I wanna thank Miserable at Best, who's stuck with me until now, Kairis 12 and TheGreatMillz33, my newest reviewers, Murasaki Shibiku for her (his? you never know) nice words, and Light, my only anonymous reviewer! =D Do tell L to be careful with his diet, eh? Vegetables are good too (ooh, the horror! XD). Kisses to ya all!! Love ya, dearies! My dolls! My hearts! My flowers! My munchkins! My...! Allright, I'll stop... But know this! I NEVER DIE!! MWAHAHA!

*cough* I also forgot the disclaimer in previous chapters, so I put it here and only here so I won't have to repeat myself because we ALL know that I don't own FFVII: Crisis Core. If I did, you betcha there'd be yaoi everywhere. And at least a few Naked Genesis scenes somehow incorporated in it. It woulda worked, right? Yes, yes, it would have... *Hojo-laugh* (GAH)

Also, something in this chapter is VERY important, so read carefuly (not that you woudn't do it without me telling you to, hmm?). If you ever find out what I mean, know that it won't change. But it will take a long, long time before that, so no worries. Well, I've already told you way too much, so on with the story! Do enjoy and review!!

Chapter four: The Gift of the Goddess and the Voice

When she awoke, Ren didn't know where she was. Everything was white, and she felt terribly sick, as if someone had punched her repeatedly in her stomach. Nausea swam around in her body, making her feel as if she was on a boat rocking upon some humongous waves.

She gasped when she sat up, her head swimming in darkness. Bringing a hand to her forehead, she felt that she had a slight fever. Her body was hot and sweaty, her breathing a bit erratic.

"Hey, how you feelin'?" She heard a voice ask beside her. Opening the eyes she had closed while getting up, she turned her head to see Zack and Cloud. They were staring at her silently, curious and weary.

She smiled lightly to tell them it was ok, though it was a lie. She could barely feel her hands, her head was pounding and bursts of electricity were running through her body. She cleared her dry throat, "What happened?" She nearly jumped at the sound of her raspy voice, as if she hadn't drank a drop of water in days.

When Cloud told her the story, she couldn't help but stare at him, wondering if he was telling the truth. She frowned, "That thing he gave me, what was it?"

Zack answered, "A materia, mastered one too. Only SOLDIERs should have been able to use it. That you managed to totally synchronize with it immediately is strange and frankly, not normal." Ren stared, "I think I have a materia of the same type, it's in my pants."

Curious, Zack rummaged through the clothes that a nurse had put on the small table beside them. With a small 'aha!' he took it out from her pocket.

And he immediately threw it on her bed, "What the –?! The thing stinged me!" Zack glared at it, massaging his hand. Ren laughed a bit, and went to take it herself. Hesitantly, she touched it with a finger. Not feeling or hearing anything like last time, she sighed thankfully and picked it up to observe it more closely.

The glow was slightly stronger than before, and the colors were swirling around in it. She could now see some dark green mixing with the more light one, the blue still a sky-like color. It was mesmerizing. Not even realizing it, the longer she stared, the more bright it got. Zack and Cloud looked on amazed as she was enveloped in a green and blue light. It was of a sweet color and feeling, not like in class where Cloud had felt and seen… danger.

Ren hummed slightly to herself, she felt incredibly well, as if the 'materia' was healing her.

HeartBrightTrustLove? It whispered in a hum to her.

Yes, she whispered back, a content smile sketched on her lips. I love you. She didn't know why she said that, but she felt connected, bonded to it. She heard a soft singing in her mind: it was happy. Then she blinked, and it was over. She smiled at the two other, not realizing what had happened.

They were amazed. "It's a natural materia!" Cloud whispered in pure awe. (1)

Frowning, Ren asked what it was. "The materia we use here are mostly human-made by Shin-Ra scientists. They're powerful, but they're not… Well, it doesn't have a bond to the Planet. You see, materia are made from mako, which is the blood of the Planet. They extract it, and use it, but the mako leaving its bed, you could say, becomes 'dirty'. What you have in your hand is a materia created by the Planet itself, meaning that the mako was pure. Natural materia are extremely rare, since the Planet doesn't just create them in seconds, it can take hundreds of years for one to form. Where did you find it?" Cloud asked her.

Ren sighed, "Would you believe me if I told you I found it on the ground?" They gave her a blank look and she sighed heavily. She closed her eyes, not knowing if she should tell them the truth or not.

Trust.

Giving the materia in her hand a look, she decided herself. She would follow what it and her instincts told her.

"I'm not really from this world," She said finally. "It was winter, and I had gone to school, like any other day. When I came home, my mother had asked me to put away some things for her in the attic. When I was going to go put another object in the shelves, I hit the materia and it fell down. Wondering what it was, I touched it. When I did, I… heard things. It felt as if someone was screaming in my head, and it hurt. It rendered me unconscious and when I woke up, I was in a desert. I walked here, saw you and Aerith, met that bastard higher-up, met Cloud, went to class, had that thing with the mastered materia and tadaa, here I am."

