Ashes to Ashes (Shade, Simon, and Fury)

With a vice grip to the bungee cord with one hand, and her arm securely wrapped around the child version of herself with her other arm, Brix's mind could only race frantically for a miraculous way to keep themselves alive and to somehow get inside of the Garden facility while it was flying wildly through the air in attempts for escape. She didn't expect the thick nylon rope to come flying down and smacking her directly on the head with a sound thwack!, but it was the most welcomed life line she could ever expect, given the circumstances. She brought her hand that still held the bungee cord over to the nylon rope to then twirl her wrist securely around it before finally releasing her own line to then grasp the new one. Within moments, she felt herself being tugged and pulled higher while using her feet to help aid in the climb over the various ledges of the Garden structure. Her younger self was obviously stricken with shock, which kept the small child terrified with silence, but her death grip around Brix's neck proved the little girl was still coherent.

Seeing Zell's frantic gaze finally appear over the balcony to the bridge caused the very breath in Brix's lungs to lock up tight. It was then the truth of her suspicions all along slammed into reality. She was right... all this time she was right... they could change the past... they could change who lived or died, and the revelation of her claims was now staring at her face to face where everyone else had told her such a hope was impossible. As Zell took the child from Brix's arms and held the little girl as tight as he could without hurting her, the stark fear in his eyes met Brix with disbelief. Knowing what he knew now as he watched the crazed young woman climb over the balcony to join them, his voice barely broke through the closing muscles within his throat. “How in the hell is this possible?”

As much as Brix wanted to explain it all, wanting so much to tell her father what all had to be endured to reach this point, to make this mission a success, she had to shake off her emotions if they were still to get out of this mess alive. She could only hope there was time after all was safe... Now, with a shrug of her shoulders and a smirk, Brix gave her hands an animated wave into the air. “Time compression may have been a bitch for you, pops.... but it gave my generation a heads up to fix this mess!” Just as the last word left her lips, another blast from the enemy ships finally obliterated what was left of the mountain wall protecting the Garden's escape. The debris of rocks and boulders came soaring into Trabia, crashing wildly against the structure, but luckily the engines remained intact and still functioning. Just not nearly fast enough to outrun the oncoming Fringe airships. Seeing their foe closing in, Brix's expression drew down with a rather deadpan look upon her face. “You ain't fucking up my life a second time, you sons of bitches....”


It was then Fury's demanding voice came bashing into her ear, this time causing her blazing blue hues to roll with annoyance as the Fringe canons began to charge for another round of blasts that would surely kill them off. Yeah, yeah, yeah.... I hear ya Mr. Bossy Pants! But as Jayda would say... Hold yer damn britches! I got my hands full right now!” She didn't add that she meant literally as she turned to face the enemy head on. The bracelet began to illuminate as Brix held her palms facing the ground with her energy mounting with every passing second.


The bracelet not only brought back old powers, but memories from old as well. Where Shade's powers lied within the planet's deity, Jayda and Vex's powers stemmed from their world's essence, it's energy, it's very breath of life. But Brix's powers were fueled by the planet's very strength, how it formed and continued to grow to sustain it's own life and the lives within it. She harnessed her powers to that very thought as her hands and concentration centered on that very power, and although the trembling ground could not be felt by those within the sky, the energy alone vibrated through the air. Just as the multitude of enemy canons were about to fire all at once, Brix released a shrill scream and threw her hands up for the ground below to explode with a violent force. Countless spears of solid rock came soaring up from the ground, some as massive as Trabia Garden itself. With lightening speed, the deadly spears shot up from the soil to pierce directly through the airships with an endless spray of attacks, causing the vessels to lurch with piercing screams of torn metal to echo throughout the air, only for explosions to follow and light up the sky. Brix didn't stop, nor did her powers waver just yet. All her heart and mind could cling to was everything she lost on this fateful day, and how this moment was her one and only chance to put things to right once and for all. She couldn't fail now... she wouldn't fail... she refused to....


