- Chapter Seven -

Night had fallen before they had reached the outskirts of the town spilling out of the borders of Midgar, and the rocky terrain had really exhausted the both of them. Even though they had been descending the very gradual slope into the basin of Midgar, the miles took their toll.

She could feel the impact of every footstep shoot up the bones in her legs, and settle into the increasingly painful spot in the small of her back. Everything from the waist down was in pain, and everything above the waist felt heavy and slow. The dust was by far the worst, though. Her eyes were red and irritated, and her throat raw and dry. Cloud was no better. Perhaps he was not as sore as she was, but he certainly looked as bad. Both of their faces were filthy with the dust that continually blew around them as they traveled, all she wanted now was a hot shower, a quick meal, and then sleep.

She was eternally grateful when they shuffled into the lobby of a ramshackle inn and out of the wind and dust.

"I'm sorry," said the owner, "but since we're still filled up with all the people that lost their homes from the Meteor incident, the only room I have available is the suite."

Cloud grunted at this, usually preferring to be frugal, but neither of them felt like trudging to find another inn, that may or may not have an available room, or better pricing. Reluctantly, he paid and ordered a meal to be brought up to their room.

-.-

Aeris had finished her shower, and was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing the complimentary bathrobe and brushing the tangles out of her hair while it was still wet. The food had arrived, and Cloud stood at the window, surveying the darkened cityscape while munching on half a sandwich.

"Shower's all yours," she said softly.

Cloud smiled at her over his shoulder and finished the last bite of his sandwich.

"Do you want to visit the church first tomorrow? Or go straight to Elmyra's house?" he asked.

"I don't know. I guess I'll leave it up to you."

Cloud walked over and grabbed a towel from the rack before walking into the bathroom.

"Don't take too long,"she threatened, "there might not be any food for you when you get out."

He threw her a daring wink just before he shut the door to the bathroom.

Aeris put down the hairbrush, and examined the rest of the sandwiches that were neatly arranged on the platter that room service had brought them. Selecting one, she unceremoniously stuffed it into her mouth, chewing enthusiastically until it had disappeared.

She sat back and began the arduous task of brading her hair before it dried completely and became unmanageable. She reflected on the day, and tried once again to figure out what it was about Cloud's story that made the alarm bells go off in her head.

...because I wasn't a puppet anymore.

That was what he said. Suddenly it struck her that if he wasn't Sephiroth's puppet anymore, then Sephiroth was no longer in his head, and couldn't take hold of Cloud's sexuality, using it to damage and humiliate him. Theoretically, the only thing holding him back now was his past fear of his sexuality.

Aeris finished her hair and picked up another sandwich.

How do I get around that, though?

She munched her sandwich thoughtfully, staring out of the darkened window.

-.-

"You ready for this?" Cloud asked.

"Ready as I'm gonna be...," she sighed.

Cloud gently pushed the door to the church open, and the hinges sang in a loud, staccato creak. Aeris stepped tentatively into the half-gloom, all of her senses cranked up high. The smell was immediately familiar and inspired a flash flood of memories. She paused to let her eyes adjust to the shadows, even though her ears told her that the church was empty. After a moment, she walked up the aisle, stepping over the pews and broken glass that had been blown about by Meteor. Where the nave met the transept up ahead, she could see that the hole in the floor was still (mercifully) covered with a thick carpet of flowers and showered in a puddle of brilliant light.

The toes of her boots stopped on the wooden floorboards just shy of the living red earth.

"They're beautiful, Aeris," she heard Cloud say behind her.

Aeris turned towards him and gave him a smile. He stepped up next to her.

"I guess they didn't need me to care for them after all," she said, crouching down and running her fingertips along one of the pristine white petals.

"Maybe," he stepped up next to her, "but that doesn't mean they don't want you to."

Her smiled broadened and as she ran her finger around the rim of another flower, an idea struck her like a freight train.

What if...?

The entire plan clicked into place in her mind all at once. It was brilliant. It all made sense. Although... it was a bit of a gamble... it was possibly gambling her life.

