Between Worlds: A New Chapter

by Saria19

New dangers await the characters as they discover that Jenova not only survived the Holy rain that destroyed her Remnants, but that she has managed to find a way to send herself to Earth. Now Cloud, Zack, Rachas, and most of AVALANCHE must follow her to the comatose world with a new mission.

37. Chapter 37

Saria: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (begins to pull out various costumes)

Zas: I think she misses cosplaying…

SA: First clue? (grabs a black and red make up kit) I call Darth Maul.

Saria: Sweet! Zas can be Yuri then, Tori can be Ino, and I'll be Dr. Jezebel!

Zas: (chokes) As in Kyo Kara Maou Yuri?! I'll be harassed by Wolfram!

Tori: (pokes head out of the kitchen with starry eyes) WOLFRAM?! WHERE?!

To those wondering why this update took so long, imagine this: you are based in a new city so you have to move right away. You get there, move into an apartment, and discover a bad flea infestation. As you battle the fleas with foggers, Raid, and bug spray you still have to go to work every day and at night, due to not having your furniture, you are reduced to sleeping in a sleeping bag. What little energy you have during the day is dedicated to work, fighting the fleas, and getting to know your new surroundings so you can find a grocery store and not get ripped off. How many people can write when that is your day-to-day life?! Good news is though I have found the time!

Also of note: Microsoft is run by a bunch of greedy bastards that canceled my Office subscription and were trying to rip me off to get Word for $100 a year. That is food for over a month for me. Until they readjust their business plans, I no longer consider myself a customer.

zzzzzzzzzz

Shelke

School was proving tedious. The other students assumed Shelke to be much younger than them and many refused to speak to her because of it. Then rumors started on why someone so young seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was distressing how close to true several of the rumors were, especially the one where several of the students believed she had been used for experiments by Shinra as records of extensive human experimentation were brought to light.

"Think she's one of those Ancient people?" she heard one girl whispering one day right as classes were letting out. "My dad's on the investigation team and he said that Shinra imprisoned those people and almost drove them to extinction."

"Wouldn't surprise me," her friend replied as she tucked her books into her bag. "Kinda expect several of those AVALANCHE people are Ancients and I've heard she's close to several."

"No way! Including Cloud Strife?" another joined and the gossiping continued.

It disgusted Shelke to no end that these females would carry on like this over what seemed like such trivial matters. Also disturbing was what those girls thought was whispering carried to the other side of the room. To make matters worse, she was affected by it.

As she had begun to do every day since she had received that first beer, Shelke headed to the girls' restroom and entered the smoky room, welcoming the strange euphoria that the strange and faintly sweet smell brought.

The two girls whose names she still didn't know were there once again and greeted her with nods as they had every day. She nodded back to them as she joined them, automatically accepting the beer that was offered. It seemed like it might be another quiet day as she leaned against the wall with them for several minutes.

"Kid, you're the one they all talk 'bout now, ain't ya?" the brunette finally asked after several minutes of silence.

Shelke shrugged but opted not to meet the woman's eyes.

"It true ya know AVALANCHE?" her companion asked. This girl looked to be at least half Wutaian except that she easily towered at a height of almost 6 feet.

Now Shelke nodded as she watched the two take long drags of their lumpy cigarettes and not for the first time wondered what those were like. If the smoke alone made her feel better, then what about the actual cigarette?

"Really?" the dark haired girl continued with a grin. "Must be awesome. Cloud Strife is so hot! Zack Fair is pretty gorgeous too though."

The brunette shoved her friend playfully. "And he's married."

"So? Girl looks like an angel and men do love freaks."

The brunette giggled before turning her attention back to Shelke. "What're they like?"

Shelke searched her memories a bit before answering. "Childish. They are always competing for nonsensical reasons."

Both girls stared at her before bursting into laughter. "So they're friends?" the dark one asked.

"Yes." There was no denying that. Though Cloud Strife and Zack Fair seemed to compete constantly there was no denying the bond they shared. "They seem… brotherly."

The brunette rolled her eyes while the dark haired one seemed disappointed. "So nothing else? Just brotherly? No deep, hidden attraction?"

"Not unless you count a mutual attraction to danger," Shelke replied even as her lips twitched.

"What about the red one?" The brunette asked.

"Red one?"

"Ya know, the gunner! Valentine!" Now both of the other girls were blushing. "He's got a sexy name for sure."

Vincent Valentine had never struck Shelke as particularly sexy though she was highly inexperienced in that area and her confused expression drove one of the girls to roll a new cigarette and shove it into her hand.

"Geez kid, ya need to loosen up," the dark one stated as she passed Shelke a lighter.

"I don't smoke. Tobacco is illegal at my age."

Both girls snorted now and shook their heads.

"It ain't cigarettes we got here, it's weed."

Shelke knew of weed, mostly in that Aeris Fair and Rachas Kaze pulled them from their gardens. Tobacco was illegal for someone her age but she had never heard anything about weed.

The first puff caused her to cough violently but each drag after got smoother and for the first time in quite a while all the rough edges of her life seemed to smooth out. It was faster than alcohol, that was for sure, and much more easily moved around.

When she left school that day she took with her several more of the cigarettes that the girls called 'joints' as well as her typical can of beer.

Alex

London was one hell of a ride even without the common BS that usually follows. I have been quiet for most of the time. It feels like I am back to square one with Tenebrous. Things have been quiet lately ever since we left the Tor and it warmed my heart that those kids did not turn into one of me. Yuffie was looking ready to puke her guts out while everyone else was trying to get comfortable. The sea air did wonders for me but even the ocean could not lift this spirit.

"Stop that." Rachas slapped me upside the head again for the thirtieth time.

"Ouch! Okay I'll stop moping!" I grumbled before staring at the sea. "Rachas, what do I do?"

"About what?" She asked me.

I whispered my response. "About… you know… Him."

Her expression changed from relaxed to one of concern as she sat down.

"She can't touch you, only taunt."

"How do you know that?" I asked her.

"She got to me to one time." She rolled up her sleeve then and exposed a scar on her arm.

"Let me guess; Geostigma right?"

"Yeah and it was really bad." She gave me a reassuring hug before leaving.

This was different though. I felt like the grip that I had was slowly disappearing. That someday I would become a threat and hurt everyone. Why me? Did I screw up? I guess we will never know.

The ferry across the English Channel was shorter than expected but it did give me some time to practice a few punches and kicks. Rachas was right, I needed to get myself out of my funk.

"Square up that stance!" Tifa yelled.

"Okay." I returned to throwing my punches and then shifted to a wrestling stance.

Tifa considered the stance for a moment before asking, "Alex, what fighting style is that?"

"Uh… a variation of Greco-Roman wrestling," I took a shot and sprawled on the floor.

"What is Greco-Roman?" Tifa seemed curious.

"It was a style founded by the Greeks but adopted by the Roman invaders. Usually it is all upper-body with throws and pins but this variation is mostly leg work and points." I replied.

"Weird techniques you have there what do you call that?" Cid asked.

"It's called Greco-Roman." Tifa informed him.

"Strange, never seen someone fight like that." Cid pulled out a cigarette and lit up.

"It's one of the oldest forms of defense next to running." I focused on of my imaginary target and worked on a fireman toss.

Tifa took to another corner and started to work on her punches as well. Honestly, she could beat me in a second flat, she had more experience than I did. I focused on my movements trying to mix a little boxing and wrestling into my repertoire just in case I had to fight.

"You are not alone Alex," Tifa said to break the silence in the room.

"Sure I am," I replied sarcastically.

"Why do you think that?" She had look in her eyes that was rather unnerving.

"Just do- I have a lot of problems." I replied before leaving the room. This time I headed to the deck where the coast was rapidly approaching. It was hardly more than mid-morning.

Normal

I can speak Spanish. I can speak Japanese. And I can sure as hell speak English. But I don't speak French. Several phrases were all I could manage and they translated to "Do you speak English?" and "The cat is little." All other words and phrases I know are from singing. Needless to say that when we were trying get directions at the front desk that didn't get us very far.

And to make matters worse, I knew the guy could speak English because of the condescending look in his eyes, arrogant smile, and the fact he had spoken it to the woman ahead of us in line after she slipped him some extra money. Needless to say I was upset.

"Kuso! Ero baka na gaijin! Hitobito ha naze watashiha manan da koto ha nai daro u ka to…" I trailed off as I realized I didn't know the word for French but was pleased at the look of confusion on the man's face. I wondered then how red he would be if he knew I had been screaming about why people wondered I never tried to learn French.

Yuffie was giggling as I turned away from the counter and declared in a voice loud enough to carry across the lobby, "Let's go, this idiot wouldn't know which way was up until you paid him."

As we departed a large number of people shot the man disgusted or disappointed looks and the few behind us stepped out of line. The man at the desk was definitely giving me a dirty look right then but I didn't care. Traveling the way I had when I previously lived on Earth had taught me several things; the first was that although Americans are typically rather friendly, the American Police/Justice/Government was one of the most fucked up institutions on the planet. Who the hell shuts down their own government just because they can't agree on a budget?! I thought we all learned the art of compromise in preschool or kindergarten at the latest.

