Zas: Who are you again?

Toshiro Stealhert: I'm part of the mind that came up with Tenebrous.

Tori: So, one of us?

Toshiro: No, just visiting.

SA: (fingers a mallet) Will he be taking our snacks?

Saria: No, just providing inspiration.

zzzzzzzzzz

Tenebrous POV

I growled as I opened my eyes to find that the world around me had shifted so much, and more importantly Mother wasn't here. I had been so certain when my eye had started leaking that she was calling, I had felt her!

"Soon Tenebrous," Mother's voice whispered and I sighed. "I meant to bring you to me but I need more power."

Mother needed me to give her power, and as soon as we were together again I would. Still though, that feeling persisted of how Mother's intentions were wrong.

Shaking my head, I stood and glanced around, quickly discovering I was back in the Forgotten Capital of the Ancients. Not the most fun place to be, but I had a few days to bide before I would really be able to let loss and have some real fun!

Normal

Shelke was visibly hesitant to enter the house and at that moment I couldn't blame her. I didn't know what DeepGround was like but I doubted it had been pleasant. Add to it that I was probably known there as the one who broke their leader and she probably viewed me as a spider in disguise.

With those thoughts in mind, I didn't reach out and touch her nor did I try to hurry her in any fashion. Due to that, we stood at the door for several minutes as I waited for her to enter and she in turn seemed to try to size me up and try to determine if I was truly a threat or not.

Finally she seemed to reach a conclusion and took a step forward as I moved further to one side of the hall so that she could have her space before gently shutting the door. Turning, I led her down the short entry way into the living room where Reeve and Shalua waited, using the power to silently lock the door now that we were away from it.

Shalua was still on her feet when I led the way into the room and her breath seemed to catch in her throat when her eyes landed on Shelke.

"Shelke…" she murmured quietly.

Shelke in turn gazed at the other occupants of the room, her eyes narrowing slightly as her stance became slightly guarded.

"Easy!" Reeve assured her as he raised his hands. "None of us are armed here, we just want to talk."

I averted my eyes when he glanced at me and Shalua notably seemed to roll her own.

"Rachas, please."

Reeve's gentle plea drew a sigh from me and I pulled my tantō from where I had stashed them in my waistband and placed them on a counter. My hilt was also pulled out but this one I set on the coffee table as I took a seat on one of the couches and reached for one of the mugs of tea I had prepared then dropped my arm. If she chose to drink anything, it was probably best to let Shelke choose her mug first.

For her part, Shelke remained standing by the entryway and stared at the three of us, slight confusion and rising trepidation becoming obvious.

"You have something you want to talk about, we in turn have some things to talk about," Reeve told her as he moved to sit beside me. "We promise you no harm."

Shelke stared at him impassively before moving to take a chair in the room. "Very well then."

"Would you care for some tea?" I nodded to the mugs on the table but Shelke shook her head.

"My visit here is not for pleasure Rachas Kaze. Seeing as how you know my name, would you also happen to know what I want?"

This girl sounds like a robot. Reaching out, I snagged one of the mugs as Reeve also took one. Shalua on the other hand opted to not take one.

"It would be about what I did to the Restrictor?"

Shelke didn't even seem to blink at my question, her eyes locked on my form. Shalua on the other hand was watching Shelke very intently.

"So you knew."

"Shelke…" Shalua tried again to speak and finally the girl's eyes caught on her.

She seemed to study Shalua for a few moments, almost having a look of recognition on her face or possibly even interest before answering.

"I have no acquaintances amongst AVALANCHE."

Shalua seemed to deflate slightly but her voice did harden a bit. "I'm not with AVALANCHE."

"Reeve Tuesti and Rachas Kaze are recognized members. Why would you be here if you were not of AVALANCHE?"

"Because I was searching for you! You haven't changed at all, not in eight years." Shalua's sadness, anger, and joy were almost suffocating due to their weight. Shelke on the other hand was in shock again but underneath it all I could feel her hope and her regret.

"Shalua," the young girl murmured and in that moment the robot façade broke before falling back into place. "Regardless of who you are, I'm here on business for DeepGround."

"You're here because Rachas called you! Because I asked her to!" Shalua argued.

