Huh. And I thought the thread was going to be dead in the water.

An interesting read. Kind of off topic, since the topic was who Cloud is in love with, now who is best for him, but schmeh. There are a couple of things I'd like to respond to though.

Quote Originally Posted by Aralith
Aerith is good for Cloud for several reasons. She is kind-hearted, self-sacrificing, and very strong-minded.
Not that this is untrue, but the way it is presented, it seems to present itself as polarized to Tifa, who shares those qualities. Not saying that it's your intention, but eh.

She had a connection with Cloud on a very deep level, one that even Tifa could never seem to find.
Now this is blatantly untrue, and Aerith herself admits it. In the lifestream, where one's heart is on their sleeve to Aerith, she cannot connect to Cloud, and realizes on Tifa can.


When Aerith and Cloud went on a date, she said, "I want to meet the real you." Now, this is pretty much the only way that this line could have been translated, but in Japanese this phrase has a much deeper meaning to it. To meet someone is to know their soul in a very deep and connecting way. This is pretty clear proof that at least Aerith had feelings for Cloud, even if he didn't return them (which I contend that he did).
Uh... not necessarily. I speak a fair amount of the language, and you can know someone without it being a soul connection.

By the By, the entire point of this thread, as mentioned, it to empirically support who Cloud had feelings for, so simply stating that you think he did won't cut it.

Tifa obviously didn't know Cloud well enough to know if she should tell him the truth about the Nibelheim incident, and ended up not telling him, which in the end nearly destroyed him.
Actually, she wasn't sure who was correct about Nibleheim, since though to her knowledge he was never there, he knew numerous things he could have only known were he there, which made her hesistant to speak out. She was also worried that he would vanish again/ break down if she confronted him, and she was worried about that happening.

Overall, the only two true contenders for Cloud's love are Tifa and Aerith, and with the evidence it becomes more a matter of interpretation and gameplay that decides who Cloud gives his heart to. I for one prefer Aerith over Tifa just because of my preferences and such, and therefore I believe that it should be Cloud and Aerith, though I believe that those who think it's Cloud and Tifa are just as justified as I am in their beliefs.
Well, with Reunion files, Case of Tifa, and Maiden who travels the planet, I think we're a lot more justified, evidence wise.