Aerith loved flowers. Everyone knew she did. She had her own garden, and she was able to grow things no one else could. She made a business out of it.

She would walk around town, a basket of flowers on her arm, selling them for a munny each. Yuffie usually came along.

Today was no different. Hand in hand, they strolled past the houses. Yuffie was unusually quiet, many thanks to a big juice popper she was happily enjoying. They stopped in front of an oddly shaped house. The door was left wide open and the sound of metalwork could be heard. A loud thump of metal and a cry of pain made the girls draw in closer.

"DAMN IT!" the gruff Southern voice yelled. The girls entered the room, spotting a huge aircraft and a man who apparently had hit himself with a hammer.

"Cid?" Aerith called out. "Are you alright?"

Cid wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "Who's there? Oh, it's you."

He climbed down his ladder and walked towards Aerith. She marveled at the aircraft. Cid noticed and smirked.

"A beauty isn't she?" he remarked.

Aerith nodded. "Yes. It must have taken you ages to make it."

"Yep," Cid replied, lighting a cigarette and taking a few puffs.

"So, what is it?" Yuffie squeaked, the chewed-up straw still in her mouth.

"Glad you asked, kid," Cid said. He walked up and patted the side of the ship. "This here's a Gummi Ship. It's programmed to travel into other worlds."

"Other worlds?" Aerith repeated, confused.

"Yeah," Cid said. "Ansem ordered me to build a few of these babies, but this one I was extra accurate with." He patted the ship again. "This'll be the one I'll ride in."

"Where are you going?" Yuffie asked.

"No where yet. But if anything happens to this world, this'll be my ticket outta here." Cid turned to look at Aerith and Yuffie. "You're welcome to come with me if you like."

Aerith smiled. "We'll consider it." She handed him a flower.

Cid grinned. "Good girl." He removed the cigarette from his mouth and coughed. Aerith frowned slightly.

"Uncle Cid," she said. "I don't think you should really be smoking those all day. It isn't healthy for you. You should stop."

Cid just chuckled. "I've tried to stop. Lotsa times. It's just too hard. The only way you'll get me to stop is by taking me to a world where tobacco don't exist." At that he laughed. Aerith just sighed, bowed her head to him and walked out.

"Aerith," Yuffie said, squeezing her hand. "I finished my juice." She held up the empty popper. Aerith smiled and put it in her flower basket.

"Can I have another one?" Yuffie asked.

Aerith smiled again and looked down at the little girl. "I'll let you have one more as soon as we get home."

Yuffie gave her a toothy smile, but then suddenly looked up at the sky.

"Hey," she said, pointing up. "Why's it so dark all the sudden?"

Aerith looked up. It was definitely a lot darker then when they came into Cid's house. She frowned. Something definitely wasn't right.

"Come on," Aerith said, not looking down. She started pushing Yuffie forward.

"Let's go."

"What's wrong, Aerith?" Yuffie asked.

"Nothing. Let's just go." With that, Aerith grabbed Yuffie's hand and ran. They ran for a little while until Yuffie tripped over and fell.

"Ow!" Yuffie squeaked. "My ankle! It hurts!" She began to cry loudly. Aerith put down her basket and bent down to Yuffie.

"Shhh…" she whispered softly as she wrapped her arms around her. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't cry." Yuffie calmed down a little.

Then out of nowhere, a long black feather fell from the sky onto Yuffie's head. Aerith picked it up, and looked upwards expecting to see a bird or something.

Nothing.

Aerith automatically dropped the feather. She was shaking. She didn't know what she was scared of, but she knew something was seriously wrong. She picked Yuffie up, abandoned her flower basket and ran home as fast as she could.

It was getting late, but Aerith couldn't sleep. She was in Yuffie's bedroom. Yuffie had asked her to stay until she fell asleep. She was now snoring loudly with her head on Aerith's lap. Aerith smiled at her and stroked the little girl's hair gently. Something was going to happen, something bad. She could feel it in her blood, and she couldn't let anything happen to Yuffie.

The sound of the phone brought her out of her thoughts. It rang a few times until Mr Kisaragi came down to pick it up.

"Hello?… Yes, this is Kisaragi…What?!… Are you joking?… Okay… Okay then… Right away." He hung up the phone.

"Get dressed," he told Aerith. "We're leaving."

"What?!" Aerith said, confused. "Why?!"

Mr Kisaragi paused for a moment.

"Heartless," he said grimly. "They're here."

Aerith's eyes widened in horror.

