Every time I try to work on this, I start by reading the past chapters and end up making a whole bunch of changes. I suppose this is a work in progress, but that's what really slows me down more than anything else. I'm nearly done editing though, and there will soon be new chapters. (1/28/13)
Chapter Two: Trials and Triumphs
In the months following Meteorfall, and the end of the Jenova war, Gaia went through many rapid changes. Shinra was effectively gone with it's President, Rufus, either dead or missing. Shinra had pretty much been running the world until this point. As tyrannical as it had been, at least things had been somewhat orderly. With it gone, much of the world fell into anarchy.
Settlements that were already accustomed to being self-sufficient, such as Wutai, North Corel, and Gongaga had few to no problems. They had been abandoned by Shinra long ago anyway. But places that had relied heavily on Midgar to set the social example and for keeping the peace would be facing hard days to come. Kalm, Costa Del Sol, and Junon were among these. The Gold Saucer had especially depended on Shinra's Mako to keep it's operations running, and were now facing the prospect of closing.
As for Midgar itself, things would have fallen into total chaos if Reeve Tuesti had not been there to take charge. Reeve, utilizing a charisma that surprised everyone who thought they knew him, managed to assemble a group of people he trusted, lower-level employees from Shinra, family friends, not to mention AVALANCHE, and organize them into a cohesive team determined to keep order and start building shelters, ensuring rations were distributed fairly, and the like.
His intention had never been to take leadership of the entire process of rebuilding, but suddenly people were eager to join him, if only to keep themselves busy. "Idle hands are wasteful hands" became a common slogan for Reeve's group.
Before he knew it, Reeve soon found his 'organization' growing, and quickly! Suddenly he was arbiter of deputes, organizing rescue teams, creating jobs, and he was even receiving donations! It could have easily gone to his head if he hadn't had his new comrades to keep him grounded. Ultimately, Reeve allowed the events he had set in motion to continue and the World Regenesis Organization was born.
Attempts were made to rebuild Midgar, but the damaged Mako reactors that were leaking radiation had made much of the city unsafe. A vast tent-city was set up to the south-east of the ruins. Soon enough the campground evolved into a small town; ironically enough Reeve found himself doing the same job he had done for Shinra for years: Urban Development. A few scant months after the crisis, Edge had become a city in its own right.
As for Cloud and the rest of his companions, most went their separate ways. Yuffie returned to Wutai with news of the events that had transpired for her father, the Lord Godo. Cid flew back to Rockettown, of which he was pretty much the unofficial Mayor, and began managing it's affairs in earnest. Nanaki, naturally, returned to Cosmo Canyon and took up the ancestral duty of his people: protecting the land there.
Cloud, Tifa, and Barret remained in the flourishing city of Edge. Together they rebuilt Tifa's bar, the Seventh Heaven, and, in doing so, set a positive example to other survivors. Cloud helped as much as possible in the building of the city, transporting goods and supplies between Edge and Kalm and beyond; and inadvertently started his own business the process; the Strife Delivery Service. Going with it, Cloud got his hands on a motorcycle to facilitate this new job.
Vincent, on the other hand, departed without a word very soon after the crisis was over. He first returned to Nibelheim, to the hidden cave beneath the mountain. . .
Except for one encounter between him and Nanaki a few months after that night, nothing was heard from the enigmatic gunman for two years.
Meanwhile, a cloud had settled over the fledgling city of Edge. In the immediate aftermath of Meteorfall, a strange disease known as Geostigma had appeared. It was a horrifying disease, fatal to all and incurable. Cases were reported from all over the planet, from Edge to Junon and from Costa Del Sol to Nibelhiem. Even the isolated nation of Wutai was affected.
Barret, seeking closure with his past, left Marlene, his adopted daughter, in Cloud and Tifa's care so that he could travel to his old home and help to truly rebuild it now that it was free from Shinra's shackles.
Not long after, Cloud found an orphan by the name of Denzel wandering the ruins of Sector Five, near Aerith's church. Denzel's parents had died as an indirect result of AVALANCHE's actions; the same deeds that haunted Barret, haunted them as well. Cloud was convinced that Aerith had guided him to them, so that they could try to atone for some of the blood on their hands.
Soon however, it became apparent that their adopted 'son' was also suffering from geostigma. Cloud did all he could to find a cure, when one did not appear, he began to fall into a state of depression.
During this time, Reeve was working with remnants of Shinra's staff, and the denizens of Cosmo Canyon set out to expand the World Regenesis Organization, or the WRO, into a global force . Sticking to the original premise, they were dedicated to healing the damage done to the planet by Shinra, and protecting against future threats. With Reeve as it's Commissioner, the WRO sought new sources of energy to replace the dwindling supply of mako, of which the manufacture was now outlawed. Building Edge could not have happened with out the WRO, who also saw to the dismantling of the Mako Reactors outside of Midgar and the restoration of the surrounding lands.
