Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or places in this story. They belong to SquareEnix. Now leave me alone!

Prologue

The silver-haired man sat alone in the castle, staring out at the raging sea. Though the cool ocean breeze should have been refreshing and calming, he was annoyed and exhausted. No matter what he did, he had no idea of how to retrieve the precious treasure which he seeked. As far as he knew, the one who possessed the object he needed, was miles away. He didn't know her exact location of the holder but wherever they were, he would find them. All he knew was that they were in the City of Midgar somewhere, but, it was a large city and the probability of just bumping into them was unlikely. With an aggravated sigh, he placed his head in his hands, rubbing his forehead in annoyance.

Her eyes slowly opened, narrowed due to confusion and the darkness around her. As if in slow motion, she raised the covers off her form and slipped out of bed, placing her small feet into her pink slippers. One slow step at a time, she crept towards the door, gently pulling the handle down and pulling it open, wincing at the small creaking sound it made. She poked her head out of the small gap, glancing left and right. The voices were growing louder, as if people were shouting at each other.

Normally, she would ignore it for it would just be her mother and father having an argument but not this time. This time, she could hear the voice of another voice, rich and deep. The coldness of it sent shivers down her spines. She stepped out onto the corridor, not even sure why she did. The only sound was the soft padding of her slippers against the wooden floor as she walked towards the door that was straight on her right. It was open a tiny crack, the light spilling out into the hallway. She crouched down as quietly as she could and peered into the keyhole, careful not to move the door in any way.

"I mean it Gast! Just hand it over!" the rich voice hissed.

The girl on the other side of the door swallowed nervously as she caught a glance of him. He was a tall, thin man with long dark hair that was tied in a ponytail.

"No, I know exactly what you would do with it!" her father replied coldly.

Her eyes travelled to him, noticing how he was still dressed in his favourite white coat. His dark hair was sitting nicely on his head, only the odd strand falling into his eyes. Beside him, she could see her mother turn her head towards the door, looking straight in the keyhole. In that moment, she knew she had been seen but still, she didn't move. She remained where she was. She felt as if she had to know what they were talking about.

"If you will not give it to me willingly, I will take it forcefully!" the intruder warned, loading a gun.

The breath caught in the young girl's throat as she watched the man point the gun. She watched in horror as the shot was fired and her father fell to the floor. She jumped back from the door, her eyes and mouth wide with horror and fear. Her hands clasped over her open lips as tears rolled down her cheeks, her breath raising to an unnatural level. From the noise within the room, her mother was going through much the same thing.

"Now where is it?" the man demanded slowly.

"I don't have it!" Ilfana, her mother answered between sobs.

"Where is the white materia?" he asked again and the sickening sound of the gun being reloaded entered her ears.

She took another step back before the words sunk in. Slowly her hands moved from her mouth to the chain around her neck, pulling it out of her top. Her eyes gasped as she looked at the white materia in her hand. It had been a gift that her father had given her for her birthday not too long ago.

"Aeris! Run!" Ilfana cried suddenly, jolting the girl from her daydream state.

She leapt back, turning to run for the front door ahead of her. There was a gunshot behind her but she couldn't bear to think of what it meant as she threw the door open and raced out into the snow. Turning right, she knew exactly where to go; to her Auntie Elmyra's house. Her parents had always told her to go there should anything happen to them. Being young, Aeris hadn't understood why anything bad would happen to her parents but now, she knew never to think that again.

Her slippers fell off in the thick, white blanket but she did not turn to retrieve it as she threw herself to the door, pounding on it mercilessly. The man appeared from her house, looking around wildly and as his eyes fixed on her, she felt her heartbeat rise. She pressed herself right against the wooden entrance as he started loading the gun. Unable to think of what was about to happen, she closed her eyes, waiting for the shot to be fired. It was. It was fired at the same time, Elmyra opened her door, causing the girl to stumble backwards inside, just missing the bullet. Luckily, her Auntie had been standing behind the door. The older woman realised immediately what was going on and pulled Aeris back by her pyjamas before slamming the door shut.

"What happened?" She demanded as she bolted and locked the door. Aeris shivered slightly from cold and fear.

"He…I heard voices and went to investigate…the man was there, asking for the white materia. He…he killed my parents…" she said the last part in barely a whisper as she broke down in tears. Elmyra grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into a quick hug before pushing her back and lifting up the rug. She pulled at the wooden floor, allowing one part to come free.

"Go down there Aeris. I'll follow you," she commanded. Hesitantly, the girl stepped forward, looking down at the passageway before locking eyes with her Auntie.
"It will take us to the harbour. We can get to Midgar from there."

"Midgar?" the girl repeated. Elmyra sighed and pushed her down the steps.

"I'll explain along the way," she snapped as she followed her, reaching up to place the floorboard back.

"Run!" Elmyra cried as the sound of the door bursting open echoed in the air.

The brunette girl sat bolt upright in her bed, her eyes wide with fear. She had thought she had grown out of her nightmares a long time ago but obviously, she had been wrong. The girl in the bed to her right, stirred in her sleep but other than that, there was silence. She sat for a few minutes, allowing her breath to slow down and for her heart to stop pounding in her ears as she wiped the sweat from her face.

"Aeris, what's wrong?" one of the girls asked. Aeris turned her head to her right, to look at the raven-haired girl whose figure was just noticeable in the darkness. At first, she did not reply but instead, stared out of the window.

"It's nothing," she muttered eventually. Tifa shrugged and curled back up in bed. It only took a few moments for her even breathes to reach Aeris' ears as she scanned her surroundings in a bored manner. Yuffie, the girl to her left who was also black-haired, was still fast asleep, snoring, and muttering about materia. Jessie, whose bed was directly opposite, was also sleeping contentedly.

"It's easy for some," Aeris sighed to herself as she fell back and let her head hit the pillow. Her green eyes stayed fixed on the blank ceiling, unable to drift back into sleep. She sighed again as she turned her head, watching the rain drip down the window. The rain that matched the many tears she had shred over her past.