Disclaimer: Uh, I only own my INSPIRON 2200 that I am writing this on, along with myself. Oh, and you can't forget my Final Fantasy VII game along with the strategy guide. But yeah, that's about it.

Scents and Sounds

I yawned. I then curled up on a pew, resting some as I listened to the sounds of the city. My ears twitched constantly now that I was settled down.

As I started to close my eyes, my PS3 appeared in front of me, smiling greatly. "What am I supposed to call you?" I asked lazily. "I'm not going to just call you PS3 the entire time, you know that…"

"Call me Lee," he smiled even more.

"Alright, Lee, can you tell me some more things?" I asked, letting him continue to pet me.

He smiled, opening his hand. My eyes went wide as my phone appeared there. He nodded, "Check it out, see who is all in your contacts…"

I took my phone from him, opening it up and looking through the contacts. Hmm… slim pickings, just like back at home. There were three numbers there, each one with a picture of who the number belonged to. The first on the list was of course Lee. He was smiling up at me from that picture, as if nothing was wrong with what was going on. I looked at the next picture, my jaw dropping at what I saw. Grey and black long hair was on the man's head, and he was missing his right eye. It was covered with an eye patch. I knew the scar that was on his left side of his face anywhere! It looked like he was wearing black as well. The name read Xigbar in bold letters, and I looked up at Lee.

Lee shrugged at me as if to tell me to look at the next person. I did as he indicated, almost blanching at the sight. Wild and spiked black hair and violet eyes stared back at me. He had a goofy smile, and he was wearing purple as well, but there was a glow in his eyes for some reason. Huh, maybe Mako? The name read Zack in bold letters as well, and I just didn't know if I should believe it or not.

I quickly looked up at Lee, "What's this? How can Xigbar be in this game? And how come I have Zack's number?"

"Call it cameo appearance," he shrugged. "I knew you loved the game, so I put him in here… And as for Zack, well, he was like an older brother to you. He watched over you whenever he could. You both loved each other like siblings."

"Oh boy…" I mumbled, looking at Zack's picture.

"They're your family, Ace. You need one, so I supplied one. You've all got your problems, especially you, and Xigbar's tried to shelter you since the incident…" Lee mumbled.

"What incident?" I asked, frowning.

"You were going to follow in Zack's footsteps, become a SOLDIER and make Xigbar proud…" Lee started, shaking his head. "But then Hojo found out your amazing abilities and decided to experiment with your body…"

"What?" I asked, almost screaming. Alright, this was going a little too far, if you ask me.

"You became Project Species. You were a success, but Zack got you out of there luckily…" Lee continued on.

"So…" I mumbled.

"You can transform into any animal you wish, Ace. You've been able to do it since you were fourteen." Lee mumbled. "Sorry…"

"If they've tried to shelter me, then why am I here in Midgar?" I asked, curiously.

Lee smirked at me then, "Well, you told Xigbar that you wanted to know what happened to Zack, so you decided to come to Midgar to check and see if he was alright. He has been missing for five years, you know?"

"You little sneak!" I frowned.

Lee then stood, and I watched him closely, "Well, I better get going. Tomorrow's not going to come if you don't get any rest, right?" I nodded silently, still trying to digest everything. "I'll talk to ya later! Don't hesitate to call me if you need me!"

With that, he was gone, and I was left in the church, blinking. So I had a character from Organization XIII and Zack as my family… cool.

I sighed, rolling my shoulders and looking at the bed of flowers. There was an area in it that didn't have any flowers. I smiled slightly, wondering how I could change my shape. I shrugged, thinking of a black panther, surprised as I felt my muscles rippling beneath my skin. I then fell to all fours, yelling out as I felt my muscles ripping and tearing. My bones cracked and slid out of joint.

I almost jumped in fright as my yell turned into a roar, but stopped myself quickly. I shook myself out, noticing that I now had paws and a tail. Huh, it was that easy? I was a panther, just like I wanted. Cool. It wasn't long before I felt my belts still around me and my gun arrows attached in their holsters. My trench coat pooled behind me, and I picked it up in my mouth before dragging it to the center of the flowers, dropping it down. I then circled the area twice before laying down and curling up. It wasn't too long before I fell asleep, purring contently.

Someone was shaking me and calling my name, I could hear them, but I didn't move a muscle. My ear flicked forward, but that was about it. Then a whistle entered my hearing, and I quickly jumped up, growling slightly.

Aeris was kneeling in front of me, giggling lightly as she spun around and stood. "Ace, is that you?"

I shook myself out, my tail swishing around. I then thought of my human form, and low and behold, the process once again happened as I shifted back into what I originally was. I took deep breaths as I fell down on my ass, wincing slightly, "Note to self: don't slide until fully awake… too much pain."

"Are you alright?" Aeris asked, kneeling down at the flowers and picking a few.

