Happy Thanksgiving! How have I been posting this for two months? How have I been writing for two months? I'm amazed that all of you have kept following and that you've *enjoyed* it. I'd have been happy just writing this for myself, and suddenly I've got fans. Yeah, okay, I'll try to deal with that concept. :D

Comments!
Death Of Snipers: Aha, a fellow binge-reader. You dropped a couple of comments, but I'll address the most recent one... remember that, without materia, Cloud can create a beam of energy and hit people with it from a distance, then make that same energy diffuse into several smaller ones that hit everyone else. Some of Ranma's abilities are on the same level of materia, but some of the party's limit breaks are too. In short... well... you'll see. I have plans. (nefarious laughter)
Gennavain: Putting aside the 'master of fanfiction' for a moment... thank you. Seriously, though, if I write farther than those who came before, it's because I stand on the first drafts of giants. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. :D
Kariston Draconis: Normally, Elena doesn't show up until after the party leaves Midgar, yes. This is where the changes start. Elena got recruited early because they needed extra bodies to deal with both AVALANCHE and Ranma Saotome. Obviously that didn't quite go as planned, but... well, you'll see.
LookItsADoggy: Spring of Drowned Mutant Mouse sounds more like a crossover with Kingdom Hearts than this, but I am nonetheless amused by the idea.

As previously mentioned, next chapter posting will be December 8. Gonna need some wind-down time after all the turkey and stuffing (and family). Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

Over The Hills And Far Away

[ ν ] - εγλ 0007, December 10

"Almost forgot," Ranma said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a 100-gil coin. "This is yours, you more than earned it."

She tossed the large coin to Cloud, who caught it and looked it over. "This is more than we agreed on," he replied, confused.

"And there was a lot more danger to Aerith than I'd realized," Ranma explained. "You'd have had every right to book it when that many guys showed up, and you stuck around. If ya need another reason, call it a bonus for a job well done."

Aerith looked up at Cloud, who was not substantially taller than her, but still carried himself with a stature that seemed to exude confidence. "You were in SOLDIER, weren't you?"

Cloud stopped for a moment, and turned to face Aerith. "Yeah," he answered. "Past tense, though."

"Did you…" Aerith began, but hesitated. "Do you know about a SOLDIER named Zack?"

"Zack?" Cloud thought for a moment. "Name doesn't sound familiar, but there are a lot of SOLDIERs."

Aerith let out a small, dejected 'oh', and they kept walking. Ranma watched the exchange closely, but said nothing. "So, if you ain't in SOLDIER, what's your story now?" Ranma interjected. "You don't look the type to stay sidelined for long."

Cloud looked away for a moment. "How do I put this…" he said quietly, considering his words. "I'm working for someone. Won't say who right now. But… I can guess from that little scuffle back there-" Aerith snorted her amusement at that, "-that you're probably no friend of Shinra."

"Can say that again," Ranma muttered.

Cloud gave a small smile. "If you want to know what I'm up to, I could introduce you. We could always use more hands."

Ranma and Aerith shared a look. "Huh…" Ranma said thoughtfully. "Give us a minute, would ya?"

Cloud nodded, and Aerith and Ranma stepped off to one side. Once they were out of sight and earshot, Aerith turned to face Ranma. "Well?" Aerith demanded.

Ranma looked taken aback, and glanced back at Cloud. "Don't tell me you're seriously considering this," she said quietly.

Aerith glared at her sharply. "Do you know how long I've been on the run from Shinra?" she asked angrily, eyes welling up with tears. "How much they've taken from me?"

Ranma met her gaze without flinching. "Of course I don't," she replied calmly. "You haven't ever actually told me." Aerith recoiled as if struck. She stared at Ranma accusingly as her tears rolled down her cheeks. "Hey, don't mistake that for me not gettin' it," Ranma continued. "They just crossed a big line for me too, and that's not even countin' the fact that I said I would keep you safe and I just nearly failed at it. But I'm here, alone, on my own. I don't have anythin' or anyone here they can use against me. You've got someone here, and they could take it out on her, so you need to think about what it might mean for you to start something with them if you can't finish it."

