...And here is chapter 10. I haven't worked too much on it lately, and the chapters appear to be getting shorter and shorter, so I'll try to type faster and have more ideas, maybe that'll work. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, I'm really pleased to see so many positive ones and to all the critics, read on because anything I wrote which may have appeared incorrect, may end up being explained, for example Aeris not dying due to have being injected with Jenova cells for instance. Sure, you chose the wrong time to criticise, but I wouldn't have even wrote this fic if it I didn't have a reason for her survival, and it also fills in some unexplained parts of Final Fantasy VII as well that have yet to come. Stay tuned.

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Aeris awoke in a very familiar place. The church in the Slums?! 'This must be a dream!' thought Aeris to herself.

Wanting to check the surroundings, she headed outside. Hojo was standing there.

"Aah!" he said happily, sneering as usual, "you're up. Don't try going anywhere, I've got the back surrounded as well. Now you will do me a favour. Speak with the planet. Have it tell you all there is to know about Jenova."

"Who says I can speak with the planet here? What if I can't?"

"Well, Tseng had been following you for some time, remember? He heard you muttering odd things to nothingness. It had to be something, otherwise, you're insane."

"Like you?"

"Yeah, like-hey! Just hurry up and do it already!"

And that's how Aeris ended up walking upto the flowers, sitting down next to them, and having an odd conversation, pretending that she was speaking of Jenova.

"So, how have you guys been? I haven't been too good, but it'll get better. I'm sorry I haven't been here to see you lately..."

[You know Aeris, it's okay if you leak just a little bit of information to Hojo.]

"Mother?"

[Yes. Just tell him that the Cetra say that the Jenova will only bring disaster and chaos to the world if it is not destroyed soon, and that Jenova would greatly mutilate a creature if it is exposed to Jenova too highly. Such as the Cetra. Jenova poisoned us all. It has the ability to shapeshift, you see, but it weakens its life force greatly if it does so too much. That's why we were able to seal it away for so long, until your idiot of a father and his assistant, Hojo, uncovered it again. I was unpleased. Listen, you will soon discover something really serious about us that may make you want to change your mind about certain events, but don't let it turn you from the path of healing the Planet. Ultimately, you must make the right decision as to how the course of the future forges.]

"But how can I now? The Planet is in danger of Meteor. Sephiroth summoned it."

[Sephiroth...so the Black Materia has been unleashed once again.]

"Once again?"

[The Jenova you battle now arrived to this planet by use of the Black Materia. It crashed in the place you the Northern Crater. The Jenova was able to escape the Meteor there, and went to the place you call the Ancients' Temple. The Black Materia was abandoned there, and Jenova poisoned us as you know, and roamed the world. We sealed it up, and the Black Materia also. But then Jenova got uncovered and is free yet again. It must be destroyed.]

"How mother? How must we destroy it?"

[It cannot be defeated by just anybody. Only the purest of people can do it, the ones with the true intention of destroying it, and for nothing else. No cells, no experiments. Jenova is pure evil, so naturally the stronger force will win.]

'Sounds kind of corny if you ask me...' Aeris thought to herself. 'Cloud and Tifa could do it, no sweat.'

[I heard that. Anyway Aeris, you will soon be greatly distracted from the right path, but you must always do what is right, even if it will greatly hurt you. You may feel great loss or pain, but think carefully about the path ahead of you and it will open up to you. I leave you now, be extremely careful, or you may be meeting me here much sooner than you think.]

"Goodbye, mother."

"GAST," interrupted that disgusting, slimy voice. "What do you know then?"

"Jenova..." started Aeris, "will bring destruction and chaos to the world if it is not destroyed soon, and that Jenova would greatly mutilate a creature if it is exposed to Jenova too highly. Such as the Cetra. Jenova poisoned us all." Aeris recited all she wanted him to know pretty good.

"Oh really..." said Hojo. He didn't quite believe her, but left it at that. "Well then, back to the lab then, hmm?"

Aeris didn't resist. She followed him all the way back to Shin-Ra floor 68 without complaint. The joke was on him now.

"Now then, back to your cell then. You will get dinner soon."

Aeris obeyed. She went back to her cell unguarded and shut the door behind her, which locked instantly.

"I think..." said Hojo aloud, "I have a good specimen here."

