Ok, so heres the next chapter of IO: AD. This chapter is a continuation of the last chapter only with a three year gap. Oh and before I continue, I've sorry for any OOCness in any of the character but this is a AU of an AU so...yeah! Anyways...ON TO THE STORY!

Yuan looked in amazement at the blueprints spread before him as a two year old Eria lay curled up in my lap, arms tight around Cloud, who my daughter had instantly fallen in love with. I smiled at the small child, running my fingers through her hair as Yuan continued to go through the blueprints.

"Tiamatt, this building...this machine...they're simply amazing! How did you think of these?" Yuan finally gasped, looking up from the papers.

"Well, I know there has been a lot of tension among the Theth'ellans and the people from Sylvarant since the world was reunited and I thought building a Garden would help bring unity to the people. It helped in the Sol System and that was 9 world, not one." I explained. "And the gates...well, I guess I want to see if its possible to create a connection of Gaia."

Yuan nodded. "I see. I'm not entirely familiar with some to the technology you've listed. I'm guessing you plan to help with construction."

"Yeah. Dad and Lloyd said they'd watch over Eria when we build Garden."

Eria blinked her auburn eyes open in response to her name and looked at me. "Mama, we go home now?"

I smiled at my daughter and tried to brush her bangs out of her eyes but they just fell back to where they were. "Soon, honey. Mommy has to talk to Uncle Yuan about something."

"But I sweepy..." Eria pouted.

Yuan laughed. "We can talk later, Tiamatt. Go ahead and take Eria home."

"Thank you. Eria," She looked up at me and extended her arms upwards, wanting to be picked up. Laughing, I picked her up as Cloud hopped onto my shoulder. "Go ahead and start studying the prints. If anything confuses you, just contact me."

"Alright. Bye Tiamatt. Bye Eria." Yuan smiled at us as we headed to the door.

Eria leaned a little out of my arms to wave at Yuan. "Bye bye!"

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"Eria!" Dad snagged my daughter from my arms as soon as we walked through the door. Eria squealed in delight as my father spun her around in a circle before holding her tight in her arms.

I sighed as I watch Dad tickle Eria, sending her into a fit of giggling. "Dad, please, don't get her riled up before bed."

Dad looked at me and frowned. "I'm her grandfather, aren't I? I'm allowed to spoil my granddaughter."

"Not if it means she up all night. I don't want her to be cranky tomorrow." I took Eria back into my arms, my daughter pouting slightly. "Say night night to grandpa, Eria."

"Night night grampa!" Eria said before yawning and curling up in my arms.

Dad smiled back at Eria as I took her to her room. "Good night, Eria."

I smiled as I put my daughter to bed and turned off the light, the only light now coming from the night light in the corner of her room. I watched her stir a little in her sleep before settling down as Cloud curled up beside her. She's so beautiful, Kratos. I wish you were here to watch her grow up. Hell, I just wish you could see her just once but..I sighed and looked out the window at the night sky. I hope you're happy where ever you are, Kratos...

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"Mommy,"

I opened my eyes to see 5 yr old Eria standing beside my bed, Cloud dangling from her arms as tears streamed down her face. "Eria, what's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream." Eria said quietly. "Can I sleep with you?"

I smiled and scooted over so that my daughter could lay beside me. "Of course, Eria. Do you want to talk about your dream?"

Eria climbed into bed and snuggled against my side, whimpering slightly. "...There was a tall man in black with red eyes. He was hurting people. One of them look like grandpa and one looked like..." she stopped as her teared started again and she buried her face into my chest.

What an odd dream...I wrapped my arms protectively around my daughter, holding her close and trying to offer her the comfort she desperately wanted. "Eria, sweetheart, its alright. It was just a bad dream. Me and Grandpa are just fine. You don't have to worry about the bad man." Eria looked at me and nodded before trying to wipe her tears away. "Good, now try and get some sleep. Alright, Eria?"

"O-okay Mommy. Good night." Eria said quietly, sniffling and closing her eyes. Smiling, I kissed her forehead before closing my own eyes.

"Good night, Eria."

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"Eria! Keep your hands up!"

My daughter didn't look back at me but she nodded slightly, never taking her eyes off her 14 yr old opponent.

The gunblader, Daz, moved forward for an attack but Eria weaved to the side before spinning around and slamming her elbow into the boy's back, sending him to the ground. To avoid a faceplant into the ground, Daz tried to roll, and to his luck, did so in success, landing in a crouch before Eria moved in and drove her knee into his chin, sending him on his back.

"You should've stuck to using your fist, Daz. Its too busy to beat you when you're using a gunblade." Eria laughed as she backed away to let her friend regain his feet.

