Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Final Fantasy 7 franchise. All I own are my Orginal characters, their powers, origin story, and the magical land they come from.
A/N: This story follows the story of Advent Children the video game as well as Dirge of Cerberus. With my own storyline intertwined. Whenever you see text in [...] and Italisided then these are when people are having a telepathic conversation. I'm a little new to Fanfic .net so bear with me. I'm learning how to write and post stories here.


That morning
"Guys! They're gone!?!" Cried Cloud as he comes rushing down the stairs and into the bar where Denzel, Marlene, Tifa, and Vincent are sitting and eating breakfast.
"What?" Tifa said surprised by his action that she almost spilled fresh coffee on Vincent, but she manages to stop before the hot drink touched him.
"Esmee and Lazul, I can't find them." Cloud said as he walks towards the group.
"Have you checked their room?" Vincent said as he stands from his seat.
"I did and this is what I found." Cloud said as he shows everyone a piece of paper. Tifa takes the paper out of his hands and unfolds it to see what it is. "It's a note from Esmee." Tifa said as she looks at the words.
"What does it say?" Marlene asks as she and Denzel stand beside Tifa as she begins to read the note aloud.
"For one to keep moving forward; one must let go of the past. So that's what I have to do. That's all that it says; it doesn't say anything else." Tifa said as she finished reading.
"That's all it really says. It doesn't say where they have gone?" Cloud said with a hint of worry in his voice.
"No." Tifa said sadly as she shakes her head no.
"Where did she go?" Marlene said as she looks at Denzel and then to Cloud and Tifa.
"I don't know Marlene." Cloud said as he looks out at the small girl.
"I wonder what she meant by that." Tifa said as she looks back at the note.
"What Tifa?" Cloud asks as he looks at her.
"What she said. It sounds like it holds a hidden meaning." Tifa said as she thinks for a moment.
"For one to keep moving forward; one must let go of the past." Said Vincent; repeating the words from Esmee's note as he tries to figure out their meaning. Then it stuck him; he knows where they went.
"I got it." Vincent said surprising Cloud and Tifa.
"You do?" Tifa asks.
"Yes; do you remember what Rufus said about what happened to a family in Enland?" Vincent said. "Yeah; why?" Cloud said questioningly as he looks at Vincent.
"Esmee told me about a family that she once knew a family from Enland and that she saw their death. I have no doubt in my mind that Esmee and Lazul went to Enland." Vincent said with a hidden confidence in his words.
"Alright then, let's call up the gang; we're heading to Enland." Cloud said with a smirk.
Esmee's POV
About high noon we reached Enland and walked through the town entrance. As we walk through the busy square; I noticed that not much has changed. Everything seemed to be the same after four years, nothing looked out of place. I'm so glad; even the energy that I felt here when I first lived here hasn't changed.
[Seems that nothing has changed?] Lazul said into my thoughts.
"Yeah." I said softly as we pass by the last store that lead to a dirt road. Just as we begin to walk down the road; a familiar voice calls out my name. I turn around and see old man Rob waving to us from his shop. "Hey Rob; long time no see." I said as Lazul and I walk up to his shop.
"It has been a long time. I'm glad to see that both you and Lazul are doing well." Rob said sweetly as we stand face to face.
"Thank you and I'm glad that you are doing well. And I'm also glad to see that your business is doing well." I said respectfully as I look around and see that his store is very busy with customers. His shop is a combination of a grocery store, auto shop and flower shop. {Think of Walmart or H.E.B} When I first came into his store, I thought that he had everything that anyone needed. With that thought in my mind I accidently let out a giggle and I guess he heard.
"What's so funny my dear?" he asks with a kind smile.
"Nothing; I was just remember the first time I came into your shop." I said smiling warmly as I look around the shop again.
"I see; so what brings you here?" he asks. I become silent for a moment and then look down at my feet, and then I speak.
"I came to see them again and to say good-bye." I said sadly, still looking down at my feet.
