Ifalna felt nervous and excited as she waited standing in front of the wooden door with Cloud. After their daring escape from Shinra, the only thing that now stood between the Cetra and her child was a wooden door. She was unbelievably close to Aerith now.

All the Cetra hoped was for her child to be under good care. She had no other wishes. If Aerith was safe, then all would be well for the brunette.

Just a thought of seeing her again sent sparks of excitement traveling through her body. After all these years of torture, Aerith would finally be truly safe from the evil presence of Shinra.

Suddenly, a feminine voice behind the wooden door answered, "Just a moment!"

Just a moment…

For some strange reason, upon hearing such normal response to a knocking on the door, Ifalna began to feel lightheaded and sleepy. The Cetra's legs continued to stand for her, but her mind grew foggy.

It became difficult to think clearly. More importantly, she didn't even want to think anymore.

Everything began to fade. The lines around the edges continued to grow hazy until her sight showed nothing but a giant blur of colors on a canvas, like a meaningless art with no value in it.

The brunette felt as if she was slowly waking up from a good dream, a good dream she wanted to see last longer. Something pulled her from her wonderful dream back into a bleak reality.

Ifalna slowly lifted her heavy eyelids, her head still feeling incredibly numb.

She was standing in a cage-like elevator, the only source of light coming from the lamps on the moving walls outside the elevator. The whole place felt blue with no other shades of color, making the place feel colder than it already was.

The Cetra noticed two familiar guards in blue uniforms standing tall next to her, both carrying nightsticks as they waited for the elevator to stop at its destination. They were the same guards who always "escorted" her from her cell to Hojo's experimentation chamber.

Ifalna didn't dare to turn to look at them, her body remembering what they did to her the last time she did. The bruises she got that day refused to leave her for weeks.

It reminded her of her status here in this hell that was called the Shinra Headquarters. In here, she was not a prisoner. She was nothing more than a captured animal waiting to be butchered.

The brunette continued to stand motionlessly, her brain still numb from whatever was in those needles that were stuck into her. She tried to remember what she dreamed of, hoping that would lessen her pain.

Nothing came to her mind. Only utter blackness swirled around her head, robbing her of her ability to think like a human being.

The Shinra guard on her right suddenly asked to the guard on her left, "Hey Rich, ever wondered why they're keeping this bitch around?"

Rich responded tersely, "How the hell should I know, Tim?"

Tim made a strange snorting sound, most likely laughing. "Just asking," he answered with a smirk. "Kinda strange they would allow us to punch her up when she's being a nasty bitch… Not that I'm complaining."

The guard on the Cetra's right cackled in response, the sharp ugly noise digging deep into her right ear. "True that," he mumbled. "Guess that's one exciting thing for us about this whole thing. She doesn't seem like an ordinary prisoner, though."

The guard on her left mused, "Probably. The higher-ups did say only a few are allowed to even know about the existence of this girl. Seeing how they didn't tell even us elite guards about what she is, seems like even fewer actually know her identity."

Identity.

As the two continued to have their conversation, Ifalna remained motionless and thoughtless. She was too tired and too poisoned by whatever was put into her earlier to even process something through her mind.

But that word shot through her skull and implanted itself into Ifalna's brain like an arrow being shot into its target.

As the word rung in her mind, Ifalna remembered why she was trapped here. She vividly remembered why her husband was killed. She remembered why her daughter was captured along with her.

She was a Cetra.

She was a damn Cetra.

Ifalna's blood began to boil as something heavy and dark began to swell up in her heart. The brunette realized the only reason she was caught was because she was a Cetra, and nothing else.

That was it.

The brunette used to think it was an incredible blessing to be born as a Cetra. At least, she thought so, since her parents always told her that while they were alive.

Then she was captured. At this point, she realized that she was wrong all those years.

Those monsters were torturing the Cetra because of her identity.

Gaia had forsaken her, and in doing so, her family.

The feeling of sadness and betrayal in her was slowly replaced with anger and rage. The raw emotion clawed inside her, wanting to burst out.

Her head began to swirl in madness. As the rage grew in her, so did the pain in her head. Like cancer, it continued to grow until the pain in her head became too much for her to handle.

Ifalna grabbed her head with both of her hands, trying to alleviate the pain. The headache only worsened, and she felt as if someone tried to pry her skull open. Unable to think through the pain, the Cetra began to shake violently as if a ghost possessed her.

She shut her eyes and screamed, feeling like she was losing a grip of herself. The woman continued to shake her head and shriek as loud as she could, despite the pain refusing to go away.

Suddenly, someone grabbed hold of her. Ifalna tried to shake herself out of the person's grasp. She used all of the energy left in her, attempting away from this being.

Her efforts were fruitless, and the Cetra realized this person was physically stronger than the two guards… two monsters… that routinely forced her out of her cell. No matter how she moved and how she flailed about, the person did not release her.

Although she could not see through her shut eyelids, Ifalna realized her face was being pushed into the person's chest. She refused to halt her shrieking and shaking. The Cetra did not want to stop as long as that sharp pain continued to eat away her mind.

To Ifalna's utter shock, the person suddenly whispered with a strangely familiar voice into her ear, "Deep breaths, Ifalna… Calm down and take deep breaths."

It was that voice of the man in her dream.

The brunette's body continued to tremble violently and her mouth continued to scream on its own. But she felt the pain beginning to subside, like lava being cooled down by the ocean waters. Slowly, but surely, her headache dissipated.

Moments later, Ifalna stopped shaking and screaming. The pain in her head completely disappeared as she began to feel her mind and soul returning to her.

The madness in her heart was replaced with sadness.

The Cetra could only cry into the mystery person's chest. So much tears poured out of her eyes and into his shirt.

His embrace felt warm and welcoming. Lovely, even.

