Loveless: part 1

by Sugihara

After being rescued by Vincent, Naomi finds herself in a foreign world. At first she's convinced she's dreaming, but has to accept this is her new reality. While they're trying to find out how she got there and looking for a way back, things go awry. Old secrets get uncovered and growing feelings complicate matters more than they should.

2. Awakening

Last (and hopefully final) edit: May 2019

Awakening

After she had closed the connection, Tifa stared at her phone for a very long moment, stunned into silence. Confusion mixed with surprise, she wondered if the phone call had actually happened, or if it had all been in her head.

The door to the shop was being opened and then closed again. She was so immersed in her musings that, despite the sound reaching her ears, it completely failed to register.

The quick pitter-patter of small feet passed her as she started to make a list of questions she would ask Vincent first once she got there. He had been awfully vague about his request. But she would need to make sure that the shop would be looked after and –

»Tifa?«

She jerked around in surprise, phone still clutched in her hand. Laying a hand over her wildly beating heart, she raised her gaze and was met with a pair of stunning blue eyes which regarded her with concern.

»Are you okay?« Cloud asked her, worry laced into those few, simple words.

Tifa blinked slowly, trying to regain her composure, causing the blonde to wrinkle his brow. After a short while she nodded.

»What's wrong?« he wanted to know. He gently laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Then, he finally noticed the phone in her hand. »Are you expecting a call?«

»No,« she said softly. »I just received one.« Her voice sounded every bit as surprised as she still felt.

Cloud gave her a blank look. »Don't tell me it was Reno.« Again, was what he didn't say, but had written all over his face.

Tifa chuckled lightly, shaking her head. »No. It was Vincent.«

»Seriously?« His eyes widened in surprise. »What did he want?«

»He said he needed my help with something.«

For a moment, Cloud was lost for words. »Help? With what?« he asked eventually.

»Hard to say, really. But I had the feeling that it was rather important to him.« With a sigh, she put her phone back into her pocket. »And he was very adamant about needing my help, specifically.« And there had been no way for her to just deny his request, even without any details.

»Is there any way I can help?«

Tifa shot him a glance, considering. He looked a bit uncomfortable, though she couldn't say why. »I … don't think so. Except …« She heaved a sigh. »You could look after the children. Maybe the store, too, but we could just as well close it for one day.«

»Are you sure about that?«

»Unless you want to cook for the patrons,« she laughed. Oh, how she would like to see that.

A horrified look on his face, Cloud took a step back. »I really don't want to be responsible for any casualties.«

Tifa started to giggle. She just couldn't help it. »It's all right,« she said, trying to stop. »I think people will survive one day without my cooking. Don't you?«

»Fine, then,« Cloud sighed. »You go see what he wants, I will look after Marlene and Denzel.«

Tifa looked around, a slight frown on her face. »Where are they, anyway?«

»They just passed you on their way to their room, right after we came in.« He chuckled lightly. »Your thoughts were really that far away, huh?«

She grinned sheepishly. He was right. But, in her defence, receiving a phone call from Vincent, of all people, was not an everyday occurrence. Him asking for help even less so. »All right,« she said, all businesslike now. »I will head over and see what all this is about. I will call you to let you know when I'll be back.«

Cloud gave her a thoughtful look. »If you need anything, you can just tell me, you know?«

Tifa nodded, a playful smile on her face. »I will. But I don't think this will take too long.«

It seemed like he wanted to say more, but ultimately he shook his head. »I hope everything's fine with him. Give him my regards, will you?«

»Of course.« Tifa was actually more than just a bit curious to find out what this was all about. So she should get going. Vincent had sounded rather … anxious when he had called her, which wasn't like him at all.

She headed for the kids' room to let them know she would be gone for a while. Seeing that Marlene busied herself with knotting bracelets while Denzel sat there with a book, a confused look on his face, she couldn't suppress a smile. Deciding she rather didn't want to disturb them, she quietly closed the door and finally headed out.

---

On no account will I let you die. I promise I will make sure that you will be all right. If it is the last thing I do.

