Final Fantasy VII: Trapped in Memories

Special Edition

Disclaimer: This will be the only disclaimer in this story. I Sipherous do not have any affiliation to the universe that is Final Fantasy all products within this story are owned by Square-Enix. The plot is owned by me as well as any character not recognized by Squaresoft.

Prologue: A Reason to Exist.

The green paths of the lifestream swirled forever through the planet taking and giving life to all it accepted. Being injured by various means and the loss of its primary defenses the planet known as Gaia was teetering on the edge of self-preservation. Through its long history Gaia only feared one entity and it still lived on the surface awaiting the day it could finally strike completing another cycle of death and assimilation. The planet would not allow its life to end in such a way; the planet would not allow a being with such capabilities to harness the lifestream and continue to ruin the universe. It was going to find a way to stop this threat, this crisis, before it succeeded. Even if it meant self-termination.

In the wake of the planets blood life a spirit stood out from the rest; their mind and power far too large to just control and absorb. To tainted to be properly assimilated the soul of such a being floated behind the lifestream, forever separated from the collective. It had been 3 cycles since its last breath yet it still remained aware, the longest a soul had lasted without a focus to allow its continued stay. The planet felt sorry for this soul. A soul that held such power, stronger than any it had ever given birth to. Infected or not the soul was self-aware and very analytical about that which surrounded it. Only the planets children, The Cetra, hadever possessed that much self-awareness. This soul was unique, yet corrupt, as it had tried twice to destroy everything. It now wavered behind the collective unable to accept its fate not wanting to be a part of the planet to lose its identity and its memory.

'My child your life is no more why must you repel us?' the planet would ask and the soul would always reply.

'I am not finished; I am not a memory.'

Sighing again the planet called upon its angel, its guardian, to talk with the soul however biased she may be in this situation. It was a repeat process; the planet would talk, the soul would respond with indignation and then the guardian would attempt to persuade it only to turn her back on it.

"You know you'll fail again if you return." She said standing the maximum distance allowed to her.

'Fail, when did I fail?' it asked.

"You failed accept it."

'No, I failed at nothing." The Soul hissed, "I did what was needed; the only thing I ever failed was carrying out what was required of me.'

"Why can't you accept it; why must you continue you this charade?" She asked tired of having to go through the process over and over again.

'Why do you continue to try; why don't you understand that what I am doing is for the good of the planet!' He replied in a calm voice.

"The only thing good for the planet is your assimilation." She said annoyed.

'You would think that.' The soul said with a laugh.

"What makes you say differently?" The guardian asked her curiosity getting the better of her.

'How much do you truly know of your planet, of Gaia.'

"I know enough to accept the planets decisions."

'Even if it decided it wasn't worth it?'

The guardian scrunched her face, the soul before her was manipulative and calculating. 'Lies, the planet cherishes all.'

'You're a fool who blindly follows,' the soul said with a laugh, 'One day soon you're going to discover the true intentions the planet has and by then it will be too late to stop it.'

The Guardian didn't like the way the soul spoke, it called out to the planet for answers to her questions. Truth? Lies? Was the voice of the soul correct or was it trying to torment her like it had in the past? The games it had played with her mind before, feeding off her emotions like they were her weakness. Could she take what this soul said to be true?

'It won't answer because it cannot answer; it cannot lie so it does not answer leaving you in the dark.'

"SHUT-UP!" The guardian yelled despite the truth to the soul's words. The planet had ignored her call which it did when it was ashamed of itself and its ideals.

'I'm right, your planet is leaving you out of the loop.'

"I said Shut-Up!"

'Tell her Mother Gaia; tell her your idea of final retribution, the finality of stopping everything before it begins again and then wonder if guardian is loyal to you.'

'Child do you think my methods incorrect?' The planet spoke to the soul shocking the guardian as the planet ignored her pleas.

'No, just your method is nothing more than cowardly.' Came the reply.

'Would you wish the crisis's threat on another?'

The soul did not speak; the crisis had never been in control in the first place it was following the will of its own self-preservation like an animal however its intelligence exceeded the standard.

'It is not a crisis if you truly think about it.'

'No it isn't however it directs ill intent for myself does it not?'

'It just wants to live.'

"Why are you so sympathetic towards it?" the guardian asked.

'I do not sympathize with it!" The soul growled, "I hate it with every fiber of my body.'

"Must be difficult considering you have no body, but why defend it?" She asked again.

'Because he understands it child.' The planet answered.

"Understands it!? That thing he understands will grant him the power to ascend past his limit," The guardian seethed and stared at the soul, "You just want absolute power to rule over everything like some kind of tyrant!"

'The only thing I wish to do is preserve the power which would so easily be thrown away to rid itself of a simple threat.'

"Jenova is not a simple threat!"

'Child calm yourself.'

The guardian did not heed the warning she continued her speech; being only a halfling she was prone to bursts of emotion like her ancestors who so blindly followed them. "What do you know about the planet, about Jenova, you are a criminal who should have dissolved into nothing the moment you appeared here; tell me what you plan to accomplish by staying an individual!?"

