Homecoming

The day after the dinner party, Ed's PHS rang while he was reading and Rufus was doing some paperwork at home. At the ring tone, Dark Nation rose and padded over to Eden, even as Rufus looked up at him with a small frown, but when Ed saw Al's number, he was quite confused. Given the time, they would have been in Kalm right then on their field trip, and they had assignments to work on as well, so something pretty serious had to have happened.

Answering the phone, the Turk asked, "What's wrong?"

"Hey, Ed, I know you're working right now, but there's something I wanted to ask you about because it's been bothering me since we got to Kalm," Al said, his tone worried.

"What's that?" the older brother asked with a small, puzzled frown of his own.

"Our books said Kalm has been here since about a hundred years ago—but all the homes look like they were built maybe a couple years ago. When we ask questions of the people about things from more than a few years ago, their answers get more and more vague. Sometimes, they even get mad and send us away. Even the kids sometimes act strangely when we ask questions. Eden, what's going on here?"

Eden blinked and shut his eyes as he visualized the town as he'd seen it not too long ago on his way into Midgar. It wasn't that he hadn't known in some part of his mind, but he had never seriously thought about the details before—and both Elrics were familiar with seeing old and new buildings, seeing them next to one another to know the signs of age. Kalm truly showed none of them, not in the wood of the buildings or the stone of the walkways. He'd never seen the docks, but if they were anything like the rest of the town, they would look new, as well, and for the people to have issues talking, there was a good chance Kalm was a large-scale cover-up. If that was true, there was no way he was going to touch it or he'd be risking his own life and position with the Turks, something he couldn't risk right then.

"Al, as much as you may want answers about Kalm, you won't get them unless Tseng humors you. That's if he even knows, because it may have been Veld who had anything to do with it, and if I was you, I'd want to leave that alone until the current administrators are out of power," he finally told his brother, and Rufus blinked at the words.

For a moment, Al was quiet, but then he sighed and said softly, "I was afraid of that. Well, it told me what I wanted to know, in a way, and now I'm starting to see what you warned me about." He paused, then apparently shifted something on the other side of the phone before saying, "A lot of people had to've died. It shows. How do you change a society or a world where one person has this much power?"

Sighing, Eden told him, "Very carefully from the inside. Now, please try to enjoy the rest of your trip before you say something which may endanger you, because there's a good chance the villagers aren't actually friendly to your observations."

With a small chuckle, the younger blond out in Kalm said, "Fine. Sorry to bother you, but I just...needed something. Thanks." He then hung up abruptly, so Eden had a suspicion that one of the townspeople had been approaching him.

"The firebombing of Kalm," Rufus stated as Eden hung up, making the younger blond look up at him in surprise. "I don't know the details, but apparently, they were after terrorists and Veld directed them to bomb Kalm while all the people were still there."

After a very long silence, the blond Turk asked slowly, "Why do you know that?"

"Veld had to be taken for medical care—it's how he ended up with a cybernetic arm. Once the survivors had been moved, they rebuilt the town and moved what were effectively actors into it to make it look as though nothing had changed. Every stone, every plank of wood, every child's toy, was replicated as closely as they could manage, but obviously, they couldn't fake things like familial ties, so the 'family' were either paid or threatened to keep their silence. Most vanished, a few held funerals for their dead family, others..."

"...The ones who vanished weren't Shinra's doing or you'd have grouped it in with the last option you didn't finish," Eden commented.

"They weren't," Rufus agreed. "Some of them have probably joined various terrorist groups since January ninety-seven, most notably AVALANCHE. I think many of the ones who went with Fuhito when he left the group were from incidences like that."

"...That's pretty screwed up."

"And I'm only sharing what I know with you because you Turks have records of it."

"Good. As long as I don't tell Al, we'll both be fine."

Rufus raised a brow at the snarky tone Eden was using and pointed out, "If you know that, you'll be fine." He then rose and said, "I need to head to the Shinra building to meet Reeve and Felicia."

Eden also rose and the two headed out, Dark Nation whining as he was left in the mansion again. Since snow had begun falling gently, a fact which actually amazed Eden given the heat generated by the city, neither human was eager to be outdoors for long.

SH

It was afternoon the day after the party and Izumi was with Balto, Ken, and Naomi as the Turk led the way to her new home with the children. Most of the Slums was either shanty-shacks or poorly-built and very old buildings, but there were some areas in each of the Sectors with somewhat better housing than most. Such areas were generally near the Sector's shopping center, and Sector 6 was no exception—just outside Wall Market was a section of housing in a more reasonable state, normally belonging to successful Wall Market criminals or businessmen. Of course, the two words were normally synonymous in the Slums, but...

Balto opened the door to the house they'd set up for Izumi and her new charges, one which was between two honest businessmen, saying, "Here we are. Take a look around and tell me if there's anything in particular you need, Aunt Izumi."

