Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

A/N: Hello again wonderful people of the internet! Sorry for the long absence; a combination of reviewers' encouragement, the announcement of the new remake and me picking up the original game to play again, has managed to reinvigorate my interest in this fandom. (Oh yeah, I've actually played the game now, since I entered the fandom by way of the internet. xD)

I've since plotted out most of this story and hoo boy, I've accidentally embarked on quite a long one. -_- I'll do my absolute best to keep going but I can't guarantee super regular updates, especially since I'm doing my Masters at the moment and I'm not a great multi-tasker, but I'll do my best. :)

Out Of Suffering, Emerge The Strongest Souls

Chapter Three: Hope is the Thing with Feathers

Genesis Rhapsodos was not a morning person. So when the alarm in the corridor outside his apartment shrieked into life at the uncivilised hour of half past two in the morning (which, really, could barely be considered morning at all), he was not a happy SOLDIER.

For a moment the redhead kept his eyes shut, wondering if he could get away with claiming sudden deafness. Seemingly in response, the alarm grew even louder, the klaxon-like wail reverberating inside his skull.

Genesis resisted for several more seconds, stubbornly gritting his teeth. Then, with a groan of disgust, the commander's eyes snapped open and he rolled out of bed, dragging his duvet with him. This had better be an invasion of Wutai soldiers or something of equal importance. If it's another damn drill, Gaia help the poor idiot who organised it when I get my hands on them.

Genesis stalked around the room, ignoring the blaring alarm's urgent summons, taking his time getting dressed. It was only after his appearance met with his approval in the mirror that the redhead finally swept out of his apartment, regal bearing and poise intact.

As Genesis stepped into the lift, he felt his PHS vibrate in one of his pockets. The commander fished it out of his red leather duster and flipped it open.

Head to the Science Department immediately. – Lazard

Genesis' eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, his annoyance briefly eclipsed. Well. That certainly wasn't normal. Perhaps this wasn't a standard drill after all.

Pressing the button for the 68th floor, the redhead leaned back against the glass wall of the lift and waited impatiently as it slowly ascended up the side of the tower. After what seemed like an age – but in reality was only a few minutes – the lift stopped and the doors slid open with a loud ding.

To Genesis' amazement, the corridor was swarming with all manner of Shinra personnel. People were rushing around, shouting orders, fighting to be heard above the continued wailing of the alarms; regular infantrymen and SOLDIERs alike made up the crowd and the occasional black suit of a Turk could be seen weaving through the crush of bodies.

The commander's eyebrows rose another few millimetres. Well, well. If the Turks were here, then it must be important. A high level security breach at the very least. And there I was, thinking that maybe some of Hojo's experiments had escaped again and we were just being called in for cleanup.

Interest piqued, Genesis moved out of the lift and started down the corridor. There shouldn't have been enough room, but people saw him coming and flattened themselves against the walls, all too eager to get out of his path. The commander's temper was legendary.

Genesis stalked past, pleased with their response, red duster swirling about him as he headed for the door at the far end of the corridor. Angeal always rolled his eyes when people hurried to get out of Genesis' way and told him to stop frightening everyone. The redhead merely sniffed and pointed out that the rumours of him putting soldiers in the infirmary on a daily basis were a gross exaggeration. It was hardly his fault that people chose to believe such gossip. Besides, the commander couldn't abide idiots, and if it meant dealing with less of them, he was glad that that people thought twice about bothering him.

Genesis opened the door and stepped into Hojo's lab. It swung shut behind him and effectively sealed off nearly all the noise from the corridor. However, that fact barely registered in his mind; all his attention had suddenly become riveted on the scene before him.

The blood was the first thing he noticed. Lots and lots of blood. Sprayed across the walls, the floor, the ceiling. The scent hung heavy in the air, metallic and salty, catching in the back of Genesis' throat.

The next thing that caught his attention was the origin of the blood. A headless corpse lay sprawled on the floor, white lab coat stained bright crimson. The head that was lying several feet away identified it as Professor Hojo. There was an enormous hole punched in his torso too; made by a sword, though it had to have been one of a similar width to Angeal's Buster, and there weren't many people in the world with the strength to wield a blade that size.

What the hell happened?

"I see you've finally arrived. What took you so long?" Sephiroth's voice drawled.

Genesis managed to tear his eyes away from the gruesome spectacle and focus on the other occupants of the room. Tseng was standing near the window, talking rapidly into a PHS, his voice too low to discern any words. Another Turk, Reno, was lolling in a chair in front of a computer, looking as if he had just been dragged out of bed – although Genesis was pretty sure he always looked like that. A few other Turks, who he didn't know by name, were guarding all the entrances and exits of the room, preventing just anyone from coming in.