Shelke's face showed none of her ever worsening shock but I could feel it as she jumped to her feet and her hands grabbed at some sort of weapon that hung on the backside of her legs.

"Everyone calm down!" Reeve called in an attempt to diffuse the situation as he remained seated. "We can come up with a solution for all of us."

"I only want to know what Rachas Kaze did and if information can still be retrieved from the Restrictor," Shelke responded. "Once that is complete, I will return to DeepGround."

All eyes now turned to me as I stared at Shelke and remembered that strange contraption she had been in several of the times that I had looked in on her. What was she trying to get as far as information went from the Restrictor?

"What is it you want from him?" I asked while remaining seated just as Reeve had. I recognized it as a ploy to declare that one was harmless and hopefully get Shelke to calm down and feel more in control. Something told me that Shalua wasn't going to go along with this though.

Shelke's gaze settled on me for a moment before moving over to Reeve's form then a soft sniffle caught her attention and all attention turned to Aiden as his little face scrunched up and his hands reached out as he let lose a sob.

"You shouldn't have left such a weakness out to be exploited," Shelke stated as her battle stance was dropped though she didn't put away her weapons. Her eyes followed me as I walked slowly to the rocker and lifted Aiden, allowing him to settle his head against my chest before his eyes turned towards the new person in the room.

"My son is no weakness."

Reeve must have forgotten Aiden's hat or dropped it in the rush to follow me but for once I didn't mind; I severely doubted that Shelke was going to recognize him and report it.

Shelke for her part stared at the baby as I carried him back to the couch and sat with him settled in my lap. Aiden curled in closer to me and yawned slightly. Reeve reached over and tickled a tiny socked foot.

"Are you going to tell me what it is you want from the Restrictor?" I asked again.

Shelke's eyes stared at me for a long moment. "He may have information that is vital to insuring the life of DeepGround's strongest."

"I thought the Restrictor was in charge."

"They were, we revolted after you disabled one of them and took control. The one who leads us now is the one I am looking for this information for."

Shalua remained quiet throughout this cool down exchange before trying to speak again. "Is that where Shinra took you? Did they do this to you?"

Shelke tensed all over again before her eyes turned ice cold as she turned to face Shalua. "You said it has been eight years meaning I am to be 17 this year. That place, DeepGround was a hell where they took my mind and twisted it into a shadow of its former self. This body cannot go a day without its dose of mako. I do not consider myself unfortunate however-"

"I do," I replied, not liking where this speech seemed to be headed. "They trapped you in a place where they forced you to become what they wanted, but is this what you wanted? Shinra was removed over a year ago, human experimentation banned. You people are free."

Shelke's eyes were as flat as ever as they turned to me. "One cannot simply be free. Had you been brought to DeepGround as they intended, you would know this. You have such delusions of the world, perhaps DeepGround would have done you some good, opened your eyes."

"My eyes are far more than open and my connection to the Planet educated me long ago about the world; the good and the bad. You're the one who is deluded."

"How do you come to this conclusion?" Shelke honestly seemed interested now.

"You've been in an environment that was controlled by those you admitted twisted you. How can I be deluded when you've limited experience beyond that?"

My words weren't making it through and Shelke's weapons were starting to come up again.

"Why does someone's life depend on this information from the Restrictor?"

Shelke didn't relax at all this time, her weapons entering a ready position. "You needn't know that. All I need to know is what can be done to gain the information."

"I collapsed his mind," I finally admitted. "To get information from it I would need to reform it, give some sort of structure so that ideas and information can come together again."

"How is that done?" Shelke's question threw me for a bit of a loop as well as her look of utter fascination. Shalua was also staring at me expectantly, disbelief on her face.

"It's exactly as it sounds, I-"

"What equipment did you use to collapse his mind?" Shelke demanded.

"Equipment?" The strange contraption Shelke used flashed through my head again. "I don't use any." The incredulous stare I received showed Shelke's disbelief.

"I am considered to be quite talented in the field of gathering information and hacking, but even I need a computer to aid me."

Shelke's statement on her talent surprised me. "You can enter the minds of other people?"

