Saria: Next part of the fic!

Tori: Good fun for all of us, muses and author alike!

Zas: So, we're moving forward with the timeline?

Saria: You know it!

SA: Here we go again…

zzzzzzzzzz

The church was a quiet place that was fun to relax in. Today though, Aeris wanted to view it as a possible location for her wedding. Although it was somewhat cold and blustery outside, the flowers in here still grew though not as they had during the warmer months.

"I think we'd have plenty of room," Aeris said as she walked around the flowerbed, checking for weeds and listening to the words of the flowers. "Zack and I could stand in front of the flowerbed with the minister and our friends and family could be spread throughout the church."

I found myself smiling at her thoughtful planning as my eyes roamed over the church. True it would be a romantic place that held significant sentimental value to Aeris and Zack, but I did see some hold ups about a ceremony in here. The place wasn't exactly private; plenty of people rolled through the church and might crash the ceremony. Then again the reception/wedding feast was going to be held at the Seventh Heaven and that was about as public as we could get.

"Have you found a dress yet?" I asked as Aeris knelt down and pulled a weed.

She shook her head slightly. "I think I might just make do with something," she replied. "The city is still coming together and there isn't much time to find a tailor to make anything special."

"A wedding dress doesn't need to be extravagant," I reminded her as I knelt down on the other side of the flower bed and pulled a stray weed.

The flower girl shrugged but smiled as she stood and dusted off her hands. "I can't believe its March already. Just two more months."

I grinned though I remained where I was and turned my attention to the soil, reaching down into the Planet mentally. I had been here several times, praying that since this was where the healing water appeared in Advent Children that the answer to Geostigma could be here. Each time I had found nothing.

Groaning, I retracted to my body as once again I found no information. Why was this proving to be so difficult?! I knew that Geostigma was created by the presence of Jenova cells in the body and the affliction was the body trying to eliminate the cells and going too far. At this point I was thought that the healing water was water infused with the Lifestream that would permeate the cells and wash the contamination away but that was just a theory and I wasn't going to experiment until I knew for sure.

"Is Mrs. Tuesti moving here soon?" Aeris asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, she and Chloe intend to help out with the orphanage. Denzel will of course be attending school."

Aeris nodded as she sat next to me on the chilly floor. "Zack's parents are getting excited about the wedding. They called just last night wanting to know what our plans are."

"They seem to do that on a weekly basis," I joked and Aeris smiled.

It had been almost a year since I had first come to Gaia and as everyone started to settle into outfits similar to the ones that they wore in Advent Children, Aeris had taken to wearing a slightly longer red jacket with a two piece pink dress that had a white floral pattern stitched along the hems. Zack and Kunsel had stuck to cargo pants and shirts that were somewhat similar in style to the SOLDIER uniform. And since SOLDIER no longer existed no one minded.

"What of your mother?"

Aeris's smile stayed firmly in place. "She seems pleased though she is also insisting about helping to cook the wedding feast. Careful about letting her near your recipe book," she teased and I winced. One of the things I had brought with me from Earth was a notebook of recipes I had collected throughout my travels and it contained everything from keema naan to misoyaki onigiri to shrimp creole to basboosa. More than once I had had to thwart an attempted theft of the book.

"Have you decided on what you want for your feast then?" I asked, automatically knowing she wanted one of my dishes since she was giving me advance warning to guard my notebook.

"Zack has his heart set on that rib dish, and I'd love it if you'd make that layered milk and honey cake," she told me and I almost laughed. They had chosen two dishes that were pretty in-depth and I would need my recipe book in front of me to fix. No wonder she was warning me to watch out for it.

"What about for the kids?" I asked since neither dish was something a child typically gravitated to and I knew Denzel and Marlene at least would be at the feast.

Aeris gave me a bit of a mischievous look when I asked about children and refused to say anything more before she stood and we headed back to the fledgling city.

Reeve was in the house when I got home which was a bit of an odd occurrence though I couldn't complain. He was starting to away from the role of defacto President of Shinra and back into Director of Urban Development though he was planning to step away from that also as a new organization was being built that he planned to head.

"It's unusual for you to be home so early," I told him as I walked up and gently wrapped my arms around him from behind. He chuckled as he turned around and offered me a kiss.

"Things are starting to slow down at the moment," he explained. "With Rufus taking more control of the company my workload is significantly decreased for now."

"Have you seen him yet?" I asked as I moved towards the kitchen and began to pull out some ingredients for dinner.

"No, but I'm dealing with Tseng face-to-face so I can feel assured that it is in fact Rufus."

"Is Scarlet still causing trouble?"

Reeve grimaced and I knew immediately that she was. "Is she still trying to get Weapons started up again?"

"If only," the dark haired man replied as he glanced over the ingredients I had pulled out. "Piccata tonight?"

"Yep."

"I also found a buyer who is interested in those mastered All materia you have," Reeve informed me. "Mind telling me why you want to sell them?"

