“You Gonna Be Okay Getting Back?”: Part One In A Deep Dive Into The Star-Crossed Lovers Story That Is Cloud and Aerith

I am sure that everyone who knows me in real life pretty much saw this essay coming from a mile away, as anyone who follows me on social media knows I have made my love for the story of Cloud and Aerith clear. 

I had this essay in mind long before FF7 Rebirth hit the shelves, but now that it has, and the internet can not stop debating on the topic of Cloud Strife and his romantic pursuits (although Cloud is the least romantic fictional character in history so how so many girls want access to the buster sword is beyond my comprehension), especially now with the new Gold Saucer dates and (SPOILERS INCOMING) Zack’s return and the still unknown fate of Aerith even though we saw Sephiroth stabby stab her. 

Such a debate, and through many interactions with my fellow Cleriths (special shoutout to @bodyguardxflowergirl on instagram for inspiring me to write this through a very nice comment exchange), prompted me to write this two parted essay in which I will heavily analyze the entire relationship between Cloud and Aerith, including conversations, body language, and good old fashioned translation errors in both Remake and Rebirth, with this first section mainly focusing on Remake, while my second one will be on Rebirth. We will be exploring common motifs between the pair, parallels, and just the hidden meaning behind each conversation. 

Before we get started, I would like to add a fun little side note: 

SIDE NOTE

This essay is not for the fainted heart (A.K.A: anyone who likes to get into arguments with people on the internet over ships for some foolish reason) I am not here to start a debate in the FF7 community, I accidentally already did that in the comment section of one of my TikTok’s and I have no interest in doing that again here. I said it on my social media, and I’ll say it here. Any and all hate comments will be deleted. There is no reason to get so defensive over a fictional ship in an RPG game that came out almost thirty years ago. I am writing this because I personally have a strong connection to the story of Cloud and Aerith, and I really wanted to talk about it with people other than my friends who do not care because they have no idea what I’m talking about. I personally believe that all ships are canon in their own right, including Cloti and Zerith, but Clerith has stronger skin in the game in my mind. Regardless and spoiler alert, it doesn’t really matter. Everyone has a preference, this is mine, and we are moving on. 

“Lovers Used To Give These, When They Were Reunited”

Starting at the beginning, and I mean the very beginning, the story opens with gamings favorite and beloved flower girl seemingly praying in front of a mako reactor before something startles her, and she rushes into the streets of Midgar. It’s a scene that is iconic, but the opening shot of Aerith opening her eyes is a direct recall of the way the original game ends. The Original and Remake start and end in the same way, with Aerith opening her eyes in front of the Mako, or, energy from the lifestream perhaps? 

I mention this now because this is a moment I want to stick into your minds, as it will be important later. Though if we want to start the Cloud and Parallels now, I could make a stretch argument by inserting here that this game starts with a shot of Aerith before cutting to Cloud, though even I know that’s reaching for endgame evidence. 

But flashing forward after Cloud faces a few battles with the terrorist, revolution group, Avalanche, he gets separated and runs into the people’s princess herself, Aerith. 

When Cloud first bumps into Aerith, she is holding a basket full of the titular yellow flowers and fighting off invisible Whispers under a poster for Loveless. Those who know the story of FF7 well know that Loveless holds a significant meaning in the story. It’s the title of the play that the character Genesis was so obsessed with in FF7 Crisis Core, and the same play Cloud and the gang perform in act two of the unknown journey. I’ll talk more about Loveless when we actually get to the part in the story where Cloud and Aerith put on the play, but for now, the significance of it is easy to miss to those who don’t understand the meaning of the at this point unperformed play. 

The story of Loveless, however, is one about two star-crossed lovers who fight to be together, but the fate of the stars, gods and world tear the goddess and her mortal hero away from each other in a tragic event. 

Does that ring any bells? 

Already the parallels are being set up, even with this being the first meeting between our two heroes. 

Eventually, Cloud and Aerith speak to one another, in which Aerith offers Cloud one of her yellow flowers for no price, saying the iconic line, “Lovers used to give these when they were reunited”. On first glance, this line can be seen as Aerith simply sharing her florist knowledge, or flirting with the oblivious Cloud. But for those who know the fate of Aerith, including herself, the line about lovers reuniting holds a deeper meaning. 

Spoilers for later in the story, but we find out that the story we play in this game, exists in not one but many timelines involving these characters. The story on display is the remake is a sort of reset version, or an alternate timeline. The whole thing is honestly very confusing, but what we do know for certain is that the Cloud, Aerith and remainder of the party members, are not the only ones, and they certainly are not the same ones from the original game, as some of them, those being Aerith and Sephrioth, have knowledge of the original timeline and the fates of the planet. 

With that in mind, Aerith’s words can be interpreted in a whole different manner. This is quite literally Cloud and Aerith reuniting in this new timeline, or this new world. They have known each other before, it is only that Aerith is now, at this point in the story, the only one aware that they have met before. I wouldn’t be surprised honestly if this motif comes back in the third game with all the other recycled dialogue and motifs between these two characters brought from this game into the sequel. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Two things are important to note here, the first being that Aerith knows of her fate (which I’ll talk about in a later section in this essay) and offers the flower of lovers reuniting with Cloud, and no matter what, you the player (Cloud) have to accept the flower no matter what. You have two options of accepting or denying it, but either way, Aerith is going to give it to you. 

After the flower exchange, Aerith is attacked by the whispers again, with this time a Cloud that can see them, before running away and bidding the now confused Ex-Soldier farewell for now. 

“Bet You Just Don’t Know How To Use It”

The next time our two fated lovers meet again is when Cloud crashes through the roof of a sector five church. A church which just so happens to be the same one Aerith grows her flowers in. Coincidence? I think-probably yea. 

Except not really when you consider this is the exact reason in which Aerith met her first love, First Class Soldier Zack Fair. And I can already hear the people who hate Clerith fixing to argue with me and bringing up the deja vu moment at play here, and how that plays a common role into the debate against the ship. For now, I want to put a pin into a discussion I would like to call “The Zack Argument”. We’re going to come back to it, so remember this little moment of Cloud and Zack entering in the same way, and we’re going to continue for now. 

Upon crashing into her church, Cloud doesn’t recognize Aerith until she mentions the flowers. She then gives Cloud his fallen materia back before showing Cloud the white one she keeps hidden and secure in her hair ribbon. She mentions how there isn’t any use to hit before Cloud’s mind fizzles out for a moment, and we see a very familiar shot of the last moments of a certain someone. 

SIDE NOTE: Cloud and His Weird Mind Flashbacks

{Throughout the main campaign, Cloud experiences a series of flashbacks from the original game. These foggy, often stacy sequences are Cloud’s memories from the original game poking through his subconscious, and the reason he can’t see the whole picture is because he’s either struggling to remember them (as he has to yet to experience them) or the mako poisoning he experiences long before the events of this game is messing with his mind. Whatever the reason, it’s important to note that the very first one he has is the one of Aerith meeting her tragic end. And throughout the story, the only mind glitches Cloud seems to experience before the ending battle with Sephiroth involve Aerith and her fate.}

After seeing this sudden and strange, Cloud acts nonchalant about the whole thing and tells Aerith that the reason her meteria has no use is because she doesn’t know how to use it. Aerith turns around and gives him a small, sad smile and tells him that could very well be the case. Once more, Aerith in this game is very much well aware of what is going to happen to her, and knows the use her white materia is supposed to bear. Jumping from a timeline in which Cloud was doting on her to now being in one that started all over again where Cloud is unaware of the implications of the words he just said is most likely a little jarring for her. 