Angeal was crouched beside the body, looking grim as he gingerly examined the wound. And – Genesis' lip curled – his student was right next to him. It always annoyed him that he was unable to frighten the teen away like he did almost anyone else. Right now, Zack was displaying an infuriating amount of energy for such an early hour of the morning, bouncing on his heels with restrained eagerness. The redhead wondered idly if that was a good enough excuse to toss the black-haired SOLDIER 2nd out of the window.

Angeal chose that moment to rise to his feet, dusting off his hands. He caught Genesis' baleful stare, directed at Zack, and gave his fellow First Class a warning look. The commander sighed in disappointment. Apparently not.

He looked away from Angeal and his eyes landed on Sephiroth. The tall, silver-haired general was looking back at him, eyebrow raised, still waiting for an answer to his question.

Genesis drew himself up, tossing his hair. "Some of us have the good manners to dress properly before going out in public," he said haughtily, eyeing Sephiroth's own attire. The man was infuriatingly composed, looking as if he had just spent an hour getting ready, instead of the sleepy, rumpled, just-fell-out-of-bed look everyone else in the room was sporting. Well, almost everyone. Tseng was also perfectly dressed. Genesis wondered if the man even slept.

However – his eyes moved to the general – he knew for a fact that Sephiroth slept. Angeal had bullied him into at least six hours a day, after he had discovered how little time the general normally spent asleep – it was just that Sephiroth had the irritating ability to appear as if sleeping wouldn't dare to have a negative effect on the way he looked.

"Genesis, it hardly matters what we look like at the moment," Angeal said wearily, running a hand through his hair. He too, appeared distinctly ruffled.

The redhead shook his head in resignation. Angeal probably had just rolled out of bed and ran straight here as soon as he heard the alarm. "What happened to the scientist?" he asked, changing the subject and gesturing to the dead body.

"That is what we'd all like to know." Tseng's low, smooth voice broke into the conversation. The three Firsts looked at the Turk as he snapped his PHS shut and slipped it into a pocket of his suit jacket. "Reno? Have you pulled up the video feed?"

"Yes, boss," the redheaded Turk drawled, straightening a little so he wasn't completely slouched over in the swivel chair. "Unfortunately, it's blank."

"Blank?" Genesis heard his own disbelief echoed in Tseng's voice.

"Yep." Reno spun his chair around to face the computer screen. "At precisely 02:01 the cameras cut out. All the cameras."

"You can't mean….?" Angeal questioned, frowning doubtfully.

"Every single one in the entire building?" The Turk gave a lazy, insolent smile. "Yep."

"Reno." There was a hint of warning in Tseng's tone.

His subordinate took the hint and began reeling off information. "My best guess is that there was some kinda electronic pulse – I've had reports of the power going out completely in some parts of the building too. The cameras started working again at exactly 02:27 and a security guard noticed, the, ah, mess in here –" for a moment, all in eyes in the room automatically moved to the bloody corpse, "– and then he sounded the general alarm."

"So what are we looking at then? Sabotage and assassination?" Sephiroth asked.

"It certainly seems that way," Tseng replied, every bit as cool and business-like as the general.

Sabotage? Genesis glanced around and his eyes fell on a row of cages against the back wall. Every single one of Hojo's experiments were dead.

"Important projects?" the redhead drawled sardonically.

"We'll have to consult Hojo's records for that information." Tseng's dark eyes flitted briefly over the dead creatures. "But it is not outwith bounds of possibility that someone was sent to murder Professor Hojo and destroy his work. The company will be worse off without him; he was a very talented man."

And a sadistic bastard and a moral sinkhole, Genesis added silently. "And the perpetrator?" he asked out loud. "Mostly likely a rogue SOLDIER, don't you think? Or perhaps one of these 'important projects'?"

Tseng's gaze fastened on him. "Why would you think so, Commander?"

Genesis scoffed lightly. Tseng was speaking for the benefit of whole room; the Turk was more than intelligent enough to have come up these theories the moment he had seen the body. Nonetheless, he obliged with his thoughts. "Just look at the wound. It was created by a huge sword, big and heavy and close to the width of a Buster sword. Who else but a SOLDIER would have the strength to wield it? Or…perhaps, one of the good Professor's experiments broke loose and took exception to being experimented on."

It was as oblique a reference as he could get away with to the rumours of SOLDIERs going missing, vanishing into the depths of the Science Department, never to be seen again. Genesis personally believed the rumours. Hojo wouldn't have known a moral boundary if it had bit him on the arse. Which made him perfect for Shinra, really.

