A/N: It's been awhile, hasn't it? Well, here's the next chapter.
"Merlin," Temperance said, voice low in warning. The young woman glared at the wizard who was studying the confused puppy that sat in front of him. "Turn Mr. Strife back… Now, Merlin."
The old wizard obeyed the woman. The blonde furred, blue eyed puppy turned into a blond haired, blue eyed boy as Temperance put a young Squall Leonhart down.
"Run along, Mr. Strife." She said, not look at the eight-year-old. Cloud was quick to comply, darting towards the door to the small home. "Oh, and Cloud?" Cloud skidded to a halt and turned to Temperance, who was emotionless. "This never happened. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal." Cloud mumbled.
"You may go now," Temperance said. In a blink of an eye, Cloud was gone, trying to get away from the "Scary woman" as fast as he could.
"You didn't need to scare the poor boy, Temperance." Merlin remarked, earning a growl from said woman.
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Ever sat on top of the roof of her younger sister's house. Wait, now that Temperance was forty-something and Ever was like Twenty-five, did that make Ever the little sister now? She so couldn't be the little sister! Hero and Ever gave Temperance hell for being the younger one before the siblings got involved with the war between Light and Darkness. Even then, they gave her hell, making her stay back and only letting her fight Shadows. She hoped Temperance would not have that power to hold over her head…
Ever scanned the empty streets, but something on the corner moved. She summoned her Keyblade and flipped down from the roof. She was slightly rusty, having been trapped in an orb she didn't flip off roofs daily like she use to, and she stumbled a bit. Straightening herself to preserve her dignity and lessen the blow to her ego if whatever was on the corner was slightly human, she moved forwards.
She threaded lightly, fearing the worse.
A blonde man lunged at her with a huge sword swinging in an arch, about to take her head off.
With a squeak that the old-ish Keyblade master would deny ever emitting, Ever ducked the attack.
She returned the attack, which her attacker returned with ease. The fight went on, Ever mostly doing defense.
"Because of you," The man hissed "My father is dead." What? She didn't kill any humans that weren't on the darkness' side…
Oh! Oh, Ever laughed dismissing her Keyblade and avoiding the man's furious slash. "Who do you think I am? Be honest now."
"I know you're Exer, don't even try to deny it." He snarled, holding his blade in front of him, ready to strike again. Ever began giggling, which soon turned into full blown laughter, complete with her on the ground trying to get her laughter under control. She could tell he was even more annoyed with her.
"you think- you think I'm Exer" She asked in between giggles. "Exer… Exer is… She's a redhead."
She summoned a small flame of fire, something she mastered on her journey saving the Worlds and when she was trapped in Hero's Orb. Her brown hair, slightly tinted blue (an after-effect of being trapped in a glowing blue orb for twenty-five years.) shone in the dim light.
"You been mistaking, Young master Strife." She remembered those trademark blue eyes and gravity-defying hair that belong to the Strife family. She had been in the employment of Jonathan Strife and her sisters worked with her in their house-hold. Temperance had been the Chef's apprentice, Hero worked as Mr. Strife's assistant, and Ever herself worked as a maid. Boarding had been provided to all three girls and the Strife's house had been a resting place when their journey had brought them back home. Jonathan was the last person Exer killed. Because of him, Ever had found the strength to seal Exer up. That night, Ever got drunk and slept with the man that she hated more then Exer. Rufus was his name (Squall was lucky he didn't inherited anything from that bastard.). He was the heir to the Shin-Ra company. That man denied everything about Squall, he said that even if his life depended on it, he would never sleep with Ever("Then go die already! It would make my life so much easier!").
"Who are you?" Strife snarled, bright blue eyes narrowed. A smirk twisted her features as she remembered the little three-year old boy she always watched over. He was a pain, always wandering off.
"Don't you remember me, Young master Strife?" She asked. "When you where little I use to keep an eye on you, Cloud. Well, I did disappear when you where Three, and while I fought the Darkness, I worked for you parents. You always where happy to see me after I left. I can't believe that you don't remember me."
"Who are you," Cloud grounded out, eyes narrowed.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ever teased lightly. Even if he wasn't the same little boy she knew and loved(to some extent), he was still as fun as hell to tease. A growl escaped from Cloud's lips and he looked ready to attack again. Ever sighed. "I'm the one who would come into your room when you where younger and annoy your babysitter."
Cloud's yes widened as he remembered that odd woman who would come into the nursery and annoy his babysitter, Zack Fair, and make him laugh. Before Zack, he woman use to watch him but then she ran off somewhere and would sometimes visit. She was out of his life on his fourth birthday.
"How is old Zacky anyways?" She asked lightly.
"Dead," He hissed, hating this woman who opened old wounds.
"What did I miss in the last twenty-five years?" Cloud rolled his eyes as the woman's silver eyes widened. "Well, I must be off. Tempe will kill me if she finds me missing. That woman became scary since I last saw her…" Cloud twitched slightly as she used Temperance's name so lightly. He watched as Ever climbed the building and disappear from sight.
What a strange woman…