The next morning, after breakfast, the group met around the Eternal Flame. Its fire was not diminished from the night before, but it didn't look as impressive as it had during the story-telling. At every exciting part, the flames had seemed to shoot up, crackling and hissing. At every sad part, the fire had died down slightly as if burdened by the sorrow. Now it burned steadily as if wishing each of the members strength as they began their new journey back into ordinary life.
There were more than a few tears from Tifa and Aeris as they said good-bye to the others in turn, giving their friends the small gifts they had bought the evening before. For Yuffie, there was a necklace decorated colourfully with small rounds beads that glowed like materia. For Cait, there was a new pack of cards, their backs displaying pictures of moogle children at play. For Barret, there was a book of Cosmo Canyon stories for him to read to Marlene before bed. Vincent's gift was a small dagger with a bejeweled hilt and its own scabbard for him to tuck under his cape. Red was given a royal blue hair clip, its surface adorned with twin braids of deep purple that intertwined, forming something that looked not unlike a DNA molecule. Cid received a gold lighter engraved with his initials. Cloud's gift was an earring, a small ring of silver. Smiling, he removed the old iron one he had worn since leaving Nibelheim as a child and replaced it with the new one. To everyone, this symbolized a discarding of the past like nothing else.
Cait Sith, as Reeve, sent a helicopter to Cosmo Canyon. Cid offered to pilot it and he, with Cait, Aeris, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa, took off for the respective destinations. Yuffie was given a chocobo to ride to Wutai, herself laden down somewhat by the weight of everyone's materia. Vincent, it ended up, left before anyone could arrange transportation for him, and before any good-byes could be said.
And thus, the new adventure had begun.
Cait Sith hopped out of the helicopter amidst a chorus of farewells and started through North Corel to the Gold Saucer. The cable car ride was so familiar, if he'd had tear ducts, he would've cried.
"Hey, Cait!" someone greeted him as he took up his remembered place in one of the lobbies. He turned. It was Dio.
"Oh, hi," Cait Sith said with false enthusiasm. He had forgotten this part of coming back.
Dio sauntered up beside him and ran a hand over his greased-backed hair. "Hey, uh, can I ask you something?"
Cait saw nothing wrong with this. "Shoot," he said.
"Well, I was just wondering something. While you were all in pursuit of Sephiroth, did you happen to kill a Shinra scientist? Hobo, was his name?"
"You mean Hojo?"
"Yeah, that's it."
Cait frowned slightly, his furry brows coming together. "Yeah, we did. What about it?"
Dio laughed suddenly, just a little too loud, Cait thought. "No reason, really. I was just wondering. Well, I hope you can draw some customers in. Business has been kind of slow since the meteor and everything. See ya later." With that, he sauntered away.
Cait scratched an ear, watching Dio depart. That had been slightly strange. What interest would a dead scientist be to a man who ran the Gold Saucer?
"Excuse me. Are you the cat who can tell the future?"
Cait turned to see the inquisitive eyes of a young woman. He smiled. His musings would have to wait. Business called. "Yes, that's me. Cait Sith's the name, and fortune telling's my game. Do you want your future told with tarot cards, a palm reading, or just plain old-fashioned clairvoyance?"
Tifa stepped out of the helicopter first, her hair blowing around her face in the force of the chopping propellers. Aeris stepped out next, followed by Cloud and Barret.
"Bye you guys!" Cid shouted over the beat of the helicopter. "Hope to see ya'll soon."
"Yep, bye Cid!" Cloud shouted back. Tifa waved as the helicopter rose into the air and began to fade into the distance.
Aeris took a deep draught of air. "The world smells so fresh today," she exclaimed. "Almost as if it were the beginning."
"Well, it is a beginning of sorts," Cloud amended. "We're all beginning over again, as if we hadn't just saved the world."
"Will you two jus' cut it wit' that philosophic crap!" Barret moaned. "Let's jus' get goin'!"
Though Tifa hated to admit it, she agreed with Barret. Although they had saved the world and were now in no rush to go anywhere or do anything, she felt an overpowering sense that haste was needed. The deeper-than-usual grimace on Barret's face told her that he felt it, too. With a shrug from Cloud and a sigh from Aeris, the four walked casually into Kalm.
