A/N: This is a more plot driven chapter, hopefully it's not too rushed. I hope you all enjoy it 3

Denzel grasped on to the straps of his backpack as he walked in through the doors of the critical care unit, humming along as the usual staff of the hospital greeted him. He had been coming over for a couple of weeks now to visit his friend, this time accompanied by Tifa and Cloud.

"Hey slow down!" Tifa said trying to catch up with the excited child, holding on to her small belly. Cloud was close behind the expectant barmaid, ready to catch her if need be. He understood Denzel was excited but he was more concerned about Tifa who was just having a hard time keeping up.

"Tifa she's waiting!" the boy grinned. "Come on!"

Tifa smiled back while catching up with the younger boy however it was futile with her condition. Cloud grabbed her shoulders as she breathed in.

"Take it easy." He warned her as he rubbed her shoulders. Tifa nodded in agreement, not wanting to exacerbate her situation.

The brunette pre-teen had been so excited to find out that his friend would be trying to walk today after being bed ridden for so long. Denzel almost burst through the door from excitement, startling Raisel who was being taken off of her I.V. fluids by the stocky-male nurse in the room.

"Denzel," the young girl smiled, "You scared me."

"Sorry," Denzel blushed slightly. "I just didn't want you to think I wouldn't be here. I know I promised I would."

"I didn't think you would miss it." Raisel said pushing her legs over the edge of the bed.

Tifa knocked lightly before coming in after Denzel, watching as Raisel prepared herself to stand. "Did we miss it?" Tifa whispered at Denzel who shook his head. Tifa was a bit nervous as she had heard so much about Raisel she felt like she knew her through Denzel but the reality was she hadn't met her yet. She looked up at the girl in question and all she could think was how lovely she was. Her hair was so long and radiant and her features so feminine. She looked so familiar, she had seen that face before, those gentle eyes even with the Mako infusion.

"You must be Tifa." Raisel said softly, not looking at the barmaid but at the floor.

"That's right." Tifa smiled, noticing how shy Raisel was. Tifa's hand squeezed Denzel's shoulder while he looked up at her smiling. "I think she's waiting for you."

"Oh," Denzel walked up to Raisel as the nurse lowered her bed until her feet touched the floor. "Are you ready?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah." Raisel nodded nervously. She began to bear her weight on her feet but stopped when she noticed both of Denzel's hands extended towards her.

"Hang on." He encouraged as their arms intertwined, Denzel's supporting hers, waiting for her weight to bear. She began to stand, her knees trembling but she could feel Denzel holding her steady. Before she knew it, they were eye to eye. She felt safe in her best friend's arms, so safe that she dared to take one step forward.

"D-Denzel I'm walking." She said with uncertainty, flabbergasted at what was happening. She was taking steps forward and he was taking steps back to give her ample room.

"Yeah! Soon enough you'll be running and jumping." Denzel encouraged.

Both Tifa and Cloud watched proudly as their adoptive son encouraged this strange girl to walk. It was a beautiful thing to watch their bond grow with every step.

"Denzel." Tifa called out, seeing that Raisel's legs were already giving in. The nurse took over Denzel, picking up the girl bridal-style so she wouldn't fall and walking her back to her bed. "You did excellent." The nurse smiled before hooking Raisel up back to her I.V., leaving as soon as he finished his tasks. Raisel sighed, already tired even though her day had just started.

"He's right Raisel." Tifa said encouragingly, finding the girl so charming.

"T-Thank you." The silver-haired girl blushed, still not able to look at any adult in the eye.

"Have you eaten?" Cloud's voice cut through. He began digging in the bag he had brought, a brown messenger bag that he usually took on small deliveries. "Tifa, made you another meal."

Raisel perked up quickly, looking up at Cloud. Denzel always brought him Tifa's cooking, one her favorite parts of her day.

"Ah," Cloud smiled, pulling out the boxed lunch and eating utensils. "Smells like barbeque something."

"Pork." Tifa smiled, happy that Raisel looked forward to her cooking. "With some steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes."

Raisel's mouth was already starting to water, licking at her lips hungrily. "T-Thank you so much." She said to the couple. "Ms. Tifa, you're a very good cook."

Tifa blushed, taking the food to Raisel, unwrapping it for her so she could enjoy her meal. "Thank you." Tifa said giving Raisel a kind smile. It was the first time Raisel had locked eyes with anyone other than Denzel. Tifa's eyes were warm, making her feel safe.

