Author's Notes: Ahh...my two favourite Final Fantasies, Ten and Seven (X and VII). Well, I liked X-2 aswell. I've had this idea stuck in my brain for awhile, ever since I came up with an OC. Sure, you might not like her, but I do . Also, anything like this would be someone reflecting on something. E n j o y !

Rating: T

Pairings: ZackxAerith.TidusxYuna.GippalxRikku.OCxOC

Summary: given a second chance, two beings see that starting a new life in spira is the least of their worries. --\X.VII crossover.zerith.tuna.rippal/--

Disclaimer: Square owns Final Fantasy, not me.

What's Left

Chapter One

Introduction

Death is said to be solace, to most. The others fear it, trying to run. Hide. But the blackness eventually swallows them, despite their crying and pleading. Then, they are sent there. The Lifestream. The thing that flows through the planet, giving it life and allowing the dead peace in their afterlife. And some selected beings had once been able to talk to the planet, and they were called the Ancients or Cetras.

However, when the horrid, alien thing fell out of the sky, Cetras began to decline. This monster would soon be called Jenova. Jenova's sickening toxin infected their lives, making the helpless Cetras offer horrid human sacrifices, and all those who dared defy her were killed instantly. Years and years later, a few Cetras still lived, the planet screaming in their ears.

Jenova was soon subdued, captured, and locked away. The Cetras were finally free of their curse, or so they thought. You see, even such pure and amazing people are not immune to death, and there were so few of them to being with. Then, a young girl was born. Her mother, a pure-blooded Cetra, and her father, a scientist. Her name was Aerith, and who knows, maybe the child may have led a good life.

Hojo did not approve of this. He wanted the Cetras for his studies, though all knew of the elderly mans twisted ways. They tried to protect her, but this action only took their lives. And in her dieing moments Aerith's mother gave up her child to another women, willing to take the baby in. Elmyra. Elmyra was her name.

So many things happened to young Aerith over time. She learned of her origins; how she was, in fact, the last Cetra. She met a boy around her age, named Zack Fair. Loved him. Waited for him.

Then, finally, lost him. And Aerith never knew. But that was okay, because she met Cloud, who looked just like him, right? Wrong. Cloud was nothing like Zack. Zack was cheerful and positive. Cloud was quiet and solitary. They were not alike, not in any way other than their looks. So, Aerith Gainsborough joined AVALANCHE. No longer was she afraid of the sky, thanks to her first love, but it all didn't matter in the end.

Because her life was taken away by him, Sephiroth, the once-great hero. When she finally faded away, Aerith saw Zack again, and the truth was blown into her face. For, she had seen that Zack had not run off with another girl, but had...

Died. He ran head-first into two-thousand soldiers. Psh. Moron. Who the HELL run into THAT many, and is all like, 'DIE BITCHES!' ? Seriously.

Aerith helped Cloud and everyone else to over-power Sephiroth, and a few years later, a young boy named Kadaj. He ended up thinking that Aerith was his mother, along with his two brothers. And Zack was the rather unloved father (Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo did not favor those who also gained Aerith's love and attention).

No one knew that in another place, called Spira, a similar string of events had occurred. Sin, toxin, death, sacrifice, suffering, dreams that have faded away, gigantic machines, reunions...

Yeah, yeah, everyone gets it! Spira and Gaia are connected. Freakin' connected, just like the Lady Summoner said. Everything really is tied together, and each tie has a hole that needs filling.

...Still don't get it? Okay, the Lifestream and the Farplane are far more alike than you could ever assume. For a long time, and Lifestream had flown through the planet, but after Aerith used it to cure the Stigma, the Lifestream actually leaked out of the planet! Now, this had happened when Jenova crashed into Gaia. The Lifestream was affected by the impact and power she had possessed, and therefore spewed out. Wow. I sounded like Jai! Hahaha!

Oh..uhm...anyway, the 'rouge piece of Lifestream' ended up million of years (yeah. Time travel is a beautiful thing, folks) ahead of Gaia and bunched together, forming the Farplane. When other events occurred in Gaia, more and more Lifestream came out, only this time it formed places like Luca and Besaid. Thus, Spira was created. Funny...the one thing that could have destroyed Gaia created Spira. Huh.

So, when Sephiroth said that he'd find a new planet for him and his Momma, he was talking of the Promised Land, duh, but Spira WAS the Promised Land! Since Spira was simply a collection of Lifestream elements, it truly was the Promised Land. Or...at least...I think...I actually kinda...said that one...on a whim. Ew.

Alright, we're almost done here. Normally, when the Lifestream poured out of Gaia, nothing happened. Even when Shin-ra began affecting it, none of the dead were sent to Spira. Until Aerith cured Geostigma, as we said before. This act, however kind it was, seriously disrupted the Lifestreams flowing balance. Curing the deathly, once un-cureable was risky and took LOADS of Lifestream! Know what happened next? Since so much Lifestream had been pushed out, some spirits actually FOLLOWED it!

Poor Cloud. His two buddies were one of those few. Guess now no one can help that emo clean himself up now, eh?

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So...errr...that's all the info I'm gonna give each of you. And...I'm...I'm...

I'M SORRY! There. I said it. I. Am. SORRY! Hmmm...isn't this 'heavy air of guilt and death' supposed to 'be gently lifted off my shoulders' in the most poetic, meaningless way possible? It sure doesn't feel that way. Maybe I should apologize again...?

Okay. Here I go. I'd like to apologize to the following persons:

...Aerith Gainsborough, Zack Fair, Jai, Tidus, Yuna, Paine, Rikku, Gippal, Noooooooooj (no, I am not intoxicated), Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo (cut your hair. I MEAN it), and anyone else I missed.

Hah. In your faces. That wasn't so hard. ...Nope, still not feeling any better. Great. Okay, I guess it's time we started over, like, from the very start of this whole mess. Wait a sec...we already did.

Dammit.

Hey, wait! I can re-tell our whole journey together! Hell, even if it's going to end in catastrophe, I might as well voice my feelings. Totally.

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And there's Chapter One. I promise the next Chapters will be MUCH longer! And my two OC's will be introduced later, but you can also find them on my profile.

Reviews are love (: .

-Veira