A/N - I don't own Final Fantasy or any its ideas.

"Hey, wait up!" Zack said as he ran behind me.

"But you told me to run as fast as I could" I said. I stopped and turned around. "You're just too slow."

"You're faster than I thought you'd be" he said.

"It feels great" I said. "For so long I was bedridden and I almost wanted death to take me out of that sorry state, but now I'm glad to be alive, Zack. I'm happy I fought through it."

"I'm happy you fought it, too" said Zack. "If you hadn't, I wouldn't get to train a beautiful girl every day. I could have spent the last month with ugly men."

"It's nice to know you think I'm pretty" I giggled. "You're not so bad yourself."

*Flash*

"Ow, Fayte, that hurt" said Zack as he clutched his right arm just above the elbow. I dropped my stance and averted my gaze.

"I guess I just don't know my own strength yet" I said.

"It's okay" he said. "We only just began to train for combat so it's okay if you don't know."

I smiled and nodded, getting back into my stance. He charged me and I managed to block all of his advances and score another lucky hit. This time I struck his forearm and he winced a bit and moved away.

"Sorry!" I said as I ran over to him. "I really am not trying."

He stood up and examined it. Suddenly he gave me a mischievous smile, which after knowing him for three months I knew was trouble. "I'll forgive you if you kiss it better" he said.

I laughed and grabbed his arm, pulling him over to me. Gently, I pressed my lips to the red spot that was forming slowly into a bruise. A sharp pain flooded into my arm in the same spot as his new welt. I withdrew and placed a hand over the new pain.

"Wow, that really worked" he said. "My pain is gone!"

'Gone?' I thought. "My arm hurts" I said as I held it.

"What do you mean? It would be like you took my pain or something" he said, startled.

Wordlessly, I grabbed his arm and planted a kiss on the injury above his elbow that I caused before. Pain flooded, just as before, to that same spot on me. "Did it work?" I asked.

"Yeah, it did. Does it hurt?" he said as he pointed to my arm. I nodded.

"I can take people's pain" I said in surprise. "It must be a power I gained through the procedure."

"I never heard of a SOLDIER getting something like that through the procedure" he said.

"Have you ever heard of another female SOLDIER?" I asked pointedly.

"I guess not" he said. "You must be special." I smiled and put my hands up to continue but he put and hand to his forehead. "Ugh, I just got a terrible pain in my forehead" he said and he smiled at me. "Kiss it better?"

I laughed and walked over and got up on my toes to kiss his temple. Nothing happened, no pain. "You lair" I laughed. "You just wanted a kiss."

"Can't blame a guy for trying" he smirked. I laughed and punched his good arm playfully. "Ow" he whined.

"Don't even ask" I said as I took my stance once more.

*Flash*

The man on the table refused to let the medic check his wounds. There had been a terrorist attack and he had been hit by shrapnel. His side was torn apart and bloody and he fought off all attempts to help him. His cries of pain filled the air and after only a short time, I couldn't take the screaming anymore. I ran over and kneeled by his side. "I'm going to take your pain away" I told him. "Please let me." He stopped fighting me back, which I took as consent to do what I needed to. Quickly, I pulled up his shirt and kissed his side, tasting a bit of blood and feeling a rush of some of the most horrible pain I had ever been in. I screamed and the man stopped making noise entirely. He seemed in shock that nothing hurt. The doctors quickly grabbed him and got him to an operating room while another SOLDIER ran to my side and tried to figure out what was wrong. "I'm okay" I insisted.

*Flash*

"No, grip the handle this way" said Zack as he repositioned my hands on the sword. I blushed at his arms and how he had them around me to show me the proper way to hold the sword.

"Like this?" I asked as I showed him my corrected grip.

"Yeah, much better" he said with a smile. "Now, since you're an amateur, just swing it around to get the feel of it" he said with a laugh, ducking easily as I swung it at him.

