Originally Posted by
Skyblade
I like Aeris as a character, and I like most of her interactions with the others.
I just don't see a romantic connection to Cloud at all.
She doesn't really hit on him, she's only vaguely flirtatious, and that doesn't seem serious, it's just her personality. Her "I'll go on a DATE" thing is almost exactly the same sort of moment as the "We're going to go PLAY" that she drops on Barret. It's more teasing than serious flirtation, because she knows it makes him uncomfortable.
All of her serious moments with him are her trying to determine why he's so broken and to find the real Cloud persona that is buried below his various psychoses. Even their "date" (if you take her instead of Tifa, the way you should) is centered entirely around her pointing out his similarities to Zack and wanting to actually find out what the real Cloud is like.
Oh, and Tifa is the one who actually succeeds at that task and pulls the real Cloud out of his broken mind.
I think Aeris is a great character, I just think the Aeris/Cloud shippers were playing a completely different game.