Dry arid desert sun blazed down, baking everything in its wake. Its rays becoming slowly apparent to the unconscious girl, sleep induced through dimension travel. Her cyan hair flipped along with the breeze blowing across, dust slowly caking on.

"Nat! Kaylie!" Her throat rumbling in half animal tongue. In horror the two plummeted to the earth and landed with a bang. Mother earth now had another crater to blemish her beautiful skin. Though, she on the other hand, floated mid-air still trying to process her best friends laying there defeated.

It felt good, the sun, but also a foreboding raked her. While she laid there, the teenager began to hear voices as consciousness began to reform itself. Distant as they were, there were voices. Masculine and strong with confidence. Who could be all the way out here?

She tried to get back to them but Kaiman blocked her. His cascading gradient blue hair swiveling with his sporadic movements those grey eyes of his slit like a lizard. He was beyond reasoning and for once she felt like she was on the losing end.

Those voices were becoming clearer, closer too. Their conversation sounded of battles and work. Were they mercenaries? She began to notice pain too. Very slight at the moment but it was there nonetheless. In a way, she hoped those voices would stay away.

"This is it for you!" His maniacal laugh resonated and echoed across the land. She had let up her guard for one moment and here she was. On the verge of collapsing and defeat. It would be her first. All that she could remember before passing out was that round house kick to her head and the portal zipping open.

"...hey...Hey...HEY!" She cringed at the yelling and absent mindedly glared up at the culprit. Even a slight snarl made him jump. When she couldn't recognize his face her bright blue eyes shot open leaping back away from him. He fell back onto his butt with an "ooph", his black hair spiked up absurdly natural and his strong pale blue eyes watching her in wonder. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion before noticing three other men.

The other three watched with mild suspicion. She felt it despite their calm collected demeanor. Silence had crashed down as the group continued in their staring contest until Ari decided to start up a little conversation. Her attention went to the first black haired man.

"Who are you?" He seemed familiar. In all honesty she would admit he looked like the video game character, Zack Fair. It wasn't possible though, that was just a game. With the men behind him, they all looked like others from the same game. He sat there for a moment processing what she had just said. Irritated Ari huffed and they young man stumbled out his words.

"I-I'm Zack Fair! Please," the boy finally stands up regaining his composure before his betters. "I didn't mean to gape, I was just surprised at your quick comeback after being unconscious." She eyed him for a moment then straightened up herself. Ari sensed nothing wrong about these few, in fact they seemed to emit a benevolent aura...despite them trying to play off as some of the most important characters of all video game history.

"And why did that surprise you? Your attire tells me that you are a warrior, correct?" He nodded his head. "No matter where you are, you should always expect the unexpected." The Zack before her shifted a little uncomfortably. Perhaps his mentors had told him the same thing before many times and with them watching him right now, it was probably embarrassing for a stranger to say the same thing.

With a soft sigh she turned around and began her way noticing that she was right smack dab in the middle of a desert. Granted she would have pulled out her wings and flown across this world but she would rather keep her abilities secret from these few.

"Wait!" Confused she stopped and turned enough to the young boy, roughly looking her age. Her cyan orbs giving off a cool gaze with a hint of huntress showing through, the boy almost stopped. "Why don't you come with us?" Finally the three older men made a move. The red head rebuked his subordinates exclamation.

"She is an outsider! Someone like her doesn't belong among men!" Ari turned to the red head glaring with dark eyes.

"Someone like me doesn't belong with men? Please, explain what you mean by that." She turned fully to him, her bright blue trench coat fluttering with the gentle breeze. He turned to her with dangerous eyes.

"Please you're a woman! Women are frail; they only ever get in the way." Right at that she scoffed and laughed lightly. He glared, "what's so funny?"

"You." She leaned her head to the side, examining him in the most degrading way she could. "Let's see, young, but getting on to middle ages, slim to stay agile, and yet," she laughed a little, "you're still a pretty boy." The man snarled and only agitated more when she smirked.

"You brat. You're hardly old enough to wield a sword! Which I don't see one on you!" Out of habit she rolled her eyes, unimpressed with his arrogance.

"Arrogance will get you no where. I have one, I hardly need it." Using her ice, Ari formed a blade beneath her cloak so that it looked as though she had one when time arose.

His vibrant blue eyes snarled in aggravation making him pull out his own sword. Ari cocked her head watching his body for signs of aggression. The bigger black haired man to his left said something to the red head but obviously it went in one ear and out the other. Their silver haired companion eased the black haired man and allowed events to play out.

Ari's aggressor leaped without warning which hardly phased her as she could see each movement with ease. Timing her blow just right, she parried him and jumped off to the side as he made a counter attack. This man was definitely agile and quick to which she smirked at.