"You need funds for the Corel dam," I supplied and when he began to protest, I continued. "It's been nine months and there is still a lot of work you need to complete here. It's probably better to have a private benefactor make a donation for the building of the dam rather than waiting for the funds to be raised."

Ruvie called soon after dinner was finished to say that she would be arriving with Chloe and Denzel in three days time and to just catch up with us in general. Both Reeve and I anticipated she would be staying with us for a few days then would be moving into a house or apartment of her own and she indicated similar intents.

"Still nothing?" Reeve asked when we were heading to bed several hours later and I shook my head, already knowing he was asking about Geostigma.

"No, I'm thinking of trying to go to Icicle Inn to see if I can turn up anything there," I admitted as I crawled into bed next to him.

"Because of Aeris's mother?"

"And because that's where she originally struck. The memories there will have the deepest scars."

Reeve nodded slightly as his arm slithered around my waist and he drew me closer to him.

That night my dreams were of the Lifestream and for the first time in months Minerva appeared before me.

"Are you finally going to tell me how to cure Geostigma?" I cut straight to the chase.

Minerva gave me a faintly amused look then shook her head slightly. "This is about Sephiroth actually," she told me and I was instantly all ears.

"Is he ready to join us?" I asked which drew a faint smile from the Goddess.

"In a week, come for him in the Ancient Capital," she told me and I found myself smiling.

"Now, about Geostigma," I continued but Minerva held up her hand to stop me.

"This is a problem that has to be solved by my children. I can't solve everything," she informed me.

"Me asking you to solve everything would be asking you to eradicate the disease! If you can't tell me how to cure it straight up then give me a hint as to where I should look!"

Minerva gave me a half-smile before fading into the green current of the Lifestream.

"How incredibly helpful," I grumbled as I leaned back and enjoyed the sight of the Lifestream.

Healin

Rufus groaned as the nurse helped him out of bed and into his wheelchair. He hadn't been disfigured or even that badly hurt by WEAPON, but with the general insanity that the world had descended into it was only typical that some things had happened.

Being kidnapped by a terrorist and held captive hadn't been all that strange, but the terrorists themselves were vastly different. Mutten Kylegate had informed him that a city was already being built on the southeast side of Midgar and how he intended to seize control and govern the city himself. He planned to call the place Edge.

After Kylegate's death he was aided by a former Shinra scientist who called himself Kilmister. That had led to him being sequestered in a cave with a number of people that had the disease called Geostigma. He had shown through Hojo's research notes that Jenova was responsible for the disease and thus that had led them to where they were now.

Almost nine months after the defeat of the Calamity and the destruction of Meteor and he was starting to show some of the early stages of the disease. Kilmister had advised him to not give up or lose hope before he was killed.

Rufus still grimaced though at the sight of the black rash that was appearing on his hand though. His entire body was still covered in wounds from his capture and paired with the Geostigma…

Reaching to his bed, the young President tugged a blanket off of the bed and draped it over his form right as Tseng knocked on the door.

"You called for me?" the Wutaian Turk asked.

"Yes, I want the Shinra Company to find the remains of Jenova and keep them safe and out of the hands of those who would misuse them," Rufus told him.

Tseng nodded before turning towards the door, pausing, then handing Rufus a large file.

"What is this?"

"An overview of what Director Tuesti has managed to have done up until this point," Tseng replied.

Rufus accepted the file then, eager to see how his city was being developed. "Also, next time you talk to Director Tuesti tell him that the city will be named Edge."

Tseng nodded before he departed the room and Rufus leafed through the file carefully. The city was rough but it was getting power and from the looks of it would soon be mostly self-sufficient. There was also a note about plans for a dam in Corel of all things though it seemed a private benefactor was planning to fund that. There were mentions of several AVALANCHE members also and Rufus felt his blood run cold at the mention of a "Team Leader Kaze".

His recent experiences had helped him temporarily get AVALANCHE off of his mind but now they were back. The people were hailing them as heroes now so his hopes of being able to silently make them disappear were dashed. Three SOLDIERs, a Turk, and two Ancients with abilities that he could only guess at! The others weren't anything to sneeze at either at this point.

But what was he going to do?! His protection was currently down to four people who would soon be looking for the remains of a corpse!

Normal

The next day was a Sunday and fortunately Reeve had taken the day off. We met with the buyer Reeve had mentioned who paid an extremely generous amount for the materia. He explained that he was an item creator and that the mastered All materia were a crucial ingredient in items such as Megalixirs. Apparently one mastered All could create somewhere around one thousand Megalixirs.

The three All that I had mastered were sold for five million gil and we were paid on the spot.

"Maybe I should make a business out of selling mastered materia," I joked as Reeve and I arrived at the Seventh Heaven and he shook his head with a smile as we entered the bar.

