A/N: This was actually the very first FF VII related stuff I ever wanted to write, but somehow, that never happened. Oh well, here it is now. This is set briefly before Final Fantasy AC. I've got the title from the awesome battle theme song "Sinister Shadows," from the game Kingdom Hearts II. Well, I hope everyone's in character *gets a little nervous*...

Special thanks: M. L. Ayala, the fastest beta reader ever. :)

~ Oh, how he hated her. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't stop looking at her. It was as if she was poisoning his mind, putting him under her spell. She had no idea of what she was doing to him... ~

Tifa frowned lightly when she looked out of the window, the lights that the lampposts provided reflecting in her eyes. It was a slow, ultimately grey, rainy evening. The sky was packed with thick, depressing clouds that blocked away the stars. Midgar hadn't looked this gloomy for a long while.

As gloomy as it was outside, it wasn't much better inside. Nobody could escape from it, because even inside the atmosphere felt a little chilly. The place wasn't that packed with customers like usual. A good thing about it was that Tifa didn't have to work twice as hard now and the children didn't have to help her, too. A bad thing about that fact was that it meant that she had enough time to ponder about Cloud, how things were going, Cloud, Denzel and Marlene... and Cloud.

The pretty barmaid sighed wearily, running her slender fingers through her long, silky smooth, black hair. She didn't like where her mind was going to, but the spiky-haired ex-SOLDIER just didn't seem himself anymore. Not with the way he acted lately. Something was wrong, she could feel it. How he always avoided her and never replied to any of her calls anymore... He was hiding something from her by walking away and by the looks of it, it was something big. It was so damn obvious.

Heck, she would be more than happy to hear a simple "Hello" coming from him, but even that seemed to be too much for him to say.

By the sound of the door opening and closing again (it was a wonder that she could hear it above the noise that everyone was making), Tifa looked up. It was that man, clad in a long black coat, who never showed her his face, again. He appeared to be younger than Tifa and he wasn't that tall, either. He had suddenly appeared as of lately. Tifa truly had no idea where he came from, because he never said anything to her. He only ordered his drink (always the same) and then went to his table and sat down, doing nothing really but watching her (well, she wasn't sure of that, but it certainly felt that way. What a creep!). He was also always alone and that made her extra suspicious.

It wouldn't be the first time that Tifa didn't know anything about one of her customers. It piqued her interest, but she knew that it was none of her business, so she didn't ask him anything. Besides, a nosy bartender wouldn't exactly be described as a positive thing. She could lose many costumers that way and she certainly didn't want that.

The (almost unnaturally) skinny and lean man (at least, that was what Tifa thought he was, since he was missing certain... curves) nodded once at the raven-haired beauty as a silent greet. Tifa, who was slightly disappointed that he hadn't talked (although she hadn't expected any different from him), returned the gesture with a small smile, wondering what the cloaked man could be hiding. Maybe he had a massive scar or perhaps he was bald and ashamed of that fact. She still couldn't see his face, but now that she looked more closely, she could spot some of his hair coming out from under the hood. It looked almost greyish-silver in the light. That sure was a highly unusual hair color... At least she knew now that he wasn't bald like she had expected first.

"Hello, how can I help you?" Tifa gave him a questioning look, since he always ordered immediately.

She was right about that one.

"Schweppes, Bitter Lemon," he ordered, no, practically demanded, sounding rather uninterested, or perhaps even indifferent.

His voice was kind of low-key mean and biting, though. A shiver ran down Tifa's spine when she heard it. There was something dangerous and unpredictable about him. He seemed like the type who wouldn't hesitate to suddenly attack her if she did one thing wrong.

"Uhm, I'll bring it to you in a moment. Have a seat," Tifa swiftly replied, looking away from him when she felt the intensity of his gaze again.

It felt as if those eyes were trying to bore holes into her face! Even Cloud's gaze wasn't that... threatening.

She turned around to fix his drink while the man went to sit near the corner at a vacant table. He always choose that table and somehow, it always was vacant whenever he was around (almost as if there was a curse on that one table. Ew...), so Tifa knew exactly where to find him.