Soon, Reno and a few Turk members enter the church with intentions of taking Aerith. Cloud doesn’t know what they really want from her, but she later explains to Cloud and the gang that she is the last ancient, the reason they want her in their possession is because the Turks believe she can lead them to a place called The Promised Land, where the mako energy is endless. But Cloud my friend doesn’t know that yet so shhh don’t tell him. 

Regardless of what he knows, he is quickly hesitant of the men seemingly threatening Aerith, and she introduces him as her new bodyguard before actually asking him to play the role for her. This is one of the first moments we see Aerith slip up with revealing how much she knows, where she accidentally reveals that she knows Cloud is working as a mercenary before telling him that she guessed from his sword. Aerith doesn’t give Cloud too much time to think on it before she approaches him and asks him “Just do this for me okay?” referring to him being her bodyguard. Cloud hesitates for a little too long of a moment just kinda staring at her before hastily tearing away from her and saying that such a thing is going to, “Cost you, a lot.” insinuating that Aerith is going to have to pay a heavy fee for her service. Aerith, being Aerith, instead casually implies that “One date outta do it.” a reference of course to when Zack repaid Aerith for helping him by taking her on a date but shhhh, we aren’t at the Zack argument yet. 

Unlike Cloud previously, he doesn’t insist on Aerith giving him any money. Unlike with Avalanche, where he was constantly on their asses about paying him the money they owed him from their services. At first you assume the heat of the moment of being wrapped up in a moment of battle with Reno and the Turks distracted him from pressing her about it, but nope, he just never mentions it again, and in fact, he lets the money thing drop completely. He even allows Aerith to blackmail him on it later when talking to her mom, where she almost reveals what she promised him when he complains that helping her deliver flowers wasn’t a part of the deal, and quickly agrees to help her so she won’t tell her mom about the date she promised him. 

Now, I can’t pretend to be a Cloud Strife expert, I mean Remake was my first experience with the story of FF7 and apparently that’s a crime in the community so I’m not really the president of the Cloud Strife knowledge club. But at this point we have known Cloud for only a few chapters, and this already seems a little suspicious considering how he is a pusher when it comes to collecting money for his services. Nobody finds it a little bizarre that he was up Tifa’s ass, his childhood best friend and crush, about paying him back for his work with avalanche, but he doesn’t once nag this girl he’s only known for a few hours after she basically drags him along to errand after errand with no intention of paying him for it other than a date, which I should also mention, Cloud has made no effort to push back on either? 

Unless Cloud Strife doesn’t nag her for money because he has a little crush, spoilers. 

I mean, he did agree to the bodyguard thing a little too quickly so eufhw9fh9ewsjf9

“Learn To Talk To Her”

At first there really isn’t anything really that noteworthy that happens for the next few story sections. Cloud and Aerith spend most of it trying to get Aerith back to her house as they banter back and forth which is just really cute and charming. Aerith mostly teases him whenever her butt gets into a little bit of trouble and at one point he responds that there’s “Never a dull moment” when it comes to spending time with her which is just ahhhhhhhhh

At one point in their venture back to her house, Cloud has another memory glitch, this time involving Sephrioth when he sees one of his clones wandering the sectors. This is after his mind flashes to his childhood crush Tifa, and he starts to wonder if she’s okay before Aerith starts asking him questions on it. Cloud denies that there’s anything going on between him and Tifa, and will continue to deny it later when she asks him what he did with the flower she gave him (he gave it to Tifa after she said it was nice or something like that I honestly don’t remember I think it was some shit about how flowers don’t grow and she was surprised so Cloud said, oh flower here idk). This will not be the first time Cloud will deny something going on between him and a potential lover, as he will do the same to Tifa later on down the line when she asks about Aerith. 

Anyway, when Cloud’s mind starts acting out a little again, Aerith grabs his hand (motif for later), and calms him down. It’s one of the first moments of soft intimacy between Cloud and Aerith, as she is one of the first people shown who has the capability of bringing him back to reality, as we will see in a later scene, this comes into play. But even after Cloud is calmed down, he continues to hold onto Aerith’s hand as he asks her if she knows the history of Sephiroth. Cloud…you know you don’t have to keep holding onto her hand right? Like you’re just telling her your theory about the evil silver haired man you don’t have to keep, whatever. 

Just say you wanna hold her hand it’s not rocket science, my dude. 

Eventually Cloud and Aerith make it back to her house where she introduces him to her mom, and as I mentioned earlier, shenanigans ensue as Cloud gets blackmailed into helping her run errands so she doesn’t tell her mom about the date. 

I bring this up again, because at this point, there isn’t any reason for Cloud to be helping Aerith with her task of delivering flowers and whatever else she wants to do that I simply can not remember. Time and time again we see that Cloud is all about the money first, if it doesn't involve getting paid, Cloud isn’t doing shit for you. But yet, he agrees to help Aerith without her even offering to pay him for his assistance. For why does he help? Yea, Aerith threatened to spill about the date, but it wasn’t like Cloud agreed to go on it. He can easily leave her at the house with no consequences since he never actually said yes to going on a date with her. So why stay? 

UNLESS-

Yes, it’s pretty obvious that Cloud continues hanging around Aerith because he is actually into spending time with her. And we know this to be true because of a moment that happens between them later that we can only get to once I finish this section first. Once more, just remember I brought this up :) 

After Cloud and Aerith spend some time picking flowers and exchanging more banter, the next important scene that takes place between the two of them is when Cloud runs into her talking to a patch of flowers in her garden. Cloud asks her what they were saying and she lies for a moment before telling him they weren’t actually talking to her. Before she elaborates she tells Cloud, “Nevermind, it’s not like you would believe me anyway.” To which Cloud responds, “Probably.” before starting to walk away.

And then Cloud Strife, the same man who told Barrett he needed to seek help after boasting about being able to hear the planet crying out in pain, who didn’t give any shits about anything avalanche was doing for the planet and made that very clear every time he hushed up their rally cries with his insistence on getting paid, shutting down anyone who wanted to speak to him about the heart of the cause, turns around and asks Aerith to tell him her perspective on the flowers anyway… just because. Because he wanted to. Because it was important to her and he could see that and he wanted to hear what she had to say if he could see that it was bothering her. 

