By a Fraction of a Degree

A FFVII Fanfiction work by findthetiger129

Rated T for Violence and Language.

I do not own Final Fantasy VII, or any of the characters, trademarks or likenesses from Final Fantasy VII or its spin-offs That honor goes to Square-Enix.

Part IV: Stigma

Epilogue, And Life Continues On?

November 12th [ ν ] – εуλ 0022

Mao brought the WRO helicopter down for a landing at the helipad near Widblain's airship launch with ease and as the rotors slowed to a halt, Cissnei stepped out onto the tarmac and looked out over the town. It had grown ever larger in the last few years. Many of the towns across the planet had grown. Mostly freed from the noose of Shinra's control, other private businesses and local governments had been growing in popularity.

She and her partner walked along the streets, past the town hall and various other structures, and on past the house that Zack and his family now occupied. A couple of Hydrangea bushes stood outside in their front yard and she knew Aerith's backyard was full of flowers, just like the area around the hot spring. As they approached, she walked outside, smiling. "There you are!" she said. "How was your trip?"

"It was all right. The Turks gave us a warm welcome and for once Rufus was actually quite helpful. Maybe we will actually get this thing done after all." Cissnei said.

"I hope so," Aerith agreed. "I do hope you're going to stick around for a while. At least for dinner?"

"Of course," Mao said. "Veld doesn't seem to think we'll be needed."

"So where's Zack and the others?" Cissnei asked.

"Oh, you know," Aerith said, gesturing in the direction of the road leading out of town. "They're all out training at the usual place with the kids. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

Cissnei nodded. "All right, thanks. I guess dinner will be at the lodge?"

"As always," Aerith agreed.

With that, Cissnei continued past Seventh Heaven, where Mao parted from her company to avail himself of a drink. She waved to Tifa as she spotted the martial artist working at the bar, though she noticed that Cloud's garage was closed.

She felt the warm breeze on her face as she hurried into the trees. It wasn't long before she came close to the clearing where they had once landed their stolen helicopter, and she heard the sound of clashing swords. It was when she reached the end of the path that she finally saw where it was coming from.

"Okay, there was some good form on that strike!" Zack said to his daughter, with whom he had locked blades. "Let's try it again."

Freya backed away a step, her green eyes looking out from under the wild black locks she had tied back in a short pony tail so they would stay out of her face. Her bangs had still somehow managed to fly free very much like her father's. She'd also inherited her father's smile and talent for the sword.

Across the clearing, he could see Cloud and Kunsel practicing advanced techniques with Denzel, while Zack's two other children, Ifalna and Angeal watched with Marlene, all sitting comfortably in the grass. Denzel and Cloud struck and parried across the clearing as Kunsel counted off strokes. The boy had definitely grown into a strong young man, and even though he had never gone anywhere near SOLDIER enhancements (they had been ruled to be unethical and illegal under WRO statutes a long time ago and she doubted Cloud would have approved it even if they weren't) through training, he was still managing to hold his own. Cissnei walked over and seated herself next to Marlene as they watched the training continue.

Over on Zack's side of the clearing, Freya spoke up, "Dad, how am I going to be able to use your sword one day if I don't train with heavier weapons?"

Zack put his hand on her shoulder. "Just be patient. We'll get there. I just don't want us taking things too far, too fast, all right?"

The young teenager sighed. "All right…" This had been going on from the moment his little girl had announced at the age of five that she wanted to learn how to use the Buster Sword to help Aunt Yuffie fight for justice. Though she'd definitely matured a bit since then, her aspiration had not gone away, much to Zack's chagrin, and Aerith's worry.

Zack turned his attention to the others. "I'd say we've done enough for today, now that Cissnei's here." Cloud and Denzel halted their exercises.

"It's about time," Kunsel said. He walked over to Cissnei. "Any news?"

"Some," she replied. "We'll talk once dinner's over."

The lodge was especially full that night, since Barret and Cid were in town, and Reeve had come with Cait Sith from Edge, which had been named a WRO protectorate following an unfortunate accident that had befallen Mutton Kylegate. They had had nothing to do with it, in spite of the rumors. It seemed a disgruntled Shinra loyalist had just become comepletely fed up with his leadership, and acted rashly, but it had been an opportunity to clean things up over there that Reeve had definitely taken. Ruvie was also still there, though in her old age, she had become a little more quiet and frail, often preferring to sit by the fireplace while the others talked. Vincent, Yuffie, and Nanaki had also come, though over the years, the gunman had become a little more distant, preferring to travel in his own company more often than not, much to Yuffie's consternation.

While the chatter continued in the kitchen, Cissnei found herself looking at the shotgun, still over the mantel. Kunsel had kept it in excellent condition, as though it were just waiting for its owner to come pick it up and take it out hunting.

At that moment, the laughter stopped at the table when Zack raised his voice to get everyone's attention. "Now that we're finished eating," he said, and the chatter died down as he turned his attention to her. She returned to the kitchen area as Zack continued, "How did your research turn out?"

Cissnei brought out the report she and Mao had put together. "Well, we conducted a thorough investigation of the new documents that Tseng retrieved from Deepground and we've pinpointed about five different locations where Jenova samples might be stored." She reached into her shirt pocket and retrieved a map of the underground facilities, as best they'd been able to reconstruct it and pointed out the various locations.

"We'll need to get down there then," Cloud observed. He was standing just behind Zack, peering over him to get a better view of the map.

"Can I go this time?" It was Freya who had spoken up.

Zack considered for a moment. Seeing the look on his wife's face, he gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, but we're waiting until you're fifteen at least. That's when Denzel started helping out."

"Aww, but that's two whole years from now!" Freya complained.

"It'll be here before you know it," Tifa offered, as there were a few chuckles from around the room.

Zack turned his attention back to the task at hand. "I think a team of three for each location should cut it."

Kunsel nodded. "I agree. So who are the teams?"

Zack looked around the room at everyone who was there and started going through GUARDIAN's roster in his head. "I'm for doing it like this…" everyone leaned in as he laid out the plan.

[ ν ] – εуλ 0507

As the sun rose high over the plains on the Eastern continent, a cloud of dust was forming behind Nanaki as he traveled through the Midgar Wastes. His two cubs were running behind him as he travelled south from the nearest port. He had just come from the Northern Continent and was traveling towards the southernmost settlement in order to catch a boat to Mideel. At the moment though, he pause to climb a towering cliff face that had once been part of the wasteland's canyons, and upon reaching the summit, he let out a roar.

Out in the distance, he could see the bustling metropolis that was Midgar, though it looked very different from the times in his memory. The city had long ago been decontaminated, and after the plate had been removed and much of the walls had been slowly taken down to be used in other structures, it had become a much happier place, especially once nuclear power had been discovered. The city today, while definitely one of the most urbanized places on the planet, had maintained a healthy respect for growing things, as evidenced by the vast number of parks that had been built in the residential neighborhoods.

Giving his cubs a little time to survey the metropolis, he then turned his attention south. Aerith no longer tended the garden behind the lodge, and he didn't speak to GUARDIAN's descendants as much. Many of them had long ago dispersed, even if a few were still around. But Vincent would be there, as he had always been, like clockwork every year, and Nanaki could hardly wait to see him.

The End

To everyone who's stuck with me throughout this fic, and those who are just tuning in, I would just like to say thank you, for your feedback and support. This fic started going live about 2 years ago. It's been a journey that I've thoroughly enjoyed, and I'm grateful for everyone who's been kind enough to share it with me, as wells as to Square-Enix for producing a game with a story from which I've gotten so much enjoyment.