TOTP, Episode Aerith, Scenes 10-14
Final Fantasy VII Remake: Traces of Two Pasts
Episode 2: Aerith
Scenes 10-14
A Light Novel by Kazushige Nojima
Translated by Stanley (@istanleyff7 on twitter)
It was the third day. The sun had set entirely, and Elmyra hadn't returned home yet. Aerith hadn't eaten anything after the bread and soup from noon. What should she do if she became any hungrier? Should she head downstairs to search for food? But suppose she did that at her convenience without asking her? In that case, Elmyra might dislike her for it — After thinking about things like that, there was an indication of the door opening.
"It's me," the grumpy voice of Elmyra could be heard.
"I'll be prepping the food right away."
However, there was no response. As Aerith sat down on the chair and waited quietly, the noise and the whiff from the cooking wafted over. Aerith then took out a collapsible table from the closet and set it up, imitating how Elmyra does it. Eventually, Elmyra came upstairs with a tray of a warm bean dish and bread.
Seeing Elmyra, Aerith shrieked involuntarily. A sizable plaster was stuck on her right eyebrow and the outer corner of her eye.
"I had a little fall. Don't worry about it."
After transferring the food from the tray to the table, Elmyra mumbled something from her mouth and then started eating. It seems that she doesn't want to talk about it in detail. If that's the case...
"Thank you for the food!"
Aerith started eating as cheerfully as possible.
"Canned food is delicious."
"Whoever made it would probably be glad to hear it, perhaps."
"A Shinra factory. Well then, have your meal quietly."
After hearing that the canned food was a Shinra product, the joy in Aerith plummeted.
Without a moment's delay, Elmyra then said, "It's difficult to live without Shinra's products. I can't bake bread at home without ingredients and fuel from Shinra. You have to come to terms with it."
"What does 'come to terms' mean?"
"You probably somewhat got it, didn't you? Did you forget? I told you to have your meal quietly."
There was irritation in her voice, and Aerith was regretful. However, if her efforts to enjoy her meal had gone to waste, she also thought she shouldn't hold back anymore.
"Okay. But, tell me one thing. Elmyra, where do you go after breakfast?"
Elmyra stopped her eating hand and fixed her eyes on Aerith. However, she looked down at the plate after several seconds, she again put the beans in her mouth. Aerith couldn’t read Elmyra’s expression at all, and she didn't know what to do anymore.
"I used to bring along this table to a lot of picnics."
It seems that she was interested in having a conversation. Elmyra's voice was gentle.
"Picnic? I know what that is!"
"Even though I say so, it's still the slums. As much as possible, I would go to places without people and monsters, have a ham and cheese sandwich and even drink a little alcohol."
Elmyra's expression became gloomy, and Aerith panicked. She cannot let this fun conversation come to an end.
"Nope, that's not the case."
Elmyra placed the bread back on the plate, went out of the room. She then entered her room along the corridor. Shortly after, she returned to the room, holding a photo frame in hand and held it out to Aerith. The photograph projected Elmyra snuggling up close with a man Aerith didn't know, with the upper half of her body. They were sandwiched in between this small table. The man's face and build were robust in comparison to the slender Elmyra.
They both looked like they were happily laughing.
"Clay Gainsborough. He's Gabriel's only son and my husband."
"Your husband!? I know what a husband is! A husband is a wife's important person. A wife is a husband's important person."
"Yes, he's my husband and an important person to me. You can address him as 'Clay' when he comes back. He likes children, so he would welcome you."
"Where is Clay now?" Aerith asked as she looked at the photograph.
There was no response. When Aerith lifted her head, she saw Elmyra's face, which looked like she was about to cry. She then forcibly put up a smile once they made eye contact.
"He went to war. I got a letter saying that he would be coming home because he took work leave. It's already been six days since he was supposed to be back. The day I met you was the third day."
Aerith understood Elmyra's strange behaviour.
"Do you go to the station every day?"
"Yea... From morning till evening. I probably look like a moron."
"Not at all," Aerith shook her head.
"There’s no point asking Shinra where he is. They tell me something like the trooper's whereabouts is a secret. Shinra surely isn’t flexible at all."
"Clay is a Shinra trooper?"
"Yes, that's right. I should have talked about this first. It's my bad. This household actually has a deep involvement with Shinra."
"But don't worry. Clay and I, we won't do things like ratting you out to Shinra. Aerith, even though I don't know the situation, I'll never forget the desperate look of your mother. We won't do such things to betray you."