She decided that it was worth the risk.

"Cloud?"

"Yes?"

"You know what I've just figured out?"

"What?"

She reached down and plucked one of the bright yellow flowers from the earth, standing to face him.

"I think I've figured out how to heal you."

Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"Heal me?"

"Your problems... being intimate?" Aeris's voice was a soft croon as she moved closer to him, holding the flower between them.

She held Cloud's eyes with hers, and when he didn't say anything, she continued.

"Do you remember when I told you that this was a sacred place?"

"How could I forget?" Cloud glanced at the familiar hole in the ceiling.

"The flowers grow here because the Lifestream is so close to the surface," she pressed her face into the delicate blossom, inhaling its gentle air, "They contain Lifestream."

Cloud's eyes were locked on her, hanging on her every word. She plucked one of the petals from the flower and held it to the light. It seemed to catch the light and hold it in its translucent glow.

"They can heal you; they can purify you," her voice was a sultry whisper.

She could see that he understood and feel the sudden tension in him now. She could almost touch the electrical crackle of force that was running through his body.

"Eat this," she said, placing the flower petal gently on his tongue, her face inches from his.

He chewed slowly and deliberately, and swallowed, closing his eyes. His eyes remained closed, and he stood still, presumably looking into deep into himself. Turning the inner eye, the Ancients would have called it. She watched him closely, anxiously biting her lower lip and feeling her blood throb in her veins with each fevered beat of her heart.

When he finally opened his eyes, his expression was blank and stony.

"He's gone," was all he said.

-.-

There was a moment where all Aeris could do was lose herself in those endless blue eyes of his, drowning in the soft blue sparks of mako. Then he leaned in close to her and pressed his lips to hers. The heat radiating from his body was immense, but she abandoned herself to fry in that heat as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and lost herself in his kiss.

His hungry mouth devoured her lips, as he pulled her body sharply against his. She dug her free hand into the mass of hair at the base of his neck, pulling his lips and his lovely tongue fiercely to her. She could feel his manhood growing hard underneath his trousers and pressing against her body just beneath her navel. His hands slid down her back and sides, exploring her body through the soft fabric of her dress. They slid under the small red jacket she wore and she could feel his needy fingertips on the bare skin of her shoulder blades. She moaned into his kiss, pushing her body more firmly against his.

She realized he was advancing on her, pushing her back, and she retreated with him until her back thudded softly against one of the columns that held up the tall ceiling of the church. Up above them, the roof shuddered and gave an ominous groan, but the two of them were much too occupied to notice.

His lips and tongue found the sensitive spot just south of her jaw line, leaving hot kisses on the skin of her neck and throat, and pressing her firmly back against the column.

Oh my God..., was all she could think.

More. She wanted more. She wanted all of him, and she could feel the moisture building between her legs as his hands slid down her back. She dropped the flower out of the need to pull him closer against her, as if trying to meld their bodies into one writhing, groaning form.

Aeris felt his hands grab the collar of the small red jacket and slide it back down off her shoulders. Gasping for breath, she had a moment of clarity as she stared up through the hole in the ceiling, his eager mouth still exploring her neck and throat. She could see where this was heading, and did she really want them to do this? Here? In a church?

She felt his teeth drag along her collarbone, and instantly her answer came.

Oh god, Yes... came a voice from somewhere deep inside of her, as the red jacket hit the floor.

She felt herself lifted slightly as one of his strong hands cupped her backside. In response, she kicked a leg out of her dress and wrapped it tightly around him, pulling his hardness tighter against her. She could feel it pulse and twitch against her body, even through the several layers of fabric that still separated them. Seeking to rectify that, she slid her hands under his shirt and pulled it over his spiky head. He, in turn, fumbled awkwardly with the buttons to her dress, eventually managing to undo all of them so that it hung open between them. His magnificent torso was bare to the waist, and she watched his eyes devour her body, covered only by her modest bra and panties.