"I thought you would." He said kindly, which surprised me. As I look back up I see him walk into his shop. After about two minutes he comes back carrying three boxes in his arms.
"I've been saving these for you, when you returned." He said as he hands me the boxes. I open one of the boxes and find a beautiful bouquet inside.
"I figured that you wanted to see them again, so I had these flowers saved for you." Rob said as I gaze tenderly at the beautiful flowers.
"Rob...I-I don't know what to say." I said softly as I try to fight back tears.
"Think nothing of it my dear." He said as he pets my shoulder; I nodded my head as a response.
"Now go on. They're waiting for you." He said softly as he places a hand on my back and guides me to the front of his shop.
"Thank you Rob; for everything." I said kindly as I bow respectfully to him. As I stand up straight; I see him walk up to me and then pulls me into a tender hug, which I gladly returned. After a few minutes; we let go and Lazul head up the dirt road to Richard's home.
"Were here." I said in a soft whisper as we reached the end of the trial and we're standing a few feet away from the front door.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Lazul asks as he looks up at me.
"No; I can do it. Just give me a minute." I said as I look down at him, he nodded his head, telling me that he understands. I start walking around the house towards the back yard and see three graves by the edge of the house.
'It looks like no one's been here since the incident.' I thought as I look at the house and see it's slowly falling apart. Then I look at the graves and noticed that they have been kept clean.
'I guess old man Rob, must have paid for their graves and funeral. He's such a sweet man.' I thought as I walked towards the graves. 'Well; here we go Esmee.' I thought as I kneel down in front of the three graves and place the three boxes beside me. 'Here lies Richard Gibson Jr., a caring father, son and business partner. Rachel Gibson, a loving mother, daughter and friend. And Lily Gibson, a curious and loving daughter.' I read on all three of the tombstones. Then I opened a box one at a time and place the flowers on their graves. Then I opened my small bag and pulled out a small charm bracelet and place it on Lily's grave. 'After how many years; I finally get the hang of making this bracelet. I hope you like it Lily' I thought as I look at the flower bracelet. After a moment I take a deep breath and look at all three graves.
"Hey Richard. Rachel, and Lily. It's been awhile since I've since the last time I've been here. I miss you; so much has happened since I last saw you guys here. Lazul and I found a new place to live in the city of Midgar, with our new friends we made. There was a lot of chaos during the Geostigma incident, which I'm sure you guys might have heard, but my friends were able to fix it and they've been taking so good care of us. I almost lost my power and I almost died..." I paused and sighed, "Going back to my new friends; they are a group of amazing people and really funny. First, my friends are part of group called Avalanche. There's Barrett, Red XIII, Cid, Yuffie, and Cait Sith. They are so fun and I know you would have loved to meet them, Richard and I know Lily would have loved to have meet Red and Cait. And then there are my best friends in the whole world. They were the ones that find out about who I am and about...what happened." I said and paused again as I feel tears beginning to form, but I pushed them back. "First there's Tifa, she runs a bar that is also our home. She's come to be something of an older sister to me. Then there's Denzel and Marlene, they are these little kids that Tifa and Barret are taking care of. They've come to look up to me like I'm their older sibling, which I don't mind though they kind of grown on me. And then there's Cloud, he's a really cool guy that is always there for his friends. He was the one who saved me and also found the cure for the stigma. He was distant and cold when we first meet; you see like me he's lost someone close to him and he's dealing with the pain of loss but now he seems to be opening up more. And then there's Vincent..." She wiped a tear from her cheek and sniffed. This time my voice became teary as I spoke through my cries. "He's a stern and upright kind of guy who at times seems to be shrouded in darkness and mystery. He may seem cold but in tough times, he'll always be there when you need someone. He as well, lost someone he once cared for. After so many years he still hasn't forgotten about her. Just like...like... me..." I said as I can no longer hold my tears back. My tears begin to flow like a river down my cheeks as I stared at the graves. I can no longer kneel and I crouch into a ball and cry into my one of my hands.