The second thing I had learned was that general rudeness and the desire to kick someone for it crosses all cultural boundaries. There are wonderful people everywhere and there are jerks everywhere. Not much you can do about it.

We were all grumbling as we exited the Customs building and glanced around. I had no idea how we were going to get to Egypt now but my best guess was that we needed to get to the Mediterranean coast and cross into Africa. With the violence in Egypt we were unlikely to find a ship or plane going directly there.

Glancing at a map of Europe, I zeroed in on Spain since it was a country that I would be able to communicate in. Gibraltor drew my attention quickly as possibly the best place to cross over but another name caused me to giggle.

"S'up?" Reno asked as I continued to giggle and I pointed at the name in response.

"Costa del Sol? SWEET!" the red headed man exclaimed with a grin. "We can get a hitch back to Midgar for sure!"

"Nope," I replied flatly as I searched the other towns. Gibraltor was our best bet but it would be better if we seemed to be headed elsewhere in case we were followed. I quickly found another town that should take us in the right direction.

"Alicante," I murmured before glancing around. A bus was nearby and a sign indicated it was a free transport to the train station and as I grabbed Tifa's arm, everyone fell in behind us.

The bus was very crowded and everywhere I heard hushed snippets of conversation in what seemed like dozens of languages. French was prevalent but there was Spanish, English, German, Italian, and languages I could only guess at.

Yuffie was the last on board and then the bus took off, all of us clinging to rails due to the sudden motion. The brakes squealed whenever they were engaged and the bus shook then when the wheels started turning again it would become smooth again. The windows were all open, letting in the hot mid-summer air.

The ride was rather short but was oddly refreshing which was strange due to it reminding me so much of a school bus. It helped also in that though Yuffie turned pale she never actually upchucked.

It was obvious that the train station saw plenty of traffic though most notable was the Chunnel train. Glancing at the station map, I tried to figure out which train we would have to hitch a ride on and if we could even afford it as several of the others spread out.

Reno was pointing out the map to Rude and the two seemed to be almost desperately looking for something. Aeris and Tifa had found a small cake shop and were gazing in while Kunsel and Cloud did an equipment assessment. Yuffie was bounding through a crowd of people and I made a note to search her pockets later while Cid, Barret, and Alex stood together. Zack was right behind me with Cait Sith's tail just visible from his pack. He was being stared at by a guard who looked unsure whether to laugh or yell.

The ticket machines here were mostly automated but the lines were long and I needed to ask some questions so we stood in line for a human attended booth.

"Parle vous anglais?" I asked when our turn arrived.

"A little," the attendant replied in a highly accented voice.

"Is there a train that runs to Alicante?"

The attendant's eyes narrowed a bit as he focused on his computer then nodded brightly. "Also know someone headed to Allemagne," he informed me. "Might give free ride if help him."

"Thanks, where is he?" I asked, completely dismissing the strange twist he had had when he pronounced Alicante.

The attendant pointed towards the parking lot and nodded politely as I thanked him again. Thankfully I didn't have to call for anyone to follow because they all fell in as we moved out.

We didn't have to ask anyone further about free rides because it was obvious who the attendant was talking about. In the parking lot were a number of cars and one large truck that was being loaded by a single old man. The cargo was bags of what looked to be mail.

We didn't understand what he was muttering about as we approached but I had a feeling that if I were to look them up they would have been purely derogatory.

The guy looked up as we approached and grinned at the sight of Cloud, revealing a smile that lacked a good number of teeth.

"Young man help old man?" he asked in a German accented voice before his eyes widened as he noticed the lot of us. "All help?"

"Sure, but can we get a ride?" Cloud asked and received an enthusiastic nod from the guy.

"Said send out people to help if going same way," the man said as he reached for another bag then grinned as Zack beat him to it and hoisted the bag into the truck.

An assembly line was soon going where Zack and Kunsel lifted bags into the truck, Tifa, Aeris, and I pushed them to the front of the truck and stacked them, and Alex, Cloud, Barret, Cid, and to a certain extent Yuffie hauled the bags to Zack and Kunsel. Reno was checking the truck's engine while Rude took the empty carts back to the station. The old man watched us for a few minutes before climbing into the truck as well to assist us in placing the bags.

There were a large number of bags but with the lot of us working we were easily able to get them squared away and the old man actually whistled as we used his cargo net to insure the bags wouldn't slip around.

"Fast," he exclaimed as he jumped out of the truck then nodded to the front of the truck. "Five in front, back here the rest."

His wording was strange and took a moment to understand before it was realized what he meant. Unsurprisingly we had to resort to the drawing of straws to finish this debate since none of us wanted to sit in the back right then. Thus we all ended up picking blades of grass that we had the old man hold to try to prevent any foul play.

An hour later I was more than certain that the old man had cheated. I say this because Aeris, Tifa, Yuffie, and I were in the front along with Reno. And the old man was proving to be very friendly if not a little creepy. His eyes kept wandering to Tifa's chest, Aeris's face, Yuffie's thighs, and my hair. Luckily Reno was willing to sit between this guy and us girls.

Quite possibly though, the guys in the back got the best deal. They had almost a third of the truck's floor space to stretch out on and the back was army style so they wouldn't suffocate. I would most likely volunteer to sit back there after our first rest stop and from the looks that Tifa and Aeris were sporting their thoughts ran along the same lines.

Yuffie on the other hand was soaking up the attention and made it a point to stretch out her legs quite often, allowing her shorts to ride up a bit further.

The ride was a long one and during the time I was in the front it became increasingly obvious that I didn't know the French countryside. After I managed to convince Cid to trade with me after our first rest stop though, I found the ride a lot more enjoyable.

The day was very warm and as it faded into evening and the temperatures dipped down we all enjoyed the sight of the sky from the back of the truck.

"Don't do this much as a Turk," Reno admitted as we passed around bags of trail mix, jerky, and protein bars. "Ain't really ever traveled like this."

"Used to do this all the time in SOLDIER!" Zack told him with a grin. "Then when we got a buggy it was fun, especially when Rachas told a story or Cloud started a group song!"

Everyone laughed as Cloud choked and glared angrily at Zack.

"Me?! You're the one that just randomly started singing sometimes!" Cloud declared. "And let's not forget 'The Morning Report'."

"Morn'n Report?" Reno asked as the laughter started again.

"Cloudy with a chance of snowballs!" Zack shouted back with a grin and Reno rolled his eyes.

Figueroa

It was not hard to guess that the group would most likely be leaving England altogether though it wasn't so easy to guess their route. They could have headed anywhere, especially if they went back to the airport!

It was lucky though that he had opted to head to King's Cross instead though. The police managed to track his vehicle and called him when he was still in route to the station to say that his rental had been found and a group mostly matching the description of the people he was following had purchased ferry tickets to cross the channel. They would already be in Calais but he could gain some ground on them by using the Chunnel!

Never had a train ever seemed to make so many stops as that train did before finally entering the tunnel that ran under the channel and as his ears popped with the pressure, Leo wondered yet again what the hell he was doing.

Following these people should fall to the CIA since it was obvious they operated internationally. Yet he couldn't let this go. There was something very wrong with the group and that recent run-in with the children as well as the synopsis of the report gathered from the kids sounded like they were based in… magic of all things.

Truly, Merlin at the Tor? Flashes of light and shifts in reality? Though Leo liked a good fantasy now and then, he believed in science. There had to be an explanation.

The police had called ahead to the Calais train station for him to ask they watch for these people. Because there were no charges against them, if found they wouldn't be taken into custody. All parties were being alerted to the fact these people were tailing human traffickers and no one wanted to stand in their way after hearing that.

He was met by a station representative as soon as he stepped off the train who nodded to him gravely. The woman was also accompanied by a French officer who wore an equally grim expression.

"Do you believe they have found a circle in France?" the officer demanded immediately and Figueroa could only shrug as he fell in step behind the woman.

"I don't come in contact with them, only follow," he replied as the woman pushed open a door to a plain office area and gestured to several photos on the desk.

"Security cameras, best match we have found," she explained and Leo glanced at the photos before a grin spread across his face. Bingo.

"This is definitely Atwood," he said as he tapped the first photo that contained her and the tall, dark soldier-ish looking man.

"We tracked them from Customs at the dock to here," the representative continued. "They wanted to go to Allemagne."

"Allemagne?" Leo asked as he pulled on his limited French from high school. "Germany?"

Normal

The thought that we might be going the wrong way occurred sometime during the night as I began to wonder if we had bypassed Paris and why the mountains weren't getting higher. Sure there were hills but nothing really high.

It was confirmed in the morning light as we passed a sign that I knew was not in French, and it definitely wasn't in Spanish either.

Rude noticed my confusion but managed to keep silent though everyone was blinking in confusion when the truck pulled off the highway and followed a bumpy country road.

Trees slowly became taller and denser, fog clogging the space between them as the tall branches blocked out the light of the sun.

"What… is this place?" Aeris murmured and I noticed she was shivering. Her reaction also clued me in to the fact that I was also shivering and a dark, bone-chilling cold seeped through the trees.

