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- I have twenty-three tiny wishes, but you probably won't remember them all, so I put them all together into one...
-- Aerith Gainsborough
Aerith Gainsborough (air-ith gains-boor-oh) is the daughter of the Cetran Ifalna and the human Professor Gast of Shinra Electric Power Company, Incorporated. As such, she is a hybrid of the two, and retains portions of both of them almost equally. Her personality is in rather stark contrast with that of the other Cetrans though she retains the broad- and forward-thinking aspects that her elders are known for, which sometimes makes her come off as cold or arrogant.
Aerith's nature leans strongly towards the preservation of the "greater good," and as such she believes strongly in the power of healing and forgiveness. She studies to one day be a medical doctor and takes great pride in her work, though if ever asked she would deny its competance. Her focus is on the integration of magic and modern medicine to enhance and compliment each other.
Contents |
History
Birth and Childhood
Aerith Gainsborough was conceived in the laboratory hideaway of Professor Faremis Gast of Shinra Electric Power Company, Incorporated and the last remaining Prime Cetran on Gaia in Aerith's home dimension, Ifalna. While little is actually known about her mother, Professor Gast was a very prominent member of Shinra's Science Department, and a direct rival of Professor Hojo, a far more corrupt individual who favored nonconsensual experimentation. It was for this reason that Professor Gast kept Ifalna hidden away in Icicle Inn, a frigid vacation place on the northern continent of Gaia. It's here that for several months prior to Aerith's birth, Professor Gast had been interviewing Ifalna peacefully, respectfully, and slowly about her long life and her experiences since Geddon, including the Age of Geddon, the civil war, the Yomi, the wars, and her own life until her most recent memories. Professor Gast recorded and documented these interviews painstakingly, keeping track of Ifalna's wellbeing more than he did her progress in the interviews.
It was from this caretaking that Ifalna and Professor Gast's relationship turned from professional to personal slowly, developing into a mutual relationship that was only furthered by their respect and admiration for each other Aerith's birth was recorded and documented as well, and it was noted especially how Aerith strongly resembled her mother rather than her father. Aerith's time as an infant was spent in solitude with her parents, who noted her quick development cognitively, which Ifalna noted as a strong Cetran trait. However, her physical development was notably human, and she exerted similar human physical characteristics throughout her infancy.
However, after a blissful several months with his new family, Professor Gast's secret came out, and he, Ifalna, and Aerith were located by The Turks and Professor Hojo. Confronting them all himself in an attempt to defendhis family, Professor Gast was shot and killed by Professor Hojo personally, who then ordered Ifalna and Aerith to be seized. The two were captured and returned to Shinra Headquarters in Midgar, where they were kept in holding to be used in tests and experiments. Professor Gast's work was left unattended and derelict. However, Ifalna refused to allow her daughter to be exposed to such evils, and finally made a daring escape from the Shinra Tower seven years later with Aerith in her arms. Hunted down and chased by both guards and the Turks, Ifalna was finally shot and believed to be killed at the edge of Sector 5.
It was at this time that Elmyra Gainsborough, a middle-aged housewife living in the Sector 5 Slums of Midgar, was waiting for the return of her husband from the Wutai War that had been occuring on the other side of the world. Elmyra noticed Ifalna laying, bleeding and dying, near the train station she was in. Approaching her, Ifalna studied Elmyra and smiled at her, and with her last wishes, asked Elmyra to take care of her little girl, who she only called 'Aerith,' and to make sure that she always kept a small marble-sized sphere with her. Respecting the unknown woman's final wishes, Elmyra adopted Aerith as her own and gave Aerith her and her husband's last name -- Gainsborough.
From that day forth, Aerith was raised as Elmyra's own daughter, with the love, attention, and nourishment that a normal human girl required, with a happy, warm atmosphere. Throughout her childhood, Aerith would constantly 'meditate' on her own, and would even speak of the Planet's wishes. One strange occurance that stood out was one early morning when Aerith came downstairs, and spoke to Elmyra. Her voice seemed almost ghostlike, but her green eyes were focused straight on Elmyra's. Aerith rested her hand on Elmyra's and said, "Do not be sad. Your husband has passed on ... but his spirit has returned to the Lifestream." Elmyra was very disturbed by this, but paid no heed to it at first. The next day, Elmyra received the letter informing her of her husband's death early the morning before.
