Fain was curled up on a mattress asleep. Or at least he was till Barret game in."WAKE UP BOY! It's breakfast time! Get your ass down here!" Barret hallered. Fain sighed and grabbed for his hat. But it wasn't there. He looked around for it. And then his coat. He did find his iron bangle that was laying next to his bed. But his hat and coat were gone. "Equip!" He said and surrounded himself with a hooded robe. It was lead gray and came down to the middle of his shins. He pulled the hood down. Then he put his boots on and walked down stairs.

And there Tifa was with his coat and hat. Fain would have been very angry if not for the fact that she was putting more patches in it. The hat on the other hand wasn't his, it was a brand new one. The same style at least. "Good morning Fain!" Tifa chimed. "Breakfast is on the table waiting for you!" And with that Fain sighed. He found his plate and moved it to the other side of the table opposite of Cloud. Barret simply grind before eating his eggs and some kind of thick slice of meat at the other table.

Cloud stared at Fain. "Do you always have yourself covered up like that?" He asked. Fain didn't answer. He ate his eggs and whatever meat that was on his plate. " The tattoos aren't that bad. Are you embarrassed about them?" He asked continuing the issue. Fain sighed and glared at Cloud to shut up before continuing to eat. "Tifa, I appreciate that you were trying to take care of me but please don't snatch my coat away otherwise I'll start sleeping in it." He said after he swallowed what was in his mouth. He looked at her annoyed.

Tifa sighed. " You know we all know you aren't human. Why you go to such extreme lengths to hide it. At least from us..." She said and trailed off when she saw him stiffen. " Relax. No one is going to turn you into Shinra or anything like that. You're safe with us." Fain still remained stiff. " That was the last words he said before he tried to turn me into the science division." Fain said quietly before going back to eating in silence. Cloud looked surprised. " You must have met a pretty sick fellow." Cloud said, to Fain's surprise empathy was coloring his voice. "He lived in Sector 3 before it was purged." Tifa said bluntly.

Cloud looked at her as if to say, 'should he know how bad Sector 3 was or is?' Tifa sighed. " Cannibals, drug and arms dealers. They even had people traffickers too. It is a really rough place and that is where he lived since he was much younger." Tifa said. Fain sighed. " The mobster there has more power then even Don from Sector 6. He's a really nasty and sadistic person. But he is very good at acting." Fain said bluntly as he finished his plate. Tifa frowned.

"I'm putting your coat out to dry after I wash it so you will have to stay in that robe until then." She said as she went back to sowing. Fain looked at her handy work after getting up and shook his head before taking the needle from her and shooing her away. " You aren't very good at this, are you? If you look just here this patch will come right off if you keep doing it that way.. You have to do the stitching more closely together otherwise the patch will just rip off with ease. Look at how I did mine" Fain said pointing at his patches.

Indeed his stitch work was far better. Almost professional. But Tifa was more interested in the claws that were at the end of his fingers. They fused with what almost looked like his finger nails to become small little points maybe a quarter of an inch long. Fain noticed her gaze and quickly withdrew his hands into his sleeves. Tifa laughed when she saw he was blushing. Fain went to go put his plate in the sink but then Tifa blocked his way from getting around the bar. She was grinning at him. " I saw that you had a flower with you when you got back. The same as the one Cloud had. Was that why you were out so late?" She asked. Fain thought about it. He didn't remember paying for a flower. Or getting one... She must have stuck it in one of his pockets without him realizing. Fain sighed and nodded. " I was just checking on some people I was worried about and a nice lady came along with me." He said calmly.

Tifa grinned. " Was she pretty? Do you like her? What was this girl like? Does she have a name?" Tifa asked trying to interrogate him. Fain cocked his head. " I guess she would be a year or two older than you... And yes, I guess she was pretty. She had eery green eyes though." He said thinking back about the woman. Fain usually never let people get that close to him. But something about her was different. Something told him that he could trust her. Tifa looked a little confused. Cloud was intently listening to their conversation. " A pink dress with a red vest on right?" Cloud asked. Fain shook his head. " It was a jacket, not a vest." Fain said. Cloud shrugged. " It was dark. Anyways, you seem to know your way around Midgar." The man said.

Fain scooted past Tifa. " I do. I lived in Midgar since I could remember... I just woke up in a pile of junk and there I was." Fain said and shrugged. "I was probably around seven at the time. I don't remember anything before that." Cloud looked at him with an expression of suspicion. Fain simply scratched his head and shrugged. "I guess I'll go take a shower. Barret, when is the next event happening?" Fain asked.

