Final Fantasy VII and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy VII storyline (such as Astrid and Marcus) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts.
(The End of the Beginning)
The helicopter landed on the sandy grounds just outside of the Forgotten Capital and the blades had almost completely ceased their rotations before the side doors finally opened and the passengers began to exit.
Rufus Shinra came first, garbed in his usual suit and jacket combo, though today they were pitch black, hinting at the days processions.
Reeve and Hojo came next, the only two members of the Board who had agreed to attend. They, too, wore black suits, and Hojo looked noticeably cleaner than he usually did.
The Turks followed, all of them stepping out before turning back and leaning in. Reno and Elena started to step back, pulling something long and black out of the helicopter. Rude and Tseng grabbed the back end of the box and picked it up, holding it shoulder height with their team mates and walking a short ways before stopping.
Finally, one last person stepped out of the helicopter. Astrid set her feet on the ground and stood by the door of the helicopter uneasily, gripping onto the side of the door with white knuckles.
Seeing her swaying, Rufus walked back over to her and held out his arm. After a brief pause, Astrid took it and they started walking
"I know that you're angry at me for not letting your friends attend," Rufus said, smirking slightly at the bruising grip she had on his arm, "But I had no choice. I couldn't risk any escape attempts. I actually shouldn't be risking an assassination by having this out in the open, but…" He glanced down at her and his smirk grew, "We do like you, after all."
Astrid scowled, glaring back up at him, "You could have at least let me see them. Seriously, sitting in your office and staring out the window all day just increases my desire to escape in and of itself. I'd be more willing to stay if I could just talk to them every now and then." She paused, her glare turning skeptical, "Why do I have to sit in your office all day? Isn't there, like, a holding cell or a guest bedroom you can lock me in?"
Rufus rolled his eyes, then stiffened and looked ahead soberly.
Astrid looked in front of them, her body jerking at what she saw. They had arrived at their destination.
Around them was a white, sandy expanse. To their left, they could see the pointed shell tops of the Forgotten Capital and to the right was a forest, but it was what was in front of them that was catching everyone's attention. There, in the middle of the sandy expanse, stood a huge, spiny bare tree. Under that tree was a neatly dug rectangular hole.
As they approached the tree, the ground quickly turned from sand to clay, then to hard dirt. They gathered around the hole, the Turks placing the casket beside it.
"Are you completely sure that this is what you want done with him?" Astrid turned to Hojo, who was staring intently at the casket, "I'm sure that Sephiroth left many spells inside of him that would be… useful."
Astrid stiffened and glared at the scientist, stating coolly, "If I won't let you experiment on my living body, what makes you think you'd be able to touch my brother's dead one?" When the man shuffled back, muttering to himself, Astrid turned to Rufus and growled, "Why did he have to come?"
Rufus shrugged, "He was the only other member of the Board who agreed to." He then looked at her closely, "Are you ready?"
She nodded, "Yes." She then stepped forward and stood beside the coffin, running her hand across the sleek, lacquered surface, its color akin to the dress she was wearing. Taking a shuddering breath, she turned back to the few members of the procession.
"It's funny," She started, smiling in a way that hinted at bitter humor, "This is the first time in eight years I've worn a dress… After someone purposely spilled juice on me the last time I wore one at a school dace, I swore I'd never wear one again… unless it was for a special occasion. I just… never figured the occasion would be my little brother's funeral." Her smile and voice wavered, but she coughed lightly and went on;
"Twelve years, eight months, and four days ago, Marcus Cray born to my mother and father, Samantha and Tristan Cray. I was only seven at the time, so I didn't really understand what it meant to have a younger sibling… I actually thought we were going to leave him at the hospital." She and a few others laughed, and she continued when it faded, "But, when I started to accept the fact that he was apart of the family… I started to realize something. Something I wouldn't understand until years later.
"Marcus was my little brother. Nothing was ever going to change that. I may not have liked it, but that was too bad; he was there to stay. But… having a little brother meant more for me than just the title of 'big sister'; it meant something on a deeper, less impersonal level." She paused, then smiled and continued, "It meant annoyances; it meant moments of irrational anger; it meant unmanageable trouble; it meant the loss of peace; it meant nothing fights… It also meant family, unity, trust, and unconditional love.