This moment acts as both a pivotal moment for Cloud’s character as he is able to shut away his own needs for a moment and focus on someone else, but one for their relationship. This is the first time we see Aerith in a vulnerable position with Cloud, and one of the first moments he really stops, listens, and responds in a way that isn’t aloof. When Aerith laments about how she should just give up on trying to hear what the planet is trying to tell her (note that Cloud doesn’t know she’s an ancient) Cloud responds with a quick observation about how he can tell she’s not one too easily give up, and Aerith jokes back by saying today is a special day, and how that’s why she’s working so hard. When Cloud asks for her to respond, she just laughs and tells him they have to be on their way now. While Cloud is left confused, with the knowledge of what Aerith knows about her fate, we are a little bit wiser as to why she’s working so hard. 

Keeping in mind the knowledge that this moment happens on the same day Cloud and Aerith meet for the second time in the church, Aerith is essentially getting a second chance with Cloud. She believes at this moment that her fate is sealed, and knows that eventually she will once more be separated from Cloud, but in this moment she has been presented with an opportunity to live through her moments with him again. So that is why she’s so insistent on working hard, because she doesn’t want any of her new moments to go to waste. 

Before Cloud and Aerith depart the flower patch however, Cloud turns back to the flowers and scolds them by saying “Learn to talk to her.” and a part of me dies a little inside from the cuteness of it. Because once more, this is the same man that told Barret that hearing what the planet has to say is something that requires seeking mental health. Now he is the one talking to the planet, demanding that it learn to talk to the girl he’s at this point only known for a few hours. 

What is one supposed to say other than, I think Cloudy at this moment might be a little smitten. 

“The First Guy I Ever Loved”

Long after Cloud and Aerith return to her house, Aerith’s mother, Elmyra, asks Cloud if he would be willing to leave and never speak to Aerith again with no questions asked. It’s pretty clear to both Cloud, and the player that Elmyra does not exactly trust the intentions of anyone in first class soldier (even though the second game alludes to the fact that she doesn’t have any knowledge of who Zack is so we can’t exactly pinpoint that as the reason.) so Cloud agrees to leave Aerith and return to sector seven to meet back up with Avalanche, which was the initial plan only this time Aerith won’t be helping him get there. 

(I do have to very quickly mention the funny directions given to Cloud when he asks how to get to sector seven, and Elmyra just responds with “Just cut through sector six.” Like… thanks I didn’t know that thank you for telling me I never would have guessed.)

But speaking of Aerith, she’s stubborn, and she’s not going to allow Cloud to walk away from her that easily. And that’s why she’s best girl.

Cloud finds her waiting on the path to sector seven, and when he asks her what she’s doing and why she’s waiting for him, her only response is “Because I’m not sick of you yet.” as she once again cutely approaches an easily flustered Cloud. This is another line easy to read the lines of, as one can easily tell that Aerith is just very stubborn, and doesn’t want Cloud to walk away from her on something that wasn’t on her terms, you also read this line as Aerith not ready to allow him to leave her life yet. She knows they’re going to eventually meet back up again regardless if she allows him to walk away or not, but for her right now it’s all about soaking up whatever time she can have. I mean honestly, can you blame her at this moment, the man is also very stubborn but he’s not sick of Aerith yet either so he agrees to let her come along as he heads back to sector seven, as was the original bargain between them. 

But as Aerith walks away, Cloud is once again transitioned into another mind flashback in which he this time, sees the full extent of Aerith’s demise, and sheds a single tear. It’s a really tragic moment, and I would like to point out that this is only time in part one of the unknown journey where Cloud actually sheds tears. He does get emotional when Jessie (UM YOU KNOW-), but we don’t actually see him shed any tears. This is the only moment where he’s crying, and it’s over Aerith, someone that once more he just met a few hours ago. You can honestly interpret the scene in many ways. One can be that Cloud is genuinely emotional about seeing Aerith dying, or he is simply feeling the emotions of himself from another timeline and he’s confused as to why he’s feeling this way, as it’s not addressed after this. I think either one is a fair take, but either way you see it, it screws with him to the point of not being able to look Aerith in the eyes for a while. Either way you slice it, it's a very emotional little moment. 

After a long sequence of the two fighting off some gang members and Aerith trying to teach Cloud what a high five is, WHICH IS LIKE AHHHHH can we talk about that for a second? Because Aerith is not the first person who has tried and failed to give Cloud a high five. Tifa actually tried it back when Cloud was with Avalanche, but he promptly ignored it because:

1. Cloud doesn’t know what a high five is 

2. He’s emo 

3. Physical affection obviously makes him nervy

But all of the sudden, not that Aerith has tried and failed, Cloud all the sudden wants to learn how to do it. There’s even a moment in which Cloud tries to initiate it, but when Aerith doesn’t respond, he gets embarrassed and lowers his hand and denies ever trying anything. Which is more than just adorable. He even looks at his hand the second time Aerith tried and failed and you can just tell he’s thinking “how do I make wife happy?” Or you know something like that dpiajfijwefopawhjfpijwfpi]

Rights have been righted though because Cloud and Aerith did indeed highfive which becomes the second and a half motif, the first one being their hands which we will get to. Sorry I say that so much, but I am only attempting to keep things organized. 

Anyway, back to where I was actually going with this. After dealing with all of that , the pair come across the entrance to sector seven at an abandoned playground. Aerith insists they take a break for a moment and eggs Cloud on to take one with her. This is the second moment in which Cloud and Aerith share another moment of real vulnerability which begins with yet again Aerith being the first one to initiate. One can take this as her being the social butterfly of the two, or Aerith, at this point, already having developed feelings for Cloud. Either way, they climb up a makeshift slide and Cloud sits at a distance from her, note that his knee is up which acts for now as a barrier between them, even when Aerith slides closer to him. Cloud doesn’t move away from her when she closes the gap and allows her to sit beside him.

Aerith shares with Cloud that she used to sell flowers at the park, which any Crisis Core fan will recognize as a mention of when Zack and Aerith used to sell flowers in the park together. Such a memory prompts her to ask Cloud if he was a first class soldier, and that the reason she wants to know is because the first guy she ever loved. Noticing that Aerith is sadded by whatever is on her mind, he lowers his leg, a.k.a, lowering the wall he has placed between them in order to allow Aerith to open up to him more. We see Cloud once again getting out of his own comfort zone in order to comfort and ask about Aerith, someone who at this point he’s only known for less than twenty four hours. 

Cloud asks Aerith for his name because he “probably knows the guy”  and people who shipped Cloud and Zack cry themselves to sleep thanks to Cloud’s bad memory. Aerith shares his name (Zacks btw), but it’s bugged out thanks to another mind glitch. 

SIDE NOTE: The Zack Argument (Cloud)

{I promised we would eventually talk about the Zack argument and now seems like the perfect time to do given what I have already talked about. But first, allow me to explain what the Zack argument is. 