As they stepped into the streets, Barret cursed. "We don't even know where yer mother's livin' now!" he pointed out.
Aeris bit her bottom lip and scanned the houses around them. And then she pointed. "There," she said, her finger aimed at a quaint, red-brick house next to a restaurant. "That has to be it. See the flowers in the window? They're the ones from the church in Midgar!"
Tifa squinted and saw that Aeris was right. Behind the pane she noticed a batch of delicate flowers blooming gently out of a small, blue vase. Without another word, the group started toward the house. Before they had collectively taken twenty steps, however, a couple of teenage boys stepped in front of Cloud, running their hands through their hair and clearing their throats. Cloud, Tifa could see, looked as if he wasn't sure whether to be amused or annoyed.
"You're that man, aren't you, who killed Sephiroth?" one of the boys finally asked.
Cloud crossed his arms over his chest. "Who wants to know?" he asked.
The boy fidgeted nervously under his gaze. Cloud failed to hide the twitch of his lips.
"Is it true that your sword is bigger than you?" the other boy wondered. He seemed the elder of the two, and a little bolder.
Cloud shrugged and deftly unsheathed the Ultima Weapon, swinging it around his head a few times for effect before plunging it dramatically into the ground at his feet. The two boys stood, their mouths open, dumbfounded.
Cloud smiled easily and leaned against the hilt of his blade, crossing his legs, obviously enjoying the attention. Tifa shook her head, unable to stop a grin. He could be so cocky sometimes.
"Whoa," one of the boys eventually murmured.
"Is...is it true that Sephiroth had eyes that glowed red when he was angry?" the other boy asked.
"And that he had a forked tail with fire on the tip of it?" his friend added.
"And that he could change into a massive demon at will?"
"And that he didn't bleed?"
Cloud shook his head, holding up his hands to halt the barrage of questions. "Look, I'd really like to stand here and chat with you two, but I've got a friend here who's in a hurry and I don't want to get him mad."
For emphasis, Barret growled menacingly.
The two boys glanced at Barret's impressive figure and blanched. "Well, thank you for your time," one of them said before they both took off running.
Aeris hit Cloud in the arm as he yanked his sword out of the ground and sheathed it. "Was that really necessary?" she chided.
Cloud shrugged and said nothing, heading again for the house Aeris had pointed out.
After some discussion, it was decided that Aeris should be the one to knock and see if she had been correct. She gave the door three sharp raps with her knuckles before stepping back to wait.
It was a few moments before the door creaked open to reveal the tousle-headed Marlene, still dressed in her nightie. Upon seeing them, she squealed and jumped into Barret's waiting arms. "Daddy!"
Barret swung her around, his usually stern face breaking into a great grin. "Hey baby, what's happenin'?"
Elmyra appeared in the doorway in her bathrobe. It seemed to take her a moment to realize who her visitors were, and then she raised a hand to her mouth, tears coming to her eyes.
"You've come home," she whispered.
Aeris nearly fell into her adopted mother's arms, both of them crying by this time. "I heard you had died," her mother said.
Aeris withdrew and wiped her eyes. "The lifestream brought me back, Mom."
Elmyra took Aeris' hands in hers. "I hope this time you're here to stay."
Aeris smiled. "I hope so, too."
Tifa stood awkwardly behind Aeris, feeling kind of out of place. She glanced over at Cloud to see that he was feeling the same, studying his boots with interest. Watching the two reunions made her ache poignantly for her father, and she guessed that Cloud was thinking about his mother. Neither of them had any family left. This separation of the group would probably weigh most heavily upon them once they were left to themselves. Barret was leaving for North Corel, he had said in the helicopter. Going back to Midgar would open up too many old wounds, bring back too many buried memories, disturb too many ghosts. Aeris would be living with her mother. They would be on their own. Unless they decided to live together. Tifa let her eyes roam over Cloud's face, wondering what his reaction would be if she asked him. They didn't have to live as significant others, at least not at first. She just didn't want to be alone.
