Johnny stood up from his seat, patting his pants. "In that case, I'll be heading home first, Zack, Cissnei."
"Okay, Bro! Be careful on the road. I'm leaving Cloud in your care!" Zack replied, raising his hand with a wide smile.
"Bye, take care Johnny, Cloud," Cissnei also waved from near the kitchen.
When Johnny was at the doorway, he looked back. A cynical yet mischievous smile formed on his lips. "Now it's just the two of you. One soundproof apartment... it'd be quite something if there's suddenly the sound of a baby crying here next year."
COUGH!
Zack choked on his own saliva, his face instantly turning as red as a tomato. "HEEEEY! WATCH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!" Zack shouted in a panic, his hands waving around awkwardly.
Meanwhile, Cissnei suddenly became busy wiping the coffee table at lightning speed, hiding her face behind her hair because she was blushing furiously down to her ears.
Cloud, who completely missed the romantic nuance, instead stood at attention and gave a stiff military salute. "Permission to take our leave, Captain! Lady Cissnei!"
Zack could only slap his forehead.
When the apartment door closed, Johnny's mischievous laugh instantly evaporated. The atmosphere in the hallway felt silent. Johnny glanced at the door for a moment. Behind his joke earlier, there was a shadow of a bleak future. Zack's gaze back in there... Johnny knew Zack was starting to think about that terrifying probability. Would Zack be used as an experimental subject? Would Cissnei have to choose between duty and love? All that burden now hung in the air.
However, Johnny shook his head, throwing those thoughts far away. Tonight, he only wanted to see his fiancée.
===============================================================
The distance from Sector 8 to Sector 5 wasn't too far if they took the express route. Johnny gave Cloud a ride on his matte black motorcycle with its roaring engine. Their destination was the Sector 5 Church.
The old building now looked neat. The first and second floors no longer had severe cracks, and the roof no longer leaked. Over the past year, Johnny had paid the Sector 7 thugs who had submitted to him to act as construction workers, repairing this church.
As they stepped inside, a familiar sight greeted Johnny. Aerith was crouching down, meticulously arranging the plots of lilies. This time, the flower garden looked much neater because Johnny had built wooden stepping stones and borders out of mahogany.
"Did you bring a friend, Johnny?" Aerith asked softly. She was still busy arranging the flowers, not looking back. Her ears were already familiar with Johnny's heavy boot footsteps, but there were other footsteps that were lighter and hesitant behind her fiancé.
"Yeah," Johnny answered. "He's Zack's junior. Zack asked me to train him. His name is Trooper Cloud Strife."
Cloud immediately snapped to attention, puffing his chest out. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Aerith!"
Aerith stood up, dusted the dirt off her hands, then turned around. "Sorry my hands are dirty. Nice to meet y—"
Aerith's words trailed off for a moment, accompanied by her friendly smile.
Meanwhile, Cloud simply froze. He stared at Aerith's face, her braided brown hair, and her bright green eyes that were so beautiful. For a 15-year-old boy from the country, Aerith's beauty was truly blinding. Cloud's face slowly turned red.
"V-very... well, Miss," Cloud stammered badly, flustered.
Aerith looked into Cloud's innocent Mako-blue eyes, then let out a small laugh, a laugh that implied something. "It seems the two of us need to talk after this, Johnny."
Johnny's possessive instinct flared up instantly. He turned toward Cloud, staring at the blonde boy with a dense killing aura.
"Listen, Strife," Johnny threatened, his voice dropping an octave. "Don't tell me you're trying to flirt with my fiancée. If you dare to have a crush on Aerith, I'll snap your neck before training even begins."
Cloud panicked instantly, waving both his hands rapidly. "Sir, my mistake, Mentor Johnny! Of course not! I swear!"
Johnny snorted softly, then pointed to the center area of the church. "Alright. Starting tomorrow, this is our gathering point. If there's a monster extermination mission in the Slums, you report directly here. I usually start preparing at 12 noon. Don't be late."
"Are there any special supplies I should prepare, Mentor?" Cloud asked seriously.
"Bring potions for yourself. I'll lend you a standard Shinra sword I bought a while back," Johnny answered. He then leaned his body against a church pillar. "By the way, where are you from?"