For as 'honest' as any of the businessmen were, the two nearest her were the least likely to take exception to her presence, and the woman immediately noted how these homes were some of the few not showing signs of mold or damage. There wasn't a lot of space around the front or sides of the home, but there was a section behind the house which could have qualified as a 'back yard' of nothing but dirt. She and the two kids walked from room to room, her assessing and Naomi and Ken curiously. All three bedrooms were fairly small, barely enough for the bed and a closet, but the decorations in each room clearly showed which two were for the kids.

In the kitchen, Izumi stopped to stare at the box on the table and the stack of letters beside it, then scanned the room for anything which might be missing. Balto was watching her from the door to the room, so she asked, "Does it matter which room Naomi and Ken take?"

"They've already decided that, you know," Balto said in amusement, and she turned to look at him curiously. "Apparently, your kids have latent Gongagan blood anyway, because Naomi and Ken both naturally took the rooms Zack and I set up for them."

"And what's this box and the letters?" she blinked, lips quirking in amusement.

"Welcome and greeting gifts from the Curtises and other relatives in Gongaga," he said in mild amusement, giving a small shrug. "The letters are mainly greetings. From what I gather, they're passing on to you some of the traditional things all Curtises from Gongaga have in their homes. Your name and situation alone means you're family."

With a blink, Izumi asked, "They'll take in a stranger so easily?"

"Of course," he smirked. "Didn't you know? They took in Eden for no known or fathomable reason, and he doesn't even have a name we'd take as family. Small towns are quite friendly that way, though not normally to the point they are with Eden and you. So, you may have lost your husband, but you've gained a rather large extended family, and will be more than welcome in Gongaga if you ever visit. Some of them indicated to me they might come visit you here after the spring planting is done."

The woman gave him an amused look and said, "As long as they give me warning they're coming." She then paused and turned to face the window above the sink, asking, "Are you really fine with me and this situation?"

His brow rose and he said simply, "Maybe you don't realize this, Auntie, but as soon as Tseng introduced us and told us about the situation, both Zack and I made a choice to take you as actual family. Not because it's our jobs or what you and my new cousins have agreed to do for us, but because you need us to be your family."

"I'm not a weakling who needs some strong men to take care of me!" she bit out in anger.

Balto's brow cocked slightly, and he replied evenly, "That isn't what I said."

She stared—or glared—at him for a long time before Ken appeared at the man's side, tugging on his hand as he said eagerly, "Come and see my new toys!" Balto let Ken tug him into the room the boy had been given.

Izumi sighed and turned to the box and the letters, deciding to check the latter first. She took the first one and opened it, skimming it without expecting much—then realizing she needed to go back and read the letters properly. The first one she picked up was signed by Marian and Theodore Fair—Zack's parents, she guessed—and was so loaded in such a small amount of writing that she had to read it several times, slowly, as she assessed it.

Hello there, Izumi!

Balto and Zack have told us about what happened with you and your children, and asked that we all lend a hand helping you settle in now that you've chosen to stay in Midgar. Family is family, and by the sounds of things, you need a strong family to back you so you can find yourself again. What you've been through—you've already shown your strength, courage, and kindness, and we want to make things a little easier.

Since that's what we're going to do, we sent Balto back to you with some nice shawls for you and your children! Let us know if you need anything else. Marian does a lot of sewing and knitting, and I do some woodworking, so if we're able, we'll send you whatever you ask for.

By the way, since you're out in Midgar, take care of Zack for us! He's a good boy, you know, but he has a bad habit of getting into trouble just like a puppy.

Marian and Theodore Fair

Slowly, she set that letter down and picked up the next one. It was much the same, but from the Balfour family. A third and fourth ones were from Curtises by that name, and a fifth was from another family in the area, the Saldeans. There was still over half the stack, and for some reason, her hands were shaking slightly as she tried to process the simple and heart-felt letters. A small hand crossed her vision to take one of the letters she'd already set down, and she looked up to see Naomi reading it.

"They sound nice. Can we meet them sometime—Mom?" the girl asked, the last word said a little tentatively.

Izumi gave her a small smile and said, "We'll see. Not right away, but maybe in spring or summer."

Naomi paused, then asked, "Am I allowed to read them?"

"Go ahead. Start with the open ones, since I still need to read the rest," the older woman agreed, knowing there was nothing especially 'personal' in them, then set down the most recent one she'd read and picked up the next one in the stack to keep reading them.

They all professed her as family, and almost all validated it with something which wasn't her name. They also nearly all sent something back with Balto, and they all told her what they were skilled at so she knew who to ask if they (she and the kids) needed something. No one was shy about having them in their lives, and they all seemed to be saying the same thing as Balto—that they wanted to be her family because she needed one.

