Chapter 19: The right or wrong path?

The more Aerith watched Jen, the more... uneasy... uncertain, she got. They had all regrouped at Tifa's bar/home. It had been loosely damaged by a tidal wave, apparently Tifa and Sephiroth had done a damn good job building it sturdy. Tifa had sicked all the men on repair duty while she started cooking a meal for the victorious and weary band while Aerith took care of the children. Aerith was thankful Zack had flown off to get her babies, she had spent over an hour just holding them tightly after the fight with the Calamity. Ilfana and Gast were, while infants, also Ancients, Cetra, and must have felt something from her, for she felt their infantile concern and love directed at her.

With how somber everyone was, it made Jen's absolute delight a jarring thing. The little girl crawled around, giggling, energetic to the extreme. She even played with the her babies's blocks and tossed them around. It was like she was hyperactive all the sudden, on a happy pill...

After eating the Calamity. After feasting on its soul.

Ho boy... Aerith still didn't know what to think about that.

Minerva didn't share her confusion, she was scared of Jen, more than before. Because they both could feel it, the way Jen had changed, had grown, how much pressure and presence she gave off despite being less than a year old. If she ate anymore of them, just how powerful could the child become? Especially when she physically reached maturity? The only plus side to this, was that Jen ate Calamity, rather than lifestream (she hoped). Considering that Sephiroth can't perhaps she inherited that from him rather than Tifa's ability to.

"We don't know that," warned Minerva, "She could very well be able to do both. She is to dangerous to allow to live, this could be one of the last chances we have to strike this threat down before it becomes to powerful."

Aerith resisted the urge to violently react and gently set her children down on the floor on their blankets. They didn't need to get in the crossfire of this. Aerith considered herself kind, and patient, but this was it. Slowly, she stood and walked out of the house, passed the men working on the damage, and knelt down a ways from the house, touching the ground and sinking her consciousness into the planet, to the Lifestream...

When she came to, she was standing before Minerva in a Lifestream borne throne-room. The floor a vibrant see-through green, lights shining down from the lifestream flowing above them. Minerva sat on the throne in silence, her attention both here and everywhere. It was the heart of the World, where Minerva aided the planet in it's functions, directed it, guided it. Aerith had known of its existence, but had never came here before, or rather, been allowed. Few had ever, and the Lifestream whispered to her that the last Cetra to come here had been the ones to seal Jenova away during it's initial invasion.

A sacred honor.

Aerith honestly didn't give a damn at the moment that she had basically barged in. Minerva regarded her, waiting.

"For all that you fear the children of Calamity," began Aerith coolly, "Do not forget, Goddess, that you refusing my request to cast Great Gospel and cleanse Tifa of the Calamity's taint back when we actually had the chance is what led both Tifa and Sephiroth becoming stronger by testing one another, and the birth of their child."

"Had you saved your friend, we would not have had the energy to revive all of those necessary to defeat it without severely risking the Lifestream," said the Goddess patiently.

"...and yet," continued Aerith, ignoring Minerva, "Despite your fault in this, despite Tifa proving herself by standing by us and fighting this latest Calamity, despite Jen killing the Calamity and most likely saving the entire Planet, you still wish to strike against them."

Minerva slowly rose from her throne and walked forward, standing a ways from Aerith, the Lifestream around them glistening. "Destroying the Calamity in order to sate its hunger, or save its own life, does not mean that the Calamity Spawn champions the Planet."

Aerith narrowed her eyes. "Calamity Spawn? She is a baby!"

"You were not there child, during the initial Planetfall of the Calamity so long ago, its insidious tactics of integration before betrayal," warned Minerva, "You did not see it use children, infants, the weak and the elderly, as vectors of contagion. To use familial bonds to lay waste to entire clans of your ancestors. You consider us cruel and uncaring, do not deny it, we can feel it emanating from you. But any accusation you lay on us can be laid tenfold upon the Calamity. The Planet will do what it must, no matter how cold, how cruel, or how evil you think it to be, in order to ensure it's survival, or at bare minimum, the survival of it's distant kin still untouched by the Calamity."

Minerva waved her staff, and an image of Jen crawling around on the floor of her home appeared. "Make no mistake beloved daughter. Beyond the Calamities that come from the void, bearing down upon us like a continual pestilent rain, this abomination is worse. The more Calamities it feasts upon, the more its power will grow, until we can do nothing before it's power."

