Author's Notes: thoughts will be in italics. Red XIII will be called Nanaki. Sorry if it's jumpy. I couldn't remember Shera's last name so I made up on. It means 'a careful guard'. Oh, and I forgot to put the disclaimer in Ch.1. If you recognize it, I don't own it. If u don't, it's mine. This goes 4 all the chapters. Enjoy.
Chapter One
Cloud Strife was feeling relaxed. After defeating Sephiroth, everyone went his or her own ways.
Barret Wallace was helping the people of Midgar with Elmyra Gainsborough's help. He and his daughter Marlene were living in Elmyra's house. Barret helped mend houses, get rid the town of monsters, etc. Elmyra made clothes and other fabrics for those who didn't have much. Marlene tended Aeris's garden. The town was flourishing.
Cid Highwind was on the submarine checking out the "world of star...fishes" in Shera Gardelle's words. She and the rest of his crew were researching the ocean. Right now they were somewhere near Round Island.
Red XIII, or Nanaki, was staying with Choco Billy on his ranch. He wasn't ready to go back to Cosmo Canyon. He wasn't ready for the responsibility of being the guardian. He still needed to find himself.
Vincent Valentine was at Lucretia's waterfall. He had been injured in the fight with Sephiroth, but was better now. Cloud didn't know what he was doing, but Vincent seemed okay. Somehow, Yuffie had convinced him to PHS everyone once a month. He had to be content with that.
Yuffie Kisaragi had gone home. She was totally pampered. She hated it. It had only been a month, but she had called last two weeks and sounded even more high-strung than ever. He chuckled as he remembered it.
Reeve was working on a secret project. He didn't talk much about it, but it was called Project Serenity. The Turks, Elena, Rude, and Reno, were helping. They were making up for their years in Shinra. Cait Sith was shut down temporarily. Reeve said that only if he had to fight then he'd used Cait Sith. He also said that wouldn't likely happen.
And Tifa Lockheart. Tifa, who he had lost his chance to say, "I love you" forever. Tifa had gone to Icecicle Inn. She was staying in Professor Gast's house, doing research on the Cetra. It wasn't until after Sephiroth was killed that he learned that Tifa had promised Aeris to find out more about her past. It looked brand new, or so she said. He had never been up there. Most the gang hadn't seen each other since Meteor was defeated.
Cloud himself had gone to Costa De Sol. Right now he was lying on the beach on one of the towels Yuffie had handed to them when Tifa and himself had come out of the Lifestream. He was working, since he had spent most of his gil on a house. He worked selling potions and other miscellaneous gifts. The manager, Mirad Kalliskew, was happy because teenage girls came and bought stuff just to talk to him and because Cloud knew potions like the back of his hand.
Cloud sighed. His shift was in about fifteen minutes and he didn't want to leave his peaceful spot on the beach. He got up anyways and went to change.
* * * * *
"Tifa! Tifa, come look at this!" Yuffie called.
"Hang on a minute." Tifa called back, without turning. All of a sudden she heard Yuffie scream. She spun around. "Yuffie!" She cried, beginning to run.
* * * * *
Cloud stepped out of the shower just as his PHS began to ring. Dangit He thought hope it isn't Mirad calling me to work. "Hello?"
"Cloud?" A familiar voice asked.
"Tifa?
"Cloud, come to the northern cavern right now."
" Ummm, okay." He hung up and ran to get dressed.
* * * * *
Barret brought his head up quickly. It banged into the pipe he was working on and he nearly fell off the pipe he was sitting on. "OW! #%@%^$&!" All the while the PHS rang on. "Hello?"
"Barret? Barret, come to the north crater right now."
"Tifa? I can't I'm too bus..."
"NOW."
* * * * *
"...That means we'll be able to go underneath the island. Any questions? Okay, then let's go." Cid said, wrapping up the meeting. He went to the observatory room. The observatory room had windows on all sides. So beautiful and peaceful, just like space. Just then his PHS began to ring. "Hello?" Since he was underwater, it was harder to hear.
"Cid?"
"Speaking. Wait a minute, is this Tifa?"
"Come to ...e north ...ter right n..w."
"North crater?"
"Yeah."
Cid hung up."Shera!" He barked into his intercom. "Surface!"
A few moments later Cid rode off on his gold chocobo. Shera, her eyes never leaving his rapidly diminishing figure, said so softly no one could hear her, "Please come back safely, my Captain."
* * * * *
"Thank you, Chloe." Nanaki said as Billy's sister, Chloe, brought him desert.
"It was nothing." Chloe said shyly. Nanaki's PHS began to ring. " Nanaki here."
"Nanaki, northern cave. Now. Bye."
"Tifa? Hello?" Nanaki stared at his PHS in wonderment and bewilderment.
* * * * *
Vincent sat in desolation. Now that Sephiroth was defeated, there was no purpose to his life. His PHS began to ring. He sighed hoping it would stop. It didn't. He couldn't think. He growled, thinking dark thoughts. Finally he answered it up, shouting "WHAT?"
Tifa's voice came out startled." V..V..Vincent?" Then it came out stronger. " Get to the north cave this minute."
"Okay." Vincent said. He raced out, cape flying.
* * * * *
Four humans and one dog/cat raced toward the crater, one fear shared by all: Was Sephiroth Alive?
Hey what do you think? What happened to Yuffie? Is Sephiroth alive? All this and more in ch.2 of NtR.