The Zack argument is one constantly brought up by people who are against the idea of Cloud and Aerith as a pair because of the existence of Zack. Zack is a character only mentioned in the original game but only seen in a flashback, but he’s the main character in the game’s prequel, Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core. He’s Aerith’s ex-boyfriend and Cloud’s former best friend and mentor who lost his life after trying to fight off a horde of soldiers sent to take him out just after escaping a four year long experiment that infused him and Cloud with Mako. Zack died in front of Cloud, giving him the iconic buster sword, and knowing that he will never reunite with the girl he loves, with his dying breath he tells Cloud to live on as his living legacy, and that his dreams and honor now belonged to Cloud (and cloud took that literally)

I jest except not really, as this memory, and in fact all memories of Zack are completely erased from Cloud’s mind. After he returns to Midgar, he not only doesn’t remember who Zack is, but he believes that he instead was the one who became a first class soldier instead of Zack, and that of any events in which both men were present for, only Cloud was. Cloud takes on the role of Zack in his memories, completely forgetting any and all the time spent together and believing all along that Zack’s accomplishments in SOLDIER were his own. 

This is important to recap for the argument. What is argued is that Cloud can’t love Aerith because bro thinks he’s Zack Fair, and that Aerith can’t love Cloud because bro thinks he’s Zack Fair. They both are two blinded by either false memories of Zack, with Aerith not being able to tell the difference between the two soldiers and fell in love with Cloud in spite of Zack, and that Cloud, due to the trauma of losing Zack, adopted his memories and fell in love with Aerith because of such a thing. The argument at play for Cloud is that he can’t be in love with Aerith because the memories he stole from Zack are preventing him from expressing his true feelings. 

I bring this up because while on paper the argument seems like good enough evidence against the idea of Cloud and Aerith being a romantic pair, when you actually take a look at what’s presented to you in the game, you will be quick to discover that this is laughably untrue.

There is a case to be made against both sides of the debate for Cloud and Aerith, but for now, let’s focus on Cloud so we can get back to talking about them. In the second part of this deep dive, we’ll talk about the Zack argument made against Aerith, but let’s focus on Cloud for now. 

For starters, the idea that Cloud has Zack’s memories is completely untrue. If that were the case, what we see from Cloud’s childhood would be completely altered. All of the backstory flashbacks we get for Cloud are rooted in truth, and if he really did have Zack’s memories then Cloud would be remembering Zack’s childhood, not his own. We also see in Rebirth that Cloud doesn’t recognize Zack’s parents when he meets them, but he can remember his own mother. 

“Okay, but what about the journey to Nibelheim” I hear you thinking (that’s right I can hear your thoughts) “Zack was the one who took the lead on that mission while Cloud was just a Shinra trooper, but Cloud misremembers and thinks he was the one in charge.” And while yes, that did happen and Cloud mistakenly believed that he was the one at Sephritohs right hand instead of Zack, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he has Zack’s memories. It’s important to indeed note that Cloud was on the Nibelheim mission with Zack and Sephritoth, and that was why he was able to recount everything that happened that day, he was there, it’s not like he made up what happened that day, (other than the fact that Zack wasn’t there and that Tifa died, because… no, and also anything that Cloud did was actually Zack so yea technically he made stuff up but you know what I mean). 

What Cloud has instead, are Zack’s stories from being a first class soldier. You have to keep in mind that Zack was essentially Cloud’s mentor, and Zack often shared his experiences with Cloud during parts of their journey. The information Zack passed onto Cloud, with the combined combination of the mako poisoning he would later receive and the trauma of watching Zack bleed out in front of him, causes Cloud to adopt the identity of Zack in his memoires. Cloud couldn’t handle losing his friend, so he just chased the existence of him from his mind and replaced himself wherever Zack was. Such a thing never meant that Cloud stole the exact memories of Zack, and we see in the countless times Cloud shares his own personal stories with anyone, that they are his own memories. 

Where this pertains to his relationship with Aerith, and the most damning evidence against this argument, is that when Cloud first meets Aerith, he doesn’t recognize her, nor does he have any real feelings for her. If it were really true that Cloud possessed Zack’s core memoires, he would have recognized Aerith, or at the very least have a mind glitch moment. But the only glitchy that happens when he encounters Aerith revolves around his own feelings when it comes to losing her in the future. This is something only related to him, not Zack. We actually see later in Rebirth that Cloud does indeed get a flashback where Zack tells Cloud about Aerith, but that’s only when he steps into a hotel room they shared together. If it were true that Cloud has Zack’s memories and emotions, wouldn’t that flashback happen when he first encountered Aerith? 

Not only that, but when Cloud first meets Aerith, he doesn’t really seem to care for her that much. Yes, it’s obvious there is a part of him that is intrigued by her, but he doesn’t really show signs of that until their second meeting. The first time they interact on the street when Aerith gives him the flower, Cloud is actually annoyed by her, and tries to brush her away when she tries speaking to him. The argument being made against Cloud’s feelings to Aerith is that they aren’t real because of what happened with Zack, and that he only likes Aerith because he thinks he is Zack, but if that were the case then Cloud would have had a stronger reaction to seeing Aerith the first time he encountered her, or at the very least he would have recognized the girl. Zack did tell Cloud about her after all. 

But none of that happens. The only time Cloud has weird flashbacks that involve Aerith are once again his own, and stem from his own personal thoughts and feelings that are unrelated to Zack. Because Cloud doesn’t have Zack’s emotions as the fandom believes. What he has are Zack’s stories of SOLDIER that he adopted into his own once Zack died in order to chase away the trauma of losing his friend and not making it in. If Cloud really had Zack’s emotions, the second he saw Aerith he would have known who she was. It’s a misconception that has zero evidence once you take a look at what’s presented, and stems from people solely against the idea of Aerith and Cloud being together, that they twisted the narrative presented in order to argue against it. 

So that’s debunking the Zack argument on the Cloud decided, and like I said, I’ll dive into the Aerith side of it later because that one is a WILD ride} 

After his mind bugs out, Aerith takes special note of his eyes, which are glistening thanks to the mako energy, a trait possessed by people in SOLDIER. Aerith looks away from him, as this makes her once again think of Zack as he was the one who taught her this and she quickly changes the conversation and climbs down the slide. It’s a shift in tone Cloud recognizes but doesn’t comment on. 

(It’s important to note here that at this point, Aerith is struggling to differentiate Cloud and Zack. This is not a false interpretation, and it’s later confirmed by Aerith during their gold saucer date in Rebirth. I bring this up now because it’s an extremely important point for later. But for now keep this in mind.)

Aerith opens up a secret passage to sector seven under a tunnel in the park, and turns to Cloud. Their bargain is now over and it’s time for Cloud to return to Avalanche and for Aerith to go about her routine as normal. This is what Cloud has been wanting, or at least, what he realistically should want. But the moment Aerith climbs from the tunnel, you want to know what he does instead of leaving? 

Nothing. Our boy does nothing but stand there and stare at Aerith for seconds. Cloud… you know that’s your cue to go right… like you can go back to sector seven now like you wanted you don’t have to keep standing there. But he doesn’t move, and neither does Aerith. 

