Another short character piece.

"Hey, um, Aerith?" Tifa began as she approached Aerith in the lobby of the Haunted Hotel. "I talked to Cloud. He says he remembers Zack." Aerith gasped in surprise. "How they were friends five years ago."

"What?" Aerith asked.

Tifa nodded up the stairs. "Come on, I think we need to talk privately."

Tifa hurried up the steps of the hotel, Aerith in her wake. The others were taking some time to wind down and rest or get something to eat, so it would be the best time for them to talk.

Once they were in their room and the door locked, Tifa took a deep breath and turned to Aerith. "He remembers Zack." Tifa watched as Aerith tried to process this information. "He also said he remembers what happened to him."

Aerith fixed her with a steady gaze. "Tell me."

"He said…he remembers when the bridge collapsed, Zack being the one who got washed down the river," Tifa explained.

Aerith closed her eyes in sorrow, clasping her hands together, mourning the man she'd loved. Then something occurred to her, and she looked at Tifa again. "But that's not what happened, is it?"

Tifa shook her head. "No, Zack was there right up to the end."

Aerith nodded. She remembered the feeling she'd gotten not long before Cloud had shown up. That had been Zack's death; she was sure of it. "So, Cloud has answered one question, but he's brought up even more."

"Yeah," Tifa agreed. Aerith went over to a window, peering outside but not really looking at it, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?" Tifa asked. Aerith looked back at her. "Keeping him in the dark like this, is this really what we should be doing? Maybe we should just confront him, try to tell him what really happened."

"Would that be a good idea?" Aerith asked. "We've seen how these things affect him. Would telling him everything all at once be good for him or would it wind up crippling him?"

Tifa sighed. This was a debate they had virtually every time they had one of these conversations, but each time they had to admit they didn't know so they went back to playing it safe. Just keep Cloud under control as much as they could while he worked out his issues, and hope it was enough.

There had been close calls with that. Tifa shuddered as she remembered Gongaga, where Cloud had suddenly turned on her, believing her to be a deception from Jenova. She'd survived, barely, but the next time they'd spoken, Aerith had been the one saying, practically demanding, they should tell Cloud outright and Tifa had been the one to talk her out of it.

"I just wish I knew the real problem," she lamented. "Why does he keep acting like he was there, instead of Zack? Why does he forget something like that but all his other memories seem so clear. It's like he really was there." She had some suspicions, one way he might have been there without her realizing it, but that raised questions of its own.

"I have an idea," Aerith offered.

"What is it?"

"Well, let me ask you something. When Cloud first arrived in Midgar, how did he act with people he just met?"

Tifa scrunched her brow, thinking back. "He was…Cloud. You know, aloof, distant, not very personable, kind of standoffish."

Aerith nodded. "Yeah. See, the thing is, when we met, he wasn't any of those things with me."

"Really?" Tifa asked. "You never really told me how you two met."

"Well, the first time, I was being tormented by the Whispers, and since he couldn't see them yet, he thought I was on some kind of drug trip." Aerith gave a wan smile before continuing. "Later, when he landed in my church, is when we really started to get to know each other. And he was quite accommodating. He usually went along with anything I asked. Maybe it took a little cajoling, but he'd come around without too much trouble. Even though we'd just met, it seemed like he had some sort of affection for me." She closed her eyes and took a breath. "I think it was Zack."

"Zack?" Tifa asked, looking confused. "You mean…"

"I mean, I think Cloud thinks he is Zack. Somehow, he has Zack's memories and maybe even bits of his personality."

Tifa sat down as this sank in. "That's…" Impossible? They'd seen so much that she would have dismissed as impossible on this crazy journey, how could she discount this? And if true, it would explain so much.

If this was true, if there were two personalities inside Cloud Strife, if he didn't even know who he was, this was more serious than she realized. "You're sure?"

"No, but…it's not just how he feels about me, it's everything, the way he carries himself, the way he fights, the sword." She looked Tifa in the eye. "That is Zack's sword, there's only one place he could have gotten it."

Tifa nodded at that. That was indeed the sword Zack had wielded. "So, we keep doing what we're doing?"

"That's what I think." Aerith let out a sigh. "Of course, that might just be me being selfish."

"Selfish? How could you possibly think…" Tifa stopped herself as she suddenly realized. "You don't want to lose Zack again, do you?"

