Originally posted by Evil_Cloud
Answer to ur first question...... (SPOILER)When u talk to Aeris' foster mother after she's been kidnapped, u see a flash back of how Aeris and her met each other. Efalna, Aeris' real mother, is sick and dying near the train station in the slums, Efalna tells the women to take care of Aeris, which she does. But how Efalna got sick isn't explained in the game. I assume it was due to experiments, but then again if she was being experimented on how did she escape the Shinra?

Now, to your other question...... (SPOILER)Nibelhiem was destroyed by Sephiroth, but when the group came back 7 years later it was rebuilt by the Shinra. The Shinra hired actors to play as the townspeople, but when Cloud came to the town he knew what had happened in the past and he knew things weren't as they seemed. If u read the letter in Tifa's house when u reach Nibelhiem it explains it all.
Now I understand...
A friend of mine told me about the actor-thing, and I also thought I saw something like that in the game somewhere... But I just couldn't recall that.

And I forgot about when Aeris gets to know Elmyra...

Thanks for clearing it up