He pulled her roughly against him again, his hand slid roughly up to her breast, grasping it and making her cry out in her exquisite need. Her hand immediately went to meet his, momentarily quieting its need.

"Gently," she breathed into his ear, and guided his hand with hers, rubbing softly through the fabric of her bra. He moaned audibly when she sucked his earlobe into her mouth. Gasping and groaning, he pushed against her, pinning her to the ancient timbers of the pillar. He had raised her enough so that the fabric covering his hardness pressed against the damp fabric of her underwear. His fingers lit her skin on fire as they explored her body, and in return, she dragged her fingernails across his naked back, pushing her sex against him.

His muscles went rigid, and his breathing quickened into sharp cries of release. She could feel his hardness pulse against her cleft with each beat of his passion. She clutched him tightly to her as he groaned his climax into the nape of her neck.

She admitted to herself that in the heat of the moment, she had forgotten how inexperienced Cloud was as a lover, and had not anticipated the quickness of his release. She should have known better, she thought.

"I'm," Cloud struggled to regain his breath, "I'm sorry."

His face was flushed with embarrassment and spent passion.

"Shh, it's okay, Cloud. Don't worry about it. It happens to everybody after a dry spell."

She kissed him softly on the brow in an effort to soothe his bruised ego, holding him tight, and trying to tame the savage beast that now beat steadily in her loins. Slowly, her blood started to cool as their breathing evened out.

Cloud suddenly pulled back and stared at her, all the embarrassment gone from his face.

"Don't think that this means that I'm done with you," he said, smirking.

To her surprise, he kissed her deeply and slid the straps of her dress down off her shoulders, which caused it to crumple on the floor around her boots. The sudden cool rush of air on her exposed skin caused her to gasp, and Cloud's lips, momentarily deprived of her own, instantly found her sensitive jugular. Unable to think or move, she let his mouth devour her, and moaned gently as his kisses trailed down past her collarbone. He explored her breasts gently, tentatively, devoting ample and equal time to each one, sliding the straps of her bra from her shoulders and freeing them from their confines. Her nipple buzzed with delight as he took it gently into his mouth.

He continued moving further south, leaving a hot trail of kisses across her abdomen. He kissed her hips, her stomach, her thighs, dropping to his knees in the process.

She felt exposed and vulnerable in the large open space of the church, her fair skin contrasting sharply with the shadows of the church interior, but the feeling of vulnerability only caused her to be further aroused. She briefly wondered what might happen if someone were to peek their head in through the half-open door.

She felt Cloud's fingers slide inside the waistband of her panties, beginning to tug them down, and then stop suddenly. Looking down, she saw his dilemma. Her boots. She smiled softly, and tried not to laugh as he inexpertly untied her laces and attempted to tug the stubborn boots from her feet. She had to hold on to the column in order to keep from being thrown to the ground.

He managed to get her right boot off, and then had to struggle with her sock. His awkward movements and frustrations with her clothing finally won over. He smiled abashedly up at her, embarrassment written boldly on his face.

"I guess I'm not doing this right, huh?"

His innocence and inexperience would have been frustrating if they hadn't been so adorable.

"Don't worry so much about doing it right... just do it, and I'll let you know what feels good."

He looked up at her a moment longer, as if verifying her sincerity, and then set to work on the other boot. His touch was more gentle and sensitive this time, caressing her skin and supporting her leg as the remaining boot and sock were stripped away from her.

In a gesture of supreme worship, Cloud gently took her naked foot in his hand, and kissed it. Soft, tender kisses that made her stomach flutter. They approached her ankle, and made their way up to her calf. The heat of his breath and the tickle of his unruly hair on her skin was maddening. She wanted him to take her, but didn't know if he had recovered from his earlier climax yet. His lips and tongue reached her knee, and began the long and agonizing avenue up her inner thigh.

She stood in awe, leaning heavily back against the column, as he stared deeply into her eyes, tenderly pulling the last shred of clothing from her body.

