A/N: To begin, I don't own Final Fantasy VII (7). I'm only saying this once, because it won't change between now and the end of the story!

I've decided to start posting this one now because it's far enough along that I feel I can, at the very least, find a good place to split it into a Part 1/Part 2 if I find I need a break in the middle. Like usual, it will update on Tuesdays.

Originally, this was a response to reading an otherwise good fic which had a couple very obvious flaws in presentation—which was actually upsetting, because other than those, which ended up being story-breakers, it had been one of the better stories.

So, in the process of my re-working of the general idea, I obviously have reasons for why there are only five going back, and I added in my head-canon for characters and background. As a result, this story sort of took on a life of its own. I hope things will be explained well enough without being tedious. Just to let you know, I probably 'could' have sent more people back, had circumstances been different, but that would have over-complicated the situation as it develops. There were always a limited number of people who could have feasibly gone back in time, however, as you'll realize in the first chapter.

Readers of the Catalyst Array series: This story is NOT related to CA; not everything you're familiar with in CA is valid in this one! Preferably, don't compare the two. Differences are deliberate.

Please note that, while all five time travelers have some quirks, Tseng in particular displays some rather odd behaviors, especially earlier on in the story line. Of the group, he's actually in the worst position here (other than maybe Weiss as things progress), not so much because of his location or the people around him, but because of how 'he' changes in the process of going back in time. There actually are reasons for his odd behaviors, and those reasons will eventually be explained. And trust me when I say he really likes to confuse me, too, in this story, so sometimes I have to try to work out his perspective before I can figure out his reasons.

Also, I've added some Materia which didn't actually exist in FFVII, though a few might exist in other branches of the Compilation. Some also function slightly differently.

Now, on with the story!

At World's End

Everything was breaking apart around him, and all he could do was watch in horror. There was nowhere to go, no escape—even the zone he was in would last only so long, and it had only lasted as long as it had because it still had most of its barriers around it, regardless of how people could now travel to it freely.

How had things gotten to that point?

Almost everyone on the Planet had been feeling unsettled for a few weeks already, though nothing much in the environment had changed. Rather, nothing had changed except for the natural Mako Springs suddenly running dry. No one could tell what was going on, but while people had been looking into the reduction in naturally produced Mako, no one had thought it meant—this.

That day was the anniversary of Aeris' death. All those who had known and traveled with her ended up at the Forgotten Capital every year on that day to pay their respects to her. Most years, he waited until the former members of AVALANCHE had been and gone before approaching the platform out on the underground lake to pay his own respects—he preferred not to start a conflict with them by his mere presence. Instead of his usual method of waiting for them to finish, he had arrived early in the morning, wanting to...he supposed it was a form of communication which was similar to 'talking'...to her. Normally, he didn't have that luxury because everyone else had already used up her strength and her spirit had left the Mako tendrils in the lake so she could rest.

Because he had gotten there first that day, dressed in his usual black suit and with his black hair falling freely nearly to mid-back, the dark stone on his forehead as visible as always, the Wutain was sure she would be there. When he had stepped into the water, she had indeed been present, but she had also been scared. When he had asked her what was wrong, she had told him the world was about to end and there was no escape. In the end, it hadn't been enough. Everything had just been too much. For Omega to be destroyed; the remains of Jenova's cells still floating in the Lifestream; the after-effects of Meteorfall; the Mako Reactors having drained so much Lifestream; and the physical and emotional damage the world and its people had suffered in the last decade alone, it couldn't hold itself together any longer. How the world could end so easily when it was intact, he hadn't known—

But Aeris had told him.

The Lifestream was literally the reason life existed there. Their world was a very small rock incapable of creating its own gravity and atmosphere, and it was the spiritual presence of the Lifestream which forcibly gave it both gravity and atmosphere so life could exist there. If the Lifestream weakened too much, it would become nothing, and because the spirit energy had been forming, shaping, and enveloping it for aeons, without that energy, the rock itself would shatter.

Every bit of remaining Lifestream energy had been in the very same water he was standing in, hoping there would be even just one chance to fix things.

He had lamented in sorrow, "If only there was a way to go back in time to change the worst of the things which destroyed everything..."

His words had caused a pause in Aeris and the Mako mixed into the water, but soon after, he had felt the ground give a sudden, hard pull and stumbled, falling to his knees in the water so he had been immersed to the neck.

