Ok, this is my first time writing a fanfic about Final Fantasy, actually it my first one that doesn't deal with Jrock. Tell me what you think

The fire crackling was the only noise in the tense air. Greenish-blue mako eyes stared deeply, intently into the crimson red eyes of his opponent. The blonde's hand shook, but he refused to break under the immense pressure. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of the perfect strategy to use against the long-haired raven.

"This is…fucking intense." Cid whispered to Nanaki and Barret as a drip of sweat rolled down his cheek.

"Shh. They have to concentrate." The red creature whispered. The other two shook their heads and swallowed as they turned to their two friends. Giggling caught their attention and soon the two missing females walked through the bushes with towels on their wet heads. They suddenly stopped and looked at their male companions.

Cloud shot open his eyes. "It's now or never."

"You sure you're ready for this?" Vincent spoke for the first time that day.

"I've got this in the bag. Now!" He shouted throwing the five cards in his hand down on the tree stump between. "Straight!"

The raven 'huffed' as he dropped his cards. "Royal flush. I believe I win."

"What? No!" The blonde shouted gripping his head. He watched with teary eyes as the other took all the materia they betted. "I feel like you're turning into Yuffie."

"You guys are still playing that game?" The ninja squealed. "If you wanted your materia stolen that bad, I would have done it for you without the hassle."

"I thought I would have won my stuff back." Just as he said that, the gunman placed a green orb in front of him. "My master cure?"

"You need cure more than me."

"Thanks."

"Ok, who's going next?"Barret asked. "I'm dying to get this grime off me."

Without a word, the lone gunman walked swiftly through the brushes from where the two girls came from and headed towards the hot spring for his much needed bath.

"I guess he is." Tifa giggled. She sat next to the others by the fire as Cloud made his way over to it too. "I know we're making a lot of gil, but why the hell are we camping out here? There are monsters everywhere and mosquitoes."

"And absolutely no materia." Yuffie added. "Wait a minute! Why isn't anybody going with him? Aren't we supposed to be bathing in groups in case we're attacked?"

"In case you haven't noticed little lady, we're men." Cid spoke up. "We don't bathe together. That's a girl thing."

"Sexist!" the young ninja shouted. "You are so sexiest!"

"I doubt he'll bath around us." Barret spoke up. "Besides, I don't think any of us have a worse body than him."

"Barret!" Tifa shouted. "That's not nice! Now, stop changing the subject, why are we camping out here instead of being in a hotel?"

Cloud's eyes drifted to the forest as Cid explained. "Well, I can't just put my ship fucking anywhere. The town was too fucking small and this was the only opening around the damn place. Plus, we got here too late to walk all the way in and agreed to stay out here in the monster infested forest."

The other blonde stood up, silencing the group. "I'm going to check up on him."

"Your funeral." Yuffie giggled.

"Oh, hey while you're there, tell him that in the bigger one, you can walk out a few feet, but then it just drops under your feet." Tifa sighed. "Someone can get hurt if they're not careful. Oh and grab some towels, I don't think he took any."

The swordsman shook his head with a sigh and grabbed the items plus some others, then ventured towards the hot springs. It didn't take him long to reach it and he was quite surprised. There were three hot spring sections, the bigger one in the middle towards the front and the two smaller ones were blocked off by even lines of smooth rock. The all natural scene wasn't as breathtaking as another one happening though. He watched with wide eyes as Vincent stood in waist deep water pouring a bucket of water on himself in the glow of the moon light. The blonde took the chance and glanced over to a rock to find that the raven had taken all of his clothes off. Even his gauntlet and gun was laying there. Cloud watched as his friend moved towards the smooth rock which had soaps and a towel. He couldn't believe that the gunman hadn't even noticed him. He did a fake cough, making Vincent jump and dunk his body into the water up to his chin. The blonde couldn't help, but laugh.

"I didn't know you were so jumpy." He laughed walking towards the water. "You really shouldn't be out here by yourself and we thought that you forgot to grab a towel."

