Cosmo Canyon

"Everything alright with you Aerith. Lately, you aren't clinching on Kieron as you used to do. Did something happen?" asks Tifa as Aerith shakes her head.

"No, I just need some space to think that is all that's why I'm not clinching onto him right now," says Aerith explaining to Tifa why she wasn't hanging on Kieron the whole time as before.

Nora and Yui knew the reason but they didn't want to interfere in this since it should be decided by Aerith if she wants to be with Kieron or Zack.

"You looked cute together and you always had this bright smile of real happiness now you only show us that normal smile of yours just to reassure us that everything is alright," says Tifa as Aerith turned a bit red.

"It must be this Zack's fault. Once he entered this group both separated," says Yuffie angry as she saw both Kieron and Aerith happy with each other until Zack appeared in front of them.

"You can't give Zack the fault on this. Just give Aerith some time and she will be as good as new," says Yui as bought some Green and Blue Materias that could be useful since the Materia they got from Don Corneo's house was already in use.

Aerith smiles at Yui for helping her as they continue on their shopping until they arrive at the campfire finding Kieron sitting there meditating beside it.

They sit down when Cloud and Red XIII arrived. Cloud sat beside Tifa as their relationship was no mystery to the group since they got closer and closer when they finally kissed in Gold Saucer making their relationship official.

Kieron opened his eyes as he finished his training with little progress and says, "Something is coming."

Suddenly Yui and Nora began to put their guard up and feel that something was coming for them even Yuffie could feel it as she says, "And it is really strong."

They looked up and only found Nesiara and John approaching them making the group sigh in relief as everyone was nervous that it could be an unforeseen enemy.

"You took your time," says Cloud as they land near the campfire.

"We got the Keystone and how is everything on your end?" asks John as Cloud looked at Red XIII.

"We were talking to the grand elder but we should wait for the other three to arrive before we talk," says Cloud as they waited for the other three to arrive.

Soon the three joined them as Zack sat down beside Kieron with Barret and Cait Sith sitting near John and Nesiara.

"I didn't know you had such a home 'Nanaki'," says Barret teasing Red XIII making Red growl at him.

"I told you to call me Red XIII or Red for short. I'm no longer the same person that I was before," says Red XIII as he began walking towards Barret to intimidate him.

John suddenly stopped him as he hugged him then rolled him on his back and began to pet his stomach while saying, "Calm down, we are your friends remember."

Red XIII couldn't win against John so he had to allow John to pet him like a normal dog making Nesiara giggle seeing both when she asks, "Can you tell us now what you found out?"

Cloud tells them about how the Lifestream contained the life of every living being and would give life to new beings. But without it, the planet wouldn't be able to exist and would crumble into itself destroying itself.

John and Nesiara knew that already when Aerith asks, "Were the Cetra the guardians of Gaia then?"

"It seems so since they only used the Lifestream to protect the planet," says Nesiara as Aerith began to think about her duty as the last Cetra when Nesiara says, "But you have to remember. The real guardians of the planet were released by Abigail. Remember the storm that she dissolved with the Whispers surrounding Cloud and John back in the slums."

"Right, they were the real protectors of Gaia and the Lifestream. But now we are training people that can their place like Red here. He will live quite a long life. Aren't I right," says John as Red XIII looked at the group and nodded.

"My race can live quite long. I'm already reaching my fifties in two years," says Red XIII surprising everyone except for John and Nesiara as he continues, "But for my race, I might be seen like a teen that is in its sixteen maybe seventeen years."

"How old can your race live?" asks Aerith curious about it.

"I don't know but it's long depending on how they lived. A warrior like my mother died quite young for someone of my race while my father should still be living that coward," says Red XIII angry when suddenly he feels a slap against his rib cage from John.

"If not for him you wouldn't be here always remember that. You might not like it but if he didn't mate with your mother you wouldn't have been born," says John angry back.

Suddenly the Grand Elder came towards them floating on a green ball. He looked quite old as he says, "Are you all Nanaki's friends. I can see that you two have a special bond."

"Nothing like that old man. He is constantly forcing me to get petted as if I were a pet," says Red XIII as he protested it making the old man laugh.

"Your father used to say the same when I petted him," says the grand elder as Red XIII didn't look great.

"That coward can die wherever he is," says Red XIII when another slap from John gets him.

"It seems it's time to tell you the truth about your father," says the grand elder as he was sad that Red XIII had a wrong image of his father in his mind.

"What do you mean?" asks Red XIII when the grand elder began to float away.

"Just follow me and you will understand," says the grand elder as the group stood up and followed the grand elder.

"What is your name by the way? I don't think it's 'Old Man'," says John making the grand elder chuckle while floating in front of them.

