It was over.

Despite everything they had been through, despite how hard they had all struggled, Aerith Gainsborough watched helplessly from the lifestream as the recently revived One Winged Angel Sephiroth ran Cloud Strife through with his blade. His friends laid beaten and bloody around the battlefield, barley clinging to life with Aerith's help from the lifestream. But it didn't matter, as Sephiroth pulled his sword back, Cloud fell forward and collapsed.

"Goodbye, Cloud," said Sephiroth softly, with an almost fond voice.

The man lifted his sword and swung, decapitating Gaia's champion. The shock of the moment caused Aerith to lose focus, and without her touch, the rest of Avalanche succumbed to their injuries and died. Aerith couldn't help but let loose a grief stricken scream that echoed throughout the entire lifestream, stirring the countless souls that rested there.

She collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "No... NO!"

There was nothing in Sephiroth's way anymore. He would destroy the planet and ride it's corpse through the stars only to repeat the tragedy upon another world.

"It's over," sobbed Aerith.

"Dear child," came a soft voice from behind her.

Aerith turned to see Minerva, Goddess of Gaia, manifestation of the will of the planet, appear and walk forward. "Goddess... what do we do?"

Minerva shook her head. "There is nothing we can do, not for this world. My last champion, Genesis, We have sent on his way to stall Calamity's Child, but he will not last long. There will not be enough time for Chaos and Omega to fulfill their duties, ignoring that Calamity's Child would not let them succeed to begin with."

"So it's over? We just give up?!" exclaimed Aerith.

Minerva smiled sadly, "We did not say that. We said merely that there was nothing to be done for this world. But perhaps, for another, there can be hope."

Aerith frowned. "What... do you mean?"

Minerva focused her gaze critically on Aerith. "Child of the planet, will you do us one last service?"

Aerith stood up, face growing determined. "I'll do anything."

Minerva spoke solemnly. "As an Cetra, and as the dearest child born of the planet, you alone had a special attachment to the lifestream. You can flow through it's depths as none before you ever could."

Aerith's eyebrows furrowed. "I thought all Ancients could... why am I special?"

"Because, you are our fail-safe. The planet could see visions of potential futures that awaited us. So many of them, dear child, were bleak. We needed a way out. Within you, we imbued a special ability, to transverse in reverse, at an ultimate cost, through the lifesteam."

"I... don't understand," said Aerith.

"We will initiate the consumption and use of the entire lifestream to destroy the planet and activate it's fail-safe, killing Calamity's Child and sparing my brother and sister worlds his damning touch. In doing so, we can send you back to the past, to create and safeguard a new world," explained Minerva.

Aerith stared at her in shock. "G-goddess... you... the planet... it would sacrifice itself to do so?"

Minerva nodded. "We would. It is our duty to do so. So we ask, will you fulfill this final request?"

"But... what could I do? How could I change things?" asked Aerith.

Minerva smiled. "You'll find a way. Trust in yourself and your gifts, stride forth with strength and conviction, walk past the meekness your youth used to be filled with and grant our world a shinning new future."

Aerith closed her eyes, a green mako tear sliding down her face. "I'll do it."

Minerva strode forward and embraced Aerith in a loving hug. "We know you will dear child, we know you will. We entrust the fate of a new world in your hands."

Minerva began to glow brightly. "Genesis has fallen and Calamity's Child gathers his power to rend the planet anew. There is no more time. Goodbye my child."

Minerva grew brighter and brighter until finally, she exploded in a brilliant shower of light, and for a time, all Aerith saw was green, and then, all she saw was darkness...

"Aerith? Aerith!" came a slightly panicked voice.

"Tseng, calm yourself, she'll be okay, she still has a pulse," came an older voice.

Aerith slowly became aware of someone shaking her. She groaned and opened her eyes, sighting a younger looking Tseng than she was familiar with looking over her with a bit of panic. The moment he saw her open her eyes, his panic faded and his usual calm mask returned.

He offered her a hand. "It's fortunate you awoke Aerith. You've been out for hours after Rude contacted us. We were contemplating returning you to the labs to be looked after if you did not recover."

Aerith reached up and rubbed her forehead, pausing to look at her smaller hands. She looked down at her younger body, seeing herself in a blue-ish full-body dress. It looked a lot like the one she had met Zack in. She panicked briefly as she began to think. Had she met Zack already? If she had, it might already be to late!