The hug reminded her of Gast. She remembered how she would always forget about her hardships and concerns when he hugged her. Those moments were brief, but Ifalna treasured them, knowing that she would never be able to feel the comfort of her husband's embrace ever again.

Ifalna missed him dearly…


CHAPTER IV

DAWN OF A NEW JOURNEY


"…Are you sure she's going to be okay?" Ifalna heard a muffled feminine voice ask.

"It depends on what you mean by 'okay'," a masculine voice admitted with slight hesitation. "But, physically, she's alright."

Ifalna opened her eyes.

The Cetra felt as if she woke from a dream.

The brunette felt as if she was slowly waking up from a terrible dream, a terrible dream she wanted to escape from. Something pulled her from her terrible nightmare back into a new reality.

She sat up. The Cetra noticed that she was in another bedroom, this time much smaller than the previous one she woke up in. The floor and ceiling seemed to be made of wooden planks, and the walls were much cleaner than the ones back in the other bedroom. A sofa rested on the other side of the small room and a table stood next to a wooden door that appeared to lead outside.

Rubbing her temples, the brunette breathed slowly to collect herself before making another move.

Where was I? Ifalna asked herself, trying to put the pieces of her memories back together.

The Cetra remembered she was back in Shinra HQ, waiting in that dreaded elevator for Hojo's next experiments. While she stood there, she recalled having a dream involving a man named Cloud. But, now it felt as if that was a nightmare and she just woke up from it in this bedroom.

I feel like I'm jumping between two different realities, Ifalna murmured to herself, the feeling of dread plaguing her heart. I'm not even sure what's real and what's not…

Looking down at her hands, the Cetra bit her lower lip. She balled her hands into fists and straightened them. They felt real. She herself felt real. But it scared the brunette just how real her nightmare felt, as well.

Ifalna wondered what messages Gaia would have sent her had she preserved her abilities as a Cetra. Of course, there was no point in thinking about that. It has been a long while since she forcibly severed her connection with the spirit of the planet.

After all these years, the brunette still didn't know whether to regret doing that or not.

I wonder if it's possible to reconnect with Gaia, Ifalna thought to herself, doubting that she would ever find the answer to that question.

Hoping not to trigger anything else in her mind, the brunette slowly and cautiously stood up. As she set her feet on the wooden floor, it made a small squeaking and creaking noise. The sensation shot through her whole body. A strange sense of complete satisfaction filled her mind as she made more steps across the room.

Ifalna turned to her right and noticed a large window. The Cetra slowly walked up to it and looked outside, placing her hand on the glass.

She saw the slums outside the house. After immediately noticing that she was at a second floor of the place, she got a better view of the area around the house. The woman was still surprised to see a body of clean water surrounding the area. This house felt so out of place. It almost felt mystical.

Whoever built this place had a keen sense of location.

Or maybe it was just dumb luck.

"…And that's how I rescued her," the same masculine voice from before spoke again behind the door. "The magic of Phoenix Down truly is remarkable. It's a shame they're rarer than diamonds."

"I can only feel relieved that you had one when you found her," the same feminine voice responded before continuing to talk.

Oh, right. There were people outside.

She immediately recognized the man's voice as Cloud's.

Ifalna tried to remember the feminine voice. The voice sounded rather familiar, but the Cetra couldn't place her finger on it.

The brunette walked up to the door and quickly swung it open, revealing Cloud and another woman talking to each other.

The two jumped, taken by surprise.

The blond sighed before speaking, "Don't open doors like that. It seriously startled me." He then smiled and asked, "Anyway, how do you feel?"

"Terrible," Ifalna bluntly responded with a frown.

Cloud frowned as he crossed his arms. "C'mon, Ifalna," the adventurer murmured with disappointment before glancing at the brown-haired woman next to him. "You can't just say that in front of Ms. Gainsborough after resting up in her home."

"Th-that's not what I meant," the Cetra stammered, shaking her hands in denial. "I-I just meant that I…"

The blond laughed before interrupting her, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

Her brows furrowing from annoyance, Ifalna opened her mouth to say, "That's not funny at all." She decided not to say it, however. Not in front of a stranger, at least.

The other woman, Ms. Gainsborough, chuckled before joining in the conversation. "There's no need to apologize," she reassured with a smile. "It's good to see that you're all right, Ms..."

"…Faremis," the Cetra slowly and carefully murmured in response. She wasn't sure what to think of this woman, but judging by how Cloud was talking to her, the Cetra felt that she might be able to trust her. "Ifalna Faremis," she then added, keeping her eyes on the smiling Ms. Gainsborough.

The house owner nodded and said happily, "It's good to see you again, Ms. Faremis. Cloud here just introduced himself to me and was explaining how he rescued you. It's a relief to see you standing, considering what state you were in the last time we met…"

Last time we met…

Did they meet before? It would certainly explain how her voice sounded familiar.

Ifalna stared off into a distance, trying to recall the possible time the two met. It couldn't have been that long ago, considering that she hadn't set her foot into the slums until-

Ah.

The Cetra remembered clearly now. It was that fateful day when she escaped with her daughter from the Shinra Headquarters. While they escaped, one of the Turks chasing them shot her several times, severely wounding her. But somehow, miraculously, she took Aerith to the train station in the slum. Then, a young woman approached her and tried to help her, but to no avail. The only thought that crossed the brunette's mind at the time was that she may be able to take care of her child. So, in her dying breath, she told the lady to take care of her child, Aerith, before falling unconscious.

It finally dawned upon Ifalna that this Ms. Gainsborough person was the same woman who tried to help her.

"Oh!" the Cetra softly gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. "You're the one back at the train station."

"That's right," Ms. Gainsborough said as she nodded. "I'm sorry that I was unable to be of more help. It's very fortunate that Cloud was around to save you on time."

"It's quite all right, Ms. Gainsborough," Ifalna quickly replied.

"Just call me Elmyra," the house owner insisted.

