"Me and Cloud were childhood friends-"

"Objection!" Mr. Afit exclaimed, rising. "Your honour, Miss Lockheart said so herself: 'we grew up together nothing more'. They were not childhood friends."

Barret nodded. "Continue Miss Lockheart," he said.

"Oh please!" Tifa retorted. "I was just saying that. I loved Cloud ever since we were little. I was so sad when he left Nibelheim. I would even look in the newspapers every day just to see if his name was there..."

"Give me a break!" came a remark from the jury. It sounded like Yuffie.

"AHEM!" Tifa exclaimed. "Anyway, Cloud," she said, looking straight at him. "I think you should choose me. We've known each other ever since we were little. Cloud, we belong together. I know it. I feel it, I see it. C and T. Cloud and Tifa. Don't you remember when we fell into the lifestream together? Don't you remember how I helped you get your memory back? Me Cloud. Me. Not her."

"Objection!" Mr. Afit said, rising again. "Excuse me your honour, but my client was dead. There was no way she could have helped him get his memory back. Also, she knew him in the past. Miss Lockheart was the only one eligible."

Barret nodded. "Er...yes. Thanks...Mr Afit."

Tifa breathed heavily, beginning to get annoyed. "Cloud. Don't you remember when we were in the lifestream? You called my name Cloud. From your heart. Don't you remember when you were mako poisoned? I stood by your side..."

"Objection!" came Mr. Afit.

Tifa bit back a curse.

"What?" replied Barret, quite annoyed.

"Objection!" shouted a new voice.

Finally! Tifa thought, looking over to her lawyer, Ms. Sirea.

"Your honor, my client is merely trying to express her love for Mr. Strife. Mr Afit here keeps making irrelevant objections, therefore making it hard for her-"

"Objection!"

"Shut Up!" Barret, Tifa and Ms. Sirea all bellowed at the same time. Even Aeris was shaking her head, with her hand over her face.

"You see what I mean?" Sirea said.

Yuffie, who was sitting in the jury came up to Aeris and tapped her on the shoulder. "What, did he charge you for free or something?"

"What do you mean?" Aeris asked, confused.

"He sucks!"

"Yuffie!" she hissed, but couldn't help but grin. "I had to hire him. Oh...I felt sorry for him. He was going out of business."

"Yeah, I can see why," Yuffie replied.

"He's not that bad," Aeris said. "Is he?"

"Aeris, if your lawyer keeps this up, he might just cost you Cloud." Yuffie went back to her place.

Tifa had seen Yuffie talking to Aeris. She wandered if she had taken Aeris side. Anger flared up in her at the thought.

"Okay, thank you Miss Lockheart. You may go sit down now."

Tifa was about to decline; having not finished but one look from Barret shut her up. She exited the stand and took her place next to Ms. Sirea.

"You were doing well," her lawyer commented. "Cloud really looked convinced."

"I hope so," Tifa replied, and turned her attention to Barret.

"Miss Gainsborough take the stand," he grumbled.

Aeris arose from her place, gracefully walking towards the stand. She held up her right arm. "I swear to tell truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help the planet," she said.

"Very well, Barret said and nodded towards Tifa's lawyer, Ms Sirea to begin. Sirea rose and slowly began to pace back and forth around the courtroom.

Tifa watched nervously in her seat.

"So, you met Cloud when he fell through your church?"

Aeris shook her head. "Actually no, I bumped into him at the street in Midgar. It was a busy day..."

"I don't need to know the details," Sirea interrupted.

Aeris blinked, slightly offended.

"Okay. Please correct me if I'm wrong; he then fell through your church and agreed to be your bodyguard. He saved you from Reno, and took you home. He then tried to sneak away, but you managed to make sure you caught him before he left. Um, Miss Gainsborough. Couldn't you take a hint?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he tried to sneak away from you. He didn't like you."

"Don't you think that's a stupid question?"

"Excuse me?"

"If he didn't like me, we wouldn't be here now would we? Also he wouldn't have agreed to date me."

"Did you ever stop to think he only agreed out of kindness?"

"No," Aeris said firmly, "Cloud was too rude then to do anything out of kindness. He tried to sneak away becuase he didn't want to put me in any danger."

Ms. Sirea nodded. "Okay, that's fine. But I'm curious Miss Gainsborough. You were obviously attracted to Cloud right?"

Aeris nodded.

"You two were close right?"

"Very," Aeris replied.

"Oh? So that must mean Cloud must know the real reason you were attracted to him, right?"

Aeris hesitated. She glanced over at Cloud, who looked at her with a curious expression on his face. Tifa noticed the hesitation and her face lit up.

"Well, does he?" Sirea inquired.

"...Uh...I'm not really sure..." Aeris slowly said.

"You know what I think Miss Gainsborough?"

Aeris shook her head.

"I think you are just causing us all grief."

Aeris eye's widened. "How?" she asked innocently.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what!" Aeris exclaimed.

"Miss Lockeart is your friend. Don't you care for her at all?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then why are you doing this? Why are you just making things complicated for Cloud and Tifa. Why are you claiming that you love Cloud when the truth is you were never in-love with him at all- when the truth is you were just still in-love with someone else."

"That's not true!"

