Disclaimer: I don't the characters and story elements of Final Fantasy VII. Square Enix owns everything and I'm just borrowing the characters and story elements for this fic. I will claim ownership to any OCs, new Materia and modifications to the story that I put in the fic.

Final Fantasy VII: Journey of Cosmo Canyon's Cherry Blossom

Prologue:

Nanaki's POV

500 years after the end of the Omega War

If you were to ask someone in the streets of Midgar about the Cetra, you wouldn't get much of an answer. Considering that about 98% of the city's population didn't work for the ShinRa Power Company, and only a handful of ShinRa employees knew about the Cetra race. But this story isn't about all of the Cetra, only a certain Cetra and her journey throughout the planet of Gaia. She was a most able warrior and one who preserved her race despite the constant threat from those who tried to reestablish Hojo's Project JENOVA. Allow me to tell you, my children, about the student who changed the course of history and the fight against the ShinRa Power Company. One who was blessed with power granted by the water god of Wutai, Leviathan himself.

3rd person POV

Grasslands Area, en route to Wutai

7 years before the start of the Jenova War

"Come on sweetie," urged the mother of a young 7 year-old child as they escaped from the ShinRa Tower and from the city of Midgar. "We've gotta make it back to Wutai and to Lord Godo Kisaragi."

"But Mommy, there are so many monsters on the way to Wutai," protested a 9 year-old Sakura Hisato. "And that mean guy did all of those weird things to you.

ShinRa had captured the mother and daughter in a special operations raid into Wutai. But during the raid, the father had tried to fight one of ShinRa's greatest soldier and gave him a run for his money before being slain in front of Leviathan's temple, a few years before the start of the war between ShinRa and Wutai.

Sakura began to well up and cry as she continued, "I don't wanna die here. I don't want you to leave me."

The mother, Kagura Hisato, gave her daughter a gentle yet reassuring smile that she wasn't going anywhere, despite the experiments certainly causing complications for her. Hojo had even tried to force himself on the Wu-Sheng warrior and former bodyguard to Godo Kisaragi's wife, Katsumi Kisaragi, and felt an enormous amount of pain for trying it and was close to becoming like a eunuch for it.

"We'll make it to Wutai," assured Kagura as she picked up her daughter and set her on her shoulders as they trudged through the swamp towards the Mythrill Mines. "Once we get there... you'll be... safe from... ShinRa. I still have... to... teach you... to use... Materia... and... harness their power."

As the two trudged through the swamp, a shadow had spotted the mother/daughter pair and silently and with stealthy movement approached them. After taking about 20 minutes, the shadowy creature then made it's move as it hoped to get the jump on Sakura and her mother, but was foiled as Kagura turned around with a Command Materia in her hand and a Shuriken shaped like a star.

"Be gone foul creature," commanded Kagura as she attached the yellow Command Materia to the weapon and threw it at the serpent that rose from the swampy landscape and tried to devour the mother and daughter.

The serpent was killed instantly thanks to the yellow Command Materia and the five pointed Shuriken it was attached to. Kagura picked up the money that the serpent left behind and then picked up her daughter as they continued forward to the Mythrill Mines. The trek through the Mythrill Mines was rather nothing more than a stroll for Kagura as the enemies there were no match for her despite complications from Hojo's experiments on her at ShinRa Tower. After exiting the mines, the two Hisatos made their way to a fort on top of a mountain with a nest on top of it.

Within a few days the mother and daughter pair made their way to Junon after passing through a couple villages and getting minor treatment for the complications from Hojo's experiments. Kagura had been injected with Mako gas and a tissue sample of Kagura Hisato's sworn enemy, an alien that she and any other surviving Cetra would call the Crisis from the Sky. Once in Junon, Kagura and her daughter all of a sudden were caught up in an entourage with the owner of the Gold Saucer, Dio. Through Dio's entourage, ShinRa was unable to get to Kagura Hisato or her only child. Dio's guards even put quite a beating to a rookie red-haired member of the Turks. One of the other Turks sighed as he pulled the red-haired Turk away from the street.

During time at the Gold Saucer, Sakura was asleep in her mother's arms and then began to dream a dream that would pull on her.

Into the dream, 7 years in the future

City of the Ancients

14 year-old Sakura Hisato walked alongside a man seven years older than her and a 'lion-type' creature as they journeyed into the heart of a city made of crystal and surrounded by water and a 'sky' also made up water as well.

