Final Fantasy VII 1. Just some notes

                          Okay, to clear some things up..in the story, you'll occasionally hear talk of two children, not just one. I apologize for this. See, in my original story, it was seven years after the death of Aeris. Not 3. They seemed too old for it to have been 7 years. So that left room for only one child. And I thought I had gone through and gotten rid of all mentions of two children, but apparently I haven't. Sorry, so just try to bear with me. 

                           Also, The SephxAeris action will take a while, seeing as how I don't wanna jump into it, so..as you can see, this is going to be kind of long. I have more written than I have posted, so I'll try to get motivated and put the other chapters up. But I'd like to thank whoever is reading this for taking the time to do so. And please, if you're going to criticize my story, make it constructive so I can make my story better. Thanks. 


	2. Default Chapter

                                                                Chapter 1

**Chapter 1. **

**      Cloud sat on the bed, in his home…he had been sitting there for a few hours now, watching the day pass by, and thinking about that fateful day 3 years ago, when Sephiroth had killed his love, Aeris. Before Aeris had been killed, he hadn't realized he loved her, until he saw the blade protrude from her chest, and saw the gleam in Sephiroth's eye, and the grin spread across his face. **

   Now all Cloud felt was an empty void in his heart…even though he was married to Tifa, and had a beautiful little girl with her…he never could really forget about Aeris. He had done what his friends had told him to do. They had told him to forget Aeris…to move on with his life, and marry Tifa. He loved Tifa, yes…but as much as he loved Aeris? No..not nearly as much. Still, he couldn't leave her like that. She loved him with all her heart, and now that he had a child with her, and that made matters even worse.

  He was supposed to be at the bar helping Tifa, but recently he had been taking more days off than usual. Surely Tifa would notice something was wrong with him if he didn't go back to work soon. He didn't want to worry her, or Terra…he just couldn't do that. He got up and walked around the room, wondering what he should do. Tifa would be home in about an hour…and his little girl would come home with her. 

 "Guess I'll just live things out and see what happens…that's all I really can do…" He said aloud, running a hand through his spiky blonde hair. He was interrupted from his thoughts as he heard the door open.

  "Cloud! I'm home! Are you feeling better?"  Tifa asked as she came in through the door, and into the bedroom. 

 " Huh? Oh..yea, I'm feeling better, I suppose.….where's Terra?" He said, a bit surprised she was home so early.

  "Oh…I left her at Barret's house… figured we could spend some time by ourselves, for once..."

   Cloud looked up at his wife…. he couldn't deny the fact that she was beautiful…and smart…and perfect…. but not for him. Tifa was not for him. Aeris was. 

    "Well…yea, it would be nice. We haven't done anything like that in a while now…but we need to talk about some important things, right now …" He knew this was going to be very hard for her, so he motioned for her to sit on the bed.    

    Tifa sat with a worried look on her face…she knew some thing was wrong with her Cloud. But she just didn't know what it was.

   "Tifa" he began, rather hesitantly " I love you…. and I love Terra…. but I'm not sure I love you, as much as you love me. Even after these years of a happy marriage…. I still can't stop loving Aeris…even though she is dead…. you might be happy with this marriage. It might be all you ever wanted…. but its not for me. I want Aeris in my arms…" 

   Cloud looked at his wife and saw tears in the rims of her eyes…he could hardly stand doing this to her. 

    "Cloud…I…Cloud, she is dead! She was killed, and there is no way of bringing her back! No matter how hard you wish, no matter how much you dream, Aeris cannot come back. You have a wife, being me, and a child, Terra. You can't turn back now, Cloud Strife. It's not going to happen." 

    He looked at Tifa and sighed. He knew she was right…. there wasn't a way to bring Aeris back…She was dead…. gone. He had tried telling himself that many times…and it never worked.

   "Tifa…I know I have you, and the children. But all I ever wanted in life when I met Aeris…was to be with Aeris.  I know I should have said something earlier…before we got married. But I didn't want to hurt you" he paused, thinking of his next words " It was stupid of me, I know…and this is probably the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life…but I'm thinking of leaving, and searching of a way to bring Aeris back. 

   Tifa looked at Cloud in disbelief…she couldn't believe what the man was saying. Find a way to bring Aeris back? That was impossible…yes, they were friends..but Tifa didn't really want Aeris back…Cloud's heart belonged to Aeris. Not her. 

  "Cloud…" she noted how stupid she must look, sobbing and red-faced " Damn you. You have a life here! And you don't want to hurt me?!?" she retorted " This is more painful than anything I have ever experienced" she spat out the last few words  "I would rather die by Sephiroth's' hands than die like this! This has been eating me alive, day-by-day, little by little, ever since she died! I knew your heart belonged to her…but I couldn't accept it….I just couldn't" Tifa looked down with tears rolling down her smooth cheeks. 

   Cloud and Tifa sat in silence for about 15 minutes, and finally Tifa looked up, and at Cloud. Cloud looked back at her, deep into those brownish-crimson eyes that he had looked into so many times. He was thinking about how much he hated himself right now, for doing this to her. But he needed Aeris…he needed her more than he had ever needed anything. 

   So many things were going through Tifa's head at that moment. He wanted to leave her and Terra…for Aeris. Damn Aeris. Tifa loved Aeris like a sister…. but why did they both have to love the same man? She always had to ruin things for Tifa…always. But, she did love him more than life itself…and wanted him to be happy. And if it took Aeris to do that…then that's what he would have. She took in a deep breath and sighed. 

  "Cloud. I love you more than life itself. And I have ever since we were children. I almost died when you were gone for so long…" Tifa looked down at her hands and noticed she was shaking " But you are obviously unhappy with me, and the girls. You want Aeris…. you need Aeris…. go. Go and find your heart Cloud…. go and find Aeris Gainsborough. I can' t bare to see you in any more pain than you deserve…Now go. Leave my home…." 

  Cloud sat looking at Tifa…she was shaking now..hardly able to contain the emotions that were raging inside of her…undoubtfully hate for Aeris…maybe hate for himself as well. No. Tifa did not hate him. She was hurt, like anyone would be. All he could do was look at her…. was she actually giving up that easily? How could he think that? She wasn't giving up. She was doing what was best for the man she loved. He knew that. 

   "Tifa…you have no idea how much I want to thank you. You have been there for me ever since I can remember…you've always been there for me…words cannot describe my thanks to you.." he took her hands in his, and looked into those deep brown eyes of hers " I will always love you…. like a brother would his sister. I will never leave you, or forget you. I will always be here as a brother for you. I'm not sure if I will be coming back from…well…I don't even know where I am going…but if I do die…I will still remember you always." He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then let go of her hand, and got up, realizing he had no place here anymore. "I'll go say goodbye to Terra…. take good care of her, Tifa…" 

  Tifa slowly nodded her head, if a bit reluctantly " I will do my best, Cloud..be careful. And next time I see you…which I know I will…you seem to be able to do anything…..I expect to see Aeris by your side..do you understand me?" 

  Cloud nodded his head and started to walk out the door…he was leaving his children..his wonderful, perfect child behind. Terra. He could picture Terra…she was 3 now. She had brilliant blue eyes like her father, and a little bit of Mako as well, which made them glow softly. Her hair was a reddish brown, and very long for her age. He wanted her to learn Yuffie's techniques, as well as his own and her mothers.  "She's extremely intelligent." he thought to himself…She'd be a perfect companion for Yuffie. He let out a deep sigh, and headed for Barret's house.

  Tifa watched him go, through the hall and out the door….things were never going to be the same. She wanted to argue with him, tell him to stay with her…but she knew he would be miserable if she did that…and she only wanted what was best for the love of her life. " And Cloud" She said softly, so as he could not hear…. " I will always love you, my heart….always." She didn't even notice the blood trickling from her palm, as she dug her nails deeper into her flesh, or the tears streaming down her cheeks.

                                                                                 *  *   * 

 Cloud walked down the streets of Wutai, Yuffie's home village. It wasn't a very large place, but it was perfect for the people that took up residence. He was thinking of what to say to Terra….so young and beautiful…and innocent. And she was going to lose her father…for the time being, anyways. He hated himself for doing it….but…he had to. He finally came up to Barret's home. He thought back to the days when he had first met the huge man…he seemed so tough, but inside was a warm heart…especially for his little girl Marlene. 

   He walked up to the door and knocked gently, afraid of what was to come inside. He had promised Barret 3 years ago he wouldn't harm Tifa in any way. And he had hurt her more than any one could have imagined. He jumped back as someone opened the door. There stood his old friend, Barret. The man was huge, and quite threatening, for he had a machine gun for an arm. 

    "Here to pick up your kids, eh? I thought Tifa'd be doin' that. Ah well, come on in you spiky little punk" Cloud always knew Barret was joking when he called him Spiky little anything…

    " Actually, Barret…" he hesitated, before saying the next few words 

    "Actually what, Cloud?" The huge man interrupted him.

 "I'm here to say goodbye to them, and to you. I..I can't go on without Aeris…I've tried for the last 7 years…but I have dreams about her, and there's this void in my heart that can never be filled, not by anyone but Aeris.." He said all of this in a rush.  

   Barret reached out with his good arm and pulled Cloud inside, then slammed the door and held Cloud up against it. 

   "What the hell do you mean, boy? Yer leaving Tifa, and the girls, for a DEAD woman?!?! Boy, you need to get your spiky ass straight before I do it for you! You promised me you would never hurt her, and here you are doin' it!" 

   Cloud took it all in without struggle…he knew that he deserved it. "I know, Barret. But it was making our marriage unhappy…or it would have soon enough. I was not happy with her. And I didn't want to make things worse for her..Barret, please try to understand me…I was pretty much forced into a relationship with her.."

   Barret held Cloud up and looked at him, considering the young mans words. He suddenly dropped Cloud and watched him fix his clothes and such. The boy never learned to just drop things when they needed to be dropped…

  "I suppose yer right. You were kind of pushed into it, huh? Ah well. I hope she'll be okay…ya know? She'll need help with Terra..and Yuffie will be there. And I'm willing to bet that Terra isn't going to take this well… she won't be able to remember, anyways. Well, she won't approve of it when she gets old enough to understand. " Barret said in an apologizing way….

    Cloud looked down to the floor. How could he be so cold hearted to his child? But they all missed Aeris, and he was going to bring her back. He'd come back, and see Terra again. He would come back with Aeris by his side..what would she think of that? Seeing their father with another woman besides her mother? He could only guess…

  "Barret? How do you think the girls will react to this? I mean…with me being with another woman and all….when I come back that is…" 

   "Honestly, I dunno. Just have to live things out….she'll understand, hopefully.  So, yer goin' ta have ta go pretty damn far away ta get ta where yer goin', eh? You'll need people to go with ya, ya know? Might get your spiky ass in trouble." Barret said, kinda hinting at something. 

   "Go with me? I….I….no. You need to stay here with Marlene, and watch out for Tifa…and Yuffie needs to be here for Terra and Tifa…" 

   "What about 'ole Red, and Vincent? You could find 'em somewhere. Red is in Cosmo Canyon. And Vince…I dunno where he is. But he should be easy enough to find, ya know?" He laughed as he remembered his friends…it had been so long since he had seen them. But, he couldn't go, he knew. He had Tifa and Marlene. 

   "I suppose I could go and find them. That'd be nice, to see them again.  I'll need my weapon though. And I left that here, for safekeeping. You'd better remember where you put it." Cloud smirked, knowing Barret would never lose Cloud's sword.

  "Naw, I wouldn't lose that thing! Anyways, its near freakin' impossible, the thing is so damned huge." Barret started up the stairs, yelling for Terra, telling her that her father was there. He continued up the stairs, into the attic. 

    The girl came down the stairs, her bouncing with life every step of the way. Cloud crouched down waiting for her hugs. He couldn't help but admire the sheer beauty of her. Terra's reddish-brown hair hung down to her waist today, since she wouldn't be seeing Yuffie. He noticed how her bright blue eyes shone when she saw him..  