At Reeve's invitation, Cid joined the WRO so they could make use of his airship, which was retired when an ancient airship was excavated in the Bone Village to the north. Once it was refurbished, Cid christened the ship, 'The Shera', named for his new wife. It would be a bittersweet honeymoon for the couple though, Shera had developed symptoms of Geostigma, like so many others. . .
Barret, meanwhile, was able to replace his arm-cannon with a much friendlier looking robotic hand thanks to the doctor who had fitted him with the original. After this, Barret set out to help the WRO rediscover oil. An old oil-farm was found near Gongaga, abandoned years earlier once Mako had become widespread. At the same time, Corel's coal mines were reopened. Coal was sold to cities all over the world. Dio, owner of Gold Saucer, cut a deal with Barret for cheaper fuel in return for a percent of the park's earnings. North Corel soon flourished like it never had before. In only a few months, North Corel was as prosperous a mining town as the original Corel had ever been, perhaps even more so. The miners offered to make Barret the Mayor of North Corel, now named 'New' Corel, but he declined. He did, however, commission a small memorial to all of their old friends who had died when Shinra had razed the original town. When the monument was finished, he knelt before it for a few minutes, and then he left to return to his work.
Cloud, however, was sinking closer and closer to despair. Doubt and guilt clawed at his heart, brought about by all the losses he had experienced during his journey. The loss of his best friend, Zack, to Shinra, and the death of his mother and loss of his hometown to Sephiroth; both of which he had forgotten from the trauma of Mako addiction, developed during the four years he was held captive and experimented on. Then there was the death of Aerith, whom he had cared deeply for, also at the hands Sephiroth. Not only had she died though, she had died right within arms reach. She had died when he could've, should've been able to do something. . .
These feeling were compounded by his frustration at himself and his apparent helplessness in the face of Denzel's imminent death. When Cloud also contracted the disease, he completely gave up on himself and cut off contact with everyone, resigned to his fate.
Cloud took up residence where no one could reach him: in Aerith's church. It was one of the few buildings in Sector Five that had, more or less, survived the devastation of Meteorfall; and for many months it was Cloud's home during his self-imposed exile.
Because of the Mako Radiation saturating the area, only Cloud could safely come here. This was Cloud's life for a long time; living in total isolation like a hermit. But that was soon to change. . .
Sephiroth was dead, but far from finished. Using his immense power, he manifested three avatars on Gaia to do his bidding. It was then that Geostigma's true nature was revealed. The sickness was brought on by exposure to Jenova cells, which occurred on a massive scale as an inadvertent result of the lifestream's emergence to fight Meteor. Jenova was the ancient space parasite with which Shinra, through experimentation, had created Sephiroth; and through Sephiroth, SOLDIER.
The Jenova cells spread across hundreds of individuals responded to Jenova's call, and sought to reunite at the Northern Crator and grant Sephiroth all of their power. Cloud and company had ended this scheme. But as long as Jenova exists outside of the Lifestream, Sephiroth can return. What had been the world's salvation would have become it's demise, but becoming wise to his plans, Cloud fought his nemesis once more, with his old allies by his side. All of them, including Aerith. She also had the power to influence the realm of the living. With this, she had created a geyser of water infused with life energy in the middle of her church. Cloud was healed of his illness, and with the support of his friends found it in himself to forgive himself for his past failures. Even so, Sephiroth succeeded in recreating his old body. But, reinvigorated, Cloud met him in the ruins of Midgar for one last rematch.
Cloud fought valiantly, but was nearly defeated. When all hope seemed lost though, Cloud was able to find the strength he needed to deliver the deathblow. Sephiroth was broken again, hopefully for good this time. But his promise to Cloud, to never be a memory, weighed heavy in Cloud's mind. He would always remain vigilant, but now he had the peace he needed to move on with his life.
In the weeks that followed, hundreds of people came to Aerith's church to make use of the healing spring. Most had come to heal their geostigma, but many had also come hoping that they could have other ailments cured. Cloud took it upon himself to guard the church, keeping an eye on the pool of water to make sure no one abused it. It left him little time for anything else, but he did not complain. Every day the children would come to the church to play or pester him for tales of his adventures, for which he only feigned irritation. He accepted no payment of any kind for the spring's use, insisting that it was not his place. When asked about it's nature, he'd only say that it might be the "Gift of the Godess," quoting something he had heard long ago. . .
It seemed that Gaia was on the verge of a Golden Age, a world-wide renaissance. However, not even Bugenhagen could have foreseen what was to come next. . .