Love, Aerith

Chapter 2: Hope

It had been two years since Aerith last saw Zack. Her birthday had been forever marked as the day of his departure making Aerith not want to celebrate it anymore in her life. Her 17th and 18th birthdays had been passed in her bedroom crying her eyes out curled up between her sheets. Her mother would leave her present on top of her desk closing the door behind her with a concerned sigh and a helpless shake of her head. Elmyra had lost count of the times she tried telling Aerith she couldn't stay like that forever, that she would have to eventually let go but the only answer she would get from her daughter was a low "Please leave…".

Ever since Aerith stopped getting messages from him, a few months after he had left, the colour of her cheeks had started to fade away from her face and the smiles that once graced her face were becoming a thing of the past. Elmyra couldn't even remember the last time she heard Aerith laugh. It seemed like life was slowly being drained out of her body. The only joy the young woman had was the time she spent taking care of the flowers she kept inside the slums' church, those same ones that had broken his fall a while ago. Time passed slowly and painfully but she would always be waiting for him to return. The next day, Elmyra would wake her up watching as the present she had left her remained untouched exactly at the same place she had put it on.

She missed him and that feeling was suffocating. Her chest wanted to be able to breathe freely but there was a sense of weight on it that wouldn't allow that.

At night and because there were nights Aerith couldn't sleep even if she tried to, she would stare out the window of her bedroom waiting for him to come with a few pebbles in his hand to try to wake her up. She would eagerly stare at the end of the street waiting for any sign of movement hoping to see his spiky black hair and muscled silhouette appearing; she would just stay there waiting for him to show up. But he never did.

Another year had passed when finally hope came. She held one glass of milk in her hand one morning going to sit at the kitchen table when she noticed a white envelope laying there. Elmyra had probably left it there for her to read since it was destined to her. Aerith's heart started pounding as she read on the left upper corner of the envelope who the letter was from: "Shinra Inc.".

Her mind raced as she remembered one conversation she once had had with him. She could still hear his voice in her head saying that she was his contact if anything was to happen to him while on a mission, even if that was very unlikely to occur. Aerith quickly shook her head. It couldn't possibly… could it? Her hands were tremulous as she opened the envelope and unfolded the white paper containing black computer-typed letters written in it.

Her eyes immediately started watering as she read the words:

Miss Aerith,

We are deeply sorry to inform you SOLDIER first class Zack Fair has died in battle.

There was no need to continue reading the rest of the words the letter held. Aerith dropped to her knees accidentally hitting the kitchen table which balanced causing the glass of milk to fall down onto the floor in a loud shatter. Hearing the sharp noise of glass breaking Aerith wondered what a glass of milk was doing there broken on the floor. Suddenly everything was a blur and she felt light-headed, the world was spinning around her. She didn't know for how long she stayed there kneeled on the floor, the letter still in her hand. The tears were leaving a warm trace of water on her cheeks and she looked blankly at them falling from her chin and blending into the fabric of her pink dress, the one he had always loved to see her wear. The pain inside her chest was just too much.

She heard her mother's voice muffled in the distance calling her name but when she finally looked up Elmyra was right in front of her. When sound finally returned to her ears she heard her mother shouting her name. Aerith's blank stare finally focused on her face. She noticed as her mother's hands were shaking her shoulders trying to bring her daughter back to senses. Aerith watched the despair in her mother's eyes and couldn't help feeling sorry for her. She didn't deserve to be worried like that.

"He…" Aerith tried to speak noticing how her voice came out in a rough whisper. "He's gone." She swallowed hard and Elmyra held her daughter in her arms until the sobbing started lessening and her eyes dried out of tears. Aerith fell asleep wishing that she would forever.

Every since that day Aerith devotedly lit a candle in her church in his honour whispering a prayer for him. One year after that day that was exactly what she was doing in the church when she heard a thunderous bang coming from the ceiling. A cracking noise the sound of wood breaking echoed through the church's walls. She looked up in time to see someone falling down from above to loudly crash onto her flower bed… yet again.

