Two Months Later

The champagne bottle gracefully spun around its central axis in mid-air for a few moments, before reaching its intended target and immediately shattering. The foamy contents were splayed across the side of the hull. The officers and personnel who were gathered immediately applauded it.

Maritza grinned and crossed her arms, seeming to be pleased with her throwing arm. Leers merely frowned at this, once again disliking her childish behavior. The admiral wasn't so unhappy. Much as she disliked Maritza, she was happy that she finally got her greatest weapon.

The three officers were lined up together on the side of the pier, on one of the utility towers. There was a platform at the top of this one, allowing the other officers who would become the crew of this new vessel to stand there, as well as the soldier contingent. Below them, applauding as well, the work crews were leaving their masterpiece and moving to the sidelines, looking up at the marvel of engineering they had managed to construct. The finishing of this port base, for now known as Neo Junon, a month earlier was nothing compared to the marvel they had managed to finish now. Out in the bay, some thirty destroyers were firing off their guns in salute.

The ship of the hour was gigantic. It was so large that it had to be constructed in the water, for there was no way they could have launched it. It was due to Maritza's engineering ingenuity and prowress that they had managed to pull it off. It was so large that it could actually house four destroyers inside it, and was built with that purpose in mind. The sides of it rose sharply into the sky before plateauing out, essentially creating a great floating piece of land in the water. The smooth upper surface was interrupted only by the assorted batteries…ten deck guns, twenty batteries with anti-aircraft capabilities, and four multiple missile launchers…as well as the large command tower that rose from the deck. However, if a foe thought they could bring down this leviathan by simply targeting the tower, they were in for a surprise. Maritza had adapted the shield technology from the Dome to cover the tower itself. It was still far too early in the realm of innovation to be able to pull it off for the entire ship, but it hardly mattered…

Maritza uncrossed her arms and clapped her hands once in delight.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" She called out to those at her sides. "I labored long trying to think of an appropriate name… I finally adapted one from the legendary invincible airship… I call it the Juggernaut. It's a very fitting name, for it is a force that no one on Gaia can stop."

Leers looked over to Maritza again. She was so excited…she seemed to be perfectly in her element. She must have been. It looked like Maritza had taken up dying her hair more. Now, there were only a few gray strands in it. And her face looked even smoother than last he saw it. She must have been using some sort of new cosmetic, probably of her own creation. She didn't look much older than forty…

"Well, I hope so." Ashiah answered, staring at the ship. The truth was, she was very pleased with it…but only if Maritza had pulled through with it. "The amount of materials and manpower that was put into it… We could have almost doubled the size of our current navy."

"I think that was more than worth it to get this wonder." Maritza answered with a grin. "I wasn't being idle when I said that name. True…although only the command tower is shielded, that hardly matters. We've used every scrap of Adamant we've been able to mine, and refined it using my own special techniques to make a truly unbreakable metal: Adamantium. The upper deck and hull sides are coated with it. There isn't a bullet, missile, torpedo, or drill on Gaia that can leave so much as a dent in it.

"But of course…the true beautiful part is that this ship is the first in the new era of naval combat…the aircraft carrier. Our Gelinkas have been almost useless since this war began because of their inability to fly that far from our base near Icicle Inn to Midgar. Building this new base here only remedies the problem until the PPA moves again. But no longer. The Juggernaut provides a mobile platform, refueling spot, and base for any aircraft, enabling them to become far more potent and useful. And now…" Here, Maritza grinned a bit wider, taking on her wily characteristics again. "We can at last introduce my other bonus…my answer to the PPA's so-called 'Bismarks'…"

Right on schedule, the side of the Juggernaut, right across from the three officer, grunted and began to open. Hydraulic pistons slowly cracked open to unveil what was hidden within. Leers and Ashiah stepped back a bit, but Maritza merely grinned and continued to watch. A side panel slowly unfolded and formed a ninety degree angle with the rest of the ship's side. When it did…it revealed something new.

A bizarre black machine was at rest there. It was about eight feet tall, and seemed to be some hunk of engine. Two large chain guns were mounted in it, one on either side, and both on some sort of mobile turret. In addition, two large mechanical arms were in between the guns, both with giant, razor sharp, three fingered "claws". Above it, three helicopter blades were angled away from each other, and created a sort of umbrella like effect on top of the device.

"This one I call a Harbinger." Maritza explained with a grin. "I've got fifty of them right now. Each one is controlled by remote by a pilot at a console within the Juggernaut. They are far more mobile, agile, and deadly than any other fighter aircraft that has been constructed. And they are capable of far more specialized areas of combat than any other machine we have so far."

"They better live up to your boasting." Leers simply answered, at the end of all this. Martiza's smile momentarily faded into a frown at that. Evidently, she was hoping that he would have been more impressed with her work, especially as proud as she was for it. To see he wasn't upset her. Leers noticed her as she crossed her arms and frowned. He was a bit puzzled by this. Was a grown woman like her…pouting? At any rate, he turned his head to Ashiah afterward.

"In three days, we're launching a massive invasion that should reclaim Midgar for Shinra." He explained. "Again…I'm relying on you to carry this out. I trust you've gotten rid of all other sources of insurrection within your units?"