"And what exactly do you want me to do?" spat Aerith, "Have me kill my friend's child?!"

"Yes."

Aerith went deathly silent for a moment. "You're insane."

"You are young," countered Minerva, "Infantile in years compared to the wisdom of the Planet. You do not see the danger, you are to blinded by..."

"No, I am NOT!" shouted Aerith, "I'm not blind! I know very well Jen could be the death of us all, just as Sephiroth or Tifa could be. However, they could be our salvation. And I can assure you, killing their child won't be doing us any favors, you will turn both Tifa and Sephiroth against us. Do you honestly expect us to be able to beat them?"

"Many would die, perhaps most of the WEAPONs" admitted Minerva, "But the threat would be eliminated, and if need be, we will unleash Chaos to free the Lifestream from it's mortal chains and flee this world to be reborn upon another, leaving their souls to dissipate on this barren world and fade away, never to plague creation again."

Aerith slowly shook her head. "It won't work. Even if we could beat them by trying to take the pair on all at once, it won't happen."

Minerva leveled her gaze upon Aerith. "You doubt your power?"

"I doubt your understanding of us mere 'mortals'," said Aerith, temper flaring, "Do you honestly expect any of the WEAPONs to go along with murdering a baby? Sephiroth is... was... Angeal and Genesis's friend, they both want to reclaim that. Zack never stopped considering Sephiroth, the real Sephiroth not plagued by madness and Jenova's will, as his friend. Sephiroth is Lucrecia's child, and Jen her grandchild, so long as they are not trying to destroy the world, Vincent wont raise a hand against them, and will fight Chaos tooth and nail for control of the body if he has to. Tifa and Cloud are childhood friends, and he has some of the most strict morals out of all of us regardless of that. Me? I absolutely refuse to play a part in this when I so badly failed Tifa already. We have free will, and we will refuse this betrayal, I guarantee it."

Minerva pursed her lips. "Then you doom us all."

"Or, I'm could save us all," countered Aerith, "You are a goddess, you are the Planet's will, its avatar, but you exist in a way so alien to us. And we to you. I understand people in a way you cannot."

"Trust in me," pleaded Aerith, "Sephiroth, Tifa, Jen, and any of their further children, can be our salvation. A shield and sword to protect the Planet and strike down any Calamities that come. They both have every reason to hate the world for what it's put them through, so let me help them learn to love it instead, give them a chance, and a reason to call this world home, rather than just the place that spawned them."

"Because make no mistake," whispered Aerith, "They don't need us. If we spurn them, they wont hesitate to leave us to rot and ride the Planet's corpse to another world to find a future for themselves."

Minerva went silent, regarding Aerith with her unnatural calmness. Sometimes, Aerith wished the Goddess expressed emotions like a human, got angry or furious. Aerith wouldn't have honestly minded a screaming match just to vent, but Minerva, was as ever, cold and logical. What the Goddess was thinking right now, whether she had gotten through to the deity or not, she didn't know.

"I'm not saying do nothing," said Aerith, taking a breath and slowly let it out, "Focus your efforts on healing and recovery, and be ready if need be, to awaken Omega in a moment's notice. In fact, perhaps you should try to make that process quicker if need be. You focus on preservation, and let me deal with the Children of Calamity. Don't blame the children for the sins of Jenova and its kind."

Minerva stood there for a time in silence, as did Aerith, the pair regarding eachother. Finally, Minerva turned and slowly walked to the throne, her staff making a soft tapping sound as it impacted on the translucent floor. The Goddess sat upon her throne, her eyes boring into Aerith in warning.

"So be it," said Minerva, "But be warned child, we will be watching, and while we may treasure and love you dearly, you are not worth the Lifestream's survival. If we must flee because of your foolishness in the years to come, we will not wait for you to join us."

Translation: She had made her bed, and she was going to have to lay in it.

Minerva sighed deeply, the Lifestream rippling around them. "We pray you are right child, we dearly do. But in honesty, we believe the Children of Calamity merely bide their time, and have drawn you to their cause without needed to infect and puppet you to their whims. The weakness of a mortal's heart..."

"Or the strength of it," said Aerith softly, "To open the hearts of those you would deem monsters."

Minerva didn't respond.

Aerith slowly shook her head and left, returning her consciousness to her body...

"...rith?" came Zack's worried voice.

Aerith blinked a few times and came to, seeing Zack crouched in front of her, lines of worry across his face. "What?"

