A/N: The poll (it's on my profile page) on which world the Omega should land on is still open! Thanks a bunch to the 11 voters there have been so far. Anyone who hasn't voted yet, please at least check out what's there—you may find something you want to vote for.

Re-Process

After eating, Genesis and Sephiroth had gone to LOVELESS Theater, where the staff there happily let the red haired man and his 'associate' up onto the roof. It had taken about half an hour for Genesis to become proficient enough with calling his wings and controlling his rise and fall for them to start actively flying, but then they had headed for open skies.

Admittedly, the older SOLDIER had never experienced such flight before, and found it to be oddly freeing, like lifting a very real weight off his shoulders. Exuberance and exhilaration turned him playful rather quickly, and he was surprised to find that Sephiroth responded with amused agreeability. In a way, by how the silver haired man gave valid lessons in the midst of their play, Genesis thought he may have been expecting the reaction and had planned accordingly. Also, since it seemed the General wasn't opposed to playing in kind, it was likely the same reaction the younger man had responded with.

The thoughts also called to mind other questions and points he could ponder, not the least of which was of his view of himself with his wings. A 'freak' he'd called himself, and had thought he'd have been horrified or feel unstable by having those wings. Instead, they were comfortable, freeing—truly like an extension of himself—and while part of him thought he should be horrified by feeling that way, the larger part of him reveled in it. He felt like he fit in his own skin for the first time in a long time, and he wondered if sticking to his 'human' side had actually been harmful to his psyche in its own way. Then again, he hadn't known he was half planetary entity until Sephiroth had bluntly told him so.

Was the length of time Sephiroth had given for their first lesson due to exactly that desire to play he had suspected Genesis would also have?

It was actually a minor point, so turned his gaze downward to check his location—only to stare as he realized he and Sephiroth had migrated as far east as Kalm and as far south as the mountain range separating Midgar from Junon. Had they really traveled so far in so short a time? Wait, had it been 'so short a time'? Quickly, he reached for his PHS and pulled it out to check the time—

Only to hear Sephiroth shout, "Look out!" as something hit his side and arm hard, causing him to drop his PHS to the ground below.

A glance showed him he was now surrounded by disoriented sparrows which had just come up from the mountain forests not far from where he was, but they had risen behind him, hence how he'd missed them. Thankful for their apparent ability to hover in place without effort, he just sighed and let the flock pass him before looking downward.

"Are you okay?" Sephiroth asked apprehensively as he joined the red haired man, hovering about three feet away.

"I'm fine, but I dropped my PHS, so I'm going to go look for it. In the meantime, do you have the time?" Genesis asked.

"Something scared those birds, and for them to have run into you, probably something actually dangerous," Sephiroth pointed out, but he still pulled out his PHS to check it. He then quickly added, "Almost six in the evening."

Looking amused, Genesis replied, "If that's true, don't you think we should stop whatever it is before it reaches the nearest town?" He began flying downward as he added, "And we should find a place to eat, anyway!" It didn't take long to reach the canopy of green leaves around where he thought the device had fallen, or to quickly land there. Silence was one of his key skills when he wanted to use it, like when he was assessing a situation, and what Sephiroth had said about the birds was true—he'd have to be careful in case something had come south from the Crater.

As he began scouting around nearby, primarily looking for his PHS but also keeping an eye out for any indications of monsters in the area, Sephiroth landed gently nearby, expression exasperated, but not offering any complaint. After watching Genesis for a bit, the silver haired man began searching in a similar pattern working opposite the other man so they'd cover more ground in a shorter time. Normally, the older of the two would have expected that kind of silent communication from Angeal, but had never found it to hold true with anyone else, so seeing Sephiroth do it shocked him.

Putting that out of his mind, he kept looking on his chosen path, somehow trusting Sephiroth to come find him if he found the fallen PHS first. After several minutes, he heard a noise which caused him to freeze and just listen for a few minutes—which also resulted in him hearing several more, rather mixed, noises. All of them came from the same direction, and they ranged from the general sound types he heard from dog-like beings (since things like Lature Danos also made them) to Behemoth-like sounds to the eerie chuckling sounds of Funny Faces. What was more surprising is that they apparently weren't fighting with one another, even though they were all in the same place.