At first, Aerith just stood there speechless looking down at the man laying with arms stretched to the side on the ground. She noticed his chest moved shallowly up and down which meant he was still alive though hurting a little bit probably. She found herself wondering there was something about that hole in the ceiling. The flower bed must be fortunately placed there.

Her eyes widened then as soon as she attentively looked at the uniform the man was wearing. It looked like the same one he used to wear. It was still too painful to think about him. The man moaned and he looked like he was in pain from the fall although he hadn't regained consciousness.

"Hey…" Aerith called crouching beside him. The young man who she guessed was about the same age as her started moving his head. He could probably hear her. "Can you hear me?" She asked.

"Yeah…" The man had blond spiky hair and as he answered his eyes remained closed.

"Are you alright? Can you move?" Aerith asked and her hand lifted to touch his shoulder but she hesitated keeping it still in the air.

The man slowly opened his eyes and the next thing she knew Aerith was looking into two deep blue glimmering eyes. The colour she had known from one person only and that she thought there couldn't possibly be another person in the world who had them the same. She gasped as that blue gaze stared confusedly back at her.

"I'm sorry…" He finally broke the silence noticing that one of her hands softly caressed the petals of one wrinkled flower he had stepped on. Aerith couldn't explain why her heart was jumping as she looked at the man dressed in that so familiar black uniform. Her heart thumped deafeningly against her chest as she looked into those piercing blue aquamarine eyes. He reminded her so much of him, that had to be it.

"You don't have to seriously." Aerith stubbornly shook her head when he proposed taking her home to make up for the damage he had caused to her flowers.

"Please it's the least I can do." Cloud, as he had introduced himself, insisted. "Plus, it's almost dark… The streets get dangerous."

There it was again, the same protectiveness toward her that he used to show as well.

"Is that some kind of signature SOLDIERS have? Protect the damsels in distress?" Aerith couldn't help letting it out. She hated that she looked weak; she hated having to be protected.

"I was just trying to pay you back from helping me back then." Cloud could sense the tension emanating from the girl he had just met.

"I really didn't do anything. My flower bed did." She wondered if she was being a little hard on him but she couldn't help feeling a little edgy.

"Exactly. Your flower bed."

Aerith realized she was already leading them towards her house through the streets of Midgar as they walked side by side. There was no way escaping him taking her home. The rest of the way both of them kept silent just hearing their random steps scratching on the dirty pavement below.

Cloud was intrigued by that girl, he was usually not that pushing when he clearly was not welcomed but there was something in her that told him he couldn't stay away.

"Here we are! You really didn't have to, but thank you." Aerith stopped at last in front of the gate to her house. It was different from all the Midgar others, with a red roof, green shutters and a tiny garden up front down the stairs. By the faint post light illuminating the quiet street Aerith noticed how his perfect white skin reflected the orange light. She got a glimpse of those eyes again, two shimmering blue sapphires glowing by the faint illumination. She didn't know what to say mostly due to the fact that she was taken aback by how those two Ocean-blue eyes reminded her so much of his

"You're welcome." Cloud was surprised as the corner of his lips curved up into a tiny smile. He wasn't used to smiling...

Aerith turned to leave when a soft but firm hand grabbed her by the wrist.

"Wait…" Cloud didn't let go of her hand although he noticed as his touch made her shudder and her arm automatically slanted to get free. "Listen… Can I meet you again tomorrow?" Cloud asked himself why he was doing that.

"Why…?" Aerith sighed closing her eyes as her face was turned away from his gaze.

"I keep getting the feeling you need me." Cloud let go of her hand and her arm rested along her stiffened body. Aerith opened her mouth to reply but what could she possibly answer to that?

"I can't tomorrow." Aerith finally had the courage to face him.

"Ok then, the next day." He insisted turning around to walk away before she could retort.

Great... Aerith exhaled and opened the door. Closing it, she rested her forehead on the wooden vertical surface. Maybe the memory of him was still too present in her mind that she was afraid to get close to someone else even if Cloud only wanted to be friends with her. After all, he had told her he was in Midgar to stay. She wanted to stop wanting to live in the past where he was. She had lost count of the times she had told herself she had to move on. But Cloud reminded her so much of him that she was sure it would make things harder for her to try to forget. If she was actually willing to forget. Who was this man that right on the first day he had met her told her she needed him?