"Yes, um, Elmyra," the Cetra mumbled before remembering that this woman was the one who took Aerith. She then quickly asked, "Is Aerith still here?"

Elmyra tapped her chin, looking concerned. "…Well, yes," she answered with hesitation, "but she's a bit… shaken up."

Ifalna stiffened upon hearing that. "Shaken up?" she repeated the house owner, becoming worried about the wellbeing of her daughter. "Did something happen to her?"

Upon hearing this question, Cloud and Elmyra glanced at each other with distress showing in their faces. The two being uncomfortable silent tested the brunette's patience and made her expect for the worst.

The aproned woman slowly faced the Cetra and asked with disbelief, "…You… don't remember?"

Ifalna felt her hair stand on end. "Remember what?" she responded. Why was this woman acting so strange all of a sudden?

Struggling to put it in words, Elmyra remained silent as she looked away from the brunette. She looked as if she was deep in her own thoughts, trying to put together the right words in her mind.

Cloud quickly intervened and explained, "You sort of lost yourself when I opened the front door. Aerith got scared when she saw you."

The Cetra's fear grew upon hearing this. "How did I 'lose' myself?" she interrogated, demanding an answer at this point.

The blond slowly breathed in, preparing himself to say whatever was in his mind, bit his lower lip and clarified with some difficulty, "You, um, started shaking violently and shrieking like a ghost when Aerith tried to hug you. She got frightened and started crying before Elmyra took her away from you."

…Oh.

So, she really did go crazy. In front of her own child, too.

Ifalna felt herself grow slightly numb. She sulked as she backed away to the nearest wall and leaned on it.

I guess I really am broken, the Cetra thought to herself grimly as she stared off into space. I can't even control myself near Aerith, my own daughter.

Cloud walked forth as he scratched the back of his head. "Err… Don't worry. I know how you feel," the blond stated, noticeably trying his best to sound reassuring and comforting. "I lost my own mind plenty of times when I was younger. Heck, I even assaulted one of my closest friends while I was losing my mind. Ha ha!"

Ifalna and Elmyra froze. They silently turned to stare at the adventurer with very concerned and disturbed looks.

"…I'm just kidding," the blond quickly said with alarm as he noticed the two. "I was only trying to cheer you up."

It failed spectacularly, Cloud, the Cetra responded silently, holding back her desire to glare at the adventurer for saying something so out of line.

The three stood silently, all trying to think of something to say to cut through this uncomfortably thick silence that Cloud created. The brunette wondered if the blond was one of those people who were extremely dependable in one moment and extremely unreliable in other moments.

Almost as if to respond to her thoughts, Cloud opened his mouth and began, "Anyway, would you like to speak with your daughter soon, Ifalna?"

"W-what?" the Cetra blurted, confused that the blond would ask such a question. The adventurer just finished explaining what she did to her child, which she failed to recall much to her frustration. And now he was asking her if she wanted to speak with her? "…B-but," she stammered, having serious doubts about the idea, "I…"

Looking puzzled by the idea, Elmyra turned to Cloud and inquired, "Are you sure that is a good idea? Ms. Faremis just woke up after that… event. Wouldn't it be better if the reunion waited out a bit?"

The adventurer crossed his arms before affirming with confidence, "Ifalna should be fine for now. If she wasn't, she wouldn't even be standing here talking with us."

The Cetra nearly rolled her eyes when she heard this. "We only met earlier today," she sternly reminded the blond. "How can you be so sure about this? Even I don't know when I'm going to lose my mind again."

Cloud shrugged, clearly brushing off her comment. "Trust me, I know about this sane-insane junk," he reassured her. "This sort of thing happens in phases in a way. It completely gets at you and then when it's done, it leaves you alone for a while. So, you should be fine for several minutes starting now, at least."

Ifalna scowled after hearing such unprofessional comment. "That's not reassuring at all," she shot back, barely keeping herself levelheaded. "And how would you know about this 'sane-insane junk' you speak of?"

The blond nonchalantly replied, "I told you. I have experienced this before. I-"

"Hold one just one moment," the Cetra nearly exclaimed as she remembered something strange, her brows knitting together. "…Are you saying you really assaulted someone?"

"Yes-" Cloud confirmed as he nodded before realizing what he had just said. "No!" he hastily exclaimed to cut himself off, his eyes wide open with surprise.

"You really did beat someone up, did you?!" Ifalna shouted, covering her mouth in utter shock. "How could you do that?!"

Elmyra calmly tapped her pointer fingers as her eyes moved from Cloud to Ifalna, then from Ifalna to Cloud, as she tried to follow this "conversation". It was becoming more of an argument at this point, though. Thinking that she had to stop them before things grew more heated, the house owner cleared her throat and asked, "…Um, Ms. Faremis? Cloud?"

"Didn't you say that it was your close friend you assaulted, too?!" the Cetra continued with rage, unable to hear Elmyra's soft voice.

Cloud, ignoring the aproned woman, reached his limit and growled, "Holy shi- cow, Ifalna. Didn't you say earlier today you only partly believed in me?"

"Yes, I did!" the angry brunette exclaimed back, her hands balled into fists. "How does that relate to this-"

"Out of all things I said," the blond interjected as he angrily raised his pointer finger and pointed at the Cetra, "you believe in a joke I just mentioned to cheer you up."

Elmyra lowered her head when the two continued to ignore her.

"That wasn't even funny to begin with!" Ifalna shot back, her rage not showing any signs of disappearing. "And it was awfully descriptive to be a joke."

Furiously rubbing his temples, Cloud shot back with a raised voice, "Okay, now you're refusing to believe my words. How convenient, don't you think?"

The Cetra's face grew red upon hearing the statement. "Don't you dare give me that!" she growled at the blond's face. "And even if it was a joke, how did you think that joke was going to work? When was assaulting ever funny?"

