Promise Me Forever - Ch. 1

Promise Me Forever - Ch. 1</u>
Yet another Cloud & Aeris romance


Ten years ago, on Cloud and Aeris' wedding night...

"Cloud...?" asked Aeris Strife.

"Mmmm...?" he responded.

"Do you remember...the promise you made? Back in my church?"

"...Yeah. Why?"

"Did you really mean it?" she inquired.

"Of course."

"But why?" she asked him. "You hardly knew me."

"Because you had no one to protect you. And now that we're married, I intend to keep it."

"Cloud..." Was all she was able to say.

"I love you," he said simply.

"I love you too," she said.

"Always and forever..." he murmured, about to fall asleep.

"Promise me forever Cloud," she said, hoping to get a reply before he nodded off. "Promise me you'll stay by my side, and never leave me. Promise you'll stay through thick and thin, 'til death do us part. "

Cloud's eyes opened for a moment at her request, but he just smiled. Aeris sighed as he rolled over and stroked the side of her face and looked deep into her jade green eyes.

"I promise Aeris."


Nine years later...

Aeris had had enough. She wasn't going to sit around any longer like an ordinary woman whose husband had been lost at sea, or gone missing in a war.

She gathered up some stuff she thought she would need, and then she went down on her knees and prayed to the Spirits that they would watch over her, keep her protected from evil, and that she would find Cloud safe and sound.


After she had finished praying, she decided to call up Tifa and tell her where she was going.


Over at Seventh Heaven...

"Briiinnnnggg!!"

Tifa ran to answer the phone.

"Hello?" she asked. "Who is this?"

"Tifa, it's Aeris."

"Hi how are you?" asked Tifa.

"I'm going to make this quick because I have to get going, and I have no time for small talk. No offense or anything."

"None taken," said Tifa. "Where are you going?"

"Out to find Cloud," she answered. "I know he's not dead."

"Oh Aeris, he is. You have to accept it. He's gone."

"No! Tifa, you don't understand. There is this little voice inside of me that's saying he's still alive. And I believe it. I must go and find him."

"Good luck then. Where will you start looking?" asked Tifa.

"Around there area where his plane went down."

"Okay. Good luck and God bless," wished Tifa.

"Tifa, can you do me a favor?" asked Aeris quickly.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Tell the others where I've gone, but tell them I don't want them coming after me, okay?"

"Alright."

"Bye Tifa," said Aeris.

"Good-bye Aeris."

And then Aeris hung up.

'Man, I hope Aeris knows what she's doing,' though Tifa to herself. 'The Bermuda Triangle is a dangerous place.'


Back at Aeris' house in Midgar...

Aeris hung up the phone, then called the town harbor. She asked if she could rent a plane, a small sea plane, and they said it was okay. She hung up on them after securing her possession of a plane, and then she ran out the door, got into her car, and floored it down the street.

"So she doesn't want us to come after her?" asked Barret.

"Nope," answered Tifa. "She said she was going to do this alone, and that she didn't want you guys to go after her."

"Damn," swore Cid. "I was hoping I could play the hero again."

"What do you mean, again?!" exclaimed Barret, whirling on Cid. "Playing the hero is Cloud's job. Not yours. The only person who'd think you're a hero is Shera, and that's if she wasn't thinking straight on that particular day." Vincent, Cait Sith, Yuffie, and Red XIII snickered.

"Oh, and so now you're the big hero?" shouted Cid, who was now obviously pissed off.

"You're going deaf, old timer," said Barret, grinning. "I jes' said Cloud was the hero. He has Aeris to save at her times of distress." Then with a glance around the room, he added, "No offense to everyone else."

There were some mutters of "Forget it," and Barret smiled again.

Red XIII chose that moment to speak up. "So, what are we going to do?" he asked.

Cait Sith answered him. "Red, there's nothing much that we can do. Aeris said she didn't want us coming after her, and we have to respect her decision. I guess all we can do is wait and see what happens.

"Okay," said Cid. Then, after a moment's pause, he shouted out, "Hey, Dukes Of Hazzard is on! Dibs on the TV!" Cid jumped up, and sat down approximately five inches from the screen. Barret went to join him, as did Red III, and they started fighting about what they were going to watch. Vincent just sat down on the love seat by the TV and fell asleep.

Tifa sighed, then looked at Yuffie in exasperation. "Men. Go figure." Yuffie nodded her agreement. Then...

"Yuffie, can you get us some chips?" asked Cid. Tifa winced in sympathy as she heard the cries of pain from Cid as Yuffie hit him with her shuriken. Hard.

"Yuffie, that hurts!" he complained.

"I'm not your little bar maid. Go and get it yourself!"

Tifa just sighed again and went off to the kitchen to get Cid some chips.

The employee handed Aeris the keys to the sea plane, (I figured out what it was called! I think...) And she thanked him. Then she climbed into the plane, and switched on the ignition. There was a putt-putt sound, and then it started to move forwards.

'Cloud,' she thought to herself as the plane left the water's surface. 'I'm coming for you. Hold on. I'll be seeing you soon.'