"layyta tonighteh." He said with his mouth full and continued eating. Fain then turned to Tifa. " No!" He said with his arms crossed. Tifa blinked rapidly and stared at him confused. "No what?" She asked. Fain glared at her. " You can't have my robes! Or my boots! And I want my gloves back! And don't snatch my pants and shirt away..." He looked at her as if she was a clothes thief. Barret was laughing. Tifa simply stared at him in confusion. But almost instantly, she was staring into empty space. And one of the chairs was gone. He fully intended to make sure she didn't steal his clothes.

Tifa was still confused when he returned, but she was busy trying to copy his stitching. 'Who taught him how to stitch?' She thought. " A nice old lady in Sector 1." Fain said as if reading her mind. "Her name is Mrs. Rosabell. She is really nice and her Grandson looks after her. Mr. Eren is the one who taught me how to make hats out of straw." Barret and Cloud were no longer in the bar. Marlene was busy washing dishes. " Who is this Mr. Eren?" She asked. She could see Fain's bright smile. " He's a young man who is a veteran of the Wutai war. He's... Well... He is really really big. Barret only just makes it up to his the bottom of his chest!" Fain said happily as he sat down at a table.

Tifa looked at him in disbelief. " You are pulling my leg!" She accused. Fain shook his head. "He lives in sector 2!" Fain said. " He always drinks his coffee at one in the morning before going to the foundry. He works the late night shift." Tifa shook her head and went back to trying to patch up the ratty coat in her hands. It felt pointless. "I am not pulling your leg" He said. " I once was wandering in Sector 2 and a girl was trying to flirt with me. Well she happened to be his girlfriend. And after I explained I didn't have feelings for her he became my coffee and conversation buddy." Tifa looked up at him, still in disbelief. This time because she was starting to understand his outlook on people.

" Fain, do you have any friends?" She asked. The boy shook his head. That's what she thought. Fain scowled. " The last time I had close friends I was nearly turned in to Shinra to become a science experiment. I don't want to be too close to people..." He said looking at her wearily.

'Only for them to betray you...' She thought. " It must have hurt. A lot." She said as she tried to focus on stitching. She felt sorry for him. A general distrust for humans but he seemed to be trying to get over it and be more social. Fain watched her for a while. It was beginning to bother her. Sensing this he started to search for his cloves. He needed to get out of here and explore. Finally locating a pair he readjusted his hood and then 'equipped' a smokey gray scarf that he wrapped around the lower part of his face and head, trying to make it look as natural as possible.

" You are going outside in that?" Tifa asked. Fain nodded. " I have pants and a shirt on underneath." He said and with that he was gone. Tifa sighed and shook her head before going back to her loosing battle with his coat. She had an idea.

Fain went straight to Sector six's playground where he sat on a top of the moogle slide and waited. He sat down stalk still wondering if she would show up. He could probably find her but he felt maybe he should let her come to him if she wanted to. Otherwise he would spend some of his day just enjoying the fact that he was finally alone now. He thought about it. It wasn't like he disliked any of them. Other then Cloud, he was a dick. Tifa acted like a big sister/mother type and Barret. Well, he treated him like a kid that was working for him... The other three left him alone, and Marlene seemed a bit too shy with him to really interact with him... That or she was pretending he didn't exist. Fain felt bad. Maybe he should buy her a toy or some...

Or maybe it was best if he left her alone? He thought about it. He was still a kid compared to the others who were all adults. But he was maybe four years from being an adult. Still... " What are you thinking about?" A familiar voice asked him. Fain snapped his head in the direction of the mysterious flower girl. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. " Did I startle you?" She asked and then giggled. " I'm sorry." Fain nodded to acknowledge what she said. He started to think about how nice of a day it was over all. How calm it was before the chaos they were about to stir up tonight would happen. He frowned. He remembered a phrase the old man had said. 'The lull before the Storm.' Fain looked at the girl who had her head tilted to the side as she watched him think.

" Ummm... Can I ask you a question?" He asked her. The lady smiled and giggled. "You just did." She said teasingly. " But go ahead and ask me another one." Fain blinked a bit taken back but smiled in turn. She was strange. But he liked this person. " What is a storm?" Fain asked her. The woman stopped to think about it. " I guess it is something that happens when the weather starts to get more violent. The wind starts to blow harder and rain and lightning falls from the sky." She answered. Fain looked up at her trying to imagine it all. He couldn't. " What is the sky?" He asked. He heard about rain, however what he heard is that it was water or things that were falling from above. The woman looked over to him with a sad look of understanding. They had both spent most of their lives underneath the giant floating pizza city that was above. " Something vast, blue and kinda scary to look at to me at least, because I feel like I'll fall into it. There is the sun that rises from the east and sets in the west and the moon. At night there are stars." She said as she sat down beside him. Fain looked up at the ceiling above.

