Author's Note-...Oh, the things that can be produced from spending the weekend at a lakehouse with no TV or internet, and crazy little kids aplenty running about. Alright, anywho! So please excuse the lame title...and probably the lame writing, for that matter. It's been ages since I've really written anything, and I was extremely bored when writing this, but I thought it'd be kinda fun to make a backstory to Dalaran's flower girl 'Aerith Primrose' (yes, a completely intentional tribute) on World of Warcraft. With no references, really, to either side. Other notable characters will start to make appearances soon, for now I'm just setting the scene. So um...in the meantime, FFVII isn't mine. WoW isn't mine, although Miako is! On Wyrmrest Accord server...yeah... So then! On with the ficceh.

Aeris…

Huh?

Aeris…

The planet…

Green eyes wandered around the surrounding blue-green glow, although she didn't expect to see anyone in particular. The voice was coming from all around, as what often happened-especially when the planet itself seemed to address her directly.

You are needed elsewhere…

"Elsewhere?" she repeated. "But Sephiroth still poses a threat to the planet the moment I let down my guard. I can't leave."

You have done your job well thus far. But this planet is desperate. It literally teeters on the brink of destruction. If something is not done, the threats of that world will eventually plague this one. Sephiroth…Jenova…those were mere tastes of what will eventually come to pass. Think of Jenova…as an emissary… A flash of light within light. Pure white for a moment, it formed into the figure of a person, taking on a brief, visible form. The planet, Gaia, could take on any form she chose within the lifestream. The brunette knew this. This time it was a thin woman of her height, long gold curls tumbling around her shoulders, a gold circlet placed delicately around her head, and a white dress of thin cotton hanging gauzily from the straps on her shoulders. As Gaia herself appeared, other figures began to appear around the two. Their backs were turned, but they both knew who these people were. The fallen ancestors, the ancient spirits of the Cetra.

Gaia smiled at the girl, a smile that was warm and reassuring.

Go… she said. We will stave off the ever-present infection of Jenova in the meantime. She held out a hand, a doorway of white light cutting through the green. Step through the door…

The girl's feet moved slowly towards the door, and for a brief moment, she felt so many emotions at once: worry, concern, fear, doubt…and thrill.

Do not be afraid…

One foot in the door…

Everything will be explained when you arrive…

Two feet…

And remember…

Everything suddenly fading from a brilliant blue-green glow to a blinding black.

You will never be alone.

"We've got a live one over here!"

"Come quick!"

Voices…

"She got any sort of ID on her? Captain's gonna want us to check the roster."

"Who cares? Just fire the flare gun and get the airship to come back around. And make it quick! I see abominations heading our way and we won't stand a chance with everyone else already on deck by now."

So many voices…

"An Evelyn Primrose, Sir. Team Seven. I don't recall seeing anyone else from her group during the rescue. Nobody alive, anyway."

"Scourge, hundred and fifty meters."

"Airship is coming back around. Help's being sent up ahead."

Evelyn Primrose? But her name was…

"Hundred and twenty meters. Make that abominations, giests, and ghouls."

"Damn! If I don't make it back to my wife and daughter because of your bleeding heart, Jacobs, it's gonna be your head!"

"Ninety meters."

"May the blessings of Elune be upon us."

Footsteps. "I found no one else. And by the light, what's the prayers for?" Pause. "By Bronzebeard's beard! Remind me again why we decided to stick around for so long!"

"Fifty meters."

"We may have a fight ahead of us!"

"Look! Up ahead!" Followed by a smug, "I told you she worked perfectly!"

A motor…propellers…

"She's coming in awful fast, lass. For all our sakes, we best hope your brother knows how to land it."

"Thirty meters. We've been spotted!"

"Need a lift?"

"Yes, blast it, yes!"

Hurried movement. She was suddenly being lifted, shifted over and in, securely being belted in.

"Will it hold all of us?"

"No need! Here come the cavalry!"

The air was suddenly filled with noise, the flap flap flapping of wings, large wings, everywhere around them.

"Fixie and I will use this to get this one back to the airship. The rest of you, take the rescue griffins."

"No arguments there."

Cries in the distance, ghoulish shrieks, inhuman moans from what seemed to come from hundreds of tortured souls…

"Up, up, and away!"

And like being lifted by a roaring angel's wings, they were suddenly in the air. And that's when everything faded to darkness.

"Head trauma, major concussion…could be another couple of days before this one wakes up, even after our ministrations."

"But she's the last of the survivors? There's no one else? I mean, I know you said you were pretty new to this place, but you did make sure to check the-"

"Yes, I checked the rosters. Nobody going by the names you provided, no. I'm sorry."

Sigh. "No, don't be. But once I manage to get my hands on them, I'm gonna make them beg for forgiveness!"

Everything hurt. Everything. Thankfully there was no searing pain of broken bones from what she could tell (except maybe in her head), but she briefly wondered if this is how they felt after falling through the roof of her church.

Speaking of, where was she? Where could she be where she'd be feeling pain? Surely…surely she wasn't alive again? How could that be?

A pause, then the voice that had held the threat earlier, "Geez, not even a card for this one, huh? Or flowers?"

