The night was cold; Aerith, Kida, Barrett and Red were sitting in Icicle Inn's back yard, drinking their hot drinks and talking about what it could have been like in the ancient times

"i wonder what there dresses were like...i bet they wore wonderful garments, like greek goddesses!" Aerith shouted

"My people viewed them as an enchanting species... very powerful and serene" Red stated, he was looking at the stars in the night sky that sparkled so brilliantly

"What do you think Kida" Barrett questioned- Barrett loved to hear Kida speak, she had a husky, yet well spoken voice with an almost British accent that left an American twang at the end of each sentence. She wasn't really paying attension to their conversation, the stars in the sky were so wonderful, even though she claimed she fought for nature she never noticed the extent of it's beauty till now, she was in awe.

"Errr? Kida? You ok there little one" Red asked

"Huh?" she snapped out of her engagement "Oh! Yes sorry...what was the question?"

"Hey dopey" Aerith giggled "What's going on in your big head?"

Kidasama screwed her face up at Aerith sarcastically mimicking her giggling, after they both started acting their ages again Kida started looking up to the sky again

"There's just so many"

"So many what?" Barrett questioned cluelessly

"Stars...their so big...and beautiful, i cant believe ive never noticed them before"
"Never noticed the stars! Geez were have you been for the last eternity! Under a rock!"

"Very funny Aerith" Red interrupted. Red and Kida had become widely accepted figures throughout sector 7 since they first came 2 weeks ago. Kida liked to talk to Red a lot, she was fascinated by all the stories he had to tell, he was fall of an extensive amount of knowledge and she found his stubbornness and hot-temperedness highly amusing. "I suppose you never really had time to stare at the stars when at the academy did you?"

"It was never safe to let your guard down, you were watched constantly and if ever you were caught slipping...well lets just say, your ass would be paying for it later"

They all sighed, Barrett even began rubbing his butt, obviously misinterpreting her statement. She could see the pity in their eyes

"Anyways, none of that matters now right! That was in the past and were sitting here in the present...besides we have the future to worry about don't we?"

"Right! Those bastard Shinra are totally ruining this world, there must be something we can do to stop those guys once and for all right!"



"Hey not to mention the GIANT meteor thats heading our way, thats big enough to turn this earth into saw dust!"

A/N: BTW Kida has been given the 411 about the giant ball of doom heading earths way during her 'visit' already

"Arghhhhh! Hey can we please just change the subject, all this talk is just way too depressing!" Aerith growled

"Yeah your right, c'mon its late, you don't wanna be giving yourself nightmares right guys?!"

Barrett threw out his chest beating it like a gorilla "I am a real man! Real men don't get nightmares" He shouted cockily

"Is that so Barrett? What about the time you started screaming like a girl when you had that nightmare about Tifa finding out you broke her favourite vase!"

"Screaming! Psstt PLLLEASSE Tifa wouldn't lay a finger on me woman! She knows that a real man can do what the hell he likes AND get away with it!"

"Get away with it huh?"

Barrett eyes nearly popped out of his head, he could see the silhouette of a tall slender woman, too afraid to turn around he began to nervously laugh, scratching his head. Next to Tifa was Cloud who was lightly smirking at the corner of his mouth

"Ahhh...Errrrr Tifa you see...-"

"YOU TOLD ME THAT MARLENE DID IT! HOW COULD YOU LET A 9 YEAR GIRL TAKE THE RAP FOR YOUR ACTIONS!" she violently grabbed him by the ear and started dragging him back into the house

The rest of them laughed...even cloud!

"Well... i'm heading in for the night, its getting too cold out here even for me" Red droned

"Yeah me too! I'm pretty beat, i don't know what it is about camomile tea, it just knocks me straight out!...Kida you coming?" she slowly asked as Red helped her up (Dont ask how!)

"Nah! I'm gonna stay out here for a while...theres alot i haven't seen, i just want to remember it for as long as i can"

"You sure? It's pretty chilly!" Red queried

"Go! I'm fine, i'll be in shortly ok"

"Suit yourself...Goodnight everyone" She yawned as she began walking away

"Night!" both Cloud and Kida replied. They had known each other just over two weeks now, and yet cloud new very little about her, it was hard to anyway, seen as Aerith was glued to her side 24/7!



"So..." Cloud began, he hated doing that- you know when you start a sentence, without actually having anything else to finish it off with. Kida laid back down in the grass looking up at the stars that wonderfully lit up the sky.

"Sooo..."she replied "Why don't you sit, surely standing all day isn't really as pleasant as it seems" she casually stated. Without saying a word, he stabbed his blade into the ground and abruptly flopped himself on to the ground beside her.

"Can i ask you something Cloud" she quizzed

"Sure, if you must" he dully stated

"you used to work for SOLDIER right?"

"and..."

"Well...that tattoo on your wrist... What does it mean?"

Kida had noticed that tattoo once before, she couldn't put it to any face though when trying to remember whom it was on.

"It's just something i got done... stupid really, me and...an old comrade of mine had them done"

"What for...?" she instantly questioned

"I don't know really, me and him, we were...i dunno close you could say maybe? We both had one thing in which we both had a great passion for"

"What was it?"

