Disclaimer- Its not mine. Cry me a river, build me a bridge, and get the fk over it.

AN: Welcome, welcome, welcome to Part II in my Clorith!

I’M SO SORRY I HAVEN’T HAD A CHANCE TO UPDATE! WWAAAAA!

Lots of things going on. And I’m at a lack of reviews! Waaa!

THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO:

My one and only reviewer for this fic. Thanks so much for your raving review; this chapter’s out to you-

Sorry about my lack of being here. Lots of stuff to do! I’m in three choirs (not counting the crappy one at the school) and the play Robin Hood, and my time is being absorbed like a sponge! My apologies!

Also, I understand that things may be a bit unclear, but the focus is not on Cloud’s past or the monster that he is. Its more focusing on his renewal, if that makes sense. If not, enjoy the waff!

THANKS AGAIN, GOLDEN HEART- (hail to the Clorith!)

ANYWAY! On with PART II

CheshireKit presents:

Mon Ange

Part II/II

-

February 13

10:00 PM

-

He was in trouble.

As much as he was pumped up to confessing to Aerith his love for her, he had never felt love before. Therefore, having no experience whatsoever, he was about as prepared as a blind man on a tightrope.

Walking around, making sure to keep a certain appendage on his back hidden, he looked around at people. The majority of them were men, looking in windows and buying their sweethearts their presents and last minute gifts. Among them, he caught sight of one man he recognized instantly.

Squall, the man whom Aerith had said was in love with her friend Yuffie, was looking into a jewelry store in deep concentration. The two had never really spoken-as a matter of fact, the most they had done was merely nod in each others directions as one or the other left or entered the bar.

He headed over and tapped the man on the shoulder. It took a minute, but eventually recognition flashed in his eyes. He glared at him.

“You know I could call the police right now. I haven’t said anything, but I know all about you, Strife.”

Cloud snorted.

“Well then, LEON, it seems that I’m not the only one with a secret. And don’t feel special. Most people shudder at my name. My appearance, though-it surprises me you recognized who I was. Most have never seen my face.”

“Ah yes, indeed. I’ve heard that about you. Yet you killed someone special to me a few years ago. For that, I am going to have to kill you.”

Cloud sighed, a look of regret stretching across his features.

“Look, I know sorry won’t cut it, but I need help. Please.”

“Why should I?”

“Because everyone deserves a second chance.”

“Riona deserves a second chance”

The words stung. Cloud knew the girl he spoke of. A beautiful woman-though not as much so as Aerith-Riona had a charming smile and dark brown eyes. She wore a white sundress the day she was killed.

“You’re going to hurt Aerith. I won’t let you. She’s my sister.”

Cloud’s stomach dropped into his gut. His sister? This would be harder than he thought.

“Riona…I remember that girl-“

“Don’t say her name. Its hard enough standing next to you without hurting you”

Cloud followed Squall as he headed into the jewelers, and spoke quietly.

“Riona was an assignment of mine. I killed her not out of pleasure mind you. I-“

“She’s dead all the same, though, and her blood is on your hands. What if I told my dear sister about that? That you killed her friend? That you are the infamous Strife, who holds the lives of hundreds?”

Cloud remained silent. Squall looked at him, his dark blue eyes filled with hate.

“Stay away from Aerith. She deserves so much better than you.”

He nodded at the jeweler, who brought him a package. He put it under his arm and started out the door, stopping. He paused before turning to Cloud.

“She’s changed you, you know. I saw you that night when you were hurrying away. I saw your eyes. They’re different now. You have something to live for now.”

Again, a pause. Cloud looked at him pleadingly.

“You know, don’t you? How it feels to have killed those who shouldn’t have died? You were in war, after all!”

His eyes flashed with regret, but having the strong emotional barriers he had put up, he glared at Cloud.

“This was different.”

“They’re still dead” Cloud protested. Squall said nothing as he walked out of the jewelers. Cloud followed him. He’d beg if he had to. He needed the man’s help.