'When did I start falling in love with this jerk?' I thought with a short laugh. He had always been my best friend, but since when did I love him this much? Little did I know that, as I was lost in thought, I had been staring at him.

"Hey, I know I'm hot but let's get back to training" he said.

Frustrated and a bit annoyed, I swung it at him again.

*Flash*

"She's amazing" said my grandfather. "From what I heard, she gets more and more like Sephiroth each day."

"She has the potential to be more than Sephiroth ever was" said a familiar voice. I peeked in the door to see Hollander. "Project F was a complete success. Once she has been evaluated, we will see how well she does and perhaps we will make more SOLDIERS like her."

"Do you think the boy training her now will be sufficient?" Grandfather asked. "Perhaps a more skilled trainer is in order."

"No, I want to see how well she does under his training" said Hollander. "If she doesn't do well enough, we will get someone else to teach her."

*Flash*

I set the weapon down and quickly backed away from it. "I don't like it" I said.

"Well, you need basic firearms training so you need to learn whether you like it or not" Zack said with his arms crossed.

"No, let's just skip it. I've decided I don't like guns" I said as I looked fearfully at the pistol.

"How about we make a deal" he said as he walked over by me. "You learn to use guns and the moment I feel you're good enough we'll never use one again."

"Why do I have to learn if I'll never use it?" I asked. "All they are is expensive noise makers with an unpleasant and deadly result."

"Swords kill too" he pointed out.

"I control all parts of my sword. Bullets can't be redirected. If someone jumps in front of my sword I can move it and miss or try to stop it. If someone jumps in front of my bullet, all I can do is watch and pray it doesn't kill them" I said.

"Good point" he said. He suddenly turned to me and gave me a puppy dog pout. It wasn't as much the pout as his beautiful eyes that I couldn't resist. "Please learn for me" he begged.

"Okay, okay" I said. "But let's get it over quickly."

"Yeah, I win" he said and he did a small victory dance.

*Flash*

"Is it just me or has your hair changed color a little?" Zack asked as he messed with my bangs a little.

"It's slowly turning blond" I stated. "My eyes used to be brown but the mako turned them blue" I said as I looked down. "Do you think I will look okay as a blond?"

He saw the concern and sadness in my eyes and pulled me into a tight embrace. "You'll be beautiful as a blond… absolutely stunning."

"Zack…" I whispered, the words I wanted to say wouldn't come out. I wanted to tell him how much I cared and ask if he cared too, but I was afraid. "Thank you" I finished instead of my heartfelt words and questions of love.

"No problem" he said as he let me go.

'I love you. I want to be with you' a voice in my head urged me to say.

"You're always there for me. You're my best friend, you know" I told him.

"I know" he said with a smile.

*Flash*

'I won' I thought. Sephiroth was kneeling on the ground in front of me, clutching his chest and gasping. I had given him a run for his money and then dealt him a blow to his chest that probably cracked a couple of ribs.

"Well… done" he gasped as he stood slowly.

I heard clapping behind me. "Amazing" said Grandfather as he walked over. I looked over to the small crowd and saw that my father was there too. I nervously tucked my white-blond hair behind my ear.

Hollander laughed "She performed better than I could ever have dreamed."

"She's perfect" commented another scientist.

"You officially have the rand of SOLDIER 1st class" said my Grandfather. "Since you beat one of the best."

"Thank you" I said. "I can't wait to tell Zack."

*Flash*

"So, you're a SOLDIER 1st class, now?" asked Zack. He seemed a bit disappointed. "You beat me to it."

"Don't worry, Zack" I said as I took his hands. "If you can train me to this point then you can be one, too."

He smiled. "You think I'm good enough?"

I nodded "As good as my hair is blond."

*Flash*

"I'm a monster, Zack. I understand everything, now" I said as I stuffed some essentials in my bag and grabbed my jacket. "I have to go. I have to get out of this place."