"Are you sure that we'll be able to find Aeris here, Master Nanaki?" Sakura asked the 'lion-type' creature.

"Well, Cloud seems to think that she's here," answered the 'lion-type' creature. "But then again, he also sensed the presence of that madman Sephiroth."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the mention of ShinRa's former great hero. Sakura hated the former hero because slain her father during the siege of the Wutai. She wanted so much to avenge her father's death but knew that she wouldn't be able to because she wasn't as powerful as the madman. The group of three finally made their way towards an altar where a figure was on their knees in prayer. The spikey haired guy then began to hop across the pillars towards the altar. Sakura, even though the spikey haired guy had waved her back, proceeded to follow the spikey haired guy across the water. The spikey haired guy was more interested in the young woman in a pink dress on her knees and on the altar praying.

"Aeris?" the spikey haired guy asked the young woman on her knees in prayer before becoming overwhelmed with a strange feeling.

The spikey haired guy then pulled out his sword and tried to resist this overwhelming feeling that was trying to make him to kill the young woman on the altar.

"Stop Cloud!" the 'lion-type' creature called to the spikey haired guy as he finally came to his senses and asked to himself, "Ugh, What are you trying to make me do?"

As the spikey haired guy pulled back slightly, the young woman opened her eyes and smiled to the spikey haired guy with a gentle smile. As young woman was looking to the spikey haired man and Sakura, Sakura saw an older man with silver hair descending from high above with a long sword coming down to kill the young woman. Sakura then shoved her way past the spikey haired man, dropped her shoulder down and slammed into the young woman leaving herself exposed and the older man running his long sword into Sakura's back. The young woman's smile disappeared as she fell back and a piece of Materia came out of the ribbon and went out of the altar and fell into the water.

Sakura woke up from the dream before her body hit the floor. Her eyes went wide and slightly pulled her shirt up to look for any trace of sword that pierced her body in the dream and saw no trace of it. Sakura then passed out as her mother awoke after feeling that Sakura wasn't in her arms.

A week later, Kagura and Sakura Hisato left the safety of the Gold Saucer and resumed their journey towards Wutai. As Kagura and her daughter, at her side, began to leave Dio approached her with one last appeal.

"Are you sure that you and your daughter won't change your minds?" asked Dio as he hoped that Kagura Hisato would change her mind. "You're perfectly safe here from ShinRa."

"Thank you for your kind offer," began Kagura, "but we must press on to Wutai and back to Lord Godo Kisaragi."

The proud owner of Gold Saucer sighed in defeat and gave a slight nod as he said, " At least allow one of my men to drop you off at the nearest town that doesn't have the influence of ShinRa."

"I don't really know of any town that's not within the influence of ShinRa," commented Kagura Hisato.

"There is the town of Cosmo Canyon," said a small talking black cat on a stuffed Mog. "A town filled with a lot of knowledge. I think you and the young lass will be plenty safe there. But going back to Wutai might not be a great idea, especially in your condition. And I'll bet that ShinRa is probably on their way to Wutai ahead ya."

Kagura sighed as she relented and asked, "Do you have any means of transportation to get me and my daughter to the border of the Cosmo Canyon area?"

A couple hours later, Kagura and her daughter got out of the buggy while Dio's two bodyguards looked at the woman from Wutai and her daughter.

"Are you sure that you don't want us to just take you up to the outskirts of Cosmo Canyon?" asked the first bodyguard.

"I'm... sure," Kagura answered as she coughed up blood and what appeared to some decaying tissue of Jenova cells. "We'll be fine. Come on Sakura."

The young girl gave her mother a slight nod and took her mother's hand as they journeyed further towards Cosmo Canyon. Within an hour and a half, Kagura had finally collapsed causing Sakura to tear up.

"Mommy!" exclaimed Sakura. "You gotta get up! Please Mommy! Don't leave me!"

As Sakura was crying, a few creatures came along drawn by Sakura's crying. One creature had an elegant and colorful tail, a face of a bird and the body of a lion. The other two creatures looked like humanoid turtles with tridents. Sakura then noticed the three creatures as they circled her and looking to claim the life of the young girl. Before the first attack came in, one of the humanoid turtles was suddenly hit by an Ice 2 spell and instantly died. But Sakura had passed out from terror and couldn't see anything.