She dealt another parry and while he was recovering Ari rushed him, their blades meeting one another in a flashy kiss. Sparks fly as blow after blow come to clash until he began firing fireballs at her. Ari managed to slice a few and dodge the rest.

Her blue eyes glimmered with animalistic drive as her fight began to delve into the hunt. The wolf inside slowly became more and more prominent

'Ari...control yourself. Don't show them everything.' She shook her head lightly, clearing out befuddling thoughts. A sigh escaped her lips as she stood straight and sheathed her sword. The red head glared impatiently.

"What are you doing?" Ari gazed at him lazily.

"I'm done with you. It's meaningless by this point." She noticed the two in the back gave a nod in agreement. He scoffed at her.

"You're only giving up 'cause you can't win!" Ari shrugged her shoulders.

"Think whatever you may." Zack placed a hand on his better's shoulder.

"Genesis, let it go. She's not an enemy."

'Genesis...and Zack...is it possible that Kore sent me to a whole other dimension? Or did he build one? Can he play God?' She stood there mulling over the facts laid out before her as the two were arguing over whether or not Ari was a friend or at least a non-threat.

"Girl, what is your name?" Her cyan eyes turned to her left to find what would be the Sephiroth approaching her casually. She gave him a slight glare so that he knew that the title "girl" didn't sit well.

"Ari Renzo." The other black haired man, who she would have guessed to be Angeal Hewley, spoke up next.

"Please excuse us. My comrade here is Sephiroth and I'm Angeal. We would like to apologize for Genesis and his brash attitude." She shrugged unsure how to feel. Being only a few inches taller than five foot, the two men before her made Ari feel rather tiny.

She made a quick look around and began to recognize the area. Indeed she stood in the middle of a desert and not just any desert; the one right outside what would be known as Edge. Realizing that she was in audience of some important individuals she returned her attention to them.

"Sorry, I'm trying to figure out where I am...Angeal, right?" The man nodded his head and begun to explain where she was.

Indeed Ari had landed outside in the middle of the desert not far from Midgar. She nodded and went along with what was going on.

"By the way..." her attention snapped up to Sephiroth, "you aren't from Shinra. Since you haven't had the Mako experiments, how do you have those vivid blue eyes?"

Her heart dropped. How was she supposed to weasel her way out of this? For a moment Ari silently stood there watching the two.

"It's a long story..." Unable to bear his rock hard stare, the young woman turned away looking off into the distance. Angeal and Sephiroth exchanged glances. The black haired man cautiously laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you come with us, like Zack offered? You don't have a job right?" Ari shifted her distant eyes over, watching the older man carefully. Her eyes told him so much; starting from be careful to I want to trust you. He nodded in confirmation. "With your skills as a fighter, you'll do fine. I wonder if they'll let you be in SOLDIER."

She cocked her head slightly as she got her final clue. This was another dimension, whether created by Kore or if it always had existed, but it was in fact Gaia and she now lived the Final Fantasy life. By Angeal and Genesis still being with Shinra, it was obvious that life right now was before Crisis Core. How long before, she had no idea.

A hesitant nod was their answer and the three began off. Zack lost his attention with Genesis and catching on, the red head turned to watch with a venomous glare. The younger recruit followed suit of his other two betters while the steaming third sulked behind.

Their journey was quiet aside from small talk here and there. Ari kept her pace behind Sephiroth and Angeal, more so to keep distance from the silver haired killer. At this point in time she knew he was no threat but more so her knowledge of what he was to be is how she remembered him most. The rambunctious recruit walked to her side most of the way stealing side glances here and there.

With each passing minute Ari felt more and more out of place. She knew too much of this place, who these people were, and what was to happen. Granted she didn't know what exact dates they would happen but she prayed that they wouldn't happen soon. Maybe...just maybe she could change things for the better.

Problem was that manipulating the future was almost playing God. She certainly couldn't be at such a level. Not only that but trying to change what could happen without them figuring out who she was and where she came from.

Her eyes grew dark in thought and this didn't go by unnoticed by the flirt.

"Heeeey, Ari right?" Those vivid icy eyes shifted to her right. "You know, it would only be courteous of you to repay me for waking you up, right?" Ari's gaze grew a little less dark as she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Why don't I take you out on a date? Not only to pay me back but to ease all that tension there." He gave her his signature smirk. She let out a soft snort shaking her head.

"You aren't my type."

"Huh?" A soft giggle escaped her lips.

"I'm not one for over confidence." He blinked a couple of times before recovering.

"So you don't like confidence huh? How are ya going to be with a strong guy if he aint confident?" Another snort.

"I didn't say that. I said I don't like too much confidence."

"I'm not! I'm just the right amount!" She shook her head and rolled those blue orbs.

"Your gait tells me everything." With that Zack dropped it pouting all the way back to Shinra.