He gave a relieved smile. "Back with me Aerith?"

"I just needed to go have a chat with the Goddess," was all Aerith said.

"Really?" said Zack skeptically, "With you going all glowly and tense and angry? 'Rith, I saw that scowl on your face, you were mad."

Aerith blinked a few times and glanced down at herself, noting a translucent green glow of the Lifestream about her. She closed her eyes briefly and sheathed her power, standing up and brushing herself off. "I never said it was a pleasant chat."

Zack raised a questioning eyebrow, but Aerith merely shook her head. "It's fine Zack."

"Is it?" came Sephiroth's voice.

She turned to see the One-Winged Angel standing on the porch, eyes narrowed at her, Tifa standing a ways away, clutching a trembling Jen protectively. Everyone else was gathered sporadically nearby, watching curiously. Aerith's eyes flickered back to Sephiroth's, eyes far to intelligent for their own good. She could try to pass it off as something else, she could just say it was a conversation about future Calamities, but that wouldn't explain her anger... or... rather than come up with some half-assed lie, she could just be honest.

"Minerva is afraid of your child," said Aerith slowly, carefully, "I made it clear however that I'm not willing to do what she wants in that regard."

Sephiroth's eyes became pure slits and he rested a hand on the hilt of Masamune. "And what, do tell, did the so called Goddess want you to do?"

"Guess," she said, unimpressed.

Sephiroth's lips peeled back into a sneer. "Something unwise."

Aerith crossed her arms. "I said as much."

Sephiroth's hand slowly came off the handle. "And the Goddess's response?"

"That if this blows up in our faces I'm on my own," answered Aerith.

Sephiroth studied her critically before turning with a scoff and striding inside. "Hmph."

Tifa's eyes followed him briefly, before glancing back at Aerith. She couldn't get a read on what her friend was feeling before she turned back and walked inside. Aerith sighed softly and shook her head. "Minerva makes things more complicated than they need to be."

Cloud snorted. "I'll be honest, I've never really liked her."

"I'm pretty sure she knows," said Aerith with a faint smile.

"So... think they want us gone...?" began Zack uncertainly.

"Dinner was ready before Aerith's lightshow, get your butts in here before it all gets cold!" called Tifa through doorway.

Angeal smiled. "That answer you pup?"

The group moved for the door, but Aerith paused when Genesis grabbed her arm and tugged her back gently. She waved Zack ahead when he turned and gave them a questioning look. When the other's went inside, Genesis asked in a quiet voice, "Was it really the will of the Goddess for a child to die?"

Aerith pursed her lips. "The Planet and it's Goddess don't see things in the way we do."

"That's not answering the question."

"Yes."

Genesis looked... displeased, and let go of her arm. "My friend, the fates are cruel. You would defy lady Minerva?"

"Are you saying you wouldn't?" asked Aerith, eyes narrowing.

Genesis was uncomfortably silent for a long moment. "Minerva is my Goddess, who gave me salvation. Sephiroth was... an old friend, who left me to rot, albeit my own brand of stupidity had much to do with that. Regardless, all things considered, I should do her will."

"That's not answering the question."

Genesis threw back his head and laughed. "There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the goddess."

He turned and waved a hand backwards, making for the door. "I say see what the brat makes of herself before anything else. I would have fought Sephiroth to the death if need be if he struck out against the Planet, regardless of our prior relations. Since he's not doing so, I stay my blade and pray for the future. I'll give the same courtesy to his child."

Which still wasn't a direct yes or no. But... it was the same for Aerith. She desperately didn't want to be put into a confrontation with her friend, but... if they turned on the Planet without just cause, she would stand against them. If Minerva did something to bring their wrath however...

Aerith didn't know what she would do. It wasn't like she could sit out a conflict on that scale, if the Planet died, so to did everyone else on it...

She started walking towards the door before pausing, cocking her head at the faint sound of... helicopter blades? She turned and squinted, sighting a speck in the distance slowly draw closer. Several minutes later, a WRO helicopter touched down and Reeve stepped out, and to her delight, Shelke Rui was at his side. Aerith had never had a chance to meet the former Tsviet yet. Still in the body of a nine-year old because of Shinra's madness. Short red hair, signature mako blue eyes of an SOLDIER. she was dressed in a modified WRO standard tan uniform with containers for her EM sabers attached to the back of her legs.

"Reeve, Shelke," she greeted.

