"'Specials', 'Freaks', 'SOLDIER', individuals with powers whom the world's populace have feared and admired. Existing for thousands of years, the 'empowered l'Cie' were protectors of the people, warding off fiends, preventing natural disasters and even stopping wars. Their abilities came from mutations born from exposure from Crystals; mysterious, multicolored, glass-like sentient rocks that pulsates with powerful energy. The Crystals, mostly elemental in nature, gives the l'Cie their powers and, in turn, the l'Cie fulfill their 'focus', destinies seemingly divine."

-The Radiant Garden Ultimania, vol. 7

Chapter Two: Beginnings, pt. 2

Saronia Harbor, southern coast of Balamb Garden…

Marisa walked around the port town, still confused after arriving days ago and not seeing anyone or anything familiar. She was in the Gardenian Emirates, located at the world's north-central continent, but she was really far from Radiant Garden, which was located farther west. She tried to gather her bearings, but the dialect of the region and the overload of odd information made her even more confused.

Two days ago, she found out that the Sforza clan had fallen. But, they were still around where she was from. And the locations of the Gardens…It was off. Radiant Garden was supposed to be in the central area of the continent, within a hilly marshland. The capital itself was situated on a lake and it was beautiful until the Maenads appeared ten years ago.

Finding a bench to sit on that faced the ocean, the girl in black and red Gothic Lolita stared at the waves and pondered what had happened. At first, she was joined up in Group A, the one that was supposed to go to Midgar to find Aqua, Cloud, Tifa, Zack and Aerith. And they were also to find the "Jenova Trio", SOLDIERs who were experimented on and practically turned into monsters.

One of them she refused to name, thinking that even conjuring the thought of his name would bring him back…like last time. So, Marisa forced the thought out of her mind and went back to wondering what happened to cause her to be separated from her group. Thinking, she remembered there was an attack, just as they were trying to reach the place. And she didn't catch who did it as chaos ensued and she was pushed in.

"Um, hi? Hello?"

So, she must've been with either group B or C. Group D was to stay behind to help them escape, but…

"Hey! Um, Miss? Hello?"

Marisa didn't see two kids standing at her right. One had spikey brown hair, blue eyes and wore red and white. The other was a silver-haired child with horn-like protrusions on his head and black, scaly skin that dotted his arms, cheekbones and forehead. The silver-haired child grumbled and said, "Sora, I don't think we're supposed to go around doing this."

"Why not, Riku? We need new members and she's a Special too," the second child, Sora, told him.

Mairsa snapped out of it upon hearing their names, thinking they were someone else. Her hope turned into disappointment as she saw the two kids. With a swift mind reading, she found that the Au Ra, Riku, was only five and Sora, a Wind Rider, was four. The boys didn't notice and she sensed they were indeed from the Sforza clan, just like last time. But something bad happened and that part was shrouded in mist.

"Uh, are you just gonna stare?" Riku asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What were you trying to ask me?" Marisa asked.

Sora handed her a flyer that was a "help wanted" ad. Apparently, the group they belonged to was the Sforza clan. But her clan was still around back home. So, why…?

"Hey, Marisa…Can you hear me?"

It was her Riku's voice piercing in her mind. She nearly cried as she was sure that he was lost to the tunnel during that attack. He assured her that he was fine, but she could sense his worry. The little Riku glowered and asked, "Why are you staring? What are you looking at? I know I look weird, but I can't help it. I'm an Au Ra and we get these 'dracovic' features…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Um, but why are you looking for help? You don't know if I'm a good guy or not," Marisa asked.

"Yeah, why do they have me and Sora talking with random people? I doubt this Garden's all that happy with Specials running around unsupervised."

Sora put his hands behind his head and said, "'Cuz you got a nice aura around you. That and Lady Sforza told us to come here to find somebody with one like yours."

"Sora!" little Riku whispered, getting worried.

"What?" Sora asked.

"We're not supposed to go around and tell everyone that! We're supposed to pass out these ads!" little Riku yelled.

He looked back at Marisa and she could see his turquoise eyes becoming slit like a dragon's. Meaning he wasn't too happy. Before he could get angrier, Sora said, "Aw, it's not like she's bad. And if she was, that police guy's gonna stop her."