Aeris woke later, to nothing new. She had just had an interesting dream. It contained a dark figure that looked a lot like Cloud. She wondered if maybe Cloud and Tifa and the others were fighting against Sephiroth already. But how could Meteor be stopped? And even if it arrived, then what was the deal about the Jenova? Aeris then remembered her mothers' wise words about it. [The Jenova] [It]. That really made it sound like Jenova was just a title for an entire race of them. Did that mean that more would arrive on this Meteor? It WAS summoned by the Black Materia after all. So Jenova was just a space alien from an evil nearly invincible race. Aeris really hoped that wasn't the case, but she had a really bad feeling about it. Soon after that her meal arrived, and she ate it all this time. She definately had some hope left now. It actually tasted nice this time too, but she was suspicious of the chicken, hoping it wasn't Chocobo, like what Aetherius had to eat. Aetherius! Hojo had her caught again! Aeris pushed the buzzer on the door, and Hojo came instantly.

"Yes, my precious Specimen?"

"Professor, you haven't done anything to Aetherius, have you?"

"Not at all, I've been studying you all week. Come to think about it, I have to feed her. You know what, you look like you could use some exercise, go out and feed her. You already know how to, of course."

'What the?!' Aeris was truly stunned. He was going to actually let her out to do such a simple task?! "Y-yes, sir."

"That's a good specimen. Now hurry up," snapped Hojo. And she did.

"Hi Aeth, how's it going?"

"Simply terrible! Hey, how'd Hojo let you out! Please, you gotta help me - it's boring here!"

"Sssh, I will, I don't know when though. Here. Dinner. Gotta go." Aeris would've stayed to talk more, but Hojo was coming.

"You done? Back to the cell."

And Aeris obeyed.

"-Good to see you!"

"You were shot. Why are you here now?" questioned Hojo.

"Aww...c'mon Professor, even you could answer that one! It was all you fault too! Thank-you for saving my life!"

"Oh...yeah."

"Don't talk life that man! This a happy reunion here! Y'know, like, the dude who did terrible experiments on me and stuff? And then there's me! The one who had been experimented on!"

'I think the Mako has gotten through to his head,' Hojo thought to himself. He looked over at Aeris, of whom he'd taken while she was asleep, under gas to make double-sure, and moved through to here, to do yet another checkup on to examine any changes she may have possibly gone under due to the Jenova cells in her. What Aeris had told him the other day made him a bit tad paranoid, so he had decided to monitor any changes, no matter how subtle, she could have possibly undergone. But anyway, Aeris had awoken to hear that entire conversation. Mako? Was Cloud here? She wasn't going to go unnoticed now.

"Cloud?"

"Cloud, nah, not me. Here, see? Hair colour, completely different! Take a look."

"I would, but you're way too close, I can't see anything."

"Sorry, babe. Why's Hojo got you here anyway?"

"Hey, you do NOT question the specimen about any of my research!"

"Sorry old man. Aeris. How've you been?"

"I've been better. I see that you have recovered from your illness. It's good to see you healthy again, Zack."

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Okay, give me your honest opinion to how this chapter went. Interesting? Boring? Did it drag on too much? Stuff like that.

***Just for fun, if you like...***

Sidestories! Would anybody reading like to make me some totally irrelivant sidestory to someone or something in Final Fantasy VII that would've happened at the time of a certain event. Eg: Event: When Aeris first helped evacuate Aetherius, Random Event: Rufus was just settling down to enjoy his favourite sunday afternoon tea, when Reno burst in, the door hit a chair, which hit the table, and the vibration knocked Rufus' plate off the table and into his lap. Rufus stared at Reno for just a moment, then he...

*or*

Far off in Bone Town, the staff there struck it lucky; they'd found another Ultima Materia.

Yeah, stuff like that. I'd really appreciate sidestories, just for people to read while I'm writing up new chapters, and it will give you something to do while I'm still writing chapters, so yeah. You will get full credit for your sidestory, and I will always post my favourite one at the top of the sidestories page.

E-mail all of your sidestories to me: Crisis_from_the_Sky@Hotmail.com.

And while you're here, drop in a review.

I've already started writing some of the next chapter as well; expect it soon...

- Aeris discovers some shocking news, not only as Zack's return. It goes far further than that...