Her concentration consumed every conscious thought as her body strained to continue the engulfing spell, and even as her limbs began to shake from the exhausting efforts, Brix refused to relent. The boulder like spears continued to jut through the ground as if the very planet were firing at the enemy ships all on its own with earthly weapons, and the ammunition was relentless.... yet so were so the enemy ships continuing to pour through the portal..... until yet another portal opening tore a rip through the air and began engulfing the Garden like a Malboro fiend swallowing a mere ant....


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As much as Shade wanted to celebrate over Skittles' cleverness and saving her father's life, it would have to wait. Within seconds, she was back to her warrior mentality and stable on her feet again with weapons bared and ready to fight. Her steel cold hues spared a glance at Squall just a few feet away, and she found herself struck with momentary shock that he didn't appear at all confused, or taken back by the site of her, or the massive wings at her back. He managed to spare her a glance as well, and as if he could read her mind, Squall spoke again as he returned his attention back to the charging enemy closing the distance between them. “Let's just say you're not the only one who's traveled through these time dimensions and had a story to tell....”


Her own eyes widened by his words, but there was no time to question him. What they were about to face was nothing less than a full scale army of an entire planet descending upon them. Death was imminent, but with a growing smirk, Shade wasn't about to accept that it was their own. “Hope you still got a few legendary tricks up your sleeve, because this may be our only chance...” She gave Squall no other explanation to her own words either, as both of her swords suddenly erupted with a blazing glow of energy. The very planet seemed to respond with the air suddenly growing thick and an odd sense of vibration could actually be seen within the current of the wind. The bracelet around her wrist ignited with a burst of light that nearly matched the blazing hues of her eyes which seemed to illuminate even brighter as Shade continued to conjure her powers for a spell she swore never to use in her lifetime, yet mastered over years of self testing and training during her times of solitude. The endless lines of foot soldiers and various ground vehicles with loaded armory and blazing weapons continued their relentless charge until a thunderous crack of her wings erupted through the stifling air, sending all motion into a sudden slow. The hieroglyphics covering her body, yet hidden by her clothing, were now scorching so fiercely across her skin that Shade could have sworn she could actually feel each and every marking coming alive and moving over her flesh as her powers began to consume her.


It would have to be at that very moment Fury's voice came slamming against eardrum from the communicator device strapped to her ear. Her voice strained through her clenched throat with a painful groan. “Shitty timing.... as always, Fury.... “


With no time to waste, yet time as their only salvation, Shade heaved her body to then fall on one knee and slam both the Wolf's Bane sword and the golden blades of the Tempest into the ground with a transparent explosion that ripped through the air. Everything came to a dead stop.... even the clouds no longer moved through the sky.... the very winds came a sudden halt... but for how long was the unknown.


Seeing this, Skittles spared no time by the awe stricken sight of the ground troops coming to a complete halt in mid motion and shot forward into a scampering run with excited squeals before his small frame erupted into a whirlwind soaring straight for the center of the oncoming army until his form blasted through the chaos of winds, now slashing away at the frozen bodies in his Vincent Valentine appearance. He may not have weapons or magic of his own, but Skittles could tear into anything with the clawed glove and metal boots of his chosen form. It was obvious through his efforts that the enthused summons would barely make a dent in the amount of alien troops frozen in time and poised to strike the very moment Shade's spell would waver.


Through the momentary haze of shock, Squall quickly shook it off and summoned his Blasting Zone limit break while shouting for Skittles to get away safely before releasing the massive attack over the impending army. If the numbers against them were fewer, the Leonhart would have gone with a more powerful maneuver, but their enemy was far too wide spread... they needed blows that could reach a wide distance all at once. There was no second to relent as the limit break attack was repeated over and over. Squall knew there was no eliminating the entire bulk of the enemy, but they at least needed the means for a successful escape in order to regroup with their own forces in hopes to continue the fight for survival.