He tipped his head to the side and peered around for his PHS before deciding to head for the sounds, fully assessing (and fully silent) at that point. He kept his eyes largely on the ground, though alternately looked forward to see if the monsters had come into view yet—only to pause when he caught sight of his red PHS caught in the branches of a tree not far ahead. He was rather bemused by that, and more bemused when stepping up to the tree to retrieve it put him in exactly the right place to see the group of monsters through the foliage.

After a quick check of the time (now past six), he put it back in his pocket and looked at the monsters again. The first thing which caught his attention was the sheer variety of them, then the fact that they were all powerful breeds from the Northern Crater and Cave (the chuckling sound had been from a Shadow Monk, not a Funny Face, and a Shadow Monk was easily a hundred times stronger). Then, he also realized they were apparently...burying something?

With a sudden bad feeling, he pulled his PHS back out to send a text to Sephiroth saying: Found my PHS, and found what scared the birds. Mixed group of monsters from the N Crater and Cave. Come join me—quietly.

About two minutes later, the man replied with: Above the group, see what you mean. Burying a dark glowing object about a foot across. Plan? Or just attack and retrieve the object for study?

After a momentary pause (seriously, Sephiroth was letting him take the lead?), he replied: I feel like something else from the N is nearby. These aren't too strong, but something stronger might join them when I attack. Could you be lookout?

To his surprise, after a pause, the General's reply came back in the affirmative: Will do. Stay safe.

Pushing aside his shock to deal with later, Genesis put away his PHS and drew his sword as he jumped forward, first aiming for the Shadow Monk—it could take control of his mind, and he really didn't want to deal with that just then. With the Shadow Monk down in one hit, his next target was the Behemoth, whose guard he bypassed by putting his hand down on the shocked monster's head, then shoved fire almost straight into its brain. When it went down, the others all screeched—loudly—and launched themselves at him in vicious attacks.

It took him several minutes of ducking, dodging, and fighting to actually defeat them all, especially when loud Dragon roars sounded from above and distracted him. Thankfully, it was a short distraction when he saw Sephiroth above, intercepting the Dragon Zombie which had obviously been on its way to join the attack Genesis had launched. Knowing the other man was going to watch his back, he focused back on his own battle, though the reminder of his need to do so had come in the form of the Iron Man in the group nearly breaking his ribs (thankfully with the flat of his sword, not the edge).

He had never actually been more grateful for his enhancements as he was right then, though, because even just the numbers would have been a tough fight, and adding to that the fact that they were from the Crater...It meant the danger level was much higher. Though, the danger was also exhilarating and was part of the reason he had wanted to join SOLDIER, so he wasn't complaining. Before long, the only enemy he had left was the Iron Man, which was only marginally damaged by fire magic, so he had to switch to something else—the Enemy Skill Aqualung.

With the end of his battle, he looked up to see Sephiroth fighting a Dark Dragon and a Dragon Zombie, though after using Sense on the latter, he realized it had to be a different one from the first, because it had barely taken any damage. As he watched, the Dark Dragon fell to the ground not far away, but in the trees just far enough away to not be seen. Jumping, he accessed his wings and flew into the air to help Sephiroth with the last Dragon Zombie, distracting it with fire so Sephiroth could sever its head. Battle over, both landed by the hole where the dark, glowing thing was.

As Genesis crouched to start pulling the dirt away from the object, Sephiroth asked, "How did you know there would be others?"

"The only other record we have of something like this is the one that Second in Angeal's unit—Fair, I think—gave Lazard when he returned from Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon. I don't think who or whatever is making odd groups of monsters behave like this would be careless enough not to leave additional guards a second time," Genesis replied, clearing enough dirt from it to see—a gem?

Yes, it seemed to be gem-like in its structure, but gems didn't glow the way this one was. On the other hand, it could have been a Mako Crystal, though he had never before seen one colored like this. It was like it was sick somehow...