It had been several hours since our last rest stop and the old man apparently decided that this was as good of a place as any as the truck slowed and pulled to the side of the road.

The old man climbed out of the cab but surprised me by not heading into the thicket on the side of the road, instead heading to the front where he popped the hood for the truck.

"Scheiße! Dummkopf lieferwagen!"

Any thoughts I had on this stop being intentional went out the window. I only knew a few words in German and most of them were less than complimentary. Our driver had just uttered two that I knew.

"Man, I checked that 'fore we left, yo!" Reno drawled angrily as his eyes roved to the front of the truck where Alex and Yuffie had just jumped out of the cab before climbing out himself and ambling towards the front. "Damn thing seemed fine, just old!"

Climbing out of the truck myself, I dug out my jacket and clenched it firmly over my form as shivers erupted down my back. Aeris was being hugged by Zack while Cloud glanced at me in concern.

"Are you guys alright?" he asked as he gave Tifa a hand out of the truck.

"Don't know," I muttered as I headed to the front of the truck behind Reno.

The red head immediately ducked his head under the hood and began to check the various circuits and valves in the engine as I approached the slightly displaced driver.

"Where are we?" I asked the man, hoping he knew enough English to understand.

The driver stared at me hopelessly for a moment before pointing out to the forest. I nodded, hoping he understood.

"Forest… Black?" he seemed to taste the words as he uttered them and my blood froze.

Alex

"You feel it don't you?" Aeris asked as Yuffie and I joined the group at the back of the truck.

Another shudder ran up my spine and my shirt was no good against the cold. "Yeah, feels like this place is evil."

Rachas approached then, her face pale, obviously just as affected by this place as Aeris and I were. "We're in the Black Forest."

"Care to explain?" I asked.

"Have you heard of the Grimm Brothers?"

'Yeah, they wrote nightmare fuel for little kids to read, right?" I wasn't making the connection.

"Nightmare fuel?" Barret asked. "Storytellers?"

"Bloody, violent tales were what they wrote and gathered," Rachas explained as her eyes flitted back and forth. "The Black Forest was the primary setting for those tales, the fuel for their dark fantasies."

At this point I could calmly admit I was ready to freak out.

"So this place may have some of Jenova's influence." Strange, it is eerie but nothing seems out of place…

"Everyone stick close to the truck," Cloud ordered and we all nodded then I followed Yuffie to the front of the truck so she could retrieve something.

"Man, stuck in these creepy woods and… Hey what's that smell?" Yuffie sniffed the air and so did I.

"It smells like food… Like cake and pie."

Yuffie grinned devilishly as she spun on her heel, sniffing the air like a hound dog, then took off into the woods. I gave chase immediately.

"Wait up, yo!" Reno shouted tailing after us.

Something good was cooking and I was very hungry. For some odd reason I was able to keep pace with the tiny ninja and that is no ordinary feat. I turned to see Reno keeping pace with us as well but everything around him was dark. Maybe that is why they call it the Black Forest.

A light was streaming out of what seemed to be the exit of this black tunnel and I saw something my eyes could not believe, a house made of sweets! Moreover, Yuffie was already eating away at it.

"Yuffie get away from the house!" I shouted.

"Why?" Yuffie asked me, her face covered in chocolate.

"Well, well! Brother what do we have here?" A mysterious voice rang through the woods.

"I see two lost children and a hunter stumbling across the forest! To our surprise they found a house made of food." It was a different voice that answered and it seemed happy.

"Who the hell is that yo?" Reno asked as he dropped into a fighting stance, his eyes hardening.

"We are simple storytellers and you are the characters," the voices declared in unison.

"Shit…" I muttered.

"We're in a story? What's the story called?" Yuffie asked.

"Hansel and Gretel, with a twist….." One voice answered as the other laughed darkly.

Normal

"Alex? Yuffie? Reno?" Zack shouted at the patch of trees that the three had disappeared into.

Barret moved towards the trees himself only for Kunsel to grab his arm and stop him thought the Ex-SOLDIER's eyes indicated he wanted nothing more than to search for them also.

"Alex! Get back here!" Cloud shouted from the roof of the truck where he had climbed in an attempt to get a better view of the area.

Cait Sith's head popped out of my pack and I lifted the robot up to try to prevent the truck driver from noticing him moving about. I needn't have bothered though since the moment the rest of us had started yelling after our three wayward friends/co-workers/person-who-had-unintentionally- hitched-a-ride, the man had jumped a foot, swung around, staring at the trees, and promptly dove into his truck. I couldn't understand what he was saying but he seemed honestly spooked and his folded hands indicated he was praying.

"We can't just leave them!" Tifa yelled as a minute passed and there was no response from those who had run off.

"Agreed." Cloud jumped from the roof of the truck and stared out at the trees again. "Something isn't right."

"Right, I say Cloud, Kunsel, and me go and get everyone," Zack stated and there was a collective groan.

Rude spoke up first, surprising everyone. "Not very balanced."

"He's right," I pointed out.

"No magic here so you and Aeris can't go into situations like this," Zack argued and Tifa slapped his shoulder.

"They've proven themselves capable," she lectured.

"And I have a weapon now!" Aeris exclaimed and to my surprise she had Merlin's staff in hand.

Everyone stared in surprise for a moment before Kunsel called for order.

"We need to get those three back and we can't be overly specialized!" he explained. "I say Rude, Zack, and Barret go. Any disagreements?"

"Yes!" Cloud angrily declared. "I'm going after Alex, Zack should stay with Aeris."

"Zack has a weapon though," Kunsel explained as he indicated towards Zack's back. Zack seemed surprised as he reached back and touched a sword that was attached to his back similar to the way he carried the Buster sword. It was the sword he had picked up in the Tor.

"Fine then," Cloud relented angrily. "If you're not back in five minutes though…"

Zack grinned at his friend and offered his fist which Cloud absently bumped.

"Good ta hear Spikey's gonna come get us if we get in trouble!" Barret teased before his expression darkened as he turned and trotted after Zack and Rude.

Zack, Rude, Barret

The woods were silent for the most part as the three trudged toward the trees, each glancing back every few seconds to make sure they could still see the truck.

"Damn…" Barret groaned as his feet sank into the damp ground and he almost fell if not for the timely intervention of Rude. "Thanks…" he gritted out in aggravation, angry to have to thank a Turk for anything.

Rude thankfully said nothing, just nodded then glanced up at where the truck should still be visible. "The fog."

Both of the other men turned and stared, Zack taking a step back towards the truck before forcing himself to face forward again.

"Looks like we're going to be playing 'Shout Out' to get back," the ex-SOLDIER stated. "They can't have gone much further, could they?"

"Yuffie ya talkin bout, and Reno," Barret stated blandly. "That Alex might have some sense but he ran off wiff 'em."

Rude didn't even attempt to object as his feet seemed to move a bit faster over the marshy ground, his long stride putting him ahead of Zack in mere seconds before the lot of them stopped. Before them was a crumbling straw shack that looked as though it would fall if someone so much as breathed wrong.

"What's the hold up?" Zack demanded as he stepped around Rude and took a step towards the hut.

"No footprints," Rude said as a way of explanation but Zack shrugged in irritation.

"What other way could they go?" he asked as he took another step toward the shack only for Barret's hand to grasp his shoulder and yank him back.

"No footprints means we're wastin' time goin' tis way," Barret grumbled as he turned the ex-SOLDIER away from the hut and headed back towards the thick, foggy darkness behind them.

Zack scratched his head a moment then shrugged and raced after his friend who Rude was following at a much more sedate pace.

"So they didn't go that way, how're we gonna find 'em?" Zack asked as he fell in step behind Barret.

The miner blinked at him for a moment before responding by turning his head back towards the fog and shouting.

"YUFFIE! ALEX! TURK! WHERE ARE YA ASSES?!"

Barret's shout almost made Zack jump and Rude stiffened noticeably but there was no response as the yell rang and echoed through the trees.

"COMON!" Barret continued to shout as he stomped into the mist. "One o' ya answer me!"

The mist swirled around them and the darkness seemed to giggle as they moved, pushing through some of the small brush before Barret stopped abruptly this time. And this time Zack ran into him.

"What now?" he demanded as he maneuvered around the buff man then crinkled his brow at what was before them. The straw house was once again in front of them, but this one was now joined by a dilapidated hut made of what looked to be sticks and branches.

"Did we go in a circle?" Zack demanded as he stared at the two small huts.

"No." Rude's response was short and to the point as usual. His finger pointed at the ground and both AVALANCHE men looked at what he was indicating.

"Prints! Sweet! They came this way!" the puppy declared as he followed their trek with his eyes, brows furrowing when he realized that the prints turned around before reaching the shacks and headed in the other direction, the way they had just come from. "Where'd they go?"

"Prints ain't small enough ta be theirs'," Barret pointed out after a moment and Zack felt his stomach twist suddenly and go cold. Stepping forward, he compared the smallest looking print to his own.