"What kind of computer do you use?" Shelke demanded. "Portable ones are rarely powerful enough to meet the purpose. Did Reeve Tuesti build one for you?"

"I don't use computers; I'm connected directly to the Lifestream. But I am now…" Once again I stared at Shelke as the sensation of familiarity crept over me again and now I recognized it. Alex had been blocked from me by Jenova, but this is very much a similar sensation to when I'm around Aeris! Could Shelke have Cetra DNA that an atavism had used to make her one as well? Her reaction to mako was definitely different from anyone else that I'd seen and I seriously doubted DeepGround had a large number of adults disguised as children running around. Being in DeepGround, she wouldn't be allowed to explore her abilities in her own way and that could cause a dependency to occur and from the way this was sounding, she was dependent on computers!

Shalua noticed my confusion and my intense stare at Shelke then and knew something was wrong.

"Apparently Rachas's methods are different from your own. And since DeepGround should be in dissolution why do you stay?"

The young girl didn't answer as she stared intently at me, her eyes wandering up and down my form then catching on Aiden and studying him. My discomfort rose and I suddenly found myself transferring Aiden to Reeve's arms so I could stand between her and my son.

"Loyalty. And for the same reason I came here tonight to try to find either a cure or someone willing to help."

"Fine then." My words caught everyone off guard. "You need information from the Restrictor to save the life of whoever had taken over DeepGround, correct?"

Shelke nodded so I continued. "I'll agree to go and bring the Restrictor to a state of mind where information can be extracted, but I refuse to allow him to wake up. In return, I want a promise that I will be free to return here whenever I need and that those wishing to leave DeepGround will also be allowed to leave."

The girl stared at me for a long moment before nodding slightly. "I believe that can be arranged."

Reeve sighed in relief as he stood as well. "Well then, since that is settled let's find you a place to stay."

"We shall leave within the hour," Shelke stated firmly. "I cannot be gone from DeepGround for longer than I have been."

"The mako?" I asked and received a nod.

"Gather what you may need."

"Wait! Rachas can't go right now!" Reeve argued and Shalua looked ready to put up a fight as well. "There is that snare that Rufus has planned in just days!"

"I can get started at the very least," I argued. "I know this will take time since this will be delicate, it could take weeks for all I know! But I should be able to start at least."

"I'm certain that a reasonable compromise can be made," Shelke stated as she finally put her weapons away. "I need a computer to send a message with."

Reeve indicated towards his office where one of his Cait Sith's powered up to keep watch over Shelke and Shalua followed her sister into the room.

"I don't like this," Reeve informed me directly.

"I don't either, but this might be the only way to gain the trust of the people in DeepGround. They'll need to be very carefully rehabilitated and this should be about as good of a start as any." As I spoke I headed for our room where I pulled out my old pack then checked my materia and cache of potions and ethers. I had never stopped wearing my armlet which surprised some people, but I felt safer with it on.

The sheaths for my tantō were stationed again on my hips then I headed downstairs and put the blades themselves in place.

"They might not let you leave," Reeve warned. "They wanted you in DeepGround before."

"And Shinra has since been reduced to almost nothing. I serve them better as a symbol now and you know that. If you and Shalua testify that they took me or I simply disappear, it will bring hell upon them." Gazing into Reeve's concerned eyes, I gently kissed him. "I'll be back before you know it, I promise."

Reeve's hand caught mine as I reached for my hilt and he turned me to look at him again.

"W- wo-would? …Rachas… we've known… I've known… for quite some time and…"

"Are you ready to leave?" Shelke's voice was as flat as ever and Reeve released my hand almost like he'd been struck.

"Just a moment," I assured Shelke then grabbed my hilt and gave Reeve one more kiss. "I'll be careful, and I'll come back." I gave Aiden a quick kiss on the forehead before turning to follow Shelke.

Shalua was at the door and she looked more than a little downtrodden. "Remember, you promised to escort her back," she told Shelke.

Shelke nodded to Shalua before her hand grabbed the doorknob and her eyebrows knitted together upon discovering it to be locked. Reaching out with the power, I turned the locks and let her open the door into the night.

"I'll bring her back," I whispered to Shalua as I followed her sister out of the door.