When she was done talking, the silence became terribly heavy.

"Quite the interesting story," A smooth voice cut in and they all flinched. "Though this bastard higher-up would prefer to be called by his title, if you please."

Ren scowled angrily at the man that came in. "And who gave you the right to eavesdrop?" She snarled at him. The man just gave her a cold look, before addressing Zack. "Well, Zachary, it seems your… cousin is quite special to manage such a feat. When she is rested, you will take her to the training grounds to see what she can do. She could become a valuable asset to Shin-Ra, with such a strong bond to the Planet. Be glad I don't throw her to the scientists while saying we may have found a Cetra."

Zack just nodded his head dumbly, and him and an embarrassed Cloud barely remembered to salute when he walked out the door. Ren just glared at him, refusing to do the same. When the man was out of hearing's reach, they rounded on her.

"You shouldn't insult the general!" Zack whispered harshly at her.

"Do you even realize what you did?!" Cloud asked her, dumbfounded.

She sighed pitifully, and went back to sleep, ignoring them both.

---

There is no hate, only joy
For you are beloved by the goddess
Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds

Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh…

Ren woke with a gasp, clutching at her head. She had heard… someone whisper things in her mind. It had sounded like a poem of some sort. She silently mused in the darkness of the hospital room about what he had said. She was sure it had been a man, the soft baritone voice still young and youthful. She unconsciously smiled when thinking about it. She could nearly see his angel-like face. He had auburn hair that went a little shorter than his shoulders, soulful but cold grayish green eyes, and a small mocking smirk on those thin pink lips. She laughed softly at that, and continued her mental creation.

He had a narrow chin, a pert nose and high cheekbones. His skin had a pale completion, but still managed to look healthy. She could see red leather clothing, a silver earring in his right ear and a rapier-styled sword. She frowned somewhat, remembering her own cutlass in her small room. She hoped she had not forgotten to lock the door, for she would hate to lose one of the two things that still held her connected to her own world.

Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return.

She jumped when the voice came back in her head, whispering the words like wind. She turned her left and right but saw no one else in the room. She was alone with only a voice in her head as companion. 'Could you stop?' She asked, finding herself stupid to talk in her own mind. 'I'd like to sleep, seeing as it's only two in the morning.'

Hearing nothing else, she lied down again, intending to get as many hours of sleep in the comfortable bed before she had to go back to her own room. Shifting a bit under the covers, she purred to herself, feeling the warmth of the sheets clinging to her body and heating her nicely. Rolling them comfortably in a cocoon, she fell asleep in a matter of minutes, totally disregarding the whisper that had come back in her subconscious.

Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess
We seek it thus, and take to the sky…

---

The next time she woke up, measly rays of the sun had managed to peak through the thick volute of pollution and were shining on the wall in front of her. The rays, distorted by the slightly dirty glass of the window, were shining in waves and undulating with the passing clouds.

Ren stared silently at the show presenting itself upon her eyes. She let her mind wander from the small room, letting it fly away were it saw fit. Her thoughts danced slowly in a waltz in her still sleep muddled mind, showing her words and feelings when it decided to get at least a bit of her attention. One thing did get it completely, though.

Child? A sweet feminine voice whispered at the back of her mind. I need your help.

Ren didn't respond to it immediately, waiting to get up properly on the bed. The Voice seemed to realize that she was listening to it and continued. I am sorry, child, to have done such a thing to you, but I needed you here.

Ren just nodded absentmindedly. The Voice sighed softly. Child… My sweet, darling child… I am Gaea, the Mother of All, the Goddess. I am Earth.

Now she had entirely woken up. The Planet was talking to her, and that was not normal. She frowned. 'What is it that you want from me? Why have you taken me away from my home?'

The Voice laughed airily. Child, this is your home.

"What do you mean?!" Ren finally growled out loud. "This is certainly not my world! I want back!" Feeling pretty stupid to have shouted out at nothing, she crossed her arms defensively on her chest, leaning back against the pillows she had placed on the headboard of the bed to be more comfortable.

Calm down, child. I am in need of you here to save my children. The Voice sighed again, as if hesitant to continue. One of my sisters went insane so, so long ago… She has hurt me deeply and I fear that she has awoken again to destroy me completely this time. A deep depression had clouded her voice.

Ren scowled angrily, "I have no want to play hero of the day!" She said harshly at the empty room. The curtains near an open window ruffled slightly with the non-existent wind.

I am sorry, child. The Voice repeated again. I need your help…

"Fine! I'll help you! Just… Promise you'll send me back afterwards?"

She could nearly see the hesitance to the proposition. Finally, she heard a resolute sigh from the Voice. Very well, it is a promise. I warn you though, child, I never break my promises.