"N-no…" she whispered, fearing the worse.

"Yes. Now get dressed," he said firmly. "Wake Yuffie up." He walked out of the room, no doubt to get supplies.

Aerith jumped out of bed and began getting dressed. Yuffie stirred a little before opening her eyes to the noise.

"What's happening?" she murmured, rubbing her eyes.

"We have to leave, Yuffie," Aerith said. "Get dressed."

"No," Yuffie said stubbornly, covering her head with the covers. "I'm too sleepy."

"Yuffie!" Aerith said frantically. Before she could do anything, Mr Kisaragi barged in. He wasn't holding any bags.

"No time for packing," he urged. "We must go now."

Aerith nodded at him, and he ran outside. Aerith didn't know what else to do. She abandoned her suitcase, wrapped Yuffie in a warm blanket and carried her out.

It was no safer outside. Heartless monsters were everywhere. Good thing Aerith knew magic or she would have been defenseless.

"Fire!" she screamed, and a fireball shot out of her hand into a Heartless, killing it. Aerith and Mr Kisaragi continued to fight them but there were too many.

"I'll hold them off," Mr Kisaragi said after a while. "Just take Yuffie and run."

"What?!"

"Just do it!"

Aerith looked at him with disbelief for a moment, then at the small sleeping child in her arms. She sighed heavily as she made her final decision. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Thank you for everything… Father."

And she ran. The Heartless started to gang up on Mr Kisaragi, but Aerith forced herself to keeping running and not look back. She hardly knew where she was going, her eyes were too clouded. But she knew she had to get away from the Darkness, she just had to.

"There are too many of them, Cloud!"

Cloud was outside his house. He had his Buster Sword at hand. He had learnt how to use it for only a few years, but now it was his only weapon. Behind him stood his mother. She could not fight, so Cloud had to protect her.

A Heartless jumped at him. He quickly dodged it's attacked and killed it with a slash of his sword. They were easy to kill, but his mother was right.

There was too many of them. He needed help.

Just then, another Heartless jumped at Cloud from behind. Before he could realize anything, the monster was vanquished with a slash of a Gunblade. Squall jumped down next to Cloud, ready to help him fight.

"Where did they come from?" Cloud asked, not taking his eyes off the Heartless.

"This is Maleficent's doing," Squall answered grimly as he killed another Heartless.

"Maleficent," Mrs Strife whispered. "So she isn't just a myth."

"No," Cloud said. "And she seems to be able to control these Heartless." He took another swing, but the Heartless no longer seemed to be attacking. Cloud frowned slightly.

The Heartless stood there for a moment, until they all let out a horrific scream before exploding. Cloud, Squall and Mrs Strife were left baffled. Cloud knew something was very wrong.

"Squall," he said finally. "You have to find Aerith."

"What?"

"Rinoa and Tifa are already on it, but Aerith never showed up." Cloud paused for a moment, then looked at his friend. "Please find her and take her to the ship. It's the only way off this world."

"But… but what about you?"

"My mother and I need to get a few more things before we go. Please go find her."

"Okay, Cloud."

"Squall," Cloud said, a hint of fear in his voice. "If anything happens, take care of Aerith."

Squall stared at his best friend he couldn't believe how serious he was all the sudden. Slowly, he nodded.

"Okay, I promise."

Cloud smiled and gave him an appreciative nod.

"Now go. Before it's too late." Squall nodded and ran off.

Cloud sighed and turned to his mother. She smiled at him.

"You really care for that girl, don't you?" she asked.

Cloud blushed. "I try my best."

Mrs Strife smiled at him again, and then turned to enter the house. Suddenly, more Heartless appeared, surrounded them. Cloud took out his sword, but the same thing happened. None of them attacked. A few moments later, they all screamed and exploded into dust.

A single black feather fell from the sky. Cloud and Mrs Strife looked up.

It was a man. He looked in his mid-30s, with long silver hair. His figure was muscular, and in his hand a long sword. However, the strangest sight was on his back, two large black angel wings.

The man smiled and landed a few feet in front of them.

Mrs Strife let out a gasp of awe, and almost smiled.

"An… angel?" she said, taking a step forward.

Cloud frowned and readied himself.

"Nothing good could kill like that," he said, not taking his eyes off the man. To his horror, Mrs Strife began walking towards the man.

"Are you an angel?" she asked, smiling.

"Yes," he spoke in a deep voice. "But not the kind you're hoping for."

