DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VII is not mine. This fic is mine though. Don't sue, please. Thanks…
A/N: Thanks to all your reviews! Please, if you have reviewed the last 2 chapters, I've posted some thank-you notes for you guys at the end of this chapter… =) Also, if any of you tried emailing me at aeris_15@yahoo.com, there's a chance that I didn't get it. Please, if you're going to email me, use my other email address, which is mimiblossomsmt@yahoo.com. Thanks!!
When The Soldier Meets The Flower Girl
Chapter III: First Encounter
Aeris opened her eyes. She remained laying in her bed, as she stared at the familiar wooden ceiling. The soft bed, the warm house of the Gainsborough and the beautiful flowers that decorated her home were something that she did not want to leave. The ray of the sun slowly made its way to her room. It was now morning. Aeris sighed. She surely did not want to get up to face Edgar again. And to face the Turks, and to face those discouraging people of the slums.
But she knew. She knew that eventually she would have to get up from this warm bed, pick more flowers from her abundant flowerbed, try to sell them, and then speak with the landlord. That hostile Edgar. She knew that he was a strict one, but then she knew that she should be grateful for him. If it weren't for Edgar, her and Elmyra wouldn't have a place to live in.
She could still remember the time when she first moved in this house with Elmyra. It had been a rather gloomy house. It had been dark and cold. It used to be your typical house in the slums. But ever since Elmyra had adopted Aeris, she had totally changed everything. Aeris decorated everything with flowers, paintings, and anything that was bright and colorful. Elmyra, who had been grieving for her husband's lost, had seemed to cheer up for the new makeover that Aeris had given to the house.
It had become a brand new house with a brand new garden.
Aeris finally sat up, stretched out her arms and yawned. She could already smell Elmyra's cooking. She could already smell the bacon and she could almost taste its saltiness. She got out of bed and quickly made her bed. She then studied herself in front of the mirror and brushed her long hair. After throwing in her favorite pink dress and braiding her long hair, Aeris made her way downstairs as she hummed along the way.
She found Elmyra putting the eggs and bacons on a plate. Elmyra looked at her adopted daughter and smiled. Aeris smiled back and gave Elmyra a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Good morning, Mom," Aeris happily greeted.
Elmyra motioned for Aeris sit down. The two sat across from one another, said their grace and started their breakfast. "You look rather cheerful today, Aeris," Elmyra noticed, slicing off a piece of bacon.
"Well, I'm just happy that I'm helping you out to pay the rent," Aeris replied.
"You came home so late last night," Elmyra said. "Were you followed again by the Turks?"
Aeris shrugged and tried to laugh it off. The last thing that she wanted to happen was having her mom worrying over her. "Oh it's nothing, Mom. I just ran into Reno, but he didn't hurt me. He just let me go."
"What!" she exclaimed.
Aeris held up a hand. "No, Mom. Reno was drunk anyway. So don't worry about a thing, ok?"
"Aeris!" Elmyra cried, placing her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't keep things like that to yourself. You should've told me last night!"
"You were sound asleep," She got up and headed towards the door. "Anyway, I gotta get going. I still have to sell my flowers…" she lowered her head as she continued, "…and talk with Edgar."
"Edgar…?" Elmyra took a step forward. She was about to continue but was cut off by Aeris.
"I'll be back! Have a good day, Mom!"
Before either of them knew it, Aeris was already gone.
Elmyra sighed and shook her head. Aeris was a stubborn one. She knew that it was always so hard to stop her once her mind was already made up. She had always been a determined girl since she was little. She just prayed that Aeris would be safe. She stared at the door to where Aeris had disappeared. Everyday it was almost always like this. She would always pray for Aeris' safety. She would always pray that Aeris would come back home in one piece.
So far, her prayers were always answered.
Now she just prayed that she would have a guardian looking out for her. Elmyra had been worried since Aeris and Zack (her first boyfriend who happened to be in SOLDIER) had broken up.
Not knowing else what to do, Elmyra began cleaning up the table.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
These should be enough, Aeris thought to herself as she placed the last flower in the basket. The flowerbed was still full of flowers, but she knew that those blossoms would soon disappear. Getting up to her feet, Aeris decided that it was time to sell some flowers again. She left the old abandoned church. As she walked outside, she thought about a good place where she could sell her flowers.
