The Final Fantasy

by Maylin Sephiroth Priestess

The journey of the author and her creation in the realm of FF7. A friend joins in, and a familiar villan comes into play. Also, pleny of deja vu in the main character's way. (Please R&R)

(Note: All names, towns, characters, and character concepts are owned by Square, EXCEPT for Crono, who belongs to my friend Al, and Maylin, who belongs to me, LeeAnn. If you wish to use my character for any reason, please contact me at LadyPsycho@juno.com to verify and clarify.

I suggest you first read my story, "Through Eyes of Innocence", to understand Maylin better.

Thank you and enjoy!)

The Final Fantasy

By: Maylin

FOREWORD

In the beginning, a brilliant mind from the early video game industry created a realm of odd wonders. Some had called it the "beginning of the role playing universe", or even the "greatest thing ever created for a video game system". I call it Final Fantasy. It was that very game that had given me the imaginative power to help me grow as a person both mentally and emotionally.

It was in the early 1980's that game developers created Final Fantasy. I don't think they knew it at the time, but the title would eventually spawn into newer worlds, characters, and more plots than you can shake a stick at. I, for one, never knew that those creators could make the world of imagination open up to me as it had done so many years ago.

I was only six at the time my brother purchased Final Fantasy, which had just came out to the U.S. Of course, at such a young age, I had no clue as to what it was, but once I saw him play it, something in me wanted to go and play it, too. Eventually, I did play it, and, with a lot of practice, I was able to get to the end (which I still haven't been able to beat because of those pesky fiends). Although I wasn't able to access the later chapters of the Final Fantasy realm until just a few years ago, the creative spark that was once hidden within me had already exploded with little stories and poems about magic and dragons.

Having fast forward to the present, my writing skills have greatly improved and my imagination has been constantly ticking like clockwork. Also, through the role-playing over the Internet, I've been developing my own character through my imaginary creations that I use for both online and through my stories. For me, this is my only means of expressing myself to the world, so I really have nothing to lose, and believe me; it's all worth it.

Just recently, a few people, including my parents, asked me what had given me inspiration through all these years. All I had to do was to flash them a gray square cartridge with the words "Final Fantasy" written in red. Of course, they all gave me a confused look, but they never really understood. Naturally, they couldn't understand how one single thing could open up an entire world of possibilities or why a child's eyes light up with a mind filled with a vivid imagination. They couldn't understand because they were never kids themselves, right?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A few minutes beforehand, I had just gotten off of the phone with Al, a good friend of mine who is known in a chat room as Crono. It was nighttime and my brother wasn't home, so that gave me an excellent opportunity to play Final Fantasy 7 one final time before he moves out permanently. Luckily, it wasn't a school night, but I was extremely tired from not sleeping the night before. Although I was a sleepy, I just had to play the game.

Several hours were put into the game and I was a quarter of the way through. My breathing became shallower and my eyes hurt, but that was probably normal for me. I did my best to keep awake; I just had to see Sephiroth. I hadn't remembered where I left off in the game, but I stopped to lie on the floor to rest my aching back. No sooner had I done that, my eyelids drooped. I tried to open them again, but instead, oddly colored lights danced around me. It was then that I realized that my eyes were open and I wasn't in my brother's room anymore. My breathing became normal just as the voice of a woman called out from behind me. I spun around quickly to face the speaker. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw who she was.

The woman stood at my height, wearing the robes of a holy person. Her long blond hair fell down her back, showing the odd tattoos that decorated her face. Her turquoise eyes stared back into mine.

I couldn't believe my eyes, but it was her. My own character, standing before me? What the hell? I've got to be dreaming. Yeah, that's it. It was either that or someone was playing the biggest trick in the whole world... But no one but me knows exactly what Maylin looks like, and she's right here?!

Maylin gave a weak smile and stepped forward. "Don't you recognize me? I'm your own creation."

Oh my god... Even her voice is just how I imagined it. I stepped back nearly terrified of her words. If she was telling the truth, then I must be insane.

"Please," she continued, "you can talk. You know I can't harm you."

"Maylin?"

She nodded.

"You... You can't be real."

Her smile faded. "Am I not the very priestess that you've always wanted to be? Aren't both of our personalities quite one and the same? You know I exist because, in your heart, you believe I exist."

She was right. Everything that I had written about her came straight through me. I eventually nodded in agreement. I tugged nervously on one of my earrings.

"How did I get here? Am I dreaming?"

Maylin smiled warmly now. "You're only dreaming if you believe you are. As for how you got here, well, I'll have someone else explain that to you."

Something touched my shoulder and turned around to find yet another woman that I was familiar with, though she came from the game. I instantly knew who she was: Ilfana, Aeris' mother. The only difference was that she was human, not digitized.

"We've been expecting you, LeeAnn," she softly spoke. "Many times, we've tried to summon you from the portal, but we were unsuccessful. Something had prevented you from coming here, and Maylin says that it was from not believing enough."

She must have been talking about the game itself, but I chose to keep that from the conversation for the time being.

"The reason that you are here now is from the multiple people from your world that write stories about us," Maylin added. "Each of those people, whether they know it or not, believe in each of us."

I glanced at both of the women before finally popping the main question. "Why am I here?"

Maylin looked to Ilfana, who provided that answer. "Time in this world has been warped. We don't know what's causing it, but we do know that the planet itself may erupt in total chaos if it isn't fixed."

"So I have to destroy the source?"

Ilfana shrugged. "The decision is entirely yours. However, you must choose wisely, for your actions will affect more people than you will ever come to know."

It seemed as though I didn't have a choice, but it was better to be in the game than to watch it from a television.

"Since you do not exist in this time and space, you must take the form that you would have been if you did exist: Maylin."

"You will also retain all of your memories just in case you forget something," Maylin added. "I know how you tend to forget things."

How did she know that? Oh yeah, she's me...

"Any questions, LeeAnn?" Ilfana asked.

I shook my head quickly in anticipation and nervousness. Almost instantly, everything disappeared, leaving me to the changes that took place next.

First, my body turned cold, then hot, and it finally went numb. I tried to scream from the sudden shock of the sudden temperature changes, but nothing came out. I was now too terrified to do anything but wait until it was over with. It had taken longer than I had thought when I could feel my body tingling. My feet touched the hard ground. For a few minutes, I hadn't been able to see anything until I was able to feel again. The clothes I wore felt different and my hair was long. Something cold was in my hand. The thing's I could recall in my mind were Maylin's; they were just how I imagined them, though they were more detailed and complex. I wasn't me anymore, but the woman that I had always wanted to be. I guess wishes could come true. There was no turning back, and it was probably for the best.

My fear, by then, had subsided as I became more comfortable with my new body. From far away, I could hear the strange chatter of some animal. My eyes soon opened and I found myself in the middle of a forest that seemed to have a life of its own. In my hand was a tall metallic staff that Maylin had always used. On the very top of it was a small white orb, which was the Holy materia that I had given to Maylin. Using Maylin's memory, I found my way out of the forest to find a deserted Bone Village.

Up above, the sky was constantly overcast without any signs of a sun shining from above it. With no luck, I found that there was no way to get off the large island. Reluctantly, I went back to the village and went to the inn to contemplate. For some strange reason, I couldn't sleep; all I did was toss and turn. Maybe it was the fact that there wasn't a soul to be found in the town. Was everybody dead or did they escape from something horrible? I couldn't answer that and Maylin's memory had nothing to clue me in with.

Not long after staying at the inn, I could hear the winds pick up and an odd sound coming from outside. I raced to the small window and found a helicopter coming nearby. Thinking that they could get me off of the island, I hurried outside to meet up with the men that climbed out of the helicopter. Those men turned out to be armed soldiers. They all took one look at me and the immediately aimed their rifles at me. I instinctively froze in my place until a rather portly man joined the soldiers. From the look on his face, I could tell that he wasn't happy to see me.

"I thought you executed... I mean evacuated the villagers here!" he boomed at one of the soldiers.

Each of the soldiers flinched, the one finally stepped forward, though he didn't pull his aim from me. "Sir, we cleared the entire island, sir. Did you happen to look at this girl closely, sir?"

"I know a girl when I see one!" he shouted, then looked at me again. "Just where are you from?" he asked with a surprisingly soft tone.

"North Am... uh... north of Midgar! Yeah, that's right." He was certainly up to no good, so it was time to play the lying game. "I got a letter from my uncle and I came to see him, though no one's here." I had to play dumb since this was only a dream or game or whatever this was.

Heidegger studied me carefully before he answered. "Midgar, eh? I've been in Midgar all of my life, and I haven't seen anyone the likes of you."

Great... Just great. "I, uh, I've been sick for many years, but I had to see my uncle."

"Well, if you're sick, you should come with me back to Midgar. Our doctors are top of the line and will fix you up in no time."

"I don't think it's necessary," I said while slowly stepping back. "I'm quite fine now and besides, I couldn't quite possibly pay for it."

Each of the soldiers cocked back their rifles as "Fatty" replied. "Oh, I insist. And besides, you don't have a choice."

I stopped and sighed. They would probably kill me if I resisted, so I had to give in. The soldiers advanced on me and they shackled my wrists. They led me into the helicopter and they all seated around me. Once we were all settled, the craft lifted up into the air and headed on its way. At least I got off the island. What's the worse that can happen?

Soon, we reached the massive futuristic-looking city that was known as Midgar. I found myself in awe from the greatness of the vicinity itself. Its actual likeness from the original was most uncanny. A part of me was so anxious to explore the sectors first hand, but I soon remembered why I was here in the first place. I couldn't let those "doctors" find out who I was. If that were to happen, I would surely be doomed.

The helicopter landed on the slab of concrete at Midgar's Shinra Headquarters. From there, I was ushered, with help from the guards, deep within the main building. I was led into the main elevator, where I was nearly suffocating from their awful stench. Those guards were extremely nice enough to prevent me from holding my nose. I never thought game extras could smell so bad. Haven't they heard of showers? Jeez...

Fortunately, the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened. Finally! Halfway decent air to breath! I was pushed out and led past many familiar-looking machines and we stopped in front of the doors of a smaller elevator. Heidegger went in with me and within seconds, we were on the upper level of the floor. I stepped out, where I immediately saw the younger version of a mad scientist, hovering over a blinking machine. His wired framed spectacles where on the tip of his nose as he bowed his head to read a screen. Hojo? When he looked up and saw me, he instantly approached me and then began inspecting my hands, face, and eyes.

"Well, what kind of creature are you?" he asked with great interest.

"We found her in Bone Village after we "dismissed" its villagers," Heidegger's voice boomed. "I thought she was a runaway SOLDIER, so that's why I brought her to you. Hojo, she's a weird one."

Hojo squeezed his eyes shut for a second. "You idiot! Don't yell in my laboratory! Leave now and I'll take care of our guest."

The big man muttered something under his breath and turned to leave. Once he was gone, Hojo began inspecting me again. He asked me questions as he did so.

"So what's your name?"

I hesitated when I told him.

"Maylin? How unusual. What's your occupation?"

Without thinking, I answered, "I worship the great Sephiroth."

This answer made him pause with a smirk. "Oh really? He is grand, but he is far from god-status." He then looked into my eyes as he continued. "I know you're not from SOLDIER, however, you have the most unusual markings on your skin and your eyes... They look like you've been exposed to Mako." Silently, he raised both of my sleeves up to my shoulders, which only showed more odd tattoos. "No number..." With an odd expression on his face, he walked back to the computer I had first seen him at. For quite some time, he was either staring at the screen or pushing buttons. A few times, he shook his head or sighed.

I felt just like him when I played solitaire back home. There's no fun unless you get the right card. In his case, it's whatever he was looking for. Soon enough, he finally paused and then a short beep sounded. He squinted his eyes as he peered closer.

"Very interesting," he muttered. "Did you know that you're part of an ancient civilization that had been nearly wiped out thousands of years ago?" His gaze traveled towards mine. "A Cetra to be exact."

Here goes more lying. "I'm sure you must be mistaken. These tattoos are just temporary and I have contact lenses in my eyes since I love the look that Mako gives." I stared back at Hojo, hoping he would buy the lie.

Unfortunately, he continued talking as though he hadn't heard a word I said. "It also says that another species is similar to the Cetra, four-legged beasts to be exact."

Damn. What was I supposed to do now? It was my first day and I'm already doomed. I needed this like a hole in my head.