And…Genesis' gaze slid to the dead mako-mutated monsters. They had all been shot execution-style; a single clean bullet wound to the head. A discarded pistol – taken from that open drawer in the corner desk, the redhead surmised – lay at the end of the row of cages. It smacked of a mercy killing to him, which fit with the theory of an escaped SOLDIER-turned-experiment. Killing your fellow inmates instead of letting them continue their twisted, pain-filled existence.

Tseng made a non-committal noise. "Noted, Commander. However, I am inclined to believe it is more likely to be a rogue SOLDIER, given the current political climate."

"You mean Wutai?" Angeal asked. Genesis was fairly sure he, and perhaps Sephiroth, were the only ones to see the near-imperceptible tightening around Angeal's lips. The big SOLDIER disapproved greatly of the conflict.

"Yes. It would make a great deal of sense for Wutai to hinder Shinra by killing Hojo, destroying his work and perhaps stealing information. We haven't finished going through his research to see if anything is missing," Tseng replied. "Although, obviously it will be difficult to tell if anything was copied electronically."

"It would make the most sense if they stole the formula for making SOLDIERs," Sephiroth added. "We have a distinctive advantage over Wutai because of it."

"Boss!" Reno's call drew everyone's attention. "Got an image."

Interest sharpened palpably in the air as four SOLDIERs and a Turk leaned in for a better look at the monitor. The still image, according to the time stamp, had been captured by a security camera that had come back online at 02:27, just in the time to catch the intruder leaving the building. The man exiting the door at the bottom of the stairwell appeared to be about average height. He wore a black outfit, similar to the standard SOLDIER 1st class uniform, with a head of spiky blond hair and an enormous Buster-style sword held across his back in a magnetic harness.

"A SOLDIER then," Tseng's voice was even. "Do any of you recognise him?"

"Well, it's difficult to be sure without a look at his face too, but that hair and sword are rather distinctive; I'd have to say no," Angeal replied, frowning.

Tseng's gaze fell on Sephiroth. The silver general shook his head slightly. "No."

"No," Genesis added pre-emptively. He ignored the vigorous shake of the head by Angeal's puppy.

If Tseng was anyone else, the redhead was sure he'd be frowning deeply by now. As it was, the faintest crease marred the Turk's brow. "That…has some worrying implications…"

Indeed. Genesis tapped the hilt of Rapier lightly. A rogue SOLDIER or a 'missing' one still should be on record somewhere and recognisable to us. Therefore, an unknown SOLDIER could mean that someone else has developed a formula for creating us. Or that it was stolen from Hojo long before now.

"…this is now one of our highest priorities, finding out who this man is and where he got his mako enhancements from. And of course, apprehending him for the murder of a valued member of our company."

Genesis tuned back in to hear the end of Tseng's statement, and had to withhold a snort at the absolutely neutral tone his last line was delivered in. Hojo had not been particularly loved by anyone.

Another PHS chimed and Sephiroth reached into a pocket of his coat. He glanced at the screen. "We are being called upon to report to the President, Tseng. Angeal, Genesis, Zack, if you could help organise the chaos that the tower has fallen into, that would be appreciated."

Angeal nodded. "No problem. Zack, I'm sure the SOLDIERs securing the perimeter and investigating how our intruder got in could use our help. Genesis?"

"Why not," the commander drawled, stalking after Angeal and his student as they headed for the exit. He nodded briefly in farewell at Tseng and Sephiroth as he passed. "I'm always up for a little organising of other people."

Angeal was not fooled. "You mean the bossing about of other people."

Genesis grinned. "Now you're just putting words in my mouth. There is no hate, only joy."

"Not this again," Zack groaned under his breath.

Genesis' grin broadened. Even if he couldn't scare the 2nd class SOLDIER away, annoying him away seemed a viable alternative – and if he was annoyed by LOVELESS, he clearly didn't deserve to be in the commander's company. "Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess…"

Zack's long-suffering groan echoed along the corridor accompanied by the ringing laughter of two SOLDIER Firsts.

xxx

Aerith woke with a start. She blinked up at the ceiling in the dark, trying to remember what she had been dreaming about. It was receding fast, slipping out of her grasp like water, but she was left with that odd surety that she had at times. Right now it seemed to say, go to the church.

The flower girl rose and dressed quietly, in an almost-dreamlike state. The living room was striped in bars of silver and black, moonlight and shadow, as she descended the stairs and ghosted out of the front door.

