The gold chocobo legs kicked up dust and Cloud Strife proudly smiled as he led the chocobo back to the barn, where the rest of the group was waiting for him to return. They had desperately needed the chocobo so they could cross the marshes without running into the huge monsters that were lurking about. Now he had finally managed to catch one--and a gold one, no doubt! That was said to be impossible, but nothing was impossible with the right mind or attitude.

"Did you catch one?" Barret Wallace asked from inside of the barn.

Cloud smiled when he recognized Barret's voice. "I don't know. Why don't you come out here and see for yourselves?"

The whole group gathered outside, first a very curious Barret, then Tifa, then Cid, Yuffie, Vincent, and the rest of the gang. Last of all was Aeris. There was a very small smile on her face as if she could read Cloud's mind, as if she knew his surprise.

"Oh, Cloud!" Tifa put a hand to her mouth. Her long legs moved swiftly and she jogged over to the chocobo and touched a soft hand to the bird's feathers. "A real gold chocobo," She whispered in awe. Soon everyone gathered around, expressing feelings of surprise. Cloud proudly held the leather reins in his hand and searched through the crowd for Aeris. He didn't know why he was looking for her, it was just some sort of instinct that came to mind.

She had hung back from the rest of the group, still beside the barn door, with a satisfied smile on her face. Her long golden-brown hair swung down to her waist, accenting her green eyes. "I knew you could do it, Cloud," Aeris said to him softly, starting to walk down.

Yuffie put a hand on the chocobo. "Alright! This is so cool, Cloud! Now we can start breeding the chocobo so we can all ride across! Don't you think so?" The young ninja turned her eyes to Cloud but he wasn't looking at her. He was still staring at Aeris, who, unfortunately, wasn't looking at him anymore. She was fussing over the chocobo, ruffling its feathers a little.

"Well, Aeris, what do you think?" Cloud asked hopefully. Why am I trying to impress her? He thought nervously. I've only known her for a little while and STILL I'm trying to get on her good side. It's almost like…like I like her or something…but that's impossible. I have a crush on Tifa. I've always had a crush on Tifa…

"I think it's beautiful," Aeris said gently and her green eyes glowed warmly as she flashed him another smile. "That was very nice of to get us transportation like that, Cloud."

"You're welcome," Cloud said immediately, taking another step towards her.

Tifa looked from one to the other and her cheeks colored. Her eyes flashed a little angrily, and Cloud noticed. He felt the need to run towards Tifa, to hold her and tell her that he loved her--that he'd always loved her…he had been feeling that way ever since he was a child. But as he gazed at Aeris the feeling seemed to subside--even to fade away. What is it about Aeris? He wondered.

"Cloud, maybe you can take me for a ride on the chocobo," Tifa suggested quickly, giving him a suggestive grin. Cloud was sorely tempted to take her up on her offer, but one look at Aeris, who was silently examining the ground, her cheeks red, made him speak up instead.

"No, thanks, Tifa," He said softly. "I'm not…I'm not really in the mood." Oh, shoot, I just blew it with Tifa! Why did I do that?

Vincent grabbed the reins. "I think I'll take the chocobo back to the barn now, Cloud," He said hesitantly.

"Ok," Cloud answered.

Yuffie scampered after Vincent, and the two of them went to put the chocobo away. Barret paused for a moment and then he and the rest of Cloud's friends turned their backs and left Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris standing out in the grassy lawn. Finally Tifa spoke up, her voice quavering a little.

"I think…I think it's going to get dark soon," She half-whispered. "We're supposed to visit the farmer and his family and then they said they'll feed us some dinner while one of us can start breeding the chocobos." Tifa pulled down the edge of her small white shirt and gave Cloud a hopeful look, almost completely ignoring the flower girl standing to her right elbow.

"I can breed the chocobos," Cloud said, after hesitating. He didn't know why he had volunteered. Maybe it was just an excuse to get away from Tifa. She seemed too clingy, too needy…he just wanted to get away from it all. Pressing his lips tightly, he set off for the barn while Aeris and Tifa headed for the house.

**********

Cloud got out some greens from the large musty sack in the corner of the barn and held it out to the gold chocobo hesitantly. He knew he should have gotten some kind of nuts to feed it as well, but he hadn't talked much to the farmer who was supposed to help them and he didn't know much about breeding chocobos. As the chocobo cautiously snatched the greens from his hand and began munching, he sighed and wiped his hands on his dark blue pants.

He had been in the barn for a while…a very long while, actually. And he still couldn't figure out how to get these two stupid chocobos to breed! Angrily he kicked the stall door while digging deep into the dirty sack again. This better work, he thought, frowning.

The sun had actually begun to set, Cloud realized with a start. He couldn't believe he'd been in the barn for so long! And he'd probably missed dinner, too. All of it. Cloud's stomach rumbled as he grabbed hold of some more chocobo food and held it out in front of the chocobo's snout.

