FINAL FANTASY VII

'A Countdown To Whodunnit'
aka
'Who Shot Ms. Gainsborough?'

"Ah, isn't a wonderful day Red?", sighed Aeris while gazing up at the sky.

"Yes. It is a most excellent day.", Red XIII agreed. "Um, Aeris? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Red, but can you hold on until I finish this here?", Aeris said while bending down and digging a small hole into the soil ground with her trowel.

Aeris and Red XIII had decided to spend the day in Aeris's garden outside her house in Midgar city. The sun was beating down and Aeris was decorating her flower bed with pretty flowers.

"Now, what was it you wanted to say?", she smiled.

"Remember that time we were trapped in Shin-Ra HQ and Hojo wanted to..."

Red XIII's words were interrupted by the sound of something rumbling underground.

"What's that?", wondered Aeris.

Cloud and Tifa approached. Red XIII bounded towards them.

"Cloud! Tifa! Get out of here! I think it may be an earthquake!", he screamed. "Aeris! Over here!"

But it was too late. All of a sudden, a huge amount of oil shot out of the ground, knocking Aeris to the floor.

"Oh my God! They killed Aeris!", screamed Tifa.

"No!", yelled Red XIII. "Oh Aeris! Now I'll never get the chance to tell you that I lov-"

He suddenly stopped talking as a black figure emerged from the garden. The party got into their fighting stance.

"Blurgh!", the figure coughed. It was Aeris, covered in oil. "Heh! Looked like I struck oil!"

Just then, out of nowhere, appeared two oil miners. They looked very pleased.

"Ah, what a sight!", one of them commented.

"Who are you?", asked Cloud.

"Allow myself to introduce myself. I'm Locko, and this is my associate, Gerimo. We're from a well known oil company, whose name we can't give for legal reasons. We'd like to buy your newly discovered oil. We'd pay an awful lot of gil, sir."

"Hey! How did you guys get here so quick?", asked an angry Tifa.

"Ahem! May I remind you that this is *my* oil! Sure, what the hey, I'll sell!", Aeris smirked.

"Thanks a lot sucker, uh, I mean, friend!", giggled the oil worker.

The following week, Aeris was worth a cool 50,000 gil. She was the richest girl in the slums.

"Hey Aeris, can I have 2500 gil to buy some new materia?", asked Yuffie.

"Hmmm... um, no!", said a smug Aeris.

"Aeris, can I borrow 600 gil to get some new potions?", questioned Barrett. "I'll pay ya back!"

"Hmmm... um, no!", replied Aeris.

"Say, Aeris, can I have 30 gil to get new make-up?", Tifa wondered.

"Hmmm... um, no!", gurgled Aeris.

"That's it! I'm calling a group meeting!", screamed Cloud getting up from his barstool.

The whole party made their way into the basement of Seventh Heaven.

"Okay, Aeris, we're all a bit fed up with your attitude!"

"What attitude, Cloud?", sniffed Aeris while smoking an expensive looking cigar.

"Ever since you got rich, you been actin' all smug. Y'know, like you were better than us or somethin'!", snarled Barrett.

"Well, first off Barrett... I am better than you guys. I'm rich!"

"Yeah, a rich bitch!", Yuffie mumbled.

"I may be a rich bitch, but at least I'm not out for everything I can get! All you guys ever do now is bug me for money! And I'm sick of it! I'm outta here!"

Aeris stormed out of the room in an angry rage.

"You people make me sick! I thought you were my friends!", she cried.

The whole party stared at one another.

"I hate that ancient! Let's kill her!", Yuffie shrieked, while pulling out a small pistol from her pocket.

"Hey! Where did you get that gun, Yuffie?", asked Cloud.

"Eh, I have my resources!", she scoffed. "Now I wanna use it!"

"Yeah! Let's pop her a new ass!", Barrett agreed, cocking his gun arm.

"Stop!", shouted Cloud raising his hands. "How could you all say those things?! Aeris is one of our best friends! I agree with her, we were out for everything we could get! We took advantage just cause she had cash!"

"...Aw, hell. Y'know what?", grumbled Cid, also pulling out a gun. "Death to Aeris!"

"Yep! I'm with ya! Just lemme get myself a gun!", bloated Cait Sith.

"You can't afford a gun, Cait Sith! Not on what Dio is paying you!", Cloud replied.

"Sure I can! I'm 2000 gil better off!", he smirked.

"Its his hot cat raise!", added Yuffie.

"Sorry Cloud! But someone has to teach Ms. Moneybags a lesson!", Barrett growled.

"Wait! Come back!", screamed Cloud, as Barrett, Cid, Yuffie and Cait Sith ran out of the room. "Geez, I think it's kinda weird that those guys all had new guns. Do you think they planned this?"

"Oh my! We have to stop them Cloud!", paniced Red XIII.

"Yes. Come on Tifa. Tifa?"

"Hey, wh-where's Tifa?", stuttered Red XIII. "Did she leave with the others?"

Cloud and Red XIII left Seventh Heaven to search for the mad mob of crazed killers. They walked through the dark slums of Midgar. A black shadow quickly rushed past them. It was too quick to identify so they carried on. Everything was peaceful... until a loud gun-shot shook their world.

"What was that?!", gasped Red XIII.

"It-it sounded like a gun-shot!", Cloud replied in a shaky voice.

"No...", weeped Red XIII.

The pair looked at each other and ran off down the street. Once they turned the corner into the alley, their hearts sank...

There was Aeris... She was lying next to a trash can, and she was covered in blood.

"Aeris! Who-who did this to you?!", Cloud cried.

"Cloud...", she slurred. "It was... it was..."

Aeris fainted, presumably dead, on the floor.

"Oh my God! They killed Aeris!", screamed Red XIII.

"But who? Who killed her?", muttered Cloud.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Who Shot Aeris?
Well, just for the record, it wasn't me! But do you have any idea who might have killed this sweet young woman? There is a clue somewhere in the story, I swear! And if you read it *very carefully* you will know the answer! Please, if you don't review the story, could you at least write down who you think shot her? Your suggestion will not influence my final decision at all. I have already written the next part and I will not change it. If you correctly guess who did the deal, then consider yourself an amazing person. Like I said, there is a clue somewhere in the story, so if you didn't find it, then read it again.
Thank you!
By the way, you will *kick* yourself when you discover the identity of the killer. The answer really is that simple!