Chapter 5:

Another Man's Trash...

It was early the next day, December 11th, when Cloud woke from his sleep. "…Shit…I fell asleep…" He quickly got out of the bed and walked to the door, listening for anyone awake down the hall. It was silent. "…Good, I can make it to Sector 7 by myself…" Cloud realized that doing this was better for everyone...

Silently, Cloud stepped down the stairs making sure to not make even one sound. Cloud's shoulder brushed against the wall of the stairs, knocking around a few picture frames, catching Cloud's attention. Unintentionally, Cloud glanced at one, not meaning to take a look at who it was. But what he saw did catch his attention. They were pictures of Aerith at different ages. Some were of her younger. Then there were the few pictures of Aerith when she was a late teen. She looked just as innocent then as she did now. Cloud couldn't help but notice how normal of a life she appeared to be living. It was proving more and more to Cloud that leaving without her was the best thing to do for her. Sighing, Cloud finished his way down the stairs and out of the house, without alarming anyone.

As he made his way through the small sector he attempted to convince himself that this was the best thing he could do. He did enjoy their time together but her mother was right. It was better Cloud left someone as kind as her alone. Not only could she get hurt by just being around him but he wasn't sure if he wouldn't end up hurting himself. And Cloud knew from the second she smiled at him that he did not want her to get hurt by others…or by himself. He was being chased by Shinra solders... he wouldn't allow himself to involve her in the dangerous missions he was apart of.

Cloud was so lost in thought he hadn't noticed that someone walked up to his side. A soft voice startled him; "You're up bright and early." It was Aerith. Cloud turned around reluctantly and saw that she was giving him a stern glare. without wasting any time Cloud began his explanation; "How could I ask you to go along when I knew it would be dangerous?"

Aerith crossed her arms, "Finished?" and Cloud grew quiet. He didn't seem at all unfazed by the fact that a woman just silenced him."You have to go through the slum just down this way… I'll take you there. Come on!"Cloud moved to grab her but she was already gone.

"Why does she want to go through this crap…"

Cloud quickly ran after her, pulling her back to look at him, a sense of frustration in his voice. "Aerith, you have to go back. I already involved you more than I wanted to and I'm not going to drag you into it any more than I already have. Now, go home."

Aerith scrunched her nose. "Well, excuse me for trying to help you." Aerith moved out of Cloud's grasp and he watched in awe as she continued down the demolished highway.

"I'm your bodyguard. Not the other way around." Cloud hollered. His shout caused Aerith to spin and look at him.

"All the more reason why you should be up here with me. This is a dangerous area, remember?" she continued down the broken road unfazed by any possibility that she could be in harms way. Shaking his head Cloud spoke abruptly, "Just wait a second…" he walked to her side, making haste so that she would not go on without him any further; "Look, there's gotta be some way I can make you stay?"

"Nope." She hummed.

"Why?" Cloud raised an eyebrow. "…I like to help." Aerith averted her gaze from his and turned to walk ahead, leaving Cloud behind. "She likes to…help?" Cloud couldn't remember the last person he met that "liked" to help.

Cloud was pulled from his thoughts as she added in a calm but flirty voice; "…Plus, you said you couldn't accept help from a girl. Did you think I was just gonna let you get away with that, bodyguard?" Cloud felt a weak smirk spread on his face at her spunkieness. He knew that very moment that she wasn't going to take no as for an answer. Although this wasn't in his plan... Cloud went ahead with her.

After a few minutes of walking down the Midgar highway, Cloud and Aerith ran into a break in a bridge that they were traveling on. "Well, now what?" Aerith mumbled as she stepped closer to the edge of the broken road. Just as their attentions were brought onto the scenery of the destroyed path, suddenly, the floor beneath Aerith started to crumble. Just as she was about to slip down the steep fall, Cloud swiftly pulled her body back towards his, saving the flower girl from the tumble. Her face was against his chest, her eyes shut tightly. Aerith couldn't help but notice his tight chest muscles and she felt her cheeks grow hot.

