Aerith sighed tiredly as she rushed up the stairs in the darkness, constant repetition of this action letting her know where each stair began and ended. The night sky had long ago descended over the third district of Traverse Town, though no one could honestly tell, considering that the outside world was always immersed in shadow.

Stepping quickly, yet calmly into the hallway, she inched her way to the first door, peeking inside to make sure her friend was sleeping soundly.

Soft, barely audible snoring came from under the soft quilts of Leon's bed. The young woman couldn't help but smile. Thank the gods he's sleeping peacefully… With a soft chuckle, she pulled her head from the doorway, continuing down the carpeted corridor while being careful not to spill any of the steaming remedy in her hands.

She paused for a moment at the next door, not even having to peek inside as she heard Yuffie mumbling a little louder than usual in her sleep, causing the brunette to chuckle and form a revenge plan because the ninja had switched Aerith's shampoo with a mixture of honey and blue hair dye a couple of weeks prior. Loud snoring was sounding from Cid's door, letting Aerith know that he was asleep as well.

The young brunette had been completing this ritual for the past several nights. That is, before she would walk up to his room to make sure he was okay and give him the healing potion she had made. Constant battles with the Heartless had certainly taken its toll, and that battle with Sephiroth had not exactly served him well either.

Inching past one more door, the presently uninhabited room reserved for the Keyblade Master and his companions, Aerith made her way to the next-to-last door in the hallway, which was emitting a soft green glow. Quiet not to awaken the sleeping figure in the bed, she stepped inside, thankful for the sound-muffling plush carpet on the floor.

Aerith placed the teacup filled with the potion onto the bedside table, glancing over at the young man with a sad sigh. As much as she had desired to, she just could not ignore that black wing that hovered over Cloud as he slept. Brushing off the thought with a shake of the head, she looked over his torso to see if he had made any progress.

The potions and remedies had certainly aided him on his road to recovery; Though the large gash leading across his bare chest was still open and certainly going to leave a scar, it was beginning to close back up and disappear, as were a number of the bruises and scrapes he had acquired as well.

The green glow shining from his body, a small healing spell that Aerith had cast earlier that day, appeared to be helping as well.

All that was left was the black wing.

Cocking her head to the side ever so slightly, the white mage continued to stare at the wing, the corners of her mouth lifting upwards slightly when she witnessed it twitch. No matter what subject she was on in her mind lately, her thoughts would always somehow find their way back to Cloud and his wing.

Aerith did not know why, but it had always made her… sad… To her, it seemed to be a physical manifestation of his misery, his sins, his sadness.

The darkness in his heart…

With another shake of the head, Aerith lifted the teacup before blowing onto the liquid to tame the heat, suddenly remembering why she had come here in the first place. She reached out a hand to gently shake him awake, but pulled back out of sudden remorse.

Cloud's face, though still displaying no emotion as it usually did, was ultimately peaceful. The white mage had not seen such an expression as this since they were both children, very young children at that. Biting her lip, Aerith grasped an uninjured area of his shoulder gently and shook him conscious, knowing that the best thing for him right now would be to drink the remedy.

The blonde groaned quietly, slowly opening his eyes as he yawned. He opened his eyes to see a beautiful smile. "Hey, sleepyhead!" she said softly yet cheerfully. "Sorry to wake you up, but it's time to take your medicine." Cloud groaned slightly again, attempting to lift himself into a sitting position only to fall back down from the pain. Aerith felt a wave of pity wash over her, but instantly covered it up with a cheerful smile.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you." She blew on the teacup's contents again before bringing the tip of the cup to Cloud's lips. "Careful; it's a little hot."

Cloud couldn't help but mentally smile as the warming liquid soothed his dry throat. She had thought to put a few drops of vanilla into the potion: his favorite.

Once it was empty and Cloud had sighed in contentment, Aerith placed it back down on the bedside table and turned, muttering something about another blanket.

The blonde watched her with hazy vision from across the room, still not fully awake. The way she had taken care of him for these past few days had proven that she would be a very caring mother. Cloud blushed a light shade of pink as his thoughts turned to… similar… things.

By now, Aerith had discovered a warm yellow quilt, now wrapping it around his legs and abdomen. She smiled kindly before taking a step back. "Is there anything else you need, Cloud?" Her response was a slow shake of the head. "Alright." She reached over to grab the teacup before turning towards the candle that had illuminated the other half of the room. She smiled again before walking towards the doorway. "Good night, Cloud."

"… Good night, Aerith," he choked out, wishing he could get himself to say more. She smiled again before turning to walk out, but was stopped by Cloud's meek voice.

"… Aerith?" The brunette turned.

"Yes, Cloud? What is it?"

"… Thank you…" he timidly responded. "… Not just for this, but for… everything… I will do anything to repay you."

Aerith chuckled warmly. "There's no need for that, Cloud. Taking care of someone I care about is enough to brighten up my day… But if it's the answer you're looking for: your welcome… Good night."

"Good night…" She bade him farewell with a heart-warming grin before stepping out into the hallway.

And as Cloud heard her door shut softly down the hall, the black wing that had been hanging over him like a large shadow twitched before dissipating into his back, leaving nothing but a few coarse feathers on his sheets as he gave into lethargy almost instantly, a peaceful smile on his face.

A part of his heart had been lifted…