"Hey you two!" Tifa called from the bar where two patrons glanced over at us before Marlene came running out of the back.

"Rachas! Reeve!" She cried excitedly as she raced over to us, a flower tucked behind her ear alerting me to the fact that Aeris and Zack were most likely here also.

"Hello to you too," Reeve said with a smile as he bent down to allow the child to hug him as Barret ambled out of the back, his gun-arm having been traded in for a bionic hand. He told us it could transform into a gun but I hadn't seen that yet.

"What would you like?" Tifa asked as I bent down to give Marlene a hug as well.

"Tea would be nice," I answered and Reeve nodded his agreement. "Barret, would you mind if we had a word?"

"'Bout what?" Asked the large man.

"We found a benefactor for the dam in Corel," Reeve told him which drew a grin from Barret.

"Finally! Those guys started minin' fer coal again, but they're all excited 'bout the dam project. Dio still onboard?"

"Yes, he will be assisting by providing workers," Reeve explained as we sat down at a table. "He and Coates are going through his prison records, finding minor offenders, and will offer reduced sentences in return for working on the dam."

"Who's the benefactor then?" Barret asked before glancing at me as I pulled out the gil that I had just received. "Rachas?"

I grinned as I handed the money to Reeve. "Five million towards the dam," I explained to Barret who gave a hoot then grabbed me into a hug.

I tried to fight for my release but Barret was way too strong. His bear hug probably would have made an actual bear surrender and I was no bear.

"I think she needs air," a voice called right as spots began to cloud my vision and Barret immediately let go.

"That's a way to go," I grumbled as I caught myself on the table.

Zack laughed as he walked over and clapped Barret on the shoulder. "What was that all about?"

Barret was still grinning as he turned to face Zack. "They got us the money to start building the dam!"

"That's wonderful!" Aeris exclaimed happily as she and Cloud also approached the table, Tifa right behind them with a hot tea pot and several mugs.

"That's not the only news," I said as I sat down next to Reeve then lowered my voice to insure other patrons wouldn't hear. "Minerva told me that Sephiroth will be ready to come back in a week."

"Sephiroth?!" Cloud looked shocked and mildly panicked as his eyes flew over the room.

"The real one, not Jenova's twisted illusion," I clarified and around the table the gathered faces relaxed as Tifa poured the tea. The one exception I noted was Aeris's face; she didn't look at all surprised. "You already knew?" I asked her pointedly.

My question drew everyone's attention onto her and she blushed slightly then nodded her head. "Both you and Bugenhagen said my talent is in foresight."

Zack managed a grin after a few moments before glancing around the table. "I have an awesome bride-to-be!" he announced. "So, one week and we'll have Seph back with us, huh? We should throw a welcoming party!"

Barret grunted slightly as he glanced at the lot of us. "Al'ight with me, but after I'm headin' for Corel to help with the dam."

Tifa shrugged to show she didn't mind and Aeris was wearing that strange, knowing smile of hers.

"What about disguises?" Reeve's question threw everyone for a momentary loop but when I recovered I realized he was right. Sephiroth was a very recognizable figure and he would be mobbed in a moment if he were seen walking down the street.

"I can take a change of clothes and a blanket when I retrieve him," I offered. "No one is going to notice a man walking around with a blanket over his head since it's still cold outside and plenty of people don't have coats."

"Speaking of going places," Zack spoke up, "Cloud and I are going to start a delivery business. It was his idea!"

Cloud had been lifting his mug of tea when Zack made his announcement and was visibly grinning as he took a sip. "We need some transportation first, luckily I found a mechanic who I think we can get some motorcycles from."

Zack grinned then turned back to me. "Some of the stuff we eventually get might be expensive and time critical so we were hoping you might be willing to work with us part-time, kinda like you do for Reeve right now."

I shrugged then smiled myself. "Sure, I wasn't planning to work with the solar panels forever, and with the city stabilizing I should be able to move on again."

"Shinra is bound to have work for you eventually," Reeve added then chuckled when all of us made slightly sour faces. "My own organization is sure to have use for your skills also."

"So you're really going to move forward with that?" Tifa asked.

"Yes, I've even decided on a name. The World Regenesis Organization, or the WRO for short."

"Cid called yesterday, he said that the research on the new airship is going well and that soon enough they should have an effective one," Cloud supplied. "He says that fuel is going to be needed though, that avgas that Rachas uses in her plane."

"More business for miners!" Barret cheered happily.

We talked for almost an hour after that, exchanging news and plans over the tea that eventually grew cold before Kunsel showed up, a slight grin on his face as stepped through the door followed by two familiar faces.

"Yuffie! Vincent!" Aeris welcomed them warmly while Tifa excused herself to make more tea. "When did you guys get here?"

"Just today!" Yuffie declared happily. "Found Vinny shooting monsters in the wastes and brought him along."

"Well you gotta stay til next week!" Zack exclaimed happily. "We're going to have a welcome back party!"