She looked up at him as he asked her, "You okay?" a concerned tone lingering on his voice. She blinked and gawked at his steel blue eyes, her dark lashes fanning over her jade gaze girlishly. She hadn't been that close to a man since her first love. She wasn't very experienced with the opposite sex and she couldn't help but feel a sense of timidness when a handsome man held her so closely like the way Cloud was doing now.

Still in her bodyguard's arms, she asked him his age; "How old are you?" Cloud answered despite thinking her question was random; "21… you?"

"How old do you think I am?"

"Probably younger than me… your eyes… they make you seem younger…"

Aerith smiled, something in her was happy to find out that he was paying attention to her enough to notice something like her eyes. She quickly answered his question a smile on her face, "I'm 22." Cloud was surprised at her age. She was only a little older than him but she looked so innocent. Cloud glanced across her face; her eyes caught his attention again… They were unlike any other he ever saw before. They were so vibrant and held a sense of softness within them. Everytime he looked upon them he felt himself being pulled by something, as if there was a puzzel within himself and the more he looked at her he felt himself inch closer to the answer. He didn't understand how he could have a feeling of knowing there was an answer... but not even knowing what the answer was for... or even what the answer was. All he knew was that he felt like she was the answer. There was something mysterious about this girl, and every second he spent locked in the chast embrace of her gaze he realized he wanted to find out.

He opened his mouth to speak when all of sudden he saw a monster charging towards them. Ready to fight, Cloud quickly dodged the beast. Rolling down the broken pathway of the bridge, Aerith locked securely in his arms. He attempted to shield her body with his by holding her close to himself as Aerith dug her fingers into his blue shirt, terror running through her veins.

Eventually, they came to a slow stop at the end of the drop off. Cloud was on top of her, shielding her body. He winced as he lifted his head a few inches above hers. She had her arms around his body and she wasn't letting go. "Aerith, are you all right?" She hesitantly moved her face from his chest. He was gazing at her, a rare tender look in his eyes.

Aerith shook her head, "Yes, I'm fine." Cloud stood and helped Aerith to her feet. He had a few cuts and scrapes on his arms but he didn't seem to notice them. "Come on, let's go before more—" Cloud stopped and nudged Aerith out of the way as another monster charged towards them. A howl escaping it as it lunged forward. As soon as Cloud saw it he had picked up a long iron pole and just as the beast came close enough he stabbed it with the sharp end, twisting it deeper into the monster's chest. Almost as soon as the rod pierced its chest the beast's body broke away to dust and disappeared. Cloud made sure there weren't any more before dropping the rusty weapon and kneeling towards Aerith, who was crouching to the floor. "It's all right, it's gone." Aerith looked up at him. She slowly stood and looked around, it was really gone. "That was scary." the tone in her voice indicated that she wasn't the least bit scared. She dusted herself off and flashed Cloud a smile; "Thanks bodyguard." She noticed the cuts on his body and her face went pale; "You're hurt!"

Cloud looked at his arm; a huge gash was cut into his skin; "It's okay—neither of us have any cure materia—"

"No it's not. Here sit down for a second…" Aerith kneeled on the floor and patted beside her, hinting for him to sit down. Cloud stared at her in bewilderment, a look in his eyes as if to tell Aerith that he wasn't at all fazed by his battle wounds and didn't need any looking after. "I'm not moving until you let me help you." Aerith firmly made her statement as she crossed her arms and peered up at Cloud. Reluctantly, Cloud sighed and took a spot beside her. Why argue? He felt her hand hover above his arm. "Now... promise you won't freak out, okay?" she peered into the blue of his eyes.

"I Promise."

Aerith smiled at his promise and touched her hand against his skin. He watched, not sure what she was doing. Her eyes were closed in concentration.

"What are you—" just as he was asking he felt a soothing sensation move over the cut. Before his own eyes, Cloud watched as his wound disappeared in only a few seconds just from her touch. "How did she—"Cloud couldn't understand how she was able to heal his wound without any cure magic, no one could ever do that. He peered at her, not taking his eyes off of her as she looked up at him. "There, all better!" she said smiling.

While her expression was one of happiness, Cloud's was more like a look of perplexion and amazment all in one. "How the hell did you just heal my cut without any materia?"