"There's definitely something not right about it. My first guess would be a Mako Crystal, but I've never seen such a Crystal colored like that. Not even the purple color of Independent Materia is at all alike," the General murmured. "Would you be opposed to letting my mother test it?"

"There's that," Genesis sighed faintly. "And yes, she can. I think we should tell them to send Fair back to where he saw the other group and see if he can find the place again to dig up another one."

"Why would it be so important if we have a sample now?" the younger man asked, gaze somewhat puzzled.

"A pattern. We need to find out if there's more, and if there's some sort of pattern to them. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm sure we don't want to leave these laying around, especially not in the pattern Jenova's monsters would be putting them in."

"We'll let Lazard know when we get back, then. In the meantime, let's collect it, then find a better place than this to eat so we can finish today's lesson," Sephiroth agreed. Genesis had to give a faint smile at that, but nodded agreement.

They both finished digging up and pulling free the strange gem of sorts, then took it and found a place where monster bodies weren't scattered around to sit and eat. Soon after, they were back in the air, the lessons once more underway.

FoWD

The next several days were completely surreal for Ed.

Tifa kept walking into his apartment to wake him and forcibly feed him something new she'd made (she even brought food for Yufi, who was still staying with him), and even brought him most of his other meals, which left Kariya feeling somewhat put out. Every morning, Ed went with either Doriss or Kariya to the room where Lucrecia had prepared his chemical bath, and around the fifth time he went, he started not falling asleep, just going a bit dazed for awhile. The food Tifa was bringing for him actually helped revitalize him, and she admitted it was tailored for his situation with help from Ansha and Doctor Crescent.

Besides that, Tseng and Verde periodically turned up with Cloud, and Doriss and Genesis turned up at random moments. As it turned out, they literally needed to test Cloud for the system he worked better in, but to make gear for the rest of the Turks, he couldn't actually be allocated to either the Guards or the Hounds. It had surprised everyone to find he mostly got along with the Turks, though they all thought Cissnei had helped in that with her 'little big sister' habits. Cloud had even had a suggestion for the project Ed and Genesis were working on with the poisoned spikes. Though, Genesis had only managed to stay for more than a few minutes twice when he'd attempted to visit. At least Doriss' visits were mostly normal.

The blond Turk also made a habit of turning up and fetching Kariya while everyone else was out so they could help Edward work with his wings, which were getting stronger by then. He was able to fold them himself, with a great deal of effort—it would still be awhile before he'd be able to use them to fly, but the muscles were getting stronger. In a way, it was just as well, because he was still trying to wrap his mind around the difference between a chimera (which he wasn't, by Minerva's own word) and a shapeshifter (which he was, also by Minerva's word).

And Yufi had found his basket of Materia, which had prompted him to warn her that he wouldn't be pleased if any of them went missing. When he explained that they were hidden because they were powerful, destructive weapons, she decided not to touch them. For that, he was thankful, though it had helped her to decide not to challenge him on the point when she saw (and felt) him drag one she'd tried to make away with right out of her hand without moving from several feet away. The incident had also prompted her to ask how someone so powerful had apparently been tortured badly—to her, someone with his skills shouldn't have been able to be caught.

What she had learned in response to her query had caused her to go silent and pale for about three and a half days before getting back to normal, which had also worried the Turks—who were actually enjoying her company, in both the Hounds and the Guards. Then came the shocker.

Yufi bluntly asked the Wutain Turk while Tseng and Cloud were visiting with Auryn, "You're the Kaoin who survived the family's torture and murder, aren't you?"

Tseng first looked at her sharply, then turned a questioning gaze on Ed as silence fell. Finally, when the younger blond didn't answer the questioning look, just giving the older Wutain a small 'go on' motion with his head (Ed was leaving him an out to refute the query), he asked in reply, "Why do you want to know?"

The girl scowled and replied, "No asking a question instead of answering!"

For a few more long moments, Tseng sat silently, then sighed faintly and admitted, "Yes, I am, but I'm not the person I used to be, and would never take the Wutain throne regardless."

