Aeris walked closer to the stream. She loved to hear the sound of moving water, it reminded her of life. Her parents had always told her to love life, and always give it another chance when it seamed to be too tough. She looked at the girl watching her from within the water. The long brown hair, and the blue pools for eyes. All her parents friends said that she looked like her mother, but acted more like her father. She wasn’t sure weather that was entirely true. She knew how her father and mother, both, had fought many people when they were young, but she knew that it was for the life of the planet.

“Aeris, come on back! There’s someone we’d like you to meet,” her mother yelled to her. Areis got up and ran back to the picknick they were having on the Junon beach. She reached her parents who were sitting on the blanket. They looked very thoughtful. There was also a red haired man and dark haired boy there too.

“Hello,” she politley said in her sweet voice.

“Aeries, this is a man we knew from a long time ago. His name is Reno. And this is his son Ash.” Aeries knew of the name Reno. He had tried to kill her parents when they were young.

“Nice to meet you young lady. How old are you now? 13? 14?” his smile was charming, but at the same time, she knew it ment trouble.

“I’m 16 now. What are you doing way out here?” she inquired politley.

“I’m here to tell your parents about some very important things that are happening,” Reno said this as of he was talking to a very young child. Aeris hated that.

However, with her mother’s sense of curiousioty, she wished to know more of these ‘important things’. “Like what?” she asked Reno looked to her parents. “Cloud, Tifa, do you think she should know?” Although Aeris had heard bad things about Reno, he sounded genuinely concerned for her.

Her parents looked at each other and then both looked back to Reno and Aeris. “I think she should know. This concerns her too.”

Now Areis had absolutly no idea what these adults were talking about. So she decided to listen to Reno’s explnation. “A few days ago, I received a threat from unknown persons. They wanted to know where the remains of Sephiroth were hidden. They were very determined to get what they wanted. They told me that they would try and get that info from anybody that might know. They said that if they didn’t get what they wanted within 1 week, they would take our most prized posesions from us.”

Her father continued for Reno. “At the time, Reno contacted us, telling us to be aware, but that he didn’t think of it as much of a threat. We didn’t respond after the week, and Marlene was taken. The ‘most prised posesion' that Barret had. Now we have another week before another child goes missing.”

Aeris was shocked. Marlene was like an older sister to her. The two had grown up together and had become quite close. Aeris had always looked up to Marlene when she didn’t know what to do, and looked to Marlene for some kinds of comfort through her life. “How’s Barret?” she numbly asked.

“He’s doing alright. But he still agrees with what we all think; not to tell them where Sephiroth’s body is. Instead, we’ll protect our children and catch them when they come for them.”

Yuffie’s running form was coming up at them on a chocobo. The looked tired and worried.

“Is everything alright?” Tiffa asked. Yuffie nodded as she dismounted. She went over to Reno and was embraced. “I got a hold of everyone. Everyone with or without children now knows of what is happening. All except Vincent,” Yuffie shook her head. “I couldn’t raise him on the PHS and didn’t know how to contact him, so I came here.”

A puzzled look crossed Cloud’s face. “What did happen to him anyway? It’s been years since I’ve seen him."

Reno shrugged “I think he doesn’t want to be found. And when a Turk doesn’t want to be found, even an X-Turk, you can’t find him.”

There was only a candle lighting the cave behind Lucrecia’s falls. The room was empty except for the little boy sleeping on a small bed. A dark cloked figure entered. The figure stumbled against the foot of the bed, waking the boy. “Father?” he murmered as he slowly awoke.

The dark figure suddenly pulled a gleaming knife out of his pocket. He reached out and grabbed the boy by the neck. The man’s face was covered in black. He has evil eyes, and smelly breath. “Tell your friends not to plan anything more. If they do, something worse might happen. Got it?”

The boy didn’t get it, but he nodded. Where was his father? The boys long black hair dangled in his eyes. He couldn’t see his father. Father, where are you?

Then as soon as it has begun, it was over. The man threw the boy back down, and when the boy could see around the cave again, no one could be seen. Then he wondered where his father was.

He got up, and exited the cave. He then saw something he would never forget. It was his father lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Breathing in ragged gasps for breath.

The boy knelt next to his father, who whispered to him. “You must find the man who did this, or other’s will die. The world will suffer, and Chaos will be free. Control him, do not let it get out of you, Victor . . .”

Victor, the boy, was confused concerned, and frightened. “What’s Chaos?” he asked.

“It’s the beast within myself. Created by the evil Hojo, it once controlled me. I stopped it though. And I found out you had the Chaos. I could sense it. You must fight it. Never give in, or it will control you. And I cannot help you.”

“Why not?” asked the almost frantic boy. “I need you, father.”

“I’m dying. I have become old and weary after these long years of waiting for Lucercia to return to us. But she won’t, and we should have gotten on with our lives.” Pause, cough. “You have friends who can help you. They will be loyal. You must trust them, and tell them what has happened here. And, tell them never to tell. I’m sure they’ll know what that means. Now go.”

“I can’t! Not without you.” Victor was almost shocked at how pitiful he sounded.

“I will be dead shortly, and you must be strong like I taught you.” Vincent gasped for air. “Make me proud.”

“I will, dad.” Victor had tears in his eyes. His father reached up and touched his face.

