Entirely inspired by, and based on a concept Fury-Brand posted on tumblr. She deserves all credit for the universe, Aeris's new design and her back-story. The fic is also very much in flux and additions may be added out of order.
SOLDIER was coming to Nibelheim. The news had been the talk of the town for the last week - ever since Tifa's father opened the thin, computer printed letter from the Shinra company. He called for her in excitement; two SOLDIER operatives had been dispatched to look into their persistent monster problem. Tifa said all the right things and appeared enthusiastic; but still could not help the sting of frustration and annoyance at the news.
Her skill in martial arts was improving by the day. If her father had waited a little longer before asking for help; she and Zangan could have coped fine with anything that crawled down off the mountain. The moment passed. Who was she trying to kid? She was still in training - and even if she could hope to meet Zangan's level of skill, how many monsters could they deal with? This was part of SOLDIER's job - they would handle this as a matter of course. And-
Tifa smiled for a moment and then fought her face back to a neutral expression. Hard to ignore who might well be one of those operatives. It had to be him. How could Shinra not send Cloud, SOLDIER first class, back to help out his home-town? Assuming he had made it to the rank. Cloud, SOLDIER Third Class, was fine too. If he made it into the program of course. Hard to tell; the few who wrote back from Midgar had no luck locating him, but was that really a surprise? Names in SOLDIER mattered little unless that name was Sephiroth.
No. No, that was not entirely true. Or at least so slightly less reputable news sources claimed with unconfirmed sightings of a woman operative deployed on many occasions with groups of SOLDIER. Shinra remained oddly tight-lipped about the instances - refusing to answer questions or even confirm if the woman even existed. She might be nothing more than a fanciful notion from a gossip rag; the type to jump to a conclusion based on a blurry photo.
Despite the lack of concrete evidence the rumours persisted. There were other photos - not easy to fake without a decent artist with an airbrush and a good deal of time. Hard to bid the rumours more than a brief moment of concern all the same. Some of the theories were absurd; everyone knew there were no female SOLDIERs. There had to be some good reason though no one was able or willing to provide a clear answer to the question. Too many questions about the process of training the SOLDIERs met with stone-walling - and alarming visits from people in dark suits and bad reputations.
Cloud's lack of fame and omission from newspaper reports was of no concern. In the media, SOLDIER was Sephiroth plus some others who never amounted to much. Eclipsing Shinra's star would be a remarkable achievement at this stage.
Nothing to do for now but wait out the time. She would still train with Zangan, check the mountain trails and prepare for Shinra's arrival. They would need her - of that she was sure. Mount Nibel could be lethal to someone unprepared - no matter how good the SOLDIERs were. And no one in the village was as close to as familiar with the mountain as she was. Unless Cloud had been up the mountain more than she remembered. Funny; she could only think of one occasion- Had he been there? Tifa shook her head. They barely talked before he left - but when he did, somehow she missed him.
Somehow she had mentally lost five years by the day Shinra were due to arrive, and it felt like a birthday. Time moved at a glacial pace but it was impossible to concentrate on anything else. All her attention on the town gate and the road that wound down away from the mountain town. A full hour before the estimated arrival time Tifa walked slowly across the square and clambered up onto the water tower. She smiled. So much like that last night when she met with Cloud.
And now they were late. How could they be late? Shinra were supposedly infallible. Well, if not them, then SOLDIER. Tifa snorted. The organisation had gone down in her estimation. Time passed and she almost did not look up as the sound of a truck grew louder. Wait. Truck. Tifa jerked her head up and scrambled for the gate. A blue truck idled for a moment and stopped. Two uniformed men clambered out; Tifa's heart sank. Were those the SOLDIERs? All in blue with helmets. To say they looked nothing like Sephiroth was an under-statement. Maybe that was just for the lower ranks? It could still be Cloud under one of those masks. One of the figures in blue hurried to one side of the van and stood to attention.
A new figure appeared from the back of the vehicle, her white dress catching the afternoon sun. The woman - no, girl, barely older than Tifa. She stared past Tifa, past Nibelheim and towards the distant peak of the mountain looming beyond. It was her - it had to be. The girl from the rumours, the one from the blurry photos- And far prettier than the images had hinted. The girl's gaze met Tifa's- and now she was coming right towards her. "Fair, Strife, come on!" she called over her shoulder.
Strife? What was more pressing? That someone named Strife was part of the group or that the sole rumoured female SOLDIER was heading right for her? A glint at the girl's throat; was that materia in a choker? White was an unusual colour for materia- Behind the girl, two new figures emerged from the van. The one in front had a shock of black hair. Behind him was- "Cloud," Tifa murmured blinking at him. His uniform was blue like the two others still standing at attention by the van. Quite a contrast from the purple the guy with black hair wore - or the white dress the girl was wearing.
Tifa was still staring at Cloud even as the girl offered her hand and Tifa took it. The other guy was saying something to Cloud. "Hello?" the girl said, elongating the vowel.
"Hi, I mean, hello, I mean-" Tifa swallowed, blinking at the girl as she gathered her thoughts. "-yes?" She was still holding her hand.
The girl in white smiled. "I suspect you are Miss Lockhart? I understand you will be our guide on the mountain."
"Y-yes," Tifa replied. Cloud seemed to have noticed her and was trying to head back to the van. Black-hair grabbed his arm and dragged him closer to her as he murmured something.
"Good." The girl nodded. "Strife was selected due to his familiarity with this region - he admitted on the way here he was not very experienced on the mountain. He suggested we request you."
"I... I hope I can like up to your expectations." Tifa blinked. "Um?"
Another smile. "Yes?"