To hide her feeling of uneasiness, she hid both cheeks with her hands. However, Elmyra left her eyes fixed on the photo frame and continued her story.
"Clay volunteered to be a Shinra trooper to avoid public criticism that the Gainsborough household was getting preferential treatment from Shinra. Gabriel objected to it, but Clay had already decided, and he stuck to his choice. They haven't spoken to each other since then. I had to go back and forth between these two men to convey things to them."
"Clay and Gabriel, they didn’t get along well?"
"They clashed often, but they had the same personality."
If they had the same personality, maybe that’s why they became like this. Aerith didn't really understand that. However, she saw Elmyra's gentle look as she spoke. It made her inclined to believe that even though Clay was a Shinra trooper, he probably was a good Shinra trooper.
"Aerith, isn't there anything you'd like to talk to me about? Regarding things that are better if I know them?"
There are plenty of things that she should talk about. However, she should probably tell the truth. That she is a Cetra. That people refer to her as an Ancient.
She recollected the various tales of the Cetra that she heard from Ifalna. Elmyra was a good person, and there was no mistaking that. She was not only all words, and she acted upon to help strangers. Clay was also undoubtedly a good person. In the photograph, he had the same smile as Elmyra. However, people may change if she told them she's an Ancient. The Shinra Company wanted to know the secrets of the Ancients, and that was why everyone was gentle and kind. If they were to reveal their true self, everyone would probably be the same as Professor Hojo. They would be itching to inject needles and cutting skin off.
"My mummy and I were captured by this crazy scientist and locked up in the Shinra Building. My mummy had a lot of experiments done on her, that's why she became sick. If I were to be captured by Shinra, that would be me. That's why I want to be here. I also like it here—the house and the garden too. I will also eat Shinra's canned food, so Elmyra, please..."
Elmyra looked at Aerith with her mouth wide open. Shortly after, she reached out her hands across the small table and wrapped them around Aerith's.
"Is there even such a thing? No... there probably is. Yea, of course, you don't have to go back. I promise that I won't do anything that you would hate. Well then, shall we finish eating?"
The two ate quietly. And before long...
"There is a guest coming tomorrow, so I'll probably be cooking for the first time in a while. I like to cook, but it's troublesome if I cook alone for myself. Now that you're here, it'll be good if I cook more, right?"
"I... want to cook! I'd like to help!"
"I’m not sure about that... The kitchen is on the first floor. I think it's still too early for you. "
Aerith was dejected, but she soon looked up.
"That guest... What kind of person is he?"
"That guest... He's Meguro, the second in charge."
"Me-gu-ro-the-second-in-charge."
"Yes. I have to also talk about our family's business, and I’ll tell you about it tomorrow."
And then, after Elmyra finished her meal, she asked casually, "You probably are missing your mummy, aren't you?"
"At that time, I didn't feel things like longing or loneliness. When nightfall arrives, we'll be able to meet. And even if we weren't able to meet, she's connected with the Planet. I could believe that. Moreover, inside the pouch that I received from my mother was a materia. It does nothing other than shining a dim white light. It's not good for anything at all. But when I have it with me, I feel calm."
"It's good for something after all, isn't it?"
Aerith touched the knot in her hair at the back of her head. The materia from that time was still with her.
"I wonder who you will pass it on to..." Tifa uttered.
She didn’t understand what she meant at that moment..
"I haven't even thought about that before."
There might come a day where she would no longer be ‘the final descendant of the Cetra'. She imagined that scenario in astonishment and fixed her eyes on Tifa. She then flustered ―
"Sorry, I said something strange. Well then, may you tell me the rest of the story? About the second-in-command?..."
Unexpectedly, Aerith was allowed to sit at the lunch table. She was called to the table on the first floor. Meguro then got up from his chair and requested a handshake. Meguro was a plump and cheerful-eyed adult. He looked much older than Elmyra.
"This is Meguro, the second-in-charge. He's Gabriel's right-hand man, Clay's childhood friend, and he's an excellent advisor of mine."
"Good afternoon Mr Meguro. I'm Aerith."
"I heard it from Elmyra. It must have been tough for you."
Aerith was startled, and she looked at Elmyra.
"Meguro is fine. Even if I keep this from him, he's a well-informed and intuitive person. He'll get information from somewhere right away and notice it. That's why I thought it'd be better if I break it to him early on."
Aerith was unhappy about it. It was supposed to be a secret between the both of them. However, since it came to that, there was nothing she could do.