Cloud shrugged. "I dunno, dark humor?" he asked, growing more and more annoyed by this bickering.

This mystified Ifalna. She tried to wrap her head around the appropriateness of dark humor, especially in a case like this. When the brunette failed, she affirmed to the adventurer with an angry look, "You have issues."

Upon hearing this, Cloud's jaws dropped, shock evident in his face. "…I don't think you have the right to tell me that," Cloud pointed out as he recovered.

Before Ifalna could say anything more, Elmyra suddenly exclaimed, "Aerith!"

Cloud and Ifalna quickly turned around and noticed a small girl sitting on the stairway, staring at them with a frown. Aerith nervously tapped her knees, realizing that the three noticed her.

Elmyra quickly ran to the child and whispered, "Aerith, I told you to wait downstairs." She then helped Aerith stand up and continued, "Now, let's walk to the living room. I'll turn on the television if you want to-"

The blond suddenly spoke up, "Hold it, kid." He then turned to the frozen Ifalna with a smug grin on his face. "Your mother wishes to speak with you."

Shocked to hear this, Ifalna turned to glare at the adventurer, annoyed and concerned by his brazen decision. "Are you crazy?" she whispered angrily at him through her gritted teeth.

"What was that?" Cloud asked in a suspiciously loud voice, loud enough for Aerith to hear. "You say you can't wait to talk with Aerith? My, how sweet of you!"

"Cloud!" The Cetra snapped back in a whispering but sharp tone. She wanted to question Cloud's decision-making skills at this point. If this was going to go downhill, she planned on pinning all the blame on Cloud.

Without much thought, Ifalna turned back to look at Aerith, who was standing on the stairway.

She was looking at her mother with a bright smile on her face. Her whole face seemed to be lit up with excitement after the adventurer spoke to her. Seeing her child like this warmed the Cetra's heart.

Elmyra seemed to doubt the blond's decision, but she also seemed to have no idea what else to do. Cautiously, the aproned woman let go of Aerith and stepped back to make room for her and her mother.

The whole room became silent as Ifalna and Aerith looked at each other. The mother was finally recognizing her child, but she remained awfully cautious. Meanwhile, the child longingly gazed at her mother, ready to run to her at any moment.

Mustering up her courage, the older Cetra tried to step forward towards her daughter. Her feet were planted onto the floor, however, and she was unable to move. The fear of losing herself again plagued her mind, holding her back from her own child.

Instead, she smiled and quietly muttered, "Aerith…"

"Mommy!" Aerith exclaimed as she ran to her mother as fast as she could. As she hugged her legs, she murmured happily with a tinge of sadness, "I missed you so much."

Ifalna felt her heart race with excitement. Her embrace and her voice, they comforted her. The fear in her heart slowly disappeared, and the older Cetra slowly relaxed. She could only feel joy in her heart, a feeling she hasn't truly felt in so long.

Tranquility rushed over Ifalna, letting her feel the bliss she hasn't experienced for what felt like an eternity. The brunette slowly kneeled and hugged her daughter. "…I missed you, too, Aerith," she whispered into Aerith's ear.

The Cetra wanted to cry in joy. But, not wanting to scare Aerith again, she held her tears back.

The two remained embracing each other for a while. The two have hugged each other many times in the past, but that was all in the Shinra Headquarters, where danger and evil loomed over them every day and every night. This was their first embrace where both felt safe and out of danger, at least for that moment.

While Ifalna and Aerith continued to hug each other, the mother heard the adventurer murmur, "What a happy reunion…"

The older Cetra looked up to see that Cloud had walked away and was standing next to Elmyra. Both were smiling. Seeing a giant smile on Elmyra's face, Ifalna could easily tell she was more than excited to see the two reunited. Much to the brunette's surprise, though, Cloud didn't seem that happy. He remained smiling, but she could see a tint of sadness on his face. The Cetra saw through his small smile and sensed a feeling of seriousness that his fake expression masked.

Perhaps it had something to do with him melting down earlier this day? She didn't know, but she knew it wouldn't matter, considering how the two were going to go their own paths soon.

Soon afterward, Aerith stepped back and excitedly began, "Mommy! I have another mommy taking care of me right now!"

Ifalna heard Cloud snicker. She refrained herself from glaring at the adventurer and said to her daughter, "Yes, I heard." She then added as she pointed at the aproned woman next to the blond, "It's her, right?"

The younger Cetra laughed and nodded in response.

The brunette softly laughed before asking Aerith, "Can you please take me to her, Aerith?"

"Mhm!" Aerith said as she nodded quickly, her head excitedly bobbing up and down. The girl grabbed her mother's hand and began to walk to Elmyra.

Ifalna stood up and followed Aerith, who grabbed her hand and walked to Elmyra who was standing close by. When the two stood right in front of the smiling aproned woman, the girl excitedly exclaimed, "Here she is!"

"Thank you so much, Aerith," the older Cetra replied with a smile before turning to Elmyra. "Ms. Gainsbo-, I mean, Elmyra," Ifalna began as she folded her hands politely, "thank you so much for keeping my daughter safe."

"You are most welcome," the house owner replied merrily. "I'm just glad you're still alive to meet your daughter again."

The older Cetra silently nodded upon hearing this, staring off into the space behind the aproned woman.

Elmyra straightened her apron with a thoughtful look. "…Actually," she slowly began as an idea popped into her head, "It must have been a long day for you two. I think both of you deserve some coffee or tea."

Ifalna and Cloud looked at each other, surprised to hear her make this offer. The blond turned back to the aproned woman and replied with slight uncertainty, "Uh, that would be nice, actually."


The four sat around the round dining table in the middle of the hexagonal living room. The bright room had many furniture that decorated the area, ranging from an old television and drawers to paintings and flowers. The smooth wooden ceiling, the tiled floor, and the décor in general added a warm welcoming feeling to the room, contrasting drastically with the dark, cold, and gloomy mood outside the home and in the slums.