"Miss Gainsborough," greeted Reeve back, his voice just a tad stressed.

Shelke peered at her curiously. "You know of me?"

"I was watching the Deepground incident from the Lifestream," said Aerith, kneeling in front of her, "What you did was very brave, to help the WRO and turn on Deepground."

Shelke merely tilted her head. "Acknowledged."

Aerith smiled a little and glanced back at Reeve. "I assume you're here about what happened in Wutai?"

"I figured I'd come by and get answers before I'm left in the dark for another few months," said Reeve dryly.

Aerith gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. Shall we?"

Shelke took point, walking in first and assessing the area and the gathering before moving to stand to the side of the door. Reeve walked in next, followed by Aerith.

"Yo Reeve, get your ass over here and sit the hell down," called over Cid.

"Charming as always," muttered Reeve, moving towards there before pausing to look at Sephiroth, who sat at the bar on a stool.

"Director Tuesti," said Sephiroth, a respectful tilt of his head given.

"Not much of a director anymore than you are a general," said Reeve bluntly.

Sephiroth's lips twitched with amusement, "No, I imagine leader of the WRO is a bit above that paygrade now, isn't it?"

"Less actually," said Reeve, sitting down, "Can't waste money on a figurehead when it can be put into projects or payroll of other valuable members. If we suggested Rupurt take the kind of paycut I took, he'd have a stroke."

"Hmm," mused Sephiroth, non-committal, "I preferred killing him myself."

He tilted his head. "Mother's body, my will. Technically still me."

Cloud scoffed and muttered something under his breath.

Sephiroth turned and raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer I had left you in the Science Division's prison cells? I'm sure another few years dipped in a mako bath would have done your disposition wonders."

Cloud glared at him.

"Low Seph, real low," muttered Zack uncomfortably.

"Boys," called out Tifa from the kitchen, "Civil."

"Yeah, ate yer damn food," said Cid, shoveling a mouthful into his face, "Bitch at eachother after for all I care, stupid gits."

"Cid, language!" called out Tifa before peeking out of the kitchen window, "Reeve, Shelke, want anything?"

"I'm fine, but thank you for asking," said Reeve.

Shelke merely shook her head, continuing to observe the gathering. Bodyguard duty if Aerith had to guess.

Tifa came out with her own plate in one hand, a bottle of formula in her other, and set about feeding herself and Jen. Aerith briefly did likewise for her children, sitting Ilfana and Gast on one leg each and bouncing them gently. The room was quiet for a few minutes as they all ate and wound down from a hectic struggle.

Reeve was thankfully patient enough to wait until they finished before asking, "So, what happened? Satellite imagery of the Wutai area is a complete mess. The capital area looks either burnt down or covered in some kind of gray mush."

"Dead Calamity cells," said Aerith.

Reeve sighed. "I'm just going to assume that every meteor that hits us from now on is going to have a Calamity on it, and be pleasantly surprised for the few that don't. It's dead?"

"Yeah," said Cloud wearily, "It's dead, not that any of us did much."

Reeve's eyebrows furrowed, and he let out a single, drawn out, "Explain."

Cloud thumbed over at Tifa and Jen. "The kid killed it."

Reeve blinked. "Pardon?"

"He said the child killed the Calamity," said Shelke.

"I heard that," said Reeve, glancing over at Jen in open bafflement, "But how?"

Aerith tuned them out and ran her hands through her children's hair, watching them turn to smile up at her. She smiled back, enjoying the warm sensation of her children's love. She bent down and placed a kiss on one forehead and then the other, earning a pair of giggles and chubby hands reaching towards her face. She pulled them closer, resting them against her chest, sighing softly in contentment. She wanted to just go home, curl up in her bed with Zack and her babies, and sleep this awful day off like a really bad hangover (not that she ever had one of those).

"So Wutai's gone then," said Reeve, drawing her attention back as the man ran a hand down his face, "If we keep loosing cities and nations to these conflicts, Humanity is going to hit a population bottleneck very soon."

Aerith's eyebrows furrowed. "Population bottleneck?"

"Where we don't have enough genetic diversity to continue the human race, or at least, not without a very controlled program," said Reeve wearily, "And that kind of thing is up Shinra's alley, not mine. The thought of a 'breeding program' just makes me shudder."

Aerith made a distasteful face. "Hojo's kind of foul work."

"How much more can we realistically lose before it hits that point?" asked Angeal quietly.