"Aerith. Shinra is making a fuss about you and your mother. In connection to that, there are also occurrences of kidnapping. There's a despicable gang that kidnaps the girls in the slums and tries to make money off it."
"How do they make money? There's probably no way they can fool Shinra."
"Of course, but there are also a bunch who would purchase the girl that Shinra is searching for. It's probably not too tricky to deceive greedy, mean bastards."
Meguro faced his giant body towards Aerith. "You're six years old, no, seven."
"Is that so? I also have a seven-year-old daughter. Her name is Rona. That's why this case is not just any other person's problem, and hence this is my suggestion. You two are to be parent and child from now on. Aerith to not be sneaking around, but to go out with Elmyra boldly. You both will meet people and introduce yourselves. You will..." Meguro said as he pointed at Elmyra.
"You will say this. This child was born before you married Clay. She was entrusted to your relatives, but you and Clay decided to live with her. That's about it."
"Hold up a second," Elmyra objects. "I don't understand your point."
"The purpose is to get Aerith known by the neighbourhood and to make them recognise that this child lives here. If she lives in hiding and is taken away by kidnappers and Shinra, no one would probably notice. Elmyra, you probably are acquainted with all the inhabitants in the vicinity, aren't you? If she becomes your daughter, everyone should take notice."
"I see. If that's the case, what about being a relative's child? Or a child who’s adopted from the orphanage? Isn't that good too?"
"The orphanage is just a short distance away. Why would you want to adopt one from there? You wouldn't want to be pried on things like that. Well, however, if she's adopted from a relative, that should be fine. That's right. That would be natural. Well, I think..." Meguro squinted his eyes and looked at Elmyra. "I think you should be addressed as 'Mummy'. Just like how Gabriel made me call him 'Dad'."
Meguro then shifted his gaze to Aerith.
"I was an orphan, and Gabriel picked me up and raised me like his son. Aerith, what do you think? While you're here as the family's child, you'll live as Clay's and Elmyra's daughter."
It seems like an excellent idea. Even if Aerith asks for help now, clearly, no one will care. Just like when she was looking for a doctor at the station. But if she were the daughter of Elmyra Gainsborough, that would be a different story. Elmyra was still thinking about it. Please, Elmyra.
"I think it's a good idea, but this is not just important to Aerith but also for the Gainsborough family. I can't immediately make a decision."
"Well, give it a good thought. Anyways, if Aerith is to go out, it'll be good for her to change her name. Yup, please give this some thought."
Change her name? Aerith was confused at the unexpected suggestion.
"By the way, Elmyra, is the scar on your face Carlo's doing?"
Elmyra looked at Aerith with a side glance.
"Even if I’ve hidden it, you probably already knew about it, right?"
"That guy is a problem. I can't even guess how he became an in-charge."
"With Gabriel gone, he probably thinks that Clay would approve him. Moreover, I'm his representative. He believes that if he threatens a woman, she will cry and give him her signature."
"We have to tighten the whole organisation a little then."
Meguro made a serious face.
"Clay will probably succeed Gabriel, right?"
"Yes. He's taking his work leave this time to talk to you about it."
"No, no, he likely took it to meet his beloved. Business is just an excuse."
Meguro laughed happily and then stood up.
"Leave Carlo to me. And let's talk about the whole organisation after Clay returns."
"After Meguro went off, I was informed about the Gainsborough family business. Gabriel was a manager who manages workers at the construction site. They call him 'The Recruiter'."
"Ahhh, I've heard of this."
"He had been doing this work since the beginning of the Midgar's construction. There are other people in the same profession, but everyone moved onto the plate once it was erected. Only Gabriel and his subordinates remained in the slums. The slums support the plate, and there are many facilities in the slums, aren't there? When that time comes when repair or construction work requires manpower, the Gainsborough family will be contacted."
Aerith gestured and drew a triangle before Tifa's eyes and points at the apex ―
"Gabriel was the first in charge. Clay and Meguro were the second in charge, and they supported the first in charge. The third in charge consisted of six people, and each of them had their own men. They gathered them, and moved under the instructions of the second in charge. Carlo, the hooligan, was like Clay's sworn younger brother."
"Do you understand, Aerith? In other words, this is a very important matter for you," Elmyra said as she placed her hands on Aerith' shoulders.
"Most of the family's work comes from Shinra, and my husband is also a trooper from Shinra. With that, do you still want to be here?"
Elmyra was waiting for an answer with a serious face. She was different from Ifalna and talked to Aerith about anything. That's why Aerith had to think and respond to her thoroughly.