Adolescence
As Aerith grew into her teenage years, she began going out on her own from the safety of her home in Sector 6 and traveling through the slums beneath Midgar's plate, in time growing quite familiar with the layout of all eight sectors. Her favorite, though, quickly grew to become Sector 5 and the derelict church it housed. It was here that the young girl found her solace and tranquility, free from the worries of the outside. The church quickly became a place of solitude and meditation for her. It didn't take Aerith long to discover that it was also a shallow point in the planet's crust, and that unlike the rest of Midgar, the ground wasn't fallow. Aerith took it upon herself, as a personal project, to clear away the flooring of the church, ripping it out with her own hands and tools that she acquired from the other parts of the slums, and she began working the dirt beneath to refresh it with water and life. Her efforts, after much investment, rewarded her greatly, with the only flower garden in the entire city of Midgar.
Aerith used these flowers as a commodity, and quickly found that they sold well both below and above the plate. She arranged her own flower baskets and, on a daily basis, sold flowers for a gil apiece in the attempts to help her mother make ends meet. While not overly lucrative, it gave Aerith a sense of responsibility and usefulness, as she loved helping her mother in any way she could, and she also delighted in the excitement of the people who would buy her flowers.
However, flower peddling wasn't the only thing that highlighted Aerith's early teenage years. Aerith's development into a young woman and the watchful eyes of Shinra, Inc. quickly brought attention to her as early as prepubescence, which resulted in the beginning of many years of stalking and shadowing operations to learn about the young Cetra. Aerith grew aware of their plans for her, while the faint memories of her early childhood spent in the Shinra Tower made her wary and assisted her in avoiding them. This went on for many years, and while Aerith was very intuitive in her elusive actions, she wasn't completely without assistance. A young Turk officer named Tseng Wulong, the second in command of the elite group, harbored secret admiration for Aerith, and often let her escape or assisted her in escaping through various ways.
Crisis Core
- Men cry not for themselves, but for their comrades...
-- LOVELESS
When Aerith was sixteen, an accident above Aerith's church dropped a young raven-haired man named Zack Forrester through the open roof and directly into the soft soil of the field of flowers, probably the only saving grace from his fall aside from Aerith's Materia knowledge. Armed with pieces salvaged from the slums, Aerith was able to help Zack recover quickly from his fall, and oer the following time, the two would grow to know each other. Zack's boyish charms and kind heart warmed and complimented Aerith's, an she soon found herself wishing for him to not have to leave her quaint little corner of the world. One of Zack's many impacts on Aerith's life was most notably his suggestion of the color pink for her, which results in him giving her her first pink hair ribbon.
However, Zack's duty as a SOLDIER took him away for a time, which caused Aerith's heart to reach out for him more and more. She offered him a piece of wisdom passed down from her mother, a token that she hoped he would be able to use better than she at the time. Armed with an excerpt of what was later to be referred to as the Great Gospel of Life, Zack left Aerith for a time to return to his work. Aerith waited patiently for him, carrying on with her day-to-day life, until he returned to her one day, but only for a brief time. Before he left, Aerith confessed to him,
- ... I'd like to spend more time with you.
-- Aerith Gainsborough (continued from the top of the page)
These would be the last words shared between Aerith and Zack face-to-face.
Over the duration of the next four years, Aerith wrote a total of eighty-nine full-bore letters to Zack's posted address -- almost two a month, each month -- each time hoping more and more for a reply ... but none came. Aerith's hope only dwindled near the end, and after thepassing of her final letter, Aerith finally said goodbye to Zack for now. To this day, Aerith's trademarked color is still pink, and she still wears the same ribbon in her hair that she received somany years ago.
The Last Ancient
New Friends
After the bombing of the Sector 5 Mako reactor, Aerith found a young blonde haired man who had fallen from above into her church. After conversing with the young man for a moment, who said his name was Cloud Strife, a pack of Shinra soldiers led by Reno Sasuki, a top ranking Turk, broke into the church. Reno was intent on doing what Tseng couldn't, and called for Aerith and Cloud's arrest. Aerith pleaded with Cloud to protect her and return her home to Elmyra, and Cloud agreed. After a desperate escape from the derelict church and a chase through Sector Five, Cloud was able to return Aerith home safely. Aerith asked Cloud to stay with her for a night to regain his strength after his fall the previous day, and he agreed. However, in the middle of the night, Cloud tried to sneak out of the house, only to be caught by the very perceptive Aerith. Aerith agreed to lead Cloud back to Sector Seven and Tifa's Seventh Heaven bar, and proceeded through Sector Six, where they took a short break to talk. However, during their conversation, a large Chocobo-drawn buggy carrying Tifa passed by and proceeded into the Wall Market of Sector Six.