"I'm fine."

"But I still need a bath. Since Nanaki can bath himself, that will leave one of us bathing alone. We already decided it was safer to bath in groups since we don't know the land that well. So if you bath alone, that means I have to bath alone, and being alone, I'm more likely to be attacked—"

"Shut up." The gunman bluntly interrupted. "Do what you want."

The blonde giggled as he proceeded to remove his sword and stab the ground before removing his clothes. He neatly folded them and placed them beside his friend's, then wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked into the warm water and slipped towards his friend, who glided back. The blonde giggled as he turned and dunked under the water for a minute. Popping back up, he shook his head, but heard a yelp and a small splash. Wiping his eyes, he looked over to see the raven popping up.

"Oh, I forgot. Tifa said that there was a drop off."

Vincent growled as he turned his head, making the other giggle. Cloud glided towards the smooth rocks that separated the smaller spring.

"Hey, come here and I'll wash your hair." Cloud lifted himself onto the rocks and sat down. The gunman just stared at the other with a emotionless face. "Come on, I won't bite."

Vincent hesitated, but swam over and got onto the rock where he quickly grabbed his towel and covered his waist. He sat Indian style as the blonde got on his knees behind the gunman. As Cloud lathered up some shampoo in his hands, he studied the other's scarred body. It looked as if someone dug jagged lines across his back, then sloppily stitched them back up and repeated. Vincent shifted uncomfortably, signaling that the ex-SOLDIER should start scrubbing. He massaged his fingers through the surprisingly soft raven hair, scrubbing the filth out of it. After a few minutes, he pulled away and dipped his hands in the water, then grabbed bucket and poured some water over the gunman's head. He repeated the process until all the suds were out, then squeezed some conditioner into his hand and started massaging it into the other's hair.

"It's a bit of conditioner, you might as well jump back in and rinse it out that way."

Before Vincent could respond, his friend had already pushed him off the rock and into the water. Cloud laughed as he scrubbed his head with shampoo and watched the raven popped up, coughing for air with a glare that didn't faze the ex-SOLDIER. His attention was drawn away as he felt a ripple in the water. He stopped his movement for a moment and found that there was something in the water. A big splash beside him brought him back and he turned to find that his friend had jumped in and popped back up with a big smile.

"We need to get out."

"Come on, Vince. I was just trying to have fun. Lighten up."

"No. I mean we need to move. We're not alone."

The mako eyes lit up and they quickly swam to the drop off, which alerted whatever creature was in the water. As soon as their feet touched the shallow bank, they jumped out and onto the land, just as the monster jumped up to bite them. It quickly slithered out. It's body was like a crocodile, it had the head of a saber tooth, a tail that was long, eight feet wide at the end and shaped into a giant fin. The boney lines of the fin grew out thin thorns. Cloud slid on his feet to grab his sword, but a grunt caught his attention. He turned to find Vincent's left arm in front of his face with red thorns sticking out of it.

"Vince—"

"I'm fine. Get it." The raven ordered, pulling the thorns out. Cloud shook his head and grabbed his sword to attack as his friend made a dash to the gun. The blonde swung his sword, striking his enemy's hard, scaly skin. It swung it's arm, but the ex-SOLDIER swiftly dodged it and jumped to get ready for his next move. The creature went to attack again, but gunshots to its head drifted its attention to the gunman making his way to his friend. It started swaying its tailfin and was making a lower gurgle noise from its throat.

"What is it doing?" The blonde asked.

"Cloud! Vincent!" Yuffie called as she and the others ran through the bushes with their weapons.

"Are you ok?" Tifa asked.

Before he could answer, Vincent pushed the brunette to the side, then jumped back as more thorns were shot at them. More gurgling could be heard as two more glided out of the water and stood beside the first one.

"I know what it was doing now." The blonde muttered. "Attack!"

"Right!" They shouted, running into groups before each creature. They did simultaneous attack on the first creature, and that was enough to take it out.