Yet another engulfing blast tore from the skies and blasted through the troops as Shade strained her very will and strength to keep the spell intact over their enemy. Should she falter for a fraction of a second, their foe would gain the advantage and engage their attack again. But even Squall knew such a powerful spell couldn't be held for long. He spared only a second to glance over his shoulder to see that crazy transforming rat creature now holding the small child in his arms before taking flight into the sky to carry off the young Shade to the rendezvous point with her mother. It was then Squall decided they had their chance for escape after ripping another shattering blast of his blade's summoned power into the stream of stone frozen enemy. He shouted for Shade at first, but seeing her state consumed with concentration, he knew his voice would never get through. With just a few long strides, he was at her side with his hand just about to reach down and grab her arm when Shade suddenly shot back up on her feet with the swords jerked back out of the ground. Her powers were still flowing from the blades and as Squall took a step back, he recognized the odd trance like impression over Shade's features... the very same appearance that struck Rinoa when her powers consumed her.


The two weapons were brought together just as the remaining ground troops began to regain their mobility again, but before they found their bearings, or shook off the remnants of the spell, Shade aimed the swords directly at the Fringe troops as if she were about to release her own barrage of attacks. Instead, her powers erupted a portal that was not one made of the enemy and just feet away from where she stood. There were no words or glances exchanged as Squall and Shade tore into the portal to find Fury and others in the midst of trouble just as Trabia Garden came soaring through yet another portal opening at the same time. Before the Fringe could catch on to what just transpired, Shade eliminated the two portals before dropping to one knee again, but this time out of exhaustion.

(Not like I had to say it, but, I guess ignore the ninja guy. )

Caroline smiled to herself. ...It was about time.

Unlike Simon, she had realized who and what she was at an early age. Memories coming to her readily, as her body transitioned into adulthood. ...Hyne, that seemed like so long ago, and so many worlds away. Tapping into Esthar's sensor web one last time, she smiled, looking on the man who'd thought himself her brother for so many years. ...If he only knew the truth. And, judging by the Custodian's robes, she figured he soon would.

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"...Wait. ...I'm... WE'RE... ...What?"

Simon was never one to take big news well. And, this white-robed version of himself, a being calling himself the Custodian, only had the big stuff. The Custodian had insisted on driving, so that Simon would not be distracted. At the moment, the two were using the Tempest's hoverjets to make its way across the ovean, to the Centran continent, and the rendesvous point. Not taking his eyes off the scene ahead, the Custodian started over again.

"Well, so much for being direct. Let me try this another way. To start with, you were more right than you could have imagined. If I'm here, something's gone horribly wrong."

Idly, he looked up, adjusting the rearview mirror to glance at his sword, thrown in the back seat.

"When a possible path is taken that branches off of the Alpha Timeline, they usually result in a Doomed Timeline. That's when I take up the Custodian's Mantle, and use stable time loops to correct it. ...However, this, I cannot correct. Hyne's powers prevent it. I can only fix it."

Chills ran down Simon's back. ...He got the impression from this man that he'd been time-traveling... ...Or, whatever this was... ...For some time, now.

"...That part I got. Standard time-travel logic. What I don't understand is this guff about there being millions of me. Sounds like some Professor Uhm shenanigans."

"...It's, actually, a lot like that. Except for rebirth, instead of ascention. As for what's gone wrong, here? Basically, our shared soul isn't connected to you correctly"

As the shore approached, Simon gazed upon it, thoughtfuly.

"...So, you fix this. What happens to me? My "self"? Am I expected to lay down my life for the sake of the timeline?"

"Of course not. Your "self" will simply be augmented. You'll remember everyone you've been, and add that to who you are. And, before you ask? You don't need to do anything. Neither does Caroline. The two of you simply head back through the gates, as planned. Your unstable spirits have been so altered by tachyon emissions, returning to your place will set things right."

Before Simon could inquire any further, Shade's magic kicked in. Pulled through timespace, Simon found himself bewildered as the Custodian vanished into thin air, and he and the Tempest made a sudden arrival into the rendesvous point. Quickly gathering his senses, Simon exited the car, taking stock of the situation.