Cloud watched as Tifa and Denzel interacted with the young girl, helping her eat her lunch, when a pang stroke at his heart as he remembered what Reeve had suggested to him. Reeve Tuesti had been right, Raisel was comfortable with his family, she would fit in well but he couldn't help think about the next six months to a year, when Tifa had their baby. Where were they all going to fit? He crossed his arms, feeling that headache that came with stress. How was he supposed to say no, leaving the orphaned girl with nowhere to go? What was worse, Denzel was already attached to her.

The blonde excused himself quietly, walking out of the room as Tifa and Denzel doted over the girl. He leaned on the wall, crossing his arms, looking up at the ceiling. He took a deep breath, exhaling with a sigh, thinking about what he should do. He knew nothing about the girl other than she was an abandoned experiment. The files didn't say much about her, who her parents were, who she was, where she came from. All their information came directly from her mouth and from his experience, Mako had a tendency to alter a person's reality so how much of what she was saying was true? She mentioned she had a twin brother at some point, where was he? Did he die? Why wasn't he with her? There were so many unanswered questions but she was just a child. How could he bring up those sort of questions? He hated that part of the WRO, the investigative part. He felt Vincent was better at investigating, being a former Turk and all but as the ebon gunman had mentioned before, he frightened Raisel, and Cloud didn't blame her. Vincent was an intimidating man.

The sound of a clearing throat interrupted his thoughts immediately causing him to look back down at his eye level. Reeve gave him a friendly wave as a greeting but Cloud simply frowned.

"Deep in thought?" Reeve asked.

"You could say that." Cloud answered remaining crossed armed against the wall. "Have you found more information on her?"

"There were some more files found at Junon in the abandoned lab." Reeve nodded. Cloud stepped off the wall, listening intensely to what Reeve had to say. "She was created in the lab."

"Created?" Cloud could feel his chest tighten, worried about what the next words that were going to come out of Reeve's mouth.

"There was another, a boy, same age, though his whereabouts are unknown, he is presumed dead. They were both created using Sephiroth's genetics."

Like ice cold water cutting through his skin, Cloud could feel the hairs on his skin stand on end at the news. She was his child, it was no longer a speculation but a reality. "So there was a brother. She wasn't just making that up? What about…she talks about having a mother."

"Genevive Vitali." Reeve responded, "A former scientist at ShinRa who studied under Hojo at the time. She was the surrogate for the twins and from the looks of it she felt some sort of remorse during her pregnancy because she took off, dropping off the radar. She was considered to be stealing vital company research by taking them so she was being hunted down for years. They finally found her at Costa del Sol and shot her down."

"In front of the girl?" Cloud exclaimed, feeling nauseous just thinking about how they shot the only person Raisel associated as a parent right in front of her. The story matched what she had told Denzel so he now knew she wasn't delirious from Mako poisoning. "And the brother was shot?"

"No, captured like she was." Reeve sighed. "They were separated but we haven't seen or heard anything about him. She hasn't seen him since the day they were captured."

"She's been through hell." Cloud frowned.

"She has no idea why it's all happened to her either. She doesn't know about Sephiroth or Jenova, they never told her." Reeve added. "Her world makes no sense. The bond she has with Denzel," Reeve looked through the small window in to the room, seeing Raisel smiling and talking to both Tifa and Denzel. "She sees her brother in him as they are close in age and her mother in Tifa. She's trying to compensate for her losses."

"Reeve," Cloud frowned, leaning back on the wall, knowing what the man was about to suggest. "I can't take her." He said through his teeth, not wanting to say no but it was just not a practical decision. He had his own family to think about. It hurt him to turn away a child, especially one who had been through so much.

"Cloud, look at her." Reeve grimaced, watching Tifa and Denzel interact with the girl. "Think about it, sleep on it. If it's an issue of space, we can arrange something."

His Mako-blue eyes narrowed, his temper rising with the situation. His previous good mood from that morning had turned sour and now he just wanted to go home. "I have to go." He said in a low tone, making his way back to the room. His face softened for a moment so that he didn't alarm Raisel. "Tifa, Denzel." He called out as calmly as possible. "We have to head home now."

Tifa could tell right away Cloud was upset even if he was trying to hide it. Taking Denzel's hand, she looked over at Raisel who smiled up happily at the two of them. "We'll be back soon." She smiled kindly at her. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Raisel smiled back. "I look forward to seeing you all soon too." She said now looking at Cloud who was pushing through a fake smile. Denzel waved as he and his family walked out for the day. She sighed, knowing something was wrong. Tears welled up in her eyes and she began to weep in silence, afraid of what was going to happen to her and that's when she heard that familiar soft female voice in her head.

Don't cry. You're in good hands.