It’s pretty obvious to anyone who watches that scene that Cloud may have gotten a little attached, and now is actively choosing to delay his stay for as long as possible. This proves the moment Aerith steps aside for Cloud to get to the tunnel, and not only does he take his sweet time walking over there, but he turns back to Aerith and asks her if she’s, “gonna be okay getting back?” Aerith, being Aerith, decides to mess with him and responds by saying, “And, if I said I wasn’t?” Cloud immediately takes the bait and offers to walk her back home, even though the entire point of their journey was Aerith taking him to the entrance to sector seven… So why bother taking her all the way back home just to come back unless he actively wanted to make sure she got home safe? There isn’t another answer other than the one I just gave you because that’s exactly what Cloud is doing. He not only isn’t ready to say goodbye to her, as at this point he isn’t sure if he will see her again and the look on his face as he stares at her just proves it because that is a face of agony, but he isn’t comfortable with the idea of her walking back to her house on her own. In a part of town that she’s already proven she knows better than he does. At this point he is delaying parting ways with her, and decides to make another trip back with her to the house just to spend more time with her even though it will delay his trip back to sector seven. 

Aerith even calls him out on this by pointing out that he told her that he needed to get back to sector seven soon. Cloud, of course, doesn’t have a response, as he’s making up excuses at this point in order to not part ways with her. Aerith laughs at his lack of a response and tells him that not only does she have a backup root to her house, but it’s safer than the one they just took. Cloud responds at first with utter disbelief that all this time they could have taken a shorter, safer route to the passageway before he smiles and laughs to himself upon the realization that she did exactly what he is now trying to do, delaying their journey in order to spend more time together. Looks like Cloud isn’t the only one who had intentions of stalling as Aerith went out of her way to take the longer route in order to spend more time with him :) 

Even with the confusion that Aerith feels at this point in the story regarding Zack and Cloud, she still chooses a route in which she can stay by Cloud’s side for as long as possible. She didn’t need to do that, and nor did Cloud need to offer to walk her back home after getting that fair in their venture, and neither of them needed to stand by the passage like fools with no intentions of continuing their plans. 

But they did, and I don’t think I need to tell you why this occurred. ;)

“No Way In Hell I’m Letting You Go In There By Yourself ”

This is hopefully going to be a shorter section, as most of what happens in the next few chapters is a bunch of shenanigans as Cloud and Aerith attempt to break their way into a special audition held by rich man Don Cornero to find a wife in order to help Tifa, who will be a contestant in the audition. 

But have you not been paying attention? I said shenanigans that involve Cloud and Aerith, so of course there is Clerith evidence I have dug up, be smarter and know me better! 

This whole section only happens because of Aerith by the way. Cloud was so ready to ditch Tifa and let her handle The Don on her own but Aerith convinced him to go help her. This is the same Cloud who was worried about Aerith walking back to her house by herself, and now he’s going to let his childhood friend go off into a dangerous mansion on her own. Uh-huh, sure Cloud. I will not buy into the excuses he and the fandom make of “oh she can so handle herself” and “Cloud knows what she can do and not Aerith so that’s why he is so-” silence. I will hear none of that. At this point Cloud and Aerith have fought battles together, yet he was still worried about her getting HOME, and he doesn’t even question Tifa on going into the mansion until Aerith talks him into it. 

You aren’t slick Cloud. 

Eventually Cloud and Aerith figure out that in order to get into the audition, they need to impress one of the members of The Trio, who each pick one candidate to go to the audition, and the one they find will only allow Aerith to audition if she and Cloud win a fight tournament, because of course this is a video game, so they enter the tournament as this couple and it’s just really funny to watch the crowd buy into them being a romantic pair, while Cloud is like, the least romantic guy in the planet. They added that alias for me, because I needed to hear the announcer call them a couple. 

After winning the tournament, there’s a pretty cute moment in which Cloud and Aerith walk towards each other, and it looks like something intimate might happen, but they just high five. Listen, knowing that Cloud learned how to high five in order to make Aerith happy, and now is doing it in a public space with a smile on his face, I will hear nothing about how this is a sign of friendship. We see later there are countless times in which hand holding is used as a motif for the two of them in terms of their romantic relationship (and you bet your butt that’s gonna be another side note I have for later) 

The moment that follows is when Cloud can see Aerith in three different dresses depending on the amount of side quests done by the player. I hesitate to include one of the more popular scenes involving these two involving one of these scenes, because it isn’t really considered canon if the player doesn’t do their side quests. But I really wanna talk about it so-

SIDE NOTE: Aerith wears a dress and Cloud is whipped 

{In one of the most famous Cloud and Aerith scenes in this game, if the player gets the top tier dress, Cloud waits for her on the bridge to the mansion, but the second Aerith steps into view in her gorgeous long red dress, he is rendered utterly speechless. 

Now Cloud is not a man of many words, as we have seen countless times at this point, but this is one of the only moments in the game in which Cloud is left tongue tied. And being tongue tied and silent are two very different things. Even as Aerith approaches him, Cloud STUTTERS, and can’t even form sentences. Reminder again that this is the same man who was so quick to tell Barrett to get help, and now he can’t come up with anything to say upon seeing a girl in a pretty dress. 

Before you think that maybe he gets this way around all girls in dresses, when he sees Tifa in one of her three dresses, he doesn’t show a reaction at all. His response to her never changes, but with Aerith, it does. 

Aerith is quick to notice Cloud’s embarrassment and calls him out before he excuses himself. Aerith for once doesn’t tease him on his behavior, but instead smiles to herself. I think at this point she is starting to realize that Cloud is starting to fall for her a little bit.

I hesitated to include this moment in the actual essay because of the fact that it’s not technically canon, but I love it too much to at least not mention it. In all the promotion Aerith is wearing this dress, so there is an argument to be made that this scene is the more canon one of the three, and the one the writers had in mind, I mean it’s basically a reward for doing your sticken side quests, but it’s not like you can make the default argument. Either way, felt the need to at least mention it out of love.} 

Before the dress scene takes place, Cloud instructs one of the people helping them to inform Aerith to stay put, a message that she immediately ignores and heads back in Cloud’s direction. Aerith tells him she ignored it because she was worried about Cloud (that sound you heard was me screaming) 

This is when Cloud expresses his concerns revolving Wall Market with Aerith, and tells her “No way in hell I’ll let you go in there by yourself.” referring to the Don Cornero audition (and if you listen closely can you hear me screaming again). I bring this up once more, but Cloud was willing to ditch Tifa and let her handle this on her own without a second thought, but now that Aerith is going in, all the sudden he wants to barge into the manion and inspect what’s going on. You can’t even make the same argument from before that Cloud is more worried about Aerith’s abilities than Tifa, because apparently he thinks Tifa can handle herself in a fight but Aerith can’t? As I mentioned earlier, Cloud and Aerith have fought already before heading to Wall Market, and at this point they have now won a giant fight tournament, on their own. So Cloud has indeed seen Aerith in a fight, and should acknowledge that she can fend for herself. But even still, he not only continues to worry over her safety in the mansion, he outright refuses to allow her to go into it alone. The bodyguard instincts are kicking in Cloud you can’t run from them! 

There’s a shared worry each one feels over the other’s safety and mind. And it’s just flipping adorable to see them going against each other in order to look out for one another. But even despite that Aerith informs Cloud that she wasn’t worried about going in alone, nor did she have intentions to do so because she already has a plan to get Cloud inside. We love that Aerith isn’t worried with the knowledge that she has Cloud by her side. 