"Piece of cake." The young ninja giggled. The other two backed off a little, but folded their tailfins and started swishing them. "What are they doing?"

Suddenly, one quickly twisted its body, whipping its tail around to strike the young girl. Yuffie only had time to gasp before she was pushed to the ground as the fin opened up and wrapped around her savior's body.

"Vincent!" Cloud shouted, charging the beast, but the other had moved its body in the same way, aiming for the ex-SOLDIER. The blonde gripped his sword and waited until it opened its fin up, then swung his sword. The silver blade sliced through the webbed skin, then over to its tail, slicing the end off. The monster yelped as it retreated into the water. The other made a dash to safety, but was no match against Nanaki's speed and was cut off. It found itself surrounded and losing its grip on the struggling gunman in its grasp. The fin visibly tightened, making Vincent grunt, but then he screamed out in pain and blood shot from his mouth.

"Vincent!" they all yelped as they saw blood dripping from the tail. Nanaki jumped on its back to get to his friend, but the monster spun around so quickly, the momentum threw the lion off. Barret yelled as he started shooting at its body, pushing it back. Tifa ran up and punched repeatedly with her tiger claw at its head, blinding it. Yuffie jumped into the air casting fire onto its head and shoulders making it scream and dash for the water again. Cloud and Cid made a run for it as it jumped into the water. The ex-SOLDIER dove in, barely missing the drop off, and swung his sword, sending a powerful strike of light through the water. The creature screeched as its tail was sliced clean off. The blonde swam as fast as he could to his unconscious friend and grabbed him. Kicking hard with his legs, he tried to get them to the surface, but luckily, Cid had jumped in and grabbed the raven too. They jumped for the water and quickly dragged Vincent to the shore, where Tifa took over. She quickly felt it and found the flap to unwrap him. Slowly, she pulled the heavy skin off until she gasped.

"What?" Barret asked. She didn't need to answer as she continued and showed them the vertical rows of long thorn piercing their friend's body. Cloud carefully lifted him out and moved him over onto the ground. He studied the wounds for a moment.

"We do not know if that creature sucked his blood or what. It's best to heal him with magic than let him heal himself." Nanaki stated. The blonde shook his head as he got to his feet and took a deep breath before casting Regen. They waited patiently for the wounds to close up, but as seconds turned to minutes, they started to worry.

"Why isn't it working?" The young ninja whimpered.

"I do not know." The lion said. "It might be wise to get him into town as soon as possible."

"Tifa, get his clothes and meet me at the campsite. I'm getting Fenrir." Cloud ordered. She shook her head and soon the blonde was grabbing his clothes, then running towards the ship as Cid was getting the gunman's clothes. Tifa pulled the raven's pants up and looked away as she pulled the towel off and buckled him up. She looked at the bloody holes before looking at his shirt. Everyone took that moment to really look at their friend. Not once had they seen his scarred body, and seeing it made them feel hurt, guilty, and pity. The brunette sighed as she lifted his body and tugged the cape under him. She buckled it up, then tucked his hands in and started tying the cape sides tightly together, as if to encase him in it. As she stood up, Cid leaned down and picked his friend up, then they rushed to the campsite. As they arrived, they heard the motorcycle getting close and it wasn't a minute before Cloud skidded to a stop. The pilot sat Vincent on the back and leaned him against the driver as Tifa wrapped a belt around the two.

"So he doesn't fall." She said tightening it.

Cloud shook his head. "I'll get him there."

"We'll be right behind you." Barret said. "Now go."

The blonde didn't need to be told twice. He revved the engine before taking off.

Driving into town, he found it strange that a few places had lights on and people walking around. He stopped at a shop and quickly undid the belt before slipping off. He pulled his friend up into his arms and kicked the door open to the shop catching the workers attentions.

"My friend's hurt. He needs help."

The young man behind the counter sighed. "What do you need?"

"I don't know. I used Regen after we fought with some monster, but he's not healing."

The young man had a worried face. "Was it from the springs?"

"How did you know?"