"Yay!" Yufi cheered, throwing herself on the startled man to hug him. "I do have cousins!" She then paused, still hugging him, and corrected herself with, "Well, one of them, anyway." Pulling back to meet his almost fond and almost wary gaze, she said, "You really do think my father sent your attackers to you."

"Didn't he? He's the only one who has command of Crescent Unit," Tseng replied, gaze shuttered, revealing nothing.

"Then why does he have shrines to all of you which he visits nearly every day?" she asked dryly. "That's why I figured it out, because you look like an older Ren Kaoin, their youngest son and second youngest kid. And I hear a lot of people talk. Not everyone in Crescent Unit wants peace or just to defend Wutai—they want to crush Shin-Ra. And your family supported Father's choice not to attack them in their lands. I think your family was stopping a lot of other things they wanted to do, too, so they thought they'd have more freedom or power if you weren't there. Father never knew about who attacked you, either—he'd have never been so broken up about it or treated your shrines so well if he had."

With a long sigh, the Wutain asked, "Edward told you about that, didn't he?"

"No," she replied, looking amused. When he gave her a pointed look, she blushed faintly and said, "Well, yes, but everything I just told you wasn't things he said, Tseng. Those were things that just started making sense that I've seen and heard once I started thinking about it."

"Um, sorry if this is rude, but how could someone as young as Ed know anything about Wutain politics from about ten years ago?" Cloud cut in to ask in confusion, producing a snort from Ed as Yufi and Tseng both blinked at him in surprise.

"He's one we're protecting because he knows a lot of things he's not supposed to know," Tseng replied in vague amusement, turning to Ed. "Why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?"

"You wouldn't have listened, even if I had," the younger blond replied blandly. "Since Yufi opened the door this time, you were a little more willing to listen. But it's true the members of Crescent Unit who attacked your family did it without the Emperor's knowledge and left no traces. Both you and Godo have suffered horribly from that, but the wedge it drove between you can't just be removed, even once both of you know the truth. You've both changed—your life isn't in Wutai anymore, just to start. And those members of Crescent Unit who attacked you then would kill you now if you announced yourself and went back, so it's better it doesn't become known, other than maybe to the Emperor so you can both have closure."

"And how will this not become known with a nine-year-old being privy to it? They aren't exactly known for discretion," Tseng pointed out.

"Yeah, if you were talking about Shelke," Edward answered in amusement. "Yufi takes pride in her skills as a Ninja, and that means being able to keep secrets—and yes, that's proven in every scenario I met her in. You can tell her virtually anything and she won't tell another soul unless she's either given permission or people will die if she doesn't. Oddly, even Fuhito trusted her to keep his secrets in the ones where AVALANCHE and Wutai were friendly to one another, and Fuhito doesn't trust anyone."

Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose as Cloud asked, "Isn't Fuhito the guy who blew that hole in Midgar?"

"That would be him, yes," the Wutain man agreed.

"Who's Fuhito?" Yufi asked in confusion. "And why would we be friends with a guy who would put a huge hole like that in Midgar? It would have killed a lot of people, and all of them are just—normal people, not people like SOLDIER or the Turks."

"This is the first time he hasn't had two others helping him play nice with others," Ed replied sardonically. "So every previous time, he had a lot more influence in Wutai, especially since his forces freely helped Wutain troops push Shinra's forces back."

A long silence fell, then Cloud asked tentatively, "Sirra's report through Ruluf said there were a lot more new faces in the Slums, and they were about half-and-half Wutain and not. Most of the places Shinra's done harm aren't in Wutai, so a terrorist group should actually be at least three quarters non-Wutain, even if they're based in Wutai. Does that mean half the Wutains coming into the city are the members of Crescent Unit who want war?"

That time, it was Ed who pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Probably. Which also means they're planning to attack and slaughter people in the city under the guise of AVALANCHE. At this point, I don't know that we actually have a way to stop it."

"So all the best observation still wasn't enough," Tseng sighed. "Well, we tried."

"Knock, knock!" Kariya called from the doorway between the bedrooms. "Lady Shinra has some word on Yufi's situation."

"We'll join you shortly," Ed called back to him as the others blinked in surprise. "Anything else before we head over?" he asked as Kariya gave agreement and shut the door again.

