Clerith

"Aerith: My hero! Cloud: Never a dull moment with you. Aerith: That a compliment?"

- Cloud after saving Aerith from a fall

Clerith is the het ship between Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough from the Final Fantasy fandom.

Final Fantasy VII
Cloud first meets Aerith shortly after his first bombing mission in Midgar, where he buys a flower from her; afterwards, Aerith leaves and isn't seen again for a while. Eventually, the two meet again when Cloud falls into the Sector 5 Church and wakes up to find Aerith standing over him. Aerith asks Cloud if he remembered her, to which Cloud responds 'yes'. They converse until they are interrupted by Reno entering the church; Aerith asks Cloud to be her bodyguard and defend her from Reno. Cloud agrees for a date as a reward, and they can have one at the Golden Saucer later in the game depending on various actions taken by the player. Cloud and Aerith sit in a park, where they talk about Cloud's SOLDIER status and Aerith's first love, who was also in SOLDIER. Cloud remarks that he might have known him and asks Aerith his name, but Aerith responds that it doesn't matter as she was never in a serious relationship with him. During the scene where they escape the church, Cloud and Aerith laugh together. This is the only time Cloud laughs in the game. Aerith opens up to Cloud a lot before she asks him if he enjoys her company and says that she hopes that they can do it again. Cloud also has a dream of his mother, where she tells Cloud to find a older woman that would take care of him (referring to Aerith as she is one year older than him), Cloud says he’s not interested in a relationship at the moment and the dream ends.

After failing to keep Sephiroth away from the Black Materia, Cloud has another dream where Aerith tells him that she's going to stop Sephiroth in her own way. He chases after her, and when he wakes up, urges the party to do the same. Cloud and his party find Aerith praying in the Forgotten Capital to summon Holy, a powerful magic that will help destroy Meteor. Cloud approaches Aerith, when suddenly, Sephiroth takes control of his mind and forces him to attack Aerith; fortunately, Cloud's friends snap him out of it before he can actually hurt her. Finishing her prayer, Aerith looks up at Cloud, and they stare at each other before Sephiroth unexpectedly descends and impales her with his sword, killing her instantly. Cloud cradles Aerith in his arms as he demands Sephiroth to tell him why he killed her, only to have Sephiroth brush off Cloud's outrage before he has Jenova∙LIFE attack them. After Cloud and his attending party members defeat that part of Jenova, Cloud watches his friends mourn Aerith's death before he picks up her body and carries her to a nearby lake, where he lays her to rest.

Even though Cloud is deeply saddened by the loss of Aerith, he continues his journey to find her killer. On the way he stumbles across the place that was once home to Aerith's parents before she and her mother were captured by Hojo, after he killed her father. Through the recording Aerith's parents had made, Cloud gets a better understanding of what Meteor is and why Sephiroth wants to summon it. In the ending, Aerith's Theme plays as a hand helps Cloud escape the collapsing Northern Crater. Coming to finally understand the planet's answer and the concept of Promise Land, Cloud tells Tifa that he thinks he can "Meet her... there", which Tifa smiles gently and nods, then saying, "Yeah, let's go meet her."

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Two years later, Cloud lives peacefully with his found family; Marlene, and Tifa, but one day, Elmyra orders Strife Delivery Service to deliver a bouquet of flowers to the Forgotten City, Aerith's resting place. This triggers Cloud's guilt for failing to protect her; he begins distancing himself from his friends and family and regularly visits the Sector 5 church. Eventually, on one of his visits to the church, he found an orphan boy named Denzel near his motorbike. Realizing the boy had Geostigma, Cloud took him to his home. Cloud later admits about his visits to the church and tells Tifa that he felt Aerith was the one who had led Denzel to him. Cloud then travels to find a cure for Denzel's Geostigma, although he also contracts it himself.