    He wrapped her in his arms and hugged her very tightly. This would be the last time for a while he would see her face. 

  "Terra..I'm going away for a while. I'm going on an adventure" he knew this would spark her interest. " I need to find something I lost a few years back"

   "You're going somewhere?!? To find something you lost? Ohhhhh, take me with you! Please daddy!" Terra piped in suddenly…Cloud laughed lightly, knowing how hard it would be to say no to those big blue eyes of hers. "Pleeeease!" He put her at arms length, and looked at her.

   "Terra..I can't take either of you with me, you or your mother... No matter how much I want to. I just can't." Terra knew he had nearly saved the world at one point…but a woman named Aeris was the one that actually saved the world. But she had gotten killed, if she remembered correctly. 

   "Fine daddy…be mean." Terra had started pouting, "I'll just stay here all bored, I guess." Cloud was laughing when he heard heavy footfalls coming down the stairs.  He looked up, and saw Barret, carrying his sword. Cloud got up from his crouching position, and walked over to Barret. He looked at the sword with a longing so profound, that he almost couldn't keep from reaching out and grabbing it. 

   "Here ya go, Cloud….in the same condition as when ya left it with me. Damn good sword…." He handed the sword to Cloud, and watched the blonde warrior take the sword, and look at it like a long lost friend, or child. In all truth, that's almost what it was. And the sword responded with a bright, glowing light when Cloud held it

   Cloud took the sword from Barret, feeling the reassuring weight of the blade. He felt the cool metal as he brushed his fingertips over the blade, felt the razor sharp edge cut through the tip of his finger. The perfect balance.  For once, in all the 7 years, Cloud felt more like Cloud Strife than he had in a long time. He put the sword, Soul Blade, over his shoulder and turned to look at his girls.

   "Terra…your mother will be here soon. Just wait for her to come and get you. She may not be here until tomorrow. Just wait here with Barret. I love you Terra, and I'll see you…sometime. See you later, Barret. Keep safe" Barret simply nodded and told the girls to go back Marlene's room. He watched as his friend walked through the door, trying his hardest to ignore the tears that were rimming his eyes.

                                                                             *    *    *

   Tifa was lying on her bed, and had been since Cloud had left. She had been sobbing the whole time. She knew her child was safe right now. She didn't have to worry about her. She was most likely still with Barret. Barret had always been so kind to her. Like a father. She owed him so much. He shouldn't have to take care of her children right now….but at that point in time, she knew he wouldn't care. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her. She took in a deep breath and sighed. He would come back. And with Aeris by his side. Cloud….every thought somehow turned into one of Cloud…of course..how could it not?? The love of her life had left her….for a woman that was dead. Tifa knew she was dead, but she also knew, that somehow, when Cloud came back, Aeris would be at his side, alive and breathing. She knew Cloud would somehow find a way to do it. Tifa got up from her bed and walked to the mirror, making sure she was halfway decent. After fixing a few strands of stray hair, she walked out the door, and made her way to Barret's place to pick up the girls.


	3. Chap 2

Chapter 2.                                               

           Cloud walked out of the city, Wutai, heading south for the Cosmo Canyons. He knew it would a long trip, with no friends to talk to along the way. Unless he found Vincent somehow…but that was doubtful. He was almost certain he knew where to find the mysterious man. Lucretia's cave. Vincent was in love with the woman…and he was probably at her cave. He would always love her…like he would always love Aeris. He stopped on the road for a moment…feeling the cool breeze from the mountains brush against his face gently. It would be an extremely long and treacherous walk to Cosmo Canyon…he might want to try and find Cid. He would have to go to the coast though and get a boat, or find a gold chocobo, which would be near impossible. He'd have to breed some. But, that would take much too long.

   He figured he would take a boat to get to Rocket Town.. He presumed that's where Cid went after departing. He made his way through the thick woods surrounding the area, thankful for the shade of the trees, from the blazing sun.  After a few hours of walking, he came out of the forest, finally. He could see a town close down by the shore, and he headed that way. Along the way, he encountered a Garuda. 

It was a nasty creature, but not difficult to beat at all. The thing ran up to him, ready to charge him or something of that nature. He quickly drew his sword to block the assault, but it was too late. He scolded himself inwardly for not paying more attention to his surroundings. His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a jarring pain in his leg. He snapped his head down and saw the little bastard had charged his leg while he was in dreamland. It was backed up, and ready to charge again. This time, he would be ready. 

This was a stupid creature, that much he could tell. So, he acted as though he wasn't going to attack the thing, and leaned upon his sword. His little plan worked. It came charging again, this time with extra momentum. Cloud tensed his body as it got nearer, ready to jump aside. Just as it was about 1 foot away, Cloud jumped to the side neatly, and as he did, he brought Soul Blade down and sliced the creature's head off easily. He watched in disgust as the severed head slid off the corpse of the thing, and fell to the ground with a thud, body coming next. The blood poured out of the neck and stained the dirt an ugly red. He took one last look at it, kicked it, got his boat, and carried on, slightly limping.

He couldn't leave the blood on his sword, he knew. He took better care of Soul Blade than that. At the nearest boulder, he sat down and took a small white cloth he carried with him everywhere, and gently cleaned the blade. His leg was throbbing, but it was okay. He had been through so much worse than a hurt leg. It'd most likely be better in the morning anyways.  Soon thereafter, he got up and continued on his way. 

  It was nearing dusk, and he knew he should stop now. So he decided to start looking for a place to spend the night. He walked away from the city..a few miles away, actually, dragging the boat the whole time. He finally came to a copse of trees, and decided to settle there. He unpacked the few possessions that he had brought with him…water, some food, and a light blanket. Cloud wrapped Soul Blade in the blanket, thinking his swords safety more important than his own warmth. Cloud sat and decided not to light a fire…he didn't want to attract any more attention than necessary. 

  He looked up to the black sky, with the bright stars twinkling. He remembered all the times he had been on the Air Ship, and looked over to see Aeris looking up, so incredibly beautiful. He didn't notice it then….sure, he thought she was beautiful…who didn't? But he didn't realize that he loved her. He remembered how every time he would glance at her, she would turn her head and smile at him…and he would always turn his gaze away from her, trying to deny what he was feeling inside. He could remember those emerald green eyes, and the dark brown hair tied back with a pink ribbon. Her pale, flawless skin…so perfect. 

   "Why was I so stupid?" he thought to himself "It wouldn't have really made any difference" he mused "she would have died anyways….it would still be painful..but I was never able to hold her like I wanted.." He looked back up to the sky and the stars, to see an occasional cloud float by, drifting away in the wind. He lay down on his back and closed his eyes, and let sleep take him. The chill night air didn't really bother him. 

                                                                              *   *   *

     He was back in the City of the Ancients, running up the stairs. As he neared the top, he saw Aeris kneeling at the altar, praying. He stopped, breathless. He looked upon her, and noticed just how beautiful, and peaceful she was. Before he realized what he was doing, he had his sword out, and was aiming it straight at Aeris. His friends yelled, franticly, wondering what he was doing. Suddenly, out of his trance, he wondered aloud what had made him do that. At the sound of his voice, Aeris' eyes opened, and she looked at him lovingly and smiled, then closed her eyes again, to resume her praying. In that beautiful moment that he realized he loved Aeris, and that Aeris loved him, he saw that a tall, dark shadow had fallen over the angelic form of Aeris. Cloud looked up to see Sephiroth dropping down to Aeris, his silvery, long hair billowing after him, and the deep green eyes staring coldly at her, with his sword out and drawn. At that moment Cloud stood frozen. He understood Sephiroth's intentions fully. Sephiroth smiled then, and thrust his unimaginably long sword into Aeris' back, just to have more than half the blade protrude from her chest. Aeris' eyes opened suddenly, and locked on Cloud.

 Why hadn't Cloud saved her? Why hadn't he stopped Sephiroth? But there was also an answer in those eyes. Her death was necessary for the safety of the world. That much he understood. But why? Why Aeris? 

   Cloud went forward and caught Aeris before she fell. Her ribbon had come loose, and out of it came the White Materia. It bounced down the steps he had just run up moments before, and into the water. The White Materia had been lost. But that didn't matter. 

    When she died, he knew only one thing. He had come to realize that he loved Aeris. He loved her with all of his heart. And now she was gone to him. He had lost her. Sephiroth had killed her. He looked up only to notice that the bastard was gone. He would kill him. He had to. But he left a nasty surprise for Cloud and the rest. Jenova. Yes, he had to kill this thing too. And so he did. 

   Aeris.

   Why had he denied those feelings for Aeris? Why hadn't he taken the chance? He took the body of Aeris down to the lake. He stood in it, and let her body float down to the floor. She would be where she belonged now. In the City of Ancients. 

                                                                                 *  *  *                                                                               

    Cloud woke up, damp with his own sweat, even though it was rather chilly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark pink ribbon, the one Aeris had worn.  'I've had that dream a lot lately,' he thought to himself as he fingered the ribbon. So, I see you've still got my ribbon.." A soft voice said, seeming to come from all directions.  The young warrior looked around and blinked, looking for the source of the voice. 

"I am still dead, Cloud. I am linked to you, talking to you through your mind..the Mother has granted this to me." 

His heart clenched hearing the voice, as his knuckles whitened from clutching the ribbon. "A..Aeris? Is that really you..?" 

"Yes, you dolt." She giggled as she said this, lightening the mood a little " listen, I haven't much time. But I'd really like you to know that I am ashamed of your actions towards Tifa. We shall speak of this later, though. However, I do ask this of you, Cloud Strife. Please. Come retrieve me. Rest assured, you shall all see me again, and all will be well.  Now. I must go. Farewell, Cloud Strife." And with that, he was left alone. 

    After a few moments of the silence, he relaxed and stuffed the ribbon back into his pocket. He was positively beaming, save for a hint of sorrow in eyes. Aeris had spoken to him! He would see her again! He knew he would see her again.. She told him that they would see one another again someday..and he trusted in her word completely. 

      He noticed it was almost dawn, so he figured he would go ahead and leave. He unwrapped Soul Blade, and laid it across his shoulder. He left the blanket there, knowing he would reach Rocket City before the night was over. He took out some bread he had brought with him, and took a few bites. Knowing he would be tired on the way, he decided not to eat the whole loaf, so he put it back in the small pouch. 

    He came to the waters edge a few hours later. He looked out over the clear, blue seawater and sighed.  He had once again been dragging the boat the whole time, and had had no rest. So, he stopped at the shore, and sat. It was still early morning, as he was hoping it would be, and as he suspected, his leg was no longer injured. The only bad part about this though, was the fact he would be out on the open water with the afternoon sun bearing down on him full force. He had considered that piece of information and chose to ignore it. He wanted to get to resurrecting Aeris as soon as possible, and this was the quickest way he knew how to do it. 

  After about 10 minutes of resting, he pulled the boat out into the water, and sat Soul Blade down close to him, and pushed out into the water. He kept rowing the boat for almost the whole day. With the sun at its zenith, the heat was almost unbearable, but he knew he could stand it. Anything to quicken his search for Aeris. He estimated that he had a few hours left to go, at the most 5. He stopped rowing for a brief time and took a swig of the fresh water he had brought along. While he was resting, he took a moment to stretch and flex his arms, shoulders, and hands…..they were extremely sore at that moment. His hands were raw, and almost at the point of bleeding.  He didn't really care though. He resumed his rowing heading South East, every now and then bringing a forearm up and wiping the sweat off his brow. 

   The sun was nearing the western horizon now, turning the sky a beautiful array of colours. Deep reds, light purples, pinks, and light yellows. He took note of how amazing it was. How he wished Aeris was with him now, to witness this sight. He had to remember though…she was part of the planet. She did see it. He shook his head and looked to the East. He noticed that there was land. He was nearing his destination. He quickly resumed his rowing and headed straight for the coast. 

