Author's Note:

To cloudxerrosstrife, thank you for commenting, I really and genuinely appreciate it! Happy Reading, everyone! R&R Please!

Chapter Two:

It was a sunny day with just the right amount of wind; a perfect weekend. The people were wearing their favourite summer dresses and shorts, planning picnics and bicycle rides, and making sure they made use of the beautiful weather.

A 'CLOSED' sign was dangling on the door of Cala's Bunnery. Music was playing from the jukebox inside as always, and as with every other weekend, Sky and her mother were busily cleaning up the bakery; removing old orders, slips and receipts, replacing the sticky notes with a brand new stack, and restocking their supplies. Sky had been out on a grocery run, while her mother was trying her best to sift through the orders, removing the old ones and keeping the new ones.

"Alright, then we've already finished these," Sky's mother muttered absentmindedly to herself as she took down another. Sky glanced over her shoulder at her mother, who was standing on a chair and struggling to reach up to the highest paper slip, and couldn't help but wonder how she managed to get it up there in the first place.

"Did you get the dozen pack egg carton, sweetheart?"

"I got the… 36 pack, is that good?" Sky replied, picking up the egg carton and making sure.

"Ah! Even better! But isn't it a bit expensive?"

"Well, we're going to pay either way, and i figured two 6.99GIL is more expensive than one 11.99GIL,"

"That's true," her mother nodded, stepping off the chair and moving it two steps to the left to reach another slip. She continued, "Did you see the nice cashier there? I've told him a lot about you, I'm sure he recognised you… Did you tell him I was your mother?"

"Mom, I'm sure he already knows by now," Sky stated, placing the egg carton on the counter, and sorting out the groceries, "Its been a year already,"

Their conversation was cut short by a creak and loud ringing, the ringing of their bakery door's bell, followed by loud footsteps, as someone hurriedly made their way in.

"I think I should oil the door hinges, huh?" Sky muttered under her breath to her mother.

"Sky?! Sky!" A familiar voice called urgently.

"Mia?" Sky answered, making her way to the front of their bakery. And there in the middle of the room stood a petite red-head in a blue summer dress; panic stricken and out of breath, "Hey, what's up? You okay?… Did you run all the way here?!"

"Sky!… I… Need your help!" Mia panted, hands on her knees as she barely held herself up, "my dad… His car… Flat tire!"

"No biggie," Sky grinned, rubbing her friend's back gently, "I got it covered! Does he have a jack? Or should i go get one?"

"Has one!" Mia nodded, "just… Bad back… He cant!"

"Alright, lets go!" Sky replied, helping her friend up. The two made there way out and into the street. A five minute run later, and they made it on scene. A rusted red pickup was parked awkwardly to the side of the street, and a man was standing outside angrily yelling at passersby.

"DAMNIT! WHERE'S THAT WORTHLESS KID GONE OFF TO?" he yelled, kicking at the flat tire of the pick up, "Damn useless she is…"

As they approached the man, Sky glanced over at her friend, who was biting at her bottom lip in remorse. She gritted her teeth, she didn't like Mia's father at all. He, much like her entire family, had an extreme disregard for her. She was the middle child of a family of tailors, the only girl, and the only one incapable of putting a string through a needle hole; 'nervousness makes my hands shake' she would say.

"Mr. Taylor!" Sky called, a few feet's distance from the man, he angrily spun to face the pair of them.

"Where'd you run off to?" he spat, glaring resentfully at Mia, who stared down at her feet woefully. Sky glanced over at her, appalled.

She shook her head, and set off to work silently, picking up the wrench from the tool box at the back, and loosened the bolts on the tire. She pulled out the jack, sticking it under the truck and proceeding to apply enough weight on it. A few minutes later and Sky had the flattened tire replaced and placed at the back, the wrench and jack along with it.

"There you go, Mr. Taylor," Sky announced, dusting herself off. Mr. Taylor had run out of steam, and was leaning over the side of the truck. He pushed himself up, rubbed his back, and gave a forced smile.

"Thank you, Skylar," he said, "if it weren't for my bad back I would have done it myself, but…"

"Its okay, sir! No problem at all," Sky nodded, quickly phasing into the politest of tones. She patted Mia on her shoulder, who was still chewing away at her lip, "anything for a friend!"

"Hah! I wish this friend of yours would learn something from you," Mr. Taylor laughed hollowly, placing a rough hand on Mia's shoulder, making her knees buckle, "we wouldn't have broke down if she did."

