Some five or ten minutes later, Cloud and Aeris still sat quietly on the church roof, both of them lost in their own thoughts. The silence was finally broken when Aeris, who had regained her stamina, spoke up wearily, laughing humourlessly for a moment.
"Ha, ha…after what happened back there, it certainly looks they're really intent on capturing me yet again…I shouldn't be so surprised by that, but it has been a few weeks since the last time they tried…and that's a little later than usual for them…" sighed Aeris.
With a start, Cloud jumped up to his feet in overwhelming surprise at these words, the full meaning of them soon dawning on him, and he stared at Aeris in disbelief and shock, his glowing blue eyes wide.
"(What did she just say!? She deals with escaping the Turks and Shinra soldiers all the time!? And all by herself? I can't see how she could have managed that for a while, since she doesn't seem to go out of Midgar much. But why would Shinra be so intent on catching her?)" thought Cloud, as he spoke up, startled.
"Yet again!? A few weeks since the last time they tried, and a little later than usual!? Are you saying that this sort of thing ALWAYS happens to you? Aeris, do you mean that it's not the first time they've been after you?" asked Cloud, stunned and horrified as he thought the life that Aeris must live because of this constant threat…
A life filled with fear and anxiety, a life alone with no one else to help or comfort you from constantly looking over your shoulder all the time…in fear.
Aeris hesitated, clearly feeling rather downcast and was reluctant to say anything, but finally she answered, though she didn't meet Cloud's gaze as she spoke.
"No…it's not the first time they've come after me, Cloud…not by a long shot. In fact, it's been several years now, for nearly as long as I can remember…" sighed Aeris, her head bowed sadly.
Cloud sat back down next to Aeris on the roof, suddenly full of concern and sorrow for her, which surprised him quite a bit, considering he had barely just met her. Aeris moved closer to him as Cloud stared at her in concern and pity, lost for words, until he decided to explain about her captors, as he guessed she didn't know their full background.
"I'm sure you've already figured this out, but that guy in the suit back there was from the Turks. The Turks are a highly feared, combat trained and selective organisation in Shinra Incorporated. They're kind of like Shinra's personal mafia guards, and they're involved in a lot of bad and ruthless stuff, the like of which makes many people shudder. They're the best special ops forces alive on the Planet, and they're very tough, like Reno back there. One of the more commonly known tasks that the Turks do is to scout for any possible candidates for SOLDIER," explained Cloud, thoughtfully.
"They scout for people to be in SOLDIER like this? They just do all that this violently? I'd always thought that they were just kidnapping someone in those situations," said Aeris, with a nervous shudder. Cloud nodded grimly.
"(Those people have been after me ever since I was just a child, for about fifteen years now, and all I've ever cared about was just running away from them, not about their details. But now that I think about it…I do wonder what their true background is…to know more about what I've had to just deal with and always run away from…)" thought Aeris, listening intently as Cloud continued.
"They're also involved in a lot of really dirty and nasty stuff on the side too, stuff that they always show a completely ruthless and merciless attitude towards, when performing their assignments. This includes stuff like spying, murder, kidnapping, espionage, sabotage, assassinations, all those sorts of things," explained Cloud.
The Turks were known as Shinra Incorporated's top elite hit squad, ruthlessly carrying out their deadly assignments and not letting anything or anyone get in their way, not even their own views or opinions on the matter. They were cunning, merciless, and fearless in their work, and they had never failed to accomplish their assigned objectives. They performed them without question.
"They sure do look like trouble, I knew that from the first time I saw them, long ago. They have this confidence and skill about them that can't help but make anyone feel intimidated," said Aeris, solemnly.
"But there's one thing about this whole situation that really puzzles me, something that I just can't figure out. Just why would the Turks themselves be after you? Why exactly do they want to capture you so badly? There must be a reason to it all, right?" asked Cloud, staring at her in concern, suspecting that she had some kind of answer that she knew.
Aeris hesitated for a moment, looking clearly troubled about that subject, before quickly shaking her head. Cloud sensed that she was hiding something though, something she clearly didn't want anyone else to know.
