After emerging from the foul, suffocating sewers of Sector 4, they surfaced in an old warehouse area marking the border of Sector 3.
The scenery before them shifted drastically. Unlike the cold, industrial Sector 4, Sector 3 was a chaotic, densely packed residential zone. This was the cheap entertainment district for Shinra's miners and factory workers. Along the main street, thousands of neon signs were stacked atop one another, reaching all the way to the steel plate ceiling above. The colors were predominantly blue, red, and orange. However, due to the unstable power supply in the Slums, these lights constantly flickered, emitting a steady hum of static electricity.
That was why Sector 3 was nicknamed: "The Flicker."
"Look at that," Johnny pointed to the muddy ground.
There was a trail of dragged purple fluid forming a long line leading toward the center of Sector 3. The trail wasn't alone; there were claw marks on the concrete walls and several dented, destroyed corrugated metal doors of residents' homes.
"They passed through here," Aerith said, her face grim. "I can feel their residual energy. They're moving like a hunting pack."
They ventured deeper into the Sector 3 market area. The atmosphere was tense. Usually, the night market would be bustling at this hour, but now it was dead silent. Pushcarts were overturned, goods scattered across the street.
Suddenly, Johnny's ears caught the sound of clashing metal.
CLANG! THUD!
"Over there!"
In front of a small, closed bar, two G-Copies were cornering a hapless security guard. The guard was pressed against the wall, the stun baton in his hand flickering and nearly dead.
"Wait here," Johnny ordered Aerith.
Johnny shot forward like an arrow. The Dragon Slayer was drawn from his back in one smooth motion.
SWING!
Without warning, Johnny slammed the flat of his blade into the nape of one G-Copy's neck.
CRACK!
The impact was brutal. The creature's neck snapped instantly, its head smashing into the concrete until it cracked. It collapsed, motionless.
The second G-Copy reacted fast. The creature spun around, drawing its Twinblade to stab Johnny's exposed chest.
"Johnny, look out!" Aerith shouted.
The girl didn't stay idle. From ten meters away, she raised her Guard Stick, aiming for the creature's legs with a Magical Projectile.
Like a majorette, she twirled her staff and fired. A ball of pure light shot from the tip, smashing into the G-Copy's right knee just as it was about to lunge.
CRUNCH!
The creature's knee shattered. It lost its balance and fell to its knees.
Johnny seized the opportunity. Without mercy, he delivered a vertical slash from top to bottom.
SLASH!
The creature was cleaved in two. Purple fluid sprayed onto the rain-slicked asphalt, hissing and immediately evaporating into chemically scented smoke.
The security guard trembled violently, sliding down to sit on the ground. He stared at Johnny with a mix of horror and deep gratitude.
"T-thank you... those things... they're everywhere..."
"Get inside and lock the door," Johnny said firmly, sheathing his sword. "Don't come out until morning. Barricade your windows."
The man nodded frantically and immediately ran into the bar, locking the door loudly behind him.
The rain began to fall harder—cold, dirty, oily Midgar acid rain. Johnny saw Aerith starting to shiver. Her face looked exhausted after using so much magic and walking far through the sewers.
===============================================================
Johnny spotted an old wooden sign creaking in the wind: "The Water Tower Inn."
This inn was built right under the remains of an old water tank attached to a pillar supporting the upper plate. Because of its position near the tank, Johnny knew the inn would have direct access to clean water.
"We stop here," Johnny decided. "We need a dry place to recover our strength before heading to Sector 2 and 1 tomorrow. And it looks like you need a warm Shower."
Johnny pushed open the wooden door of the Inn. The small lobby was empty and dark. The owner seemed to have fled upstairs or hidden in a bunker.
Johnny didn't want to steal. He placed a pouch containing 500 Gil on the reception desk as payment, then took one of the keys for the ground floor.
The room was small and simple, but clean. It had an ensuite bathroom, two narrow beds separated by a small table, an oil lamp on the wall, and a barred window facing the quiet street.
Johnny immediately checked the window security, closed the curtains tight, and wedged a chair under the doorknob. Once he felt it was safe, he opened his rucksack on one of the beds.
"I'm going to take a Shower first," Aerith said, grabbing the shopping bag containing her toiletries from Johnny's pack. She pointed a finger at Johnny with a mock-stern glare. "Don't come near the bathroom door! I'm watching you!"
Johnny blushed, looking away. "Who wants to peek anyway... Just hurry up."
Aerith went into the bathroom. Not long after, the sound of the shower running filled the room.
"It's warm..." Aerith's voice drifted out, followed by a small hum and a cheerful tune.
Johnny sat on the floor, leaning against the room door to keep guard. Puck and Ivalera, exhausted, immediately flopped onto the soft pillows on the bed and fell asleep in seconds.
Half an hour passed. Johnny was almost dozing off in a sitting position when the bathroom door opened.
Warm steam wafted out, carrying the scent of floral soap. Aerith walked out wearing a white slip dress with small pink accents—simple sleepwear she had brought in. Her wet hair was pinned up, revealing her slender neck and smooth shoulders.
Johnny held his breath. Under the dim light of the oil lamp, Aerith looked... radiant.
