"You don't have to go through with this Tifa. If Gohan was here he would tell you the same.."
"But he's not here, is he Cloud?!" Tifa said angrily."
"Kid, she's made up her mind.." Barret sighed as he put a hand on Cloud's shoulder.
"Trust me when I say this, if a woman has made up her mind, not even the devil himself could make her change it."
"But.."
"Listen, I know that Gohan told you two to look after me should something go sour.. and I'm grateful for that. But... this is something I know I have to do. Don Corneo knows about Shinra, and we know his weakness towards pretty women. Knowing these two things makes him an easy target for a single female to manipulate and I will get everything he knows out of his mouth!"
"But at what cost Tifa?" Jessie said as she looked at the group.
"I know the risks, just like Gohan did, but he chose to help us instead of hiding away from the world or going on a one-man army assault on Shinra's main base, and look where it got him!"
"Tifa.. we."
"I'm done talking, watch the bar for me please guys, it's one of the only things that Shinra hasn't taken from me." Tifa said as she left Seventh Heaven.
"So are you two ready?" Elmyra asked as Gohan and Aerith stood before her at dawn in her living room.
"As ready as we'll ever be." Aerith said as she looked at Gohan, who nodded.
"Then go.. go now, and may the planet keep you both safe."
"Thank you, thank you for letting me into your home, Mrs Elmyra. I will never forget your hospitality." Gohan said as he bowed his head and made his way to the door.
"Mom.." Aerith began. "I.."
"Go Aerith, that nice young man needs you, this world needs you. And you need to understand that. It took meeting him for me to truly understand that." Elmyra said as she stood and took Aerith in her arms.
"Thank you."
"Such a sweet child," Elmyra said as she petted Aerith on the head. "Off with you now... I've kept you for long enough."
"I'll be back, I promise!"
"I know you will, my dear..." Elmyra said as she let them out the door.
"I know you will."
"So mom gave you her blessing to take care of me." Aerith smiled as the two made their way through the slums.
"I guess you could call it that..." Gohan replied as he watched where Aerith was going.
"Don't worry, I'll take you the right way. It's just going to take a while." Aerith giggled as she noticed how focused Gohan's attention was on her. "Or do you just like staring at me?"
"Bodyguards have to be alert at all times, any threats to their client are bad," Gohan stated.
"Oh you serious types are no fun!"
"Hey! I'm only serious when the time calls for it, and since we live in the slums, that's not going to change anytime soon."
"Fair enough..." Aerith sighed. "One day I hope to see the real sky. I hope you'll see it with me."
"Don't worry, once Avalanche sorts out Shinra, the whole of Midgar will see the skies again, I promise you."
"Hee, hee, I'll hold you to that!"
"So how much further?" Gohan asked.
"In order to get to 7th Heaven you need to go through the slum in Sector 6. At this pace we'll reach it in no time... but I'm getting tired."
"Would it be okay if I carried you again? I want to get back as soon as possible." Gohan asked.
"Oh my hero.." Aerith mock swooned. "You have my consent to carry my body wherever you need it to go.."
"Heh, you sure know how to make things lighter than they actually are." Gohan laughed as he picked her up bridal style and began walking in the direction that she pointed to.
"My bodyguard."
Walking faster, Gohan smiled. "My client."
"Man the Don always gets the pretty ones!" Said a man on a carriage that was taking Tifa on her journey to Don Corneo.
"Well, if we have to get others, you know how generous he is," Said the other who was eying up Tifa like she was, the last meal on Midgar.
"Gohan?!" Tifa said to herself as she caught sight of a woman that she had only seen a couple of times with a man that she thought was dead.
"Tifa?!" Gohan exclaimed as the carriage took them past Sector Six Slums.
"You never told me Tifa was that pretty..." Aerith said with a pout.
"You never asked, however we have a new problem now... we have to find out where that carriage is taking Tifa." Gohan replied.
"Want to get rid of me that soon? And I thought we had something good together.." Aerith mock sighed. "Well I guess we can just follow the path the carriage took and go from there."
"How do you reckon Tifa's coming along?" Cloud said to Barret and Jessie.
"Don't underestimate Tifa, kid, when that woman puts her mind to something she gets it done, believe me."
Barret said as he took another swig of juice. "Just look at 7th heaven, that alone should be enough for you to, believe in her."
"If only Gohan was still here... I'm sure he would have made sure that she was more protected than that..." Cloud sighed.
"You know that this is a bar, right dad? You don't have to just drink juice."
"Marlene.. until you grow up and have a family of your own, the only drinks your going to see me drink are going to be of a juice variety."
Barret said to the little girl who was running the bar alongside Jessie.
"Do what you want dad." Marlene sighed as she hid a small smile from Barret.
"I want both specimens, the boy and the Cetra," Hojo said to the director of Shinra.
"You need to be more careful when you speak to me... just because you are our head scientist doesn't mean that it gives you more rights than any of my other scientists." The Director replied.
"But not many of your scientists have given you useful results." Hojo chuckled as he made his way back to his lab. "If you want more of that you need to bring me what I ask for."
"That pompous... stuck up..." A woman in a red dress began as Hojo walked out of the meeting room.
"Scarlet, Scarlet, if you continue to talk like that you will tarnish what remains of your good looks! Gya haa haa haa!" Said a well-built man.
"You have no reason to laugh you fat fool, if you had kept a tighter grip on what remained of SOLDIER we wouldn't be in this trouble!" Scarlet snarled as she slammed her hands on the table.
"Heidegger, Scarlet... if you continue to act like dogs I'll have to put you down like dogs. Am I clear?" The Director smiled.
".. Yes sir." The two reluctantly replied as they glared at one another but wisely held their tongues.