Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or its aforementioned characters. However, Max, Derant and Taran are of my own creation.

Have you ever wondered, is death really the end of it all? Opinions vary, of course. There are those that believe in a glorious afterlife, or something pertaining to that, like being absorbed into the Lifestream. Others believe that the events of their previous life are judged to determine the outcome of their next life. And some...some hope that it simply ends.

A ghostly breeze prickled against Max's skin, causing the short hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. Blood oozed from several lacerations, mingling with the blood of her enemies. She dropped to her knees with a sigh and allowed her sword to fall to her side. It had finally ended. After all those years it was difficult to come to terms with the reality of it. Max tilted her head back, feeling the beginning of rainfall. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the sensation. The rain running gently down her skin and washing away the blood. The bliss of silence after a battle. A time to contemplate how to next approach life. Indeed, what would she do now that vengeance had been had? Revenge wasn't as peaceful as she thought it would be and, despite knowing that it was all over, something in the back of her mind told her it wasn't. A familiar ringtone sounded, bringing Max from her thoughts. Reclaiming the sword she pulled herself to her feet and trudged towards her bike.

With a quick flick of her wrist, she answered. "Yo?"

"Max! You're still alive?"

"You sound surprised." Leaning back against the seat, Max stretched her legs. "I can't help but feel offended."

A thunderous laugh erupted from the other line and forced her to hold the phone as far from her ear as possible. "Any injuries?"

She shook her head as she glanced at a rather nasty looking gash on her leg. "Only to my eardrums." Settling the phone back against her ear, she carefully swung her leg over the seat to straddled the bike. "A couple of scratches. I'm fine. But Barret. I think we might have a problem."

"What?"

"Non omnis moriar." For reason beyond her knowledge, the phrase sent a shiver shooting down her spine. "They were Derant's last words and they give me a really bad feeling. Any idea what they mean?"

Temporary phone silence made her ponder over the meaning. It was a long moment before Barret spoke again. "I think you should head on over here. 7th Heaven in Edge."

"Edge? I'm not exactly close."

"How long'll it take you to get here?"

Taking into account the severity of her injuries, weather conditions, terrain- "Three days. If I keep my foot on the gas."

"Get here as fast as you can." Barret paused as if remembering something. "And be careful."

Max smirked. "Always am."

A quick scoff was heard before Barret hung up. Admittedly, Max didn't have the greatest track record when it came to being cautious. But she made up for it with the seemingly unlimited ability to come up with at least one plan in trying circumstances. Snapping her phone close, she shoved it back into the saddlebag at the front of her bike. Already her mind was reeling at the mere thought of the exhausting journey ahead of her.

Considering all that had happened, Max found herself thoroughly impressed that the inhabitants of Edge were so adamant on rebuilding. The city was nowhere near completion, with buildings still in construction and a certain sense of melancholy about the streets, but it wasn't any less an admirable endeavour. Children playing in the streets stopped and stared as she cruised by. It certainly wasn't surprising given that she was covered from head to toe in dried blood. Max shifted her gaze back to the bandage around her leg, now thoroughly soaked red. Her wounds certainly stung like a bitch and she was genuinely surprised that she'd managed to last the three days.

Max slowed to a stop and engaged an elderly woman hobbling past. "Excuse me." Dark eyes once hidden behind the woman's dull grey shawl stared at her. "Could you tell me where 7th Heaven is?"

The woman silently lifted a crooked finger, pointing towards a medium-sized establishment at the very extreme of the street. With a curt nod and compensation for her trouble, Max moved on to said establishment; a bar/restaurant. She parked outside, making certain her belongings were secure before staggering towards the door. Only now were the effects of the long journey and the many restless days before beginning to surface. Using whatever strength she could muster, Max shoved open the door. Immediately, all eyes were on her and a few rose from their seats upon noticing the state she was in.

A voluptuous woman with long, dark hair and rich brown eyes stepped out from behind the bar and hurried over to Max's side. "Are you alright? What happened to you? Let me help you."

"I'm fine." Repressing the urge collapse, Max pulled her arm free of the woman's grasp and stepped forward. "Yo! Big-bear! Get your ass out here!"

Attention turned to the door behind the bar as there was a loud crash. Moments later the door slammed open and out walked a heavy-set, muscular, dark-skinned man with a thick, dark beard and three scars marking his right cheek. His right arm, mangled in the loss of his hometown, had been replaced by a steel hand. One that supposedly transformed into an oversized gun, not that Max had ever actually seen it in action. When he saw her, his lips pulled back into wide grin and he let out a whole-hearted laugh.