The response was a negative, so the four rose and made their way to Kariya's apartment, where Lady Shinra, Doctor Crescent, and Reeve all sat, and Shelke stood behind Reeve's chair, grinning like a loon. When she saw Ed, she happily called, "Auryn!" and ran to him to hug him around the waist, producing laughs from the others. Then she gasped and drew back to say, "Oh, it's Ed now! I'm so sorry, I'll—"

"Shelke," Ed cut her off, his lips twitching in amusement as she looked sadly at him. "It's okay. I knew it would take people a little getting used to when I switched back to my old name. You'll get used to it, and in the meantime, I still know you mean me, so we're all good."

After a silence, she grinned and hugged him again as she said, "Thanks, A—Ed!"

"So, you have news on Yufi's situation?" Tseng asked Lady Shinra once Shelke let the blond go to peer curiously at Yufi, who returned the look equally curiously.

"Yes, good news, in fact," Lady Shinra agreed. Her gaze turned to Yufi as she said, "Princess, I have rarely seen a man more relieved to know his child was safe than I saw your father when I visited him. I think Edward has the right of saying he cares about you but doesn't know how to express it any longer, so he's agreed to leave you in our care. With the agreement he has offered my husband, the negotiations have gone well, and he'll be here in about a month's time to finalize the agreement. He'll visit with you then, but otherwise, he'll largely keep in touch by PHS—he plans to get one while he's here, and asked that we see one into your hands as well. He's going to try to be more of a father to you, even if we see to the daily lessons and care you need. Is that all right with you?"

Yufi had turned her gaze away from Shelke at the words directed at her, but she looked away from all of them for a minute before finally saying, "I guess it's okay."

"Good," the woman agreed. She then looked up at Auryn and said, "And Doctor Crescent and Reeve have been working on something for you—a process which sped up significantly with Shelke's help. It's a prototype only, but it will help the Doctor keep better track of things she needs to know about so she can fix them before they get as bad as the incident with over-exposure to people you don't deal well with."

When the woman stopped speaking, Reeve rose and picked a box up off the floor by his feet—making Ed blink at the similarity in size to the one Libby had been kept in back in the first dimension—and offered it to him. The man said, "She won't activate until you give her a name, but her main functions are companionship and medical monitoring—that's why I needed Doctor Crescent's help. She's been tailored especially to your needs."

Slowly, Ed opened the box the man held, staring in shock at the furry, white thing inside it. After a moment, he lifted it out, seeing a white version of the dog-rabbit Libby had been, designed in looks to a T, and the only noticeable difference was in color. Before he could stop himself, he folded the mechanical being against his chest as tears ran silently down his cheeks. The others looked alarmed, but he didn't care—even if he knew this one wouldn't be another Libby (even another one with the same skills as Libby's wouldn't be his first Librarian), this was the first time since then where he was being offered back one of the things which had been one of his biggest losses.

It was mind-boggling to him, but it was many layers of relieved and pained and memories he couldn't process quickly enough to keep the emotion at bay, so he just didn't try. He wasn't sure if that meant he calmed down sooner or later than if he had tried, and he honestly didn't care—he needed a name for her which was her own, not just a repeat of Libby's. Finally, the tears had stopped so he wiped his cheeks, then held her up (still ignoring everyone else's worried expressions), and said quietly to her, "Your name is..."

Again, he paused, then finished, "Elicia (1)."

Notes:

(1) Yes, naming her after Maes Hughes' daughter is something Ed would do, partly in memory of the people he won't see again (so they're all long-since dead to him) and partly because, like Nina, she was someone who was genuinely kind and tried to help others feel better. This is a medical companion, so it would also make a lot more sense than giving her Libby's name. To be clear—Ed didn't visit with Elicia often and actually barely remembers her, so for him to give it to this 'proto-Libby' isn't actually 'giving her someone else's name', it's revitalizing an old name which now has very little meaning to him (mentally, it's been over 300 years since he last saw Elicia in Amestris). Though, that's also still a tie back to Amestris and to the first Elicia he knew, so it's still important (and heart-felt).