After she had closed the connection, Tifa stared at her phone for a very long moment, stunned into silence. Confusion mixed with surprise, she wondered if the phone call had actually happened, or if it had all been in her head.

The door to the shop was being opened and then closed again. She was so immersed in her musings that, despite the sound reaching her ears, it completely failed to register.

The quick pitter-patter of small feet passed her as she started to make a list of questions she would ask Vincent first once she got there. He had been awfully vague about his request. But she would need to make sure that the shop would be looked after and –

»Tifa?«

She jerked around in surprise, phone still clutched in her hand. Laying a hand over her wildly beating heart, she raised her gaze and was met with a pair of stunning blue eyes which regarded her with concern.

»Are you okay?« Cloud asked her, worry laced into those few, simple words.

Tifa blinked slowly, trying to regain her composure, causing the blonde to wrinkle his brow. After a short while she nodded.

»What's wrong?« he wanted to know. He gently laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Then, he finally noticed the phone in her hand. »Are you expecting a call?«

»No,« she said softly. »I just received one.« Her voice sounded every bit as surprised as she still felt.

Cloud gave her a blank look. »Don't tell me it was Reno.« Again, was what he didn't say, but had written all over his face.

Tifa chuckled lightly, shaking her head. »No. It was Vincent.«

»Seriously?« His eyes widened in surprise. »What did he want?«

»He said he needed my help with something.«

For a moment, Cloud was lost for words. »Help? With what?« he asked eventually.

»Hard to say, really. But I had the feeling that it was rather important to him.« With a sigh, she put her phone back into her pocket. »And he was very adamant about needing my help, specifically.« And there had been no way for her to just deny his request, even without any details.

»Is there any way I can help?«

Tifa shot him a glance, considering. He looked a bit uncomfortable, though she couldn't say why. »I … don't think so. Except …« She heaved a sigh. »You could look after the children. Maybe the store, too, but we could just as well close it for one day.«

»Are you sure about that?«

»Unless you want to cook for the patrons,« she laughed. Oh, how she would like to see that.

A horrified look on his face, Cloud took a step back. »I really don't want to be responsible for any casualties.«

Tifa started to giggle. She just couldn't help it. »It's all right,« she said, trying to stop. »I think people will survive one day without my cooking. Don't you?«

»Fine, then,« Cloud sighed. »You go see what he wants, I will look after Marlene and Denzel.«

Tifa looked around, a slight frown on her face. »Where are they, anyway?«

»They just passed you on their way to their room, right after we came in.« He chuckled lightly. »Your thoughts were really that far away, huh?«

She grinned sheepishly. He was right. But, in her defence, receiving a phone call from Vincent, of all people, was not an everyday occurrence. Him asking for help even less so. »All right,« she said, all businesslike now. »I will head over and see what all this is about. I will call you to let you know when I'll be back.«

Cloud gave her a thoughtful look. »If you need anything, you can just tell me, you know?«

Tifa nodded, a playful smile on her face. »I will. But I don't think this will take too long.«

It seemed like he wanted to say more, but ultimately he shook his head. »I hope everything's fine with him. Give him my regards, will you?«

»Of course.« Tifa was actually more than just a bit curious to find out what this was all about. So she should get going. Vincent had sounded rather … anxious when he had called her, which wasn't like him at all.

She headed for the kids' room to let them know she would be gone for a while. Seeing that Marlene busied herself with knotting bracelets while Denzel sat there with a book, a confused look on his face, she couldn't suppress a smile. Deciding she rather didn't want to disturb them, she quietly closed the door and finally headed out.

On no account will I let you die. I promise I will make sure that you will be all right. If it is the last thing I do.

Naomi woke with a start, fighting the urge to scream. Her heart raced and her whole body was covered in sweat. As she propped herself up on her elbows to take a look around, she found herself in an unfamiliar room.

Ugh. Seriously? Again?

It was still dark, though she was glad to see that it was a normal darkness. No greenish light anywhere. Just plain old, regular moonlight falling through a window on her left. She didn't hear anything except for her own frantic breaths and the blood rushing in her ears.

