Unwritten

Closer

Cloud awakened to a world tinted blue. It was early enough to slink back to camp before the others noticed his and Aerith's absence. Realizing he was holding her, he jolted his bare arm upward like a fire had seared his skin. The spasm must've stirred her awake; she sat up and stretched, her extended yawn shattering the lulling silence of the dawn. 

"Mm...I slept great! How about you, Cloud?" She smiled down at him, prompting him to shift his eyes away.

"We should head back to camp," he deflected dryly.

Aerith giggled, "Hope I didn't get any drool on you. You're super comfy...soft, actually. Like a cloud!"

He snorted, rising to his feet, before starting the hike back. "Heyy! Wait for me!" She called after him.

Much to his dismay, the two returned to find Barret, Tifa, and Red already having breakfast. "Ohh," shouted Barret first, "Nice of y'all to join us! Bet ya worked up an appetite."

Red chuckled, "Hopefully, not too much of one. It's cup noodles. Again."

"Yum, anything sounds great right about now; I'm starving," replied Aerith, seemingly unphased by the blatant taunting.

Cloud, on the other hand, felt his face turning rosy. There wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. Why did he suddenly feel so... self-conscious?

Aerith sat beside Red and began slurping up her noodles. Wanting to put as much distance as possible between himself and her, Cloud chose a spot between Tifa and Barret. Tifa handed him his breakfast, which he took sheepishly, avoiding everyone's faces as he ate. "Alright, we got a long day before gettin' back to Sector 5. Hope you two didn't stay up too late," Barret chuckled while extinguishing the fire.

Cloud sighed, feeling pressured to explain their disappearance, but Aerith spoke up before he could formulate a reason. "I wanted to get a better view of the stars," she started, "y'know, away from the trees. Cloud caught me trying to sneak off, and like the dutiful bodyguard he is, he joined me to keep me safe from all the big bad monsters. Isn't that right, Cloud?"

Cloud fumbled over his words, caught off guard by Aerith's lie, "Mm."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever y'all say," Barret winked just before putting his shades on.

Red smirked, "I think if the interrogation is finished, we best be on our way. This is the first lead on Sephiroth we've encountered in quite some time—if he is lurking around the slums, we don't want to miss him."

Tifa spoke up, "True, but...why would he be hanging around Sector 5? It could just be another dead end; I mean, it doesn't really make sense, does it?"

"No, but it's all we have to go on as of right now," remarked Cloud, "we don't know what his endgame is or what exactly he needs to do to execute it."

"Feels like we're on a wild Chocobo chase..." Barret muttered. "At least I'll get to spend some time with my baby girl."

Tifa glowed, "That's right. And I can get a nice, hot shower in."

Aerith smiled, clasping her hands, "Okay then, let's get going!"

The group traveled well into the afternoon, exterminating dozens of Hedgehog Pies and Wererats. Barret led the lineup while Aerith, Red XIII, and Tifa chatted together. Cloud lingered a couple of feet behind.

During the day's travels, he noticed Tifa eyeing him periodically. He caught her staring again before she slowed her pace to match his.

They walked silently beside each other for a brief period. "What's up," he eventually posed, sensing something plagued her.