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Author's Note: Thank you to all of my reviewers! Your reviews have been a great inspiration! And once again, I do not own any of the FF7 characters…
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Tifa quickly climbed the steps. Sephiroth sat on her bed looking at the window.
"Tifa go, I don't deserve to live. I'm sure that I hurt that man you called Barret. I've hurt so many people. So many…" A tear rolled down his cheek.
Tifa sat down on the bed next to him, "But you can feel and cry now. The person that hurt those people felt no remorse. He didn't cry when he killed Aeris or cut me or nearly destroyed the planet. He often laughed at them." She wiped the tear off of his cheek.
"Thank you Tifa," He whispered.
Cloud hurried to get Aeris away from Nibelhiem, away from Sephiroth…
"Cloud could we go to see Nanaki?" Aeris asked.
"Sure." Cloud said only half-paying attention to her.
"The planet told me I should go ask him about the Cetra," Aeris said.
That got Cloud's full attention, "How did you know?"
"The planet told me last night. I'm the last of the Cetra and I'm supposed to go talk to Nanaki about the Cetra." She said omitting the fact the planet also said Cloud was very important.
"Okay we'll head for Cosmo Canyon." He said turning his head to the horizon.
Barret left Tifa's house and headed toward the Shinra mansion. If Sephiroth was back, everyone needed to know. He ran through the mansion all the way to the room with Vincent's coffin. He knocked on the lid and received no answer. He lifted the lid and only saw a small white envelope. On the front were the words "To My Friends." Barret opened the envelope.
"To my dear friends,
Thank you all for what you've done for me. I've decided to go exploring for myself. I cannot tell where I'll be because I do not know myself. If I don't return I just want to say, Thank you for being my friends.
Until we meet again,
Vincent Valentine"
"Great," Barret muttered, "Vincent decides to go all explorer on us just when we need him." He headed out of the house and toward Wutai.
Cloud and Aeris arrived at Cosmo Canyon and were admitted without much trouble except a few looks from people that knew Aeris had died. They entered Bugenhagen's laboratory. Nanaki sat behind a large stack of books. He looked up.
"Cloud? It's been almost six years since I saw-" he looked at the girl behind Cloud, "Aeris?"
She took a deep breath, "Cloud," she said, "Please tell me you can hear that lion too. I feel weird enough being able to hear the planet but I don't think I'd be able to take hearing animals too.
Nanaki gave Cloud a funny look, "Cloud?"
"Hold on a sec Nanaki," Cloud said turning to Aeris, "Aeris this is Nanaki, you remember, from the picture."
"Oh, yes I remember now, hi Nanaki." she said with a wave.
"Hello Aeris," he said shooting a look at Cloud.
"Aeris why don't you take a look at some of the books." Cloud said.
She nodded and headed toward a wall of books. Cloud quickly explained everything to Nanaki. Aeris couldn't help but eavesdrop.
"Yes, I remember reading something like that…" Nanaki said.
"It's in the Fourth Book of the Ancients."
"The planet says it's in the Fourth Book of the Ancients." Aeris said.
Nanaki nodded, "Now if I could stop being like grandfather and remember where I put things."
Aeris closed her eyes, "Planet can you tell me where the book is?"
"The bookcase right in front of you. Third book in the fifth row."
"Thank you," Aeris whispered aloud. She ran to the bookcase and pulled the book out. She handed it to Cloud.
"Lets get started," Cloud said putting the book down.
"Mommy!" yelled a little with long brown hair and bright blue eyes, "Mommy where are you?!"
Yuffie looked up from the book she had been writing in, "Yes Aeris dear?"
Aeris sniffled miserably, "Barret and Cid were hitting me with rocks!"
"No we weren't!" Barret and Cid both yelled simultaneously.
Yuffie smiled, "Come here Aeris, I have something to give you."
Aeris grinned and followed her mother. Yuffie pulled out a piece of all and lightning materia. Then she pulled out a Wizard Staff. After snapping the materia into place, Yuffie handed it to her daughter.
"This belonged to the woman I named you after. You look a great deal like her," Yuffie said as she pulled out a picture and pointed to Aeris. "Her name was Aeris Gainsborough, she was a flower seller."
"That's why my middle name is Rosa right?" Aeris asked.
Yuffie chuckled, "No it not dear, but I'll save that story for another day," She put the picture away again. "Now come on I'll teach you how to use that thing."
"Tifa," Sephiroth yelled up the stairs, "We'll be late if you don't hurry!"
Tifa looked down the stairs, "Sorry," she said putting in her earrings, "I'm hurrying."
When she finally got her earrings in and slipped her shoes on, she ran down the stairs, "Ready!" she called.
Sephiroth turned around and smiled. Tifa smiled too, "He looks great!" she thought. Sephiroth had asked her to go to a little restaurant that had been built in Nibelhiem a while ago. No one went there much until lately.
Sephiroth brushed at the sleeve of his jacket. He had donned a black tux with a blue tie. He had cut his hair short.
"It looks good on him, " Tifa thought.
He got her coat for her and then they left for the restaurant.
"Lightning bolt" Aeris yelled. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the tree Aeris had been aiming at.
"Good job Aeris!" Yuffie called, "Now promise me you'll only use it to defend yourself. Don't go after your brothers until they hit you. Promise?"
"I promise," Aeris said grinning mischievously. She skipped off around the front of the house. Yuffie laughed and hurried through the house so she could see what would happen.
"Nice stick," Cid taunted as he tossed a rock up and down. Barret also grabbed a rock and tossed it past her head. Aeris looked at her mother who nodded.
Aeris closed her eyes, "Lightning Bolt!" she yelled. Then two bolts of lightning shot from the sky and hit the boys who fell to the ground in a daze.
