Author's Note:
My shortest chapter yet—enjoy!

008: Feather

She didn't think it was all that big of deal when she heard it but the name kept ringing in her head over and over again—Sephiroth. What could it possibly mean? It was probably a bad idea to think so deeply into it but she couldn't shake away those feelings she felt. Was it paranoia or was it something more? Yuna didn't even think to tell anyone of what she heard. She spent that day at the church, with Cloud helping her as usual, and it didn't even cross her mind.

Yuna sat at the edge of the flowerbed, calculating just the right amount of gil she would need to proceed home, she didn't even notice when a small, white marble rolled to her side. "Huh? What's…?" She plucked it up from the ground; the marble glowed with a peculiar green tint that almost seemed soothing.
"Shit, how'd that get there?" Cloud muttered, lowering himself and reaching for the orb; Yuna simply handed it back without protest.
"I'm sorry, is this yours?"
Cloud didn't say anything; he hid the small orb within his fingers.
"It's very pretty…I like it!"
Yuna didn't exactly understand what it was or what it could've been, but it had a certain beauty that you often find in jewelry, almost like a pearl. She wasn't so sure it was a pearl, however.
"It was hers." Cloud finally responded.
"Really?" Yuna gasped, lips curling to a small smile; she knew of who he spoke.

She climbed back up to her feet, moving right to Cloud's side, curiously watching him. "What is it?"
"…It's the white materia."
As usual, Yuna blinked and had no clue of what he spoke.
"You don't have materias where you live?" Though Cloud quickly realized how silly his question sounded; of course they didn't, they didn't need a reason for them after all—she's a natural.
"I don't know what they are, I'm afraid. What does it do?"
"This one? It doesn't really do anything, but there are others that can help us use magic or call summons."
"Summons…you mean aeons?" But how can that be?
"Is that what you call them?"
"The aeons are physical forms of fayth's dreams, how can…?" Her mind wanders to the small, white marble. "How can you call on them when you're not summoners?" Were there more? Why was a marble needed in the first place?

As for Cloud, he didn't exactly understand it himself; he just knew there were different types of materias in the world, many of them held their own summon inside—an aeon.
"How can you still wield magic without using these?" Cloud asked rhetorically, holding up the white materia in his palm for Yuna to see. "There are a lot of mysteries in the world that haven't been answered yet." He was still learning himself and he did just find out about Yuna and her home.
"I guess you're right but…" Yuna turned away, sighing. "Summoners and aeons share a special relationship, I don't know how anyone can so easily do what we are trained to do."
"Hell if I know…we don't really talk to the summons, we just use them." Hm, sounded terrible when he put it that way. "Maybe they're different after all." Neither of them could really tell unless they both caught glimpse of their aeons and summons.
"Maybe." But Yuna wasn't exactly too sure, regardless, the talk of these mysterious orbs caught her attention. "Can you tell me more about materia?"

Sephiroth's words echoed in his mind, that day he returned to Nibeheim, seven years ago, when Tifa, Sephiroth, and Zack observed the mako spring. The knowledge of the Ancients all held up in these materias, knowledge that produces magic; somehow there were still humans that held onto this knowledge, and Cloud automatically turned to Yuna. "It's mako, in physical form."
"Mako…?"
Cloud's lips pulled to a half smile; yes, he forgot to explain what mako was. "You know the reason why the entire area surrounding us is dead of its plants?" Save for the flowers growing amongst this church. He explained it all to the best that he could, how the old city of Midgar had reactors that used this mysterious liquid to produce its electricity, but the cost ended up draining every plant of its life, thus leaving the area around them gray and barren. It caused Yuna to feel a tad horrified, but judging by the reputation Shinra had, she suspected it; nothing but more facts to add on to their infamy it seems. "But they still grow here; how?"
"…No one really knows." He didn't like contemplating on it too much anyway.
"So mako is energy, energy that comes from the planet…"
"The Lifestream."

There was that word again, the word that the two men from before associated her with, who claimed she had the ability to communicate with this 'Lifestream'.
"What is it?"
Cloud didn't know why he chose to speak so much, why he actually chose to talk to her and explain everything when there were others that would probably do a better job than him, but he had to admit, the young woman was beginning to grow on him, even if a little. She came here for a purpose; he might as well give her what he could give.
"A Lifestream is …many things, its memories, emotions, souls." It was really difficult to explain. "It's like the afterlife, after someone dies, they return to the Lifestream, when life is born again, energy is passed back and we're born again." His attention wanders to the sunshine and the sky above them. "Everything surrounding us is because of the Lifestream."
"So," Yuna stepped up, her attention turning to the sky as well. "It's like the Farplane?"
"Farplane?"
"It's where souls of the dead are sent, and you can visit the Farplane, the pyreflies will form the figure of a deceased loved one through the memories of the living. Does the Lifestream have pyreflies?"
"I don't know, the Lifestream usually comes in mako, and forms into Materia."
"I see…it probably comes in many forms then." This was assuming that the Farplane and Lifestream share a similar relationship, or is even the exact same thing.