Aerith shrugged and answered in a calm tone; "I don't need materia."

"How is that possible?" Was it normal for her to heal without materia? Cloud couldn't think of any way that a normal person could do something like that. He had so many questions running rampant through his mind that he didn't know which one to ask first. He felt like asking her how she managed to heal him... and then he remembered she made him promise to no overreact about it and he wasn't about to break that no matter how astonishing it was.

Although Cloud was intrigued by her ability he could sense that she wasn't exactly fond of people knowing this about her. He quickly stood, and held out his hand to help her up. As Cloud lifted her to a standing position he said to her; "You know, whatever that just was-it's pretty kick ass."

Aerith blushed at his comments. "You think so?" Cloud watched her strike up her thoughtful pose, her finger clicking against her chin as if she were deep in thought.

"Yeah-I mean, I've never seen anyone that could do that." Aerith broke her thoughtful pose to gaze at her bodyguard just in time to see him say to her with a weak smile; "You're...it's pretty amazing." Cloud hoped the girl hadn't of taken notice to his slip in words but something in him didn't really mind if she did and the sweet smile on her face proved to Cloud that she didn't mind, either.

"Let's get outta here before more of them find us." Cloud said.

The two continued down the road until they came to a gate that lead to sector 7. Aerith stopped; "Here we are. The gate ahead will lead you to sector 7." Cloud couldn't help but notice her happy tone now sounded heavy with dissappointment.

Aerith slowly walked past Cloud, hoping he would say something. But, nothing. Cloud knew she had to go but he couldn't just let her leave after what she did for him earlier without even so much as a goodbye. She had not only let him stay in her house but also cured him without materia. He couldn't just let her walk back alone. She could get hurt... She already almost got hurt three times. However, he remembered what her mother told him the night before. And of course, Cloud again realized it'd be better for Aerith if she was as far away from him as possible.

"Aerith," she turned to him and their eyes locked. "Thanks…I guess this is goodbye…"

Aerith hid her hands behind her back and looked to the floor. Her silence bothered him so he spoke again, hoping she would say something to him. "Will you be all right going home by yourself?" Cloud's voice was softer than usual. He knew he had to tell her to leave but he felt bad for having to do it, especially after getting to know her.

Aerith covered her forehead with the back of her hand and dramatically exclaimed; "Oh, no! Whatever will I do?" She was obviously teasing his concern and Cloud couldn't help but let a sigh escape him. He wasn't exactly fond of showing concern for just anyone.

"It's okay, Bodyguard—I'm a slum girl. I'm use to the people on these streets. I'll be just fine." She turned to leave but paused to look back at Cloud and added; "If you ever want that date, you know where to find me." Another flirty smile spread on her face and she turned to leave. Cloud felt her flirty comment pierce through his heart as his knees slightly buckled at the sight of her smile, both feelings he couldn't help but enjoy.

As she continued to walk down the street Cloud racked his brain for what he should do. "Should I just let her walk off?" He looked to the floor then back at Aerith's figure. She was getting farther away. "she could get hurt-but her mom said to leave her alone… " He looked back at Aerith and thought again. She had been so kind to him. Letting him stay in her house when he was a complete stranger, showing him the way to sector seven for nothing at all, and then she healed him when he was hurt.

He moved an inch forward to go after her but stopped and remembered how sweet she had been to him, too. The way she always smiled no matter what, the way she playfully teased him. Plus, he couldn't forget that she did owe him a date after all. "It'd be a little hard to get my payment if she's not around— and what if people hear about this? I'll have to do jobs for free." Cloud had found one more excuse to use in order to keep her around. But once again, he knew he didn't want her to get hurt. "She can't get hurt if I protect her, though" Cloud reassured himself. He thought it over one last time and recalled how she was able to make him laugh. He looked to the floor, than back at Aerith. He came to his conclusion; "Screw it—"

Cloud quickly ran to Aerith's side, pulling her by the wrist to make her look at him; "Look, I'm not going to let you head through that highway by yourself. It's way too dangerous for you. So I'm asking you to come with me…if you want to."

