Prologue
Three Years Ago
As Holy merged with the Lifestream Meteor was starting to turn to dust, the large hunk of rock almost rose out of it's place as if it was making a retreat from where it had been. Everyone that could see it looked on amazed and with a brilliant flash the battle was over…
The steaming pile of rubble that had once been Midgar seemed surreal even a day after the fact. Metal beams and bits of building material were clumped up together, but some of the city had escaped almost untouched, which meant that the city could be built back.
The rains had come again in the over night hours. Soaking down into the cracked upper plate of the city and falling all the way to the ground far, far below. It was a kind of cleansing effect, like new life was about to spring out of the destruction that had rained down the previous day.
People were all around helping others to get out of the wreckage as the sun rose over the mountains to the back of Midgar. It was a sign of better times and more than just oppression for the people of the world.
Miles and miles into the debris where the Shinra building had tilted over, there stood three figures ominously picking at the scrap metal that was left by the explosion. One of them stepped out of the smoke and stood in the golden light of the sun looking out across the fallen city, his spiked red hair was drooping down to the sides some. He had a long thin ponytail in the back, but it was singed at the end. He wore a tattered and torn blue jacket.
He looked back at a tall Hispanic man and a blonde woman dressed much the same as him as they stepped into the light, with a smug tone he snuffed, "Well would you look at this shit, all that money they put into building it and it falls over like a damn card house!"
The other man, who was tall with tan skin and a goatee just nodded back at the red head.
The woman answered him, "Reno, we have to go over this logically—there's got to be something that weakened the city before all of this happened, after all this is an old, old city and with age everything…"
"Elena—shut up!" Reno yelled, "You talk too much, love!" he stepped a little further from the Shinra building, "Look at us now!"
There was a pause.
"I'm all cut up, my suits torn—the Shinra are gone—we might as well spend our days drinking our asses off in some bar…" Reno said then looked to the tall bald man. "What do you think Rude?"
The tall bald man responded, "I think we should get the hell off this pile of junk," he kicked a small cylinder shaped metal piece and sent it skipping down the debris pile like a stone across water.
Reno nodded, "I think so too, President Shinra and Rufus were fools to think that they could crush a planet this size."
Elena folded her arms, "Where's the nearest bar?" she asked.
"I think there might be one in Kalm—if there isn't there damn well should be; let's head over there…"
There was a crisp sound like something breaking behind them and they froze at the sound of a smooth, most familiar voice, "So I'm a fool, am I?" said the voice.
Reno started to laugh and turned around to see a man standing on the very edge of the upturned Shinra building holding a long double barreled shotgun and staring right down at them. He was clothed in a white jacket with a white riding coat under it buttoned up. His hair was a red almost orange color and he had bangs that hung off slightly to the side.
He was very cut up and looked to have been through hell and back. His skin was covered with soot and dirt, as were his clothes. Slowly and painstakingly he stepped down from the side of the building, "It's over…"
Reno's laugh trailed off into an echo, "I can't believe you survived that thing's assault on the building." A large black dog stepped up next to the man in the white clothes, "And you brought him out with you."
The red headed man lowered his gun and looked out across the city that had once been so magnificent, then just turned away with a hint of emotion in his eyes now, rubbing the dog on the top the head.
"What'd you mean it's over, Rufus sir?" Elena asked.
He looked down at her, "I mean that this is the end of what Shinra used to be—we stop trying to fight nature and use it to our advantage!" he said.
Reno looked back up at him, "Huh what'd you mean?"
Rufus shook his head slowly, "We will rebuild Midgar using water, wind and sunlight to power it—and we'll still get our money—how does that sound boys?"
"What do ya think happened to Sephiroth there mate?" asked Reno.
Rufus came over to join them, "I'm sure Cloud exterminated him—he was the stronger of the two."
Elena nodded, "That Cloud fellow ain't so bad—he helped to rescue me from some perverted piece of shit in Wutai."
"Hmm," started Rufus, "None of that matters now—we've got money to rebuild this city—but we need workers to do the job…"
Rude folded his arms, "There's plenty of workers here who would love to see their home rebuilt…"
There was a slight wind that blew across all of them as Rufus looked up at the sky, "From hence forth there shall be a new era in Shinra Electric and Power!"
Murky water swirled around Aeris and all of her extremities as she fought to find out where. Light danced across her face as it was distorted by the motion of the water, the dark rich water filled her mouth and some of it was engulfed into her lungs. She tried to scream, tried to call for someone but she was drowning.
With a rough push she forced herself up from her soaking grave; her eyes opened with a flash of green and she was staring at the side of a great old temple. Her hair was a mass of sticky mess behind her, the braid she had once known was undone.
She put her hand to her chest and heaved a sigh, looking around her for something that she could remember. Then she remembered it all and called out in a loud and frightened voice, "Cloud!" she yelled.
There was no answer as Aeris continued up out of the water over to a large door that stood in front of her. She was starting to remember what had happened in the final moments of her life. And yet she wondered how she was alive now—and how long it had been since she had passed.
Already she knew where she was and how far It was to the nearest large town, the town where the Icicle Inn was. She started to walk the way that she could remember it being, her soaked clothes drying almost instantly.
Aeris was alive and well headed back into the world of the living, newly emerged from the sea of Lifestream.