Do you think it's strange,
That there's this way of how you look at,
How you act like,
And how you think and pretend they're not the same as you.

"All My Best Friends Are Metalheads"
Less Than Jake

1 Year After,,,,

Tifa sat shivering in a toilet cubicle in Kalm Town, she wondered for a moment why the hell she was sitting there; then she remembered.

“ Is it ready yet?” She cried out to Yuffie. “ ‘Cause I’m freezing my ass off in here!”

“ Almost.” Replied an excited Yuffie. Tifa sighed; this moment was anything from exciting. She wondered for a moment whether Barret would have been a better choice for this kind of thing, but quickly changed her mind; Yuffie would have to do.

“ Enjoying yourself Yuffie?” Tifa asked.

“ You bet! I can’t wait to find out!”

“ Good, Good.” Replied Tifa solemnly.

“ You think Cloud will be alright with this whole thing?” Asked Yuffie.

“ Why?” She replied.

“ Because I think you’re pregnant.”

Tifa burst from the cubicle to the sink area where Yuffie stood waving the testing stick around.

“ Yuffie, hold the damn test still!” Shouted Tifa.

“ Sorry.” She replied. “ I guess I’m just too excited.”
She passed the test over to Tifa and watched as her face as it smiled.

“ I’m pregnant.” Shouted Tifa, Yuffie smiled back. “ I’ve got to tell someone!”

Yuffie shrugged before adding, “ You can tell me again if you want.”

“ I’m pregnant!” The two girls giggled.

“ What do you think Cloud will say?” Laughed Yuffie.

The mood quietened down for moment. “ I don’t know Yuffie, I just don’t know.”
 

*
 

Vincent took a final look around Lucrecia’s cave before turning around and exiting through the waterfall, the water splashed down on his back and he groaned; after months of waiting Vincent had to admit to himself that she was never going to come back.

No, if Vincent was going to find Lucrecia he had to find her, not the other way around. He took a final sigh before stepping back into the submarine that lay rest just outside the cave. He closed the door behind him and sat down in the pilot seat. Flipping a few switches, Vincent sunk the sub within a minute; Vincent supposed he would never return to the cave behind the waterfall again.
 

*
 

“ Are you sure you’re alright Master Nanaki?” Asked Dar to the bright red lion beside him.

“ For the fifth time today Dar, I am fine.” Huffed Nanaki. “ Although I love to be pampered over, shouldn’t we be more bothered about reaching to the temple?”

Nanaki had needed an accompany to the Temple of Eg’raag and unfortunately the only member of the Cosmo Canyon society willing to take the long trek with him was Dar. His willingness to impress his Guardian was irritating but Nanaki didn’t let it get to him, the child was a good fighter; possibly the canyon’s best and Nanaki needed the best for this and probably more.

“ Of cause Master Nanaki.” He replied, pulling out the map and looking at it. “ Wait a minute.”

“ What is it?”

“ According to the map, we should be directly above the temple, but it’s not here.”

“ Not a problem.” Replied Nanaki as he took his necklace from his neck and placed it in his right paw. “ Hturt fo Elpmet su ot Raeppa.”

As Nanaki finished the words the necklace he held disappeared and the temple they had searched for become visible, Dar stepped aback dazzled by the past seconds events.

“ Come on,” Urged Nanaki. “ We might as well enter.”

Dar nodded his head, there was no point in turning back now; they had travelled for miles and he wasn’t prepared to go back because the temple looked a little ominous.

Nanaki motioned for Dar to follow inside and he concurred, the inside was like nothing Dar had ever seen, the whole building seemed almost as old as the planet itself. Nanaki however knew the look of the place only too well, Eg’raag was built around the same time as the Temple of the Ancients and shared similar building plans and style.

The temple itself was built for one specific reason; to answer anyone’s question, the problem was that before you got your answer you had to pass a little test.

“ Is this it?” Asked Dar, a face carved into the wall in front of him.

“ I believe so.” Replied Nanaki as he pulled out another necklace from his satchel. “ Hturt fo Regnirb Ekaw.”

The face seemed to almost awake from a slumber as both it’s eyes and mouth opened.

“ Who dares awake me?” Grumbled the Spirit of the Temple.

“ I, Nanaki, Son of Seto.”

 The face stared almost blankly before answering “ And what is your question you wish to ask us?”

“ Are there any remaining members of my species?”

“ Fine.” Huffed the Spirit. “ You understand the measures needed to get your answer, we shall not reveal truths for nothing.”

“ Of course.”

Suddenly the area around them changed into a completely new one.
“ Hold your guard!” Shouted Nanaki. “ This must be the test.”

Dar nodded and withdrew his staff from his back holster; he breathed a huge sigh and prepared for what was coming. “ Yes, Master.”

The red lion came from nowhere, attacking Dar from behind he had to react quickly, grabbing a green materia orb from his pocket he held it tightly and prayed.

“ Ice 3!” He shouted.

The ice came falling from the sky instantly knocking the creature to the floor and letting Dar free. For the first time, Dar saw his attacker.

“ Master?”

“ No.” Replied Nanaki from behind him. “ I am here. That creature is a mere copy.”

The face appeared again.

“ To truly be worthy of the truth you should be able to beat oneself. This shall be your test.”

Again it disappeared.

“ Leave me Dar, this shall be my fight, you need not intervene.” Growled Nanaki.

Dar nodded and stepped back, leaving the two warriors to fight amongst themselves. The copy Nanaki waked from its sleep in time for a face-off with its maker.