Looking up, his eyes had widened as the cavern ceiling crumbled (and several white-green tendrils formed a protective dome around him so the falling pieces didn't hit him), and above that, he watched an aurora surge across the sky, leaving behind emptiness in its wake. Gravity vanished, and perpetual tremors began passing through the area. A dome of green-tinged energy had appeared around the Forgotten Capital, keeping it largely stable and untouched, but outside it, he could see debris—rocks, trees, animals, monsters—being pulled upwards, out into space.

It was surreal to realize the world was really breaking apart and being pulled out into space in bits and pieces, and now his mind was catching up with the current moment.

A hand landed on his shoulder, making him look up to see a terse Genesis—the red hair cut in a shaggy, flyaway style and red leather coat gave away his identity like nothing else—hovering above the water with one dark gray and black wing (on his left side), grim gaze on the sky. He was still wearing black pants, shirt, and boots under the red leather coat, but they no longer looked like the former SOLDIER First Class uniform he'd once worn. At that moment, his mind wasn't fully capable of processing the fact that Commander Genesis Rhapsodos was still alive, or of asking the man about something so—mundane while the world was breaking apart.

"We can't stay here," Genesis said. "Weiss, is there a place closer to the core of the city?" The Wutain looked around, seeing another man with a white wing (also on his left) hovering several feet away and dressed in white pants and sleeveless shirt. Unlike Genesis, despite his short, spiked and flyaway white hair, this slender and obviously powerful younger man was plain and simple.

"It won't matter—and I have to stay here," the Wutain answered the Commander before the Tsviet Weiss (who he really only knew by reputation, and why was he alive and with Genesis?) could speak.

"What do you mean, it won't matter?" Genesis asked with a scowl. "Whatever's tearing things up out there will get in here eventually, Tseng, and I'd rather not be a sitting duck out in the open."

"That's not a 'what'," Tseng answered, turning his pained gaze back to it. "It's the world breaking apart because the Lifestream finally took too much damage. What's left of it, and of Aeris, is right here, and I won't leave her alone right at the end. Not again."

The red haired man's eyes widened, then he turned to look at Weiss questioningly, who answered with a shrug, "You're the one most likely to get an answer from Minerva, so if it's true her presence is in the water, you should ask her."

"Minerva?" Tseng asked with a small frown.

Another man—Vincent Valentine—landed beside them, splashing into the water and saying, "Get in the water, both of you. One more will make it here before everything falls apart." His long, black hair, red cloak, black pants and shirt, and gold, clawed glove and golden, pointed-toe boots were as obvious and prominent as ever—he was as easy to identify by his clothes and hair as Genesis was. His other hand was just covered by a normal, black leather glove. His eyes glowed red, and Tseng knew they had originally been a more normal shade of red, without the glow. Once again, the Wutain was struck by the similarity in appearance between Vincent and Sephiroth. Were they really unrelated?

"How do you know?" Genesis glared at the red-cloaked man.

"It's a throwback from Chaos," Vincent replied simply. "Get in the water."

After a pause, Genesis and Weiss both obeyed, and a moment later, they heard the drone of an engine over the shaking and cracking of the land around them. A very familiar motorbike bumped roughly down the semi-transparent stairs, hit the shore, crossed the strip of beach around the lake, and hit the water, causing a huge wave. Genesis yelled a few curses as he fell, submerging fully in the water, Weiss hissed as he also fell, and Vincent had already crouched—and had held Tseng down—so the wave just passed over him and the Wutain with little issue. The motorbike engine died a few feet deeper in the water, and the rider had collapsed into unconsciousness with a head wound.

Well, the wound would explain why he ended up hitting the water instead of stopping on the shore, at least.

With a small sigh, Tseng cast Full Cure on the spiky-haired blond, causing him to come awake, sputtering and coughing as he tried to orient himself. He had the same glowing, Mako-blue eyes with green or teal rims around the pupils as Genesis and Weiss, but he dressed in a dark purple version of the SOLDIER First Class uniform which approached black. The likeness had been accidental according to him, but the fact remained that the color was only just a little different from the purple Second Class uniform, too. Genesis and Weiss managed to get back to their feet as he was recovering.

The blond looked up at Vincent as the man stood—and noted the other three there. "Vincent! What in Hellfire is going on out there, and what's with these three here?"

