Love, Aerith

Chapter 5: The Ghost

My soldier will always return to me.

"Are you sure I won't… hurt them or something?" Cloud asked apprehensively as he watched Aerith lay down on the flower bed and inviting him to join her by her side. He looked at the white and yellow flowers between the green grass and couldn't help wondering if they would get ruined with his weight on top of them. He had done enough damage once when he fell from the roof onto that flower bed already, he didn't want such delicate plants to be damaged.

"It's ok." Aerith giggled looking up at him. "As long as you don't lay down on top of the flowers, if you put your body around them they will be alright, they're quite strong actually."

Cloud stared at her slim body on the ground; her light-brown locks were spread on the grass, her lips were a velvety scarlet smiling at him, her skin looked so smooth and vivid, it was hard to resist any request this girl asked of him. Not to mention the eyes, two emerald stones glazing by the light like two pieces of polished jewellery as bright as stars. He nodded and carefully laid down beside her on the flower bed from the church. The soft touch of the grass felt fresh on his skin and his hands felt the silky surface of the petals from the bloomed flowers. It felt very comfortable to him to be there. His head was right next to hers and he turned to look at her, eyes locked together. She smiled at him.

"I'm so glad you didn't give up on me Cloud." She said, closing her eyes.

"When I first met you… you seemed so sad." Cloud said. "It was heart-breaking."

"But you understood… not many people would have had the same patience." Aerith opened her eyes again and smiled at the man laying next to her.

"Aerith…" Cloud hesitated. "I wanted to ask you something… but don't take me wrong, I just needed to know…"

"You can ask me anything." Aerith frowned but let out a giggle.

"Have you…" Cloud didn't know how to put it. "Forgotten him?"

Aerith opened her mouth to answer but no sound came out. She stared at the SOLDIER for a moment just thinking of what she was going to say. She sure wasn't expecting that kind of question. When she didn't answer right away, Cloud's heart thumped painfully against his chest.

"I see…" He said and turned his head to look above. It wasn't that he was mad at her or anything because he knew how much it had hurt her when he was gone, but what was hurting Cloud was knowing that he hadn't done enough to try to make her forget him.

"Cloud…" She called and her voice was a soft melody in his ears. She pulled his chin gently with her fingers, rolled on her side and lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "You're the only one I think about all the time. You know that you and I could never forget Zack for what he meant to us. But what matters is right now, what we are living. And Cloud… I'm yours. And you're all I want." Aerith didn't want to lie to him, she never did and she had always wanted to stay true to her feelings. She loved Cloud and she couldn't stand seeing him hurt because of her. It was true she sometimes thought about Zack but only in memories long gone. Cloud was there and he was real. Cloud completed her heart and made her feel better in every way.

The blond SOLDIER placed one hand on the back of her head, tangling his fingers between her brown locks of hair and pulled her softly to him so their lips could meet in a warm tender kiss.

Cloud and Aerith became inseparable.

He helped her selling flowers in the cold streets of Midgar during the day and when the basket she carried on her arm turned empty, he would slowly walk her back home. Elmyra welcomed them and proudly cooked them dinner. Aerith's mother loved having Cloud around.

One night when Aerith had fallen asleep, Cloud walked downstairs to leave where Elmyra was stitching a ragged skirt on the chair of her kitchen.

"I'll be going now madam." He politely said as he crossed the floor.

"Please Cloud?" Elmyra stopped him. "Would you like to join me for tea and some muffins I made?"

"Oh I don't want to bother you." Cloud really didn't want to give her much trouble.

"Please I insist. You'll never be a bother." The older woman smiled warmly. "Plus… I have been meaning to talk to you privately if you don't mind. Please take a seat." Cloud nodded and did as he was asked, pulling one wooden chair to sit at the table while Elmyra took the muffins out of the oven and poured him some tea in a cup.

"Thank you." He said and Elmyra sat across from him on her seat.

"Cloud… I have to thank you for what you are doing to my Aerith." Elmyra started speaking and Cloud took a sip of his hot peppermint tea, listening. What was there to thank him? Being with Aerith was all he wanted. "I'm sure you know why Aerith always seemed so sad." Cloud nodded once, pausing to place his cup on the table between his hands. He stared at the light liquid quietly. "When you arrived in her life… Aerith started smiling again. And singing, have you heard her singing? She has such a beautiful voice…"

"I know…" Cloud said, looking up to look at the woman.