Aerith chased the buggy into the Wall Market, and convinced Cloud to let her help him rescue Tifa. After discovering that Tifa was taken to Don Corneo in the Honeybee Inn, Aerith came up with the brilliant idea to dress Cloud up as a girl to sneak him into the mansion to rescue Tifa. (Cloud made a convincing girl, apparently...) After a harrowing rescue resulting in Cloud's near violation by Don Corneo, Tifa, Aerith, and Cloud confronted Don Corneo and began interrogating him. This is where Cloud and Tifa first learn of Aerith's less dainty side, and during the confrontation, the following threats are used against Corneo's ... most precious assets.
Cloud: "I'll cut them off."
Aerith: "I'll rip them off."
Tifa: "I'll crush them."
Naturally, Don Corneo was more than eager to provide the three with whatever information they wanted, which led them to discover President Shinra's plan to collapse the Sector Seven plate in order to take out AVALANCHE.
New Enemies
The three quickly returned to Sector Seven to try to stop this, but during the ascent of the control tower, Aerith stops to try to revive Wedge, a fallen AVALANCHE member. This results in her kidnapping by Tseng, who takes her via helicopter to the Shinra Tower in the middle of the city. Here, Aerith is contained in the science department, where she is intended to 'mate' with a being known as Red XIII who is said to be a descendant of a Cetra race as well. However, due to both being sentient and wise creatures, they rebel and, with the help of Cloud, Tifa, and Barret (who ascended the tower to rescue Aerith) escape from the science lab. The group continued their ascension of the Shinra Tower to the highest floor, where they discover the dead body of President Shinra, murdered by Sephiroth. They then hear the sound of helicopter rotors and proceed onto the balcony, where they meet Vice President Rufus Shinra, who declares himself the President of the Shinra Electric Power Company.
Rufus shares his dreams of turning Shinra into a world power based on fear and an iron fist rather than money and waterworks like his father's company. With his father out of the way, Rufus takes it upon himself to declare himself the President of the Shinra Electric Power Company, Incorporated, then claims that Aerith is no longer to be the key to his company's success ... and that she is no longer of any use. Cloud orders Aerith, Tifa, Barret, and Red XIII to descend to the base of the tower to escape, and stays behind to fight Rufus himself. After their escape from the Shinra Tower, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII escaped the Shinra pursuit via Highway 1, and finally were able to exit Midgar through the Sector 6 exit. The group then proceeded to Kalm, where Cloud revealed his cryptic history with Sephiroth. After leaving Kalm and going to Junon, the group crossed the ocean to Costa del Sol, and moved further on to Mount Corel.
Mount Corel, the home of a derelict Mako Reactor, shadows the tiny hovels of what used to be a bustling mining community named Corel. However, all that remains of Corel is junk and railroad tracks with people attempting to survive living off of the land and travelers. It's revealed that this is Barret's hometown, an his reasons for beginning AVALANCHE become clear when he confesses that the death of the mining town was due to the Mako Reactors, which he once supported. After incidents at the finished reactor, Shinra, Incorporated accused North Corel of harboring terrorists, and their small town was even further destroyed, and Barret's best friend Dyne was killed. After learning the sorrow-laden tales of Corel, the group moves onto what is known as the Gold Saucer nearby, a floating amusement park unlike any other in the world.
World-renowned for its spectacular amazing games, the Gold Saucer entertained the party a good while as well as introduced them to a new character. Named Cait Sith, this adorable sentient stuffed cat toy sits atop a giant Mog and issues mystifying commands through a bullhorn. Cait Sith also claims to be able to tell the future, and while his predictions are naturally cryptic, some of them have been known to be surprisingly accurate. After finding Barret unleashing anger inside the Battle Square, having injured several people in a rage, the group was imprisoned in the Corel Prisons below, where they discover that they must win Chocobo races to escape. In the meantime, Barret confronts his past once and for all, and finds Dyne in the wreckage. After confirming his own insanity, Dyne challenges Barret to a duel, and Barret kills the man he once called brother. Barret then took it upon himself to take care of the precious child Marlene as his own.