"Oh, how rude of me," Elmyra said suddenly. "I'm having all of you stand on my doorstep like strangers. Come in, come in. Marlene and I were just having breakfast."
Barret put Marlene on the floor. The little girl ran back to her chair at the table, hoisting herself up and continuing to eat her meal.
"Are any of you hungry?" Elmyra asked. "There's plenty of pancake batter left and I can cook up some eggs."
"No, thank you. We've already eaten," Cloud answered.
Tifa nodded. Her stomach still felt stretched from the huge breakfast they had been served that morning in Cosmo Canyon.
"Well, how about some coffee?" Elmyra offered.
Barret sat heavily in the chair next to his daughter. "I'll take some coffee, thanks," he said.
"I think I'll make myself some tea," Aeris said, walking up to a cupboard and rummaging around before producing a black kettle. "Would you like some Tifa? Cloud?"
Tifa shrugged. "I guess I'll have some."
"Good. Cloud, would you please go into the next room and get two more chairs?" Aeris filled the kettle with water and placed it on one of the stove elements to boil.
Elmyra chuckled. "How did you know where the kettle was, Aeris? And the chairs?"
Aeris smiled. "This house looks surprisingly like our old one. I imagine that you kept everything in a similar spot."
"You know me too well," Elmyra laughed, setting a cup of coffee in front of Barret.
Aeris just shrugged playfully and turned to bring a couple of mugs down from a shelf.
Cloud came back into the room, two folding chairs in his arms. He set them down at the table and lowered himself into one beside Barret. Tifa approached and sat on the other side of Marlene as the girl munched on a piece of jam-lathered toast.
"So," Elmyra began, seating herself beside Cloud, "how long are you thinking of staying?"
"Oh, we ain't gonna be stayin' long," Barret said, setting his cup down in the saucer. "Marlene an' me, we gotta be goin' if we wanna get to North Corel in the next couple a days."
"What about you two?" Elmyra wondered, looking at Tifa and Cloud.
Cloud shrugged. "We were thinking of just living here in Kalm," he explained.
"Together?" Elmyra asked.
Cloud shrugged and looked at Tifa, a half-smile on his face that made her heart begin to thud in her ears. "I dunno. Maybe."
Tifa cursed herself as her cheeks began to colour.
Aeris set down two mugs of tea, one in front of Tifa and the other in front of herself. "Well, whatever you're doing, you should know that our house is open to you until you get situated."
Cloud smiled and nodded at her. "Thanks, Aeris."
Marlene drank her orange juice down before hopping off her chair to carry her plate to the sink.
"Good girl," Barret praised her. "Now, go upstairs an' get dressed. Then I'll come up an' help ya pack, okay?"
Marlene nodded and thumped vigorously up the stairs.
"You have a delightful daughter, there," Elmyra said once Marlene was out of sight.
Barret grinned. "Yeah, she's a little ray of sunshine." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I jus' wanna thank you fer takin' care a her, an' all."
"Oh, it was no trouble at all. In fact, she's the one who kept me from falling into depression. Anytime I would begin to think of Aeris' death and how I really had nothing to live for, Marlene would come into the room and tell me how much she loved me." Elmyra shook her head. "I think she was a God-send."
A minute later, Marlene called down to say that she was dressed. Barret ascended the steps to help his daughter pack.
Tifa watched Barret go, realizing only now that, once Barret and Marlene left for North Corel, there was a very good chance she would not see them again for a long, long time. She sighed and took a sip of her cooling tea. The change back to ordinary life was going to be hard to get used to.
It was nearly noon by the time Barret and Marlene were ready to go, having said all of their good-byes. Once they were out the door, Elmyra and Aeris set about making soup and sandwiches for lunch. As they ate, Aeris filled her mother in on all of the details of the adventure they'd just returned from, passing the story to Cloud when she reached the part concerning the Forgotten City. Elmyra sat listening intently until they were finished and then gave a great sigh. "Well, I'm glad it's all over," she told them. "All this business about the world coming to an end had people at their wits end around here. I thought it was going to turn ugly a few times. But at least it's all turned out all right." She stood from the table and began to collect the dishes.
