Disclaimer: I do not own any of the final fantasy characters, square enix has that privilege, I on the other hand own Gaia.

Child of Mine

So Little

"Pass the ball over here brother!" A flash of blue and yellow streaked through the sky as the ball sailed to waiting hands. A tail waged with excitement as a pair of feet landed back onto the ground. Even though she were no longer a child, the game of catch never ceased to make her happy. Especially when it was played with her older brother who was as playful as she was if not more so.

The vast field that you played in was in full bloom, lilies and other wild flowers mingled and danced with the green grass. This was her home, among the wildlife. The small village was also home to her as it was the young womans job to protect the people that lived there. Although they were all human while she was a wolf demon they had accepted her into their homes and hearts.

"Gaia. I think it's time to head back." Her brother called as he walked towards the waiting wolf.

"Just a little longer...please." Gaia pleaded, batting her eyes at him while lowering a pair of ears in a pout. None of her brothers could resist "the look" – "Oh alright, but only for a few more minutes." The few minutes seemed to have turned into a few hours as it was sunset by the time Gaia and her brother headed back to the village.

"They are going to kill us." Gaia's brother commented as he ran a hand through his short silver hair.

"No they won't, we just missed supper. Besides it's my fault that we are late." Gaia said as she threw the ball up and down as they walked down the path. Suddenly she spotted someone on the horizon coming towards her and her brother. It didn't take long to recognize Gaia's second brother, as his shoulder length silver hair gave him away. He didn't seem too happy but he also didn't seem angry either.

"Something is wrong, brother doesn't look very happy and he always has a smile on his face." Gaia commented as she and her brother quickened their paces to meet.

"Gaia I need to speak with you." Her brother said as he approached. He had a sad yet serious look on his face as he spoke to his baby sister.

"What is it, what has happened? I'm sorry that we were late, I wanted to play longer and well...as you can see time kinda flew by.."

"It has nothing to do with you guys being late. In fact it may have been a good thing that you were late." Her brother interrupted.

"Mother, I don't think I can live like this anymore." Gaia cried into the cold night as she sat next to a newly erected headstone. It belonged to the old woman who had passed earlier that day. The one she never got to see before she died. Bright blue eyes were filled with tears and strands of silver hair clung to her damp face as she mourned the loss of another friend. The wildlife in the area seemed to feel Gaia's pain as all was silent in the surrounding forest and skies in the night.

"What is the problem my child?" came a soft voice on the night breeze.

"Everything around my dies while I remain. I love them all and they are my friends but I am still alone. There is no one here who truly understands me." The young wolf choked through the sobs. Gaia felt warmth surround her as her mother embraced her. The demons mother was the lifestream, she had created her to help keep this world safe and she had done so for 250 years, but something was missing. Gaia kept the forest safe and green. The animals healthy and the humans at peace but of late she felt a deep emptiness within.

"My child, you are not alone. There are others like you out there, just not on this plane."

"What do you mean, 'not on this plane'?" Gaia questioned as she turned to the source of her mother's voice.

"There are many other planes in this world, all of them overlap each other but very few of them are as peaceful and beautiful as this one. That is why I had intended for you to live here. I had hoped that you would feel at peace here but it seems that I was wrong." She said, almost scolding herself for thinking that her daughter would be happy.

"It's not that mother, I am happy. It's just that I feel like there is something missing in my life, my heart aches for something that I can't even name for I don't know what it is." Gaia quickly stated, not wanting her mother to feel bad about creating her in a place where she was alone.

"Ahhhhh...so that is the problem. What you are missing is love. I see."

Wolf ears flopped as Gaia cocked her head to the side in a very wolf like manner and asked. "Mother, what is this 'love' you speak of?"

"Love my child is something so precious and dear in this world that without it there would be no world. It's as deep as the love a mother has for her child, something that cannot be broke; although it can be tested sometimes. But if it is true then it will not fall." She explained.

"Ohhhh, so then all I need is to have a pup and then I will be happy." Gaia said.

