I do not own FFVII characters – though I wish I did. lol

I do own my own character – Jalyne and other originals.

Chapter 55 – The Interim

"Ow."

"Concentrate, Beloved."

"You try doing this." Jalyne struggled to get up from the mat she landed upon. "Wait. You will in a few minutes." She chuckled at him.

"Says who, yo?"

"The Empress of the Heavens, that's who." Jalyne laughed again as she lifted the blindfold from her eyes. "This was your idea, you know. You should take part."

Reno sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe, yo. It would be fun to do at the same time."

"We would end up on either side of the training room." She laughed harder.

They had some downtime at the office after the events of the summoned calamity and Reno suggested training without sight to enhance skills.

"What do you think, partner?" Reno called out.

"…as long as there are sound signals." Rude answered with a straight face. "Otherwise, you two will never engage in combat."

Reno chortled, doubling over in laughter. "Join us then, yo."

Rude raised and entered the mats. Jalyne pulled her blind fold back down over her eyes and raised her training swords in attack stance.

"On the count of three, yo." Reno advised.

"Three." Rude stated and darted forward trying to catch Jalyne off balance.

She neatly sidestepped him, tapping his forearm with a sword as Reno glided behind her. Jalyne heard the rustle of fabric, whirling around with her other sword and caught the mag rod in mid strike. She ducked underneath his arm, circling the sword and clipped his leg as maneuvered behind him.

Rude was upon her as Reno sped away to keep his balance. Jalyne heard the foam under the mat creak and turned to the next assault, deflecting Rude's jab. She dropped her swords to engage in hand-to-hand combat and pushed him backwards. A thrust to his shoulder sent him back and Jalyne crouched low, darting forward with a leg sweep. Rude leapt up and over her, coming down with a fist to the ground with shockwave. Jalyne slid back only to feel the rush of air as Reno sped in a zig-zag pattern and clipped her shoulder, rebounding and taking out her legs.

"Shouldn't have discarded your weapons, yo." He admonished.

Jalyne snickered a bit and stood straight and lifted her arms outward. With a bright flash, her swords appeared at her hands. "Who said I was without weapons?"

"That's not fair!" Reno called out still in motion to Rude's barely audible laugh. "No powers, yo!"

"Says the one who is zipping along like a Zeitla!" Jalyne retorted.

"What in the world…" Reno started to say when he realized Jalyne wasn't in front of him any longer.

"Sound carries, Myak Lovkta." She whispered from behind. "And pinpoints any given location." Jalyne reached down to his mag rod, finding the button and zapped him with his own weapon. Reno dropped to the ground, breathing heavy.

Her silent partner was the one to watch out for and she had lost track of Rude. Jalyne knelt down to Reno tapping his head lightly against the mat. "Tag." She whispered to his grunting. "You're out."

She heard the breath from slightly behind and raised her sword to cover her back in defense. Rude punched the blade and stumbled back, wringing his hand out from the shock. Jalyne straightened and turned to him, brows furrowed in concentration.

Jalyne felt it again – the same pull or feeling she had on the helipad when Faterian left. She closed her eyes within the blindfold to concentrate further, missing her partner dart to her and landed a punch to her stomach followed by an uppercut to her chin, sending her flying and landing on the mats at the other side of the training room.

The breath was taken out of her as she lay there still blind. Reno immediately got up and ran to her, kneeling down with Rude following quickly behind. Jalyne reached up, taking off the blindfold and opened her eyes to her partners, breathing deeply.

"That was a hell of a punch, Rude." She smiled wanly. "Remind me never to piss you off."

"Are you okay, Jalyne?" he returned. "I didn't mean to hit so hard."

"It wasn't your fault and it wasn't your full strength. I know that." She answered looking at him. "I was momentarily distracted."

"By?" Reno asked taking her hand and pulling her up to stand, looking at the cut on her chin.

"A pull of some sort." Jalyne said wiping away the blood. "I felt it when Faterian left. It's coming from the southwest."

"Any idea from what, yo?"

Jalyne shook her head. "I don't know. That's what was distracting me, I was trying to pinpoint it."

"Strange request, Jalyne."

"I know, Sir."

