A/N: I wonder if I'll get any reviews for this chapter... Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this! Next chapter will hopefully get the plot going.

Aerith woke up under an enormous oak tree. That was usually how the Lifestream sent her back into life (that or it uses water). As she sat up the wind whispered to her why she had been sent back this time and, with a sigh, she picked herself up off of the ground and took a look at her surroundings to get her bearings and figure out where she was. Directly too her left was a large, carved stone etched in runes. It's presence told her nothing of where she was (the Vikings got everywhere).

"Michigan..." The wind sighed through the leaves and in her ears, beckoning, "This way..."

Obediently, Aerith followed, glad that she had her boots on, but wishing she had some clothes that were a bit more practical for undergrowth. As she walked the brunette took in her surrounds in a little more detail. It was a beautiful forest with conifers, birches and maples; sunlight streamed through the branches and leaves giving everything a happy glow. Dead leaves and twigs crunched and snapped underfoot as leaves from the undergrowth caught on her skirt and brushed her calves. Everything seemed cheerful, happy and healthy on the surface, but Aerith could sense something sick, vampiric and malignant underneath, creeping, infesting, infecting and slithering it's way deep into the land.

Her stomach roiled as the awful familiarity of this canker crawled it's clammy fingers up her back, sinking claws into her gut and brain until she felt like her head was spinning, but wasn't at the same time. This was one of those moments in which she wished that she could feel Zack's strong arms around her, holding her close. Aerith had never actually wanted to leave him... But those horrifying visions of what the fate of their children would be (their daughter's soul eaten away, their son gone mad) compelled her too run away from him to prevent them from being born to her and Zack. Maybe if they were someone else's children they would have a happier existence (she hoped, she prayed that this was so).

Angry at herself for her lapse (for her own weakness) she pushed away her desire to have Zack with her (telling herself that she hadn't been all that serious about him anyway) and followed the twisted wrongness poisoning the land. As Aerith drew closer to the source the feel of it grew inside of her until she felt nauseous and had too stop, sit and take a breather for a moment. It's a lot easier to be strong for the sake of someone else than it is to be strong alone. Taking several deep breaths to center herself she focused on the sounds around her. Ironically she used to fear the sound of the wind, but now it soothed her more often than not.

The wind, today, carried a voice to her, one that was screaming for help. Without a second thought Aerith was up and running towards them, a staff Manifesting in her hand. Leaves and branches clung, tugged and brushed her and got stuck in her hair as she hurtled along. Finally coming to where the person screaming for help was Aerith discovered that it was a blond woman with torn up and bloody clothes being dragged along at the ankle by a Jenova Monster (which the woman was kicking the entire way) that looked vaguely like it might have once been a dog or wolf.

The creature spotted her and stopped dragging it's victim to stare warily, though it did not release it's victim despite her continued kicking. Aerith would be the first person to tell you that in a physical fight she isn't much use outside of support; that was why she was generally accompanied by someone else who is good at fighting. However, that does not mean that she can't deal with something weak like this creature. In fact, judging by it's melting flesh, it was unstable and already dying. Hoping that she wasn't misjudging it's strength and tuffness she switched the staff in her hand out for her more colorful Aurora Rod (which was fatter on either end than it was in the middle). Now the creature released the woman (who scrambled back as much as her injuries would allow) and turned it's full attention on Aerith.

It was sometime ago that Zack had given her lessons on staff fighting – she didn't even remember when – but for the first time since he had all but forced her too learn Aerith hoped that she would actually be able to use what he had taught her. She hated fighting, but she also knew that sometimes it really is necessary.

The creature lunged unexpectedly and knocked her over (she managed to get the staff between it's jaws and her throat), snarling and clawing. Having only been among the living again for a short while Aerith wasn't alive again yet and only felt physical pain as a visceral sensation that was quickly gone as the injuries stitched themselves up with glowing green light.

A well aimed and well thrown rock from the blond woman knocked the Jenova Monster off of Aerith and the half Certan quickly scrambled to her feet, while the other woman continued pelting rocks at it with disconcerting accuracy. The creature snarled as it tried to figure out which of them to go after first. Apparently making up it's mind the creature lunged again, but this time it was aiming for it's original victim.