"You can't go" he said pleadingly. "You need to stay here." There was almost something about him that screamed out that he wanted to say more. As I walked past him again, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug. "Please don't go. You have no reason to go."

"I'm sorry" I said as I hugged him back. "Now that I know the truth, I have to leave. It's too painful for me to stay here. It hurts, Zack."

"I wish I could take away your pain" he said.

"Zack, I need you to promise me something" I whispered into his shoulder.

I felt him nod against me. "I'll promise you anything" he said.

"Promise that you won't tell anyone about me, or that you trained me. My existence must be kept a secret and you can't let anyone know that I ran away or that you were here when I did" I said. He remained silent and looked away. "Please" I begged. "Promise me."

He looked me dead in the eye and said, "Promise me that you'll get a phone and give me the number. You don't even have to answer it. I just want to be able to call it if I feel like sharing news."

"I promise" I said with a smile.

"Then I promise, too" he replied. He squeezed me a bit and I blushed as I realized that I was still in his arms. I looked up into his eyes and found myself captivated by them. They were blue and clear and beautiful, like water or the sky. I felt him lean forward slightly and his face began to move towards mine. My eyes wandered to his lips, which I so longed to touch.

'If he kisses me, I don't know if I'll be able to go' I thought as he drew near. I pulled myself out of my trance and moved my head to his shoulder in another hug. "It's time for me to go" I whispered and then I pulled away only to find myself trapped in his arms. He pulled me into another hug, more tightly than before.

"Stay safe" he said.

"I will" I said as I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and felt a bit of pain in my abdomen. My last gift to him would be the removal of his pain. I grabbed my bag and opened the window. "Close this for me, will you?"

He nodded sadly and ran to the window as I leapt out. I barely heard his last word, "Goodbye."

"Bye. I'll always love you" I whispered, finally getting out the feeling that had haunted me over the year and a half that I had known him.

*Flash*

I sat on a barstool in a small bar. The town I was in was just barely on the outskirts of a desert. A girl with red hair sat on the stool next to me and ordered a shot of vodka. As I looked at her more, she reminded me of myself. For a brief moment, I wondered if that was what I would have looked like if I hadn't gone through the procedure and received the Jenova cells. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to talk to her.

As she got her drink and went to pay, I stopped her. "It's on me" I said as I laid the money down.

"Thanks" she said.

"No problem" I replied as I held my hand out. "Fayte Aegis."

"Cissnei" she replied as she shook my hand. "Where are you from?" she asked.

"Midgar" I answered, not a total lie. I didn't have to list every place I where I had lived.

"Me too" she said as she sipped her vodka.

'Odd girl, sipping vodka' I thought as I smiled at her. Maybe, she had been there more recently than me. "When were you last in Midgar?"

"About a year ago" she said with a thoughtful nod. "Why?"

"Is SOLDIER still around?" I asked as I ordered another drink for myself, something nonalcoholic.

"Afraid not" she said. "That ended when the fighting did. But I was gone before the fighting ended" she said.

"Oh," I replied. 'I wonder what happened to Zack.' "Did you happen to know anyone from SOLDIER?"

"Yeah" she replied. "I worked with them."

"If you worked with SOLDIERs then you must have been aware of the 1st class ones. Do you know if Zack Fair was ever a SOLDIER 1st class?" I inquired.

"Yeah, he was" she said. "I knew him personally."

"How is he?" I asked, somewhat excited.

Her expression dropped and she looked down. "A lot of bad things happened… maybe if I hadn't let him go…"

"What happened?" I asked, fear filling me at the thought of her answer.

"He's dead. The very SOLDIERs that he once fought alongside killed him" she said. "That was shortly before I left."

'He can't be' I thought and I began to regret cutting off communication with him, or rather, I stopped answering my phone when he called. What had made me so mad?

Was it his words?

*Flash*

"Hello?"

"Fayte! You won't believe what happened!"

"Zack? What was it this time?"