Carefully locking the door behind her, Aerith set off for her church, padding through the near-deserted streets, quiet and unseen. Living in the Midgar slums taught one how to move silently when need be and it didn't take her long to reach her home away from home. She had always felt dwarfed by the massive, dilapidated building, but in a good way. It was big and safe and comforting, cradling her within its wooden walls.

With the ease of long familiarity, she slipped inside and walked quietly down the centre aisle. Then she stopped short, startled. There was a man asleep in the church. He was dressed all in black, with odd spiky blond hair and didn't look very tall, although it was hard to tell with the way he was slumped against the pew. His face was relaxed in sleep and looked serenely peaceful.

The moment her shock at seeing someone asleep in the church (other than a homeless person) wore off, Aerith put the black uniform together with the enormous sword by the man's side and immediately came up with the obvious conclusion. Mouth dry with fear, she began backing away slowly from the SOLDIER. She had no idea what this meant, that he was here, now, in her church (why had the Planet sent her here, it had never steered her wrong before, whywhywhy) but it couldn't possibly be anything good. Had Tseng's goodwill ran out? Or had the pressure from above finally meant that he could no longer pretend not to see her? Even if that were the case, why a SOLDIER and not a Turk –?

Buzzing with questions and brimming with a chaotic mix of emotions, Aerith was distracted enough to forget about the broken pew halfway up the aisle – right up until she tripped over it. Her palms hit the wooden floor with an echoing bang and she froze, both in horror and disbelief at her clumsiness.

The blond man's head snapped up, a hand flying to his enormous sword as he rolled smoothly to his feet and swung around to face her. Then a pair of brilliant, glowing blue eyes met Aerith's and something whispered remember and the world was swept away in a blinding flash of light.

Nights around a campfire, eight faces so familiar and dear to her –

A small dark-haired Wutainese girl, a hip cocked aggressively from atop a sand dune –

A tall blond man, smoking a cigarette in a way that implied it had been an extremely long day and wasn't likely to get better anytime soon –

A red-furred lion-wolf creature, tail tipped with a flame, carefully turning the pages of a book with one claw –

An enormous black man sitting at a workbench, carefully fiddling with a tiny screwdriver in what appeared to be a mechanical arm –

A dark-haired woman with warm burgundy eyes, flipping a glass over in her hand, "C'mon, I'll teach you how to mix a margarita…"

A small cat creature in a crown and cape, capering on top of a huge white Moogle, shouting cheerfully into a megaphone –

A dark haired man, with crimson eyes and a ragged cloak to match, dissembling a handgun with quick, efficient movements and cleaning the individual parts –

The blond SOLDIER, brow furrowed in concentration as he carefully examined a glowing green orb of materia –

This is a gift. This chance, this chance to live and love, and to know these people. You can trust them; they already love you.

A hand gently brushed over her hair and the scent of wildflowers filled her nose; there was a sense of laughter and sunlight, rolling green hills and open space and fresh air and freedom –

"Aerith?" a worried voice called. "Aerith!"

She opened her eyes, suddenly aware that her cheeks were wet with tears. The flash of memory and recognition was already fading; it had been so bright and brilliant, like she was living through it, there and then. And that pulling in her chest, a sort of devastated longing, so painful it made her breath catch and brought tears to her eyes.

It was only then that Aerith refocused on her surroundings and suddenly realised who had spoken. The blond swordsman was crouched about a metre away; his sword had been abandoned, carelessly dropped by the look of it. But it was the look of absolute agony on his face that arrested her attention. His lips moved, frantically shaping near-noiseless words. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry –"

Oh no. Aerith scrambled forwards, fear forgotten in the face of his raw pain, and threw her arms around him in an impulsive hug. He went completely rigid. "It's okay," she murmured soothingly, petting his hair like she did with the little kids when they hurt themselves climbing in the rubble. It was surprisingly soft, despite its spiky appearance. No gel, her brain observed nonsensically. "I…was just startled, is all. It's okay." His stiff muscles gradually relaxed as she kept making soothing noises, and his arms came up to hesitantly hold her back, gingerly, as if she were made of spun glass. Really, she giggled internally, with just a touch of hysteria. I'm not that fragile…although he is a SOLDIER…and a stranger…I'm hugging a complete stranger who's also a SOLDIER and could easily break me in half…okay, don't think about that.