She strolled along the street. She was afraid. Deep down she feared that someday Edgar would kick her and Elmyra out of the house that she had grown to love. She had many wonderful memories in that house. She had fun decorating it, taking care of it. It was a beautiful house, filled with peace and happiness compared to other homes in Sector 5, or in Midgar for that matter.
Aeris suddenly stopped. She found herself at a busy area—Wallmarket.
As the flower girl held her basket, her jaw dropped as she watched people talking amongst themselves. There were kids. There were punks. There were merchants. Wallmarket surely housed all types of people. Except for aristocrats, perhaps. She must remember. This is still the slums, Aeris. Those rich people were all happy enough with their lives above the plate.
Aeris felt somebody tugging at her dress. Turning to look, she found a little girl standing next to her. The little girl pulled her dress again. Smiling, the flower merchant bent down and looked at the little girl.
"Yes? What is it?" Aeris asked the little girl.
"Are you a real live angel?" she asked the flower girl.
Aeris opened her mouth in surprised. Then she giggled and shook her head. "No. I'm just a flower girl from the slums…"
"Really? You look kinda lost. And you're so pretty… you look like you don't belong here in the slums," she said to her. Then the little girl quickly eyed Aeris' basket of blossoms. "May I take a look?"
"Of course!" Aeris placed the basket on the ground so that the girl eyed the flowers in curiosity.
"I've never seen flowers before," the girl said. "I've only seen them in pictures. I learned about them in school. Oh! They are so pretty! Would it be alright if I took one?"
Aeris giggled. She was not surprised that this young one here had never seen flowers before in her life. After all, this was Midgar. In Midgar, flowers did not grow, as many people assumed. She gazed at the girl. The innocence of this child intrigued her. This little girl sorta reminded her of how she was when she was in this age. "Of course you may have one. Here—take the yellow tulip." Aeris grabbed the yellow tulip and gave it to the girl. "It means friendship."
The girl smiled happily. "Friendship? So we're friends now?"
She nodded. "Yes…"
The girl was about to say a reply when they both heard shouts from within.
"Marlene! Marlene! Argh! Where are you?" a girl yelled out among the crowds.
Aeris rose to her feet, trying to find the source of the voice. From a distance, she could see a redhead girl making her way among the crowds.
"Coming through!" the redhead yelled, gently pushing people out of her way. When she finally made it out, the girl came up to them. "Marlene!" she looked at the girl, bent down. She placed both her hands on Marlene's shoulder. "Why did you take off like that? You know your Papa would be mad…"
"I know, Jessie, I'm sorry," Marlene whispered.
Jessie smiled. Then she turned to Aeris. "Thank you for looking after Marlene…"
"My name's Aeris," she replied.
"I'm Jessie," Jessie answered. "Sorry for troubling you—"
"Jessie! Jessie!" Marlene proclaimed as she tugged at Jessie's shirt. "Look what Aunt Aeris gave me! Look!"
"What is it?" Jessie turned to the girl.
Marlene revealed to her the yellow tulip that Aeris had given to her. Jessie looked impressed and turned to Aeris. "Thank you very much, Aeris. That is a lovely tulip."
"You're welcome," Aeris smiled.
"How much?" Jessie motioned to get her wallet out from her pocket.
Aeris held up a hand to stop her. "Oh please. Don't worry about it. I gave the tulip for free. It's alright."
"But Aeris—"
She quickly shook her head. "No. It's fine, really. I really want Marlene to have it."
Jessie suddenly smiled. "I owe you one, Aeris," Jessie glanced down at Marlene. "Well, I have to get going. I have to take Marlene to school. If I'm late, I'm sure Barret's gonna explode. Thanks again, Aeris."
"Bye!" Marlene waved to the pink-clad flower girl.
"Bye Marlene!" Aeris waved back. She waved and waved as she watched Jessie and Marlene heading off. She continued to do so until the two had disappeared.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Cloud took another sip from the crystal decanter. He placed the glass down and stared at the red-colored liquid as it circled along the clear glass. Cloud could still taste the wine and its burning feeling as the liquid slid down his throat.
