"Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth" By Chii

Prologue: Lucrecia's Revelation/The Birth of the Sleeper
***
"One Winged Angel, do take heed.
You will pay for your selfish deed.
Rod in hand and hope in heart,
I come through dreams to light the dark.
You'd better run; your time is spent.
When I return you will repent.
Go now for the rise of dawn,
Will wake me in my sleeping pond."
Dreamkeeper Jeri // The Sleeper
***

Lucrecia knew nothing of the Gods before they appointed her.

She had never known the power to begin with.

There were times in her life where she needed the release from the pain her past had caused her, but with this new opportunity, she felt as if she didn't need to remember it anymore, because the past was exactly that: the past.

And that's exactly where Lucrecia needed to keep it.

But today was different. Today was strangely different.

Since Lucrecia was appointed the head of Gaia, she made it so she'd know everything by appointing assistance. She was kept up with latest news, anything of that kind.

It had been 10 years since Meteor fell. The world had not been in chaos, but the world had not been cheering. The world continued to stand still, afraid that something else might happen. Of course the heroes were greeted with love and acceptance they never had before. Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, Barret Wallace, Cid Highwind, Red XIII (Nanaki), Vincent Valentine, Cait Sith, and Yuffie Kisaragi were all treated to love and happiness from the people of Gaia, and they revealed in it.

But after a time, the love, the support, the welcoming of hers had all gone to their heads. Their egos became grand, their heads heavy, and their thoughts cocky.

And what happened next made it just as worse.

Supposedly the president of ShinRa, Rufus ShinRa, had been destroyed when a certain WEAPON shot a beam through his office window, killing him instantly. This, after Meteor was gone, and things were becoming better, was discovered to be wrong. The president showed up a year after in Junon, sporting a broken arm and leg, but still healthy and headstrong as ever.

Some way, Lucrecia not knowing how, Cloud Strife had been talked into becoming the Vice President of ShinRa INC. Lucrecia didn't know if it was because of the love and support he received from people around the world, or if it was his need to try to better things. She felt it was the latter.

Soon after, many of Cloud's friends began to join in. Tifa Lockhart became his secretary. Cid and Shera Highwind became head of the space exploration department, while Vincent Valentine and Yuffie Kisaragi became TURKS. The only ones that stayed true to their hatred for ShinRa were Barret Wallace and Nanaki.

But things at ShinRa INC did not change for the better. No, things simply got worse. Cloud began to accept the views of Rufus ShinRa. More reactors were built and taxes were raised. Of course, the people did not rebel, for rebelling meant being locked away or, worse, killed.

Around the time of Lucrecia's appointment as guardian of Gaia, Cloud married a young woman named Rosalinde Maurder, a girl who came from a wealthy family. He moved her to the ShinRa mansion, where she grew lonely. He visited her every once in a while, and after a year or two, she bore his son, Marcus Strife. Tifa had also married a young man named Joey who hailed from Midgar. He was a good person, but Tifa had always been looking for more, so on the side she had an affair with Cloud Strife. But, she did bear Joey a son, who she named Alexander. Cid and Shera Highwind soon had a child themselves who they lovingly named Cid Jr. When Cid Jr. was 3, he was in an accident on the Highwind and became completely paralyzed from the waist down. Vincent and Yuffie had an affair in private and Yuffie bore twins, a boy and then a girl. The boy's name was Victor, while the girl's name was Lili.

The particular day of the birth, Marlene, who now was 16, brought a small child to Lucrecia, which startled her out of her skin. The child was different, surely, and she hadn't seen an ancient in years.

"Where did you find this child?" Lucrecia asked Marlene. Marlene gave a small whimper from the look on Lucrecia's face.

"When we had our investigation in the ancient city," squeaked Marlene. "You told us to look around, remember? Well, while we were resting, Kasuki woke me up, saying she heard someone calling from inside the city hall. We went there, and nestled next to one of the glowing green crystals, there was this little girl. She doesn't look that old, does she, Mistress?"

Lucrecia didn't answer. She studied the little girl. Her hair was a deep brown, long and thick, hanging to her chin and shoulders. She couldn't see her eye color, but she felt the cries of the planet while she held her. She felt the words spoken from ancestors from long ago.

She felt screaming.

Lucrecia pushed the girl into Marlene's arms.

"I want you to take her to your home and talk your father into watching over her."

"What?" Marlene squeaked again, her eyes wide and doe-like.

"You heard me, don't disobey an order. This child..." Lucrecia's voice broke on her last word.

Marlene didn't ask another question.

She darted from the cave and in to the dark night.

**

to be continued

-- AN: Did you like it? I dun know if I should continue it or not. I'm sure it's a newbie thing, but I'm sure lots of you other authors have had ideas
before that you just couldn't get out of your head. Well, this is one. I've had it for about three years and now I've got the courage to write it.
Pretty crazy, huh?

Please read and review!

3
July 07, 2003