And, immediately locked onto something. Yes, Fury was wounded somewhat alarmingly, and the rest of the crew was rather shook up. But, he noticed Shade. Seeing her exhaustion (and, failing to notice Squall), he quickly put two and two together. Closing the distance between he and Shade in a few, long strides, he knelt down next to her, putting his metal hand gently against her back.

"Oh, Shade... What've you done to yourself...?"

Simon wasn't gonna pretend he wasn't confused, or worried about his other friends, or anxious to leave. But, he was also a scientist. A researcher of magic. Both of these are things you do not need to know what Shade had done. They do help you to understand, though. His friends could end up worse for wear, or the Fringe could still find a way to stop them.

...But, being one of the few people who actually understands Magic? His focus was on Shade. Anything less could damn them all.

(Hope that was okay...)

Fury's eyes fell on the white-haired man with contempt. The man's voice rang in his ears, striking cords he hadn't thought existed. They pulled memories that he hadn't known existed. He was back in Dr. Odine's laboratory way off the cost of Galbadia. This was different than most of his memories he had. This one was hard to understand. The images in his head were blurry and seemed like they were at the end of a far off tunnel. He could hear voices, but he couldn't tell what the people all around him were saying. Everyone seemed to be rushing, though. He was laid out on a table he vaguely remembered the cold steel on his back. The blurry figures around him were garbed in white lab coats as they poked and prodded at him with various instruments.

A face that was finally clear stepped above him, looking down on him. Dr. Odine himself stared at him with a wolfish grin. The psychotic doctor picked him up and spun him around to face someone else. This blur was different than the rest running circles around him. This one was garbed in dark blue robes and his face was shrouded in darkness. He spoke, but Fury could not make out what he was saying. The voice was familiar to him, like someone with a very distinct voice that he had only heard before. The more the spoke, though, the clearer his face became among the shadows he hid in. He stepped forward into the light, clearing his face up entirely. The man was unmistakable. He was the white haired man from his own time.

"You," said Fury through clenched teeth. He pushed himself away from Vex's support and took a step towards the man. The man had jet-black hair when he was younger and less wrinkles at the time, but the structure of his face was the same. The eyes sealed the deal, they held the same smoldering fire behind them that they held years before. He spat out a mouth full of blood at the ground and said, "You were behind it all, weren't you? Even behind me getting taken away?"

The same wolfish grin from before split the white-haired man's face. "Very good," the man clapped his hands together in mock applause, "It only took you all these years to finally put it all together. I would have figured one of you would have stumbled it upon it sooner than this, but I guess I just overestimated you all. Especially your sister. She showed so much promise with her gift from Hyne. If only she had learned to control it instead of fearing it. She could have been on par with a god from any of the worlds if she had.

"No matter," He began to walked along the edge of the platform he stood on. He bent down and picked up a handful of the the crystal sand and slowly let it seep out of his hand. "All this proves is that we were wrong in our assumptions of you all. If you can't even figure out who's behind your destiny before its too late then you don't really deserve to succeed."

Fury couldn't take it all in. His sister a goddess? Destiny? The words reached him, but all seemed to go right through him. He tried to focus on the man's voice but it was just too hard. He brought a hand up to his head and rubbed at his eye, trying to sooth the pain. "I... You're..." was all he could get out. He was having trouble forming coherent sentences. Time seemed to be moving much too fast for him to be able to keep up with. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked back. His eyes met Jayda's who was right behind him. Vex stood staring at the man as well, his gloves up and a look of determination etched into his face.

"Oh, that's cute. You all think you can still win?"[/color] the man asked when he looked up to see the trio staring him down. He stood up straight and brushed the dust off of his hands and his garb. He took a long pause before saying, [b]"You don't get it, do you? You can't win. You're too late! We've all but swept your defenses aside in a matter of a few hours! Your leaders are dead! Soon your armies will surrender to their fate! As we speak Trabia Garden is being torn to pieces and soon both Balamb and Galbadia will follow!" He spoke in definites. He spoke with such excitement that it disheartened the three.