The boy pointed at a patrolling officer, but Marisa could sense that he could care less what was going on around him as he just wanted to go home. Her Riku's voice entered her mind again and he asked, "Hey. Go with them. I'm sure I can't do much since Dr. Valentine said meeting yourself can make some really bad things happen."

'Okay, but…they're gone now,' Marisa thought, seeing the boys running back and placing the fliers wherever they went.

The older Riku, dressed in black and silver and sitting on a stone spire in the snowy mountains near Wutai, sighed as he had finished communicating with Marisa, the lone survivor of her clan back home. Apparently, time had changed drastically in that world, as the Sforza clan fell far too soon, 35 years too soon. And their fall started bringing about change for the worse as the clan was so powerful, they retained peace between the five Gardens of the Gardenia continent and even had stake in world affairs.

And based on what he could see from the telepathic girl's mind, his younger self didn't seem to have much power. Nor a dragon steed to call his own. Marisa could sense it, but didn't tell him.

So, he figured that his younger self hadn't found the dragon that protected him so many times, Indra. The black-scaled dragon was his to tame, and he protected the Au Ra as his group entered the Space Tunnel. And based on what Marisa could sense, little Riku had yet to find him.

'Maybe Indra's still an egg or something…Or the Maenads may have found the nest first and destroyed him. Because I can't sense…' Riku thought, looking around.

His dragon-like turquoise eyes scanned the place and he could see smoke coming from a cave below. He was about to investigate when something from above attacked. Riku pulled out his weapon, a machete he dubbed the Braveheart, and blocked. Parrying, he pushed it back and saw a familiar face.

"Huh? You're…?" Riku started.

He blocked another attack and found that he was surrounded by ninja. He cursed, remembering that Wutai was very, very wary of foreigners. Leaping into the air, Riku narrowly dodged poisoned kunai and shuriken. The ninja took chase, going after the Au Ra invader. But Riku was faster, deftly dodging and leaping to various cliffs and outcroppings.

After nearly falling from an outcropping on the Da Chao mountain that overlooked the Wutai's village, Riku heard the ninja landing behind him. Their leader was Lord Godo Kisaragi, a friend to Riku back home. But, this Godo…

Speaking in the Wutai dialect, he ordered for the ninja to kill Riku as he most likely thought the Au Ra was a SOLDIER or someone from a rival clan. Riku shrugged and replied with, "Well, I guess you're not that knowledgeable about Au Ra, Godo-sama."

The Wutai leader was astonished at his use of the Wutai dialect of Nippon. Before the ninja could attack, Riku jumped off the cliff. The Wutai gasped, only to scream curses as the adult Au Ra hitched a ride on a breeze.

"You really thought coming here was a good idea?"

A hooded Gothic-dressed young woman appeared, flying behind Riku. She, a familiar face dressed in all black, told him, "Riku. Godo and the others won't know who you are. Or any of us here."

Riku saw the long-haired, hooded young woman hover in front of him. She had no emotion in her face and he said, "You made it too? Good."

"So, you're going to ignore the fact that Godo doesn't know you?" the young woman asked.

"I was trying to make sure that…" Riku started.

The hooded one glowered, her blue eyes shining in the moonlight. The Au Ra sighed, telling her, "I was hoping that Yuffie had left for Radiant Garden by now, Xion."

Xion understood, but said nothing. Using her powers, she kept them both airborne, using the winds to fly north.

"I have failed him…"

"But that doesn't mean you should leave! Please!"

"I'm sorry, Eraqus. But there's no reason to stay. Lady Sforza's gone, along with my son, Lady Lunafreya…I've lost so much ever since joining this clan out of my family's protection."

"Regis, please. Please don't go!"

"I have to, Lucy…"

"With that, the clan falls…"

Terra ran through the back streets of Twilight Town, seeing something hopping from roof to roof with relative ease. He had to stop the figure before anyone got hurt and then blame the Specials that lived in the area. He couldn't risk another pogrom as he was already weary with earlier events that nearly caused one in Radiant Garden.

That event, the brunet dressed in brown and tan didn't want to remember. But, it was the cause of the fall of his foster clan, the Sforza family. The heads of the family had died, leaving no heir. And due to the clan's history and reputation, no one who were close with the Sforzas wanted to take over.