"Come Nanaki, let's get this child to your grandfather," said a female voice as Sakura was still passed out.

"We should at least make sure the body isn't defiled or devoured by the creatures of this area," said a male voice. "We should bury the body of the woman, Denah. We should at least make sure that the body returns to the Planet along with the soul."

"Noble as ever, aren't you Nanaki?" the female voice asked the male voice. "You certainly pay attention to your grandfather's teachings."

However Kagura Hisato had not fully died yet as she breathed one last breath and looked to the two creatures that spoke like humans.

"P-Please...," began Kagura, "p-please take my daughter. Take her to your village. My... my time is... is over. Promise... promise you'll...take care of my daughter. She... has a special gift that must be nurtured." Kagura took off an armlet off her wrist and let it go as it fell next to her.

"A gift?" asked the female creature apparently named Denah. "What kind gift does your daughter have?"

"Something that Leviathan blessed her with," answered Kagura as she was taking big gulps of air as she was dying. "P-promise me. S-She's very special. Promise you'll give her the armlet for me."

Both creatures, that looked like lions, looked at each other and gave each other a nod as they looked to the dying Kagura Hisato and replied, "We will take care of your daughter, teach her the knowledge of our people and give her the armlet."

Satisfied with their answer, Kagura then breathed her last breath and died as she finally closed her eyes never to open them again. The female lion-type creature then looked to her male counterpart and gave him a slight nod and he began to dig the grave for Kagura as she was going to be buried. After an hour and a half of digging, the male lion-type creature was finished digging the grave and moved Kagura's body in it with help from his counterpart. Before the male could put the dirt over Kagura's body, the female lion-type creature named Denah grabbed a flower and placed in the hands of Kagura before her mate threw the dirt over the body. Once Kagura was buried, the two lion-type creatures, Nanaki and Denah, took Sakura and armlet that Kagura left for her daughter back with them to Cosmo Canyon. Both lions went to Nanaki's makeshift home in the local inn and set the passed out and prone Sakura Hisato on Nanaki's bed.

"Alright, I'll fetch Master Bugenhagen and see if he can help this young human," Denah informed Nanaki before padding off to find the said person.

Nanaki gave a slight nod and sat next to the prone 7 year-old. He looked to Sakura and sighed as he said, "You poor child, you must've gone through so much. Nevertheless, rest well. Grandfather will be here in a bit; he'll know what to do."

Not 10 minutes later an elderly man on a green orb arrived being accompanied by Denah.

"Ho ho hooo," said the elderly man, Bugenhagen said to his grandson, "what do we have here?"

"We found her and her mother being attacked by a Griffon and a couple Sanhegian," explained Nanaki. "The mother died after Denah disposed of the monsters that nearly killed the girl we brought back and the mother."

"I see," said Bugenhagen. "Where is the mother's body?"

"Nanaki returned the mother's body to the Planet," answered Denah.

"You've done a noble thing Nanaki," Bugenhagen said to his grandson.

"I-I just did what you've taught us to do, Grandfather," stammered Nanaki.

" At any rate let's get her to my home," insisted Bugenhagen, "I can take a better look there."

Four hours later, young Sakura Hisato woke up to find herself lying on a couch. Her body felt weak rather weak at first, but her strength began to slowly return to her.

"Where? Where am I?" asked the slightly frightened Sakura as she looked very worried.

"You're safe in Master Bugenhagen's home in Cosmo Canyon," answered Denah as she sat next to Sakura. "I am a student of Master Bugenhagen. My name is Denah and my mate and fellow student Nanaki is with his grandfather."

"Cosmo Canyon..." Sakura said softly before her eyes widened as she remembered something. "Wait, where's my mom? Is she alright?"

Denah sighed as she got set her front paws on couch as she answered, "I'm afraid that your mother has returned to the Planet. I am very sorry sweetie."

Sakura's eyes then welled up with tears as she cried upon hearing that her mother had died. As she wept, Nanaki and his grandfather had entered the room.

"Maybe we should wait until she settles down grandfather," Nanaki suggested to the elderly man he stood next to.

"There, there," Denah said gently to Sakura, "everything will be fine. You're perfectly safe here."