"Well, technically, if it weren't for Mia, I would not be here to help you," Sky started, her voice taking an edge of defensiveness, she also didn't like the way Mr. Taylor treated Mia, and his daughter's passive nature and her inability to defend herself wasn't helping the situation. it always made her feel protective. "For one, you wouldn't know me, and also, I wouldn't have come to help you anyway, if you weren't Mia's father."

Mr. Taylor gave a forced laugh, glancing down at the new tire, and then back to Mia. he added, turning back to Sky, "your father would have certainly been proud of you,"

"Are you trying to subtly hint at how good Mia has it? That at least she has a father to be cruel to her, Mr. Taylor?" Sky replied dryly, struggling to remain polite. Mia, who was now almost panicking at the situation, took hold of Sky's hand and squeezed it tightly, pleading her not to push it.

"Well, let's just say that if he was alive," Mr. Taylor started, "he would've taught you a thing or two about politeness."

"That's true," Sky agreed, turning to Mia with a smile, "in that case, I guess I have something to learn from her too."

Mr. Taylor gritted his teeth, at a loss for words, and moved to take his leave. Jumping into his rusty pick up, he leaned out of the window, "I'll see you at home, kid."

"Goodbye, Mr. Taylor!" Sky waved, as they watched him drive away.

"Why'd you do that?" Mia asked sombrely, her voice almost too faint to hear now, as if she couldn't bear the weight.

"Why would i not?"

"Because its meaningless."

"I know, nothing will change, but… Maybe it will," Sky replied, throwing an arm over her friend's shoulders as they walked back to the bakery, "either way, it sure doesn't mean you should take it like a sitting duck, maybe fighting back will make them take you more seriously."

"I don't know," Mia sighed, exasperated with her situation, "sometimes I think I should just… Run away."

"Running away won't solve the problem, and you know it,"

"You ran away when you-know-what happened, and now you spend your time making sure you never put yourself in that sort of situation again," Mia retorted, reminding Sky that she quit after the Mythril/Mako incident. And added, "you've been running away for a year now."

"So take it from an expert: it wont solve the problem." Sky muttered darkly, she had never thought of it that way.

"Neither will fighting back," Mia retorted.

"That's true," Sky chuckled, "but at least it'll give you something to do until we come up with a solution, yeah?"

Mia nodded, and they continued walking in silence. Sky thought, there was nothing I could do by staying, no benefit could come of it, I would've died in the bombing, and now… I'm honestly scared I might somehow hurt someone again… she glanced over at her friend, who was busily trying to match her footsteps to Sky's. but I'll admit, I am running away, and that's… not the type of person I want to be.

The pair entered the bakery, arms slung over each others shoulders, and laughing at Mia clumsily tripping on their way in. Sky's mother greeted them happily, announcing that she had decided to experiment with a new kind of cake, and that she would require their help. A few hours later, and the door was pushed open again.

"Well well well," came a happy hoarse voice from the open doorway, "my three favourite ladies, all in one place, this must be my lucky day!"

"Cain!" Sky grinned, handing Mia the meringue.

She turned to give the man a hug, and as he was a lot larger and taller than her, she had to up stand on her tip toes to reach him. He was a burly man with brown hair that was slowly fading, and a few years her mother's senior. He was her father's friend from before she could remember, and he was always there for them; helping them settle in after moving into Kalm from Junon, and finding them the more rare ingredients and items. He was dear friend of the family, and someone Sky admired deeply.

"It's been a while," he laughed, as he set Sky down on the ground again. Sniffing the air, he turned to the pair behind the counter; Mia and Sky's mother, "what's that smell?"

"It's my new experiment," Sky's mother announced proudly, "sponge cake coated with ice-cream coated with meringue!"

"My favourite!" Cain joked. He took a moment to take off his messy and almost decaying coat and hang it, then settle down into a nearby chair. He turned to the trio working the meringue, "so I expect I'm the taster?"

"Sky, can you go get it from the forge?" her mother ordered, and Sky quickly hurried off, returning with the blowtorch in hand. Cain's eyes widened in fear.

"E-excuse me? Are you sure its sponge cake, and not an iron sponge?" Cain joked, laughing to himself. He watched on as Sky torched the edges of the meringue.

"And we're done!" Sky's mother announced, clapping her hands together victoriously as the three of them gave each other celebratory hugs. She quickly cut pieces out of it and served them up. The four of them sat down, silently enjoying the clash of the warmth of the meringue and the cold of the ice-cream, the sweetness of the strawberry-flavoured sponge cake and the sourness of the lemon ice-cream. It was delicious, that was something the four agreed on.