"Junon is the current population capital of the world at the moment," said Reeve, "Mideel and Kalm coming in afterwards with a much smaller population in comparison. Afterwards, there's Fort Condor, Costa Del Sol, Corel, Gongaga, Rocket Town, Bone Village, Cosmo Canyon, and Icicle. Some of which range in the hundreds, if even that, rather than thousands. The WRO HQ has a bit of a town starting to spring up around it, but its still rather small. The Meteorfall casualties were enormous, losing Edge and Wutai on top of that just... it's near crippled us, combined with other conflicts and incidents, we've lost well over half the world's population in the last several decades, from the Wutai War until now. Humanity has less than a twenty-thousand left, and that might be a generous estimation"

He grew silent for a moment. "Our scientists argue and disagree on the exact number, but so long as we don't fall below five-thousand, we won't need to intervene with any kind of 'program'. A vast majority of the population is in Junon, I'd say equal to the number scattered around the world."

"So, we need someone always near there incase a Calamity lands close to it," suggested Angeal, "To take the fight away from the city and delay until the calvary arrives."

"Common sense would dictate that, yes," said Reeve, bobbing his head in acknowledgement.

"Well, one of you guys can do that," said Tifa, "We're fine where we are. We can keep an eye on Cosmo, Corel, and Costa."

Cloud frowned. "I know you don't like what Shinra did with replacing Nibelheim, I don't either, but they deserve protection as well."

Aerith was suddenly, and acutely aware of a tension in the air as Tifa went deathly silent.

"Nibelheim burned down a bit over a year ago Cloud," said Reeve, "Caught it on our satellites. The reactor went up, we think the explosion hit the town and took it out. Suprised you didn't know."

"From the mountains?" asked Cloud, skeptical, "That's to far. If the town burned, it sounds like someone pissed of Nibel Dragons. The old Nibelheim knew better, the people Shinra planted there? I doubt it. But why would dragons go after a reactor...?"

"They didn't," said Sephiroth, turning his stool to look straight at Cloud, "I did."

Cloud's eyes instantly narrowed. "You blew the reactor? Why?"

"Memories," said Sephiroth, as if that answered anything.

Yet, judging how Cloud, Genesis, and Zack flinched, maybe it did.

"And the town?" asked Cloud in a soft, but dangerous town, "Did you burn it down twice?"

"No," said Sephiroth, an amused look on his face, "I did not set the town ablaze this time."

Cloud didn't respond, eyes locked onto his rival.

"He didn't burn Nibelheim, Cloud," said Tifa, her voice... cold, "I did."

The room grew hushed, and Aerith couldn't help but tense, starting at Tifa in shock. She... slaughtered a town... oh Gaia, without the Calamity's influence?

Cloud looked at her in disbelief. "Why?"

"They blew a fucking hole through my chest with a rifle for no damn reason is why," spat out Tifa, eyes gleaming hostile, "I was going to leave, I spread my wing, they called me a monster, shot me, and then the humans paid for it."

Cloud stared at her silently, half looking through her, half settling on her with not an ounce of recognition. "..."

Humans? She differentiated herself from them? Unease sat in Aerith's gut, and for a moment, doubt on the path she had chosen churned.

"It's not to late to change that," whispered Minerva.

Tifa set Jen down on the floor behind the counter and carefully stepped over her, rounding it before crossing her arms. "Is that a problem, Cloud?"

Cloud said nothing.

"When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end," mused Genesis, "I dare say you and Sephiroth are positively made for another, what with both of you being mass murdering psychopaths."

"Coming from a man who turned his men all into clones and waged a war with Shinra with high civilian casualties?" said Sephiroth, unimpressed, "There is not a person here, save for the children, Tuesti, and perhaps the Ancient, who has not killed legions of people in one conflict or another, or at least been complicit in the slaughter. Save your accusations and condemnations for someone who cares, hypocrisy does not become any of you."

"Zack never...," began Aerith in her husband's defense.

"The Wutai War," said Sephiroth dismissively, "The same for Angeal. Zack's track record, with Wutai, Avalanche, various rebels, and considering that he took down almost an entire division of Shinra's military before he died, probably trumps Angeal's 'feats' during Wutai. In terms of population, your beloved has killed at least five times the population of either Nibelheim."

Aerith went uncomfortably silent, just clutching her children tighter, anxiously, enough to make them whine softly. The room stayed silent, and incredibly tense for a few minutes, before Shelke spoke, "What do I do with the child?"