   In less than an hour, he reached the shore. He knew he wouldn't need the boat anymore after this point, so he let it drift away into the water. He took his sword, Soul Blade, and set it across his shoulder, after drinking some more of his water. He wasn't going to rest. Not when he was this close to Cid Highwind. He needed to get that airship. He remembered now that he didn't have any Materia. He had given it all to Yuffie. He shrugged and walked on. He would get in battles along the way, he was sure, but they wouldn't be any match for him. 

                                                                            *  *  *

   Along the way he kept feeling an itch between his shoulder blades, like something was watching him, stalking him. He ignored the feeling at first, but it wouldn't go away… "This is madness," he thought to himself. "There isn't anyone behind me, or watching me…just my imagination" He shifted uncomfortably, when he heard a twig snap in the woods. He spun around and had himself in his fighting position immediately. He watched warily, and finally, out of the woods, a form began to appear. It was tall, and thin, with a dark red cape flowing behind it..the form was human, that much Cloud could tell…if it was good or bad, he wasn't sure.

  The form chuckled softly to itself "Well, well, Cloud. It has been a long time, eh? You always were quick to draw that sword of yours." Cloud stood, astonished, as he watched the cloaked human nearing him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The red cloak billowing behind him….the scarf covering nearly his whole face…the long, raven black hair. And those red eyes. He would never forget them. Standing before him, was his old friend, Vincent Valentine. 

 "Vincent…!"

 " Yes, it is I." He chuckled softly

     "Where the hell did you come from?!?! I thought you'd be in Lucretia's cave…" 

  "I was" Vincent took the scarf off that was around his head, and hesitated before answering Clouds question. He thought of the many weeks he had indeed spent in her cave, talking with her , and of the conclusion they had both come to. He shook his head and continued, stuffing the scarf in one of his many pockets. "but I had decided it was time to leave…and I just thought I walk around and try to figure out various things.…" he paused, thinking for what to say "and then I saw you rowing in from the sea." He laughed to himself quietly "And I figured, hey…I'm just gonna stalk him, and the scare shit out of him!" Cloud grinned, and examined his friend. What was he doing out here? It was odd for him to try and have fun. But then again, now that Sephiroth was dead, Vincent had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He shrugged, and walked over to the dangerous, yet frail looking man. 

 There was a moments silence as both men savored the memories of the past days running through their heads. After Cloud actually realized he had Vincent next to him, he spoke up "So, what would you think about finding Nanaki and going on a little adventure?" Cloud asked Vincent casually. 

  "Finding Nanaki? Why him? Not that I have any problems with that. I would love it, actually. But why not Barret, or Tifa….. or Yuffie, even?" He frowned, thinking of the vibrant youth that had kept the entire teams spirits up. Ending his thoughts, the tall man shifted his eyes to Cloud, noting the deeply pained look on his face.

  Cloud coughed and continued, feeling the crimson eyes boring into his soul "I didn't feel I had to bring any of them along..they each have their own duties that can wait..in any case I guess I'll go over everything on the way to Rocket Town. We aren't going to attempt getting to Cosmo Canyon on out feet, and then back out." Vincent nodded, while he and Cloud resumed the path that Cloud had been taking when he scared him.

  "After we had defeated Sephiroth and gone on our ways, we wound up in Wutai, Yuffie's home village, as you well know. After all, Midgar and every other city had been destroyed, pretty much." Cloud explained, "Well…you know how Tifa loved…loves me, and how I had fairly strong feelings for her? Well, Barret and Yuffie and everyone else I knew kept telling me to marry her….to have a life with her. And I couldn't say no to her. That would have hurt her too much, ya know? So, I said yes, and got married to her. It wasn't a very happy marriage for me…because of…" He looked to the ground and closed his eyes tightly, not finishing the sentence. 

  "Because of Aeris" Vincent finished for him, quietly, understanding now. Cloud nodded his head and cleared his throat.

  "Yes, because of Aeris…I never stopped loving her. Even though she is dead, I can't stop loving her!" Cloud muttered softly

  Vincent took his good hand, and set it on Cloud's shoulder, squeezing it gently, comfortingly. He understood completely how the young man felt. He had a deep, if not undying love for Lucretia. But it was time to let go.  He figured that was one of the main reasons Cloud had chosen him to go with him. Because Vincent understood him. He also understood now, the young mans intentions. That's why he was seeking Nanaki, and once again, himself. He wanted to bring Aeris back. Cloud had said nothing of this, but Vincent was sure that was why Cloud was here.

  "Anyways," Cloud continued, regaining his composure, " I finally came to a decision the other day. I was going to leave home, and find a way to bring her back. I had a talk with Tifa ….she took it well….the only reason she's letting me, is because she loves me so much, and wants me to be happy..," Vincent saw a dark look come over Cloud's features. " She loves me so much, she'd risk her own being, herself, for me to be happy, with another woman…" Cloud shook his head, " anyways, I went to Barret's house to tell him, and my children…" He noticed Vincent frowned at the news he had children, and left them. "So, I left, and now I'm here. I needed to find you…because you were one of the more sensible ones in the group. And Nanaki…he's the most intelligent, the most knowledgeable.. And I need you both to help me find a way to bring Aeris back." Cloud smiled lightly at his next words, "Not to mention, I miss you both. It's been way too long…7 years." Vincent hid his smile behind the shawl wrapped around his head.

  "It has been too long, hasn't it?" He noticed Cloud was kicking loose stones along the hard packed dirt road. "But…are you sure Nanaki will come with us? He has a family now…And he's the guardian of Cosmo Canyon…" Cloud looked up from the road and at Vincent.

  "I don't know….he will need a good reason to leave his home…he is not an irresponsible person. Or…beast, for that matter…but..we need him….

   Vincent nodded his head, as the two friends continued to walk down the road, towards Rocket Town. 


	4. Chap 3

        A.N.- This is going really slow..and I apologize for that. Ah, well. I'm pleased with the results so far, even I am just a few chapters into it. I've put forth a lot of time in this story. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the ones to come. 

                                                           Chapter 3. 

     Terra awoke to find Yuffie shaking her shoulder gently, holding the clothes Terra would wear. She couldn't say why, but she had, for some reason, moved into Yuffie's home. She wanted to know where her mother was, and why she wasn't at Yuffie's with them. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and looked up at Yuffie. 

     "Yuffie, why are you waking us so early? We goin' somewhere or somethin'?" 

"Hm? Oh, yes.  I'm taking you to see your mother today. It's been about a week, hasn't it? In any case, I have some business to settle with Uncle Barret." She replied quickly. "And I've told you about talking properly. None of this "somethin', or nothin' or gettin'. You hear me?"                

"Um..yea, sure, Yuffie. I'll be sure to watch it next time.  Hm…you've been up there recently, haven't you? Is she doing okay? She seems to have been doing much worse since my father left…" 

  Yuffie was now over on the other side of the room, getting the things Terra would want to bring with her. At Terra's question, she was silent for a moment, considering her words with a bitter expression on her face. 

   "You will see how your mother is doing once we're there." She replied sharply.

     Terra glared at Yuffie…she was never this cold with her. Why now? She couldn't think of these things right now, though. She had to get up and get ready to see her mother. Slowly, she rose out of bed, and went over to the dresser to get her clothes. 

                                                                      * * *

          Yuffie walked up to Barret's front door, and looked behind her to see if Terra was still with her. She felt kind of bad about earlier that morning. She was never harsh with the child…surely she would understand. She shrugged it off, and knocked on the door. She could hear the clicking of locks being undone, and heavy footsteps shuffling on the floor. The door swung open to reveal the burly presence of Barrette. The large man stepped aside and opened the door wide for her and the girls to come in. 

    "Bout time you've brought 'em. Tifa's been real bad lately.." Barret said, feeling the rush of cool air invade his home

    "I know, Barret. Sorry. We've been busy the last week or so…" Yuffie replied, herding the little girl inside. Once inside, she took her coat off and watched Terra run up the stairs with Marlene.  Once sure they were out of hearing range, she turned to Barret and watched as he shut the door, and took her coat to the coat rack. She paused before saying the next few words..

    "Barret, I'm worried about Terra..I was a little harsh with her this morning, and she's been acting odd ever since. This must be very traumatic for her… with Cloud gone, and her living with someone other than her mother….I just…I don't know what to do. They both left the care of their child with me, and I am but 19. I can't take care of this child. With how young she is…I almost wish Nanaki were here. He'd know what to do, ya know?" She sadly shook her head, with sorrow in her steel gray eyes. 

    Barret walked into the living room, and sat in the huge chair that was made for him, motioning for the young woman to come with. She came in and took a seat on the large couch. "Yuffie, don't beat yerself up ova' this. They wouldn't have put the care of their child in ya if they didn't trust ya with their hearts and souls.  You've grown into a fine young woman. Betta' than that pesky 16 year old I used to know, anyways. But you've changed, and I'm 'fraid some of them might be for the worst. I mean, look, ya have dark circles unda' yer eyes.", Yuffie looked down at her hands, not saying a word and yet taking it all in, thanking whatever gods their may be that they had blessed her to have met people like him. 

    Their conversation was interrupted as they heard light footfalls descending the staircase.  A few moments later, Tifa rounded the corner and leaned against the doorframe. She simply stood there, looking at the two of them. She looked horrible, Yuffie noted. Her hair was unkempt, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes themselves were bloodshot, from all the crying, Yuffie guessed. She simply looked exhausted.  

   "Come on in, Tifa. Yuff brought Terra on over…figured it might be time for ya ta see 'er." Barret motioned with his hand for her to come in.  

      Yuffie watched as Tifa simply nodded in acknowledgement. She slowly made her way across the small living room, and finally over to the couch. She plopped down next to Yuffie, leaned her head back, and sighed.  Yuffie glanced over at Barret with a sad look in her eyes….so this is what true love can do to people, when its been shattered..in a way, she never wanted to fall in love…but then she did. She didn't understand any of it. Barret only shrugged sadly. Yuffie looked down at the young woman's hand and clasped it in her own, and squeezed it tightly, hoping to give her friend some small comfort. She was rewarded with a slight squeeze of recognition. Yuffie let a small smile play across her lips, then made it vanish as quickly as it had come. 

        "I don't know what to do with my life anymore.." Tifa suddenly said, her voice raspy, and hollow. "Cloud is gone…" she reclaimed her hand from Yuffie's grasp and leaned up, her back bent, with her face in her hands " I can't take care of Terra like he wanted me to... all I ever think about is that damn bastard." She took her face out of her hands, and ran a hand through the mass of uncombed brunette hair, swallowed the lump in her throat and fought back the tears invading her vision once again. Once she had regained her composure, she continued with the rare speech. "All I ever wanted, since the day I met the man, was to grow up with him, have a family..be loved by him. Not even that could be granted to me." She laughed bitterly at this " My parents were killed…I almost got killed…" She paused for few moments, and Yuffie cast Barret a worried look. He was as helpless as she. "But oh no…" The tears finally won her over, and the next few lines were said in a cold fury, with the tears streaming down her cheeks once again. " We had to meet that bitch, Aeris. She ruined every fucking thing. Cloud fell in love with her, not the plain, average Tifa Lockhart. He had always told me I was so much more than an average girl. But in comparison with Aeris…"

       "Now, Tifa.." Barret started, but Tifa interrupted him in a way that gave Barret a look of disbelief and made Yuffie back away.  

        Tifa jumped up from her spot, and made her way to the middle of the room, to where they could both see her clearly.

 "All I ever did was love him! All I ever did was show how much I cared! I don't deserve any of this! And you both know it." She was shrieking these words, her face flushed and her eyes had an almost cynical look in them. " Then he had to go after that flower girl we met in the slums!! She's dead though! He's left his wife..his little girl…for a dream…even if I almost know he will come back with her…." The last few words had been said in a whisper, and then she collapsed to the floor. She was sobbing now, in a crumbled heap on the floor. She was pitiful, Yuffie realized. Barret rushed over to the small woman, gathered her in his arms, and made his way for the stairs. She watched as Tifa clung to Barrets huge shoulder, crying bitterly. 