As a spiritual avatar of the Lifestream, Aerith later visits Cloud in a vision as he rides to the Forgotten City to rescue Denzel and the rest of the children that were taken by Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. He asks for Aerith's forgiveness for his failure to save her, to which Aerith asks, "By who?", but when Cloud turns to see her, the vision ends; Aerith did, however, leave a reassuring message to him on his phone that says that she never blamed him for her death; unfortunately, Cloud never saw the message as the phone sank into a pool of water. During the battle against Bahamut SIN, Cloud is consumed in its attack, and amid the fireball where he has another vision of Aerith, who takes his outstretched hand and transfers enough energy to him to cut through Bahamut's attack and destroy it. Later, Cloud chases Kadaj to the Sector 5 church, where a pool of water infused with Lifestream cures Cloud of his Geostigma, thanks to Aerith's influence. After Cloud defeats the resurrected Sephiroth, Aerith, from within the Lifestream, uses her Limit Break ability, Great Gospel, to make the Lifestream-infused water rain over Edge, curing the other victims of it.

Cloud savors his victory, standing in the rain with a peaceful expression on his face before he is suddenly shot by Loz and Yazoo, who attempt to kill him once more. Fortunately, with some divine intervention from Aerith and Zack, Cloud survives. Zack mentiones to Aerith that Cloud must be very fond of her. Cloud then wakes up in Sector 5 church, surrounded by his family, friends, and the people of Edge. He uses the church's water to finally cure Denzel. Everyone celebrates, and Cloud looks around at the happy people around him, but abruptly stops when he sees Aerith's spirit near the church entrance. Stunned, Cloud watches her walking to the glowing doorway where Zack's spirit also waits, but not before she turns to give Cloud a warm smile and tells him that everything is alright. Cloud's last line is "I know. I'm no longer alone." with a full and genuine smile at last. During the credits, Cloud is riding his motorcycle through the countryside. Passing by a field of flowers, where Aerith is watching over him.

Final Fantasy VII Remake
While there are a few differences between the original and remake of Final Fantasy VII, the bond Cloud forms with Aerith remains the same, if not stronger.

Cloud and Aerith meet for the first time on Loveless Avenue in Sector 8, where Aerith is selling flowers. Cloud notices that she is behaving strangely, flailing at the air as if she's trying to defend herself from an invisible enemy. When Cloud approaches her, he experiences a vision of Sephiroth touching Aerith's shoulder, freezing her in place. Sephiroth then taunts Cloud, telling him that he is too weak to save anyone, including himself. Aerith's voice brings him back to the present, where she asks him if he's okay. Unlike in the original game, Remake Aerith insists on giving Cloud a yellow flower, regardless of the player's dialogue choices. She tells him that lovers used to give yellow flowers to each other when they were reunited. Cloud warns her to keep her distance from him, saying that he's involved in dangerous things. While they're talking, Aerith suddenly starts to flail at the air again. She asks Cloud to help her, and reaches out to grab his arm. Doing so makes Cloud able to see the shadows-like figures surrounding them. Cloud draws his sword, ready to defend Aerith and himself, but he is interrupted by the arrival of some guards, who command him to drop his weapon. Sensing that the situation has gotten dangerous, Aerith runs away from Cloud into a nearby alley, drawing the shadows to chase after her, and as she leaves, she exclaims, "Nice meeting you!" to Cloud. He wears the yellow flower Aerith gave to him all the way back to Sector 7, where he finally gives it to Tifa as she was curious about it. Tifa places the flower in a bottle behind the counter at Seventh Heaven, which Cloud can later interact with. When he does, he asks himself aloud, "What was up with that girl anyway?"

Aerith and Cloud meet again in Chapter 8, in an old church in the Sector 5 slums. Cloud falls through the roof of the church and into Aerith's flowers bed after the bombing of Mako Reactor 5. Cloud expresses his regret in crushing some of Aerith's flowers, but she tells him not to worry about it. They finally get to properly introduce themselves to each other. Aerith tells Cloud that she carries a special materia in her hair ribbon,a gift from her mother, which causes Cloud to have another vision involving Aerith. She invites Cloud to stay for awhile, and Cloud agrees to, implying that Cloud will help Aerith to restore the flowerbed which he just partially destroyed. However, before they can get to work, they are interrupted by the arrival of Reno, a Turk from the Shinra Ops who has come to capture Aerith. Aerith asks Cloud to be her bodyguard and protect her. When Cloud informs her that hiring him will cost her a lot, Aerith cheekily replies that one date should enough as a payment. Cloud successfully defends Aerith against Reno and his backup guards. Before he can finish Reno off for good, the shadows-like figures appear again and carry Cloud and Aerith off into the adjacent room of the church. This gives them the opportunity to escape safely, while also sparing Reno's life.