Hojo approached me slowly, forming a large grin on his thin lips. "Your timing is most fortunate. I hope you don't mind if I take you apart to see what makes you tick. Of course, some assembly will be required afterwards."

I struggled with my bonds, but they were tight. He grabbed my shackles and pulled me towards the glass cage on the other side of the room. With one last shove, I fell inside and the doors automatically closed. I struggled to sit up and rested my head on my knees uncomfortably.

"I must inform the President of your arrival, so I shall return shortly."

As soon as he was out of sight, I closed my eyes and waited for my end. I didn't feel tired, but a groggy feeling crept throughout me. Then, a light tingling sensation engulfed my body. This is it. If I do die, I had better wake up at home, safe and sound.

From behind me, I heard the growl of a beast just as the odd feelings faded away. I opened my eyes and turned my head to see a red beast, crouched and prepared to pounce. Nanaki? It had to be, for he had odd tattoos all over his fur. Quickly, I stood up and had my back against the glass wall. From the other side of the glass was Hojo, watching excitedly from our reactions. Where was Cloud? This was the part where Cloud came to save... Aeris? But she's not here. Maybe this wasn't any game after all... Nanaki's growl grew louder, so I did the only thing I could think of.

"Nanaki," I said calmly, pretending to be scared for Hojo's entertainment.

"How do you know my name?" he asked between growls.

"I... can't explain it now. Just don't attack me."

I glanced at Hojo, who was still smiling. How can a sadistic man do this for enjoyment? He should be the one in here, not us.

"Don't worry," Nanaki said. "I wasn't going to harm you."

I quickly nodded. "We need to get out of here first. Help should be on the way any time now."

From the corner of my eye, I caught some movement. I was Cloud and Barret, though they were human! Hojo wasn't anywhere to be found, but that didn't matter. Help was here. I started to pound my shackles against the glass, but that didn't seem to help any. When I stopped, my eyes locked with Cloud's, as though he had recognized me from somewhere. I knew he would get me out of here. He could just leave us in here. He also began to pound on the glass, but after a few seconds, he too stopped and backed away.

"Excuse me, miss, but I suggest you should duck," Nanaki said.

I turned my head. "Why?"

Oh! I nearly forgot! I suddenly crouched just as bullets sprayed through the glass, sending shards everywhere. Once the gunfire ceased, I stood up, staring back at my real-life fantasy heroes! They were just as human as I was and all were interested in me and vice versa.

"I don't mean to be impolite, "I said, "but we should get out of here before we get caught."

Everyone agreed. We headed up the stairs, towards the President's office. When we reached it, it was completely deserted.

This wasn't right. What went wrong?

My gaze wandered up at an object that was already descending down upon us. It was too late to give the warning and the metal cage fell on top of us. From each of the entrances, soldiers poured out of all the entrances. Just when I thought they would never end, the white suited president and Heidegger entered.

"That was a lousy stunt you pulled, freak girl!" Heidegger boomed at me. Before he could continue, the President spoke up.

"Attempted murder, vandalism, and freeing prisoners are serious offences." He paused to watch Tifa and Aeris, accompanied by two Turks, enter the room. "You will all be locked up until your sentence is decided. I should be thanked for granting you mercy."

"Mercy my ass," Barret grumbled as the cage was slowly raised. We then were led to our prison cells, where I was paired with Nanaki. This gave me some time to get the shackles off and to explain myself to everyone. I told them everything, aside from the fact that they were part of a game. I was sure they would deem me insane from hearing my outrageous story anyway, so that's why I left that out. All of them seemed to believe me, though a few were a little skeptical.

"How did you create this woman before me? Are you a goddess of your world?" Nanaki asked while looking at me curiously.

I faintly smiled and shook my head. "No. All I did was create a character. She's like me in so many ways, and I believe that she could have been real in this world."

"What makes this Maylin girl so special?" Barret asked from the neighboring room. "And how can you be sure that time's screwed up here?"

"I created Maylin to be a thousand year old Ancient with amnesia, but she also worships someone that will threaten the very existence of the planet itself. It was through a mother's spirit that I had been summoned here. If there wasn't a problem, then I wouldn't be here, talking with you all."

Cloud said something from the other room, which Tifa had to relay for me. "He asked if you knew what's going to happen to us all?"

For several long moments, I hesitated to answer that question. I then closed my eyes and answered, "Yes, I do. Even though I have this knowledge, I don't believe that I could change the events." That was a half-lie. I somehow changed the event with Nanaki, when Aeris was supposed to be there, though I decided to leave that out.

I heard a faint noise from outside the hallway, to which I held my breath in anticipation. Another noise, then quiet voices. Next, our door clicked open and I exhaled softly. In silence, I passed through the others to meet up with Cloud, who was leading us.

"There's so much that I could tell you and the others, but I don't think that would change anything. You must understand, I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I may need your help from time to time. Is this okay?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah... Haven't we met before?"

"Hmm? I don't think so. It could be possible, though." I looked at the floor in front of me and everyone else did the same. The blood trail to the President's office.

"Cloud," I spoke in a low voice, "we'll take the elevator down to get some wheels to leave with. Rufus is waiting upstairs."

The fair-haired man gave me an odd glance then went up the stairs without question.

A concerned Tifa spun me around.

"Just why did you do that? And shouldn't we get a whole vehicle with the wheels included?"

With a chuckle, I agreed. She would have made a good dumb-blonde. Without a word, we made our way to the elevator doors. Before stepping inside, Barret gave me his only Restore materia, thinking that I may need it. I equipped on the only slot on my robes. Technically, I did need it, for I didn't know how to use the Holy materia, nor did I know what it did, if anything. We finally went inside and then the elevator started down.

Almost instantaneously, their battle began, along with the feelings that had I had experienced before. I held my breath as I felt groggy and my body began tingling. The feeling became nearly unbearable, so I closed my eyes and warned Nanaki of the change. Just when I thought I couldn't handle it any longer, I became normal once more and I slowly opened my eyes, expecting the worst.

Instead of being captured, I found myself underground, facing the elevator shaft door. Finally some good luck for a change. Since the dimly lit tunnel only went one way, I took the liberty to take that route since I didn't want to go back up to my death. I must have spent hours in that tunnel, for it seemed to go on forever. I was weary and ready to stop to rest when I felt solid ground in front of me. Without stopping the think, I groped the walls for some sort of way out. My hands felt a lever, which I pulled down. The sound of metal scraping sounded from beside me and I found large rungs that I could climb up on. I slowly began my way up the ladder until I reached a solid door that blocked my exit. As I kept my balance, I pushed upon the barrier until a single ray of light came through the tiny opening. Slowly, but surely, I soon able to push the door all the way open and I peered out to see where I was. The first thing that my eyes fixed on was the blade of a sword, which was only within inches of my nose. My eyes traveled up the sword until I met the eyes of an old man.

"Just what are you doing in Kalm?" he asked gruffly.

"I'll explain myself if you'll allow me to get out of this."

He nodded and stepped back, allowing me to climb out of the well that I was in. A cluster of small trees secluded it.

"Explain, stranger." His voice was less threatening, but he still kept his sword in hand.

"I escaped from Shinra because they wanted to kill me. I couldn't allow that."

The man put the blade back in its sheath while keeping his eyes on me. "Them killing you would be better off than suffering from the future that they are already bringing to this planet."

I sighed and nodded. "I understand your feelings, but there is hope for the planet," I assured. "Times may get bad, but just keep hope and all will be well."

He raised an eyebrow in response, then walked away. I brushed the dirt from my robes, then walked out from under the trees. My eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sky and I found the many townspeople out and about. A small group of children were out, so I decided to approach them, hoping they've seen my friends. One told me that a pair of Turks were here a while ago. It turned out that they were looking for me. It also looked like I would be changing the story since I unwillingly stuck my nose where it shouldn't belong.

The children went back to play and I went to find a comfortable spot to contemplate my situation. Luckily, the town was quiet enough to hear the sound of gunshots from outside the town. Quickly, I got up and ran out of town, towards the gunfire. I was close enough to see Cloud, Nanaki, and Barret, ending one of their battles. As they picked up the dropped items and gil, I approached them. Barret quickly glanced up at me and aimed his fun arm at me.

"You! Wait!"

Before I could respond, he fired only one shot at me. It painfully tore trough my left shoulder, then a dying squeal came from behind me. The noise came from one of the creatures that inhabited the area. I had noticed that the bullet was lodged in between its eyes.

"Are you okay, miss?" a soft voice asked.

I looked up to see Cloud offering a hand.

"No," I replied. "It's okay. It was either me or it." I let my gaze wander to Nanaki, who looked at me strangely. From beside me, Barret was searching his pockets.

"Just where the hell is it?" he muttered. "I know I had the Restore materia back in Midgar..."

I took his materia from my robes and held it out in front of me. "I believe this is yours, Mr. Barret. You gave it to me back in Shinra Headquarters, remember?"

He looked at me, then the materia and quickly snatched it from me. "What the hell did you say I did back there?" The look in his eyes told me that he didn't know.

"When I was with you guys back in Midgar, you gave it to me before we went in the... You don't remember, do you?" I looked to Nanaki, hoping that he would remember. "Nanaki? We were in Hojo's glass cage together."

The beast looked at me long and hard before lowering his muzzle towards the ground.

"Nanaki?"

Nanaki glanced to the others, then at me. "I can't explain it, but my mind kept putting Aeris in your place. It was only when you said my name, I knew the voice was indeed yours." He looked to Barret and Cloud. "She's telling the truth. The memories are slowly coming back."

I continued. "Hopefully, you all will start to remember since Nanaki managed to." Upon looking at Barret again, his attitude changed entirely.

"Actually, I do remember someone asking to borrow my materia, but I never found out who..."

"Cloud?" I turned to him. "Do you remember me warning you about Rufus?"

"How did... Oh yeah, but I thought that was Tifa."

"No, I..." I was nearly taken aback when a green light engulfed my wounded shoulder, which began to heal quickly. I could feel the skin close up and the moist blood soon vanished. The joints and muscles that were torn repaired themselves, then the green light disappeared. Even the hold that was made in the robe had been mysteriously sewn up. Barret gave a confused grunt as he shook the materia.

"Funny... That's never happened before. Even at max level, it still wouldn't have done that." He shrugged, then pocketed the materia.

"How does a Cetra protect herself in the wilderness of these continents?" Nanaki asked.

I chuckled to myself. Of all things Maylin helped me remember, she forgot to remind me of getting a staff of some sorts. Embarrassingly, we went back to Kalm to purchase a decent metallic staff. It wasn't as good as the one I wanted, but I didn't want to pester them like a spoiled brat. Cloud was generous enough to lend me his share of gil, that I would eventually try to pay back later. Once we were all rested up, we traveled through the valley and headed south, to the Chocobo Ranch.

On our way there, that gave me a chance to learn how to fight. I also learned how to use materia. By the time we reached the ranch, I was soon capable of handling the weaker monsters on my own.

The boy in the chocobo stables was so nice, he wound up giving up his only chocobo. No one felt weird about it, but I knew this wasn't right. He was supposed to sell his flute to us, but that didn't even come up in the conversation.

The boy's parents allowed us to stay at the house for the night, though I couldn't sleep. I was too worried about when the next time I would leave. Knowing when I would go through time was hard, because I only knew it right before it would happen. After a few more hours of tossing and turning, I went to the kitchen, where the rancher's wife, Telia was preparing some food for me and the others. She acknowledged me with a smile as I sat down at the kitchen table.

"I nearly finished packing your lunches," she said cheerfully. "You're an adventurer, yes?"

I leaned back in my chair and faintly smiled. "You can say that. By the way, has anything odd happened lately?"

Telia sat down across from me. "Sure. Shinra's going through their world domination phase, but, like before, it'll soon be over with. That's not odd, it's just plain stupid!" She smiled modestly. "Of course, you didn't hear that from me." Without another word, she stood back up and went back to the counter.

"We should have destroyed 'em when we had the chance," Barret grumbled as he came from behind to sit beside me. "They're killin' the planet, that's for sure."

After a few minutes, Cloud and Nanaki joined in on the conversation. It was through this talk that I finally realized that they were just as real as me. They had their own trials and tribulations, and weren't just someone's creations. I didn't even feel weird when Nanaki talked to me. For the first time, I had become interested in the beast's markings on his fur. They were very similar to mine... I mean Maylin's. Maybe the young Hojo was right. It was possible that he could be related to the Cetra without him ever knowing it! I guess anything could happen in this world, especially with me in it.

