Hello, everyone. This is my first Final Fantasy fan fic. I am not a newb to FF7, though its been a long time since I played. My inspiration for this fan fic was actually Crisis Core, and the undying love between Zach and Aerith. I'm on the computer A LOT, and I have a lot of imagination. Updates should be often, though my life can become a little difficult, so we'll have to see. I want to see this story through. Now, with out further ado, a short summary.

A few years after the events of Advent Children...
Saerith has never known who her true parents are. At fourteen, her mother (or who she thought was her mother) admitted to her that she was adopted. Saerith then begins to try to find who her true parents are. She finds out that she has an unusual connection to the Lifestream. At eighteen, she makes a breakthrough. The last Ancient known was named Aerith. Coincidence in the name? And what's more, she was alive at the time when Saerith was born. Saerith digs in deeper, questioning her caretaker, who finally admits that Aerith is indeed her mother. Saerith discovers that she is now the last Ancient. So, it doesn't surprise her that much when strange people show up at her house, trying to take her away. She runs away to protect her adoptive family, and makes friends along the way. An old, dark enemy rises again, and Saerith finds herself tangled up in saving the planet!

This fan fiction will feature the child of Zach and Aerith, Cloud and Tifa, and a few other memorable characters. I may not get every name right, every place right, but please bear with me. If I make a mistake, tell me and I'll go about to change it. I'm unsure what the rating will be, so I'm going to put it at teen for now.

Anyways, Square Enix created this fabulous world with its fabulous characters, however some of them are mine. Like...Saerith. And Caine. Don't steal. D

One more note: Caine's age totally does not match up with the events of Final Fantasy 7. He's fourteen, and Saerith is eighteen. Just pretend that works, kay? (AU)

.::Act I: Seventh Heaven::.

Saerith peered cautiously out from alley she was hiding in. Her long, spikey black hair fell from her slender shoulder, it matted and dirty from hiding in some of the most disgusting places. It seemed that every time she turned around those men were there. Saerith stepped out, looking down both directions of the road. It was hard to tell if any of them were there because of all the people crowding around the stalls, trying to buy the best or newest product. Saerith was immediately bumped out into the crowd. The slender girl stumbled, her knees colliding with the pavement. Pain shot up through her body, straight to her eyes that began to tear up. She raised a dirty hand to her cheek to wipe away a tear. She had to be strong!

Saerith took a deep breath and then started to stand up, but a gloved hand jutted into her line of vision. She blinked, then followed that arm up to a shoulder, then to a face. A handsome boy stood in front of her, evidently younger, but cute none-the-less. He had pale skin, but beautiful blue eyes that were really similar to Saerith's. His hair was a bright blond, almost white. It looked a little funny how it spiked in a ridiculous way, but she wasn't one to laugh. Her hair never seemed to grow right. The boy smiled, the sweet, warm smile of someone who hadn't faced any tragedies in their life. Saerith was wary of that hand, but she didn't want to get knocked over again either. Her callused hands gripped the boy's, and he pulled her up. It surprised her how strong he was. She studied the boy's face for a moment. He was a little bit shorter, but he was still growing. She rubbed the side of her dirty neck, giving him a lop-sided smile.

"Um…Thank you."

"It wasn't a big deal," the boy replied, his voice light and friendly. "You have to be careful here, or you'll be trampled. Are you new?"

Saerith let out an embarrassed chuckle. "That obvious?"

The boy grinned and nodded. "Don't worry. I'll show you around."

Saerith squeaked as she was suddenly pulled off into the crowd. This strange boy was dragging her around like a rag doll, and she didn't even know if he was one of the enemy! She tried to pull away, but it seemed that once this kid got going, there was no stopping. She eventually started enjoying the tour, learning his name was Caine from the people in the streets shouting greetings.

Saerith never knew a city could be so big! She had come from a small little town and all the towering buildings, busy people, and just the whole cramped feeling were starting to overwhelm her. "C-Caine," she cried out over the roar of other people.

He looked back over his shoulder, but didn't stop walking. "Yeah?"

"Can we go someplace less crowded? I think I'm getting sick."

Caine grinned, his teeth almost perfect. "My house is just up ahead! My mom would love company."

Saerith was apprehensive about going in this strange kid's house, but it was definitely better than the streets. Just as Saerith felt that she couldn't take anymore, Caine yanked her onto a doorstep of an Inn. She looked up to see a big sign above the door with Seventh Heaven carved into it. This was his house? Caine let her wrist go as he opened the door. The first floor had a few customers in it, sitting around the randomly scattered round tables. It was too early to be really drinking, so most of them were there for just a quiet place to chat. A woman was at the bar, wiping it down with a white towel. She was a pretty woman, a bit busty, with long, straight brown hair. Saerith guessed her to be about in her early thirties. Caine walked up to the bar, sitting in a bar stool.