This started out as such a normal day.

xxx

In the wake of his vision from Aerith, Cloud had slipped into a comfortingly dreamless sleep, although it wasn't much of a surprise a sudden bang in his vicinity startled him immediately into full wakefulness. Battle-hardened reflexes had him reaching for First Tsurugi and rolling upright before spinning to face the direction the noise had come from –

Only for him to nearly drop the sword in shock. What was unmistakeably a younger version of Aerith, wearing a white dress, was gazing at him from the floor in shock and terror. Her expression hit him like getting blindsided by a Behemoth; no time to prepare for the blow, just the sudden, full force of it crashing into him. The guilt quickly overwhelmed the sudden burst of relief and joy (she'saliveshe'saliveshe'saliveohthankGaia) and he froze, trying not to frighten her any more. It's the clothes and the eyes, it must be, I look like I'm from Shinra, how could I forget –

Then Aerith's eyes closed suddenly and her hands flew up to hold her head as she gasped. "Aerith!" Cloud scrambled forward, dropping his sword and reaching instinctively for a Cure, but then logic kicked in and he stopped. This looked familiar – he remembered her sometimes getting particularly intensive visions or feelings from the Planet like this. He hovered uncertainly and then folded himself to the floor, unwilling to go closer and scare her but staying nearby in case she did need him.

He became aware he was murmuring almost pleading apologies under his breath but couldn't quite make himself stop. He watched tears leak out from under her eyelids and pain spiked in his chest. "Aerith…"

As if on cue, her green eyes opened slowly. Wetness clumped her lashes together but she barely even seemed to register her surroundings. She looked oddly lost. Then focus came back to her eyes and her expression changed to horrified surprise when she took him in. He braced himself for her reaction and how much it would hurt; this Aerith didn't know him, had no reason to trust him, he should leave now –

A slim pair of arms closed around him and Cloud froze as Aerith enveloped him in a hug for the first time in years. The scent of flowers clung to her, as they always had, and her hair brushed his cheek. Her fingers stroked his hair lightly. "It's okay." Her voice was a low, reassuring hum against him, a gentle vibration against his chest. "It's okay. I…was just startled, is all."

Cloud felt the tension drain out of him slowly, her familiar presence like a balm. He carefully returned the embrace. He was always mindful of his strength, but now more than ever. After a few more seconds, he reluctantly shifted backwards. As much as he wanted to keep hugging his lost friend, reality was slowly trickling back in and he was aware that there were pressing questions to be answered.

Sensitive to people's moods as ever, Aerith released him as he moved gently away. She sat back on her heels, hands resting loosely on her knees, watching him with intent green eyes. Cloud sat down properly and crossed his legs, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. He took a deep breath. "I apologise if I scared you," he said quietly. "It was not my intention."

Aerith's eyes widened slightly and she gave a quick shake of her head. "You didn't – well, you did – but then I saw you – ah, I mean – you…you don't feel like a bad person to me." She went a little pink at the fumbling speech but held his gaze determinedly.

Cloud tamped down the affectionate, amused laughter bubbling up in his chest (she's alive, she's really alive and here) but it must have shown in his expression because a light scowl appeared on Aerith's face.

"It's rude to laugh at people, Mister SOLDIER," she said, partly admonishing, but also partly ruefully amused at herself.

"I'm not a SOLDIER." Cloud felt all the laughter drain out of him immediately, like throwing a switch.

Aerith caught the mood change and tilted her head a little, curious. "You look an awful lot like one to me." She made a general motion at his outfit and his eyes.

"These clothes aren't exclusively for SOLDIERs. And I grew up in a mako-rich area." Cloud shifted a little. "I also…suffered from severe mako-poisoning, and fell into a coma for a long time when I was sixteen."

"Oh." Aerith looked surprised and chagrined. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay." Cloud made a motion, as if to brush it away. The last thing he wanted for her to feel bad. He frowned a little, as part of what she had said earlier finally registered. "You saw me…? Aerith, did you have a vision from the Planet earlier?"

Her eyes went wide in shock and she rocked back a little on her heels. "What…?"

Cloud winced. Idiot. I'm so used to the idea, I forgot that she isn't used to such open acknowledgement. "I…I know you're an Ancient. A Cetra," he added hastily. Aerith had always been a little touchy about the proper terminology for her race. "I swear, I mean you no harm."

Aerith studied him, her eyes searching his face for something. Cloud could only hold still, and hope he passed the inspection. "How?" she asked at last. "How do you know?"

"Ahh…" Cloud tapped a finger against his knee. "It's a long story. And it sounds crazy."

"I have time." Aerith met his gaze steadily. "And an open mind."

…To hell with it. She needs to know everything anyway. Cloud started to speak and didn't stop for a long time. By the time he finished, his throat was dry and croaking, and Aerith was sitting on a pew, cross-legged and pale-faced, but thoughtful.