"They are our clients, but it doesn't mean that we adore them. You don't have to worry about that."
It would be a lie to say that Aerith wasn't bothered by the fact that the household has such close relations with Shinra. But if she wasn't okay with it, she couldn't stay here. What should she do? What does she want to do? She looked at Elmyra. Her skin and hair were drier than Ifalna, and she could see that she was tired. She still hadn't removed the plaster on her face. The wound inflicted by Carlo, whom Ifalna happened to bump into on the way back from the station, seemed painful. She went to the station to wait for Clay. She really wanted to see him. And that very same Elmyra fixed her eyes onto Aerith. Even though things are tough on her, she still thought about Aerith's feelings.
Aerith realised it and hurriedly asked what she should have confirmed first.
"Elmyra, won't this trouble you? If I stay here, would it be okay?"
"What are you talking about? Of course."
Without knowing how to express her relief and delight, Aerith hugged Elmyra. She pressed her face onto Elmyra's flat stomach, and Elmyra wrapped her arms around Aerith's back and brought her close for an embrace.
"Well, Clay and I don't have any experience in raising children. We've only learnt by watching others while doing the family's business. We can't say that we know much. There will probably be troubles along the way, and there's a chance Shinra may find you. But let's come up with a solution with everyone when that time comes. By everyone I mean Clay, Meguro, myself and you, Aerith."
Aerith nodded with her forehead still pushed on Elmyra's belly.
“Hey, Aerith. Can you call me 'Mummy'? Of course, you don't have to be serious about it because you only have one mummy."
"Mummy," Aerith tried saying while her forehead remained pressed.
"It's ticklish, but I don't think it's bad. What do you think?"
Aerith looked up, and she saw Elmyra's gentle face."
"It isn't bad!" Aerith imitated.
Elmyra let out a big laugh. The atmosphere in the room seemed like it started dancing.
Ifalna appeared during nighttime, and Aerith told her about the happenings in the day. Ifalna closed her eyes and nodded with satisfaction.
"Why are you apologising?"
From the time after Aerith saw her face, she had feelings of guilt.
"I'm okay with it. Rather than thinking about me, I want you to have a good time. How's your new name coming along?"
"Elmyra told me to think about it myself."
"I see... Do properly give it thought. That name will be your ticket to freedom."
"To me, I'll miss the name that I'm familiar with and cherish. But you'll always be Aerith. My adorable Aerith. That will not change."
Ifalna's figure wavered for a moment. Aerith panicked and called out to stop her.
"You know what, Mummy? What should I do if Clay doesn't want me? What should I do if he dislikes me and would be angry at me if I stay in this house? And if he says that, he'll return me to Shinra..."
"I think it'll be fine. He's the husband that Elmyra chose, after all, right?"
Her uneasiness did not precisely go away.
"I wonder where Clay is..."
"That's true... I'll try searching for him."
It was the following morning. Aerith was drinking tea with Elmyra on the first floor. An old man with a small stature came to visit. He was Butch, a third in command. The wrinkles imprinted on his entire dark-skinned face was impressionable.
"Good morning Butch. You came earlier than the agreed timing, didn’t you?"
"Sorry. It's my bad. Shall I come back again?"
"No, no, it doesn't matter."
She handed over the documents she had prepared. These are the documents necessary for the job. After Butch confirmed its contents, he nodded with satisfaction and placed them inside a tattered bag.
"And, who is this child?" Butch asked Elmyra as he looked at Aerith.
"Ahhh, I have to introduce her, right?"
"She's my cousin's daughter, but my cousin passed away. So I decided to adopt her."
"She doesn't have a father?"
"Eh? Ah. Yes, yes. She doesn't."
Elmyra couldn't hide her nervousness. Butch squinted his eyes and looked at Elmyra. He then turned them to Aerith. It was the first time that Aerith saw such a wrinkled face. His thin eyes were like a part of his wrinkles.
"Hey, young girl, what's your name?"
She was fascinated by his wrinkles, that when she was suddenly asked a question, she was shaken. And then...
"I'm Rona. Nice to meet you, Mr Butch."
After she said that, she thought she was done for. It was too late. Rona was the name of Meguro's daughter, and Butch definitely knew that too. Elmyra also became flustered.
"Ahhhh, what a coincidence."
Unsure if Butch saw their nervousness, he vaguely nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Rona."
After saying that, the old man went home.
Elmyra held her own head.
"I'm sorry, I didn't properly decide on it."
"No, no, I wasn't prepared."