The three adults took their time drinking coffee while Aerith drank a cold glass of milk.

Sipping from his cup, Cloud mentioned with satisfaction, "This coffee tastes really good, Elmyra."

"Thank you," Elmyra replied, glad that both were enjoying their drinks. "It's not really much, though. I wish I had more to offer."

Ifalna, after finishing her cup of coffee, shook her head and asserted, "This was more than we could have asked for. And, personally, I can only be thankful to you that you would take care of Aerith."

The aproned woman chuckled before commenting, "It was only for a day. You give me too much credit, Ms. Faremis."

Before Ifalna replied to this, she noticed her daughter gazing at the coffee-sipping adventurer.

After drinking from her glass cup, Aerith looked at Cloud, who was taking another sip of coffee. When the blond noticed her looking at him, the girl smiled brightly.

The younger Cetra cheerfully said, "Your hair looks really spikey."

The blond smirked, amused by the little girl. "Thanks," he said in response. "I like my hair."

Aerith laughed and continued, "Did you know nails are spikey as well?"

"Are they now?" Cloud asked, curious as to what the young Aerith would say next.

"Mhm," the child mumbled as she nodded. "Spikey things are dangerous, too."

"Really?" the blond inquired. "How so?"

"If you touch them wrong," Aerith began to explain as she tried to remember her facts that she learned, "then you will bleed!"

"Whoa!" Cloud said as he exaggerated his surprised expression.

"Yeah," the girl continued, her expression growing serious. "Your hair must get bloody a lot."

"Ye-… what?" the adventurer stuttered as he heard the comment, wondering if he heard her wrong.

"I think a lot of people will think your hair is dangerous," Aerith thought out loud, frowning. "I think people won't like to hug you."

"…Wow," Cloud muttered, looking both impressed and slightly hurt by the younger Cetra's comment.

Elmyra was quick to warn the girl to be careful with her words. Ifalna nearly snickered upon hearing Aerith's creative comment, but decided not to say anything about it.

A little later, the house owner wiped her mouth with a tissue and inquired the adventurer, "So, what do you plan on doing now?"

After glancing at his digital wristwatch, Cloud answered, "I'm gonna be traveling around places again. My next destination is the northern continent, where the Northern Cave Crater is."

Elmyra tapped her chin, clearly thinking about what the blond just said. "Is that so…?" she murmured, looking as if she wanted to say more but was holding herself back.

Quickly noticing the home owner's strange behavior, Cloud asked her, "Is something in your mind?"

After remaining silent for a moment, Elmyra slowly stood up and said, "Just a moment." She walked over to one of the drawers and picked up a picture before returning to the table. As she showed the blond the picture, she asked with a solemn expression, "Have you seen this man?"

Cloud leaned over and squinted to see the picture.

Curious about of its content, Ifalna did the same and observed the small paper.

In the picture were two adults standing in front of the same house they were in, smiling at the camera. The shorter one was clearly Elmyra. The taller one was a lean man with white skin, dark-brown combed hair, and a slightly pointed chin with some stubble on it. The Cetra also noticed that he was wearing a long-sleeved green sweater and khaki pants. The man looked like an average ordinary person, which was strange, considering how most of the people in the slums were not average or ordinary.

But then again, Elmyra wasn't like anyone else in the slums, as well.

After inspecting the picture carefully, Cloud slowly shook his head and answered, "No, I haven't seen him."

The house owner looked clearly disappointed, but she did her best to mask it by smiling. "…I see," she murmured as she blankly stared at her coffee cup. She then quickly turned back to Cloud, looking rather determined, and said, "His name is Rochford. If you ever see him, can you tell him to stop making me so worried and come back home?"

The blond raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused by the sudden request.

Elmyra took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before asking, "Rochford is my husband. He was drafted into the Shinra army to fight Wutai in the war. But a while ago, I received a letter saying that he was going to return home very soon." The woman grabbed her empty cup of coffee and stared into it as she continued to explain her story, "I've been waiting for him at the train station since. But, as you can see, he still hasn't returned. I'm not sure if his return was just delayed or something went wrong."

A missing husband.

So, she had a missing husband.

Ifalna could only understand how it would feel all too well. Wondering where he might be all this time, it must be a pain to not know what was going on. Had she still had her connections with Gaia, she would have easily known whether he was still alive or not. All the Cetra could do now was hope that the man was okay and would return home soon.

After hearing the story, Cloud slightly slumped, looking very troubled about something. He had the expression that could make everyone else around worry alongside him. The look of concern the man made looked foreign on him. At least, that's what Ifalna thought.

He quickly sat up again, however, and reassured the house owner with a smile, "Don't worry. If I ever this Rochford person around during my travels, I'll tell him to get back here ASAP."

Upon hearing this, Elmyra smiled in relief. "Thank you so much," she replied. "I just hope he comes back home real soon."

As soon as she finished talking with Cloud, Elmyra turned to Ifalna and asked, "And what about you, ma'am? What do you intend on doing now that you and Aerith are together?"

The older Cetra glanced at her daughter, who was smiling at her, waiting for her to answer the question. Seeing her smile like this, staying so safe from the danger, it made Ifalna happy.

The brunette suddenly asked the aproned woman, "Before I answer that, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Um, no I don't," Elmyra replied as she tapped her cup in anticipation.

"Would you have taken care of my daughter if I died?"

Taken aback by such a question, Elmyra coughed. After collecting her thoughts, she replied cautiously, "…Yes, I would have. In fact, that was what I originally planned on doing before you reappeared."

The Cetra was relieved to hear that answer. Aerith was going to be safe after all. And, seeing the positive attitude and personality of the woman, she would have undoubtedly taken care of her daughter very well.

In the end, this was what their escape from Shinra was about. This was all that mattered to her: Keeping Aerith safe from them.