"A couple of scratches?!" He bellowed. "You've been shredded, girl!"

Max waved aside his remark. "You call me all the way out here and you're not even a part of the welcoming committee. Now I really am offended."

Barret slapped her hard on the back, the force of which caused her to stumbled forward. Under the circumstances, she was lucky she managed to catch herself. Max winced as she straightened, being sure to give Barret a fierce glare for causing her additional pain. But the man simply continued to laugh. Rolling her stiff and sore shoulders, Max marvelled at the nerve he had. But, being used to it, she simply brushed it off and returned to more important matters.

"So?" Barret settled down, suddenly becoming serious. "What's this about?"

His expression didn't change as he gently gripped her shoulder. "Let's get you cleaned up." Max looked up at him. "Then we'll talk." He addressed to the voluptuous brunette. "Tifa. You mind?"

"Not at all." With a smile, she approached Max. "Come with me."

Death comes to us all, regardless of one's beliefs. It's relentless, unforgiving and certainly doesn't care for the people who are left behind. Death isn't as peaceful as one would believe. Violent and painful, dying a natural death has become a rarity. And on the rare occasion that one does die in such a manner, the pain isn't any less violent for those who remain.

"I just need to take a look at your back. If that's okay?"

In silence, Max removed her shirt, taking the greatest care not to further aggravate her injuries. A task certainly easier said than done. She rested the shirt in her lap and patiently endured the treatment of her wounds. Pain aside, Tifa was a first-rate nurse, with the gentle touch that Max herself sorely lacked. Her fingers worked slowly and delicately, careful not to cause more harm.

"Max?"

Both women turned their attention to the door, seeing a young girl with plaited brown hair and big brown eyes peering at them. It took a moment for Max to recognise her, but once she did, she smiled. "Marlene. You've grown since I last saw you."

Moving from the safety of the door, she shuffled towards them. Her gaze was drawn to the many bandages littering Max's body before fixing on the deep gash Tifa was treating. "Are you okay?"

"These? They're just a couple of scratches. Tifa will have me patched up in no time, so there's nothing to worry about." Max glanced back at her first-rate nurse. "Right Tifa?"

Tifa gave the nine-year old a reassuring smile. "She'll be fine."

The girl readily believed them, but she couldn't stop herself from worrying. She wanted to know more. "How did you get hurt?"

Max felt her entire body tense. She was uncomfortable, not so much with the question itself, but with how she should go about answering it. Telling Marlene the truth of her injuries certainly wasn't the way to go. She was far too young and after everything she'd been through, Max didn't want to subject her to more violence.

Having noticed Max's hesitation, Tifa spoke up. "Marlene, sweetie, why don't you see how Denzel's feeling?"

"O-Okay."

Marlene waved goodbye uncertainly before reluctantly hurrying from the room. A long silence fell over them, a silence Max had no intention of breaking. She was so caught up in her thoughts she barely registered the dull throbbing of her wounds. Tifa paused her work, taking a moment to observe the mystery woman.

"I understand." Max didn't acknowledge Tifa, but she was listening. "I understand why you didn't want to tell Marlene, but you can tell me."

"Who's Denzel?"

Tifa sighed at her unwillingness to open up. "Another orphan we took in. Both his parents died during the destruction of Section 7."

So many people had lost their lives during the struggle to save the Planet. And although Max had avoided any participation, she regretted her inability to protect anyone. In war, casualties are the norm. No matter how much one might want to, or how much one might try to, not everyone can be saved. Max stared at the floor, nails digging into her palm. No one was deserving of such a fate; losing parents or loved ones in some pointless conflict. Finishing her work, Tifa gave it one last inspection before nodding.

"Alright. I'm done." Max stood, managing to slip on her shirt without hurting herself. Before she could leave, Tifa caught hold of her uninjured shoulder. "You know you can trust me. If you need to talk-"

Pulling out of Tifa's grip, Max left the room, lingering long enough to respond. "No."

"Non omnis moriar." Barret tapped the manuscript laying unrolled on the table. "A Latin proverb that roughly translates to: Not all of me shall die."

Max leant against the table, shifting uneasily on the balls of her feet. "So there's a way for him to come back." She growled. "And here I thought I was finally rid of the bastard."

"Bringing Sephiroth back, is one thing, but why Derant?" Tifa shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

Vincent, a man standing roughly six feet tall with crimson eyes and long black hair, crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Derant is a Sephiroth clone."

"But unlike the others, fanatics who would do anything for Sephiroth, Derant was a failed experiment. He retained both his own mind and ego." Max straightened. "A completely separate entity."