Barret was right, these couldn't belong to any of their missing companions; he knew for a fact his foot was bigger than any of their feet and this print fit his shoe perfectly.

A stab of worry and suspicion entered his brain then and he drew his sword, an action that had both Barret and Rude scanning the area around them.

Unable to think of anything else to use, Zack used the tip of his sword to draw a hasty replica of the SOLDIER emblem in the soft ground before leading the march this time back into the mist and darkness. Barret hesitated only a moment before following while Rude broke his own commitment to cleanliness and drew an "X" on the ground using the toe of his shoe.

This time all of them kept their eyes wide open as the marched through the darkness, looking for any hints of something being afoot. They looked for anything strange, listened for any noise, and seemed careful to walk one foot ahead of the other, insuring as straight of a line as possible.

"Ya think this's a trap?" Barret asked quietly.

"Or a… loop created by something like what happened at the other place," Zack replied as the mist finally began to thin.

Before them now were three tiny huts, hardly big enough for one person each, and all crumbling and dilapidated. A straw hut, one of sticks, and the last appeared to be of stone and brick. Not one of them looked like they would survive a stiff wind.

"And what is this we have?" a disembodied voice declared and instantly all three men took defensive stances.

"Why it would seem to be three houses with a story to tell!" a second voice answered.

"And new characters as well for this old tale!" the first called again.

Barret was the first to ask the question they all had at that moment. "Story? Characters?"

"Of course!" the second voice called. "So many new characters this day too! But you may want to hurry home little pig!"

"PIG?!" Barret roared angrily.

"Of course, this is 'The Big Bad Wolf and The Three Little Pigs'!"

Normal

The woods were silent again and the truck driver was freaking out in honest, wrenching at the various lines in his engine. Both Cid and I had tried to make him stop to no effect. We didn't speak a language he knew and he was panicking about something.

"He's going to tear his own truck to pieces," Cid finally declared as he joined the rest of us in watching for our comrades.

All of us agreed at this point that something was clearly not right. We had all traveled enough to know that if the locals are nervous then we should keep our guard up. We also knew that by now Zack's group should have caught up with Yuffie's since although Reno and Yuffie were blindingly fast, Alex was definitely not.

"I'm going." Cloud's statement caused most of us to perk up.

"Me too!" Those words came simultaneously from my throat as well as Kunsel's, Cid's, Tifa's, and Aeris's. Cait Sith was also waving his paw to show he volunteered.

Cloud glanced at each of us before nodding to Tifa and Cid. "Kunsel, I trust you can keep things in order here."

Though a bit crestfallen, Kunsel shrugged and nodded in agreement while Aeris's eyes narrowed a bit.

"I have a weapon, Cloud," she informed him pointedly.

"And I trust you to keep the civilian safe!" he replied before turning to head into the mist.

I opened my own mouth to protest but was stopped by Kunsel's hand and glared at him instead as Cloud, Tifa, and Cid vanished into the trees and mist.

"What was that for?" I demanded hotly as soon as Kunsel removed his hand.

The former SOLDIER raised an eyebrow at me. "You might have the best knowledge of this world, but without magic or a weapon you're just like any other human. Tifa and Cloud have hand-to-hand experience and Cid is no slouch either."

As pathetic of a gesture as it was, I pulled out the small knife I had used at the Tor to remind him I wasn't entirely helpless.

"A REAL weapon," Kunsel stated with a roll of his eyes.

Cloud, Tifa, and Cid

The fog swirled about them and seemed to nip at their ankles. The ground was barely visible beneath their feet and the darkness closed in around them.

"Geez, couldn't ta run off at a beach could they?" Cid grumbled as his hand rifled through his pocket and yanked out his lighter. The tiny flame didn't cut through the gloom at all.

Tifa rolled her eyes as Cloud shrugged.

"I find it strange that Alex would run off like that despite sensing something was wrong," Cloud stated as his eyes roved over the trees.

"Sounds like he 'n Rachas might be related!" the pilot declared with a smirk.

Tifa swatted Cid's arm and the man cursed colorfully as he dropped his lighter.

"Fuck! Shera gave me that!" Cid declared as he rushed to where his lighter fell in the mist.

Tifa glanced at Cloud then sighed as she checked the ground also for Cid's lighter, none of them noticing as the darkness wove around them, separating them.

"It's too dark, sorry Cid," Tifa finally admitted after a moment but received no reply. Glancing up, she searched for her companions but the darkness was too dense. "Cloud? Cid?" Her foot hit something then and she glanced down to find a plain leather glove. Reaching down, she grabbed the offending object with every intent to toss it back into the mist.

"Aww! A young girl alone in the woods!" A voice called out and Tifa barely kept herself from jumping as she slid into an opening stance.

"And she has a treat for her grandmother! Better hurry though! Wolves are in these woods!" a second voice called.

"Wolves?" Tifa asked, barely able to hold back her smirk. She had dealt with Nibel wolves since she was young, regular ones should be no problem.

Cloud

The blond swordsman glanced around in confusion as the darkness swirled about him, no path in sight and no Tifa or Cid.

"Tifa?" he called as his eyes roved around him, trying to find footprints, a scrap of clothing, a flicker of a lighter. "Tifa?"

"Now now hero," a voice called to him and Cloud's eyes barely caught the outline of a figure in the gloom. "Now is not the time for the hero to arrive!"

"So there will be a hero?" asked another voice.

"Of course not brother! Just a man who arrives to find the girl and granny already devoured and tries to save them!"

"Girl and granny? If you're talking about Tifa then know she is no pushover!" Even as he said this he felt his heartbeat begin to rise.

Cid

The room was simple and ancient looking. The bed was obviously a straw mattress that was held on the wooden frame by a rope net. The chairs and table were rough and seemed to be held together with string and pegs. There were herbs hanging from the ceiling from strings. The door was locked from the outside.

"And here the granny awaits the arrival of her granddaughter!" a singsong voice announced and Cid felt his jaw drop.

"Granny?! I ain't that old or a granny!" Cid bellowed and kicked at the door. "Lemme outta here!"

Dark chuckles were his answer. "You don't want to go out there granny! There are wolves about!"

Alex, Yuffie, and Reno

Grabbing Yuffie's arm, Alex tried to drag the ninja away from the building but discovered her to be significantly stronger. And she did not want to leave the house.

"I'll fight better if I've eaten!" she protested.

"You'll be eaten!" he argued before glancing back to request help from Reno. The redhead was staring out at the woods though, his sharp eyes flickering over the leaves and branches.

"Ya know what's comin' yo?" Reno asked as he tried figure out what was out there or if the speakers were going to reappear.

"I know this story," the boy admitted as he tried yet again to drag Yuffie away from the house.

"Ya said something about nightmare fuel yo. What's comin'?"

"A witch."

Neither Reno nor Yuffie were impressed.

"How's a witch nightmare fuel yo?" Yuffie nodded in agreement as she sucked some of the chocolate off her fingers.

Alex didn't get the opportunity to answer as a shrill, sharp cackle cut through the air and a spell shot towards Yuffie. The girl's ninja reflexes were what saved her as she twisted and jumped, dodging the spell which exploded against the side of the house and showered the group with bits of cake and gingerbread.

All three now turned their eyes towards where the spell had come from and stared at the hag before them. Her color was gray. Gray hair, gray skin, and gray rags for clothing. The nails on the hand stretched out at them were black as pitch and the eyes and teeth seemed to have the only color. Both were hideous shades of yellow, piercingly bright against her otherwise drab and flat appearance. Even the tongue that flitted out between the gray and cracked lips was gray and made the yellow teeth seem all the more sharp and disgusting.

"Nibble nibble little mouths, children eating on my house!" the witch cackled in her shrill voice.

"Thought magic didn't exist here," Yuffie murmured as they all stared at the hag.

"Tell her that yo!" Reno shot back right as a spark erupted from the witch's finger and shot towards their small group.

Both Yuffie and Reno managed to get clear in time but Alex was just a moment too slow and was buried under a portion of the wall and roof of the house as it crumbled.

Kunsel, Rachas, Aeris, and Cait Sith

Things were far too quiet as we stared out at the woods, the driver now having officially lost it. He had given up on fixing the engine of his truck and was instead huddled in the cab. The four of us were also tense and found ourselves watching every direction, listening for any sign the others were coming back.

It was Kunsel who noticed the approaching gloom first and pointed it out to us.

"It looks alive," Aeris murmured and I nodded in agreement, happy that the driver couldn't see this. He probably would have finally given in to the urge to scream.

The former SOLDIER glanced at each of us before nodding resolutely and taking a step forward.

"And where do you think you're going?" I demanded sharply.

Kunsel continued forward though and answered without pause. "It's coming this way and everyone else is obviously already in there. I'll go first and clear the way for you three."

"Why alone?" Aeris asked and Kunsel actually glanced back at us then.

"Because none of you actually fight head-on. I prefer not to now also but can handle myself. Having one of you with me would be more of a hindrance than a help."

"Hey!" I shouted in agitation though he was correct. Aeris was great at spellcraft, Cait Sith at sneaking, and I was good at both but none of us stood a real chance without magic or special abilities.