Surely he was wrong. Fury knew that his mother was safe and was sure that both Irvine and Selphie had made it to the rendezvous by now. There was just no way to be sure, though. He glanced at both Jayda and Vex who both had looks of concern slowly creeping on their faces. They had tried too hard for all this to fail. They may not have been able to stop the war from even happening, but the fact that their parents were still alive had to mean something. These were the people who brought an end to the Sorceress war, they had to be able to conquer these invaders. He looked back at the man and said coldly, "No."

The man spun around to face him, unable to believe what he just heard. "No?!" he asked incredulously, "NO?! You don't understand! I've already won! There is absolutely nothing you can do at this point to save yourselves except for turning with your tails between your legs and running away back to that other pathetic excuse of a dimension!" The man's face went from disbelief to joy in an instant. He looked at the faces of the trio and laughed, "You honestly thought we didn't know about your other little world of eight? That we didn't know about your daughters, Leonhart? That we didn't know that you, Miss Kinneas, were playing mommy for them while covering it up by being the daycare provider? Or that you still haven't completed your therapy yet, Vex? We have eyes everywhere! That's what makes us so powerful!"

Fury was done listening to this man. He was the source of all their suffering. He had taken him away from his parents when his was born. He had killed all of their parents when they were young and forced them to grow up in a world embroiled by fire and war. If he wasn't stopped soon he was going to go to the only place we thought safe and destroy the rest of what they cared about. He grabbed his pistol in his hand and ripped it out of its holster. He aimed directly at the man and pulled the trigger. He fired again and again until his magazine was empty.

The white-haired man didn't even flinch. He calmly grabbed the dust at his feet again and tossed it at all three of them. The dust cloud flew through the air and collided with the bullets. Each of the bullets eroded into nothing but dust themselves and fell to the ground, disappearing into the dirt on the ground. The dust continued to fly through the air to wrap around the trio. The dust swirled and twisted all around them for a moment before falling to the ground or flying off on the wind. Fury's pistol crumbled to rusty dust in his hand, collecting as a mound of dust at his feet. Vex's gloves that he had aimed at the man were completely worn down to the point where there were holes in the grips.

Fury suddenly felt weak. He looked back at the others to see if they were okay and the sight shocked him. They both stood exactly where they were before the dust storm, but they were changed. Both seemed much older. They're skin was much looser on their faces and deep wrinkles etched their way across their usually soft features. Their auburn hair had faded to grey and Vex had grey scruff growing on his chin. Their clothes looked tattered and covered with dirt, like they had worn the same outfit for every day of their lives. Even the far off looks in their eyes told him that they were older. He raised a hand to his own face and felt the wrinkles and looking down his own clothes were torn and tattered even worse than they had before. He reached out and gently brushed his fingers across Jayda's cheek, unable to believe what was before his eyes until another one of his senses confirmed it.

"Time's a real bitch, isn't it?" the white-haired man said. He had that satisfied grin on his face again. Fury hated that fucking grin. He drew a long sword out of its scabbard on his hip with his real hand. The sword had a sapphire hilt that matched the man's garb. The blade itself was a clear ruby-red blade, surely it couldn't be made of a single ruby? To forge a blade out of a ruby that size would be ridiculous. He stepped down off of his platform and ran his crystal hand down the blade of the sword, causing sparks to fly off it and disappear into the dirt. He stopped at the bottom of the platform and leveled the sword at the three. "Now you truly understand why you can't win, yes? We've become as strong as you and your sister, if not stronger. For we aren't afraid of the repercussions. We are in control of our fate. We control how time flows and how the universe rolls now. We. Are. Gods."

Just then three portals opened up, two on both side of the three and one much larger over top the man's crystal platform. The white-haired man's eyes went wide with surprise as the entirety of Trabia Garden flew through the large portal above him and came crashing down on top of the platform he stood at the foot of. The Garden crashed down and shattered the platform and landed directly on top him. Shade and Squall dove out through the portal to their right, with Shade collapsing just as she landed at their feet and Squall kneeling down to check on her. To their left, Simon and his car tore through the portal and came to a screeching stop right before colliding into the side of Trabia. He hopped out of the car and rushed to Shade's side.