"What do they want with him?" The shortest of the group, a woman with short black hair by the name of Yuffie, dangled her feet back and forth. "The Geostigma's gone and so is Jenova."

"No." All eyes were on Max. "Nearly six years ago, Jenova's head was recovered from the Lifestream."

"How do you know that?" Cloud, a man of lean build, spiky blond hair and the Mako eyes of SOLDIER, stared intensely at her.

Ignoring him, Max continued. "It was found in the forest surrounding the Ruined Kingdom by a patrol. When the sovereign realised what the remain was, he sealed it in a hidden chamber within the city walls. But he's the only one that knows the location." She took hold of the manuscript and quickly scanned it. "Well, apart from me."

Cloud leant forward. "Then you can take us there."

Max stopped dead at the thought. Distracted by the contents of the manuscript, she'd forgotten to hold back that particular piece of information. She couldn't go back. There were far too many bad memories. Nothing was left for her there. Nothing but the pain. And even if it was their only chance to prevent another apocalypse, Max just couldn't bring herself to face it all.

Abandoning the manuscript, she stepped away from the group. "There's no way we can get in. The palace has probably already been overrun by the indigenous vegetation."

"Max, we've got too." Tifa was almost pleading. "If we don't, it might mean the end of the Planet."

"Just," Max began to back away, "give me a moment."

The woman disappeared into the back room, leaving the rest of AVALANCHE alone in the bar wondering what had just happened. Max wasn't an easy person to read, Barret was more than aware of that fact. No one knew what she thought, what she felt, unless she wanted them to. With a gruff sigh, Barret made himself comfortable at the bar, drink in hand.

Tifa frowned. "What was that about?"

"It seems to be a personal matter for her." Vincent glanced at the manuscript Max had been scanning earlier on. "Maybe familial."

"Barret," A concerned Yuffie spun in the older man's direction, "you know her. Any ideas?"

He took a short drink, pondering over the question. "I've known her for four years, but she's as much a mystery now as the day I first met her."

Leaving the conversation to run its course, Cloud followed after the mysterious woman. Hidden at the end of the hallway, he watched her pace and, on occasion, take a moment to lean against the wall before changing her mind and beginning to pace once again. She was conflicted, something Cloud could sympathise with.

"Are you just going to stare at me, or is there something you want to say?"

"I don't know your reason for not wanting to go to the Ruined Kingdom, but whatever it is, you need to put it aside for the sake of the Planet."

Max stopped and rested her head against the wall, gaze fixed on Cloud. "For the sake of the Planet?"

"And its people."

"You're absolutely right." She forced a smile as she straightened. "Aren't you full of surprises."

Approaching the unmoving Cloud, Max met his gaze. Those Mako eyes of his were certainly easy to lose herself in. For the simple fact that they were hypnotising, or because of the familiarity of them? Severing the connection, Max brushed past him and returned to the bar. Cloud stayed a moment longer, pondering over her response before following after. The conversation had quietened down and they'd already begun the preparations for the forthcoming journey. Max's return was noticed by all, but no one spoke as she took her position by the table.

"The Jenova remains are located in a secret chamber beneath the kingdom, accessible only to those of the royal family." Max motioned for a map, which Barret immediately unrolled across the table. "It'll take two and a half days to reach the outskirts. Three, maybe two if we're lucky, to cross the surrounding forests. And another half day to reach the heart of the city." Max pulled back, hands resting on the edge of the table. "No one's been there in almost a decade, so the snares will most likely be active. And there's about every dangerous animal you can think of living in the forests. The city itself is a labyrinth, designed to make it difficult for enemy invaders to take the kingdom should they manage to survive all other lines of defence."

"Shit! What the hell's wrong with that damned place?!" Cid, AVALANCHE's very own gifted pilot and mechanic, as well as a fierce chain-smoker, lit yet another cigarette. "It's a bloody death trap!"

A subtle smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "It's the reason she never fell to invaders."

"Then why is it in ruins?"

Max glanced at Cloud, a dark expression clouding her features as she gripped the table. "Because, she was destroyed from the inside."

The dangerous atmosphere, surfacing predominantly from Max, unsettled most of the group. It was uncomfortable and unwanted. Not that Max was particularly concerned about the feelings of others as she stared intensely at the Mako eyed man. Cloud wasn't disturbed by the atmosphere, so much as something he'd begun to notice about the mysterious woman. Her countenance was beautiful, but there was something deadly in its fairness.

Barret gripped her shoulder. "Then it's decided. Cid. Get the carrier craft ready, we leave at dawn."