Mia and Sky's mother soon took off to the back of the kitchen, to carry out another experiment Mia wanted to learn, leaving Cain and Sky alone. Sky was taking another bite out of the moist triple layered cake, and Cain was silently watching her.

"Dear, can you make us a 31"X11" pan?" came her mother's voice from the other room.

"Sure mom!" Sky yelled back, Cain watched on as she munched away at her cake without any plans to get up any time soon.

"Sweetheart!" her mother began, her voice taking on a higher tone now. The front door to the shop swung open, and a little kid came walking in.

"Hey kiddo," Sky started awkwardly, "Didn't you see the 'Closed' sign?"

The kid shook his head silently, and Sky had the distinct feeling that maybe he couldn't read. At the age of four years old, perhaps even too young to read, but Sky wouldn't know any better.

"Alright, let me get you someone to help you out," Sky nodded, glancing over at Cain for reassurance, who nodded and moved to pick up the blowtorch from behind the counter and disappeared behind the kitchen door. Sky glanced back at the little kid, and gave an awkward smile as the kid just eyed her like she had three heads, she shrugged and followed after Cain.

"Finally going to make the pan?" Her mother mocked, sticking her tongue out at Sky. Mia was flipping through a notebook looking for the perfect recipe, with Cain towering over her, blow torch in hand.

"Mom, there's a kid out there, a customer," Sky stated, pointing over her shoulder.

"But why did you let him in?"

"Its a kid, mom," Sky scratched the back of her head cheekily and added, "besides, you know how awkward I am with kids and all…"

Her mother sighed heavily, shaking her head, and walking off to cater to their customer, muttering something about 'growing up' and 'what will you do when you have kids of your own?'. Sky took the opportunity to exit the area, slinking off to her shelter; the Forge. Leaving Cain and and Mia muttering in the background about the pros and cons of a giant cake compared to multiple small cupcakes.

Pulling on her usual gear -respirator included, she hummed lightly to herself.

"That's some fancy equipment you got there, Sky," came Cain's voice, "makes you look like an astronaut," he said jokingly, taking confident strides towards her, and glancing into the forge.

"Astronaut? i was going for motorcyclist but I guess that works too," pulling open the visor of her head gear.

"What're you working on?"

"The pan mom wants," she replied, he stared dubiously at her, "to mom welding a pan is easier than wasting good cake just to shave off bits to make a specific shape,"

"How is that easier?" Cain asked incredulously.

"I can get iron rods from the steelyard at the edge of town, but getting butter and eggs is a bit more difficult," Sky said, Cain stared at her, not at all impressed by her answer. She sighed, "it doesn't make sense, right? I think this is her trying to make sure I don't forget how to smith and forge things."

"Ah, that does make sense then." Cain agreed, turning away, and looking in the direction of the shop. Through the window they could see her mother and Mia preparing chocolate cake batter.

"Pfft, of course it does," Sky snorted sarcastically, then added in a gentler tone, "but I understand."

Just as her mother said, she could see right through her, she could see exactly what Sky wanted to do, and what she was afraid of doing. Which is why she made sure Sky worked the forge, to make sure she missed working as a mechanic and to keep her love for the skill and trade alive.

"What're you going to do? Now that Shin-Ra Inc. is no more?" he asked, sitting down in a nearby chair. Sky glanced over her shoulder at the steel strip, she turned it over, it was glowing a light yellow.

"I don't know really, I've thought about going to Edge, help the people there and everything, but…" Sky said, hesitating for a moment.

"Then what's stopping you?"

"Mom sent you out here didn't she?" Sky asked, squinting suspiciously at him.

"You bet." came Cain's honest answer, giving a big smile. he shrugged, "she worries about you."

"And I worry about her, its a fun cycle of worry," she said, laughing lightly.

"She told me to tell you an inspiring story," he said, smiling.

"Oh? Does it have dragons and swords?" Sky joked, "then give me a moment to get this done and I'll be right there."

Cain nodded, walking inside the shop to get two slices of cake, and making his way back to the swing outside. Sky soon finished forging the base of the pan in iron and was leaving it to set in the mini-fridge next to the Forge. She plopped down to next to Cain and he handed her a plate.

