Aerith brings Cloud and Seph into her 'world' to talk. Zack, Genesis, Angeal, and Tifa head to the mountain range around the Marshes to see what the three chocobos can do in their new bodies. Things happen that are both good and bad.

Chapter 4

Cloud knew even before he opened his eyes that he was no longer sleeping in the nest with the four chocobo SOLDIER Firsts curled around him. One reason he knew was because he felt a peace he only got when he was floating in the in-between with Aerith. The other reason was the fact that Cloud only felt one chocobo with him, instead of all four. The other was that Bill didn't have flower meadows as far as the eye could see anywhere near his home, and the smell of fresh flowers and rain was only found in Aerith's church and her in-between world.

"Cloud?" Came Aerith's gentle voice, laced with confusion.

Cloud hummed and opened his eyes to look up at her, her eyes still that captivating green that they had always been. "Hello, Aerith. To what do I owe this meeting?"

Aerith frowned and then shook her head, a smile finally appearing in her features. "Your visit wasn't supposed to happen, but you'll do."

Somewhere in Cloud's mind, a small voice was stating that he should be hurt by Aerith dismissing him as second best, but he didn't listen. "Sorry. How can I help?"

Aerith plopped beside him, leaned over him and started petting the silver chocobo sleeping beside him. "I meant to grab Zack but he was already awake and active by the time I finally got through to Gaia that we needed to explain what was happening to one of our champions. As my second choice I snatched you up before you could wake, and I brought the silver chocobo along by accident. Do you know his name?"

Cloud tilted his head closer to the silver still sleeping beside him, his eyes watching Aerith for any reaction at all to what came from his mouth next.

"Sephiroth."

Aerith stilled, her eyes growing wider, her hand ripping back as if she was burned. Her voice trembled. "Impossible, I personally saw to it with Zack that we finally put Sephiroth to rest in the lifestream for good. He can't be here."

"How much do you know about what's happening on Gaia's surface right now, Aerith?" Cloud asked, sitting up carefully, making sure Seph's head and body were always touching him, no need to find out if Seph would get lost on this plane of existence if they stopped touching. It had happened before when Sephiroth had dragged him into the lifestream with him after beating him in the Northern Crater. The only reason Cloud was still alive was that he had managed to break Sephiroth's grip on him long enough to reach the surface of the mako river they had fallen into and hiked himself out before Seph could drag him back down into the lifestream to die with him.

He still wasn't used to the concept of falling into a mako river and landing in the lifestream, then breaking free and exiting from another mako laced water source. Though apparently that only happened to him and Sephiroth so huzzah.

His mind quickly snapped back to attention as Aerith started speaking.

"Two days ago I felt pain, like my connection with Gaia was being severed, like I was being pulled away from her," Aerith began, turning to look down at the flowers and started to tend to them, never leaving her spot next to Cloud. "Zack noticed instantly, and being the hero he is, managed to drag me here to the flowers, here where Gaia could lock me here with her. Zack hadn't been attacked and offered to travel the lifestream to find where the attack had come from, to see if Jenova was still fighting somewhere, and Gaia let him. Yesterday I felt the screams from the lifestream ring through the air, felt my connection with Zack get torn apart and broken, only to be reformed as a connection to someone alive and no longer in the lifestream."

"By the time me and Gaia had made a safe connection for me to see what was happening on the surface, I focused on finding Zack, to try and get him to talk to me, to see if he remembered what had happened to him. But all I kept zooming in on was four chocobos, a silver, red, and two blacks. After watching the smaller black for a bit, I finally figured out that the chocobo was Zack, the fact that he was hopping and poking at your picture at Bill's place just solidified that. He was talking to the other three, leading them, and when I saw them fight I knew they weren't normal either. By the time we had managed to make a connection to bring Zack here to talk, or for me to exert my presence to you or Zack, I turned back around to see you defending them from Chaos."

"I don't know who the other two are," Aerith continued, looking back at Cloud then down to the silver head in his lap. "All I know is Gaia is scared by something stronger than Jenova. Something that appeared right before Zack and the others did as chocobos."

"Stronger than Jenova?" Cloud asked, watching Aerith. "What is stronger than Jenova, since both you and Zack have both confirmed you guys put Sephiroth to rest in the lifestream."

"Who's Jenova?" Came the soft question from Cloud's lap.

"An evil parasite that you don't have to worry about, Seph," Cloud responded, looking down at the wide curious green eyes watching him. "Don't worry. I'll make sure everything is okay. Trust me."

Seph smiled the best he could, his eyes gleaming with happiness. "I trust you, Mr. Cloud! You're big brother Zack's best friend after all!"

Cloud lightly smiled back, then turned his gaze to Aerith's curious and warry one.

"Who is he really Cloud?" Aerith asked, her voice sharp but scared. "Sephiroth knows who Jenova is. Sephiroth is a cold-blooded killer. He's not close enough or human enough to even consider seeing Zack as a friend. Which is why we had to struggle to make him rest and just fade away."