Jesus Christ, just calm down already, she admonished herself.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Christ, her head felt like someone had mistaken it for a pinata. And her mouth … She didn't even want to know what her breath smelled like right now. Or else she might faint.

Now, this was just grand.

Okay. Focus. Where on Earth was she? How long had she been here? Hell, how long had she been out? Was there anybody else in the vicinity?

She opened her eyes again. This was obviously a bedroom. Well, at least it was supposed to be one, she guessed. It definitely wasn't hers, nor was it any of her friends'. No one she knew had so little furniture. So … whose was it?

As she wiped some sweat from her forehead she flinched. What the …? A fever? She never even caught a cold, for God's sake! This didn't make any sense. The last time she had been ill had been, well, never.

This couldn't be a hotel room, either. For that it was much too quiet here. There was no traffic, no shouting …. nothing, really. Weird. Apart from that, she would surely remember if she had booked one. So, where in the world –

With dawning apprehension, she sat up straight. Surely not …? Had that evil man caught up with her in the end? Please, no! That shouldn't be possible, though. That had been a nightmare. A strange one, yes, and also very different from the ones she usually had, but still. It wasn't real. It couldn't be.

Narrowing her eyes, she really hoped that all of this had some simple explanation. Like a stupid prank. But who would pull crap like this? She couldn't think of anyone.

As she tried to remember how she could possibly have ended up here, she heard a loud growl, followed by a gurgling sound. Looking around, it took her a few seconds to locate the source of that sound. Jesus, Mary and Joseph! It was a good thing no one but her had heard it. Of course she was hungry. When had she last eaten? And why couldn't she even remember that? What the Hell was wrong with her?

Fine, so she needed to add the hunt for food to her mental list. And a shower would be real awesome. Christ, she felt manky beyond compare!

But first …

Light. Was there some light?

Naomi swung her feet over the edge of the bed. As soon as they touched the cool wooden floor, she heard the unmistakable sound of a door being opened and then closed again. Okay, forget the light. Was there something she could use as a weapon in case of …. She shook her head. What the Hell was she thinking? She should consider it a good thing that she wouldn't have to wait long to get some answers. Hopefully. Footsteps were to be heard, accompanied by a clanging sound, beyond the door she glared at.

Right at this moment she didn't really feel like she had to escape as quickly as possible, like she had in her dream. She didn't feel threatened, somehow. Yet. She crossed her arms. It was only now that she finally noticed that it was rather cold in here. But that may be just because of her fever.

Someone pushed the door open and stopped short. He – or was it a she, she couldn't tell in the dark, but the height suggested that he was male – hadn't even bothered to turn on any lights out there. A rustling sound was her only warning and she quickly covered her eyes before the light in the room was switched on. She blinked a few times, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the lighting conditions, before she squinted at the person standing a few steps away from her.

Well … She assumed that he, at least, wasn't this evil guy from her nightmare. Of course, she couldn't be really sure about that, since she had never even seen him. But she knew to trust her instinct. She had a feeling that he didn't mean her any harm. Besides, his footsteps had sounded different. He, too, was completely unfamiliar to her. Her eyebrows rose as she took a closer look at him, especially his clothes. What, was it Halloween already? Couldn't be. Not for months.

Her eyes raked his weird appearance, from the torn red cape over the black leather suit, adorned with several belts and buckles, to the brass claw that covered his left hand and forearm. Whom did he try to impersonate anyway? Some sort of vampire lord? The love child of Batman and Superman? The gleaming red contact lenses supported the former idea. They seemed to glow slightly. How on Earth did he do that?

Then her gaze fell onto the weapon he had strapped to his right side. She hoped it was fake. Please, let that be just a prop.

For a few moments they both observed each other in silence. Naomi felt increasingly uncomfortable under his piercing stare, as if he could look right through her. She couldn't bring herself to say something. Or move.

»How do you feel?« he finally asked her. He had a deep, calm and extremely pleasant voice. Smooth.