"Cloud?" A soft voice asked behind him.

Cloud turned and jumped. Standing in the doorway was Aeris, silhouetted in the pink setting sun. There was an almost unreal glow to her as she stood in the sunset's rays, something that seemed almost holy. He smiled at her, glad she wasn't Tifa.

Why did I just think that? Cloud admonished himself. I thought I was in love with Tifa…

"Come on in," Cloud invited, motioning Aeris to come closer while he fiddled with the green still in his hands. Aeris stepped lightly in the barn, her feet padding softly on the dusty floor. As she neared closer Cloud could smell the scent of flowers and he realized that Aeris was the one who smelled so good. She smells much better than this stinky old barn, Cloud thought with a sly smirk. Before he could stop himself he was leaning closer to the girl and pressing his face in her hair, taking a deep whiff.

Aeris giggled and looked surprised. "Cloud! What in the world are you doing?"

His cheeks blazing, Cloud stumbled back, completely embarrassed. What had possessed him to do something so forward? Especially when he was in love with Tifa? "I'm sorry," He apologized, putting his hands up to his face. "God, I'm sorry. I don't know what--I mean, you just smelled so good--I…"

"It's okay," Aeris said, giggling once more.

Cloud swallowed hard.

There was an awkward pause for a moment. Then Aeris turned to the chocobo stalls. "Any luck with the chocobo?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow up at him quizzically.

She looks so cute like that, Cloud thought.

Then he jumped. Why did I just think that? I'm in love with Tifa! Cloud honestly didn't know why these thoughts kept popping to his mind. Was he going insane? Was something controlling him? I mean, he honestly didn't think that he liked Aeris--how could he like her already?

"Cloud? Cloud? I just asked you if there was any luck with the chocobo!" Aeris put a hand to her hip and gave him a friendly grin.

Cloud snapped to. "Huh? Oh…no, not exactly. I have a feeling I'm supposed to be doing something different, but I can't figure out what. Oh, well." He let his hand trail out onto the wood of the stable stall and he gazed at the chocobo warily. "I've been here for practically two or three hours."

"I saved you some of dinner," Aeris said gently. "I thought you might be hungry."

"Yeah," He laughed slightly.

After a moment there was another pause. Aeris rubbed her hands together lightly as if she were thinking. "Well, um, if there's nothing more to be done, I'm just gonna head back and--"

Suddenly an idea hit Cloud's brain. Aeris was a friend, wasn't she? Well, maybe she'd like to ride the gold chocobo with Cloud. A light grin spread over his lips and he grabbed Aeris's sleeve gently. "Aeris," he called out. "Wait a sec."

Aeris waited for a moment, looking puzzled.

"How would you like to stay with me for a while…and take a ride on the chocobo?" Cloud invited her, playing with the latch on the stall door. He hoped she would say yes--although he didn't know why.

Aeris looked for a moment, genuinely happy. Then the look faded and she gazed out of the barn and Cloud's face dropped. "But Cloud," She said softly. "It's dark outside."

His heart caught in his throat and he gave her a hesitant grin. "I know."

For a moment there was a pause. Then Aeris broke into a wide, mischievous grin. "Ok."

It took only a few moments for Cloud to clumsily grab a saddle from the shelf. He was shaking, in all of his anticipation. He found to his surprise, that his hands were actually sweating. Since when had a girl made him like this? He didn't know. The last time he had felt like this was when Tifa…Tifa…he tried to think of Tifa at the moment, about her hair, her eyes, her smile…but he just couldn't.

Cloud tied the saddle around the chocobo and gently led it out of the stall, where Aeris was waiting happily. "Ready?" he asked, holding out a hand. She eagerly nodded. She's probably just happy she gets to ride on a real gold chocobo, Cloud thought. Aeris grabbed his warm hand and he hoisted her arm, their arms rubbing against each other as she moved. She slid behind him and wrapped her slender arms around his waist.

"Let's ride," Aeris said in awe.

Immediately Cloud grabbed hold of the reins. Within a few practiced pulls he squeezed the chocobo's flanks and the two were off, galloping with speed so swift that Aeris's thick braid flew out behind her. Aeris squeezed closer to Cloud as they flew across the fields. Stars began to dot the night sky as the chocobo ran on and on.

"Wheeeee!" Aeris called, giggling.

"Having fun?" Cloud asked, making the chocobo go even faster, which made Aeris let out a surprised squeal. He laughed delightedly and realized he felt truly happy, for one of the first times in his life. Tifa, he suddenly remembered. What about Tifa?

As Aeris squeezed him tighter and put her chin on his back contentedly, he let out a sigh of happiness. "Forget Tifa," He mumbled, surprised at himself. The chocobo finally began to slow a while later, after having worn itself out. Cloud realized they were in an almost totally new region and he turned the chocobo around so they could begin to run back.