"So…you're from the future. A future where I die and the world nearly ends." Cloud nodded hesitantly, unable to disagree with this assessment but hoping that this knowledge hadn't set too heavy a burden on her slim shoulders.

Then she smiled brightly and he remembered how brilliantly her spirit had always shone, despite everything that life had thrown at her. "But it doesn't end. And I have the pleasure of making at least eight wonderful friends."

The blond swordsman smiled at her, a rare true smile. "I forgot how positive you always were."

Aerith shook her head, smiling. "You can't go through life letting things depress you; you'd end up never letting yourself be happy. As far as I'm concerned, it's never happened and now it never will." She reached out and clasped his hand with small, slender fingers. "It's okay, Cloud. I'd be lying if I said it didn't scare me a little, but I can't let it affect me. You shouldn't either." She squeezed his hand in encouragement. "I believe you will succeed in the mission that the Planet gave you and create a different future. And I will help, however I can."

Cloud could only squeeze back gently in response. His throat had completely closed up. He swallowed several times and opened his mouth but nothing came out. He coughed and finally managed to croak, "You're a better person than I've ever been, Aerith."

"Nonsense," Aerith said briskly, giving his hand one last squeeze, before sitting back in a business-like fashion. "You seem like a good person to me, Cloud Strife, if a little mopey." She grinned at him and then turned thoughtful. "I guess that's what my vision meant after all." Cloud looked at her questioningly and she elaborated, "I saw you, all of you, everyone you named from your – our –group; Tifa, Barret, Nanaki, Cait Sith, Yuffie, Vincent, Cid, and you. I felt such a – such a sense of longing, so strong it nearly broke my heart and just – just trust when I saw you all. I think – I think that vision came from my older self, before she had to return to the Lifestream in your original time." She smiled, a little hesitantly. "So, even though we've just met, I feel like I already know you somehow."

Cloud could only stare, lost for words. He reached out and clumsily patted her on the arm, hoping that she understood. And by the way she smiled, she did. "Also," she cheerfully added, "You did pretty much tell me your life story, so that helps with the feeling of familiarity." She grinned at him impishly and he felt the urge to laugh bubble up within him again. It must have brightened his expression because her grin broadened even more. "So…" she rubbed her palms together. "What's our game plan?"

Cloud blinked. "Our?"

Aerith nodded firmly. "Our. I said I was in, didn't I?"

Cloud opened his mouth to protest but deflated at the particularly determined glint in the young Cetra's eye. He pushed aside his first, instinctive panic at the thought of Aerith being involved in anything dangerous. He wanted to hide her away somewhere safe, wrapped in several layers of protective bubble wrap, but that wasn't his choice.

"I actually…don't know what the plan is," he admitted reluctantly. Then, dryly, "Find Jenova I suppose. Kill her. Salt and burn her. Salt and burn the ashes. Then maybe do it again just to be completely sure."

Aerith chuckled. "Might want to refine that plan a little, before you execute it. By the sounds of it, you already caused quite a ruckus up at Shinra Tower."

Cloud winced. It was true enough. But he couldn't bring himself to regret it. The only thing he could feel when he thought of Hojo's death was a quiet, fierce satisfaction.

"I think," Aerith nibbled her lip thoughtfully. "That you should set up a base somewhere. To work out of." Her gaze abruptly went distant again. "Somewhere cold…and snowy. It feels like…home to you?" Her eyes refocused and she looked at him questioningly. "A home, in any case."

Cloud could only stare back, stomach lurching uncomfortably. It could only be Nibelheim she was talking about and he had a lot of mixed feelings about his first home. Thanks to Tifa, he had recovered a lot of his childhood memories and most of them were good ones; everything after was blur of terror and fire and insane green eyes –

Sephiroth was alive.

The realisation hit him like a punch in the gut; for a moment he actually stopped breathing. Shock and no small amount of fear swamped his mind. Not again not again why won't you just die –

"Cloud!" A hand clamped his arm, surprisingly strong. "Breathe!"

The swordsman sucked in a deep, ragged breath obediently, distantly surprised that he hadn't started breathing again.

"What's wrong?" Aerith patted his arm worriedly. "Is this place so terrible? Maybe –"

"No," Cloud shook his head, trying to even out his breathing again. The tide of emotion was retreating again, allowing reason to reassert itself. It's fine, he hasn't risen from the dead again, it's fine, time travel means everyone's alive again, regardless of who they are. "I just…thinking about Nibelheim, my first home, it made me realise that Sephiroth is alive. Again. And I'm going to have to fight him, again."