So they go to impress the final member of the trio in order to get Cloud into the audition, but his trial is dance. Now, there was an earlier scene in the game in which Cloud tells Barrett that he doesn’t dance. But he never said he couldn’t! :D 

Cloud attempts to walk from the club, but the moment he sees Aerith in the crowd cheering him on he walks back center stage, and basically eats up the dance floor with that “I don’t dance.” energy, but given that Cloud is the best unreliable narrator, we shouldn’t be surprised he’s an epic dancer. 

But again, he was willing to give up on the trial entirety until he saw Aerith! I mean what more can you say, that shot of him looking out into the crowd and seeing her was intentional let me inform you. And your score throughout the dance doesn’t actually affect anything other than Aerith’s reaction, not even if you advance to the audition. 

So Cloud breaks gender norms in his disguise as The Don’s next bachelorette, he and Aerith get in the mansion and finally meet up finally Tifa. Their next plan is shared when Tifa explains her plan to interrogate The Don for information, but when Tifa expresses her concern about getting involved Cloud tells Tifa, “Don’t even bother trying to talk her out of it.” And Aerith cutely responds by saying, “Cloud gets me. Took you long enough.” We love couples doing couple things honestly, I support them. 

“We Have A Bodyguard Don’t Forget, Mine”

This will yet again be another short section because there aren't too many Cloud and Aerith moments that can be deemed as romantic in the next few sections. 

One of the major ones first comes from Tifa in an optional cutscene in which she asks Cloud if there’s something deeper going on between him and Aerith, and he just… doesn’t answer for some reason. Like he neither confirms or denies it which is a little weird CLOUD! 

But mostly the next few sections are Aerith and Tifa getting to know each other and forming a little girl bond which is adorable. Now is the time to mention that we should not be pitting these two incredible female characters up against each other just because of ship wars! Aerith and Tifa are both amazing and complex female characters and I’m so sick of people belittling the both of them just because of a relationship with the male protagonist. The arguments are old and deeply layered in misogyny. This is directed to both people who ship Clerith and people who ship Cloti: leave these amazing characters alone and stop belittling their writing just to uplift the other one. 

With that out of the way, eventually the trio encounter the entrance to a ghost train station I believe and debate on going in. Aerith, in another flirtatious and cute moment, tells Tifa they shouldn’t worry about going inside because “We have a bodyguard don’t forget, mine” before wrapping her arm around Cloud’s, and all the man can respond with is, “Ghosts aren’t my thing.” because that’s such a Cloud thing to say. I don’t think at this point Aerith is trying to hide how into Cloud she is and it’s honestly just so funny and adorable watching the people around them, both in Remake and Rebirth, respond to the bold things Aerith says about her relationship to Cloud. And he kinda just stands back and takes it, Cloud core at its finest. 

Somewhere in the ghostyard, Cloud and Tifa lose Aerith. Cloud attempts to reach out his hand in order to catch her, but it’s missed and they lose her in the mist. 

Foreshadowing: Verb. “Foreshadowing” is a narrative device in which suggestions or warnings about events to come- 

After Aerith becomes trapped in ghostly images and sequences from her childhood, Cloud eventually finds her by covering her body with his own and knocking her away from the enemy ghosts. Bodyguard mode is indeed still locked in, and time and time again Cloud will non-stop jump into the fry to defend her. 

SIDE NOTE: Cloud and his bodyguard instincts, but only when Aerith is in the room

{This really isn’t something I could fit into one section, as there are sprinkles of it layered all throughout the unknown journey. So here’s another side note all about Cloud and his instinct to protect Aerith in literally every situation.

During the story, it’s hard to keep track of the number of times Cloud will stand in front of Aerith before a battle starts, rush to her aid whenever she is in trouble, or overall go out of his way to ensure her safety is a priority over his. Such a thing was evident and noticeable from the very first moment Cloud and Aerith met, when the troopers showed up and Cloud stood in front of her. And when Reno showed up at the church, he didn’t hesitate to defend her again. Both of these moments happen during a point where Cloud doesn’t know or owe Aerith anything, and yet he’s protecting her at the cost of his own life. 

But even away from battle, Cloud is always looking out for Aerith. He catches her when she falls off a roof (it wasn’t even high) and reaches out his hand whenever she stumbles a little bit. And we see that when danger does return, he is always shielding her from it, covering or guarding her so she is not the first one harmed. 

Some of my favorite moments from both Remake and Rebirth that I wish to highlight real quick involving Cloud’s instincts to protect Aerith are as followed: 

• Refusing to allow Aerith to go into the mansion by herself despite Tifa literally doing the same thing. 

• Pushing her to the ground in order to protect her from haunted spirits 

• Asking to walk her home even after complaining about needing to go to sector seven 

• Attempting to disobey Elmyra by going to Shinra headquarters THREE times to rescue Aerith (we’re gonna get to this part in a moment) 

• Eyes always wandering to Aerith during some of the final moments in battle 

• Asking if she’s going to be okay when it’s literally just raining, and lets her walk in front of him so he can keep an eye on her 

• Covering her from a sandstorm 

• Immediately stepping in front of her when Hojo shows up to the beach

• Cloud pulling her behind him after the turks find them 

• Jumping after and holding onto her as they fall into the abyss 

And as I already mentioned, these are just some of my favorite moments. There’s plenty more sprinkled throughout both games of Cloud going out of his way just to make sure Aerith’s safety is the main concern. 

And I bet some of you didn’t know this, but if you pair Cloud and Aerith up in Rebirth, whenever Aerith gets injured, Cloud will step in front of her. As far as I’m aware, Cloud doesn’t do this in any other pairing. Just with her. Even well into their relationship and in the heat of battle, Cloud is still going to be protecting her above all else. 

I guess you could say he took the role of being her bodyguard a little too seriously} 

“She’s Calling Out To Me. I Can Feel It”

At some point later in the story after that whole ordeal, Aerith gets captured by Shinra after attempting to find Barrett’s daughter Marlene before Shinra drops the plate on sector seven. Unfortunately, this was the one time Cloud was not present to protect her, as I’m sure if he was this moment would have gone a lot differently. 

Tseng, a fellow turk who basically took the lead on attempting to find Aerith, sends a video message to the remaining trio, revealing that she’s an ancient before blowing up the building they’re on and hanging up the call like a jerk. 

Now of course, the news that Aerith is in captivity doesn’t sit right with Cloud. Quite the opposite in fact. Once everyone makes their way back to Elmyra and Aerith’s house, Elmyra explains Aerith’s origins and insists that once Shinra gets what they need from Aerith, access to the promised land only the ancients can find, they’ll most likely send her back. Cloud immediately disagrees with this sentiment and attempts to charge from the house to go find her, but Elmyra begs him not to out of fear something will happen to her. Tifa has to talk him out of going, but even after that Cloud tries a second time later to convince Elmyra to let them go after Aerith. 