Naomi blinked. Whatever she might have expected, it certainly wasn't this. Especially not a voice like that. Wow. This certainly ruled out that malicious man from her dream. »I …« She averted her eyes and chewed on the inside of her cheek. What the Hell was wrong with her? Since when did some weird random guy render her speechless?

He closed the door behind him, then went over to the wardrobe. He took something out and handed her some garments. After that, he turned his back on her and looked out of the window.

She lowered her gaze. She only wore an over-sized shirt. And she hadn't even noticed. She glared at his back. How dare he! And what on Earth had happened to her own stuff?

Naomi put the clothes onto the bed right next to her, without even taking a closer look at them. There was just no effing way she would change into them with him in the room. Apart from that – she seriously needed a hot shower first. She took a deep breath to say something, but couldn't decide where to start.

He turned back to her and examined her for a few seconds. »Do you have any idea how fortunate you are?« he asked in a low voice.

This caught her completely off-guard. She was in a foreign place. He was a perfect stranger to her. He had obviously undressed her. Whatever his definition of being fortunate might be, it clearly differed from hers.

»You would be dead, had I not found you.« He leaned against the wall and folded his arms. All the while he kept watching her, as if trying to gauge her reaction to what he said.

What on Earth was he on about? »Found where, exactly? On campus?« she asked, irritation rising within her. A picture of that strange room formed before her mind's eye but she pushed it aside. This here had nothing to do with her nightmare, unless it was some weird continuation. »And where the Hell am I? I need to get back! I've got a paper due next Monday.« She narrowed her eyes at him. »How long have I been here anyway? And what have you done to me?«

»I saved your life,« he replied after a short pause, once it was obvious that she was done with her rant.

»From … what?« She'd almost asked from whom, but that was utterly ridiculous. People from dreams, no matter how evil they were, didn't threaten your life in reality. This wasn't Nightmare on Elm Street, for Heaven's sake!

»Drowning.«

»Huh?« Oh yeah, real elaborate. She hadn't even been near a swimming pool, let alone a lake or the sea, as far as she remembered.

He raised his eyebrows at her. She was surprised they were still visible with that dark red headband he was wearing. »Do you have any recollection of what happened to you? A fire, perhaps?«

Naomi blinked in confusion. What the Hell did a fire have to do with almost drowning? »A what?«

Stupid question, really. One he didn't even dignify with an answer.

She slowly shook her head. She didn't remember any fire. Where the Hell did he get that idea? »So, where did you say you found me?« He hadn't, actually. Maybe he would now.

»The old Church in Sector 5.«

»I have absolutely no idea where that's supposed to be. And I still don't know for how long I've been here. Wherever the Hell here is.« She was finally running out of patience. She didn't have that much left of it in the first place. Pushing her hair back, she quickly got to her feet and spun around to face him, since she was tired of talking to him over her shoulder. But the sudden movement made her feel dizzy.

He was at her side in a flash and put an arm – which was thankfully claw-free – around her waist to support her. »Careful,« he said quietly. »You are still not well, it seems.«

»Nah, I'm grand,« she muttered.

»Apparently not. You are lucky to be alive.«

»How so?« she asked with a creased brow, wondering how in the world he could move so quickly. »I don't even remember being anywhere near a fire, and the closest body of water was a few kilometres away. I was just going about my usual business.« At least, as far as she could tell. These past few weeks had been a bit of a blur, mostly. She had been going through the motions, rather than anything else.

He let go of her once she sat back down on the bed. Screwing her eyes closed, she lightly rubbed her lids. None of this made any sense to her. So there could only be one explanation. She must have been hit by a bus or something. Now she was hospitalised, maybe even in a coma. And this was just some sort of hallucination or some such, even if she couldn't remember her dreams being this detailed, feeling this … real before. So maybe it wasn't just a figment of her imagination, not the fever, not the dizziness. Naomi breathed out a long, heartfelt sigh. »I'm not dreaming, am I?« she inquired quietly, looking down at her feet.