Aerith regarded him solemnly. She knew who had killed her older self and while Cloud hadn't talked about everything, he knew she was intelligent enough to infer how he felt about Shinra's SOLDIER general from his comments. "It will be okay, Cloud. You've defeated him, what three times already?" She smiled little, deliberately light and encouraging. "You can do it again."

But this time, I am alone. Cloud winced, then took a deep breath and pushed back the yawning despair at the thought of his lost comrades. Stop it. You're not alone, remember? Aerith is here. And…didn't Aerith – the original Aerith – say something about anchors?

Before he could follow that train of thought any further, the flower girl continued speaking. "And who knows? Maybe you won't have to this time."

"What?" Cloud's mind came screeching to a halt.

Aerith blinked at him, bemused. "Didn't you say that Jenova was the one who drove him insane? And he fell into the Lifestream and became even crazier? Maybe that won't happen this time."

Cloud could only stare, barely able to process the idea. A…sane Sephiroth? Despite Tifa's help, his memories before the Nibelheim incident still tended to be very patchy. He couldn't really imagine a Sephiroth who wasn't a madman, bent on destroying the world. Perhaps Aerith could tell from his expression because she gently patted his hand and changed the subject. "As for what I was saying before, I think you should establish some sort of base. Perhaps not in – Nibelheim, I think you said? – if makes you unhappy, but somewhere else. Although I definitely get the feeling you should visit Nibelheim too." She frowned and made a frustrated noise. "I wish I knew why."

Cloud gave himself a mental shake and made himself focus on the conversation. "Why do I need a base though?"

Aerith laughed. "To work from, silly. And to rest up when you need it. Plus, you can't very well drag those children around all over the place when you're looking for Jenova, can you? They'll need somewhere safe to stay."

Cloud could only stare, feeling his brain starting to crash for third time in five minutes. "What children?" he asked uncomprehendingly.

Aerith looked at him in surprise. "The children waiting for you in the wastelands outside Midgar. A girl in a white dress, with brown hair and brown eyes and a boy in a grey hoodie, with brown hair and –"

"Blue eyes," Cloud finished, feeling his stomach fall to his feet. He lurched upright. "Oh Gaia – I have to go – the wastelands are full of monsters, it isn't safe –"

"Then go," Aerith interrupted, scrambling to her feet, looking worried. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew – I'm sorry –"

"No, it's okay," Cloud reached hurriedly for his sword and swung it on his back. It latched securely into the magnetic harness. "You didn't know – it's been a long time since you left Midgar, right?"

"Yes – I – not since I was a child," Aerith still looked upset. "I – take care, Cloud. I look forward to seeing you again."

That made him pause in reattaching his shoulder cape and look at her in surprise. "Aren't you coming with me?"

Aerith shook her head, managing a brief smile. "I have – I have things I need to do before I can leave. Mum – I can't leave without telling her. I have to convince her I'll be okay. And I need to arrange for someone to look after my flowers – and check on the children from the orphanage in Sector 6…" she trailed off, clearly already composing a mental checklist.

"Convince your mother to leave with you." Cloud's mind was already racing ahead. "If I'm setting up a base – a safe place for the children – it'll be safe for your mother too. And she won't be safe in Midgar if you leave, the Turks –" he broke off with a curse. He had almost forgotten about the Cetra's near-constant shadows. "The Turks, how often do they follow you?"

Aerith shook her head, following his train of thought. "They don't watch over me at night, once I'm home. Don't worry, I've got a kind of Turk sense after all these years," she managed a cheeky smile. "They left long before I came out here to the church. Actually, it must be nearly dawn. I should get home soon before the morning shift arrives," she added.

Cloud nodded, thoughts still racing, trying frantically to think if he'd forgotten anything. He desperately didn't want to leave Aerith, but Midgar was unarguably the safer place for now. The flower girl not yet the fighter that she had become in the future; and he already would have Marlene and Denzel depending on him for protection. It would be difficult to travel with three people relying on him for food, protection and shelter. And he had nowhere readily available to take them. I guess I really do need a base.

Then an idea came to him and he reached for his bracer. His fingers brushed over red, blue, yellow, blue glowing orbs and finally came to hover over a green one. It shone with a soft inner light and radiated a sense of strength and protection. He clicked the Barrier materia out of its slot and held it out to Aerith. "Here," he said.

The Cetra looked shocked. "Oh, I couldn't! Materia is so expensive –"

Cloud shook his head. "Please," he said firmly. "Money is nothing compared to your safety. And I know you can take care of yourself, that you've lived in the slums for half your life, but for the sake of my peace of mind, please take it."