Soon, we decided to leave. Telia had already packed our individual lunches, which I had requested and we went to the stables to get our chocobo. After mounting the large bird, we left and crossed the western marsh. I was surprised on how this ostrich-like bird could easily carry all of us without any strain. Just their legs alone could severely cripple a person if one wasn't careful.

When we reached the large cave entrance in the mountain's base, we stopped so we could camp out for a while before journeying further. I hadn't gotten a chance to hop off when the change started happening again. From far away, Nanaki called out to me, but it was too late. I closed my eyes as my body began to tingle. For a split second, the whole world felt far away, as though I had severe tunnel vision. The feeling left as quickly as it had come and I opened my eyes.

The first thing that I noticed was my chocobo. Its entire body was composed of the brightest golden feathers I had ever seen! I had remembered that these birds could travel over water, so it was time to test my theory...

Within several seconds, we reached the beach. By the reaction the bird gave, it was probably excited to get on the water. I let her have her way by taking off on the water. The cool liquid sprayed everywhere in our wake as we followed the coast. I nudged the bird in the direction of Junon Harbor so I can get some sightseeing done. Surprisingly enough, it hadn't taken us very long to reach it, but when we did arrive there, I could barely recognize the massive structure.

Hovering over the main building were construction vehicles, which were putting the finishing touches on the base. I found my way into the town and I immediately found a group of villagers in a small group, watching the spectacle. Each of them wore a look of concern, so it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they weren't too happy with this. I hopped off the chocobo, who ran off. At least I got where I needed to go. Without a word, I approached the onlookers, who barely noticed me.

"Damn them," an old man muttered beside me.

"Everything was fine until they showed up," another added.

I didn't need to hear any more. I went to the empty tavern and took a seat at the corner of the place. The blond barmaid looked like someone I knew, but I the thought was soon pushed away when I heard her voice.

"Miss, I wanted to know what you're drinking," she said with a sigh.

"Oh," I said hesitantly. "I don't have much money."

She shrugged. "Well, thanks to Shinra, all drinks are on the house. So what'll it be?"

"I... uh... Surprise me?"

The woman sighed again and went behind the bar. As she fixed my drink, I leaned my head against the back of the chair. I tried to remember which friend I had been thinking about, but I couldn't. She was close to me, that I knew, but I just couldn't put a finger on it. Could I be losing my memory? I surely hope not. I couldn't afford to forget why I'm here in the first place.

The barmaid came back with a tall glass filled with a dark liquid. Probably beer. However, when I took my first sip, I was totally wrong. Its taste was similar to that of sweet tea, but it had left a strong alcohol aftertaste. I very much liked it, but I made sure I didn't drink too much of it. The last thing I need is to get drunk; I could always do that back at home, but not here. I was nearly finished with the drink when I got up to pay for the drink. The woman insisted that I didn't, but I wound up paying her more than I should have. It was at that moment that it started to happen again.

I immediately sat on the barstool and closed my eyes while a wave of numbness shot throughout my body. When it was all over, I slowly opened my eyes to find the tavern, packed with noisy people. My gaze wandered and my interest fell greatly since I didn't know anyone at first.

It was when a certain silver-haired man turned his head slightly my eyes widened. He looked better in real life! I just had to see him, the one man that both Maylin and I love... Sephiroth. What could I possibly say to him? Would he even want to talk to me? As I thought to myself, I kept staring at him while he sat at his table, alone and doing nothing.

Suddenly, he turned his head so that his Mako eyes locked with mine. Shocked and nervous as ever, I blushed and turned back to the bar. A large smile formed on my lips. This was too real. Everything about him was just too perfect and so real. Even his hair was exactly how it should be...

"Excuse me," a gentle voice spoke from behind. "Have we met?"

My heart raced when I heard his voice. When I turned around, there, looking down on me was the very man I could never have. For a long moment, I was speechless, but I stumbled a few words in.

"I... I... I don't think so." I stood up. "I'm just... Just passing through."

"Hmm... You do seem familiar, but I could be mistaken. By the way, I'm Sephiroth." He extended a hand.

I smiled and placed one of my tattooed hands in his. "I'm Maylin."

Instead of a handshake, he kissed the top of my hand in the most gentle way possible. "It's a pleasure." He then sat down on the stool beside mine. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Of course, I anticipated his offer. Just being in his presence is just as great. I ordered what he ordered, just so that I could try something different. While waiting, we got a few words in.

"So how do you like the harbor here?" he asked with a hint of curiosity.

"To be honest," I started, "I'd rather see more nature than technology, but that's just my opinion."

Sephiroth nodded as the bartender placed our drinks in front of us. I picked up my drink.

"So how do you like the harbor, Sephiroth?"

He raised his eyebrows slightly, then lowered them. "I don't have an opinion to that." He then picked up his drink and took a good look at me. "You're not from around here. Don't take offence when I say this, but you look, well, odd."

I faintly smiled. "How can you tell?"

"Your skin is a dead giveaway and from all the place that I've been to, I have never seen a person like you at all."

Nervously, I sipped on the bitter drink. "I'm not from around here, but that's all I can say about that. You understand, right?"

The general looked at me briefly before taking down his drink. "Sure I do. It's okay. I won't tell anyone."

With a weak smile, I guzzled down the rest of my drink. My stomach burned for a few moments.

"So why are you here?" he asked.

"Well, I'm searching for something, but I don't know what it is or where it is. I may have to go to the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim to get some help."

One of his eyebrows raised. "The mansion? I happen to be going that way. Would you like to go with my and my troops?"

My eyes lit up. "Of course I would!" I'd do anything for him, I thought.

He shook his head and laughed aloud. A laugh? I haven't heard such a wonderful sound in a long time. I never even though it possible that he could laugh at all. Change is definitely good.

When he spoke again, he expression faded. "Well, we'll be leaving tomorrow."

I nodded. It didn't really matter as long as I was with my Sephiroth.

"Did you say something?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh, no. Maybe my mind was speaking louder than my mouth."

"Oh, really?" he said while eyeing me. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth formed into a faint smile. "You're probably right."

I smiled back, but he looked away from me, towards the main entrance. Standing in it was a young man with a large sword strapped to his back. He wasn't Cloud, but he looked enough to be his older brother. I looked back to Sephiroth, who was preparing to leave.

"I'm afraid that I'm scheduled for a meeting," he said while standing up, "but I'll see you tomorrow?"

I nodded as he bowed and turned to leave.

Now that I thought about it, those books in the mansion could help me out. I just hope that Sephy won't burn the place down before I had a chance to read them all. With a broad smile, I left the tavern and went to the inn. The clerk must have thought my sober from my breath, but I felt strangely sober. No sooner had my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.

The dreams I had were extraordinarily strange. In fact, my dreams were the only thing to help me forget my troubles until I had to wake up. I hadn't dreamt about home, though I did see more storyline concepts that were now open. Once I had finally awoke, I saw a lone soldier stand, watching me with his strange eyes. I quickly stood up, alarmed from this intrusion.

"Miss Maylin," the boy spoke, "It's time to leave."

"Thanks," I managed to say while stumbling out of bed to wash my face. When I had nearly finished fixing my hair, I paused from the sudden realization that the boy was still there in my room. I turned around to find, in fact, that he was there.

"What happened?" I asked. "Do I have a third arm sticking out of my ear, do I?"

The man stood rigid in his stance. I couldn't get a good look at his face, for the helmet he wore prevented me from doing so.

"I believe I've met you somewhere..." he started in a low voice. I waited for him to continue, but he hesitated.

"It's possible," I replied. "I have been around."

He shook his head. "No, I don't remember you before now, but... Nevermind. Sephiroth is waiting." He then turned and left.

As quickly as I could, I fixed my hair before leaving my room. Outside waiting for me, was Sephiroth, the big sword guy, and two other soldiers. One of them was the boy that had been in my room. Sephiroth smiled briefly and bowed.

"Maylin, I would like to introduce to you a fine SOLDIER of his class, Zak." He then glanced to the big sword guy. "Maylin will be accompanying us to Nibelheim."

Zak smiled and nodded. "It's a pleasure."

Now, being that I was on a rather long trip with four men, one would think that one of them was bound to hit on me or win my affections, but that wasn't the case at all. In fact, to my dismay, even Sephiroth wasn't the least bit interested in me! however, we did have a few quiet conversations. I was glad that I got to see the somewhat lighter side of him. Sure, no one would believe me if I told them, but it didn't matter at the time.

We stopped in Gongoa so that we all could stretch our legs from the truck ride from Costa del Sol. While Zak and the two soldiers went patrolling, I was walking with Sephiroth, who was rather impatient to leave.

"Although we have been assigned to this place, I see no logical reason why we should even bother." Sephiroth sighed and stopped to lean against a tree. "By the way, what exactly do you hope to find in the library?"

I looked away for a moment. "I can't tell you that, now."

Slowly, Sephiroth moved away from the tree. "You'll have to. I don't believe you know that the mansion's forbidden to outsiders."

"So I'm an outsider?" I asked innocently.

He folded his arms over his chest. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

"I can assure you that I'm just as normal as you are." I smiled with assurance.

Suddenly, I saw a glint in his Mako eyes and in a flash, his hand clutched tightly onto my shoulder. He then shoved my back against a tree. As he looked into my own eyes, he spoke to me harshly, "You don't know me very well, do you?" He continued to stare at me, but oddly enough, I didn't feel scared.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I could get the words to come out.

Slowly, his hand moved away from me and straightened himself out. "Go on, I won't bite."

As I continued to lean against the tree, I rubbed my sore shoulder. Well, here goes nothing. "You're right. I don't belong here. In fact, I don't belong on this planet at all." What am I saying? It's as thought he's controlling me to say these things.

"Interesting," he said simply. "Have you anything else to tell me?" The tone in his voice reminded me like a father catching his daughter in a lie, but this was worse.

"I... I'm looking for information on time distortion."

"Hmm..." He said as he smiled faintly, "Shall we go?"

The only thing I could do was stand there and stare at him. It's as though we didn't have this conversation at all! What was he thinking?

"You would like to know what I'm thinking?" his voice turned serious once more. "You're lucky. You would have been dead by now, but I like you. Besides, you should be proud to be my little priestess."

What? Of all things, I had hoped that he would never know. No, this wasn't happening. It just couldn't. I tried to deny it altogether, but Sephiroth responded by lunging at me and clasping my throat.

"Are you calling me a liar?" he asked through his teeth. "I know what you're thinking. Every thought. Every memory."

"Even how I truly feel about you?" I managed to retort between gasps.

As though a brick hit him, he released his grip and backed away with and odd expression on his face. For a split second, I thought he understood, but he shook his head.

"That's impossible," he mumbled while walking away.

Instinctively, I ran to catch up with him. "There's nothing wrong with that. You're just afraid of..."

Suddenly, he whirled around and unsheathed his sword. "Afraid of what, Miss Maylin?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "Afraid of not being able to handle the truth. You deny it now and you'll deny it later."

"Sir!" a voice called from far off.

I turned my head to find Zak and the two soldiers running up to us. "What happened, sir?"

"We were attacked," Sephiroth replied, who had already sheathed the blade. "Fortunately, we were unharmed."

Zak too a glance at me and nodded. "All right. We've patrolled the entire vicinity and all checks out."

Sephiroth nodded. "Good. We'll depart immediately."

Without another word, we headed back to the van and set out for our destination: Nibelheim. Through the rest of the ride, which didn't take very long, not a word was spoken between me and Sephiroth. However, I noticed that the one soldier that spoke to me days earlier was watching me oddly. It was then that I found out that he was Cloud. I should have been able to figure that out sooner, but it must have just slipped my mind.

Soon, we reached the town and once I had stepped out of the van, I allowed the events to unfold before me. The men went off on their business and so I went to tend to mine in the mansion.

For several minutes, I had to let my eyes get adjusted to the damp darkness of the old building. Luckily, I remembered my way to the library, so I had little trouble finding my way there. The occasional creature battles were annoying, though I was strong enough to handle them on my own.