He watched her intently. »No. I am afraid not.«

Of course she wasn't. What had she expected? As if she could ever dream up someone like him. Especially a voice like his.

She barely suppressed a groan. Sure, he had a real nice voice, though simply calling it nice was blasphemous, but that was no reason to –

»So you have no notion as to how you came to be in the Church?« he interrupted her highly inappropriate thoughts.

Naomi sat up straight, running a hand over her face. »I haven't visited any church for … I don't know, a while now. Not since …« Her voice trailed off. Not since the funeral. She swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat. She really didn't want to think about that. Not now, not ever. »Can you at least tell me where I am?«

»Edge.«

»And that is …?« Naomi gave him an inquisitive look.

»At the edge of Midgar.« His voice held no inflection whatsoever. Was he serious?

She stared at him for a second. Where did he think that was supposed to be? Right next to Asgard? »Sorry, of what?« Why did she even listen to this nonsense? »You know that's a myth, right?«

It took him a while before he spoke again. »Where are you from?«

»Originally? A small village you probably never heard of. Last time I checked, though, I was in Dublin. Ireland,« she added as he simply regarded her with a level look.

He didn't ask any further questions, nor did he say anything else in reply. When she glimpsed at him, all she could see was that he looked at the floor now, probably deep in thought. The lower half of his face was hidden behind the collar of his cloak.

Oh, this was such a weird, effed up situation – dream or no dream, no one would even believe her when she told them about this. She really must have lost it.

Without any warning, he turned on his heel and strode to the door. He stopped for a moment to look back at her. »Should you wish to use the bathroom, it is just across the hall.« With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him with a snap.

For a long time, Naomi gaped at the door, completely nonplussed. Okay. What the Hell had that been about?

---

As Vincent noticed where he had ended up, he stopped short. He had thought that he'd wandered about aimlessly. Obviously not. His thoughts had been too preoccupied for him to pay any attention to his whereabouts, really.

It was highly unlikely that he had missed anything the last time he had been here. There was no need for him to take another look around. It would be a waste of time. He had simply wanted to give the young woman he had found a few days prior some privacy. And he needed to think.

Instead of providing answers, she had left him with even more questions than before. Certainly, it came as no surprise that she was dissatisfied with her current situation. But it looked like she really knew nothing about having been in the slums of Sector 5. Worse, she seemed to think that she was dreaming, and none of this was real.

He looked down at his gauntlet as he contemplated this. Honestly, who would want to dream about someone like him?

Vincent closed his eyes. Just where had this woman come from? And who was she?

A chill went down his spine. What if she was another experiment by Hojo, or someone else from the Science Department? And she had just escaped from wherever they had hidden her, but didn't remember anything about it? Perhaps her mind had made up a proper life for her she'd led beforehand. If that was the case, she wouldn't even know the difference. Everything she'd experienced until now, no matter how imaginative it may be, would be real to her.

He could be wrong, however. In any case, it still left the question of how she got to the Church.

A sigh escaped his lips. He was going around in circles – and he knew it. He needed facts. Proof. Before he had any, there was just no point in speculating.

»Hey,« a soft female voice spoke up behind him.

He looked at her over his shoulder, schooling his features into a blank mask. »Tifa.« It was the middle of the night. He had not expected her here.

»I couldn't sleep,« she told him when he didn't say any more. »So I thought I'd take a look around.«

»What did you expect to find?«

Tifa shrugged. »Certainly not you. I thought you'd stay with her. So why are you here?«

There were many answers he could have given her now, but he settled for what he thought was the simplest. »She woke up.«

The brunette blinked at him, then she laughed quietly. »What, did she scare you off?« she asked him with a hint of amusement in her voice.

A huff was the only reply he graced her with.

»Did she say anything?« Tifa now tried.

»Not much.« Especially nothing very helpful.

She heaved a deep sigh. »Care to elaborate?«

Vincent let his gaze wander about and then turned to face her. »Perhaps you should ask her yourself.« He wasn't sure if he could repeat everything she had said to him.

