Heroes are not born. They are made.

I had arrived in this place half-dead and bleeding all over the place, I was fortunate to find Aerith. I made a friend along the way which was unexpected. Since being here, everything seems perfect and then the news hits. Sephiroth is here too. I found out that the Jenova cells that I was injected with don't work the same as it does to Cloud. I've been wondering what that project was about, Project S, to be more specific.

Elena said that Sephiroth can't pull me like he can Cloud. This really concerns me. So, I had a measure put in place just in case. Steve is the buffer. If I should happen to go sideways, he's supposed to stop me. God, I hope that never happens. Steve seems capable and he's a stand-up guy, and bringing him into this mess wasn't exactly my idea of bonding time. But I needed someone on the outside that I can trust to handle the situation.

Aside from that, which still comes up now and then, I heard that Tifa and Cloud are together. It's about damn time. I remember talking to him in Nibelheim about his relationship to her and boy he was stubborn about it. His body language suggested that he was shy. I mean, he didn't seem like he was really sure what he wanted. I've never really had that problem so it was a bit tough for me to understand why someone like Cloud would have a problem anyway.

I guess it all boils down to doing what's right, doing what's true to myself, so that means sticking to my guns instead of flitting about trying to figure out what side is up. I know what I have to do.

Which brings me to the next issue. The Buster Sword. I'm on the fence about this. I left the original with Cloud and I'm not about to take back what I had given to him. He needs to show his true inner strength and in order to do that, he needs a symbol. I've done my time and I'm happy with the results. I know I'm dead back home but here I have a second chance to fulfill the dreams I had that were cut short when I faced the army.

Aerith too. She told me she's dead too. We won't get another chance. And so, we have our flower shop, our upcoming marriage, good friends and people we can rely on, we're happy. The only thing we won't ever have is children. We can adopt. We had decided that already. The only thing we have left to decide is a wedding date.

I should write out the events that took place. It might help me keep track of things that happened and so, this journal helps to keep it all for reference.

My arrival was horrid. It took a week of healing after the bullets were removed. It's also the day I met Fang, Steve and saw Cloud actually getting over the mako poisoning. Maybe I'm not seeing all of it, but he seems like he's okay.

A week of recovery and a lot of pain later, including some nightmares that woke me up in soundless screams, Aerith and I became intimate. She was having them too but for different reasons. She said I was here before which really didn't help matters much on her end. No amount of promises can fix that kind of damage.

In that week, right after I had recovered, even with some sensitivity, we went to the hot springs and I met with a young girl named Yang. Oh man, I was so oblivious to her flirting. I felt so bad for her too when I found out she was interested in me. I hope she finds a person for her. She seems really nice. I think she'll find someone.

After the hot springs, I think it was a day or two later, I met with the group. Everyone looked good but Elena was sick with the stigma. I found out back home what it was when I was on a mission before I left for Nibelheim. It's not pretty and there's no cure. Anyone can catch it. Surprisingly, it hasn't spread, or at least not that I know of.

We were trying to figure out a way to neutralize Sephiroth. Sadly, I don't know how. In his current state, I don't think I can stop him. It's weird. Usually, I'm one of the first to stand up to stop any threat but in this case, with death not even being permanent, my thoughts are that he'll only grow stronger if we make that attempt. For now, we can only watch. Going toe to toe with him now, we're toast. I can't advance, I can't even go up against him like that. Not in my current state, that's for sure.

Recovery isn't just about the physical wounds. It's also healing the spirit. I know I'm good on both but without Cloud at his fullest potential, we're only signing our death warrants. I found out that everyone is from different places on our timeline. I'm at the end of mine and so is Aerith. Tifa, Cloud, Barret, Fang, Lightning, they can still grow. I have no materia, no sword, and even getting one commissioned I have my doubts. That's like trying to replace Angeal and it'll only make me feel like I had forced aside his honor for the sake of having a weapon.

To be honest, I've done all I can. Well, at least back home I did. I don't want to say that I'm stuck in a rut. That's not true. I'm sorting out what I need to do versus what I want. With the shop and my responsibilities with Aerith, which is still a learning process by the way.

I want to help. For now, I think it's better that I sit out and try to figure out what to do about Sephiroth. Maybe the idea will come to me along the way. I'm hopeful that it'll work out.