Mrs Strife stood confused for a moment. The man just smiled again, raised his sword, and in front of Cloud's own eyes, he brought it down onto Mrs Strife.

She didn't stand a chance. She collapsed onto the ground, into the pool of blood, and moved no more.

Cloud's heart stopped.

"MOM!" he rushed over to the bloodied corpse. Cloud ran his hand gently on her white cheek. He took a moment, the sadness and anger overwhelming him. He looked up at the man, a newfound hatred for him.

"Who are you?!" he said through gritted teeth.

The man smiled. "I am Sephiroth. Angel of Darkness."

Cloud looked at his mother's body again, then at Sephiroth.

"You kill in cold blood," Cloud said, raising his sword. "I won't let you get away with it!" he jumped up and attacked him.

But Sephiroth just smiled, dodging Cloud's attacks easily.

As Cloud attacked, Sephiroth dodged. It went on for a while until Cloud collapsed onto the ground, but again he stood up.

"My my," Sephiroth said, smiling. "Aren't you a feisty one. I could use someone like you."

"No way in hell would I help you!" Cloud spat.

"Who said I need your permission?" At that, Sephiroth flew up into the air. He closed his eyes and smiled calmly. He muttered a few words silently. A black spore floated out of his chest and drifted slowly towards Cloud.

Cloud watched the spore float down with utter confusion. When it reached a few inches in front of Cloud, the spore shot itself violently into his chest like a bullet. Cloud let out a cry of pain and collapsed onto one knee. Sephiroth started to laugh, and his left wing dissolved into the air. However, it didn't seem to bother him.

"Now," Sephiroth said silkily. "I am part of you." And he vanished into thin air.

Cloud stood up, breathing heavily. What did he mean?

There was no time left to think about it. He glanced at his mother once more, then ran to the Gummi Ship.

"Where are we going, Aerith?" Yuffie asked.

"We have to get to the Gummi Ship," Aerith breathed. She felt like she had been running around in circles.

"Where's Daddy?" Yuffie said. Aerith stopped for a moment, looking into Yuffie's wide innocent eyes. She tried to smile.

Daddy isn't coming," she said. "From now on, it's just the two of us."

"The two of us?" Yuffie repeated, showing her toothy smile. "You mean like sisters?"

Aerith smiled weakly and held Yuffie closer. "Yeah, like sisters."

She began running again. All the houses were empty; everyone had gone to the Gummi Ship. All except one.

"Hey!" Yuffie squeaked, pointing to a house that still had its lights on. "Uncle Cid's still home!" Aerith stopped, and turned to Cid's house.

"Cid?" Aerith said, entering the house.

"Ah! So you made it!" Cid shouted from behind the ship. He walked over to them. "Come on, let's go."

"Go?"

"In my Gummi Ship!" Cid said, taking the cigarette out of his mouth.

Aerith shook her head. "All our family and friends are in the other ship. You have to come too." She took Cid's hand and started to pull him out. Cid jerked his hand out of her grip.

"No way! All those other ships are crowded like hell, and it's too dangerous out there." He turned back to his ship.

"But…" Aerith began.

"Aerith!" a voice shouted. She turned around to face its direction. Squall ran over to the house and collapsed at Aerith's feet. He was breathing heavily, clearly exhausted.

"We have to go," Squall breathed, as Aerith and Cid helped him up. "Everyone's waiting in the last ship." Aerith nodded, but before she could even take a step forward, Heartless appeared and surrounded the house. Yuffie screamed, so Aerith covered her head with the blanket and held her tightly. Both her and Squall were too tired to fight. They slowly backed into the house. Suddenly, Cid jumped out and threw a dynamite stick at the Heartless. It distracted them for a few moments as Cid closed the door.

"Hey!" Squall exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

"Protecting you kids," Cid said as he barricaded the door. He walked up to the Gummi Ship and opened the door. "Come on."

"No!" Aerith shouted, tears forming in her eyes. "I have to get to Cloud!"

"And I have to get to Rinoa!" Squall said, taking out his Gunblade.

"Look," Cid said sternly. "Either you get in the ship now and live, or you can go run back to your playmates and get killed on the way. Which is it gonna be?"

The two teenagers looked at each other. Aerith looked down at little Yuffie in her arms. A tear fell from her eye. She loved Cloud, but she couldn't risk Yuffie's life. At least both Cloud and Yuffie would be alive this way. She sighed wearily, looked up at Cid and nodded. Cid smiled.

"Aerith, what are you doing?!" Squall asked, annoyed.