"I'm Bugenhagen. The Grand Elder of Cosmo Canyon," says Bugenhagen presenting himself as they arrived at a wall while the others presented themselves.

He hits the barrel beside it making a button come out of it when he touched it the wall began to move as he says, "Some decades ago we people of Cosmo Canyon fought against the Gi Tribe. Most people don't know of them since they live under the earth."

"They are quite vicious and this was a secret entrance they created to attack us by surprise but someone found out about it."

The wall was fully opened and Bugenhagen says, "Once we enter we need to be careful since the Gi Tribe is still roaming the underground."

"How do they look like?" asks Tifa as she looked down towards where they were heading.

"Mostly like ghosts since they are spirits now. When I was younger, I wouldn't need help but now that I'm 130 years old I might need help against them," says Bugenhagen as many were surprised to hear that forgetting the description he was telling them about the Gi.

They climb the rope down while the family with Yuffie floated down with Bugenhagen surprising him.

"People that can fly that's something new," says Bugenhagen as the family smiles.

"It's easy once you have a good amount of Ki. We are still going easy once you have that much Ki as we have you can move at a speed that people can't see you," says Nesiara as Yuffie began to have sparkles in her eyes from hearing that.

"When am I going to fly that fast?" asks Yuffie when Nesiara pets her head.

"Soon but for now keep training your foundation because without it you won't be able to do that," says Nesiara as Yuffie was happy to hear that.

They all arrived at the ground and Bugenhagen says, "This is the Cave of the Gi. Be careful of where you step or they will drag you down."

"I don't remember this cave at all," says Red XIII as they walked further inside finding some ghost flying around.

"That's because you were too young to know about it. Let's continue going deeper in," says Bugenhagen as he led them deeper inside while the group fought against the ghosts of the Gi successfully as they progressed.

"Kieron, Nora, and Yui, you won't mess into the next fights let the others improve a bit while you watch," says John as they weren't happy to be left out of a fight.

"Alright," say the three as they didn't engage when monsters or ghosts of the Gi attacked the group letting the group fight against them.

"So why aren't there any Gi attacking any longer?" asks Nesiara as the group was fighting against a big spider monster.

"It's because of a brave warrior that is holding them back just with his presence," says Bugenhagen as he floated beside them.

"Can we have later some time with you it's about the Huge Materia," says John as Bugenhagen opened his eyes wide.

"Huge Materia! I thought they were a legend," says Bugenhagen excited when he puts his hand near his heart and says, "I was too excited for this old body."

"They are not we found four of them while traveling here," says Nesiara as Bugenhagen smiles.

"After this meet me in the Observatory," says Bugenhagen as the two nod and they continued on their way arriving at a cave.

"It was here where the brave warrior held the Gi tribe in check forcing them to retreat while he chased them," says Bugenhagen as he stopped seeing the wall with a face in it.

"This isn't normal," says Bugenhagen as the face suddenly makes grimaces until a Gi Ghost came out of it with two flames surrounding it.

"Now you can join them," says John as the trio was ready for the fight as Yui transformed into Kumamon while the other brought out there weapon.

Yui took care of the flames with her rocket launcher shooting snowballs at them while Kieron with his Lightbringer rushed at the Ghost with Nora who had Excalibur in her hand.

The others were quite exhausted from fighting the whole time except for Zack that joined them with Barret since he didn't need to move. Barret wasn't shooting bullet but laser beams making it more efficient since they could shoot through everything in this world.

The fight was fast over as Excalibur pierced through the head of the Ghost making it disappear. Then an entrance was seen and behind it, they could see the land of the Gi.

"So you said there was a brave warrior guarding this place but we never saw him on our way," says Red XIII as he looked around on his eye level when Bugenhagen pointed up.

Everyone looked at the direction as they saw someone of the same race as Red XIII and Bugenhagen says, "That is the legendary warrior Seto, your father."

Red XIII couldn't believe that as Bugenhagen says, "Your father might have looked like he ran away but he rushed here to defend Cosmo Canyon. Your mother knew that and asked us to keep it a secret from you."

"He fought alone here against the Gi Tribe and is protecting it even now that he is petrified because of the Gi," says Bugenhagen as Red XIII was nod sad after finding out the truth about his father when John floated upwards with Nesiara.

"What are you doing?" asks Bugenhagen as they touched Seto.

"He is still alive maybe we can get him out of there," says Nesiara as this surprised everyone.

"It will be risky since he will be weak even if we do so I want to as you Red do you want your father back?" asks Nesiara as she and John looked at Red XIII for an answer.

"Can you do that?" asks Bugenhagen instead of Red XIII as the couple nods.

"Then do it," says Red XIII as he watched how both disappeared with his father.