Cloud was just handing her his plate with a 'thank you' when there was a sudden scream from outside. He glanced at Tifa and Aeris. "Did you hear that?"
Both of them nodded. Frowning, Cloud got up from the table and walked to the window. In a moment, his posture had become rigid.
"What's wrong?" Tifa asked.
He beckoned them quickly without turning from the window. Confused, and more than a little concerned, both girls pushed their chairs back and hurried to Cloud's side.
Outside, in the middle of the square, a large, lumbering zombie was stalking around clumsily, its huge wings tucked snugly against its back. Every few steps, it lifted its head as if sniffing at the air. The woman who had screamed, a large lady in an apron, ran from where she had been sweeping her walk back into her house, leaving her broom behind.
Elmyra looked out of the window over Cloud's shoulder. "Oh my..."
"I thought monsters avoided towns as a rule," Aeris remarked.
"They do," Cloud muttered.
Tifa shuddered as the monster, sensing their gaze, looked through the window at them.
"C'mon," Cloud said suddenly. "Let's go get rid of it."
It took the three of them no more than a few seconds to retrieve their weapons from the living room and walk out of the house amidst Elmyra's pleas for them to be careful. As soon as they stepped into the street, the monster turned its attention to them, its eyes glowing strangely. It sniffed at them and, giving a grunt, made its approach.
Cloud drew the Ultima Weapon from its sheath at his back and prepared to fight. Tifa adjusted the Premium Heart on her fist and saw Aeris balancing the Princess Guard in her hands.
Cloud was the first to attack, lunging forward with his sword. The beast roared, jumping out of the way, swinging its enormous arms in an attempt to crush its assailant. Cloud, however, was able to dodge the blows. Aeris jumped forward suddenly, twirling her weapon in her hands before bringing it down on the monster's head. It began to advance on her, but this gave Cloud the opening he needed. With expert technique, he swung his blade, giving the beast a slice on the shoulder. It howled angrily and began to charge.
Tifa took this as her chance and ran forward while it was distracted with Cloud. As it rushed onward, she ducked behind it and gave it a disabling kick to the base of the spine. The monster stumbled and fell to its knees. Tifa withdrew and started to come at its side, but something made her hesitate. There on the monster's shoulder, still recognizable under the blood, were five large, black digits: VII-AS.
Cloud advanced on the beast, as did Aeris. Faced with having to defeat all three of them, the beast gave a piercing wail and struggled to its feet before opening its massive wings. Tifa, who was still staring in consternation at its shoulder, was knocked backwards. Before anyone could do anything, the creature launched itself skyward and flew off.
Cloud and Aeris hurried to Tifa's side and carefully helped her to her feet. "Are you all right?" Cloud asked her.
Tifa nodded mutely. "But I saw something tattooed on its shoulder. Five letters, like identification marks."
"You mean, like the Sephiroth clones had?" Aeris asked.
"Yes. VII, a hyphen, and then AS. The VII could stand for seven, I suppose, but then what would AS stand for?"
Cloud's eyes narrowed. "It sounds like this monster was part of Hojo's experiments."
Aeris raised her eyebrows. "A survivor?"
He frowned. "It's not hard to imagine. But did you see the way it was sniffing around?"
"Like it was looking for something?" Tifa supplied.
Aeris chewed on her bottom lip. "Are you thinking that it's a new experiment?"
"That would mean Hojo survived," Tifa pointed out.
Cloud shrugged distractedly. "He injected himself with Jenova cells. Maybe he did survive and has started up his experiments elsewhere."
"But wouldn't he have needed his information? Weren't all of his records in the Shinra databank?" Aeris wondered.
"Not all of them," Cloud said suddenly. "He kept a lot of his information stored in books in the basement of the Shinra Mansion." He was silent for a moment. And then he waved a dismissive hand. "Maybe we're reading too much into this," he said. "We're still so tuned into battles and fighting Sephiroth that we can't take anything at face value. It was probably just one of the mutants Hojo made before."
Aeris nodded. "It's probably not a good idea to jump too hastily to conclusions. We should be busying ourselves with the task of starting normal lives, not finding new adventures."
Cloud chuckled a little and ran a hand through his hair. "You're right. Let's go back inside now. I just want to relax for a little while."
