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Aerith knew that their destination would take her closer than she had ever been to her ancestors. It scared her. As a group it was decided they would wait to move on and do odd jobs around Gongaga. Yuffie and Nanaki went to explore the old reactor and clear out any fiends. Barret stayed behind with Cid to work on the Branco. Cloud and Tifa were doing…something. She didn’t know what, but they split off without a word when they arrived at the jungle region.
The sun was oppressive as it beat down on her from between the dense cover of the trees above her. It left complex patterns on the jungle floor that shifted and changed with the barely moving wind. Her dress flitted through the thick air as she walked aimlessly around the village.
There was something about Cloud leaving so suddenly that upset her. She liked his company and teasing him while they did something mundane. The abrupt change made her feel something she couldn’t put her finger on. There was something cold in the way he didn’t even look at her before leaving the dock, like he was on a mission.
The Cetra couldn’t help but think that it had something to do with her Gold Saucer performance. That she had been too forward with her song. Not to mention the Skywheel. Maybe she crossed a line when she said she wanted to be with him and held his hand. He had been distant and quiet, more than usual.
Aerith sighed to herself and ran her fingers through the loose hair that hung by her face. Her feet had carried her to Cissnei’s house who sat on the steps. Aerith took a deep breath and smiled at her friend who waved.
“Hey!” Cissnei beamed at her, standing up.
She hoped her smile was convincing, “hey, you need help with anything?”
“Yeah of course-” Cissnei stopped suddenly and her eyes darted around behind Aerith, “wait, where’s Cloud?”
It surprised her that she singled him out but shook her head, “I don’t know honestly. Him and Tifa left when we got here.”
“Weird,” Cissnei looked at her with a mix of concern and confusion, “he’s always with you.”
“He is?”
Cissnei laughed, “of course. He doesn’t seem to drift very far from you, unless you’re with Tifa. You never noticed?”
Aerith pressed her lips together in a hard line and shook her head. Maybe that’s why his sudden departure at the docks affected her so much. She distracted herself by playing with her jacket.
“You should go find him and Tifa. Talk to them,” Cissnei offered, “I don’t think they meant to leave you behind.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head, “sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
Cissnei grabbed her hands carefully, “don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t think they left the village if you want to start there. I’ll take a look around the outskirts.”
Aerith smiled and nodded, “thank you, really. It means a lot.”
The red-headed girl gave one final encouraging nod and let go of her hands. Aerith turned and looked at the houses and winding paths. She didn’t even know where to start and the air suddenly felt thicker as nervousness squeezed her heart. The Cetra chewed on her bottom lip and started in a random direction. She hoped she would see or hear something that would guide her to her unknown destination.
She was down by the Fairs’ house and heading back to Cissnei’s place. She didn’t look very hard admittedly and like she told Cloud in Midgar, she always gave up. Her head was lowered with her eyes trained on the dusty ground in front of her. Suddenly, something in the air changed.
A very faint piano sounded from the music house. Her head lifted and excitement welled up inside her when she saw a flash of blonde through an open window. She had heard him play occasionally but it was always quiet and understated, unlike now. He played confidently and emotionally.
The song he played was new. It was soft, hopeful and beautiful. She came up to the window in the barely cracked door and peeked in. He sat at the bench with his back straight, sword leaning against a nearby wall. His gloves were sitting on top of the piano while his bare, scarred, fingers gracefully danced on the white and black keys. She had never seen him so focused and oblivious to everything around him.
His song spoke to her, it was unlike anything he ever played. She couldn’t help but admire him in a way she rarely got the chance to. The gentle bounce of his shoulders and his blonde spikey hair waving ever so slightly with his movements.
The sweeping, gentle music and the player were as beautiful as ever. Aerith pushed the door open just barely so she could watch from the crack in the door instead of the window. She rested her head on the doorway while she watched. She completely forgot about her feelings on the dock, what she had planned to do and say when she found him. She could only listen and watch as he seemed to lay his soul out on the piano keys. Beautiful, gentle, and a guarded secret.
All too suddenly the song ended leaving a buzzing silence in the air from the final chord. He sat at the bench and sighed. His shoulders slumped in a rare display of vulnerability and he ran a hand over his face.
“Not good enough,” he whispered to himself.
Aerith decided it was her opportunity to make herself known, “I think it was beautiful.”