"For us?! Thanks!" Yuffie looked very bouncy right then and I decided to allow Zack the joy of explaining who was coming back. Standing, I walked straight to the kitchen to help Tifa with making more tea.

Reeve stayed another half hour before an emergency call drew him away. Apparently there had been a gas explosion at one of the new construction sites that had left the site not quite stable and they needed a professional opinion on whether or not to collapse and rebuild the building or if they could rebuild the supports.

I stayed two hours after Reeve left because Zack and Aeris began hammering out wedding details and things that they would like each of us to do to help. I agreed to help by flying Zack's parents if the need arose.

Reeve didn't come to our house until later that night and asked if I would mind flying him and a few engineers to Junon the next day for a meeting. I saw no problem with it since I wasn't expecting my team to be called in for maintenance or installation of the solar panels and even if they were, I had already chosen my eventual replacement. It would be good practice for him to take command in my absence.

Rocket Town

"Motherfucker!" Cid yelled as he accidently cut his fingers on one of the compression fans for one of the engines. He almost stuck his fingers into his mouth before realizing they were covered in grease, oil, and lubricants.

Shera approached a moment later, a medical kit already in hand and pulled out some alcohol to wash the cuts.

"Shit…" Cid gritted as the stinging liquid was dabbed over the cuts before glancing up at the hulk that would eventually be his new airship. They didn't have very many people to work on this ship and it was slow to come together.

"You really should be more careful," Shera said as she folded gauze over the cuts and pulled out some medical tape after drying his hand.

"We need more people," Cid countered. "This ship'll take another year before we can get her ass off the ground."

"Then maybe you should call Rachas and se-"

"Ain't havin' that one!" Cid replied hotly. "I'd never live it down, askin' fer her help."

Shera managed a laugh at his declaration then gazed at her captain. He had changed so much in under a year and while he did have his moments he was honestly a lot more pleasant to be around now. He had had his dream, seen the stars, been on an adventure, and now was building a new airship. His new friends were staying in contact and plans that would keep them all busy were cropping up.

Now if only Cid had gotten a Restore materia on his adventure. Having one of those handy would definitely help alleviate injury related slowdowns.

Normal

The trip to Junon went smoothly though I refused to leave the airfield and wore my weapons in plain sight. The fact that I also kept my plane ready to go at a moment's notice must have been somewhat funny to the mechanics that were servicing the few helicopters left on the field that used fuel rather than mako. A brief conversation revealed that all mako powered helicopters and planes had been torn apart to be used for parts months before.

"Are you still planning to go to Icicle Inn?" Reeve asked as we flew back to Midgar with his team.

"Yes, I'm planning to fly to Bone Village and catch a ride from there since this plane isn't good for extensive flying in ice and Icicle Inn is a bit notorious for that."

"When?"

"In about three days so I'll be here when Ruvie, Chloe, and Denzel arrive tomorrow and the day after. That way I'll be near when you-know-who is ready to leave."

Reeve nodded slightly then leaned back against his seat. "Remember when you told me about the opportunities that could be created by being able to access space?"

"Yes, and talk about reaching back a bit. What brought on this?"

"I've just been thinking recently about what could be accomplished with that sort of technology," Reeve admitted and I laughed slightly.

"Cid will probably be thrilled to hear that."

What would probably be our last night alone for a while was spent with us fully enjoying the company of the other.

Both of us went to work the next day and I was pleased to find that the previous day there had been an emergency call that had been dealt with without incident. We had two jobs scheduled to check on panels on buildings that were pretty much next to each other so we finished with work that day quickly enough.

As we were all departing I was approached by one of the men, the one I actually intended to eventually takeover for me. His name was Jason Tiberon. He was 28 years old and a hard worker, well liked by his co-workers.

"Excuse me, Ms Kaze," he called after me as I turned to head towards the bus station where Ruvie and crew would be arriving.

"I believe I've invited you and the rest to call me Rachas in the past," I informed him as he jogged up next to me. Like the rest of the team he was taller than me but he didn't act like it.

"Alright, Rachas," he said and I felt strangely alert about the way he said my name. "I was wondering if you would… That is if you're not busy…" he looked a bit shy then and I decided to nip this in the bud.

"Can we walk as we talk? I agreed to pick up Reeve's mother at the bus station."

Jason's face fell immediately. "Reeve?"

"The man I'm seeing. We've been together for about nine months now," I informed him as my suspicions were confirmed.

"Oh… Well… Um… Every so often the guys go out for drinks; would you like to join us?"

"Maybe sometime," I replied and he nodded before turning and heading back towards the rest of the team who seemed to be waiting for him. It seemed strange that they hadn't known that I was seeing someone, especially since Reeve was that someone. We were private with our relationship, not throwing huge fits in public and our fights remained behind closed doors, but seriously, the man had been acting as the head of Shinra for over half a year! I should be surprised that everyone and his dog didn't know.