They were walking along the hallway in the upper suites, Rufus leading her to his quarters. She had requested a meeting with him to allow her to explain what she surmised and request permission to investigate. She dutifully followed behind him as they entered his quarters.

She shut the door quietly and turned only to be nudged lightly against it. Rufus dipped his head, placing a quick kiss on her mark causing a shudder to flow through her.

"Sir?" she gasped out.

Rufus wrapped his arms around her, lifting her lightly off the ground in a hug. "Don't ever do that again."

"Do you mean descend into darkness, cause chaos, wreak havoc and take out your soldiers?" Jalyne looked intently at him as his smirk returned.

"All of the above, Dearest." He stated taking her hand and leading her over to the sitting room.

"I will try not to." She advised sitting in the chair across from him. "There is much to learn yet, I fear, on all accounts."

"What are you saying?"

"There is something stirring towards the southwest. I'm not sure what it is." Jalyne paused. "I request permission to investigate."

"Alone, or with the Turks?"

"Alone is preferable. I can travel faster that way."

Rufus thought a moment, raising to retrieve two glasses of bourbon. He returned, handing one to her and resumed sitting.

"Are you sure there is something amiss?" he pressured.

"It is something different, something from the past but not ancient or distant. That much I can feel."

Rufus furrowed his brow in concentration and when he finally raised his eyes to her, he nodded. "Granted." He paused. "Let me know what you find."

"Of course."

She looked out at the bustling city of Midgar as the people started making preparations for Meteor. Jalyne cast her eyes upward to the fireball and narrowed her eyes. It was still sometime off, but time was not with them. She had to get to the bottom of whatever this was.

Jalyne lifted lightly into the air, wings outstretched and sprang into the clouds, hoping no one would notice. She hovered, looking down to the city of Mako and mused on the thoughts of the people below. She turned to the southwest and headed outward through the night sky, missing the glimpse of red hair and the stare of turquoise eyes from her balcony.

She flew through the air, pulling her wings back into her body and glided upon the breeze, concentrating on the pull and feelings that were coming to her. She passed over the Junon ocean within a short time and studied the waves below as they glistened in the early morning starlight.

She spied the western continent, using the jetstream of Gaia to increase speed. She could feel the tug getting stronger and drifted closer to the course of it. Jalyne slowed as she glided closer to bright lights twinkling in the dawn's light and looked at them curiously. There was garish music drifting to her ears and she made a mental note of asking Reno what this place was, though she remember something about an amusement park being stated at Thanksgiving.

Jalyne glided over the desert and broke into the greenery below noticing the river flowing. She paused in the air, looking at the landscape when her necklace buzzed and she sighed but then chuckled. She released the orb and threw it into the air activating the transmission of Reno.

"Where ya at, Beloved." He snidely questioned, eyes hardened at her, looking around at her surroundings.

"If you would check your phone, you would know." She retorted and crossed her arms impishly, watching while he pulled out his phone.

"Oh, yo." He sheepishly stated looking back at her holograph. "Sorry, yo."

"It's alright, Baelo." She smiled. "We both have to get used to this. I'm sorry I didn't bring you."

"It's alright, yo." He commented waving an hand. "Tseng needed me elsewhere. I didn't expect to have something out of nowhere."

Jalyne raised her brow in question. "The life of a Turk." She lightly laughed.

"Too true, yo." Reno paused. "Where are you at? There's nothing around you."

Jalyne raised an arm and waved, causing the coms orb to circle and change direction. "Right now, I'm not sure. I passed a lot of lights and a desert a few minutes ago and now I'm just above a river."

"The Golden Saucer." Reno affirmed.

Her eyes widened. "That was the amusement park with the chocobo racing?"

He shook his head with a hand coming to his forehead in dismay. "Please don't get any ideas, yo. I despise that place."

"Awww." She pouted. "I was hoping I could see it sometime."

"Ugggh." He stared at her. "If I must, yo."

Jalyne laughed heartily at his expression and his cocky smirk returned.

"You owe me, Beloved." He flirted.

"I can think of several repayments." She flirted back. His expression turned serious once again.

"Did you find anything, yo?"

"I haven't even looked yet. The tug is stronger though and I'm getting ready to follow the string." Jalyne stated. "I'm just above a river, just north of the Saucer, near mountainous terrain. I'm about to follow it."

