Evidence That Cloud Still Loves Aerith
by Alantie
Life and death. This was the theme behind Final Fantasy VII when it was first released in game format. However, when the game ended, there was much confusion on several sides as to the possibilities for the future, especially when it came to the romantic relationship between Cloud and Aerith. While some say that death is the end and that their relationship can not progress or continue, the novellas On the Way to a Smile, Maiden Who Travels The Planet, and the movie Advent Children/Complete clearly show that death was not the end of Cloud’s love towards Aerith, nor the end of their relationship. Death was only the beginning.
At the end of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud expresses a desire to Tifa while hanging off the edge of the cliff, the world coming to an end around them.
......I think I'm beginning to understand.
An answer from the Planet...
The Promised Land...
I think I can meet her... there.
~Cloud, Final Fantasy VII
Cloud states that meeting Aerith again in the Promised Land, a land of supreme and utter happiness; is what he truly desires. This desire clearly shows the deep affection Cloud has for Aerith, an intense longing that carries over into Advent Children/Complete, Maiden Who Travels the Planet, and On the Way to a Smile. The deep sorrow that Cloud felt upon the death of Aerith is portrayed in the following passage from Maiden Who Travels the Planet:
She watched Cloud's face which looked as if his heart was going to fall apart from the sadness of losing her, the anger and hate he had for her being taken from him.
...
But a cry came through to her.
It wasn't the sound of her cry. If it was then she would have felt the blood gushing up through her throat and the fury that forced its way out from the depths of her soul - It was the sound of Cloud's heart cracking. It was the cry of his heart that could never be healed of the grief he had towards Aerith's death, the blame towards himself and the hatred he had for Sephiroth.
She was surprised at the great sorrow he had for her. She was a little happy that he thought so much of her but she also felt the pain that was many times greater. There was nothing she could do about Cloud's suffering and the pain ached in her heart.
The pain continued even though she was in the Lifestream.
~Maiden of the Planet
The loss of Aerith was a heavy blow indeed to Cloud, as these passages clearly reveal. His heart is described as almost falling apart with sadness, crying out with a grief that could never be healed, and Aerith is later surprised by the depth of sorrow that Cloud feels over her death. Why would she be so surprised? These are intensely strong words describing Cloud’s reaction to her loss, words of great sorrow conveying a surprisingly strong reaction for someone who is claimed by some to be simply a friend. Cloud’s heart is described as cracking, the grief bubbling up from the depths of his soul, and Aerith is able to feel the intensity of his pain. Cloud is not normally one to show his pain, let alone any emotion whatsoever. His reaction to Aerith’s death is a rare reaction that he shows only for her. Not even his reaction to Zack’s death was as intense as it was for Aerith, making it obvious that his affections for her is on a completely different level than that of friendship.
In Case of Tifa particularly, it is shown that Cloud is deeply troubled, growing steadily worse as time passes on. It is implied in Advent Children/Complete and also stated in the Reunion Files that the cause of Cloud's depression and withdrawal is his guilt over Aerith’s death. Not only is he trying to come to terms with this, he is also dealing with an incurable illness, Geostigma. Yet, instead of staying at Seventh Heaven with Tifa and Marlene, Cloud goes to Aerith's Church. There, he finds a child named Denzel that he believes was brought to him by Aerith.
Not long after that, Cloud brought Denzel home with him. Denzel was already unconscious when he was brought into the bar. It was Geostigma. Cloud said the syndromes looked like they just started not long ago. As Tifa nursed Denzel, she thought of how there many children who were also infected with the same disease. There were many facilities setup for children who had lost their parents. Yet, why did Cloud bring Denzel here? Just when Tifa was going to ask him, Cloud muttered something.
"This kid came to my place."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean..."
~Case of Tifa
At first, Tifa is clearly uncertain as to Cloud’s motives in bringing the boy home with him. She remarks that there are many sick children out there infected with Geostigma along with others who have lost their parents, and that there are places set up to take care of them. She does not understand why Denzel is so special to Cloud, why he would bother to bring home this particular boy. Later, Tifa finally asks, and he confesses to her, revealing not only why he brought Denzel, but also where he has been staying recently.
"Hey, do you remember what you said when you brought Denzel here?"
"What did I say?"
"You said Denzel came to your place."
"Well..." Cloud looked like a kid that about to be scolded as usual.
"Tell me. I'll decide whether I'm angry or not after I listen."
Cloud nodded and continued.
"Denzel had collapsed in front of the church where Aerith used to be. That's why I thought Aerith lead him to "my place"".
Saying all that in one breathe, Cloud looked away.