Their escape route brings them to the roof of the church. Aerith tells Cloud that there's a train station nearby, which they can use to return to Aerith's home. They travel across the rooftops to get to the station and during this time, Aerith tries to make conversation with him. He tells her that he needs to return to Sector 7 after dropping her home, and when she asks if he knows the way back to Sector 7, he replies that he does. Aerith responds by saying, "Of course you do," in a teasing way, implying that she can see through Cloud's facade easily. She continues to tease him during the journey, trying to lighten up his usual stoic demeanor. She also invites him to stay for dinner once they reach her home. Between their conversations, Cloud saves Aerith twice from falling — first when a rusty ladder gives out before she can reach the top; and again when she tries to jump down from the rooftops and back onto the ground. A flock of birds causes her to stumble from the edge, and Cloud, races over to catch her in his arms. Aerith calls him 'her hero' as he catches her, to which Cloud responds, "Never a dull moment with you." Upon reaching the station, they realize that the train services have been suspended due to the bombing of the reactor, which Cloud was involved in. Rude, another one of Shinra's Turks, also makes an appearance in that moment. To avoid him Cloud and Aerith travel through the backroads and reach the heart of the slums. As they arrive, it is shown that Aerith is popular among the residents of Sector 5. The housemother of the local orphanage asks Aerith for some flowers from her garden, wanting to decorate the orphanage in order to lift everyone's spirits after the bombing of the reactor. Aerith agrees and asks Cloud to accompany her to her house. On the way, she is curious about what Cloud did with the yellow flower she'd given to him during their first meeting, correctly guessing that he gave it away to someone. Cloud claims that he can’t remember who he gave it to, and Aerith teases him for lying, immediately seeing through him once again.

Aerith introduces Cloud to her mother, Elmyra, once they reach her house. Cloud is polite to her, and Aerith informs her mother that Cloud is currently acting as her bodyguard. Cloud questions Aerith on her choice to bring him here, showing concern that his presence would put her in danger of the Turks again. Aerith replies that she's more worried about him getting back to Sector 7. She offers to show him the way there after they have dinner, astutely pointing out that Cloud would never admit he needs help getting back, and would just get lost. Upon Elmyra's suggestion, Aerith decides that they should wait until tomorrow to leave for Sector 7, which causes Cloud to become impatient. He finally agrees though, when Aerith threatens to mention the 'priceless reward' coming his way in front of her mother, referring to the date she promised him in the church.

Cloud agrees to help Aerith with her task of picking flowers for the orphanage. After delivering the flowers, they discover that two kids from the orphanage have gone missing. Cloud and Aerith find the missing kids stranded on an island in the middle of a lake, where they are threatened by monsters. After defeating the monsters together, Aerith runs towards the island to save the kids. However, the old wooden platform under her feet gives way, and she stumbles back, where Cloud grabs her arm protectively and tells her to be careful. After the kids are rescued, they walk back to the heart of the slums together. However, as the kids run in front of Cloud, he has a vision involving Tifa, which causes him to say her name out loud. Aerith asks Cloud if Tifa is his girlfriend, which he quickly denies. Aerith sensing his uneasiness makes him notice of it but Cloud replies that 'It's not like that' and it's complicate to explain. Once they return to town with the kids, a pale man in a black robe appears. He is very similar to the man living next to Cloud's apartment in Sector 7, both men wearing the same unique arm tattoo. When the robed figure grabs Cloud's arm, he has another vision involving Sephiroth. The vision leaves Cloud in shock, and Aerith takes his hand in hers, gently asking him to keep it together. She is able to snap Cloud back to reality. Cloud takes various odd jobs in the town, and with Aerith's help, his reputation as a mercenary grows among the people of Sector 5. When they return to Aerith's house after a day of work, Rude is waiting on the way to intercept Aerith. Cloud and Aerith fight Rude off together, and Rude ultimately leaves them alone after receiving a call from Reno, asking him to return to HQ.