Ashiah gave a nod. "Yes sir."

"Good. Then begin to fully arm the entire fleet. We'll be striking them with everything we have."

RULER

Whew…this old restaurant is getting full…

Tifa thought of that as she considered exactly how many people she was making sandwiches for. Ever since the incident that had happened two months ago, their life here had gotten a lot more hectic. Having Ragnar as a houseguest was one thing. Now, however, there were two more people filling up the already overstuffed house.

The only place Aerith had ever lived had been back with Elmyra. That place was long since gone, and she had moved out. Hence, when she came back, and wasn't on the run for a change, she didn't have any place to stay. Initially, Tifa had let her stay at the Seventh Heaven while she recovered, due to a lack of other medical facilities. But even once everyone else returned to town, she had remained here. She had no income, obviously. She was with the army now, but she wasn't staying with any barrack units. And so, in the end, she had stayed here with the rest of them.

Then there was Azure. The only place he felt at ease was around the people who had been nice to him, namely Denzel, Marlene, Aerith, and anyone associated with them. So now, they had another kid living with them too. It had taken some getting used to and negotiating, but in the end all the residents in the house agreed to go with Aerith's theory. That meant that the young boy, or possibly Sephiroth clone, was now living with them too.

That made things rather crowded at night. There was a rollaway in the living room now, so that one person could sleep on the couch and still have enough room for another person. There wasn't enough room in Marlene and Denzel's already overcrowded room for a third child, but Azure didn't seem to mind sleeping on a foldaway cot. As a matter of fact, he liked it. He seemed to even prefer sleeping on the floor in Denzel's old sleeping bag if he had to. Evidently…he had been treated so badly by whoever he had been with before that even these small tokens were mercies to him.

So…this was where Tifa found herself when she was done for the day with the army. Back here in a house and restaurant that had once seemed so open and empty…and now was filled almost to the brim. To tell the truth…she kind of liked it. She liked being around people, and having this many nearby. It felt sort of like some strange, dysfunctional family to her… And she didn't mind that it meant a little more work. It was worth the feeling. And it was a welcome thing to have now that she was in the midst of a war…

"Hey, need any help?"

Tifa turned away from her work on the kitchen counter. She turned behind her, and saw Aerith standing in the doorway between the bar and the kitchen. Again she was stunned…because she again looked like a ghost. Aerith hadn't aged a day since she died, and so she was still in a twenty-two year old's body. Tifa now seemed older than her. What more, she was back to the way she used to be for most purposes. She had taken the time to find a pink dress just like the kind she used to wear, as well as an oversized pair of shoes. The Princess Guard was once again in her hand most of the time wherever she went. She had a brown jacket too, this one issued with the insignia of the Planet Protector Army, but she didn't wear it currently. It was too hot out. Finally, her hair was once again loosely braided and tied back with the same kind of ribbon. She looked so much like she did when they used to travel together…it was almost eerie.

Tifa shook her head. "No. I'm fine. I was just daydreaming. I'm almost done here." With that, she turned back to the counter, and looked over her works of art. "I was just trying to figure out how many people to make lunch for, since Cloud's actually coming in today."

Aerith smiled. "That will be nice."

Tifa tried to suppress a quiver within her when she heard that. Immediately afterward, she cursed at herself mentally. She had to stop thinking like that. Aerith was a friend…not a rival. Cloud had brought her back, but it was because she was still a friend. It didn't mean he had changed towards her… Tifa hated thinking these things. Every time she did, it made her wonder again if she had subconsciously been glad when she died…because it eliminated the competition…

"I'll just start putting stuff back." Aerith suggested.

Tifa swallowed once, and snapped herself out of these thoughts. "Yeah…good idea."

Aerith walked over to the counter, and soon began to pick up things that Tifa looked like she was done with, like the bread and meat. Tifa went about finishing her own work while she went on with this.

"So…how are you?" Aerith finally asked.

"Pretty good, considering the situation." Tifa answered. "We've all got a million things that could still go wrong, and a dozen mysteries unsolved…but the past two months have been pretty calm, and Cloud's been around more."

Aerith paused at that, and formed a somewhat uneasy expression. "…You aren't mad at me for what I asked him, are you?"

Tifa hesitated. In many ways…yes, she was. Aerith had stayed true to her word and asked Cloud to start teaching Denzel how to fight. It took a lot of prodding…but he had eventually started on the basics. That made her upset. She didn't want him to have to be a fighter too… However, she supposed there was no avoiding it, and in the end it would be better for him. And it did get Cloud to hang around her and the kids more…

"No…I'm not."

"Hear anything from the others lately?"

"Well…most of them are still off doing their jobs in the army. We have a lot more recruits now, and they're trying to get them ready for combat. We haven't seen anything in two months, but everyone thinks that's just because they're getting ready for a bigger assault. We have to be ready to fight back. Cid's hard at work building another airship for us, now that his company is underway. I think he's taken a shine to that Mack character…"

Aerith furrowed her eyebrow. "Who was that again?"

"He was one of the original escapees from Icicle Inn." Tifa reminded her. "He was the ace back in the last invasion. I think he likes his attitude, seeing as he takes risks with a machine as much as he does. I heard he was trying to teach him to fly."