Seventh Heaven

Yuffie grinned as she attempted to shove the hat that belonged to Aiden over her head then frowned when she discovered it to be a bit too small.

"Damn it! And I thought it would look good with my cape!" she yelled as she began trying to stretch out the material a bit. "Come on! Just a little more!"

Her attempts to destroy the hat were halted by Tifa reaching over and plucking it from her grip.

"Hey! Give that back! I found it fair and square!" Yuffie yelled as she tried to take the hat back only for Kunsel to grab her by the back of her shorts.

"I thought you were always upset by people thinking you looked a bit boyish!" he teased as Tifa stashed the hat in a drawer.

"And no one would think me a boy in that hat!"

"They'd think you a child," Tifa pointed out as she pulled out an inventory sheet and started to check her stocks.

"What do you think that was all about?" Zack asked from where he and Cloud were still mulling over the blueprints.

Cloud shrugged before glancing at the plans again. "So, how are we going to disguise Cait Sith, Red, and Barret's gunarm?"

"Don't know about the gunarm, but I'm sure Reeve has something he can do for Cait Sith. It's Red I'm worried about. I don't think he wants to attend as a pet or seeing eye dog."

"It's the tail that would give him away," Kunsel stated as he rejoined them. "He'll either need a costume to allow it to hang out or something spacious that he won't have to worry about."

"Like a dress?" Zack asked with a grin. "We could claim he's the fenrir pretending to be the granny in that old children's tale!"

"I don't think Nanaki would buy that," Aeris said as she sat with them. "This seems so exciting! Wish I could go."

"Wish you could too… Now I won't be able to dance with anyone unless we dress Cloud up as a girl again!"

Zack's unwitting comment caused all heads to turn before Tifa and Aeris covered their mouths to hide their laughter.

"That really happened?!" Yuffie demanded as she stared at Cloud. "You crossdressed?!"

"It was to rescue Tifa," Cloud grumbled, his face turning scarlet as Yuffie howled with laughter.

"Hey hey! No laughing! Cloud made a really hot girl!" Zack's attempt to help only sent Yuffie further into hysterics, falling to the ground as her legs gave out.

"So… Why do you think Rachas and Reeve ran out so fast?" Aeris asked in an attempt to change the subject due to Cloud looking ready to murder her husband.

Kunsel caught on and quickly joined. "Must have been important with the way she dashed out. Reeve was right behind her just seconds later, didn't know he could move so fast!"

Almost everyone made sounds of agreement before a vehicle pulled to a stop outside the bar. Moments later Reeve entered with a young woman behind him and he didn't look too pleased.

"How'd it go?" Zack asked at the same moment Tifa called out "Who's that?"

"This is Shalua, and it's a long story." Reeve looked very tired at that moment and sat down heavily at the planning table.

"Shalua… Weren't you previously in AVALANCHE?" Tifa asked and earned a sour look from the other woman.

"Yes, but I was betrayed."

Tifa sighed heavily then nodded towards Zack and Cloud. "Those are our fearless leaders if they're who you're looking for."

Shalua glanced at the two who smiled and waved jovially. "The entire world has gone insane."

"What happened?" Yuffie finally asked as she picked herself off the floor. "Where's Rachas?"

"It's Shalua's story if she wants to tell it," Reeve responded then stood from the table. "I need to put this little guy to bed." He nodded at Aiden before heading upstairs.

Yuffie turned expectantly towards Shalua after Reeve's departure and sprang to her feet. "So what's the story?"

Shalua was thrown off by the generally peppy moods of the people that now called themselves AVALANCHE and after being with the original group this was very disconcerting. Fuhito would have probably screamed bloody murder. This she liked.

Healin

The last of the bandages were cut away by the nurse revealing smooth, unmarked skin and Rufus almost nodded in approval. He had been afraid that he would have some scarring; the doctors even said that it would be inescapable, but it seemed that he had healed just fine. He knew in part that the water created by Rachas was what he had to thank for this.

Turning his now free head, he glanced at the beds now occupied by Tseng and Elena before turning his attention to where Reno and Rude stood by the door. Both had a few bandages but there had been no serious injury caused by their "visitors". Martial Arts and Nunchaku had been on patrol during the attack and had been spared injury.