"No, there's not really, I don't think there's any particularly important reason to it. I think they might just believe that I have what it takes to be in SOLDIER, that's all. Maybe they just want me to be in SOLDIER, I guess that thought it could be possible after hearing your earlier explanation. Yeah…as if I could ever hope to compete among the likes of them, I wouldn't stand a chance," replied Aeris, mocking herself as she laughed at the very thought of it.
Cloud stared thoughtfully though, to an extent disagreeing with that statement. He had certainly never met anyone who processed her kind of potential in Materia before, and he definitely respected her a lot more now in this combat respect than when he'd first seen her, when he'd thought of her as a helpless flower girl when it came to fighting, and physically that was certainly true, but now that he had seen the abilities and power she was capable of when using Magic, he knew that he had underestimated her.
"I don't know why you're mocking yourself with laughter, those two attacks you pulled off back there in the church against those soldiers were special enough, and so were your strange abilities and magic that you used against Reno. I didn't expect someone as pretty looking as you would be so skilled when to came to using Materia," said Cloud.
"Well, you should never ever judge someone just by their looks, you know. Not everything is at it appears to be. And besides, even despite these situations, I've never had to kill anyone before, and I don't like the idea of killing either. Even if they were members of Shinra Incorporated, I still feel sorry that I had to do what I did…" said Aeris, guiltily, her head bowed sadly. Cloud looked rather stern.
"Look, I know that killing may be considered savage, but when you're fighting for your life, it's either them or you. That's the only choice of action you get in these situations. There's just no other way around it. Besides, almost every soldier in Shinra are ruthless savages who will do whatever it takes to ensure their power over the people, and sometimes they even shoot and kill citizens just for a slight protest. These Shinra people are evil, and they must be stopped, even if it does require killing them. But on the other hand, maybe you do have what it takes to be in SOLDIER, with your skills and abilities at magic. You ever considered joining them at all?" asked Cloud, cautiously, hoping that she would say no.
Cloud really didn't want to have to fight her after all, as he was already so filled with concern for her that he would not have the will to do anything like harming or killing her. Aeris was silent for a moment before she spoke up again.
"I don't really know, I've never given the subject all that much thought…but one thing I do know is that I most definitely don't want to get caught by the likes of those people, the Turks," replied Aeris, with a shudder. Cloud sighed in relief and nodded, understanding.
"Okay then, fair enough. Then let's get going, I think we've had enough rest now. I think I'd better take you home before anything else happens," said Cloud. Aeris smiled at him in response, as they both got to their feet.
They then jumped across the nearby rooftops from the church roof, but Cloud was going too fast as he effortlessly leaped across them without stopping, and soon he had nearly left Aeris behind without even realising it.
Cloud had been in SOLDIER, and as a result of this, he was able to jump across these roofs, beams and old scraps of iron without any trouble whatsoever, and without even having to pause for breath.
Aeris, however, was clearly struggling a lot as she slowly made her way across the rooftops, and after taking a while to jump, she only just barely made it to the next roof, and was clearly exhausted by the effort, panting for breath, but she tried to shout to Cloud anyway.
"Hey, wait up, Cloud! Wait for a moment, I said!" shouted Aeris, urgently, as she tried to catch up.
Cloud stopped at once, remembering that she wouldn't be able to keep up with his pace, as he looked back and saw that Aeris was only a tiny speck in the distant, and he patiently waited to her to come until she arrived. Aeris finally caught up with him, panting and gasping for breath, as she stopped in front of him, exhausted.
"Stop, Cloud…don't leave…me behind…" gasped Aeris, completely tired out, and taking in deep breaths. Cloud raised an eyebrow at this, bemused by the scene, and he actually chuckled for once.
"That's funny…I thought that you were supposed to be cut out to be in SOLDIER, or something, isn't that what you talked about earlier? Aren't you in any shape at all? I think you really need some fitness lessons," joked Cloud, grinning.