The interior of the room was in good shape, save for the cobwebs and layers of dust that settled upon the books. Where should I start? There's so many books here, and I don't even know where to look. I looked around until I found a few books on the nearby table. As I opened up one of the books, I took a seat and started to read the strange language. I resembled Japanese, but it looked more like alien writing than anything else. Oddly enough, I was actually able to read every word that was written. It was as though I always knew how to read their language. Unfortunately, the book had nothing to do with what I wanted, so I eventually put it down and picked up another, which was already opened.

Through my hours of skim reading and sorting, I found details about Jenova's experiments and Shinra's history. One book contained time traveling, so I continued to read it. It was only based on non-tested theories, but it gave me something to think about. One of the theories included potential side effects from constantly skipping time, like ringing in the ears, body numbness, nausea, and memory loss... The list went on. The thought of memory loss struck me, so I began to write a journal of everything that had happened so far in my journeys, just in case I happened to forget. I knew I couldn't forget; of course, I did know that I already began to forget little things.

All of that reading eventually had gotten me exhausted, since I wound up sleeping with my nose in my book. My mind was indeed worn out, for I had dreamt of my home. At least, that's what I thought it was.

"Clear!" I heard a woman yell, followed by a faint surge from far away.

Also, from a distance, the voice of a man kept calling my name. It was Carl. Just the very sound of his voice made me miss everything that I left. I'll be home soon, I thought.

This shouldn't take long, unless there were a few billion side quests added on to it.

Carl's voice faded away and for a long time, silence filled everything. For a moment, I thought I was dead, but it wasn't until I heard the voice of my mom that had made me ponder.

"Don't be afraid," she said. "Stay strong and you'll be back in no time."

Since she was my mom, I could only stop and listen until her voice faded away, too.

I found myself sitting up in my chair inside the underground library. There, standing right beside me, was Sephiroth, reading a book. He didn't even seem to notice my presence. After flipping through a few pages, he tossed the book aside.

"Sephiroth?" He didn't even flinch as he picked up a book from a shelf. I repeated his name and this time he responded.

"What do you want, priestess?" His voice was cold, yet worn out.

"I can help you find whatever it is you seek?" I offered. Seek? What was I thinking?

Sephiroth finally turned his gaze towards me. "You don't know what I'm looking for." He continued to glare at me until I answered back.

"I'm sure what you're looking for is in the back room."

For a few minutes, he went back to read his book, then proceeded to the back room, where I directed him. As he went about his reading, I turned to leave the mansion. To my surprise not a single creature attacked me at all! Once outside, I found my way to the inn and rented a bed for the night. It wasn't until I had completed my journal entry that my entire body became increasingly numb. I closed my eyes as I clutched onto my staff and notebook, waiting for the worst to be over. For quite some time, the numbness remained and when it finally disappeared, I was too relieved to open my eyes. Some dry odor caught my senses, but I didn't need to figure out that it was smoke.

My eyes opened and I instantly saw the flames dancing just outside the window. A wave of fear shuddered through me as I raced outside the smoky inn. Savage fires ripped all around, but I wasn't entirely safe until I escaped out of the town. After running far enough, I stopped and turned around as I caught my breath. Cloud, still in his uniform, shouted at the other figure in the flames, Sephiroth. He disappeared from the flames and I had waited for several minutes to see if he would return. He hadn't, though I could feel him probing my mind as though he were looking for something. I was curious from his attempts, but I soon felt his presence leave me all alone, coughing and staring all alone.

Cloud was still cursing in the flames, but there was nothing more for me here. My time and place was elsewhere. I turned and headed south, to Cosmo Canyon. During my journey there, I found it odd that not one creature attacked me.

When I had finally reached the village, my legs where extremely tired and I needed sleep. At the entrance, I was met up with a dark-skinned man, covered with furs and beads. He held an old, wooden staff, which was just about as tall as my own.

"What is your business here?" he asked with a sense of warning to his tone.

I smiled faintly. It was just like the story. The man's appearance and the village itself was just how I had imagined it. "I only wish to rest and speak to Bugenhagen." Nanaki was probably still in Midgar for all I know, I thought.

For a few moments, he eyed me carefully, then he responded. "Yes, come. I believe he is expecting you."

Expecting me? How can that possibly be? A second guard took the first man's post and I was shown to the inn. The clerk was so nice, she allowed me to stay the night for free. I later found this so because it receives very few visitors in the first place.

My room was cozy, but I didn't car as long as there was a bed. My head hit the pillow and I was out like a light. My dreams were few to none, simply because I didn't sleep long. I was awakened by the clerk, who told me to go see Bugenhagen as soon as possible.

For a few minutes, I continued to lay in my bed, trying to wake up. I soon got the motivation to stand up to wash. Once I was through, I left the inn and climbed down the ladder, where a little girl stood, waiting apparently for me. She me inside the complex, where the old man was waiting. He greeted me warmly, although I was a complete stranger to him.

"Yes, yes. I knew you would come here. You're a Cetra, right?"

I just stood there, dumbfounded. I didn't even tell him my name and he's reading my mind like he's some person from the Psychic Friends Network! With a smile, he showed me to a chair and I sat down.

"Come and talk to me," he said cheerfully. "I promise I won't bite."

I slowly formed a smile. "I'm Maylin, if you didn't already know. I've come to..."

"Talk about science? My specialty." He snickered modestly.

"Well, actually, I wanted to get some information on..."

"Philosophy?"

I sighed. "Please, I need to know all I can about time distortion."

Bugenhagen frown for a moment, then smiled again. "I'll be more than happy to tell you, but I'd like to know why, of course. I don't want you to take over the place, or something to that extent."

Since I couldn't trust anyone at the time, I told the man as much as I could. A couple of times, I had to refer to my journal to help me explain my story. Afterwards, the old man became more interested in me and less of telling me what I needed to know.

"So you're an alien in the body of an Ancient that worships a man named Sephiroth?"

Oh boy, this could take a while. "Look," I began, "I hate to be discourteous, but I'd rather you help me first. I'll be more than happy to explain my world later."

He soon agreed and led me to his celestial diagram, or a map of the planets, so to speak. With a single motion of his hand, he activated it, a and I had found myself nearly mesmerized by its realism. It was too similar to that of my own world's, but the map itself looked a little distorted. The same lecture that he gave me was the exact one that he would eventually give to Cloud and the others. For several more minutes, he talked total gibberish until he started making sense about time differentiation.

"I'm sure that time in this world is different from yours, so I'll try to explain this in simpler words.

First of all, I'll explain de ja vu here. Although many people may deny, they have experienced it at least once in their lives. On this world, is basically experiencing a certain event and once it's through, that person relives it over again."

"Is it like time travel?" I asked while looking at something shiny, embedded on a piece of rock in the air.

"Yes, it's very similar, but de ja vu here can only be triggered by an event. As for time traveling itself, the traveler can go forward or backward in time and can change people or events in their wake. That's where time distortion comes in. It can be an object, event, or even person that overlaps two or more times together, creating either a loop or a ripple in time. As long as the creator exists, the loop will be everlasting."

I walked towards the shiny object and picked it up easily. It was a red materia, though I didn't know what it did. Then, I closed my eyes to think. Could Sephiroth really be the cause? If so, where could I stop him at? I opened my eyes and pocketed my materia, then jotted down a few notes in my journal.

"So you think that a person would do this?" I asked while writing.

"It's possible, but he or she may not even know they're doing it."

Suddenly, I felt a sharp stab of pain my head, accompanied by a high-pitched tone. My eyes closed instantly.

"What's happening, child?" he asked, alarmed.

As quickly as I could, I told him about my change, then I became groggy. I then became nauseated, but it dissipated along with the pain. When I had opened my eyes, I found myself on my knees with Cloud, Bugenhagen and the others, who were staring at me in surprise, as though I had fallen from the sky. Nanaki approached me cautiously.

"Maylin!" he exclaimed.

I blinked a few times and I answered, "I'm surprised you remembered me."

The beast nodded. "I, too. A while ago, the moment you left us, we immediately forgot you, although unwillingly."

"I remembered talking to you years ago," Bugenhagen added," and I also forgot about your existence until you showed up right here."

A few minutes passed before I spoke again. "Where's Sephiroth?"

Cloud and Tifa exchanged glances. "We're not exactly sure," Tifa answered. "We're going north to see if we can find anything. Are you coming with us?"

I quickly accepted. With more of my memory fading, I had to be with people who knew me, or at least a part of me. Also, the others helped me figure out what my materia was: the summon materia for Bahamut. Once we were all rested up, we headed north, back to Nibelheim. A few of us were reluctant to go back there, but regardless of the painful past that a certain couple had experienced years ago, we entered the town.

Cloud and Tifa looked on in amazement as the others hadn't a clue. Every building was exactly the same from when I had first entered the town. No one could tell that there had been a fire. Even the grass was just a green as before. While Cloud and Tifa went off on their own, I took the others into the mansion.

"What's in here?" Barret asked gruffly.

"Clues?" I suggested. "Relieve some boredom?" Gain experience? I thought.

Barret and Nanaki stayed on the bottom floor while Aeris and I went upstairs. We then stepped down the spiral staircase and proceeded towards the library. However, I stopped in front of the locked door that lied just before the library's door.

Aeris stopped beside me. "What's in there?"

"A friend, I hope. By the way, did Cloud happen upon a key some while ago?"

"Why, yes. He didn't think he needed it, so I took it, just in case." She shuffled through her pockets and pulled out an old rusty key. "Will this work?"

I shrugged and took the key. "Here goes nothing." Aeris watched while I inserted the key and turned it until the locked clicked. I turned the knob and the door creaked open. We slipped inside to find a single black coffin in the center of the bare room. As I stepped towards the coffin, the pain came back, though it doubled in intensity. I dropped to my knees and closed my eyes. When is this going to stop? I can't continue like this... Suddenly, the pain went away just as I heard the door slam, followed by muffled voices. My eyes opened quickly and I looked around. Only the closed coffin was there with me. Someone was in there, so I had to find out who. Once I got to my feet, I approached the coffin. It was cold to the touch, but I didn't mind and pushed it open.

Sure enough, there was someone in it. The man was clad in dark clothing and half of his was covered. A single metallic claw replaced his left hand. How odd. Gathering up some courage, I gently nudged him. It took me a few tries to finally awaken him. His dark eyes opened and looked straight at me.

"I thought Shinra was through with me," he said coldly.

"My name is Maylin and I'm not one of them."

The pale man sat up slowly. "If you're not from Shinra, why do you wear the uniform of SOLDIER and have Mako eyes?"

I looked down at my clothing. Indeed, I was wearing the uniform of a Turk! Also, a gun was strapped to my hip, with my summon materia set in it. "I can't quite explain it, but I assure you that I'm not from Shinra." I then looked back at the man.

For a long moment, he studied me. "Then why are you here?"

I hesitated as I spoke. "I was hoping to side with you?"

"You'll have to make up a better excuse than that," he replied, unmoving.

From my jacket, I pulled out my notepad and handed it to him. "Maybe this will help you understand me better."

He gave me a curious look while taking the pad. I didn't think he would believe me, but he started to read a few pages. "By the way, I'm Vincent," he said while reading.

Soon after, he looked up and handed the pad back. "If this is true, then Shinra must have already send the Turks after you."

"Hmm? Oh yeah. I just hope I won't bump into them any time soon."

Vincent nodded. 'I'll try to help you find some answers only if we seek out Hojo in the process. I've got some unfinished business with him."

I agreed and we left the basement. It was outside where we found Cloud and the others heading out of the town, to where the airship was anchored. Quickly, I caught up with Cloud and the others. Like before, they were surprised to see me and my new friend.

"Maylin? Are you a Turk now?" Cloud asked.

"Not even close. I don't know how it happened, but my clothes just changed on their own."

Cloud looked me in the eye until he finally replied. "Well, you seem to be telling the truth."

"I don't know," Cid grunted, "but this is all damn crazy!"

"I believe her," Vincent commented from behind me.

Barret muttered something under his breath, but Cloud continued. "If you two don't try anything, then you can come with us."

"Sounds good to me," I said. "By the way, where's Aeris? I haven't seen her since we were in the mansion."

Without answering, Cloud turned and climbed up the ladder of the airship.

"She's no longer with us," Nanaki replied solemnly. "Sephiroth killed her."

Suddenly, my mind was filled with Sephiroth. It had to be for a good reason. He was probably going through some hard times. Yeah, he was just misunderstood...