Aeris grinned at her mother and skipped back around the house.
"Teaching our daughter how to use materia already?" asked a voice behind Yuffie.
Yuffie beamed and turned to see Vincent standing at the door.
"Hey our little boys deserved it," Yuffie protested, "They were throwing rocks at poor little Aeris."
"The considerate little mother huh?" Vincent teased. He pulled Yuffie into his arms.
"Aren't I always?" she asked.
"I can't figure this out…" Nanaki said looking down at the ancient writing, "Aeris does any of this make sense?"
Aeris shook her head, "No…"
Cloud looked up, "Wait I remember, a while back, I heard something about materia that helped a Cetra read this sort of thing. Well is anybody would have it Yuffie would."
Nanaki stood up, "So we're heading to Wutai?"
"We?" Cloud asked, "You wanna leave all your books to come travel with us?"
"Hey, I can't stay stuck behind these books forever!" Nanaki protested.
"Well I suggest we get going," Aeris said, "I want to meet Yuffie."
Everyone laughed and got ready to leave.
An orchestra began to play a soft melody and Tifa began to tap her foot in time with the music. Sephiroth glanced down at the foot and stood up.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked. He extended his hand to her.
"I-I'm not very good at it." She said taking his hand gently.
Sephiroth grinned, "Neither am I."
They headed out to the dance floor and Tifa smiled nervously. Sephiroth laughed and spun her around making her long, blue dress spin out.
"For someone who said they aren't very good at this," Tifa said looking up at Sephiroth's eyes, "You're sure a good dancer."
He spun her around again, "So I lied."
They both laughed and sat down at the end of the dance.
"Awww what a touching picture," said a deep male voice.
Yuffie and Vincent both looked up to see Barret with a goofy grin on his face.
Yuffie ran up to Barret and gave him a hug, "Hey Barret how have you been?"
"I been awright how have you two been?" Barret asked.
Then, as if an answer to Barret's question, Aeris, Cid and Barret Valentine ran in.
"Mommy Aeris threw Lightning at me!" Cid yelled
"They were throwing rocks at me again!" Aeris cried.
"Mommy how'd she do that? I wanna do that too." Barret (Valentine) yelled.
"Okay you three stop it now," Yuffie shouted, "Aeris go put the Wizard Staff away. Cid, Barret on the couch now."
Barret Wallace looked up at his friend with a funny look.
Yuffie put her hands on her hips, "What?" she asked.
Aeris ran back in the room and sat down on the floor.
"Okay you bunch of rugrats," Yuffie said, "I want you to meet a good friend of mine. This is Barret Wallace. Barret these are our perfect angels. Aeris, Cid, and Barret."
"Cool," Barret Valentine said, "We've got the same name!"
Barret Wallace chuckled, "Yup we do."
"Mommy," Aeris said standing up, "Can I go? I wanna do something." Yuffie nodded and Aeris ran to the door, "Goodbye Mr. Barret." She ran into her bedroom.
Cid and Barret ran into the backyard leaving the adults.
"She looks and talks like- " Barret whispered.
Yuffie cut him off, "I know."
"No. no last time I was called 'Mr. Barret' was when she did it. That was six years ago…" He sighed, "I might as well tell you why I'm here. Sephiroth's back. Tifa wouldn't let me near him. I don't know wha' to do."
Yuffie's eyes got wide, "Sephiroth has Tifa?"
"We've gotta help her!" Vincent said angrily.
Barret looked shocked at the emotion in Vincent's voice
"We'll help…" said a soft female voice.
Everyone turned to see Cloud, Nanaki, and Aeris standing in the doorway.
"Aeris," Yuffie whispered.
Just then, Aeris Valentine ran into the room. She wore a long pink dress with a red dress. Her hair was pulled back in a messy braid and tied with two pink ribbons. She was also wearing brown hiking boots. She was still carrying the Wizard Staff.
"What mommy?" she asked.
Yuffie looked from her friend to her daughter and fainted into Vincent's arms.
Everyone but the Aeris Gainsborough and Aeris Valentine rushed to her side. After she was sure Yuffie was okay she took her little namesake into the bedroom to fix her hair.
"That was fun," Tifa said.
Sephiroth nodded, "I really enjoyed that. And it was especially nice because I was there with you."
Tifa blushed, "Oh, Sephiroth."
Sephiroth grinned, "Blushing Tif?"
She crossed her arms in mock annoyance, "It's your fault!"
He pulled her toward him, "I know." He said.
Then the phone rang.
"I hate that phone." Tifa muttered, pulling away to answer it, "Hello, Lockheart residence. Yes this is Tifa Lockheart. What? Oh! Hold on one minute." She put the phone down, "This will take a while so I'll see you in the morning." She kissed him on the cheek and went back to the phone, "Okay how can I help you."
"Can you use that?" Aeris asked the girl sitting in front of her.
"I can shock my brothers with it," she said, "You wanna see?"
"That's okay," Aeris said, "I mean do you know what else you can do with it besides shocking your brothers."
Little Aeris shook her head.
"Do you wanna learn?" Aeris asked.
"Sure," said the little girl, "Can you show me?
The elder Aeris nodded and was led out into the backyard.
Cloud dialed the PHS. He waited as it rang, "Hello?"
"Yeah" asked the voice on the PHS.
"Cid, it's Cloud. We, got a problem." He quickly went through the story of Sephiroth's resurrection.
Half and hour later
"…So we need your help." Cloud said ending his story for a second time with Reeve.
"You can count on me Cloud, Cait Sith will be there tomorrow."
"Thanks Reeve. Bye." Cloud said hanging up the PHS.
