Author's Note:

Agewise, Sephiroth is 18 years old; Tifa is 8 years old; Cloud is 9 years old; Genesis is 20 years old; Angeal is 19 years old. Felicia (a.k.a Elfé) is supposedly older in canon but for this fic I'm de-ageing her to be 7 years old instead.

Basically this story is set 7 years before Crisis Core and we're about a year into the Wutai War. Also, math is hard and if you spot any inconsistencies, please inform me.

As to the time skip that I have promised for over three chapters, it will happen…eventually.

Sephiroth was not one for correspondences. He received them, yes, inevitable as one of the best warriors on the Planet (some say 'the best', but not to a certain red-headed drama queen). When he was in Midgar, he'd receive streams of them. He did not read them, finding no joy in the accolades and praises he'd get. He also never replied to them, citing lack of time and also because for all his charisma, Sephiroth was simply horrible when it comes to social interactions ('the worst' according to said red-headed drama queen).

So that's why he's standing in front of Angeal, his face unnaturally nervous, asking for help.

"Miss Lockhart sent you a message?" The dark-haired man asked, trying to sound as natural as possible. Sephiroth was practically a twitchy Behemoth when it comes to social exchanges, so Angeal forced himself to remain as calm and not shoot out all the curious questions at the tip of his tongue. It was probably why Sephiroth approached him now, when Genesis was off to watch another Loveless show before they were deported. If Genesis knew, there was no way this whole conversation would end well.

"Yes. She sent me an email about her new home with Veld," and he showed his PHS's screen to Angeal. At the back of his head Angeal would recognize this as how much his friend trusted him, because Sephiroth was also known to guard his PHS like Hojo would his annual budget.

'Dear, Mr. Sephiroth. How are you? I hope everything is okay. Everything is okay here. I just arrived in Kalm. It's nice here at Mr. Veld's home. I have my own room. Mr. Veld is polite. So is his wife, Aunt Lisa but I don't think Felicia likes me. She's Mr. Veld's daughter.

Mr. and Mrs. Veld are always busy though. School's not starting yet.

It's lonely here and I miss home and my friends.

Do you have friends Mr. Sephiroth? I know you're going to Wutai soon and I hope you come back safely. Sincerely, Tifa.'

"She sounds sweet," Angeal commented and Sephiroth gave him a small nod in return, "So what's the problem?"

Sephiroth's stared at the screen, his thumb scrolling up and down out of nervousness. "How would you reply, Angeal? I had thought of replying 'I'm fine. Thank you.' Do you think that's enough?"

If Angeal could facepalm, he would, but instead he gave Sephiroth a gentle smile.

"Okay, that would be enough but you see this girl as your friend, right? Just say a few words about your day. Tell her about training. But keep it child friendly, all right? Say, 'I defeated a Malboro'. Oh, but don't go into too much details."

"Child friendly?"

"Yeah, no blood, sex, or swear words. Kids aren't supposed to be exposed to that sort of thing,"

"I see…" Sephiroth said, albeit with skepticism. Angeal sighed, "How about this? You type a response and I'll look and see if it's all right." The taller man waited as a mini battle played across Sephiroth's face. This was something he'd rather do on his own, it seemed to say, but the silver-haired man also did not want to end up insulting young Tifa. True, she's a rather brave child but he had a feeling she's not the sort to take rudeness kindly.

A small part of his was laughing at the fact that talking to a child was making him fretful. He's practically an adult in charge of a battalion of SOLDIERs and he's shaking his boots over a girl who didn't even reach his shoulders. Part of him wanted her to like him. Even if there were no blood ties, they would soon be colleagues and some part of him enjoyed the moments they had together, however brief.

He wanted her as a friend.

So he nodded to Angeal and started to type.

Felicia does not like Tifa.

Mr. Veld's daughter was a year younger than Tifa and was his only child. He mentioned that she might be a bit peevish at the fact that she's about to share her home with another girl, but despite all that Felicia was a kind and sweet child.

