(Author's Note: Hello everyone. Here is the next chapter.)

Disclaimer: Anything from FF7 is not mine. It belongs to Squaresoft. Dete and Sandman are mine.

Chapter 2

Dete

-16 years later-

"Mom! I'm home!"

No answer.

Dete shrugged and dropped her bag on the kitchen table. She went to the cabinet to find an after school snack. She chose a piece of chocolate and sat down at the table. She sighed and pulled a book out of her bag. Then she sat back and brushed her chin length golden brown silver streaked hair out of her bright green eyes. She finished her chocolate and opened the book to start her homework.

She worked on her homework for about an hour when the front door opened and Aeris walked in with an empty basket in her hands.

"Hello Dete," she said tilting her head to the side a bit.

"Hey mom," Dete said dropping her pen onto the piece of paper she was writing on.

"Have a good day at school?" Aeris asked setting the basket on the countertop and getting out things to begin dinner.

"Yeah it was okay. A friend asked if I could spend the weekend at her house," Dete said.

"I guess you can. Since Midgar was rebuilt the people here are nicer and more trustworthy…except for some," Aeris sounded angry as she said the last few words.

"What's wrong?" Dete asked getting up from her seat to get plates from the cabinet.

 "It's nothing," Aeris said.

"You were thinking about my dad again weren't you?"

"Don't even talk about him!" Aeris snapped and spun to face Dete.

"Thought so. You always get mad like this when anything is mentioned about him," Dete said setting the plates on the table and moving her school things off of it.

"I do not!" Aeris said. Dete shrugged and finished setting the table.

"So how was the flower selling business today?" she asked trying to change the subject.

"Oh…it was good. Lot's of people came by the shop today," Aeris said.

"That's good. You seem to have a knack for growing things," Dete said. Aeris smiled and went about cooking dinner.

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After the dishes from dinner were cleaned Dete walked up the stairs to her bedroom. It was painted a pale sea green color and had white carpet. The border along the ceiling was of a dragon. There were glow in the dark stars and planets and stuff on the ceiling. Her bed was a twin size had 3 pillows and a stuffed animal she had gotten for her birthday a few years earlier. Her blankets were different shades of purple and had a dark red one on top.

She had a big window parallel to her bed with dark green curtains and dark purple and white lace draped along the top. She walked over to her dresser and set her watch and rings down on top of their cases. She then went over and turned on her radio. When it didn't play a good song her turned it off and turned her cd player on. Once that was done she sat down on her bed and got her books out of her bag to finish her homework.

After she had finished that she picked up her book and opened it to the place she had stopped reading. She read for about a half hour before she got tired and went down stairs to get the phone.

"Hey mom! I'm going to call my friend and tell her I can go to her house this weekend!" she said picking it up.

"Okay!" Aeris said from the living room. Dete went back upstairs and sat down on her bed again and dialed the number.

It rang 2 times before it was answered.

"Yes?" a man's voice asked dully.

"Hi. Is…?" Dete asked but didn't get to finish.

"Just a minute. PHONE'S FOR YOU!" Dete cringed and held the phone away from her ear.

When she put the phone back to her ear she heard a crash.

"I'm coming!" her friend's voice said.

"What just happened?" the man asked.

"…oh nothing…hello?" her friend asked getting the phone from him.

"Hey. My mom said its okay for me to come over. What about your dad?" Dete said.

"He won't care. This place is big enough I doubt we'll even see him," she said.

"Yeah that's right. You only live in the biggest house in this city," Dete said shaking her head.

"Yep. Dad said it used to be the Shinra tower."

"Cool. Do you want me to bring anything when I come over?" Dete asked.

"Unless you want to. I think we've got plenty of things to do," her friend said.

"All right. I think I'll bring some cds but that's all," Dete said looking around her room.

There was a knock on her door.

"I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow," Dete said.

"Sure. Bye," her friend said and hung up.

Dete hung up and opened the door.

"Can you take the dog for a quick walk?" Aeris asked.

"Sure," Dete said and followed her down the stairs.

She put the phone back in its cradle and went out the back door. The back yard was big and had a few different flower beds everywhere. In one corner of the yard was a mimosa tree that was just starting to bloom. She walked over to a willow tree and whistled.

Their dog came out of the shadow it was sleeping in and ran over to her. He jumped up and down.

"Okay calm down. No! DOWN!" the dog sat down. Dete shook her head as she put the leash on him.

"Come on," she said and they left the yard for the street. They walked down the barely lit sidewalks. There were cars everywhere. Their passengers either going home for the day or going to the nightshift of work.

The night was cool and stars could be seen. When Midgar had been rebuilt the plate had not. That way everyone could see the sun and the night sky and get the rain when it came.  Dete and her dog named Sandman walked down their usual route. She waved at people she knew and some who just waved to be polite. Their walk took about an hour to complete.

When she got home she fed and watered him and then went inside to get ready for bed.

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