On the Way to a Smile On the Way to a Smile is a series of short stories taking place between the time of " Final Fantasy VII " and " " . Written by Kazushige Nojima , the first story , " Case of Denzel " , was released in episodes on the official Japanese " Advent Children " website , and was released together with " Case of Tifa " in V - Jump ' s " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children Prologue " book . " Case of Barret " was released originally in English , with the North American and European limited edition box set of " Advent Children " . " On the Way to a Smile " was released simultaneously with " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children Complete " , collecting the short stories in book format , with the Japanese version of " Case of Barret " , as well as four new stories : " Case of Yuffie " , " Case of Nanaki " , " Case of Shinra " , and " Case of the Lifestream " . " Advent Children Complete " also included " " , an adaption of " Case of Denzel " by A - 1 Pictures and BeStack . Content . " Case of Denzel " . This story is told indirectly through the perspective of Denzel , the young orphan featured in " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " . Four years after Meteorfall , Denzel meets with Reeve Tuesti and requests Reeve let him join the World Regenesis Organization ( WRO ) . Denzel proceeds to tell Reeve about his life prior to the fall of Meteor ; the narration includes Denzel ' s parents dying when the Sector 7 plate fell , living with Reeve ' s mother afterward , and ultimately surviving Meteorfall and becoming a scavenger in the ruins of Midgar before being rescued by Cloud . " Case of Tifa " . This story consists of Tifa Lockhart ' s account of the events following Meteor ' s destruction , overlapping in part with Denzel ' s story . Tifa , Cloud , Barret , and Marlene open a bar in the city of Edge , and try to begin their new lives . Barret eventually leaves to settle his past , and Tifa , Cloud , and Marlene form a family , including Denzel after Cloud finds him . Cloud becomes increasingly distant and secretive , a problem compounded by his job making long - distance deliveries , trying to hide away from them . Though Tifa tries to keep the family together , Cloud leaves and does not pick up when she calls his cellphone . " Case of Barret " . This story centers on Barret Wallace and his search for meaning in his life . Barret seeks a way to atone for his past actions as AVALANCHE , eventually helping Cid work on his new airship . When Barret learns of the fatal plague Geostigma , he decides to try and help the infected find treatment , and heads off to find a source of fuel for Cid ' s airship so they can help the world reach a cure if one is found . Barret also acquires a new prosthetic hand during the story , the story detailing his trouble in finding a suitable prosthetic when he first lost his real hand , the doctor who gave him his gun - arm explaining his desire for a weapon as a prosthetic symbolizes his hatred for Shinra and inability to let go of it . " Case of Yuffie " . This story follows Yuffie Kisaragi as she returns to Wutai in the wake of Meteor ' s fall and must help those injured in the Lifestream ' s eruption . Later , the people become infected with a disease from Midgar , and blame Yuffie for it , believing she brought the illness with her from Midgar . Almost two years later , the disease , now known as Geostigma , still plagues the village , and Yuffie has spent much of her time treating the injured and attempting to find a Materia to cure them . " Case of Nanaki " . This story centers on Red XIII , now known by all as Nanaki , depicting his inner struggle between living as a human or an animal , as he is more intelligent than normal animals , but is largely viewed as a beast by humans , and thus he is torn between which part of society he belongs in . He must also deal with an inner entity he called " Gilligan " , spawned by his fear of what losses the future may bring him due to his longevity . " Case of Shinra " . This story centers on Rufus Shinra and the Turks , and follows their actions during and after the end of " Final Fantasy VII " . Shortly after fleeing to Kalm , the Turks search for Rufus and oversee the excavation of the ruins of Midgar and the construction of Edge , while Rufus is held captive by Mutten Kylegate and later Kilmister , both seeking to use his influence for their own purposes . " Case of the Lifestream " . This story is further divided into two parts " Black " and " White " , and each part has three chapters and focuses on Sephiroth and Aerith . Sephiroth ' s portion of the story details his actions to inflict the Planet with Geostigma and create his avatars , while Aerith ' s portion follows her trying to heal the dead of Sephiroth ' s darkness and trying to find a way to help Cloud defeat the infection on the planet ' s surface and see him again .