"When I left Midgar to begin my search for Marcus, I left thinking that it was all about saving him and taking him home. I thought it was about preventing whatever horrible fate he was destined for as long as he stayed with Sephiroth. I thought it was about finding him and ending this nightmare that I felt I never deserved to begin with… but I was wrong. Saving Marcus didn't mean taking him away from what he believed… saving Marcus meant following him and letting him know I was always there until the end." She paused again, shaking her head;
"Just as a parent should never have to bury a child, an older sibling should never have to put a younger to rest, but this… is what Marcus wanted. He believed in what he was doing; he believed that progress could never be made by taking the easy way out, so he let things play out the way they were supposed to… at the cost of his own life. And, even though I may not like how it ended, I understand what he did and believe it was the right thing. And, in commemoration for the life he gave for Gaia, I will do the best I can… to live for the both of us." She smiled;
"I only knew Marcus for twelve years, but it was long enough for me to know that he would be mad at me for letting this stop me from living." Astrid then turned to the coffin and smiled down at it, setting both hands on the surface and whispering, "I'm sorry, Marcus, and I'll try. I'll try to do what you would have wanted me to do." She lowered her hands and backed away slowly.
The Turks came forward and stood at the corners of the coffin, wrapping ropes through the handholds and lifting it into the air. They then carried it over the hole and started to lower it, black lacquer shining in the sun until it disappeared into the hard earth. The four pulled the ropes out… and filled in the grave. Reno and Rude set a tombstone at the head of the grave, everyone remaining silent as Astrid tried to read the inscription. When she found she couldn't though, she sighed and shook her head.
"Marcus Cray." She jumped and turned to look at Rufus, who was staring at the tombstone, "Born unknown, died in the winter. Powerful warrior, beloved brother. 'Return to Planet and Rest in Eternal Light'." He paused, then glanced at Astrid and shrugged, "It was an old Ancient saying, I think. Seemed appropriate." When she turned to the grave and lowered her head, he patted her shoulder, "We'll wait for you." He then turned and started walking away, "Alright, this service is over. Let's let her have a moment."
When she was alone, Astrid fell to her knees and burst into tears.
Not much later, Rufus frowned at her as she approached.
"You sure you're ready? If you need more time, we can always wa—"
"Thank you, Rufus." She looked up at him and smiled, her lips stretching tautly across her tired face, making it more of a grimace, "I can't… I'm done here… for now."
Rufus nodded and turned back to the helicopter, opening the door and shouting, "We're taking off!" He then climbed in.
Astrid followed him and shut the door, collapsing in her seat and sighing heavily.
"Now what will you do?" When Astrid cracked her eye and looked at Elena, the woman lowered her eyes and bit her lip, "Before, you were only going after Sephiroth because of Marcus, right? So… what now?"
"I don't know." Astrid answered honestly, closing her eyes, "I can't very well go home without him… I couldn't face Mom and Dad knowing that his death was, in part, my fault, so I won't even bother trying to get back the materia…" Her eyes snapped open and she shot up, "The materia…"
"What?!"
Astrid looked at them with wide eyes, "The teleportation materia… it can take Sephiroth to wherever he wants… The reason he came after Marcus and I was because we're… special. And where Marcus and I lived, Sephiroth hinted that there was a high possibility that everyone there could be special like us. If I don't get that materia, Sephiroth could…"
"Get others like you and your brother." Reeve finished, his eyes widening slightly.
She nodded, "And the cycle would start all over with another family."
Silence settled over the occupants of the helicopter, broken when Hojo spoke.
"Where exactly," The man began, looking at Astrid suspiciously, "Do you and your brother come from? What makes the people of your home so 'special' that he can't use other Gaians?"
Astrid glared at Hojo, her eyes narrowing, "I don't particularly find that to be any of your business or concern. All you should worry about is how screwed we'll all be if Sephiroth brings another person here like he did me and trains them to succeed him."
Hojo frowned, then turned away and faced forward, a contemplative look settling on his face.
'I hate it when he gets that look.' Astrid scowled and faced forward, crossing her legs and her arms. She then glared down at the dress she was wearing when her feet got caught up in the material, "I can't wait to get this fucking thing off! I hate dresses!"