Everyone is on board with the idea of waiting for Aerith to be returned, all except Cloud. Even after being told not to by her mother, Cloud will continue attempting to persuade Elmyra into changing her mind about allowing Cloud to go after her. Keep in mind that Cloud has never behaved this way with any other member of the party. Again he was willing to allow Tifa to go into that mansion alone, but even after being told the backstory of Aerith and the turks, Cloud refuses to allow her to stay in captivity, even if she is being given the guest treatment. 

The fact that Aerith is not only separated from everyone else, but has been taken drives Cloud insane, and he refuses to give up on the idea of rescuing her. Once more it must be stated that he has not known her for that long, but he can not stand the idea of waiting for Shinra to let her go. Cloud wants to go after her immediately because he wants to protect her. Which is just-AHHHHHHHHHH Cloud you simply can not run from your feelings, we all know why you really want to go after Aerith, you can say it. 

Even after being told no twice, he tries a third time after the resolution scene to convince Elmyra to let him go get Aerith. He tells her mom, “She’s calling out to me. I can feel it.” and with Barrett and Tifa now convinced to go get her, Elmrya gives Cloud and the other’s the greenlight to go get Aerith back, not knowing that unfortunately, she will never see her daughter alive again (Come to think of it, that scene right before Aerith and Cloud go to the playground was actually the last time Aerith saw her mom :(

What’s really interesting to note about the dynamic in the group moving forward, is that the mission to rescue Aerith is the first time Cloud acts as the leader of the group. Up until this point, it was Barrett calling all the shots, but when it comes to getting Aerith back, Cloud is the one in charge. He even reminds the others constantly about their objective when they talk about getting revenge on Shinra. The mind of Cloud is completely consumed on Aerith and it will be until she is out of the clutches of Shinra. Even after Aerith is rescued and the threat levels raise, Cloud’s number one priority is what? Making sure Aerith is safe. He is willing to stay behind and fight off Shinra while Barrett takes Aerith to safety. Barrett attempts to argue before Cloud basically has to plead with him to get Aerith out of the building. This is the one and only time this happens, a scenario in which Cloud uses the word please, and what’s it about again? Aerith of course. 

After that, it’s pretty much smooth sailing until the end game. There aren’t many more moments between Cloud and Aerith that can be deemed as romantic, but there is something else I need to talk about :) 

But before that: Intermission! 

SIDE NOTE: Little small details I couldn’t cram into one section

{This will be fast I promise you! This is just a collection of more evidence I couldn’t fit into the larger sections of this first part essay. So let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way so we can talk about THAT scene… oh you know the one. 

Have any of you noticed the way Cloud’s eyes naturally fall to Aerith in group settings? It happens in both Remake and Rebirth where Cloud has a tendency to stand only in front of her, or his eyes wander in her direction. 

• Did you know that the name Aerith actually means earth? And Cloud is basically a name resembling the sky? Together their names are earth and sky. To forces of nature always together but can never cross or touch one another… sound familiar? 

• Most of the default scenes involving Cloud interacting with one of his party members are the ones with Aerith. With that information they can easily be taken as the canon scenes. And the Aerith scenes are always the ones they play in credits no matter your choice. 

• Cloud’s voice becomes softer in Remake upon speaking with Aerith. At the beginning he sounds more gruff and hollow (haha), but upon meeting Aerith you can hear his voice beginning to soften up. 

• Aerith is pretty much the secondary protagonist, and her relationship with Cloud is always prioritized over the other characters. The first time Cloud takes the lead on a mission revolves around Aerith, they are the ones who meet eyes after stepping into Sephrioth’s mist, her name is second in the credits and on the official FF7 website, in Rebirth whenever Cloud can talk to his party members, the Aerith scenes are usually expanded with a second scene (the beach where the scene continues and plays out even after you pick are dialogue, and in Nibelheim when you have the option to have a second, completely different conversation with her), and you’ll notice that the dynamic between Cloud and Aerith is always the one at center and the one evolving the most. Aerith is also the last person to speak in both games, and is the first face you even see in Remake. 

Okay with those little moments out of the way we can move on}

“But Whatever Happens, You Can’t Fall In Love With Me”

The resolution scene is one of three scenes that take place in between Cloud and gang learning of Aerith’s backstory, and beginning the journey to get her back. Depending on the player’s actions while interacting with the three characters, you can get one of three scenes. 

• The Barrett Resolution Scene 

• The Tifa Resolution Scene

• And The Cloud Resolution Scene 

Now as I am sure you can guess from the titles, these scenes involve Cloud interacting with the party members as they decide to resolve something in their lives. Take a stand and make a change as they enter the next steps of their adventure. 

Now, if Tifa and Barrett are talking to Cloud in their scenes, making resolutions about the goals they make moving forward, is Cloud just talking to himself about his goals. 

No, and I think you should be well aware of who he’s talking to. 

It’s unclear whether or not the conversation that takes place between Cloud and Aerith is actually happening or if it’s a dream. There is evidence on both sides, with Cloud questioning through the dialogue if he's dreaming talking to Aerith, who at this point is in Shinra captivity, and after the conversation ends it cuts to Cloud waking up, but there’s also the theory that somehow Aerith was able to use her ancient abilities to somehow connect with Cloud through the lifestream, and even stronger argument that the Aerith speaking to Cloud in this scene is not our Aerith, but the one from the original timeline. That version of Aerith would be able to connect to the lifestream, and her dialogue is reminiscent of the future and her demise. It’s fun to speculate either or, I will be doing no such thing here because it is meaningless to the points I am attempting to make. 

Because how Aerith is speaking to Cloud doesn’t matter, what matters is what she is saying to him, and it’s one of the biggest pieces of evidence of all.

The conversation begins with Cloud coming across Aerith in the flower patches. Aerith tells him about her childhood in the Shinra building and teases Cloud a bit when he implies he’s worried about her. Cloud doesn’t deny the implications and actually outright admits that he’s worried about her. It’s one of the first times we actually see Cloud genuinely concerned about the safety of someone, and normally he would deny being scared, but he’s able to be honest with Aerith about his fear of what might happen to her. This is something Aerith notices and drops the teasing facade. She knows now that Cloud is genuinely concerned, and now a new fear is arising. 

Aerith begins to pray to the life-stream and starts to thank Cloud for everything he has done for her, citing that he's “made her more happy than he’ll know.” To those of us who know what’s going on with this version of Aerith, this scene already starts to feel tragic, but for those who don’t, the dots start to connect when Aerith says the iconic line, “But whatever happens, you can’t fall in love with me.” 

At this point it’s pretty clear that whatever version of Aerith we are seeing somehow is aware of the events that happen in the original FF7, and not only does this scene prove it, but the climax where she gives a speech to Cloud and gang confirms it as well. Aerith is aware that she’s going to die at the hands of Sephrioth, and she’s known for pretty much the entire game, and when you back through you can see glimpses of it, since she knows things she shouldn’t like how to find Marlene and what Cloud’s job is. At this point she seems content with her fate, and seems prepared to accept what’s going to happen to her, but that doesn’t mean that sorrow is not attached to it. 

