Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters or items or summons or ANYTHING that exists in the game! Everybody got that? Good, I don't want to scare away any readers...
One month A.S(After Sephrioth), in the ruins of Midgar...
Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Yuffie walked in the rubble that once was Shinra Inc. Headquarters. Tifa walked up to Cloud with an amazed, but somewhat scared look on her face.
Tifa:¨This is unbelievable, the whole city, down like that.
Cloud turned his head around and look upon her and nodded.
Cloud: Yeah, the thought that this would have happened to the whole planet if lifestream wouldn't have helped out is... I don't even know the words.
Tifa: I know what you mean...
The two of them sat down on something that looked like a part of a metallic door, it was split in half, and the other half was nowhere to be seen.
Tifa: What do you think will happen now?
Cloud: Things will probably carry on as usual, but we will have to get used to be considered heroes wherever we go though...
Tifa: Yeah, Red was chosen to be an elder of Cosmo Canyon last week. Cid carries on as usual though, he was much like a hero in Rocket Town even BEFORE we defeated Sephrio...
Before she finished the sentence, they heard Barret and Yuffie shouting for them to come quickly. They sighed and started to walk to the two of them. The walking quickly turned to running though, since Yuffie kept telling them to hurry up. Finally, they got themselves to the two.
Cloud: What's the matter?
Barret: We found this hatch and climbed down, by the looks of it, the room below is totally undamaged, it looks like some kind of lab.
Cloud: Lab?
Yuffie: Yeah! What if it's some kind of mini-Mako Reactor! There might be materia down there!
Cloud: Eh... probably not... I believe it more likely it's some secret lab Hojo created or something, but we'll never know if we don't go down, right?
Yuffie: Yes! I hoped you would say that!
Barret: Uh... If it's one of Hojos labs, I don't know if I want to go down there... He had a lot of strange experiments going on, we could find anything down there...
Tifa: Oh come on, we've beat up Sephrioth, do you really think there's something WORSE down there?
Barret: Well, ah... I guess you have a point there... What the hell, let's get down there.
With that, Barret pulled up the hatch and climbed down. The others followed him afterwards. They looked around themselves, this could indeed be some kind of lab that Hojo used before, there were glass containers filled with different coloured substances, syringes, knives, sharpnels, you name it.
Tifa: I'm amazed that this room didn't collapse along with everything else, it must have been built to withstand things like this...
The four of them started to search the lab. Barret was sceptical to the whole thing and looked upon some tubes that held some kind of green fluid.
Barret: What do you think that Hojo creep used this lab for?
Yuffie: I bet he was trying to create materia!
Cloud: Can you get your mind OFF materia for once?
Yuffie: No!
Cloud sighed and started to search a table filled with tools and the like. Tifa noticed a large metal container by one of the walls and walked up to it. She noticed some kind of meter and read the text above it: Days Until Subject Is Born. Tifa got a puzzled look on her face and read what the meter itself said. To her surprise she noticed that it was at –17.
Tifa: Whatever is inside that thing, it is seventeen days old...
The three others turned their head towards her.
Cloud: Huh? What are you talking about?
Tifa: It seems like Hojo has been trying to create some living being again.
The three others walked up to the container.
Cloud: I found some photos of DNA structures on a table, maybe he were trying to clone something?
Yuffie: Clone..? What would he like to clone?
Tifa: We might just be about to find out...
She pushed a button at random at a controlboard located on the container. The four of them gasped as the metal on the container glided to the sides and revealed a glass container filled with green fluid. There was also something floating in the middle of the container. Their eyes widened as they realized what it was.
Yuffie: No way!
Barret: What the...
Tifa: How...?
Cloud: Impossible!
The creature in the container was a small cub covered with red fur. The end of it's tail was glowing... It was indeed a miniature version of RedXIII. The container automaticly emptied itself from the green fluid and soon the cub was lying on the bottom of the container. A door opened in the glass. The four heroes just stood there with wide open eyes. Slowly, they started to understand what had just happened and in a matter of minutes they were fully restored. The group looked at each other.
