Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Paths We Walk ❯ Chapter I - A Family afFAIR ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: This is a rewritten story. After two years, I decided I wanted to rewrite the story. Because I found a completely different route. I apologize for any ooc-ness of the characters.

Please read & review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix does.

Paths We Walk

Chapter I - A family afFAIR

By Phalon/Mikomimaru

 

It had been two years since that day. At the time she had been seventeen to eighteen, neither she and Mrs. Fair had not been quite sure which. However they had settled on a particular name, Dorian. The young woman Dorian had settled down in life in Gongaga. When she had become complacent about her life, she had taken to hunting monsters in the area. It seemed she had a natural aptitude in regards to the hunt. However, despite all of that, things had not all been well for the young woman with now short black hair that usually was tied up in a pony tail and Mako green eyes. Dorian had Geostigma with covered sixty percent of her body, despite that, she forced herself to keep moving.

 

Now she was sitting in a chair opposite from the older woman dressed in only a pair of jeans, long sleeve shirt, and had several things laid out before her. One of wish was a sword that looked new now with oil and various cloth near it. Dorian wiped her had hands off. She looked very smug about her work.

 

“So what is your plan?” Mrs. Fair asked and brought her mug of hot tea to her lips. She watched the young woman who had bandages all over her body that could be seen. One eye was covered, it distorted her view.

 

“Well first of all, look for a cure for the disease wracking my body and maybe find out who I was before,” Dorian explained to the older woman.

 

The older woman took a sip of tea. “I see. Are you sure it's a life you want to look for?” The older woman asked.

 

“Yeah, it is,” Dorian said with a smile. “Whether or not it was a good life or a bad life. I can't go through life not knowing who I am. I intend to go to Nibelheim, see if there are any clues there.” She placed the sword in it's sheath at her back horizontally. “Something tells me that what I'm looking for starts there,” She explained.

 

“When will you go?” The older woman asked sadly.

 

“Either late tonight or early tomorrow,” Dorian told her. She carefully picked up the towels and objects she had been using and wrapped them up as she headed towards the bedroom she had been using them and put them in a bag.

 

“Thank you,” The woman told the Mako-eyed young woman.

 

“For what?” Dorian asked, confusion written on her face. 'What did I do? She's the one that's looked after me.'

 

“It's been a long time since I had anyone to look after, not since...” She began and found it difficult to continue.

 

“You don't have to thank me,” Dorian told her. “You've done more for me than anyone that I can remember,” She said with a smile. She was surprised when the woman hugged and it hurt for some reason. Not a physical pain but emotional, deep. Dorian knew what it was about, Mrs. Fair wanted to hold her son and Dorian was the next best thing. She did the only thing she could think of, she hugged her back.

 

Eventually the woman moved away and said, “Now, you go lay down. You'll need your rest for that journey, right?”

 

Dorian smiled and nodded at the woman as she walked away and towards the bedroom and shut the door behind.

 

“Quite a woman my mom is,” A familiar voice spoke.

 

“She sure is, so, mind telling me why you chose to send me here?” Dorian asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

 

“She needed someone,” He confided. “And one of my great regrets is leaving her alone,” Zack Fair informed the dark haired woman who sat down on the bed. “After I died, so did my dad and then there was no one to look after her, or for her to look after her.” He told her walking around the bed. He sat down next to her.

 

“So explain to me again, why I should go to Nibelheim,” She commented.

 

There was a wide grin on his face when he heard that.

 

Before he could speak another voice cut in. “Zack, no,” The man looked very cross with the puppy.

 

“Oh come on Angeal, at least let me tell her a little bit,” Zack said jumping up.

 

Dorian looked up and saw the sight of the man who spoke up approaching them. He was a bit different than Zack at least personality-wise. They wore the same uniforms but their appearances were slightly different. While Zack had spike black hair and mako eyes, the man before Dorian had straight black hair. His voice sounded as though he had been burdened down with many things but his voice was tinged with hope.

 

“Puppy,” the former Soldier First class grounded out.

 

Dorian couldn't help it, she laughed. “Zack, who is he? And did he just call you puppy?”

 

“Oh, this is Angeal, he was training me back when I was still in Soldier.” He said trying to wrap his arm around the older man which quickly got pulled off and pushed a bit. “Angeal, this is Dorian.”

 

Angeal's facial expression softened considerably, and said, "I know. It is nice to meet you Dorian. But Zack and I have to go now. Don't you have to be somewhere tonight?"

 

Dorian nodded and didn't even have to blink when both Angeal and Zack disappeared, returning to life stream. "Life is never boring with him around," She muttered under her breath as she laid back on the bed, but it didn't last as she felt a flurry of images pass inside her mind and she turned and managed to get off the bed and the black blood of the Geostigma covered where she had been laying down and dripped to the floor as she collapsed.

 

---

 

Dorian groaned as she opened her eyes, and moved to get up. She was in her room, least the one she had been occupying. The bed smelt of disinfectant. 'I must have had another attack,' She thought to herself as she noticed she was under the covers. She pushed them off of her and groaned. 'How long was I out?' She thought to herself and she stood up and noticed she was in her night clothes. 'She takes care of me like I was her own,' She thought sadly. 'I wonder if my mom cared for me as much.'

 

Dorian dragged herself out of bed and eyed the door making sure it was closed as she disrobed and dug out a pair of clothes and shoes. She stuffed her gown into the bag and pulled out a brush and went to work on her hair and grabbed a ponytail holder and tied her hair in a mini-ponytail. She strapped her sword to her back as she grabbed her bags. One bag went over one shoulder, while another bag went across her shoulder and her chest. Dorian was quick to make her bed and then quickly did a turn and walked out of the bedroom and quietly shut the door.

 

"So it's time?" A voice pierced the darkness to be Mrs. Fair sitting on the couch.

 

"Yes ma'am, I promise I'll come back eventually. I just have a few things to work out first," Dorian explained. "Oh," She said pulling out something out of her bag and held it out. "I want you to have this while I'm gone. Don't open it until tomorrow though," Dorian suggested.

 

Mrs. Fair's expression spoke it all, she knew what was in it. It looked like she wished to say something.

Dorian smiled at the woman and said, "Don't worry about it." She walked away from the woman outside the house and began to walk away with a little lighter feeling.

 

---

 

“She's left Gongaga,” A deep voice spoke on the phone.

 

“Good, any information on where she is heading?” Another deep voice asked.

 

“North, towards Cosmo Canyon,” The man spoke. “However, her final destination is Nibelheim.”

 

“She's going to Shin-Ra mansion,” The voice spoke.

 

“Yes sir,” The man spoke.

 

“Rude, take Reno with you and follow her,” The voice on the phone informed the tall bald man.