"No...that is not what you need child." Her mother laughed at your complete innocence. "You need a mate, someone like you, not in every way mind you but at least the immortal part though."

"Ahh, and where am I to find this 'mate' as you so call it?"

"It's not called an 'it', it would be called a man, or male; whichever you prefer. But you won't find one here in this plane." She replied.

"Oh."

"There is however one that you will find in another plane. I could send you there if you would like." She said.

"You would do that for me mother?" Gaia asked, almost afraid to believe what she was hearing.

"Yes, but there are some difficulties in this, you see, this man does not get along well with other adults because he is different. Children though seem to have a special bond with him; they don't see what adults see."

"What is wrong with him?" The wolf asked, becoming curious of this man she spoke of.

"He was used by a very, very bad man and because of the bad things that were done to him he had changed."

"I don't see anything wrong with that." She said, not understanding how people could be afraid of him.

"Hehehe, I know dear. But what I mean is that if I send you there as you are he will not receive you well. That is why if I send you there you will have to become a child again, it will only be temporary until he truly trusts you, then you will become yourself again."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad, I mean if it's only temporary then I can live with that." Gaia said as she got up from the damp ground. The sun was slowly beginning to rise into the sky and Gaia watched it turn orange and red from the light.

"Well my child, are you ready?" Gaia's mother asked quietly.

"What will happen to everyone here when I leave?" She asked. Gaia didn't want to leave her home and friends if they would be in danger.

"I assure you they will be safe and sound." The lifestream reassured her. "But if you wish to go now is the time, for the sun is starting to rise not only here but there as well."

"Well then I guess since I don't have anything to loose, and everything will be ok here while I'm gone then I am ready to go." Gaia said with a small smile on her face and a bit of excitement in her voice. She couldn't wait to see this new place. To explore and run free somewhere she had never been before.

"Now remember, not all of the people in this plane are like the ones here, they may not like what you are and could try to hurt you. So be careful until you are in your adult form." Gaia's mother cautioned her.

"I promise mother, I will be careful."

"Very well then." Was all she said and then she was gone.

"Oi! Mother, where are you. I thought you said you were gon..." was all Gaia said as her world became black.

When Gaia finally came to, she awoke in the noisiest and busiest place she had ever been. What looked like the centre of a huge village she got to your feet. Gaia quickly noticed that she was indeed a child, but that wasn't what bothered her. It was all the noise and people around her that she feared. For now they seemed to ignore her presence and she was glad of that. These people looked like the people in the villages of her own world just dressed differently and they spoke a different language. *Thank goodness I can understand what they are saying. Mother must have put that in my memory, but why can't I speak?* Dressed in her white tattered like skirt and white shirt, Gaia was beginning to draw attention to herself. The people were no longer just passing her by; some of them were now stopping and staring at her.

*Oh boy* Gaia thought, *I gotta get out of here, mother did say that the people here were not as kind as the ones at home.* Not wanting to know how the people would treat a strange girl, Gaia quickly ran to the nearest alleyway and hid. *I think I will wait for night to come, then look for this 'man'.* Safe now in a dark corner, she lay down on the cold ground and tried to sleep. *The ground is never this cold or hard at home.* Gaia complained to herself as she tried to get into a better position. Finally after many attempts to sleep it came and she dreamt of home.

"Hey, there is someone over here."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know, let's see."

Small quiet voices penetrated Gaia's slumber and brought her out of the dream world and into the real one. Opening one eye she could see one pair of small feet wearing sneakers; opening the other eye revealed another pair of feet, these ones a little bigger than the other pair. Gaia's gaze traveled up to see two young children looking down at the small 'girl'. Gaia couldn't help but smile as they were the cutest kids she had ever seen. One was a dark haired girl a little taller than she was when she was small and a boy.

The girl crouched down to Gaia's level as she sat up and asked. "Are you ok? Where are your parents?"