For most of her life, it had just been her and Sig. Yes, she'd spent time with other children in town, taken care of them to some degree, but especially after her son's birth—and death—she'd kept herself apart from everyone but Sig and her two foolish apprentices. Her lips quirked. All the rest of her family had been dead, so those three had been all she'd had for family, and while Sig had family, he had been estranged from all but one of them. She had now just been made aware that maybe being so isolated wasn't always the best thing for a person.

"So, are you still angry with me for something I didn't say?" Balto asked in faint amusement. She looked up to see him at the door again, Ken nowhere to be seen, and Naomi looking up from where she was working her own way through the letters.

Setting down the last letter, the woman gave her head a shake and said, "I haven't had any sort of family outside my husband and the brothers for—most of my life. The only references I have to them is—parents taking care of their children, so I had thought you felt I couldn't even take care of myself. I had never thought it could just be...companionship or a shoulder to lean on when needed. I'm not used to having so many open offers of help and friendship and declarations of family."

He nodded. "You'd better tell them your skills and at least say you'll let them know if you need something when you write back." When the older woman gave him an amused look, he went on, "Be cautious and keep your attention on your surroundings when you go out. Wall Market won't be a safe place to live at the best of times, but you won't be going into something which qualifies as 'at the best of times'. We did our best to pick neighbors for you who would most likely just ignore your presence, but everyone else has the potential to be a problem, even just by saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. It sure won't be dull living here. And make sure you get in touch with us if you ever think you'll be up against too many or something you may have trouble with—even Sephiroth sometimes can't take on something alone, and he's the single strongest person you'll ever find."

"I'll keep that in mind, then," she answered. "Are you staying for supper?"

"Do you want me to? We'll need to shop for food if there's something you have in mind," the Turk returned.

"...I guess I'd better start getting used to my nephews being around. Let's go shopping, then," Izumi replied dryly, rising. She then paused and asked, "By the way...if I hadn't agreed to this, would you have felt the same way about me?"

"Probably," Balto told her plainly. "We were being introduced for your background, not your help."

She snorted. "Naomi, Ken, we're going shopping so we'll have food for supper!" she called—and gave a faint smile as Naomi took one of her hands and Ken ran to her from his room to take the other hand, babbling a mile a minute about his room and toys.

When it was all over, she wouldn't mind just living and being their mother.

SH

Two days after Al had visited Kalm with his yearmates, he, Elena, Shalua, and Tifa were just leaving the Shinra building after class when a familiar voice called, "Hey, Al, wait up!" The group turned to see Zack almost bound out of the building and down the stairs to them. He halted in front of the blond and said, "I was going to go visit Aunt Izumi. Want to join me?"

"'Aunt'?" Al asked in bemusement, wondering what someone had forgotten to tell him.

"Of course," Zack grinned. "So, do you want to see the place, and meet Naomi and Ken? You haven't yet."

"Who are Naomi and Ken?" the blond blinked in surprise.

"Her kids, of course," the First replied with something bordering on a smirk.

For a moment, Al paused, then nodded and agreed, "Sure. I haven't seen her since that day in the hospital."

"Come on, then," the black haired man grinned again, waving the younger teen to his side. Al split away from the girls and joined him, taking the train down to the Slums and walking towards Sector 6, where they had gone to get the PHS's. As they reached the sort-of playground in no-man's land, they saw a familiar brown haired young woman talking to a boy of about nine.

"Aeris!" Zack cheered, bounding to her side and causing her to stand up straight and smile at him.

"Zack! What are you doing down here today?" she asked curiously. The younger boy thanked her and ran away quickly.

"Visiting my aunt. Come on," he cheerfully told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she giggled. He then called to Al, who had started lagging, "Don't get too far behind or you'll get lost, Al!" Feeling like a third wheel, Al caught up to them, following as Zack led the way through Wall Market and to some housing off to the side of it, where he went to one house and knocked on the door.

After a moment, the door opened a bit and a small, dark eye peeked out—and the door was thrown open wide by a smiling five-year-old who jumped to hug Zack as he said, "Zack! I found the sling! Come see what I can do!" He then grabbed Zack's hand and pulled him inside.

"Whoa, hold up there, buddy," Zack chuckled, lifting his hand straight up—and lifting the boy's feet off the floor at the same time. The boy shrieked and laughed, dangling—apparently quite happily—off Zack's hand. Then, a hand came down on the back of his head as he yelped, "Ow!"

"Zack, don't encourage them to shriek like that," a familiar, cross voice said from Zack's other side, near the kitchen doorway. Al looked up to see Izumi there, looking a cross between annoyed and confused.

"It's not my fault he thinks this is practically a carnival ride," Zack grinned, lowering his hand so the boy's feet were on the ground again.

"Come on! Come play with me!" the boy begged, still tugging on Zack's hand.

