Disclaimer: Don't own!

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"Stupid kids, probably fucking stupid kids from the city, stuffed with drugs and alcohol" Barret growled when he slammed the door open and stalked into the cabin again. Zack, Yuffie and Reno had just finished drinking some coffee and was just about to eat when the door slammed wide open.

"I guess you found it" Yuffie commented dryly and smirked. Barret just growled something un-hear able and stomped over to the stove and grabbed a plate and began to scoop up some of the hot food.

"Now you three just shut the hell up while I'm eating" Barret muttered and began eating, the other three shrugged and also started to grab something to eat.

Aeris stood silently next to the fence that kept the black chocobos inside. She had succeeded to avoid being stopped by Elmyra and had walked outside to get some time to think to herself.

"So peaceful, I wish that I could stay here forever in this moment and never be forced to go on.' A lonely silent tear made it down her cheek and she leaned forwards at the fence and sighed while closing her eyes and just listened to the silent rustling of the wind in the tall sun warm grass.

Cloud stood a few meters behind her with a bucket of greens in his hand. He watched the young girl quietly. He could see she had been hurt and he hated to see such a beautiful flower being crushed, he wanted to kill the man who had done this to her. He started to slowly but safe approach her, she turned to him when he was almost behind her and flinched. It made him sad; he didn't want this wonderful she-elf to be afraid of him.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, I didn't mean to." His voice was calm and soothing and it seemed to calm the girl down.

"I-I'm sorry If I'm in the way sir, I can go back inside if you want me to." She kept her voice low so that he wouldn't hear her voice trembling with fear. 'It's not Vincent, It's not Vincent I know it's not him...' She chanted in her mind while cautiously watching the young blonde man.

"Oh, no it's perfectly okay by you to stand where ever you want; you live here now too you know." Cloud smiled and he thought he saw her give him a small smile in return but it could have been a shadow. Now that he was close he could see all the bruises and marks on her pale face, they shone right through the make-up she had applied in an attempt to hide them.

"Would you like to see the chocobos closer up?" He suddenly asked and she thought about it for a few seconds before she nodded. Cloud smiled and turned to the fence and gave the bucket to Aeris who shook it. Three black chocobos poked up their heads and ran over to where the two humans stood. Aeris smiled happily and grabbed a few greens and started to feet one of the smaller ones. Cloud chuckled in amusement.

"I see you have been in touch with chocobos before." Aeris jerked at his words and withdrew her hand from the chocobo and the smile disappeared.

"Sorry, I didn't know" He flinched on the inside; he didn't want to be the one that wiped that beautiful smile off of her face. He reached out and grabbed the chocobo Aeris had been feeding and grabbed it gently behind the neck and led it to the gate where he had a saddle and reins. He quickly put on both and motioned for Aeris to come closer.

"Ever ridden a Chocobo before?" Aeris nodded. "Would you like to ride with me for a while then? Urna over her would love to be taken out for a while, she is to old to be used as a driving chocobo but she's an excellent riding chocobo. So how about it?"

She said quietly while petting the black animal. "Her name's Urna?" Cloud nodded. "It's a wonderful name." She said quietly while petting the black animal. "I'd love to take a ride on her, but I've never ridden on a saddle like that."

"Oh, you've probably ridden the Nibelheim style saddle, this is a Wutaian style, If you want to we can go to Rufus' tomorrow and borrow one of his but I think that you should try this one out." Aeris though about it and then gave the blonde a small insecure smile.

"Sure It would be fun."

"Then come on then, hop on and take a few turns around while I go and make my own chocobo ready 'kay?" Aeris nodded and tried to get up but fell down again.

"Here I'll help you, just put your hand into my hands and I'll hoist you up" Aeris looked frightened and stared at Cloud's friendly and open face. "Come on Aeris, It's just your foot you're going to put in my hand not your life" Aeris sighed and looked down to the ground, when she finally looked up she had tears in her eyes.

"Cloud, my life's a mess." Cloud nodded.

"Then it's time to do something about it." He helped her onto the chocobo and went over to make his own chocobo ready.

Vincent growled and stared at the man and woman riding towards the thick woods.

"Have fun while you can Aeris, go on and have fun with that moron savage. I'll get you for this, no one escapes from Vincent Valentine, especially not his own fucking wife." He growled again and stood up from his hiding place and started to slowly make his way to the pickup that would take him to his new home.

Tifa stood outside her mothers house, ready for her meeting. She had always looked at this as their meetings. She had prepared herself by taking three aspirins before leaving her own home and now she walked up to the door to her mothers house and rung the doorbell. Her mother, Scarlet, opened the door a few moments later, dressed in a red dress that hugged her body tensely.

"Oh my baby!" Scarlet cried and gave her daughter a big hug, which almost crushed Tifa.

"Hi mom, nice to see you to." She escaped the hug (of doom ;) ) and walked inside the house. "I see that the housemaid Heidigger (AN: Lol him as a housemaid) isn't working today, good, you know mom he makes the worst coffee ever." Tifa proceeded to walk into the kitchen and started to make some coffee. Scarlet walked after her and sat on a tall barstool while studying her daughter.

"So how did it go on the funeral?" Scarlet bit into an apple.

"It went okay I guess, I got a third of the ranch..."

"A THIRD! Oh my baby that's great."

"...But the catch is to get all the money and stuff, I have to stay on the ranch a whole year, with two long lost sisters that I don't like." Scarlet burst out in laughter.

"You.. have to s-stay on the ranch for a ... YEAR! You laugh with the laughs louder cows and chocobos" Scarlet almost fell of the chair while laughing like a maniac. Tifa was not amused. "Kyahahaha"

"I don't found any of this amusing mother." Her cold voice stopped her mother's laughs.

"Okay, okay, sorry dear, now tell me about your sisters. What are they like?"

"The youngest one is a real cowgirl, a real pain in the ass to, she hates us other two, the middle sister is a beautiful nice girl, to bad the face is covered in bruises and stuff."

"An accident?"

"Naw, it's more like she has ran into someone's fists, she apparently has an ex-husband who likes to beat her up."

"Oh the poor thing, you know one of my girls had one of those men, we finally got her into a home for women with ex-husbands and now she's fine." Tifa sighed and rolled her eyes, Scarlet's night-club and her 'girls'.

'I swear, she has gotten all kinds of stupid girls at that night-club of hers'

"Well anyway mom, I was just stopping by to tell you this and tell you that I'm going to be away over there in Wutai for a year. So, I must get going, I have to get shopping clothes and stuff, and boots. Oh dear I need boots, well see you later mother" Tifa kissed her mother on the cheek and made her way out of the house.

"Good luck Tifa, I really hope you'll survive through this year" Scarlet said to the closed front door.