I soon followed everyone else to the ship and climbed up the ladder. Inside, everyone went off to their own business, though I found an empty cabin, where I could rest my head. My eyes closed, but I didn't go to sleep just yet. Sephiroth... He's just a man that should be respected by everyone. It's just too bad that no one ever got to understand him... He did say that he remembered me from somewhere before. But where and when...?

I drifted into unconsciousness. A few soothing voices filled my head, although I couldn't recognize any of them. Suddenly, a white light surrounded me, thought it was dim. A faint beep from the background sounded, and the voices grew excited, but I drifted away from all of the noises. The light then faded away, leaving me in the dark cabin of the airship.

"Funny," I muttered, "I didn't remember turning off the light." I got up and stumbled my way to the door. The brightly lit hallway nearly blinded me as I stepped out. "It's quiet, too," I whispered. With little trouble, I found my way to the bridge, where several crewmen were stationed. I asked where everyone went off to.

"In Wutai, where we stopped," one young man said.

After thanking him, I rushed off the ship. They left without telling me? What were they thinking?

I soon entered the town, to find it nearly quiet as can be. It was past sunset, and very few lights were on, including the cafe. They're probably there, I thought as I continued toward the building.

Upon entering, I straightened my jacket and took a look around. Besides the bartender, only a few suited people sat at a table, drinking and talking amongst one another.

"How much longer?" I heard the suited woman ask to her companions.

The spiky-haired man shrugged. "What about you, Rude?" he asked, referring to the only bald man of the group, though he didn't reply.

While they continued talking, I approached the bar, where the bartender was more than happy to fix me my surprise drink. Within a few seconds, he pushed a tall mug towards me, and I paid for it. It wasn't until I had taken a sip of it when someone's voice caught my attention.

"Hey! You with the silver hair!"

Sephiroth? I turned around to find that the woman was referring to me. With my drink in hand, I approached the group at the table and gave them the "Who, me?" look while noticing that my hair is silver, just like Sephiroth's.

"How'd you get a hold of a Turk uniform?" the woman asked.

Damn, I nearly forgot. "I.. was recently hired. What's it to you?"

The bald Rude simply stared at me through his dark shades as "spike boy" replied.

"Shinra isn't hiring any more Turks. Besides, we've been looking for you for years." He then stood up. "You showed up at a most pleasant time, didn't she, Elena?"

The woman shrugged. "We're on vacation, Reno, so what's so pleasant about it?"

I sipped my spicy drink and stepped away just as Rude stood up. "I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. I haven't stepped foot in Midgar in all my life!"

Reno picked up the shotgun from the table and balanced it on his hand. He shook his head. "Our boss had told us otherwise. Since I don't feel like dragging you all the way to Midgar, we'll just kill you instead."

Elena stood up. "How would you like to be buried? In a coffin..."

"Or in an urn?" Reno finished.

Elena turned to Reno with hatred in her eyes. "You stole my line! I worked hard to perfect it!"

Reno glanced back. "Just shut up and kill her." He looked back to me and cocked back the shotgun. Without thinking, I threw my mug at him and leaped away. Bullets darted all around me as I rolled to the ground, within feet of the front door. Getting on my knees, I pushed a table off its side and began to fire at my assailants. I need to get out of here alive, but I'm outnumbered.

Within seconds, they turned their firing away from me, towards the other side of the room. "Opportunity strikes, literally." I aimed my gun at Elena's leg and fired two shots. She screamed as her leg gave way and she collapsed to the ground in pain. Quickly, I got up and darted out of the inn, only to run into a teen-age girl, dressed in some sort of ninja outfit.

"Hey! What's where you're going!"

I apologized and moved away from her so she can go inside. Eagerly, I waited until the gunfire ceased. Soon, Rude and Reno helped the wounded Elena outside, though away from me.

"You're lucky we're on vacation," she growled as they passed by.

Just after, Cloud and the others joined up with me. "Are you all right?" Tifa asked.

I nodded. I'm surprised that I didn't get hit.

"What did they want?" Cloud asked.

"All I know is that I'm wanted, dead or alive, thanks to Shinra."

Cloud looked at me as though he wanted to say something else, but he turned and left.

I looked to Tifa. "What was that all about?"

"Well," she started, "it's your hair. I guess it's this stuff about Sephiroth and all..."

"Oh, yeah..." I guess I did understand, somewhat.

After taking the time to catch up, we boarded the Highwind. I followed Cid to the bridge, where he immediately began firing orders to the awaiting crewmen.

"You!" he shouted to the man behind the wheel. "Set destination to Midgar! I wanna see this baby fly faster than time itself! Get a move on! Hustle!"

Frantically, each of the crewmen worked as fast at they possibly could, getting the airship to quickly glide in the air. I simply stood back and watched Cid with a little interest. In a way, I thought, he reminds me of the old me. Ordering people around all the time. Maybe I just think too much...

The huge ship jerked to a stop at their targeted destination. Unfortunately, no one had informed me as to why it's Midgar. I couldn't understand it, but from the looks of everyone else, I didn't think they understood all too well, either. Within minutes, I followed the others off the ship. Not a word was spoken as we made our way through the sectors until we came across a tiny, run-down chapel. I had entered it with Cloud following, and almost immediately, a warm feeling swept throughout my body. It wasn't the change, but it was as though a spirit was inside my body.

"Oh, my..." Cloud whispered from behind.

My eyes looked forward and I held my breath from the site. It was Aeris, tending to her flowers, as though she hadn't a care in the world.

In awe, I tried to step forward, but Cloud's firm hand held me in place. For several minutes, we both watched in silence until her form finally faded away, along with the warm feeling that I had felt. I stood there, letting realization sink in. Will I die like Aeris? If so, what will happen to everything here? Suddenly, the hand eased away from my shoulder and I turned to see Cloud leaving.

"Cloud, wait."

He stood in place, but didn't turn around.

"Cloud, can I ask you something?"

Slowly, he turned around and looked at me with his soft Mako eyes. I could tell that he tried so hard to keep his emotions hidden, just by looking into those eyes.

"Why did you come back here?" I asked. "Was it because of Aeris?"

Still looking in my eyes, his fists balled up, but instead of bursting out, he answered back in a gentle voice. "I don't know why, but I had to come back just one more time. I guess I wanted to be sure that she was all right..." He shrugged. "It's just a stupid thought, but I felt her spirit with me."

"I felt it, too," I assured. "Aeris is finally home, where she belongs." I then walked past Cloud to join the others.

"Maylin?"

I stopped midway through the door and turned my head.

"If you had the chance, would you help me save her?"

With a sigh, I closed my eyes, thinking about how much that would affect all of our fates. It was in sheer honesty when I finally answered him several seconds later. "I don't know." As I walked out from the chapel, I never knew how painful those words struck Cloud. I couldn't bear to see him suffer over and over again, but I couldn't just go around and change these people's lives like I'm a god.

Once we joined the group, we set out to the other side of the sector. I purposely allowed myself to fall behind to sit at the nearly demolished playground to think. It was there that the change occurred again. The screams of children filled the air and I waited for them to fade away before opening my eyes. When I did finally open them, two children, a boy and a girl, stood a few feet in front of me. Each were oddly dressed and equipped with wooden swords.

"You're a Turk, aren't you?" the boy asked.

Great, I'm going to die at the mercy of two kids.

"We're not supposed to mess with Turks, but we can take you on, old lady," the boy continued.

Old lady? I, Maylin, am only... He's got a point.

Several long moments passed by until the boy nudged his companion. "Hey, it's your line."

"Oh! Um..." She cleared her throat. "To protect the world from devastation!"

The boy raised his sword above his head. "To unite all people's within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils with truth and love!"

"To respect the reaches to the stars above!"

"Team Avalanche blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

What the hell?! Greatly annoyed, I pulled out my pistol and fired it in the air, which sent the kids running home, crying. I put my pistol away with a sigh. Those kids... Something familiar came from those kids, but I couldn't put a finger on it. It was as though they were from another world... I stood up and found the gate to the neighboring sector, where I found an entirely different scene. The place reminded me of the slums, but the atmosphere was more lively. I felt alienated from the way the residents gawked at me like I was a freak of nature. Sure, I had silver hair, odd tattoos, and even a nice Turk uniform, but that didn't make me any different from them, did it?

The only place that I was welcome to was the bar, so that's where I went. Upon entering, a few people were seated at a nearby table. They had been discussing something about Shinra, but they all paused to look at my while I made my way to the bar. Surprisingly, a little girl was the bartender. At first, she looked at me strangely, then smiled.

"Would you like something to drink, ma'am?" she asked shyly.

"Anything would be fine, right about now."

The girl nodded and picked up a bottle to read the name. Soon after, she handed me a small glass with a dark liquid inside it. "That'll be ten gil, please."

I dug through my pockets and put a small pile of the money on the table. I wonder how I got all this money...

They girl eyed the money, then me. "That's a little too much."

"I have no further use for it."

With a smile, she took the money and pocketed it. "Enjoy!"

I sipped the drink, which happened to be the same I had not too long ago, though it was stronger. I had wound up staying at the bar for an hour, when I heard the front door swing open. First, there was the sound of shouts and footsteps, then the single sound of someone breathing heavily behind me. I was spun around in my seat, with the barrels of a single fun staring me down.

"What the hell are you doing here, Turk?!" his harsh voice boomed at me.

I held up on of my hands innocently, since my other hand still had a drink in hand. "Whoa! I'm not a Turk! I'm Maylin and..."

"It doesn't matter what your name is! Just you coming in here means that I have the right to kick your candy ass!"

"Settle down, Barrett," a calm voice said from behind Barret. "She's okay."

"And just how do you know this, Cloud?" Barret asked, still looking me dead in the eye.

"I was with her when I was in SOLDIER back in the day," Cloud replied. "I can remember her clearly."

Almost without thinking, I reached into my jacket and Barret immediately had his gun at my head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, girl."

"I'm not just your ordinary girl." I felt the notebook in my hand and I slowly pulled it out. Relieved, the big man lowered his gun.

"What's that?" Cloud asked.

I handed the book to Cloud and sipped on my drink. He skimmed through a few pages before handing it over the Barret.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Barret asked.

"No. I can't remember where I came from, but I can't go back until I fix this time thing."

"Just how do you fix it?" Cloud asked.

I shrugged.

"To be honest," Cloud said, "this sounds a little too farfetched to me."

"I was thinking the same thing. In fact, a lot of that stuff written down hasn't even happened yet."

Barret looked up and handed the notebook back to me. "I still don't you think you can be trusted."

"Let me tell you what," I started. "Let me go with you and I'll prove it."

Both Barret and Cloud exchanged a look, then looked at me. ""Alright," Barret decided, "but don't try anything funny."

"By the way, where are we going?"

"Something's going down in this sector, so we're going to take care of the problem."

Going down? Bad idea... "I think you ought to take Marlene to a safe place out of this sector."

"Why should I do that? She'll be fine."

I shook my head. "I've got a bad feeling about this. If you can't trust me on anything, please just trust me on this."

Barret hesitated before speaking. "Marlene, do remember your little friend Kim that you play with sometimes?"

Marlene nodded. "She lives past the playground."

"I want you to stay there until I come back for you, okay?"

"But daddy," the girl whined, "I wanna stay with you!"

Barret knelt down in front of his daughter and hugged her. "Just go. I'll be back in no time."

"Okay daddy." She hugged her father one last time, then left.

The big man stood up and faced me again. "I hope you're right," he said as he turned to leave.

Cloud and I followed him outside, where Tifa was anxiously waiting.

"I heard gunfire coming from the tower. Um, who are you again?" She asked while looking at me.

"Maylin. I've got a lot of explaining to do, but we should save that for later."

Tifa agreed with little hesitation and we soon found our way to the bottom of the tower. Just outside the surrounding fence, a few people stood, looking up at the commotion. Going up the stairs, we found Barret's comrades mortally wounded; there was nothing we can do for them, so we continued up the stairs. At the very top, Barret, Tifa, and Cloud engaged in their battle with one of the Turks. I decided that it wasn't my fight as I leaned against the outer rail to wait patiently.

The battle itself lasted for several minutes when the Turk accessed the control panel. As he was doing that, a helicopter came into view enough for me to see Aeris, tied up and pleading for her rescue. The Turk boarded the helicopter, but gave me one long look before leaving. It was as though he knew me from somewhere. I can't hide from them Turks no matter how hard I try. Cloud's voice finally brought my attention back.