'Child please you are beginning to stress yourself.'

The guardian took a deep needed breath calming herself, it had not been the first time she lashed out at the wondering soul but every time she did it reminded her what had happened, what had been taken away.

'Are you finished?' The soul asked used to her fits of rage.

"Yes." The guardian answered.

'Good, if the planet permits may I explain.'

'You believe you can change my fate?' the Planet asked.

'No, your fate is your own the only fate I can change is my own.'

'Wise, yet so inexperienced you believe that my fate is sealed then?'

'I never said anything about your fate being set in stone, I asked you if I could speak?'

The planets voice did not respond. The guardian wondered if it was all a trick, a cleverly disguised ruse to fool both the planet and herself into restoring the soul to its own.

'I believe I understand you now, you may speak.'

'Listen carefully my plan has not changed I guarantee no one's safety.'

"If you plan has not changed you are not going very far." The Guardian scoffed.

'Do you like your existence?'

"I enjoy it as much as I can yes." Was the answer.

'If you were threatened to cease to exist would you do anything to stop it?'

The questioned was vague, completely impossible but hard to answer, to cease to exist meant nothing because it was unlikely to happen. It was wiping your soul from existence.

'You follow Gaia and you'll become nothing, your history won't even matter because there will be none to read it.'

"What are you saying that Gaia plans self-eradication?"

'I believe you have found your answer.'

The guardian's eyes went wide with horror. Being a part of an emotional race the idea of death had frightened her but to not exist made her panic. This is the planet who cherished everything who developed a WEAPON capable of saving itself when the time came yet here was a soul of the planet talking as if it knew the end was near and that the final journey was one of nothing.

"You lying."

'Ask and you shall receive.'

"Planet…" She called.

Silence, the silence made her panic even more. It could not be true, self-eradication, self-termination, a mass suicide because of one threat.

"PLANET TELL ME HE'S LYING!" She screamed in a fit a panic induced rage dropping down with tears in her eyes because it was all she could do. Her part was that of the guardian the Sheppard to watch over the souls that filtered in and out of the Lifestream.

'My child I am sorry.'

"So that's it then, you are just going to give up!?" The guardian cried.

'I am going to sacrifice what I offer to give the rest a chance the crisis cannot be destroyed by conventional means so an extreme is required.'

"No, no-no-no-no-no-no-NO!" She cried, what had she done it all for she gave up her life to allow others to allow him to live. She had to watch in the background as the others risked themselves to preserve their own lives and for what just to have it end because the planet was giving up.

'Child please try to understand…'

"You're going back." The Gaurdian said ignoring the planet for the first time in her existence.

'Excuse me?' The soul asked.

"I said you're going back."

'…' The soul just looked at her.

"You asked me what I was willing to do if my existence was threatened."

'I did.'

"Planet this soul is you SOLDIER he will destroy the crisis."

'Excuse me?'

'As you wish my child but my path is set I will not change it for your sake.'

"I know but I won't… I cannot accept this; it goes against everything I have been taught."

'Accepted.'

"I'm trusting you."

'I'm debating whether or not you are wise to trust me?'

"Can you save the planet?" The Guardian asked, "Can you honestly guarantee this planet's safety?"

'I can guarantee nothing I told you that.'

"Can you promise me then can you stop Jenova?"

The soul said nothing as it wondered towards the edges of the stream, the thin line between life and death wavering allowing it to pass through.

"Sephiroth can you promise?" she asked again hoping for something.

The soul's body suddenly appeared as an apparition around the glowing force that gave a soul its physical form and looked at the guardian with his cat like eyes focusing on her glazed ones showing him the fear the uncertainty and the hope. Sighing he gave her a simple nod and spoke.

"I promise…" He said and vanished from her sight.

The Lifestream was empty once more. Without the presence of the soul the void which the guardian and planet existed in between the land of the living and the shores of the dead was quiet. The Guardian stared at the spot the once proud and psychotic SOLDIER once kept.

"Planet did I do the right thing?" The guardian asked.

'Do you not trust your judgment?' Came the reply.

"Do you trust me?" She asked.

'What does your heart say young one?'

"It says…" The guardian searched to find her answer, she looked at every option and every idea but they all came out the same she smiled, "It says… no I say it was the right choice."

'You are my guardian; the last and the only one to take my pleas seriously…"the planet wavered as if itself was trying to find its answers.

"Aries I trust you."

Sephiroth was aware of everything around him, he was aware that he was walking in Neiblheim and was becoming quite annoyed with the chatter box that seemed to be pouring into his ears. He was also aware of the fact that he was not in his own body, evident by the lack of control. He tried to figure out who he was rather where he was when he noticed a black motorcycle in his vision and two females arguing over who got to sit in the front and who got to sit in the back.

"I am not sitting in the back again it hurts." The smaller one yelled.

"Tough you lost the game."

"You cheated."

"I didn't…"

"Girls…"

"WHAT CLOUD!?" They both asked looking directly at him and Sephiroth cringed.

'Her idea of a joke it seems.'