Hey guys, i am so sorry about the previous upload of this chapter, i have no idea what went wrong with it but i am sorry it took me so long to fix, you see i get these horrible migraines and i've been basically bedridden, nauseous and unable to focus because of them. I'm still not doing great but I really wanted to fix the chapter.

"Skylar chill out, we still need to land" you told her with a laugh, as Skylar jumped up to look out at the bar as Cid began to land.

"Oh no you don't, you sit your butt down" Cid scolded her, to which Skylar reluctantly returned to her seat next to Vincent, then turned to you, "She's picking up your bad habits missy"

You shrugged, "What can I say, you should stop and check out the view sometimes Cid" You teased. You could hear the airship pilot mumble a few curse words causing you to laugh.

Once the airship had landed, Skylar ran out and into the bar to greet her friends. You were critical of her movements, so far it seems she's not showing any signs of fatigue, which is good, hopefully you can slow the progression of the symptoms.

Cid stayed out with his airship for a bit to take care of the after flight maintenance while you and Vincent headed into the bar. You walked in right as Tifa was telling Skylar that Cloud has been missing. You frowned as you saw the sad look on her face, for a moment you thought she was mad at you for not being completely honest but she ran to you and hugged you as she mumbled about how sorry she is that she brought him up.

"Its ok, I'm sure he'll come home eventually" You told her, she seemed to accept that answer but you weren't too sure if you believed it.

The kids all ran off to get Skylar settled in- this time she's perfectly happy to share a room with the rest of the kids. Tifa told you that Barrett is trying to get a second bunk bed so the girls wont have to share.

"We're gonna have a full house again" Tifa said as you began to get ready to open the bar. Vincent took Cloud's usual seat at the end of the bar, you tried not to frown. "Alyssa and Jeremy called, they said that things have been sketchy in Costa Del Sol"

"sketchy?" You questioned as your eyebrows knit together in confusion.

Tifa nodded, "Apparently those silver haired guys causing trouble in Edge have turned up there as well." You nodded thoughtfully, so she continued "Alyssa sounded really panicked, I told them to come stay with us until everything chills out."

"good call" You agreed. "They can have my room" You told her.

"I thought you'd say that, which is why I asked Barrett to see what he can do about a new couch" Tifa said with a laugh. Then the phone rang and Tifa excused herself to answer it, while you continued to prepare to open the bar. Cid wondered in after a few moments and took a seat near Vincent. You got them their usual drinks when Tifa returned she seemed troubled.

"You look like you've seen a ghost" Cid said.

"whats wrong?" you asked ignoring Cid's figure of speech.

"That was Reno again, he sounded strange, I left another message for Cloud"

Then you turned to Vincent, he's been acting stranger than usual too and you couldn't help but feel like he was hiding something. Vincent noticed your stare but ignored it. "Vinny" you said in a hushed tone, he glanced at you. "what are you hiding from me?" you asked but Vincent stayed silent which only confirmed that he's definitely hiding something from you.

(Cloud)

After months of looking for a cure you ran into the three silver haired men, they attacked you out of nowhere and now you wanted answers. It was unsettling how much they reminded you of Sephiroth- not just in appearance but also their speed in fighting styles, especially the one who seemed to be the leader. As you passed the sign for the Healen Lodge you decided to listen to more of your messages. Once again you heard Tifa's voice. "Reno called again, he says to hurry" she paused a moment, "He sounded strange, be careful ok? I thought you might want to know that Autumn and Cid picked Skylar up, she has geostimga just like Denzel and Riley." Then the call ended. Another kid with geostimga, you absently frowned as you parked fenrir.

When you pulled up Reno tried to fight you, it was significantly easier to fight him when he's sober thinking about to when he tried to fight when he was drunk. He's somehow less coordinated sober. Either way you easily avoided his attacks and pushed passed him and into the building, as Reno was about to follow you in you closed the door and locked it- he's really gotta stop falling for this. "Ok so you're good" Reno said from behind the door.

Rude stepped up and extended a baton towards you, you reached for your buster sword as Reno said " Yeah Rude looking sharp" As soon as Rude saw you move he backed off.

As your eyes adjusted to the dim light you saw that Rufus was sitting at the same desk as the last time you saw him but this time he wore a cloth to cover his face.

"Good you fight the like the soldier you once claimed to be. You haven't lost your touch." Rufus said.

So he was testing you, but for what? "Rufus Shinra. Do I feel sorry for you" you commented referring to the spread of his geostimga.

"The day of the explosion…"

"What do you want from me?" you asked tempted to roll your eyes, Rufus is always overdramatic

"I managed to get out of the building…"

"Who were those guys that attacked me?"

"…before it collapsed…"

"I'm leaving" you said as you turned back to the door.

"We need your assistance, Cloud" Rufus said urgently as if trying to prevent you from leaving.

"Not interested" you said, now you were getting annoyed.