Ren, too elated at the idea of going home, didn't make any notice of it. She slowly felt the presence leave her like a wave rolling back down the beach, leaving her feeling weirdly incomplete and alone.

She ran a hand through her slightly dirty and greasy hair, wanting to take a warm shower to de-stress. Hearing the small 'click' of the door opening, she turned to see who had entered. She stared silently at the doctor in white coat that approached with a clipboard in hand. His dark black and greasy hair was held in a low ponytail, and reading glasses covered his brown, glittering eyes.

"Well, well, well," He sneered in a malicious way. "What do we have here? A girl trying to become a SOLDIER?" He sniggered silently, his back slightly hunched. Ren glared at him, a snarl marring her usually pretty face, but it only seemed to make him laugh harder.

"I'm Professor Hojo, and I'll be the one doing the tests to see what in you made you manage such a feat, eh?" He suddenly brought his face close to hers, his eyes narrowed and all traces of amusement gone from his face. "I will find what you hide, my dear. I'm going to open that little body of yours and do whatever I want with it."

Very tempted to punch him, Ren restrained herself and answered him with a nasty smirk of her own. "Ah, but Professor Hojo, I will not let you." She purred, bringing her face closer to his. "Let's see who shall win, eh? The mad scientist, or the Girl from nowhere?" She sat back, watching him closely to see what his reaction would be. "You won't be touching anything of mine, Professor. Simply because I forbid you, and because you shall never see me again."

His eyes were throwing daggers at her and his nostrils flared in anger. Knowing that he could not do anything here without raising suspicion, he left her in a huff, slamming the door rather loudly behind him in a childish act of venting some steam. When he was gone, Ren let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding. She had played her part well, not letting her nervousness show after his statements. She shivered in disgust, images of him playing doctor with her body flowing before her eyes.

"Well, damn…" she whispered. "I really can't stay here." She got up from the bed, putting the cadet gear given to her on and leaving the room. An unnamed doctor passing her noted on his clipboard that she was able to leave and let her get out.

---

She found Zack and Cloud at the cafeteria, munching at the thing ShinRa called food, but really was some blobs of unidentified nutrients vaguely colored green, orange or brown. After taking her own share of it, she plopped herself down between them, and began munching away like they had done for the past ten or so minutes.

Both men jumped slightly at her arrival, too lost in thought to really pay attention to their surroundings. Deciding, seeing her rather gloomy face, not to ask question, they joined her at eating. They finished some time later and decided to go back to Zack's and Cloud's room to discuss.

"All right, so you're telling us that Gaea talked to you?"

"Yes, Zack, Gaea, as in the Planet, talked to me." She frowned, "She seemed very sad and lonely." She then snorted, "Well, she seemed hell-bent on getting me to help her. At least I get to go home when this is over."

Cloud frowned, "So you help the Planet, save the world, and bam, you're home? Seems a bit unlikely to me, to tell you the truth."

Ren could only sigh. "I know what you mean, but she did get me all the way here, so she technically should be able to get me back home."

The three of them had been discussing of the situation for the past hour now, and seemed to have gone nowhere in all that time. "Well, I still need to leave this place." She said suddenly.

Zack brightened up, "I know! Me, Cloud 'n Tseng are going to Modeoheim, you could come with us! And then you can decide to do whatever." The idea was all right, so she accepted without much problem. "It's in two weeks, so you still have some time to learn how to use that mini-sword of yours."

Ren blushed suddenly, remembering the rather embarrassing memory of her trying to lift, without much success, the standard SOLDIER blade. They had seemed very light, but she now knew better. They were laced with mako, and while she had felt the slight tingle of magic shooting up her palms, she still hadn't been able to lift the sword as much as a few inches of the ground, And she had been exhausted afterwards, as if it had sucked up her energy greedily the few minutes she had held it.

Shaking her head to get rid of the images, Ren stood up and said good-bye to the two other, wanting to go back to her room. She had gotten a few books one the lore of this world from Cloud and wanted to learn as much as possible to not seem weird with the poor information she had been given. She was in a new world, and she was going for a new start.

(1) - I do realize that "Natural Materia" is very probably not the correct term for such materia but the real notion has completely escaped my mind. So if someone could be so kind and tell me the correct term? I'd be very grateful.

On another note, I absolutely adore LOVELESS. If real copies existed of it I'd bye them by the dozen. Or do some really exist? I wonder... Anyway, our first approach on Gen-chan! =D I just had to make it somewhat spiritual, and with some quotes from LOVELESS, because really, we both are obsessed with it. Fortunately enough for me, I have not come to the point of randomy bursting a phrase in the middle of a conversation. Though I know I'd be capable... Gods, I'm such a dork.

Well, please review?

I EDITED A MISTAKE I DID WITH GAIA/GAEA. THANK YOU MegaKiraraLover FOR POINTING IT OUT!! IF YOU SEE ANY MISTAKES ON MY PART, PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN CORRECT THEM.