"You went to the church."
"I wasn't planning to hide there."
"You were hiding."
"I'm sorry."
"I didn't say you couldn't go. But next time, I'll go together with you."
"I understand."
"And you're wrong, Cloud."
Cloud looked dubiously at Tifa.
"Aerith didn't bring Denzel to you."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too."
"Aerith brought that child to us, didn't she?"
Cloud gazed at Tifa and finally smiled. It had that kindness that made her think everything was all right. Days after having that conversation, Cloud left. Tifa wondered if the smile she saw was just an illusion.
~Case of Tifa
This passage reveals that Cloud believes that Aerith brought Denzel to him. Of all the children on the streets of Midgar, he rescued Denzel, believing that Aerith had somehow guided the child to where he was staying. It is also shown at this time that Cloud has actually been living in Aerith’s church, where he encountered Denzel. This brings up an interesting question. Why leave his home with Tifa and Marlene while he is sick, to live in an old church that is falling apart around him? The answer is quite obvious- because he feels closer to Aerith there. It’s a place that offers him good memories, comfort and the reassurance of her presence in his time of sickness and grief. The fact that he chose to live there instead of with his friends in Edge shows clearly that he craves a way to feel closer to Aerith.
At the same time, there is one place that Cloud cannot bear to go. The Forgotten City, or the City of the Ancients, where Aerith died.
During their holiday, Tifa and Marlene were cleaning the room that was now Cloud's office. There were many papers that laid scattered about unsorted. One of them caught Tifa's eye.
Client Name - Elmyra Gainsborough
Delivery Item - Bouquet
Destination - The Forgotten City
Tifa put the paper away with the others as if nothing happened. But she was trembling severely. Transporting mail around the world meant Cloud was traveling around his past too. She knew that Cloud was in great pain because he couldn't protect Aerith. Cloud was on the verge of overcoming it but now, going back to the place where he and Aerith got separated meant that his sorrow and regret was going to tear his heart apart once again.
It was night and they had closed the bar. Cloud was drinking wine even though he rarely does. He drained his glass. Tifa hesitated before going over and filling his glass.
"Shall I join you?" There was something she wanted to talk to him about.
"I want to drink alone."
Hearing that, Tifa lost control and said, "Then drink in your room."
~ Case of Tifa
Going to the place where Aerith died was extremely hard on Cloud, so much so that Tifa notices that something is wrong. Yet when she approaches him to try and talk about it, he shuts her out and refuses to let her in to share his private pain. In contrast, in Advent Children/Complete, we see that Cloud goes to the place where his best friend Zack died without any trouble whatsoever, an indicator that Aerith’s death is much harder for him to deal with than that of a close friend who died to protect him. If his grief over Zack’s death is equal to that of Aerith’s, then why is Cloud able to visit Zack’s grave, but not Aerith’s? If Zack’s death caused the same amount of pain and guilt that hers did, why then is Cloud able to go to the very spot where Zack took his last breath, but finds it so painful to go to the Forgotten City? This is yet another indicator of Aerith being something much more than a friend in Cloud’s mind.
In another part of Advent Children/Complete, Cloud learns that Denzel and Marlene have been taken by Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz to their base at the Forgotten City, and he immediately balks at going, trying to get the Turks to go in his place. However, they refuse, and Reno tells Cloud that he should go. As Cloud drives to the city, his eyes are shown to be very bright, almost teary, as if he is struggling with the pain of returning there. In a later shot of the Forgotten City, a wolf symbolizing Cloud’s remorse and pain is shown standing on the bank of the lake where Cloud laid Aerith to rest.
The Forgotten City is tied to Aerith throughout the film. Here, Cloud is constantly reminded of her no matter how painful it is for him. ~Nojima, pg. 9, Reunion Files
Cloud finds himself lost in emotion, as he races his motorcycle to the enemy's base. ~pg. 111, Reunion Files
I think part of the reason we decided to have Kadaj's base in the Forgotten City is because it's the one place that Cloud avoids. But at the same time perhaps he's drawn to it. There's a sort of hidden meaning to the maternal essence of Aerith that lingers there. ~Nojima, pg. 29, Reunion Files
When Cloud regains consciousness, Reno and Rude tell him about the orphans being abducted, and that they had been taken to Kadaj's base, in the 'Forgotten City'. Upon hearing this, Cloud hesitates, because of the association with Aerith's death. ~pg. 111, Reunion Files
Another thing ignored by many CloudxTifa supporters is Aerith’s presence in a scene which they often claim to portray romance between Cloud and Tifa. Tifa has been beaten unconscious by Loz and Cloud happens upon her only to succumb to a fit due to his Geostigma. The two are shown lying amongst Aerith’s flowers in the Church, surrounded by white light while a wolf looks on. However, what people don’t realize is this is the first time that Aerith actually makes her presence known in the movie as she heals Cloud and Tifa’s wounds. The white light around them only appears when Aerith is present. In addition, the song Water plays, and a water droplet is seen. Water is another indicator of Aerith’s presence, as the creators themselves have said.
