Author's Note: Hey again everyone, here is the promised chapter. I hope you'll forgive me if I don't respond to everyone's reviews this time, but know that I appreciate them all. You all are the source of my inspiration. Without your reviews, I would not be able to continue on with this fic. So remember, that so long there are new reviews, there will always be new chapters until the day this story is finally finished. School is about to start again, but don't worry, it won't affect my updating too terribly. If anything, it might improve it. Who knows? We'll find out soon! Until next time, keep it strong, and keep the reviews coming. Enjoy the chapter!

Vampires were dangerous, sexually rampant, enormously powerful, absolutely unconcerned about human dignity and preservation of the soul, and finally...dead. And it was this last aspect of their nature that made them the most fascinating to legend-makers.
-Dunn Mascetti, Manuela. Vampires: The Complete Guide to the World of the Undead

"So...what now?"

Tifa Lockhart walked closely behind the tall blond ahead of her, her eyes drifting across the darkened surroundings. The world seemed so clear to her now. The heavy darkness that seriously affected her sight earlier had lifted- now the narrow alley and all within it were completely visible. She saw as clearly as she would in the day.

I suppose it's getting close to dawn, Tifa thought.

"Dawn is still a few hours away," Cloud said, startling the woman behind him.

"What?" Tifa blinked, her head shaking as she mentally questioned herself. Did I say that out loud?

The blond vampire before her came to a stop, turning around slowly. His eyes pierced her own, his face hard and emotionless. "No. Since I was the one who turned you, your mind and heart are open to me. Any of your thoughts, concerns, or emotions I will hear and feel as well."

The raven-haired woman blinked with confusion, attempting to fully comprehend what he'd revealed to her. The words settled slowly, but soon enough, anger flickered in her green eyes. "What?" she cried, drawing herself up to confront the taller man. Her lips were twisted in a frown of evident disgust. "So you know what I'm thinking?"

Cloud, for the first time in ages, felt a touch of nervousness descend upon him. He kept his voice steady as he spoke. "That's correct."

"Then you know what I'm thinking now," she growled. Murderous intent radiated in a savage aura from her body.

"I would have told you earlier on, but I didn't want to overwhelm you."

Tifa scoffed. "Yeah, thanks. I think telling me that you can read every thought that goes through my head like a damn book would have been at the top of your list. What becomes of my privacy now?"

"Relax," Cloud said as he rolled his eyes, "it's not as though your mind is on display constantly. I have the choice whether or not to open the link between us."

To his misfortune, Tifa's anger only seemed to increase. "So you can control it then? What made you open it now? Are you some kind of pervert?"

This girl is a headache, Cloud thought, feeling a light pain in the back of his head.

The woman drew her face closer to his. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

His shoulders slumped as he sighed. "I was just seeing how you were handling the transformation. I wanted to know if you were experiencing any problems."

Finally, Tifa's expression softened. Cloud observed her with hidden cautiousness, awaiting some kind of attack, or for that temper of hers to flare once more. Was this the calm before the storm? Then, to his surprise, a mischievous smirk formed at the corner of her lips.

"That's sweet of you to worry," she commented, her voice low and seductive. "So what am I thinking now, Mr. Nameless?"

Her thoughts flowed freely into his mind before he could even respond.

I'm feeling kind of hot...

Immediately, Cloud closed the link between them as he was blasted with a wave of wanting and swiftly turned away. A faint blush crept upon his pale cheeks. He coughed quietly.

Tifa squealed excitedly. "I finally got some emotion out of you! Now all I have to do is squeeze out your name."

"Cloud..." the blond whispered.

"Hmm?" She tilted her head to the side.

"My name is Cloud," the male vampire repeated, still struggling to shake off the emotion the woman had so cruelly hit him with.

Another squeal of excitement, and Tifa slipped ahead of him, locking her eyes with his own. "And my name is..."

"Tifa Lockhart," he finished.

Annoyed, she frowned, feeling the urge to comment on how he showed so little respect for her privacy, but fought it off. "Mind reading at its best, I suppose."

Cloud's eyes drifted to the side, breaking contact with Tifa's own as his attention was focused on what lay beyond her. The woman looked at him with obvious confusion as an aura of heavy seriousness enveloped him whole.

"You can come out now...Vincent."

"What?" Tifa turned quickly, searching the small area before her with her newfound sight. For a moment, she found nothing, but quickly enough, a man seemingly materialized feet ahead of her. She jumped back, startled. Her eyes drifted over the man's appearance. He was dressed in a black, tattered jumpsuit, with a crimson cloak that blew slightly in the wind. The man was definitely attractive in her eyes, but at the same time, somewhat frightening.

"Keen as ever," the man commented with a voice entirely devoid of the sparsest trace of emotion.

Cloud frowned. "Two visits in an hour. What do you want now?"

Vincent stepped forward. "I sensed the use of a strong magic. I never expected you to resort to something such as that unless it was absolutely necessary."

"It was merely a Berserker," the blond returned, "nothing more."