"Quickly, follow me." He ordered. The blonde followed him out the store and out to the next building. When they entered, they saw an old man talking to a few people. "Gramps, there was another attack."

The elderly man looked over. "Has he puked yet?"

"No."

"Very well. Let's get him upstairs." The old man said, leading him up the wooden steps to the second story of the house. Walking down the hallway, Cloud glanced into a room to find a young woman red with fever, gasping for air as sweat dripped down her face. The blonde swallowed hard looking down at his friend's sweating face. He quickly made his way to the room where the elder was waiting.

"Lay him down and take his clothes off." He said taking a few bottles from a cabinet and placing them on a table. The ex-SOLDIER gently laid his friend down and started untying the cape. After removing it, he folded it, then placed it on the side and started on the black pants. He folded them up and grazed his fingers over the gunman's sweaty forehead, moving the hair to the side.

"The fever had already sat in. That's not good. We need to get this on his wounds fast." The elder walked over with a bowl of purple ooze. Cloud quickly removed his friend's shirt and folded it to the side. He turned back when he heard his friend grunt and he found the old man spreading the medicine on the gunman's wounds.

"The hot springs are a dangerous place." He spoke, not stopping what he was doing. "The monsters kill many of our towns people every year, we are even cautious going out into the forest. They sometimes venture away from the springs. Most travelers caught by them are killed, well most people are anyways. The fever is a sign that the poison has taken affect."

"Will this help him?"

The old man looked at Cloud. "I have no idea. Sometimes it cures, sometimes it make the pain manageable, other times, it has no effect. I'm sure you saw the young lady on the way in."

"Yes. Was she attacked?"

"Yes. She was picking berries when it attacked her a couple of days ago. She's been puking since this morning, a very bad sign. She doesn't have long, maybe until morning. So, prepare for the worst case scenario with your friend."

"He's strong."

"Even the strongest warriors have succumbed to its poison."

"Vincent's different." Cloud said strongly. "He's been through worse."

"I can tell." The old man finished and stood up. "Keep a cool rag on his head. His fever will get worse. I will bring you some blankets."

The blonde watched as the man left, then he turned to his friend, who was starting to pant. "You'll be ok Vincent."

The others soon arrived into town and searched a bit before they found their friends. They were given rooms downstairs to rest as Vincent was being treated. Yuffie cried a bit when she found out about his condition. She felt at fault, but Cid softened up and started comforting her. Tifa walked up to the room where she saw the gunman laying in the bed, gasping for air. The swordsman was wiping him down with a cold rag before placing ice packs on his friends body. As she stepped closer, she saw his wounds had healed up a bit and had stopped bleeding. Also, they had covered his waist with a towel. She blushed realizing she forgot to put his boxers on.

"Tifa."

She jumped at the sound of her name. "Yes?"

"Y-you don't think he's going to…" Cloud couldn't bring himself to say it, but he did yelp when the brunette punched his head.

"Don't think like that. This is Vincent we're talking about. He can't die, he's too strong and besides, I doubt a little fever will hurt him."

The blonde smiled and shook his head before turning back to his friend. "He'll be fine."

The next morning, Yuffie snuck out of her room and upstairs to Vincent's room. She opened the door quietly and peeked in to see Cloud slumped in a chair sleeping beside the bed. The gunman was still unconscious with a fever. His body was red and slick with sweat that was no longer being soaked up by the drenched sheets. The wounds were gone, but obviously the poison had stayed. She stepped in some more and tiptoed over to the bed where she found something quite interesting. With her speed, she ran out and down to her room to grab an item, then ran back up. She smiled as the scene remain unchanged. She took a quick photo before putting the camera in her pocket and walking closer. She studies the scene. Cloud was sitting with his head dropped down, hiding his face, his body was relaxed and his fingers were intertwined with the gunman's. She smiled her evil smile.

"Blackmail." She whispered, before a cough startled her. She looked over Vincent as he started coughing louder. He groaned as his body tensed up. She lend on the bed. "Are you okay? What do you need?"

