A/N: Dearest readers, do you still remember me? I cannot stress how long it took for me to update my stories. I'm truly sorry~ It surprised me greatly that some of you still remembered that I have unfinished stories here in , and I am very grateful to those who reminded me to continue writing. I took some time to read some of your reviews again and I realised how some of my stories brought happiness to you, my dearest readers. For that, I will continue updating my stories more frequently than normal. I won't have an exact time period—as most writers do—but I will strive my best to make each and every chapter enjoyable and heartwarming! Thank you for sticking with these stories of mine~ Now, without further ado, enjoy! (^_^)

"Over here Cloud!"

Aerith's excited voice rang clear across the abandoned playground of the Sector 6 slums. Steely blue eyes watched the brunette as she beckoned to him with her hand. She was standing on top of what seemed to be an old, animal-shaped structure with its tongue serving as a slide. The blonde, having nothing to do at the moment, merely shrugged and followed suit. As Cloud approached Aerith, the brunette sat down on the top of the animal's head with the blonde sitting beside her.

After the little skirmish and the cleaning up of the mess at the church, Aerith suggested that their little group get some somewhat fresh air to cool their heads; and they found themselves at the forgotten playground. Well, it wasn't entirely forgotten. Aerith would go there whenever she had time to play and teach basic education to the children, who the upper class would refer to as slum rats. She hated that name and even though she was not the type to arbor negative feelings on anything or anybody, she really disliked hearing that from people who doesn't know what those children have gone through.

Strangely, the children were gone for the day. Aerith wondered where they were, she wanted to introduce Cloud to them. Little did she know, Yuffie had ordered Vincent to clear the playground for their visit. Yuffie never liked children because they were noisy and annoying, but mainly because Aerith treated them better. The raven-haired bodyguard had his people nearby to prevent any sudden disturbance and to take out unwelcome guests.

While Aerith and Cloud sat at the slide, Yuffie is squealing like a little spoiled leprechaun at Vincent to push her back harder on the swing.

"I've never been to these parts of slums before. Did you grow up around here?" Cloud asked the unsuspecting brunette.

Aerith's pupils narrowed into pinpoints after hearing his sudden question. Sweat began to trickle down her temples and her lips pursed tightly as she thought of another lie to add to her trunk of lies. She had never lied so much in her life and the thought of it frustrated her. Her heart felt like it is being constricted. Must their relationship be built within a web of made-up facts? She was desperate to tell Cloud everything about her, to come out with who she truly was; but the reality is, she's afraid that Cloud would think of her differently if he knew her identity. What if he kidnapped her for ransom? Aerith's heart froze at that moment and she thought she would never forgive herself for thinking this. How was she different from the people she despised who judges others by what they see on the outside?

Cloud watched Aerith's expression change as she fought with herself over his question. By the looks of her face, her emotions ranged from frustration to sadness. The blonde mentally kicked himself. What if her childhood was worse than his? What if he inadvertently caused some horrible memories to surface from her past? Guilty, the blonde rubbed the back of his head as he looked for the right words to say.

"Tifa, I—"

"Cloud, I—"

Their gazes locked for a few seconds before they averted their eyes to something else, both of their faces were turning crimson for some reason. From a distance, Yuffie pouted as she watched the awkward couple trying their best to speak out their minds but were having trouble doing so because of embarrassment.

"Really, those two. Why can't they just say what they have to say?" Yuffie grumbled as her glare lingered on Cloud. He was too close to her Aerith. Too close for her comfort.

"Showing irritation towards the spiky-headed blonde confirms only one thing, Miss." When Yuffie raised an eyebrow at her bodyguard, Vincent shifted his gaze from his little mistress to the couple and muttered, "You're angry at the fact that she is having feelings for him and that he will one day replace you in her heart."

Yuffie snorted at him, but in all truth, he was right. She is afraid that the stupid looking, blonde fighter will take Aerith away from her and Tifa. The little princess' grip on the handles of the swing grew so tight that Vincent thought that the rope would snap. Yuffie had this fiery determined look in her eye that Vincent wished the blonde luck; for whatever Yuffie was planning now, it certainly involved him.

"No…" She whispered to herself as she stood up. "I'll never allow it! He'll have to swallow a thousand kunais before doing this and that with my Aery!"

"BIG SISTER!"