»I should've known,« Tifa muttered as she squinted up at him. »So, what do you think?«

»What do you mean?«

»Doesn't she remind you of someone?«

»Not particularly.«

»Are you sure?«

Of course he knew what she was playing at. But he could not say that he agreed with her. »It is too early to say anything definitive.«

It was obvious that she wasn't satisfied with his reply, but it was the best she would get. »Well … she must be hungry, now that she's finally awake. I'll go get a few things.« With that she turned around and left in the direction of her bar.

Vincent waited a few heartbeats, then he followed her.

---

»There you are!«

Reno jumped as he heard the voice behind him and spun around. »Yeesh, El!« he exclaimed and laid a hand on his chest. »You almost scared me to death!«

»As if,« the blonde huffed. »I was looking for you.«

»Like that wasn't obvious,« Reno scoffed. »So, what's your glitch?«

»Oh, come on! I know –« She stopped mid-sentence and wrinkled her nose. »Holy Shiva, what is that smell?«

The redhead shrugged. »Killed a few Hedgehog Pies and stuff. But I guess that las' Worm might've been a bit much, eh?«

»Ew.« She stepped back. »Just … ew. Bathing in their remains must have been real fun.«

He rolled his eyes. »At least it makes you keep your distance.« He really wasn't in the mood for one of her lectures right now.

»Seriously, Reno, what are you doing here?«

»Told ya. You oughta know this place is still full of creepy-crawlies and other nasties,« he said carelessly. »You don't think we should leave those poor commoners to deal with those on their own, now, do ya?«

»So you volunteered?«

»Sorta.« Truth be told, he hadn't said anything to anyone that he would be out hunting monsters. Not even Rude.

»You're that bored, huh?«

Reno made an affirmative noise in his throat. But it wasn't only his boredom which had led him here. He had also wanted to check up on certain … locales. Not that he would tell Elena about that. Or anyone else, for that matter.

»Well …« Elena looked him up and down. »Hopefully, we can do something about that. The Chief wants you back at the office. But first you should really take a shower. Or maybe ten. And change.«

He drew his eyebrows together, frowning at her. He seriously doubted – after Kadaj and his gang – anything could be that interesting. How long had it been now? Couple weeks? Less than a month, at least. And he already itched for something – anything – to happen. He knew the others felt the same, even if Elena tried not to show it too much. Maybe Tseng had given her a stern talking-to. Wouldn't surprise him.

With half-hearted reluctance he followed Elena as she quickly made her way back to their current dwelling.

---

Naomi woke up slowly, thinking she had heard voices somewhere in her vicinity, though she had no idea what they had been saying. After she had taken a shower last night – which had been a real adventure, with the ever-changing water pressure and temperature – she had dressed in the clean and decidedly female clothes that weird guy had given her, wherever he had got them, before returning to the bed. Though she had actually doubted to be able to sleep at all, with everything that had been going through her head and all, it hadn't taken her very long to drift off again.

The first thing she noticed now was that she felt at least a little bit better than she had before. She snuggled deeper into the blanket, reluctant to even consider opening her eyes just yet. Right now, she was content not seeing where she was. So she could at least try to pretend she was at home, even if it didn't smell or even sound like it. But she could still hope, right?

»I'm just glad that she's finally getting better, you know?« said a female voice she'd never heard before. Naomi groaned inwardly. So much for pretending. Jesus, so it seemed that her conversation with Mr Voice hadn't been a dream after all. Or was it? There was no way of telling who this woman spoke to. Yet. It was also possible that she was dreaming now. She wasn't too sure about that. But this confirmed that she'd been woken up by someone talking, after all.

»At the very least, her life in not in any immediate danger,« the smooth voice she had tired not to think about replied.