She felt herself gasp and arch her back against the pillar as she felt his mouth on her. Surprised and delighted at his initiative, she threaded her fingers into his hair, and parted her legs slightly for him. His lips explored her damp cleft, and his fingertips gently stroked her thighs. She could only guess what kind of third- or fourth-hand advice he had received (overheard?) in the military about pleasing a woman orally, but she gently guided him with her hands and her words.

His enthusiasm and eagerness made him a fast learner, and soon she was moaning and whining her assent and struggling to remain standing. She was balanced on one foot now, her other thigh thrown obscenely over his bare shoulder and curling around him. His heavenly lips and tongue gave love and affection to those parts of her that had been so long neglected, and every time she felt him graze her little nub of fire, she twitched sharply against the column.

Her world spun, her face flushed darkly with passion as he continued his ministrations.

"Ohhh, god, Cloud...," she whined, and found herself digging well-manicured fingernails into his shoulder.

Enough.

Not only could she not take much more of this, but she could barely stand up anymore, pillar or no pillar.

Gently pulling him up from his knees, she pressed her forehead against his and stared directly into his eyes, her breath still running away with her.

"How'd I do?"

She fought to suppress a giggle, "You did fine."

But if he thinks he can play like a big boy, she thought, then he's got another thing coming.

She attempted to put a seductive twinkle in her eye, and as she reached down into his pants to grasp his manhood, put on her best temptress-grin. The look on his face said that she was successful.

She lowered them both to the floorboards, and pushed him onto his back, taking control back from him. She unbuckled his belt as she explored his neck and throat with her lips. She felt the pure life of him react to her touch, and reveled in it. She slid his pants down with his boxers, exposing his shaft to her sight for the first time.

It was tall and strong and beautiful. It lolled slightly to one side, still not entirely erect.

Aeris took it in her hand, enjoying Cloud's shudder of pleasure as she stroked it. She looked up at him for another round of seductive eye contact.

You have no idea what's in store, do you, Cloud?

Without warning, she took his length into her mouth, tasting the salty and bitter remnants of his earlier climax on his skin. Cloud groaned loudly, echoing his pleasure off the tall ceilings. She felt the throb and the pulse of his head against her tongue. His hips bucked involuntarily, threatening to push him deeper into her throat, but she stayed his need with a hand wrapped around the base of his shaft.

She felt his tool grow stronger in her mouth as she sucked him, the hot blood flooding towards the tip. She looked up at him through the soft curtain of her bangs. He was a picture of ecstasy, writhing and contorted in his desire. His gasps for breath and inarticulate vocalizations corresponding precisely to the movements of her lips and tongue. She could taste the minute spurts of fresh seed leaking from the tip of his shaft.

He was ready.

She released him from her mouth and moved up to straddle him. She barely gave him time to recover before she positioned him at the entrance to her sex and dropped her weight down on him.

Her cry of pain cut harshly through the noises of heat and desire that had populated the church before that instant. Her eyes were wrenched shut in a contortion of anguish, tears already beginning to leak from their corners. Cloud instantly went still.

"Aeris?" he asked, "what's wrong?"

"Stupid," she muttered through clenched teeth, her voice choked with pain.

"Aeris...," he was too terrified to speak or move.

"Not you... me," she finally managed through the sharp pain in her abdomen. She could feel his girth throb within her with each frantic beat of his heart. And with each pulse, the strained walls of her sex threatened to ratchet painfully tighter.

"Aeris, what's wrong?" he repeated, genuine terror plain in his voice.

She cracked an eye open at him, attempting a grimaced smile.

"It's just that I... haven't done this in a while, and it's not used to... it hurts."

Cloud instantly started to withdraw.

"No Cloud, don't. It only hurts at first... we just have to go slow," she leaned down and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

They began a slow, rocking rhythm. Aeris focused on her breathing and relaxing the muscles that lined the walls of her cleft. The pain slowly gave way to a slightly numb kind of warmth as she became accustomed to his girth. As the warmth built once again into a damp heat, and then a wet fire, she ground her hips into him. Her moans became less strained and more yearning. He massaged her breasts as she rode him, lost in her own oblivion.

