Author note: Alright guys, I admit it. I found AI art. While I don't use it to write since, well… I do a decent enough job at messing that up all on my own, I DID however use it to help create Sophie, and her outfits. So… TUMBLR! I loaded my version of Sophie up, and also some new outfits I feel she'd wear. Of course, my image may not match everyone's individual images, and that's fine too. I was just having fun, really. Link to the Tumblr if you're curious!

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Chapter start

The sudden, heavy weight that landed squarely on my chest drug the blissful quiet of my morning away. Last night, we had decided to retire in the room he'd wandered to, too wound up to engage the others. Even in sleep. To hear their breathing, the overwhelming presence of their sleeping bodies draping over each other. A comfort for me. An anathema for Sephiroth, given his mood. Instead, after grudgingly drinking the probably too sweet drink I'd pressed on him, he'd gripped my wrist.

I'd followed the firm tug, letting him lead me into the bedroom, glancing over one more time at the paper strewn desk. Ignored the lump in my throat, forcibly trying to quiet my mind from the fear and worry. When he'd paused by the bed, I'd taken the lead. My offer had been made, and while the bait wasn't taken completely, something had shifted.

The bed dipped under my weight, fingers tugging him down to lay beside me. He'd fallen asleep slowly, clutching me tightly like a comfort stuffed animal. And now I woke up, heavy sudden weight dropped onto me unceremoniously.

Aerith giggled, straddling my hips. "Time to wake up, sleepy head."

I groaned, settling one hand over my eyes, the other gripping her hand to stop its wandering ticklish patterns. "Leave me alone."

"No can do. It's already the afternoon, lazy." She hummed, smile taking a sly turn. "Come to think of it, Sephy woke up late too. What do you think, Soph?"

"I think you're mixing my business with your business."

"Hmmm? Now that can't be right. Even just last night we agreed all our problems are one and the same."

I huffed, hands finding her hips and flipping her to the bed, her squeal choked by her giggles. "You need to relearn the definition of a problem."

She pouted, the image slightly ruined by the fact she was fighting a smile. "Aw, come on. Just let me be in the room when you tell Rufus. I deserve it."

My brow cocked. "Deserve?"

"Okay, fine. I need it."

"There's that honesty I love about you." I rolled off her and stood, stretching until I heard the pops along the spine.

She followed. "Jokes aside, I think you've realized… the situation isn't ideal."

She settled on the edge of the bed. The new seriousness of her features had me sighing. "I know… Their all getting more and more short."

"In different ways." Aerith brushed the hair from her shoulder. "I'm doing what I can. So far, my touch seems to be some comfort for them. I'm worried, though."

"How long that'll be enough?"

"Right. The sooner we can get to the temple, the better."

"Well, well. Nothing like a crisis to ruin a vacation."

I wondered, as we met up with the others, if they could sense the worry hanging around us both. Surely, we all were worried. Angeal made breakfast as usual, gracious and full of little anecdotes about nutrition. About balance. Genesis with his usual flair as he messily remade the couch we'd dismantled the first night. Sephiroth quiet as usual, ignoring Zach who somehow made the room messier.

We graciously ignored the fact Angeal was clenching his jaw, taking deep and measured breaths. Ignored the fact Genesis was far too reflective for a man with his personality, waning between this odd quiet and almost rage. Game Genesis, so quick to anger. Smug. And ignored that Sephiroth would randomly pause, head cocked to the side.

Aerith was a balm of fresh air to my and Zach's nerves. She took total charge of the clean up effort, hands always ready and available for one of the first class SOLDIERS. In the depth of her eyes was the same worry, smile twitching occasionally, but she firmly held the line.

When Sephiroth paused, glass shattering in a suddenly too tight grip, Zach winced. Angeal was a beat too slow to his usual worrying, and I knew Zach now saw it too. The fractures.

"Are you alright," Angeal asked after a moment. He gripped Sephiroth by the wrist, studying to see if the glass had punctured through his glove.

Genesis snorted. "Of course, he is. All hail Sephiroth, the great hero of Wutai."

Sephiroth glanced over, heavy lidded. "Rather than a hero… all hail the first class… the monsters of Shinra." You're no better, the words really said. Just a monster.

Genesis whirled on him, face pulled in a snarl.

"Hey," Zach tried. His voice was quiet, so unusual.

Aerith was suddenly there, clapping her hands. "That's enough! We're all friends. We can't forget that."

Angeal took another deep, fortifying breath. "Of course… share the burden."

Genesis looked contrite as well, nodding to Sephiroth who sighed. "It's this damn buzzing! If it would stop…"

"The buzzing ends only when the words come through," Sephiroth murmured.

"Or when Aerith…" Angeal trailed off. "Ever since we passed Mount Nibel. I haven't had any voices though. What is it?"

