A/N: This overlaps with the other fics in the Welcome to FFVII series, covering much of the same events from the perspective of ShinRa's Science Department.

Junon University was an old, well established college built on the plains leading up to the cliffside over Junon village, and it drew academics from all over the world. Gast was proud to call it his alma mater, and happy to come back to it for his masters. But he very much wanted out of the dormitory - far too cramped, with thin walls that let the chill seep in during the fall and winter and every little sound was free to filter past to distract him when he needed to study. So it was that he took the time to put in for one of the little apartments nearby. There weren't many, and they came at a cost, but it would be worth it for the ability to concentrate. The only tiny drawback was that he'd had to make arrangements to share it with a roommate.

He'd planned to be there first, choose the better room for himself, get things set to his advantage - he knew how things worked, and wanted no part in having to jockey around for things. And yet despite coming early, as he came up to the building, he noticed the lights were already on. Cursing softly, he jogged up the stairs, getting his new key out and letting himself in. And stopped, blinking, because there was soft, almost delicate flute music playing from somewhere in the suite. Not exactly what he'd expected. "…Hello?"

The sound of a chair's legs coming back in contact with the floor was heard a moment before the music was stopped, and then a rather tall man came into one of the doorways. He was easily three or four inches taller than Gast himself, with black hair down to his shoulders and eyes that were a startlingly reddish shade of brown. If he wasn't smiling, he might have been intimidating. "You must be Gast. I'm Grimoire."

"I take it the landlord introduced me," Gast guessed, smiling back reflexively as he came over to shake the man's hand when it was offered. "He said you were a student at the university as well?"

"Planetary Sciences, officially." Grimoire had a firm shake, and his friendly smile stayed in place.

"'Officially'?" Gast arched a brow.

"I prefer to call it 'modern applications of mythology,'" Grimoire said, smile growing into a grin. "You're an anthropologist, aren't you?"

"I am, actually," Gast said slowly. "…what do you mean by modern applications of mythology?"

"Oh, you know, the general refusal to accept that stories don't have origins. That there isn't a kernel of truth somewhere to be found, no matter how fantastic it sounds," Grimoire said. He was watching him as he said it, weighing his reaction.

Gast simply smiled. "I do know. I'm currently studying the Ancients."

Grimoire's grin made a quick reappearance. "I'm studying the Planet's lifecycle."

Half way through their respective masters programs, a man came up from Cosmo Canyon to speak about what he called the "Lifestream." It was closer to Grimoire's interests, but Gast was intrigued as well and went along to the lecture. Not many attended, most academics dismissing his talk as too mystical to be taken seriously.

"You know, if you'd been out west you'd have found more peers to have an actual discussion with," Grimoire said, coming up to the platform as people began to file out after the discussion. He offered a hand to the older man, flashing his most charming smile. "Grimoire Valentine. It was a pleasure to hear you talk, sir."

"A pleasure to meet you." Bugenhagen smiled faintly, taking his hand and shaking it, bobbing slightly on the green orb he'd been levitating on.

It took everything Gast had not to ask about it right away. "Gast Faremis. I did enjoy your talk. You gave us a lot to think about."

"Is that so? I'm afraid your friend may be right, those in Wutai pay more heed to what I have to say than anyone in the east," Bugenhagen said. "But if even two young scientists learned from me, perhaps it was not a waste after all, hmm? Tell me, what do you study?"

"I'm currently studying the Planet's life cycle," Grimoire said. "So I find all of this particularly relevant, actually."

"Ho ho hooo, happy to help!" Bugenhagen said, glancing at Gast. "And you?"

"Ancient cultures," Gast said. "Thinking that they might live on in some way is fascinating. Pity there's no way to tap into that."

"You never know," Bugenhagen said. "There's a lot to be learned from nature, and the power of observation. Or even from materia, which comes from the Lifestream and carries the memories of the Ancients with them."

"I'm no real talent with materia, that's always been more Grim's skill than mine," Gast admitted. "But it says a lot about their culture, what materia exist, when you think about how they might have been used. How some are still used today, in rural communities. If you have the skill and the power, you can do great things for people - even communities - especially in groups. Healing. Providing heat and cold where there might not be either. Moving the earth itself."

"And water, if you can manage two spells at once," Grimoire added. "Very handy, especially in dry areas."

"Exactly! If you think outside the box, materia has so many potential applications…" Gast shook his head. "It's impressive. They may have been behind us in terms of modern technology, but the Ancients had something amazing with their materia."

"I agree. Studying it will lead to much more understanding of their culture," Bugenhagen said. "And studying the Lifestream will help as well. The Ancients left much behind, if you know where to look."

"I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on the matter," Gast said. "Perhaps we could help each other."

Bugenhagen was like no one they'd met before, and the longer Gast and Grimoire interacted with him the more questions they had.

"I don't think he's human."

"Grim."

"He's in his seventies, did you know that?" Grimoire asked, arching a brow when Gast startled. "He does not look seventy."

"You can't just up and declare someone isn't human because they're aging well, Grim," Gast insisted.

"He's also supernaturally powerful with materia," Grimoire added. "And I have seen power with materia. Gast, he's unreal."

"Just because he's got more skill with it than you does not make him 'supernaturally powerful' will you stop." Gast sighed. "And what would he be, if not human? There aren't any more Ancients."

"I don't know," Grimoire admitted. "But you don't know that. If the Ancients were so clever, maybe some of them escaped and they're waiting out humanity."

"'Waiting out'?" Gast glanced at him, wary of asking for detail.

"Waiting for us to either destroy ourselves or achieve some sort of comparable enlightenment." Grimoire shrugged, rocking his chair back on its back two legs and balancing there. "You never know."

"Highly unlikely, Grim." Gast sighed. "He's human."

"I really don't think he is," Grimoire said. "Call it a hunch."

"Oh don't even start with your 'gut feelings' Valentine," Gast said, pointing a finger at him. "Don't you have homework?"

"I finished my paper this morning." Grimoire waved it off, absently rocking his chair a little. "I was reading what he faxed us about his mako studies. I think I'm going to see what I can find when I go back to Wutai this spring."

"Oh really?" Gast raised a brow. "What stood out to you?"

"Not what he wrote, but what he didn't," Grimoire said. "He's never addressed the point of origin. The beginning of all this. If the cycle of life on the Planet is a circle of constant reincarnation, there had to be a point of origin."

"Maybe," Gast said. "What are you expecting?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But there has to be some sort of explanation. Even if I have to go digging up myths."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Gast pointed out. "And it's probably what you'll have to do. You're not going to find someone around these days who can tell you what happened that long ago. You'll have to settle for speculation."

"Perhaps," Grimoire agreed. "Wutai has a lot of history I can look into. Especially if Amaya's willing to translate the older texts for me. It's something."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck. Who knows, maybe even asking Bugenhagen would get you more answers. He might know more than he's said," Gast pointed out.

"Maybe." Grimoire sighed, letting his chair thump back onto the ground. "But there has to be something. I'd bet on it."

"Good luck."