Tifa nodded her agreement, though inside she still felt a little unsettled. Putting it down to nerves awakened by the battle, she followed her friends into the house.
There were more than a few tears from Tifa and Aeris as they said good-bye to the others in turn, giving their friends the small gifts they had bought the evening before. For Yuffie, there was a necklace decorated colourfully with small rounds beads that glowed like materia. For Cait, there was a new pack of cards, their backs displaying pictures of moogle children at play. For Barret, there was a book of Cosmo Canyon stories for him to read to Marlene before bed. Vincent's gift was a small dagger with a bejeweled hilt and its own scabbard for him to tuck under his cape. Red was given a royal blue hair clip, its surface adorned with twin braids of deep purple that intertwined, forming something that looked not unlike a DNA molecule. Cid received a gold lighter engraved with his initials. Cloud's gift was an earring, a small ring of silver. Smiling, he removed the old iron one he had worn since leaving Nibelheim as a child and replaced it with the new one. To everyone, this symbolized a discarding of the past like nothing else.
Cait Sith, as Reeve, sent a helicopter to Cosmo Canyon. Cid offered to pilot it and he, with Cait, Aeris, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa, took off for the respective destinations. Yuffie was given a chocobo to ride to Wutai, herself laden down somewhat by the weight of everyone's materia. Vincent, it ended up, left before anyone could arrange transportation for him, and before any good-byes could be said.
And thus, the new adventure had begun.
Cait Sith hopped out of the helicopter amidst a chorus of farewells and started through North Corel to the Gold Saucer. The cable car ride was so familiar, if he'd had tear ducts, he would've cried.
"Hey, Cait!" someone greeted him as he took up his remembered place in one of the lobbies. He turned. It was Dio.
"Oh, hi," Cait Sith said with false enthusiasm. He had forgotten this part of coming back.
Dio sauntered up beside him and ran a hand over his greased-backed hair. "Hey, uh, can I ask you something?"
Cait saw nothing wrong with this. "Shoot," he said.
"Well, I was just wondering something. While you were all in pursuit of Sephiroth, did you happen to kill a Shinra scientist? Hobo, was his name?"
"You mean Hojo?"
"Yeah, that's it."
Cait frowned slightly, his furry brows coming together. "Yeah, we did. What about it?"
Dio laughed suddenly, just a little too loud, Cait thought. "No reason, really. I was just wondering. Well, I hope you can draw some customers in. Business has been kind of slow since the meteor and everything. See ya later." With that, he sauntered away.
Cait scratched an ear, watching Dio depart. That had been slightly strange. What interest would a dead scientist be to a man who ran the Gold Saucer?
"Excuse me. Are you the cat who can tell the future?"
Cait turned to see the inquisitive eyes of a young woman. He smiled. His musings would have to wait. Business called. "Yes, that's me. Cait Sith's the name, and fortune telling's my game. Do you want your future told with tarot cards, a palm reading, or just plain old-fashioned clairvoyance?"
Tifa stepped out of the helicopter first, her hair blowing around her face in the force of the chopping propellers. Aeris stepped out next, followed by Cloud and Barret.
"Bye you guys!" Cid shouted over the beat of the helicopter. "Hope to see ya'll soon."
"Yep, bye Cid!" Cloud shouted back. Tifa waved as the helicopter rose into the air and began to fade into the distance.
Aeris took a deep draught of air. "The world smells so fresh today," she exclaimed. "Almost as if it were the beginning."
"Well, it is a beginning of sorts," Cloud amended. "We're all beginning over again, as if we hadn't just saved the world."
"Will you two jus' cut it wit' that philosophic crap!" Barret moaned. "Let's jus' get goin'!"
Though Tifa hated to admit it, she agreed with Barret. Although they had saved the world and were now in no rush to go anywhere or do anything, she felt an overpowering sense that haste was needed. The deeper-than-usual grimace on Barret's face told her that he felt it, too. With a shrug from Cloud and a sigh from Aeris, the four walked casually into Kalm.
As they stepped into the streets, Barret cursed. "We don't even know where yer mother's livin' now!" he pointed out.