"Nibelheim. I'm from Nibelheim," Cloud answered.
Johnny frowned. "That's really far. Doesn't that mean crossing the Nibel Mountains that are full of monsters? Why bother migrating all the way to Midgar just to be a lowly trooper?"
Cloud scratched his cheek that wasn't itchy, a habit when he was nervous. "It's my dream, Mentor. I... I want to be strong to protect the people there."
"The people there?" Johnny teased, smirking faintly. "Or for one girl you like? What's her name?"
Cloud's face turned red again, this time up to his ears. "She's... my childhood friend. Her name is Tifa."
Johnny deliberately leaned his face closer to Aerith, wrapping his arm around the girl's waist proudly. "Oh yeah? Is she really beautiful? As beautiful as my Aerith here?"
Aerith laughed, pushing Johnny's face away with her palm. "You're too much, Johnny. Flatterer."
Cloud looked down shyly, muttering softly. "She's very beautiful. I... really want to protect her."
Hearing that, Johnny's gaze softened. He saw a reflection of his past self in Cloud—a man who wanted to become strong for the sake of the girl he loved.
"Do you still have parents, Cloud?"
"Only my mother, Mentor."
Johnny walked closer, then patted Cloud's shoulder with his large, heavy hand, making Cloud wince slightly.
"Then become strong. Not just to keep your promise to Tifa, but to protect your mother," Johnny said firmly. "I forged myself not just to protect my fiancée, but also my parents and my neighbors in Sector 7. True strength comes when you have a place to return to. Remember that, Cloud."
Cloud's blue eyes sparkled with deep respect. "Yes, Mentor!"
"Okay." Johnny clapped his hands. "Aerith, do you want to have dinner with Cloud too?"
Aerith smiled sweetly. "Sure."
===============================================================
The three of them ate at a small food stall adjacent to the church in Sector 5. The menu was simple: aromatic thick meat soup, Soft wheat bread, and Iced herbal tea typical of the slums.
The scene at the table was actually quite strange if seen by an ordinary person. Beside Johnny, there was a small plate containing torn pieces of bread and a glass of water the size of a bottle cap that seemed to float on its own and then disappear into thin air. Of course, that was the doing of Puck and Ivalera, who were eating in invisible mode. Cloud, who occasionally saw the bread vanish, could only blink in confusion, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him due to exhaustion.
Throughout the dinner, they mostly listened to Cloud. The kid was quiet, shy, and severely lacking in self-confidence. However, when talking about his desire to change, his tone turned hard. There was an iron resolve hidden beneath his skinny frame.
As the night grew late, Cloud said his goodbyes.
"Thank you for the treat, Miss Aerith. Thank you, Mentor Johnny," Cloud saluted. "I will await your instructions for the missions beneath the plate."
"See you later, Cloud," Aerith replied, waving her hand.
After Cloud disappeared around the corner heading toward the train station, Johnny took Aerith's hand to walk her home.
As they passed the deserted park near the Leaf Orphanage, Aerith suddenly covered her mouth and laughed. Not a small giggle, but a free laugh that made her shoulders shake.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Johnny was startled. "What is it? Why are you suddenly laughing, Aerith? Is there something funny?"
Aerith wiped a tear from the corner of her eye from laughing so hard. "You know, Johnny... he's the one! I mean, the second guy after Zack that I told you about. The blonde-haired man. And you actually brought him to me!"
Johnny's eyes widened. His footsteps halted. "MY GOD! So the kid you meant... the blonde-haired, blue-eyed guy who was in your dream... is that motion-sickness guy?!"
"That's right, that's him," Aerith giggled. "But how come in my dream he was so different? He looks so awkward and shy right now. Not convincing at all. But... yeah, his eyes are indeed nice," Aerith teased, deliberately provoking Johnny's reaction.
Instantly, Puck appeared on Johnny's shoulder, placing his hands over his mouth as if whispering, even though his voice was loud.
"Hear that, Boss! She said his eyes are nice! Bright blue eyes, not the eyes of a fierce-faced hitman like you!" Puck teased.