"I just wanted to try something different today, ya know? It not my fault you wouldn't give me a chance to see if I was any good with a gunblade or not." Daz smirked back, playing pushing my daughter's shoulder.

I smiled at the sight of the two young teens. I was glad Eria was able to find a friend when we opened Symph Garden nearly eight years ago. With a lot of my time spent on running the school, helping with repairs, or working on the gates that allowed us back to Gaia and hopefully other worlds, it was difficult to give my daughter the attention she needed as a teenager. Dad, Lloyd, and Colette were a major help though too when it came to trying to raise a teen and run a giant school at the same time.

Needless to say, because of this multitasking, Eria and I were not a close as I hoped we would be and I was beginning to fear that she saw me no longer as her mother but just as Garden's headmistress. Maybe I should find someone else to run Garden so I can actually be a mother to my daughter but who would be qualified and trustworthy enough to give this responsibility?

Sighing, I shook my head to clear my head of those thoughts, reminding myself that Yuan and Raine had wanted to speak with me on a gate possibility. "Eria, Daz," Both teens stopped their conversation to look at me. "I must go and speak with Yuan and Raine. You two should head to class."

"Yes ma'am." They both answered before Daz picked up the gunblade and put it away while Eria waited for her friend.

I sighed again and left the weapons area of the gym before heading back to my office where Raine and Yuan should be waiting. Sure enough, they were both looking over a set of plans while a slightly altered gate stood to one side of the gate. This gate, instead of having one mana crystal powering it, had three, one located at the top and then one on each side.

Yuan turned to me as soon as I walked into my office, clearly excited. "It works, Tiamatt! We've actually achieved time travel without your Time Compression magic!"

"It works?!" Maybe now I can stop Kratos from leaving?... "So does this mean-"

"Tiamatt, it works, but not exactly how we planned." Raine interrupted. "You see, while we can go back in time with this, we can't go forward unless to return to our original time. We also can't go back to our dimension past."

Well, there goes that idea..."Well, at least we're one step closer." I sighed, moving to my desk and sitting down to look at the report Yuan had written up on it. "Thank you, Raine, Yuan."

Yuan now sighed and shook his head. "This wasn't all that we wanted to talk to you about. Why don't we extend out help out to the past of some dimensions as well? We already help in the present."

"True. So what you want a test mission to see what happens?"

"Yes and we were actually thinking of sending Eria on it." Raine added.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the half elven woman. "I will not send my only child into a situations I know nothing about."

'Tiamatt, I know you're protective of her but, hear us out." I glared at Yuan, but remained silent. "The dimension we plan on sending her is an altered version of this dimension. She is one of the few people we could send that you would trust enough not to screw up a mission. Besides the fact, she most likely won't be recognized."

"True but what exactly do you plan on her doing while in that dimension?" I growled, still not liking the plan much though his words were true.

"Well, in the universe, you have the Stigma but there is no sign of it being cured with in the near future unless we send Eria in with some of the rain she summoned a couple weeks ago. It would also give Eria a chance to prehaps meet her father, even if its another dimension's Kratos." Raine continued. "Its a simple mission and Eria is more then qualified for it."

She could meet her father? But...that Kratos wouldn't techniquely be her father but still... "Alright. I'll notify Eria. She'll leave in two days."

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I hope she'll be alright... I smiled at my daughter as she checked over her gear before looking at me.

"Mom, what if they find out who I am? What if they don't believe me?" Eria asked as Lloyd entered my office.

I sighed and walked towards her, unclipping my pendent from around my neck. "If they don't believe you, show them this. They'll recognize it." Eria looked at the silver and ruby pendent in disbelief before looking at me with the same shock. "Don't worry, Eria. Its ok for you to take that. Just don't lose it, alright?"

"Thanks Mom." She put the pendent in her jacket pocket before picking up her pack and slinging it over her shoulder. "I guess I'm ready."

Lloyd smiled, walking up to her and hugging her. "Take care, Sis. Don't cause too much trouble."

"...what if I screw something up while I'm there?" Eria asked suddenly, looking at me as Lloyd released her from her grasp.

"If something happens, just use the watch to come back home, ok?" I tried to reassure her but she still looked nervous.

"Maybe someone else should go..."

Lloyd frowned and put a hand on her shoulder. "What are you saying Eria? This is your time to truly prove yourself on a mission. Just don't get hurt, ok?"

"..." Eria didn't seem to take this much better.

"Come on Eria, you'll be fine." Lloyd said, hugging her again. Eria didn't respond again. Frowning once more, Lloyd picked her up and walked towards the gate. "Just give it your best, Eria. Don't worry. Come home safe!"

