Aeris and Popularity

Chapter Two: The Plan

4:32pm 18/12

Aboard the Airship

Cloud, Barret and Tifa sat quietly in a small room at the bottom of the airship, taking in the view from the window next to the horrible, green-coloured sofa that gathered dust in one of the corners. Cloud sighed, lit up a cigarette, and walked over to the sofa. After rubbing the dust away with his hand he sat down.

"We are going to have to do something about Aeris." Cloud said. Tifa rubbed her forehead with a tissue to get the sweat away.

"What, you mean, like kill her?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Cloud took a drag from his cigarette and slowly nodded his head.

"I'm sorry, Tifa, it's just that if she doesn't die, we'll go around in a circle: 'Aeris comes with us, Aeris blows up world.'". he sighed again. Tifa jumped into the air, startling both Barret and Cloud. She waved her arms and did a little dance.

"I'm so happy! I've been wanting to get rid of her for ages!" Tifa gleamed. Barret dragged her back down on the chair.

"Listen, Tifa, this is murder. I know it's tempting, knowing the circumstances.. but are you really sure you want to go ahead with this?" Barret asked. Tifa nodded happily. Barret and Cloud let out a long sigh.

"Well, I'll go and inform the others of our plans. Since you seem so happy about it Tifa, why don't you go and kill her?" Cloud laughed. They all left the room, the cigarette laying, still lit, in the ashtray where Cloud dumped it.

4:35pm

"Oh, Aeris..." Tifa whined. "Would you come in here a moment?" Tifa was sat on the green sofa in the window room, waiting for Aeris' arrival. She clambered through the door gladly and sat down on the chair.

"What is it, Tifa?" Aeris smiled. Tifa constrained herself not to be sick at that horrible smile, and just continued to keep her talking.

"Come here and look out the window with me." Tifa smiled back. Aeris did not notice the evil motive and skipped over to the window. They both gazed outside, until Aeris broke that by smelling the smoke from the ashtray. Aeris went over to the ashtray on the pine wood table and picked up the cigarette.

"Dirty, dirty things." she whispered. Tifa looked back to see what Aeris said, and got burned on the arm by the cigarette that Aeris held. The shock of being burnt was so strong that Tifa fell backwards over the sofa, went through the glass, sending shards everywhere outside, and flew outside; Aeris only survived because the sofa blocked the window after Tifa fell out.

12:12pm 19/12

Behind 7th Heaven

"I don't know.." Cid whispered to Yuffie. "it seems a bit tasteless to bury her in the backyard of a pub."

"It was her pub though, I'm sure she wouldn't of minded." Yuffie replied. The others: Cloud, Barret, Aeris, Red XIII, Cait Sith and Vincent huddled around the coffin wiping the tears from their eyes.

"I'm glad I wasn't there when they were sewing her up.." Yuffie sighed. Cid's eyes widened.

"Gross, Yuffie!" he replied, hacking.

"What? Apparantly they couldn't find her head." she sniggered; she had won, Cid went off to vomit.

12:34pm

"It seems Tifa failed." Cloud sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. "It's a great loss, but she did it to save our planet..even though it is still in danger." he added.

"Do you think Aeris killed Tifa?" Yuffie asked. She, Cloud, Red XIII and Barret were sat in the cockpit whilst Cid manouvered the airship.

"Don't be stupid, Yuffie, Aeris is too innocent and far too stupid to pull off a stunt like that." Barret said. Cloud wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Yuffie. She snatched it from his hand and took a long, good look at it. On the piece of paper was a crude picture of Aeris with a shuriken sticking out of her head.

"I get the idea."

"Good." Cloud replied. "She'll be here any moment, we'll leave you two alone." Cloud and Barret stood up and vacated the room as soon as Aeris arrived. Yuffie ran over to Aeris, slammed the door behind her and burst into fake tears.

"I know, I know.." Aeris was comforting the fake-upset Yuffie. "It's been hard for us all."

"Sniff Aeris.." Yuffie splurted out through her cries. "There is one.. thing that would help me feel better.." Aeris nodded her head.

"Anything."

"I want to play a game of catch.." Yuffie whispered.

"Uh, what?"

"A game of catch. I'll throw, you catch, then vice versa.."

"Uh, ok Yuffie. But there isn't a ball here." Aeris looked around. Yuffie stood up and pulled our a small shuriken.

"No-no, let's play with this..." Yuffie sniggered.