Aerith still looked conflicted, biting her lip. "Okay," she said eventually, reaching out and taking it from his hand. Then her expression changed to a look of wonder, and she gasped a little, clasping it to her chest. "It feels so…feels so alive!"

A smile tugged at the corner of Cloud's mouth. "The stronger the materia, and the more mako you have in your body, the…louder, I suppose, for lack of a better word, the materia becomes. I suppose being half Cetra lets you hear the materia better too."

Aerith nodded, still with a look of wonder, and then reached up to grab the metal staff protruding over her left shoulder, clicking the materia into the one slot available on the weapon.

Cloud relaxed a little, pleased that he wasn't leaving her completely without protection, but still urgently aware of how time was slipping away. He was itching to leave – Marlene and Denzel were the ones in need to of protection now –

The swordsman reached out and grasped her shoulder in farewell. "Take care of yourself Aerith. I will come back for you." The words rang with the strength of an ironclad promise.

Aerith grinned, a flash of white teeth. "I will. And I know." She threw her arms around him in another quick hug and then stepped back. "Shoo, then. Two kids need their knight in shining armour."

Cloud could only raise a sceptical brow in response to such a statement and a ruined church filled with moonlight and flowers rang to the sound of an Ancient's laughter.

xxx

"Wake up! Denzel, wake up!"

Denzel raised his head, blinking sleepily. Marlene was squirming excitedly next to him, struggling to get out of the hoodie zipped up around them and he opened his mouth protest the loss of heat, when he suddenly heard it.

The low rumble of an engine echoed across the wastelands, getting closer by the second. Then a big bike rounded a huge outcropping of rock and Denzel's heart leapt at the sight of familiar spiky blond hair.

"CLOUD!" Marlene yelled, finally getting out of Denzel's hoodie and scrambling to her feet. Denzel scrambled after her, zipping it back up just as Cloud killed the engine and dropped the bike carelessly in the dust.

A second later Denzel was airborne, swept up high and pulled into a fierce embrace. The young boy buried his face in the swordsman's neck, the relief so strong that he felt his eyes grow hot with tears. Cloud smelt wonderfully familiar and reassuring, of engine and sword oil, of hot metal and the zing of mako.

He heard Marlene sigh happily from her place in Cloud's other arm. "I'm so pleased to see you, Cloud," she said, voice muffled from where she was pressed against him in a powerful hug.

"Me too," Denzel mumbled against the blond man's neck, blinking quickly to hold back his tears.

"Me three." Cloud's voice was a low rasp, and rumbled against Denzel's ear like Fenrir's engine. The boy relaxed still further. Cloud was here. Everything would be alright.

xxx

Aerith watched, insubstantial and ethereal. She could feel the currents of the Lifestream, ebbing and flowing, swirling around her, and the persistent tug to return to her own time, through that tiny, shrinking pinprick in the fabric of reality. She was tired, so tired. She had spoken to Cloud and to Marlene, giving explanation and reassurance, and given her younger self a vision to smooth the way. But she had two more…just two more people to talk to…then she could let go…

Aerith gathered her strength and reached out.

xxx

A young girl with coppery hair gasped, her blue eyes flying open as she flew upright in bed.

Her big sister woke instantly, rolling over and up, grabbing for her pistol. She scanned the room for danger and finding none, lowered the gun slightly and glanced at her younger sibling in concern. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm…I'm fine," the little girl was wide-eyed and trembling. "A…a beautiful lady spoke to me. And showed me something…amazing." She looked up at her big sister with wondering eyes. "I know where we should go now."

xxx

Zack fell into bed with a groan. Being woken up at half past two in the morning by that alarm had not been fun and it was nearly six now! He had patrol in two hours' time!

Rolling over, Zack went to sleep nearly immediately, too exhausted to even mull over the strange break-in and murder that had occurred. He dreamt of a quiet place, a building filled with sunlight and shadow and the perfume of wildflowers curling in the still air. A hand brushed through his hair and a gentle kiss was pressed lightly to his forehead. The scent of flowers grew stronger.

"Goodbye, Zack."

The SOLDIER woke before his alarm went off and got dressed for the day, wondering all the while why he was filled with an inexplicable sense of loss.

A/N: And breathe. xD

Oh thank God Cloud is finally out of Midgar, he and Aerith would just not stop talking. But then, they had quite a lot to talk about. And yep, I've just checked, this chapter is as long as the other two put together. xD

Also, I've put the quote that the title of this story is taken from at the start of the first chapter, so you can check that out if you want. :D

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'd love to know what you think of it. :)