The woman – his girlfriend, maybe? – sighed heavily. »I just wish we knew what caused the fever in the first place. What do you think?« She paused for a moment, clearly waiting for a response she never received. At least, it wasn't a verbal one. »Maybe it's because of all the Mako. We've seen what can happen to people once they're exposed, especially over a long period.«

»If that is indeed the case,« he said slowly, »then she is in a much better condition than we could hope for.«

»Yeah, that's true. This doesn't look anything like Mako poisoning.«

Naomi released her breath silently. Stay calm, she told herself. Her throat constricted. She had no effing idea just what the Hell they were talking about. To her, the word Mako sounded made up, like Quidditch or Frumpet. She would give pretty much anything to just be home and not have to deal with any of this.

»Let's just hope she'll fully recover now that the worst seems to be over.«

A rustling sound was to be heard. »You should stay with her,« Mr Voice said quietly.

»And where do you think you're going?«

He didn't say anything to this, but obviously he didn't need to.

»Oh, come on now,« the woman said in a tone that was hard to decipher.

Footsteps were to be heard, then a deep huff. »Surely you are not serious?«

»Very much so,« she replied, apparently trying to mimic his monotone, which she failed at. Naomi doubted that anyone would be able to speak with as little inflection in their voice as he did. »I know you can be quite intimidating, but you don't scare me. And maybe you could at least try not to frighten her too much.«

»That is hardly the issue. And I did not intend to –«

»I know,« she conceded. »Sorry.«

Naomi suppressed a sigh. She had to agree with him there. As if that was the problem. Sure, she had been confused. Angry, even, though not at him, if she had to be honest. But scared? Not at all. She had thought he was weird, true, but certainly not frightening. She rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes. »You know,« she started in a very croaky voice, then she cleared her throat. »I would very much appreciate it if you could take your lover's quarrel elsewhere.«

Again, she could hear footsteps, this time obviously leading in her direction, just before someone sat down beside her. She opened her eyes to find a beautiful young woman, probably about her age, who gave her a worried look. Where the Hell had he managed to pick up someone like her? »Are you okay?« the brunette asked in a gentle voice.

Naomi raised an eyebrow. She actually felt like someone had boiled her and hung her out to dry. But she wasn't going to complain, because that certainly wouldn't make her feel any better. »Could be worse, I guess. Thanks for asking,« she muttered.

The woman reached out to put a strand of hair out of her face. »Are you hurt?«

She blinked. »I don't think so,« she replied. »Just … sore, you know.« She sat up and crossed her legs.

»No surprise there. I'm just glad that you finally woke up.«

Huh. Why, though? This woman didn't even know her, so why would she care?

»Oh, I'm Tifa, by the way.« She indicated Mr Voice, who stood next to the door with his arms crossed, silently regarding them with a sombre look. Still, his contacts were in place, gleaming like embers. »And you've already met Vincent, from what I hear.«

Ah, so that was his name. Good to know. »Naomi.«

Tifa smiled at her. »We were really worried about you. For a while it looked like you weren't going to make it because your fever just seemed to get worse. But I guess you should be okay soon.«

Worried. Yeah, sure. »And you care about that … why, exactly?« A slight frown appeared on Naomi's face, still doubtful of these people's intentions. They may seem to be truthful, but … she'd been wrong before.

»Why shouldn't we? I hope you don't expect Vincent to have just left you to die out there, now, do you?« Tifa shook her head as if that thought would never have crossed her mind. »Like that's going to happen.«

»Most people wouldn't even look twice.«

Naomi had muttered that last sentence under her breath, and yet Mr Voice – sorry, Vincent – seemed to have heard it anyway, since at that very moment he turned around and left the room without saying anything.

»Don't mind him,« Tifa said dismissively, which struck Naomi as rather odd at first. »He's just not too comfortable around others. And he's certainly not like most people.«

»You don't say,« Naomi said flatly. It was definitely hard to miss that he was different. Though she still wasn't completely sure if that was a good thing. »You know,« she turned to the brunette, a thought just crossing her mind, »you seem awfully okay with me being your boyfriend's bed.«

Tifa burst out laughing. »I'm sorry,« she giggled after a moment. »He's not … we're not …« While she tried to regain her composure, she gestured helplessly. As she finally calmed down a bit, she wiped tears of laughter from her cheeks. »I'm sorry. Vincent and I are just … friends.« Another giggle escaped her.