"On my way here I gave this man a ride," he started, clearing his throat, "and its not even the first time. I've seen him very frequently, almost every day and I think he lives in Edge, and he's just so very quiet but you can almost hear him thinking in his head, and he's always on the move, out to get something, or returning with something," he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, as he stared up at the sky in thought, "and he's a remarkable fighter, its ridiculous how quickly he can take down monsters, and he just brandishes this huge sword like its nothing, and then gets back in the truck and resumes staring off into the distance,"

Sky took another bite as she watched Cain construct the next few sentences.

"I asked about him, and he's got a really dark and depressing past… and I cant help but respect him for pushing on, making a life for himself after all, but he's just… really strange," he paused, staring down at his plate in thought, "and as hard as he tries to be just another face in the crowd, you definitely cant miss him."

"Why? Does he have rainbow coloured hair? Or is it pink?" Sky humoured, and for a moment, she thought of dying her hair pink, then she would definitely be rid of the coal-black hair her father passed on to her. Cain chuckled lightly and continued,

"Spikey blond hair, and these… striking sky-blue eyes."

"Whoa there, Tiger. Is this you confessing your man crush on an unsuspecting young man, Cain?" Sky joked, finishing off her piece of cake with one last bite, "You know… it could work, you'll be his sugar daddy, and he wont have to move around so much to get things."

Cain snorted, his voice taking a more serious tone, as he made sure she understood what he meant by what he was saying, "no matter what happened in the past, Sky, the past is in the past. You need to make yourself a future or else all the things you did in the past were for nothing,"

"Ah," Sky sighed in realisation, setting her fork down with a loud clang! "That's why you're here mid-month! Mom wants you to actually convince me to go to Edge!"

"Well, you got me there," he admitted, smiling cheekily at her. Sky sighed, setting down her plate on the ground.

"if I go to Edge," she started, "what will I do there? More importantly, where will I live?"

"I made a deal with a man suffering from Geostigma," Cain explained, "a ticket to Healen Lodge, and in return his house and workshop."

"All that for a stay at the Lodge?"

"He knows he's going to die, but he wants to die comfortable, well-fed and rested… at least."

"Alright," Sky nodded, "so I'll live there, and work at the workshop?"

"With me," he nodded, "and maybe we'll get you a few employees to boss around."

"Then what about mom?"

"What about her?" Cain asked, smiling knowingly as he glanced in the general direction of the kitchen window. The two sat swinging in silence, nothing but the sound of crickets and the squeaking of the swing's metal. It reminded Sky that she had to oil the door's hinges.

"I can't leave her alone,"

"Careful, if she hears you saying that she'll-"

"Young lady!" screeched her mother, standing in the doorway, face red with anger, "I swear, if you keep using me as an excuse to be such a selfish child, then so help me, I will kick you out of the house!"

"But mom-"

"Well, Little Miss Logic, you know how to solve this problem too, don't you?" her mother snapped, turning away, and briskly walked back into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. Sky sighed, slumping in her seat, feeling hopeless.

"Maybe I should have asked for a billion Gil…" Cain muttered thoughtfully, a hand on his chin as he chuckled lightly. Sky groaned, closing her eyes; indeed, another problem to solve. She felt the swing shake and rattle as Cain got up.

"Stop being so scared. You know you can do this." he said encouragingly, placing a gentle hand on her messy head, "I'm leaving tomorrow night."

The very next morning, Sky was suffering from a very dangerous case of A Mother's Cold Shoulder. Her mother was completely refusing to talk to her. She woke up to a pillow being thrown in her general direction and when she opened her eyes she caught a glimpse of her mother's back as she walked out. She had breakfast by herself for the first time in a year, and was completely ignored at the bakery; every time she tried to help her break the eggs, or lather cream on some cake, her mother would push past her and do it instead, refusing her help. Until eventually Sky was left alone in the bakery, staring after her mother, as she left to deliver things on her own.

Sky spent her time making her own cookies. At first, she didn't know what to make, but then decided to make whatever required the least amount of ingredients. While she baked them, she mulled over what to say to her mother.

She can handle herself without you.

Its not a matter of whether she can or cant, its a matter of…

What? A matter of what? She debated angrily with herself, accidentally wringing the squeeze bottles too hard and covering her apron with blue icing. She knew her hesitation was not only linked to leaving her mother alone or not knowing where to live or what to do there, as those problems already had been solved.

A matter of being scared…. I guess mom isn't the only one who can see right through me, Cain can too.

Of course he can, he's known you just as long as she has.

'The past is in the past'. He's got a point, a lot of points.