" Stars are bright lights above? So far away that we can never hope to reach them..." He said. The woman nodded. " You heard about them?" She asked. He shook his head. " I saw them in my dreams. But there wasn't this thing called a sky. It was just blackness and they were everywhere but so far away. It was an empty cold place." He said. He then thought about it. He didn't realize it but he was crying.. Something about the dream made him feel incredibly sad. Like he lost something... No... Someone... Or perhaps both... Fain wiped his eyes but the tears wouldn't stop and he began to shake. He couldn't remember but he could feel it. He had lost something. And it had been very important. The woman patted his back without saying a word, occasionally rubbing it. What had he lost?

For a time he sat there silent like that with her. He looked off into the distance for a while but eventually shook his head. "I don't understand." He said at last. The woman stayed silent. Fain frowned and looked up at the ceiling. " Can I tell you something?" He asked her. The woman nodded. Fain wasn't sure if he should say it but he felt he could trust her. " I'm... I'm not from here. I don't remember where exactly I came from but I know I am not from here. I think... I think I come from somewhere different. Somewhere cold and lonely. And... I feel like.. I don't know... I feel like I left that place behind... " He said and looked over towards the woman who was staring down at him. For once he looked at her with caution. Like a frightened animal that just heard something dangerous.

He could feel something about her that was very different from normal every day people he met. And at first. But now he could hear something in the distance... Or rather feel it. And it frightened him. He got up and staggered backwards, falling onto the dirt of the playground below. The woman reached out to try to stop him from falling but it was too late. " Are you okay!..." She said but her mouth was left open when his hood fell from over his head to reveal two furry red pointed ears on top of the head of a fiery red head. His hair was long, coming down just past to his shoulders and braided to part his bangs. She slid down and grabbed him by the hood... And pulled it over his head.

" I'm sorry..." She said quietly. Fain looked up at her then down at the ground and just shook as he sat there. The woman crouched down next to him looking concerned. She finally stood up but bent over a little. " My name is Aerith by the way... What is yours?" She asked taking the initiative. "Fain." The boy said taking her hand gently. Aerith looked down at him and patted him on the head. This earned her a slight glowering look before he looked away. She giggled.

" You heard it too didn't you?" She asked. He nodded. " Don't be afraid. You are alright." She said trying to reassure him. " But, the voice is in pain. You understood that?" He nodded staring down at his feet. " I thought I... Was the only one that could hear it crying. I was afraid of it. I AM afraid of it..." He said and looked up at her with frightened eyes. " What is this voice? Why is it in pain? Why is it calling to me?" Aerith smiled sadly but understandingly. "It's the planet. It's calling out for help." She said simply...

"Fain? Fain!" Tifa yelled. Fain looked up at her. He was wearing his usual coat along with his hat. He had not been very responsive since he left Aerith. They had spent a little more time together before he had bid her farewell. It was the first time he had really told someone he was glad to have met them and talked to them... Outright anyways. He wanted to make it clear that despite the revelation that they were different he liked her. But he was worried if she though he was a freak. "FAIN! Damn it kid, answer me!" Tifa yell punching him gently in the arm enough to leave a bruise. Fain looked up at her after this startled.

He then looked away. " Sorry Tifa..." He said rubbed his shoulder. " Get your head in the game kid." Barret said. Fain nodded. Tifa was coming with them on the mission. Cloud was looking at him with an expression that was hard to read. He couldn't be worried about him, but it didn't look like curiosity or boredom. It was very neutral. Fain looked away and sighed. "I'm okay." He finally said to try and reassure them. Tifa looked like she didn't believe him. Fain frowned. And turned to look out the window. "I had... I... I don't really want to talk about it. I'll be okay. Don't worry." He said. Tifa looked at him annoyed but sighed and sat down. " You are a handful." She muttered. Fain turned back around and sat down properly.

" Thank you Tifa. " He said truly sounding grateful. Tifa looked surprised. She was a bit caught off guard. That's when the alarms went off. An announcement went off telling the passengers that intruders were detected and that the train was going on lock down mode. They had to move.

Barret, Tifa, Cloud and Fain moved from car to car towards the front. They needed to jump off the train. Every car behind them locked behind them and the next would begin it's lock down mode. They finally made it to the last car. They had to jump out now. And one by one they did. Jesse, Biggs and Wedge stayed behind in disguise. The landing was not pleasant. Fain hit the ground hard His hat nearly ripped of his head despite the strap. But he managed to keep it on. Then there was the fact that his shoulder had hit the railing.

It hurt. A lot. Fain struggled to get up as he held his shoulder. Cloud was their. "Hold still." He said and held his right hand towards Fain's shoulder. The materia in his bangle lit up and the pain went away. " Is it alright?" He asked. Fain tested his shoulder then nodded. Cloud walked over to Tifa and Barret checking their condition. They had suffered less injuries. " Alright then, lets get moving!"Barret yelled. Fain sighed and nodded before he lightly jogged over to the group and followed behind them. They were on their way to blowing up the Sector 5 reactor.