"Do I know you?" Sephiroth questioned, eyeing the ex-Turk.

Taken aback by the earnestness in Sephiroth's demeanor, Vincent slowly eased his hand away from Cerberus, shifting his stunned gaze back to Cloud.

"He's a friend of mine...," Cloud quickly answered. "And I was just talking to him about you."

"Speaking of which...," The ex-General implied, approaching the bar. "We have some talking to do as well, Strife."

Vincent quickly stood, putting himself between Sephiroth and Cloud. "We all have some talking to do."

Sephiroth gave Vincent a curious glare. "I'm sorry, but what we have to discuss does not involve you."

Vincent locked crimson onto mako green. "Oh, I'm afraid it involves me more than you know."

"Vincent," Cloud hissed, grabbing him by the arm.

Vincent couldn't deny the way his heart quickened by the forceful touch of Cloud's hand, nor would he deny Cloud the privacy he obviously wanted in order to talk to Sephiroth. "Very well." He spoke softly. "I will be nearby…if you need me."

With that said, Vincent made his exit, but not without giving Cloud one last fleeting look of concern.

"You have interesting taste in acquaintances, Strife." Sephiroth commented, walking up to the bar.

"He's more than that to me…I mean…he's more than an acquaintance, he's a good friend." Cloud stumbled out, shocked at himself for getting so defensive over Vincent.

"He's very loyal to you; I could tell by the look in his eyes…," The ex-General notioned, motioning for the bartender. "A bottle of bourbon and two glasses, please."

Cloud quickly changed the subject. "What were you saying earlier about alcohol being an 'excuse'…?"

Sephiroth smirked. "Only if the alcohol is being abused…I don't plan on abusing this bottle of bourbon…I plan on consuming it, because I have a feeling that our conversation is going to make me incredibly thirsty.

"You and you're fuckin' bright ideas…" Reno complained, as he and Rude trudged through Hell's blizzard.

"Hey…you asked for my 'call'. Would you rather be alive and freezing your ass off, or would you rather be a piece of burnt toast in a flaming, twisted wreck in the side of a mountain somewhere?" Rude countered, as a burst of wind whipped his shades off his face.

"Ha-Ha!" Reno laughed, pointing at his partner.

"Ha…Ha." Rude smirked, pushing Reno head first into a nearby snow drift.

"Asshole."

Rude just smiled.

Cloud sat in one of the armchairs across from the sofa where Sephiroth chose to grace his presence, grasping his glass of bourbon with shaky, clammy hands. His mouth was dry; making it hard to swallow the amber elixir. His heart felt like it was going to break through his ribs, as it pounded fiercely against his chest. He was starting to think that battling Sephiroth all over again would be a cake-walk compared to this. But then again, he also realized that thought just might become reality after what he was about to divulge to the ex-General.

"Cloud."

Cloud woke from his reverie, shifting his gaze to the silver-haired man. "Before I tell you anything, I need to know exactly what you remember…what was your last memory before waking up here?" He spoke quietly.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, but obliged Cloud by answering the question. "My last memory before waking up here would be…inside the Northern Crater. Strange surroundings to wake to I might add…care to enlighten me?"

"So, I was right," Cloud thought to himself.

"Strife?"

"You woke up inside the Northern Crater because that's the place where…you died." The blonde answered in a solemn voice. " But I need you to go back further in your memories…before waking in the crater, what was your last memory before then?"

Sephiroth could feel the annoying sentiment of impatience grinding his brain. Normally a very patient and reserved individual, Sephiroth found himself abandoning those traits, wanting answers from Cloud, not vise-versa.

The ex-General took in a deep breath, composing his impatience, and raised his glass to his lips, taking his memory back in time, back to his last recollection before waking inside the crater.

Cloud's right leg began bouncing up and down in fretful anticipation, waiting for Sephiroth's answer, downing his glass of liquor.

"That would have to be…" Sephiroth began, as Cloud leaned in closer, his rear-end inching toward the edge of his seat, "…our mission to the Nibel reactor.

The blonde fell off his chair, quickly jumping up and sitting back down. "Um…good…that's a start." He quickly spoke, trying to act like nothing incredibly embarrassing just happened.

"You obviously need another drink, Strife."

Cloud held out his glass while Sephiroth poured.

The ex-General then paused, a look of utter confusion in his eyes. "The Nibel reactor…the mission…Zackary. Strife, where is Zackary Fair?"

Cloud's eyes glazed over as soon as he heard Sephiroth utter Zack's name. "He's... no longer with us...he saved my life, but I couldn't save his…Shin-Ra troops opened fire on him and shot him dead…that was almost two years ago."

Sephiroth's glass absently fell from his grasp, shattering as it hit the floor.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud spoke, rising from his chair, "Before you even try to think, I need you to hear the entire story, from beginning to end…then, whatever the consequences may be…I will accept them as my fate."

The silver-haired man rose from his seat, a blank look upon his face. "Tell me the truth, Cloud…why in Gaia's name would Shin-Ra troops attack Zackary?"

Cloud locked eyes with Sephiroth, not flinching once, as the dominating presence of the ex-General towered over him. "Because we escaped from Shin-Ra mansion…five years of torture…five years of hell finally came to an end for us…yet, Zack paid the ultimate price for our freedom. But, if it wasn't for you, we would have never had to experience all of that pain and suffering…if it wasn't for you…Zack would still be alive. You took my world and turned it upside down…life on this planet, and the planet itself was meaningless to you…you lost sight of the man you were, the man I admired and respected, and became nothing more than a monster!"

Torment flowed from Cloud's sapphires. All the feelings that had been pent up inside for so very long came bursting out, with physical and emotional exhaustion using the blonde as their punching bag, knocking him out cold, as he fell to the floor.

Vincent stood in the lobby of the Inn, looking out the window and into the white abyss. It was taking the ex-Turk a great deal of inner-strength to leave Cloud alone with Sephiroth. But out of respect for the blonde, Vincent stood down and retreated, waiting as patiently as possible for Cloud to either call for back-up or walk through the door safe and sound.

Hoping the latter being the outcome.

Just as Vincent's patience was about to run out, the front door flew open, as two snow covered figures stumbled inside.

"Oh my Gaia! I can't feel my fuckin' face, Rude! I can't feel my fuckin' face!" Reno cried out, slapping himself silly.

"Shut the hell up! I lost my damn shades and forgot to bring spares." Rude griped back.

Vincent took a guarded stance, slipping his hand over Cerberus. "You both picked a bad time to go on your honeymoon."

Uh oh, Cloud had a break down...can't blame him, I would have passed out too if Sephiroth was standing in front of me batting those smexy green eyes! XD

FYI: I'm taking donations to buy Rude a new pair of shades...he feels naked without them! LOL!

Once again, a big thanks to all for your love and support!

(((Hugs)))