It was almost completely dark now, but the moon and the stars had all come out to their positions in the night sky, and they lit the two's way back to the chocobo farm. They loped along, lapsed in comfortable quiet, while the sounds of the night chirped and squawked and hooted on.

"Oh, Cloud, I've had the best time," He suddenly heard from the back of the chocobo. Cloud turned and saw Aeris, who was giving him an unreadable look. Her green eyes were watering with unshed tears. A tinge of fear pricked his heart. What's wrong with her?

"I've had a good time, too," Cloud murmured as he slowed the chocobo to a halt. He turned even farther around as the bird stopped completely. "Aeris, what's wrong?" He watched in amazement as slow tears began to slide down her cheek.

She didn't answer for a while, she just tilted her head up to the sky. "Oh, Cloud…there's so much that's going to happen. So much that's going to be done and said and…be strong, Cloud. Just be strong." She turned back to him and clasped his hands in hers.

Cloud slid off of the chocobo and examined her face. He didn't understand what she was talking about. Thoughts ran through his head, too quickly for him to even comprehend, so he tuned them out. He didn't care about them at the moment. He only cared about Aeris. About the girl standing in front of him.

Aeris looked down at Cloud. Cloud felt a strange, warm glow inside, something that happened whenever he felt truly happy--something that happened when he was…in love. In love with AERIS? To him, the idea was a shock. But as he gazed at her, he knew it was true.

"I'll be strong," He finally resulted to saying. Cloud climbed back up on the chocobo and they began silently riding back to the barn. About ten or twenty minutes later they had reached the dusky shadows of the chocobo farm. Cloud climbed off the chocobo first and raised his hand to help Aeris down.

She had completely recovered from her tears and she giggled as she swung one leg over and tried to slide down. But one foot caught on the edge of the saddle and she half-tripped forward, reeling into Cloud's arms. "Whoa!" She laughed, and Cloud laughed too, his golden laugh melding into her high, tinkly one. Their laughs slowly died as they found themselves holding each other in an intimate hug.

Cloud's eyes slowly closed as he found himself being drawn towards her lips. "Aeris," he breathed out. "I want to tell you…"

"Yes?"

"I…I think I…I think I'm in--" He took a deep breath and finally forced himself to say it. But maybe he should kiss her first. He didn't know what to do! He was so inexperienced in this field! Cloud's arms trembled and he finally decided to kiss her, his lips tingling with anticipation.

Suddenly the door outside of the house where they were staying swung open and Tifa stepped out, looking curious. "Cloud? You're back! Where did you--" Her voice caught as she saw the couple about to kiss.

They jerked away from each other when they heard Tifa's voice. Cloud guiltily gave Tifa a sad look. Tifa held her hands up to her face, shaking her head 'no'. Then she turned around and ran back inside. Cloud looked down at Aeris, who was giving him an apologetic look.

"Go to her," Aeris uttered.

So Cloud went.

************

An hour later he returned to Aeris, who was still sitting outside. She knew he was there even before she heard or saw him. She knew what he would say as well. Stiffly she turned to look at him.

"We'd better get to bed," He reminded her. "After we breed the chocobos tomorrow we're heading across the marsh and then…then who knows what. You have to be prepared for danger."

"I know," Aeris echoed. She wished he would stop beating around the bush. "How was Tifa?"

All of the color drained from his face. "Aeris…we really hurt her by…by letting her catch us in that position. Aeris, I wanted to tell you right now…I'm sorry…but I think I'm in love with Tifa," Cloud finished off, giving her an apologetic look.

Aeris's eyes watered up into tears again. "No you don't," She choked out. "Don't lie, Cloud!"

Cloud took her hand. "I know it's hard to understand but--"

"Cloud, don't lie to me!" Aeris said tearfully, angrily, almost. He was shocked. He had never heard her angry before. Cloud reeled back, surprised. "You can lie to anyone you wish but not me, Cloud, not the one person who loves you the most in the entire world. Not me, Cloud. Don't lie to me."

She loves me, Cloud thought, stunned. "You love me?"

"Of course I do," Aeris said slowly. "Cloud, please tell me…look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me. If you can do that, then I'll leave you alone. We won't talk about this little incident…ever."

Cloud looked into her beautiful emerald eyes, trying to force himself into saying the words. "I don't…I don't…" The words refused to leave his mouth. How could he say them to Aeris? She was right…he was wrong. He did love her, he knew that now. But how could he hurt Tifa again? He had just spent the last hour convincing her that he loved her instead. "I love you," he choked out.

"Oh, Cloud," Aeris whispered to him, letting her tears subside. She dove for him and hugged him fiercely. Cloud almost jerked back, but wrapped his arms around her and held her closely, wanting to absorb her into him, wanting to let her know he couldn't live without her.