I arrived at the bus station about half an hour before Ruvie's bus was due to arrive and bought a cup of hot chocolate for the wait. The weather was starting to get warmer again but it was still chilly enough that I wasn't comfortable outside without a fair amount of layers on. Icicle Inn was going to be hell.

"Rachas!" I knew the moment the correct bus stopped because Denzel leaped off the bus first and ran towards where I stood, a small duffel over his shoulder.

"Hey Denzel," I replied as I returned the hug the he gave me before turning my attention back to the bus. Adults were trickling off the vehicle in a steady stream, some of them looking very haggard and worn down by the world.

Chloe and Ruvie exited somewhere in the middle of crowd of people, and I noticed something seemed a bit strange with Chloe. She was leaning a bit too heavily on Ruvie.

"Denzel, does your mom have a black rash on her body?" I asked as the two slowly approached.

The boy thought for a moment then nodded. "Yeah, mom didn't want me to see it though."

I felt a new sense of urgency seize me at that moment. Chloe had Geostigma. I didn't say anything about it though as I offered my shoulder to help her on our walk to the house.

Ruvie insisted on cooking that night after we got Chloe settled into her room. She declared that she was exhausted from the trip and I could only hope that she hadn't progressed too far with the disease. She seemed a lot more energetic when Reeve arrived home that evening, Ruvie serving dinner soon after he walked through the door.

"Which school is Denzel going to attend?" Reeve asked as we settled in to the food. I noted that Denzel looked happy and sad at that moment.

"He'll be going to the public school by the orphanage," Chloe replied as she accepted her plate. "According to the orphanage director we'll have an apartment right next to the orphanage; it should be available on Thursday."

"Will you be viewing the apartment tomorrow then?" I accepted my own plate then.

"Yes, and Denzel's school will be giving him an exam to figure out what grade to put him in." Now Denzel looked utterly depressed.

"Think of all the friends you'll soon have," Ruvie told him as she set a plate before him.

"Still don't see why we couldn't stay in Costa Del Sol," the child grumbled.

Dinner passed without interruptions and we all went to bed that night, Denzel taking the couch at Chloe's insistence. I think she was terrified of passing the stigma to him.

All three departed early the next morning, Ruvie and Chloe for work and to see the apartment while Denzel headed for his new school. Reeve went to work and I was headed out myself when I received a frantic call from Zack. Aeris had gotten sick that morning and he didn't know what to do.

"Just calm down and see if she's feeling okay in a few hours," I told him. "And throw out whatever she ate last, it's probably gone bad." One of the things I had soon found out about Zack was that he had a tendency to forget some rather obvious things such as shutting the refrigerator door. More than once one of us had gone into the kitchen an hour after Zack had been there and found the door open.

Though Jason was a bit more reserved that day the rest of the team acted the same towards me. Unlike yesterday though there were a number of buildings that were reporting problems so I was able to divide us into two teams. Even going through the jobs two at a time kept us going longer than we usually did so for once I arrived at the house later than Reeve.

"Busy day?" he asked when I entered.

"Definitely, how was your day?"

"Busy as well. Rufus is starting to take more of the burden of President but I'm still the chief person on location. Today there was a squabble over water valves to the newer portions of Edge."

"Is that what they're calling the city? Edge?" Ruvie asked as her head popped out of the door to the kitchen.

"Yes," Reeve confirmed as he guided me to the table where Denzel was closing a thick textbook with an expression of distaste.

"School sucks," he declared as he tossed his book onto the floor.

"Denzel!" Chloe sounded horrified.

"Everyone calm down!" Ruvie ordered as she appeared with a stack of bowls. "No arguments at dinner."

Chloe gave Denzel a look before getting up and going into the kitchen as I excused myself also. As I washed my hands, she and Ruvie gathered some fresh baked rolls and a pot that held a fragrant soup.

"So, what grade were you put in?" Reeve asked Denzel as we reentered the dining room.

"Fourth," Denzel replied. "Tomorrow the teacher is giving a quiz."

"On your second day?" That seemed pretty harsh to me.

Denzel nodded miserably as Ruvie passed out bowls of soup.

"What about your plans for tomorrow?" Chloe asked as she glanced at Reeve and me.

"I have a meeting to attend involving construction projects and then I'm meeting with the recently elected mayor about an organization I've been putting together and some laws that I think should be set in place to limit on the power of any company or individual. It will also outlaw human experimentation in all forms except for voluntary medical research."

"What about you, dear?" Ruvie asked as she handed a bowl of soup to me.

"I'll be headed for Icicle Inn for a few days," I admitted.

Chloe looked a bit confused. "Why Icicle Inn? Isn't it a bit late for skiing?"

"I'm doing research in regards to Geostigma. There are stories of a similar outbreak happening there many years ago, so I'm going to see if there is anything to find."