Yuffie: That's not quite what I expected...
Tifa: I wonder what Red's going to say about this.
Barret: What're we supposed to do with it?
Cloud: We take him with us, we can't just leave him here.
Cloud walked up to the cub and picked it up.
Cloud: He's not awake, but he's breathing.
Barret: We'll, lucky Hojo wasn't alive to see this, he would have turned 'im into a monster or something.
Cloud nodded and the group begun to move back to the ladder. Everyone of them thought about getting to Cosmo Canyon and tell Red about this, so no one bothered to stay in Midgar. Not even Yuffie, who came there to see if she could find some materia among all the junk.
Eventually, they got out of the ruins, and headed for the spot where they had parked the newly-repaired Tiny Bronco. The journey to Cosmo Canyon took at least five hours by airship, so they made a stop at Costa del Sol first, but quickly departed again since everyone was excited about getting to Cosmo Canyon. They reached Cosmo Canyon by nightfall, and landed the Tiny Bronco on a spot that wasn't too rocky. Finally, they reached the town and was greeted by a villager.
Villager: Ah, it's a pleasure to see you guys again.
Cloud: Thank you, but we don't have time for this, do you know where Red is?
Villager: Elder Nanaki? Sure he's at Bugenhagens old quarters, but he's a little busy...
At this point, he noticed the cub in Clouds arms, which were still sleeping. His eyes widened.
Villager: I-I understand, I'll tell him, meet him at the Cosmo Candle.
And with that, the villager ran away to the stairs that eventually lead up to Bugenhagens old observatory. Cloud looked over his shoulder at the others.
Barret: Let's just go to the "candle", I wonder what he's gonna say...
The group walked over to the Cosmo Candle, getting thankful looks from the villagers, except those that noticed the cub, who instead looked completely stunned. They reached the Cosmo Candle and sat down on some towels that laid there. Another person was also sitting there, he wore black clothes and a red cloak and one of his hands were replaced by a claw. Yuffie looked over at him.
Yuffie: Hey Vincent, what're you doing here?
Vincent: I settled down here some time ago, more peaceful here than in other places. The question is, what are YOU doing here?
Yuffie: Well, we found something interesting in the ruins of Midgar.
Vincent: Materia?
Yuffie: No you fool! We found...
Cloud: ...this.
Cloud held up the cub so that Vincent could see it. Vincent looked surprised, well, most people wouldn't call that look surprised, but then again, it was rare for Vincent to show any emotions at all.
Vincent: Interesting, I guess you're here to see Elder Nanaki then.
Tifa: Since when did you refer to him as Nanaki? I thought only the villagers did that.
Vincent: Well, as I said before, I now AM a villager and besides, only a few here know that we referred to him as RedXIII.
Tifa: Alright.
At this point, they noticed Red. He was almost flying down the stairs. Partly becouse of the news, and partly becouse he wanted to meet his friends. In almost no time he sat down at the Cosmo Candle with the others.
RedXIII: Long time no see...
Cloud: Yeah... he probably told you about the cub, right?
RedXIII: Yes... is that the one?
Cloud nodded and put the cub down in front of Red. He just looked at it for a while, and then finally spoke.
RedXIII: It is not an exact clone...
Cloud: Huh?
RedXIII: There is one big difference between this cub and me, it is a girl.
Everyone else around the Candle (Except Vincent): WHAT?!
RedXIII: I guess Hojo wanted us to be able to reproduce.
At this, he got some strange looks from the others.
RedXIII: Don't worry, I will raise her as a child, not as a mate.
Cloud: Alright, any ideas on what to call her?
RedXIII: Hmm, let me think... How does Kamaria sound?
Cloud: Not bad, not bad at all.
Alright, that was the first chapter, hope you liked it, the rest of them will take place when Kamaria has grown up a little.