Elmyra knelt on the floor and met Aerith's gaze.
"I should have expected that Butch to come early. He normally does. And also, the name too. I thought that the important thing about a new name is that it should be decided on your own, and I left it up to you, but of course, you need help with this. You're seven. Yeah, that's right."
That's right. Elmyra took a broom in her hand and started sweeping the floor while muttering to herself numerous times. It seems that doing the house chores calms her down. Shortly after, she poured Aerith a new glass of tea and invited her over.
“The next guest is Rodin. He's the same as Butch, a third in charge. He may be light-hearted at times, but deep down, he's a good kid."
"No, no, he's only a lot younger than I am. And also, Aerith. He's scheduled to come here in the evening. I want to go to the station before that. There's a chance that Clay might come back. My bad, but may you hide on the second floor until I'm back? It'll be a problem if an unexpected guest comes over, isn't it?"
"It's fine if I bring you along, but it's probably still too soon for that."
"I'm alright with that. I do like the second-floor."
"Your name... Do think about it. I think it's fine if we talk to Butch about the situation. Rona is fine too, but it's still not an issue to change your name now. I'll be thinking about it along the way, so let's discuss and decide on it later on."
Elmyra mentioned that before she came back, no matter who might come over, be it even though it's Rodin, she was not to open the door or to give a reply. She then left the house. Aerith thought they were like the mother squirrel and the child squirrel she saw in picture books. She recalled the fate of these squirrels and hurriedly ran upstairs.
She intended to think about her name right away. However, she thought about Butch's wrinkles. She was surprised she thought about wanting to try touching it someday. She was also curious about Meguro's belly. What exactly did he stuff in there? Is it soft? Is it hard? Rona is also probably a big child, isn't she? Even if she changed her name, she had already introduced herself to Butch as "Rona", would problems not arise? If Meguro knows about this, would he be angry? She wondered how Rona would react to it too. How is Rona as a child? When will it be the day that she meets Rona? Will she get along with her?
As she thought about those things ― and she dozed off numerous times ― evening came. There was the sound of the door opening, and Elmyra cheerfully called out, "Come down."
There's good news, was it!?
Aerith noisily ran downstairs to welcome Elmyra, who was holding a paper bag with both hands.
"Alright, that's enough," Elmyra laughed as she placed the paper bag onto the table. When Aerith looked into it, she found lots of vegetables and fruits that she had never seen. "The vegetables were cheap today, so I brought home lots of them. It's been a while since I hung around at the market. What did you do today?"
"I thought about Rona, about what kind of kid she is."
“She’s a good kid. You’ll also have a chance to meet her in this house.”
After that, Aerith also asked questions about Rona. Elmyra listened with her back facing her, and she replied while starting to put away the vegetables in the food storage area in the fridge. She already stopped smiling. Her voice was also no longer lively. It was because Clay also didn't come back today.
Aerith felt a sense of relief. Elmyra probably did too.
Rodin was a young man around 20-years old. He was tall and slender and had big blue eyes and wavy blonde hair.
"Hello," Rodin gave Elmyra a small greeting.
He noticed Aerith right away.
"Hey, Rona. Nice to meet you. I'm Rodin, one of the third in charge."
After Aerith was called ‘Rona’, she flinched. He opened the bag he slung on his shoulders, and held out a thin book.
"Nice to meet you. Here's something I brought from Butch."
On the cover of the book that she received, the words 'Let's play with letters' was printed in large font. Without thinking, she swelled up her cheeks. That book, which gathered the characters Midgar uses, was the same study book that she was assigned to study in the Shinra Building.
"Eh? Don't you like it? Butch chose it, but... That man, he cares about this kind of stuff more than you would think, so I'll keep this a secret."
"I'm happy about the book. But I thought I had to study."
"Is that so? Well, you're the same as me then. I'm also bad at studying. I'm pretty okay with reading, but writing... Especially Kanji, it'll be good if it doesn't exist."
"Rodin, don't tell her such weird things. Well... Rona. Read the book upstairs. We have to talk about business."
After replying as vibrantly as possible, she went to the second floor, looking like she was escaping. She felt uneasy every time she was addressed as Rona.
After Rodin went off, Elmyra apologised for not coming up with a good name and not taking the time to talk with her about it before Rodin came. And then...
"What do you think about the name 'Rona'? Do you like it?"
"Well then, shall we go with that?"
You’re on page 66/142 of Aerith’s segment of the Light Novel.
Next Scenes: Scenes 15-21
Previous Scenes: Scenes 5-9
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