Chloe's eyes widened slightly before she glanced at Ruvie. "I thought you were an engineer, not a scientist."

"I am an engineer, but I can perform research as well. There are some old records there that I plan to look through if possible." I didn't feel in the least bit ready to tell these three that I could talk to the Planet.

"I see," Ruvie said as she sat herself at the table. "It's good to see so many doing what they can during these times. Every hand that helps is a good one."

"Does that mean I can quit school if I help with rebuilding?" Denzel asked and was answered by four very adamant "No's".

The next morning I was up and out the door at the same time as everyone else except I headed away from the city towards the airport. My team already knew I was going somewhere so I would not be missed.

The flight to Bone Village was relatively short and once there, I met with a man who was flying supplies and tourists to Icicle Inn in a helicopter. He seemed amused about a pilot hitching a ride to the village though he did admit that the place wasn't somewhere you could take a plane.

The ride out took several hours over the mountains and I found myself transfixed by the beauty of the slopes as they glistened in the sunlight.

Not much had changed in the snowy village during the better part of a year since I had been here. There were a few cases of Geostigma up here also but the effects seemed almost muted. Almost as though the energy of the Planet that was still trying to heal its wound was effecting the progression of the disease.

It was mid-afternoon as I headed for the inn and booked a room for myself until Friday, when the helicopter would return for anyone heading to Bone Village. That gave me two days to try to connect with the Planet and search for a cure for Geostigma.

Feeling a bit cramped in the inn and not wanting to sit in the snow, I headed to the house that had belonged to Aeris's mother and father. Ifalna had been a Cetra and her husband had died here, so it was possible that her spirit might still linger here.

Sitting cross legged on the floor of the main room where the videos had been made, I closed my eyes and let go of my body, listening intently to the voices of the Planet. All around came the whispers of the Planet, murmuring of snow and ice that had fallen and never melted for two thousand years, freezing a wound that would otherwise ache and let the Lifestream bleed from the Planet.

Pushing down further, I listened for the echoes of people that should have been around when the wound was made but all I heard was screams. Screams of people, animals, the Planet itself as the injury happened and then a strange silence that sent shivers through the body.

'How did you stop it?' I wondered and slowly the ice answered. In my mind's eye I saw the first flakes of snow fall, the snow that would never melt as the Lifestream sent healing energy through the ice. All the animals and people either left or died, none going to the North Crater.

The Lifestream had dealt with Geostigma the first time by clearing the area, freezing it, and then started a slow elimination with the healing energy. The reason that Aeris and I couldn't find a freaking cure was because there wasn't one! All the previous victims had died and been eliminated before the disease could spread and the land frozen to prevent the Calamity from spreading it herself!

But I now had a definite answer to one problem; the water would act as a medium to mix the Lifestream into. No regular human could withstand the pure Lifestream so it needed to be diluted to a point where the healing powers were not lost but the human exposed wouldn't be compromised or mutated. It would be an incredibly delicate balance, one where even the slightest mistake with the water would lead to catastrophe.

Pulling back to my body, I was surprised to find that I was fairly stiff and the room was dark. Rising to my feet proved to be a bit of a mistake right then as my vision darkened in the corners and I grabbed the table to steady myself.

How late was it? These experiences never seemed to take long to me but when I seriously immersed myself like I did now and had done several times in the past, I lost all sense of time. And based upon how wobbly my legs felt I had not moved for quite some time.

I stumbled around the room for several more minutes until I had regained the feeling in my legs completely then left the house and headed for the inn, noticing that I had the tremor in my limbs that meant my blood sugar was low.

It is a very bad sign when the innkeeper does a double-take when you come through the door and looks rather surprised.

"You're still here?" he asked in shock.

"Uh… yeah. It's not Friday is it?"

"Not for another few hours," he replied much to my relief.

"Okay, is the kitchen still open?"

"The kitchen for the bar is," he told me as he nodded towards the door leading to the bar.

I had to hold on to the railing as I descended into the mostly empty bar and leaned a bit on the counter as I ordered a chicken strips dish. One thing was for certain once I got back up to my room: I was going to have to call Reeve. We weren't clingy to the point where we had to call each other every day but it had been several days now and I had some seriously good news that would hopefully serve to give the people infected with Geostigma hope but I had the feeling that what we had gone through thus far was the easy part. Still, knowing what to combat the infection with was better than nothing.

My meal arrived shortly and I carried it up to my room and pulled out my phone. Though better than my first one on Gaia it was still significantly behind the curve of technology on Earth. And right now no one was focusing on making new technology with the Planet in shambles.

"Hello?" Reeve's voice came over the phone and he sounded pretty haggard.

"Hey, long day?" I asked, instantly concerned.

"Very, did you find anything?"

"Yes, there was an imprint up here that I think can be used to make a cure for the stigma."

"That's excellent!" Reeve's voice sounded very relieved. "I think everyone can use that news at this point."