What the hell was that? Cloud asked himself while he walked through the deserted dark street. Sure she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Sure she looked like she was about to fall into pieces any minute. Sure she also had the saddest eyes he had ever seen one carry. But what did he have to do with it? Apparently the voice inside his head that was telling him to stay close to that girl had gone mad for good.

Cloud kept his word and one day after their first encounter he stood outside her gate waiting to see the brunette come out from the door. When she finally did he watched in amusement as her cheeks turned slightly pink and her hands started shaking once she reached for the door knob to pull it and close the door behind her.

Part of Aerith wished he wouldn't turn up that day but there was another part of her and she didn't know how big that part was that secretly hoped to see him there. She had no idea what he saw in her, what made him ask her if he could see her again but after given much thought about it she finally decided to give him a try. After all, it wasn't his fault she had no will to live. He couldn't have guessed her heart was broken in endless tiny little pieces that could no longer be glued together not even with the strongest of the glues. But she had decided it couldn't hurt her to at least try to make a new friend. Maybe he could distract her from wandering around the past so much.


Cloud told her that he used to be a SOLDIER until he decided to settle down somewhere for a while. He became a mercenary doing some errands whenever he was called to. Aerith didn't rest her heart hearing that because she had the feeling those errands Cloud claimed to do weren't the cleaner ones and Cloud refused to tell her details about his work. At least he wouldn't be out on missions all the time like he used to be. For the following couple of months Cloud and Aerith started meeting almost everyday since Cloud lived nearby.

"Isn't that like downgrading? Going from SOLDIER to mercenary?" Aerith once asked as they took a walk.

"Not exactly. Only first class SOLDIERS are allowed to become mercenaries. It requires a certain level of experience. It's kind of the same but we don't move all the time and the missions aren't quite as dangerous because we're already veterans you see." Cloud answered intrigued by her sudden interest on the subject.

"Do you like what you do?" Aerith dared to ask preparing herself for his answer.

"Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't." Cloud replied shrugging. "It's a tough job."

Aerith stopped walking to stare at him in disbelief.

"What?" Cloud let out a little chuckle amused by the look in her face. Her emerald green eyes were wide open and her mouth was pressed in a firm thin line. There was a slight pink colouring her cheeks.

"I thought you were going to say you loved your job."

"Why would I do that? I'm not proud of some things I've done."

"You just… you surprise me." Aerith turned away from his gaze embarrassed. "I thought all Shinra men were ruthless fighting machines."

"Where did you hear that?" Cloud slightly laughed at her comparison. "I still have a conscious."

"Never mind…" Aerith bit her lower lip. "It's getting late, I should head home." Aerith heard Cloud call her name but she was already running like the wind in the direction of her house which wasn't that far from where they had been standing. That seemed like a relief for her since he didn't feel the need of taking her home. Cloud was different from him. How could she have even compared the two? That wasn't fair. They were two unique persons, each one with their own specific personalities and reactions. How could two people that looked exactly the same be so different from each other? But as she ran home that day feeling her heart beating fast Aerith realized another thing, she hadn't forgotten him yet, not even close, but there was something in her changing. She felt that when she was with Cloud she was close to him.

There wasn't much to do around Midgar except maybe drinking in the numerous bars it had. But that wasn't much of a habit to Cloud and Aerith. There was a theatre that had the same play showing since Aerith could remember and an old cinema still working. Aerith cursed the day he had asked her to go to the cinema.

"Say… do you want to do something fun tonight?" Cloud asked scratching the back of his head nervously. Aerith was a shy girl but Cloud beat her to that at times. He had a quiet personality and he didn't talk about his feelings much. Aerith wondered sometimes if something had happened in Cloud's life that had marked him good. She had caught him once staring thoughtfully into space, completely lost in his thoughts to hear her speak. She was glad that he wasn't much of an asking person. He told her one day that he knew there was something making her sad but when she was ready she would tell him. And then there was the "fun" subject. Aerith couldn't remember the last time she had had fun. Or more like, she did remember and it was painful to think about it.