I sat down in a pew, rubbing my neck slightly to ease the discomfort there, "Yeah, I'm alright."

"I knew something was different about you," She smiled at me.

"Yeah, well, I've been different for a while," I shrugged. "I've had enough practice to fit in…" I then stood, yawning slightly, "Well, I better get going. I've got to find my brother that hasn't turned up yet…"

"You're brother?" Aeris asked.

"Yeah, my brother. I came to Midgar to search for him, but I haven't found him yet. He's been gone for five years and I came to see why, but I needed a place to stay, so I came here for shelter. If I don't show up soon, my father is going to get worried, and I really don't want that," I smiled.

With those words, I was walking towards the door, rolling my shoulders to relieve the cramp that I felt in them. I jumped slightly as I heard a crash from behind me. I spun around, only to see someone lying in Aeris flowers, their chest rising and falling slowly.

I quickly rushed over, watching as Aeris watched both me and the person that fell. I put my hand on his chest, hoping to feel his breathing evening out. I gasped as pain entered my mind, and my world went black and white.

A mechanical robot flew forward towards him, his eyes going wide. The President smirked from his vantage point in his helicopter, "It's called Airbuster, and it will be useful in pulling data from your dead bodies!"

With that he flew off, leaving him and two others to battle the Airbuster. With the combined efforts of all three of them, they succeeded in finishing it off, but it quickly exploded, sending him flying into the hole it had created on the walkway.

He held on for his life, telling the others to go ahead, that he would be alright, and then, as the Mako Reactor exploded, he fell. Pain hit him then, and he quickly blacked out.

I took in gasping breaths as I pulled away from him, shivering. "Ace?" Aeris asked, looking from me to the guy that fell.

"Cloud," I mumbled, closing my eyes. "It's Cloud… Oh god, the pain he felt…"

"Ace, are you alright? What's wrong? Is he alive?" Aeris fired off questions, but I really couldn't answer them.

I stumbled to my feet, backing away from him and shivering. Aeris quickly scooted over to him, trying to heal his wounds. I just shakily made my way to the door, not knowing what had happened.

As I got outside of the church, three figures came into my blurry vision. I fell forward then, waiting to hit the ground, but it never came. A voice entered my ears, but I did nothing to fight them. "Sir, what do I do with her?"

I let them hold me, not having the strength to fight it. "So this is who Dr. Hojo wants back so badly, eh? "

"I saw… I saw…" I mumbled, shivering in his hold.

"Oh damn it all to hell and back!" He yelled, holding me stronger. "Boss was right! She can have premonitions! Get her back at once!" Then I was handed off to someone else, and my eyes became even heavier.

"Sure thing, sir!" A new voice entered my ears. "I'll take her back to the waiting helicopter!"

With that, I was escorted away towards somewhere, I wasn't even sure. "What's so special about you?" I didn't answer him, and he shook his head, "Dr. Hojo will be pleased to have you back, that one is for sure…"

:8)))----- (haha, mouse!)

I faintly heard voices… I was so tired… "Excellent!"

"Project Species has seemed to progress in the time it was not with us…"

"She is amazing, sir!" I didn't know any of the voices, yet somehow a few sounded familiar in a scary way.

"Boy, she's unstable at the moment. Who knows what would happen if we took her out of the pod. She's recuperating from the last test…"

"Dr., are you planning to make more of Project Species since it was such a success?"

As those words entered my head, I fell back into a dreamless sleep. The next time I awoke, I was in a glass tube it seemed. I growled as I noticed that I was on all fours. Huh, I must have somehow slid into some animal…

"Pantherround transformation was beautiful. I'm glad we could do it to her while she was sleeping," the voice from before entered my hearing, and I snarled, my tail swishing impatiently behind me. As I tried to pull towards one of the glass walls, I found that I couldn't get very far. They had attached a chain to my collar.

"Interesting… Project Species seems to still have intelligence when it slides into another animal," a man in a white coat smirked, pushing his glasses up on his nose more. "But when did she acquired this type?" He then walked away, leaving me there.

I snarled, pulling at the chain, successfully snapping it. I then prowled around the tube, knowing at once what I was. A Coeurl, it had to be. Sure enough, I could see my reflection in the glass.

White tiger build with the coat to match. Fan like end on the tail. Whiskers that fanned out, the colors green to blue then to purple, to have little electric balls at the end. Massive claws jutting out from the paws. And finally, going down to about mid-back, a type of fin that was really fur.

"How did she get her hands on that type?" One scientist mumbled, quickly writing something down on his clipboard. "Interesting. Dr. Hojo is going to love how Project Species has adapted fairly well in our absence of giving her species to mold into her."

I snarled, the fin-like fur standing even taller. The little electric balls at the ends of my two whiskers seemed to grow, and I could feel the electricity crackling in the air. It wasn't long before a bolt of lightning hit the wall of my new cell, only to start bouncing around the area.