         Yuffie followed up the narrow staircase after Barret, her face white from Tifa's outburst. It was cooler as they made their way the staircase, which was odd to her. Normally it would be warmer….thankfully it wasn't. They'd made their way to the second floor, and before following Barret into Tifa's room, she headed for Marlene's room to check on the girls. She got to the door and slowly cracked it open, then peeked inside. They were watching a movie. Good. They most likely hadn't heard Tifa's outburst…Terra would have come down to investigate, if they had.  She slowly shut the door back, and headed over to Tifa's room. 

          As she made her way down the hall, she noticed it wasn't very homely. She had never taken the time to really examine Barret's home. She'd always been busy taking care of things with Barret. The walls were simply white washed, and no pictures anywhere, really. There were a few tables lining the walls, with the occasional picture of Marlene. The floors were bare, and hardwood, obviously. There was a hall light hanging from a chain attached to the ceiling. It was a cold light, which was unusual. It did nothing to put a little warmth in the hallway, like most lamps of the sort did. Perhaps it was because the walls were white….she didn't know. She did know, however, that she would have to talk to Barret about this place. She shrugged and then continued on her way down the hall, passing the bathroom. 

          As she reached Tifa's room, she heard her weeping softly, and the sound of Barret's baritone voice comforting her…quite an odd experience. She pushed the door open with her fingertips, and quietly crept into the room. It wasn't lighted very well….only a few candles burned, and a tiny night-light was glowing. The room was relatively cool, and more furnished than the rest of the house she had seen. A plush, dark purple rug covered the floor, and the walls were a dark red. There was a full sized bed, with plenty of blankets on it. A night side table was on the right of the bed, and an unused lamp sat atop it.  On the other side of the room, sat a desk with a large mirror hanging on the wall. On the desk sat a brush, comb, and some makeup. Next to the mirror on the left, there was a window. No sunlight came in though, because Tifa had it covered with black curtains. 

            Barret looked over as he heard Yuffie enter, then had a look on his face that basically said, " Please come take of this…I can't do it." She nodded and walked over to the bed, and as she did, Barret rose from his place on the bed, allowing Yuffie a spot to sit. She took her seat, and embraced the shaking Tifa in her arms, stroking the woman's brunette hair. Barret quietly slipped out of the room, and left the two women by themselves.  Yuffie really didn't know what to do..the brunette wouldn't stop crying into her shoulder, or gripping her arm until the nails cut into Yuffie's flesh. 

             After a few moments of silence, except the soft sound of Tifa's weeping, Yuffie decided to finally say something to try and comfort the woman. She racked her brain for something that might seem appropriate for this kind of situation, and all she could come up with was,  "Shh..it's ok, Tifa.."A few moments after Yuffie had whispered that into the trembling Tifa's hair, her frail friend had pulled back, and wiped the tears off her check hastily with the back of her hand. For a moment, she simply stared at the floor, with a far away look on her eyes and a look on her face like she was having some inner struggle. Slowly she raised her head up, and averted her gaze from the floor to Yuffie. Soon, she began to speak, hardly above a whisper. 

                "I don't know what to do anymore, Yuffie..I..it's almost like I feel I have no reason to really live anymore, except for Terra, of course. I'm not even sure that can keep me going for the rest of my life..I know I need to get over it..I mean, hell, it's been a few weeks now, hasn't it? I don't even keep up with the days anymore. I have no reason to. And..I'm…well, to be honest..Im scared of Aeris coming back. I don't know why. I just am.." She looked back down at the floor, hanging her head. She didn't know why, but Tifa wasn't crying..she knew that if that were her, she'd be bawling. Of course, Yuffie had to take into consideration the fact that Tifa had been pretty much crying the whole two or so weeks. 

             Tifa looked back up at Yuffie and sighed deeply, taking her hand and clasping it. " I want to apologize for the way I acted earlier…it's just…so much pressure. Not from anyone else, I know. But I suppose from my own self. I've been blaming myself for this the whole time. I'll sit up in bed until 4:00 in the morning, asking myself questions like, " What did I do to make him not love me? What could I have done to change his mind about going to find her? Has he been lying to me this whole time?" she shook her head sadly and gripped Yuffie's hand tighter " But the truth is..he did love me. I know that now. Oh, how could I have doubted him? Nevermind that. But..I couldn't have done a thing to change it.  I suppose it feels good to know that it wasn't my fault. And that he didn't see anything wrong with me. Because, if he did, I would have known about it.  You know Cloud. He would've let someone know…and they would have told me. But listen. Basically, I just wanna say that I am sorry for the way I've been acting for the last few weeks. And I'm ready to get out again. Stop dwelling on the past. It just isn't like me, is it?" 

            Yuffie grinned at Tifa and hugged the woman tightly, overjoyed that her friend would be okay. "Tifa, I have missed you so much. And your little angel has, too. I've been so worried about you, you know that? Of course you do. Who am I kidding?" She hugged the woman tighter and Tifa smiled with tears in her eyes. But, these weren't the tears she had been racking from her body this past week or so. These were the tears of happiness. Oh, how good it felt cry these tears!

            "But, uh, Tifa…" she giggled softly " you've not eaten the whole time! You're even skinner now than you were before! If that's even possible!" Tifa pushed herself away from Yuffie, trying her hardest to look mad.

                "Oh, like you're one to talk, miss 98 lbs."

                   "98!? Hmpf. Okay, look, let's go see Barret and the kids, how 'bout that? They deserve more time with you than I do. So c'mon. Let's go." She grabbed Tifa up off the bed by her wrist, and looked at the woman for a moment. "Ya know, your hair looks like a rats nest..hasn't been brushed in forever, has it? Haha." She walked over to the desk and grabbed Tifa's hairbrush, then handed it to her. " Here, you brush it. I don't like people brushing mine, and I'm not sure I could brush yours."

                  Tifa took the hairbrush and smiled sweetly at Yuffie, though it was one of the most sarcastic smiles Yuffie had seen in her 19 years. "Oh, I love you too, Yuff." She rolled her eyes and turned to the mirror, and started stroking the brush through her hair, every now and then coming across a troublesome knot. Tifa examined her body as she brushed her hair. Yes, she looked older. She had circles under her eyes, and her face was gaunt now. Lack of food, she supposed. Her small lips were cracked and dry.  Her hair was no longer a 'rats nest', though. That was a good thing. Her body was much smaller than before, if that was possible. Her ribs and hipbones stuck out unbecomingly now. But, ah yes, her colour was back. She no longer looked dead. The shine was back in her eyes as well. Not the dull look that had been there before. She had had no idea that not eating or doing anything for a week could be so..disastrous upon your body. Perhaps it was not only that. Who knew? All she knew, was that Tifa Lockhart was coming back to life. Regardless if half of her really didn't want to. She put the brush down and turned around to face Yuffie.

     "So. Shall we be on our way?" Yuffie smiled and held the door open for her friend to exit. 

      "What, do ya think I'm too weak to hold open the door or something? Geez." Tifa walked through quickly, grinning. "In anycase, thanks. C'mon. I want to see my baby."

       They made their way down the hall and then up the stairs. Along the way, the two women made a conversation about Barret's decorating.

        "You know, Yuff, Barret really needs to learn how to decorate. I wonder why Marlene doesn't say anything. Surely that child has enough sense to realize this place needs to help. Don't you think?"

         "Oh, most definatly. I took notice of it when I got here. First time I've actually, you know, looked at the place. Its so….bare. I dunno. Your room is the only decent one in this house. Marlenes is just a wreck. That child is about 11 now. You'd think she'd care about the way her room is. Course, you know, she's grown up in bad times….seen a lot of things. She for sure isn't like other children. She might see things differently. I'm willing to bet that has something to do with it."

          "Possibly. But I'll have to talk to good ole' Mr. Barret and see if we can't get him to do something about this place. It's horrible. I don't see how I came to live here for as long as I have." They both grinned and lowered their voices as they neared the children's room. Barret was most likely in there, talking with the three girls. Tifa walked up to the door quietly and knocked on it, waiting there patiently. They heard the heavy footfalls of Barret striding across the floor. The door swung open and a disgruntled looking Barret stood in the doorway. His eyes bulged as he looked at Tifa standing there with a grin on her face. 

         "T-Tifa! Are you okay? I mean..you're..you're Tifa again!" She simply smiled at him, then suddenly threw her arms around the huge mans neck. He was stunned for a moment, not sure of the woman's actions. He then patted her back softly and embraced the girl in his huge arms. Tifa was crying again, but they weren't the tears of misery they had all grown so used to. 

          "Thank you so much, Barret. You have no idea how much this has meant to me." She broke the embrace and stood back, wiping the tears from her eyes.  She then looked past his shoulder into the room, then back at him. 

         "Oh, I'm okay, Barret. Don't worry about me. Anyways, how are the girls in there?"


	5. Chap 4

Chapter 4. 

     It was around twilight when the duo has finally seen the lights. Both men sighed with relief as they saw the small, twinkling lights of the small, isolated town. Their whole bodies ached horribly, and their legs felt something like rubber. Thankfully, however, their was a cool breeze still coming in from the sea. For this, they were grateful.

              They'd pushed themselves all day, catching up on each other's stories occasionally, but usually, they wouldn't talk. This didn't bother either one of them. Both were excited in an odd way. Their love for adventure, it seemed.  Not even thinking of the pain in his legs, the young blonde warrior had started to quicken his pace, headed for the small town. 

               "Whoa there, Cloud. Don't rush yourself. Cid is probably settling in for the night. And if he isn't, then I still wouldn't recommend leaving tonight. You and I need to rest. And you know it. So don't try and argue with me, all right? You've not had good rest in a while now, that much is evident. Tonight you can. So lets just take it slow like we have been, and rest when we get there."

               Cloud stopped and looked at Vincent, considering the tall mans words. As he stopped, he noticed his legs were throbbing and he was altogether tired. But hell, the urge in him to keep going was so incredibly great. He had to listen to Vince though. The man was right. He reached up and wiped the sweat off his brow, lowering Soul Blade to his side.   

               "Right, Vince. Sorry. Just that…it's almost like something is calling to me, you know? I can hardly stop myself. So..let's hurry, and not stand here, okay? I wanna get there soon as possible. And we aren't making any progress standing here, are we? No. So let's move on."

               "Yes. I know the feeling of…being..'called'. But, okay. Let's go ahead and move on to Rocket Town." Vincent motioned his good hand in front of him, quietly telling Cloud to go ahead. As Cloud started walking again, Vincent stepped in beside him.       

                  "Hey, Vincent?"

                   "Yes, Cloud?"

                    "…what do you think about my actions on this whole thing?"

                   Vincent remained silent for a moment, carefully choosing his words. What did he think about all this, anyways? He wasn't really sure himself. But he had to say something quickly. The man was probably in despair, for what he had done.  And he was depending on Vincent to make some sense of it all.  Vincent frowned and then began speaking. 

                     "Cloud, that's a very difficult question to answer. I'm not sure of it myself. Only thing I can think of is…the fact that Tifa is hurt severely. The child is really too young to understand this. But then you must think about the fact that you were forced into this. Everyone must have known it was coming. If I had known anything about it, I would have been counting down the days until you decided to take action against all of this. Point is, I believe you were right in you actions of leaving Tifa, I suppose. Although, I would have taken a different route. Perhaps given her a little warning of some sort. But, one cannot dwell over this, can one? No. I should hope not. But Tifa will recover, if she hasn't already." He saw a dark look come over Clouds face. "She still loves you, do not get me wrong. I am just saying that she is a smart girl, and it simply is not in her nature to dwell over depressing things. Anyways, she has Yuffie, Barret, and her children with her. She should eventually realize that she has a life, and responsibilities.  And none of this was done in vain, my friend. We shall have Aerith, as I like to call her, among us again. That you can be sure of." He looked straight ahead as he finished his speech. 

          Cloud was silent for a few moments, taking in all of Vincent's words.  "You really think so, Vincent? I mean..that we'll get her back, and Tifa will be alright, and that I was pretty much right in my actions?"    

