You know, although I'm a Zerith, this has been always my personal view of Clerith ship --mainly from Aerith's POV-- that I write anywhere:
Aerith developing genuine feelings for Cloud because she knows Zack has passed away (Nomura confirms), thus, struggle to move on and ended up being in love with Cloud in the process (regardless of his feelings for her). The starting point of her ready to let go of Zack's shadow in Cloud is on Gondola date when she wants to meet the real Cloud, ready to love someone new. To her, Cloud is more than a friend she deeply cares for—a second man she loves. And that's also because I believe Aerith's gondola date route is the canon one so it's inevitable.
(I dont count Maiden, so I believe she treasure all feelings equally. She loves both Ifalna & Elmyra. She loves both Zack & Cloud. Cherishing the dead in her memories and creating new memories with those who are alive and care for her)
And as a favorite character, I interpret her character arc as moving on and accepting fate, not only from the lost love she keeps telling herself that he is still alive, but also from her Cetra role since it makes people see her weird. Her loneliness comes from the missing boyfriend and being the only Cetra that no one understand her all those years. Having an adventure with comrade slowly ease her loneliness, she comes to have a new love, she also loves all of them that she wants to fight to protect them all and the planet. She's being selfless to come to Forgotten Capital alone but it's just an easy task (Kitase confirms) so she would return to them when it's done.
That's all my understanding.
But then, in this Remake Project, I have to reconstruct it.
In Remake ending, she's already being powerful using her Cetra power against Sephiroth.
In Rebirth, The game directs you to get Tifa's date when affection point between the girls is equal. There's also a dreamsphere date she has with Cloud --which it's her subconscious that every shopkeeper tell them not match contrast to what they say when she went on date with Zack, that Cloud himself see her as nakama, that she even question if this liking was that "liking"-- right before her death as if it's her last attempt to know if Cloud reciprocate her feelings while she's supposed to pray for Holy that represents Planet and everyone she loves living there. And that the date itself is like screaming at her, "this is wrong, all wrong."
JP script shows that Cloud would love to create new memories with her (as nakama of course). To me, that's what Aerith is supposed to do, not by recreating memories she ever had with the lost love with the new one. It's trying to replacing by all means, the opposite of creating two different memories she can cherish together. But maybe this is why Toriyama said that:
"You can't fall in love with me.
Even if you do, it's not real (just your imagination)."
is her also talking to herself.
And as I said before, I dont like the game make her somehow heavily centered around Cloud at that last moment. It's a little selfish. And it kills how she's supposed to fight the fate to the very end, that she wanna live against what fate dictate to her, that she doesn't even think to dying although knowing the risk, that she will come back to her comrades and tell her feelings to Cloud later after she finishes her duty.
I still need to see Rebirth version of Cosmo Canyon and Temple of Ancient to understand her in terms of Cetra race. But in terms of her life romance, should I be happy that she can't let go of Zack? In term of her character arc, I'm not happy. But this remind me of this quote:
"We can't move on without closure" (D.B Russel -- Crime Scene Investigation)
D.B Russel said that as he's very determine to solve the murder case for the parents who lose their son. This said son had been missing for 10 years when his remains was found. But without knowing what happens to him, Russel sympathize they can't move on yet. I think this is same as Aerith knowing that Zack was dead but NOT knowing where he had been in 5 years not replying her letters (Man, I hope Cissnei had told Zack's parents the truth too). It's only Cloud who can give her closure, no one else. So before he regains his true self back, Aerith can't move on yet. It has to be him who initiate since Aerith keep being hesitant to ask, not wanting to know and runaway from the truth. So it's fresh to see that even in gondola date, SOLDIER!Cloud attempts to tell Aerith that he knows Zack, although it's through girl talks with Tifa. And although she meets his true self if she was alive, she still couldn't end up with him because his real self has always loved someone else since they were kids (though I never expect that Rebirth make Cloud reject her already).
That's what I have to add that in Aerith's portrayal. A new flaw in her character.
And when she meets the truth as she watches from the Lifestream, also reunite with the first love she can't move on from; that's when she cherishes Cloud both as her friend and as someone she had loved.
Okay, I'm just rambling here.
Thank you for listening to my peep talks.
I agree she is trying to move on.