Gaia tried to answer but when she opened her mouth nothing came out. *Arrrrgggg, I forgot I can't speak.* she thought, so all she could do was shake her head and look at the ground.

"You don't have any? Don't worry, Denzel and I don't either." The little girl said looking down as well. "Well I have my dad but not my mom. Tifa does that job and Cloud and Vincent help too." She said with a bright smile on her face.

"Come one Marlene, Tifa is going to get worried and it's almost dark." The one called Denzel said as he looked towards the setting sun.

"Yes, and you can come with us if you have nowhere else to go." Marlene said as she stood back up.

Nodding her head, Gaia got up from the ground. She quickly noticed that she was almost a head shorter than Marlene. *Holy cow, was I this short when I was young?* Gaia questioned herself as the three of them left the alleyway and headed down the street. The people didn't stare at Gaia as much now that she was with two other children, but she remained close to them for her fear of this strange world seemed to increase. Though her new companions gave her some hope that there were more like them. Soon they came upon a building with a sign that said 7th Heaven above the door. Opening the door Denzel and Marlene entered while Gaia slowly entered with caution.

"Tifa! We're home, and we brought someone with us!" Marlene yelled as she ran to give a young woman a hug. Gaia thought she was very pretty with her dark hair and pale skin, the wolf never liked her silver hair and darkly tanned skin but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Who did you bring Marlene?" she asked as the little girl pulled on the woman's hand. Denzel grabbed Gaia's hand and pulled her the rest of the way into the building. The little girl quickly hid behind him in fear, her wolf instincts were stronger than normal and there was no helping it.

"We don't know her name cause she can't talk." Marlene said as she came up to Gaia. "It's ok, Tifa is nice. She will take care of you." She said grinning. Tifa bent down to Gaia's height a few feet away so as not to scare her.

*She seems nice and she doesn't smell mean, maybe I can trust her.* Gaia slowly came out from behind Denzel and approached the woman with the nice smile.

"There we go, see I'm not so bad. My name is Tifa, and this can be your home if you would like." She said.

Gaia couldn't help it. Her kind voice and smile reminded the young wolf so much of her mother that she leapt into her arms and hugged her. A little shocked by the sudden change Tifa didn't quite know what to do, but once recovered she hugged Gaia back.

"Yaaaaa! I got a new sister." Marlene yelled with joy.

A small growl broke the moment as a certain wolf's stomach voiced its hunger. Letting Tifa go Gaia looked down in embarrassment. "Hehehe, you must be hungry. Come on I've got some supper going why don't you come and eat." Tifa suggested as she stood up.

Looking up with her big blue eyes she nodded her head. Marlene grabbed Gaia's hand and lead her to the small kitchen.

With her stomach full and content, Gaia wandered around her new 'home' with Marlene. She explained how the downstairs part was a small bar and also a delivery service. Gaia didn't know what either of those things were but she had an idea. As the evening wore on people began to enter the bar in small sometimes large groups, they all sat at tables or the bar and drank. The wolf could understand the sitting together with friend's part but she couldn't really understand the drinking part. What was the purpose? Curiosity soon got the better of her and she left the safety of Marlene and Tifa behind the bar as she approached a small table where two men sat. *Hmmmm, what is this stuff, it burns my nose.* Gaia thought in disgust. Reaching up she grabbed one of the men's cups in order to see better what was in it that smelled so awful.

"Hey! What the hell do you think your doin you brat!" one of the men at the table yelled as he grabbed the cup away from and pushed Gaia. Falling to the ground she looked at the man as he sneered down at her. The reaction he got from the small girl was not the one he expected; it was also something she didn't expect to happen either. With a small snarl sharp claws were released and she swiped at the man's leg as it was the closest part of him to her. With a yelp the man jumped up and stood over the little wolf, fists raised and teeth clenched.

*Oh shit.*

Yes I know I know...Ideleted the old one and revamped it...had to split it up somehow since the chapters were a little too long. Enjoy my little gum drops. Cheers ^_^