On the way home, Aerith takes a detour through her garden, spending a moment to speak with her flowers. Cloud waits for her to finish and, once she does, he says, "Hey... What'd they say?" Being one of the first times Cloud shows interest in the environment or the general well-being of the planet. Aerith responds, "'Good work today, guys.' Kidding... it's not like you'd believe me after all." Cloud agrees at first, turning away, he has a change of heart, realizing Aerith has been nothing but kind to him all day, and wanting to reciprocate he says, "Tell me anyway." Aerith voices her thoughts, mentioning at some point that, "Maybe I should just give up," and Cloud responds with encouragement, arguing that, "From what I've seen, you're no quitter." Aerith responds that, because today is a special day, she's been working especially hard, and when Cloud asks why today is special, Aerith is incredulous at first, before bursting into laughter — the exchange implies that her meeting with Cloud is the reason for her extra motivation and joy.

Before following Aerith to her house, Cloud hangs back for a moment to say, "Learn to talk to her," to the flowers. When Aerith asks if the flowers said anything to him, he replies, "Uh, good work today, guys?" suggesting that he does not want to disappoint her. (It is also noteworthy that this scene is both Cloud and Aerith indirectly speaking to each other).

Inside Aerith's house, Elmyra asks Aerith to prepare the guest room upstairs for Cloud. Without Aerith around, Elmyra orders Cloud to leave in the evening without telling Aerith. Cloud is a SOLDIER, and according to Elmyra, "You boys made a trade — a normal life for power. You can't have it both ways." Cloud becomes visibly angry at both her words and request, but he is unable to voice any protest since Aerith returns from upstairs at that moment. In the evening, Cloud recalls a conversation with his mother, Claudia. He remembers her advice to find a girlfriend who is an older, more mature girl who would keep him out of trouble. Notably, Aerith is more than a year older than Cloud. Later in the evening, Cloud leaves the guest room and goes downstairs. Elmyra sits at the dining table, asking Cloud to never speak with Aerith again. Cloud agrees and heads for Sector 7 alone.

When he is almost out of sector 5, he runs into Aerith who is waiting for him. Cloud happily accepts her company and asks her to lead the way. Aerith accepts and starts to walk but in that moment Cloud has a vision of a sad future and a single tear runs down his face. He quickly hides it from Aerith as she runs up to him and expresses her concern. Aerith leads Cloud to a back route to Sector 7 to avoid going getting near to Wall Market. As they make their way through the tunnel Aerith's warm cheer begins to melt Cloud's frosty exterior. Their cooperation starts to improve during the trip, and leads to a series of 'high-fives', representing their growth in getting closer to each other. Eventually they get to Sector 6's park. There Aerith suggests they take a break, which leads to them sitting side by side on top of a slide. Aerith opens up to Cloud and tells him about her "first love", a SOLDIER, like him. She is also shown to be incapsulated by his eyes.

After their chat, Aerith shows Cloud a hidden route to Sector 7. But as the time to separate came both hesitated, neither of them wanting to part. Cloud even wanting to escort Aerith back home, concerned about her safety. Aerith reassures him that she has a safer backup route. In that moment Cloud realizes that Aerith chose a longer route so that they could spend more time together. Coming to this realization, Cloud smiles to himself, amused but not really surprised by her actions. As Cloud is about to leave a carriage comes through Sector 7 gates and Cloud notices Tifa inside. After reaching her Tifa tells Cloud he should return to Sector 7. He agrees and then jumps off the carriage. But Aerith stops him and insists that Cloud should not let Tifa go alone to Don Corneo' den as she knows he's very dangerous. So Cloud and Aerith continue to Wall Market. There, they find out Tifa joined a selection to be a bride candidate to Don Corneo. Aerith suggests that she also tries to get be candidate, even though Cloud is reluctant he accepts Aerith's plan. They eventually find a way to sneak Aerith in, but Cloud would have to win a fight at the local Corneo Colosseum. There, Aerith insists to fight by his side. At first, the audience sarcastically teases this “battle-couple”, but after several wins, the audience starts to cheer up for them. After the tough fights they are crowned as champions and share a heartwarming victory high-five, bringing them even closer to one another.