"That's surprising." She looked at Reno, who was sitting on her immediate left. He looked down at her and grinned, "Because I remember a particular Senior Grunt by the name of 'Zoë' who I thought would have looked particularly stunning in a dress." He paused, then grinned, "And I do believe I was right."
"Oh, come ON, Reno!" Astrid exclaimed, glaring at the man and smacking him on the back of the head, "Right after my brother's funeral?! Couldn't you have at least waited until tomorrow to have said something?!"
"Sorry, sorry," Reno smirked apologetically, raising his hands in surrender, "Just thought I'd lighten the mood." He and the rest of the Turks, though, chuckled at the memory while Astrid pouted and Rufus, Reeve, and Hojo watched in confusion.
Just then, the helicopter dropped sharply and alarms sounded, red lights flashing. Astrid, who had forgotten to buckle her seatbelt, slammed into the roof and fell back on the floor.
"Astrid, here!"
She grabbed a leg that was suck out and held on desperately, clenching her eyes shut and pressing herself close to the floor.
Then, as suddenly as the plunge had begun, it ceased, and Astrid found herself prying her hands off of the leg and standing shakily. She looked up at her savior and blinked, a bit surprised. She had been expecting it to be one of the Turks.
"Thanks, Rufus."
The president scowled and pointed to her seat, "Sit and buckle yourself in." As she complied, he picked up one of the headsets that had fallen askew from the floor and spoke into the microphone. "What happened?" He demanded stonily.
"A shockwave, sir." The pilot answered, clearly shaken, "There's… there is something huge in the sky, sir, that appeared during the wave. Whatever it is, it's large enough to create a sonic boom that affected us from here, and it can't be closer than forty miles!"
After thinking about this for a moment, Rufus spoke back into the microphone, "Get us to Midgar, now." He then looked at Astrid and nodded his head halfway, "Any insight?"
She smiled bitterly and shook her head, "There's only one thing it could be, and I don't need the Book to tell me what." She paused, then said, "Meteor."
On top of the Shin-Ra building in Midgar, Astrid, the leaders of Shin-Ra, and the Turks stood at the edge of the roof and looked up, staring at the black ball of rock that was hurtling towards them, it's tail dying the sky around it all shades of colors from purple to blue.
Beside Astrid, Elena leaned closer and whispered, "Where did that come from?"
Astrid shook her head and frowned, "Sephiroth summoned it using the Black Materia. That is the Black Materia's purpose; to summon Meteor." She glanced at the Turk, her brow furrowing, "You didn't know?"
"No." Elena answered, shaking her head. She then asked, "How bad… will the damage be?"
Astrid paused, taking a moment to look back up at Meteor before answering, "Devastating. Wherever it lands, chances are anything within a fifty to eighty mile radius will be destroyed. It all depends, though, on what exactly it crashes into and how much of it breaks off in its entry to the atmosphere." She paused, then glanced at the Shin-Ra employees, "And what measures are taken to slow it." She frowned at Rufus, who she could tell was already formulating a plan, "I'm probably not going to like whatever it is your planning, am I?"
Rufus glanced at her and raised a brow, "Does it matter if you like it or not?"
"I've made things hell for Shin-Ra before, Rufus," Astrid replied, crossing her arms and looking at him coolly, "Don't think I won't do it again."
He smirked and flicked his hair back, "Then we'll have to take measures to prevent that, won't we?"
Her eyelids closed over her eyes halfway and she regarded Rufus cynically, "And how do you plan on doing that?"
"I have my ways." He snapped his fingers and pointed to Astrid, "My Turks, if you will."
The next thing she knew, Astrid was in the air and thrown over Rude's shoulder.
"Let me down now, Rude!" She screamed, pounding on his back, "This is so unnecessary! I have working legs!"
"That you would 'work' right out of the building," Reno said, walking up behind Rude and grinning at Astrid, "Sorry, but we can't let that happen."
"I will end you!" She swiped out with her hand, growling when Reno lazily ducked and straightened, his grin wider than ever.
"Nice try."
Rufus and Tseng walked up behind them, the president grinning at Astrid mockingly, "I think it would be better if we put her in one of the guest bedrooms in my apartment. At least then I don't have to worry about her escaping." He then glanced at Tseng, "Make sure that measures are taken to block off all air vents and other possible escape routes."