Fury looked down at his sister with heavy eyes. The tattoos were clearly visible now, wrapping all over her body and showing even on her face now. Her eyes were almost completely golden now, not just to golden flecks that usually appeared when she was using her powers. If she used them any more she might succumb to them and turn into a true Sorceress. With her unable to use her powers because of the danger to herself and with him giving up his powers to save his mother, they were trapped. They would have to capture a Fringe ship to even have a chance to make it back to their world.

"MADE IT!" Brix's voice cut straight through Fury's thoughts. She, her father, and her younger self were sliding down a rope to meet u with them from a balcony on the Garden. He turned around to see Jayda and Vex, still in their advanced age, standing with their mother and father, their younger forms hiding shyly behind Irvine's and Selphie's legs. Squall knelt by Shade, who brushed off Simon's hand to stand on her own. Behind them both stood George holding Rinoa in his arms. They had done it. They had saved all their parents and they're younger forms from their fates. Now this world actually had a chance. With their parents still alive, they might actually be able to one day fight off the Fringe from their planet and return this world to a sense of normality. Maybe they would even have somewhat of a normal childhood. A pang wrung through his chest when he realized that even though they saved the timeline, he was still lost. He would never be a part of the family he was supposed to. He was one of the only timelines that would ever find his way back to his family.

He walked over to his sister just as she was struggling to her feet. "You look like hell."

"Speak for yourself," she said back in her usual cold tone. Her voice was much more weary than it normally was. Her golden eyes had a wild look in them, like there was something just below the surface waiting for one more slip up for it to burst free. She was on the edge of breaking free. She raised her hands up over them and said, "Hold on. I'll get you back to your normal ages."

Fury reached up and pulled her hands down to her sides before she could bring her powers forward. "No," he said calmly,"If you use any more of your powers you'll drive yourself insane. I'm not letting you do that." His eyes were locked with hers in determination. He could see the anger in her eyes that boiled hot enough to melt him. She was definitely his sister. They were both stubborn to a fault.

"Grandpa's right," said Brix as she walked past the others to stand in front of Shade. She looked her over quickly, inspecting her eyes and tattoos. She quickly took her pulse before continuing, "I don't have my instruments with me right now, but if your dumb ass uses your powers again so soon you'll break."

Shade's lips pursed in defeat. "Then what are we going to do? One of us needs to use our powers to open the portal for us to get home," She raise her hands back into the air, "It has to be done."

[b]I might be able to help," said a voice from behind all of them. They all turned around to see Rinoa standing at George's feet. She stepped forward to address all of them. "I... I can take your burden. If you give me your powers I can halt them."

Squall stepped forward to say something, his brow furrowed in confusion. Rinoa cut him off with a raised hand. She stepped over to him and gently grabbed his hand in hers. She looked up into his grey orbs and said quietly, "We both knew this day would come. If I never accept my fate then none of this will ever happen. We'll never be able to have the great times we've had together," tears welled up in her eyes, "I have to do it for them." She looked back at the others, who all seemed to be somber now save for Shade, who still had the look of determination on her face. She wasn't going to allow Rinoa to do it.

Rinoa slowly walked over to her with tear filled eyes. She tilted Shade's head so that she could look her in the eyes. She gently stroked her hair like she did to her when she was a child. "Honey..." she whispered, You have to let me do this. It has to happen for everyone's sake." She smiled through the tears, "I want this. If I have to do it, I want it to mean something." Shade shook her head side-to-side as tears rolled down her cheeks. Rinoa pulled her in for a hug as she continued to stroke her hair. Silent sobs escaped them both as light swirled around them. The light grew so brightly that all the others had to close their eyes to it.