Tifa could understand. She was also an only child and though she had many friends back at Nibelheim, it was not the same as having a sibling. It would be strange to have someone new when you had been the only kid in a household.

Still, she's determined to be kind and polite as her parents had thought her. Mr. Veld was kind enough to foster her until she's able to join the SOLDIER division independently and she does not want to give the man any reason to doubt his decision.

"We shall go to Nibelheim next week to take any items you wish to bring here. I won't be able to accompany you but my wife and a few Turks will be there to help."

Tifa, too young to understand the extravagance of having a few Turks escorting her, simply nodded, "Thank you Mr. Veld."

The rest of the trip went quietly as the car rolls up to a large mansion just outside of Kalm. It was not as extravagant as ShinRa's many properties, but being the leader of Turk demanded a show of power and wealth. The mansion was two-story's tall, enclosed by thick fences and Tifa spotted not a few security cameras dotting its grounds. There was a security guard near the gate who took a few minutes to let them through. As they passed him, Tifa's eyes widened at the Velds' beautifully cared garden. There were beautiful flowers and trees, some bearing fruits, all supervised by a few gardeners that she saw trimming leaves and mowing grass.

Tifa was once told that she came from a rich family but nothing of the Lockhart's properties came even close to the Velds' mansion.

As the car rolls up the porch, Tifa spotted a tall, elegantly dressed woman with soft brown hair, coiffed perfectly on her head. She was smiling in contrast to the child standing next to her.

Felicia, as Tifa deducted from her resemblance to Mr. Veld, wore an ensemble of black and a face more suited to a funeral than a family reunion. Everything about her, from the scowl on her face to her rigid posture, screamed that she was very unhappy with the recent addition to her family. Whatever sweet and kindness Mr. Veld mentioned was absent and Tifa realized that her vision of being friends or at least being polite to another was going to be hard.

The car stopped and a valet (!) and Tifa walked up towards her new foster family with Mr. Veld by her side.

"Welcome home, Verdot," the elegant woman, Mrs. Veld said, giving her husband a quick peck on his cheeks.

"Lisa," he said, a soft smile graced his lips before he kneeled down to the sullen girl beside Mrs. Veld. "Felicia, have you been behaving?" he said, his eyes narrowed as Felicia stared back, almost defiantly.

"Yes, daddy, I've been behaving," Felicia answered. Mr. Veld's lips twitched but he decided not to press the issue, for now.

"Lisa, Felicia, this is Miss Tifa Lockhart,"

"How do you do, Mrs. Veld, Felicia," she greeted with a shallow curtesy and an extended hand. Never be said that her parents did not teach her manners.

"She's adorable Verdot, and you can call me Aunt Lisa, sweetheart," Aunt Lisa stated, shaking Tifa's hand gently. She would have held out for Felicia, but the young girl crossed her arms and gave Tifa a stubborn glare.

"She's a daughter of an old colleague of mine. Her parents are deceased and she has no other relatives to take her in. She shall be staying with us until she's old enough to join SOLDIER…"

"No, she can't," Felicia blurted out, ignoring her mother's look of disapproval.

"Felicia, if you can't be polite!" Aunt Lisa started, giving her husband an exasperated air.

"No, she can't join SOLDIER cause she's too small!"

"Felicia…" Mr. Veld warned.

"And she's short and her eyes are weird! She should be in an orphanage!"

And suddenly, whatever pity Tifa had for Felicia evaporated.

It was good that Mr. Veld stepped in before whatever insult that had been on Tifa's tongue managed to escape.

"So, you lied to me, Felicia?"

There was an edge in Mr. Veld's voice and Tifa had the sudden urge to go still. Judging from Felicia's posture, that voice meant that girl was in deep trouble.

"Verdot…" Aunt Lisa started but her husband shook his head, before pushing Tifa forward towards his wife.

"Take Tifa to her room, it seems our daughter is in need of a talk," the man said, giving his daughter an unimpressed stare. Tifa didn't need to be told twice and followed Aunt Lisa up passed the main hall and up an impressive set of stairs. The older woman pointed out where the kitchen, dining hall and play rooms were, keeping a charming smile on her, always. Eventually, she led the young girl to a set of doors at the end of a hallway and opened to reveal a large room, decorated with soft colors denoting a feminine occupant.