“Look, I don’t know how to apologize for what’s happened because I can’t say anything to change it. I’m sorry. But…things are different. I’ve been thriving on rats and small rodents and such. I’m changing because of this girl. All I want to do is be with her. Even fallen angels deserve a change to fly, right?”

Squall said nothing. Not very talkative, Cloud mentally noted.

“…”

Reaching deep into his pocket, Squall took out a few hundred munny and handed it to Cloud.

“If you hurt her, that’ll make two people I loved hurt. I won’t give you any more chances.”

He took his leave, leaving a very relieved Cloud in his wake. Cloud sighed and glared at the dark sky. How hard could it be to get a girl a present? He had munny-this would help, no doubt, as he didn’t have much, but what in the world would he get her?

Her words from the evening prior suddenly rang in his head.

“Chocolates, roses, and stuffed animals…” he recalled to himself. Nodding to himself, he set off to find the three.

-

Luck was most certainly giving him a break.

He had found the chocolates easy enough. A large box in the shape of a heart on it filled with the tiny sweets inside. It wasn’t that much munny, either. He walked down the dimly lit streets, dare he say a bit proud of himself at an early success.

On the way to a flower shop, though, he caught sight of Aerith out of the corner of his eye. She was staring longingly into a window. He stayed out of sight, yet watched her like a hawk would his prey. She walked away, and he saw what she was looking at.

He hurried over and looked at where she was once. It was a teddy bear store. Right in the front was an adorable looking teddy bear, with a small patch of hair on the top of its head. It had big brown eyes and a shiny little nose. It wore a little tie and a pair of shiny black shoes, and in its right hand was a bouquet of roses.

Cloud grinned. She wanted that, didn’t she?

He opened the door, his heart dropping to his stomach at the sight. A line. A very long, very angry looking line. It made its way through the store like a maze. The once full shelves were empty, and almost every guy held a bear in their hands.

Cloud normally would have just taken out his buster sword and threatened everyone to let him get what he wanted, but there were two things wrong with that. One, Aerith would really not like that. She told him once she hated pushy guys who were cruel to others just to get what they wanted. Two, and the main reason, he didn’t have the enormous sword on him.

So he waited. Feeling embarrassed about being so manly and being in a store so…not manly. He shifted from one foot ot the other uncomfortably.

After around 20 grueling minutes, it was his turn. He glanced at the clock. It was 11:25 PM. He cursed mentally. If he didn’t hurry, he was going to be late for his and Aerith’s meeting.

He stepped up and the lady, who seemed a bit less than enthusiastic, glared at him.

“What?”

“That bear-the one in the window-I need it” he said desperately. She sighed, rolling her eyes. He bit his tongue as well as the urge to tell her how many people he had killed.

“Listen, sir, I’m sorry, but that item is on hold for someone else” she said mechanically. He frowned.

“Then get me one identical to it”

“Sir, it’s like 11:30 on the day before Valentine’s. First off, there are a million other guys who want that bear as much as you do. You-“

A little bell went off, and she grinned.

“My shift’s over!” she grinned, taking off. Cloud clenched his fists, counting to ten, and trying with all his might not to strangle her.

Ten minutes later, another woman came and took her place. This woman looked much nicer. Her smile, genuine but lined with crows feet, made him feel a bit better. It sort of reminded him of Aerith.

“I need a bear like that one in the window” he said. The woman looked at him sadly.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re all sold out of bears. You see, if you had come earlier…”

“Yes, I understand. I was busy.”

He decided against telling her he was hunting rats that he depended on to survive.

“I’m very sorry, sir. We can get you one in a few weeks-“

“No, I need it by tomorrow. See…I’ve kind of had a bit of a terrible past, and I met this girl a few months ago and suddenly she’s everything to me. I can’t tell you how much I need a bear for tomorrow to give to her. I need to tell her that…I don’t know what, yet, but I…”

He trailed off. The woman looked at him sadly.