"Just follow in a minute," Kunsel ordered as he stepped into the gloom and within moments disappeared.

I took a step forward, intent to follow, but was stopped by Aeris's hand.

"What is the story of these woods?" she asked.

"The story?"

"What Alex called nightmare fuel."

I glanced at her then the gloom. She did deserve fair warning if this was the Black Forest come to life.

"There are a number of tales on this planet that are meant to teach lessons or entertain, kind of like the story of the Fenrir and the Grandmother." That had been a surprising discovery on my part, to find out that Gaia had a tale so similar to Little Red Riding Hood.

"What do fairy tales have to do with this?"

"They were bloody." My response surprised Aeris as well as my flat tone. "Think of people being chopped up and sliced apart. Stomachs being cut open and then sewn shut after being filled with rocks. Curses, characters being devoured, all sorts of things to scare you." It had been a minute so I was moving towards the gloom myself now.

"Monsters, trolls, wolves; nothing could really be categorized as 'friendly'. Not even fairies."

My hands were cold as Aeris slipped her's into mine and we faced the approaching gloom.

"Anything that seems friendly at first is what is likely to be the most dangerous thing here," I instructed as the cold gloom surrounded us and Cait Sith clamped onto my leg.

A glow from beside me caught my attention then and my eyes shifted towards where Aeris was holding the now illuminated Staff of Merlin.

"I believe that would be us then." Aeris's voice had a steel edge now and I found myself grinning.

Kunsel

The thought that maybe he should have not split up from the other three centered itself in his head the moment the gloom surrounded him but there was no going back now. He had to continue forward and hope the others would be safe on their own.

His feet carried him in the direction that he remembered Cloud having gone and he sloshed through the rolling gloom that hung heavy.

No matter how he moved though it seemed like he wasn't making any forward process. The gloom remained stationary and nothing came into sight, even the ground beneath his feet seemed a questionable existence if not for the fact that he could feel it.

Finally some light appeared and he rushed towards it, praying he would find someone there. Instead all he found was a bridge, an old mossy one at that.

And our final tale, the Bill- brother? Why is there only one billy goat?" asked a disembodied voice.

"Because dear brother, the goats always faced the troll one at a time!"

Goat? Troll? One at a time? Kunsel growled as he realized what their enemy was attempting to do. An ambush, one he might have been able to avoid if he was with one of the others, especially since it sounded like there was just going to be one enemy.

Still, a troll didn't sound all that bad. He had seen Zoloms, Golems, and WEAPONs for crying out loud! How bad could one troll be?

A foul odor reached his nose then and the former SOLDIER turned his head as his eyes began to water from the sheer stink in order to meet his enemy.

The skin was a patchwork of gray and green, fungus obviously growing on nails and the loincloth-like rag the beast wore. The face looked to be molded from wax that was then left next to something too warm. There was no telling if what came out of it's head was actually hair or not but Kunsel was in no hurry to find out. The teeth were yellow and black, rather dull looking, and had plenty of spaces between them. The only thing that seemed sharp about the monster were its black, beady eyes that zeroed in on him within seconds.

Zack, Rude, and Barret

"Wolves? They expect us to be afraid of wolves?!" Zack looked completely put out. Even the Nibel Wolves, arguably the most vicious species on Gaia, had not been a challenge for him since his early teens, definitely not after he had entered SOLDIER. Heck, all of them could probably hold their own against wolves now!

"Wolf. Singular," Rude stated as he walked towards the crumbling brick shack. He noted that Fair's face got even more red with his comment.

"EVEN WORSE!" The puppy was mad.

Barret proved to be the thoughtful one at the moment though despite him not being to happy about being called a pig or part of a story. "What'dya think this's 'bout?" he asked aloud as he stared at the shack made of sticks. He poked at it and was not surprised when the door fell from its frame and practically disintegrated into a pile of twigs, saw dust, and strings.

"Think someone lived there?" Zack asked.

The former miner poked the crumbling pile with his foot. "If they did, probably doin' 'em a favor in givin' 'em a reason ta move."

A loud howl cut through the air then and all three men turned in the direction it came from as they shifted their weights in preparation of a fight. Zack hefted his new sword while Rude adjusted his shades to ensure they were secure. None of them expected the gale-force wind that crashed into them and sent each man tumbling into one of the shacks; Rude into the brick house, Zack into the straw one, and Barret into the house of sticks.

Due to all the doors of the houses now being utterly destroyed, all three got a good view of the monstrous wolf that stalked into the clearing.

Nibel wolves had nothing on this hulking eight foot beast. Black fur made a magnificent coat that covered tightly coiled muscles that in spite of their size still flowed with liquid grace. Yellow eyes and claws gleamed in the low levels of light but no where near as brightly as the teeth that were exposed by the creature's grin.

It moved with the grace of a feline towards the straw house where Zack sat inside, blinking at the majestic yet terrible being.

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in!" The wolf's voice wasn't gruff, instead it sounded almost gentile, like Rufus Shinra's voice.

Zack stared at the wolf, completely at a loss of what to say or do. It was too shocking.

The wolf stared at the man through the open door for a moment longer before his eyes gained a more feral edge.

"Let in come in little pig!"

"What are you? A vampire that needs to be invited?" Zack finally blurted out.

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"That won't be very impressive!" The SOLDIER shouted back as he readied his sword, prepared to fight.

The gale-force wind came then, hot and heavy from the wolf's mouth. The shack was torn to pieces instantly and Zack found himself picked up and tossed through the air like a rag doll.

He hit the ground hard, barely managing to keep his hold on the sword as the wolf lunged at him, jaw wipe and ready to snap on him.

Rolling to the left, the swordsman narrowly avoided becoming the wolf's lunch right as Rude punched the wolf's back leg. Something was wrong though; there was no blood or sound of breaking bones or sound of pain from the wolf. It instead turned its head and snapped its jaw at Zack again, the dark haired man swinging his blade wildly and cutting the side of the wolf's mouth. But still there was no utterance of pain!

"We're in trouble!" Zack managed to gasp as he dove to the side to avoid yet another swipe from the wolf as Barret joined the fight by smashing his bionic arm onto one of the paws with no greater success than they had had already.

Yuffie and Reno

Reno could deal with being unarmed and in pain. He had gotten through many situations that were stacked against him. He hated this particular one though.

Alex had been knocked out of the fight early leaving just him and the ninja to deal with what was turning out to be a very tough, on top of being very ugly, witch. Their blows were having no effect. Even when Reno had made the extremely dangerous move of getting in close to the witch and punching her straight in the face, the only reaction he had gotten was being clawed across the chest.

Yuffie was fairing a little better since she had taken to throwing things instead of getting near after what had happened to Reno. The down side was that she was still getting blasted by the shrapnel created by the witch's spells.

"Catch you all, fatten you up!" the witch cackled as she blasted a vile green looking spell towards Reno who had to sprawl on the ground to avoid it. "Children taste better fat!"

"Ain't no kiddies here yo!" Reno yelled before noticing a shifting in the ground around him. He barely managed to jump clear before the ground collapsed into a shallow pit filled with flames.

Unfortunately Reno's landing was a bit off balance and the witch capitalized on it, ignoring Yuffie's attempts to gain her attention from small stones, branches, and bits of her own house to instead rush at the redhead and scrape her filthy clawed hand down his left side.

Reno howled as his leg gave out from the pain but he did manage to throw one more punch, a pile-driver straight to the throat that would have killed a normal being and most SOLDIERs. The witch didn't react beyond her head snapping back for a moment and then her talons closed around Reno's arm.

"Hey!" Yuffie shrieked as she hefted her newest weapon, a long stick that had a sharp point on one end. As the witch turned to her the miniature ninja drove it into the hag's right eye.

There was a scream this time but when Yuffie retracted the stick to try to stab the thing again there was no blood, nothing oozing from what should have been a serious wound. Instead the witch glared at her with a vicious and completely intact eye and the girl didn't get the moment needed to react before a spell slammed into her stomach, sending her crashing through the front door of the candy house.

Yuffie's ears were ringing as her vision cleared and it was to the nightmarish sight of the witch dragging Reno in through the door before she was blasted with yet another spell, this one sending her into a small cage on the other side of the cabin. Reno was tossed into the one next to her moments later.

"Ya alright yo?" the redhead asked through a wince. He never missed magic and potions more than he did at that moment... Rather he missed HAVING magic and potions. That damn witch seemed to be okay in the magic department.

Yuffie glanced at him then to where the witch was. Currently she was throwing wood into what looked like a massive ancient oven.

"Who knew creatures could be this tough here?" she groaned.

Alex

Despite being made from sweets, the chunks of roof and wall that had fallen on him were heavy and had knocked him out for a few minutes. Needless to say that when he woke up though, Alex was a bit woozy.

From his place underneath the confections though he could see the end of Yuffie and Reno's fight against the witch and watched in horror as Yuffie stabbed the woman in the eye to no avail.

Terror licked at him as he watched his new friend and the redhead get blasted or dragged into the house but didn't stop him from pulling himself from the pile that had been made over him.