While Cloud goes to do some jobs, Aerith gets to change into a dress and obtains Madam M's approval to join Corneo's bride selection. Cloud goes to confront Lesley, one of Corneo's guards, and starts to worry that the plan might be too dangerous. As he's about to leave a crowd starts to gather, and when it parts Aerith walks in wearing a stunning red dress. Speechless at the sight, Cloud can only stare as she comes to greet him. Aerith smiles shily and flirtly when she notices Cloud's reaction. Cloud then excuses himself for staring too long. He then tells her that their plan is much more dangerous than they first thought and that "there is no way in hell" he'll let her go in there by herself. Aerith then cheekily tells him that she didn't intend to do as such and that a "special someone" would like to meet him. Cloud follows her and finds out he has to take part in a dance performance at the Honey Bee Inn, organised by Andrea Rhodea. He is about to leave the stage, but he is stopped at the sight of Aerith cheering for him and decides against it. Cloud gives his best on the dance floor, winning Andrea's approval, who dresses him up as a woman, leaving Aerith in stunned awe. Cloud, now disguised, manages to get into Corneo Mansion with Aerith, to save Tifa. The trio, once reunited, interrogates Corneo to find out that Shinra plans is to drop Sector 7's plate. Despite being outnumbered he manages to make them fall through a trapdoor to the sewers. Cloud wakes up and looks at an unconscious Aerith and Tifa. (The player can choose who to wake up first, but it's worth noticing that Cloud is slightly positioned towards Aerith.)

They fight their wayback to the surface, ending up in the train graveyard, where Eligor, a ghostly-like creature, captures Aerith, and torments her with painful memories of her past. Cloud and Tifa find her in time to save her.

They manage to get to Sector 7 just as Shinra is about drop the plate. Before running after Cloud who left them to fight, Tifa asks Aerith to rescue Marlene and get her to safety. Aerith finds Marlene hiding in Tifa's bar, but the leader of the Turks, Tseng, finds them. As Shinra is about to drop the plate, Cloud, Tifa and Barret find out that Aerith got captured.They escape in time and Cloud brings the group to Aerith's house to check if Marlene is there and tell Elmyra that Shinra got her daughter. Marlene is safe, and Elmyra reveals that Aerith is an Ancient, which is why Shinra wanted her. This does not sit well with Cloud, who immediately wants to save her, but he is stopped by Elymra and Tifa and Barret's efforts to make him listen to her. She believes Shinra would not treat her badly, as Aerith was never forced to join them. While leaving Elmyra some time, Cloud and the group find an underground Shinra lab full of creatures. The sight of such monstrosity makes Cloud even more determined to save Aerith, bringing him to try to resonate with Elmyra, stating that Aerith is not safe. Elmyra still refuses and asks them all to rest.

At night Cloud wakes up when he hears someone downstairs. Following the sound he reaches the garden where he finds Aerith waiting for him. Cloud then asks her if what was happening was a dream. Aerith cheekily responds with "Maybe you tell me." Cloud asks if she's okay. Aerith then tries to convince him that she is just fine. That it feels like going back to her childhood home. Cloud, stubbornly, adds that her mother is "worried too." Aerith realizes what he had just said and asked if he was too worried about her. Cloud's response is a soft and immediate "Of course I am." Aerith is sorry for making Cloud worry, and with a sad smile on her face she tells him she is thankful for all time and memories they made together. Letting Cloud know he has made her more happy then he knows. Then she places a hand on Cloud's cheek and warns him not fall in love with her. Cloud is taken back by her words and tries to reach her hand when she pulls away, only for it to pass through. He then asks "If he has a say in all of this." Aerith ignores him and starts to vanish, but before she disappears, Cloud states with an unyielding determination that he is coming for her, making her smile. Morning comes and Cloud asks Elmyra's permission for the third time to go after Aerith, with Tifa and Barret's support as well. He says he feels like Aerith is calling out to him, getting Elmyra to agree. Through a deal with Lesley, the group finds a way to reach the top side of the plate. Before leaving Cloud reminds the others their only goal is to rescue Aerith and to avoid any unnecessary fights. When they finally arrive to Shinra Building they succesfully infiltrate and are able to listen to a board meeting. Hojo intends to experiment on Aerith and using her as a breeder, which disgusts Cloud an the group but gives them a key to find her. After several fights, they set Aerith free and begin to make their escape. Though things get complicated as Hojo tries his best to stop them.

On the rooftop the AVALANCHE helicopter that was supposed to be their escape route is shot down by Rufus Shinra, and as Cloud remains to fight him, he asks Barret to take Aerith to safety. Eventually they manage to get out of the building and escape their pursuers, but at end of the road, Sephiroth appears and opens a mysterious gate. Aerith asks all of them to help and challenge their fate. Cloud agrees to Aerith’s request. They win, but the future is now uncertain, whether Aerith's fate has changed and if Cloud can save her remains unknown.