"Did something happen?"

"Chloe and Denzel have it," he said after a moment. "Chloe for a while but Denzel just got a rash today."

zzzzzzzzzz

My sleep that night was not entirely peaceful. Though I was tired I now felt a lot of pressure starting to build. I'd be taking Sephiroth to Edge on Saturday; there was the cure that Aeris and I could now both tackle, and the looming events of Advent Children. And I didn't have any idea how the changes that I had made were going to affect events. Would we have a complete set of the remnants since I had freed Sephiroth's soul? How would the presence of Zack and Aeris change things? And Cloud was definitely not a withdrawn emo either. I was going to have to ask Aeris to look in on this since she was more talented than me at foresight. Hopefully we'd be able to gain an edge of some sort.

Friday morning dawned bright and cold and I was thankful that I wouldn't be staying here any longer. I hadn't enjoyed this place too much the first time AVALANCHE had rolled through and though I had decent clothes this time I was eager to leave.

The helicopter couldn't come soon enough in my opinion and I was ready to go the moment he landed. Unfortunately I had to wait while the helicopter was unloaded then he was ready to go.

"You seem always eager to go," the pilot said as we headed for Bone Village.

I grinned at the comment, he had no clue how true that comment had been and still was to be honest.

Once on the ground, I took the small bag that I'd packed for Sephiroth from my plane before heading into the Sleeping Forest, followed several steps of the way by an excavator who was trying to warn me that I needed a Lunar Harp. He gave up before we had lost sight of the exit and headed back to the small village.

The first time that I had come through this forest was with Aeris, Kunsel, and Vincent as we headed to the city for the prayer to Holy. During my next visit we had had the Highwind and had skipped the forest all together. So for the first time I was able to enjoy the scenery of the forest and the voices of the Planet as I walked and it was beautiful. The trees were of a white wood that glowed, lighting up the path to the city even as the night began to overtake the day and gloom set in. Truly, there wasn't a single place on the planet that was more magical than the Ancient City.

It was completely dark and well into the night when I arrived at the city and I quickly sought out the house where Cloud, Zack, and the rest of us had slept that night after the casting of Holy. I was unsurprised that the beds were still all present and fell asleep after a quick meal of trail mix.

A strange silence woke me the next morning, the sort of silence you expect right before a tornado hits. Reaching out, I felt no danger but the Planet was being so oddly quiet.

"He's coming," Minerva's voice murmured, causing me to jump in shock. "Come for him in the place of prayers."

Grabbing my bags, I rushed from the house towards the center of the city and entered the shell-like structure. Unsurprisingly the fish sculpture was raised, exposing the stairs to the prayer area and I almost tripped in my haste before realizing that there was no banister to catch if I fell.

For the second time in my life, I sweated as I descended the stairs to the atrium as the fish sculpture settled over the opening again. The main difference was that this time I didn't have a nice soft SOLDIER to break my fall if I slipped.

The stairs finally ended and I made my way down to where the water was and the silence of the Planet finally broke as a humming started. It floated gently over the water, bidding me not to come closer yet as little by little, a bright form began to take shape.

The scene before me was much like watching a body return to the planet in reverse as the green wisps of the Lifestream came together and began to mold a body. A very small body. A FAR too small body.

I felt my mouth drop as the humming finally called me forward and I stepped into the water, heading for the tiny figure that had settled on top of the water, still glowing brightly.

"What?" I gasped as my hands touched the being and the light dissipated to reveal the tiny form of a baby. A baby with white hair.

"I gave him a second chance, and this was the only form that would be fair," Minerva's voice floated up to me. "He'll have nearly no memory of before, a fresh start. And since you agreed to take responsibility of him, you are now his mother."

"I… I… I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CARE FOR BABIES!"

My scream woke the child I was now holding and the newborn began to cry, loudly.

Panic caused me to raise him to my shoulder as I tried to think through what I could possibly do. My promise made me the mother of this little guy but I didn't think I was ready to be a mother! What would Reeve think? What would my friends think?

Heading back for the shore, I yanked out the clothes I had brought for Sephiroth and pulled the shirt over the now once again quiet infant's head, using it as a baby gown before wrapping him in the blanket I had brought. There was no point trying to argue this here, I needed to regroup and think, try to come up with a plan.

I climbed the stairs back to the surface with the baby held securely against my chest and departed the Ancient City fast. It was as I was walking through the Sleeping Forest that I realized that Minerva was right.

In order to truly have a second chance, Sephiroth needed to start over completely. His life had been screwed up before he was even born previously; his childhood was tormented by experiments and ended when he was thrown into a war at fifteen. Decent as a person or not, by the time he was an adult his life was just far too ridden with violence and pain. He wouldn't know how to handle this world that we were trying to create. That and with the negative propaganda that Shinra had started pelting at Sephiroth in the last few weeks as Rufus took control once again, declaring the "truth" about the Silver General, he would have probably been chased by a lynch mob.