"Hey, Mom!" he greeted cheerfully. She smiled to her son. Saerith really couldn't see the resemblance.

"Hi, Caine. Who's your little friend over there?"

Saerith's cheeks burned with embarrassment. How raggedy and dirty she must look. Caine didn't seem to notice as he dashed over to Saerith, then pulled her to the bar. "She's new here! I was showing her around, before she got a little overwhelmed by the city."

The woman looked at Saerith. The girl expected a criticizing look from the woman, but she was surprised to find sympathy.

"I see. What's you name?" The woman smiled to Saerith, her smile just as warm as her son's.

"Saerith, ma'am," she said, her voice a little weak.

"Well, welcome to Seventh Heaven, Saerith. I'm Tifa, the owner of this Inn and Caine's mom."

Saerith dipped her head in a greeting. Tifa looked back at Caine.

"Caine. Your dad is upstairs in the office. He was wanting to talk to you."

Caine nodded, sliding off his barstool. "I'll see you later, Saerith," he said, waving good bye before dashing off upstairs. Tifa's eyes followed him, a smile on her lips. She then looked back to Saerith.

"Where do you come from?"

Saerith fidgeted in her seat, not really wanting to give out too much information about herself. It was already bad enough that she had given out her name. Tifa seemed to notice this, and she leaned closer to the girl.

"Don't worry, Saerith. You're safe here."

Safe? Saerith hadn't been safe in so long. She nodded, still not trusting the older woman. Tifa leaned back, a busy sigh escaping her.

"Well! Do you have some place to stay?"

Saerith looked down to her lap, shaking her head.

"You're welcome to stay here. Are you just passing through or do you plan to live here in Midgar?"

Midgar. So that's where she was. Saerith had heard lots of stories about this city. She was now even more determined to get out.

"No, ma'am. I'm just passing through."

"Where you going?"

Saerith opened her mouth to reply, but her voice caught in her throat. Where was she going? She had no idea.

Tifa nodded. "I see. It's alright, sweetie. You don't have to tell me."

Saerith nodded in relief. She looked down to her dirty hands and started to pick some of the dirt from her fingers. Tifa eyed her before sighing once again.

"Why don't you go upstairs and clean up? I'll try to find something that will fit you, then we can wash those clothes."

Saerith looked up, her face brightening up. "Thank you."

"Oh, there's no need to thank me. I'm just helping out a poor girl like yourself. I know what it's like to be on the move, with nothing but the clothes on your back."

She handed a key to Saerith, with a numbed engraved on it. Saerith grasped the key like it was a precious item, then slid off the bar stool. Tifa nodded to the stairs with a smile, and Saerith went upstairs. There were a few rooms, a few of them occupied. At the end of the hall, Saerith could see a cracked door. Just inside, Caine was standing there, talking to someone. He looked back to see Saerith standing at the stairs. He smiled and waved before looking back down to whoever was talking to him, hidden by the door. Saerith smiled, looking down to the key. She was so fortunate to find some kind people like Caine and Tifa. For a month now, she had been struggling to survive on her own, to stay one step ahead of those men. It was about time she got a break.

The key had the number four engraved on it, and sure enough the room was open. It was a little bare, with just a bed, a little table with a lamp on it, and a small closet. There was a desk pushed up underneath the window, with paper, pen, envelopes, and stamps on it for sending letters. Maybe Saerith could send Rose a letter, telling her that she was okay. Saerith walked over to the bed, trailing her fingers over it. She would be sleeping in a real bed! No more hard ground, or cement porches. She wanted to just plop down on the bed so bad, but she needed to go take a bath.

Saerith crept back out of the room, locking the door. She didn't know why she did. It's not like she had anything to protect. She crept down the hall until she saw a door labeled "Bathroom/Shower." She opened it and walked in to a room smelling heavily of different types of soaps and shampoos. On one side of the room, there were three toilet stalls. On the other, two shower stalls. A cart with towels folded on top of it was pushed against the wall between the two sets of stalls. A hamper was next to it, labeled "Dirty Towels." Saerith walked up to the cart to pick herself a towel. She found individually wrapped soap bars, and little bottles of shampoo. She grabbed herself two bottles and a bar of soap, then stepped into a shower stall. She closed the door, then set her clothes down on the small bench between the entrance door, and the shower door.

Well, guys. That's the end of Act I. I know it was a little fast then a little slow. Make sure to review! Oh, and I would like to give a special credit to my friend Neo Oeon who helped me out tremendously with my FF7 questions. She's a true FF7 fan. =]