"Before you… She was always… sad, crying, she shied away from everyone. She only left home to go to the church to pray for…" Elmyra interrupted and sighed. "But now she's different. You make her happy and I will be forever thankful to you Cloud."

"Ma'am, I'll do everything in my power to keep her happy." Cloud said seriously. "She… is very special to me…"

"I can see that." Elmyra smiled. She could notice when someone was in love for miles and she didn't have to go that far to see it on Cloud's face.

"Thank you for the tea ma'am." Cloud stood up. "I have to go now."

"Of course…" Elmyra joined him to walk him to the door. "But please stop calling me ma'am." She giggled patting him on the shoulder. "Just Elmyra is fine."

Cloud had never been in love. He had had a couple of flings before when he was younger but nothing compared to what he felt for Aerith now. So it was only natural that he sometimes didn't know what to do with his feelings. He was learning with her how to be in love. It was a cold winter day when he was laying on his bedroom. He shared a small apartment in Midgar with his roommate Barret Wallace, but he wasn't at home that time so there wasn't much to do around but think.

Cloud stared quietly at the ceiling, his hands under his head. He sighed. He was thinking what he could give Aerith as a present. It was her birthday in two weeks and he wanted to give her something special, something meaningful so he could always be with her when he wasn't in person.

"I'm in love with you." He heard her voice in his head telling him. He wondered what she would like from him. Suddenly, he heard the door lock clinging and then heard the door slightly slamming. Yes, Barret was home. Cloud jumped out of his bed and joined his friend in the living room where Barret was already sitting on the couch, feet resting on the coffee table, one arm spread across the top of the couch and the remote on one hand, changing channels.

"Oh hey!" The man greeted as the blond sat across the couch.

"Barret…" Cloud started. "You have a girlfriend right?"

"I have many, dude." Barret laughed.

"Oh ok…" Cloud rolled his eyes. "Then you must know what to give them on their birthday right?"

"Are you having problems with a special lady you dog?" His roommate teased.

"I just needed an opinion." Cloud coolly answered.

"Try giving her flowers. It always works."

"She's already a flower girl."

"Oh right…" Barret stopped to think for a moment. "Clothes?"

"Something more personal." Cloud shook his head.

"Damn you yellow head, you're hard to please." Barret grunted. "Try jewellery. Diamonds are a girl's best friend right? But you gotta have a loaded wallet for that man."

"Thank you Barret." Cloud rose to his feet thoughtfully.

"Anytime man."

When Cloud left his home he already had an idea in his head, but he had to have money for that. He headed for the Shinra building thinking that they might have some jobs posted there for mercenaries to take. If he did a couple of them, he was sure to have enough money to buy Aerith something special.

When he was walking towards the Shinra building, something caught Cloud's eye. Laying on a shelter from a shop window was a silver necklace with a small silver heart in its middle. The little heart had a tiny scarlet ruby in its centre. That would be the perfect gift he could give Aerith. If only he had that kind of money with him.

When the time came he had to tell her, Cloud took a deep breath and then let it all out quick and painless.

"I have to go on a couple of missions and I'll only be back next week." He said and then waited for her reaction.

"Oh…" Aerith looked down. Next week would be her birthday and she wondered if he was going to miss it. "Do you really have to go?"

"Yeah…" Cloud lifted her chin up with his hand. "I will be back." He knew what that meant for her, being close to her birthday.

"Cloud." Her eyes filled with tears and she started punching him on the chest over and over. "Don't you dare not come back to me! Do you hear me? If you don't come back, I will hunt you like you have never been hunted before!" She yelled while hitting him.

"Aerith…" He grabbed her by the wrists, stopping her hands and let out a small laugh. "You won't get rid of me that easily."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

One week went by. One week with her heart tightened inside her chest. He called her everyday but it wasn't the same thing not having him there. Aerith was restless but she knew his words were true when he promised he would be back. The next day was her birthday and it had been a very long time since she looked forward to it. She was turning 20. She would take Cloud to dinner some place nice and then probably go out of Midgar to see the stars from the fields. There was really not much to do around in the city.