"Then why use something that powerful?" Vincent inquired, his eyes narrowing.

Tifa looked back and forth between the two men, caught in the middle of the intense atmosphere that surrounded them. "Why? What does it matter?" she asked, recalling how Cloud had amazingly caused the vampire who'd attacked her to explode into flame.

The cloaked vampire brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. "When a vampire employs the use of such powerful magic, it's impossible that another will not sense it. At a time such as this, it is risky."

Lockhart blinked. "Risky?"

"Cloud," Vincent began, ignoring the woman's question, "that was foolish. Sephiroth undoubtedly sensed that as well."

Cloud's frown deepened. "Then let him come for me!" he cried.

The aura surrounding him flared with anger, causing Tifa to stumble back from its intensity as she nervously gazed upon him. She sensed so many powerful emotions coming from it: Anger, Hate...and Sorrow.

Vincent was unaffected. "Do you believe you can defeat him?" he responded flatly.

"It doesn't matter," Cloud returned, "so long I settle the things between us."

The darked haired vampire nodded slightly, seeming to be satisfied with his response, and turned his attention to Tifa. He sized her carefully with his hard eyes, taking in her every aspect. "I see you've changed her."

The woman tilted her head to the side with a look of puzzlement. "How can you tell?"

"I can sense it," he responded.

Lockhart rolled her eyes, heaving an annoyed sigh. "Is there anything you guys CAN'T sense?"

"Cloud." Vincent ignored Tifa's remark once more.

The blond haired vampire levelled his gaze with Vincent's own. "What?"

"If the Elders catch wind of this, they will-"

"Demand a conference, I'm aware," Cloud finished. "I could care less."

For a moment, as the two stood in the darkness, they eyed each other down wordlessly. Vincent's face remained impassive, offering no emotion in contrast to Cloud's aggravation and intense glare that could burn another to ash. A cold wind swept through the narrow passage, washing gently over the trio.

Suddenly, Vincent turned, and slowly placed his back to the blond vampire. "That is all I came to say," he stated.

In an instant, as his first step was taken, the vampire's form would ripple as though it was made of water, before he vanished, disappearing from their sight completely. The darkness thickened around them shortly after.

"So, who was that?" Tifa questioned, her eyes fixed on the spot where they man had vanished.

"His name," Cloud began, "is Vincent Valentine. He's an old acquaintance, nothing more."

The raven haired woman noted his coldness when in the presence of that man suspiciously. In the brief period of time she'd known him, Cloud had never displayed such emotion. Why was his demeanor so swiftly changed?

That man, she thought inwardly, thinking back to what Vincent had said, 'Sephiroth. Who is he? What is his relationship with Cloud?

"Don't bother worrying about it, that is my business alone," the vampire stated with a touch of aggravation, his eyes falling to the ground as he began to walk ahead of her.

Tifa blinked, startled. "Huh?"

Cloud did not respond. He remained silent, lost in his own thoughts. His eyes were hard, glowing in the darkness that surrounded him as he continued on. Vincent's words had truly disturbed him, shattering his calm. If Sephiroth came for him, Cloud would have no regrets, and would not hesitate to face him. One way or another, the things between them would be settled.

Heaving a sigh, Tifa walked after him, slumping her shoulders slightly. "This mind reading thing is going to take some getting used to," she muttered, her voice unheard to the man ahead.

FFVIIFFVIIFFVIIFFVIIFFVIIFFVIIFFVIIFFVIIFFVIIFFVIIFFVII

A sensation shot through his body as Sephiroth stood upon a cross that decorated the rooftop of a huge cathedral beneath him. His wicked eyes shot to the direction where the feeling had come from, where the powerful magic had been put to use somewhere in the distance. He smirked faintly, brushing a long strand of silver hair from his eyesight.

Thunder boomed, shaking the heavens as ominous clouds drifted across the black sky. Lightning flashed somewhere in the distance. Sephiroth drew himself to a knee as he directed his attention to the city's numerous residents, feeling the hunger growing within from his position upon the cross. He savored the wind against his face. The storm was approaching. He could smell the coming rain. The howling gales were music to his ears, and the crackle of lightning and explosion of thunder sent shivers of excitement coursing through his insides. For the first time in several decades, Sephiroth felt at ease.

The past years had been difficult. Constantly alert for an attack, never knowing peace. The vampires of the Order were bothersome pests, relentless in their pursuit to claim his life. Their weakness denied them that very goal, for he had ascended to a plane of power far surpassing that of any other. Even the Elders trembled at his name. He had become a God.

"I wonder," the platinum haired vampire whispered as the first tear of rain began to fall, "how far you have developed, Cloud."

A faint smile formed at the corner of his pale lips. "Have you improved your worth?"

Rising to his feet, Sephiroth tilted his head back to the sky, drops of rain falling upon him as the storm finally settled in. His mind opened, extending mental tendrils across a connection between him and his victim. The unfamiliar excitement shot through him once more.

Let us see who you have become.

"First defense against evil - Open your damn eyes."
-Reese, Forever Knights