"Can I ask you name?"
"Oh how rude of me," the girl said hurriedly. "Aeris Gast; SOLDER First Class, Special Forces."
Aeris. "...and that kind of leads into my next question." Tifa swallowed. "You're really a SOLDIER?"
"Yep!" Aeris grinned. "The only girl at the moment. Unfortunately I can't tell you much more; trade secrets and the like. And some nuisance worries about the press."
"Naturally." She opened her mouth and closed it a moment later. Cloud and his companion - Fair was it? - had just arrived. And Tifa was still holding Aeris's hand. She let it go quickly. "Hi Cloud."
He tried to duck his head and look anywhere but at her. "Hi," he muttered after a tense moment.
Aeris glanced between them, a frown forming on her brow. "Fair?"
"Yes ma,am?" The other man jerked to attention.
"Go and sort our rooms out for tonight." Aeris glanced to Tifa. "In the meantime, I would like to know what's going on here?" Tifa blinked again, Fair looked bewildered, and Cloud looked petrified.
"Okay," Fair said uneasily. He murmured something to Cloud as he walked past, slapped Cloud's shoulder and wished him good luck.
Aeris said nothing until Fair was a good distance away. "Okay Strife; out with it. What's going on?"
Cloud blanched, his mouth opening and closing a few times. "A bet," Tifa interjected.
Raised eyebrows from Aeris. "A bet?" Tifa nodded. "I guess he lost then?"
"Yeah," Tifa said hoping this would be believable. "He bet me he would get into SOLDIER-" Cloud winced. This might not have been the best subterfuge. Too late now. "-within a year of his leaving the town."
Aeris's shoulders started shaking as she clasped her hands over her mouth. She threw her head back and giggled. "A year? A year Strife? You made that bet?" Another fit of giggles and she gasped for air. "I suppose there was no way you could have known."
"Known?" Tifa asked. "Known what?"
"SOLDIER is not exactly easy to get into. But, despite that, Strife here had a decent enough amount of potential. Just needs a bit more experience first."
"She means I failed," Cloud said with a touch of bitterness.
"You did not fail," Aeris said with a sigh. "I oversaw that session. Your heart is in the right place, you're just trying way harder than you need to." Her tone was softer now, less like a commanding officer and more of a friend. Or a sister somehow? Cloud did not seem to notice the change. "Still can't believe you bet on that." A note of amusement re-entered Aeris's voice. "How much?"
"Much?"
"The bet. How much did you wager with Miss Lockhart?"
"Tifa, please," Tifa broke in.
"Tifa then." Aeris studied Cloud. "How much did you-" Her eyes and her grin widened. "Or did you bet something else? Should I give you two some space or...?" Cloud's cheeks flushed bright red; Tifa's felt like they were on fire.
"It was just twenty gil," she managed to stammer in the end. "Twenty gil he would make it in."
The answer seemed like a dissapointment to her. "Strife, Strife, Strife. Are your finances really that bad?" Aeris shook her head and delved into the belt at her waist. "I'll cover you for now, but really you should be able to pay for these things if you lose." Tifa clung to the money absently as Aeris handed it over, not quite sure to do with it. "Anyway. We've had a long day so I'm going to rest up before we start hunting monsters in the morning. Make the most of today, say hi to your mother for me. Tomorrow we start bright and early. We'll see you tomorrow, Tifa." Aeris strode towards the hotel, her dress fluttering in the breeze.
"Thanks," Cloud said after a moment, still staring after Aeris.
"Don't worry about it." She smiled at him. "I think anyone would have been embarassed to admit our promise like that." She toyed with the strings on her hat. "Still don't know what I was thinking asking that of you."
"You wanted to be saved. Seemed simple enough to me." He smiled faintly. "And I wanted to make sure I could do that."
"You tried." Tifa glanced at him; still avoiding looking directly at her. "You tried to achieve your dream. I hijacked it a little."
He glanced at her questioningly. "Not upset?"
Tifa sighed. "For not doing the storybook prince thing?" She grinned at him. "I think I can let you off." She glanced towards the hotel. "But there is something else...
Aeris held her gaze for a long moment three days later. "You're sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," Tifa replied emphatically as she hefted her bag on her shoulder. Fair - well, Zack - watched her curiously. The SOLDIER's mission was over and done with in no time at all. Still something about the mission that left Aeris with a grim expression when she emerged from the reactor perched on the summit of Mount Nibel. But like all Shinra-centric discussion, she refused to say anything further. Zack was likewise tight-lipped about the experience. "I want to join SOLDIER too."
Her answer seemed to spark a glint in Aeris's eye. "Well, it's not like I can stop you applying." She grinned. "But don't expect any special perks or favours. Saying you know me or him-" She gestured over her shoulder. "-is not going to get you an easy ride."
"I wouldn't dream of-" Tifa spluttered.
"I'm kidding. Mostly." Aeris leant a little closer. "Between you and me, I hope you make it. The more girls in SOLDIER the better. It's way too much of a sausage party for my liking." Tifa hid her giggle behind her hand. "And don't think you can go in without earning yourself a nickname - and you might not like it."
Tifa made a face. "I have a horrible feeling I could guess."
Aeris nodded. "It's unlikely to be very imaginative it must be said. Still, I have my own; they like to call me the White Witch. Somehow they think I don't know." She sighed. "You'll be fine though. And I figure you want to hitch a ride seeing as you're packed?"
"As long as that's okay?" Tifa asked trying to figure out how to catch the next transport out of the town if the answer was no.
"Of course," Aeris waved her hand dismissively. "We can squeeze you in. Just watch yourself around Strife; he's not good in moving vehicles..."