[incomplete]

[cetran]

Who: FF!Aerith and KH!Cloud
When: last night
Where: Vincent's house, I think
Rating: PG, at the most
Warnings: Nada.
Summary: Aerith and Cloud have a case of confused identities, and meet up thinking that they're the one each has been looking for. Good times!

Comments

[wanderlustily]

Cloud's mood, at that moment, was indescribable.

That Aerith was deemed a sinner, in the first place, was completely unbelievable to him. They were something of a rough crowd, the kids of Hollow Bastion, but... Aerith was the exception. She was... gentle. Pure. Generally unwilling to resort to violence. So why the hell would she be in a place like this?

But, that concern was trivial, when compared with the newfound knowledge of her death... and at Sephiroth's hands, no less. He'd run. Run from all of them. Run to protect them. But it hadn't been enough. Sephiroth hadn't followed, it seemed... he'd stayed. And he'd taken the life of one of the people most important to Cloud.

...and, at that moment, Cloud felt as though it had been his own hands on the sword's grip.

There was no way to undo it. No way to take it back. But... he wouldn't let it happen again, nor anything like it. This time... he'd protect her. It was something he was terrible at, but... it didn't matter. He felt like his very soul was riding on this decision.

His thoughts lasted him until the final block of his journey; at that point, every mote of him was focused on the horizon, searching for that familiar brown hair, and pink dress. For that friend... that friend that he'd failed.

Before too long, his efforts were rewarded, as the 'house' he'd been searching for came into view... along with the young woman waiting on its porch. He took a moment, then, to make certain that his wing was safely hidden beneath his cloak - she didn't need to see the physical evidence of his damnation, after all - before stepping forward.

"...Aerith?"

[cetran]

Hearing Cloud's voice speak her name, Aerith pushed herself into motion, the sound of her clunky boots hitting the ground the only sound she could hear over her own heartbeat. "Cloud!" Calling out his name in a gleeful shout, the flower girl didn't stop running until she had propelled herself into him, arms wrapping around him as best as possible.

She hadn't even thought of the prospect of this Cloud not being hers, and so it wasn't strange or awkward for her as she hugged him close to her. It felt like it had been forever since she had seen him last, an entirely separate lifetime. Which would be accurate, as she had returned to the Lifestream after leaving Purgatorium the first time.

"I've missed you." She found herself saying, her words cut off by a gentle laugh, as she pulled away from him. Smiling, she tipped her head back to peer up at him, a hand going up to brush her bangs out of her face. "How long have you been here, Cloud?"

[wanderlustily]

He... hadn't been expecting that. It had been this long, and... well, he hadn't expected it. Still... he never even considered resisting the hug. After a moment, he even returned it, in a greatly depreciated capacity; that is to say, he placed one hand on her back, for a moment.

He smiled, almost imperceptibly, and with a certain sad twinge, at her words; he'd missed her, too. All of them, in fact. But... now that he knew he'd never again have the chance to see her, once they returned home, it seemed almost too much to bear. As always, though, he kept his peace; stoicism was one of his few virtues.

"...almost two months. I think. I'm not sure. After a while, the days start to blur together..." He shook his head lightly; there was no reason to start a pity party. She was here. She was alive. That was enough. "...you didn't run into any trouble, did you? After you arrived, I mean..."

[cetran]

Seeing him smile, even ever so slightly, brought an even brighter grin to her own face. She nodded in understanding of his words, a soft giggle making its way out of her. She knew he was glad to see her, despite his lack of a reaction. It had taken her some time, but she had learned to read Cloud fairly well.

"Two months is a long time. I was only here for a month or two, the last time I was here. Hopefully I'll get to stay longer this time." She relaxed her posture so that she could walk around him, looking him over to ensure that he was alright. "I didn't really have time to run into trouble, before Vincent showed up. He brought me back here, and now you're here. So I haven't had time to get in very much trouble yet. But with Sephiroth and his brothers here, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I do!" Although her words were serious, another light giggle escaped her, and she reached up to tap at her lips with her index finger.