"But... but we were being chased by some mean men from ShinRa," stammered Sakura. "They were wanting to do horrible things to Mother... and me too."

"Well as long as you stay here in the Canyon, you'll be perfectly safe from ShinRa," Denah assured the still weeping Sakura. "First tell us your name and where you're from."

"Sa-Sakura... Sakura Hisato," answered Sakura as she stopped crying and was swallowing her tears. "I'm from Wutai."

"Why might someone from Wutai and her daughter have the interest of ShinRa?" Nanaki asked Sakura.

"I dunno... Master Nanaki," answered Sakura much to Nanaki's surprise.

"How do you know Nanaki's name, child?" asked Bugenhagen.

"I keep having a dream and in it I see myself with a lion-type creature named Nanaki," explained Sakura. "Apparently, I call this Nanaki my master, but I dunno why I call him that."

Nanaki and Denah looked to Bugenhagen for an explanation on what she was talking about. Bugenhagen then studied Sakura carefully for a moment before asking, "Can you tell me why ShinRa had an interest in you and your mother?"

"All I remember was those bad guys asking Mother to cooperate with them on something they called Project JENOVA," answered Sakura.

"Project JENOVA?" Bugenhagen asked Sakura. "You and your mother must be of the Cetra if ShinRa wanted help with Project JENOVA."

"What is Project JENOVA, grandfather?" asked Nanaki.

"It's a project in which ShinRa believes that they can find the mythical Promised Land," explained Bugenhagen. "I used to work for ShinRa myself before coming here."

"What'll happen to me, now?" Sakura asked the three residents of Cosmo Canyon.

Two years later

Cosmo Canyon

Nine year-old Sakura Hisato looked in the towards the direction of Nibelheim. Many residents of Cosmo Canyon looked in the direction of Nibelheim as they saw the smoke rising and some flames could be seen as well.

"What's going on at Nibelheim?" a few residents asked each other.

Nanaki and Denah also saw the flames from Nibelheim along with the other residents. As Sakura watched the flames consume Nibelheim, she felt a chill run down her spine and noticed a dark aura above the flames.

"Something's not right," Sakura said aloud for Nanaki and Denah to hear. "Something evil is behind Nibelheim being burned to the ground. Something like..."

Sakura then gasped as her face froze in terror as she sensed an ancient evil being released. Her eyes widened in shock and her gasp caught the attention of the residents watching the flames.

"What is... no," Sakura said aloud. "It can't be. Not the Crisis From the Sky, how is it been freed from it's confinement from the Northern Continent?"

"Hmm... it seems that young Hisato's powers are growing," Denah said to Nanaki. "If she's able to sense evil from the Crisis From the Sky then she'll be well on her way to being a powerful Cetra."

"Agreed," replied Nanaki as he and Denah studied and heard a few people whispering about Sakura. "Let's take Sakura back to Grandfather's observatory," suggested Nanaki. "We know ShinRa will be driving through here. We can't let them discover that Sakura is here."

"Yes, I agree," said Denah before turning to Sakura. "Come Sakura, ShinRa will be coming towards Cosmo Canyon and we need to keep you out of their sights."

Sakura gave a nod as she replied, "Coming Lady Denah."

Denah gave a slight chuckle at Sakura calling her 'Lady Denah.' It was something new for her to get used to. Sakura followed Denah back to Bugenhagen's home at the top of Canyon. Once Sakura was at Bugenhagen's house, she watched ShinRa convoys rolling away from and towards Nibelheim.

"I wonder why there are two convoys going towards and away from Nibelheim?" Sakura asked herself aloud.

Four years later, 13 year-old Sakura Hisato overlooked as much of the canyon as she could see. As she looked towards the base of the canyon and faintly saw the outline of two people wearing black suits. One carried a rod and had red hair and another person had chocolate brown hair and eyes with gloves on her hands.

"Hmm... I wonder who they are," Sakura said to herself before noticing them approaching the village.

"Nanaki, you COWARD!" shouted Denah as Nanaki. "You're nothing but a COWARD NANAKI!"

"Lady Denah?" Sakura asked Denah after she had yelled at Nanaki. "Is something wrong Lady Denah?"

Denah sighed as she answered, "Oh it's your Master. He refuses to perform the rite our tribe performs every 50 years to appease the Planet."

"Can I help perform the rite?" asked Sakura.