"Fighting...Lame i know...you probably hate fighting, i know but in those days, we didn't used to fight for glory...much...or status. We would fight because it was in our blood! We lived and breathed battle and war"

Kidasama frowned upon hearing this "Oh yeah...well war is not all its cracked up to be...people tend to die in wars...innocent people, and as much right you think you are doing...its all the same, killing the opposing side, is just as bad as killing your own comrades. At the end of the day we're all people, there is always going to be a mother or a father, a brother or a sister to that man or woman you killed. No matter how obscure the motives that person had; he or she still had a passion, or a dream...I believe no one has the right to take away anyone's dream, or cause so much heartache to someone's loved ones...not unless it is really the only thing you can do. Such power does not belong to us...dont you think?"

Cloud was captured by Kida's small soliloquy. He didn't say anything, so Kida turned her head to face him. He was staring right back at her, but his eyes were unfocused...he was in deep thought. Kidasama could see the sadness in his eyes, she tried calling his name but he was unresponsive



"Hey...Cloud?...Cloud!" she touched his arm, he flinched immediately tightly grabbing on to her wrist and raising it above her head, a small dagger out of nowhere was pulled out of his jacket and began hovering beneath her neck shaking, vigorously.

"Hey calm down soldier" she smirked, she was not afraid of his sudden outburst, she simply used her other hand to gently push away his dagger from her neck. Cloud was now sitting on top of her, pinning her down. As soon as she began moving away his arm he instantly jumped back to reality

"Holy shit! Kida...I'm so sorry! I'm...I"

"It's ok! It's ok! Seriously, trust me this isn't the first time ive had a knife pulled out on me!" she smirked. Clouds eyes once again sunk into sadness

"Hey...are you ok cloud?"

"What you said...about war...the innocent people...the power...you don't know how right you are!" he solumely groaned

"So...youve experienced it too...let me guess, a good friend? A mistake that led to a preventable death?"

"Try the destruction of my old hometown village...the deaths of everyone i knew...everyone i cared about...and it was my thought!" he growled at himself. Even Kida was surprised,

"C'mon your fault, unless you shot every single villager dead, i doubt it was your fault!"

"No...but i led the murderer there!"

Kida could sense the fire burning in his heart, she recognised that feeling, it was so distressing, the feeling of anger and helplessness. It flames the soul until your left with just a pile of ash

"Let's not talk about this...its not good to dwell on those parts of the past Cloud. It burns and burns like an everlasting fire, until one day you cant take it anymore, and you lose it...you just go crazy...I don't want you to go crazy" she softly smiled at him.

He cringed at the ironic use of the word 'burn', but when he looked into her eyes, he noticed the tiniest glint of light in her ice blue windows to her soul, flicking into his very own retina

"Hmmm..." he smirked

"W...what?" she replied smiling as if she knew what was funny

"Nothing...It's just, i see a lot of the child ive heard so much about from Aerith"

"Child!?...Ha! Thanks a lot" She synacly snapped

"No...Thats not what i meant not a child but...you know...she always talked about her amazing little sister, the games you would play, the day you left...she really loves you y'no?"

Yeah...i know" Kida grinned

"what did i say something funny" cloud asked with a baffled look on his face



Kida giggled, and raised her neck as high as she could

"Errrr...well cloud...as warm as this is keeping me, im starting to lose the feeling in my arm and to be honest, i don't think Elmrya will appreciate you straddling me in public" she continued to laugh this time closing her eyes. Suddenly Kida felt a warm soft feeling cascade on her lips, a tender draft of warm air blew upon her face. As she opened her eyes, all she could see was the closed eyes of a certain blonde, spiky haired individual. Kida was totally shocked, but pleasantly surprised, the unexpected kiss was full of passion and emotion, something she hadn't felt in a long time. She didn't kiss him back...she knew that it was just a spur of the moment action, no real feelings were involved. Kida sunk her head back to the ground, expecting the kiss to break , but it didn't. Cloud's head trailed Kida's still gently caressing her bottom lip

"Oh my God! What the hell is he doing? I have to stop this now...But i can't he's a good kisser...NO!"

Kida was able to swiftly slide her free arm between their chests, weakly she tried pushing him away, but she couldn't. His lock on her lips was too tight. However with one great burst of will power, she quickly twisted her head to the side.

"Cloud!..." She need not sat anymore, immediately he began apologising

"Oh God! Kidasama...I am sorry...Please, i don't know what came over me i just-"

Kida quickly placed her finger on his lips before he cold continue.

"Shhhhh...dont worry about it! I know, we were just caught in the moment is all... you know, its dark and the stars are out...its cold...isnt that how in goes in the movies?" there was an awkward silence

"I wont tell anyone ok, there is know need..." she finished

A rustling noise from behind them grabbed their attension, they both looked up and saw Tifa standing above them. She furrowed her eyebrow at them, a million and one questions rolling through her mind, but there was something more important she needed to say first.

"Cloud! Weve got trouble in sector 7...its him!"

HHmmmmmmm Its who ey? Wait and see!...