"I trust you both feel that you will be up for our little event in a few days."

Reno grinned in a slightly vicious manner. "And miss those guys getting what's comin' to 'em yo? You couldn't hope to keep me away with a cannon!" Rude's grim look indicated him having similar thoughts.

"Very well then, make sure all who will be attending have appropriate clothing. Evening gowns for women, tuxedos for men. And they will be worn properly." The last word was emphasized specifically for Reno's benefit. "Any deviations and you will be met with the rhetorical cannon."

The red head's eyes seemed to roll as he groaned loudly. Goddess he hated ties!

"Anything else?" Rude asked.

"Ah yes, masks. Make sure each of you have a mask."

"Gotcha!" Reno called as Rufus waved his dismissal and the two left.

Quietly leaving the infirmary area also, Rufus made his way to his office, pulling out his PHS as he went and after a quick glance at a number he had written down, made a call. The phone on the other end of the line rang once, twice, thrice, and then was picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello!" a voice that practically dripped with flamboyance declared into the phone.

"Stepheno Rein, this is Rufus Shinra."

"Oh honey, I just heard the news! Will I be fitting you for your tuxedo?"

"I would also like for you to prepare a dress for Ms. Kaze to match if you will."

"Oh that is so precious! I've seen that little darling in the papers and on the news. She's cute, good features, but the men she appears with! Hunks-a-million! Too bad they seem straight."

"Stepheno." Rufus groaned slightly. One of the best designers in the industry and he's an easily distracted flirt. He had dealt with him a number of times in the past though and knew how to get the man to business.

"Alright, so will it be your normal preference in color?"

"Yes, white. My measurements haven't changed so it should be easy for you."

"Alright darling, but I will still be present for the final fitting. Now, how am I to get in touch with Ms. Kaze?"

"If you're in Edge then you can usually find her by contacting the Seventh Heaven. I'll have to ask permission before I can give her number out."

"Ohh, the Seventh Heaven! I've seen lots of those hotties there now that I think of it!"

"Very well then, payment shall be arranged with delivery of the garments."

"Alright, and I know this great makeup artist that would be thrilled to help her prep!"

"Very well then."

"Toodles sweetie!"

Rufus hung up as a slight shiver ran down his spine. He may have known the man for years but he only spoke like that when he wasn't in front of his customers and it still sent cold shivers down Rufus's spine.

Normal

There is just a point in your life when you have to wonder just how insane you are. Following Shelke down the streets of Edge to the edge of the city caused me to seriously consider this. I had just been trying to help Shalua, a woman I barely knew, get her little sister back. Now I was following aforementioned little sister to the place that Shinra tried to imprison me in over a year ago! And I was doing it to help someone I had never met just in the hopes that they hadn't gotten the news yet that they were all free and could go back to their families, Shelke especially.

The more I thought on it though, the more I realized just what kind of world awaited them. They would need help, understanding, and mako. People were still trying to help themselves right now though community thinking was starting to sprout up a bit more now that worries for Geostigma were being placed aside, but that could be undone with the destruction of the cure. And most people did view those with bad experiences as just needing "to get over it" and never realize how terrible it was, how it haunts their dreams. I had only been in Hojo's custody twice and had nightmares almost every night at first on what could have happened.

The last one was what really killed the issue though: Shelke said she needed a daily dose of mako just to survive and this world no longer had mako. DeepGround either had their own supply or a reactor and they had to stay close to it.

"Did you guys even know that Shinra was taken down?" I finally asked as we hit the wastelands that separated Edge from Midgar.

"It didn't matter. Most of the exits are blocked; I was just barely able to squeeze out."

"How am I going to get in then?" I asked.

"A vent. It will be a long shaft that we'll have to climb down then someone from the inside will have to open the gates to the lower levels. That was the reason I needed to send them a message."

"Anything I should be forewarned about?"

Shelke thought for a moment before answering. "Azul still talks of killing you."

I rolled my eyes at that tidbit of knowledge. Azul held grudges, who ever would have guessed?

"Nero might give you a hard time also."