His eyes opened a little and looked around before closing them. "wa-water."

She ran out of the room and down the stairs, almost running into the old man. "What's the rush?"

"Vincent's thirsty."

"Ah, he's gained consciousness?"

She shook her head before running towards the kitchen. He walked up the steps to the room to find the gunman coughing and groaning. He grabbed a rag and dipped it in the bowl on the table before placing it on his head. "Are you in pain?"

Vincent opened his eyes and looked at the man. "Head…hurts."

"You have a high fever."

"I got the water!" Yuffie yelled, making Cloud jump out of his sleep. He looked around for a moment as the young ninja climbed on the bed with a glass of clear liquid. "You need to sit up."

"Cloud, do you mind." The elder asked. The blonde sat up, still not completely sure what was going on, and raised Vincent up so he could drink the refreshment. The gunman took a deep breath as he pulled away and coughed a bit. Cloud laid him back down and started wiping his head.

"How are you feeling?"

Vincent peeked his eyes open and tried to see past his blurred vision, but closed them. "What…happened?"

"You were poisoned by the things that attacked us." The blonde laid the rag on the other's head, earning a grunt. "Is this a good sign?"

The elder sighed. "I do not know. We'll keep a close eye on him, but for now, he needs to rest. Come young one, let's leave them alone."

The ninja raised an eyebrow, but realized that he was talking to her. She got up and followed him out as Cloud sat on the edge of the bed. "You'll get better. Don't worry."

"I'm not." He grunted. "I think…you're the worried…one."

Cloud rubbed the gunman's cheek. "You're my friend, of course I would be."

"Cloud?"

The blonde gasped, pulling his hand away. "Uh…what?"

"Your hand was cold. It…felt nice."

The swordsman leaned down and pressed his head against the other. "How about this?"

"hmm, yes. That…too."

Cloud rolled his head gently before moving his head down more. "How about…this?" He whispered, pressing his lips against the other's. It was gentle, innocent, but long and shaky. Vincent hummed, puckering his lips to kiss back. The blurriness of his fever made him relax, however, it made him relax too much. He slipped into sleep before he could respond more than that.

Later that day, Cloud exited to go get water for his friend, but he heard crying and lifted his head. In front of him was an elder couple, two men carrying a stretcher with a covered body out of a room. It didn't take him long to realize that it was the woman from last night. He looked away sadly as he walked to the stairs. He headed down to the living room where he found Nanaki snoozing on the floor as a young child slept on top of his back. Cloud walked passed him into the kitchen where he found Tifa cooking with an elderly woman. The young ninja was at the sink washing dishes as Cid seemed to be working on something at the small table behind them.

"How's he doing?" The kick boxer asked, catching his attention.

"Ok, I guess. He's sleeping. I came to get more water for him." He said holding up an empty bowl and glass. He walked to the sink and filled the items as Yuffie smiled at him. They remained quiet as he finished and walked out. The young ninja sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"He'll be ok right?"

Tifa and Cid both stopped what they were doing. The pilot sighed, rubbing his head. "He'll be fine, kid. He's one of the strongest damn people I know. No fucking way he'll die from a damn fever."

"He's strong." The other young woman said.

The ninja sniffled more. "But…that woman…sh-she died from the same thing."

The blonde stood up and did something rare. He pulled the young girl into a hug. "Vince is a tough cookie. So stop worrying."

"I can't help it. I don't want to lose another friend!" she cried, running out the room. Cid sighed and scratched his head.

"None of us do, damn it!" He punched the counter, startling the old woman in the room. "Sorry."

"Cid, she's young." Tifa said softly. "She hasn't lost many friends like we have. She doesn't know how to react."

The pilot sighed and rubbed his head again as he sat back down.

Yuffie ran out to find Barret carrying large bundles of wood for the old man. She walked up to him and sat down.

"What?"

"Is Vincent going to die?"

The dark man sighed. "Vincent's strong."