"M-…" Sephiroth trailed off and I froze. Had he been about to call the calamity mother? Or had he simply been making a noise to acknowledge the conversation.

Aerith chewed her lip, studying them. Her swallow was audible. "Jenova… There might be pieces of her, here. I'm not… I'm doing my best. But I don't know how to get rid of her, not yet."

"And so we traipse to some random temple. Our gift of the Goddess, so protective." Genesis sat back down, brushing a hand through his hair. "I can't deny that fighting an enemy in my mind is not ideal. And you here her voice? My friend, I do not envy you."

"What's it sound like?" Zach asked with childish curiosity.

Sephiroth had wandered to be near me, after he'd cleaned the glass up. I felt his fingers wrap around one of my wrists, slightly tugging my arm. Just holding it. With his super hearing and senses in general, he could feel and hear my pulse most likely, even through his glove. Genesis trailed his eyes to the grip, smiling slightly. It had to kill him, refraining from a smug little comment.

Sephiroth didn't know to hold hands or anything like that to ask for support. For a presence to be with him. It was totally fine. After so many years, adapting to him was a second nature, just as he adapted to me. To all of us.

"It's… too sweet." He picked his words carefully. Attempting to be honest without revealing any weakness. "Like drowning."

"No matter how hard you swim, there's always further to go?" Aerith asked it with a certain knowledge already. She sighed, when he nodded subtly. "She's had years to get ready for this. The Planet can't absorb her because she's foreign."

"She really is from another planet," Zach asked. "I always figured she was just so damn old they didn't know what she was."

"Seeing my Visage wasn't enough of a clue?" Sephiroth snorted. Zach held his hands up. Today all three firsts were inclined to be slightly cruel, blunt, and seething. Angeal less so, but Genesis was fiery on a good day, and Sephiroth wasn't unused to letting his words hurt.

"Hey man. To me, you're just Sephiroth. Your looks are just part of that. You. Not some freaky living corpse."

"I… appreciate that."

"She's a calamity that came from another planet. I have to wonder, did she destroy her original one?" Angeal settled beside Genesis.

"If she's parasitic, that would make sense." Genesis swung his legs up into Angeal's lap, making himself comfortable. There was nothing left to do but wait for Cloud. "A damn disease upon us. Though… I do know she'll have a hell of a fight getting any of us."

"I would say she wants Sephiroth, mainly." Angeal began to pat at Genesis, a nervous twitch. Fingers drumming on the redheads legs. "We shouldn't come back here until we know more."

"She can't have him," I muttered. Sephiroth tightened his grip at the words, his breath stirring the hair on the back of my neck. "She can't have any of you."

My eyes trailed to Zach. It was there, in his body language and his eyes. He was worried and still not as versed at hiding it. That unfailing ability to see good in others running thick, thicker than it had in game. But there was also enough fear leaking through to choke.

He wouldn't be blindsided as in Crisis, his mentor wouldn't abandon him without him knowing why. Neither would Genesis. And he wouldn't become a frayed tie to Sephiroth, clinging to the other first as he somewhat had. The two had been all that was left of Angeal for the other, only Sephiroth had closed down. With more time in game, Zach might have been better equipped to keep the man sane. Luckily, unless Canon decided to be a bitch, that future was gone.

Still, when Cloud arrived, the jubilant and lazy Turk with him, we all were more than ready. Reno lightly protested, as Cloud nonchalantly kicked and shoved at him to get back in the helicopter.

"Didn't even get to stretch my legs." Reno leaned back in his seat, scoffing. "Always so impatient, our princess."

"To be fair, Cloud is the one who kicked you," I said lightly.

"Yeah… it's a sad day when the student starts acting out. I'm like… half proud and half broken hearted."

"Oh, please." Cloud swatted at the reaching fingers to mess with his hair. Aerith had a strange need to ruffle them for some reason. "Go sit down."

The Ancient giggled. "We're in the air already. It's fine."

His sigh was long suffering. A happy, well-adjusted Cloud was more than capable of handling the friendly, teasing Aerith. I didn't envy the way he was played with by the three. His mentor, Zach, and Aerith all at once had to be exhausting for the teen.

Privately, I thought the Turk uniform suited him far better than a SOLDIER outfit ever did. Even if he shared Reno's penchant for not wearing the tie, and for running around with the jacket completely unbuttoned. Tseng had tried, but he quickly gave up, admitting Reno wad too much of an influence to sway Cloud into proper attire.

"-Haven't seen you in so long! And I didn't even get a hug." Zach was whining, long arms jostling Cloud as he steered. The helicopter tilted slightly. My fingers reached out, grasping Genesis as he was closest to me.

"Watch it, yo." Reno had a slight tease to his tone. "Do I need to revoke your pilots license already?"

"Get off!" Cloud slapped at the arm, righting the helicopter easily. "I don't know why I deal with any of you."