Ms. Sirea sighed heavily. "Miss Gainsborough, does the name...ZACK! Not ring any bells?"

"Zack is gone," Aeris said.

"Exactly. He is gone. That's why you've never gotten over him."

"Yes I have. I know he probably just met another girl or something..."

"No! You used Cloud. You only liked Cloud because he was exactly like Zack!"

Tifa leaned forward in her seat, listening intently. She had thought for sure Aeris was gonna win this battle, but now she wasn't so sure... she thought she may have some hope after all. She was also very proud of her lawyer, Ms. Sirea, but Aeris stood her ground.

"Yes, I admit that I was attracted to Cloud at fist because he reminded me so much of Zack. But, I soon saw that he was different, that he was nothing like Zack. Yet I didn't just leave him when I realised this. I stayed with him, by his side until before I died. I even told him on our date that I wanted to meet the real him."

"But that's just it," Sirea said. "You never got to meet the real him. You died, so you never got the chance. Tifa did. So how can you say you love him? How can you love someone you don't know?"

Aeris hesitated. "I'm... not sure..."

A smile crossed Ms. Sirea's face. She turned to Barret. "No further questions," she said, then elegantly walked back to sit with Tifa.

Aeris exited the stand and went back to her seat. She looked at her lawyer. "Thanks for the support back there," she remarked.

Mr. Afit gave her an innocent look. "Well you all told me to shut up didn't you?"

Aeris stared at him incredulously then shook her head. "Forget it," she said.

-----------------------------------

(in the court yard)

"Still can't decide who to choose?" Cloud heard. He looked up to see Cid approaching him. He shook his head.

"No...I still think they're both so beautiful."

"Well there's gonna be a decision soon ya know, and one of them's gonna get hurt."

"I know...that's what I'm so afraid of. I can't bear to hurt neither of them.
 

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"Your honour, I have a witness to bring to the stand." Mr Afit said.

"Go ahead."

"His name is Cait Sith, he's..."

"I know who he is," Barret cut him off. "Jes get on wit' it."

The  big moogle walked up to the stand and entered. Then Mr. Afit began to ask him questions.

"Mr. Sith-"

"Just call me Cait!" the moogle exclaimed happily.

"Okay, Cait.  I would like just yes or no answers please. Nothing else."

Oh not this, Cait thought.

"It's true, isn't it, that you even said Ms. Gainsborough and Cloud were, I quote, 'perfect for each other!' ".

"Yes," he replied, a little awkwardly.

"So if you were to give advise to Cloud over here, on who to choose, you'd tell him to pick Ms. Gainsborough?"

"Well..."

"Yes, or no?" Mr. Atif stated firmly.

"Umm...I don't know!" Cait exclaimed, waving his arms around in the air.

"Please answer correctly Cait," Barret said.

"...uh..." he avoided Tifa's glare. "Yes," he then said quickly.

"Thankyou Mr. Sith - I mean, Cait." Mr. Atif turned towards Barret. "No further questions."

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The jury.

"It's time to vote," Red said.

"I'm still baffled on who to choose," Cid said.

"I know!" Yuffie replied.

"Well, I know who to choose," Tseng said.

"And so do I," Rude added.

Soon, one by one they began to write the names of the woman they thought was right on a piece of card paper.

Tseng: If I can't have Aeris then no one will.
Tifa.

Cait Sith: Sorry Tifa, but the cards said they were right for eachother.
Aeris.

Rude: Hmm, if Tifa looses, she'll need a shoulder to cry on. That shoulder can be mine.
Aeris.

Vincent: Tifa deserves him.
Tifa.

Elena: It's best she stays in a relationship, before she tries to snatch Tseng.
Aeris.

Reno: Hmmm... the ancient suits him better.
Aeris.

Yuffie: I once had a childhood friend...
Tifa.

Cid: Ip - dip - do, my finger lands on you!
Tifa.

Red was the last one to vote.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

"The votes have now been counted," Barret said.

Tifa and Aeris both sat nervously in their seats.

"There were nine votes which were pretty even," Barret continued. "So I'll just cut it down to 3."
He paused for a second.

"Count 1.............Aeris."

Aeris smiled, trying not to get too excited.

Why did I bother? Tifa thought, beggining to feel defeated.

"It's only the first count," her lawyer said, seeing her expression. Tifa nodded, though not being comforted much.

"If the next vote comes out as Aeris, she has won over Cloud. So, Count 2.............Tifa."

Tifa's heart suddenly started beating again.

"You see," Ms. Sirea said, sqeezing her hand.

"Okay," Barret said. "This is the deciding one."

He looked around the court room, at everyone's faces. They all stared at him anxiously. Man  I'm glad I didn't have to vote, he thought. "Cloud is waiting inside a room. Whoever's name is on this will go to him, and be with him. Whoever's name isn't on this, will loose Cloud for good. Remember, you signed a contract, so there's nothin' you can do!"

"So who is it!" Yuffie yelled.

Aeris and Tifa's fists were both clenched tight with suspense.

Barret unfolded the peice of paper in his hand.  "And the final count is......."
 

Who is it gonna be? And just who did Red vote for?

You decide Red's vote.
 
 

I will finish this when i get enough votes. thanks for reading and voting. hope you enjoyed, come back soon to see the result!