"Like what?" She asked lifting one eyebrow.

"I don't know… we could go to the cinema." Cloud suggested.

"Humm…"

"I won't take no for an answer."

"Then I don't have much choice do I?" And Aerith smiled at him, she smiled thankful to him to try to cheer her up; she smiled for the effort he was making in hanging out with her even though she wasn't much of a great company. As Cloud watched her smile, a little tiny crook of her lips he noticed that since he had met her four months ago he had never seen her smile. He made a personal note to himself that his new goal was to see that smile many more times from that moment on.

Aerith stood in front of her bed looking at the two dresses she had selected to wear that night and wondering why on Gaia she had agreed to go to the cinema with him. He had promised her it wasn't a date, that it was just a casual encounter of two friends wanting to have fun. Friends. She had been able to make a friend. Then, if they were just friends, why was she taking so much time to decide what she was going to wear? She shook her head and sighed softly picking up a white one with no further a due.

"That was… interesting." Cloud sighed as they left through the cinema doors and into the street. They had chosen to see an action movie about a group of people trying to save the world.

"They always save the day…" Aerith smiled as they walked. Now that she had learned what it was to smile again, she promised herself she would do it more often, for Cloud. She noticed he was staring kindly back at her chuckling. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Yes. A beautiful smile." He answered and that took Aerith by surprise. She couldn't hold it in and let out a clear delighted laugh.

"I'm sorry Cloud but that was such a lame line." She mocked him and he couldn't help but smile. He had made her laugh even if she had just hurt his feelings.

"It was supposed to be sincere." But Cloud didn't mind. He finally got to see her laugh. Her eyes semi closed into two tiny curves and her cheeks brightened up with colour. It was worth watching he thought to himself as he kept looking at her with a kind smile. He couldn't help feeling drawn to her, her generous sweet personality was so captivating even if there was a dark side in her she didn't allow him in. Suddenly the street fell silent, there was no one around and only the white bulbs of light from the cinema advertisement illuminated the alley. The uncomfortable silence made them look at each other for one long moment.

He didn't know what got into him but he felt an impulsive need for her touch. Her lips were a light pink and he wondered if they would taste as smooth as they looked like in his eyes. He slowly backed her against the wall placing the palms of his opened hands on it while trapping her between his stretched arms. He closed in on her and she felt his knees softly brushing the top of hers.

"Why do you keep running away from me?" He breezily asked and she felt his sugary warm breath on the tip of her nose leaving her bewildered. His voice was smooth and deep at the same time, so inviting.

"I'm… not." She gasped lightly, closing her eyes. His chest pressed softly against hers and she felt her head dizzy while her cheeks warmed. She could feel his heart beating so close to hers, synchronized although hers was beating a little faster. Their lips were so close to each others she could feel the tingling sensation of proximity. She waited for his touch. She waited for his lips to tenderly kiss hers but they never did. She slowly opened her eyes to see him looking down at her, his eyes were curious and at the same time… was that sadness? It was then she understood why he didn't go for the kiss, why he just kept staring at her. She was crying. She could feel the warm string of water on her cheeks and it terrified her.

He distanced himself one step away from her, his arms dropping gracefully along side his body.

"Cloud… I…" Aerith started.

"I'm sorry..." He said embarrassed at his actions, maybe he had been too fast forward. "I don't want to force you into anything." Cloud lifted his hand up to wipe the wet trace the tears had left on her skin. "I promise I will try to stay away."

"NO! Please don't." Aerith shook her head anxiously. "You're the reason I'm here… I realized that when I'm with you I forget about everything else. When I'm with you… I can be happy. Please don't leave me. Not again."

"What do you mean not again?" Cloud asked confused.

"Cloud… I have to tell you something."

That night the stars were shining brightly on the dark night sky above the city, if only they could see the sky from where they were standing.


Note: I'm sorry for the late update, I have been on vacation but now that I'm back I tried posting as soon as I could. I hope you liked this chapter. I haven't written anything about Cloud and Aerith for such a long time that I think I lost the touch.. Thank you for reading!