"I miss you all so much!!!" I cried out and dug my fingernails into the grass as I begin to feel my breathing became louder as I try to regain air through the thick sobs, but I continue to squirm on the floor with my fingers dug completely in the dirt by this point. "But..." I said as I sniffed and my cries begin to stop. "I'm becoming stronger." I said with a smile as I wiped my eyes. "I'm becoming stronger to protect my new friends." I said as I look at their graves. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to protect you all, but I'm not going to let that happen to my new friends." I said as I pull my fingers from the dirt and rested them on my knees. "They protected me, now I want to protect them. Without them, I know for a fact I wouldn't be here right now. It's thanks to all of them that I'm here." I said as I pull my hood off and stand up slowly. "When the time comes, one day we'll meet again, whether it is here or somewhere else. I love you guys. Please watch over me Lazul and our new friends." I said with a sniff and bowed my head respectfully. "I love you..." She whispered and then slowly stood straight up again completely composed. "So this is where you ran off to" Said a voice that surprised me. I look up over my shoulder and see Cloud standing right behind me.
"Cloud." I said completely surprised. "What are you-" I said but he cuts me off.
"So is this the family you knew four years ago?" he asks as he kneels beside me and looks at the graves. "Yeah; Cloud, this is Richard, Rachel and Lily. Guys this is Cloud, the one I told you about." I said introducing him to them.
"It's nice to meet you all." Cloud said as he bowed his head respectfully to their graves.
"Cloud...I-" I tried to say but he cuts me off again.
"You know you could have told us you were leaving." He said as he looks up at me.
"I know; but this something I had to do by myself. I need to face my past and accept what had happened here." I said as I look down at the grass.
"I can understand." He said kindly as he places his black gloved hand on my head. "Just next time let us know beforehand. You had us worried for a minute there." He continued as he rubbed my hair like I was a child.
"Hey; I'm not a little kid, so don't treat me like one." I said as I teasingly push his hand off my head and then fix my hair.
"I know but even though we're only six years apart, I can see you as a little kid." Cloud said returning the teasing.
"Oh, and what does that make you, my dad." I said teasingly.
"I think I'm a little too young to be a dad." Cloud said with a chuckle.
"Okay then my big brother or something?" I said with a giggle. He becomes silent for a moment and then speaks again.
"That's fine with me; I wouldn't mind having a little sister like you." He said with a tender smile as he looks over his shoulder at me.
"And I wouldn't mind having a big brother like you." I said with a sweet smile on my face as I stand next to him.
"Alright then." He said as he rubs my head like a child again, which caused me to giggle a little.
"You ready to head back?" he asks as he pulls his hand away from my head.
"Yeah." I said with a nod.
"Okay; let's go." He said as he pats my back.
"So how did you know where to find me?" I ask as we walked around the house towards the front.
"Lazul told us where you were." Cloud said.
"Us?" I ask. Just as he's about to tell me; someone suddenly calls out my name. Then out of nowhere; I'm knocked off my feet by someone tackling me to the ground. I groan as I feel the weight on me finally lifts off me. I look up and see Yuffie looking down at me with a sad and anger expression on her face. "Yuffie" I said surprised.
"Yuffie lay off the poor gal." Said another voice. I look over her and see Cid and Barret walking towards us.
"Yeah, let the poor kid breath." Barrett said as he grabs Yuffie from the back of her shirt and lifts her off of me. As I prepare to get up, a hand extends out to me. I look up and see Tifa looking at me with her sweet smile on her face. I gladly accept and she helps up on my feet, once I'm finally on my feet I see that everyone is here. I couldn't believe that they all came after me.
"No I won't; she had me worried sick. I'm not going to let her off the hook." Yuffie yelled as she tries to get out of Barret's hold.
"I'm sorry Yuf. But this is something I had to do." I said as I watch her finally get out of Barret's hold. "For one to move on; one must let go of the past. Right?" Vincent said, repeating the words from my letter.