All four pairs of eyes suddenly turned to the direction of the high-pitched scream and reflected on them is a little brown-haired girl who is running towards their direction with a grown up man trailing behind trying to catch her. Upon seeing the child reach out to the her with her tiny arms, Aerith immediately stood from where she sat and leapt down the slide. Cloud stared at her back in astonishment as she moved in slow motion in his eyes. With her long flowing chestnut brown hair flowing with the wind and a determined look on her face, for a moment, he thought she looked…

"…cool," He whispered, his cerulean eyes twinkling with admiration.

The burly man was about to scoop the little girl in his arms but then another group of screaming boys appeared out of nowhere and each one proceeded to grab a free-moving limb of the man until he was completely immobilized by the rowdy boys. Between the mess ball of arms and legs, a snot-nosed boy's head appeared and grinned at the little girl.

"Go, Prissy! We'll take care of this here mister!"

Misty-eyed the little girl started to run again but another opponent stopped her from advancing. Legs shaking and heart thundering, she raised her eyes bravely to meet the face of the wall that hindered her. The raven-haired bodyguard stared at her with cold eyes and slowly crouched down to her level. The little girl's lips shook with fear and she was on the verge of crying as Vincent leaned closer.

"Don't run, little miss. If you do…"

The bodyguard was silenced when he felt a pleasant but at the same time ominous shadow looming behind him. "Mr. Valentine."

Within the blink of an eye, Vincent stood up and side-stepped to let the little girl run to her goal. He smiled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "I only wanted to say that she might trip and fall if she ran too fast."

Yuffie walked up to Vincent and gave him a hematoma. "Idiot!" She then pinched his ear and lowered it to her face. "I thought I told you to clear the area, Vinnie. Did I stutter when I gave you the order?"

"And what order was that Miss Kisaragi?"

Yuffie swallowed hard as she let go of Vincent's ear. The bodyguard swiftly side-stepped again to clear Aerith's way as she stormed towards Yuffie with the little girl hiding behind her skirt. Duty states that he protect Yuffie from all kinds of harm, but he would never dare stop Aerith Gainsborough from delivering her punishment to the ones who deserved it; plus, even though the brunette looked fragile, it would be utter folly to underestimate her. Yuffie cringed in fear as Aerith approached her and after receiving a light bonk in the head, with eyes sparkling in anger, shot Vincent a death glare. The bodyguard flinched and lowered his head with guilt and shame for letting mere children through the solid barrier that what he thought was impassable. Cloud, who has approached the raucous group, placed a consoling hand on Vincent's shoulder.

"And I thought nobody could touch miss princess over here," Cloud teased as he withdrew his hand and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Vincent glanced at Yuffie and Aerith and replied, "There are only two people in this world who could do that to Miss Yuffie. Her father, and Miss Tifa."

After hearing her deepest secret out in the open, Yuffie's ears swiftly turned crimson red and she immediately pinched Vincent's cheeks and pulled on them so hard one could see the bodyguard's wisdom teeth and his swaying uvula. "Vincent Valentine! Didn't I tell you to shut your big mouth? Stupid idiot, worthless subordinate, cheeky son of a ****, ***** *****, *****!"

Aerith can't help but stifle a giggle that quickly rose up from her chest. She always enjoyed seeing Yuffie and Vincent banter about the simplest things. It goes to show that they are very close; so close, in fact, that no amount of unpleasant words could ever make him hate his beloved mafia princess. The brunette knew for the longest time how Vincent felt about his proprietor as she always catches him looking at Yuffie with eyes full of admiration and longing. Though she doesn't want to intervene in their relationship, she wished for their happiness.

Yuffie's ears perked when she heard a very nostalgic sound. With her fingers still on Vincent's cheeks, her head turned to Aerith and her eyes widened when she saw her giggling. A warm and happy feeling filled her chest as she watches her smiling freely. Aerith's true smiles were rare. In the world that she is in, there was no reason to be happy, and it saddens Yuffie to know what hell the kind brunette has gone through for years before she knew her. Even with Tifa and Reeve around to accompany her, they also have other jobs to do; they weren't enough. Yuffie bit her lip as tears started to gather at the ends of her eyes. She sincerely wished she could take Aerith and Tifa away from that cold mansion. She would do anything to make that happen.

"Hey now, aren't you laughing too much?"

The mafia princess returned to her senses when the blonde fighter had spoken up. His brow was slightly furrowed as he watched Aerith coughing lightly, his hand instinctively reached out to rub her back but he stopped himself halfway, and rubbed the back of his head instead.

"I'm okay, Cloud, thank you." Aerith rubbed her eyes of the tears that accumulated there. "It's just that I haven't laughed like this for a long time."