'What to do?!' The thought screamed at him as several bangs and clanks came from the dark door into the cabin and then rustling.

He had to do something, but what? He was no where near the level of fighter Yuffie and Reno were and they had been clobbered! Maybe he needed to go find Cloud, hope they could hold on until he got back.

As he turned to run, a clink sounded as his foot hit something. Glancing down, he saw a lighter, one he was certain he had seen Cid with several times! What was it doing out here?

The answer both heartened and crushed him: the others had come for them. But where were they? Had they been beaten by the witch? Why was there no other trace of them? That did settle one thing though: he didn't have time to look for them.

Turning back to the cabin, the boy swallowed reflexively. How had the kids in the story ever beat that witch if two dangerous and experienced fighters like Yuffie and Reno couldn't? That witch couldn't be invincible! After all, the...

"Fire..." Alex murmured as he reached down and scooped up the lighter. Hansel and Gretel had defeated the witch by shoving her into her own oven where she had burned!

Creeping to the door, the young Cetra tried his best to move slowly and silently, watching the witch's movement as she finished piling wood into an oven then lit some kindling. It would be several moments yet before the oven would be hot though.

Reno and Yuffie were in cages at the back of the house that had thick metal bars on them. He wasn't certain how they would get them out but that could wait until later.

Both noticed him in turn but kept their mouths shut. Or rather, Reno kept his mouth shut and threw a hand over Yuffie's mouth.

Sliding under a table as the witch turned away from the oven, he fingered the lighter, wondering how he could use this to his advantage. What would Cloud or even Rachas do?

His thoughts were cut off due to the sound of a knife hitting the table above him, obviously cutting something before what looked like half an apple dropped to the floor and rolled to a stop near his foot.

And breathing in the cabin except the witch's stopped as she stooped to retrieve the piece of apple. Her claws gleamed viciously through the semi-darkness as they reached for the fruit.

Alex didn't dare to move even as the hand neared the apple, as a chin appeared from above the table, followed by a nose and not even a second later, he was staring into the feral yellow eyes.

The witch seemed surprised before hissing and reaching for him, her claws latching onto the sleeve of his jacket as his numb fingers twitched, tightening around something they held.

The tiny flame that appeared from the lighter was like a beacon in the darkness and when the witch recoiled, Alex lashed out in instinct, touching the flame to the rags she wore.

Never had something seemed to catch fire so readily or quickly as those rags worn by the witch as she jumped back, howling in shock, anger, and fear.

Her attempt to retreat had taken her closer to the oven though and as she swatted at the flames that now danced over her form, she was rushed and shoved by a still terrified boy. The shove sent her straight into the iron oven that was beginning to rapidly warm which the boy then tried to shut. Her foot managed to get stuck in the door though and though she howled in pain, she refused to move it.

Alex pushed with everything he had to try to shut the door of the oven, panic and fear driving him to be stronger than he ever remembered being. But the witch's foot was in the way.

"Damn it!" he shouted in anger as he tried to push the appendage in but only lost ground with the door as the witch managed to turn herself about and push at it.

The witch's talon-like fingers began to curve around the iron door, her strength pushing against his and it was easy to see who would win when a poker appeared and smashed over the witch's claws as another set of hands joined Alex's in shoving the door.

"Don't let up now yo!" a familiar voice shouted and Alex rejoined the effort, shoving with everything he had.

Whoever wielded the poker brought it down again on the witch's fingers then on the foot. The fingers disappeared for a moment but the foot stayed and the person struck it again and again. The talons made one more reappearance accompanied by a scream as something could be heard breaking on the third strike from the poker, but were struck once more before with one final heave, the oven door was slammed shut and locked.

Shrill shrieks and curses echoed from inside the oven, growing in pitch for several minutes before finally fading and all about him the cabin began to fade also. Even the darkness faded.

It was several seconds before Alex managed to look around and was surprised to find Yuffie and Reno, out of their cages, and grinning despite the lingering sweat and fear.

"How?" he managed to croak.

"I'ma Turk yo!" Reno declared proudly.

Yuffie grinned even more widely. "And you got help from me after I beat you out!"

"Did not yo!"

"Did too!"

"STOP!" Alex cried desperately. He was in no mood for more fighting and thankfully both stopped. "Thank god everything's disappearing."

"Yeah, never gonna eat a candy house ever again!" Yuffie declared in agreement.

A sharp 'CRACK' rang through their ears then and the three turned in horror towards the fading oven that had just burst open. Inside were two children that only looked to be about seven to nine years old; one a girl and the other a boy.

Normal

Though the remnant LifeStream of this area was corrupt and decaying much like it had been at the Tor, Aeris and I could both feel our friends about us. Since we were trained in the manipulation of the LifeStream both of us managed to push away the illusions surrounding us which confused me at first. Then we found them.

Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm: linguists, academics, and collectors of folklore. Both men were twisted much like Merlin had been now, stringy hair falling to their shoulders, faces pale and taunt, almost like the flesh that had been pulled too tightly over their skulls. They were dressed in suits that looked like they may have once been dashing but now were too old, ragged, and decaying to be found on anything other than a corpse. Or a zombie.

The brothers seemed equally surprised to see us as well though they were quick to cover that up.

"Well brother, it seems two are like us!"

"Like us or like them? I count three of them."

"You are right! But one seems to be a cat!"

"How are we understanding you?" I demanded. I didn't know much about the lives and education of the Grimms other than them being scholars but I was certain they didn't speak English!

"A flaw this one has found!" stated one of them with a chuckle, I wasn't sure which he was. Then his eyes lost focus for a moment. "And one of our characters has figured out the story!"

"Characters?" Aeris asked as she glanced around us.

"Yes yes! A good story too! Too bad really, I would've enjoyed a new ending. But we may get one yet! The three little pigs haven't figured out their tale yet nor has red riding hood!"

"The little pigs?" I demanded. "Tale?"

"Our works, our stories! All collected and published!" one of them declared. "We were proud of our work! We were at peace! And then that Reich came through and tore it apart!"

"The disgrace!"

"The humiliation!"

"What are they talking about?" Aeris whispered.

"Umm..." I wasn't going to explain the Holocaust and how Nazis had used the tales and works of these men as propaganda. "I think something they were proud of was used in a manner they're not happy about."

"We had to change the tales but everyone seems to know them! And then she came!"

"She heard our distress and gave us power to change our tales!"

"And rewritten they shall be!"

"Oh fuck!" I shouted as realization hit me. Jenova had been through here alright, and unlike Merlin who had tried to preserve the past, these two were trying to make their dark fantasies a reality so they could change their stories! Illusions! Something Aeris and I were equipped and prepared to fight but no one else was! From the sounds of it though, finishing a tale properly caused the illusion to collapse!

But hadn't these guys said something about pigs? And red riding hood? In both stories a wolf attacks but in Red Riding Hood the wolf could be fought off while the wolf in The Three Little Pigs...

I looked to Aeris who noticed my distress and nodded in understanding.

"I'll talk to them, help them move on hopefully," she stated and we parted ways.

I had no way of knowing who was where or which group was facing what, but I hoped that the men had tried to go with some sort of gender honesty as I focused on the group that seemed to be acting most violently; Zack's group.

If I was wrong then I would get to see Zack as Little Red Riding Hood. If I was right, then I wouldn't be running to the next illusion straight away, a win-win in my opinion.

It occurred to me as I reached the edge of the illusion surrounding Zack, Rude, and Barret that Kunsel was still alone but a quick scan showed him to be fine at the moment. Then I entered the illusion of a fairy tale.

Tifa

The path before her was not well lit but smooth and led to what appeared to be a house. Seeing as how she was thoroughly out of her element though, the woman did not immediately approach the building, first scanning the nearby area for any threats or her comrades. Seeing nothing, she walked slowly to the house, trying her best to hold cover until the last minute.

Shouts and muffled curses alerted Tifa to the fact that the house was not unoccupied an more importantly, who was in it.

"Cid?" she whispered at the door, hoping the man would shut up long enough to hear her. No such luck seeing as how a loud "THUD!" caused her to jump back from the door.

Realizing her friend was likely in trouble, Tifa grabbed the doorknob and attempted to open the door only to discover it seemed to be stuck on something.

The answer was obvious after a moment, a long, rusty bar near the bottom of the door was obviously keeping it shut.

Remembering the glove she had picked up earlier, Tifa slipped the thing over her hand and was surprised at how well it fit before reaching down to grab the bar. As she did, an ax on a woodpile caught her eye and as she grabbed it as she tossed the door bar to the side.

One kick was all it took to take down the door and Tifa entered the house with the ax, ready to attack whoever the idiot was that was attacking her friend. Instead she found herself face-to-face with Cid who was quick to raise his arms in surrender.

"Don't swing that!" Cid shouted as he dropped the bucket he had looked ready to throw. A glance around confirmed there was no one else in the house.

"I called in but only heard shouts and crashes!" Tifa declared angrily, completely glossing over the fact that her 'call' had actually been more of a whisper. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Tifa asked another question that had been burning in her mind.

"By any chance did you hear those voices after we were separated?"