Naomi stared at her in utter bewilderment. She didn't think it was that funny. It was probably better to just drop the subject. For now, at least.

»I brought some things for you. And food. I thought you must be hungry after sleeping for so long,« Tifa told her. Her voice was still laced with amusement, but it was obvious that she tried to keep it together.

»Hungry?« Naomi asked incredulously. »I'm starving!« She groaned as she tilted her head back. She had looked, of course, but found nothing edible here last night. »How long have I been out of commission, anyway?«

»I'm not completely sure, but I think it was three or four days. It came as a real shock when Vincent actually asked for my help, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why he would do so. Until I arrived here and saw … well, you.« The brunette shrugged.

Blinking slowly, Naomi tried to make sense of what she had just heard. »Help with what, exactly?« she asked, deciding to start with the easier topic. Did that mean Mr Voice hadn't been the one to undress her before, and she'd been taking the piss for nothing?

»Um … you, in a way,« Tifa replied cautiously. »He may be the perfect gentleman and all, but he really had no idea of what you may need, if you know what I mean.«

It took her a few seconds to make the connection. Huh. He seemed to be a rather decent person, after all, if Tifa's words were to be believed. That was a relief. »So is that what he does, then?« Naomi asked after a moment to organise her thoughts. Could it really have been four days? She should feel a lot worse, if it really had been that long. So why didn't she? But it was pointless to ask this question out loud.

»What do you mean?«

»Running around, helping people but not asking for anything himself?« She made an encompassing gesture.

Tifa nodded. »He wouldn't use those exact same words, but that's precisely what he does.« A thoughtful look on her face, she glimpsed at the door the man in question had disappeared through. »I can't really tell you why, though. I have known him for two years now, and I still don't know much about him. He is very … private.«

Naomi considered this for a moment. There had to be a reason why he was like this. Could be a chick, could be something else entirely. Sure, it was none of her business, but … »Well,« she said slowly. »I still have no clue where I am. I was hoping you could shed some light on that mystery, at least.« She cast an expectant look at the brunette.

Tifa's eyebrows shot up at that. »I thought Vincent already talked to you about this.«

»Yeah … talked is a bit of a stretch. He just said some weird stuff which doesn't make a lick of sense to me. Can you at least tell me how far it is to the Dublin City University? I mean, hello? I live in the real world, not a myth.«

»But this is the real world.«

»So, where on Earth am I?«

»Earth?« Had Tifa been slightly puzzled before, now she sounded positively confounded.

»Of course!« What little of her patience had been left was severely frayed by now. It was plainly audible in her voice, causing the other woman to blink at her. »What else would you call this bloody planet?«

»Gaia.«

»Get outta that garden!« Naomi hid her face in her hands. Now, this was just great. What the Hell was going on here? She just couldn't believe this. She flinched as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

»I'm sorry,« Tifa said softly. »This must all be very confusing for you.«

»You have no idea,« Naomi growled and lowered her hands.

»How about you eat something?« Tifa suggested. »And then we can talk about what might have happened to you. Maybe we can figure something out.«

»How?« Naomi threw her hands into the air. »If what you say is true – and that is a very big if – I might never be able to get home! I'm on a completely foreign planet! Which should be impossible! This isn't some … some … Jesus!« With a groan, she closed her eyes.

»I truly am sorry. I can't explain this, but I can promise you to try and help get some answers. Somehow. I hope.« Tifa pulled her into a tight hug. »I have no idea how, but we will find something.«

»Well, I was kinda hoping for this to be a dream, you know?« Naomi whispered hoarsely, hugging her back. It made her feel at least a little bit better. »But right now, I'm not so sure about that.«

When Tifa pulled back, she regarded her with a shrewd look. Perfect. »I'm quite sure you're awake now.«

Naomi winced. »Sorry, I meant no offence to you.«

»I know.«

Naomi grinned sheepishly. »Right. So. You mentioned food?«