New Destinies
After winning their freedom from the Corel Prisons, the group moves further west and enters the town of Gongaga, where they encounter a grieving family, saddened by the mysterious disappearance of their son named Zack Forrester...
It was at Cosmo Canyon, further to the west, that Aerith learned of her true history, about her mother and about what grants her special abilities and her connections to the Planet from Bugenhagen, the Cosmo Elder. Bugenhagen also taught Aerith how to unlock more of her innate powers related to this connection. It was also revealed that Cosmo Canyon was the birthplace and home of Red XIII, whose real name was Nanaki. The son of a warrior named Seto, Red blamed his father for cowardice and was ashamed of him, but after a trek through the back of Cosmo canyon with Bugenhagen, Red XIII discovered that his father Seto did not run away -- he instead gave his life to hold off the demonic Gi from overrunning the Canyon, and was forever enshrined at the top of Cosmo Canyon as a petrified guardian, riddled with arrows but with its maw held high and proud.
After leaving Cosmo Canyon, the group traveled to Nibelheim, Cloud's old hometown. It's here that Cloud has his most vivid memories of the past, and explains to the party the truth of what happened five years previously when Sephiroth went insane, when Nibelheim burnt, when Tifa's father was killed, and when Cloud was exposed to the Lifestream. No mention of Zack was made. Cloud and the party then begin to explore the city, including the Shinra Mansion at the outside of town, where they awaken Vincent Valentine from his slumber. Vincent, an ex-Turk from nearly thirty years prior, was the subject of many heinous experiments at the hands of Professor Hojo after Vincent's attempted interference with the S-Project years before.
Past Nibelheim, they traveled to Rocket Town, where they find the remains of the old Shinra No. 26 derelict rocket, as well as a small seaplane called the Tiny Bronco. After speaking with a woman named Shera, the group was introduced to a roughneck pilot named Cid Highwind, a retired Shinra pilot who, years before, was supposed to man the first rocket into space. However, due to cutbacks in the Space Program's budget, the then-unexplained disaster of Shinra No.26 was the end of the race into space, and the rocket itself stood in its original position in the launch pa at the edge of the town. After some negotiations, Cid was talked into helping the group, but only after discovering that President Rufus Shinra intended on confiscating the Tiny Bronco for himself and using it for personal travel, which Cid couldn't bear. In a daring move, Cid assisted the others in escaping from Rocket Town with the Tiny Bronco -- however, it was injured and only able to use its propellers for shallow seaborne travel.
After leaving Rocket Town by the Tiny Bronco plane, the party traveled to the small country of Wutai, the home of Yuffie Kisaragi and the Ninja. After finding the Turks Reno and Rude enjoying a break in a bar there, there were tensions until Reno stated that they had 'no business' with Cloud and Aerith, and that they were off-duty. From there, the party solved the mysteries of the Pagoda and were able to regain back their Materia from Yuffie, who hid them claiming that they were the Ninja's only path back to glory. After instilling wisdom into the brash young woman, it was revealed that Yuffie was the daughter of the Daimyo, and took it upon herself to restore her country to its former glory as its Princess.
The Call of the Ancients
After learning about the Temple of the Ancients, a small site on the southern side of the Midgar Continent, Aerith and her friends discovered that they must have what is called the Keystone to access it. Chasing the Keystone down returned them to the proprietor of the Gold Saucer named Dio. Dio lets them have the Keystone after some mock battles in the Battle Square, and while they spend the time in the Gold Saucer, Cloud asks Aerith out on a date to the rest of the Saucer. They take a gondola trip up and around the Gold Saucer, admiring the views. Aerith, in an attempt to reach Cloud on a more personal level, begins pouring out her heart to him, telling him of her past and how she doesn't suspect she has much of a future left. She confides wholeheartedly in Cloud, who seems reluctant to return her eagerness to bond.