"It's lovely, Aunt Lisa," she said sincerely.

"If you need anything sweetheart, I'm just down the hall. And I'm sorry for Felicia, she's just having trouble adjusting. She's a sweet girl, honestly and I hope you two can become friends," Aunt Lisa said, beckoning the valet to carry Tifa's bags to the room.

"Oh, and this is for you," the woman said, taking out a small rectangular box and Tifa's eyes widened at the gift. It was a PHS, the latest model that she had seen around Midgar. Her father had a PHS but he had always thought she was too young for it, saying that she'd have to wait until she's older before he'd buy her one.

Her eyes began to mist, knowing that he'd never buy her a PHS when she gets older, he won't buy her anything anymore.

She felt Aunt Lisa wrapping her arms around her and for a moment, just a moment, she imagined that it was her mother hugging her back.

"Don't worry Tifa, we'll take care of you."

'To Miss Lockhart. I have received your message. I am doing quite well here. I hope you make friends. I defeated an Adamantaimai and Wutai soldiers here. I have friends, mine is Angeal and Genesis; you haven't met them. Thank you for your well wishes and I hope to hear from you soon.'

If Sephiroth was the type to chew his nails he would have chewed them to the bone. Angeal betrayed nothing in his expression until he spoke, "Well, that's child friendly. But a bit formal for a kid,"

Well, at least Angeal didn't say it was insulting or not child-friendly. The man typed something into Sephiroth's PHS and then showed it to him:

'Dear Miss Lockhart, thank you for your message. I'm doing well here in Wutai. Yesterday, I fought an Adamantaimai, it's a large turtle monster that hunts at its beaches. I also fought some Wutai soldiers, but I'm afraid I can't say more because it's under military secrets. I'm sorry to hear that you're lonely and I hope that Felicia will like you. Maybe she needs time to warm up to you. I know that it took me some time to warm up to my friends, Angeal and Genesis. If not, don't worry, I'm your friend, you can message me if you still feel lonely.

I may be slow in reply but I will message you as much as I can. I hope to hear from you soon.

PS: Don't worry about me. I'm a First Class SOLDIER, I can handle things here.

Sincerely,

Seph.'

"Seph?"

"Your name's a bit mouthful for kids," Angeal answered, ignoring the twitch on Sephiroth's brow.

"I am thankful for your amendment but she's old enough to use my full name." The SOLDIER said, typing his full name in the message.

"Hey, can't say I didn't try," the younger man teased as Sephiroth lips curled into a small smile.

"Thank you." He said, "I feel I may need your help with further correspondence in the future."

"No problem, I think she could use a friend, especially since what had happened." Angeal alluded to the terrorist attack a few weeks earlier and his friend nodded grimly. He remembered the deaths and destruction and could imagine how much pain the young feel must suffered. Apparently, the girl had just lost her mother prior to visiting Midgar and to have lost her father so soon, in such a way…Angeal felt the sudden need to message his mother and wishing he could see her now. Sensing a quiet moment, the two men bid farewell, and left for their duties.

Tifa dreamt of worlds that night.

Of stars living and dying. Suns and Nebulas spinning around the cosmos, travelling far to the center of all things, the birthplace of the cosmos. She felt her brethren close and far, devouring endlessly of all the things that came before them. The stars, suns and planets and their sentient creatures all food for their appetites that are never satiated.

She dreamt of love and safety and of one who can never die.

She saw her parents, whole and healthy, supplicant to the form in front of them. The form of many with eyes emerald green.

Tifa feared but the being hummed and soothed and she is comforted. Many promises were made as she murmured kindly things, but most of all, she promised vengeance and power.

Still the dream will end and her memories will fade but little by little the seed is sown.

As Tifa opens her eyes, she hears the last of those soothing words.

"Sweet child, sweet child. Soon."