Yeah, you think… maybe its time to move on?

With a loud sigh, she resumed decorating the cookies, mulling over what to tell her mother. Perhaps an apology was in order. She knew her mother was only trying to make sure she was happy, and was frustrated with how she kept putting up hurdles and obstacles for it to work. Her own fear was putting its foot out and tripping her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the bell above the door.

Sky glanced up expecting her mother, but instead was met with the sight of her best friend, Mia. Her red hair was down in an intricate braid, and small yellow flowers were stuck in it, she wore a matching polka-dotted dress. The weather must be nice out then, Sky noted absentmindedly.

"Hey, you, what's up?" Sky greeted, trying her best to sound cheery, as she gave a smile.

"If you're trying to smile, you should stop," Mia said, her low voice echoing in the empty room, pointing to Sky's failing smile that was turning into more of a frightening grimace.

"She's still mad, it feels like a blizzard in here."

"You deserve it."

"I know." Sky whined, setting down the icing squeeze bottle. Mia glanced down at Sky's cookies.

"They look like… Squares with two blue dots and sharp yellow triangles stuck to the top. Wait, is that angry face?" Mia asked quietly.

"Cain told me a story," Sky muttered, glancing down at the cookies, and for the first time noticing what she had made. Indeed, they looked like squares, triangles and dots; an 8-bit rendition of a blonde angry man. She picked one up and handed it to Mia, "I think its because when I think of how old Cain is, I think bad graphics and crappy tech and mechanics."

"Ah," Mia chuckled lightly, taking a bite out of the cookie making an audible crunch, and catching the crumbs with her other hand. she added deliberately, "they're good."

"You think so?" Sky laughed. Mia's face was oddly very straight, straighter than usual, and almost pale white.

"Mm," she nodded, swallowing the cookie down roughly, and added quietly, "but maybe use sugar instead of salt next time…"

"What?!" Sky gasped, smacking a hand to her forehead as she remembered, "probably when I was trying so hard not to use up the good ingredients I… mixed them up."

"Or maybe its because you're being spacey today," Mia consoled, taking another small bite to test it out again, shaking her head, and setting the cookie down.

After a few seconds, she glanced back at Sky, watching her as she stared down at the cookies in thought, "you're worried you might make the same mistake, aren't you? But you know, there's no more Mako to screw up your life. They've stopped using it, they're searching for a new source of energy, and… you could help with that."

"Yeah, but its not really about the Mako, its just that when I get excited… or when I get spacey," she added pointing to the cookie, "things slip under my nose and…"

Mia sighed heavily, almost exasperated.

"This really doesn't suit you," she said tiredly. Sky tilted her head to the side questioningly, and Mia added, "can I be honest with you?"

Sky nodded her head vigorously, giving a thumbs up, "Honesty is the best policy!"

"Your mother keeps telling me that you are naturally a very happy person, and every now and then I see a glimpse of that, but you are so broody these days and I couldn't make sense of it for a while, but then I noticed, the more ShinRa is on TV, and the more of Edge we see, and the more we hear of Rufus ShinRa… The more depressed you get," Mia stated, her face blank as her eyes bored into Sky's and her words cut through her, "it makes me sad to see you like that, and its even sadder to think you don't know this already: sometimes, horrible things happen. But you owe it to yourself to keep trying, its not right to coop up at home and refuse to help people, because you know it makes you happy to help. I mean, just yesterday when you helped out my dad… as much as you dislike him, it still made you smile to be able to fix up his truck."

"Selfish…" Sky repeated after a moment of thought, remembering her mother's words.

"You're not selfish, Sky," she noted, "you're the opposite, that's why you're facing this problem."

"Then, maybe its time for me to start being selfish, to chase after what I want," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, making up her mind.

"That's what you mother would want," Mia nodded, "and if it doesn't work out, you can just come back home and be a lace-wearing baker."

"then I'll leave you to help mom out at the Bakery," Sky grinned happily, "that way you wont have to force yourself to be good at something you don't enjoy! You like baking so work here, and mom wont be alone."

"Two birds with one stone," Mia nodded.

"Maybe it is time to move on," Sky muttered, remembering Cain's offer, a workshop in Edge was the perfect thing for her. another thing on the list of things to thank Cain for. she appreciated him, Cain was very straight to the point, and he had a way with words. he chose a fairly motivational story, Sky got the point of it now. It was time for her to make a future for herself too, and through it she could somehow make amends, and maybe stop defining herself by her mistakes.