"After I get some introductions over with," the black haired SOLDIER agreed with a wide grin.

"What's an intro—du—what?" the boy asked with a puzzled frown.

"So, I know Al, but who's the young lady?" Izumi asked, looking faintly amused as Zack stared in surprise at the boy.

"Oh, Aeris is my girlfriend!" Zack said cheerfully. "Aeris, meet my aunt, Izumi Curtis."

Aeris put her hands on her hips and fake-pouted as she asked, "When did you go and decide that, Mr. Puppy?"

"Awww..." Zack whined. "Not you, too..."

Izumi gave a snort and said, "Apparently, even your parents associate you with a puppy—one who always gets into trouble." She then looked at Aeris and asked, "So what are you really to him?"

The girl paused, gazing thoughtfully at the pouting, pleading SOLDIER, then gave a grin and said, "I'm Aeris Gainsborough, Zack's girlfriend," to Izumi.

"Yes!" Zack cheered, throwing a fist in the air and pulling a giggling Aeris into a hug. He then let her go and said, "I've got to go with Ken to test his slingshot, so—have a good visit with my aunt until I can join you again!"

"Yay!" the boy cheered, pulling Zack away as Izumi gave a snort.

"You shouldn't encourage men like that," the older woman told the younger in a dry tone. "If you give them an inch, they'll take a mile."

"Oh, but because it's Zack, I don't actually mind—I have a crush on him anyway, and he's the only one I've really been serious about. And the only one who had an interest in me who my brother hasn't killed yet."

"Which 'brother'?" Al asked sharply.

"That's Tseng's doing," Aeris chuckled. "He saved me from slave traders a few times by doing it, too." Al gaped at her in surprise, and she gave him a look as she asked in an oh-so-innocent tone, "Oh, were you going to blame Eden for killing terrible men who would have hurt me?"

Al flushed red as Izumi commented, "Aeris, huh?" The brown haired girl looked at her, so she smiled and said, "Clever. Well, if you're okay with Zack's behavior, I won't interfere unless you ask me for help. If he ever does something you don't like, tell me right away, okay?"

"Sure, I can do that," Aeris smiled. "Is there anyone else here I need to meet?"

"Naomi is probably with Zack and Ken if you want to head down to the door at the back over there?" Izumi offered, pointing her down the hall towards the back of the small house. Aeris grinned, nodded, and headed away. Izumi's shrewd eyes moved to Al, and she was silent for a minute before saying, "So you still aren't ready to let go of the old Ed."

"...I..." he began, then stopped, knowing there was nothing he could say to her which would get him a different reaction from what he'd gotten from Mustang.

She reached out a hand to wrap it around the back of his neck, then gently pulled him into a hug. "Al, do you want to see the records the Turks have of Deepground? Would that help you move forward?"

Al drew in a sharp breath and asked into her shoulder, "You have something like that here?"

"I looked into it, too, after what you said in the hospital that day. I read the whole file, everything on what sent them in there, what they did there, who they saved, even records of therapy they've had to go through. It was painful. Do you know what was the most painful thing about the data they had gathered?"

"...What was that?" the younger blond asked tentatively.

"That they didn't have the means to find and deal with Deepground sooner," the woman told him.

A long silence followed, then Al sighed softly. "You agree with them, then?"

"I do. They did the only thing they could do with people who had nothing left to fix anymore. It was painful for the Turks, too, and Eden got off easy by being unconscious for a week afterwards—he may not be sane now if he hadn't had the time to put space between those events and himself before trying to face it. The Turks would have put him on suicide watch if he hadn't already been effectively on that very thing while trying to recover from his injuries."

Al lifted his head to stare at her in surprise for a minute, then slowly nodded. "He...must have been in pretty bad shape, then, if they put a note like that in their data."

Izumi gave him a small, sad smile. "So, since you're here, come and tell me about the things you've been doing lately."

The fifteen-year-old gave a small smile and agreed, "Yeah."

They moved to the living room to talk until Ken, Naomi, Zack, and Aeris rejoined them—and the first thing Aeris asked was, "By the way, Al—have you been told to get a bunch of seeds, yet?"

Al made a face and answered, "Tseng and Mei have both talked with me already, thanks." (1)

"Seeds for what?" Izumi asked in bemusement, Zack and the two kids staring at them in surprise.

Aeris told her about the Cetra and some of their skills, then said, "Winry and Mr. Mustang thought you would be a Sentinel, so you won't randomly grow flowers or trees or anything. Mei is a Healer like me, though, and Al may be too, so they may start growing them at some point. The seeds will mean the effect will stay local and hidden, not blatantly visible."

"I see," Izumi nodded. "Thank you for passing the word on."

"Of course," Aeris grinned.

Notes:

(1) Pay attention to Al's wording here—he's NOT saying what everyone will automatically assume. :P