"What about Barret?" Aerith asked. "How's he been doing?"

Tifa found herself stopping in the middle of her work again at that. He blinked and looked down slightly, seeming troubled. But after that, she shook her head and continued to work. Aerith noticed this, however. She stopped her own task and turned to the woman.

"What's wrong?"

Tifa shook her head, trying to go back to work. "It…it's nothing. It's stupid."

"Come on." Aerith urged. "Tell me."

Tifa stopped in her work again. She closed her eyes and sighed. Her face turned troubled.

"…Every time I think of Barret, I think of Marlene." Tifa finally answered. "I don't know exactly why he thought it was a good thing for her to come live with us, but I'm beginning to wish he never had done it. I get Marlene up every morning. I make her breakfast, pack her a lunch, send her to school, and answer the door when she comes back. I put bandaids on her scrapes, play her games with her, and have her sleep in my bed with me when she has nightmares. Every night I feed her dinner and put her to bed. I've done that for over two years now." She hesitated after this, sighing and putting her hands on the counter so that she could let her head hang low.

"…She was here about the entire time as Denzel…and I've grown to think of Denzel as my own son. Over time…I've grown to think of Marlene…almost as…my daughter…"

Aerith exhaled a bit herself at that. She understood the problem now, and she too bowed her head.

"But…Barret…" She said aloud, her voice growing anxious. "I don't know when. I don't know if it's going to be at the end of this war, or if he's going to send her home if he ever remarries… But one day…he's going to want her to come home. And he has every right. He's her real father…at least, as real as one is going to get… It's his family. His home." She paused again, and sighed. "But…she feels like she's part of my family too. When she goes away…it's going to be so much more empty in here. I'm not going to see her drawings anymore, or wash any of her clothes, or pick up any of her toys she might have left lying around…" She hesitated again, swallowing and collecting herself.

"…It's gotten to the point where I'm scared to even hear from Barret anymore…wondering if 'today's the day'."

Aerith looked ruefully at her friend. She wished she could say or do something to help. But unfortunately…Tifa didn't have any position to argue, and she had no talking point in this matter. In the end, it was Barret and Marlene's decision, not hers. She was sad for her, but she knew as well as she did that there was nothing she could do. All she could do was move over to her and put her hand on her shoulder, trying to encourage her.

"…Things will work out." She said at last. "Things always work out. They're never as bad as we make them up to be. Just don't let the fear keep you from enjoying the time you still have with her."

Tifa didn't answer, but continued to look down. In the end, she finally sighed and gave a shrug. "Yeah…you're right." She finally admitted. "I…I just wish there was some way…"

Before either woman could say anything else, they heard a door open behind, back in the main bar area.

"Tifa! We're home!"

Both women turned and looked behind them. They couldn't see that well although the kitchen door was open, but they recognized the familiar sound of Denzel, and heard him, Marlene, and Azure coming into the house. The two turned back and looked at each other a moment. Afterward, Tifa shook her head and went back to the food.

"Look at me…I've been talking so much about this I'm not ready yet… Aerith, could you go in and tell them to wash up?"

The Cetra gave a nod. "Sure." She turned and began to walk back out of the kitchen. Tifa was left to finish the sandwiches herself. After Aerith was gone, and she heard her begin to talk to the children to get them to the bathroom, Tifa quickly finished her work. After that, with practiced skill from being a bar hostess, she scooped up three plates at once, intended to serve the kids first. Both Denzel and Marlene liked turkey sandwiches, but Azure liked peanut butter and jelly. He had ever since Denzel had made him some the day he arrived. Once she had all three in hand, she turned and began to walk out herself. She soon pushed her way through the swinging door, and emerged into the bar area.

Tifa had to add another table to their "dining room", now that they had two more residents. It was set up for lunch the same as it had been two months ago. Tifa had already brought out the fruit, vegetables, and potato chips. All that was left was to set out the sandwiches and lemonade. As she came in and went to the places the kids normally took, she saw the door to the home part of the building open. Aerith and the children came out of it. Obviously, from having played outside in the near summer heat for so long, they were rather sweaty and dirty. However, the two boys were clinging to her at the moment.

"Come on! Please?" Denzel asked.

"It's really hot out." Azure added, matching Denzel's whining tone in much the same fashion. "Please? Just for a second?"

Aerith rolled her eyes slightly and sighed. "Boys…you know I only like doing this for a good reason."

"Please?" Denzel begged again. "We're really hot…"

Aerith held back a bit longer. However, in the end, Tifa saw her cave in with a sigh. "Oh, alright." She answered smiling. "I need to practice this again anyway."

With that, the Cetra held her hand over the eager boys. They grinned and immediately stood at the ready. Aerith closed her eyes, and began to whisper. Some sort of strange language came from her, and in response a glow began to form around her person. Shocking as this normally would be, the denizens of the house had seen it before, and just watched it instead. After a moment, the green aura fell again, and something happened. A gust of wind suddenly blew forth from Aerith's hand. But it wasn't just wind. Particles of snow and frost were in it, swirling around like a gust from a snowstorm. Both of the boys closed their eyes and felt it as it blew over them, cooling them off instantly. After a few moments, Aerith let up, and dropped her hand.