"This place is gonna blow! Come on!"

Quickly, I latched myself onto the thick wire that the others were clinging on to with their lives. The wire was cut loose and we swung over the sector just as a horrific explosion surprised us from behind. We soon reached the outer wall of the sector and scaled down it. Suddenly, a mass of fire and debris showered above us, throwing me to the ground unconsciously.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Once I came to, I found the others shaken from the ordeal. I gathered myself up and realized that we were in the playground, or what was left of it. Barret stood staring at the now demolished sector that he used to call "home".

"Marlene," he whispered.

I approached him and stood quietly.

"She would have died if you hadn't said anything..."

"I know," I replied. "Marlene's fine, so that's all that matters."

"We still have to get Aeris back," Cloud said from behind us.

Barret turned around to face us. "I'll check on Marlene after we rescue Aeris. Let's go." He turned and started walking towards the Wall Market, with the others and I following behind. With some help from the local kids, we found the pipe that would eventually take us directly in front of Shinra Headquarters. At the entrance, the others decided to take the less conspicuous route through the staircase. I however, stayed where I was.

Something's not right. No security whatsoever...?

Suddenly, my body grew numb and a sharp pain stabbed at my head. I then fell to my knees, though I kept my eyes open to see what would actually happen.

The sky appeared and transparent people moved swiftly and silently all around me. Soon, they slowed down and they finally became solid. Then, voices filled the air from the suited people. Turks. Although all wore the traditional suits, not one was older than a teenager! Among these were quite a few people that were taller and had pointed ears, like elves. One them, a guy, saw me and approached me with a faint smile on his face.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked with a little concern. "You looked like you've seen a ghost."

As he helped me to my feet, I examined his chistled face. His dark eyes gave me a sense of familiarly. I suddenly remembered that he was only a drawing that I had seen before.

"I think I'm all right," was all I managed to say.

The elf chuckled. "If you say so. Hey, are you new here?"

I nodded. "You can say that. By the way, I'm Maylin?"

For a split second, he eyed me strangely. "Maylin? I'm Crono. Nice to meet you."

Crono? Where have I heard that name before? For some reason, I couldn't quite figure it out. As I thought, I took a look around. The Shinra building was no longer where it should be. In fact, Midgar itself was gone entirely. Taking its place, large buildings surrounded the grassy area where we stood.

"Care to join me in the cafeteria?" Crono offered. "We can talk better in there."

I quickly agreed and he led me to one of the smaller buildings, which held the main kitchen and dining area. We sat at a small table, away from main door. With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair. There's no doubt I'm in the past, and I do remember elves in my journeys years ago.

At first, I told my new acquaintance very little, only to avoid suspicion of any kind. Through our conversation, Crono told me that the government was to merge a small area of land into a world-wide nation and that they were planning on building a capital to help fuel the towns via the planet.

"You didn't hear this from me," he started, "but I feel that this is a wrong move for Shinra."

"I agree. This will probably kill the planet in the long run."

The elf took another look at me as he spoke. "Now that I thought about it, I once knew a girl named Maylin, but she lives far from here and she doesn't have silver hair."

My eyebrows raised. "That's funny, I think I knew a guy named Crono that doesn't live around here, either."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I've got to be dreaming. Besides, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you where she lives."

"Try me."

Quietly, he explained the other world where he and I both came from. As the alien memories trickled back to me, I realized that he was the same Crono that I had known all along.

"I was told you wouldn't remember any of this," Crono said.

A big smile formed on my face. "I can't believe it, but I know it's all true. I remember talking with you on the phone, then the rest was all blurry." I took out the notebook from my jacket and handed it to him. "I wrote down all that's happened here so far. What I can't understand is why I can't remember all the stuff that you told me. Most of the things I can remember are Maylin's and not mine, if that makes any sense."

Crono leafed through the pages before putting it down. "All I can say for now is that if you fix the time, you might be all right." He then closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Damn alarm clock. I gotta go." Hen then opened his eyes and smiled. "I'll try to come back if they'll let me." Then, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

So I was dreaming after all. All I needed to do was fix the problem, right? And just who did he mean by "they"? I pocketed my notebook and headed outside, where I found the grassy area completely deserted. Something was wrong. I just hope it isn't me.

I wandered around the cluster of buildings, but not a soul could be found. Then, I peeked into one of the buildings, to find a group of kids, sitting at desks, with an older man lecturing on a raised platform. Good. At least no one was after me.

"Hey, you!" a man exclaimed from behind me.

Spoke too soon... I briskly walked in the opposite direction of the man, who was hollering after me. As soon as I rounded the nearest corner, I nearly doubled over from the awful feeling in my stomach. I leaned against the building and squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the worst. Hurry up, dammit! Soon, the feeling went away and I opened my eyes to see a deserted hallway before me. A woman appeared from behind the corner and glanced at me, but she said nothing as she passed by. Once she was out of sight, a single boy, no, a man with silver hair came from the same corner. He passed by me, then paused. It was Sephiroth, that I knew. With a cool gaze, he nearly mesmerized me. Even with him my age, he attracted me like a magnet.

"Do you work here?" he asked quietly.

I nodded. "This... It's my first day."

For a long unbearable moment, he studied me before answering, "Then you can accompany me."

I could barely believe his words. It was just like back in Junon. No hesitation crossed my mind as I followed him down the winding hallways and into a room with white coats neatly hung up.

Sephiroth picked one and gave it to me. "You'll need this so the doctors won't be suspicious."

"A straight jacket? How thoughtful," I chuckled as I put it on.

Sephiroth only shrugged. "I'm not good with jokes."

That went nowhere. "So.. How did you know?"

He turned to the door. "This entire floor is restricted to the majority of Shinra. Just leave the talking to me."

We left the room and continued down the hallway, which led to a rather spacious room, the entire floor covered in a padded foam. Three men in matching lab coats were waiting impatiently, along with a large, buff man wearing only black pants. The three men approached us with a look of concern on each of their faces.

"Zephiroth!" the bald man exclaimed. "Why were you five meenitz late and who eez theez woman?"

"She doesn't have clearance," the taller man added.

"It doesn't matter why I was late," he answered coldly, "and you haven't the authority to question my actions."

Each of the men shyly backed away as though Sephiroth was some terrible monster standing before them all. Sephiroth then took off his boots and approached the built man as I backed away to watch the show. This'll be good...

Indeed it was, for I watched in awe as Sephiroth's quick reflexes overtook the man, who was eventually sent through one of the walls. He didn't get up. From the way Sephiroth fought, one would think that he had been doing it for years. The bald man rushed to the unconscious body and examined him.

"Theez eez the fourth theez week, Zephiroth," he said. "You're improving."

"Like always." With that, he went to slip on his boots.

I approached him with a broad smile. "That's amazing. It's like nothing I've seen before."

Sephiroth nodded. "Let's get out of here. I'm sick of seeing those stooges."

As I had before, I followed him out to the hallway. "Is there anything you want to do? I'm usually to busy to have free time, but I could make an exception?"

I shrugged. "I'm not really big on the fun department."

A chuckle escaped the stoic man. Stoic? It surely isn't him now.

"Well, we can think of something while we walk."

"So how did you get here?" he asked curiously.

"Let's just say I dropped out of the sky?"

"Oh?" he asked with a smirk. "I guess if that's how you want to play."

Upon entering a random door, we found ourselves in a small storage area. Behind a cluster of large boxes were a pair of wooden chairs, as though they had been expecting us the entire time. We settled in our seats, but a long, dead silence hung in the air. I was nervous as anything, and I was sure that Sephiroth must have felt the same, although he hid it cleverly.

I finally managed to speak up. "Why exactly do you do here?"

"Just about anything since surveillance doesn't look over this room very well. I write and draw, but I have to burn them afterwards. The use of creativity is prohibited and it is weak in a man bred for war. I've been strictly disciplined, but I almost always hide my so-called "weak" emotions from everyone so I won't be terminated."

If anyone could have had the chance to talk to him like I did, no one would think he would turn out to be the monster that everyone had made him to be. As we talked, I found a whole new world opening up to me through his eyes, and it was through that one hour of talking that I had unknowingly changed the future of that warrior.

"You know what? You're the first person that I had actually really talked to. Everyone here is so boring."

I half smiled, taking the compliment. "Really?"

He pushed a silver lock of hair from his face. "Although I'm not supposed to talk much, I did feel much better getting everything off of my chest."

A full smile crossed my lips in content. "I feel the same exact way. I do hope we can talk like this again in the future..." I trailed off, remembering how I got here in the first place.

Sephiroth tilted his head slightly. "Do you have to leave?"

From the innocent look in his eyes, I knew that he didn't want me to leave. After all, I was probably his first friend. "Yeah, but I'll try to come back."

Suddenly, I heard a click from a door opening. Sephiroth pulled me to the floor and placed a warm hand on my lips to keep me quiet as footsteps filled the room. A few low grunts were heard, though not a word was spoken. Within seconds, the room became quiet and finally the door was shut. I breathed a sigh of relief and turned towards Sephiroth, who was only inches from my face. Sephiroth and I both nervously chuckled as we helped each other up.

"They were looking for me. Hojo's probably furious," he said as he glanced towards the door, "but it's worth it."

We went to the door, but Sephiroth paused before opening it. "Before I leave, I've got two questions for you."

I smirked. "Lucky for you. I've got two answers."

Sephiroth briefly chuckled. "I never asked for your name."

I told him. "So what's the second question?"

He looked at me serious. "Can I kiss you?"

A part of me wanted to laugh at the question, but another part felt the innocence in his tone. Almost without thinking, I leaned my head towards his. When his lips met mine, I could feel my skin tingle with goose bumps from both the attraction and some hidden power from within us. Sephiroth placed his hands on my arms as though he didn't know what to do with them. I simply stroked the back of his neck softly, taking in the moment as much as possible, and restraining myself from bursting with joy. After what felt like an eternity, Sephiroth slowly pulled away, nearly dumbfounded from the experience. His eyes locked with mine as though a new realization had just set in.

"There's something about you," he whispered. "About us."

I smiled and nodded. "You need to go before you get into trouble," I whispered back.

He nodded and opened the door. Before leaving, he gave me a warm smile. "I'll be waiting for you, Maylin."

Once he disappeared down the hallway, I shut the door and sat down against it, still smiling from what had just happened. I also felt that the goose bumps were still prickling my skin. My mind felt like it was just scrambled; there were so many thoughts and emotions, there was no way I could keep them in order. I couldn't believe it, but yet I did, somehow. Somehow...

The goose bumps faded away, back into the numbness from before, but it didn't matter. I'm happy and there's nothing anyone can do about it. As the change occurred, all I could think about was Sephiroth. I found myself back on my feet after the numbness went away. I cracked open the door and peeked into the hallway. It was entirely deserted. My first priority was getting out. Second: find Sephiroth.

I discarded my lab coat long before I made my way through the twisting hallways of the labs. Finally, I exited the building and Midgar itself. As though on cue, the Highwind came into view and stopped within a few hundred feet of me. A ladder dropped down, but no one came down. I looked up to find a figure waving frantically. With haste, I scrambled up the ladder. At the top to greet me, was Crono, who was actually a little impatient.

"Maylin!" Crono exclaimed. "Come on!"

I followed him to the bridge, where he explained the situation to me.

"I just got back from the northern continent," he paused as the ship jerked back into motion. "Aeris is still alive, but I don't know for how long. Sephiroth keeps saying that it's all your fault. Just what did you say to him?!"

"Actually, it was more what he said," I replied hesitantly. "I found him as a normal person, Crono. Sephiroth opened up to me and I got to know his true self!"

"But that doesn't explain why he's obsessed with you instead of Jenova!"

"What?" I didn't have an answer for that nor did I have the time to explain, for Crono walked out just as the ship was slowing to a stop. I met up with him on the ground and found our way deep inside the City of the Ancients. We didn't speak until we met up with the others, who were watching the display between Cloud, Aeris, and now grown Sephiroth.

"Something isn't right here," Nanaki muttered.

Leaving Crono behind, I made my way to the platform, where the three were standing. Not one of them said a word until I stood beside Aeris.

"Sephiroth..." I whispered.

His menacing gaze turned to confusion when he set his Mako eyes upon me. The blade he held was pointed at Aeris, but I couldn't tell if he truly wanted to kill her.