After a few seconds of peace both Nanakis leapt towards each other, Nanaki swiped and cut into the copy’s face and body several times before he dropped to the floor.

Quickly the copy picked itself up again and leapt to attack, Nanaki dodged the copy sending him flying into the wall. The copy bled profusely now, in a state of panic it grabbed a materia orb and shouted.

“ Comet!”

Nanaki could not move quickly enough as the Meteors completely surrounded and hit him without trouble. He was hit to the floor and now it was his turn to bleed, to feel ashamed. Dar watched from the sidelines, surely it was too late for his master now.

Silence. The copy stood over Nanaki, proud and triumphant. Nanaki seemed to be dead before opening his mouth one more time.

“ You forget, dear brother. That there is one magic more powerful than Comet.” Nanaki sighed before pulling out a materia orb and shouting. “ Ultima!”

As the copy’s body was torn apart by the green magic Dar thought quickly; casting a powerful Cure spell over his master, without it Dar wondered if he would live much longer.

A few slow seconds passed before Nanaki stirred again, Dar breathed a sigh of relief; his quick thinking had probably saved his master. It wasn’t long before the spirit of the temple returned; Dar wasn’t sure but he seemed to have the face of someone only mildly impressed.

“ Well done.” It boomed. “ You have proved yourself worthy of the truth.”

“ Then what is the answer to Nanaki’s question?” Dar shouted back.

“ A species cannot truly live without a member of both sexes. Your species has at least another member, I can not tell you where they exist however. It’s not much but it is the most I can tell you.”

“ Thank you spirit of Eg’raag.” Replied Nanaki softly.

With that the spirit left and Dar slowly walked up to his master and knelt down.

“ Did you find what you were looking Master?” He asked.

“ No, Dar I didn’t. But I didn’t expect to. If nothing else, today has given me a new sense of direction. I now know what I am doing and I know my ventures will someday achieve something.”

Dar nodded and the entire temple fell silent, as he and his master walked out and away the only sounds that could be heard was the quiet, yet persistent voice of Dar.
 

*
 

“ Jesus Christ this is bad!” Screamed Tifa.

“ I’m sure it’ll be alright Teef!” Yuffie shouted back as she watched her best friend go through her toughest battle yet.

It was the hospital labour ward and Tifa Lockheart was having her baby now, whether she liked it or not. Cloud and Yuffie stood as patiently as they could beside her; the rest of her friends were waiting outside.

“ You’re still sure you’re having the baby now Tifa?” Asked Yuffie.

“ Trust me Yuffie, I know.” Tifa shouted. “ Where the hell is my mid-wife?”

“ I think you should try breathing slowly.” Chipped in Cloud, motioning his hand in rhythm with his girlfriend’s slow and hard breaths.

“ And where the hell is everyone!” Shouted Tifa again.

“ Red and Vincent are missing, Barrett is finding that mid-wife of yours and everyone else is outside.” Replied Cloud softly as he held her hand. “ Now shouldn’t you be trying to calm down.”

“ I am calm!”

“ Sure.” Replied Yuffie.

Suddenly the door to the ward sprung upon and Barrett jumped into the room followed by Tifa’s mid-wife and another doctor. Everyone smiled; the mid-wife smiled back.

“ Right!” Shouted the muscular woman. “ I need everyone out of here except the father!”

“ No!” Shouted Tifa. “ I need her here!”

Tifa pointed to Yuffie. The mid-wife looked over to the scrawny little girl beside the pregnant woman; she looked no more than sixteen.

“ Please!”

“ Okay. I guess I can make an exception.” Replied the mid-wife.

Yuffie punched the air in celebration and almost punched the doctor that stood in front of her.

“ Opps!” Giggled Yuffie. “ Sorry.”

“ Right.” Said the mid-wife as she looked to the sky for a second. “ Lets make a baby.”
 

*
 

Barrett left the room and walked over to the family room where his daughter, Cid and Shera waited. Shera looked in anticipation, as if Barrett had something to tell her, while Cid looked as comfortable as ever as he lit a cigarette.

“ Is Tifa’s baby here yet?” Asked Marlene softly.

“ No.” He replied. “ Not yet.”

“ Don’t know what all the fuss is about.” Rudely interrupted Cid. “ Damn woman should take it like a man and stop complaining.”

“ I don’t think it’s that easy.” Insisted Shera.

“ What you talking ‘bout. It’s like taking a shit, just much bigger.”

“ I can’t believe you sometimes Cid.” Shera sighed.

Barrett instantly stopped listening to the conversation Cid and Shera were having and paid attention to Marlene.

“ Where’s Yuffie?” She asked.

“ She’s in there with Cloud and Tifa.” Barrett replied.

“ Can I go in as well then?”

“ No. Even if you were allowed, I don’t think you’d like it.”

Marlene nodded. The door to the waiting room burst open and Reeve, the dark-haired Shin-Ra spy who once followed AVALANCHE entered.

“ Hi.” He said sheepishly.

“ Reeve?” Questioned Barrett.

“ Yeah.” He replied. “ Is Tifa having a baby?”

“ Hell no.” Shouted Cid. “ We’re waiting here because we like that hospital smell so much.”

Reeve nodded. “ I see.”

“ How did you know?” Asked Barrett.

“ Word gets around. Not everyday a woman who saves the world has a baby I guess.”

“ That’s for sure.”

All of a sudden the door to the waiting room swung open and a rather sweaty looking Yuffie stood outside.
“ It’s a boy!” She shouted.
 

*
 

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