"Sure did," Cid growled, looking more sour than ever. "Called me 'granny'."

Tifa had to bite her tongue to not laugh right before a bone rattling howl cut through the air.

Cid actually jumped then lunged at her ax only for Tifa to twist it away from his grasp.

"Comon! Ya got martial arts!" Cid argued as he reached for the ax again but Tifa's sharp look stopped him. "Fine, I'll find somethin' else!"

The options for 'something else' were very limited in the house, one of the reasons why Tifa opted to hang on to the ax. Cid ended up with the choice of either a kettle, a frying pan, or a rolling pin. He chose all three and glanced out of the doorway several times as he arranged them.

"No one else comin', right?" he asked several times and Tifa understood that he viewed his masculinity as taking a hit right then.

"Have you seen Cloud by any chance?" she asked right as he finally seemed ready.

"Nope, would've been locked in with 'em if I had," Cid replied as he checked outside for any sign of their comrades or the source of the howl. "Everythi-"

Crashing behind them was the only alert they got before an enormous gray wolf-man pounced at Cid, a giant paw striking the man in his chest. The pilot flew back into the wall behind him, his breath gone from the blow.

The wolf-man leered at them as Tifa readied her ax to strike then unleashed an earsplitting howl. Cid hit himself with the frying pan he had managed to grab as he attempted to cover his ears while Tifa dropped her ax. The heavy weapon bounced between the wolf-man's furry feet, just out of reach.

Growling at herself, Tifa grabbed the next available weapon: the kettle. It wasn't heavy but she hoped she could get a good swing in.

Normal

It was disturbing to see the giant wolf being railed on in such a way that I knew any regular opponent on Gaia would have probably been long dead and in pieces. Disturbing and awe-inspiring.

Zack's broadsword was having no effect and he was covered in cuts and scrapes. Barret and Rude were punching, kicking, and using any weapons they could. And thus far, only one of what looked to have once been three houses were destroyed.

I wondered for a moment how I was supposed to get their attention but Zack took care of that for me a moment later.

"Rachas! RUN!"

The wolf wasn't after me though and Zack dodged yet another lunge. But they now knew I was here.

"GET IN THE HOUSES!" I shouted but was ignored by everyone. "YOU CAN'T FIGHT IT! IN THE HOUSES!"

Rude now glanced at me, his shades having slipped off and I could see his confusion. He did glance at the still standing buildings though.

I seized the opportunity the next time the wolf momentarily turned it's attention from Zack to race forward and grab my friend's ear and dragged him towards the first structure we could reach which unfortunately was the stick house.

The wolf went surprisingly still the moment we crossed the threshold and Barret raced in to join us as Rude took a moment to consider then entered the brick house.

"How'd ya know it'd stop?" Barret demanded.

"It's in the story," I replied as I glanced outside as the wolf stalked into position in front of the stick house. The brick house wasn't even twenty feet away but it looked like miles. "The wolf can't be fought in the story, you have to find a shelter it can't blow down!"

"So... that thing is invincible?" Zack asked after a moment. When I nodded, he puffed indignantly. "Well that explains a lot!"

Barret groaned then glanced around us at the stick shack. "Somethin' tells me this ain't the right place."

"It's not."

"Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in!" the wolf called.

Lowering my voice, I whispered my last instructions to the other two. "As soon as he blows this place down, run for the brick house."

Turning back to the door, I called out, "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin!"

Zack and Barret both issued noises then that sounded like a cross between a snort or a laugh but stopped very quickly when the wolf immediately replied.

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

Though I understood intellectually what was supposed to come next, it never quite clicked mentally until a hot, humid, hurricane force wind swept over the tiny shack. The noise was terrible and the pressure caused my ears to pop.

The stick house held up for a surprising amount of time, almost a full minute before it disintegrated into sawdust and sticks. None of us managed to stay standing at that point, swept off our feet.

I landed hard on the ground, the wind knocked out of me. All around it sounded like the wind was still howling despite that I could feel it was now still.

My groping hand found someone's foot then and I found I was grabbing Zack's foot. He had just managed to regain his feet though he looked woozy as hell. Barret was just in front of him, flat on the ground as I was. And the wolf was stalking towards us, its maw twisted into what looked to be a smirk.

Barret had just managed to raise himself onto his hands and knees when the wolf stopped right in front of him, its jaws prepping to snap on him. Then Rude appeared.

The Turk's fist didn't manage to cause any sort of damage but it did force the wolf's jaws away from Barret.

Zack acted next, his hand grabbing Barret's arm and yanking him away from the wolf. Thankfully he seemed intent to follow my instructions.

"The brick house!" he shouted but it sounded so distant at that moment.

Knowing we needed to move, I tried to climb to my feet but stumbled terribly. My sense of balance was blown at that moment which was probably the worst time for it.

My stumbling probably saved my life then since I tumbled forward, narrowly avoiding becoming a snack for the wolf. Rude surprised me then by grabbing my arm and rapidly dragging me over the spinning ground towards the muddy looking structure that still stood. Barret was right behind us with Zack bringing up the rear, using his sword to deflect the wolf's snapping jaws.

CLANK!

Zack yelled and rushed Barret through the door at the same time Rude dragged me in and we all ended up dog-piled in a shack that wasn't big enough to house us all in any other manner.

"Thing broke my sword!" Zack yelled from somewhere on top of the pile as I attempted to extract myself from what I deduced to be the lower side. If my recovering senses were correct then Rude was on the bottom, then me, Barret over me, and Zack on top. Typical.

I managed to maneuver myself into a corner and out of the dog-pile at about the same time Rude managed to free himself. Somehow not managing to look at all ruffled, he moved back towards the doorway of the shack and shoved the broken remains of a door into place. It was a small comfort since we could still see and hear the wolf.

"Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in!" the wolf demanded.

I wasn't going to say it this time for several reasons, the first one being that it could jinx us. The second being I wasn't sure I COULD say anything.

Rude actually looked out a window and cocked an eyebrow, his body language practically screaming "As though you could fit in here."

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

Barret was still on the ground, he was promptly joined by Zack and me as we attempted to cover ourselves the best we could, hands over our ears.

The wind came again then, howling and strong, blasting through the hut. It screamed through the windows and rattled the door. The shack rumbled and shook but surprisingly continued to stand.

Rude hadn't managed to stay standing, he was sprawled over Barret now, his shades missing and he looked thoroughly surprised.

"Wh-?"

The question couldn't be completed before the howling wind was back, echoing and blasting through the shack. Once again the entire place seemed to vibrate about us and I was surprised that that shack continued to stand.

A third blast came before any of us could register properly that the wind had stopped for a second time and now the door actually did break, particles of it blowing out the windows rather than showering us.

The wind finally died down again and didn't start.

Glancing through the door, we saw the wolf was blowing hard, unable to catch its breath. It glared at the brick shack we were in hatefully before a shimmer spread over the form of the beast and the hide melted away to reveal what appeared to be three teenagers, all with black rashes apparent on their bodies.

"It's over?" Barret asked as he stared out of the door then realized what the wolf had become. "Kids?"

"Should be," I answered while Rude suspiciously watched the unconscious teens.

Zack groaned and shoved his way out of the door to the shack, snatching up the hilt of the shattered blade from where he had dropped it. "This was a good sword too! It even had words on it!"

"Words?" I asked and glanced at where Zack indicated on the hilt. "Take me... turn the blade... Cast me away." There was more but I couldn't make it out due to wear and age. "Where did you find this sword again Zack?"

"At that place where you and Aeris met that old man."

"My husband," a new voice called and we all started before turning to meet the new woman who had just appeared. She was beautiful, her entire form ghostly white and flowing like water. "Merlin just couldn't let go of Arthur though I could admit I found it hard to move on after Lancelot followed his king."

"The Lady in the Lake."

A small smile twisted the woman's lips before her hands reached towards the hilt a flabbergasted Zack was holding.

"Put it in the water," she instructed.

"Wha-what?" Zack demanded then saw the rest of the blade was encompassed by water. It was also beginning to flow over the unconscious kids, wrapping their bodies in the crystal clear fluid.

"I can remake Excalibur," she replied in explanation. "It is a good blade and time another should use it."

"Excalibur?!" Zack had randomly grabbed Excalibur?! I'm surprised Merlin had allowed us to walk out of the Tor, or maybe that was another sign of him finally moving on.

"I found it on the floor by the doors to that tower place," Zack explained as he set the hilt down alongside the blade and watched as the water rolled over it.

The implication hit me hard and I suddenly felt like an idiotic douche. I had not only dragged Excalibur, the famed blade of King Arthur, across a stone floor, I had also used it as a door jam!

"Will you take this blade and stand for all that is right? Bring honor with you to all you do?" the Lady asked.

Zack grinned. "Embrace your dreams and whatever happens, protect your honor..." he stopped for a moment, glanced back at us then grinned again. "I don't need to be a SOLDIER to do that!"

Everyone shook faintly with mirth at Zack's proclamation, even the Lady seemed amused.

"Then I entrust Excalibur to you for now."

