After we dismantled DeepGround and effectively saved the planet, I had no clue what to do. For ten years that hell had been my home. I was happy to see it go, but it was not lost on me that I now had no place to call home.

I decided not to think about it. Once again I wished I could die. I just wanted to see my mother again, and my father, and Shalua.

How was Shalua fairing in the lifestream? Was she sad that she only got to see me again for just a few hours before her death? Or was she happy that I survived? If Shalua taught me anything, it was that love drives out fear and sorrow.

I was completely ignoring the others, and I didn't even notice when they started to leave. When I realized that they were leaving, I didn't cry out. I wanted to be with someone. I was tired of being alone. But I didn't want to call attention to myself, I didn't want to be a burden to anyone else.

So I just stood there, staring out at the rubble that I once called home. I began pondering my situation. I was in darkness, both literally and metaphorically. And for once I seriously wanted to end my own life.

That was when I collapsed. I was broken, I might have escaped the hell I'd been bound in, but I came out a broken object, a soulless shell.

'Shalua...save me.' I pleaded in my thoughts. I scoffed at my own stupidity, what was I thinking? Shalua was dead, she wasn't coming back. She couldn't save me anymore...nobody could.

That was when I was proven wrong.

"Hey, are you ok?" I recognized the voice as Yuffie's.

I didn't answer her. What was I supposed to say? That I was homeless? Broken? Soulless? Spiritually dead?

When I didn't answer she knelt down in front of me. When I looked in her eyes I saw empathy behind them; Yuffie had been through more than she let on. She smiled reassuringly and said "Everything is going to be alright now." She started to stand up. "But we've gotta go, it'll take a few hours to get back to Edge."

She extended her hand to me, and I couldn't help but smile as she helped me up.

As we made our way back I noticed that nearly everyone was gone. When I asked her about it, she said the airship had left. Apparently we were leaving in Barret's truck. That was when I learned about Yuffie's motion sickness.

I learned a great deal more about her, particularly that she is afraid of silence, which I gathered from the fact that she never stops talking.

The truth was I appreciated it. I appreciated having a friend to talk to. For so long I only spoke when spoken to; it was the only way to survive the tsviets.

When we got to edge we stayed in Seventh heaven.

Yuffie and I slept on sleeping bags, and for once I could sleep without fearing for my life. For once I could rest knowing that Rosso won't decide to kill me for the fun of it, that Azule wouldn't crush me, and that I wouldn't be engulfed in Nero's darkness. Now the only thing I feared was my dreams.

I didn't want to dream, I knew that they would all be nightmares, so instead I chatted with Yuffie.

I told her I was afraid of going to sleep, scared of the rest of my future. I will never forget the advice she offered me.

"That's because you think you have to face it alone...you don't know where you're going to live or how you're going to survive." She just laughed.

When I inquired why she was laughing, she replied "It's just, if you knew Tifa you'd know she'd never allow that..."

That had never occurred to me. Why would a stranger care enough about me to stop me from facing my burdens alone.

Yuffie wasn't finished.

"See...we're a team. All of us are. I'm like the positive one, I make everything better because I know that we are strong enough to pull through anything together.

"Vincent's the realist, he balances out the optimism that I bring to the team, makes sure that we don't have impossible goals...

"Reeve keeps us going, makes what we're doing possible. He is also the creative one, he takes my optimism, and Vincent's realities, and puts them to good use.

"Barret keeps us motivated. When we feel like giving up, he won't let us. He's the one who keeps us all in check.

"Cid makes what we do possible as well. He flies us all around Gaia, and more so than any of us, he'll never give up. He's the one who works the hardest. He's also good at sorting out Cloud when he gets confusing.

"Nanaki gives us the common sense when we need it and keeps our morality in check. And Cloud is the one who keeps us all together, he's the leader of the team.

"Tifa is like the big sister of the group. She keeps us from going crazy when we are under a lot of stress.

"So look, I know you've been through a lot, but you're in good hands. We won't let anything bad happen to you okay?"

I had never thought of teamwork like that. In the Tviets, I was part of a team, but I was just a piece in a machine to them. None of us held any value outside of our abilities. I had no concept of protecting ones own or true teamwork.

I'd like to think that I am better now, but I cannot tell. Sometimes I wonder if I have become part of the team...I suppose it's something I will never really know. Someday, I'd like to be a part of something as amazing as their team...maybe I will join the WRO, only time will tell.

A/N hiya everybody, sorry for the late update, I just started NaNoWriMo, and so I have nearly no time to write fan fiction. Anyway this is really rambly. And I am literally falling asleep writing this, so I'll try to update this whenever I can. (Also this is completely unedited, so sorry for any mistakes.) Love y'all -Reibun