"Thank you so much," Ifalna replied in relief before taking a breath. "Now, to answer your question, I intend on running away as far as possible."

"…Ooooh," Elmyra let out as she assumed she realized what the Cetra meant. "You want to get away from this place with you daughter as far as possible. Well, that's understandable-"

"No," Ifalna interjected as she shook her head, becoming serious once more. "I'm going to go away from Aerith as far as possible."

An expression of utter shock replaced the cheerful smile that was on Aerith's face. She looked to be in disbelief upon hearing this. The girl looked as if maybe she just heard her mother wrong. Hoping to get something out of the older Cetra, the daughter murmured cautiously, "…Mommy?"

Cloud cleared his throat before laughing, interrupting everyone in the room. "W-well," he began, trying to remain calm as he forced a smile, "looks like there's some misunderstanding going around here."

Before Ifalna was able to shake her head and repeat herself, the blond quickly got up and went over to the brunette. After lightly laughing, Cloud grabbed Ifalna's shoulders and gently pulled her up. "There's something I have to discuss with my good friend before we continue," he cheerfully said rather loudly, blocking off any chances for Ifalna to say something.

The adventurer hastily dragged the Cetra out of the house, leaving Elmyra and Aerith in a very confused state.

As soon as Cloud shut the door behind him, he immediately asked the Cetra with a flustered look, "Ifalna, what the hell?"

Shaken up by Cloud's unexpected actions, Ifalna tried to get a hold of herself as she stammered, "W-what?"

Looking very confused and vexed, Cloud vigorously rubbed his temples. "Are you actually saying you're going to leave Aerith behind and run away by yourself?"

Unfazed by the question, the Cetra nodded with no hesitation. "That's correct," she verified calmly.

The blond grew quiet upon hearing the brunette's response. He slowly turned around and looked out into the open space behind him, grabbing his head with both of his hands. Moments later, he turned back around with a frustrated look and asked, "I didn't want to say this, but what in the actual fuck, Ifalna? How could you just throw away your daughter like that?"

"I'm not throwing her away," Ifalna quickly responded, frustrated that Cloud would jump to conclusions as she struggled to keep a neutral expression. "This is the best possible option for Aerith."

"How could you do this?" Cloud half-exclaimed, keeping his voice down to not frighten anyone in the house. "You're her mother-!"

"Yes, Cloud, I'm her mother," the Cetra angrily interjected, growing tired of Cloud's meaningless rant. It was more than obvious to the brunette that the adventurer was refusing to understand the bigger picture she had in mind. She failed to keep her stoic face as her brows knitted together in frustration. "I know what's best for her, and what's best for her right now is protection and care."

"How does abandoning her give her 'protection and care'?"

"Did you forget who I am already?" Ifalna asked as she raised her eyebrow, growing more and more agitated. "I'm a Cetra, one of the primary targets of Shinra. What do you think will happen if I stay with my daughter?"

The blond remained silent as he processed what the brunette just told him. His expression slowly softened, signaling his realization. "…You think staying away from your daughter will minimize her chances of getting caught."

Ifalna slowly nodded, her temper settling down now that the blond seemed to understand her. "My only goal here was to know if Elmyra is a suitable caretaker, a possible stepmother." Feeling the frustration leave her, the Cetra sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "As long as I'm around, Aerith will be in constant danger. We can run, but we'll never be able to hide for long."

Cloud looked as if he wanted to say something in response. Whatever he tried to say, however, the blond seemed to lose his words in his throat.

"Thankfully, Elmyra seems more than suitable to be a mother to Aerith," the brunette continued. "Even Aerith began to see her as one. It was only a day, too."

"So," the adventurer finally spoke up, looking troubled by what the Cetra told him just now, "what do you plan to do now?"

"I already told you," Ifalna began to remind the blond. "I'm going to run as far away from Aerith as possible."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Cloud sighed in frustration, rubbing his temples. "What if Shinra gives up on catching you and decides to capture Aerith? Have you thought of that possibility?"

Ifalna nodded solemnly. "I have," she began to reply. "But, I'm sure at this point that Elmyra would do a better job protecting her than I would."

"How are you so damn certain?" the adventurer vented, glaring at the Cetra as if she was being foolish. "You only met Elmyra for a moment. I mean, sure, she seems like a loving person. But how can you be so sure that you won't be able to do a good job with this?"

"I lost control over myself several times just today," Ifalna sternly reminded as she gave the blond a vitriolic look. "Do you honestly think I'm fit to protect a child and be on a constant lookout for danger?"

The two became quiet, nothing around the area breaking the silence.

Not wanting this to go on, the brunette shook her head and said, "If you're done, I'm going back in and telling them the truth."

Soon afterward, both Ifalna and Cloud reentered the house, both carrying solemn faces. The brunette was nervous of talking about this with Elmyra and Aerith, but she knew it had to be done.

Elmyra and Aerith, still sitting with concerned looks at the table, grew even more concerned when they noticed how serious the adventurer and the Cetra appeared when they came back in to the living room.

As Ifalna and Cloud slowly moved to sit at the table, the aproned woman mustered up her courage and softly asked, "…Is something wrong?"

That was when the Cetra told the whole truth about her and Aerith. From the fact that they were Cetra to what Shinra tried to do with them, she told everything that Elmyra needed to know. The home owner seemed overwhelmed by all the information at first, but as time passed on, she slowly took it in.

When Ifalna finished explaining, Elmyra rubbed her forehead before admitting, "I didn't expect to hear this. But, I'm more surprised at myself for taking this rather well."

After nodding in assurance, the Cetra asked, "So, are you willing to take care of Aerith and protect her?" Now that Elmyra knew what she was getting into, all Ifalna could hope for was the aproned woman to say yes.

"…Well," Elmyra began slowly, wondering how to express her thoughts, "my answer is still 'yes', but I'm just worried about your safety-"

"Don't be too concerned about it," Ifalna reassured, finally making a small smile. "As long as you're willing to take care of Aerith, it should be fine."