"How about you, Cloud? You haven't been into much trouble since you've been here, have you?"

[wanderlustily]

He simply nodded; when he actually thought about it, it did seem that he'd been here a long time. He'd done very little, though; done exactly what was required of him as a SOLDIER, indulged Zack in his little flights of fancy (when they involved him), and, beyond that.... nothing.

His wing rustled ever-so-slightly beneath his cloak, an unconscious reaction to her scrutiny; he only hoped she hadn't seen it. That would raise many questions that he did not particularly want to answer.

"Mm... I don't think he'll bother you. He's... not the same." He couldn't explain it any better than that; the concept of not just multiple worlds, but multiple versions of reality, was absolutely mind-numbing to Cloud. He wasn't as stupid as he often seemed, but... well. Not everyone could be a savant. There always had to be a few idiots, to even it out.

"...ah. No. No... real trouble. Unless you count any time spent with Zack." He'd made an idiot out of himself... a half-dozen times? More? But that wasn't trouble. In one sense. Really it wasn't.

[cetran]

She had noticed the slight rustling, but didn't say anything on the matter, and simply stared at his back for a few prolonged moments before continuing to speak. "Zack can be a troublemaker." Aerith agreed with a loud chuckle, and a bob of her head. "He means well most of the time, though. I know he does. He just has a lot of energy to share with the world. Something I've been accused of a few times too." She recalled when she had met Zack, and their brief time together before he had gone off with SOLDIER.

The memories brought a sad look to her face, although she was able to keep a frown from forming. "I can't wait to get to see him again, actually. He should be really glad that you're here, I bet. After the time the two of you spent in SOLDIER together, back in Gaia, how could he not?"

[wanderlustily]

Cloud's smile grew a bit more noticeable, at the description of Zack; given that she'd mentioned being in Purgatorium once before, he didn't even give a second thought to the fact that she knew him. "...yeah, but I don't remember you ever trying to conquer a world with an army of glowing penguins," he replied, humour growing steadily better.

...until he processed her last statement, though. The reminiscence left him notably taken aback. All he could manage was a simple, "...Aerith... I never met Zack until I came here. I've... never been to Gaia."

He knew, somewhere in his mind, what this meant, but... he wasn't ready to admit it. Not just yet.

[cetran]

Frowning, her head tipped to the side, as confusion took over. Was it possible that he didn't remember? "Did you hit your head, Cloud?" She forced out a soft laugh, so that the subject matter was made a bit lighter. She didn't want her first meeting with Cloud to be filled with sadness or too much seriousness. She just wanted to see him smile, and to be happy. That wasn't too much to ask for, although she had quickly realized that probably wasn't going to happen.

Tapping at her lips with a finger, she couldn't wipe away that worried frown, and easily gave in to her urge to question further. "You met Zack before you met me, silly. You have to remember that. You were in SOLDIER together. We both lived on Gaia, our entire lives. How could you have forgotten all of that, but still remember me?"

[wanderlustily]

He only barely managed to avoid the knee-jerk reaction of 'no', instead choosing to put thought into his answer; had he hit his head? ...unfortunately, the answer wasn't any better. "...not recently."

The more she spoke, the more certain he became; this was Aerith. But... not the Aerith he'd grown up with. Not the Aerith he'd played with on the streets of Radiant Garden. Not the Aerith he knew. It was only a small comfort to know that he hadn't, in fact, failed his friend, but... still. That meant that his double had... and that was no more forgivable.

He shook his head, once she'd finished. "...no. One of my earliest memories was of you... of us. Of you, and me, and Yuffie, and Tifa, and Leon. I was... three or four years old. I met Zack just after I arrived here. I've only been in SOLDIER a month."

He sighed. This had happened before. It had happened time after time and still, still... he hadn't seen it coming. Was he that stupid? Or just... too optimistic. That was a laughable thought, regarding someone like Cloud, but... still. At least he had enough sense left in him to remember, to recognize that well-developed pattern.

Dammit.

"...I...," he started, before realizing he didn't have anywhere to go with it. A moment's thought, and he started again. "...I'm not your Cloud. The other one, the one from Gaia... he was here, not too long ago. But he's gone now. ...I'm sorry."