"The world is breaking apart," Vincent informed him. "The only thing keeping this place together for so long is a combination of the existing barriers and the remains of the Lifestream being focused here. We are the only ones, the last five, in the world who are still alive."

After a silence, the blond asked, expression full of pain, "Why is this happening?"

"It took too much damage in the last ten years," Tseng filled in. "Aeris can give you a better explanation, since she's here, too. That means six are still 'alive', in a way, or seven if we also include Zack."

"Only you would call a dead woman 'alive'," the blond scowled at Tseng.

"She has both sentience and awareness," Genesis snorted. "The Flower Girl is still 'alive', she just doesn't have a physical body. Her form right now is very similar to a Summon who hasn't attached itself to a Materia shard yet—or, more appropriately, an Eidolon. If she was to become one, it would be a powerful healer the likes of which we've never seen before. Zack would probably end up as a Fenrir."

"There is no Summon called Fenrir," the blond said slowly to the red haired man, brow furrowed.

"There is, actually, though because he's not in a Materia shard right now, he's an Eidolon rather than a Summon," Genesis smirked. "Fenrir visits you fairly frequently when you land in the Lifestream—he's a wolf-like creature with powerful physical attacks. Right now, there's only the one, unless Zack becomes a Summon and takes that form."

"Cloud, this isn't actually the time for that," Vincent cut in. "Did you happen to bring along your Materia like I asked?"

"Yeah, they're here, but why does that matter if it's true the world is ending?" Cloud glared at the others present there.

"Take them out. It matters because Tseng made something change while he was here, just before this began, and those will help us fix things—because just maybe Tseng accidentally gave us the means to do so," Vincent explained.

"What means?" the black haired Wutain asked in confusion. The shaking was getting worse, and the dome around the city began flickering.

"That depends on what you were thinking when the Lifestream paused and fell completely silent at that moment," the other black haired man replied evenly, red eyes meeting Tseng's dark ones. "Care to fill us in?"

"I had—said that 'if only there was a way to go back in time to change the worst of the things which destroyed everything'...Are you saying the Lifestream can do that?" Tseng asked, eyes widening.

"Under normal circumstances, probably not," Vincent told him. "But then, apparently Leviathan has set a precedent of doing so, just not normally on a scale this grand."

"And, in these circumstances, Minerva has nothing to lose, so she'll risk what's left of her to change things in the past," Genesis said, eyes glassy and mostly closed. "What we don't know is the premises of our return. Are we going to be going back as we are now, or will we be put in our own former bodies? Will we keep any of our new skills, or just our knowledge? Any items on us at the time, will they transfer or not? And when will we go back to? The things most likely for Minerva to be able to send with us are the remaining parts of her—the Materia shards!"

"That hadn't been my original intent to Cloud bringing them, but the timing is good now," Vincent agreed.

"Who's the guy in white and how is Genesis here? I thought he was dead," Cloud commented darkly, and they realized he had taken out and even opened the box of all the different Materia he had gathered over the years. Mostly, he was keeping them so no one would use them and 'drain the Planet's energy more,' but not everyone had given up their Materia to him, either. Cloud then dropped the box into the water, all of them watching for a moment as the Mako in the water began dancing around the Materia in the open box as water filled the space around the glowing orbs.

"Obviously, I didn't die," Genesis replied dryly. "Zack sure didn't kill me, just completely exhausted me. This is Tsviet Weiss, formerly of Deepground. I had already told Weiss about you and Tseng, and he and I have already met Vincent. But for this to work, we will have to work together. Even if you don't like Tseng, Weiss, or I because you now define us as 'the enemy'."

Cloud made a small face, then blinked and sighed, "Aeris agrees. Pity."

Weiss actually snorted at the words, then looked skyward as the top of the dome faded. "Looks like this is the end of our time here."

All five watched apprehensively as the dome began slowly dissipating from the top down—and just as it reached the tops of the shell homes above them, there was a surge of green, then their vision turned white before the green re-entered it. They could suddenly see one another, the Materia floating in the air around them randomly, and Aeris and Zack, along with Fenrir, who was a brown-gray wolf Cloud did immediately recognize, and several other spirit beings they had never seen before.

One was like a (rather colorful) horse with one horn—a unicorn—one was seemingly a cross between a unicorn and a dragon, one looked like a cross between a fox, cat, rabbit and squirrel in a completely unnatural color. There was one which was almost human, but had two wings extending from the tops of her ears and carried a lute, and three more which looked like young girls with butterfly wings and were about two feet tall. Above the gathered group hovered something resembling an airship, and further away was something effectively like a head with a huge, open maw which led into darkness.

