It has been five long years since the second coming of Sephiroth, and the Geo-stigma illness. Most of the world has recovered to a stable level since meteor-fall and the Deep Ground incidents. However the world is far from peaceful. Shinra's old infrastructure, while corrupt and dangerous was truly doing one thing right for the world. Keeping its people from destroying themselves. Now without the commanding presence the world is split, in a time of dark perils where things unimaginable before come to life. Major organizations such as the Shinra remnant, are also being hounded by their pasts…

Who can save us from ourselves?

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII

I slowly open my eyes, it is so dark here. A few scattered lights seem to be on, some sort of monitors no doubt. However, slowly I realize I seem to be bound within this place, unable to move. Where am I? Why is it so dark?

Darkness makes the soul stronger.

Don't be consumed.

Who…are you?

Don't listen to it. Your soul is made from me.

You can be free.

Free?

No! I can give you power! More power than ever before.

Power? Why do I need power? But…I am not free.

I can free you. If you accept the darkness, I can't save you.

No! No! No! You are mine! My child! Don't be fooled!

I want to be free. I think.

No! Don't be taken by its lies. I can give you what you desire. Just be mine again!

I ask nothing of you. Live free. If that is your desire.

I shook my head as much as I could, where did these voices come from? Why did they seem so clear? I didn't care anymore. I won't be controlled. I belong to no one. It seemed this was enough to convince them, as something strange happened. The room before me began to crack and splinter quickly. Then it exploded open, and liquid poured from the hole in the glass wall before me. I didn't even know the glass was there, or the liquid for that matter. Then the bounds seemed to weaken, so I pulled myself free, and stepped out of the tank. My first breath of real air was cut short as I coughed up the liquid painfully, and slowly looked up and around.

This was obviously a lab of some kind, but its purpose, and thusly why I am here is a mystery. There are no mirrors around so I calmly run my hands over myself, bare chest, shoulder length hair. Yeah, I am also rather light on my feet. Then the monitor right in front of me flickered and a video began to play before all of the monitors had the same image. A pale man with thick glasses, and a rather nasty look about him, he smiled and his voice grinded through the speakers in the lab around me.

"Ah, so it is a success. If you are hearing this then you are complete! And I have again proven that my genius surpasses my predecessor's! No one can deny it now!" I felt a frown form a bit as the video began to warp a bit as the screens flickered. Obviously there was a problem with the power here. Suddenly it cut back in, seemingly it had skipped to the end "Now you know your purpose, soldier! So get to it. Your equipment is to your right. Once again the world will know the name of the great genius Hojo!" before a light shown on a case and all the monitors went dead.

I calmly got dressed in the strange jumpsuit and looked down at myself. It was black with metal shoulders marked with a strange symbol, obviously there had been a spot for a large weapon but it was no longer here. Strange, but it didn't matter. I started to wander, I could feel a breeze, and something told me that this was the right way. I was right of course. There was a massive shaft obviously once used to move something by elevator. It was ruined now, but I could see the light at the top. I looked around, and something, some instinct told me to try jumping to a high ledge.

I made it with ease.

[[[Break]]]]

I sighed as I climbed out, with a final leap onto the solid earth. The city above was as ruined as the shaft I had just climbed out of. A ruined sign nearby read Sector 2, however the question was sector 2 of what? It didn't matter. I calmly walked towards what seemed to be the exit of the area, it was full of ruins, and discard. I doubted there was anything here to bother me. It would take an hour's walk. Nothing too strenuous, I mused.

"Hey you!" a patchwork car skidded to a stop in front of me, and a man in slightly tarnished blue armor looked down at me, standing in the sun roof of the car. "Yeah you! Are you trying to be funny? Looting in our ground?" I calmly raised an eyebrow. "Don't try to play funny with me!" as he pulled up a standard issue, Shinra 32 assault rifle. Clip size 62 bullets, weight 9lbs, efficiency low, cost low. I shook my head wondering where those facts came from.