[cetran]

Oh, this was almost enough to make her want to cry. And she nearly did, her face falling, and hands moving up to cover her expression so he couldn't see. It was clear that she was a bit heartbroken over the news, but it didn't take her long to accept his words and understand what they meant. She could recall two Tifas being in Purgatorium before, and he had mentioned that her Cloud had previously been around.

Slowly, she moved her hands down and away from her face, giving out a soft sigh. "I...I understand." And despite the fact that her eyes were watering, she held in her tears and put a smile on her face. She had to remain optimistic, even in situations like this.

"Cloud will come back here, maybe. I hope that he doesn't, he doesn't deserve to be here. Not that either of us do, but he has a chance to be something, back home. I think a place like this will only bring him down. And I don't want that." She was grasping for anything now, any little bit of rhyme or reason that would make the both of them feel slightly more at ease.

And despite the fact that he wasn't the Cloud she was looking for, and she wasn't his Aerith, she still stepped in toward him. Moving in close, she held out her arms, as if she were wanting to hug him, eyes looking up into his as she silently asked for permission to do so.

"I am glad that you're here, though. We can get to know each other and become friends. To be honest, we're probably already past that awkward getting to know you stage. Because I bet you're just like my Cloud, in personality."

[wanderlustily]

Seeing the obvious pain in Aerith's manner positively broke Cloud's heart; even if she wasn't the Aerith he'd grown up with... still. He couldn't help but feel like he already knew her. She was still just as bubbly, just as sweet, and just as apparently innocent as his friend. He couldn't stand the idea that the thoughts that were now paining her were his doing.

He wasn't certain he agreed with her assessment of the other Cloud; if his doppelganger was anything like himself, he well and truly belonged in Purgatorium. But... he didn't voice that thought, and simply nodded; maybe her Cloud was different.

He watched her, for a moment, unsure whether he should accept the proffered hug or not; in the end, though, he did, as he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her. She wanted it. No... maybe she needed it. Either way, it was fine. "I... I'd like that," he said, hesitantly; despite his revelation, despite now understanding just who and what she was... he still felt an obligation towards her. An obligation that was hard to put into words. But... he had to try.

"You said... the other one was your bodyguard, right?" He looked down at her for an instant, before proceeding. "...he's not here, though. So... I'll protect you. As well as I can."

It was an odd statement, he knew... but he couldn't help it. When there was something he really, truly had to say... Cloud was rather helpless at keeping silent.

[cetran]

She nearly burst with happiness as he put an arm around her, and turned her body so that she could wrap her arms around him loosely. He was a lot like her Cloud, identical in so many ways. The looks were dead on, of course, but his personality was basically the exact same as well. That comforted her greatly, and she was able to easily relax and be at ease with him.

Pulling out of the hug as he offered his services as a bodyguard, she grinned, and nodded eagerly. "I'd like that, Cloud. I'm not a very strong person, and I do try to fight. But for some reason, I'm always a target, back in my world." Of course, she knew the reason she was hunted back in her own world, and could only hope that the title of Cetra didn't hold such an interest in this new one.

"I don't want you to be guilted into doing it though, Cloud." She gave him a very serious look then, before cracking a hopeful smile. "Not that I'd complain if you actually wanted to. You make a very nice bodyguard, I'm sure of it. Do you fight with a sword too?"

[wanderlustily]

Cloud had never been a fan of hugs, but he had long since stopped taking his own opinions into account. Foolish as it was, he was certain to this day that it was his standoffishness that drove Tifa from Purgatorium. Not that she belonged there, but... still.

He was happy to be free of the hug, but happier still that Aerith's good humour had returned. "It's not guilt," he explained, uncertain of the truth of his words, "it's... something else. I can't explain it, but... hn. Yeah. I usually have it on me, but I was in rush... so I left it behind." The claw-like armor over his right hand was weapon enough for the short time he planned to be out; if need be, he could fly away from danger (as far as he knew), and take Aerith with him.