Cloud’s shoulders snapped back into that painful looking stiffness. He turned slowly to face her and stood from the bench, “Aerith?” His voice was low and confused.
Aerith was, for once in her life, at a loss for words suddenly. Cloud’s blue-green eyes were distractingly trained on her, piercing in a way she hadn’t seen before.
“I, uh,” she took a half step back feeling very small, “I heard you playing from outside the music house. It sounded really pretty and I wanted to listen.”
Cloud stayed rooted to his spot by the piano bench. He was silent with his mouth just barely open. His eyes quickly dropped to the floor and his mouth shut. The tips of his ears that peeked out from his unruly blonde hair were bright red.
“It wasn’t ready,” he muttered. Aerith had to strain to hear him and when the words hit her she frowned.
“Ready? What for?” She tilted her head in confusion. His eyes locked on to her again and it stole her breath away. He started crossing the room to where she stood in the doorway.
He was close. She could feel his breath on her face while he stared at her. His eyes were stormy with too many emotions in them for her to read. She felt like she wasn’t breathing and subconsciously swayed closer to him.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw his hand twitch but he clenched it into a fist and whispered, “Sorry.”
The moment shattered and he stepped around her. She turned as he went, her gaze locked on his back. She put one of her hands over her pounding heart.
“What for?” she whispered to his retreating form, well out of earshot.
---
The team had left the village. Night had fallen and they worked to set up camp for the night close to the abandoned reactor. Cloud had been distant the whole day since she found him in the music house. She hadn’t even attempted to talk to him. The memory of their brief moment still lingered in her brain and made her heart beat faster. Aerith stacked firewood by Barret’s tent, completely lost in her thoughts.
“Hey, Aerith?” A familiar voice shook her out of her thoughts. She turned and saw bright red eyes gazing at her warmly.
“Oh hey, Tifa. Need something?” She asked, turning her attention back on her stacking. Her tone was a bit stiffer than she wanted it to be.
Tifa knelt down and helped her gather and stack the wood, “I was just wanting to talk. You’ve seemed off today. Is something the matter?”
Aerith froze. She thought about lying and playing her feelings off but she trusted Tifa. She set the wood in her arms down and turned to her friend who looked at her with concerned eyes.
“Yeah,” she admitted, her shoulders slumping, “I wanted to ask you something first.”
“Shoot.”
“When we got here, why did you and Cloud leave so fast? It was like you were both trying to avoid me.”
Tifa smiled apologetically, “Sorry about that, really. Cloud wanted me to help him with his piano playing. I played a lot as a kid and took lessons so he wanted my advice. He wanted me to stay quiet about it and he didn’t tell me much else.”
Aerith felt relief wash over her when she realized it wasn’t anything too serious. It still didn’t explain what happened at the music house but it did put her at ease.
“Thanks for telling me, it’s okay. Cloud is Cloud after all,” she laughed drily, “I think I messed something up with him though.”
Tifa tilted her head and grabbed her hands reassuringly, “You can tell me.”
“It’s silly,” she averted her gaze to the grass by her boots, “I saw him playing at the music house and he seemed upset. We’ve been avoiding each other all day.”
Aerith brought her gaze back up to Tifa who seemed puzzled at first then a wave of realization washed over her features.
“Go talk to him,” Tifa encouraged with a bright smile, “I’ll finish your chores. I think he’s keeping watch on the hill.”
Aerith was unsure at first but Tifa squeezed her hands in encouragement, still beaming at her. “Okay! Thanks again, Tifa. I owe you.”
She let go of her hands and turned her attention on the hill overlooking the reactor. A tuft of blonde hair protruded from the crest of the hill and Aerith smiled to herself. She made for the hill and when she reached the top she stopped and took in the sight before her.
The oddly cool breeze shook the trees making the leaves rustle and her dress flutter against her legs. It made a sound close to rainfall. The moon was full and the stars seemed particularly bright. There was a glint in the grass from the stars’ beaming light.
She saw the Buster Sword abandoned in the grass with Cloud’s gloves resting on top of the blade. Her gaze traveled away from the sword and landed on the wielder. Cloud sat with his head resting on his knee that was drawn up to his chest, his other leg stretched out in front of him. He faced away from her, toward the reactor.
