Chapter 1

New Routines

Piercing cat-eyes squinted against blinding white, the snow-covered plains as bleak and barren as the aching heart of the great SOLDier. Sephorith both longed for and loathed the emptiness around him; solitude gave him time with his thoughts and though once he'd have rejoiced at the opportunity to hear himself think, now those thoughts beat him down in a way he'd never have dared to fear.

First, Sukai was dead. He'd opened up, he'd let her into his heart. He'd walked through starlight and promise, warmth and loyalty, hope and dreams for the future, and then that future was snatched away... Because of the genes in his body. The genes he passed to his child. Though he'd softened toward the girl, it was so hard to look at her – she looked like Sukai. She had her nose and her chin, her high cheekbones, her complexion... She would look so much more like his lost love as she aged and that knowledge stabbed viciously at his heart.

Second, the world was at war. And again, it was because of him – because of the fear he inspired in the populace, even though he didn't want to. Not like that. Once upon a time, he was a monster. He certainly knew well enough the stories his friends told of what he'd done in another life. People remembered. ShinRa remembered. Aerith remembered...

She'd never blamed him. She'd never held resentment, never feared him. Forgiveness and trust, loyalty and gratitude for the protection he offered were the gifts she gave him, not to mention her caring for Kimiko, and he would never find an adequate way to repay her kindness. He would always try, even as dark as his thoughts left his world.

Trying today meant accompanying her and Zack to Icicle Inn, so the Cetra could investigate the ruined cabin her mother and father died in. It hadn't been lived in for decades – no one dared after the tragedy there. It hadn't even been touched save for Cloud and a few others entering it years ago, not even knowing what they were looking for.

Zack and Aerith were inside, and had been for a while now. Sephiroth waited, walking the perimeter to assure no one unfriendly approached. Zack was more than capable of keeping the Cetra safe; he loved Aerith just as much as Sephiroth did, though in a very different way.

"Angel. Come in, Angel." Zack's voice crackled in his ear. "This is..." The younger man sighed, and through all his misery Sephiroth's lips quirked up to hear it. "Puppy. Healer and I are coming out. Where are you?"

"The correct statement is 'Healer and I are exiting the building, what is your location'." Sephiroth said quietly. "I am at the top of the bank to the south of the cabin. I can see you from here." He held his hand above his head, sure that his black leathers would be a beacon in the falling snow and stabbing white.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll come to you. We didn't find anything, but I think it was good for her to see it, at least one last time."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Aerith's voice rang out, and Sephiroth melted with wretched relief at the warmth her voice settled into his bones. If the bond offered them nothing else, his Cetra could keep him afloat in his despair.

"I'll come to you." He said into his comm, and though he was anxious to be back somewhere warm and less exposed, the Capitol was the last place he wanted to be.

! #$%^&*()

Crystal clear water floated between Sassi's palms, dancing back and forth with the slightest flick of long fingers. The man before her stared, determined but nervous. His hands shook, focus faltering but Sassi could see that he was giving her his best. Still, when she passed the floating orb of water to him, it splashed to the floor after only a few seconds.

"Dammit!" He said, and Sassi chuckled.

"Hey, you held it for a couple seconds longer than last time!" She said. "It's an art. It takes practice. You have the ability inside you, or it wouldn't work at all."

The man's head hung, but he nodded. "I just... I want to learn, and I want to help. We don't have time for me to keep failing."

"Samuel!" Sassi half-barked. "Don't you ever say that again! You're not failing. Progress is slow, yes, but even a single second longer than the last time is victory."

"Hear, hear!" Came the chorus of voices behind them.

Classes had been in session for two weeks, now, both Harmony and Sassi determined to find those in Gaia capable of wielding magic without the use of materia. And find them they had, through careful tests and gentle encouragement. None of their new students would be taking on anything more dangerous than a chipmunk with their magic just yet, but no one expected them to become experts overnigt.

The classes gave Sassi a purpose – something she felt she had been missing for years. This was something she was good at. Something she could do that few others could. Something that was not only needed, but wanted among the people here. It felt so good, too, to use her magic openly; neither she nor Harmony had to hide their gifts here and though she hadn't necessarily hidden her magic before Harmony got here, she hadn't used a lot of the more complicated spells in a long time.

"Miss Sassi, can I try?" A timid voice called from the back of the group. It was Rowan, an older teenager Tifa, Cloud, and Barrett had brought in with a small group from Kalm. Her family had been run out of the city by GR sympathizers, and Barrett had used his rugged but inspiring recruitment techniques to convince the little family to follow them to safety.

"Of course, Rowan!" Sassi smiled. She twirled her fingers over the water soaking into the soil, lifting and separating it to float between her palms once more. Rowan's sweet, anxious but hopeful gaze met hers for just a moment, then Sassi was smiling widely and applauding when she pulled her hands away and Rowan kept the orb suspended.

"Great job, Rowan!" She cheered, the rest of the group joining in. Samuel didn't seem as exuberant, but Sassi had a feeling he'd get it soon. She just had to find the right way to get through to him.

Rowan, though, she already had ideas for. She and Harmony had discussed it – even as powerful as the Cetra were, as powerful as Harmony was, even with the strength of their friends and family all around them, some things would be better done with a full coven at their sides. And Rowan was at the top of that list.

There were others, of course, but there was something about this quiet almost-adult that whispered of magic that Gaia hadn't known in millennia, not until Sassi, and later Harmony arrived. This was a magic deeply rooted in the genes, something more recent than say, a grandmother's grandmother. Sassi had seen flashes of something in the girl's memories – no outsiders were allowed within the Capitol unless Sassi herself vetted them – but some things she couldn't quite make out. She did know that the man and woman accompanying the girl were not her biological parents. Rowan didn't know that, however, and it wasn't Sassi's place to inform her. For now she would teach, helping build the army that would protect the world from the tyranny of Rufus ShinRa. Everything with Rowan would fall into place, exactly when it was meant to.

! #$%^&*()

Harmony, meanwhile, was not having the great morning her best friend was. In fact, she was fairly certain that her household would be having a big old batch of Cosmic Hawk stew, if that winged demon dared get close enough that she could catch her.

"Kiku, I swear if I wake up to little white presents all over my clean coffee mugs one more time, I'm going to eat that bird!" She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Not only that, but the toilet paper is absolutely shredded. She's doing it on purpose. Look at her. That smug little... Oh!"

Kiku didn't say anything – she hadn't said a word to Harmomy since the morning after Wutai, when she woke up screaming and wouldn't stop until she was once more settled between Fionn and Miri.

The little girl nodded, a cautious, calming smile on her lips though the expression didn't quite reach her eyes. Her skinny arm extended and Sunrise screeched – Harmony winced at the shrill sound – and fluttered to Kiku's arm.

Harmony's shoulder's slumped. "... Alright. If your bed is made, you can go meet Fionn and Miri for school. Don't be late, it's really nice of Shera to homeschool you three and we don't want to waste her time."

Kiku nodded, her bag already slung across her shoulder opposite the bird.

"I love you...?" Harmony called after her, and though the girl gave a beaming smile and a wave as she walked out the door, it stung and worried Harmony, just as it had with every word her daughter wouldn't say.