Aerith's face reddened seeing Johnny's stare. "Took a while, sorry. I had to wash my bolero first. Okay, go shower! Stop daydreaming!"
"Ah, right. Good point," Johnny got up stiffly, grabbed a towel, and rushed into the bathroom.
Johnny showered quickly. He scrubbed the sewer filth and monster blood from his body. Since he didn't bring many clothes, he only washed his chest armor and wore a black tank top and cargo shorts to sleep.
When he came out, Aerith was already lying in the left bed, Ivalera sleeping on the pillow next to her head.
Aerith glanced at Johnny. Johnny's body was clearly visible. Rippling with muscles forged from hard labor and combat, but also covered in old scars.
Aerith's cheeks heated up. She pulled the blanket up to cover her nose.
"Do you want an extra blanket, Aerith? You look cold," Johnny asked, misinterpreting her reaction.
Johnny took a thick wool blanket from his pack and gave it to Aerith.
"Thank you," Aerith murmured. She watched Johnny walk back toward the door. "You're not resting on the bed?"
"I'll keep watch by the door," Johnny answered, spreading a thin sleeping bag on the floor, right in front of the entrance. He placed the Dragon Slayer on his lap.
"I'm used to not sleeping well during missions," Johnny lied. In reality, his eyelids were heavy, but his protective instinct was far stronger.
Puck woke up briefly, sensing a change in the atmosphere outside. "Boss... the smell of those red monsters is getting stronger out there," he whispered anxiously. "They're like... searching for something... or someone."
"Let them search," Johnny hissed softly so as not to wake Aerith, who was starting to close her eyes. "If they dare touch this door handle, they'll find out why my sword is called the Dragon Slayer."
Outside the window, Sector 3 was drowning in darkness and heavy rain. The threat was real, creeping through the narrow alleys, but inside that small room, they were safe.
===============================================================
Several hours later, at dawn
Johnny was still sitting against the wooden door. His eyes were closed, but his ears were on full alert, catching every footstep outside.
"Johnny..."
Aerith's voice sounded faint from under the blanket.
"Go to sleep, Aerith. I'm not sleeping," Johnny replied softly.
"It's not that," Aerith poked her head out a little, her green eyes glistening in the dim oil lamp light. "The floor is cold, Johnny. There are two beds. You could sleep next to me... I mean, in the other bed."
Johnny's face flushed in the darkness. His heart pounded. "No. I have to be at the door. If someone breaks in, I'm the first line of defense. If I'm in the bed, my reflexes will be slower."
"But you're huge," Aerith teased, her small laugh breaking the silence of the night. "If you sit there, you cover the whole door. No rat can get through without your permission."
Puck woke up, chiming in sleepily. "Tell him, Aerith! Boss is stubborn. It feels like things are safer outside now, so you should go to sleep"
Ivalera yawned. "True. Tomorrow morning he'll have back pain and regret it."
"Shut up, you chatty fairies," Johnny grumbled.
After a few minutes of teasing, a comfortable silence settled over the room again. Aerith's breathing slowly became regular and calm. The girl finally succumbed to physical and mental exhaustion, falling into a deep sleep.
Johnny exhaled a long breath. He made sure Puck and Ivalera had returned to dreamland too.
Slowly, Johnny stood up without a sound.
He stepped closer to Aerith's bed.
On the pink hair ribbon lying on the bedside table, there was a small crystal orb glowing with a faint white light. The White Materia.
Aerith had once told him, "It's good for absolutely nothing."
But Johnny knew, when he saw it, that there was something different about this materia. Aerith didn't know its use yet. That Materia was the legacy of her birth mother, Ifalna.
Johnny had once told her very seriously, "Whatever happens, never lose that Materia, Aerith. It might be the only key to hope for the Cetra... and this world." Aerith had just nodded innocently at the time.
Johnny adjusted Aerith's blanket, which had slipped down slightly, covering her shoulders to keep her warm.
In the reddish glow of the oil lamp, Johnny gazed at the sleeping girl's face.
Without her magic staff, without her cheerful smile that acted as a shield, Aerith looked so... fragile. Her brown hair spilled messily over the pillow, framing a face that was peaceful yet weary. Her long eyelashes cast soft shadows on her cheeks.
Johnny stood frozen.
As someone accustomed to seeing blood, spilled guts, monsters, and the rust of the Slums, the pure sight before him felt like an unreal dream. A beautiful anomaly in a rotten world.
Why would you follow me to a dangerous place like this? Johnny thought, his hand trembling slightly as he reached out to brush a stray hair from Aerith's forehead, but he pulled back, afraid to wake her.
Johnny remembered a year ago, when Aerith got bruised protecting him from a monster attack using Soulbound. He remembered how she bore the pain without complaining, smiling instead so Johnny wouldn't worry.
In Johnny's (and Guts') eyes, Aerith wasn't just the "Flower Girl" or the "Last Cetra."
She was the only pure thing in this dirty world of Midgar.
She was the reason Johnny still wanted to be human, not just a slaughtering machine. She was the reason the sword on his back was now used to protect, not to avenge.
Johnny sat back down in front of the door, hugging his Dragon Slayer, and watched Aerith from a distance.