Aerith looked out the window again, her eyes glistening with tears. "Do you know why I loved him so much? It was because he could see me. Where everyone else except Mom saw the Ancient, the flower girl, a lost child, an outsider, even a freak, he saw me. Aerith.

"That's why I held out hope for so long. That's why I was never able to let go completely. Because I knew that I would never be able to find someone like that again." She wiped her eyes before continuing. "Or that's what I thought. Then this other guy came crashing down almost exactly the way Zack did. And everything about him reminded me of Zack so much, he even seemed to see me the way Zack did…I just wanted to let myself believe.

"But I realized it wasn't fair. Not to him, not to Zack and not to me." Aerith let out a sigh. "So, I tried to push him away. I tried to distance myself. I even flat out told him not to fall in love with me."

Tifa looked surprised at that.

"Because it wasn't real," Aerith continued.

"Because it was Zack's feelings, wasn't it?" Tifa asked.

Aerith nodded. "Yeah, but…there was something more."

"What?"

"Before we left Midgar, I…knew things. One of them was part of the reason I told him that. But, after we confronted Fate, I lost those memories. I can't remember why I told him."

"Is it really that important?" Tifa asked.

Aerith shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Sometimes, I feel so frustrated. Here we are on this wild adventure, but I sometimes feel more trapped than I ever have. Like I'm constantly being taunted by…something. I feel like I'm so close to the truth but it's always just out of reach."

Tifa came and put a hand on Aerith's shoulder. "I know we've all felt that way at times."

"But I keep having this feeling that it's not going to end well between us," Aerith said, pulling out of Tifa's reach and sitting on the bed. "That something is going to happen, but I can't bring myself to let him go."

"Zack?"

"Yes…no," Aerith admitted. "I keep saying Zack, but I think I mean Cloud."

Tifa watched Aerith, her heart sinking at that admission. There had been moments of tension when one of them had been off with Cloud, but for the most part it had been overshadowed by their efforts to help him and their affection for each other. But to hear that Aerith did have feelings for Cloud was…upsetting. And yet, she couldn't blame the other girl.

Tifa came down and sat next to her. "Aerith…"

"Am I a hypocrite?" Aerith asked.

"No! At least no more than anyone else," Tifa reassured her. "If anything, it makes you…human."

Aerith gave her a small grateful smile, though her eyes were still wet. Tifa moved closer and put her arms around the other girl. "Look, I just want to let you know that I'm here for you, no matter what happens."

Aerith nodded silently, as she leaned into the embrace, as Tifa let her rest her head against her chest. Tifa held Aerith, wishing she could just form a barrier around this girl, protecting her from everything that could cause her harm. She was a study in contrasts, giving the appearance of being frail and delicate but at the same time Aerith was quite possibly stronger than anyone else in their little group. She had endured things that would have broken most people. How much she had lost...

Tifa pulled her close as Aerith closed her eyes and let herself relax, listening to the sounds of Tifa's even breathing and her heartbeat.

Eventually, Tifa whispered, "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah," Aerith replied, as she sat up straight again. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Aerith looked at her, a more welcome mischievous expression crossing her face. "You know, in stories, this would be where we realize our true feelings and express them with a soft, slow, passionate kiss."

Tifa's eyes widened in surprise, suddenly realizing how close Aerith's face suddenly was to her own. She looked into those deep, green eyes, felt the air cross her lips from Aerith's breathing, and Aerith's hand settle over her own.

Then both girls began giggling. Their laughing escalated as they both fell back onto the bed. Tifa gave Aerith's hand a squeeze. "Well, if I were inclined that way, I couldn't think of a better girlfriend than you."

"Well, that's good. Because if I ever decide to get a girlfriend, you're first on my list!" Aerith said.

Tifa chuckled as she got up.

"I do love you, by the way."

Tifa stopped and looked back at Aerith.

"I do. Same as I love Cloud, and Barrett, and Nanaki, Yuffie and even Cait," Aerith said with a bright smile.

She went back to the window. "Despite what I said earlier, all this time we've been travelling together has been the happiest of my life." She looked back at Tifa with a wide smile. "And I think it's because I'm with people who see me. Who see just Aerith. Even though we're always on the move, it feels like I'm home, as long as I'm with all of you."

Tifa smiled as well as she felt her eyes well up. "Of course, Aerith." She came over and wrapped Aerith in another hug. "No matter what happens, you'll always have a place with us."

I seem to do a lot of stories about what Aerith has lost. I should come up with a lighter story for her sometime.