"Won't I be in your way?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow; "What do you mean in the way?"Aerith saw the honest confusion in his eyes and shook her head, "Never mind." She was happy he asked her to come along, she couldn't help but smile; "Can we take a break, though?"

Cloud scratched his head; it was pretty early and he had some time to burn. He nodded and led Aerith a little ahead. They were in an old park.

"Wow… I can't believe its still here." Aerith skipped to a large moogle-shaped children's slide and climbed to the top and kneeled down. "Cloud, up here!" she shouted.

Cloud quickly thought it over. Here they were alone in a place most used for dating. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea... Her mom would be pissed if she found out—"he quickly looked up at a smiling Aerith and he was, once again, captivated;"Since when do I follow rules?" Cloud told himself with a weak smirk. He quickly climbed the slide and sat beside her, his arm directly behind her back. Only a few seconds went by before Aerith spoke; "What rank were you?"

"Rank?" Cloud repeated.

"You know, in Soldier."

Cloud felt a stab of pain in his head and his vision went white for a few seconds, he suddenly knew what she meant; "I was first class."

"Just the same as him." Cloud turned his body to look at her; "The same as who?"

"My first boyfriend."

Cloud adjusted himself and swallowed; "You were…" he paused, "…serious?"

Aerith sighed, "No. But I liked him for a while." Cloud crossed his arms, feeling a small pinprick of jealousy nip at him as he thought that she was still probably not over this guy. "…Figures…" he sighed and reluctantly asked; "What was his name?" Aerith shook her head as she looked to her lap, "It doesn't really matter." Cloud had to admit, he was relieved to hear her say that.

"Okay…so what did he do then?"

"I'm not sure what you mean?" Aerith tilted her head to the side.

"He obviously did something for you to break up with him…so what was it?"

Aerith shrugged her shoulders and wrapped her arms around herself; "Nothing really… just a ladies man." Cloud suddenly knew what had happened, the saddened look in her eyes made it very clear. "He left her for someone else…"

After gazing at her for a second Cloud murmured; "He's an idiot." Causing Aerith to abruptly look at him; "Wh…?"

"He's an idiot for doing that to you."

Aerith smiled at his remark and nudged his shoulder with hers; "I bet you say that to all the girls…" A weak smirk spread on Cloud's face and he slowly shook his head; "You're the first…" She slowly turned her gaze to lock with his as Cloud brought his hand to her cheek, brushing away a small spot of dirt.

Their eyes were locked for a moment and Cloud felt himself being pulled to capture her mouth in a kiss. Slowly, Cloud brought his face lower to hers until they were just a lips distance apart. Just as his mouth was about to capture hers, she shifted her head away from Cloud and stared at the sector 7 gateway directly behind them. Cloud was taken aback that their moment was stopped, but he followed her view and saw a chocobo drawn carriage turning down the road. A woman was in the back.

"What the hell?" Cloud stood and watched the carriage leave the area. He recognized the scantly clad woman in the back. "What is Tifa doing…?" Cloud's tone fell silent as he tried to think of any reason Tifa would be doing this.

Aerith rose and stood next to Cloud; "THAT was Tifa… But where was she going dressed so… weirdly?"

Dismissing any curious thoughts, Aerith quickly climbed back down the slide and ran in the direction of the carriage so quickly Cloud didn't have time to stop her.

"Aerith! Wait! I'll go by myself!" But it was too late, she was already gone. Cloud shook his head; "…this isn't good…" he quickly jumped off the slide and chased after the flowergirl. He had already disobeyed her mother by bringing her along this far but now he had to realize he was attracted to her more than he thought.

Author's notes: A million sorries that it is taking me so long. But I sadly lost all 10 other chapters a few days after my last update to a terrible virus. My writing was completely lost. I was able to update everyday because I had those chapters already written out... and now, as you can see, I have to rewrite the chapters. I am writing with haste to get these finished being written. but instead of every day (like I had planned) I have to release one every week or so. I am so sorry again. Thank you for all the reviews and adds to favs. I never thought in a million years I would be so lucky to have so many great readers.