This seemed to anger her. "Why does everybody keep lying to me? Just tell me the damn truth! Is Vincent going to die?"

Barret looked down. "I…don't know."

That's all it took to silence the young ninja. She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. "Aerith, please don't let Vincent die."

The gunman shot up, coughing up his lungs. Cloud patted his back as he hacked up the dark green poison from his lungs. He spat it out onto a rag before he laid back down, breathing rough. The blonde tossed the rag to the side and grabbed another one to wipe Vincent's face off. The raven haired man grunted, squeezing his stomach.

"Is it hurting?"

"I think…I'm gonna…puke."Vincent leaned over and vomited a dark green ooze that splattered all over the floor. Cloud rubbed his friend's back as he coughed and gagged. The gunman laid back on the bed taking deep breathes. The blonde wiped his sweaty face off before getting off the bed.

"I'll be right back." He whispered. He ran out of the room and jumped down the stairs before running through the living room. He entered the kitchen, his face startling his friends. "Where's the old man?"

"What happened?" Cid asked, standing up.

"Where is he?" Cloud shouted.

"I'm right here." The mentioned man said coming through the door on the other side. "What is it?"

"He started puking." The blonde whimpered.

The old man's eyes got wide. "Oh my. Let's take a look." He followed Cloud up the stairs to gunman's current room. Vincent was moaning, gripping his stomach as he curled into a ball. The old man looked down at the mess as the blonde climbed on the bed and started rubbing friend's back. He looked at the sighing old man then at the door where two of his friends were standing there.

"Tifa, would you clean this up. My back is too old to bend over."

The brunette shook her head at the elder's request and got to work. Cid took a step in. "Is he…ok?"

"It's ok if he only pukes up this grime. Usually, people puke up blood. It's a good sign, but don't take it as him getting better. He's still in danger. Just keep an eye out for him."

The old walked out as the pilot walked in to help clean up. The gunman started mumbling. "Sorry."

"It's ok buddy. Just rest." Cid said. Vincent let out a deep breath as he closed his eyes. They continued cleaning up the mess, then left the two alone. Cloud petted his friend's head and kissed his sweaty neck. The blonde turned his friend on his back and climbed over him.

"You're strong. Brave. A great friend. You're reliable. Trustful. Beautiful." The swordsmen grazed his lips across the other's pale ones. "I…" Cloud bit his lip, but let it go and kissed the gunman's lips. Vincent moaned, but kissed back. The blonde ignored the strange taste when the ex-Turk slid his tongue in and took this chance to truly kiss this beautiful creature. Vincent gripped the other's shoulders as they continued on.

Outside, Yuffie was walking around the town, trying to get her mind off things. She looked around at the people who lived there. Smiling at the young children who passed her. She walked past a gated area and she looked in to find tombstones. She grabbed her chest as she bit her lip. She didn't want to think about death, not right now, not ever. She turned on her heals and headed back to the old man's house, but as it came into her sight, she stopped. She looked up at the sky again.

"Aerith, you won't take Vincent away will you? Please don't. Please." She whimpered. She dropped her head and wiped the tears threatening to spill. She walked down a little bit, but she heard a familiar gurgling noise. She wasn't the only one, many of the residents stopped what they were doing and started screaming as they ran for safety. Suddenly one of the spring monster came walking out of the forest's edge. It was followed by a larger one before it charged into the town. She reached over her shoulder and grabbed her shuriken on her back. Pulling it off, she yelled as she threw it at one of the creatures, only for it to do little damage.

The screams didn't go unnoticed. The group inside got their weapons and ran out to find the young ninja dodging the attacks of the smaller monster. Barret started shooting at it as Nanaki ran around it to attack the fin before it could catch somebody. Cloud ran out with his broad sword to join them. He was about to join in when Tifa stopped him.