When the light faded, Shade was standing there alone, her tattoos were gone and her eyes were back to their normal grey hues. Floating ten feet above her in the sky was Ultimecia. She waved her hand before her face, unable to believe that after all these years she was finally free. She looked down on everyone else with disdain, but she held true to her word. She waved her hand over Fury, Jayda, and Vex, and in an instant they were transformed back to their normal ages. She turned to face the oncoming army and raised her arms towards them. A single pulse shot out of her hand and over the army. As the pulse hit the soldiers, they aged rapidly. Their faces dragged and fell off as they aged straight through decay so that they were just skeletons standing in the field. A gentle breeze blew through their ranks, bursting them all into dust that floated off on the wind. She turned back to face them all with a single raised eyebrow.

Fury and the others stood stunned. Never in a million years did they expect this to be the outcome. That Rinoa had to become the evil that their parents had fought years ago to save them all now. The turn of events was bitter sweet at best, for they all knew now what her fate would soon become. Fury studied her face and past all the anger and guile there was something else. Pain, maybe? Remorse? She knew that she was signing her own death warrant, but she was willing to sacrifice it all for their sake. A lone tear rolled down Fury's cheek as he realized that his mother was still trapped inside with that monster and that should would stay there until her husband finally came to her and killed her. It was a gift greater than any he had received in his life. He would be eternally grateful to the mother he never even met.

The Sorceress slowly floated down to the ground before all of them. Her lips twisted up in a smirk as her golden gaze swept over them all. She snapped her fingers and a portal appeared behind them all. She waved her hand towards it before turning back to face the other ships and tanks slowly coming out of portals towards where they stood. She continued to age the forces to dust as each came out of its portal.

It was now or never. Fury and Shade walked over to their father and took turns saying goodbye. Fury gave him coordinates and directions on where and how to find him in this timeline. Maybe this Fury would have a chance to grow with his real family. Shade hugged her father and the others looked away, they all knew she wouldn't want them to see her so vulnerable. He whispered something to her that was too low for anyone but her to hear. Whatever it was seemed to help her, though, because she pulled away from him and silently wiped the tears away from her face. She took a deep breath in and knelt down int front of her younger self. She brushed the little girl's hair out of her eyes and hugged her tightly before turning to go.

While this was happening, Jayda and Vex were saying goodbye to their parents and Brix was saying goodbye to her father. Jayda and Vex each took their turns saying goodbye to their parents and their smaller forms. Both had tears welled up in their eyes as they said goodbye, but both held them back. Brix on the other hand was joking with her dad about how he was going to kick some ass, both choking back tears. The entire time, the children all watched with large, glassy eyes. They were all too young to understand what was going on around them. They each said goodbye to their respective selves without even knowing who they were talking to.

Finally, they were ready. Simon was the first to rush through the portal to go back to their world. Brix was close behind him, slapping him on the ass as they ran through the portal. Jayda, Vex, and Fury went through next, with all three looking back just as they stepped through for one last goodbye. Finally it was Shade's turn. She stepped forward towards Ultimecia who still had her back turned to her. She looked at her for a long moment before finally whispering, "I love you..." She turned and walked through the portal.

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2 months later

Alivia and Serenity burst out of the front door of the white, two story house giggling and out into the large green yard in front of it. Chasing behind them was a match made in heaven. Rambo rode across Sephiroth's shoulders as he tore out the door and flew after the pair. Behind them slowly flew Haylo in her puppy form, her wings flapping furiously, but just not able to help her catch up to the two groups. The pair wrapped around the large tree that housed a treehouse and a tire-swing before rushing behind the house. They ran past the the garage and driveway, waving to Vex and Dusty as they passed.

Vex slid out from under the motorcycle just in time to smile and wave to the pair. Dusty helped him up and handed him a drink. He took it and said, "There ya go, chief. You should be able to get it up to 250 now and not blow your engine to kingdom come."

Dusty rubbed his bald dome and hopped on the chopper. He put the keys into the ignition and started the engine. He revved the engine a few times and let out a WHOOOOOOOOOO! in excitement. He cut the power and hopped off it. He shook Vex's hand and said, "Thanks man. Remind me when we go into the Armory tomorrow and I'll zero your guns."