“I . . . love . . . you . . . son . . .” and with that, Vincent Valentine died.

Victor stopped crying. An anger was rising in him. Everyone he had known, had left him. His mother, Lucercia, had left when he was 5. And his father had told him that he would always be there. But he just died.

However, he knew he had to follow his father’s last wishes; to control Chaos, and warn others. Which others? Perhaps the others his father had talked about. What were their names again? Cloud, Tiffa, Barret, Red, Cid, and what was the other one? Cait Sith!

Victor now knew what he had to do. But before he could trust these people, he had to learn about them. He would follow and watch them. He could learn if they could be trusted. His father had taught him everything from gun’s to spying. He could pull this off. Although he was only 10, he was very tallented. His father had told him he definatly had the Valentine blood in him.

He would make his father proud.

Marlene watched the people who were moving around quickly, outside of her little cell. They were all wearing black, and looked like they all had things to do. All the people ignored her. They only paid remote attention when they had shoved food under her cell's door, or when she was first brought here the other day.

She smiled, remembering that incident. It had been the morning, and she had already been cranky with lack of sleep. Where the f**k are you taking me?!" she had yelled to the men who were draging her to a cell. The black clad people had ignored her. But Marlene hated to be ignored, and kicked one of the men in the balls. That really got their attention.

Marlene's one arm was dropped, and she wrenched her other arm out of the other man's grasp. In the second or two of confusion that her acts caused, she had put a head lock on the man she hadn't kicked . . . yet.

"Now," she asked sweetly. "Where are, were, you taking me?" The man she had kicked slowly began to calm himself. But seeing his comrad in a lock didn't seem to phase him.

This made Marlene REALLY mad. "Well . . ." she said, struggling to control her anger. But all her threats hadn't worked. The man who was free had just stared at her. Marlene was getting confused. It might have been apparent, because the man spoke.

"You are going into your cell now," he said. His voice was rough, and mean. She didn't like how mean he sounded. She inwardly frowned, he was showing a slight smile. This might get ugly. She brased herself for attack, but not quick enough. Another black clad man had come behind her and delivered a quick blow to the back of her head before she knew what was happening.

When she woke up, she had a bad headach, was lying on a lumpy cot, and locked in a cell. She had tried to get the attention of the men that were passing by, but they had ignored her.

That had been what she had done for the last day and a half. As she sat down on the cot, she reluctantly admited to herself that she wouldn't learn where she was being held. But regardless, as she sat, she began formulating a plan of escape. These people would not hold the daughter of Barret long. And if they were lucky, they would live to regert it.

"Can you get me the wrench, Jet?" asked Cid. Cid was working on the Highwind and letting his son Jet help him. This was just a routine tuning, but Jet was loving it.

"Sure," he said. His head was still examining the engine as his hand blindly fumbled for the wrench. The unsuccessfull attempt resulted in Jet having to look for the tool.

He reluctntly disengaged from the engine, and began to search for the wrench. "Where is that blasted wrench," he muttered to him self. He thought he had said it quietly enough that no one else heard. That was why he started when he heard a response.

"It's on the ground, by your feet," said a deep catlike voice.

"What the sh . . ." Jet stammered. Then he froze. Standing next to him was a large lion-wolf beast with firery fur. Not knowing what else to do, he poked his father in the ribs, trying to get the mans attention.

"What?" Cid grumbled, apparently annoyed with the disturbance. He pulled his oil soaked upper half out if the engine, and gave Jet a glare. It was then that he noticed the beast.

"Red!" Cid exclamed. "It's been years. How ya been, ya big dog?" Red sat at Cid's feet and endured the patting on the head he was receiving.

"I prefer Nanaki now, but that is hardly important at this time." The somber tone in Nanaki's voice told the two Highwind's that something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Cid asked.

"It's Sephiroth," Nanaki said.

"Spehiroth?!" Cid exclamed. Jet saw pure panic in his father's eyes. He had never seen his father get so worried. He remembered hearing the name when he was a kid, but he couldn't remember what was so important about the name.

"Well," Nanaki said, "not exactly him. It's people who want his remains. What they want it for, I don't know. But they want it bad enough to threaten all the people who might know, and to kidnap Marlene when we wouldn't tell them."

"So what are we gonna do about it?" "Cloud and Reno think that it's best if the children go hide somewhere. Somewhere they will be safe. I will be taking them. While you and the others try to find the source of these problems."

Cid nodded. "That’s a good idea," he commented. Then a thought struck him. "Has everyone been contacted?"

Nanaki shook his head. "No one can get a hold of Vincent. And since none of us had heard anything from him since Meteor, we don't know where to look. But we will find him. His skills will come in handy with our search."

Cid nodded. "I understand," he said. Then he turned to Jet who had been so shocked since seeing the red beast before him, couldn't speak. "When will you take the children?" he asked.

"We need the Highwind. The place I'm taking the children must be reached by air. But first we also need to gather everyone."

Cid shut the engine compartment. "I'll get her warmed up." Then he turned to Jet. "Go tell your mother that we'll be gone for a little bit. And if she has any questions, she can come out and ask as I get the ship ready. Got it?"

Jet nodded "I got it." And quickly ran off to talk to his mother.

Chapter 2