"They can handle that one, we need to take care of the bigger one." She and Cid ran to where the bigger one was attacking a house. Cloud gripped his sword as he followed to join them. Fighting them before gave them the advantage of knowing the creatures weak and strong points. As Nanaki and Yuffie attacked the smaller one's head, the dark skinned gunman shot at its tail, hoping to disable it. The swordsman went straight for the larger one's tail, but it swirled around, dodging the attack. This one was more experienced in fighting.

"I think this is the mom." The blonde shouted.

"Really?" Cid shouted sarcastically. He ran and jumped to stabbed his spear into her back. Her fin wrapped up tightly into a club and she swung it to knock the pilot off. Tifa attacked the mom's head to distract it, but was knocked back by a kick of its leg. The young ninja concentrated and casted fire onto the smaller one's head, making it screech, catching it's mother attention. The bigger monster ran to help her child, but the trio held her back. Barret shot many bullets into the younger's fin, tearing it up, but pulled away to reload. The fire tail lion jumped on its back, then up to bite down on the torn cartilage. He growled as he tugged at it, ripping more. The baby swirled around, trying to knock him off, but it only hurt itself more. The mom grew more angry and swiped her tail, sending all three fighters flying. Cloud and Tifa on their feet while their pilot landed on his head. The swordsman ran to attack as the mom swung her club again, but this time he made a clean cut in the tail, slicing it off. She screeched swung around to attack. Yuffie casted fire one more time on the baby, making it gurgle, but it died out as the monster fell to the attack. The mother screeched in anger and went to attack the young ninja. Yuffie went to grab her shuriken, but found it missing. Before she could react, it was charging at her. She dodged the charge, but it turned quickly and started running again. Cloud stood in front of her, sword drawn, but it was no match against the angry mother. She swung her leg knocking the blonde to side. She screeched as she went to bite him, but a loud gunshot silenced everything. The monster fell to its side as blood dripped from its head. The swordsman looked back to see Vincent with pants on, leaning in the doorway of the home, holding his Cerberus. He was breathing hard and he fell forward onto the ground, vomiting the green ooze again. Cloud jumped to his feet and ran to his friend to help him as people came out of their homes to investigate the area.

Two days later Cloud was carrying Vincent princess style up onto 'the Highwind'. The gunman still had a fever, but was safe from the poison and could be moved. Turns out, the monsters they were hired to kill were the ones from the springs. After collecting their reward, they headed to the ship in search of another area to help out. Cloud placed his friend in the gunman's room and closed the door to let him rest. While he and Cid started going over destinations, Yuffie sneaked away with a smile to Vincent's room. She opened the door ever so quietly to the dark room and tiptoed to the nightstand. She place something on it before dashing out so she could giggle. Later that day, the ex-Turk woke from his slumber and turned his lamp on. He stretched as he kicked his blankets off. He looked over to find a photo on the nightstand. He picked it up and took a look to find him sleeping in the old man's bed with Cloud sitting in a chair beside him sleeping. He looked closer to find the swordsman holding his hand. He smirked as he looked out the window.

A day later, Vincent was as good as new. He walked around the place like normal and was quiet around the others. It wasn't until he was alone with Cloud and cleaning their weapons that he actually talked.

"You know, when I was sick, I had the strangest dream."

The swordsman raised a brow. "Oh? What was it?"

"You kissed me. Twice."

Cloud flinched. "R-really?"

"You said I was brave, trustful, strong some other things. I remember you saying I was beautiful."

"Oh."

"Oh? That's all you have to say?"

"Hmm." Cloud was hiding his blushing face.

"So what do you think?"

"About what?"

Vincent smiled. "About all of those things."

"Well…You are brave, very strong and you're very trustful." The swordsman became quiet after that.

"What about the last one? Am I beautiful too?"

The blonde sighed, his face darkening. "Very."

"You know what else is beautiful?" The gunman asked, sitting behind the blonde.

Cloud swallowed. "What?"

Vincent moved the picture in front of his friend's face. "Your sleeping face."

The swordsman turned only to find himself mere inches from the other face. "Um…"

"You're very good at kissing too. I think I want another one." The raven smiled before capturing his lips and falling forward onto the floor.