"I did not do such a thing." I said calmly, and the man's face flustered a bit. Something was bothering him. I started to walk, and he let off a single shot, kicking up the dirt at my feet.

"Look here. I don't care. You're going to give me all ya got or you're gonna die." He sneered, and I could feel my blood pumping, as he moved to take aim. It all seemed to slow down, his hand on the grip, the finger pulling the trigger. Before he could fire another shot I was on the car, and shoved his gun up letting the bullets fly up into the sky. However his eyes widened "S-Silver hair…g-green eyes! No…you're dead! You're dead!" I froze for a moment, thinking about what he said. I have silver hair? And green eyes? He pulled out a sidearm and took aim, and before I could react, he fired.

"Ow! Dammit someone shot me!" he growled as he looked over to his right. I merely punched him and he went flying out of the car and tumbled head over heels, before landing in a heap. I then looked to my left to see a man with a rifle walking towards me. I didn't recognize the make. He was wearing a brown hat and had a trench coat on; a symbol pinned to his chest. WRO.

"Well, don't you look like someone I know? Damn! Spitting image of a SOLDIER." The man said as he looked at me in the eyes, he was rather rugged and looked like he'd been traveling on foot for a few days. In the desert. He frowns a bit and looks over at the man on the ground before looking back to me. "What's your name?"

My name? what is my name? it seemed so simple but nothing came to mind. "I don't have one." This seemed to bother the man for a moment before he stuck out his hand "Jedah, nice to meet you. I'll call you Gale, how does that sound?" he smiled a bit toothily and I calmly nodded.

It was from Jedah that I learned much of the current affairs of the world. It seemed banditry and monster attacks were on the rise, and the World Regenesis Organization's problems keeping up. I learned a lot from him. I spent a good four months traveling with him, most of it just walking and talking. He had a story about everything. And despite my rather broad range of knowledge I had a serious gap in my knowledge. Dealing with people. I had problems relating to a lot of the things he told me.

I learned though. He taught me all sorts of personal skills. How to talk to people the right way, how to woe a lady, all kinds of things he thought I should know. I admit to ignoring much of it in favor of listening to the stories about the world itself. Those were the most interesting. World politics, something that seemed to come easily to my mind. Almost as easy as fighting. Jedah also helped me to determine my abilities. Together we assumed I was either a first class or high second class before whatever happened to me. I also learned of Hojo and Deepground. Seems those who are like me, have done some bad things. I wouldn't follow their trend. Jedah told me that I was going to be important, and that he'll stick around to make sure I don't screw it up.

However, now four months later, I found myself in the strangest of positions.

Several men had surrounded us, friends of the man that had attacked me on my first day awake, and free. I don't know why. I couldn't understand why. But I enjoyed combat. And I was good at it. I smirked a bit, and flicked my head a bit, letting my now much longer silver hair shift behind me. A few of the men seemed worried. One stepped forward, he had a single edged curved sword. A katana. He charged forward toward Jedah and myself, as I moved towards the swordsman, I dodged a single shot that would have hit my armored shoulders and was able to swiftly disarm the man, overpowering him with ease before, with a flick of my wrist, he was nothing but a splatter of gore on the ground.

I turned to check on Jedah with a confident smirk on my face. But Jedah was lying face down, his hat a few feet away, a pool of blood forming around him. I couldn't say I really knew the man. He was so separate, but in that one moment. All I could think of was revenge.

I don't know what happened next. All I know is the next thing I was doing was driving to the nearest city. Edge. And speaking with someone who was affiliated with the WRO. I don't know why. I just knew I had to. Once I reached town, the people were more than willing to point me to some people who were connected with the WRO. The owner of a bar, was a good friend of several key members.

I calmly parked outside the bar and looked down at myself. Covered in blood and dirt. I shook my head and sighed. I could shower later, and maybe this person could get me a sheath for my new sword. I stepped out and headed inside of the bar. It wasn't crowded, but it was only the afternoon. "Welco-" I heard a female voice say before the telltale sound of glass breaking and spun to look at the brown haired woman, almost trembling.

"Sephiroth."