My eyes widened as I realized what he was planning to do and Eria must of realized it too cause she started to squirm in his arms. "Lloyd! Don't!" But it was too late, he had already thrown his sister into the gate which shut down afterwards. "Lloyd!"

The Eternal Swordsman looked at me and shrugged. 'I just giving her a push."

"That doesn't mean you have to throw her into the gate!" I snapped, clenching my fist. Lloyd suddenly looked nervous and darted past me and out of my office. "LLOYD!"

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I can't believe how much has changed since Eria went to the altered dimension. Her mission ended up being a failure after 'I' died before being brought back. I was lucky to get Eria back home when I did, especially since Jenova was trying to wreck havoc on that dimension. I never wanted to deal with that alien psychopath again.

On the other hand, Eria had come home with and Sephiroth clone named Rith at her side. Seeing the two of them together is almost painful but I'm glad to see Eria so happy. She enjoyed helping her new friend, who suffered some social issues from being in Hojo's lab his whole life. Now, three years later, you wouldn't be able to deal he ever had a problem with people.

It was funny to watch Dad get used to Rith after Eria and him annouced they were officially going out as boyfriend and girlfriend. Dad was so protective of Eria but he came to accept Rith and now got along with him great.

I wonder if Kratos would've acted the same way. Hell, I wonder if he even still remembers me. Probably not. It has been almost 18 years since he left after all and I wouldn't blame him if he forgot...

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Third Person POV

"Damn it! I'm late!" Eria muttered, running through the halls of Garden to the entrance. "Mom's gonna kill me if she finds out I was late to the demonstra-oof!"

The seventeen year old fell to the ground as she ran into someone. The man looked at her and helped her back to her feet. "I'm sorry about that but could you please show me to the headmistress' office?"

Eria, slightly dazed, pointed back behind her to a stairway that lead to the elevator. "Follow the stairs to the elevator. You can get to her office from there."

The man nodded. "Thank you."

But Eria didn't hear him, the teen already sprinting outside to the demonstration she was supposed to give to the younger cadets and students.

Sighing, the man shook his head before following the girl's directions. Several other students boarded the elevator with him before leaving once they got to the second floor and third floors. Now alone in the elevator, the man relaxed slightly and ran a hand through his auburn hair.

"She probably still hates me after what I did but...I have to talk to her. I have to tell her how I really feel..." The elevator dinged and the door opened, revealing a small hallway. The doors to the headmistress' office was open and the brown haired woman could be sign reading over something. The man couldn't repress a smile as he looked at her and walked into her office. 'Tiamatt,"

Tiamatt didn't even look up and grabbed a pen to mark something on the paper. 'I'm sorry but I'm busy. Can you please come by later?"

"I'm sorry Tia, but I can't do that. I've already waited 18 years to talk to you again." The man sighed, standing directly in front on her desk.

Tiamatt dropped her pen, her eyes going wide as she looked up at the man. "Kratos?"

Kratos chuckled but nodded before being caught off guard as Tiamatt came out from behind her desk and hugged him, crying into his chest. "Tiamatt?"

"I'm so happy you're back, Kratos! I missed you so much!" the woman sobbed, not loosening her grip on the Seraph.

"You're not mad at me for what I did?" Kratos asked cautiously. Tiamatt shook her head and looked up at him, her eyes pleading for him to say only a couple things. "I'm sorry for what I did Tiamatt. I truly do love you. I never meant to hurt you."

"Its alright Kratos. I over reacted back then." Tiamatt admitted before letting go of the Seraph and returning to her desk. "Oh, theres someone you have to meet!" Kratos looked at her in confusion as she pressed a button on a GS system located on her desk. "Can you please send Eria up to my office?"

"Yes ma'am. She'll be up in a moment." a voice replied before the link was closed.

Kratos looked at Tiamatt in confusion as they waited for Eria to arrive. "Who is Eria?"

Tiamatt smiled and walked back to Kratos, kissing him. "You'll see."

A minute later, the elevator was heard and the auburn eyed Eria entered the room. "Mom, what did you call me f-" She stopped, staring wide eyed at Kratos who looked at her in confusion. "Dad?"

"Dad?" Kratos looked at the teen for a moment before it hit him. "Tia, she's not-"

Tiamatt merely smiled, and moved beside Eria, hugging her daughter as Kratos looked at the two women in shock. "Kratos, I'd like you to meet your daughter, Eria Aurion."

Hehe, I think that about wraps up this section of this story! I know there was a lot of time jumps but it works! I might do one more chapter of this section but I'm not sure. All depends. I have a lot of other ideas for this story too so...yeah! Read and review please!