Aeris had long, brown hair held back in a high ponytail, green eyes, and wore a pink dress and darker pink, short-sleeved coat. Zack was black haired with his hair unruly and flyaway down to his shoulders, his eyes had the same Mako coloring and glow as the others with Mako enhancements, and he dressed plainly in the black SOLDIER First Class uniform. Both human spirits looked to be around twenty-one.

Then, in front of them, a woman with long, blond hair, Lifestream-green eyes, and dressed in a white gown and gold armor appeared. A staff in her hand doubled as a weapon with two blades forming a shape at the top of the staff which was like a crescent. However, despite the obvious state she had which was a cross between a warrior's and a priest's, there was a permeating sense of warmth and caring from her.

:The Redeemed,: she addressed Genesis without opening her mouth, the words echoing in their minds. :The Saved,: she directed at Weiss. Both nodded to her. :The Golden Warrior,: her gaze found Cloud that time before moving to Vincent. :The Chaos Avatar.: Both just blinked at her, and her gaze moved to Tseng. :Leviathan's Blessed Child.: The Wutain's eyes widened in shock before he shook his head. :Leviathan's Blessed Child,: she reiterated, eyes focused intently on Tseng. (1)

"It's how she recognizes your essence. She won't call you anything else," Genesis told the Turk dryly.

When Tseng sighed and gave a small nod, the woman looked at Aeris and Zack to say, :My Beloved Child and the Spirit Guardian.: They smiled at her. :We have limited time. Be sure of your positions in this.: Aeris and Zack both nodded in agreement.

"Minerva," Genesis addressed her. She inclined her head to him in recognition, and he asked, "What are you able to tell us about the situation we'll be going back to?"

For a moment, the woman looked into the distance, then returned her gaze to him before it traveled to the other four men. :You shall return to your previous bodies. However, not all of those bodies, and not every one of your memories of your pasts, will necessarily be exactly the same. A few very specific modifications were required to accommodate some of the changes in your forms.:

Her gaze moved to the man in white as she began, :The Saved, your wings and actual powers shall be locked until you are exposed to the sun for the first time, otherwise your keepers would realize you are not theirs far too soon, though your Jeh-nova cells originated not with the Redeemed but with a different incident and experiment. It will cause you pain when you first access those wings, as your past body will have to re-adapt.:

She paused as her gaze moved back to Genesis. :While your skills and wings shall not be locked, your past body, like the Saved's, will not be familiar with them. I would advise you to be cautious about when you summon them for the first time. However, I shall also modify your genes to prevent the degradation of the dead Jeh-nova cells. To save the Honor-Bound, you will need to arrange a transfusion of the Nightmare's blood. Hopefully, you will be able to prevent that child's insanity.:

Again, there was a momentary pause before Minerva turned her gaze to Vincent. :Jeh-nova cannot find her way into the Lifestream. Chaos should be capable of destroying her, assuming he—you—will be able to reach her. However, there also cannot be another incident such as would create the emergence of Omega. You shall re-acquire Chaos, who shall be aware of this same information. Exiting your prison shall—require the aid of another. Use the time wisely, to confer with Chaos and the Eidolons I shall send with you, and to plan some of the possible methods of reparation to the world.:

"They're really called Eidolons?" Cloud gaped.

:It is the true name of these spirit entities, some of whom have gone ahead to that past,: she replied, nodding towards the gathered beings. Once those words had been said, she returned her gaze to Cloud. :Your past shall change the most. When you wake, you shall find yourself with your village healer after having fallen into a natural Mako Spring which suddenly opened while you were hiking in Mount Nibel. Tell them honestly that you left town to avoid the ill-will of your peers. However, due to the resulting exposure to Mako, you have gained your strength at an age far younger than you originally acquired it. What you shall not have is the Jeh-nova cells. The result of your awakening so quickly after such exposure shall have a great impact upon your place in the village, yet I am uncertain as to the path it will take.:

Finally, her gaze moved to Tseng as she eyed him for a very long moment. :Leviathan's Blessed Child, you are in the single best position to make changes, and to have those changes go unnoticed by the destroyers for as long as possible. However, what is left of my essence shall share your body, and much shall change within you. It would be outwardly taken as Leviathan's Blessing—which is not untrue—yet shall forcibly place you in the position and capacity of a Cetra, as you cannot carry my essence without finding your mind tied to the Lifestream.:

"Why me?" Tseng asked in something like horror.

