. take one .
Cloud

"You did it!"

Aerith's cheerful voice welcomes Cloud as he comes up the ladder, absentmindedly as usual, the engine he's just controlled his only thought.

Then she shows him both of her hand's palms, up in the air.

Time stops.

She's still smiling, but she's waiting too.

Waiting for what?

He doesn't get it, yet he has the vague sensation he's missing something. The sensation becomes more real as her smile fades slightly, hints of delusion and awkwardness spoiling it. He kind of knows it's his own fault, even if he doesn't know why exactly.

"Alright, good enough. Lets's keep on truckin'!" she comes back to her old self, energetic and positive, as if she's trying to forget about what has just happened.

Maybe it was nothing important, just one of her quirks. Probably he doesn't even need to understand what that was about - but a part of him feels like he would like to.

Cloud frowns.

He should forget about it too, just like she's done - but when he walks behind her, this time it's the image of her hands that is fixed still in his mind.

Author'sNote. Hi there! This is a short story in four parts, hope you will like it! I really loved this scene in the remake - I mean, who didn't? - and I wanted to have my take on it ^^