Aerith stood there for a long moment, silent as the implications of her words sunk in. "You're… not wrong…" she said quietly, turning away, wiping her tears away. "Mom… can't fight, not like you or I can. She'd be vulnerable. But… you're also wrong about one thing." Aerith turned and smiled again, her cheerful expression marred slightly by her reddened eyes. "You do have people here that you care about. And… they care about you too."

Ranma blinked at that. "Okay, fine, don't get all sappy on me," she said, grinning. "So, what are we gonna tell Elmyra? And how do we keep her safe?"

"Umm…" Aerith trailed off, glancing to one side. "Honestly, I was more focused on what you'd tell this new group of people, about your curse."

Ranma froze up for a moment. Having blissfully forgotten that it had grown into a non-issue for Aerith and Elmyra, she had neglected to consider the possible reactions of newcomers. After a moment of consideration, she shrugged. "Yeah, just gonna tell them," she said. "If it's a breaking point for them, then they ain't worth it."

Aerith smiled at that. "I should probably tell mom about what's going on then," she said. "She can't keep herself safe if she doesn't know what's going on." Ranma nodded her approval, and Aerith walked back over to Cloud. "I need to check in with a family member, she needs to know that we're all right. Would you be okay with keeping me safe for a little longer?" she asked him.

Cloud looked surprised, not just at Aerith's approach but at her phrasing. "You've got a girl like her around," he said, gesturing to Ranma, "and you want me to keep you safe?" Aerith nodded, giving a pretty flutter of her eyes. Cloud shrugged. "Fine, but we'll need to hurry, I need to let my team know I'm safe, too."

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"Absolutely not!" Elmyra was actually less visibly upset than Ranma had anticipated. That being said, she was currently brandishing a kitchen knife in Cloud's general direction. Cloud, for his part, was at least pretending that it was actually threatening.

Ranma stepped in, arms raised placatingly. "Elmyra, please try to understand what's going on here-"

"There's a SOLDIER here in my living room trying to take away my girl!" Elmyra shouted. "What else is there to understand?"

Ranma thought back to the earlier conversation between Cloud and Aerith. "Okay, I give up," Ranma said, gesturing vaguely with her hands, "how did either of you know he was a SOLDIER without him sayin' so?"

Cloud actually looked stunned at the question, but it was Aerith who spoke up. "It's his eyes," she answered. "SOLDIER eyes glow like that."

"He's not taking Aerith anywhere," Elmyra said firmly, glaring daggers at Cloud.

Ranma sighed, trying to think about how to work through this. After a long, tense moment, Aerith stood up and leaned forward, her hands on the table. "Cloud, could I ask you to stand outside?" she asked, her gentle gaze held firmly on Elmyra. "I think we need a little space for a moment."

Cloud nodded, and quietly shuffled past Ranma, closing the door behind him. They waited until his footsteps retreated past the point of hearing. Elmyra set the knife down behind her. "Aerith, I am not okay with this," she said calmly. "I'm just barely okay with you going to that old church and back and don't interrupt me, young lady, I'm far from finished and I need to say this," Elmyra waved off Aerith's attempts to explain.

"I promised Ifalna I would keep you safe, and I have done everything in my power to keep that promise," Elmyra continued, her eyes glistening. "Goddess knows it hasn't been easy, certainly not after Shinra found us. But there's only so much I can do, and I can't… I can't protect you from the whole world," her voice finally cracked, and she reached out for Aerith, sobbing.

Aerith's smile wavered, and she stepped forward immediately to embrace Elmyra. "I know, mom…" she said softly. "I know… I want the same for you. But they're coming for me. They always have been, and they'll keep coming. Between Ranma and… whoever Cloud is working for, I might finally have a chance to do that for you. You've done so much for me, mom." She smiled and kissed Elmyra on the forehead. "Please, let me do this for you?"