"...Aerith has a sort of 'watery' image about her, so we used water to convey her presence".
"There's some foreshadowing that the church is where Aerith is going to appear,' says Nojima. 'There's a point in the plot where Cloud and Tifa are lying unconscious on the flowers here, and their wounds are healed....”~Reunion Files
So a scene that was thought to be all about Cloud and Tifa is actually the first time Aerith makes herself known through the white light and the water imagery.
Some argue that during Advent Children/Complete Cloud’s guilt, grief, and desire for forgiveness are not due solely to Aerith’s death and that Zack’s death and his failure to protect Tifa during the Nibelheim incident also contributed to it. However, this is proven false in the Reunion Files:
The incredible guilt Cloud feels because of what happened to Aerith can only be lifted by forgiveness from Aerith herself. ~Nojima, Reunion Files
Cloud’s desire for forgiveness is focused on Aerith alone, not his best friend who died to save him, nor for Tifa’s injury. Never does Cloud ask Zack for forgiveness, having been the reason that his friend died. There is never any indicator that Cloud tortures himself over Zack’s death the way he does over Aerith’s, that he believes that it is a sin to him. Again, if Zack’s loss was of equal pain and cause for equal suffering and guilt for Cloud, why does he never ask Zack for his forgiveness, but he asks it from Aerith?
The only times Cloud speaks of his desire to be forgiven are to Aerith, and later to Vincent, who also believed he sinned in failing to save his love, Lucrecia. This is an important because in many ways, Vincent’s story is a parallel to Cloud’s. Just as Cloud believes he is responsible for Aerith’s death, that he let her die, Vincent feels the same way about Lucreica, a woman scientist he fell in love with when he was a young Turk. As Cloud was a bodyguard for Aerith, so was Vincent for Lucrecia. Cloud is portrayed as awkward, withdrawn, and antisocial, much the same way as Vincent. Aerith and Lucrecia are both cheerful, upbeat, playful extroverts who enjoy gently teasing the men who protect them and are also similar in appearance with their long brown hair styled the same way. And sadly, both Vincent and Cloud were unable to protect their women from a horrible fate, believing that it is their sin. Lucrecia’s spirit reaches out to Vincent in DoC much the way that Aerith does for Cloud in Advent Children/Complete, both trying to help them find forgiveness. Thus, when Cloud speaks with Vincent about sin, it is significant for Vincent carries the same burden that Cloud does: the death of a woman he loved very much without being able to save her.
In return, the only one who offers Cloud forgiveness is Aerith, though she tells him she never blamed him at all. More than wanting to be forgiven by his friend Zack and even more than wanting forgiveness from Tifa, whom many believe he loves, it is Aerith’s forgiveness that Cloud desires most. It is only from her that he asks for forgiveness; never is Cloud shown expressing or asking for anyone else to forgive him. It is only speaking with Aerith that Cloud begins to change. When he arrives at the battle with Bahamut Sin, he remarks to Tifa that he ‘feels lighter. Like he lost some weight.’ It’s after learning that Aerith never blamed him that he begins to change, asking for her forgiveness that lifts the burden from his soul.
An important thing to keep in mind regarding Cloud is that he does not speak his feelings out loud very well. As the creators have said in the Reunion Files, Cloud speaks instead through his expressions, mostly through his eyes.
When animating Cloud’s expressions, we thought he should speak with his eyes instead of his mouth most of the time. Unlike more expressive characters such as Reno, Cloud will usually keep a stiff upper lip. ~Nojima, Reunion Files
This being said, it’s important to pay attention to Cloud’s expression and eyes during the movie. During the scene with Tifa back at Seventh Heaven, he does not look at her when she speaks at him, his gaze downcast or away for most of the scene, or standing with his back to her. Even during the Bahamut Sin battle, when Cloud speaks to Tifa, his back is to her and in the hand tossing scene where all of the group help give Cloud a boost they come face to face, but Cloud’s expression is not shown. However, in contrast, Cloud’s eyes and expression are focused on quite a bit when he’s with Aerith or in her presence. His eyes are no longer hidden behind his hair and when they are standing back to back, he actually tries to turn to look at her. During the Bahamut fight when Cloud is speeding up through the air, Aerith appears to give Cloud the final boost he needs, reaching out for his hand in a direct parallel to the ending of Final Fantasy VII where Cloud reaches out to her. Unlike the first time though, this time their hands are able to touch at last.