I called out to him again.

"Maylin?" Sephiroth stepped back. "Is that you?"

I smiled. "Yes, it is. Sephiroth, you don't need to kill her."

"I waited for you, but... but you're dead!" his voice turned cold. "You're only a mind trick."

From behind me, I heard Crono's voice call out to me, but I didn't pay heed. I stepped forward, towards Sephiroth. "Sephiroth, I'm just as real as you are. Don't you remember, you said there's something different about us." My voice remained steady, but I felt scared. Not for myself. Not for Aeris, but for Sephiroth himself...

Hesitantly, he lowered the blade, but his grip remained on the hilt. "I don't understand..." his voice trailed off.

I took a deep breath. "You had waited so long for me, and now, I'm here. That's all that matters, right?"

He studied me carefully, then half slit his eyes. "Trickery."

In an instant, a brief white flash nearly blinded me. I found myself lying on the floor, hearing the wailing of a man who seemed to have lost something dear to him. Soon, I found Crono and the others looking down on me. I tried to speak, but no words came out. Where was Sephiroth? What happened to him? I had to help him... I needed to know, but no one could provide the answers. I couldn't even figure out what was happening as the wailing faded away.

Surprisingly, the numbness struck my body, though I could barely feel it as the change came. I closed my eyes and clutched onto Crono's hand as the change finished. As the numb feeling went away, a horrible pain ripped throughout my midsection. A gasp escaped me, but I didn't open my eyes, nor did I let go of my hold on Crono.

"Maylin!" he exclaimed. "Please say you're all right!"

With much trouble, I forced myself to whisper, "Don't let me go. Not yet."

"It'll be okay, Maylin! I can't believe he nearly killed you. This wasn't supposed to happen..."

I finally opened my eyes to find myself wearing my original robes. Although the pain was constant, there was no blood from the mortal wound that should have been Aeris'.

Crono was hesitant to sit me up, but I forced him to. Slowly, but surely, the pain eventually faded to a dull throb.

"Maylin?"

I looked around. The others were no longer there, but that was expected. "Where's Sephiroth?"

Crono shrugged. "He disappeared before we could confront him. What was even more strange, there was no Jenova battle. It was as though it had never existed..."

"I see I changed a lot," I whispered.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Against my wishes, Crono carried me all the way to Bone Village. There, the people took pity on us and allowed us to stay at the inn free of charge. I hadn't noticed until I laid on my bed that a red object from the sky was heading towards the planet. Maybe some things hadn't changed. Of all things, I needed to figure out what was going on in Sephiroth's mind. There was no telling what could happen since he "killed" me.

Unfortunately, Crono left during my second night's stay. At least it gave me some time to recuperate and think. Later on that same night, I dreamt of more voices in complete and utter blackness.

"Jigglypuff!" a petite voice squeaked.

What the hell was that?

"I know you can hear me," the voice continued. "Jigglypuff will make you all better if you just wake up."

Now I could officially be dubbed insane. I hoped that I would wake up, though I didn't know why I had this odd repulsion from such a sweet voice. Coincidentally, the dream continued...

The voice faded away from me and I could see the form of Sephiroth on his knees, his head bowed. It looked as though he were praying. Luckily, I heard his now gently voice.

"Maylin... Your death shall not go by unavenged. With the power that I will receive from the Planet, you and I will become gods."

No... If he only knew... I tried to call out to him, but I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. My mind cried out in dismay. He'll kill everyone just because of me! Please, Sephiroth... Hear me! Feel my mind!!

Suddenly, his head lifted and glanced around.

Yes, Sephiroth. Hear me... I'm here, can't you see?

His shoulder bobbed up and down from his laughter of a personal joke of sorts. "Yes, Maylin. It shall be soon and everyone will come to know..."

Without another word, he faded from sight and I instantly woke up. I found myself back in my room in Bone Village. The throbbing pain in my stomach was now already gone.

After washing up, I headed outside to find a way off the island. There was only one gold chocobo, but it belonged to the head excavator. He told me that I could keep it if I could lend a hand for a day or two. Since it was my only option, I complied and went straight to work. The sooner I started, the sooner I would get away.

The other workers showed me the ropes at placing detonators properly and by the end of the first day, I became a natural at it. For one more day, I worked in the frigid air without complaint and that's when the head excavator gave me his chocobo, Price. I rested up that night and was ready the next day, thought I wasn't exactly sure where to go next. I didn't even know when I was at in time! Without any clue, I traveled south, to Midgar.

From a distance, I saw a few figures traveling on foot towards Kalm. When I got closer, it was none other than Cloud and the others. This frightened me because I had gone through the change without ever noticing it! It must have been back at Bone Village when I was asleep.

I nearly surprised the group, and Barret's attitude showed it.

"How did you get out of Midgar with that?" he asked, referring to the chocobo. "And why is your hair silver?"

I glanced at Cloud, but he only eyed me curiously, along with the rest. "It's a long story, but that can wait for another time." Talk about de ja vu; this was getting ridiculous!

We soon made our way to Kalm, where I told my outrageous story to the others. Like before, they were all hesitant to believe my tale. The probably thought that I was crazy or something, but if they did, they surely didn't show it. To tell the truth, I was getting tired of running around in circles, jumping into time and to the same places all over again.

Not long after I told the story, I parted ways with my friends and headed south. It had taken not more than a few hours to reach the sleepily little town of Mideel. I let my ride wander off to eat whatever things it digested.

A few children ran after a small dog, though a little girl with long curly hair stopped to gawk at me. I smiled and nodded, but she only ran off, giggling after the rest of her playmates. My gaze wandered past her, where a small glowing stream flowed into nowhere. Its mesmerizing luminescence made me approach it in awe. I then knelt down at the edge, careful not to touch it just yet.

"I reckon you're here to see the Lifestream," an older voice spoke from beside me.

I looked up to find an old woman dressed in brown, standing beside me. She looked at me with her blue eyes as she continued.

"As the town historian, you're more than welcome to ask me anything." Her voice seemed like she had done this more than enough times before.

"Well, how about the Lifestream here? What can you tell me about that?" I glanced at the glowing liquid.

The woman cleared her throat and spoke. "It has existed as long as the planet has. In fact, the Lifestream is what keeps everything alive. As far as I know, this is the only place that the Lifestream surfaces."

For a few moments, I studied the Lifestream. "Is there anything else?"

"There was one incident where a small boy fell in there. Thirty years later, he comes back, though he hadn't aged a day."

"Hmm..." I reached out to touch the glowing liquid, but the woman stopped me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she cautioned. "There's no telling what other effects could be in store."

"Thanks for the warning, but I've got nothing to lose." I reached out as my materia began to glow, but it was too late to do anything more. The illumination engulfed me. It felt like I was in a constant hover, with every sensation in my body falling into slow motion. Multi-colored lights swarmed all around me, but they, too, looked as though they were slowing down with me. Not long after, my feet touched ground while the lights themselves molded into a mountainous landscape. Something forced me forward, like a conveyor belt, through the mountains and into a gigantic crater. Through winding tunnels and passages I flew until I came across a lone figure holding something in his hand. Once I was within feet of him, I realized that it was Sephiroth with the Black Materia.

"Sephiroth," my mind urged, "please don't do this. I'm here."

The man looked up through the blackened tunnel, then focused his attention back to the materia. He looked as though he was in deep concentration by the way his eyebrows knitted together.

"Maylin," he muttered. "Soon..."

Suddenly, he and everything else disappeared. Sephiroth... I have to find you again. I have to...

"Miss? Are you all right?"

Slowly, light poured into my eyes, showing me a blurred figure looked down at me. My eyes soon focused and I was back in Mideel, though it looked like an earthquake had just ravaged the entire area. The Lifestream was now massive, compared to the small trickle that once flowed there.

With a long sigh, I sat up to take another look at the man who was staring at me. He wore a white lab coat and bore a look of concern on his face.

Not again... Doesn't Shinra ever give up?

"You're lucky I found you when I did. Many people died after the recent incidents."

I glanced around again. A simple hut that resembled a tiny doctor's office.

"You should be all right, Miss," the man continued. "If you feel up to it, you're welcome to leave at any time."

"Yes," I replied. "I think I will." I then got to my feet, which felt a little wobbly and trekked down the hill. Several villagers wandered around, seeming totally lost. The one little girl who I had seen earlier approached me with tears glistening her cheeks.

"Where's my mommy?" she cried out. "I can't find my mommy."

I couldn't help but kneel down and hold her as she began weeping in my arms.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At the edge of the once-sleepy town, I searched for the chocobo that I had arrived on. However, as some time went by, I gave up on my search with the fact that the giant bird fled into the wild. It didn't matter for its reason, I was no without transportation once again.

With nearly all hope drained from me, I reluctantly went back into town and towards the Lifestream. It was but two certain figures that stood at its edge whom made my eyes widen. They both had their backs to me, but there was no doubt as to who those two were. I hurriedly approached the two with a smile on my face.

"Tifa! Cloud!"

The couple turned around to face me, each wearing an odd look on their faces. They both exchanged a look between each other.

"Are you two okay?"

The fair-skinned man scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah," Tifa answered for both. "Where are the others?"

As though on cue, loud, but familiar voices approached in surprise. It was the rest of the group.

"Tifa," Barret started in his usual gruff voice, "What happened in there?"

Cloud and Tifa exchanged another look, and only replied in silence.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Back on the airship, most everybody shared in on the couple's uncomfortable silence, save for the crewmen. Something had happened to the two, but they told no one of their experience. Whether it be a deep pain or a dark secret of the past, they gave no hint.

I, too, had experienced something in that living entity, but my mind was filled with too many questions to not say something...

On the outer deck of the ship, I leaned against the railing, allowing the cool air of the night entangle and dance in my silver hair. I hadn't known someone joined me until he was within a foot beside me. I didn't even bother to turn my head. Instead, I kept my stare into the night sky.

"The night air cleanses away all the hatred from the day."

It was Vincent, the one man few people could ever comprehend. Who'd have thought he could even be a poet? I smiled as the poem crossed through my mind. In a twisted way, this was so. Any emotion that I had, seemed to dwindle after the sun had set. There was no reason to hate anything on this night, not even Sephiroth. The wars that had once plagued thousands of years ago on the planet seeped into my bones as I took in a the scent of the crisp air. Vincent felt this, too.

"For the first time, I can sense an ancient power from within you," he said quietly, also looking out into the sky.

I nodded. "I was here many years ago to protect the planet from exile." It felt good to talk to someone, not really caring if he understood me or not.

Vincent's eyes glanced at me as he spoke. "Then you must be the one that I heard about when I was only a boy. The tale told of the first Ancient that walked upon the planet and used her own natural magic, instead of the materia."

My lips could only form a smile as I looked over the dark man. "There were stories about me? I wouldn't supposed they told you what had happened after my duty was completed."

"Well," Vincent quickly pried his eyes from my own, "they say you used the last of your magic to create a temple in a mountain. Worshippers of the Cetra reside there, but the location has still eluded archeologists to this very day. The magic had helped to keep it hidden."

As my smile faded, I reached into my robes to pull out my own materia. It pulsated brightly, in spite of the drowning blackness of the night. Vincent looked on with a hint of astonishment.

"Isn't that...?" he started to ask, but I finished for him.

"...the White Materia."

The dark man could only watch while tiny images danced within the glowing ball of light.

"This is the last of my power. My only reminder of home..."

He continued to watch the orb until its light faded away. I then put it back into a hidden fold of my robes. For a very long moment, my eyes traveled out into the welcoming black sky with only one word reaching out to my mind: Wutai.

With some coaxing, I had gotten Cid to go out of his way by bring me to the mountains just south of Wutai. The ship landed at the base, for it couldn't land anywhere on the treacherous mountain terrain. Of course, the others wanted to come along, but I had to deny their requests. This was my temple, but they weren't ready to come. No just yet, anyway.

On the ground, I had given each a personal goodbye, though when I stopped for the last one, Vincent, something tugged at my mind. It was more of a vision: a tormented soul embraces the light.

That soul was Vincent's.

I held out my hand, to which he looked at curiously. "Come, Vincent."