"…I see," the woman murmured, still deeply concerned about this whole matter. She had nothing more to add to this discussion as she realized that nothing she said would ever change the brunette's mind. It concerned her and frustrated her in some aspect, but she decided against starting a fruitless argument that wasn't going to change the mother's mind.

When Ifalna turned to Aerith, the older Cetra noticed the sad expression on her daughter's face. It was heartbreaking to see her like this again, but the brunette knew she had to do this for her child's own safety.

The mother slowly stood up and approached her daughter. She then squatted next to Aerith and soothingly said, "I'm sorry, Aerith, but mommy has to go away for a while."

Aerith frowned, doing her best to hold back her emotions. "I know," the younger Cetra murmured sadly, "but why can't we just stay here together? I don't want you to leave again."

Ifalna shook her head and said, "It's not safe for now. We can't stay together while Shinra are still hunting for us." The Cetra then smiled and said reassuringly, "I promise that I will return to see you when it becomes safer."

The girl smiled upon hearing this. "You promise?" she asked, growing happy with the thought of her being able to meet her mother again in the future.

"I promise," Ifalna repeated as she hugged her child.

The older Cetra wished she could stay longer with Aerith. They barely stayed together for only an hour, after all. Ifalna knew leaving her was going to hurt so much, but she did her best to not think about it for now, treasuring the embrace of her daughter this moment.

Soon after, Ifalna looked into her daughter's green eyes and stated, "Remember, be a good girl to Elmyra and don't cause any trouble, okay?"

Aerith nodded happily before answering, "Don't worry, mom. I will."

The older Cetra nodded before standing up and stepping towards the front door. She then turned back to see the whole view of the living room. Cloud was still silently sitting at the table, and judging from his angry expression, he was still upset. Elmyra and Aerith were looking at the brunette, a mix of certainty and doubt showing on their faces.

Not wanting to push this back any further, Ifalna cleared her throat before saying, "I will be going now. See you later, everyone."

With that said, she quickly left the house.


Well, this is it, Ifalna thought to herself as she stood in front of Elmyra's home. I'm truly alone now.

Feeling the breeze slapping against her face, the brunette looked out into the open space in front of her. Even the slums began to look so vast now that she was alone. It made Ifalna realize that someone was always with her nearly all her life. Even during her time in the Shinra Headquarters, Aerith was still with her.

This new feeling of true loneliness flushed through the Cetra's mind, making her realize just how big the world was. It honestly scared her a bit.

Maybe I'll wait for Cloud to come out for now, Ifalna told herself as she remembered her rescuer. He deserves much more than my scorn, after all.

Waiting for time to pass faster, the brunette walked around the house. She kicked several stones on the dirt floor to the small lake as she waited for a minute, which extended to several minutes.

After a long wait, Cloud finally emerged from Elmyra's home. The expression on his face remained serious as ever, but at least he didn't appear angrier than before.

As soon as the blond closed the front door and began to step away from the home, Ifalna stepped up to him and stood tall in front him.

The adventurer, caught by surprise, blurted at the woman, "You're still here?"

Ifalna nodded, inwardly glad to see the man before she left.

"…Is there anything you want to say?" Cloud asked as he crossed his arms, clearly exhausted from what just happened at Elmyra's home.

Ifalna took a deep breath before beginning, "I want to thank you for all the help you've given me." The Cetra brushed her hair back before continuing, "You helped me so much more than I could have ever asked for. I wish I could do something for you in return."

As he was listening to her, the adventurer gave a half-smile. He still looked visibly tired and somewhat conflicted.

"And…" the brunette added slowly as she rubbed her upper arm, "I'm sorry if I was rude to you earlier, too. I may have acted out of line several times, and I think you deserve an apology for having to deal with my strange actions."

"Eh, it's nothing," Cloud sighed as he shook his head, beginning to walk away from the home. "I'm just… kinda concerned for you."

Wanting to talk a little more with the blond, Ifalna followed him and assured, "There's no need to worry about me. You should just worry about yourself, if anything."

"I'm trying," the adventurer grumbled as he rubbed his temples, "but it's harder than it looks."

As the two walked away from Elmyra's home and back to the gloomy slums, the Cetra pointed out, "You're the one who mentioned about 'splitting ways'. It would be hard to do so if you stay this concerned-"

"I mentioned that before I realized that you aren't actually fine," Cloud interrupted as he abruptly stopped. After turning to face the brunette, he continued with a concerned look, "I thought you were okay until you had another mental breakdown back at Elmyra's place. You even admitted that you lost control over yourself several times today. And there's also the fact that Shinra's hunting for you."

"There's no need to worry too much about that," Ifalna quickly said, hoping to calm the adventurer down. "Only a few people in Shinra are actually after me, like the Turks and their elite guards. Everyone else in the company don't even know about me."

"That's only a possibility," Cloud pointed out, not affected by the brunette's comment in any way. "What if they decide to use more resources in capturing you later?"

"That won't happen while that war or whatever is going on," the brunette explained, not being fazed by Cloud's constant questioning. "They would be more focused on not losing to… whoever they're fighting right now."

"Wutai," the adventurer reminded, his expression serious as ever. "That war is not going to last forever, though. A bit of a spoiler for you, but it will end in less than ten years."

Surprised to hear this, Ifalna gasped as she covered her mouth. She processed the information through her head before asking, "Who won?"

"Take a wild guess," Cloud bluntly answered.

"Wutai."

"Please."

The answer was clear, despite Ifalna not wanting to believe it. Nothing she could do was going to change that. It didn't take much for the Cetra to realize Shinra may begin to search for her and her daughter more thoroughly after the war.

Although Ifalna still strongly believe Elmyra would do a better job in protecting her daughter, she still felt concerned about Shinra hunting her down. Again.