           "I believe so, Cloud. You might also want to ask Nanaki's opinion as well. But what do other peoples opinions matter? In the end, it's all up to you anyways, isn't it? Other peoples opinions simply give you more trouble, and more things to think about, wouldn't you agree, my friend?"

           Cloud laughed softly at this, shaking his head slowly. "Yes, yes I would, friend. Sometimes it's nice to know other people's feelings, and opinions on things. 'Specially if that person knows what they're talking about. Heh heh. Where'd you come up with Aerith, eh? It's interesting. 

           "Hm? Oh. Aerith. I don't know. Just came to me one night while we were all traveling to some place…can't remember where, though." He paused for a few moments "You know, Cloud, she was one hell of a woman. And she will be again. 

            He laughed softly and nodded. "Oh, I know, Vincent. I know.." He looked up into the clear sky and sighed. Once again it had that beautiful array of colours that he so loved.

              How different things were. His life had been completely unbalanced since Aeris had died. Nothing had been the same. And now this. Sometimes, he couldn't understand it. He shrugged and looked back down, following the road down to the town with his eyes. 

                                                                             *  *  *

              "Damnit, you two. I finally get my ass settled down, and now ya have to come and ask for my fuckin' Airship! What the hell is wrong with you? The both of you! Nevermind. It'd take too damn long for you two to explain that one." Cid's face was slightly red with the anger that Vincent and Cloud had stirred up. Vincent was in the corner, but he'd occasionally say something. Even though the man that almost always had one of his notorious cigarettes seemed ready to kill the both of them, Cloud knew that Cid would give in sooner or later. He always over-exaggerated things……he wasn't as mad as he seemed.

              "You really want to know, Cid?" He was still aching all over. They still hadn't rested. He chose to ignore the pain and get down to business now. 

               "Well, hell, it'd be nice to know why you want to borrow my freakin' baby, you know."

                "Right, well, we have a mission, so to speak. And in order to complete this mission…we need your 'baby'."

                 "That much I figured out. But what is this mission, if I may ask? I need to know. Otherwise, you aren't gettin' her. Understand?"

                   Cloud didn't want to tell Cid the reasons for them needing his Airship…he wanted the least amount of people to know about it possible. 

                    Realizing that Cloud wasn't going to tell Cid himself, or wouldn't for while, Vincent went ahead and told Cid about their goals.

                   "Listen, Cid. We need that Airship. Reason? We're going to find Nanaki. We need him. And we are not going to travel through the Cosmo Canyons on foot. This would take too much time, as you can imagine. You do not need to know the rest of the story, but since you and I are old friends, I shall tell you. Cloud wants to bring Aeris back, somehow. In order to figure out how, we need Nanaki. 

                    His relationships back at home aren't very good. He married Tifa a year after Aeris died, if I am correct. She bore one child by him. The child's name is Terra. Even with these bonds to Tifa, Cloud couldn't forget Aeris. I am sure you understand this. He has risked much for this little chance to have Aeris back. Possibly ruined his whole life. So, it would be greatly appreciated if you lent us your Airship."

          Cid simply looked at Vincent, though you could see a softening of the man's face and eyes. Ah, yes, Vincent did have a way with words. 

          "…Get Aeris back, eh?" He took a long drag on his cigarette and slowly blew out the blue tinted smoke into the already smoky air.

           Cloud licked his lips quickly and ran a dirty hand through his blonde hair. "Yea…get Aeris back"

           "Well, one thing is for damn sure, I'll tell you that right now."

            "And what is that?"

           "Well….I'm sorry to tell you, Cloud. But.." he paused and took another drag off his cigarette then looked at Vincent, and back at Cloud "but you're gonna need a good 5 hour shower, by the look and smell of you." He grinned broadly and laughed. 

           "Hell, Cid, you had me scared you weren't going to let us use her."

           "Yea, well…you need 'er. I miss that girl, you know? Such a sweet young woman.." he shutup quickly and blushed, realizing he had said that. He was never really one to show any kind of love, really. 

            Cloud smiled softly and nodded. Yes. Sweet young woman. He snapped out of it and regained his composure. "And Cid, we need a place to rest. Would you mind if we crashed here for the night?"

            "Or possibly even two, if that wouldn't be a problem." Vincent added quickly, before Cid answered and before Cloud stopped him."

             "Eh? Oh, yea, sure, that'd be fine. No problems there. Shera!!!! Get your ass in here and fix these people some damn tea, will you!?!

               A small woman with brown hair pulled back in a braid came in and looked from Cid to Cloud. She started talking as she fixed the tea for them. 

               "Oh, alright, Cid. Need'nt be so loud about it, though. Anyways, boys, how are you all? It has been a long time, hasn't it? What brings you two here? I mean, you come this way to visit Cid and I? Odd. Well, we'll try and make your stay as comfortable as possible. How long will you be staying, anyways? And where are all of your nice friends?"

               "Shera, leave 'em alone, will you. Damn. All you do is talk, and you don't know when to fix tea at the right time. Women. Don't need 'em." Shera busied herself fixing the tea, while Cid sat down and motioned for Cloud and Vincent to do the same.

               "So, Vincent, stay for two nights, hm? We can arrange for that. No reason we wouldn't be able to." He paused as Shera placed the tea in front of the three men, and once they had all been served, he started speaking again. "So, do you think you would be able to swing back by once you get her back? I'd love it to see the three of you again.."

                They both let a small smile play on their lips, and then Vincent answered him after making his face unreadable once again. "We'll be sure to, Cid. It won't be that much of a problem, unless Cloud has a problem with it.."

                 "A problem with it? No..I have no problem with that, Cid. We'll come back by here. I don't know how long this will take…but we'll be back. I promise." 

                 "Good..anyways, you two must be tired….Shera!!!! Show these idiots where their room is." 

                   "Cid…you don't have to be so rude about it, you know." She didn't wait for a response from Cid. She continued on with gathering the two men and showing them to their rooms. Cloud shrugged as he followed Shera. Vincent followed quietly, his eyes downcast. 

                  She decided to break the silence as they walked down the rather long hallway. "I really am glad you two came by, you know. And I am sure Cid is…you must really understand he means no harm when he talks as he does.." 

                  "Oh, yea, we know, Mrs. Highwind. We did travel with Cid for a few months, you know." Cloud remarked, his blue eyes shining with amusement. 

                   "But of course you did..I apologize. And by the way, you two, call me Shera." She smiled warmly as she approached a door and stopped, turning around. "Well, here we are. If you need anything just call or come and get me, and I'll be sure to get whatever you want. The bathroom is the next door on your left, by the way." 

                      Cloud nodded as he patted her shoulder gently, giving her his thanks. "Thanks, Shera!" he replied happily, going into the bedroom. 

                       Vincent walked to the bedroom, stopping by Shera to nod his head most respectfully and to mutter something that sounded like a thanks, then continued on into the bedroom. 

                     "Well, get some rest, boys." She said warmly and walked away briskly after shutting the door to the quaint bedroom. 

                       The bedroom was well sized, easily big enough for two people such as Cloud and Vincent. There were two twin-sized beds, each shoved up against a wall. Next to each of the two beds was a small night table, each adorned with a lamp. The floor was covered with a light beige carpet. To the right of the door stood chester-drawers, and on top of them, there was a small box. 

                        Cloud laid his belongings on the bed closest to him and plopped down next to them. "Ah, we finally get to sleep…we'll be up early, though, right?" 

                         His dark haired friend kept silent as he laid his few belongings on the floor next to his bed, and laid down on the soft mattress. After staring at the ceiling for a few moments, he answered. "Yes, Cloud, of course we will..have no worries about that.  Now..let's get to sleep."

                          Cloud rolled his eyes and laughed. "Yea, okay, Vince. Night." Vincent kept silent and closed his eyes, thinking of a young scientist he'd known so many years ago. 


	6. Chap 5

                                                                         Chapter 5. 

The young man leaned against the wall as he waited for her to arrive. The night was slightly cool, what with being close to the mountains. He brushed aside a lock of his black hair and frowned, wishing she would hurry. He'd be rather upset if she couldn't show tonight..something that wasn't a rare occurrence. Something caught his attention in this distance, and he held his breath to listen. Yes, someone was coming. He peeked his head around the corner and grinned slightly, despise himself. It was her. 

            She ran as fast as the silent night would allow her, trying not to make too much noise from her footfalls.  She rounded a corner and sighed with relief; there was the corner, finally. She unconsciously fixed her hair and straightened her clothes out as she slowed to a walk. 

            "Vincent! Are you there..?" She said softly into the darkness.

             "Yes, Lucricia..I'm right here. Come" She did as commanded and walked into the small ally, grinning as she saw the tall, raven haired man. 

              "I'm sorry it took me so long, Vince..Hojo wanted to work late tonight, though…I would've tried sooner, bu-" Vincent cut her off with a finger pressed softly against her lips as he smiled. 

               "It's quite all right, my dear. I'm just glad you finally made it.." He said, as he took her by her slender waist and drew her to him. God, how he loved the way she felt against him…how he loved this woman. 

                She giggled softly and pulled away from him, taking a few steps back. "So, what shall we do tonight?" 

                 He eyed her for a moment and laughed; she was the only person that could make him do so.  "Oh, I don' t know, Lucrecia..what is there to do in this awful little town?" He paused, to see what he reaction was. She simply grinned up at him, obviously making him choose their actions for the night. "We could go to my room at the Inn, you know. Find something to do there..what do you think?" Her eyes brightened at the idea.

                  "Sounds like a plan to me…let's go." She grabbed his hand and dragged him through the streets, eying the mansion a bit nervously. "What do you think he'd do if he found us out, Vincent?"

                   He peered at the Mansion himself and frowned. "I don't know, Lucrecia..let us hope he never does." She nodded her head and walked up to the Inn door. 

                  "Do you think they'd tell him, if they saw us, Vincent? The Innkeeper, I mean.." She looked worriedly at the Inn and then to Vincent, her blue eyes slightly frightened. 

                    "No. I don't think so. Anyways, would Professor Hojo waste his time on such lowly beings, when he could be researching this project of his?" He smiled inwardly, seeing that he had quelled her fears. The tall man opened the door and allowed her in first, then closed it behind them. 

                    "C'mon, lets go." She nodded her head and followed him up the stairs to his room. He led her inside by his hand and smiled. "Here at last..just you and I, my love."

                    "Yes, just you and I.." She pulled him to her by his belt and kissed him softly, wrapping her small arms around his neck.  She broke the kiss and moved her arms to his waist, nestling her head on his chest. "Vincent, I love you so much.."

                      His sky blue eyes misted for a moment as he heard her says that, and he kissed her hair soft brown hair gently "I love you too, Lucrecia.." 

                       Feeling a bit embarrassed by her show of emotions, she pushed him away and onto his bed, grinning. The mischievous girl walked over and straddled the man. 

                        "So let's use this time alone, shall we?"

                         Vincent laughed and nodded his consent. "I see no reason not to.." he said, as he pulled her down to him to kiss her. 

                         What happened from that moment on, would change both of their lives forever. 

                                                                               * * * 

                           Outside, a man with oily black hair and black rimmed glasses sneered. His Lucrecia! Going into that Inn with that..that stupid mute of a Turk! He seethed. Oh, how he hated other human beings. But yes, the both of them would get their rewards. He chuckled softly, thinking of what experiments he could perform on the silent Turk. He decided he'd wait outside until the little slut of a scientist came out of the building. What a surprise the both of them would get. 

   He looked at his watch and cursed. How long did it take for them to have their little fun? Finally, the door to the Inn cracked open a minute and a sliver of light pooled outside. He watched in anticipation and grinned maliciously when the two figures emerged. Both had their hair tousled which angered him quite a bit. He pushed the thought in the back of his head for the moment, though. He had matters to attend to. 

   With unhuman like grace, he slipped out of the shadows and advanced on the couple. The two chatted merrily, but he would put a stop to that. Now.