"What year is it?" she demanded.

Tseng blinked a few times, taken aback. "It's... 1999."

She frowned. "How late into the year?"

Tseng studied her curiously. "Aerith?"

She pushed away his offered hand and stood up, She noted another two Turks, the director Veld, and Rude, standing behind him, watching over her. "Answer the question Tseng, now. What is the exact date?"

Tseng seemed uneasy. "November 20th, 1999."

A bead of sweat rolled down Aerith's head. According to what she remembered, there wasn't a lot of time to change things. She had a little less than a full year until Genesis would desert SOLDIER, and slightly less than three years until the Nibelhelm Incident. There was no time to be subtle and hope to gently change things as much as she wished she could do so. She didn't want to be forceful, but, she... she had to take action!

"Aerith? What exactly happened that knocked you out for hours?" asked Tseng.

Aerith ignored him. How was she supposed to change things? There had been so little time from when Cloud had died to when she had been sent back. She had absolutely no clue how to go from here. The planet was utterly silent, not a single whisper echoing through the flowers behind her. She was alone, it was up to her, without any outside guidance, to try and change things. It... was scary. She had always had someone guiding her, whether it was her mothers, Zack, Cloud, or the Planet, she had always had people to turn to for advice. Now it was all on her, and it scared her a bit.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before letting it out. There... was no time to be scared. She had to act, she had only one real objective:

Destroy Jenova.

Everything else was secondary. The only problem was, she herself wasn't strong enough to do it. Her body was weak and untrained, she doubted she could even preform basic none-materia healing right now. The only thing she had going for her was her knowledge, her information on what was going to happen... wait...

Information.

It was a powerful weapon, a weapon that the Turks could use... they could be the allies she needed...

Aerith calmly turned and met Tseng's eyes. The man grew confused, taking a step back as their eyes back.

"Aerith?" questioned Tseng with confusion.

"Tseng, what is it?" asked Veld.

"Her eyes... she's... different," whispered Tseng with confusion.

Aerith began to concoct a story in her mind and spoke it, "The Planet saw a vision of it's end and showed it to me, it want's me to change it's future."

The room went still and quiet. Tseng, Veld, and Rude exchanged uneasy glances. She knew they knew what she was, knew they'd understand somewhat of what she was capable of, the ability to commune with the planet being the key ability she was hoping to use against them. It was truthfully the only reason they wouldn't just go and lock her in an insane asylum.

"It's end? When? How?" demanded Veld.

"In less than twenty years," answered Aerith before she turned her calm gaze towards Veld before half-lying, "Jenova kills it. The same Jenova that Hojo is using to create SOLDIERs, the Jenova of the Jenova Project."

Veld went still. "How do you know about..."

She gave him a thin smile. "The planet showed me everything, Veld, everything."

In essence though, perhaps she wasn't lying. Sephiroth hadn't become an insane monster until Nibelhelm. Jenova was the true threat for the moment, the Calamity had to be dealt with. Whether or not she had to find a way to destroy Sephiroth as well remained to be seen.

Veld frowned. "I see, and if you truly know 'everything', then we cannot allow you to remain on the loose."

Aerith nodded. "Of course."

Veld blinked a few times. "Of course?"

Aerith met his gaze grimly. "The only way I can change things is by returning to Shinra."

"You'd willingly go back to the labs?!" asked Tseng with disbelief.

She shook her head. "No, I will not. You will return me to Shinra, but not to Hojo. I... have to find a way to directly counteract Jenova, and you WILL help me do so. And in return..."

She smiled at Veld. "I'll tell you how to find Felicia."

Veld's eyes went wide. "My daughter's alive?!"

"Hojo experimented on her. She has materia in her hand that is slowly killing her. She's suffering amnesia at the moment, and will soon be arriving at Cosmo Canyon if she hasn't already to begin studying there. If you don't go there within the next few months and retrieve her, she will help to found a terrorist group called Avalanche that will fight against Shinra," explained Aerith.

Veld blinked a few times, "She... I... what?"

Aerith merely stared at him patiently. "If you find her and bring her to me, I can extract the materia from her hand. I also recommend you... deal with a man there named Fuhito, he's very dangerous."

