What do ya know! I still don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters and I'm still broke!
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It didn't take too long for Tarae to catch up with the others. She silently followed behind them, listening in on their conversation until they were near the exit of the sewers.
"Don't worry Tifa. We still have time to stop them from setting the bomb." Aeris said optimistically.
"Speaking of bombs, where did Tarae slither off to?" asked Cloud. Tarae answered him by shouting in his ear, "WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!? YOU MISS YOUR BOYFRIEND CORNEO?"
Cloud turned and threatened to hit her but she jumped out of the way and asked Tifa, "So what information did the fat man drool out?"
"They're going to destroy Sector 7 by releasing the plate." Tifa cried out.
"So that's why Sector 7 is off limits. Come on we have to go stop them!" she shouted as she climbed the ladder to the train graveyard.
Once everybody was out Cloud sighed and said, "I'm sorry Aeris. I got you involved in this."
"Don't tell me to go home." Tarae acted like she was upset and muttered, "Aw man!"
"Oh, I'm sorry Tarae. I forgot how much you wanted to ride on my staff." Aeris said mockingly.
"Hey! I'm not a witch!" she shouted.
"Then what are you?" Tarae was afraid she was going to ask that question.
"I-I …I don't know." Aeris frowned and let the subject drop as Tifa walked up to one of the trains and said, "Let's see, if we go through the trains that are lit up then we should be able to get out of here."
"Alright let's mosey." Cloud ordered.
"I know an old pilot who would hate to hear you say that." Tarae commented as she followed the group.
Everyone was silent as they walked through the train graveyard. Aeris would sometimes stare at Cloud and Tifa and get an odd look on her face and Tarae would glare at her. Cloud occasionally put his arm around Tifa's shoulder and try to cheer her up, but it didn't seem to work. Tarae suddenly had an idea to cheer Tifa up.
"Hey, who did Corneo pick?"
Aeris turned to her and said, "Cloud."
"I thought so 'cause despite all that I taught Tifa, Corneo would choose a girl with bulging muscles!"
"I think Cloud was about to kiss him when we got there." Tifa said smiling. Cloud blushed and said, "But-"
"Cloud, I was joking when I said 'Give him a kiss for me'" Tarae snickered, "Oh great! A dead end."
"Hey no problem! We can move the trains to create a new path." Cloud said as he jumped into one of trains, grateful for the distraction to make the girls forget the conversation.
After they got past the train graveyard, Tarae noticed one of the train attendants standing there waiting for something. She knew the guy was waiting for the pillar to collapse. He was ready to accept his fate. Tarae rewarded him with a smile and the attendant smiled back, knowing that this will be the last time he can smile.
"We made it! The pillar is still standing!" Tifa said, relieved.
"Wait. Do you hear something above us?" Cloud asked. Aeris strains her ears and answers, "…Gunfire?" They look up to see Barret shooting like crazy on top of the pillar. Another figure, against the railing of the stairway, started firing at something and fell over the railing from the blows the gun made.
"Wedge!" Cloud shouted as he knelt beside his body. Wedge smiled weakly, "Cloud …you remembered ...my name. Barret's up top ...help him."
"I'm goin' up! Aeris you take care of Wedge." Cloud ordered before he grabbed Tifa's hand and lead her to the entrance. She broke free for a moment and told Aeris, "I have a bar here in the slums. There's a little girl named Marlene…"
"Don't worry, I'll take her somewhere safe." Aeris reassured. Tifa nodded gratefully and ran to catch up with Cloud.
"Wedge do you want some elixir?" Tarae asked after propping him up against a wall.
"No, …go save Marlene." she nodded sadly, "Come on Aeris!"
Once the girls reached the bar, Tarae immediately gathered her things.
"Marlene, you need to come with us!" Aeris calmly told the little girl while holding out her hand. Marlene took her hand and followed the girls.
"So what's Cloud like?" Aeris asked once they couldn't see the bar anymore.
"A weenie who can't communicate his feelings." Tarae answered, snickering.
"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Marlene." Marlene was too shocked to answer Aeris's question because two soldiers surrounded the group. The leader of the two soldiers approached them. He had long brown hair and wore a Turk uniform.
"Tseng." Aeris muttered before she hid the little girl behind her. Tseng ignored Aeris and faced Tarae, "What are you doing here Miss Destine? This area is restricted."
"I had to get a shipment of scrap metal to my factory and I didn't want to work with that moron in Sector 6. I had no idea that Shinra was going to release the plate."
"Allow me to escort you to out of Sector 7 then." He said and then turned to Aeris, "And as for you. Surrender now or we will force you to Shinra H.Q.."
"I'll surrender if you promise to take this child to a safe place." She gestured to Marlene.
"Agreed." Tseng said calmly while leading them to the helicopter.
At Aeris house, Marlene, Tarae and Elmira waved good-bye to Aeris when the helicopter ascended back over Sector 7.
"Will Aeris be okay?" Marlene asked as Tarae tucked her in Aeris's bed.
"Of course! We'll rescue her when your father comes."
"You know what? I think it's sad that Aeris's real mother died. I never knew my mom either."
"Neither did I. My mom died after I was born."
"Your father was there to protect you, right?."
"I never met my father. My aunt and uncle watched over me until I was 8 years old."
"Oh, I'm sorry!"
"Don't worry about it. Now get some sleep." Tarae said before she kissed the top of Marlene's head. She quietly snuck out of the house and walked to the garden next door. A few tears rolled down her cheeks when she sat down. Family, Tarae's only weakness. She is the oldest one in the family because everyone else was dead. They died from a Jenova cell experiment, except her aunt and uncle. Sephiroth murdered them.
"You are not entirely alone. Tifa and Aeris are practically older sisters to you." She froze when she realized the planet actually spoke to her.
"Thank you, I will remember that." She said as she stood up, "Wow, it's been 2 hours already." She walked back to the house just in time to see Cloud and the others getting ready to leave.
"We thought you were taken to Shinra H.Q.." Tifa declared when Tarae approached them.
"I couldn't just leave you guys." she smiled, "We have to save Aeris together!"
"So do ya gotta plan on how to get ta Midgar?" Barret asked. Tarae took a deep breath and raised her fist, but brought it back down when she said, "No."
"Let's go to Wall Market and see if there's any way to get to Midgar." Cloud suggested.
"Okay Miss Cloud-, I meant Cloud" Tarae said while trying to hold back laughter.
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Sorceress Myst: Welp here's another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will have some Scarlet bashing. C ya!
