Elly: Cloud... wasn't it?
Elly: It's about Aerith, isn't it?
Cloud: ...Sorry. The Shinra have her.
Elly: I know. They took her from here.
Cloud: They were here?
Elly: That's what Aerith wanted...
Cloud: Why is Shinra after Aerith?
Elly: Aerith is an Ancient. The sole survivor.
Barret: What did you say? But, aren't you her mother?
Elly: Not her real mother. ...it must have been 15 years ago...
Elly: ...during the war. My husband was sent to the front. Some far away place called Wutai.
Blackness
One day, I went to the station because I got a letter saying he was coming home on leave.
Sector 7 station
Elly walks to the door of the train.
Biggs and Jessie hug by the lamppost. He picks her up and spins her around, then spins around on the lamppost. They hug again, and leave.
A bloke leaves the train, and a punk woman runs over and hugs him. He spins her around, and they leave.
A large man leaves the train, and runs over to the other woman. She picks him up, spins half way around, and collapses. They leave.
Elly talks to the porter, and he shakes his head. The door shuts. Elly sits on the steps.
My husband never came back. I wonder if something happened to him? No, I'm sure his leave was just canceled. I went to the station everyday. Then, one day...
A girl is crying over a dying woman. Elly shocks and runs over to them. She kneels over her, and the girl cries on Elly's shoulder. The woman makes a small movement, then stops. Elly hugs the girl.
You used to see this sort of thing a lot during the war. Her last words were, "Please take Aerith somewhere safe." My husband never came back. I had no child. I was lonely. So I decided to take her home with me.
Blackness
Aerith and I cbecame close very quickly. That child loved to talk. She used to talk to me about everything.
Aerith's House
Young Aerith runs down the stairs, and trips. Elly helps her up, and she leaves.
She told me how she escaped from some kind of research laboratory, and that her mother had already returned to the Planet, so she wasn't lonely... many other things.
Barret: Returned to the Planet?
Elly: I didn't know what she meant. I asked if she meant a star in the sky, but she said it was this Planet... She was a mysterious child in many ways.
Aerith: Mom.
A slightly older Aerith comes downstairs.
Aerith: Please don't cry.
Elly: Aerith just blurted that out all of a sudden. When I asked her if something happened...
Aerith: Someone dear to you has just died. His spirit was coming to see you, but he's already returned to the Planet.
Elly: At that time I didn't believe her.
Blackness
Elly: But...
Aerith's House
Elly cries at the table.
Elly: Several days later... we recieved a notice saying my husband died...
Blackness
Elly: ...and that was it. A lot had happened, but we were happy. Until one day...
Aerith's House
Tseng: We want you to return Aerith to us. We've been searching for her for a long time.
Aerith: No! Never!
Tseng: Aerith, you're a very special child. You are of special blood. Your real mother was an 'Ancient'.
Elly: At that moment, I found out she was an 'Ancient'.
Tseng: The Ancients will lead us to a land of supreme happiness. Aerith will be able to bring happiness to all those in the slums. That is why Shinra would like Aerith's cooperation.
Aerith: He's wrong! I'm not an Ancient! I'm not!
Tseng: But Aerith, surely you hear voices sometimes when you're all alone?
Aerith: No, I don't!
She runs away.
Elly: But I knew. I knew about her mystical powers. She tried so hard to hide it, so I acted as though I never noticed.
Aerith's House, back in the present
Cloud: It's amazing how she's avoided the Shinra for all these years...
Elly: The Shinra need her, so I guess they wouldn't harm her.
Tifa: But why now?
Elly: She brought a little girl here with her. Tseng probably found them on their way here. She probably wasn't fast enough to get away. She decided to go to the Shinra in exchange for the little girl's safety.
Cloud: ...Marlene.
Barret: Marlene!! Aerith was caught because of Marlene!?
Barret: I'm sorry. Marlene's my daughter. I'm really sorry...
Elly: You're her father!? How in the world could you ever leave a child alone like that!?
Barret: Please don't start with that. I'm always thinkin' about what might happen to Marlene, if I...
Barret: But you gotta understand somethin'... ...I don't got any answers. I wanna be with Marlene... But I gotta fight.
Barret: 'Cause if I don't... the Planet's gonna die.
Barret: So I'm gonna keep fightin'!
Barret: But inside I'm always thinkin' of her. I just wanna be with her... always.
Barret: See? I'm goin' in circles, now.
Elly: ...I think I know what you mean. She's upstairs asleep, why don't you go and see her?
He does.
* Tifa: It's my fault... I was the one who got Aerith involved in this.
Elly: Don't say that. Aerith doesn't think so.
* Tifa: I feel so depressed.
* Elly: ...sigh...
Upstairs
* Barret: I'm so glad... I'm so glad you're all right...
Marlene: Daddy, don't cry. Your whiskers hurt!
* Leave
Barret: Cloud!
Barret: You gonna go help Aerith, right? She's done so much for me...
Barret: If the Shinra're involved, I ain't stayin' here! I'm comin', too!
Marlene: Guess what? Guess what? Aerith asked me lots of questions. Like what kind of person Cloud is. I bet she likes you, Cloud!
* I don't know
Marlene: Dummy!
* Dunno.
* Marlene: Dummy!
Downstairs
* Leave
Tifa: You're going after Aerith, right?
Cloud: Yeah.
Tifa: I'm coming with you.
Cloud: We're going right into Shinra Headquarters. ...You gotta be prepared for the worst.
Tifa: I know.
Tifa: Right now, I feel I have to push myself to the limit.
Tifa: If I stayed here... I'd go crazy...
Barret enters.
Barret: Sorry, but can you take care of Marlene a bit longer?
Elly: Yes, I don't mind.
Barret: This place is dangerous now. You better go somewhere else.
Elly: ...You're right. But promise me that you'll come back to her. Don't get yourself killed!
Party nods and leaves.
Outside
Tifa: How do we get to the Shinra Building?
Barret: There ain't no train that goes up there anymore.
Tifa: ...
Tifa: Well, let's go to Wall Market. We might be able to find something there.
Aerith's House
* Elly: I mean it, come back to her. Don't get yourself killed.
* Marlene: Daddy, Tifa, Cloud! Please bring Aerith back!