Denah gave a slight chuckle as she answered, "Unless you're a male lion-type creature and know how to perform the rite then I'd let you perform it. But there's something at the Tiger Lily Weapons Shop that your master and I had custom ordered."

Sakura's eyes widened when Denah said that there was something special waiting for her at the Weapons shop.

At Tiger Lily's Weapon Shop, Sakura marveled at the weapon that was given to her.

"Oh wow," Sakura said with a beaming smile on her face. "It almost looks like the sword that my daddy had in the Wu-Sheng."

"I might've known him," the store owner said to Sakura. "What was his name?"

"Koji... Koji Hisato," answered Sakura.

"Then you must be his daughter," the store owner declared to Sakura. "He told me that he wanted a sword forged with the highest quality material and he also asked me to have a sword forged for you when you were old enough to wield a sword. Nanaki and Denah didn't have to pay for your sword because your father paid for it in advance."

"Daddy wanted me to have this sword?" Sakura asked the Weapons shop owner before noticing a glowing aquamarine gemstone. "Wow, I can feel it. I can feel Leviathan's power in sword."

"Leviathan?" asked Denah as she heard Sakura mention Leviathan's name. "Are you talking about the water god of Wutai?"

Four months later and after extensive training with the Sakura's new sword coupled with the Materia training, Sakura had become quite proficient with a lot of practice and battles against the local creatures. However, the training came to a screeching halt as ShinRa sent in a couple Turks for a mission in Cosmo Canyon.

"Don't worry, I won't harm you," said the female Turk as she had Denah corned. "I just want to take you to the ShinRa Tower for your assistance. I'm sure that Hojo will make sure you're released after your cooperation is fulfilled."

"Sorry, but no one is going to god-awful place," Sakura said after leaping off a ledge close to the scene. "I won't let anyone be taken to ShinRa. Not Master Nanaki and not even Lady Denah. Not to him; not that monster who killed my mother because of 'science'."

"Back away from the Turk," Nanaki said sternly as he arrived on the scene. "It is my duty to protect this canyon. And I will take part in the rite as well."

Nanaki and the female Turk then were in battle as they exchanged blows with each other. The female Turk used her shotgun to try and corner and force Nanaki to a position where he couldn't dodge or maneuver and gain the upper hand on her. Sakura watched the fight as she brandished her new sword that her father had previously commissioned the owner of Tiger Lily's Weapon Shop to forge when Sakura was old enough to wield a sword. Once Sakura saw that Nanaki was about to be cornered by the female Turk, she leapt off the ledge she was watching the fight from and charged at the female Turk. This caused the female Turk to be startled as she tried to level her shotgun but dropped as she slightly shirked and had part of her ponytail sliced off as Sakura brought her sword down.

"You're not taking Master Nanaki to that monster Hojo," snarled Sakura.

"Sakura, return to the Cosmo Candle," Nanaki ordered the young Cetra.

"But Master..." protested Sakura.

"No buts," Nanaki said firmly. "I'll join you and Denah at the Cosmo Candle for the rite."

"Yes Master," acknowledged Sakura as she sighed and did as she was told.

"Are you sure that pursuing ShinRa just to rescue your master will help?" asked Bugenhagen as 14 year-old Sakura Hisato

"I have to try Bugenhagen-sama," answered Sakura as she was wearing pink skin tight shorts to her knees, orange shirt and a red jacket, brown travel boots and her mother's armlet on her left wrist. "I'm afraid that monster Hojo might be doing horrible experiments to Master Nanaki. I have to go save Master Nanaki, otherwise he'll suffer just like my mother suffered even after we escaped from ShinRa Tower and Midgar."

Bugenhagen sighed as he said, "Then I wish you luck in your journey. Stay safe and out of ShinRa's reach if you can."

"I will Bugenhagen-sama," replied Sakura as she bowed to Bugenhagen before leaving.

After traveling for three months, Sakura finally reached the city of Midgar. Sakura took a big sigh as she looked upward at the plate of Sector 5 and then to the gate that would let her into the city controlled by ShinRa and what she considered to be the heart of darkness.

"Don't worry Master Nanaki," Sakura said to herself after using moisture to force the gate into Sector 5 open, "I'm coming to rescue to you from that monster Hojo."

Little would Sakura Hisato know that she would she be caught up in struggle for the life of the Planet.