Life Finds a Way

Chapter 61

Tseng was still wary about this whole endeavor, but he was happy to see Genesis didn't try to follow when Clarissa walked toward the entrance of the church. When she reached his side, he turned and opened the doors before entering first. He paused at the first row of pews to see the girl they had come to see stand up with a wary look. When she caught sight of Tseng her face betrayed the fact that she was nervous. She still managed to greet him. "Hello Tseng, what brings you here today?"

He watched as she started to slowly back around the edge of her flower bed until her eyes moved passed him to the woman behind him. When she laid eyes on Clarissa, her eyes widened, and she stopped still. At that, the Soldier walked from behind him and slowly approached the last Ancient. He palmed the small gun he had in his pocket, but he didn't draw it yet.

Clarissa kept her voice soft as she called out. "Hello Aerith, my name is Clarissa. I've wanted to meet you; would you mind talking to me?" She stopped a good distance away and gave the girl time to gather herself again.

After a few minutes Aerith finally moved. She took a tentative step forward and looked over Clarissa's hair and face before she finally spoke. "I wasn't expecting you to be with Shinra."

At those words Clarissa relaxed a little. She gave Aerith a smile as she responded. "I didn't expect to end up with Shinra either, but here I am." She pointed to one of the pews close by before speaking again. "Would you sit with me?"

Aerith moved to the pew and took a seat without speaking. When Clarissa moved to sit next to her she made sure there was still plenty of space between them. Neither of them had paid attention to Tseng once they started talking, which was fine with him. It would make it easier to observe them.

Once they were seated, neither spoke for a few minutes. It was Aerith that broke the silence. "The planet told me you would come to me and need my help. I'm not sure what I could possibly do to help a Soldier though."

Clarissa gave her a bright smile. "You shouldn't underestimate your own power you know? Just because you don't have super strength doesn't mean you aren't still powerful. There are many types of strength. I imagine there are a lot of people that admire you just the way you are."

Aerith blushed slightly at the compliment but she giggled anyway. "That's okay, I'm not interested in being powerful anyway."

Clarissa was glad to see the girl relax a little. She had been happy when Aerith had admitted to expecting her, since she had hoped Minerva had made it happen, but beyond that, she didn't really know what to ask to prove who she was. Finally, she spoke up tentatively. "Aerith, I know you said the planet told you to expect me, but did it say anything else?"

The girl looked thoughtful for a minute, her head cocked to the side slightly. After a moment her face brightened before a shadow fell over it. She reached out to touch Clarissa's arm, her face full of concern. "I'm sorry."

Clarissa felt like she had been gut-punched as she realized what information was probably just shared. She forced a smile anyway. "I'll be alright. Thank you though."

Aerith gave a shake of her head as she reached out and gave her a hug. "You know it's alright to show other people that you are hurting. It isn't healthy to keep it bottled up."

Clarissa laughed a real laugh at the younger woman's admonition. She patted her arm as she pulled away. "I know. I have finally found someone I can confide in, so don't worry about that."

Aerith only gave her a nod but she still wore a serious expression. "There was more." At that she reached out to touch Clarissa's stomach but stopped just shy of it. She pulled her hand back quickly and blushed. "I'm sorry. I should have asked first."