“Oh dear, child…here, let me see if there’s anything left…”

There was a short beep, and the announcer of the store rang loudly, proclaiming that in five minutes the store would be closed. He glanced at the clock. 11:50.

Moments later she returned, a bear in her hands. His eyes widened and his heart quickened for a moment. He seemed to drop when he saw what it looked like, though.

The bear was apparently a dud. It was the same one from outside, but it was missing some things. There was no tie around its neck, and its right arm was ripped off leaving it open to the world. One eye was a bit lopsided, and it had a few unhealthy looking patches of hair here and there. The tuft on his head was stringy and there wasn’t much of it. Its left arm was also too large, and it sat slightly on the ground.

“I’m sorry, dear, this is the only thing left. I’ll give it to you for only a few munny as its deformed, but its all I have to offer.”

He looked at it for a moment. It was kind of cute, he guessed. With a gracious nod, he paid up and took the bear with him.

He glanced at the clock as he was leaving and cursed. 12:00. There was no way he’d get to her in time.

He crept behind an alley, letting his wing pop out of his skin. He sighed in relief, leaning back and stretching it for the first time in a few hours. He jumped up into the air, flying with all of speed to the first district where she was waiting.

He felt something pierce into his wing, and cried out as he instantly fell onto a rooftop, falling down and skidding against the pavement. He made sure that Aerith’s presents were away from damage, and he writhed on the ground in pain.

“This way! It was this way! I think it was really him this time!”

With all the strength he could muster, Cloud stood up and looked at his wing. It was only a small cut, but DAMN did it hurt. Like someone had ripped out a patch of his hair. He hurried into a nearby crevice and let his wing retract into him. There he waited as the hunters looked for him.

They’d pay.

-

12:15

-

Aerith looked out the window, her eyes drooping slightly. It had been a long day, and she was looking forward to seeing Cloud again. Never once had he been late before, and though it wasn’t much, it seemed like hours since his arrival was expected.

Cloud…

Her heart ached. She knew there was something dangerously dark about him, but she was attracted to it like a moth to the flame. He was such a poor, lonely man. One could tell by looking at him his life was full of rejection and hate. She wanted to be there for him. She wanted to make him smile and laugh.

She dared not bring into concept she was in love with him. That would be impossible. She had only known him for about a month. He had just appeared, and hardly spoke to her at all. She knew he had done terrible things in his past-she could see it in his broken, sad eyes. She had known since the day he walked into her bar.

She looked out of the window. She was bothered that he was missing. Maybe he had something else to do?

Ten minutes passed, following by another ten. Finally, she decided he might have been sick. She wanted to go see him, but he never said where he lived. All he had said was that if she ever needed him, she should cry out his name and he’d be there.

The memory stood warmly in her memory, and she blushed.

Aerith sat, drinking her water sparsely.

“Where do you live, Cloud?” she asked suddenly, biting her straw. He shook his head.

“Nowhere. I have no home”

“That’s terrible!” she cried out, looking at him in pure sympathy. He shook his head.

“No…I prefer it that way. I don’t get attached to things.”

Again there was silence between them. She bit her lip, sipping her water.

“What…what if I ever need you? Or something like that?”

He stared at her a bit quizzically, but unbeknownst to her he smiled a little.

“Give me a call. If you ever need anything, just call out my name. I’ll be there. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving. Pleasure speaking with you.”

That was the most he’d ever said to her, and she remembered every detail of the conversation like it had happened moments ago. She sighed as she turned off all of the lights and grabbed her coat, pulling it over her pink dress tightly. It was cold outside.

As she locked the doors, she glanced around one last time. With a hurt sigh, she headed off. Her thoughts brightened.

Valentine’s day was tomorrow. Maybe he would get her something?

She let her mind wander to fantasies she knew would never come true as she turned the corner to her house.