Alivia and Serenity ran past the long wooden fence that kept the Chocobos held in and ran for the long, white table-clothed table that was set up in the back yard. They slid underneath it and crawled to the far side of the table, stopping once they ran into the pair of camouflaged pants sitting there. They pulled out from under the table and looked up at Shade and Fury, who were both staring at them with raised eye-brows. Shortly after the table was thrown up in the air as Sephiroth and Rambo tried to slid under it like the girls but were too big to fit. They pulled up short right behind Alivia and Serenity and looked up at Fury and Shade with guilty looks on their faces. Fury and Shade both glanced at each other before looking back to the squiggles and simultaneously began tapping their feet. Both squiggles lowered their gazes before turning around and beginning to reset the table in silence. A smirk split onto Fury's face once the two turned their backs.

Just then, Jayda and Brix walked out of the house carrying plates of food. Sev followed a few feet behind them carrying an entire cooked pig and wearing a pink apron. Jayda placed her plate on the table and yelled, "C'mon, y'all! Time fer dinner!" Angel, Dusty, and Vex all made their way over to the table and sat down at it. They all began passing the food between all of them and eating, having a great time.

After dinner, while Sev and Vex were setting off fireworks for everyone's enjoyment, Shade pulled Fury inside. They began washing the dishes from the meal; Fury cleaned them while Shade dried them. They worked in silence for a while, the only sounds were the dull roars from the fireworks outside and the small splashes of the dishes in the water. When they were finished, Shade walked over to the table and sat down at it, pulling a file from her jacket and placing it on the table. Fury turned around and leaned against the sink. His eyes fell on the folder for a moment before going back to meet Shade's. "What's this?"

"It's your new assignment."

Fury shook his head and tossed the towel he was using over his shoulder. "I told you I-"

Shade raised a hand to cut him off, "Hear me out." She opened the file and slid it to the other side of the table for him to look at. She waited until he finally sat down at the table to read it before she continued. He looked like she was trying to get him to put his hand in a box of rattler-snakes. "I'm creating a new unit. It'll be composed of SeeD candidates that come to us from other worlds. It's main function will be covert operations in these other worlds, which is where the mixed race units come in. I want you to command it.

"You'll be in charge of everything: training, logistics, operational directives. You'll run it all from the Garden so you'll only have to be away from the girls for a month at a time at most. Plus you get to choose who works for you and the only person you'll answer to is me." She finished and waited for an answer, allowing all the information to sink in.

Fury looked through the files as Shade spoke. He saw that she had already attached his unit to it as Alpha squad, as well as assigning Vex as the head of engineering. The job would be different than what he was used to, but it would be better than taking a teaching job at the Garden. Plus he would be able to see his girls almost every single day...

"I'll do it."

Shade nodded and collected the papers. She moved out of the house to join the others. Fury sat down in the chair and let out a long sigh. He smirked at the thought that he would finally be able to just live in peace. He stood up and went outside to join the others.

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Later that night

Fury walked out onto the back porch of the house. The others had left by then and all that was left was him and the girls. He noticed Jayda leaning up against the railing and looking out into the fields where the chocobos were still running around. He silently walked up behind her and leaned up against the railing around her. "Hiring you to teach me how to ranch was a good idea."

She smiled and her white teeth lit up in the moonlight. She leaned back against him, her head resting on his shoulder. "Yeah? Well maybe in a few weeks ya might be able to do without me."

He gave a mock frown and wrapped his arms around her. "Nah, I don't think I'll ever get the hang of it. You might have to just stay here forever and take care of the place."

She smirked again and turned around to face him. "Oh my, what ever will I do?"

He leaned in and kissed her softly before picking her up and setting her down on the railing. He whispered, [color=red]"I have something for you. He tore himself away from her and stepped back. His heart was beating a mile a minute in his chest. This was it. He though it pretty ironic that he was able to dive into the most dangerous situations countless times, but this one question held him in such fear he couldn't even stand it. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a small velvet box. Going down on one knee, he opened the box, revealing a diamond ring and said, "Jayda Kinneas, will you marry me?"

[Thread Closed]

Ok, just a quick note to the Administrators. I'm going to retire this character now.