Elmyra's inarticulate wailing subsided slowly, and she nodded, holding her daughter close. "You… had better come back to me, my girl," she replied quietly. She gave a final squeeze to Aerith, and then let go.

Ranma sat on the stairs and looked between the two women, feeling distinctly uncomfortable at having been witness to such a personal exchange. Elmyra looked up at Ranma. "You glorious idiot, get over here," Elmyra said simply. Ranma smirked at that and stepped down into the kitchen, where Elmyra gave her a warm hug. "I know you're doing this for your own reasons, too," she said quietly, "and I know you also want to get back home to your world. But… will you give an old woman some peace of mind, and watch after my daughter while you're still here?"

Ranma took a deep breath, and nodded, returning the hug. "As long as I remain in this world," Ranma intoned, "and as long as I draw breath, I will do everything I can to make sure she returns to you unharmed."

Elmyra looked down at the shorter girl. "And that applies to you too," she said firmly. "You may not be my child, but as far as I'm concerned you are definitely a part of this family now. And even if you don't think that's the case, I know you've got people waiting for you in your world," she said, wiping her eyes, "which means you have to keep yourself safe too. I couldn't forgive myself if your parents or your fiance showed up here and I had to explain to them that something had happened to you."

Ranma nearly lost her composure at that thought, and smiled weakly, "Jeez, Elmyra," she tried to wave her off with her usual confidence, but couldn't quite keep her voice from cracking. "Enough with the mushy stuff, you'll wreck my reputation."

Elmyra laughed at that, and held Ranma tighter. "I mean it, though," she insisted. "You and Aerith better both come home safe."

"I promise, Elmyra," Ranma said finally. "If nothing else, I need to get your stew recipe. I'll never become a truly great martial artist without it."

Elmyra and Aerith both gave a hearty laugh, and Aerith joined in the hug. "I'll make sure Ranma doesn't push herself too hard," she offered.

After another long moment of shared embrace, they released each other. "I'm still not exactly happy about you walking away side by side with a SOLDIER," Elmyra admitted. "But if you two keep each other safe, that'll be good enough for me to sleep at night, at least."

"He's not with SOLDIER anymore, Elmyra," Ranma said.

Elmyra blinked. "He's not?" She had the good grace to look embarrassed. "Oh for crying out loud, I've made a mess of this, haven't I?"

Ranma smiled and gave an unprompted hug to Elmyra. "It means you care about her, that's all. We'll stay safe, and if it comes down to it I'll just punch him or something."

Even Aerith smirked at that. "We need to get moving, mom," she said. "I'll check in when I know what's going on, but please don't be worried if you don't hear anything for a day or two."

Ranma smiled and opened the door, and they both stepped outside. Elmyra followed them to the threshold and watched them go, still holding back a few tears.

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"Aerith?" Ranma asked quietly, as they approached Cloud.

"Hmm?" Aerith responded.

"Who's Ifalna?" Aerith stopped short suddenly, her expression solidified. Ranma turned to look at her. "...Aerith?"

Aerith looked at Ranma and smiled softly, but there was something else behind that smile. "Ask me again tomorrow?" she said kindly. "I don't think this is the best time."

Ranma nodded, and they continued on.

A/N: Chapter title here is referring to an old and popular song that told the story of young men called to war while leaving the women behind. Elmyra's lost a husband to a war already, and knew a bit about Aerith's crush on Zack in her youth. Her reaction here to Cloud is more... direct than in the original game, in which she quietly told Cloud to leave on his own in the middle of the night. Obviously that didn't work then either.

Since nobody's staying the night at the Gainsborough household, this is also going to result in a minor change to the canon events in the upcoming chapter. If you recall, after spending the evening in Aerith's house, Cloud left, encountered Aerith waiting for him, and then saw Tifa on a wagon headed to Wall Market. We're arriving back to Sector 7 a little ahead of time as a result of this, so... well, you'll see the changes that will occur.

This chapter was shorter, but I feel that the events in it were necessary to stand on their own, rather than merged with the next one.

Hope you like it! Comments and feedback welcome!