"Good morning, Cloud," Tifa sat across from him, smiling warmly.
"Morning…" Cloud just mumbled. With a glass of wine in his hand, Cloud took another quick sip and glanced at Tifa.
Tifa studied Cloud's features and noted the look in his face. He looked so tough and cool, as if he was never confused at all. "Cloud…" Tifa whispered.
Cloud quickly met Tifa's eyes. Tifa couldn't help but blush a little. She looked away from him. "Cloud, you all right?"
"Huh?" Cloud frowned. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
Because… because you know things that you shouldn't know. Are you sure you are okay? Are you sure that you're really yourself? Cloud, is that really you? Are you really Cloud? But Tifa didn't say those words to him. "I-I'm just worried about you, that's all…" Tifa answered instead.
Cloud rose to his feet. "You worry too much, Tifa. Look, I was in SOLDIER. If you're worried about the mission tonight—"
"No! No, it's not about the mission," Tifa cut him off.
"What is it then?"
Tifa opened her mouth to say something, but shut it closed again. She just couldn't tell him. She just couldn't. It would only push him further away from her. "Nothing… don't worry about it…"
"It's you who worry too much," Cloud said. "I appreciate your concern and your help for getting me this job, but I'll be fine."
"Oh but Cloud…"
"And I can handle Barret Wallace…" Cloud added before he stormed out of Tifa's Seventh Heaven.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Flowers! Just 1 gil each!" Aeris yelled at the top of her lungs. She was standing by a restaurant. Beside her, another merchant stood. But this merchant was selling something else. He was selling potions.
"Potions! Now just 50% off! Step up! Step up!" the merchant shouted.
Aeris glanced at the potion merchant. The potion merchant didn't hesitate to return her gaze. He smiled. "You new here in Wallmarket?" he asked.
She nodded. "Is it that obvious?" she asked with a playful grin. She looked down at her flowers and then back at the potion seller.
"It's not that," he replied. "It's just that—I would have remembered a pretty face like yours if I had seen you around here before."
She laughed. She was used to people calling her pretty. "How about a flower?" she asked him playfully.
The guy chuckled. "Nah, how about a date instead?"
Aeris shook her head. "Sorry…" she replied. She then turned her attention back to the passers-by. "Flowers anyone! Just 1 gil!"
Aeris and the merchant both resumed to their own respective works. As Aeris continued to offer people to buy her flowers, Edgar, who was looking at her from a window, shook his head in disgust.
Edgar got from his seat and slammed the bottle of beer down on the table. He threw some gil on the counter and left the bar. More of his buddies followed him. Edgar did not leave his eyes on the flower merchant. His eyes remained steadied, his attention was focused only on Aeris. He approached Aeris and laughed.
"Still trying to sell your flowers, I see!" Edgar exclaimed.
"Edgar!" Aeris gasped.
Edgar took a quick glance at the potion merchant and then turned his attention back at Aeris. "Your pay is now due, Miss Gainsborough."
"I-I know!" Aeris exclaimed. She covered her nose for she could easily smell Edgar's alcohol breath. "Can't it wait? I'll have my payment ready in the afternoon!"
"Sorry, but this has been long overdue," Edgar took a step closer toward Aeris. He suddenly snatched the basket of flowers from her grasps and threw it at his friends. One of his friends caught the basket and laughed.
"Who can make money out of these silly little flowers!" the guy laughed.
"No! Please! Not my flowers!" Aeris cried. She stared in horror as Edgar's friends emptied the basket.
Edgar grabbed Aeris' wrists and pinned her on the wall. "Shut up!" Edgar yelled.
The potion merchant, who looked definitely horrified, silently scurried away before Edgar and his buddies had a chance to turn him into a victim.
"Let go!" Aeris screamed. "You're hurting me!"
Edgar laughed. He examined Aeris from head to toe. He hungrily eyed her, his expression wild. Without hesitation, he tore Aeris' red jacket off her. Aeris could only wail at the pain and shock it had given her. "So soft… so smooth…" Edgar could have sworn he was salivating. He ran his hands on Aeris' smooth skin, along her neck and along her face.
Two of his friends laughed. "Hey Edgar! Save some for us!"
"Yeah, man! Don't just keep the prize all to yourself!"