"Alright now. Sit down and get ready to eat." She told them. The two immediately complied.

Yes…Aerith still had a measure of her power. But she had never been able to fully recover. Somehow, when Aerith came back to life, she gained the ability to perform magic without the aide of materia. It was shocking to everyone. After the incident with the mako eruption, however, Aerith claimed she had burnt out a part of her body, scarring it in the spiritual sense. It was impossible for her to ever perform something of that magnitude again. Teleportation was out of the question. To even take herself outside of the Seventh Heaven would be a fatal strain. However, her power hadn't fully disappeared. She still had some left, and she had grown good at it. It was no problem to send a cold breeze over Azure and Denzel at this point. At full power, she could manage a second stage attack of the basic elemental spells. Yet that was her limit. To Aerith, it was a good thing.

As the two boys joined Marlene at the table, who gave them a scolding look for doing this in the first place, the front door opened again. Everyone turned and looked, and saw that it was an even dirtier and sweatier Cloud walking through the front door. He apparently had been working hard too.

"Hi Cloud!" Denzel immediately called.

"Hey, Denzel." The ex-mercenary answered. He wiped his brow afterward and formed an agonized look. "Man…is it hot out there today. And I'm so hungry…" He began to make for the table.

"Oh no you don't." Tifa immediately cut off, waving a finger at him. "The kids had to wash up first, and so do you. You're not getting everything dirty like that."

Cloud rolled his eyes and grumbled in response, but then turned to go to the washroom. As he did, however, Aerith looked expectantly back to the door. When she saw nothing, she turned back to Cloud.

"Hey…where's Ragnar?"

"Kid radioed me and said he couldn't make it." Cloud answered as he continued to walk. "He's too busy."

Aerith crossed her arms and frowned. "Again? That's the third day in a row he's canceled."

Cloud turned back and gave a shrug. "What can I say? He's trying to set up a new system of officers to take some of the pressure off of him, but it's not going well. The only people he really knows are our inner circle of friends, and he's still getting a grasp for the aptitudes of everyone else. Some of his early choices for new commanding officers aren't that good at what they do. Plus he's trying to decide how to go about pushing forward with his first contract."

Tifa heard this, and sighed a bit herself as she frowned. "…So, he's really going forward with it?"

Cloud nodded but still stayed regular. "There's nothing for it, really. We ran out of things to refurbish and upgrade. We either have to hire a firm to start producing munitions for us, or start doing it ourselves. It would be cheaper to send in work orders."

Aerith herself looked a bit unhappy at that. "I don't like the sound of this…and I don't like him spending all that time out there either. He's working too hard. This new officer system was supposed to make less work for him, not more. He needs to relax once in a while. I heard he didn't sleep during the whole four days of that little trip we took two months ago."

Cloud sighed and shrugged. "I don't know what to say. Ever since he got this commission from Bahamut or whoever…he thinks everything in the army is his personal responsibility. The incident with that one assassin or saboteur or whatever didn't help. And neither did the incident with you."

"But Midgar was saved." Aerith answered. "No one died and I recovered."

"He still thinks they wouldn't have been in any trouble in the first place if he had stuck around." Cloud answered. He shook his head. "Kid takes too much responsibility for everyone… Beats himself up too much…"

"And you'd know nothing about that at all, of course." Tifa responded with a bit of a smile.

The ex-mercenary did something he rarely did at that. He blushed.

"Well…maybe I'll pop in and say hi after lunch." Aerith finally spoke. "It might be good for him to know there's still people around here caring that he's alive…"

RULER

"Alright you lazy bums! Front and center! Stand at attention! Shape up or-"

"ZOLA!"

The basilisk froze and formed an uneasy grimace, immediately losing his gruff, commanding appearance. The troops didn't seem to mind. They continued to obey him, rushing out from between their bunks in the barracks and coming together to stand at attention in the dual lines along the central walkway.

Zola was standing at the head of them, flexing his new authority in calling them for an inspection drill. However…that had changed in a heartbeat when a person he thought would be away for another few minutes made her appearance…

Slowly, Zola turned uneasily around to see who had returned. Sure enough, his eyes rested on a rather irritated and unhappy looking Lieutenant. Her arms were crossed and her eyes glared icy daggers.

"What's the big idea? This is my barracks! I give the call to attention!" Yuffie bellowed in his face.

Zola swallowed, and gave an innocent shrug. "I…eh…"

"You may be an officer again, but you're still just a corporal!" Yuffie yelled on. Afterward, she rolled her eyes and snorted. "Typical. They promote you…yet I'm still stuck being a lieutenant! At least I didn't stab the group in the back…recently. I have little enough authority as it is! And now you're trying to undermine me?"

Zola continued to shrink back, looking rather afraid in the wake of the ninja's fury. She could be very fearsome for a simple young human girl… She was nearly fuming at him now, her hands on her hips and her jaw tight, nearly exposing her teeth. She continued to glare at him for a moment, seeming ready to attack at any second, before she looked up and saw the other people in the barracks. They were still standing at attention, and not moving or looking away.

"What are you all waiting for?" She suddenly snapped at all of them. "Get out to the target range already!"