Tseng nodded, "As you wish." He then faced Rude and said, "To the President's floor, Rude."
Rude nodded.
Stopping dead in her tantrum, Astrid looked at Rufus and frowned, "You have an entire floor to yourself? Why? You can't honestly say you use all of that space."
Quirking a brow at her, Rufus replied, "I use enough of it. Dark Nation uses the rest."
Astrid quirked a brow in return, "Dark Nation?" She remembered Dark Nation… she remembered the hellcat well. While she was in the science lab, Astrid met Dark Nation on several occasions. There was one thing, though, that stood out in her mind more than anything… "You know your cat doesn't like me, right?"
Rufus smirked, "I know. That's why I'm leaving you with her when I head back to Junon; she'll make sure to keep a sharp eye on you."
"Oh, that's cruel." When Rude began to descend the stairs, Astrid squirmed uncomfortably as his shoulder bore into her stomach at ever step. "Can I walk now?!" She finally snapped, thrashing again, "It's not like I have anywhere to run!"
When Tseng sighed, Rude grunted, stopping and dropping her onto her feet. Astrid spasmed a bit, then shook it off and continued walking down the steps, walking into the first elevator they came to.
Rufus and the Turks followed her shortly, the rest of the Board wandering off to their respected apartments. When the door slid shut, Rufus took out a cardkey and slid it through a slot below the buttons.
"Identification accepted. Welcome home, President Rufus."
When the elevator reached the floor, Rufus walked through the doors first, only to be pinned to the wall when his giant, midnight black/blue hellcat, Dark Nation, pounced on him.
"Hey, Dark." Rufus smirked down at the cat, scratching her behind the ears, "Sorry I was gone so long."
The cat sniffed, then jumped back and looked at the others who had come in with her master. Her intelligent blue eyes skimmed over the Turks quickly, immediately recognizing them. They came to a sudden halt, though, on Astrid, flames flickering in the back of the gaze.
The temperature in the room dropped several degrees.
"Dark Nation," Rufus said slowly, noticing the cat's muscles flexing in her legs and jaws, "Do not atta—" He was cut off when the cat growled lowly.
Astrid, who was staring at the hellcat with wide eyes, took a steady step back when the cat crouched, tail flicking through the air in sharp arcs. She then raised her hands slowly, grinning nervously, "Hehe, hey, Dark Nation. I see you remember me. I'm flattered." When the cat growled again, Astrid took another step back, "Listen, I know you don't like me, but I was hoping we could be friends…" Astrid knelt slowly, holding out her hand, "Whaddya say, pal?"
Dark Nation looked between Astrid and the hand slowly, reaching out with her neck to sniff it. Blink. Sniff. Stare. Sniff. …Sniff.
Astrid smiled, anxious, "Well, I guess this is a star-rraaaah!"
Dark Nation pounced, pinning Astrid to the ground and biting into her shoulder.
"DARK NATION!"
"NO!"
Rufus and the Turks leapt forward and grabbed the hellcat, trying to pull her off. They stopped, though, and pulled back in confusion when Astrid started to laugh.
She was still pinned by the cat, but clearly not in a lot of pain. "She's hardly biting." Astrid explained, wincing slightly, "It's more… play attack than anything. Ouch!"
Dark Nation growled a bit, her jaws opening and closing gently yet firmly on Astrid's shoulder. The cat then pulled her head back and looked up at Rufus, blinking and letting out a low yowl.
Rufus shook his head, sighing angrily, "Dark Nation, that was a bad thing to do. I was afraid I was going to have to replace the carpets, and you know you're not allowed to maim people in the living room." He said all of this, though, with a smirk.
Shaking her head, Astrid stood, "I guess that means we're friends, now." When the cat's eyes flashed at her and a growl echoed through the room again, Astrid pulled back and scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "Or maybe I'm just tolerable."
Rufus showed Astrid to her room and lay out a few rules, but Astrid was barely listening. She stared out the living room window at the setting sun, her mind reeling with everything that had happened over the last few days.
'And it's just starting.' She though, shivering, 'Sure, it's been almost a year, but things have changed in that time. I'm not just here for this journey… I'm here for life.'
Even as Rufus noticed that Astrid wasn't listening to a word he was saying, she was replaying every moment of her nine-month-long initiation to the world of Gaia: Her new home.