"I acknowledge that Shinra owes the planet a lot. It goes without saying that my company and I are the ones who put the world in the sorry state it's in. Therefore, it's our responsibility to set things right…" Rufus began

"I'm still out here" Reno yelled.

Rufus briefly rolled his eyes before continuing, "As a first step we have commenced an investigation in Sephiroth's wake. It's been two years. Now that the world is on its feet again, what poses the greatest threat? Well, that one's easy. Geostigma. And we have reason to think Sephiroth is the one responsible. The populace, they blame mako energy, and the reactors… even the Lifestream for causing the stigma. However, isn't that blame misplaced? The Lifestream has existed as long as the planet, and even mako energy has been part of our lives for over forty years. And yet, there's no mention of the stigma in recorded history. So, what happened during our time to change all that? I can think of only one thing. The arrival of Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth is dead" you told him, after all you're the one that pushed him into the reactor, dumb luck but effective and you're the one who defeated his true form up at the Northern Cave.

"Yes, but has his mind died? What if he somehow dissolved into the Lifestream, coursing through the planet undiffused? I know it is merely my speculation – but it is possible, isn't it? And we can't cure the stigma until we know the truth. So we took action. We went to look for traces of Sephiroth. We started – do you know where?" Rufus really sounds crazy, theirs no way he could still be alive…

"Yup, at the Northern Cave!" Reno chimed in.

"And what do you think we found.." Rufus was cut off.

"Will you cut the cryptic crap" A man walked out from the shadows, at first you thought his face was just difficult to see in the dim lighting but then realized that most of his face was covered in geostigma. You were surprised when Rufus remained silent, maybe the fatigue from the stigma was proving to be too much for him because you've never known Rufus to tolerate disobedience.

"Who the hell are you?" you asked watching him carefully, he seemed scrawny but vaguely familiar.

"Well I see Autumn doesn't talk about me anymore" he said spitefully.

You reached for your buster sword, "Don't even say her name, Ryan" You said as you prepared for a fight. Now that your eyes adjusted to the dim light you could clearly seem him. There really wasn't much of a resemblance to Jace.

Ryan held up his hands defensively, "Oh come on now, you wouldn't stab an unarmed dying man now would you" you taunted, but he had a point. you lowered your sword, "heh you'll never be like my brother"

You looked away, "You're right."

"Has Autumn found my cure yet?" he asked.

You just glared at him as you heard Reno chime in again, "Hey you leave my girl out of this." He kicked the door. You couldn't believe it but for once you agreed with Reno.

Rufus cleared his throat, "As i was saying, we didn't find anything but we were interpreted" he said as he turned on some surveillance footage that showed a badly beaten Tsung and Elena handing a box off to Rude who left in a helicopter as the three silver haired men approached the Turks. The footage was grainy but you definitely recognized the men as the three that attacked you. "Kadaj and his gang" Rufus said.

"Kadaj?" you questioned.

"They'll be after you as well. If they haven't already found you."

"leave me out of this" You told him.

"How?" Rufus nearly snapped, "Your ties to Sephiroth run as deep as ours do, Cloud. If Kadaj's purpose is to do whatever is necessary for prepare for the moment- we stand in the way as his greatest threat."

"Moment?" you questioned.

"I thought Zack was the dumb one but this guy…" Ryan mumbled, you glared at him.

"Sephiroth reborn" Rufus said.

The conversation continued, you agreed that Kadaj and his gang need to be stopped but as always Rufus is looking for personal gain, he needs to give it up that he'll never be able to rebuild his company to what it was especially because they're responsible for destroying the planet. Besides he's allied himself with Ryan, and while you don't know much about him, you knew he abused Autumn and that alone is unforgivable.

As you turned to leave you felt someone approach, absently you reached for your buster sword and grabbed the arm of whoever approached, forcing them to the ground. Ryan looked up at you, he chuckled before saying, "You're not like Jace at all"

"I never said I was" you replied as you unlocked the door, making sure to trip Reno on the way out.

(Autumn)

The bar was extremely busy tonight, full of the usual regulars plus a lot of faces you've never seen before. Ever since the reports of the three silver haired men started coming in, it seems that Edge is full of even more refugees than usual.

"Autumn, can you check on the table on the back? They haven't paid their tab and they're acting sketchy" Tifa asked as she prepared a tray of drinks for several other tables.

"On it" you replied picking up another tray to deliver on your way.

Alex and Jacob tried to catch your attention but you waived to them signaling that you're just too busy. You delivered drinks on the way and finally got to the table in the back, they were just about ready to leave. You took out their bill and offered it them. "you weren't thinking of dashing were you?" you asked with a knowing smile.

You seemed to frighten the group, they were a bit scruffy looking, probably just as poor as most of the refugees in this town but they racked up a pretty high bill. "No miss" one of them replied timidly. He offered you all the money in his pocket, "we just don't have enough money"

You were about to speak when you felt a tug on the back of your shirt, you glanced back to see Riley, you gave him a curious look.

"we found some kids that need your help" he said, more orphans with geostigma most likely.

