The following morning, Cid entered Cloud's room and was surprised to find him still asleep. He quietly closed the door as he entered. The kid looked worn out, like he had been up late. Cloud slowly stirred and looked up at the pilot.

"You awake?"

"Yeah," Cloud said, sitting up. "What time is it?"

"Just gone eight. You looked tired."

"I was up most of the night," Cloud explained, getting up. "Aeris and I went for a walk, and someone tried to kill me."

"Bastard!" Cid exclaimed. "Was it Sephiroth?!"

"No, but I'm beginning to sense his presense."

"That's not good, is it?"

"No. I haven't told Aeris. She'll worry."

"Good idea. What else happened? I thought I heard her and Zack yelling."

"She thinks it was him who hired the assassin that tried to kill me."

"Would he do something like that?"

"I don't know. After you left yesterday, Zack insisted the girl who stole our Materia wasn't to be punished."

"What?!"

"Exactly. He gave some reasons and Aeris got mad. Well, more than mad. Furious, actually." Cid whistled.

"Damn." Before Cloud could continue, the door opened. It was Zack. He cast a smile-one obviously forced-to Cid.

"Hello." Cid nodded curtly before leaving the room. Zack looked at Cloud. "How are you?"

"Fine thank you. The bullet missed." Zack's eyes narrowed.

"I see my fiancée and yourself believe I sent the assassin after you. Well, that's unjustified. I done no such thing." He closed the door that Cid had left open, and approached Cloud. "You keep away from her, you hear? She's getting married to me next week."

"I know that," Cloud answered levelly. Zack approached him further and smiled evilly.

"Good. Now, you keep away from Aeris and we'll get along just fine." His smile turned sarcastically sweet. "Got it?"

"Yes thanks. But you ought to know there's nothing going on."

"Like hell there isn't," Zack replied before turning and stalking out the room.

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

"Aeris," Zack said, entering her room. She turned to him, continuing to brush her hair. "Are you all right?" Aeris just stared at him, lowering the hairbrush. She ignored him, tying her hair back and placing her small white Materia in the ribbon. "Aeris?" Not bothering to braid her hair, Aeris turned and casually walked out the door, straight past him. "You haven't calmed down yet then."

"No."

"Aeris, this is unreasonable!"

"You're the one that sent an assassin after one of our guests," she said angrily. Zack sighed.

"I did not."

"And now you're lying to me." Aeris turned round to him. "I think you should keep away from me, for now." With that, she continued to walk down the hall, to the palace front doors. Zack followed, calling her name, but she didn't respond. Eventually, as she slammed the front door in his face, he gave up.

"Perhaps it would be better to stay away from her today, Zack," a voice behind him said. He turned to see Reeve. "Let her calm herself down."

"She's being completely irrational," Zack stated.

"Like I said, perhaps you should stay away." Zack sighed and followed Reeve away.

"Yeah," he said. "Perhaps for today."

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

By the time evening came, Aeris hadn't returned to the palace. Everyone was beginning to get worried, until eventually Zack told Reeve and Elena he would go and find her.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Elena asked. "She wasn't very happy with you."

"It'll be all right," Zack reassured.

"Maybe we should ask that blond haired man to go." Zack's eyes narrowed.

"Aeris and I are getting married in six days," he said evenly. "We need to at least be talking to one another." He exited the throne room, only to see Cloud standing outside, waiting for him.

"If you go after her, you'll drive her even further away," he warned.

"And who are you to tell me about Aeris?"

"Someone she trusts." Zack turned from Cloud.

"She trusts me."

"Does she? If she trusted you, do you think she'd be accusing you of attempting to murder me?"

"You've twisted her into saying it."

"That was Aeris's decision!" Cloud began to walk away. "I'll find her. If you want to drive her further away, then by all means go. You know what I'm saying makes sense." Zack didn't reply. Eventually, he stormed away, in the opposite direction. Cloud headed the other way, out the doors. He would find Aeris, and make sure she was safe.

Zack watched him leave before slipping out the doors. He wasn't going after Aeris...no, Cloud was right, much as he hated to admit it. He just needed to get out, and away. And hope Aeris still loved him when he returned.