So, the clan broke up, with everyone going their separate ways. There were a few exceptions, that being himself, the Rui sisters, the Nakashima family, little Riku Ishida and Dr. Lucrecia Crescent. He, still having hope as he had heard that the Sforza's indeed had an heir, went around the country, trying to bring everyone back together.

The brunet landed in an alleyway as he heard a roar cut through the moonlit night. Recognizing it, he said, "As long as he doesn't hurt anyone…"

"Pretty sure he will at this rate."

Terra swiftly turned, seeing a familiar redhead in black. The redhead was Lea Fieri, another Special that was from the clan. He had left months before, not agreeing with everyone about the boy that caused the clan's fall. Almost as if he sensed what was going to happen.

"So, you're here because of that post?" Lea asked.

Terra nodded, remembering the listing that called on hunters, both normal and Special, to Twilight Town. The job was known as the "10th Wonder of Twilight Town: Moonlit Beast that Haunts the Streets". Those that said they had seen it were reported to be terrified, both civilians and security forces alike. The beast only appeared in town during a full moon and for the past three months, the people hid inside their homes, hearing roars and breaking items outside.

"Yep. That sounds about the same time that Isa and me got separated by that mob. They really don't like unsupervised Specials down in Galbadia," Lea told Terra.

"So, what were you doing there?" Terra asked.

"Eh, just wanted to make a livin' as a hunter. But Isa said that we needed to get real jobs. Like being a hunter isn't a real job. Monsters do roam at night, y'know," Lea replied.

Terra thought it foolish for Lea to be by himself as a hunter, but…

Another roar and Lea said, "Okay, I think he's gettin' close."

A pile of bricks came down and the pair jumped back, the bricks landing in the middle. Terra looked up and saw a pair of yellow eyes staring at them. A snarl and the brunet muttered, "Oh crap…"

"And here he is. Isa, what's gotten into ya?" Lea said.

The oddly azure-haired Isa jumped from the roof, landing on the ground and immediately went to the offensive. With sharp clawed hands, he swiped at Terra, who blocked by holding up his arms and raising a part of the street. Claws hit the concrete pillar and Terra said, "Hey! What's the big idea?"

Isa, eyes completely yellow and glowing with a harsh aura, roared and took another swipe at the pillar, breaking it. Lea shot off a fire ball from his hands, striking his friend in the back of the head. The fire did no damage, only distracting him as the feral Isa's attention was turned to the redhead.

He got down on all fours and lunged forward, looking more like an animal than before. Lea jumped up and over him, a cloud of heated air aiding his jump, and the lunge missed. Joining Terra, he summoned chakrams to both hands out of flames and Terra a bronze sword from a metallic orange aura.

"Okay, so he's completely out of it. What now?" Terra asked.

"What do you mean, 'what now'? We beat the senses back into him," Lea told him.

Terra lifted his hands again, summoning a wall of concrete as a column of blue flames headed their direction. He then held them over his head, creating a cocoon as Isa jumped back onto the rooftops and fired off more flames. The concrete protected them, but it could only do so much as the heat started to get to Terra.

"Hey man! We gotta get out of here. If I could, I could eat those flames. But those aren't normal ones," Lea said.

Remembering that Isa's powers were that of nearly daemonic in origin, Terra punched the ground, creating a tunnel for them to escape. The pair dove inside, running as the concrete barrier collapsed, blocking off the entrance. They continued to the other side, appearing at the sandlot of Twilight Town.

Knowing that they were in danger as long as the full moon was out, Terra looked around for the berserk Isa. He didn't have to for long as he jumped and sprinted out of the way as Isa came crashing down from the rooftops, releasing a blast of blue flames.

Terra shielded himself from the blast by creating a concrete barrier and Lea jumped over the wave. He then tossed his chakrams, hitting and cutting the feral one with flames and blades. Isa was stunned for a bit and Terra stomped the ground, summoning a boulder. He then punched it towards Isa, who was struck.

The feral one crashed into a wall, near the road leading to the back alleys, and Terra saw him punch the boulder, shattering it with ease. Before he knew it, Isa appeared behind him, slashing him in the back with sharp claws. The brunet cried out as he fell, but he was immediately grabbed and tossed into a charging Lea. The two crashed into each other and both were stunned.

Isa roared again and Terra rolled off of Lea, who muttered, "Dude, you're crushing my ribs…"

Injured and barely able to move, Terra tried to get to his feet, but Isa charged, knee-kicking him in the face. Terra fell onto his back and Lea screamed, "Terra!"