Cloud hurried as fast as he could to the bar, panting. Flying was out of the question, as the wound was hurting like a bitch and he did NOT want to get shot again. He hadn’t killed those men, lucky them, as he didn’t want to be any later.

He arrived at the bar and looked inside the windows. He sighed and leaned his head against the cold window with a sigh. No matter, he told himself. Tomorrow would be good enough that she’d forgive him.

He hoped.

-

February 14

11:57 PM (speeding things up a bit -)

-

Cloud stirred slightly, groaning and stretching. He felt his wing react and stretch as well, giving him the full feeling he always liked about waking up. He scratched his head slightly, walking through the small tunnel that led to the first district (1).

It was pouring rain. He sighed slightly and, standing under the shelter of a house, yawned. He stopped in mid yawn, his eyes widening, as he caught sight of the clock. 11:57. On Valentine’s Day. Letting out a stream of curses, he headed back into the tunnel to find his gifts for her.

-

The same time;

Traverse Town Pub

-

“Oh God, Yuf, it’s GORGEOUS!”

Yuffie let out a small laugh, her face still pink with excitement as she showed her best friend her pale hand, her ring finger adorned with a beautiful golden band with a diamond in the center and silver patterns alongside the diamond.

“Isn’t it? Oh, I can’t believe he proposed!”

“I can…” Aerith muttered, an image of her brother appearing in her head. She looked at the clock anxiously. She wanted so badly to see him. It was Valentine’s Day, after all, and she desired to see the one she dared say she loved.

Yuffie had come and left, wanting to be with her own lover. Aerith sighed, feeling a lonely feeling in the pit of her stomach. She loved Valentine’s Day, but it was no fun when she had no one to spend it with. All day couples had been coming into the bar, sitting, completely engrossed with one another. She felt jealous at them all; she knew it was a wicked feeling, but she couldn’t help it.

She sat, the clock ticking unusually slowly as she wiped down the counter. She sighed, not wanting to wait. It was 12:05.

She closed the shop down rather quickly, wanting to go home and sleep some. She groaned at the realization of how hard it was raining, and walked sadly off.

“Maybe…he isn’t coming back…”

The thought brought a set of startling and unexpected tears to her eyes. She sniffed slightly, holding them back. She was as ugly as sin when she cried; if she saw him on the way home she’d never forgive herself for letting him see her.

Cloud, meanwhile, was running frantically around trying to swallow the nervous lump in his throat as he made his way to the bar. As it came into sight, he felt his heart quicken its pace.

He looked inside, and whined to see it was empty. It was too late. She had gone home, and he had lost his chance. Sighing, he slumped down and sat on the ground with the chocolates in one hand and the bear in the other.

He saw a figure out of the corner of his eye, in the distance. A lone figure standing in the rain simply. His heart rushed; she was sitting at the bus station. Was she leaving? Panic filled the rational part of his mind and he cried out for her with desperation evident in his voice. She was the only one who had ever looked past the damn claw of his. She was with him, and he didn’t want her to leave.

“AERITH!”

Aerith turned suddenly, only to see Cloud running at her. Her eyes widened, and hope filled her heart. Could he be…

“Cloud?” she questioned. He slipped on the rain, causing not only the wing to protrude from his back, but also the chocolates to go spiraling onto the ground. He sat up, looking around frantically, until he realized that the single red rose he had bought her was crushed beneath his weight. He cursed angrily in frustration. Aerith looked at him in sympathy.

“Cloud…”

“Aerith…I’m sorry-you hardly know me, but…I…I’m…uh…”

She stared at him patiently. He picked up the broken bear from beside him. This was a side of Cloud she’d not ever seen; an awkward, clumsy, stuttering schoolboy. She held back a giggle at the thought and waited for him to talk.

“Dammit, I can’t do anything right…” his head slumped forward in defeat, and he sighed low in his throat. Aerith reached forward, touching his shoulder. He looked up at her, and she smiled reassuringly at him. He gave her a half smile back, holding up the distorted bear.