The people stiffened a bit, but then turned and ran out, doing as they were commanded. The entire company soon poured past Zola and Yuffie and flooded out behind them. It was rather hectic, but an army of volunteers was used to this sort of thing, especially in Yuffie's barracks. Soon, the two were left alone in the building by themselves.

"I just…kinda got carried away…" Zola answered. "I mean, I used to be a major officer…"

"Well, I'm the major officer here!" Yuffie shot back. "I'll thank you to remember that! Honestly…why did I ever want you in my division anyway?"

Actually, you didn't. Ragnar made you. Zola thought in response, although he didn't say it. Staying quiet right now was best. He let Yuffie boil over and then start to simmer down afterward. There were a few moments of silence, as Yuffie paced a bit with her arms crossed. However, in the end, Zola managed to straighten himself up a bit. After that, he smoothed himself out a little, and then asked the question.

"So…what's on the agenda today?" A dark look later, and he quickly threw in. "…Lieutenant?"

"Another dumb invasion drill." Yuffie complained in response. "They want us to be ready for another landing. Honestly…I don't know why we waste time with this."

Actually, Zola agreed with her…but probably for a very different reason. The fact was that they could only do so much from land. If the New Shinra attempted another invasion, the only thing that would really matter in stopping them would be their shoreline defenses. And despite two months of hard work and new recruits, they could do little. There were maybe thirty batteries up and down the line with heavy cannon and missiles. The infantry could supplement it with some RPGs, but not many. They had put plenty on the shore to make a landing costly, such as trenches, mud walls, barbed wire, and other things…but it would only slow down their heavy equipment in the end. And they couldn't defend the entire coast. They were still sorely outnumbered. They could hold their own for a little while in a defensive battle, but there was too much ground to cover, and too little weapons to do it. The PPA hadn't brought up any new battery in three weeks. They had finished upgrading the Bismarks with as much as they could. They had no new weapons.

If the shore defenses fell…then the army would do little to stop them from taking Midgar.

While thinking over these things and straightening himself out, a thought occurred to the basilisk. He turned to Yuffie as she began to return to normal again. "Hey lieutenant…is Wutai planning on helping us anytime soon?"

The woman frowned and pouted. She balled her hands into her fists and wrung them at her sides. "No… My dad's still too much of a coward. He doesn't want anyone from Wutai to start dying, even if it means turning our country back into some tourist trap if the Shinra take over."

Zola frowned a bit himself at that, looking a bit rueful. After a moment, however, he thought of something else. "What about acting as a supplier?" He asked. "They built that invisibility cloak for you… They have to have some serious technology. And they're great at manufacturing…"

Yuffie groaned and turned to one of the bunks, to slump down on top of it. "Again…my dad's too chicken. He thinks that starting to make weapons for the PPA will cause the New Shinra to come and bomb us." Yuffie paused at that a moment, and then scowled as she leapt to her feet, holding a fist above her head. "I say bring 'em on! We'll make them pay for what they did to us in the last war! And it's better to die a warrior than live as a sheep!"

Zola reacted a bit to Yuffie's strong sentiments, leaning back slightly. She was indeed a very vibrant and tempered human. However, he did share some of her feelings. In his ages of experience, he found that nothing ever was solved by waiting around for it to take place. Someone had to take charge. Right now, the PPA was holding its own. But with Wutai, they could turn the tide. They needed to get them on their side. There was talk about sending some diplomats there, but with the PPA still an organization and not an official government, it might take more than that. It was still a mess for right now… He just hoped they could do something before the next attack came…

Yuffie tapped her foot angrily for a few moments more. Then, she turned to Zola, and frowned again. "Well, what are you standing around for?" She finally shot at him. "Get out there and start working those troops!"

Zola didn't bother mentioning that the reason they were both still there was because of Yuffie's tantrum. He merely gave a salute and quickly dashed past her for the outside, missing a boot to the rear as he did so.

RULER

Ragnar turned a tired look from one slip of paper to the next. It was like some sort of bizarre quest to him…one in which he had to decipher a small series of clues and read in between the lines and pick the correct one. The right one might help, while the wrong one might bring disaster.

Yet he had to do this.

The youth raised a hand and wiped his brow, feeling his headache come on again. He took another swig of his cherry cola a moment later, trying to keep awake. He had been thinking about this all night, unable to sleep. After this, he shifted weight a bit in his office chair. Ragnar finally had an official room. It was next door to the old restaurant, in one of the upper levels. It had been an old office building, but now it was the headquarters for the main operations of the Planet Protector Army. Typically, at the very top, was Ragnar's office.

The youth had a bit more sympathy for Cid now. His desk was clogged to the point of overflowing with forms and papers he had been working on and filling out. There were files piled up on the floor all around him, making it almost impossible to get to his chair. There was also soda can after soda can piled up all over the room, everywhere there had been a space. Buried somewhere under the mess he was seated at was a phone and various office supplies. The rest of the room was all but blank save for a file cabinet, two chairs for visitors, and an old couch that came with the place. Ragnar had "crashed" on it several times, but currently it was overstuffed with old clothes and garbage. Probably not the most lovely scene for a general…and it hadn't been cleaned in over a month. But he dealt with it. He didn't have time to waste on that. He had other matters to attend to.