The water and mist faded as well as the Lady, leaving an intact sword and three still unconscious kids who thankfully now seemed to be clean of the suspicious black rashes.

Zack grinned as he reached down and grabbed the blade; it was larger than I ever expected Excalibur to have been.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease Zack over this, especially considering that this was Excalibur he now held.

"All hail the King of England!"

No one else got it but Barret did get us back to task. "So, what'da we do 'bout the kids?"

Kunsel

The troll was strong if the club it wielded was anything to go by. It was also extremely slow. So when the troll swung the club at him it was all too easy to avoid.

Though the troll was slow it was still armed and Kunsel was unwilling to approach it. He had no weapons at the moment and an arm he was still not used to not having at 100%.

Knowing that this was based on a story or fairy tale of some sort meant that there had to be some sort of trick here, an easy way to win that wouldn't cause too much strain. His knowledge of fairy tales was rather slim though.

So how did you win against this thing?

'Push it.'

The intelligent SOLDIER had no clue where that thought came from. 'Push it' though? Where? Back a step? Off the bridge?

A glanced over the side of the bridge showed water, a rather deep looking river at that. And with how thick the troll's bones had to be, it would be so simple.

Rolling his shoulder, he prepared for his rush.

The moment came after he had to take another step back to avoid yet another swing from the troll and its club. That moment the troll was unstable, off balance.

His feet dug against the ground, launching him forward, plowing into the troll's fat laden side, throwing it even further off balance and to the railing of the bridge.

The troll's arms swung back and forth as it attempted to regain its balance but it refused to let go of the club which spelled the beast's doom. Because it held on to its beloved weapon, it fell backwards over the railing of the bridge and sank quickly in the water.

"That was way too easy," Kunsel grumbled, completely missing the snake that slithered towards him until its fangs sank into his ankle.

Tifa and Cid

The wolf-man hopped back to avoid Tifa's wild swing with the kettle, not that the swing was all that powerful. It didn't even bother to try to avoid Cid's follow up with the frying pan, the cookware clanging heavily against the beast's shoulder.

Claws flew at Cid again and Tifa swung the kettle hard to knock them aside. The pilot still yelped loudly as the razor sharp claws struck his frying pan and left deep gauges in the surface.

"Can't get hit with those!" he yelled as he swung the pan again, this time aiming for the legs of the wolf. This time the wolf did jump back to avoid the strike and both Tifa and Cid pursued it deeper into the tiny house.

"What's with this thing?" Cid demanded as the wolf-man focused more on dodging Tifa's strikes than his. Arguably he had the better weapon now but it didn't seem to matter to the wolf. It avoided Tifa's blows.

"Don't know!" Tifa shouted back though she didn't quite understand Cid's meaning. Her own thoughts were that any normal animal would have left long before this point. Most wouldn't enter a house, much less through a window unless they were desperate and if the prey fought as much as they did, it was gone quickly.

"Crap!" she declared as the handle of the kettle finally snapped. Angrily she threw it at the wolf that ducked to avoid it then tightened her gloved hand into a fist and swung hard.

The wolf dodged again but this time the floor exploded under Tifa's fist, like it would have done using her normal strength on Gaia.

Both of the Gaians blinked for a moment before a beautific smile crossed Tifa's face that held more than a little vengeful twist to it.

"Shit..." Cid mumbled before Tifa launched herself at the wolf-man in her normal style.

Her fists and feet flew in a familiar flow for her with strength she had dearly missed. But her opponent had speed and it avoided a fair number of her blows, weaving about them like a dancer before attempting to strike at her with either teeth or claws.

Cid only tried to join once, swinging his frying pan at the monster when it took a step too close to him. The claws of the wolf revealed themselves again to him but this time when they struck the pan they sheared straight through it like a hot knife through butter.

The blond stared stupidly at his weapon before swiveling his head to search for the rolling pin. His eyes found the ax instead, and a familiar pair of black boots.

Cloud had arrived and he reached down to retrieve the ax but saw no possible way for him to rush into the fray, not without possibly hurting Tifa who was doing remarkably well.

He couldn't get the necessary shot in but he knew who could.

The swordsman waited until the fighting pair had circled so that Tifa could see him before hefting the ax, a movement that caught her eye.

"TIFA!" he shouted, more to distract the monster she fought than to get her attention as he tossed the ax to the brunette.

Tifa didn't miss a beat, her hand lashing out to grab the ax, just barely being scratched by the wolf as it realized what was happening, and then she bore down on the wolf-man with a renewed vigor, the ax chopping at one of the arms viciously as it tried to claw her once more. The next swing was a slash across the stomach that caused the wolf to howl but the noise was cut short with Tifa's final blow, a strong full-body swing that caved the monster's skull.

The only noise in the cabin then was Tifa's harsh breathing before she glanced at Cloud and offered him a faint smile.

"Right on time," she stated as she dropped the ax and Cloud couldn't help his own smile.

"Seems you didn't need saving though so I still need to fulfill that promise."

Choking laughter came from Cid as he watched his two friends antics and it snapped them back into the moment.

"What was that thing?" Cloud asked.

"Don't know, it just attacked us," Tifa replied as she glanced down at the glove she still wore, already feeling attached.

"Good to see some people can take care of themselves," a new voice called and the three saw a large man appear in the doorway. He was burly, muscular, and unshaven but his eyes held a kind glint to them. He nodded to Cloud and Cid then offered a small bow to Tifa. "And it seems you've found my glove. I hope it serves you well."

"Your glove?" Now Tifa stared at the man's much larger hands. How had it fit him?

"The Huntsman Glove, passed down to those with good intent in their hearts and willing to face the beasts to save the innocent. It chooses the wearer." The man's eyes smiled at her before turning to where the wolf-man's corpse was lying. "Be sure to take the child with you."

"Child?" Tifa's eyes swung back to the cooling body but instead of the ferocious corpse she now saw a small girl of about eight who was wearing a red jacket.

Aeris

The duty of a Cetra was something that passed beyond life and into death as they helped the lost and bitter to finally gain their peace. Sometimes it was just listening to what had happened, other times it did involve counseling. Nothing could have prepared her for the story of these storytellers.

The brothers had been close and struggled through poverty most of their lives but had been happy for the most part. They had been working on a dictionary for their native tongue at the time both of them died and had managed to hang on to that, wanting to see it finished by a friend or colleague. What they had witnessed was more of a nightmare.

They had developed a love of folklore and began to accumulate the various stories they found into a collection of books for children. They had become increasingly popular up to the point where several places were using them in the teaching curriculum. And then a party known as the Nazis had risen.

The Nazis had used their great work that had been made in love as propaganda for their view, twisting the stories to support their philosophy. Turning tales meant to entertain, warn, and educate into a means of teaching racial supremacy and superiority.

It was painful, listening to them talk about the destruction of their work in such a manner and the millions of people who had died because of the Nazis. So many had been children, and knowing that they had been killed under the falsehoods that had been composed from their work had turned the men even more bitter. They wanted to change the stories now, change them into something the Nazis hadn't used.

"We got one to change," the one named Wilheim finally murmured as he stared distantly into the mist. "Red Riding Hood saved herself."

Aeris could see both of them looked a little more tired now, less twisted and more sad.

"You never intended for those stories to be used like that," she pointed out. "And I'm sure they brought much joy to people."

"They did, they did!" Jacob informed her. "So many loved them, so many renditions have been made! Generation after generation have heard our stories and lore and passed them on to their children and their childrens' children."

"So why change them?"

"Wouldn't you want to?"

"Not if people remember what they stood for. New tales would not have the same meaning and might not survive."

Both of the brothers smiled at her grimly but she could tell they were not convinced. They were too embittered, too hurt. This was a wound that would take more than words to heal. They were doing this for the sake of their own consciences.

"I suppose that that woman did something, didn't she?" Jacob asked after a moment as his weary eyes settled on Aeris again. "We weren't hurting people like this previously, just making new tales or new endings."

"Jenova is foul and very cunning," Aeris admitted.

"Then we promise to not listen to her for now." Though much of the decay was gone and the men looked plumper, more kindly, Aeris still saw the bitterness. Time was going to have to heal this wound.

"The children and your companions will be released- oh no!" Wilheim now stared out into the gloom, his eyes gaining more sorrow by the second. "The children..."

"Is something the matter?" Aeris demanded as her attention shifted in the direction the brothers were now focused on. She noticed Kunsel was in the area and seemed to be alone.

"We used children of power to bring life to this place, she provided them. And he just..."

Aeris felt the brother's hate at that moment and realized what Kunsel had unknowingly done. He had just killed children. The hatred of the brothers formed itself into a serpent that slid towards Kunsel, intent obvious.

"Stop! He didn't know!" she cried but it was of no use. The brothers were determined.

Turning, she rushed towards her unsuspecting friend as the world began to collapse and reality took command. The staff in her hand dissipated and her friends and husband began to appear, some of them no more than a few feet from her or Kunsel.

It had been too late even before she had begun to run to him though, the serpent struck true and Kunsel's yell was short and sharp as he collapsed on the road. They had all only been fifty feet from the truck this entire time.