     "So, my dear, dear Lucrecia..what have we here?" he said in his oily voice, which was tinged with a coldness not many could match. 

       Both of the lovers froze at the sound of that voice. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be! How!? Lucrecia slowly turned herself around and swallowed, shaking violently. Vincent did the same, but he managed to retain his stoic appearance. "H-Hojo..I..this isn't how it looks..really, it isn't. We just wanted to have a chat." The girl licked her lips as she continued, knowing the both of them would pay dearly for what had transpired. " I, uh, I don't get a lot of contact with other people, and it-" 

        "Stop lying to me right now, you little slut. Go back to the Mansion. I will deal with you later.." he grew horribly angry as he watched the girl stand there, unsure of what to do. She turned her wide eyes to Vincent, who didn't turn to look at her. He kept his blue eyes on the man before them. Hojo could have killed them both right then, but he needed this woman…and he'd have fun with this Turk. " I said GO!" She turned and ran back towards the Mansion, the tears streaming hotly down her cheeks. 

          Vincent tore his gaze away from Hojo as he watched Lucrecia run, and his jaw twitched with the anger he was feeling. How dare he speak to his love as if she were some piece of trash found on the streets of Midgar.  He turned his piercing eyes back to Hojo and simply stood there. He was at a major disadvantage; He had left his gun inside. He silently cursed at himself. He was torn away from his thoughts as he heard a sickening laughter.

          "Haha…hahahha…I hope the both of you realize what you've gotten yourselves into. It all means more fun for me, of course. Know this, though. You will pay for your actions, Valentine. And you, fool, will live with it all of your life." Hojo was slowly approaching Vincent as he said all this, and he was pulling out a syringe at the same time. 

           Vincent was completely unaware of the needle waiting to pierce his skin as Hojo came to stand right in front of him. The smell of the mans breath was almost unbearable, but he with stood it. 

            "And Lucrecia..ah, yes, dear Lucrecia…she will suffer the most lonely and painful death one could ever imagine!" Hojo screamed as he jammed the needle into Vincent's abdomen. 

              Vincent doubled over and everything went black as he heard the cynical laughter in the background, slowly fading away as the blackness swept over him. But one thought remained. One and one alone.

                Lucrecia. 

· * * 

                  He moaned and tried to roll over to shield his eyes from the bright light, but found he couldn't. In spite of the bright lights, and of his brain screaming at him, he opened his eyes and waited for them to adjust. In the meantime, he took in his surrounding by what he could feel. The room he was in was cold, as was what he was laying on. What was it, anyways? Metal? Yes, indeed, it was metal. And those things around his wrists and ankles? Chains. Where was he…? And what was he doing here? His eyes had adjusted by now, and so he looked around. He could see he was in a small white room, strapped down to a table. On one of the walls there was a large window. He winced as his head throbbed. What was that annoying sound? Machines…yes, they were machines. What was he doing here!? All he could remember was seeing someone running away, and something horrible that had happened……Lucrecia! He remembered now. The whole thing..the two making love, and then walking outside only to find Hojo. Hojo walking up to him and stabbing him with a syringe. His mind raced. He was in his lab for sure, probably on an operating table. But what of Lucrecia? He was scared to think of it. He strained his muscles to break free of the chains, but winced as he felt needles that were stuck in him. God, he had to get out! The raven-haired man ignored the pain of the needles and tried, but to no avail. He let out a sigh of defeat and looked around, wondering what he could do.

         How could he have been so stupid! He let the only thing he loved, the only being he loved, be taken away by some cynical scientist! How he loathed himself. 

          Vincent snapped his eyes over to the side of the room as a door opened up, and in walked Professor Hojo. This was the one man he loathed the most. The one man that had ruined everything in such a small amount of time. His once placid face now turned to one of hatred. 

          "Ah, you've finally awoken, I see. Good then. No fun to do research, if the specimen is asleep." He laughed gaily as he pressed some buttons on some machines and then finally sat down in a chair. "Now then, Valentine, we both know I've never much liked you..but now, I simply hate you. And to express that, I'm going to try something new with you. But in any case, before we start, I'd like to update you on your dear Lucrecia, since you shan't be seeing her any more after this. Well, she's pregnant. With your child. See, you've been out for a few weeks.  Any ways, she has…agreed to let me use this child for the Jenova Project. Now, I will inject this child with Jenova cells as it grows. This will most likely poison your beloved, but she is not aware of that. And she also thinks she shall be able to see and hold the child. Only way I could get her to agree to this. Genius, isn't it? And to top it all off, this magnificent child shall be considered mine. Because he –will- be magnificent. And I cannot have you taking credit for this, now can I? No. Well, with all of that explained, time to start, Valentine!" 

                  For the first time he could remember, he let the tears roll down his cheeks. He could have done something. He could have. He could have taken her away. But, no. She insisted on staying and helping with the project. His child. His child was going to be used as Hojo's toy.  And Lucrecia. His beautiful, smart, perfect Lucrecia. So unaware of what was to come. 

                   Right then, he wanted to die. He wanted to just give up and die. But, once again, no. Hojo would not allow him that luxury. And also at that moment, he swore to himself. Hojo would pay. Somehow.

· * * 

                     Vincent bolted up and was breathing rapidly. Realizing it was only a dream, he sank back down into the soft pillows and sighed, running a hand over his face. The pale moonlight filtered in through the clear glass of the window and was splayed across his covers. He had that dream every night. It haunted him, that memory.  Laying back on his pillow, he thought of his love once again. The woman that he swore to revenge. Even as he promised he would try to forget her, he found that she would never really leave his mind. 

                      He couldn't imagine what tortures the poor woman must have gone through, until her body finally just gave up. Closing his eyes tightly, he exhaled and crossed his hands over his hard stomach. Perhaps sleep would take him. Perhaps. 

                                                                            *   *   * 

                        Vincent woke to a rude fist being slammed into his head. Slowly, the man opened his crimson eyes and focused on the spiky haired youth. "Cloud..what time is it?" 

                          "Time to go, Vince! That's what time….c'mon, get your ass up. We need to go eat and then finally we can leave." After making sure the older man was awake, Cloud busted out of the room and went downstairs to devour the wonderful breakfast Shera had prepared. 

                             Vincent took a while longer. Why was he so tired? He didn't much care. He had gotten a good nights sleep. He pushed himself up on his elbows and peered around the room, frowning. Looking to the window, he took note of the pale sunlight. Just a short while after dawn. Good then. He slid out of bed and ran a rough hand through his long raven coloured hair as he walked out into the hall. 

                               On hearing Vincent's arrival, Shera set down his plate of food on the table and waited on him. Cid simply rolled his eyes as he smoked that seemingly eternal cigarette of his. Cloud didn't really seem to notice as he continued stuffing food into his mouth. 

                               "Good Morning, Vincent. Eat all you want. We've plenty here." Shera commented happily. Vincent took his seat and nodded his thanks, picking at the food carefully. 

                                "So, you guys gonna borrow my baby, huh? I suppose that's okay..you two actually stay tonight?" Vincent cast his eyes over to Cloud and frowned. The boy wouldn't be able to wait another day. 

                                  "No, Cid. We'll be leaving soon after breakfast. I don't think Cloud can contain himself for another day." Vincent smirked as he saw Cloud snap his head over in Vincent's direction.

                                   "Keep your mouth shut, Vincent. Can't help if I wanna go right now." 

                                    "Yea, yea, I know. I was only kidding, anyways. 

                                     "….Right…..all right, well, I'll be heading upstairs to get ready! It was great, Shera. Thanks. And you too, Cid. You have no idea how much this means to me!" He jumped out of his chair and trotted upstairs. They all three shook their heads. He was an odd one. 

                                     "So, Cid..explain the rules for your little baby." 

                                                      **************************************

Okay, so this chap was a little..sad, wouldn't you say? Haha. I really wanted to capture what those two felt, so, I dunno. Reviews, please!


	7. Chap 6

                                                                                      Chapter 6 

                                      The young girl shifted her gaze to the unconscious man on the floor. The green tint of their surroundings were strange, she had to admit. 

                                        "Mother, are you sure I should approach him?"

                                        "Of course I am, Child. He can no longer harm anyone while he is here."

                                       She remained silent, her green eyes still locked on the handsome figure before her. A million thoughts ran through her head. For one, why was he even here? She could only wonder. Unless, of course, the Planet actually decided to answer her. Finally, she spoke. "Mother, why is he even here? He's evil…he tried to destroy you!" 

                                         There was a soft laughter in the ethereal voice. "Oh, child. It was not he who did those awful things..it was his insanity. The poor child went through years of torture and isolation from human beings, save Professor Hojo and his staff. Locked inside a cell with no love, no friends, no nothing. He knew no love throughout his entire life. That is part of what drove the poor man to insanity" there was a sad sigh as the voice paused, as if silently mourning. It then began to speak again. "He is now free from those monsters which held him for so long.." 

                                   Aeris' brow furrowed. She had never considered the pain and torture the man had been put through. She nodded her head in answer to the Planets reasoning. The kind voice left her alone. She was by herself now, save this man. It didn't bother her though, so she was okay. Seeing it was time to get started, she straightened her delicate shoulders and made he way to the silver haired warrior.

                                     Upon reaching him, she knelt down and timidly brushed aside a strand of silver hair from his face and admired the man's sheer beauty. Odd. A beautiful male. She chuckled at the thought and traced his jawline gently with her finger. His skin was so smooth, so flawless. And so cold. Aeris shivered slightly and wondered how such a beautiful thing could wreak such havoc.  

                                  His lips were what really drew her attention.  She ran her thumb over his bottom lip gently sighed, wondering what he would be like to kiss him. She blushed horribly then. What was she thinking? She drew her hand away as if burned and bit her own bottom lip. She was thinking of kissing –him- what was wrong with her? She'd never know. 

                                        Knowing she had to wake the man, she gently shook him, calling his name. He didn't respond the first few times, but finally, he woke. The small girl gasped softly as he opened his eyes. They were so green..!! And how did they have that glow? Well, of course she knew. But this was the strongest she had ever seen it. He was disoriented, she figured, by the way his eyes weren't focused on anything.

                                         The tall man opened his eyes groggily and looked around. Everywhere he looked, it was green. His head throbbed and he couldn't concentrate. Where was he? Who was he? Pushing himself up on his elbows, he squinted his eyes trying to get them to focus. He could faintly hear someone calling out something. A soft, gentle voice. Finally they came into focus. Yes, everything around him was green. And this being before him? Who was she? Her chestnut hair flowed all about her. It was so long! And her eyes. He'd never forget those eyes. A bright emerald colour, and surrounded by thick, black eyelashes.

                                   "Oh, good, you've come around…I was getting worried. How do you feel?"

                                    He remained silent. No matter how beautiful that woman was, he for some reason had a horrible dislike for her. Instead of commenting to her remark, he asked in a cold voice, "Where am I, girl?" He saw her face harden as she frowned.

                                      "We're in the Life Stream, Sephiroth." 

                                        The LifeStream..Sephiroth..he slowly regained everything that had happened. Meteor..Holy..that Puppet. And yes, Aeris. That was this girl's name. He remembered killing her. He also remembered being killed. He got up in one fluid motion and towered above the small girl. He felt for his blade, Masamune, but to his disappointment, it was nowhere to be found. 

                                     "What am I doing here?"

                                       Aeris rose herself and tilted her head back a bit in order to look at Sephiroth. "I don't know. The Planet decided to bring you here. It wasn't my decision." She said to him, none too nicely. 

                                        Sephiroth scowled. He had to be stuck here with that woman he killed. That Cetra. He did come to notice one thing, though. Jenova was not screaming at him for associating himself with this girl. Was she even there? He doubted it. But he looked at the girl and decided to find out all he could from her. "Tell me, Cetra, what happened?"

                                        Aeris' brow furrowed once again. What an awful man he was. So rude. "From what I can tell, Sephiroth, Jenova is dead and Cloud defeated you.Holy defeated Meteor..so your 'mothers' plan didn't work."