Aeris bit her bottom lip and scanned the houses around them. And then she pointed. "There," she said, her finger aimed at a quaint, red-brick house next to a restaurant. "That has to be it. See the flowers in the window? They're the ones from the church in Midgar!"
Tifa squinted and saw that Aeris was right. Behind the pane she noticed a batch of delicate flowers blooming gently out of a small, blue vase. Without another word, the group started toward the house. Before they had collectively taken twenty steps, however, a couple of teenage boys stepped in front of Cloud, running their hands through their hair and clearing their throats. Cloud, Tifa could see, looked as if he wasn't sure whether to be amused or annoyed.
"You're that man, aren't you, who killed Sephiroth?" one of the boys finally asked.
Cloud crossed his arms over his chest. "Who wants to know?" he asked.
The boy fidgeted nervously under his gaze. Cloud failed to hide the twitch of his lips.
"Is it true that your sword is bigger than you?" the other boy wondered. He seemed the elder of the two, and a little bolder.
Cloud shrugged and deftly unsheathed the Ultima Weapon, swinging it around his head a few times for effect before plunging it dramatically into the ground at his feet. The two boys stood, their mouths open, dumbfounded.
Cloud smiled easily and leaned against the hilt of his blade, crossing his legs, obviously enjoying the attention. Tifa shook her head, unable to stop a grin. He could be so cocky sometimes.
"Whoa," one of the boys eventually murmured.
"Is...is it true that Sephiroth had eyes that glowed red when he was angry?" the other boy asked.
"And that he had a forked tail with fire on the tip of it?" his friend added.
"And that he could change into a massive demon at will?"
"And that he didn't bleed?"
Cloud shook his head, holding up his hands to halt the barrage of questions. "Look, I'd really like to stand here and chat with you two, but I've got a friend here who's in a hurry and I don't want to get him mad."
For emphasis, Barret growled menacingly.
The two boys glanced at Barret's impressive figure and blanched. "Well, thank you for your time," one of them said before they both took off running.
Aeris hit Cloud in the arm as he yanked his sword out of the ground and sheathed it. "Was that really necessary?" she chided.
Cloud shrugged and said nothing, heading again for the house Aeris had pointed out.
After some discussion, it was decided that Aeris should be the one to knock and see if she had been correct. She gave the door three sharp raps with her knuckles before stepping back to wait.
It was a few moments before the door creaked open to reveal the tousle-headed Marlene, still dressed in her nightie. Upon seeing them, she squealed and jumped into Barret's waiting arms. "Daddy!"
Barret swung her around, his usually stern face breaking into a great grin. "Hey baby, what's happenin'?"
Elmyra appeared in the doorway in her bathrobe. It seemed to take her a moment to realize who her visitors were, and then she raised a hand to her mouth, tears coming to her eyes.
"You've come home," she whispered.
Aeris nearly fell into her adopted mother's arms, both of them crying by this time. "I heard you had died," her mother said.
Aeris withdrew and wiped her eyes. "The lifestream brought me back, Mom."
Elmyra took Aeris' hands in hers. "I hope this time you're here to stay."
Aeris smiled. "I hope so, too."
Tifa stood awkwardly behind Aeris, feeling kind of out of place. She glanced over at Cloud to see that he was feeling the same, studying his boots with interest. Watching the two reunions made her ache poignantly for her father, and she guessed that Cloud was thinking about his mother. Neither of them had any family left. This separation of the group would probably weigh most heavily upon them once they were left to themselves. Barret was leaving for North Corel, he had said in the helicopter. Going back to Midgar would open up too many old wounds, bring back too many buried memories, disturb too many ghosts. Aeris would be living with her mother. They would be on their own. Unless they decided to live together. Tifa let her eyes roam over Cloud's face, wondering what his reaction would be if she asked him. They didn't have to live as significant others, at least not at first. She just didn't want to be alone.
"Oh, how rude of me," Elmyra said suddenly. "I'm having all of you stand on my doorstep like strangers. Come in, come in. Marlene and I were just having breakfast."
Barret put Marlene on the floor. The little girl ran back to her chair at the table, hoisting herself up and continuing to eat her meal.