Moments
Final Fantasy VII: Remake ''Note : if the player interacts with the flower in the bar, Cloud's mind goes back to his and Aerith's meeting, and to Aerith herself (most likely referring to her quirk). Though he only knows her as "that girl".'' ''Note : the title of Chapter 8 itself is "Reunion Flower" in Japanese, French, and Italian languages. Meanwhile, in English, the title of chapter 8 is "Budding Bodyguard".''
 * Cloud and Aerith meet in the familiar Loveless Street. Note that shortly before they meet, the song "Promised Land" from Advent Children plays.
 * Cloud is (perhaps) the only one who gets visions of Aerith's death. Visions of the future occur throughout; Cloud's most recurring are of Aerith's death and his reaction is consistently focused on.
 * Cloud mysteriously lies to Aerith, when she asks to whom he gave the flower that she gave to him, answering that he doesn't remember.
 * Elmyra, Aerith's mother, is most likely the only stranger he's polite with (he bows to the old woman).
 * Cloud insists that he's an EX-Soldier when Elmyra (Aerith's mother) outwardly says she disapproves of Cloud due to his occupation (SOLDIER). He then bits his lip from continuing the argument when he sees Aerith coming down from the 2nd floor.
 * During the night in Aerith's house, Cloud has a dream of his mother, where she tells him the perfect type of girl that she thinks is perfect for him: "An older, more mature girl that could keep you on the straight and narrow. And tell you when you're being a silly goose." Aerith is 1 year older than him.
 * Moreover, Claudia has a fairly assertive woman in mind. One who will challenge many of Cloud's tendencies and habits; rather than only follow his lead. Aerith fits these criteria very well. As she ignores Cloud's posturing's and pushes him to do the right thing frequently. And, owing to her foreknowledge, takes advising him and his "journey" seriously.
 * Cloud and Aerith both show a sad, bittersweet expression when they have to separate in Midori park. Cloud asks her whether she's okay to go home, to which Aerith teasingly replies "What if I'm not?", so he then says he will escort her back; immediately making a move to go back from where they came.
 * A trophy titled "Reunion" is acquired when a player completes Chapter 8. Perhaps, it's also a reference to her giving a flower symbolizing reunion in their first meeting. Cloud and Aerith's iconic second meeting in her church happens in Chapter 8 for context.
 * Cloud and Aerith win the Corneo Colosseum, together, with the audience cheering for them. Scotch and Kotch verbally hype the pair with at least 16 different couple nicknames.
 * Aerith's Wall Market dresses all include a cutscene where Cloud reacts to them, even appreciatively. From the "best" original timeline red dress that shows him openly gawking at her, to the "worst" dress (for which Aerith has more complaints than he does).
 * In the "worst scene" Cloud (really, the player) is quizzed if they really did their best by Aerith. Before the "best" dress reveal, a character named Madame M congratulates Cloud (and the player) for helping the people of Sector 5. This framing of the original timeline dress as a reward suggests it's the preferred or superior outcome.
 * Cloud is the first, and initially only, one to insist on rescuing Aerith in Shinra HQ and he dreams of Aerith at the same night. He asks her whether she's okay, and when she starts fumbling and showing distressed expression, he assures her that they should embrace the moment.
 * Cloud looks upset when Aerith says he shouldn't fall in love with her. When Aerith is in the middle of removing her hand from his face, Cloud quickly tries to grab it to no avail. He grumbles and clenches his fist in annoyance when he finds that his hand can't physically touch her.
 * He then voices his disagreement regarding her statement, asking whether he has a say in that decision. She smiles sadly, before saying she is grateful to have met him and that she cherishes every moment they spent together. Cloud then declares that he is coming for her (in Japanese, he said "mukae ni iku")
 * As relevant trivia, Cloud speaks 11 lines in Ch. 14 scene with Aerith. That's almost 3x more than the number of lines he speaks in other scenes (Barret's and Tifa's).
 * The dream with Aerith is the only Chapter 14 resolution scene that appears in the Credits montage, further supporting the possibility that this was the canon conversation.
 * Theme song "Hollow" played in the ending and credit roll is officially stated as Cloud's POV. Meanwhile, the instrumental rendition of "Hollow" (Hollow Skies) only plays in Sector 5 (Aerith's home sector).

