"This is all the data I have for that so-called Aerith Gainsborough," Cissnei put the papers on the table and slide it to Tseng's. "Any more information on her whereabouts?" He asked as he looked at the people around the room. "Very well then, you are dismissed. Tell me when you see her. She's very special to us."
The people then stood up from their chairs and left silently. While on the SOLDIER floor, Aerith, the one they were pursuing, was hastily moving from post to post to get away from the infrantryman pursuing her. As she tried to settle down and take a breather, she heard footsteps that made her panic and hid in the nearest room.
"How many floors do I have to go down to?" She asked to herself and collapsed on the floor. "Maybe I should have taken the stairs instead. No one will expect a research experiment to go in that way." She thought for awhile then sighed. She blew her bangs and leaned on a pod like thing for support. "I don't even think I have the strength to go down on a staircase that long. I think this building have 80 floors!"
"Zack, could you go easy on me? Battling you with squats is like challenging Sephiroth in a duel without weapons and potion!"
Aerith heard footsteps and voices from outside. She hastily stood up and panicked. She tried to crack open the pod thinking it could fit her but instead she saw a helmet and SOLDIER uniform inside of it. She gulped and locked the door as she put on her disguise.
"It's locked!" The man said as he opened the door. "Hey is someone there?" Zack shouted as loud as he can.
"Yes there is. Wait a second let me open it." She then tried to walk normally with the clothes and the helmet trying to fall from her head. "Why did you lock the room?" Zack's friend asked.
"Changing." Aerith coughed and said as hoarse as possible. "Huh? You shouldn't lock the door no one will peep." He said as strip his helmet and top. Aerith was shocked and tried to not look. Zack grinned and covered Aerith's helmet with a towel.
"You know, I haven't seen you before, are you a newcomer?" The man asked as she nodded. The towel fell from her helmet but she hastily took it and put it back to her head. The man turned around and saw Aerith. He found it very weird. She was looking left and right with a freakin towel on her head. She looked like a boy who will not survive upon taking the first step on the battlefield.
"Hey newcomer! You wore your uniform incorrectly. You have no belt. Obviously you have a big helmet and a bigger uniform." He said as he pointed from head to toe.
"Come on man. Give the guy a break." Zack said from the corner of the room. "But he looked like a defenseless puppy. No one should accept a boy like that even Cloud look more intimidating than that." His friend whispered to Zack.
"The exit is on the back. Take care of yourself now," Zack said and smiled at her. Aerith smiled and nodded. She bowed her head causing her helmet to almost fall. She hastily went out of the room and bid her goodbye.
"Take easy on him," Zack said as he dried his black spiky hair. "He was wearing a 1st class SOLDIER uniform. He is a rank higher than me! I can't accept this." His friend said as agitate from anger. Zack laughed and put his arms on his shoulder. "Kunsel calm down. Let's have another battle of squats instead."
"Now that I remember 1st class SOLDIERS shouldn't wear helmets."
"Now, now. Let's go to the training centre instead."
xXXx
"Mister! Mister! I'm lost please help." A cute boy tugged Aerith's pants and said. She then turned around, clueless. "What?"
"You're a girl!" The boy exclaimed and pointed her out. "No I'm not!" She shouted in a girl's voice. She then retained her composure and coughed. "What's wrong here my child?" She said in a hoarse masculine voice.
"A girl! A girl! A girl!" The boy shouted as he pointed out Aerith. People started to notice and started talking about it. Aerith then covered the boy's mouth by impulse and cried to him to be quiet.
"My child!" The mother's child shouted and accused Aerith as a kidnapper. She hit her a couple times but after her son explained she apologized and thanked Aerith for keeping him company. "I'm sorry for before. Thank you for taking care of my son." The woman bowed down and forced her son to do as well.
As they walked away, her son tugged her skirt and said, "Mom did you know that SOLDIERS can be girls?" Her mother laughed and tried to hush him down. "No son, he might only have a feminine build that's all."
"But Mom I touched her boobies!"
Aerith hearing their conversation walked hurriedly away before her disguise was completely discovered. After that incident, she made her way home perfectly smooth. No one cared about SOLDIER in the slums. People seemed to detest them there mainly because all of their sufferings below the plate were indirectly caused by ShinRa.
"Thank heavens, you're home." Her mother, Elmyra hugged her the moment she saw her in front of her doorsteps. But Aerith's strength was drained out and went directly to her room. It was completely understandable to her mother but deep inside her, she felt was Aerith stranger than before.
"I'm beat." Aerith said and tossed a bag she was carrying on the floor –the bag where she put her disguise on. She lied down on her bed and proceeded to fall asleep.
I want to be a normal kid. I want to experience what normal kids do. I want to free.
As she said those words, flashes of memories come to her. She saw herself looking at the window seeing children like her playing outside. She saw herself chasing a white light but was put down by unknown forces behind her. And lastly she saw herself giving up and crying on her knees.
I hate this! I hate this! I hate this! I hate this!
She repeatedly said to herself as she wiped her tears. Then a strange warm light blinded her. When she looked up to see what it was, she saw the guy she met before wearing the brightest smile and extending his hands for her. She smiled and wiped her tears as she held his hands.
"Aerith," The guy said that woke her up. She sat up and recognized that it was her mother calling her. She wiped the tears and said to her mom to come in.
"How long was I asleep?" She asked to her mother. "Asleep? It's barely five minutes since you come up here." Her mother then gave her a cup of hot milk and sat beside her. "Is there something troubling you?"
"I'm tired of running away."
"Does that mean you will give in yourself?"
"No! I don't want to be constantly being chased and being captured. I want a normal life."
Elmyra sighed and hugged her daughter. "I'm surprised." She said that shocked her daughter. Aerith looked at her as her mother smiled. "It's the first time I saw you complain like this. I always pained to see you struggle alone. Now that I can hear what you feel, it made me happy. But—"
"But?"
"Be patient my dear. I know that the life you wanted will come sooner. Right now you need to be safe when the right moment comes." Elmyra stood up and went to the door. She turned around and smiled, "I'll call you when dinner is ready."
Elmyra closed the door and left Aerith sitting on the foot of her bed. Aerith's eyes were full of determination. She stood up and nodded to herself. She took a piggy bank behind her closest and broke it open. Several gils popped around the broken piggy bank. She took it and the bag sitting on the far back of her bed. She opened the window and jumped from there.
"Mom you are wrong. Life is about making mistake and I don't want to just stay here without making one. This will be my biggest mistake and the first step on my very own adventure!"
Omake
Wall Market
Aerith: I would like to buy some pants and shirts for guys within my size.
Seller: Why is this for your boyfriend?
Aerith blushed as she pictured Zack. She nodded and blushed even more.
Seller: How cute. I will throw you another pair for free.
[A/N]
Hurray! This is a revival and a better version of my very first published fanfic here. It was first called Meeting In An Alternate World then Living Normally then the current title is "The SOLDIER Within Me" I changed the title because I think it didn't match the story and after the second revision –a revision I made poorly— I decided to write this one from scratch and expand it a little more.
The first time this story popped to my mind is when Aerith said to Cloud that she is cut out to be a SOLDIER because they are always chasing her. Then another story popped into my mind where the guy and the girl are in battlefield and tied to their jobs making their love life complicated. Then after rearranging it this is what happens.
I wanted to revive this old story of mine because I believe that it such a waste for people to read it at its current state. Trust me the old one is so sloppy but hey it's because I was just starting that time. Now after two years of staying here I think I learned many stuff to make this much more successful than before!