However, after their date, Cloud and Aerith watch Cait Sith escape from the hotel with the Keystone, and after a daring chase through the ins and outs of the Gold Saucer, Cait Sith finally tosses the Keystone over to none other than Shinra's Turks, Rude and Reno, who immediately fly off with it. After being confronted by the entire party on his treason, Cait Sith exposes himself to be a Shinra spy in the form of Reeve Tuesti, Midgar's Director of Civil Services. A public servant by nature, it wasn't much in Reeve's character to be deceptive, so after a full-out confession to Cloud and his teammates, Cait Sith was allowed to stay after he assured the others that there was still hope for the Temple of the Ancients. They hurried there immediately.
Once arriving, Aerith began hearing the spirits of the Ancients speaking to her, guiding her inside, virtually begging her. They informed her of Sephiroth's presence as well as those from Shinra, Incorporated, namely the Turks. Once upon the entrance to the Temple, Aerith came across the body of Tseng Wulong, who had been cut by Sephiroth but allowed to live. After taking pity on the same man who had stalked her for so many years, Aerith set him aside and stabilized him before proceeding inside the Temple of the Ancients with Cloud and the others.
Proceeding through the mazes and puzzles of the Cetra gave Aerith keen insight into their desires, seeing as the entire time she was guided by their words and encouraged onward. She was given visions of Sephiroth and directions on how to stop him and his plans, and once upon the Inner Chamber, she and Cloud confronted him there amongst the murals and art of the Ultimate Destructive Magic, Meteor.
It took them several minutes to discover the Temple of the Ancient's true secret: that it itself was the Black Materia, and any who wished to use it as such would be instantly crushed by the temple collapsing on itself to form it. However, in order to keep Sephiroth from getting the Materia, Cait Sith, the robotic cat and Mog, volunteered to sacrifice himself in order to let the party grab the Materia produced afterwards. After a tearful farewell and sacrifice, the Temple of the Ancients is compressed into the Black Materia, which is then picked up by Cloud afterwards.
However, as soon as Cloud picks up the Black Materia, he feels and hears Sephiroth speaking to him ... and then he appeared, guiding Cloud using the Jenova Cells and his own magic to intrude into Cloud's mind and force him to give over the Black Materia to Sephiroth. Watching in horror unable to stop anything, Aerith knew that with Sephiroth gaining the Black Materia, that there was no time to waste in performing her further duties.
Sacrifice
After taking Cloud to Cosmo Canyon with the others to recover after his traumatic experience of being taken over and passing out, Aerith flees in the middle of the night and proceeds north through the forests and takes a boat across the water to the Northern Continent, where she proceeds through Bone Village with the help of the excavators there. She then proceeds through the Sleeping Forest, where she pauses to meditate and contact Cloud in his spirit. She speaks to him and reassures him that she will be fine, and that she will be the one to stop Sephiroth because it is her duty and job. She tells him not to worry and not to follow her, that she knows what must be done in order to stop Sephiroth. She then teases him a little before running off through the forest to proceed on towards her goal: The City of the Ancients.
After arriving in the decrepit and desolate city long abandoned by the Cetra and their relatives, Aerith makes her way through the City guided by the voices of the Cetra and the Lifestream to the Altar beneath the city, where she knelt and began to pray to summon the power of the White Materia she held in her hair ribbon, calling on the power of Holy and the Lifestream to save everyone from Meteor and the Black Materia.
It was at this moment that Aerith was stolen away from the Altar by a man with platinum colored hair and a large rainbow colored sword, in black clothing named Lloyd.
A Whole New World
Aerith's first few months spent with Lloyd away from her home dimension were uncomfortable for Aerith to say the least, but she happily adapted to the world and new lifestyle within time. She was a very interested girl, especially when she discovered that she wasn't the last Ancientt as she believed. Aerith made very strong friendships with the entire group that she spent her life with, and called them all family. It was here, in this atmosphere of danger, dedication, and diligent duties that Aerith began her formal studies as a medical student under the tutelage of the Emergency Medical Hologram, as well as her dedicated studies of her people. With the vast resources available in this new place, Aerith absorbed all of the knowledge like a sponge and began setting goals for herself, expectations that she felt were required to be met by her to keep in line with the rest of her people. She dedicated herself to protecting life, to encourage love and forgiveness, and to right the wrongs of the past that were bound to destroy them all.