(Author's Note: Hello! Okay…this chapter…well…if I gave it a title it could probably be called Hojo's bad day…or something like that…Anyway… here's chapter 19 and I want to say thank you to everyone who has read this story thus far! THANK YOU!!!! ^_~)

Disclaimer: Don't own so don't sue me for using the FF7 cast! It belongs to Squaresoft.

But now any knew characters are mine…sort of…Rueh belongs to Rueh…(you'll understand when you read this chapter…)

Chapter 19

5 years later…

A young girl skipped down the dirty street on her way to the Seventh Heaven after school. She was halfway there when the most dangerous gang of the neighborhood came into view. She slowed her pace and watched them warily. She was almost passed them when one of them noticed her.

"Well…looky here guys," he said.

She quickened her pace. She hadn't gotten too far when the gang surrounded her.

"Where you going little girl?" another asked.

She shook her head and tried to walk forward but was pushed back. She sat up her eyes wide with fear.

"We don't like people who look at us like that," the leader of the gang said.

The others around him smirked in agreement.

"Please…let me pass," she said finding her voice at last.

All the gang members shook their heads.

"Nope. Afraid not," the leader said.

She whimpered as he stepped forward.

"It's not nice to pick on those who can't fight back. Especially little kids," a voice said from the dark shadows.

"And who says?" the leader asked.

A man stepped out of the shadows. "I do," he said confidently.

"Like you could stop us," the leader said looking him over trying to size him up.

"Try me," he said in a bored tone. The entire gang charged him.  The little girl covered her eyes as they fought. After a few minutes silence descended around her. A hand came to rest on her shoulder. "You're not hurt are you?" the man asked looking down at her.

"I-I'm fine. Who…who are you?" the girl asked.

"Heh…doesn't matter. Now let's get you to where ever you're going," the man said.

He walked with the girl to the bar. "A little young aren't you?" he asked.

"I help Tifa run the place," the girl said with a shrug as they entered.

"Tifa?"

The woman behind the bar looked up. Her hair was long and dark brown. Her eyes were a brown mixed with red. "Cloud? Is that you?" she asked walking around to stand in front of the bar.

"Yeah…how have you been?" Cloud asked a little uneasy.

"I'm fine but…Marlene are you okay?" Tifa asked the little girl.

"Yep! He saved me from the gang!" Marlene said as she put her school bag under the countertop of the bar.

"Barret and the others should be here soon," Tifa said. As if on cue a big man entered the bar with a few others behind him. They looked pleased with themselves. "How was it?" Tifa asked.

"Everything went as we had planned," the big man said.

"Good. Oh! Cloud this is Barret. He's a good friend of mine and you've met his daughter Marlene. Barret this is Cloud Strife. He helped Marlene get away from the gang," Tifa said.

"You helped Marlene?" Barret asked.

"Yeah…what do you mean things went as planned?" Cloud asked.

"Oh…we're known as Avalanche," Barret said looking at the people behind him.

"Really?" Cloud asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well what's it matter to you anyway?" Barret asked.

"I'm a mercenary," Cloud said.

"Maybe you could help us. I'm Jessi," the woman behind Barret said.

"I'm Biggs," a man said.

"And I'm Wedge," the other man said.

"Well…will you help us bring down Shinra?" Barret asked.

"How much do you pay?" Cloud asked with a slight smile.

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(Okay…I know I'm skipping some things but I'm kinda just bored at the moment…so…times past and Aeris is caught…now to continue…)

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"Okay…so tell me again why we're sneaking in Hojo's lab except to find Aeris?" Cloud said.

"To try and find plans to the mako reactors too," Barret said.

"R-r-right…" Cloud said as he walked past a cell that had glass for a front wall. Something hit the glass hard. Cloud jumped and spun to look at it. He yelled and scrambled backwards eyes wide and with a frightened look.

"What is it?" Tifa asked looking at him with concern.

"What is THAT?" Cloud asked pointing at the…'thing' that was plastered against the glass.

"…I think that 'it' is a little kid," Barret said.

Sure enough upon closer inspection Cloud did see that it was a little girl. She had waist length whitish colored hair with black tips. Her eyes were messed up at the moment but were aquamarine in color.

"You'll have to excuse her behavior. We're not used to seeing anyone but those who work in this nasty place," another young girl was sitting in a corner of the same cell.

She had waist length light golden brown hair and pale eyes the same color as the other girls.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked.

"I'm Dete…she's Rueh," the girl said nodding to the one who was pulling away from the glass wall shaking her head to clear it.

"What are you doing in there?" Tifa asked walking closer to the glass.

Dark looks appeared on both girls faces.

"Hojo," Rueh said. She spun fast and punched the wall.

"You don't like him?" Cloud asked.

"Who does?" Rueh asked giving him a dull look.

"That's true," Tifa said looking at Cloud.

"Oh no…we came here to find reactor plans and to help Aeris get away from Hojo," Cloud said shaking his head.

"But Hojo's experimenting on 6 year olds too!" she said.

"It'll make Hojo mad if we get them out of here," Barret said.

"Oh fine," Cloud grumbled and opened the cell door.

The 2 six year old girls walked out. "Thank you," Dete said.

"You'll have to stick close to us until we get out of here," Cloud said.

Rueh and Dete nodded as they looked around the lab. Dete suddenly turned on Rueh. "NO! You can't…don't even think…"she said.

"…too late…" Rueh said as an insane grin slowly spread across her face. Dete shook her head and turned to Barret, Tifa, and Cloud. "You might want to take cover," she said dully.

"What do you…?" Cloud started but never finished. Rueh laughed wickedly and began to run in circles around the lab. As she passed things fell off of whatever they were sitting on.

-5 minutes later-

"There…*pant*…all…*pant pant*…done…" Rueh said with a triumphant grin and looking around the now completely ruined lab.

"Very good. Now we can go," Dete said nodding her head. They left the lab and found another area of the lab where Hojo was and Aeris and another creature. Cloud sighed.

"Why not? I mean we've already helped 2 six year olds get away where's the harm in helping one more?" he said looking at the red creature in the same cell as Aeris.

"How did you 2 little brats get out?" Hojo demanded.

"They let us out," Dete said calmly. Rueh's breathing began to get faster. Dete put her hand on Rueh's shoulder.

"Oh please oh please oh please?" Rueh begged.

"Steady not yet," Dete said. Rueh began to hop from one foot to the other.

Hojo paled and took a step back. "You wouldn't…no…" he said.

Dete looked thoughtful. "No…that'd be too harsh…but what the hey…GET HIM RUEH!" Rueh gave her insane laugh again and charged for Hojo. He yelled and ran away from her.

"Why…?" Tifa asked with a confused look.

"Don't even try to understand her…you'll fail," Dete said.

"But…" Barret said.

"Look Hojo's busy at the moment…isn't there something you came here to do?" Dete asked.

"Oh yeah! Let's hurry!" Cloud said. They freed Aeris and the red creature and were reading to go.

"Come on Rueh!" Dete called. Rueh didn't hear her and kept reaching for Hojo who hit her hand away with a paper that was rolled up. "I've got chocolate…"

Rueh spun and ran for Dete. Dete ran after the group ahead of her followed closely by Rueh.

Hojo sniffed. "…safe…the demons gone…both of them…safe…"

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(Author's Note: See? Rueh belongs to Rueh…the author Rueh that is…they are one in the same…Dete does belong to me and I kinda hope that with the way I make Rueh and Dete act I will be reflecting off of our personalities…yes in this story I have added myself…As DETE! Thank you! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! Juzu ^_~)