"I will NOT!"

 Tseng sighed and shifted on his office chair. Taking another gulp of coffee he turned to face the young flower girl pacing Shinra's linoleum floor angrily. Sometimes you needed the patience of a saint to deal with Aeris and he was no saint.

 " But Aeris, it's for your own good…"

 " How can that be for my own good? For the good of Shinra, yes, but me?" Her larger, green eyes caught his for a brief moment before she turned to the window. It was snowing that night but each flake seemed to drift away from the building as if repelled and instead covered the rest of the plate like a thick blanket. Despite this Tseng knew he was lucky; his office overlooked the richer part of Midgar that was full of shops, theatres, and events… The contrast between his and Reno's office at the front of the building was certainly painful.   

 " I just want to go home." Tseng felt a pang of remorse. Were those tears in her eyes or just a trick of the light? He pressed a switch and the room was filled with a warm, artificial brightness.  It seemed crude compared to the subtle glow the moon provided but it showed that she was indeed crying. He thought about turning it off to let her wipe her face and pretend he hadn't noticed but decided not to. Let her cry if she wanted.

      Still it was late now though children were out in the streets throwing snowballs at each other. As if in yearning Aeris pressed her forehead against the cold glass and continued to stare at the night.

   She was young, far too young to be involved in this. Granted he had joined Shinra at sixteen but Aeris deserved a little comfort after all she'd been through. It had been out of his own free will to leave Wutai and come to Midgar and to stay even though he was fighting his homeland. Though who knew at the time?

   Tseng took another drink of coffee; yet again he was thinking about Wutai and letting his feelings get in the way of the assignment. An assignment that could cost him his job, this was no time to feel sorry for the girl or him.

  "Well Aeris," he said standing up. " You know if you don't…"

  " Yes! You don't have to say it again." Aeris turned away from the window and glared at him.

   "Than I expect to see you tomorrow morning with the right answer." Ignoring him Aeris picked up her small flower basket and strode out the door. Tseng laughed, she may be angry now but tomorrow would be different. Shinra had a way of breaking people's spirits.

 Aeris shivered as she stepped into the cold street and rubbed her arms. Though the snow fell peacefully to the ground the sharp wind stung her arms. While the other people outside had on warm clothing such as wool coats and scarves she had a thin short jacket that barely reached her waist and an already damp summer dress.

 The shops with their warm lights looked especially inviting but Aeris knew her mother was probably waiting for her at home worrying. And besides he couldn't buy anything anyway, it was all too expensive and what shop owner would want a strange slum girl sitting in their shop just to be warm and breathe in the comforting smells of food from the bakery?

  Aeris walked along the streets and tried to ignore the laughter of the other people outside and thought back to the meeting. Would she go again tomorrow? Yes, she thought. I don't have a choice. She'd have to break it to her mother as best as she could and do what the Shinra wanted her to despite the risks.

   A small girl hit her with a snowball and laughed as it soaked through Aeris' scant coat. The child's face was happy and cheeks were rosy from the cold, unaware of the pain she had caused Aeris and completely self-centred. Usually Aeris would have smiled, let the world see a mask of happiness, but tonight she needed to think of herself and walked on without care.

 The child sulked and ran away to her friends. Her childhood had never been so carefree and innocent; all the time she knew that the Shinra were after her and that the Planet was in danger.

 Aeris looked behind at the tower and with one last sigh returned t o her home.