                                        Yes. Jenova was dead. That explained a few things. He didn't want to give the girl any satisfaction from seeing his pained expression, so he moved on to other things. "So, girl, is there any way of getting out of here?"

                                          Aeris snorted softly. "First off, Sephiroth, my name is Aeris. And if there –were- a way to get out of here, I'm not sure I'd grant you that pleasure."

                                            The silver haired man glared at her coldly and stalked off. What a wench. Talking to the Great Sephiroth in such tones.

                                             Aeris rolled her eyes as she watched Sephiroth stalk off. Shrugging once again, she tried to gain contact with the Planet. "Mother…Mother, are you there? I don't know what to do right now.." 

                                 "Confused again, young one?"

                                 She sighed with relief as the comforting voice answered her. "Yes, Mother. I tried talking with him..he just puts up his wall and ignores me."

                               "Did you expect this to be easy, Aeris? Heh. Well, I shall tell you what my offer is, so that the both of you may consider it. I am willing to allow both of you to live on the surface again; give Sephiroth another chance at life. And you were too young to die. It shouldn't have happened so early. Only because of the great influence the both of you had on the people, are you allowed to return. A child born in the slums would not be able to return, no matter how I wished."

                                             Aeris' heart froze at the concept. Return to the living? Leave everyone that she had returned to..? Her real mother, Ilfana..Zack..Tseng..for a new life among the living.  She frowned and played with a strand of her hair that she decided to wear down. Yes. She would take this course of action. But first, she had other things she wanted to do and people to meet. "I would like that, Mother. Have I an amount of time for my decision?"

                                     There was a long pause as the Planet considered her answer. "You've a few days, Child. Do what you want."

                                      Aeris nodded and made her way over to Sephiroth. She tapped his shoulder gently and tensed as he turned around, his intense glowing eyes seemed to be boring a whole into her head. "Um, Sephiroth, there is someone I'd like you to meet. You may remember her. I doubt it, though. So would you please accompany me? It's of great importance you meet this woman."

                                       Sephiroth glared at the girl and cursed. Who was it that she wanted him to meet? He might as well do as she wished, though. He had nothing better to do. He nodded his head once and brushed aside a stubborn lock of his silvery hair. 

                                       Aeris was beaming. He would meet her! She made a motion for him to follow, and he obeyed. 

· * * 

                                        Sephiroth had to walk slowly to not get ahead of the Cetra girl. At times, he hated being so large. This was one of them. Inwardly, he sighed to himself. He felt so alone..his last few days among the living, he'd had his mother, Jenova, screaming in his mind about how he needed to destroy the planet and take over. He would've become a god. That didn't matter now, though. It was all over and done with. 

                                       One major advantage to her being out of his mind, was that he wasn't so feverish and insane. She had truly taken her toll on him. He was a dark minded man anyways, but Jenova had just added to it.  

                                  Sephiroth was so lost in his own thoughts, he didn't hear Aeris calling his name. 

                                   "Sephiroth..!!"

                                   "….."

                                   Realizing he didn't hear her, she giggled softly and grinned.

                                    "Sephy!" 

                                   Sephiroth snapped his head up and glared straight at her, his eyes cold.  "Don't you _ever_ call me that again, girl."

                                    "Well, I'm so very sorry, Sephy, but you didn't hear me..I had to get your attention somehow." The chestnut haired woman smirked. 

                                   Sephiroth growled and got so close to Aeris she had to tilt her head back all the way to look him in the eye "I go by Sephiroth, and Sephiroth only. Just because we are in the Life Stream and already dead, doesn't mean you should be fearless of me." He turned away sharply and crossed his arms over his chest, then turned his head slightly so Aeris could see his profile. "Now, what did you want?"

                                   Aeris swallowed the lump in her throat that had formed and forced herself to look at the tall man. "I was going to tell you that we're here..well, almost, anyways. So, if you don't mind, follow me."  She turned on her heel and headed over to a small group of houses.  She walked up to a smaller one and waited for him to catch up to her. Once he was there, she gently knocked on the door and stepped back a step with her hands folded behind her back.

                                    The door swung open and a female with light brown hair poked her head out. 

                                    It was Lucrecia. 

                                                                                 * * * 

Okay, so this was short, but I hope you liked it. –Finally- got around to Seph and Aeris. **YaY! **Anywho, hope you enjoyed it, and I'll try to update soon as possible…………………….and reviews are appreciated!


	8. Chap 7

Sephiroth narrowed his emerald eyes and frowned when the woman before them gasped softly and put her hand to her mouth. Why did the girl have to introduce him to this woman? He didn't want to know her. Although, he felt as if he already did. He pushed that thought back into his head and turned his attention to Aeris. 

                            "Who is this woman, and why have I been brought to meet her?" 

                           Aeris simply rolled her eyes and giggled. "Sephiroth, c'mon, don't be so rude. Anyways. This is Lucrecia. And Lucrecia, you know this is Sephiroth."

                          Lucrecia looked to Aeris and then back to Sephiroth, then right back to Aeris. "A-Aeris..you brought him? My baby.." Sephiroth's eyes widened when he heard her say this. Her baby? This woman must be cynical. 

                       "Aeris, answer me, why did you bring me here? This is just a waste of time."

                        Aeris looked to Lucrecia and then back to Sephiroth, biting her lower lip. "Sephiroth, perhaps you should come inside. Would that be okay, Lucrecia?" Lucrecia nodded slowly and stepped aside to let her guests in. Aeris was a common visitor, but Sephiroth? He'd only just woken up out of his 'coma'. He'd been there for a few years now, but she kept away from him.  She had a hard enough time watching Vincent, much less seeing her son that had been taken away from her so quickly so she couldn't even hold the beautiful child. She shook her head and turned her attention back to the two people. "Um, come this way..I'll show you where we will sit.." She walked towards a small room that was sparsely furnished, but still cozy. The two of them followed her, but while Aeris took a seat, Sephiroth just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. 

             The younger woman inwardly sighed. She _had_ expected it to be easier. He kind of reminded her of Cloud when they had first met, but Sephiroth was much colder and more detached that Cloud could have ever hoped to be.  She shrugged lightly and smiled a small smile. 

           Lucrecia, thankfully, broke the silence. 

       "So, Aeris, why bring the extra guest?"

       "Well, I wanted you two to meet, of course."

       Sephiroth snapped his eyes over to Aeris. "Have you a reason?"

      Aeris met his gaze with equal intensity, which surprised them both. Neither would allow it to show, though. 

      Inside, Aeris thought she would break, if that were possible in the Lifestream. Under any _normal _circumstances, she's most likely be cowering under his hateful glare. This was anything but normal, though. 

     "Indeed, I do, Sephiroth. Please sit." Sephiroth simply stood there, arms crossed over his chest and face as expressionless as ever. Aeris let this go and continued after a pause. "Sephiroth, you claim Jenova was your Mother?"

      "It does not matter."

       "Yes, Sephiroth, it does. Cooperate with me, please. 

        Sephiroth glowered for a moment, but then he just nodded his head once, curiosity overtaking him. "I don't know what this has to do with anything, but she _was _and _is, my Mother."_

        "To your knowledge, she was." Aeris sighed and looked over to Lucrecia, who was white as a sheet. She then looked back to Sephiroth, who was looking at the two women, yet still remained expressionless. "And also to your knowledge, Hojo was your father. Truth of the matter is, the both of them lied to you. Jenova was never your mother _or _a Cetra. She killed most of the Cetra. You were born to two human beings."

         Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and glared at Aeris coldly as she said this. 

        _So what, you expect me to believe you? I can trust you no more than I can trust anyone else..you should know that, Cetra. This is interesting, though. Yes, I'll let them continue telling me their little tale and sees where it gets me. "And what proof do you have of this? And what does..this woman have to do with it?" _

         The younger brunette looked over to Lucrecia who was wringing her hands. "Sephiroth, I..oh, where do I begin? Right. As you know, Jenova was found, frozen, deep within the Northern Continent. They brought the Alie-..they took her to Midgar where they could perform various tests and learn more about her. They assigned a team of scientists to the project. Among them were Professor Hojo, Professor Gist, and myself. I was just an assistant, though." She paused a moment as she thought back to all those years ago. "We found out a lot about her in Midgar. One, that she was an alien from thousands of years ago. Also, from a Cetra girl that the Professors has somehow obtained, that she was like a disease to the Cetra. She had wiped out most of the population of them. The woman's name was Ilfana. Any how, we also managed to discover that Jenova Cells had amazing abilities. They could enhance a fighter, or anyone, so much more than Mako could have ever hoped to do."

         "After deeming Midgar too disturbing to continue our research, we were granted permission to go to Nibelhiem to use the Shinra Mansion as our Lab. He'd, Professor Hojo I mean, wanted to experiment on human specimens. Professor Gast eventually agreed to this. Now all they needed was a specimen they could..control." She stopped talking for a moment as she paused to look up. Sephiroth was staring at her now, his face showing open curiosity. She'd not noticed, because the whole time, she'd been staring down at her hands. The poor woman considered including the incident with Vincent, but decided against it. That could wait until later. "During this time, Hojo and I had become involved with each other. I became impregnated with his child. Being the heartless bastard that he is, he jumped at the chance to have a human being unaltered by anything to experiment on. He asked to use our unborn child. I agreed for the sake of the project, sadly. I had become nearly obsessed with it, due to recent events. 

        I still cared..care for my child greatly, though. He told me no harm would come to either of us. He injected the child with Jenova cells while he was still within my womb. The baby was fine, which I was thankful for, but my health was rapidly going downhill. However, I couldn't die, because the Jenova Cells wouldn't allow it. But anyways…Sephiroth…" She took a deep breath before continuing and closed her eyes tightly "That child..was you." 

              Nanaki woke from his slumber and squinted his eye. It was dawn, finally. Close enough, anyways. There was a reason he woke, though, and he was trying to decipher it. After he had taken command over Cosmo Canyon, he had become more in tune with the Planet, just as Bugenhagen had been. He would get faint hints of upcoming events. Was that what this was? 

              The red animal stood up on his feet and walked towards a ledge that he enjoyed visiting in the mornings. It was a long way off, but that was okay. He enjoyed the morning walks. Eventually, he got to his destination. It had a beautiful view of the city, Midgar. It was now deserted; most of it's past occupants dead. The few that had managed to survive had fled to Kalm and other cities that were close by. In his friend's case, they went to Wutai. Pushing the thoughts of that day and his friends from his mind, he looked around at his surroundings and sighed. 

             All of Cosmo Canyon, he controlled. The youth was still trying to get used to that idea. He missed his friends dearly, and hoped they'd decide to come by soon. They knew he couldn't leave his duties and responsibilities. At least he hoped they knew as much.  

             _Well, Grandfather, I hope you are proud of us. We saved the planet, and I am now in control of _Cosmo Canyon_. I can only pray I shall do a good a job as you, yourself did. I miss them, Grandfather. I wish you were still here, and I know I shouldn't. You were ready. Sometimes, though, regardless of how I try to act so mature, I feel so young. I know I am. Often times, though, I begin to think it's too much for me to handle. _

_           After the rest of AVALANCHE and I defeated Sephiroth, my heart swelled with pride. To know I was Son of Seto, and Grandson of the most wonderful man, was almost better than defeating Sephiroth. I have the best friends one could ever hope for. How could my life be any better? It can't. With the exception of missing my freedom that went with Childhood, and you, I am content. Thank you, Grandfather. _

_          And Aeris. Everyone loved you, you know that. I wish you were still here with us, but I must thank you also, for your most noble sacrifice. Without you, none of us would be here. _

          Nanaki sighed and got back up, heading back towards the settlement, flicking his flaming tail along the way. "Perhaps I _should take a break. No one is going to attack Cosmo Canyon, and even if they did, I would know due to the Planet. But still, I feel as though I should wait here…" _

         And so the Red Lion went to go talk with the older participants of Cosmo Canyon, pushing those thoughts out of his mind.