Isa fired off a massive column of blue flames and Lea punched forward, creating his own. The two flames collided into each other, and the place became as hot as an inferno. Terra, weakly trying to get his bearings, tried to find a way out or underground. But he couldn't leave the two fighting like that as they had the potential to set the region on fire, not just the town.

Getting to his knees, he slammed a fist onto the ground, creating a barrier that rose up to the town's skyline. That should keep the wayward flames to a minimum, he thought.

"Hey! Try to block out the sky! Yeah, the sky!"

Hearing a voice that sounded nothing like Lady Maria Theresa, Terra ignored it as his vision started to grow fuzzy. He collapsed on his left side, rapidly losing blood from the wound on his back. Isa was far too strong to face during a full moon. But…Lea seemed to be holding his own. But how would he do so, fighting his best friend for the next four hours? That wasn't possible, not even Lady Sforza could do it…

"Hey, you're not listening! Do you want to die here?"

'I don't know who you are or where you came from,' Terra thought.

"Just as stubborn as ever. C'mon! You can't die here! That's not your destiny!"

Terra rolled his eyes. It was worth a shot to block out all moonlight…Maybe Isa would weaken and it would be easier to…

"See? You're getting it!"

With a battle cry, Terra willed himself up, narrowly ducking from a fire blast. The two's fight was getting more intense as Lea started producing flames from his body. Isa started to glow with a blue aura. If they turned into pure energy, then there was no way Terra could stop the fight.

"So, hurry! Stop thinking and do it!"

Terra raised both of his arms and gave one last battle yell. He slammed the ground with both fists and the walls became a barrier. The skies were covered with a roof of concrete and the glow from Isa's body subsided. Lea, however, didn't see it and continued to attack. He punched, kicked and slashed at Isa, knocking out the feral one with a final kick.

The azure-haired teen landed on the ground hard and Terra yelled, "Lea, don't!"

The redhaired teen slid to a stop, dismissing the flames around his hands and body. His face went into horror as Terra collapsed, passing out from blood loss.

"We're heading how far into the past now?" Alex asked.

The group listened in on Dr. Valentine's plan, with the robotic SCX-502 sitting in a nearby corner of the blue-hued "Velvet Room", as dubbed by Moegami Sensei "biggest" fan, Sora Sanada. Most of the surviving Specials group found chairs at tables to sit at, while others sat on the floor, in small booths nearby or at the lone bar in the place. The "room" looked more like a small restaurant instead of a hideout.

Dr. Valentine, standing next to the central-situated bar, held out a pen and began drawing in the air. The light that came from it created the numbers 2011, 5, 9. Most hadn't a clue what she meant by writing out those numbers, but apparently the robot did. It sat up and told them, "Llymaelyn…9th…Year 2011 of the 7th Astral Era…The 'Space Tunnel' will send groups A and C back 35 years…"

"Whoa, what? That far! Some of us won't even be…!" Sora's sister, Xion, shouted.

"Yes, some of you will not be born yet and others will be children. So, for those that aren't born in that time period, you do realize the gravity of the situation," Dr. Valentine told them.

The silver-haired youth of the draconian-like Au Ra, Lord Riku Ishida, nodded and said, "If we fail, we risk making the world worse. And, those aren't born yet, risk never existing. So, I ask again, why are we going that far? The Maenads didn't appear until about ten years ago."

"We need to get to the very source of everything. And 35 years ago seems to be it. Our predecessors thought that going back ten years every time and trying to change what happened with Meteorfall was it, but they failed. So, going farther back would make more sense," Dr. Valentine explained.

"Yeah, but if we mess up then…" Sora's twin, Shoji, said.

"And if we use the Space Tunnel, we'll probably won't be able to come back here, right?" the lone survivor of the Sforza clan, Marisa, asked.

Dr. Valentine nodded and said, "It'll be for the best. If we succeed, then everything that has happened here will be reversed. And it'll be like a bad dream."

And there's chapter two. For the fight with Lea and Isa, I got the idea while listening to MGR "Rules of Nature". Hey, I thought it matched as Lea's voice actor also played Raiden from that game and the story's first battle had to be intense.

As usual, I still own nothing in regards to this fic.

-miano53