"How rude." Genesis sniffed. "We didn't do anything."

"Zach, sit down." Angeal finally stepped up. Zach pouted, arms tightening despite the way Cloud tried to dip forward.

"But he's our little storm Cloud. I gotta make my claim now or else Sophie will steal him."

I scoffed. "You're the thief. I found him first."

"So possessive," Genesis cooed.

"You just think he's a chocobo," Zach laughed.

"Says the puppy," Sephiroth quipped.

"For the last time, I am not a chocobo!"

"I'm not a puppy!"

"True love," Aerith sighed, winking at me.

"The fucking truest." I agreed with her. "They even say the same things."

"I'm done with all of you," Cloud muttered.

"Aerith," Zach whimpered slightly. The girl chuckled, petting his hair lightly, giggling when he tackled her to the metal floor.

This was what she needed. Aerith needed someone who would play with her, not begrudgingly or because she somewhat bullied them. Zach was eager, and ready to put smiles on any face he could. It was worrying how he idolized Shinra and SOLDIER, but he wasn't so infatuated this round. The three firsts were too involved with each other, and by extension him, for him to not realize there were dark things lingering in the corners.

Now, for the destination. My memories of the game version of it were spotty at best. I was pretty sure Tseng had gotten hurt there, and hadn't Cloud went crazy?

Well, that shouldn't happen this time. Cloud was wonderfully and completely unaltered, no Jenova cells infesting his body. No crazy Sephiroth, and Jenova itself couldn't make any appearance.

The fact they were all being reached out to was concerning, though. And what could Aerith possibly learn? If Jenova could be defeated, stopped completely, then why hadn't they done so thousands of years ago when there was a huge group of Ancients? For the most part, what if there wasn't a way?

I was pretty sure that Genesis at the least was beginning to have signs of degradation. Shorter temper, and was becoming more prone to be in his head. Zach was a second class now, and was being deployed on joint missions with Angeal to Wutai. The war was pattering down, but it was still prevalent in the news, being pushed constantly.

Sephiroth had started being sent over as well, for publicity. It was still sickening but, what could I do? There was too much, too many pile ups that needed to be sorted out. The only was I could see to stop the degradation would be to maybe give Genesis and Angeal some of Sephiroth's cells, but wouldn't that be bad? Short term good, long term… another foothold for Jenova, who was already reaching out to them both?

Rufus would handle the war, I hoped. Sephiroth and the others would probably be sent over more frequently if not for the way my brother intervened at every interval. He assigned the SOLDIERS to guard duty over me, or over him as often as he could, taking a delight in his political battles with Lazard.

Another issue. If memory could be trusted Lazard was in league with Hollander. I'd yet to meet the man, thank the Gods. The man who selfishly let his son and another human die, in some stupid power struggle with Hojo.

The glass was cool as I settled my cheek against it. Genesis eventually flitted away, settling beside Angeal after glaring Zach away. Sephiroth stood up after a few moments of Aerith silently giving him the side eye. He settled beside me, and I smiled slightly.

There was general chatter in the helicopter, but not enough to be annoying. Relief stretched into my very bones when the snowy mountains vanished, turning into the deep blue of the ocean. Eventually Cloud switched places with Reno, and Zach pounced with Aerith. The Ancient plopped into the blonds lap, and Zach tugged him into a headlock.

"They're bored," Angeal murmured.

Genesis scoffed. "You're too lenient. I have a headache."

"Just stay calm," Angeal said.

As if she heard, Aerith hopped from Cloud and went to Genesis, offering her hand. The sheer relief on his face after was heartbreaking. Taking this at face value, it made less sense. How hadn't the Ancients been able to kill Jenova? Aerith wasn't full blooded, but her touch seemed to be able to temporarily lock out Jenova, and even halt the way her cells mutated inside the firsts.

"We're going to figure this out. I won't give up." Aerith clasped her hands together, and I ignored the way she seemed more and more tired.

I'd taken her out from under the steel sky she loved so much. And rolled her right into being an energizer bunny against the calamity.

"Are you alright?" Sephiroth muttered it lowly, so only other SOLDIERS would hear him.

I glanced over, smiling lightly. If it was strained, I couldn't help it. "Tired still."

"Forgive me."

"You didn't keep me up numbskull. I never sleep too well when it's cold, you know that."

"Our Princess is delicate," Reno cut in. Of course, Reno defied all odds of talking quietly. Man was born for the career he'd chosen. "Take a nap. This place is remote as fuck, middle of nowhere kinda place. Got a good few hours before we get there."

"When we get there, how close can you get us?" I ignored the suggestion of a nap, more mentally exhausted than physically.

"It'll be a walk," Cloud answered. "Unless the terrain has altered massively, there'll be a huge forest surrounding it."

"More wilderness," Genesis groaned.