:You are not strained by other enhancements,: Minerva told him. :You are simply a highly skilled human—even should I include in my assessment your actual heritage—with nothing but age and experience to grant you your strength and skills. Were I to attempt to fuse my remaining essence with any of the others, their forms would be incapable of taking it and it would destroy their bodies. Yours shall be capable of holding it and withstand the adjustment as it will have no need to vie with any other modifications in your system—all of your body's resources shall be able to devote themselves to this adaptation.

:However, it will also grant you many, many new abilities. Because of that, my Beloved Child shall become one of your Eidolons, known as Airmed (2) while acting as such a being. She shall assist you as a healer and her form shall become the Airmed healer shape when called upon. However, she shall also act as your instructor in your new skills, as there is very little I may comprehend of that aspect or functionality you shall have.:

The armored woman paused to gaze around at them for a long moment before saying, :In the case of these two children who have passed on yet remained apart from the Lifestream, they are not and will never be the same as the ones who live in the time you will be sent to. I shall give the Spirit Guardian the form of Fenrir for the Golden Warrior, much as Leviathan's Blessed Child shall keep my Beloved Child's soul. Make every effort not to confuse their Eidolon form with their living form or address the Eidolon by their formerly human name in the presence of their younger, living self.:

Looking around at the other spirit beings present there, Minerva told them, :Make your choices and form your shape as Materia. Once you have chosen, I shall divide the existing Materia between them.: Two of the beings immediately shifted to Materia forms, the fox-cat-rabbit-squirrel's landing in Weiss' hands as a Summon called Carbuncle and the unicorn-dragon in Vincent's as one called Kirin. The others didn't immediately shift, so she looked at the five living people again and said, :The Materia shall appear near to you, likely within the room your younger self is currently resting in. I am unable to choose a very specific location for them to appear in, therefore have tied them to your energies, which shall allow them to form within two or three feet of you.:

Her gaze moved to Aeris and Zack as she asked, :Are you both prepared to become Eidolons?:

"Of course!" Zack grinned as Aeris smiled and nodded.

"Aeris, are you sure you want to stay with me rather than someone you were on good terms with?" Tseng asked her softly, peering into her eyes as she turned and met his gaze.

"I want my big brother back. I think this way, both versions of me will be able to have him," she answered with a soft smile.

In the meantime, Zack's body flashed and became red-colored energy which formed first into a black wolf shape, then into a red Materia orb which landed in Cloud's hands. By the time it was safely in the hands of the new Fenrir's holder, Aeris had turned back to Minerva, and she then also shifted to red-colored energy. In her case, her only real change was in her ears, which became long and pointed, and in her clothes, which became ancient and regal robes in deep green with white, looped designs similar to a kind of decorative knot along the hems. A hood attached to the robe and pulled itself up over her head before she became a red Materia orb which landed in Tseng's hands as Airmed.

Following their transformations to Materia forms, the other spirits also took Materia forms. The original Fenrir and the three butterfly-winged ones became the Fenrir and Sylph orbs for Weiss; the Unicorn and the great maw, Atomos, went to Genesis; the 'airship' Ark chose Vincent; and the woman with wing ears joining Airmed in Tseng's hands as Siren. The other Materia orbs in green, blue, yellow, red, and purple which Cloud had brought with him then separated to move to the general area around each of the five, but they didn't know which ones those were without being able to touch them.

:All of you shall be able to communicate with me through your Eidolons, and no one else shall be capable of touching the Materia shards which have seen this space. Good luck, all of my champions,: Minerva said, and the white light flared before darkness fell.

Notes:

(1) For CA readers: All of these names are different to the ones CA readers knew because these are actually different people with different experiences which have caused their essences to change. In fact, the only one remotely similar to the version of them in CA is Aeris, which is why her name is the same. Otherwise, 'why these names' should be obvious for those who know the FFVII story line.

(2) Airmed is a name from Greek (if I'm recalling correctly) mythology, of a woman/demi-god who taught healing to humans. Aeris is primarily a healer at an above-average level, so this seemed an appropriate form and name for me to create for her.