explained. "They said that I was to follow the fire that fell from the sky into the forest and there, I would find my destiny. The one who I was meant to be with."

"That meteor lit up the sky, the whole village would have seen it." Eric countered. The woman's smile grew.

"The only ones here are you and me." She replied softly. Eric looked around and his eyes fell on a raven that was staring at him. He had the feeling that it was spying on him.

"Don't pay any attention to him." The woman laughed, noticing where his gaze was. "My raven follows me to protect me and deliver messages. Do not fear him." Eric turned to her again and stared at how the moonlight illuminated her face in an almost angelic light and the way that it made her eyes seem more bright, more…magical.

He turned away from her, slightly embarrassed that he had been studying her so thoroughly. She stood and walked over to him, grabbing his arm gently, and turning him towards her.

"I shall be here for a while." She began. "I believe that I was meant to meet you here, just as the stones had said. The question now is, do you want to meet again?" He stared into her eyes, immediately lost in them. He had been around woman before, but none had captivated him like the one before him now. He nodded slightly and she smiled.

"I shall meet you here again tomorrow night then." She whispered before she walked across to her chocobo. Eric looked up as the raven flew past his head, frowning slightly. He really felt intimidated by it. Realising, that his father would be worrying, he turned and headed back home.

Eric waited for the stars to come out before he ran back to the crater in the forest. It was silent and there was no sign of the woman from last night. Had it been a dream? As he thought this, he saw the chocobo approaching, the rider dressed in black once more. As they dismounted and pulled off their hood, he saw it was her.

"You never told me your name." He stated. She smiled.

"I'm Aerith." She answered in her angelic voice. "And yours?" Eric faltered for a moment.

"Eric." He said eventually, though he knew that Cid had named him that when he had found him floating down the river. He had no idea what his name was before that.

"You had to think about it there, do you not know your name?" She teased but he detected a hint of seriousness in her voice.

"I have been called Eric ever since I was rescued as I floated down a river. What happened before that and who I used to be, I do not know." She didn't seem upset or confused by the revelation, which Eric was puzzled by.

"Do not worry Eric. I'm sure the Gods will help you remember when the time is right." That comment had caught his attention.

"You are a believer of the Cetra ways?" He asked. She tilted her head to the side, a playful grin on her face.

"Indeed." She replied with a slight nod. He smiled a little, surprised to find someone who still believed in the old ways. They spent the night talking about the Cetra ways and their hometowns. Aerith said that she came from the Northern Continent but didn't mention that she was the Queen. She would tell him when the time was right.

Every night, at the crater they would meet and spend the night together. Two weeks since their first meeting, they were again at the crater. Eric was leaning against a tree; Aerith had her head lying on his shoulder contently.

"I have to go back to the Northern Continent tomorrow." She whispered softly, the sadness in her voice didn't go unnoticed by Eric. He turned to her, shocked by the revelation.

"What's the hurry? You've been away for over two weeks, why worry over a few more days?" He countered. She sighed and removed herself from his body with a shake of her head.

"They can only go so long without their Queen." She revealed at last and turned her head to see his reaction. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at her.

"You're the Queen of the Northern Continent?" He croaked in surprise.

"Yes, why? Does it make a difference?" She asked with a slight frown. Eric was silent for a moment but then shook his head.

"No," He replied. "Not to how I feel about you." She smiled flirtatiously as she locked eyes with him.

"And how do you feel about me?" She enquired softly. Without warning, Eric leaned over and pressed his lips against hers, locking her into a passionate kiss. She immediately responded, her hands weaving through his blond hair as she moved back to lie on the ground. He responded immediately, climbing on top of her and engaging her into a kiss again as their passion grew.

Eric awoke as the sun was rising and looked down to see he had a coat covering him. He turned his head to see Aerith sitting in her pink dress under the tree. She smiled when she saw he was awake and he sat up.

"I'm going with you." He declared. Her smile grew but she gently shook her head.

"No Eric," She sighed. "You must stay here and figure out your past. You must find out who you really are."

"But I love you." He cried.

"You told me that my status as Queen didn't make a difference to how you feel." She said. "Did you mean it?"

"Of course I did."

"Good." She replied in barely a whisper. "Because I will love you forever. Your past does not change that but I want you to know who you are. You need to know." She stood up and untied her chocobo.

"Will I see you again?" He asked. She stopped fiddling with the rope and turned back to him.

"Of course you will." She answered. "When you know your past and who you are, then you can come to the Northern Continent."

"You will wait for me?" He said in disbelief. She smiled.

"Even if it took you a thousand years." She replied as she mounted the chocobo. "You can give me my coat back then." She added.

"Aerith," He began but couldn't find the words. She nodded in understanding, knowing he didn't need words.

"Goodbye." She said as she turned the creature around. "Cloud." She added in the softest voice possible, knowing he wouldn't hear it.