It scared her more than she thought it would.

Cloud cleared his throat before continuing, "So anyway, what do you plan on doing after running away while knowing that they will use more resources and manpower to look for you and Aerith?"

Ifalna bit her lower lip, admittedly worried after hearing what Cloud had to say about this. "…Well, first off, Aerith would still be safer under Elmyra than me," she repeated. "They wouldn't take too much chances with her while she's under the care of an unrelated person."

"I know you're not going to change your mind about that," Cloud pointed out as he pulled on one of the spikes on his head. "But, what about yourself? No one's protecting you as far as I know. They'll focus more on searching for you in the future. And I doubt you would want to return there, too."

The Cetra had to admit, she did not want to go back to that hellhole. That was the very last place she wanted to be in in her lifetime. And, Cloud was right in that she knew of no one in this world who would risk his or her life to protect the brunette.

And even if she did manage to stay out of Shinra's sight without anyone's help, it would be an awfully lonely life. Ifalna knew only too well how loneliness can destroy a person, too.

The brunette had no idea. But, she knew she can't just sit around, either. The Cetra still had to try something to continue escaping from the dark hand of Shinra.

She felt sorry for making Cloud so worried about her. The man looked visibly troubled and concerned about her. So, the brunette decided to lighten the mood up with a small joke.

With a shrug, Ifalna mentioned, "I guess I'll just die then."

Cloud froze as a look of terror formed on his face.

Hoping to emphasize her joke, Ifalna forced a smile. It felt extremely awkward.

Cloud mumbled audibly, "…The fuck?"

Ifalna quickly said in a knee-jerk reaction, "It's a joke."

After taking a deep breath, the adventurer mentioned, "It didn't sound like one at all."

"I said it's a joke," the Cetra defended herself, feeling embarrassed and frustrated. "Why would I kill myself?"

The blond stammered some words, but it was impossible to make them out. Eventually, he stopped and slowly rubbed his face, looking as if he was trying to think of something to say.

"Cloud, why," Ifalna blurted, growing annoyed with Cloud's disbelief. "You explained it yourself: Dark humor."

The blond mumbled something inaudible.

Ifalna continued to complain, "No, really. Do I look like the person to kill myself?"

The adventurer continued to murmur as he rubbed his temples.

"I don't know why you would complain about my 'dark humor' when you joked about it a while ago," the Cetra continued as her brows knitted together. "What do you think I thought of when-"

"Hey, I said 'okay', alright?!" Cloud finally exclaimed. After shaking his head, he calmed down and said, "…Sorry, I'm only concerned for you. That's all."

Glad that the blond gave up on arguing with her, Ifalna nodded and replied, "I will be fine, for now at least. You don't need to be this worried about me anyway. You need to be more concerned about returning to the future."

"…Yeah, you're right…" the adventurer admitted with a more relaxed look. "It's just… it's hard to not care about another human being in distress."

Another human being.

The Cetra had to admit, it felt so refreshing to be acknowledge as one and treated like one. For far too long, she was treated like an animal in a cage. The brunette forgot what it was like to be treated like a person. She wanted to thank Cloud and Elmyra a million times for helping her remember how it felt to be human.

Ironically, she doubted she was ever going to see the two ever again. Cloud, especially.

Before Ifalna added anything more, Cloud, after sheepishly scratching his head, extended his hand as he said, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Ifalna. Maybe we'll meet each other again in the future."

Hopefully I'll still be alive by then, the Cetra mused before shaking the adventurer's hand. "I'll never forget what you did for me, Cloud," she said with a smile, a genuine smile that sprouted from the warmth in her heart. "I hope to see you again."

For a split moment, the blond showed a rather sad expression. Before the brunette thought more about it, though, he quickly smiled before letting go of her hand. "Well," Cloud began as he rolled his right shoulder, "I'll be going back to my place to rest up before getting out of this dump."

Ifalna nodded as she took several steps away from the blond. "Good luck with your journey," she said with a smile, a smile she regretted not making more often when she still had more time with the blond.

"Anyway," Cloud said as he prepared to wrap it up, "take care, Ifalna. I'll see you around back in my time." With that finished, the blond turned around and began to walk away as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Good bye, Cloud," Ifalna said as she waved at the adventurer.

She stood there for minutes, watching the blond walk away at a steady pace. Eventually, the man disappeared, slum buildings and piles of junk blocking him from her view.

It was strange to see him go. Ifalna wished that she had more time to spend with the blond. He may have been strange, and maybe he did hide a few things from her, but she realized in the end that he was someone to be trusted.

Her heart was stung from the fact that she won't be seeing Cloud for so long. There wasn't even a guarantee that she would be alive or free by the time he returned. Or, even worse, there was a possibility he could die somehow before she would get the chance to meet him.

Ifalna soon turned to start her own journey. She didn't know where it would take her, but she hoped that it would let her stay away from Shinra as long as possible. It would be quite a lonely trip, but maybe, if she was lucky, she would be able to meet people just as good as Cloud.

Well, here I go, the brunette thought to herself nervously as she rubbed her hands together.

As soon as she took the first step, however, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

The Cetra turned around.

It was Cloud.

"Um…" Cloud slowly began as he rubbed the back of his neck, "do you even know how to get out of this place?"

Um….

"I… err… no," Ifalna mumbled as she realized she didn't even know the way out of the slums. Maybe she should have planned this out more carefully.

"I thought so," Cloud grumbled as he shook his head. "I'm guessing you are thinking about asking me for help on that, aren't you?"

The Cetra blinked. A moment ago, she was thinking how she probably won't be seeing the blond again. But here he was now, returning to help her again.

Despite the condescending tone of the adventurer, she couldn't help but feel excited to be with him again for a little while longer.

Ifalna smiled as she looked at Cloud. "Yes," she answered as she brushed her hair back, "I think I need your help again."