Cloud didn't have to look down to know Seph's eyes had gotten larger as Aerith kept talking. He could feel the pain and fear rolling off the young chocobo.

"Aerith," Cloud stated, his voice cold and serious. He loved Aerith with all his heart, but she was still reeling from being attacked and not having any support with her, and she was letting her fear get the better of her. "This is Sephiroth. He is not our Sephiroth. He is a young boy who the others are thinking were killed and brought here for a second chance or to learn to be a weapon for something else. He is twelve years old and he has learned that being curious and asking questions isn't bad, that he doesn't have to act like he knows everything, and to let people in and trust them. He is from another Gaia, one where me and a group of people took over Shinra by showing proof of everything people were spreading rumors about while Shinra was in charge. I apparently took over and claimed the place of President on that world and I had made changes that changed that world forever."

Aerith looked at Cloud, then back at Seph, her eyes showing how much she wanted to believe him, but how scared she was that it was actually their Sephiroth and not one raised under his hand. Cloud knew when she decided to trust him, it was the second she caught sight of the green cat-like eyes looking up at him with adoration and trust, eyes so innocent that they hadn't seen war and death like the Sephiroth they had chased had. Eyes so innocent that they couldn't belong to a homicidal madman.

"And the other two?"

"The other black is Angeal Hewley, who is also from another world, but not the same one as Seph," Cloud said, voice softer, his arm moving to pull Aerith closer to him, to give her a one-armed hug, like Zack had loved to do. "And the red is Genesis Rhapsodos, who believes him and Zack are both from the same world, our world."

Cloud softened his voice further as he felt Aerith relaxing against him completely, her hand going back to petting the silver head in his lap. Which Cloud realized in any other situation would equate to Aerith cheating on Zack with him.

"Don't let Zack catch us," Cloud said completely seriously, glancing over at Aerith. "He would get jealous you're petting the head in my lap instead of him."

Everything was silent for a moment as Aerith looked at him in confusion, trying to make sense of what was just deadpanned to her face. Seph, for his young age, started snickering, then nuzzled himself closer to Cloud.

"I think I like being the head of your jokes," Seph cooed, eyes watching Aerith with an amused gleam while relaxing with his head against Cloud's stomach.

Cloud saw the moment Aerith connected the dots, and he lost it laughing as she turned bright red and started stuttering. He just pulled her closer and placed his hand on Seph's neck.

"You turned a poor boy into a dirty joke," Aerith accused hotly. "How much have you done to turn the child into the gutters like you?"

"Honestly," Cloud gasped out, trying to catch his breath. "I didn't know he would get that. Tried to make a joke that would go over his head, ya know?"

Aerith shook her head and sighed. "Tell me as much as you know about what is going on, on the surface. I need to know what we're working with."

So Cloud told her everything he knew, from when Bill called him to falling asleep in the barn with the birds, and Seph filled in details from when the four of them had awoken as chocobos to when they had fallen asleep after Cloud, telling everything as precisely as possible. By the time they were both finished telling Aerith everything they knew, Cloud felt himself getting tired and he knew his time was getting close to an end.

"Thank you for telling me," Aerith chimed from somewhere next to him, his eyes couldn't stay open. "I'll try to figure more out for you all. I'm sorry you couldn't stay longer. Stay safe Cloud!"

Cloud didn't get a chance to answer as everything turned dark and he jolted awake with Seph in the nest, just inches from slamming his head into Cid's head.

FINAL FANTASY 7

Zack, for all intents and purposes, felt anxious about leaving Seph alone, even if it was with Spike. He knew they had to get used to fighting as chocobos until they found a way to transform back into humans, because no matter how awesome he looked as a chocobo, it just didn't lend itself to having a relationship with Aerith if he died and stayed a chocobo. That and he had to know what he could do, along with what Angeal and Genesis could do.

Zack had convinced Tifa to take the three of them to the land between Bill's farm and the Marshes where monsters roamed, weak ones cause they weren't used to what they could do yet and didn't want to risk massive harm. That had been a headache and a half as Zack tried to communicate with her, cursing whatever it was that let Cloud and Chaos understand him but not Tifa. Well, that was until Tifa's eyes glazed slightly, then sharpened with focus and then just rolled with the fact that the black chocobo before her was talking to her and making a request.

It had been fun at first, going around and fighting monsters, letting himself slip into the instincts that had been letting him roam as a chocobo since he woke up. He had always gone by instinct after he started exploring as a child in Gongaga, even got in trouble with the commanders and teachers in Shinra because he listened more to gut and instinct about things than actual commands, which almost always ended up saving his life and that of those who listened to him. When he made SOLDIER and had Angeal as his mentor, he started using his head more, but if his gut disagreed with his head, he would always listen to his gut instincts. It was how he stayed alive, even if it was always close calls, even if it got him called the definition of not using your brain.