"Right" I said with a nod.
"Even so; you had us worried sick. We thought one of those silver haired weirdos captured you again." Yuffie said as she stands in front of my face and points a finger like she's scolding me.
"I'm sorry." I said sadly as I hang my head low.
"Please understand; this is something that Esmee need." Lazul said deafeningly as he stands next to me. "I know; but you and Esmee are part of our group. That means you both are family to us." Yuffie said kindly, which not only surprised me but Lazul too.
"Family?" Lazul said surprised as we look at each other and then back at our friends. I couldn't help but smile at her words, I didn't realize it but as I spend more time with them, they've starting to become like a second family to me.
"I'd like that." Lazul said with a smile.
"What about you Esmee?" he said as he looks up at me.
"I don't mind; apparently Cloud already sees me as a little sister." I said with a smile as I look at everyone and see that they all have a smile on their faces, even Vincent has a smile on his face.
"Alright; now to make it official." Cid cried out as he and everyone else look at Barret. He puts Marlene down and with his other hand, digs into his pocket for something. Then he pulls out two red ribbon and walks towards Lazul and me.
"Everyone that is a part of our group has to wear a red ribbon." Barrette said as he hands me one and then gives one to Lazul. I as I look at this small ribbon; I'm so full of emotions that I couldn't describe. One thing for sure is that I'm so happy that I'm finally accepted and can no longer have to hide anything anymore.
"So is there a specific place I should tie it?" I ask.
"Normally we wear it on our arms, but I guess you can choose." Barrett said with a big grin on his face. I think for a minute and then decide to tie my ribbon around my neck like a choker and tie a bow to one side of my neck.
"What do you think?" I ask as I look at everyone.
"Nice choice." Tifa said sweetly.
"That's totally your style." Yuffie complemented.
"Thanks." I said as I feel my face heat up from my shyness.
"I don't know what to do with mine." Lazul said as he walks towards me and hands me his ribbon.
"I got an idea." Marlene said as she runs up to us and takes the ribbon from me. Then she ties the ribbon around his neck just like mine.
"There you go Lazul." She said sweetly as she steps back and looks at her handy work. Suddenly Yuffie burst out laughing.
"Lazul looks like a cat with that tied around him. He looks so cute." She said. I couldn't help but laugh along with her and the others. As we all head towards Cid ship, Lazul argues back and forth with everyone about being called cute.
'I used to think that my meeting these people was just luck but no; Richard, you must have sent them to me. Thank you.' I thought as I feel another tear roll down my cheek.
"Esmee" said a voice breathing my thoughts. I look and see Denzel standing in front of me.
"What's wrong?" he asks as he looks up at me.
"Nothing" I said with a smile as I wipe my tears.
"Come on let's go home." He said as he gently takes my hand in his and pulls me towards Cid's ship where everyone is waiting for us. Once on board, Cid powers up the engine and take off into the sky.
"So Esmee does this mean you and Lazul will be staying with us forever?" Marlene asks as she looks up at me as we stand by the window.
"Yes, but-" I said as I trail off.
"But?" Tifa asks as she and the others look at me.
"If we are going to be part of this group than you all need to know." Lazul said as he stands beside me. "About what?" Cloud asks.
"I'll have to return to my home world." I said.
"But why?" Cloud asks again.
"Because; my training period is almost up. So I'll have to return home to take my final test as a jewel mage." I explain as I look at all of their faces. Then everyone became quiet until Vincent spoke, breaking the silence.
"How much time do you have left?" he asks.
"I only have one week left, before I return home." I said as I look at all of them.


Alright this is the end of Advent Children. i hope you all enjoyed my story. and i hope that my story intertwined well with the Advent Children story.
there will be a Book 2.
this will be a bit of a background story into Esmee's home world.
you will need to read it to understand Book 3 when it comes out. its going to take place during Dirge of Cerberus.
thanks so much for making it all the way thru this story.