"Are any of you hungry?" Elmyra asked. "There's plenty of pancake batter left and I can cook up some eggs."
"No, thank you. We've already eaten," Cloud answered.
Tifa nodded. Her stomach still felt stretched from the huge breakfast they had been served that morning in Cosmo Canyon.
"Well, how about some coffee?" Elmyra offered.
Barret sat heavily in the chair next to his daughter. "I'll take some coffee, thanks," he said.
"I think I'll make myself some tea," Aeris said, walking up to a cupboard and rummaging around before producing a black kettle. "Would you like some Tifa? Cloud?"
Tifa shrugged. "I guess I'll have some."
"Good. Cloud, would you please go into the next room and get two more chairs?" Aeris filled the kettle with water and placed it on one of the stove elements to boil.
Elmyra chuckled. "How did you know where the kettle was, Aeris? And the chairs?"
Aeris smiled. "This house looks surprisingly like our old one. I imagine that you kept everything in a similar spot."
"You know me too well," Elmyra laughed, setting a cup of coffee in front of Barret.
Aeris just shrugged playfully and turned to bring a couple of mugs down from a shelf.
Cloud came back into the room, two folding chairs in his arms. He set them down at the table and lowered himself into one beside Barret. Tifa approached and sat on the other side of Marlene as the girl munched on a piece of jam-lathered toast.
"So," Elmyra began, seating herself beside Cloud, "how long are you thinking of staying?"
"Oh, we ain't gonna be stayin' long," Barret said, setting his cup down in the saucer. "Marlene an' me, we gotta be goin' if we wanna get to North Corel in the next couple a days."
"What about you two?" Elmyra wondered, looking at Tifa and Cloud.
Cloud shrugged. "We were thinking of just living here in Kalm," he explained.
"Together?" Elmyra asked.
Cloud shrugged and looked at Tifa, a half-smile on his face that made her heart begin to thud in her ears. "I dunno. Maybe."
Tifa cursed herself as her cheeks began to colour.
Aeris set down two mugs of tea, one in front of Tifa and the other in front of herself. "Well, whatever you're doing, you should know that our house is open to you until you get situated."
Cloud smiled and nodded at her. "Thanks, Aeris."
Marlene drank her orange juice down before hopping off her chair to carry her plate to the sink.
"Good girl," Barret praised her. "Now, go upstairs an' get dressed. Then I'll come up an' help ya pack, okay?"
Marlene nodded and thumped vigorously up the stairs.
"You have a delightful daughter, there," Elmyra said once Marlene was out of sight.
Barret grinned. "Yeah, she's a little ray of sunshine." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I jus' wanna thank you fer takin' care a her, an' all."
"Oh, it was no trouble at all. In fact, she's the one who kept me from falling into depression. Anytime I would begin to think of Aeris' death and how I really had nothing to live for, Marlene would come into the room and tell me how much she loved me." Elmyra shook her head. "I think she was a God-send."
A minute later, Marlene called down to say that she was dressed. Barret ascended the steps to help his daughter pack.
Tifa watched Barret go, realizing only now that, once Barret and Marlene left for North Corel, there was a very good chance she would not see them again for a long, long time. She sighed and took a sip of her cooling tea. The change back to ordinary life was going to be hard to get used to.
It was nearly noon by the time Barret and Marlene were ready to go, having said all of their good-byes. Once they were out the door, Elmyra and Aeris set about making soup and sandwiches for lunch. As they ate, Aeris filled her mother in on all of the details of the adventure they'd just returned from, passing the story to Cloud when she reached the part concerning the Forgotten City. Elmyra sat listening intently until they were finished and then gave a great sigh. "Well, I'm glad it's all over," she told them. "All this business about the world coming to an end had people at their wits end around here. I thought it was going to turn ugly a few times. But at least it's all turned out all right." She stood from the table and began to collect the dishes.
Cloud was just handing her his plate with a 'thank you' when there was a sudden scream from outside. He glanced at Tifa and Aeris. "Did you hear that?"
Both of them nodded. Frowning, Cloud got up from the table and walked to the window. In a moment, his posture had become rigid.