Their breathing had picked up, coming in short gasps and groans. She felt his hands cup her buttocks as she bucked her hips into him over and over again, feeling his length fill her up and set her entire body on fire. She clutched at him as they picked up their pace, stray strands of her hair clinging to her sweaty skin. His face was a blush of passion and excitement; his naked torso writhed beneath her.

With each thrust of his hips, she felt the head of his tool rub against the spot inside her slit that ached for release. She kissed him roughly, further increasing their pace. Her need bloomed and trebled. His hands pulled her against him with each thrust, rubbing the delicate bud of her passion against his pelvis before retreating again.

She felt it building in her, and was only dimly aware of their wails of desire as she gave in more and more to her need.
"Mmm, yes! Harder, Cloud...," she panted.

In response, he rolled over on top of her, thrusting his hips into her harder and faster than before. His shaft slid deeper into her, lighting nerves on fire that had heretofore been dormant. A few more seconds of his desperate thrusting, and that was all it took.

Her climax rolled over her like a wave. She felt her toes curl, the rush of blood becoming deafening in her ears, and her legs wrap around Cloud's waist. Her hips bucked into him uncontrollably, and her breath was pushed violently out of her lungs in an aching wail. She clutched him desparately, pulling herself off the floor, her world exploding in a paroxysm of pleasure.

As she came, she felt him tense and grip her as tightly as she was gripping him. His shaft pulsed deep within her as he found his release. In her haze of passion, she found herself biting his shoulder, and managed to stop herself just shy of breaking the skin.

Gradually, Cloud's climax receded, and her lungs started admitting air again. They collapsed together in a heap on the ancient floorboards.

They lay that way for a while, and she relished the feel of him going soft while still deep within her folds. Her entire body buzzed with pleasure and satisfaction. She smiled at him softly, stroking his spiky hair as it lay on her heaving chest.

"How did you know?" he managed finally, looking up at her.

"How did I know what?"

"About the flower..."

"Oh," she blushed, "I didn't."

"What?" he looked up at her.

"I just figured out that ever since your episode in the Lifestream, Sephiroth wasn't a part of you anymore. But you were too scared to masturbate again, so you never realized that you were free in that respect, as well..."

"So the flower petal..."

"Did nothing," Aeris finished, "You were fine all along, the flower petal was just a trigger."

"But you didn't know for sure?"

Aeris shifted slightly under the steady, concerned gaze of those two brilliant mako orbs.

"... No,"

"Aeris...,"

"I thought about the risks, and I decided to do it anyway," she interjected before he could lecture her, "I never said that I wasn't scared. It's just something I needed to do. I just needed... you."

She cupped his cheek with her hand, hoping he would understand.

"Just please don't put youself in danger like that," he said, "I just don't know what I would do if I lost you again."

"Me neither," she answered, pulling him close.

-.- FIN -.-

-.-

Phew! Finally finished with this behemoth. This really did run much, much longer than I expected it to, and so I apologize to all the readers that I may have scared off, who just wanted a quick little dirty one-shot to read through. As you may know, that's originally what this story was supposed to be, but I had a lot of work to do to get Aeris and Cloud to a point where they were ready. I hope that makes sense now.

I also wanted to thank all of the people that helped me out and gave me feedback. This includes all of you that left reviews, but I wanted to thank a couple people in particular, for putting up with my ceaseless questioning and Emails. They are (in no particular order): Mirabelle, for getting me past my writer's block; MelissaRose85, for being open and honest with me, as well as beta-ing my materials; and of course, the wonderful Beeria, for being an institution in the Cloud/Aeris community, and giving me encouragement and someone to impress.

Along the way, of course, I found a couple of other interesting ideas for stories that I could write. Hopefully these will be much shorter, and easier to write.

Thank you all for reading (especially if you've made it this far down the page), and I hope you all take the time to leave reviews. I really look forward to hearing what all of you think.