The line she says to Cloud, “you can’t fall in love with me.” is layered in tragedy. It confirms so many things but one of the major things it confirms was at some point in the story of FF7, Cloud was indeed in love with Aerith, and losing her destroyed him a way beyond repair. We saw a glimpse of this in Advent Children, where her death basically causes him to spiral into a grief that isolates him from all of his friends. Aerith was able to see this too, so she warns Cloud not to fall in love with her because she doesn’t want him to be hurt again. She is worried that he will be trapped in another painful cycle of grief, and loves him too much to put him through that yet she knows she must die in order to stop the meteor. 

I think Aerith at this point in the story is trying to turn off her own feelings, or at least caution Cloud to be the one who does it. Either way you spin it, the warning is clear. Cloud does indeed have romantic feelings for Aerith, you can even see his distress after she says this line and he basically shuts down her, unable to look at her the same way he couldn’t when he saw a vision of her dying. It’s pretty obvious that losing her had a major impact on his mental state, and Aerith adores him too much to put him through it again. So she would rather him not be in love with her at all if it meant he wouldn’t be grieving her the rest of his life. 

The thing is though that Cloud at this point has already fallen for her, and the way you know that is because the moment Aerith steps away, his response to her is, “Do I get a say in all this?” Cloud could have easily denied that he had feelings for her or insisted that he wouldn’t have any problems with her warning because he doesn't have any intentions of falling for her, but instead he argues back with her about what she wants. He is asking for a say in their relationship because at this point, Cloud is pretty much already in love with her, and he gets visibly distressed when Aerith tells him that he can’t. Of course, we the player know why Aerith is telling him, it’s out of the kindness of her heart that she tells him this in order to protect him, but for someone like Cloud, hearing this breaks him, maybe not to the same extent, but still to a devastating point. At this point he is already too deep, and argues back with Aerith because he knows his feelings can not be shut away, even if they are unrequited. He doesn’t know what’s going on, but he’s not ready to give up on her. 

Hence why this scene is referred to as Cloud’s resolution scene and not Aerith’s, because Cloud is the one making the resolution. He is the one making the promise. Just as Aerith starts to fade back into the lifestream, Cloud makes a promise to Aerith that he’s going to come for her, and all Aerith can do is give him a small smile and thank him. This is what Cloud is resolving to do. Even if Aerith wants to push him away, and warn him not to fall in love with her, that’s not something Cloud is willing to do. He is in love with her, and even if it’s not what Aerith wants, he’s going to keep his promise to her as her bodyguard and protect her. But it’s not even so much as that anymore. I think at this point it’s pretty obvious that Cloud is making this promise to Aerith because it's genuinely what he wants to do. The heart doesn’t lie, and I once again point out the clear devastation on his face when Aerith warned him not to be in love with her. I don’t know how one can not see that this man is utterly falling for her, when it’s pretty much pointed out directly that Cloud does and did love Aerith. 

It’s also important to mention that, yes, this is the default scene that plays. This is the canonical scene that the writers wanted you to experience. It plays in the credits, it plays without any relationship points, and given all you learn about Cloud and Aerith, and how this very scene is subtly mentioned going forward, you can see why this is the canonical scene. 

And with that knowledge in mind, is there anything else to say? 

“This Time, I Will Never Let You Go”

Cloud’s promise to Aerith at the end of the resolution scene is a direct parallel to the ending theme song that plays at the end of part one. I already plan to make a whole separate essay about it in my music section, which you can go take a looky at hehe) but Cloud’s theme song being centered around Aerith is a huge revelation for their romance. 

There’s a lot of debate surrounding who the song is about, and I’ve seen many arguments about it being centered around Tifa, Zack and even Cloud’s past self, but when you pay attention to the lyrics of Hollow, I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t immediately know that this song isn’t about Cloud’s grief losing Aerith. 

As I already said, I will eventually do a deeper dive into the lyrics, but here are just a few for good measure as an allude. 

Keep in mind that Cloud is the confirmed singer of the song, and what follows will be me proving that the song is about Aerith. 

• Bloody and bruised, brought to my knees. When beaten down, when broken up. You would appear, reach out to me. Heal every wound and make me whole: Aerith has always been the one uplifting and healing Cloud in both a physical, and emotional sense. She’s the literal healer of the team, tending and restoring everyone’s health, but she’s also the one to guide Cloud back into the light whenever he becomes trapped in his broken mindstate. We see it early on in Remake when Aerith takes his hand and gently tells him to get it together, all the way into the climax of Rebirth when Aerith is the only one able to snap Cloud out of being Sephritoh’s puppet. She has always been the one supporting him and guiding him to be better. No one else holds that card. 

• Was it all a dream, will I ever know? Foolish and blind to everything. Had I realized, had I thought it through? Would you be here in my embrace?: As you can see, this is a very romantic line, but there’s a tragic undertone within it as well. It’s a direct recall to Cloud’s behavior close to Aerith’s demise in the original FF7, where he was so blinded by his delusions, he couldn’t see the pain Aerith was in. Cloud in this line contemplates what would have happened if he had noticed Aerith’s struggles above his own sooner, and questions if she would still be alive had he woken up. 

• But I, I know. That you're long gone. But I, I will. Go on howling and hollow: This is one of the ending lines of the song. Throughout it, Cloud continues to lament and promise that this will be the time he saves Aerith, but at the end, he is hit with the reality that she is indeed, long gone. He failed to save her, and now there is nothing he can do to bring her back. Cloud resolves to go in grief, remembering and mourning her, something we directly see in Advent Children

And as I said, these are just a few examples. I do want to explore the song a little bit deeper but this is already getting too long for just part one of the deep dive into the romance of Cloud and Aerith. So think of this as a preview. 

But as I have mentioned, this song acts as that same promise Cloud made to Aerith in the resolution scene. He is promising to protect and keep her safe, and we see in Rebirth, it’s a promise he both keeps, and fails to live up to all at once. 

“You Promise?”

I didn’t expect the first part of this essay to be so long, but I’m actually really glad it is because it gives us more to talk about for the second part. I hope none of you mind this being split into two. With all the evidence supporting Cloud and Aerith, having everything be wrapped in one essay would have made this very long and hard to read, but at least now we have something to look forward to! 

As one can already see, the evidence for Cloud and Aerith being the canon ship is overwhelming. The next essay will be all about their relationship in Rebirth, with more side notes about the hand motif, Cloud’s grief in Advent Children, and the Zack argument from the Aerith side. I’m really excited to write that one and I hope after reading this you will wanna read it too. 

For now, we can end by me saying this. It still honestly doesn’t matter who you ship in this game, it is an RPG after all. But at the core center of the story is clearly a tragic tale about a hollow soldier and the ancient who offered him a glimpse into the light. Their connection is deeper than people give them credit for, and we Cloud risks his life numerous times to keep her safe, and Aerith always being the one to guide and comfort him when his mind wanders into darkness. From the beginning the story has always been about them, the two have always been at the heart of it. And I think such a thing is clear with both Rebirth, and the eventual story of part three being tied to the fates of their relationship. 

It’s been said before, but the love shared between them is so big that it can defy the fate of the universe… just not in every single one. 

But as we’ll see later, Cloud has indeed made a promise to come back for her, and he intends to keep it.