Aerith took a deep breath and walked to where he sat. She stood to his right, not daring to look at him yet. “This spot taken?” She asked with a playful tone.
“Nope,” his reply was blunt and dry.
She glanced at him quickly to gauge his real feelings about it. He hadn’t moved or bothered to look at her. She tried to not let it get to her but she still felt a worm of discouragement in her stomach.
The flower girl gathered her dress under her legs and sat in the cool grass. She left a comfortable gap between them, not wanting to push her limits.
They sat in silence for what felt like ages, just staring at the reactor and the night sky. She couldn’t take it and just as she opened her mouth to break the tension Cloud spoke first.
“It was for you.”
Aerith blinked rapidly at the stars before turning to look at him. He still hadn’t moved, his gaze locked on the reactor. She was almost convinced that she had imagined it as silence stretched on between them. Somehow, Cloud had stun locked her twice in the same day.
“Huh?” Was all she managed to say as she stared at his unchanging face.
“It was for you,” he repeated, keeping his gaze locked on the horizon, “but it wasn’t ready.”
It took her an embarrassing amount of time to piece it all together but then it all clicked. The song, the piano, the way he played, the avoidance, the piano lessons with Tifa. It was for her.
Cloud shifted awkwardly and Aerith realized he needed her to respond. Aerith scooted closer to him like she had done at the playground in Sector 5. She chewed on her lip and looked at the grass between them. It was now or never.
“Can I tell you something?”
“Yeah.”
“You remember the Gold Saucer? The song I sang?” Her voice quivered ever so slightly from nerves.
He nodded silently, still not looking at her.
“It was for you too.”
Cloud stiffened and made a sound close to a gasp. His eyes finally snapped away from the horizon and opened his mouth in shock. He stretched his leg out that had been held to his chest, almost like he was letting his guard down. His eyes darted over her, almost like he was to figure out if she was real.
“A-Aerith,” he managed to stutter out softly.
Aerith just stared at him and leaned very carefully closer to him but stopped when she could feel his breath on her face. He seemed to relax, just barely, and seemed to study her face. Like he was memorizing every facet and blemish.
She couldn’t help but do the same. But she got stuck on one particular feature that always seemed to make her freeze, his eyes. The whole sky seemed to be reflected in them. They looked like an unnatural blue-green galaxy, something that should be lightyears away. Yet she sat inches away, lost in the stars in his eyes.
“I should’ve told you about the song in the Skywheel,” she whispered, “but I was scared.”
He breathed a laugh that pushed her hair away from her face for just a second, “Never took you for the nervous type.”
“Me either,” she admitted with a laugh of her own.
He smiled, a rare sight, and it made her heart skip a beat. She saw his eyes dart over features again before landing on something on her forehead. His hand was shaking as he reached up and gently pushed a piece of hair away. His hand lingered on her cheek.
His eyes were back on her and his smile was gone. There was something in his gaze, other than the stars, but she couldn’t read it because he closed his eyes. Cloud swayed carefully forward but didn’t dare close the distance.
Aerith couldn’t help but stare at him for just a moment longer. Then she closed the gap and kissed him slowly. Her hand cradled his face and brushed his blonde hair away from his cheek. Cloud stiffened but relaxed almost instantly. They stayed that way for a few moments before she broke away. Cloud followed for half a second before sitting back and looking at her with his mouth hanging open slightly.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly and Cloud frowned instantly.
“Huh? Why?”
She laughed, “I feel like I wasted so much time we could’ve had. If I had just plucked up the courage and talked to you that night.”
Cloud shook his head, “it doesn’t matter. No point in worrying about the past. We have time now.”
She smiled at him and hugged him close to her, “you’re right. Like usual.”
He scoffed and wrapped his arms around her in return, resting his head on top of hers. “You know, you’re usually the one who’s right.”
“I know, just wanted to give you some credit.”
Cloud laughed and she smiled wider into his shoulder.
--
They had spent the night on the hill. When Aerith woke the sun was creeping over the reactor ruins. Cloud was curled up facing away from her still fast asleep. She smiled and gently shook his shoulder. He made a small noise of protest but stirred awake. He looked at her, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.
“Morning SOLDIER,” she greeted with a smile, “we have a lot of explaining to do.”
Cloud looked at her in confusion which quickly turned to realization when he noticed the sun rising.
"Shit."