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
 * All members of AVALANCHE, including Cloud, wear a ribbon in Aerith's memory.
 * In the beginning of the story, Cloud doesn't come home to Seventh Heaven bar for several days and chooses to stay in Sector 5 church, with a poor makeshift bed and a lantern as the only source of light, right beside Aerith's flower bed.
 * Aerith appears in the dream-like sphere as he's driving to Forgotten Capital to save the children. They stand back to back. She also touch his arm which contracted with geostigma.
 * As the spring comes out from the below of the church's flower bed, Cloud knew that his geostigma was cured by Aerith.
 * When Sephiroth asks Cloud what he cherishes the most so that he can have the pleasure of taking it away, Aerith appears first and more often than other characters. This is perhaps because Aerith's life is literally taken by Sephiroth.
 * Aerith's spirit touches Cloud's forehead in the white void.
 * Cloud is surprised catching a sight of Aerith interacting with two children on the church aisle. He then smiles upon the parting with her and Zack.

Final Fantasy VII

 * In early planning stages, the playable characters are only Cloud, Aerith, and Barret.
 * Yoshitaka Amano; the image illustrator, promotional artwork, and logo designer; sketches Cloud and Aerith together 4 out of 11 promotional pictures for Final Fantasy VII.
 * According to the scriptwriter, Kazushige Nojima, who joined in the middle of development; there were already a variation of explanation for Aerith's first love, one of which actually Cloud himself beside Sephiroth before settled on Zack in the final development.
 * The International commercials for Final Fantasy VII mentions "a love that can never be" while infamously showing a portion of the scene where Cloud lays Aerith in the lake to rest.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

 * The original script is just 20 minutes short featuring only Cloud, Tifa, and the children . But the scene about the children delivering Aerith's message to Cloud in the church is already part of it for the ending.
 * According to the Producer, Yoshinari Kitase, Aerith had already been depicted in her event with Cloud at the end of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, but there was no promise she would show up in Advent Children.
 * According to the Director, Tetsuya Nomura, Cloud sees Aerith several times in the movie not because he feels her presence. He sees her because her consciousness lives on inside him. Nomura also paid a homage to the last scene of a previous production which is the scene where Aerith reaches out her hand. to Cloud, in the ending scene of the battle with Bahamut,
 * According to the scriptwriter, Kazushige Nojima, as long as Cloud blames himself for Aerith's death, he won't be able to move on with his life. One of the first idea the development team had for Advent Children was to have Cloud overcome resolve that immersed feeling of guilt. For Cloud, no other than Aerith can solve that problem for him. So Nojima tried to create an atmosphere in which she seems to be by his side--in spirit, at least.
 * When Cloud was heading towards the Forgotten City, the staff had planned for Aerith to appear behind Cloud on his bike. The motion capture for the scene was done but since Nomura thought it would be too scary, they revised the script. So, the staff took care in making the scene of Aerith’s appearance seem like an illusion so that she didn’t seem like a ghost.
 * Cloud’s eyes were left open for the whole scene where Aerith touches Cloud’s forehead and he says, “Mother?” during the developing stages of the movie.
 * Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is revised and replaced by Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, released as Director Cut DVD in 2009. The vestige of Aerith watching Cloud riding motorbike is removed in the movie's credit roll.

Final Fantasy VII: Remake
All of these statement are according to Motomu Toriyama, Co-Director & Scenario Designer:


 * The scene of Cloud trying to sneak out of Aerith’s house at night is built in the spooky atmosphere which is why she sounds so scary when scolding him. Despite being mad at Cloud, Aerith cleans up the mess bit by bit to make it easier for him to sneak out. Aerith is waiting for Cloud after he leaves anyway, so maybe she was just playing with him. Kind of terrifying when you think of it like that.
 * High five is used to show how the distance between Cloud and Aerith has been broken down.
 * About Cloud and Aerith's scene in Midori Park, when you think of how Cloud imagine that Aerith was once on a date in this same place with someone else, he has rather a complicated feelings.
 * "Resolution Events" is made in order to offer a similar experience to original Final Fantasy VII's Gold Saucer Date. About Aerith's line "You can't fall in love with me. Even if you think you have, it's not real" in her resolution scene; the figure that shows up before Cloud is an Aerith who is exceptionally in touch with memories of the future, and who appeared here after somehow utilizing her consciousness within the Lifestream. While these words are intended for Cloud, Toriyama thinks Aerith is partly speaking them to herself. Her request to Cloud may be at odds with how she truly feels inside.