Ivalera appeared on his other shoulder, joining in to heat things up. "Hihihi, his eyes are so beautiful... His blonde hair is so charming. Not like someone who asks for a date but his body smells like sweat and engine oil."
Johnny's face turned beet red, his ears feeling hot. "DAMN YOU TWO!" Johnny cursed at his two fairies.
Johnny rubbed his face roughly. "Out of so many people in Midgar, why did it have to be that kid who showed up? On one hand, your dream prophecy makes me insanely jealous. On the other hand, I have to train him to become a badass! Damn it, destiny is messing with me!"
Aerith laughed again, then wrapped her arms around Johnny's large, muscular arm. "Why should you be jealous, Johnny? You're much more handsome and dashing than him, hehe."
"Zack told me he vomits easily when riding in vehicles, and his physique is weak too," Johnny grumbled, still scowling. "How can someone like that be the one to save the world? Were there any other clues in your dream, Aerith?"
"It was only blurry, Johnny," Aerith answered, her tone turning slightly more serious. "But that face... it was definitely him. Cloud, was it? It's just that, in my vision, that Cloud looked very cold, serious, and harbored a deep sorrow. Not shy like the kid earlier."
Johnny scratched his aching head. The fact that Cloud was Aerith's second "destined" man made him annoyed and suddenly lazy to train him. However, his ego and common sense debated. If that dream prophecy was true, and the threat of Sephiroth was real, then Midgar needed Cloud. Like it or not, Johnny had to forge him into a deadly weapon.
The two of them continued walking until they arrived at the side yard of Elmyra's house. Both of them sat alone on the wooden garden bench. Puck and Ivalera quickly darted away, playing tag among the flowers planted by Aerith, giving their master privacy.
That night, the Sector 5 air felt cool.
"You know, Johnny," Aerith rested her head on Johnny's shoulder. "Today I really wanted to laugh. You bringing Cloud to me, it's like an incredibly funny joke of destiny. It seems that, because you inherited Cetra blood, you have seen your own future."
Johnny sighed softly. "Of course. Ever since this Cetra power awakened, somehow every time I sleep, I always dream about the possibilities of the future. And in that 'supposed' world... I was just a coward."
Aerith rubbed Johnny's arm gently, giggling softly. "Yeah, you've told me before. In that future of yours, Johnny was just a cowardly and clumsy delinquent. For some reason, I was the one who always protected you. You always hid behind me whenever there was danger."
"Damn it. Somehow that dream always feels real. It feels as if I am the most useless man in the world," Johnny grumbled, annoyed at recalling "himself."
"It's all just a dream, Johnny. An illusion that will never happen," Aerith comforted him, looking at Johnny's face from the side.
Johnny turned, staring deep into Aerith's green eyes. His fierce face now looked very soft and full of longing.
"And in this real world... I swear I will always be your knight. I will never let you protect me like in that stupid dream," Johnny whispered. His eyes dropped to Aerith's lips.
"You know, ever since Mother Elmyra forbade me from visiting until late at night... I always think about your lips, Aerith. And you... haven't kissed me today."
Aerith's face turned red. She looked back at Johnny's lips, her breath hitching slightly. "Mother said we can't... we'll get scolded again, you know... besides..."
Johnny didn't care. He leaned his face in, closing the distance between them. Aerith closed her eyes, letting Johnny's face get closer...
Just a few centimeters left—
BAM!
The side door of the house flew open violently, slamming against the wall.
"AERITH! TIME TO COME INSIDE! NOW!"
Elmyra's voice boomed through the night, sharp and full of absolute authority like a five-star general.
Aerith immediately jumped away from Johnny, her face a mix of panic and suppressed laughter. "See! What did I tell you!" she whispered while giggling. "See you tomorrow, Johnny!"
Aerith quickly ran inside the house before her mother rampaged any further.
Johnny, left alone on the garden bench, could only groan in frustration, holding his head that suddenly ached. "Arghhh... failed again..."
Puck floated down, landing right on the bridge of Johnny's nose while laughing uproariously. "BWAHAHAHA! The romantic kiss didn't happen! What a shame, Boss!"
"Shut up, you bug!" Johnny grumbled, shooing Puck away with his hand, then walked home through the night with an irritated heart.