The sun was already setting when she entered the church that day. Her basket of flowers was empty and she kept the gil she had made selling them neatly folded in the pocket from the brown trousers she was wearing with a cherry-colored long sleeved shirt buttoned at the front. She filled her watering-can outside the church and went back inside to pour it on the flowers. Her brown hiking boots scratched on the wooden floor as she crossed the church. Everything was quiet. When she kneeled on the floor and let the water fall gently on her flowers she felt someone's presence at the door.

"Aerith…" A slightly familiar voice called, a voice she didn't hear for a very long time and a voice she used to know by heart. A chill ran through her spine.


Cloud crossed the Shinra's entrance floor and reached for the treasury where he was going to be paid for all the jobs he had done during the week. It had been a while since he had done so many in a row but it had been worth it. Just to see her smiling. Just to give her something she could carry everyday that he gave her. He felt tired, his muscles were sore but there was still something he had to do first, before he could meet Aerith.

"There you go." The employee behind the counter handed him a fat envelope containing all the money Cloud had earned. "You worked hard this time." The black-haired woman smiled widely at him.

"Yeah…" Cloud said taking the envelope with one hand.

"Hey have you heard the rumours?" The woman said quickly before he could leave, it seemed she wanted to keep him there talking to her.

"What rumours?" Cloud asked shrugging.

"There have been people whispering all over the building about one long lost SOLDIER returning. Like, everybody thought he was dead and now he just shows up out of nowhere. Creepy right?"

"Who is it?" Cloud raised one eyebrow.

"I can't remember his name… But he was from your squad back in the days you were SOLDIER." The woman had been working there for a long time it seemed, Cloud mused, to be remembering the people from his squad. "I know this because that's what people have been saying around."

Yeah right…Cloud thought, tilted his head up thanking the woman for the envelope and turned around to leave.


Aerith stood up and slowly turned on her feet to face the person standing on the church's door. When she saw his spiky black hair, tall figure against the orange light of the sunset outside, glazing blue eyes, she lost her strength and the watering-can slipped from her hand to fall loudly on the ground, spilling the water under her feet. She widened her eyes and lifted one hand to cover her mouth. Her knees felt weak, her hands started shaking and her stomach twirled inside her; color drained from her face as if she just saw a ghost. Which in a way… was true.


Cloud exited the jewellery store with a squared box wrapped in dark-blue shiny paper on his hands. He had finally bought her the heart necklace he had so hard worked to get her. But then he stopped frozen on his feet as something hit him like thunder.

"Someone from your squad back when you were SOLDIER."

Could it be? Cloud wasn't going to stand there and wait. He ran as fast as he could towards the church.


"Zack…" Aerith gasped, her voice couldn't come out clear.

"You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this day." Zack's eyes flickered and his voice cracked as he slowly approached her, taking careful steps across the floor. When he reached her, Aerith was overwhelmed by the familiar musky smell of his skin. He smelled the same and she had missed that scent. Her head felt dizzy. He reached for her hands with his, the touch of his skin… how she had missed his warm skin against hers. She closed her eyes as tears began to fall down. When she opened them again, he was really standing in front of her, those Ocean-blue shimmering eyes stared down at her kindly. He rested his forehead against hers. It was real, she wasn't imagining things.

"I thought you…" She started saying but his fingertips touched her lips stopping her.

"I'm sorry I took so long." He said. But as much as she wanted to be there in his arms, what she was feeling wasn't the same as before, because now, all she could think about was Cloud.


Outside at the church's entrance, Cloud stood panting and petrified as he watched them hold each other in an embrace. His heart ached painfully inside his chest, breathing was getting harder, and he felt like suffocating. Zack was back and he would lose her. He looked at the small box in his hand and one tear fell on the paper's surface. He clenched it between his fingers and turned around to leave.


Note: Thank you for reading and thank you the people reviewing. Please do tell me what you think. The poor Cloud… I feel so bad for him, but hopefully things will work out next chapter. See you then!