You nodded, "give them a snack and some water, I'll be there in a minute" you told him, he nodded before you turned back to the group. Now that you got a good look at their faces you could see they were all about your age, their cheeks caved in a bit most likely from hunger, "keep the money" you told them, they looked shocked. "use it to help some of the orphans around the city, just don't do it again" you explained. The group looked relived and thanked you before heading out. As you walked past Tifa she nodded at you with a knowing look. You asked Cid to help out Tifa with whatever she needs, in part because the bar is so busy but mostly because it will get him off his drunk ass and sober him up a bit while you go take care of the orphans.

You and Tifa had set up a makeshift clinic in the living room and you had entered the room to find that there were three orphans, one of them a young, they couldn't be more than four and two older children, about ten or so seated with Denzel who was holding his head. They were speaking in hushed voices. Riley was passing out snacks to everyone, the orphans ate them so quickly, as Marlene began taking out your medical supplies, she knew you'd definitely need bandages.

"Denzel, not feeling well?" you asked, already knowing the answer as you ruffled his hair.

He shook his head and yawned. You carefully tucked some of his hair back to check on the stigma, it didn't look any worse, and he had already applied the ointment for the night. you glanced around and saw Skylar awkwardly waiting by the stairs. It seemed the reality of the orphans of Edge was a bit too much for her. "Sky why don't you head up stairs for the night and help Denzel get settled for bed" you suggested.

Skylar nodded enthusiastically and reached for Denzel who reluctantly followed. You absently frowned as you watched them leave, Denzel seems to get worse and worse with each passing day.

You treated the orphans, with the help of your little nurses Marlene and Riley. After the geostigma wounds were cleaned you applied the ointment and wrapped the wounds. You sent each of the children off with care packages of snacks, water, and bandages, telling them to come back anytime. You sent Riley and Marlene upstairs to get ready for bed while you cleaned up. Just when you thought you were alone you felt fail arms wrap around your torso, you turned to find Riley.

"Thank you" he said quietly.

"For what kiddo?" asked genuinely confused.

"you always help everyone" Riley replied. "I'm really lucky you're my sister"

You smiled and pulled your little brother into a hug, "Awe you're the sweetest little brother ever." Then you sent him off the bed saying you'll be up in a few minutes. Once you were done cleaning up, you checked on Tifa and Cid, thankfully it was finally slowing down. Only three tables left, a group of mechanics from Pop's and Alex, Jacob, Vincent and Cid were left. You told Tifa you were gonna tuck the kids in then will be back down to help.

(Cloud)

As you rode towards Edge a million thoughts raced through your mind. You weren't sure why you went to see Rufus, maybe you hoped your get more answers about Kadaj and his gang but it only seemed to raise more questions. Though you knew one thing for sure, things are only going to get worse from here and now that Ryan has resurfaced you worried he'd try to get to Autumn.

You stopped at a small gas station to fill up, you still have a few hours before you'll get back to Edge and at this point you didn't think you'd make it there without stopping. Against your better judgment you decided to check your phone, two messages again.

"Hey Spike, it's Cid, I don't know what you're doing out there, not that its any of my business but word's traveling fast that you haven't been working. Some kids in the bar were talking about how the mechanics around had to find a new delivery boy" Cid's voice said, "Times are getting hard, Autumn and Tifa could really use the help, specially because Autumn's taken up treating all the orphans for free. Tifa would never admit it but the bar is struggling. Just thought you might want to know"

You were surprised, usually Cid minded his own business, you frowned, everything he said was true, you haven't been working, you've been so busy following leads that you haven't worked in months. As much as you wanted to help, its better if you stay away until everything is settled.

Then you listened to the second message, it was Marlene. "Hi Cloud!" at least someone didn't sound disappointed to reach out to you. "I was just wondering when you'd be home, Skylar moved in with us today, she was pretty upset that you weren't here and it has been a while since you've been home. We all miss you." You were confused, why would Skylar move in? Her family is rich, surely she'd be better off at home. At least it seems like the kids are doing well and you knew Autumn would take care of them.

Once you were finished you headed back to Edge, it was already dark and you'd get back in the middle of the night.

(Autumn)

it was just about closing time, you were busy closing out Jacob and Alex's tabs. There was a few others still lingering to finish their drinks or pay their tabs

"Barely saw you all night" Jacob commented as he handed you the money for his bill.

"Its been super busy around here lately" you told him with an apologetic smile.

"Well its seems even in hard times bars will flourish" Alex added.

"I sure hope so" Tifa chimed in as she wiped the bar clean. "you two get home safe"

"Take it easy ladies" Alex said as he headed towards the door.

"Say, where's your big moody friend" Jacob asked suddenly. "its been a while since we've seen him around, is he alright?"

You tried you best not to look upset but knew you were failing miserably, you didn't know how to answer him. You were about to panic when you heard the door to the bar slam open. you heard Tifa begin to say "Sorry we're clos…. Oh my god"