After a while they had moved to the mountain paths that surrounded the swamp, Zack knew what he was capable of and was spotting monsters with Tifa for the other two. He had noticed Tifa kept glancing over at the Marshes when they could see it, as if she was waiting for something, or looking for something. The only thing he could think of that would be dangerous for them in the Marshes was the Midgar Zolom, and that thing never left the swamp. That and Seph had killed it when he came back to stalk and court Cloud in that weird Jenova inspired way of his.

Say what you will about Sephiroth, but you will never change Zack's mind about Seph coming back just to make havok so he could get the man he wanted to follow him and spend every second thinking of him. Sorry Gaia, when a man is in love he usually does stupid things, and when a madman is in love, he does absolutely insane and world damaging things.

Zack, who had been glancing towards the swamp when Tifa wasn't looking at it, was the first to see the tip of what looked like a snake tail disappear behind a rocky outcrop. A large snake tail.

"Tifa," Zack called softly. "Is there something I should know about before we get much farther?"

Tifa glanced back at him, then looked back ahead at where Genesis and Angeal were fighting one of the various enemies they had found. "Cloud said to be careful when around this area. That sometimes things will sneak up on you, things stronger then what we can handle alone. Of course, Cloud doesn't accurately judge our strength when we spar with him, but when he goes out of his way to alert us, we listen."

Zack nodded his head and hummed. They went on for a while longer, Zack listening for any sounds that would give away the monster's position behind them, but he heard and saw nothing after that point. He never dropped his guard though, he knew anything could be around, just lying in wait for an unsuspecting victim. He had almost been that unsuspecting victim multiple times when he listened to orders instead of his gut.

This is probably why Zack insisted he take point with Tifa at the back even though he didn't know the area. And arguably when the Midgar Zolom lunged out from behind the rock it was hiding behind, Tifa had all rights to blame him, but even she knew they were taking the same path down that they had up. Zack was just more prepared for the attack than the others.

Though being prepared for it didn't save his body from being flung to the side and smashed into the giant outcrops of rocks on the opposite side of the path. It just made the impact hurt a lot more since he tensed trying to stop it.

When Zack's head stopped ringing and his vision cleared up enough for him to see, he had to do a double-take. Tifa was standing before Genesis and Angeal, half her body in the Midgar Zolom's mouth, but it wasn't moving. It looked like time had slowed down, as he saw the very slow shift of the zolom preparing to close his jaw. Then he heard the crack, a sound almost as if the world itself had ripped itself apart.

And rip itself apart it had, as the entire path under the Midgar Zolom had torn open to show the flowing green stream that ran under everything. Zack watched in awe as both Tifa and the Zolom fell into the sudden ravine, and time returned to normal.

Before Gen and Angeal could even comprehend what had happened, Zack was leaping into the ravine and speed diving towards where Tifa had landed on one of the few rocky ledges just big enough to hold a person laying down. The only reason he hadn't crushed her was his alarmed kwek and his furious wing beats getting her to jump to her feet and press herself as close to the wall as she could. The Midgar Zolom was nowhere to be seen.

"ZACK!" Came the worried cries from above.

"I'm fine!" Zack called back up, moving to look over Tifa. "Are you okay, Teef?"

Tifa nodded her head, her eyes wide open in shock and glancing frantically around the area looking for any sign of danger. Zack didn't blame her, he didn't know what had caused the ravine to rip open as it had, and Tifa could have very well died by the fall.

"Climb on my back," Zack cooed, pushing his head against her carefully, letting her ground herself with his touch. "I'll get us out of here okay?"

Tifa nodded again, eased herself onto Zack's back, and held on tightly, like she had ridden bareback before. Zack reached around to nuzzle her with his head, before he made like the black chocobo he was and went to work climbing out of the ravine the best he could, though if Genesis and Angeal hadn't reached in to grab his wings both and Tifa would have fallen down the ravine, on a side with no landing spots except for the green swirls below.

Tifa looked shaken, her body was shaking, and Genesis and Angeal had fear in their eyes. Zack couldn't blame them, they had seen them both almost die, would have seen them die if the other two were just a tad bit slower. Zack could admit that his heart had started racing at the end there when the ground crumbled under him, but his gut told him to trust that he would be fine.

"Let's go, guys," Zack said, his voice worn and shaking. "I think it's best that we all get back to the farm."

Everyone nodded, Tifa gripping tighter to Zack, but no one said a word. Zack wordlessly guided them all back down the mountain and back to Bill's farm, using his memories and his instincts to get them back without another monster attack. They didn't need it at this time. The pleasure outing was over on that mountain path, and Zack was ready to give Tifa back to her friends and give her time to recover.

Which is exactly what Zack did when Cloud ran up to them as they approached the farm. Cloud could take care of Tifa, Zack had the new members of his family to take care of. He silently nudged Tifa off into Cloud's arms, nuzzled Cloud's head, pushed his head against Tifa's back lightly, and walked off into the barn where Seph was standing in the door.

"Zack?" Seph asked.

"Not now kiddo. I'll explain later."