Heads collectively turned to see that Jen had crawled all the way over to Shelke while everyone was glaring at eachother, and had plopped her butt down centimeters from Shelke's boots, staring up at her with curious eyes.

Tifa's eyes flickered to the child, Shelke, then the child again before saying, "Pick her up?"

Shelke glanced down, a thoughtful frown on her face, before bending down and doing so, hefting the child up and holding her out in front of her a little awkwardly. "Like... this?"

"Support her head, either with a hand, or rest her on your shoulder," corrected Tifa, watching critically as Shelke did so,

Jen made a gurgling noise, staring at Shelke with her little eyebrows furrowed. She turned her head a little to look at Tifa, who merely looked back at her child with confusion. "I have no idea what you're trying to project."

"Project...?" questioned Shelke.

"Umm... Jen's intelligent," said Tifa, "She can understand us."

"Oh," said Shelke, looking down at the baby with consideration, "Interesting. What is she 'projecting'?"

"DNA strands and pieces of them focused in on with you standing next to them," said Tifa, baffled, "I have no idea what she's trying to say by doing so."

Shelke shrugged, walking over to hand Jen over, seeming to have had her 'fill' of baby holding. The room resumed it's silence, now a bit awkward as well, before Reeve cleared his throat. "Perhaps this... gathering should disperse for the time being. Give yourselves time to cool off, relax, and think, before the next time you all regather. Nothing is going to get done with everyone so tense."

On that, Aerith could readily agree.

"Perhaps sometime next week, or even next month, we could all gather at WRO HQ and come up with a plan of defense for further Calamity incursions?" inquired Reevem "I can set it up if need be. I'll probably have Shinra come as well."

Sephiroth made a distasteful sound. "I assume Rufus is still alive?"

"He is."

"Tsk, Kadaj could have at least been thorough with that," muttered Sephiroth, "Then again, Rufus survived a WEAPON, he is quite the cockroach."

Perhaps wisely, no one commented. Aerith did not want for a fight to break out, especially not with the children present. She did not condone the slaughter of an entire town. Self-Defense did not cover that, especially when Tifa easily had the power to just knock out anyone who attacked her...

"Sephiroth," began Reeve hesitatingly, "Those remnants..."

"What about them?" asked Sephiroth.

"Can you bring them back?" asked Reeve, ignoring the increased tension and hostility flowing through the room at the suggestion, "We could use any able bodied fighter."

Sephiroth slowly shook his head. "No. They were manifestations of my will and memories born from negative Lifestream while I was in it. Considering that I am whole and not dead as of the moment, they cannot exist. Even if I were to perish again in an upcoming conflict, I would not draw upon them. Without Jenova cells for them to integrate with, I could not be reborn through them," he paused briefly to squint at Reeve, "Considering their... volatility, I'm surprised you would even consider them."

Reeve shrugged. "Was just a thought."

"How exactly do you come back without the Remnants?" asked Cloud, feigning indifference.

Sephiroth grew amused. "That, Cloud, is my little secret."

Cloud glared at him...

Yeah no, enough was enough for one day. "Alright," said Aerith, standing up and hefting her children to lean against her shoulders, "I'm exhausted, I'm calling it a day. Zack? Airlift."

Zack gave her a knowing look but still put on his lovable charm. "One Zack Fair airservice coming up! All aboard choo choo."

"Zack, that's a train, not an airplane," deadpanned Cloud.

Zack just grinned at him and moved. The babies giggled and reached out for their dad as he approached, he gave them teasing hair ruffles before making for the door, Aerith on his heels. She prayed the others took the hint and made their exits. Zack scooped her up, extended his wing, and was off through the skies towards their home...

Author's Note: Time-skip incoming. Toddler time!

Review Responses:

Numinous-Alqua: All da gore! Will do.

Kyoandyuya: Yuffie will make her return eventually, not quite the same as before, you can't stay the same after getting more than half your soul/mind eaten. Jen/Jenova will become the greatest threat eventually, hands down, and Minerva realizes that and wants to nip that in the bud, even if she doesn't know that Jen is kind of Jenova. There are both reasons for and against what Aerith wants to do with 'befriending' and giving the Children of Calamity a reason to love their world. But regardless of that, the only will Jen will follow is her own, and there will be consequences and issues that rise from that, and one way or another, choices will have to be made down the road, especially when Jen is 'revealed'.