This time, Cloud had separated from his body and was now in an absentminded state but, in the abyss of the Mako world, he saw a hand there to guide him. It was white and delicate - it reminded him of the hand that gave him a flower in Midgar. Unconsciously, he stretched out his hand...
His conscious returned to his body. Tifa’s hand grasped his as the ground below him collapsed away.
If the hand hadn't been there to guide him then he would have been at the bottom of Hades right now. It was good timing. Cloud realized that he had been saved. ~Maiden of the Planet
"The ending scene of the battle with Bahamut, the scene where Aerith reaches out her hand, is homage to the last scene from a previous production. It was Tetsuya (Nomura)'s idea...." ~Nojima, Reunion Files
In this scene Cloud’s expression goes from one of sheer determination and focus on the battle to one of stunned awe as he sees Aerith’s face for the first time in two years. His eyes grow wide, and in his right eye Aerith is reflected as she comes down from the sky to help him.
Later on as Cloud chases Kadaj through the ruins of Midgar, they wind up in Aerith’s Church where Cloud yet again struggles with his illness. But even as Kadaj prepares to attack him, a spring of water rises out of the ground in a flood of rain, shielding Cloud and causing Kadaj to flee. As the rain falls down, Cloud’s expression turns once again to wonder as his Geostigma is healed, then Aerith’s voice calls out, saying, ‘let’s go, Cloud!’ During the scene where the healing rain sent by Aerith rains down on Midgar, Cloud’s face becomes peaceful and calm, lifting up towards the sky as he relaxes completely. The most notable of Cloud’s expressions perhaps though is the one at the end of Advent Children/Complete where Aerith is shown at the door of her church and for the first time she turns, allowing the audience to see her face at long last as she smiles at Cloud before returning to the Lifestream. In response, Cloud gives his first real smile in the entire movie, directed completely at her.
Another strong indicator of Cloud’s feelings is during the battle with Sephiroth when he has Cloud pinned to the wall with his sword, as he says threateningly, “Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away!” A series of images flash through Cloud’s mind, the first being Aerith as he knows her at present as their hands reaching for each other in the Bahamut battle. The next image is of Aerith as she knelt praying on the alter. The third image is of Zack. The forth is Aerith again. Then the fifth image is of Tifa, next Marlene, Denzel after, and then the final one is an image of the three together as they appear in the picture from Cloud’s desk. Aerith appears first, and then again twice more, suggesting that she is indeed what Cloud cherishes most.
At the end of Advent Children, the special music video Calling features Cloud riding on his motorcycle against real scenery. As the video goes on, Aerith is shown standing without the white light around her in a field of yellow and white flowers, similar to the ones in her church.
"In keeping with the notion that Cloud is in the live-action world at the end, we filmed the video for the ending credits in Hawaii. There are fields of flowers on both sides of the road, and the colors- yellow and white- are the same as the flowers in Aerith's church..." ~Nomura, Reunion Files
As Cloud continues riding along, Aerith turns and the lyrics say “the answer is in the wind.” Cloud’s journey continues on, and suddenly he is shown speeding through a field of flowers, the same one where Aerith was shown standing in, and the camera follows him no further. The next scene shown is of Cloud’s desk back at Seventh Heaven, where there is a new picture of the entire gang together, and yellow flowers resting on the desk in front. Scattered all over the desk and on the wall behind are several pictures of the flower field, hinting that Cloud has been spending quite a bit of time there. Comparing this music video to Cloud’s desire at the end of Final Fantasy VII, it seems that Cloud has indeed found a way to meet Aerith again.
A similar music video is shown at the end of Advent Children Complete called Safe and Sound. Although Aerith isn't seen standing in the flower field during this video, the same color flowers are shown in the same location as in the Calling video. It's safe to assume that these same flowers are again seen in the Safe and Sound video because they are the color of the flowers in Aerith's Church. The same pictures of the flower field are also still seen on Cloud's desk along with the bouquet of flowers.
This time, the video ends with a picture of the interior of Aerith's Church. It's interesting that the creators chose to end Cloud's story with the interior of Aerith's Church instead of the Seventh Heaven. This can easily imply that the Church is still significant to Cloud, and that he visits there often. The multiple pictures of the flower field on his desk also implies that he spends time there. It's made obvious once again that Aerith remains a part of Cloud's life.
