Final Fantasy VII: The Dark Ancestor

Chapter 23: Epilogue

"Sephiroth got away..." Cloud sighed as they returned to the altar of the City of the Ancients.

"That's okay." Faith said. "Next time we see him, it's bye bye bad attitude!" She said with long

waves of her arms.

"So you remember everything?" Rika asked. "About you and me in my world?"

"Sure do!" Faith cheered. "Crystal clear!"

"That's good." She sighed. "I guess now I can go back home to Riku now...Will you come with me, Faith?"

Faith shook her head. "I'm sorry, Rika. This is my home now. Besides, can't you stay a little while longer? By the sound of things, we've still got another adventure ahead of us."

"Oh...I don't know." She rolled her eyes downwards. Faith looked at her sadly, was she really going to leave? Rika smiled away from her. Faith smiled back. Rika turned quickly and punched Faith on the arm. "Gotcha! Yeah, right! Like I'm gonna leave you! My job is to protect all the worlds! This one is no different!"

"So your gonna stay?"

"Didn't we just go through this?"

"Alright!" Faith and Rika embraced each other.

"So, what happened to Sephiroth?" Zack asked. "I mean the other Sephiroth..."

Faith looked back at him curiously. She thought for a moment. "I think he's in here." She put her hand on her heart. "Raven was trying to consume us into her darkness. When I fought back, I consumed her into my soul instead because my feeling grew so strong. At the same time, she pulled Sephiroth in when I joined with her."

"How are we gonna get him out?"

"We'll find a way." Faith smirked. "Right, Rika?"

"I get ya!" Rika complied.

"But first, we have to force Jenova away from him." Cloud spoke.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Faith replied. "But that's next on our list of adventures. For now, let's take a break for a while."

"Agreed." Aerith said.

"I just thought of something..." Angeal started. "Now that you are whole, doesn't that mean no more Mako injections for you, Faith?"

Faith grinned widely at the realization. "Hey! Yeah!" She tore off the bandage from her upper arm. "Whoo hoo!! No more needles!!"

"Oh no, Angeal. Look what you've done." Genesis chuckled

"Hold the phone!" Yuffie raised her voice. "Can someone PLEASE explain what just happened while we were gone!?"

"We'll tell you later." Cloud waved her off.

"Faith..." Destiny approached her.

"Hm?" She calmed down and looked at the Cetra.

"It is time for me to return to the planet." She spoke softly. "Zack has asked me to do you a favor before I leave."

"Uh...Okay. What is it?"

"I will show you you're mother and father...The ones who gave birth to you."

Faith's eyes widened. "Really!? I can't even do that! Will you please!?"

"Yes, yes. Of course. Just please calm down."

"Right." Faith took a deep breath and stood still. "Okay."

"Just focus." Destiny took Faith's hands and looked deep into her soul. She began speaking the Cetran language.

Faith seemed to fall asleep in her place. Her eyes glowed their magnificent blue and her mouth hung open. Flashes passed though her eyes. A small infirmary with stone walls. A man and woman with dark hair. The woman rubbed her fingers through her daughter's sliver hair, and passed away. The man lay on the grass outside, bloody and beaten. The child in a bundle cried and wailed separated from her father.

Faith let out a shaky gasp. She came back to her senses and looked down at her hands.

"Faith?" Zack asked. "Did you see them?"

She looked back at him and nodded.

"What did they look like?" Aerith asked.

"Uh...I don't know, I only saw silhouettes of them."

"Well, that's a rip off!" Rika spoke up.

"No, no." Faith shook her head. "It's fine. I saw them." She turned back to Destiny and hugged her. "Thank you Destiny. May we see each other again."

"You too, Faith." Destiny began to disappear into green flurries of lifestream. "Good-bye."

She pulled away and watched the hundreds of tiny orbs and streams fade away into the sky.

"Faith?" Tifa asked.

"I'm fine." She walked passed Cid and Barret in the back of the group. "Let's go home."

1 week later

Zack crawled into bed after Aerith. She took a swig of her water and placed it on her nightstand. She looked back at the naked man, blushing at him and pulling the covers over her.

"You ready Aerith?" He asked hunkering down beneath the covers.

"I think so, Zack." She tuned out the light and moved over to him. They pressed their hands together and kissed passionately. The first moment of the rest of the rest of their lives was about to begin.