I could hear Cloud protesting, but he seemed far away. In fact, everything around between me an Vincent felt very far away. Once he took my hand, a white light engulfed both of us and I turned around. I felt Vincent wince as he put up his claw hand to shield his face from the light. These events didn't phase me as I led Vincent through an invisible barrier, which can only be felt by both of us.

Once on the other side, the light around us faded, exposing a luscious garden bed, filled with flowers of imaginable colors. However, the structure that lay before it was a sight all on its own. A massive ivory tower stretched high up into the sky.

Each stone was perfectly cut and bore strange markings on its marbled white face. Four connecting towers shot straight up, higher than the clouds that constantly hung around the peak of the mountains. The main doors were three times the height of a normal man and made up of the finest rubies ever found. Its glass-like state seemed like it would shatter with the faintest whisper.

Still clutching onto Vincent's hand, I led him towards the massive structure, its size gaining with each step I took. Before we could reach the doors, they the slowly swung open as though the entire building sighed. I tried to continue forth, but my friend tugged me back.

"Vincent?" I turned around to find the man nearly terrified of what he saw before him.

"I shouldn't be here," he managed to whisper.

My head tilted in response. "Don't be foolish. You're here for a reason. Come." I then turned and led him inside, allowing the red doors to swing quietly shut behind. Although the doors were shut, the entire main hallway was nearly as bright as the outside itself. The walls themselves absorbed the light from outside, so there was no need for lamps in here.

The hall was bare, save for the lavish tapestries that hung on the holy walls. They depicted events of long ago, to remind others of the bleak, forgotten past. Each of those pictures sent waves of memories flooding back into my mind, but I pushed them aside as quickly as they had come. This wasn't time to remember the past, not when there's a future to think about.

With a quick foot, I led Vincent to the right of the two other corridors that were present. It shouldered to the left slightly, and we followed it until the very end, where a white door stood. Unlike the other plain red doors, this white one bore the very strange symbols that were etched onto my own fair skin. It was at the door where I released my hand from Vincent's.

"What's in there?" he asked like a small child.

I simply smiled as the door swung open on its own. Then, I stepped inside, knowing that he would follow. A huge room lay before me, where more than a hundred people, young and old, knelt in rows, all facing their backs to me. In front of those people stood an ivory statue of a woman who held her hands up. Her right hand held a materia; the left, a notebook. It took but a few seconds to find that the woman in the statue was me!

"By the Ancients..." a voice spoke, which broke me from my mild trance.

My gaze shifted to one of the two figures on each side of the statue. The one who spoke wore a hood, though his companion's face was well hidden in his. As the ones who knelt looked up at me to gasp, I suddenly felt my cheeks grow hot. Where was I? I thought. I've never been here, but yet I have...

I shook my head from the thought, allowing a few silky strands of silver brush against my cheeks. I could see myself walking up towards the two standing figures, but I wasn't sure if I was the one controlling my legs. With a smile on my lips, I stopped in front of the man whose face I could see. He immediately sunk to his knees as though I had terrified the life from him. He could barely speak from his trembling lips.

"The... The p-prophecies..." was all he could say.

Still smiling, I placed a hand under his chin, to slowly stand him up. "There is no need to be frightened," I heard myself say as I removed my hand. "Tell me of the prophecies that you speak of, dear follower."

The man nodded quickly, regaining his composure. "The other brothers and sisters have received visions of your return from an alien land." He paused, awaiting my comments.

"Yes, I have been to a planet from another realm. Is there more?"

"Yes, Holy One. We have found that a dark force has corrupted the time and space of this planet."

"Sephiroth," I heard Vincent mumble from behind me.

"How dare you speak behind the back of the Holy One!" the man snapped back.

I raised a hand to prevent any further scolding. "He is but a friend," my voice spoke softly, referring to Vincent. "I've brought him here to reunite him with another lost soul." I then turned my head to face Vincent. A look of utter confusion swept across his face.

"What are you talking about?" he asked weakly.

Without answering him, I stepped around him to face the robed figures that still knelt, bowing their heads. For a long moment, I glanced around the brightly lit room. Just when I thought the silence was too deafening, I looked back into Vincent's dark eyes as I addressed the crowd. "I call forth Lucretia!" my voice echoed loud within the confinements of the large room.

Vincent's eyes widened in surprise once he heard the name. From the crowd, my ears could hear the shuffle of someone standing up. I glanced at the crowd to find a frail, hooded figure trembling in the very spot she stood.

"Lucretia!" my voice boomed now. "Step forth!"

As quickly as her legs could move, she made her way through the kneeling people and stopped within feet of me. The figure sank to her knees, though her hood still hid the face. As I had done with the man, I stepped to her and put a hand to her chin, allowing her to stand. No sooner had she stood upright, her hood tumbled back, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman, though her features radiated her youth.

I stepped back from her. "Lucretia," my voice spoke softly. "It is time to meet your destiny: Vincent."

Like Vincent, her eyes widened, but tears already trailed down her cheeks once her eyes met with his. I moved back with a nod, allowing the two to welcome each other in their long-awaited embrace. Behind them, the kneeling crowed muttered and nodded in approval.

"You've done well, Holy One," a familiar voice spoke from beside me.

I turned and stared into the eyes of my Elvin friend. "Crono!" I exclaimed as I gave him an unexpected hug. After letting out a few chuckles, we released each other's hold. "What took you so long? I went to the Lifestream all by myself."

Crono eyed my warily. "I had some troubles... You didn't actually go in the Lifestream, did you?"

"Yeah," replied as though he were joking. "Of course I went in! It was the most amazing thing! The sensations were incredible, and the lights were way awesome, but then..." my smile and voice faded, remembering...

"Then what?" he asked with a frown.

"And then I saw him."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the elegant dining hall, I sat between Crono and the man who I had spoken to earlier in the worshipping room. Many of the elder followers say with us, and all were engaged in both their conversations and meals. As I glanced around the room, I found Lucretia and a pale man, sitting at a smaller table, totally oblivious to the world around them. It wasn't until the man's eyes met with mine that I found him to be Vincent. He looked so different, yet so beautiful without the extra clothing he was so used to wearing. Our eyes finally broke and he continued with his companion. Together, those two met their destiny...

"...and that is why we're worried. Holy One?"

I quickly looked back to my table, where one of the elders was addressing me. "Go on, Brother Foyer."

The old wrinkled man nodded. "Yes, of course. We're afraid that the corruptor will slowly take the planet, whether or not he is extinguished." He and the others, including Crono, looked on to me for advice.

With an inaudible sigh, I leaned back in my personal cushioned chair. It felt better to sit there than on the back of a chocobo any day. I couldn't remember when was the last time that I had last sat here...

"Holy One?" Crono asked. He wouldn't call me by my real name, just so that he would keep his cover. "Is there something wrong?"

I nodded. "In a matter of speaking, yes. He does, in fact, wish to destroy the planet, but only to revive his prized possession: me."

After my last word, the entire table erupted in anger and confusion. The elder beside me, Brother Durch, shook his head, then spoke.

"If what you say is true, which I pray not, then why don't you prove him your existence?"

"I've tried, but it was in vain..." My memories flooded back to the time Sephiroth nearly killed me, then to where I met him when he was only a teen. He had to be stopped, but not killed...

"Maylin?"

I looked up to see the stoic form of Vincent, looking down at me. "Hello, Vincent."

He smiled briefly and nodded. "Lucretia has had a vision of Sephiroth..."

"And she didn't ask to meet us in counsel?" Brother Foyer retorted.

Vincent ignored the comment. "She sees him in the Northern Continent. His power grows."

"The crater," I said with a nod. "The final battle..." my voice trailed off.

"Holy One," Crono started, but I nodded again before he could finish.

"I'm not to go there just yet. There is still time."

Suddenly, a stabbing pain ripped throughout my body and I let out a moan. It drove everyone to their feet, including Crono, who now held onto one of my hands. A ringing buzzed in my ears followed by a dizzying numbness. My eyes squeezed shut, allowing the event to pass smoothly. The worried cries faded away, leaving only a deafening silence all around me. Once the painful sensations seeped from my body, I opened my eyes to find an empty and faintly lit dining hall.

"Maylin?"

Crono looked at me, still concerned with what has happened. It was then that I found my hand draining of all its color from my friend's own hand. Quickly, I released my grip, so that my hand could recover. It was soon fine, then I took another look around. Something wasn't right, I thought to myself. My friend also glanced around at the sight. The walls of the entire room seemed to have been drained of nearly all of its light. I quickly stood, fighting back the brief dizzy spell that followed.

"No one's here," Crono stated. "What's going on?"

An alien-like force wrapped around my essence, burning me from the inside. It had a sense of familiarity to it, but it was still a strange power to feel. "It's all wrong..." I finally said aloud.

My friend opened his mouth to speak, but I held up a hand to silence him. I tilted my head slightly, straining my ears to listen in the seemingly muted room. For several long minutes, I remained in this position until my ears finally picked up something. Wind? It was rather loud to be wind, especially within the magical barrier. "This isn't good, Crono."

"What is it?"

My eyes wandered back to Crono's. "We need to go and find out. Don't ask me why, but we have to."

He agreed and we then exited the room. As we made our way through the hallways and staircases, the sound I first heard was becoming more loud; my own fear crept over me. There wasn't time to talk, however, my mind was racing towards the verge of a panic attack. Once we reached the main doors, my body froze as though a Stop spell was placed over me.

Among all the doors in the temple, these doors were the only ones that didn't change color depending on the outside environment. At least until now. The two doors were now only a dull black onyx stones, like two rotten teeth in an aging mouth. This, indeed, was a sickening sight, and I surely didn't want to see what was behind those cavities.

"Crono," I whispered.

I felt his hand placed on my shoulder, but it did little to ease my tension. "I'm here, Maylin. Whatever's outside, we'll face it together."

I clasped onto the hand that was on my shoulder. It had taken every ounce of energy in me to step up to the deathly black doors. The alien-like power still teased my essence. With a shaky hand, I waved the doors open, allowing the outside world to rush up at us all at once.

Beyond the doors, there was no longer the blues, greens, and whites of a luscious garden. Instead, the entire landscape was replaced by a flattened, dusty wasteland. The ocean, from here, seemed to boil on its own. The sky itself was painted in crimsons and purples, exaggerating the orange sun that hung overhead. Both water and sun produced enough heat combined to kill a human being. Luckily, both of us weren't exactly human. I turned around just in time to watch the remnants of my home disappear before my eyes, leaving us stranded in this desert land.

Within seconds, the unbearable heat made my robes cling to my perspired skin, my hair now limp. Crono's Elvin features didn't exactly adapt well from the surroundings.

"Where are we?" he asked weakly.

I squeezed his hand, which was not at my side. "We're still on the planet, I think." There was no other explanation. Unless...

Crono suddenly fell to his knees as he let go of my hand. I couldn't find anything that could help him, for the heat had taken its toll. I could only watch in horror as he fell forward, letting death capture him.

The heat weakened me extremely, sending myself collapsing backwards onto the crusty earth. Of all things, I found myself screaming out Sephiroth's name until my throat dried up and my breathing became shallow. Death wasn't too far away, though I had enough energy to realize that Sephiroth had done this...

"My dear Maylin," his crept into my ears like venomous spiders.

I was too weak to even turn my head, but his intense eyes soon met with mine. Sephiroth.

His eyes looked coldly into mine as he spoke. "My Maylin." He placed a cool hand only my flushed cheek. "How I waited for this moment." For a split second, his eyes shown a look of sincerity, but that was pushed away.

I'm dying! my mind cried out to him. Do something, please...

A faint smile coarsed Sephiroth's thin lips. "Help you? You?" He chuckled briefly. "Where were you to help me?" His hand caressed my cheek one last time before pulling it away.

No... I could feel my own mind beginning to fade. I loved you...

Sephiroth's smile faded. "How... How can you love a monster? How?!"

Those final words echoed through my body as I slipped away from reality.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Don't you want to know what happened to LeeAnn/Maylin? Wanna know what's up with the Crono/Maylin/Sephy triangle? I know I do! ^_~ There's more on the way, so don't forget to come back in the near future for my next installment!! ^_^ Ja ne!)

(One more note: If you think that you have no clue what my character Maylin looks like, email me at LadyPsycho@juno.com and I'll be more than happy to send you a pic of her that I drew all by myself! ^_^ Also, if you wish to ask me any questions about this and/or any other story I've written, email me at the above address and I'll respond to each of you accordingly. Thanks for reading!)