Mitsuto Suzuki, the music arranger, composes a track titled "Midnight Rendezvous" during the event of Aerith leading Cloud the way to Sector 7 at night. The song is played in the scene of them walking together and gazing at the night sky. He imagines the scene as romantic moment as the inspiration to compose the song.

Fanon
Cloud/Aerith has been extremely popular since 1997. It is a popular Final Fantasy VII ship and one of the most popular ships in the entire series. It is considered a "rival ship" to both Cloud/Tifa and Zack/Aerith. All ships have had evidence and materials to support them, although the fandom ship wars are ongoing.

Clerith fans interpret that Cloud was falling in love with Aerith at the first sight when they first met in Sector 8 because in "The Diary Entries" or "Mind" section on FFVII True Script Dissection The Complete (published in 1997) written by Benny Matsuyama, Cloud's thought is described as "I met a girl with impressive eyes, ... if one gil is all it costs to see that smile, it's a cheap price to pay." Meanwhile, according to "The Voice Script" on Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, he initially suspects she's trying to mark him for some sort of street con, and that a burly accomplice will emerge to shake him down.

Cloud and Aerith are also considered one of the most popular examples of tragic love stories in video game history. Several medias refer them as star-crossed lovers. One of these examples is the book "The History of the Kiss" by Marcel Danesi. in chapter 3: "The kiss in stories, Real and Fictional".

On AO3, Clerith is the fourth most written ship for Cloud and the second most written ship for Aerith; with over 1000 fanfics. It is also the fourth most written ship in the Final Fantasy VII, the fifth one in Compilation of Final Fantasy VII tags, and the third most written ship in the Final Fantasy VII Remake tag.

Since some brief Clerith moments were seen in the Kingdom Hearts series, a small group of fans base their fanwork on their KH counterparts. Due to the color of Aerith's brown hair and Cloud's blue eyes, as well as the spiky style of his blond hair, it inspired a few KH Clerith fans to feature them as Sora and Roxas' parents, for fun.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Cloud/Aerith (FFVII) tag on FanFiction.net
 * Cloud/Aerith (KH) tag on FanFiction.net
 * Cloud/Aerith (Dissidia) tag on FanFiction.net
 * Cloud/Aerith (Dissidia) tag on FanFiction.net

FAN ART

TUMBLR

WIKIS

Trivia

 * A few Clerith-like moments were seen in the Kingdom Hearts series.
 * In Kingdom Hearts, Aerith greets Cloud when he joins her and the others in Hollow Bastion's library.
 * In Kingdom Hearts II, when Cloud is about to leave, he tells Aerith that he doesn't want her involved. Aerith understands. Then he promises her that no matter how far he goes, he'll always be back. Aerith is the only one to whom Cloud makes such a promise to in the KH series.
 * In Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue during the credits roll, Cloud and Aerith is the only pairing from Final Fantasy series shown in Disney's pairings montage.
 * Cloud's crystal in the Dissidia Final Fantasy series takes the form of the Light/Holy Materia that Aerith created to help Cloud and their friends in their task, before her death causes it to fall into the water.
 * In Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade Hinamatsuri event 2013, Cloud and Aerith is paired as Emperor and Empress as well as Tidus and Yuna.
 * According to the Director of Final Fantasy XV, Hajime Tabata, the scene where Lunafreya's spirit sinks into the water was perhaps created by the staff in charge to that scene as a homage to a scene featuring Aerith. Although, to him, Tabata is more conscious to make Lunafreya parallel with Yuna than Aerith. However, people likely view it as parallel of the death of the heroine with both sinking into the water as their heroes bid them farewell.

Variations

 * Clerifa refers to the ship between Tifa Lockhart, Cloud Strife, and Aerith Gainsborough.
 * Clackerith refers to the ship between Zack Fair, Aerith Gainsborough, and Cloud Strife.
 * Cleriseph refers to the ship between Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough and Sephiroth