There was a brief pause between the two; a moment of silence.
"So is it true?" Cloud finally asked, turning to face Yuna, and she faced back.
"Is what true?"
"Can you communicate with the Lifestream?"
"Not…exactly," Yuna responded, and again, she was assuming the Farplane and Lifestream were the same. "The most we do is preform sendings, it's when summoners send the spirits of the deceased to the Farplane, or the Lifestream in your case."
"Do they really need that?"
"Some, not all, but we help them go back, otherwise, they become monsters."
Now that Cloud did know.
"But there are some that accept their deaths, so they return on their own." She paused once more so she could allow herself to breathe and think. "I guess, in a way, we can communicate with the dead, in spirit, at least." But for what reason would Shinra be interested in that?
"You sound like the Ancients."

Yuna moved on to the flowerbed, resting right back alongside it as she began to care for them, and she laughed. "I can assure you I am not an Ancient. I'm just as human as the rest of you." Well, part human, at least, Al Bhed blood already swam in her veins, she doubted there was anything else there. "I trained to do what I did, I'm not sure if Ancients go through the same thing…" Then she remembered Tifa's words from a few days ago, a suggestion for her as she sought out knowledge. "Where's Cosmo Canyon?"
"Further south. Why?"
"They studied about the Ancients, they know, so they might have all my answers." Depending on how far south she would have to go, she might need to prepare for a trip. But just how long would this all take? She certainly hadn't expected her journey to take this long, but as long as she was here…

"You want to go to Cosmo Canyon?" asked Cloud.
"Yes…can you take me there?" She didn't expect him to be very open to the idea, he had mentioned being busy with his job and all, but to her surprise he didn't reject the idea.
"I need to check my schedule, see if I can find anyone to fill in for me."
"Really?! You're considering this?" She clapped her hands together, smiling brightly; she knew she asked him for so much already, she could only find a great way to repay him eventually. "Any time we can go is fine by me."

There was a gentle tune in the air for a second before Cloud pulled out a small black device, flipping it open and checking the small lit screen inside, and he pressed at the buttons. "I gotta handle another delivery, will you be alright for now?"
"Yes, of course! Take your time."
"Will you be here?"
"I'll be waiting." Yuna's smile seemed warmer as she waved him goodbye; Cloud returned the wave. For a moment, as he quickly turned back to head out, she thought she saw him smile.

After another day of work, she immediately set out to the Midgar ruins, it was tougher on foot but she traveled through worse; she made a promise to Cloud. Well, it wasn't a promise, but she took her word like one and she didn't want to disappoint him.

But it was then she realized that she had actually grown worried on disappointing in the first place, even if she was unsure if he really would be. Yuna told Cloud she would wait right there and that's what she planned to do. She was about halfway through Edge as she came to a halt…there it was again—that feeling.

The presence remained behind her; the presence continued to burn right through her leaving her with a nauseous, sour feeling; she shouldn't turn around, she couldn't turn around. She did, and was once again she was greeted by nothing but a hollow, sinister feeling. Again, there was nobody there, but that feeling that she was being watched wouldn't leave her. Her gut screamed, but her body refused to move, and her mind worked at a snail's pace. In front of her vision, a lone, black feather floated down from the sky. It was as if it hovered right in front of her, quite self-aware of her presence; it was as if it wanted her to know. Without much thought, Yuna reached out to it, opening her palm, allowing the feather to flow right down on it. As her eyes lock to it, her vision blurred, an irritating ringing hummed in her ear till it increased in volume. She lost her balance and could feel her body give in as she fell.

In her mind, all she could think of was how she would end up disappointing him after all.

The breeze felt perfect that day, the sun had shone brightly, and the weather felt perfect. Traveling wouldn't feel so hard on the two of them, if it had only been Cloud and Yuna going, though part of him pondered on asking Tifa to join along, maybe anyone else as well. He knew Barret would love to join as he loved Cosmo Canyon, and this would be a great way for them to visit Red XIII again. A trip to Cosmo Canyon sounded pretty good right now and Cloud hadn't known why. The thought put him in good spirits, something that felt rare these days, and he was able to make his delivery just fine. As papers were being signed and packages were being handed over, he came to wonder how the young woman was doing all by herself, having to make her way to and from Edge, having to tend to the garden at the ruins of Midgar.

She was alright…right?

Of course she was, this woman did fend off all those fiends, and she healed Cloud's shoulder. As he hoisted himself back on Fenrir and prepared for his journey back to the ruins, there was no doubt in his mind that Yuna was just fine.