He leaned down and noticed more tears trailing down Aeris's face. With a shaking finger he brushed them away and waited until she opened her eyes. After a moment, he slowly, slowly lowered his lips onto hers.

The earth seemed to stop revolving. The moon seemed to stop shining. Everything seemed to halt as the two kissed deeply, passionately. Aeris's tears mingled with the kiss.

Cloud's lips trembled ever so slightly as he pulled away, sucking in a much-needed breath. "I love you," He repeated. "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…." Funny how it was so natural, so needed to say it to Aeris right now, when he couldn’t before. Funny…

Aeris tried to smile, but she couldn’t. For she knew what was going to happen. She put her hand on Cloud's strong shoulder. When she was around him she felt so loved, so needed, safe, protected. Elmyra had always said those were the best qualities needed in a relationship. Aeris let out a soft, unhappy moan and she forced herself to speak. "I love you, too, but--" Her voice trembled.

"But?" Cloud's voice rose anxiously. "What do you mean, but?"

Aeris looked up at him and pushed a tendril of spiky hair out of his Mako eyes. "But…but soon I must be going…not anytime really soon, but somewhere in the near future. I can't hurt you. Go to Tifa. She can make you happy."

"No!" Cloud protested. "I don't understand you! You make me say you love me and then you say…" He broke down, his voice faltering. "Tifa? You want me to go to Tifa? Aeris, you make me happy. You're my world…."

"I'm sorry," She whispered. "I'm so sorry. But I would only hurt you more if I stayed with you. In the end, I want you to smile."

"I don't understand this," Cloud repeated again, harsher. "Aeris, goddamnit, I love you! Why would you want me to be with Tifa? And why do you keep talking about the end? What end? What in the world are you talking about?" He shook her shoulders back and forth and back and forth as if he could shake some sense into her. Then he broke down, actually crying. "Aeris, I love you. You don't know how it feels when you say you don't want me to be with you."

Aeris held him closely. "Oh, Cloud, I want to be with you so badly. I would do anything I could. But I can't. I have an obligation to the planet…and to so many others. Cloud, be with her."

His eyes met hers. "Aeris, listen to me. I would rather kill myself than be with another woman." His tears streamed down his face, marking his love for her. Aeris clasped his cheeks in hers.

"Cloud…I love you…but please, for me…can we pretend we don't love each other? Can you stop loving me so you won't be hurt in the end?" Aeris whispered to him.

Cloud searched her eyes for any sign that this was some kind of cruel joke. He rarely cried, he was surprised that he had just broke down into tears. "I want to be with you," he said weakly, caressing her cheek gently. "I want to be with you…"

"Promise me that you'll pretend we don't love each other. And if you do, then in the end…in the end we'll be together," Aeris cried. "I promise. Just forget about me. You'll only hurt yourself in the end. Please, Cloud. Please."

"Aeris,--" Cloud started to say, but Aeris shushed him with another kiss. Cloud then realized that whatever she wanted he'd better obey for the girl seemed to know best. She seemed to be able to see the future, to know what was coming for them. She seemed to know there would be a happy ending. He wrapped his strong arms around her and she lay on him, resting on his chest, as if it were a pillow.

After a long while her eyelids began to close contentedly, and, so did his. The couple fell asleep on the dewy lawn, arms entwined, completely absorbed in each other.

When morning finally came, they woke up, and it was almost as if they had never met. Cloud brushed his pants off, giving Aeris a questioning look. He almost started to ask her for a second chance, but she nodded her head, meaning that she wanted him to go through with it. So he slowly pulled his arms from hers and walked into the house, not looking back.

A few minutes later Aeris followed, and they began to perform a great lie…one that would eventually be revealed in the end.

"Morning, sweetheart," Tifa said, putting her arms around Cloud's neck and kissing him on the forehead. "And how did you sleep?"

It took all of Cloud's energy not to glance at Aeris. "I slept beautifully."

Together, but apart, they lived on the rest of the journey…and it was as if they were total strangers. The longing for Aeris never faded from Cloud's eyes, and even Tifa could see it was still there. He still didn't understand why she had wanted him to forget about her, about the love she had once shared. He never understood, actually.

Until she fell onto the ground of the Ancient City.

Dead.

THE END

Author's notes: Ok, ok, so it was a little morbid…even a little sad. But I just wanted to write something about Aeris and Cloud, I was in the mood for a little romance, because I've been listening to Sarah McLachlan again (whenever I have writers block she seems to help a lot) but if you think about it the story didn't end up that sadly. Aeris DID say she'd be back in the end…in the game, as well. She would do it as well in my story. I truly believe she would come back. Thanks for reading, I hope I didn't bore ya too much!