After hearing her explanation, the blonde sighed in relief and continued to gaze at her softly with his lips forming into a gentle smile. Yuffie breathed hard as she watched this scene unfold in front of her. She felt somewhat distant, like the two of the people that are before her were unreachable and in a world that only they can share.

No, she thought fiercely. You can't take her away from me. She'll only be harmed if she goes with the likes of you.

"Ae—"

"Whoa! You're Strife!"

"Hey Denzel, c'mere! Look, it's your idol~"

"Can I get your autograph?"

The group of rowdy boys that attacked one of Vincent's men suddenly appeared out of nowhere and encircled Cloud, though their little heads barely reached his waist. They were all looking up at him with gleaming eyes that were full of excitement and admiration. Cloud stiffened where he stood. He clearly didn't know what to do with the street children who was crowding him. A soft smile graced Aerith's face again as she looked at Cloud's confused expression. All his life he was only sent into the pits to fight. He never had the chance to interact with anybody else except for the fighters he was trained to kill. This was also a new experience for him.

"Now, now, children, let's not get too excited." After a few seconds, the boys finally gave Cloud the personal space he so craved, the latter sighing in relief. Aerith then looked back and held her hand out to a brown-haired boy who was standing from a distance, looking timidly at the rowdy group through his messy fringes. "Come Denzel, don't be shy."

The brown-haired boy slowly nodded and attempted to walk forward, but his feet didn't listen to him. Seeing his predicament, the brunette gave the little girl—who was holding her hand—a knowing look, a gesture to which the little girl grinned to. She let go of Aerith's hand and happily skipped to where Denzel stood and taking his hand, led him in front of the blonde fighter.

"Hullo, mister! My name is Priscilla, and this is Denzel. He doesn't talk much to strangers, but when we're by ourselves, he talks about you a lot!"

Embarrassed by the revelation of his secret, the brown-haired boy gave the grinning girl a light bonk in the head and he went back to his usual shy self. Aerith then introduced the group of street children to the blonde-haired fighter who tried his hardest to match their excitement, but he was also at Denzel's level. Now that she's looking at the both of them standing side-by-side, they were so much alike. If Denzel's hair was blonde, she would've mistaken him as Cloud's little brother. As Aerith imagined that in her mind, Priscilla had already leapt towards Cloud, the latter not knowing what to do with her until she told him to give her a piggyback, to which he meekly obliged. The brunette had only realized what was going on when the other boys groaned to her about their turn in getting a piggyback from Cloud. With widened eyes, Aerith stared at the blonde-haired fighter as he walked around the playground with the little girl on his shoulders. She swiftly ran to the Cloud's side to take the girl off of him but he shook his head and gave her a reassuring look. Smiling, Aerith walked beside the blonde as he continued his path along the playground with a band of boys trailing behind.

A smirk lit Vincent's face as he watched the heartwarming scene play in front of him, it almost reminded him of his mistress' childhood. When the bodyguard shifted his gaze to his mistress' back, his brows furrowed when he saw her shoulders shaking. He immediately approached her to know what had happened but he froze when he saw her expression. Her brows were closely knit, the ends of her eyes sparkled with teardrops and her teeth sank into her lower lip; all these while glaring at the joyful scenery that was in front of her. Vincent sighed heavily and again wished for the blonde fighter all the luck that fate has to offer. Staring at his mistress now, the bodyguard could only hope she would be this serious as Godo's sole heir and, if only… if only she could… to him... Vincent's cheeks slowly turned pink as he thought deeply while gazing fondly at Yuffie. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Yuffie already holding his nose, rendering him unable to breathe; and when he did realize, his eyes widened in shock and he stood straight, gasping for air.

"Miss Yuffie! You didn't have to do that!"

Yuffie puffed her cheeks at him and crossed her arms before her chest. "Well, you weren't listening! I'm tellin' ya Vinnie, we need to dispose of that blonde lickety-split! No one's stealin from Yuffie Kisaragi and gets away with it!"

Oy vey… Vincent buried his face onto his palm in mock exhaustion, but managed to nod obediently. "Yes, yes, whatever Miss pleases."

"Now, the first thing we do—"

"PRISCILLA!"

All eyes suddenly turned to the direction of that unearthly shriek, and what their eyes reflected was a disheveled middle-aged woman with a panic-stricken look. The woman was running towards the little girl and when she reached her, the woman immediately took her child and held her close.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" In seeing that her daughter is without injuries, she threw a menacing glare at the blonde and spat gracelessly at his feet. "How dare you touch my child, you rink scum! The police should snuff out all your kind!"