Edgar laughed. "Ah…" he eyed Aeris' cleavage with hunger. He was about to lower his lips on her when Aeris suddenly spit on him. Edgar stopped, wiped his wet face and suddenly pinned Aeris harder on the wall. "You think that was fuckin' funny huh! Don't you dare try anything!"
"You are the most… the most perverted guy I know!" Aeris screamed.
Edgar and his buddies just laughed at her remark. "You think so huh? I'll show you how perverted I can get…" his hands now slowly made its way lower when…
"Get your hands off her!"
Edgar stopped. He let go of Aeris and turned around to look for the source of the voice. His two friends had already abandoned Edgar. And he was left to deal with a spiky-headed blonde guy, wearing a blue uniform. And not only that—there was a huge sword on his back! Aeris tried to catch her breath. She crawled to where her red jacket was, but it was already ripped in two. She couldn't wear it anymore.
She then turned her attention back to the person who was now dealing with Edgar. Her eyes widened as she looked at the guy. He looked exactly like… like Zack! The eyes, the way he stood there in that stance—it was so familiar. And that uniform. She knew that uniform. It was the SOLDIER uniform.
Cloud Strife just eyed Edgar, staring at him blankly.
"What the hell do you want huh!" Edgar yelled.
"It just sickens me to see a guy harassing a girl like that," Cloud replied. "How low can you get?"
"Are you just looking for a fight! If that's what you want, I'll give you a fight!" Edgar shouted.
"Sorry, but I don't waste my time on amateurs," Cloud said.
Edgar looked furious. "What the hell did you call me?!" He suddenly ran up to Cloud, his fists in the air as he aimed for Cloud. Cloud just sighed and shook his head. He decided that he wouldn't dodge his attack. As Edgar was about to hit Cloud, Cloud quickly caught Edgar's fists. He grabbed Edgar and threw him on the ground. Edgar landed on the ground with a loud thud. "Ugh… ugh…" he whimpered at the pain he felt.
Cloud smirked. "How pathetic of you…"
It took a while before Edgar could regain himself. He got up, tried to steady himself on the ground and quickly ran off.
Cloud shook his head. What a weakling, eh?
"Excuse me?"
Cloud turned to look at the flower girl that he had rescued. "Are you OK?" he asked the girl. He ignored the fact that she was actually attractive.
"Yes… I… I…" she tried to find the right words to say something.
Cloud just nodded as if he understood her next words. "It was no problem. But I think you should go now. Those guys might come back again. Besides, this isn't a proper place for a girl like you."
A girl like me? Aeris then nodded her head and smiled. "Thank you for your help…"
"Hurry," Cloud told her before he walked away.
I… I didn't even get his name… Aeris watched as Cloud disappeared down the street. 'Till we meet again, SOLDIER.
= end of chapter 3 =
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Thanks for your reviews!
Hippie Fridge – I'm glad you think that this is a good story. Thanks for being my first reviewer!
??????????? – You're right that Reno seems a bit nicer. It's because I really like Reno. He's my favorite Turk… He's a cool one. Anyway, thank you for the review!
Dragon Lady Shakti – Thank you for reviewing Chapter 1!
Naela – Your guess was right! Cloud and Aeris did meet up in this chapter. Well, I hope that you enjoy… Thank you! C/A forever!
m – Yeah, I'll update my other fics whenever… I can't say when… I kinda just write chapters for Eyes on Cloud whenever I feel like it, so I can't really say when I'll be done with my other fics. Glad you read them though. Thanks for the review!
Ori-chen – Thanks for reviewing!
Aerith Gainsborough – Thank you for reading and reviewing. I'm glad that you're liking my writing style. That means a lot to me. And I'm glad to know that I'm keeping everyone in character. Sometimes it is hard… hee hee… I like your Hikari site. It's one of my fav Aeris/Cloud sites. Oh and I realized that you linked me, thank you! I was actually surprised that people still linked to my site. You have my gratitude. Thanks! C/A forever! Oh btw, everyone visit her A/C shrine . =)
Mel – I'm glad you like this. Thank you for reading and reviewing. =)
Also, thanks to anyone who read this fic that didn't review. You know who you are!
~~ Kristine