"Oh Cloud, really, you are just so terrible to me at times!" protested Aeris, attempting to sound annoyed and offended, but she was still smiling at him, the corners of her lips twitching slightly, before she quickly burst into a fit of laughter, unable to hold it back.
"(It's a good thing that she has a sense of humour. True, I can't really say that for myself, but to be in the company of someone with a good sense of humour is still rather interesting to be around with anyway,)" thought Cloud.
Cloud then suddenly laughed too for a moment, unable to control himself, until he suddenly realised with surprise that he hadn't really laughed at all for around five years, and now here he was, suddenly laughing and enjoying himself for what seemed like the first time since then.
Suddenly, even after barely meeting Aeris, he realised that she was enjoyable company to have around, and he also realised that he was becoming quite fond of her and he liked her a lot, and cared about her, even though this was only the second time he had seen her, and the first time that they had properly introduced themselves, all in the space of just two days. Aeris and Cloud finally stopped laughing, as Aeris smirked at Cloud, then a sudden thought seemed to occur to her.
"Hey Cloud, speaking of SOLDIER, there's something I'd like to know about you, something I think I've just noticed right now. Were you ever in SOLDIER yourself, at any point in time?" asked Aeris, clearly very curious, it seemed. Cloud nodded, slightly surprised by her interest.
"(Just how the heck did she guess that I was a SOLDIER, anyway? I don't remember saying anything about it that would lead her to guess that I was one of them. And I don't think she would know much about SOLDIER'S identifying characteristics, so there's got to be more to us than she's letting on…)" thought Cloud, as he answered.
"Yeah…I did use to be just another member of SOLDIER at one time, in their ranks, for about two years. How did you guess that I was one once, anyway?" asked Cloud.
"Well, from the first time I saw you, I noticed at once that you are wearing the proper uniform for SOLDIER, even if it is probably an old one now, for all I know about it," replied Aeris, with a shrug.
"I could have just brought it at the Wall Market in the Sector 6 Slums, they just find and sell anything that might have a price tag to it over there," replied Cloud, even though he knew that he didn't buy it anywhere, as Shinra had given it to him when he had joined SOLDIER.
"No, you did get it from being in SOLDIER, I can tell you believe that. And that's not all I saw to figure it out either, there's also your eyes as well. They have a strange, unnatural glow to them, I'd noticed," replied Aeris, staring deeply into his glowing blue Mako eyes. Cloud stared back at Aeris's beautiful emerald green eyes, and the strange feeling in his chest grew again to his annoyance, and he swallowed hard.
"Uh, yeah…that's known in Shinra to be the identifying sign of someone who has been infused with Mako energy. It's known as a mark of SOLDIER, but only among the likes of Shinra Incorporated. But in that case, just how the heck did you know about that, anyway?" asked Cloud, curiously, bewildered about this fact.
"(Oh, I know this fact all too well, Cloud. More than you realise…since I spent so much time staring into a certain pair of Mako eyes years ago. But it's something I don't want to tell him about now…it's too painful…)" thought Aeris, as she spoke.
"Oh, it's really nothing much to worry about, Cloud. I just must have picked up this fact of SOLDIER and Mako infusion from somewhere in Midgar," replied Aeris, quickly.
"Nothing to worry about…?" repeated Cloud, suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at her. Aeris shook her head quickly in response, clearly avoiding his gaze for a moment, reluctant to dwell on the subject at this moment, before she then looked calmly back at him, her composure regained as she decided to quickly change the subject.
"Right, it's nothing, Cloud. Like I said, it's nothing to be concerned about. Anyway, my house isn't too far from here now, so we'll be there in just a moment. So come on, let's go onwards, bodyguard," said Aeris, grinning from ear to ear, and taking Cloud by the arm.
Cloud couldn't help but grin back at her despite himself, and they then both walked along the nearby rooftops and they managed climb down one of the rooftops to get back to the ground on a road, which they would take and go through to get back to Aeris' house, though Cloud found that he still wasn't remotely sure what to expect.