The man in question sat down and his always razor-sharp eyes travelled back to the pretty barmaid that was currently fixing his drink. He smirked and his bright green eyes glinted in the little light that came through the windows. Watching her had become his new, favorite obsession. She was such an interesting person, so unpredictably predictable and those curves weren't exactly a punishment to look at, either. Oh, how he hated her. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't stop looking at her. It was as if she was poisoning his mind, putting him under her spell. She had no idea of what she was doing to him...

The barmaid now made her way to him, carrying a glass with her. Even the way she was just walking like had something sensual. Especially the way she was swaying her hips, he pondered, before frowning.

...Wait, what? What was he talking about?

"Here you are," she spoke, putting the glass in front of him.

The man nodded his thanks before she went back to the bar again. He could see that something was bothering her. Not only by the way she was frowning, but also by the fact that she had been cleaning the bar for minutes now, even though not a speck of dust could be found on it when he had glanced down at it earlier. She probably wasn't even aware of what she was doing right now. He would give all the money he had to know what she was thinking right now.

A lock of shining, silver hair fell in front of his eyes, as he kept watching her, but he didn't bother to hide it anymore. She wouldn't come this way for some time, anyway.

It seemed that it was a habit of her to look at the door whenever it opened and closed again, like now. Hardly curious, he followed her gaze and frowned, seeing that she was staring at someone that looked like an exact copy of himself, albeit slightly taller. That stranger wore a long black coat, too, with a hood hiding his face. Not that that mattered. He had recognized the "stranger" as soon as she had seen him. A confused look crossed Tifa's face and he saw that she swiftly glanced his way, probably to see if it wasn't him again. He couldn't blame her, even though he enjoyed her confusion in an almost sick way.

"A Schweppes, Ginger Ale, please," that was probably what the stranger had ordered, his voice deep and smooth, like velvet.

He hated velvet.

Tifa nodded and said something back, probably that he could take a seat and that she would bring it to him in a moment. The stranger then nodded and looked around, as if he was searching for something. Then, when his gaze fell on him, he seemed to straighten and started approaching him. The sitting male cursed under his breath. He hadn't expected to see him here. Had he been looking for him? Did he know that it wasn't the first time for him to come here? Probably.

"Ah, brother. I knew I would find you here," he spoke in a calm voice when he reached the table to take a seat.

"Get lost, Yazoo," the other grumbled back irritably, taking a sip of his liquor and looking away from his brother.

He was not in the mood for his nonsense. Looking at Tifa, instead, was much more pleasant, anyway.

The man, known as Yazoo, didn't listen to him and sat down opposite of him. His eyes bored right into his, knowing that this would make his brother uncomfortable, even if it was just a little.

"Kadaj," he started softly, before looking at the only woman in this place. He smirked and changed what he wanted to say into, "She's pretty."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied stubbornly, but Yazoo was sure that he did know. His voice gave him away.

"I hope you realize that as soon as she knows who you are, she-"

"I know that!" he interrupted Yazoo, almost furiously. "You think I don't know that?"

Apparently, he had spoken a bit too loudly, because this caught the attention of several people around them.

"What are you looking at?"

Kadaj felt like teaching them not to stare at him that way, but Yazoo stopped him by tapping him lightly on his arm.

"Ignore it," he muttered.

Kadaj listened to him and averted his gaze again.

"Where's Loz?" he suddenly asked, when he finally became aware that one person of their group was actually missing.

Yazoo shrugged in response. He really had no idea, nor did he really care.

"But we should go now. We've still got a lot to do."

Kadaj nodded after a while. "I know."

Yazoo didn't say anything, still waiting for his drink to be brought.

They stayed there for another while, drinking their Schweppes in silence and watching the oblivious barmaid who just welcomed a new customer. By the looks of it she knew this redhead, because as soon as the man sat down at the bar, both of them started cracking jokes. One time, she even hit him playfully on his arm. Kadaj felt a flare of some emotion he hadn't felt for a while when that happened, but he knew how to hide it from his brother.

This would probably be the last evening that he would visit this place... and her. Because after tonight, a lot of things would change. After tonight, they would surely find Mother and then, they would be whole again...