Azul and Nero? Were all these guys named after colors?

"Avoid Rosso at all costs, though Weiss might keep her away."

Great, more people with colors for names!

"Sounds very colorful down there," I said as a joke and watched Shelke stumble a bit.

"Colorful, one must wonder how you know such things."

We walked a bit further before I tried to talk again. "Dare I to ask what went on down there? I mean really went on?"

Shelke glanced at me for a moment but didn't reply.

"Hojo got me into a lab twice and though I can't say anything particularly terrible happened, it wasn't an experience I would ever want to repeat. He tried to breed two of my friends with one another."

"You would have seen much worse in DeepGround," Shelke assured me. "The soldiers of DeepGround were meant to be the strongest, unmatched. They sought to push human capacity the farthest they could."

"Then they should have had no interest in me, I'm not human according to their science."

"None of us were human in their eyes," Shelke shot back. "You would have been even less so if you had been successfully delivered so I need none of your pity."

"Then would my understanding be better?"

Shelke was confused and angry by my question and refused to speak after that though I did try several times. She finally asked a question as we circled Midgar towards the north where she said the closest possible entrance was located.

"What is Shinra planning and why are you a part of it if you do not care for them?"

"There's a troublemaker right now that is threatening the peace. AVALANCHE, the WRO, and Shinra have agreed to work together for a solution."

"You don't like the plan." Shelke needed no help in reading my tone then she nodded towards a small hatch. "There is a service ladder inside that can get us to the vent."

Calling on the power, I pushed open the hatch and let Shelke lead the way in.

The ladder was a bit old but luckily there was no rust that I could see as we descended. The moment my feet hit the ground I began rummaging through my pack for my small flashlight. The light was weak but served its intended purpose. Beside me, Shelke had already shed her civilian clothing, revealing her black, grey, and silver unitard with blue highlights.

"This way." She headed down the hall then, ignoring the various doors that we passed. Not once did she look back to make sure I actually was following.

The air here was stagnant and heavy, smelling faintly of a reactor as well as of abandonment. It sent a shiver down my spine.

Reaching out to the Planet, I felt the slow suctioning that was occurring far beneath us, the pull of a reactor on the Lifestream.

"You guys have a reactor."

"Yes, or else we all would have died in the dark shortly after the Meteor."

The vent that Shelke stopped in front of was a dark and rather narrow thing in a room near the end of the hall. It had originally just passed straight through the room but someone had carved a makeshift door in the side of the vent, a rope knotted to a handle on the side of the pipe.

"We descend here and should come out in some of the basement tunnels that lead to DeepGround. After this point you should expect some hostility to your presence."

"I thought they would be expecting us."

"It takes time for some news to spread."

"How big is this place?"

Shelke stared at me for a moment before grabbing the rope to lower herself into the vent. "I am not sure of our exact number right now, but we used to be in the thousands. Rachas Kaze, if we meet someone who doesn't know of you yet, do not try to run or fight."

"How far down is this?" I asked as I leaned into the vent after her and glanced down. My flashlight didn't penetrate the dark far enough for me to see anything.

Shelke's face was visibly irritated but I still found myself reluctant to grab that rope. Taking one last glance around the room I was in, my eyes landed on what looked to be a piece of the pipe. It was thick and strong looking and should easily fit into the tunnel. Perfect for pulling a Bugen on!

Jumping onto the piece, I called on the power to lift it and directed it into the pipe then to slowly begin a descent.

Shelke looked up once and seemed slightly shocked by the sight but said nothing.

It was roughly eight stories down the vent before we exited into a tunnel through yet another hole cut into the pipe. Alright, one story in a commercial building is typically fifteen feet… We descended about 120 feet! In an airplane that wasn't far, but on a rope that sounded like a very long distance.

I left the portion of pipe near the exit of the pipe but kept in touch with the power. There was no power here and my flashlight barely cut through the gloom of the tunnel and I really didn't want to be surprised down here.

"There should be service lights on…" I heard Shelke murmur right as a cry of danger shouted at me from the Planet.

"LOOK OUT!" Reaching out, I barely was able to grab Shelke before the tunnel exploded in a thunderous BOOM and blinding light.