Which one…

A creaking disturbed Ragnar. In his tired state, he snapped up in a flash, his concentration broken, and actually gave out a little cry. His eyes shot to the doorway.

The woman who was pressing herself in noticed Ragnar's shock. Immediately, she winced a bit and became apologetic.

"Sorry…" Aerith innocently answered. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Ragnar paused a moment, blinking. But then, he shook his head and exhaled. "No…no." He answered, in a somewhat dazzled voice. He was calming down now, and slumped back into his chair. "You just…startled me, that's all. I get so focused on things that the slightest noise throws me off."

Aerith paused a moment, and then smiled as she walked in a bit more. She revealed what she was holding. It was a sandwich on a plate wrapped in cellophane. "You didn't come to lunch, so I brought it to you."

Ragnar was still adjusting a bit, but on seeing that he smiled and sighed. He gave a head shake. "Sorry." He tiredly answered. "I was busy today… I really need to come onto a decision about this. I don't have much of an appetite, though. I haven't felt like eating today…"

Aerith hesitated, but in the end came into the room. She maneuvered her way up to the desk, and then set the plate on top of a stack of papers. "In case you want it later." Aerith answered with a smile.

Ragnar exhaled a bit with a tired smile. "Thanks…but I really can't eat right now. Maybe I'll feel more up to it around dinner."

Ragnar turned back to his work at that. Aerith herself looked down over him for a moment. Ragnar didn't recognize this, but she made a pose that Cloud would have recognized immediately. She folded her arms behind herself, and bent over to bring her head closer to the desk. It was like a child looking at something.

"What's the problem?"

Ragnar sighed. "…We don't have any weapons left to refurbish in this world." He admitted. "I hate to have to do this…but I have no choice. I have to try and get someone to start making them for us."

As expected, Aerith's face grew uneasy at that. However, Ragnar could do little to encourage her. He didn't like this either. He merely stared regretfully a moment, and then turned back down to his notes. However, Aerith didn't move. And after a moment longer, he heard her voice.

"Not as easy as it used to be, is it?"

Ragnar was confused by this reply, and looked back up. "Excuse me?"

Aerith was bending back up, but she continued to stare at Ragnar, and a smile was forming again. "Being a hero." She simply answered. "You used to only have to run around with a sword and slay a few monsters. Now you have to fight a war with guns and bombs."

Ragnar was caught off guard by that. Being a hero…? However, it was only a moment. He then remembered that he had told Aerith the story about how he met Bahamut, and that unlike the others she believed him immediately and completely. And Bahamut had said he was supposed to be a hero for this world. In the end, he smiled slightly himself, and sighed as he bowed his head again. "No…it sure isn't." He answered. "Nothing like in the stories I read…"

Aerith lowered her head slightly, but kept her smile. "…It wasn't exactly what I expected either." She went on. "I always thought the hero lived happily ever after at the end of the story…"

Ragnar raised his head again at this. He got what this meant, and looked back to Aerith. After a moment, however, he cracked a smile of his own.

"Actually…that is what you got."

Aerith paused a moment, then suddenly smiled and snickered a bit. "Yeah…I guess you're right. At least the living part…"

Both people paused a moment. Neither of them said anything. Ragnar was a bit nervous. He didn't know if he should say something else or not. The awkward silence unnerved him somewhat, but he didn't know what to do. And so, he sat there, unable to say anything to the woman in front of him. It was so strange… He had never seen her in those clothes until the day she started wearing them, and yet it seemed as if they were perfect for her. Like that was what she was supposed to be in… As for Aerith, she slowly turned back and forth in place, keeping her hands behind her.

In the end, however, her smile faded.

"Ragnar…" She slowly said aloud, her voice uneasy and slow. "Have you ever…heard voices…?"

Immediately, the youth's face turned puzzled. "What? What do you mean?"

The woman suddenly stopped swaying. She seemed to catch herself in the middle of something, and immediately went out of it. She raised her head, and then smiled again. However, her look was nervous and hurried. "Oh…nevermind." She answered with a smile. She began to move to leave. "I'll be back for the plate later. The sandwich better be gone!" She scolded. However, she was rushing to the door now. In no time at all, she was on it and vanishing through it. She paused only long enough to move her head back in and smile at him. "Come back tonight, ok?"

Ragnar opened his mouth to speak, and raised a hand to her. However, the door was already shut again. It was too late for him to say anything. The man sighed, and lowered his arm again. He frowned somewhat in response, and slumped back in his chair. That was odd. It was like Aerith was about to say something to him, but that she had cut herself off. Why was that?

Ragnar might have kept thinking about it, but he found his train of thought interrupted when he suddenly heard his phone ring. Not the phone that came with the office, which he rarely used, but his own cellular. The young man looked down, and saw the device on the desk giving out its basic ringtone. He hated specific tunes. They annoyed him. Of course, so did calls. As he looked to it, he gave a small sigh. What was it going to be this time? Groaning a bit, he reached over and grabbed it. He brought the phone back, flipped it open, and then turned it on.

"This is General Ragnar." He answered as he put it to his head.

"It's Victor Reeve." The man on the other end answered. "How are you, general?"