"Yes, well, we understand that most of her family was wiped out by the Scourge. Her mother is currently doing some work in the Outlands, but she doesn't seem to have the money to make it up here nor does she have enough for otherworldly postage. And you know nobody sells flowers up here, not when people just pick them from the park areas or sides of the streets."

"Right. Gosh damn inflation." A sigh, then another pause. "Hey, looks like she's coming to. Hellooo~"

Something about this seems very familiar… A small twitch as she struggled to drag her mind out of the darkness. But it was painful. She still had a splitting headache, only amplified by the world of the waking…and perhaps even then living.

"Hellooo~"

Perhaps it would help if I opened my eyes…

The blurred figures of two people gradually started coming into focus. Both were leaning over her, both females. One appeared normal, a hazel-eyed young woman clad in what appeared to be heavy armor with long red hair falling around her face. The other woman…not so much. The other woman was dressed in what appeared to be a pale blue robe, and had a black, tightly-wound bun, but that was as far as it went in terms of normality. Her skin was dark purple. And she had horns. And her eyes were glowing white. And that was just describing what she could make out from what was leaning over her.

…Something tells me I'm very, very far from home.

"Ungh…where…?" she began to mumble.

The human woman blinked, then gave a slight grin. She couldn't have been much older than herself… "Dalaran infirmary. Took a pretty rough blow to the head, from what the reports are saying." She tilted her head slightly to the side. "But for a priest, you seem to be pretty tough."

For a moment, Aeris didn't seem to really comprehend those words very much as she slowly turned her head to the side to get a better look at her surroundings without having to sit up. She was in a bed-praise Gaia for small favors-and to her left she saw several others, but all of them were empty. Strewn around were a few rolls of bandages made of a strange silvery-blue material, a gauzy sort of silk from the looks of it. Crates were in the corners, too. Past the beds was a door that seemed to show a cobblestone street outside and plenty of people passing by the door. But that was really just about all she could make out before the purple woman's figure shifted in front of her view.

"Ms. Evelyn?" No response. For a moment, Aeris believed the nurse was still speaking to the redhead. "Ms. Primrose?" No answer. Still trying to get a good look at the world of the living…

"Ma'am."

That caught her attention. Aeris looked over at the nurse, blinking a couple of times.

"Do you recognize your name?" Stare.

"Ms. Primrose?"

"….." Slowly Aeris shook her head. Primrose? No, she was Gainsborough. Aeris Gainsborough. Wasn't she…?

"…I was afraid this might happen."

"That what might happen?" the redhead asked with a frown.

"Temporary if not permanent amnesia. Partial at best. Concussions will do that at times."

The redhead's expression went somewhat flat. "…Yeah, 'cause you know just how little I tend to know about concussions, being a warrior and all that," she said with a roll of her eyes. She looked back down at Aeris for a moment, staring until she gave a small sigh and shook her head. "So her mother is in Outlands, you say?"

"Yes. She was serving in Honor Hold for quite some time, but was recently relocated when Area 52 needed to bolster its forces a bit."

"I see. Rough place, that. Both of them, really." The redhead stared for a few moments more. It was almost uncomfortable, and Aeris shifted slightly only to give a wince as another throb of pain shot through her head. "Oi, oi, be careful. You'll end up hurting yourself further…" The redhead looked back up at the nurse. "Right, so I guess I can take her in for a few days once she's able to get back up on her feet."

"Are you sure?"

The human gave a shrug. "Sure. Why not? I've always kinda wanted a sister…just lemme know when she's up and ready to leave, and if those I seek happen to wind up here at some point until then."

The nurse gave a nod. "Alright," she said, moving away from the bed. "And you said that your name was-"

"Miako. Miako Natsume." Pause. "No, no, M-I-A-K-O, not M-A-I…" Pause. "Oh yeah…and here's some sketches of the guys I was asking about, names and all."

"Are you staying here in the area?"

"Yeah, for the time being I've been spending my nights at the Hero's Welcome, but that's about as far as it really goes. Daytime hours and a good chunk of the night are keeping me busy with some issues over in Zul'Drak recently. Just send me a letter when you need to reach me." A clink of what sounded like a few coins, then a heavy boots making their way across the room. Aeris carefully turned her head again to look towards the door, watching as the woman stopped in front of it. Now she could get a full view at her-not quite that tall, but strong. The woman had to be strong-she was decked from almost head to toe in what looked like heavy metal armor, a long sturdy cloak, and a large double-bladed sword that reminded her vaguely of the bladebuster, only glowing.

The woman looked back at her and gave an easy wave. "I'll be coming back by in a couple of days or so, Ms. Primrose," she said. "In the meantime, try to get better, okay?" At the sight of Aeris gaving a small, weak nod, the warrior woman seemed to take this as the confirmation to leave and disappeared out the door.

What a strange, strange world I'm in…

Author's Note-Aaand first chapter is done and posted. Send reviews! ...They make me happy. And I'll try and consistently post chapters up every few days or so. Again, others will be making their appearances soonish, so keep an eye out for them. So until then, ja ne!