She didn't like it, having to ask Veld to kill someone. Even a vile man like Fuhito. It made her stomach churn, but she knew it had to be done. She had seen glimpses through the lifestream, of the atrocities the man had done. Turning people into inhuman monsters called Ravens...

Veld frowned intently. "Do you swear to me that this is the truth, Ancient?"

Aerith nodded. "It is."

Veld looked furious. "God dammit Hojo..."

Aerith paused for a moment. "And if you want further proof of my claims. Would you be interested in finding out what happened to your former partner?"

Veld froze. "Vincent?"

"Also experimented upon by Hojo. He's currently trapped in a coffin in the basement of the Shinra mansion in Nibelhelm," said Aerith.

Veld look sickened. "Vincent..."

An idea suddenly hit her. "For that piece of information, I'd like you to destroy all of Hojo's files kept in the basement of the Shinra Mansion. Trust me on this, whats written there is half-truths and half-lies that could drive anyone mad."

Veld pondered her words momentarily before nodding. "If everything you've told me is true. If I get both my daughter and my partner back, I will do as you ask. Tseng, I want her put into protective Turk custody. No one but the Turks is to know that she's back in Shinra until I return."

Tseng nodded. "Very well. I'll send someone to collect your things at your home later."

The four of them left a moment later, making for a helicopter sitting outside the church with another Turk standing guard, They boarded it and left.

"If by chance your telling the truth, how exactly does Jenova destroy the world? I thought that thing was brain dead? How could we not have stopped her?" asked Veld.

Aerith pondered how to answer that question for a moment before coming up with a half-truth. "You can't stop her because of her Mind Control. Anyone embedded with her cells can be controlled, and that includes Sephiroth."

Tseng, Veld, and even Rude stared wide eyed at her. "Shit..."

Veld rubbed his forehead. "She turns Sephiroth against us...? Bloody hell..."

She spoke offhandedly, rubbing the spot where Sephiroth had run her through tenderly. "He's the one who kills me and the rest of the planet's guardians. He's too powerful to truly defeat. Avoiding him being controlled by Jenova is... well... the ultimate goal aside from destroying Jenova herself."

"And how exactly do we stop her from controlling Sephiroth? Focus on damage control first before we hit the source," said Veld.

She smiled mischievously. "Get in Hojo's way every chance you can get."

"Why not just kill him?" asked Veld icily.

Aerith paused to consider it. Hojo was the one human she truly had ultimate contempt for. He had committed to many crimes, to many sins. Jenova was the only thing worse than him. If he could be killed then it would be for the best, she could readily admit it despite her misgivings over killing. But...

"He's the only one I think who knows where Jenova is," said Aerith, "Killing him prematurely could mess things up, but, if you can find Jenova's body, go ahead."

Veld nodded slowly. "Very well."

They flew in silence the rest of the way to the Shinra building. Aerith pursed her lips at the sight of it, remembering the last time she had been brought here against her will. She still felt angry about it, how Hojo had wanted her and Nanaki to breed. That disgusting scientist... it took a lot to truly get her mad, but he could do it with ease.

The closer she got, the more distressed she felt. She had put on a forceful, calm facade for the Turks, but inwardly, she was wondering if this was the right way to do this. Should she have gone to Cosmo Canyon instead and got involved with the birth of AVALANCHE? She was unsure... but... she somewhat doubted she would have been able to get there on her own. Not to mention, the Turks would have been watching her extra carefully after her 'collapse' in the church when she came back in time.

No, this was... unfortunately, the best bet in regards to being able to save the world. She had knowledge that could be used, and people who would believe her because of her connection to the planet and her knowledge of confidential things she couldn't possibly have had any access to. Here and now, within Shinra... this was the only way to save the world... to save Cloud and the others...

She would do whatever it took, cross any line that she never had before if that was the cost. She would not fail the world again...

Author's Notes:

I have a guilty love for Time Travel fics. I've read a lot of them for FF7, my favorites being 'Once More with Feeling' by Illusor Meaneld and 'Tempus' Paladin' by Whimsical Symphony, though I've read plenty of the others. I decided that I'd give in and finally start my own, though, I noticed that one certain flower girl has yet to be the main character and primary time traveler (I've read several where she's been a part of it, but not the main one) unless I missed one.

I had this concept lurking around in my head and finally decided to just get it out there. I doubt I'll really be starting it anytime soon, but I didn't want to go and forget it.