Ragnar looked around a bit at himself. "…I'm getting more stubbly, and I'm out of cherry soda, but other than that…"

"Heh…maybe I should put some of your dryness into Cait Sith's next modification. Anyway, have you signed any contracts yet?"

"No. I was just about to get to that. You have any advice on which one?"

"Yes. Don't sign any of them. I have a new bidder over here. I want you to hear him out before you make a decision. Come over right away and I'll introduce you."

Ragnar's brow furrowed in confusion. "Reeve, I…"

It was too late. The phone had already been hung up. Ragnar frowned again, and sighed as he dropped it back down on the desk. He reached up to his head and rubbed it. His headache was returning. Why was it that he always had to run everywhere to get any answers? It frustrated him. But in the end, there was nothing for it. Reeve had a way of getting you to come by not answering any follow up calls. Then you had to see him in person, and it was harder to walk out on him if you didn't agree. Much as it irritated Ragnar, that was the only way to get an answer now.

Groaning, Ragnar began to pull himself up from his chair to get moving.

RULER

Denzel managed to swing two more times, but then let his arms fall. His face was strained, and his brow was covered with sweat.

"I'm tired…" He complained.

Cloud kept his arms crossed and stared down at him. "If you can't do it for at least ten minutes, I can't move you on to anything else."

Denzel frowned at that, looking a bit uneasy about that length of time. But then, he closed his eyes, grit his teeth, and forced himself to lift the wooden sword back up. Biting back and keeping himself going, Denzel managed to lift the sword over his head and bring it down again. He soon did so once more.

The ex-mercenary watched him do this, giving his assent silently in his mind.

That's right, Denzel… Get angry at it. Get angry at your body when it holds you back. Push yourself back against your limitations and defy your mind when it says no…

Lunch was over at this point, and Cloud was now in full swing of Denzel's practice session. Denzel had only begun a short time ago, and Cloud was still trying to get him to be strong enough to actually learn something. That was what this was for. Cloud had given him a wooden sword, and had him practice doing the basic overhead chop while being in ready position. This was the more tedious part of practice…and it was the one that could wear him out more than actually learning how to use his weapon. But it was also necessary. Cloud had enhanced strength from his Jenova cells and mako infusion, so wielding the massive Event Horizon was no problem. Denzel had no such distinction…at least, in terms of mako infusion. To Cloud's anger, Denzel had Jenova cells within him as well, due to the actions of the only man more soulless than Sephiroth. However, it didn't change the fact that he had to build himself up to be able to use the same size and weight blade Cloud did.

Cloud stood and watched Denzel as he swung the blade again and again. Nearby, a bit on the outskirts, was the other two child members of their little family. Azure and Marlene were watching, just as they always watched these practice sessions. Azure was always focused on him, seeming to be marveling at the whole thing. Marlene was more of a cheerleader.

That came into play as Denzel began to heave again, and grit his teeth in pain and agony. Not only was he straining his arms, but his hands were growing calloused from the tight grip he maintained and strained against. By now, they had to be rather sore.

"Come on, Denzel!" Marlene cheered. "Keep going! You can do it!"

Denzel began to fume, exhaling sharply and gritting his teeth with each new swing. He closed his eyes and began to look agonized as he kept swinging. But still, he pushed himself on. However, after a few more moments, it became too much for him despite Marlene's cheering. That was why Cloud, who normally would encourage him as well at this point, kept silent. He was straining himself too far. In the end, Denzel gave one final cry of agony as he struggled to lift his sword one more time… He buckled against it, fighting against the weight a moment…but then broke. He dropped it to the ground. Immediately after, he collapsed onto his knees and fell face forward. He began to pant hard.

"Denzel!" Marlene called out in concern. However, Cloud knew there was no worry. He was just wiped out…which was good. It meant he gave it everything he had. It was hard to usually get that from a kid his age. But luckily, Cloud had some success with it. He went down to the boy's side almost immediately. Denzel continued to lay there and pant, winded and exhausted. His breath blasted out rapidly and raggedly. When Cloud bent down next to him and put his hands on him, he could feel how hot he was. However, he pulled the boy up, and helped him to weakly turn and get in a sitting position. Denzel slumped forward afterward, and continued to pant and try to catch his breath. Cloud reached to his side as he bent down near him, pulling out the boy's water bottle. He gave it to Denzel, who quickly took it and gave himself a long drink. Once he was done, he nearly dropped the bottle to the ground, for his arms were too tired to be held up, and turned to Cloud.

"How…long did I…do it?" He asked between breaths.

"You nearly made it to seven minutes." Cloud answered.

On hearing this, Denzel immediately groaned and looked downcast. It was a long way from his goal. He slumped again where he was, turning dishearted.

"What's the matter?" Cloud asked. "You should be happy. You beat your previous record by over a minute."

"But it's not anywhere near ten minutes…" Denzel unhappily answered.

"Of course it isn't." Cloud answered. "Ten minutes at your age would be extra-ordinary. Usually only twelve-year-olds can pull it off."