"I met this incredible girl! Her name is Aerith…"

"Oh."

*Flash*

Or was it my own jealousy?

"How did you know him?" Cissnei asked, taking me out of my thoughts.

"Well, he trained me in combat so I worked very closely with him for a year and a half" I said. 'And I loved him' my heart added.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way" she said and she put a hand on mine.

"No, it's okay" I said. "Tell me, what happened in Midgar?"

*Flash*

"Fi-Fi, you have to wake up" Zack's voice cooed in my ear. I groaned and turned over. "Come on, Fi-Fi."

"Stop calling me that. My name is Fayte" I growled as I turned over. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself in my old room, before I had run away, with Zack hovering over me. 'Was it all a dream?' I looked up into Zack's beautiful blue eyes. "What a horrible nightmare" I said as I reached up and touched his face.

"It's not over" he said. "You have to wake up."

"I am awake" I giggled.

"No, you need to wake up…"

"Wake up, Mother" Kadaj's voice echoed through my mind. "The guest of honor shouldn't sleep through the party."

I was shocked out of my sleep by the splash of cold water on my face. A light groan escaped me as I opened my eyes and looked up at the darkened sky. How long had I been out? "What's going on?" I growled.

"Mother, it's nearly morning. It's time that you woke up" he said. "Everyone's been waiting for you."

I turned my head and looked at my surroundings. There were crystal trees glowing all around us and a statue of some sort. I turned my head towards the direction opposite of the statue and saw a pool. 'I know this place' I thought. I at least remembered the trees. 'The Forgotten Capital. I think that's what they call it now.'

Across the pool stood a lot of kids. The entire group reeked of geostigma. I scanned over them with my eyes and one of their faces caught my attention. It was Denzel. I heard a small girl cry out and looked over to see the man with the short hair holding back Marlene. "What is this?" I growled.

"Why, Mother, this is our reunion. We're all gathered here for it" Kadaj said.

"What do you mean, reunion?" I asked.

"We've all gathered so that we can be whole again. When I combine with your cells, I will no longer be a remnant and we will take revenge on the planet" he said.

"What will you be if not a remnant?" I asked calmly. He walked over and looked me dead in the eyes. His glare got more intense until I saw what he wanted me to see. "Sephiroth" I said when I realized how he looked.

"Exactly" he said. He suddenly looked towards the horizon. "The sun will be coming up soon" he stated. He then nodded over at another who approached with a syringe in his hand. Fear flooded me. I was afraid of needles.

*Flash*

"Hold her down!" yelled one man. I was fighting and struggling, giving my all to get away from the needle.

"Get those straps on her!" yelled another man and I felt leather belts binding me tightly to the cold metal table. Tears flowed freely from me and as the needle first touched my skin, a sensation of fire shot through my body. I screamed in pain as they injected the first and readied for the second. 'Someone help me' I thought.

*Flash*

"Loz, Yazoo, hold her down" said Kadaj. They ran forward and pinned my arms and legs. When they knew I couldn't move, Kadaj plunged the needle into my arm. I screamed and immediately found myself muffled by a hand. 'Someone please help me' I thought as my vision blurred with tears and I fought back as much as I could. 'I need help, Cloud…' Why did I think of him? 'Cloud, help me' I thought as if trying to send the message out telepathically. I could feel the blood drain from my arm. 'Cloud!'

They removed the needle and released me. I slumped against the wall behind me. "Now, for my reunion" said Kadaj as Loz and Yazoo stood in front of me. I flinched as he inserted the needle into his own arm and injected my crimson blood into himself.

'No' I thought. I silently awaited the return of Sephiroth. Five minutes passed but nothing happened.

"Why doesn't it work?" he yelled.

"Maybe because I'm not Mother" I said. There was a moment of anger and confusion in the crowd that gave me a small chance to run. I leapt up and took off, my slightly blurry vision making it hard to keep track of where I was going.