“Sorry. I saw you looking in the shop for this, and…they said chocolates made you happy, and that roses were romantic or something…I…I’m not good at the romance thing anyway, but…”

He sighed slightly, slumping further down into the ground.

“You…you were there for me…and I’m not used to that, cause nobody else has ever…I just…please don’t leave now? I know its selfish of me, but…I want you to stay with me and…”

He seemed to notice that his wing was sticking out from his back, as he turned to it and cursed louder. Aerith watched him helplessly. He threw his fist on the ground.

“I screw everything up…you weren’t supposed to see that yet…”

She smiled kindly at him. He was taken aback by it.

“You know, you sure talk a lot, Mr. Silent. You never said a word before, and now here you are making declarations and speeches!”

He flushed slightly, his head cocking to the side as if he were a puppy in slight confusion. She giggled.

“I know about you, Cloud. I’ve known since you walked into my bar that you were different. I knew you were lonely. Your eyes…they were so cold and sad. But your eyes aren’t like that anymore. I…I also know that you’re indeed the infamous murderer Strife…”

He looked away, a look of regret, distain, and hurt in his eyes. He expected the rejection to come any second. He felt like a fool, ever thinking an angel could love him. He was a devil; she was angelic. He was from hell; she from heaven. She belonged to the day; he to the night.

“But you know, my brother spoke of you. He said you were different. Riona’s death…I know you did it, and it’ll be hard for me to accept it...but that has nothing to do with the way I feel for you Cloud.”

He looked up at her, and she smiled and tried to bite back the sting of tears she felt.

“I know that you need someone. And I know you want that someone to be me. Right?”

He nodded dumbly.

“Only you”

She felt her heart leap at his quiet nod. She let out a laugh, tears starting to fall from her eyes. He looked at her, concern and sadness in his face as he slowly stood up.

“I…I didn’t mean to…”

She laughed louder as she leapt into his arms, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging onto him for dear life. He sat there dumbly for a moment, before hugging her back. He pulled back from her, looking into her eyes and holding her soaking form for a moment. He crashed his lips onto hers in a desperate attempt to make the loneliness he felt so often to leave him.

Tasting heaven had been more than he expected. She returned the kiss, sending him to oblivion. Every ounce of sorrow he had ever felt disintegrated into nothing. She accepted him. After seeing the monster he was, knowing of his blood stained past, she had accepted him.

She smiled and pulled back from the kiss, leaning down. He looked at her strangely, shielding her from the rain with his black wing. She looked up at it with a grin before standing, the discarded and demented bear in her hands. She reached up and touched the wing.

“You know what?” she whispered. He smiled-a true smile, which made her knees turn to jelly and her heart soar.

“What?” he whispered back. She held up the bear.

“I bet this bear was lonely before you got it. It’s different, after all. But…”

She smiled, a hand reaching up to touch his face. He put his own hand over it with a smile.

“It’s the best bear in the entire world…”

The quiet metaphor was sealed with another heart bursting kiss; his heart and soul pouring into her as his hands trailed up and down her body. She pulled back from the kiss, leaning into his warm embrace.

Cloud sighed, feeling a boulder fly off of his chest. He knew, now, that Traverse Town would be his new home. Aerith would be there with him, as she loved him for the monster he was. His arms wrapped around her and she felt warm despite the cold.

Her eyes widened as she thought he whispered something into her ear, but she didn’t quite catch it. She could have sworn it was ‘I love you,’ but then, it could have been the rain pouring down around them.

Then again…

-

Fin

-

GAH! Finally done! This chapter took me FOREVER! (Yea, the last one was better, get over it - . Oh well.

PLEASE REVIEW! FLAMES ACCEPTED! Critique me! Praise me! Punish me! Whatever! Just respond!

-Evermore,

Kit