The boy looked up in confusion at this, and turned back to Cloud. "What? But then…why did you-"

"Don't get me wrong." Cloud answered. "I still wanted you to try for ten minutes. It's something only the strongest kids in the world might pull off, and so that's why I wanted you to do it. Denzel, if you had tried doing that exercise only doing what most kids your age can do, which is only six minutes, chances are you would have done a lot worse. You would have expected yourself to plateau at six minutes, and so when six minutes arrived you would have subconsciously tried to give up. The only way you ever get the best out of yourself is to expect the best out of yourself. You may not have done ten minutes…but you never would have even got to seven if you hadn't tried to hit ten minutes."

Denzel paused at that. However, Cloud saw that what he said was sinking in, and the boy believed him. The truth was Cloud was very proud. He hadn't expected Denzel to give that much. He supposed he should have encouraged him to do even more, like Marlene was…but he had already exceeded his expectations, and he had learned not to give in to pain. Now he learned to always expect the best out of himself, and to try for that. In the end, he gave a smile.

"…And I wasn't telling the truth entirely back there." Cloud went on. "I can start teaching you some stuff now, even if you aren't all the way to ten minutes."

Denzel brightened up at that. "Really?"

Cloud gave a nod. "Sure. But it looks like you're done for today. That's alright. We can go in now. You've worked hard enough."

"Hey, Mr. Cloud?"

Denzel was about to get up at this, when he turned his head to the source of the voice. Cloud turned and looked over as well. To his surprise, Azure had stepped out. Not only that, but he had taken up Denzel's extra practice sword. He held it for a moment, seeming a bit uncertain with it a moment. But then, he shifted his legs out a bit, and started to move them in the same ready position that Denzel had them in a moment earlier. He lifted his arms at the same time, and began to bring the wooden weapon in front of him.

"…Could you teach me too?" He asked after a moment. "I've been watching you and Denzel. I think I can swing it for that long…"

To accent this, Denzel turned forward, and soon began to swing his sword in the same way that Denzel was swinging his before. However, he did it much easier and more quickly. Part of that was due to the fact that Denzel was tired…but part of it was not. Cloud soon found himself taken back a bit. Azure was only about the same age as Denzel, but he was already swinging the sword much easier and more strongly. He appeared to be a natural at this.

And seeing that…made Cloud uncomfortable.

"Um…Cloud?"

The ex-mercenary was shaken from his thoughts, and looked down. He noticed that a change had suddenly come over Denzel. A look of anxiety was on his face, followed by a change in mood. He was watching Azure, and how he was swinging the blade, and now showing his own ability to learn to use a sword. He watched it only for a moment, before he turned and looked back to Cloud. He hesitated, but then spoke up more strongly.

"I'm…not that tired yet." He hesitantly said. "I…I can do it for longer."

With that, Denzel turned back to where his sword was lying on the ground. He took it, and began to step back up to his feet. It was obvious that it was a strain. He winced and grit his teeth doing it. But once he was up, he went back into ready position regardless. He breathed hard, but he forced himself to raise his sword back up. He cast a glance at Azure as he did this. But then, he looked forward again…and, to Cloud's surprise, forced himself to swing it as hard and fast as Azure was doing it.

Azure turned and noticed this, and smiled in surprise. "Wow. You're doing it again already, Denzel? I thought you were tired out."

Denzel kept swinging, but forced himself to smile through clenched teeth. "Nah… Just…catching…my breath…" He said as he kept swinging.

"It's going to take me a while to catch up with you." Azure answered, but then smiled and continued to swing himself.

Cloud began to get to his feet as well, watching this exchange. A moment ago…he had been unnerved when he saw Azure come forward, and shown his strength in terms of using a sword. But then, he saw the change in Denzel. It was subtle, but Cloud could see it. Denzel had been a bit afraid when he saw Azure take up a sword and start swinging away no problem. It had made him scared to see another boy already doing that…and asking Cloud to teach him. He had seen the chance that another boy might become a student, and might surpass him in terms of what he learned. Denzel was determined to show him that he was better…and so he had forced himself to keep practicing.

This made the ex-mercenary hesitate. Denzel was already doing great…but now, he was pushing himself even farther beyond his limits, because he had a potential rival. And he saw a likewise change in Azure. That hadn't been an idle sentence. He really did look like he was willing to push himself hard to catch up with Denzel. Seeing these two together…Cloud realized something. He was nervous about Azure taking up swordfighting. Kadaj and Sephiroth alike were great with swords…and he wanted to keep Azure, assuming he was truly a Sephiroth larva, as far away from taking up their old tendancies as possible. And as far as teaching how to use a sword, he wanted that to be something special between him and Denzel. But in the same breath…he realized something else.

If Denzel had a peer to work against, he might improve even faster. He would drive himself on even more. Cloud had pushed himself far harder when he had rival recruits working against him to join SOLDIER. In a way, having a first class SOLDIER like Zack for his friend made him even more intent on getting better, and it had helped him to brush up on a lot of his inadequacies. And he could get a better grasp of Azure's abilities this way.

In the end, Cloud decided it was worth a shot.

"…Alright you two. Keep going if you can."

RULER

To be continued...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The "invincible airship" that Maritza is referring to early in this chapter is the Dreadnought from Final Fantasy II. However, I opted for her to do a variation on the title rather than rip it directly, as a Dreadnought is a real type of battleship...but one that is far inferior to an aircraft carrier.