"What's wrong?" Tifa asked.
He beckoned them quickly without turning from the window. Confused, and more than a little concerned, both girls pushed their chairs back and hurried to Cloud's side.
Outside, in the middle of the square, a large, lumbering zombie was stalking around clumsily, its huge wings tucked snugly against its back. Every few steps, it lifted its head as if sniffing at the air. The woman who had screamed, a large lady in an apron, ran from where she had been sweeping her walk back into her house, leaving her broom behind.
Elmyra looked out of the window over Cloud's shoulder. "Oh my..."
"I thought monsters avoided towns as a rule," Aeris remarked.
"They do," Cloud muttered.
Tifa shuddered as the monster, sensing their gaze, looked through the window at them.
"C'mon," Cloud said suddenly. "Let's go get rid of it."
It took the three of them no more than a few seconds to retrieve their weapons from the living room and walk out of the house amidst Elmyra's pleas for them to be careful. As soon as they stepped into the street, the monster turned its attention to them, its eyes glowing strangely. It sniffed at them and, giving a grunt, made its approach.
Cloud drew the Ultima Weapon from its sheath at his back and prepared to fight. Tifa adjusted the Premium Heart on her fist and saw Aeris balancing the Princess Guard in her hands.
Cloud was the first to attack, lunging forward with his sword. The beast roared, jumping out of the way, swinging its enormous arms in an attempt to crush its assailant. Cloud, however, was able to dodge the blows. Aeris jumped forward suddenly, twirling her weapon in her hands before bringing it down on the monster's head. It began to advance on her, but this gave Cloud the opening he needed. With expert technique, he swung his blade, giving the beast a slice on the shoulder. It howled angrily and began to charge.
Tifa took this as her chance and ran forward while it was distracted with Cloud. As it rushed onward, she ducked behind it and gave it a disabling kick to the base of the spine. The monster stumbled and fell to its knees. Tifa withdrew and started to come at its side, but something made her hesitate. There on the monster's shoulder, still recognizable under the blood, were five large, black digits: VII-AS.
Cloud advanced on the beast, as did Aeris. Faced with having to defeat all three of them, the beast gave a piercing wail and struggled to its feet before opening its massive wings. Tifa, who was still staring in consternation at its shoulder, was knocked backwards. Before anyone could do anything, the creature launched itself skyward and flew off.
Cloud and Aeris hurried to Tifa's side and carefully helped her to her feet. "Are you all right?" Cloud asked her.
Tifa nodded mutely. "But I saw something tattooed on its shoulder. Five letters, like identification marks."
"You mean, like the Sephiroth clones had?" Aeris asked.
"Yes. VII, a hyphen, and then AS. The VII could stand for seven, I suppose, but then what would AS stand for?"
Cloud's eyes narrowed. "It sounds like this monster was part of Hojo's experiments."
Aeris raised her eyebrows. "A survivor?"
He frowned. "It's not hard to imagine. But did you see the way it was sniffing around?"
"Like it was looking for something?" Tifa supplied.
Aeris chewed on her bottom lip. "Are you thinking that it's a new experiment?"
"That would mean Hojo survived," Tifa pointed out.
Cloud shrugged distractedly. "He injected himself with Jenova cells. Maybe he did survive and has started up his experiments elsewhere."
"But wouldn't he have needed his information? Weren't all of his records in the Shinra databank?" Aeris wondered.
"Not all of them," Cloud said suddenly. "He kept a lot of his information stored in books in the basement of the Shinra Mansion." He was silent for a moment. And then he waved a dismissive hand. "Maybe we're reading too much into this," he said. "We're still so tuned into battles and fighting Sephiroth that we can't take anything at face value. It was probably just one of the mutants Hojo made before."
Aeris nodded. "It's probably not a good idea to jump too hastily to conclusions. We should be busying ourselves with the task of starting normal lives, not finding new adventures."
Cloud chuckled a little and ran a hand through his hair. "You're right. Let's go back inside now. I just want to relax for a little while."
Tifa nodded her agreement, though inside she still felt a little unsettled. Putting it down to nerves awakened by the battle, she followed her friends into the house.