"Get her!" I heard Kadaj yell. I ran faster but I couldn't see and my foot caught a rock. In a matter of moments I fell to the ground and skidded into the water. I was defeated, my arms and legs were too stiff and tired to move. The one they called Loz yanked me up out of the water and threw me over his shoulder. "She's useless to us now. Take her and throw her somewhere. I don't care where" said Kadaj.

I was loaded onto the back of a motorcycle before I passed out.

I opened my eyes slightly as the noise of the city filled my ears. 'How long has it been?' I wondered as I looked up at the dark sky. If it was still dark, had any time passed or had I quickly awoken? My hair was wet and cold my body was okay. I felt stiff and tired, unable to move, but at least I was alive and awake. My arm hurt. They had taken the blood from my left arm, my bad one.

"Hey! Isn't that ShinRa's daughter?" I heard someone say. I recognized that voice. Footsteps ran over to my body. My head was lifted into someone's lap and I looked up into the face of Reno.

"Hey, Reno" I said, my voice more hoarse than I had expected.

"Hey, don't speak. You look like you're in pretty bad shape" he said. "We're going to take you back to Seventh Heaven. Just hold on." I felt my body being lifted onto a motorcycle. They started it and as we went along, I became more awake and aware and soon I could move my arms and fingers again and then I gained more control of my body. As I regained awareness I suddenly realized that I was sitting in front of whoever was driving. I was startled by this realization and I sat up and moved back, placing my hand on the driver's leg on accident.

"Whoa there" said the driver as he took one hand off of the steering and put it on my stomach to steady me. "It's okay" he added. I knew it was Reno.

"I don't like these things" I said.

"Then I take it that was your angry cat" he said. I gulped and nodded. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall" he said as he tightened his grip on me.

"It's not falling that bothers me. I ride Atlatl without saddle or harness" I said. "It's the fact that so very many things can go wrong."

"Don't worry, we don't have far to go" he said as he took a left. The sudden action scared me and I gasped and grabbed his arm around me. He chuckled as he held me tighter and sped up. I closed my eyes and curled up a bit but soon we were stopping. I felt him get off behind me and I opened my eyes. "Come on" he said as he took my hands and pulled me off of the bike. The moment my feet hit the ground, my legs collapsed under my weight. "Whoa!" he said as he used my hands to pull me back up and then he put an arm under my legs and picked me up bridal-style. "You're not too steady yet" he said. "But you're not heavy so I'm not complaining."

"My recovery usually travels from my head down, but I recover quickly" I said.

"It's fine, don't rush your recovery. Who did this to you?" he asked.

"Kadaj and his gang. They dragged me to the Forgotten Capital" I said. Rude opened the door, it was the first time I noticed his presence. "They also had the orphans" I said, remembering Denzel.

Reno had walked me up the stairs and to a room at the top. He placed me on the bed and helped me sit up. "We were out looking for the kids when we found you, but now we know where they are."

"How long was I gone?" I asked.

"Let's just say you disappeared yesterday" he said. "You look horrible. What did they do to you?"

"They hurt me, okay?" I said. I didn't really want to tell them what had happened or about my fear. "I need to change my clothes, they're dirty. Can you get my bag from Atlatl?"

"The big cat?" he asked.

"Yeah" I said. "Call her by her name. She knows I only give her name to people I trust."

"I wish I would have known that" he grumbled.

"Knock before entering when you come back" I said. He nodded and walked out. I used my torso to pull my legs over the side of the bed. Carefully, I leaned forward and put my feet on the ground and then allowed some pressure on them. My legs didn't give out this time so I stood, a bit unsteady at first, and began to unbuckle my dress. As I did this, I thought back to my previous encounter. Cloud had probably wanted to know where I was. Why had I thought of him when I was afraid? I shrugged it off and continued undressing until I was only in my undergarments and then studied my arm and leg. Maybe I could start passing it off for a tattoo. I looked out the window at the city. What was taking Reno so long?