"See you when you get back, yo?"

"Of course."

The transmission ended and she replaced the coms to her necklace and followed the river to a lake. As she drifted closer to the landscape she noticed a cave and angled to it, dropping lightly to the ground at the entrance. She reached for her swords only to hesitate and nix the idea.

Jalyne entered the cave balancing a white light above her hand. As she wound through the cavern, she took note of path and walls, which glowed lightly in green. She came to a large opening with a crystal structure in the center of the lake. The tug was getting stronger, almost unbearable, but was still further along the path.

She raised the luminosity on her orb and walked around the crystal structure only for her eyes to widen in disbelief. Within the crystal and suspended in animation was a woman. Jalyne edged near her, noting the peacefulness of the lady and reached out a hand to the crystal.

"Who are you?" Jalyne murmured.

Images from the Lifestream floated to her. She saw a lab, deep underground and the madman that once held her captive came into view. Jalyne concentrated on them allowing the planet to guide the images. She witnessed the swelling of the lady in front of her and as the images shifted, saw the younger version of the Man in Black.

"Lucretia." Jalyne whispered.

The visions shifted and Jalyne saw the former Turk enter the visage. The pain that radiated off of the crystalline woman made Jalyne wince and she gazed at the tortuous events that the Turk endured as he was experimented upon with the protomateria. She clenched her jaw as he was laid to sleep with the Chaos slumbering within him.

"Vincent." A tear drifted down and Jalyne withdrew her hand, wiping it away. "What did they do to you?"

The empress turned as the pull became unbearable and she glanced around the cavern, discerning the direction. She started to the east of Lucretia and walked slowly towards a hidden crack within the walls. Jalyne edged through the wall and continued down a dimly lit path. It wound down and the light was faltering. She held her hand outward and allowed a light orb to brighten the darkened passageway.

It wound down and down, finally opening up into a larger cavern with the sunlight barely reaching through the ceiling of cracks. Jalyne saw something in the middle – a large turquoise barrier that shimmered with the little visible light. Warily and outreaching her surroundings, Jalyne stepped forward. As she neared the orb, the pain from it caused her to drop to her knees and she gasped in frustration.

"What do you want?" she questioned of the energy, raising her head.

The surprise overtook her as she gazed upon the form of a man, similarly dressed to Sephiroth. He wore shoulder armor in black with a deep red leather trench coat covering the SOLDIER straps of his chest plate. Jalyne could make out the gleaming sword hanging behind him and as her eyes travelled up to his face, she gasped as crystalline blue eyes stared back at her framed in auburn hair.

Jalyne shook and struggled to stand, closing her eyes. Her wings flared outward of their own accord and she shook her head trying to clear the images. She could see them as there were three of them – Sephiroth, this one, and one with black hair with the sword she has seen Zack wield attached to his back. Her power outstretched, changing the surroundings and environment.

Jalyne opened her eyes to see them above the large canon in Junon at a time that was unknown to her. Unconsciously she reached outward to the hidden barrier within the image, left hand up and right hand touching it and slowly twisted her right hand to the left. The scene replayed itself.

Jalyne watched intently, gathering as much as she could. Why was the Lifestream showing her this? What was the meaning of it? Unbiddenly, she moved her hand to the right and with eyes alight, watched as the one in front of her met his demise by Zack's hand. The green tendrils flowed upward and she watched as the auburn haired SOLDIER came to stand in front of a Lady encased in great outward flowing armor.

"Mother?" Jalyne whispered as her wings flexed once more in response to the Lifestream.

The Lady was blond and beautiful, with the great shield on one arm and the large staff in the other. Her armor was golden and upon her brow lay the circlet with a jewel in the middle, glistening in the Lifestream's light. Around her the stars of the heavens glittered within the dark sky. Jalyne instinctively reached outward towards her but watched as the Lifestream swirled around the SOLDIER in front of her, causing him to disappear.

Jalyne dropped to her knees once more as the light faded and stared at her hands. "What have I done?" she whispered and stared at her power fading within her hands. Jalyne raised her eyes to the figure in front of her whose eyes were now closed. One word filtered through the silent cavern and crept into her mind.

Genesis.