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

Cloud searched the city for about half an hour before finally finding Aeris. She was sitting on a bench in a park, the only person their. Her hair whipped around her in the wind, and as Cloud approached her he could see the gooseflesh on her arms raised with the cold.

"Aeris, come back to the palace," he said, almost pleading with her. "It's cold out here."

"I don't love Zack," she said quietly. Cloud sat next to her.

"I figured that out."

"I never did. My parents thought he was perfect for me, a true gentlemen. But I don't think I ever truly loved him."

"So what are you going to do?" Cloud asked.

"I can't marry him," Aeris said. "It would break my parent's hearts, but they don't want me to be unhappy. If I marry Zack, I'll be unhappy."

"So you're going to cancel the wedding?"

"I'll have to. But Cloud;I know who I do love."

"Who?" Aeris turned to him.

"You."

Well done. You've made the right decision.

"Me?" Cloud shook his head. "You've only known me two days Aeris."

"I know, and that the stupid thing!" She smiled, bringing a hand to his cheek and running a hand over it compassionately. "I-love-you."

"Love is something that happens over time," Cloud said. "Not two days."

"Don't you like me?" Aeris said. Cloud sighed.

"Yes. You're beautiful, you're smart, you're funny..."

"But you don't love me." Aeris ended for him, bluntly.

"I didn't say that." He took her hand. "I don't want you to throw away what you have with Zack on a whim."

"This isn't a whim. There is no Zack and I!" She gripped his other hand. "But I wish there could be a you and me." Cloud turned from home.

"Aeris, I don't know if you forgot, but this continent is foreign to me. I have to go home eventually."

"Why? Make a life here..." she stopped. "Oh. Is...is there someone else?"

"No, there isn't." Aeris pulled him to face her.

"So what's stopping you?" She said softly. Her hands slid up behind his head, and she pulled him forward. Closing her eyes, she kissed him, and he didn't resist. They stayed that way for a few moments before Cloud pulled away.

"Aeris, you're engaged..." Aeris pulled her ring off her finger and put it in her pocket.

"Zack can exchange it," she said. Cloud smiled, just a hint.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes," Aeris said, pulling him into another kiss, longer and deeper. When they broke away, Cloud's hands slipped down around her waist, and he hugged her tightly.

"Aeris, doesn't it bother you that I'm not royalty? You're a Princess!"

"Titles have no meaning when you're in love," she said.

"And you're a Cetra."

"So?" Aeris looked at him. "Cloud Strife, will you please listen to me! I love you no matter what! You can't help who you fall in love with!" Cloud smiled again, wider this time. He took her hand.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go home." Aeris smiled and they began walking back, Cloud with an arm round Aeris's shoulders. As they passed through a street of houses, past a bar, Aeris stopped.

"Zack?" She said. Cloud looked at her in confusion. "Listen!" They listened, and sure enough Zack's voice punctuated their silence.

"Go on!"

"No!" The second voice was distinctively female. Aeris looked at Cloud and entered the bar. She stopped, looking at Zack. Cloud stepped in beside her. Zack was sitting at the bar, chatting to the female bartender. She was wearing a white shirt, and black mini-skirt which may have well been a belt for the amount it concealed. Her long, chocolate colored hair fell down her back, tied loosely near the bottom with a red tie. Aeris wouldn't have cared, except she was sitting on Zack's knee. And he leant forward, kissing her.

"Zack!" She yelled. Zack turned to her, and then the women, muttering a low curse.

"If you can cheat, so can I," he said fiercely.

"I wasn't cheating!" Aeris said. "But I won't deny I'm with Cloud now!" She took Cloud's hand. "At least he loves me."

"You never said you had a girlfriend," the girl on Zack's lap said. Zack smiled at her.

"Relax Tifa!" He turned to Aeris, his gaze cold. "I don't." Aeris stepped over to him and handed him her ring back. But before she walked back over to Cloud, she gave him a resounding slap across the face. Not even waiting to see his shocked expression, Aeris stormed out the bar. Cloud quickly followed.

"Aeris!" He called. "Aeris, wait up!"

But she was already long gone.