She bent down and let Yuffie walk into the ship with Cid before turning to face Squall.

"I'm doing the right thing," Aerith replied firmly. "Look, we know they're safe. Going out there is only going to get us killed."

Squall stared at her for a moment, but was interrupted by a long bang at the door.

"Let's go, kids!" Cid called out from inside the ship. Aerith grabbed Squall's arm and forcefully pulled him in. Cid quickly closed the door behind them. Squall pulled out of Aerith's grip and went to the corner in a sulk. Yuffie was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees tightly. She seemed to have been crying. Aerith walked over and sat next to her. Yuffie leaned over to her, resting her head on Aerith's knee.

"I'm scared, Aerith," Yuffie said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I want Daddy."

Aerith wrapped her arm around Yuffie and stroked her hair.

"It's just us now, Yuffie," Aerith whispered, trying hard to hold back tears.

"Okay," Cid said, turning around from his Captain's seat to face them. "Buckle up. We're ready for lift-off."

Aerith nodded at him. She stood up and walked Yuffie over to the chairs. She lifted her into the chair and buckled up her safety gear. Then she sat in the next chair. She took Yuffie's hand and held it tightly. Yuffie gave her a small smile. Squall, without a word, took the seat next to her. Aerith smiled sadly at him and took his hand. Squall was surprised at her touch and stared at her blankly.

"They're okay," Aerith said gently "I know they are."

Squall cast his eyes down and nodded. He gave her hand a squeeze, and then smiled at her.

"Three, two, one… Lift-off!" Cid screamed, and he slammed his hand on the button. The ship shot violently through the roof. Yuffie squeezed her eyes shut and held on tightly to Aerith's hand. The two older children firmly leaned back onto their chair and closed their eyes.

"Bye, Cloud," Aerith whispered, and the Gummi Ship shot into the sky.

Cloud ran as fast as he could to the Gummi Ship. It was the last one to leave, the one he told Squall to bring Aerith to.

"Wait!" he yelled as the door began to close. "Wait!"

The door stopped just in time a Cloud slipped through.

There must have been at least a hundred people on the ship. It was so crowded. In the corner, Cloud spotted two raven-haired girls talking concernedly. The older one turned around and ran to him.

"Cloud!" Rinoa said. "Where were you?!" Tifa walked up behind her, smiling warmly at him.

"We were worried," she said.

"Where's Squall?!" Rinoa asked frantically. "Where is he?!" Cloud looked over at his friend.

"Didn't…" Cloud said, fearing the worse. "Didn't he come in?"

Rinoa shook her head. Cloud's eyes widened as he looked around wildly.

"Where's Aerith?!"

"She never showed up," Tifa said grimly.

"Yuffie and her father didn't either," Rinoa remarked.

Cloud started to panic. She wasn't on the ship, and it was the last and only hope to get off their world. Squall and Aerith were still out there. Cloud turned to the already-shut door and raised his sword.

"Cloud, what are you doing?!" Tifa yelled, running over to hold down his arm.

"I have to save her!" Cloud said, trying to pull free of Tifa's firm grip. "I told Squall to go look for her to bring her here! It's my fault they're still out there!"

"If you break that door, then everyone in here will die!" Tifa shouted. That seemed to bring Cloud back to reality. He was breathing hard.

"We can't just let them die out there," he said shakily. Tifa rubbed his back gently, but she too was on the brink of tears.

"They're safe," Rinoa said finally. They other two looked at her with confusion.

"I can feel it," she said, smiling. "Don't give up hope. Have a little faith."

Cloud stared at the Sorceress. She seemed confident, but she always was. Rinoa was older than them, and had always been a big sister figure to them, despite her childish playfulness. She had magical powers that even she didn't understand, but years ago, she correctly predicted that Cloud's father would die in a rockslide.

She was right.

Cloud also knew she loved Squall very much. Their hearts were connected, just like his and Aerith's were. A feeling in his heart told him that she was alive and well. He chose to listen to it.

"You're right," he told Rinoa. She smiled at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the captain's voice rang. "We are preparing for lift-off. Please be seated and put on your seat belts."

The trio took a seat. People were frantically moving around.

"Grammy," a 5-year-old red-haired girl nearby said. "I'm scared." She wrapped her little arms around an old woman next to her.

"Hush, Kairi," the woman said softly. "It will be alright."

The ship shook violently before shooting into the sky.

Cloud, Tifa and Rinoa sat firmly in their chairs, their eyes closed.

"Bye, Aerith," Cloud whispered.