         Yuffie sat back in her chair and sighed. Sometimes, she hated being the Princess of Wutai. But it did make it easier for her to get homes for the friends of hers that had wanted to take up residence. 

        Her now shoulder length hair was down today, and she twirled a lock around her finger. _God, this sucks. Wonder how Cloud is doing. Maybe I should visit Tifa today. Haven't seen her or Terra in a while now..hm.._

        She was interrupted from her thoughts as there was a soft knock on the door. The dark haired youth looked up and frowned, then simply said, "Come in"

      Tifa opened the door and poked her head in, grinning. "Is it all right if I come in? I mean, you sound kind of..off."

   Yuffie grinned right back and nodded.  She needed to see her best friend. "Of course you can, Tifa. Sheesh."

       The older woman came in and sat down and crossed her legs under her. "So, I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere today? Kind of get out of this place and just..have fun?"

       Yuffie's eyes brightened and she nodded, then frowned slightly. "Uh, yea, Tifa, but where..? There aren't many places around here to go. And what about Terra?"

       Tifa got a mischievous gleam in her eye and shrugged. "Oh, Terra's coming. She needs to get out too, you know."

       Yuffie raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so where we going?"

       "Da Chao."

    Yuffie's eyes went wide as she heard her friend say this. "_Da Chao!!_" 

    Tifa giggled, as she had been expecting this reaction from her newly serious friend. "Yea, Da Chao. Believe me, we'll be okay."

    "Tifa! What are you _thinking!? _We went up there before, and if I remember correctly, we almost got ourselves _killed!_ And now, you're thinking of taking your _child _up there? To _play!?_"

     "Well, yea!  Look, we'll be fine. I promise. We can kick anything's ass by now. You know it."

       Yuffie's face took on a dark look, but that inner child that had been begging for a release had finally won. "Bet I can kill more than you!"

        Tifa grinned even more. "You're on."

         "Can we stop now? We've done enough today.." The little girl had strands of her hair sticking to her forehead, and her cheeks were a light shade of pink from the effort. She looked to her trainer and squinted her eyes, attempting to block out the sun that was beating down on them.

       Yuffie looked back at the small girl and had a considering look on her face, then looked over to the girl's mother. She shrugged her slender shoulders as she looked back to Terra. "Yea, sure. We're done for the day." 

      Terra bounded towards her mother who was lying on what some would hesitate to call grass. "Hey, mom! Yuffie and I are done!" 

      Tifa propped herself up on her elbows and smiled softly, looking to her daughter. "That's good, baby. How about we go get in some shade or something..it's hot as Hades out here." Terra nodded as Tifa stood up, dusting off her backside and making sure nothing was in her hair. "Hey, Yuffie! C'mon, we're going to head over to this tree over here."

        Yuffie looked over to Tifa and nodded, making her way towards the tree. She dearly wanted to be in the shade, and stomped her foot lightly, realizing she'd only killed 3 monsters while Tifa had killed 5. Pushing those thoughts into the back corner of her mind, she smiled brightly once she reached the wanted area. 

        Tifa and Terra were sitting down already, leaning back against the tree. Yuffie plopped down next to Tifa and yawned as she proceeded to pull up her socks (?) back up to her upper calves, which had slid down quite a bit during the training session. "So, Tifa, what made you want to come up here, anyways?"

         Tifa shrugged as she pulled all of her hair over one shoulder. "Cloud and I used to come up here with Terra. He'd take care of everything for us." Tifa's face darkened as she remembered Cloud, but she quickly made herself forget about him. "But yea, he used to always take care of it."

         Yuffie nodded and frowned as she thought about Cloud, but tried to shrug it off as she reached in her bag  and grabbed an apple, throwing it to Tifa. "Eat up."

       The raven-haired man stared down at the far away land, his crimson eyes seemingly focused on nothing. He was locked in an internal battle. More than one, actually. He raked a gloved hand through his long hair and frowned, thinking back to his past. Much to his dismay, however, he heard light but sure footfalls coming towards him.

      "Hey, Vincent."

      "Hello."

        Cloud could sense that now was not a good time to be having casual conversation with the Crimson Clad man, but he decided he wouldn't back down this time.

        "I've noticed some changes about you.."

         The other man remained silent, and this caused Cloud to grit his teeth.

       "You've become silent, walled up again. What happened?"

         Vincent inwardly sighed, shaking his head. Still staring down into the dark water, his reply was short. But hardly simple. "I have faced my past, Cloud. But facing myself is an entirely different matter." He turned on his heel and headed for his own cabin, not waiting for or wanting a response, leaving Cloud on his own.

       Cloud stood there, a bit bewildered for a moment. Sighing loudly, he turned and stared out to the horizon. 

      _Damnit, Vincent. What is wrong with you? You're fine for a few days, then it comes back._

_       Things are going back to how they used to be; you're cold, I'm chasing after something that seems impossible to obtain, and Tifa is hiding her feelings for me once again. _

_       Damn._

_      I jus-_

Cloud was interrupted as a young pilot came up behind him, his arms down by his side and chin up straight. 

     "Sir Strife, we have almost reached our destination. We will land in a few moments and you may camp outside for the night. Good day, Sir." The young man then turned and walked away briskly, headed back to the Control Room. 

     _Right, I'll be camping outside tonight. And Vincent _will _come with me. _

He took a deep breath and headed back for Vincent's cabin.

      Vincent clutched his stomach, wanting the pain to go away. He hated it, but had to live with it. He thought he deserved, anyways. 

    For not saving his beloved. The _one _thing he loved, the most precious thing in this world. 

     He gritted his teeth and turned on his side, gaining the fetal position. He could _not _let Chaos win him over. The damned beast was trying, oh it was, feeding on his self-loathing, but he wouldn't let it win.

     His whole body was burning, but mainly it was his upper torso and brain.

         _Oh, Lucrecia, who could ever make someone live through this? Well, we all know who, don't we. Indeed. That bastard, Professor Hojo. _

_       Dearest, do you remember that day that it all started..? Well, let me tell you of it. Yes._

_       There was an errand that President Shinra had wanted to be sent to the Science Department, and he himself could not deliver it. Not to mention, the Scientists, Professor Gast and Professor Hojo, were too caught up in the Jenova Project to even consider taking the time off to send someone to receive the letter. _

_      And so, President Shinra called up his best Turk. He was a cold man, feeling, it seemed nothing. At the age of 26, President Shinra was very surprised with him. Reno had no problem making the plate collapse on Midgar. So long as he didn't have to see it. He was fine if he could do it from a distance, not seeing all the men, women and children he murdered. But this man, Vincent Valentine, could have shot all those innocent people looking them in the eye. Even smiling, a bit, taking pleasure in the blood he spilled._

_      I speak of myself as if I'm dead. Truth be known, I'm not. Obviously. I'm in the Turks' manual. Known as the best Turk and Sharpshooter ever known. Wonderful reputation. So anyways, I'm getting off subject. _

_     President Shinra told me to run his errand to the Science Department, and to make haste of it. He had wanted these scientists to get this as soon as possible. And so, like his little servant, waiting on hand and foot, I made my way through the cold corridors to the Science Department. _

_   Finally, I reached my destination. I walked through the glass doors, after using my Key Card, and found a rather large woman sitting behind a desk. I shall tell you everything said beyond this point. The woman looked at me quite rudely, but after recognizing my identity, she would have done anything I asked of her._

_    "May I help you, Mr. Valentine?"_

_   "I am here to deliver an errand to the Science Department, and his orders are that no-one but myself or a Scientist is to handle this"_

_   "Um, Professor Gast and Hojo are too busy at the moment."_

_   My eyes flashed dangerously then, having been annoyed by this woman. "I know this. Send for an assistant. This cannot wait."_

_    "Bu-"_

_    "_Now"

     _She hastily pressed a small button behind her desk and asked for someone to come to the desk: Emergency. The woman showed me through a door that led to a small room, it's walls an off white colour. _

_     I waited there for a moment, then there was a clicking sound as a key was being inserted from the other side. The swung open a minute later, revealing a young woman. My eyes widened slightly, then I managed to regain my composure. But my word, was it difficult._

_  She was a dainty, delicate woman, measuring in at only about 5'2, weighing perhaps 110lbs. Her wavy light brown hair was pulled up on the back of her head, yet a few strands still managed to come loose, framing her perfect little heart shaped face. Her hair, even though up, reached down below her waist. She had green eyes, which were almond shaped. A straight nose held the little wire-framed glasses she wore up. Her lips were full, and going on the lighter shades of pink. Let's not get into how her body looked, even though it was partially concealed by the white lab-coat she wore. _

_    Most noticeable, though, was the intelligence and kindness that shone behind those eyes of hers. Yes, it was quite amazing. _He sighed deeply as he remembered that moment, forgetting the way Chaos was wreaking pain upon his body. Closing his eyes, he let the moments replay themselves in his head, as he had done many, many times.

       _The girl extended her hand with an expectant look on her face. "I'm Professor Hojo's assistant, Lucrecia."_

_       Taking her by total surprise, and myself included, I took her hand and bent down slightly, bringing the back of her hand to my lips. I kissed it softly. After doing this, I let go and straightened up. _

_     "Vincent Valentine." By the way her eyes widened then, I suspected she too knew of me, but had not seen me. Unconsciously setting her chin a little higher, she looked me straight in the eyes and started talking business. "Well, Mr. Valentine, I believe you have something important for us?"_

_     I nodded, and handed over the envelope. She tucked her clipboard under her arm and opened, her eyes scanning the letter. As she read on, her eyes grew wider and a grin developed on her face. _

_    "By the Planet, Vincent, he's given us permission to go to Nibelhiem and use the old Mansion there for our research! Oh, how wonderful!" She then threw herself at me, locking me in a tight hug, forgetting who I was. As she suddenly remembered, she threw herself off of me and blushed. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I just got carried away."_

_  I was frozen there, not sure of what to do. That was the first friendly contact I'd had since I was a small boy. It scared me beyond words. At the sound of her voice, I just nodded, forgiving her. _

_    "So, I don't have anyone else to celebrate with but Professor Hojo, and he's always so busy, so would you care to come?"_

_   Not being able to turn her down, for reasons unknown to me at the time, I agreed._

_   She took out her clipboard again, and a pen out of her pocket. Jotting something down on the paper, she ripped it off and gave the paper to me. _

_    "Remember that. And also, remember, this isn't a date. I'm with Professor Hojo."_

_   Even as hearing those words crushed something inside me, I looked at her with a stony face and said without the slightest bit of hesitation, "And I had no intentions of it being anything more, Miss Lucrecia. Good day." And with that, I walked out the door. _

_   We met the chosen day and ate together, having a rather decent time. We saw each other as our schedules would allow us. _

_   Our friendship grew, though, and, as fate would have it, President Shinra sent along his best Turk to go to Nibelhiem with the Scientists._

Vincent was disturbed from his thoughts as he heard a soft knock, and in doing so, he was reminded of the agonizing pain in his body. Perhaps if he kept quiet, the person would go away.

   He'd have no such luck though. Another knock came, and this time, someone yelled through the door.

   "Hey, Vincent, we're about a day from Cosmo Canyon! We're going to land tonight and can camp outside if we want. I'm gonna take that up. How about you come with?"

    "Leave me be, Cloud." 

   "C'mon, Vincent.."

    "I said leave me be."

    He heard Cloud sigh through the door and turn away. The tall man sighed in relief. He would go with Cloud, but he needed to get himself ready, though. 

     Chaos knew that it hadn't a chance now, that Vincent had been disturbed. So he resided in the corner of Vincent's mind and waited for another opportunity. 

    Vincent leapt up from the bed and grabbed his gun, making sure it was loaded and that he had extra ammo. Also, he grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around himself. 

   Reaching the door, he turned the knob and stepped out, ready to go on with Cloud.

     __


End file.

Final Fantasy VII, Drama, Romance