"Wonderful, it can control electricity!" Another scientist mumbled.

That's not the only thing I can control! I wanted to laugh at them, knowing that I could control ice too.

"First Class Sergent Brieg, we're going to have to ask you to leave. You can come visit another time," the first scientist mumbled. Huh? When did a SOLDIER get here? My eyes narrowed as I looked at the SOLDIER, and I shot another bolt of lightning at where he was standing, only to have the electricity bounce around my prison. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the lightning that was bouncing around me, willing it back into my reserves… Hey! What do ya know? It pulled back into my body, and I felt more rejuvenated actually.

I kind of like this form. I don't think I'm switching until I have a really good reason to. The SOLDIER placed his hand on the glass tube, and I bared my teeth at him, charging myself once again, but this time for an ice attack. He smiled sadly, "It is a shame such a wonderful little girl had to end up like this, eh?" I purred and nodded, and he seemed satisfied. "This one looks good and dangerous, stay in this one."

He then turned and walked away. Huh… did I know him? Because it seemed like he knew me for some odd reason.

:8)))----

I watched the area closely in my Coeurl form. Heh, it was actually kind of interesting. It was dark, the scientists had all left for the day, and I was stuck with guards patrolling the area. Fine by me.

Light and calculated footsteps entered my hearing, and I growled lowly in my throat, standing and readying lightning in the air. The growling stopped, though, as I saw Sergent Brieg and two other SOLDIERs. He smirked as he came forward, "Alright boys, remember what to do?"

"Oh yeah!" One smirked, taking up a position to the right of the sliding door to the tube I was in.

"Most definitely," the other mumbled as he took up position on the other side.

Brieg came forward with something in his hands, and I jumped to my feet. "Stay back, Ace. I don't know how much kick these things are going to have!" With that, I noticed that it was my gun arrow in rifle mode.

He quickly shot it at the door, causing me to jump into the air as the laser continued through and almost hit me. I didn't waste any time, though, and quickly slammed through the cracked door, shaking myself out as I was free. I then slid into my human form, sighing as I wrapped my arms around Brieg, unsure why I was. "You came for me!"

"Of course!" He smirked, wrapping his arms back around me. "And I see we're doing better, eh?"

"Yeah, just needed some rest," I smirked.

"Well, I'm taking you somewhere safe. Somewhere Hojo would never think of looking…" He mumbled.

"And where's that?" I asked, curious.

"Sector 7 Slums, babe," one of the others smirked at me, the one of the left.

"Why?" I asked.

"AVALANCHE is stationed there, Ace." Brieg answered me. "If anyone can keep you away from Hojo and Shinra, then they can…"

I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest, "Uh, are you guys nuts?"

"Aw, come on!" Brieg moaned.

I shook my head, "I'm confused! Aren't you supposed to be fighting them?"

He smirked at me, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it."

"Isn't there anywhere else you could send me that would be safe?" I asked, curious as to see who I would end up with.

"No," He mumbled, looking from me to the others. He then sighed, nodding to them, "I've got it covered, guys, you can get back to the barracks to get some earned rest. I'll deliver her to AVALANCHE and be back before dawn." They both left, and I closed my eyes, letting Brieg hug me. He whispered into my ear, "Let's go. If I'm going to get you out of here before dawn, we better make this quick. Don't worry, the head of AVALANCHE will keep you safe. But I'm not sure you really want to be that close to him…"

"I'll take my chances," I mumbled to him.

He chuckled, shaking his head, "Let's go!" With that, we started walking towards the stairs, "We'll get out of here and I'll take you to Sector 7 then, alright? Just be careful."

I nodded silently as we made our way down the stairs and to the first elevator we saw. Upon entering the glass elevator, I looked up at Brieg, "Brieg…"

"Hmm?" He asked, looking down at me.

I smiled slightly, "Thanks."

"Hey, that's what teammates do for each other, right? We watch over them!" He shrugged.

"But still… You're probably going to take massive shit because I had to be an idiot and go and get captured. I got captured and now you're bailing me out. Once they find out it was you, you're as good as…" I started, only to be silenced by him.

"Hey, no worries, alright? I hated it when you worried about me! I'm fine! I've got a bunch of guys to watch out for me! I'll be fine, seriously!" He put his hand on my head, "I want to know where you picked up that type of animal, it was amazing!"

"Deadly as hell," I smirked at him. "And I'm not really sure where I picked it up."

We quickly walked out of Shinra Headquarters, and Brieg nodded, pulling me to the side where a vehicle was waiting. I climbed in, and he quickly started it up. He looked at me, a smirk on his face, "Hang on, it'll be quite a bumpy ride." I nodded silently and just looked out the window, watching everyone race past us.

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Alright, Chapter Two… But I couldn't wait… so here's another one for all of you. Tell me how u like it, k?