I still thought Minerva should have warned me though that this was her intent.

The baby slept for most of the way to Bone Village then began to cry loudly as we entered. Uncertain of what to do, I sought out a local doctor and as he gave Sephiroth a post-birth check-up, the nurse drew me aside to try to give me a check-up as well which I vehemently refused. She did insist on me at least watching a video on taking care of newborns which I did agree to.

The video took all of ten minutes after which the nurse wanted to know if I intended to breastfeed or use bottles.

"Bottles," I answered quickly as my face reddened. How in the world could this woman even think I gave birth?! My clothes aren't showy but anyone can tell I'm thin!

"A cure spell might eliminate most signs of pregnancy after birth, but some things will still continue. Lactating for instance," the nurse said when she caught sight of my incredulous expression then gave my armlet a pointed look.

Sephiroth was carried in then by the doctor and the nurse prepared a bottle as the doctor insisted on filling out the Birth Certificate.

I was flushing red as I held Sephiroth, now bathed, in a proper diaper, and swaddled in a soft baby blanket. Luckily the doctor seemed to think nothing of me not saying a name when he asked for one and simply handed me the certificate before the nurse came back on instructed me on how to hold Sephiroth while I fed him.

Come to think of it though, I probably shouldn't be calling him Sephiroth anymore. He was starting a new life and the last thing I needed was to give hints to his identity, or rather his former identity. That and having a name that belonged to someone famous had never struck me as a good thing.

The nurse tucked several diapers, some wipes, baby lotion, and prepared bottles of formula into my pack when I admitted that I was traveling then walked me to the airfield where I really must have surprised her by climbing into my plane alone.

Seeing nothing else to do in regards to how I was going to fly with a baby in the plane, I tilted one of the seats most of the way back then tucked the swaddled form in a nest consisting of the blanket and pants I had thought a grown man would be wearing. There were no baby carriers or seats in Bone Village since it was an excavation site, the only reason they had diapers or bottles and formula was because they acted as a supply chain to Icicle Inn. If a baby carrier was ordered, it went straight there.

I kicked names around in my head all the way to Edge when I wasn't dreading how poorly Reeve was going to take this new development. He had made no indications that he wanted children and we had never even discussed something like marriage.

The crying started again shortly after landing and I was fighting the urge to run back to check on him until after the aircraft was shut down.

Once I could, I rushed back and gently checked the diaper before pulling out one of the prepared bottles. I had no means of heating it so I fed him part of the chilled bottle. It seemed like he consumed so little as I stared at the bottle when he was through.

Pushing the extra clothes into my pack and rewrapping the baby, I climbed from my aircraft into the brisk March air. A tiny cry caused me to pull the bundle in my arms closer, actually folding my own coat over him before a tiny hand caught one of my fingers.

At that moment I was transfixed by the tiny fingers that wrapped around mine, five tiny digits that looked so soft and fragile, and the tiny nails mere specks. My heart started to pound in that moment.

"Well well, look who we have here, yo," a grating voice almost made me jump right then. Glaring, I glanced over to where Reno was leaning against a vehicle, a cigarette perched on his lips.

"Been a while, hasn't it yo?" he asked and I shrugged before turning to head for the Seventh Heaven where I had agreed to meet everyone as soon as I got back. "Where ya headed?"

"Obviously not out," I replied as I kept my back to the Turk, not wanting him to see what I was holding.

Reno shrugged then offered a smirk. "Times are changing and we're not after you or your friends no more. In fact, we might actually become buddies, yo."

"That I doubt." Although I might work with the Turks for some important matters, I refused to be any more involved with Shinra than was absolutely necessary once Jason took over my team.

"Is this one of them?" A new voice asked from before me and I snapped forward to come eye to eye with a woman with cinnamon brown eyes and dark red hair. Cissnei… And she was back in Turk garb?! It took everything I had not to gawk at the suit clad woman.

"Yeah, this is the one named Rachas yo," Reno called to her as her eyes wandered over my form, stopping almost immediately on the bundle in my arms and I was suddenly more aware of the tiny fingers clutching my finger.

"I'm Cissnei," she offered with a friendly smile but I only felt a deep pit form in my stomach.

"Rachas Kaze," I replied then stepped by her and hastily walked to the end of the airfield, not daring to look back. The pace I set getting to the Seventh Heaven was a rapid one and without realizing it I started drawing on the power to help me go faster without actually breaking into a run. Either way I blew through the door at a very fast speed and almost didn't stop myself from running into Zack.

"Hey! Back already?" Zack declared then glanced over my shoulder as though he were looking for something. "Where is he?"

"Right here Zack!" Aeris replied as she rushed past him and gently touched the bundle in my arms.

It all made sense in that moment, the way Aeris had smiled whenever children were brought for the last week as well as several other comments she had made.

"You knew this was going to happen!"