HARRO! Yush, it is I, MADDIEEEEE! REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY SORRY GUYS! I GOT SENT TO THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF POPCORN! WTF! Well, looked at my traffic, OMG SO MANY PEOPLE! ^^ So, I'm gonna treat ya'll to a LONG ((I hope)) CHAPTER! THANK YOU THANK YOU To my First reviewys GNXmike, and Plandapattipus! Cookie to you three! Also, sorry Plandapattipus! I just noticed that too ^^ hahah, I shall be better this time! Now, On to the story!

Aye. So, there was a bit of a mistake on this chappie, so it's fixed. If you didn't notice, just ignore this.

~Miss Maddie:D

PS! OMG I FORGOT THIS LAST TIME! DON'T SUE MEEE! I DON'T OWN Final Fantasy VII AT ALL! ((Even if I wish I did!))

Chapter 2: Not Always Flowers

RECAP: Cloud lunged forward and kicked Tifa's feet out from under her. She crashed down hard, hitting her head on a blunt object. Her vision swam as tiers threatened to fall from the blow. The last thing she saw was Cloud dropping to his knees, eyes wide in horror, and then Tifa Lockhart surrendered to the darkness.

Black. That was all she could see, nothing else. Tifa's subconscious slowly began working again; her thoughts now at 100 mph. Tifa opened her eyes, heavy with drowsiness, and surveyed her surroundings. Sand covered the floor, chunks of metal and debris cluttered the hills. The sun was bright and hot on her skin, almost to the point of discomfort. The land continued as far as she could see, miles and miles of war zone stretched before her, although no bodies were seen. The air smelled of dirt, gunpowder, and fire.

Tifa stood, not sure what to do. Her head gave a cry of protest at the motion, pounding so hard it made her eyes hurt. She closed them, and pressed her hands to her temples. Her throat squeezed, making it hard for her to breath. Then, when she was on the brink of fainting of dehydration, she felt a presence behind her. Tensing, Tifa evaluated her chance of taking someone probably stronger than her on. Judging by her condition, the chances were very slim. She brought her hands to her sides, clenching them together. Warmth radiated from behind her, telling her that the intruder was close. She tried to lift her foot, but to no avail her foot was firmly planted on the floor. She was about to throw her elbow behind her, hopefully knocking whoever was behind her back, when she smelled the air.

Gunpowder, spice, and a hint of dirt filled her nose. The aroma was so familiar, it made her head dizzy. His body radiated warmth, and his scent reminded Tifa of home. The strong impulse to turn around and beat him, yell at him, hug him, and cry for him over came Tifa as she stood rooted to the spot. Tears of regret spilled over her cheeks without permission as she gritted her teeth. The silence was killing her. He must hate her…

"I don't hate you", his deep voice said, effectively breaking the heavy silence. Tifa's eyes widened, her breath caught. She never thought she would ever hear his voice again. More tears threatened to break the dam. She could imagine what he looked like; smiling that smile he always did as if she had said something ridiculous. His same black spikes slicked back, defying gravity like always. His mako blue eyes glowing with a laugh he had bottled up. The regret and pain Tifa had been hiding all came up at once, making her scream out suddenly.

"I'M SORRY!" Tifa cried, curling into a ball on the hot sand, her headache forgotten. "I let you die, told you horrible things, it's all my fault."

He sighed, and sat down behind her, back to back. He clasped her left shoulder with his left hand, silently telling her to let it all out. She cried for what seemed hours, all the time being comforted by the dead SOLDIER. When her tears ran dry, she began to hiccup. But still, she refused to turn around; for she knew of the fresh round of tears that would come when she did.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this…" Tifa murmured as she wiped the remaining tears from her face. He just patted her shoulder, understanding. "What is this place?" she asked, looking once again at her surroundings.

"This… is where I live", he said after hesitating. Tifa felt him shift behind her, his black hair spikes poking her head softly.

Confusion filled her. Where were all the flowers? She remembered Cloud telling her about his visits to Aerith in a flower field in his dreams. She winced at the memory of him and her fighting.

"Well, the afterlife isn't always full of flowers Teef. This is how it is for me. Of course", he said, a hint of teasing in his voice, "if you wanted to go see Miss. "Don't Step on My Flowers Or Else" instead of ME…" he trailed off. Tifa laughed at that. Yeah, this was the same man she knew all those years ago.

"Zack…" she said, ((OMG SHE FINALLY SAID HIS NAME!)) Sighing. She wanted to turn around and look at him, just once. But her mind told her to stay put, let his voice and smell be enough. Her voice became tight and her eyes shimmered. How was this happening? What happened to her usual wall she builds to hide her true feelings? How could just Zack's presence change her look on life?

"Maybe because I'm cool like that?" he answered her thoughts, trying to lighten the mood like he always did. She let a short snort leave her as she rolled her eyes. Tifa felt his body shake with silent laughter at his own joke. She burst out crying again, hating herself for basically blubbering in front of a guy. Zack, being his sweet self, turned around and hugged her shoulders to his chest, still not seeing each other's face.

Tifa felt his X scar against her cheek as they sat in silence on the sandy dune. She almost sighed when he moved, standing up, and blocking the sun with his tall statcher. She stood also, brushed the sand off her pants. They stood again back to back. The sun was setting in the east, ((Does it set in the east or west? Idk, I'm awesome like that)), casting an orange hue of light over them.

"It's almost time for you to go…" he murmured to her. She automatically fastened her hands onto the back of his shirt like a vice grip behind her. She had questions, and she wanted answers too. But mostly she didn't want to face the drama she knew she would see when she came to. Zack laughed lightly, taking her hands from behind him and keeping them in his hands.

"Don't worry! You can come back here whenever you want. Just say my name before you sleep, and I'll come, okay? I'll always come." he said. Tifa nodded, savoring the smell of him. Before the darkness consumed her, she turned quickly to stare into his blue eyes. Crimson eyes met Icy blue, and she lurched forward, throwing herself into his waiting arms. Then, she was ripped from his warm circle by the dark.

I DID IT! YAY! ((Coughed half the time but WHO CARES!)) THANK YOU TO ALL WHO REVIEWD! I want at LEAST 5 reviews total if you want me to continue! I NEEED feed back! Your silence in killing me! :DD Feel free to drop me a comment, request, flame, or a love note on how much you love the sound of my typing ;DD

~Miss Maddie:D