Without thinking Aerith raised her Aurora Rod and swung it down as hard and as fast as she could (an image of Zack swinging his sword down entered her mind, try as she might not to think of him), catching the thing mid-lunge, the Aurora Rod connecting with it's skull (there was a sickening crunch as the bone caved in and brain pulped and bruised) and the thing dropped to the ground, twitching. Shocked at her own actions she stared at the dead creature for several moments before the sight of it's melting flesh and crushed skull, bits of bone poking out of the split skin as brain matter oozed caught up with her and she realized that the end of her rainbow-colored staff was still pressed into it's injury. Raising it off of the creature a glob of flesh fell free to splat onto the carcass.

Her stomach roiled, but she swallowed the bile back down; there was a chance that there were other creatures like it around and she needed to get the other woman to safety. Looking over at the blond Aerith saw that she needed healing badly and said a prayer. The planet granted her Pulse Of Life and healed the blond who, although clearly amazed, took it in stride. Behind Aerith the creature was restored to it's original form of a wolf, it's injuries also healed.

"Thank-you." She said to Aerith.

"You're welcome!" The half Cetra answered, putting on a smile for the woman.

"Do you know what that thing is?" The woman then asked shakily, pointing a trembling finger at a tree, not noticing the wolf climbing up off of the ground and giving itself a good shake.

On the tree Aerith could clearly see what appeared to be a very large organ attached to the bole, veins burrowing through the bark and into the core of the plant, drawing out nutrients and Mako from it. It was a recent (as in some time in the last few thousand years) mutation that was causing everyone that was trying to keep Jenova's Legacy from spreading no end of problems.

"It's a Jenova Womb." Aerith turned her gaze away from the unnatural sight and back to the blond, "For now, though, I think we should leave."

"A-alright." The woman agreed, forcing her own eyes away from the Womb and over to Aerith, "I'm Christina Christopher," She introduced herself as she stood up, "May I ask your name?"

"Aerith Gainsborough."

"A pleasure. The town's this way."

And they started walking, Aerith wondering at the pause in the other woman. It was a long while before either spoke again and when they did it was Christina who broke the silence.

"Wh... What happened back there? Was it some kind of demon...?"

"No. They're different! That was a Jenova Monster!"

"I think that's about all I want too know right now."

"Okay."

Aerith didn't blame her one bit; the half Cetra wished that she herself didn't know about this stuff. She had only ever wanted to be normal, not different, separate and apart form everyone else. Not the last of an entire race... Not that she had ever had any choice in the matter.

"So, uh," Christina started again, "Where exactly are you staying...?"

She figured that the blond woman probably wanted to know where to steer clear of. Unfortunately Aerith didn't have anywhere to stay (although it's not like it was the first time that she'd had to camp out; she'd gotten rather good at it, in fact).

"Don't worry," She answered the woman with a smile, "I know it's scary, so you wont see me again after this."

Christina stopped dead in her tracks (Aerith paused behind her), scowled and demanded very abruptly, "What kind of answer is that?" She whirled around and added pointedly, getting up in Aerith's face (she suddenly realized that Christina is shorter than her) "You just saved my life! So I will not just walk away, pretend that nothing happened and leave you too deal with those... Things! Whatever they are! On your own! So suck it up and deal with it!"

Aerith was understandably flabbergasted and speechless as the other woman spun on her heel and started heading off again in the direction of the town. The green-eyed brunette started following again.

"I promise I won't get in your way." Christina added, a bit more tentatively.

Aerith couldn't help but smile and shake her head. Then the idea that this woman and Zack might get along entered her brain and she felt a pang of jealousy hit her.

It doesn't matter! We're not an item anymore...!

"Not an item with who?" Christina asked, thoroughly confused and startling Aerith, who was certain that she hadn't said her thoughts out loud.

The half Cetra brunette hesitated then started talking. She only meant to tell the woman a small bit, not her entire life story, but that was what ended up coming out – including when she had gotten those horrifying visions.

"...So..." Chistina said thoughtfully, "These visions of your children started after you... Consummated," Aerith blushed and there was a faint tint on Christina's cheeks too, "Your relationship with Zack? And they've continued off and on?"

"Um, yeah."

"...Then wouldn't that mean that it's already too late?"

Aerith came to a dead halt and stared at Christina, aghast.

A/N: Please, please tell me if I got Aerith in character! I'm really nervous about this!