Everybody had a look of shock by the word that the woman Cloud addressed with; everybody, except Cloud himself. The blonde gritted his teeth and clenched his fists; he killed men for less than that, but what the woman said rang true. He was scum, still is, and perhaps that characterization will never change, but he would never lift his hand on the woman or anybody else, not while her green eyes were watching. Cloud concealed his steely cerulean orbs and bowed his head. All he could do was take in all the rage and hurtful words, because that's exactly what he is.

Cloud… Aerith's eyes shifted from the woman, to the blonde, and back. She then pursed her lips in thought. It upset her to hear those things about Cloud, but looking at how the eyes of the woman sparkled with hatred and rage, she couldn't help but wonder if people like him are ever evil and should be removed from society. Aerith didn't knew the answer then, and she turned to Cloud to look for an answer. The moment Aerith's evergreen orbs rested on the blonde fighter's face, she found it… the answer to her question. With a steady beating heart, she stood in front of the woman with arms extended, as if shielding him. "Please, stop! Cloud may have done bad things before, but we're not innocent of that either! He's not what you think… He's different! Cloud is different. So, please, don't say those things about him!"

Cloud's eyes snapped open the moment Aerith let out her first word. He stared at the back of the unfamiliar woman that stood before him. She was an outsider, a stranger. She didn't know anything about him, except the fact that he fought and killed before. But, why… Why was she standing in front of him now? With arms outstretched like she was protecting him? What could she ever protect with that tiny and fragile body of hers? How ironic, he thought. What a cruel joke. He smiled in false amusement, but deep within him, a faint throbbing ache restarted his heart.

The woman snorted and turned her back on Aerith. She was about to step forward when she took a final look at the brunette. "You better stay away from that one, Miss. I'm grateful to you for always taking care of my daughter, but I won't allow him to be around her. Remember that a rat, even when brought to a clean cage, would always look for ways to go back to the stink hole where it came from."

With those words, the woman vanished within a crowd of adults who were also glaring at the blonde. One by one, the boys returned to their respective families, each disappearing into different paths. The last one to leave was Denzel who was still staring at Cloud. The brown-haired boy slowly approached the blonde fighter and looked directly at his steely cerulean eyes that matched his own.

"I… still admire you Cloud. I want… to be strong… l-like you… someday."

The fighter bent on one knee to face the brave brown-haired boy. There was a strange feeling that surfaced from his skin as he stared at Denzel. It was like looking through a mirror. Denzel, he found, was exactly like him when he was a little kid. Showing him a small smile, Cloud patted Denzel's head and playfully ruffled his already messy hair.

"You're already strong, Denzel. Put that strength into good use, 'kay?"

Denzel's eyes sparkled with joy as he happily nodded. After waving at Aerith, he skipped towards a fork in the road and disappeared into the shadows.

"Got quite a reputation don't ya blondie," Yuffie remarked as she rested both arms on Cloud's head, which he irritatingly shook off. "Don't be so depressed, I'm sure you hear that stuff all the time."

As Cloud stood up, Aerith approached him with eyes riddled with concern. She was about to speak but no words came out when the blonde placed a gentle hand on her brown head. The brunette attempted to look at his face, but she could only take a glimpse of his lips that were curved into a small smile for his hand was preventing her from noticing the rush of colour that was filling his cheeks. After a few pats, Cloud stepped back and faced the direction of the church, leaving Aerith stunned, her face as red as a ripe tomato. Yuffie followed him, spouting out nonsense about touching Aerith, and Vincent trailed behind, serious as always.

"Hey," Aerith jumped at the sound of Cloud's voice. Her eyes sparkled and her heart was filled with happiness as she looked at the people who were waiting for her. "Let's go back."

The brunette beamed at them and nodded before she skipped towards her friends.

Sneak Peek: Everything is going well between Cloud and Aerith, their relatio—Hey! Hey! Hey! Isn't it about time for me to appear? Yo Midgardians, look who's back from the slammer~ It's your Johnny Boy! Prison's ain't all that when ya got monies on ya back, amirite? Now... on to business. A little birdie told me that Strife is hiding somewhere in Sector 6. Ya better hide ya loser! Johnny's gonna hurt ya really... really bad...

Next Chapter!

Chapter 17: Johnny's Revenge

See you then!

P.S. What story would you like for me to update next? Leave some reviews!