A/N: Okay… Adair "died" last chapter. She will be back, I promise. But just not yet. She's going to play a role in bringing Sephiroth to the good side… but anyways. This chapter is set three months after Adair's "death". Cloud's living with Tifa, so is Marlene. Barrett is an old friend of Tifa's and he found out where she was staying.

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Chapter Six: Loneliness

A lone man stood in the wilderness. Around him, nothing lived. Neither did he. He felt as if he were dead. The one who had always calmed him was dead. The one who had helped him recover was dead…

"No, I'm not," came a female voice from inside the woods. He rushed toward the sound and saw she was a small infant. No, not infant. She was in child's form. Her blue-gray eyes smiled up at him. Her hair was no brunette color instead of the sun gold color. She smiled at him and invited him to her fire. He sat, bringing his katana at his side. She raised an eyebrow and he put it down out of the way. She gave him a meal that had the essentials.

"What are you doing?" he asked her. She smiled and nodded toward the city direction.

"My apprentice is there. She's suffering because I had to leave… she doesn't even know about you, does she, Sephiroth?" the young voice asked him. He shivered in response.

"Why'd you do it?" she asked him. He looked at the fire and ate. She sat waiting for his response.

"I was on orders. He was supposedly a terrorist. He was simply another target for SOLDIER to kill. I've been succumbing to that feeling again," he said into the fire. The young hand touched his. He shuddered as he was shown images of the how the girl suffered. He was given visions of the many wars that this old soul had seen. There were many things besides Jenova at work here. He saw the remaining cetra and shuddered.

"You have to stop letting that thing control you… you are one of the only ones left that know the ancient ways," her young voice said. He looked at her once again. She would never know what she had done for him in these last ten years. She would never know how she had helped him cope with everything.

"If you weren't one of his, I would have let you die," she said into the silence. She was talking about Reeve, he knew. He didn't acknowledge it, but he accepted it.

"Shinra's about to attack something," she said. He got up and nodded. He looked out into the darkness.

"Wherever there is darkness, there is light. All you have to do is find yours," she said. Then she vanished. That old woman was always doing that. Every time she came back, her powers increased. This was the third time that she had to rejuvenate herself. Sephiroth made his way through the darkness, following the light that Adair advised him to do.

Tifa shivered as she fought back a cold feeling. It was as if someone was coming to find her. She shook it off even more. She sighed as she heard Cloud come down the stairs. They had both graduated from their school early because they took the extra curricular courses to graduate. Cloud was now a delivery boy who carried a very long sword. Tifa ran the bar at night and managed Adair's finances in the day. The woman had three successful industries that were led by some of her old friends. They had come when they had heard the news of Adair's passing. Barrett had shown up a little while afterward. He asked Tifa if she could take care of Marlene. Tifa loved the girl, so she had said yes.

Zack was out of the country. He was doing another job. His last one, he had promised her. He always said the same thing, but she always looked forward to him coming home. He had become a very close friend in these couple of months.

"Marlene! Time for school!" Tifa yelled. Marlene came running down the stairs in her uniform. She was going to private school. Tifa had insisted that she go. She would get a top-notch education. Tifa had received one, so would Marlene.

"Tifa, what's for breakfast?" Marlene asked as she skidded into the kitchen. Tifa set up a plate with two huge pancakes, eggs and sausage with a glass of orange juice. Marlene nodded in appreciation and dug in.

Cloud came down with a grump. He was always like that. He and Aerith weren't doing to good because of his job schedule. She would stop by and hang out with Tifa all day. She was a good friend, but she wanted to spend time with Cloud. Yuffie was still in school, but she now chose to live with Tifa. Tifa had a full house every day. But, in the deeper parts of her heart, she missed Zack. She would never admit it, but she missed him terribly.

Yuffie came bouncing down and slid into a seat. She served herself and raced to eat. She always took Marlene to school because she was in the same neighborhood. Cloud said good morning and good day as he went on his way to his bike. He grabbed the paper bag of food as he went out the door. Tifa smiled and yelled for him to be home by six. In response, his bike was revved. She rolled her eyes and sat a plate down for her later guest. She hadn't told the others about the orphan yet, but right now wasn't the time.

"Okay! We gotta go!" Yuffie cried as she grabbed her car keys and rushed with Marlene to the car. Tifa smiled. She snuck to the back door and let a young boy in.

He was dirty and unclean. He smelled of the streets, but the bar was rapidly becoming his home. He would eat two meals here and Tifa would make sure he had enough for a third. She sat him down at the table and gave him a huge breakfast.

"How are you today, Denzel?" she asked. He gave a curt nod and started eating. Tifa fixed herself a breakfast and coffee.

"Can I move in with you?" he asked in between bites.

"Of course you can," she said automatically. She had been waiting for him to ask. He did, and his surprise at her answer showed.

"You can share a room with Cloud. He's never home anyways," she said as she ate. He nodded and started crying. As he cried, the phone rang.

Tifa ran upstairs to answer it. She picked it up.

"Hello, sweetheart," said a familiar cocky voice. Tifa grinned to herself. Every morning he called her.

"When are you coming home?" she asked him.

"When they end this stupid war, that's when… but you wanna know what I've been thinking about?" he said.

"No, but you'll tell me anyways," she said.

"When I get back I'm going to ask you a question that'll change your life," he said in his joking manner. She smiled and laughed lightly into the phone.

"I'll be here waiting," she said.

They conversed until he had to go. She hung the phone up reluctantly. Then she heard silence downstairs. That was odd. Normally, the television was blaring.

She crept downstairs. She was totally unprepared for what happened next. She saw a flash of a sword. The next instant she was held up against the wall by a face she had hoped to never see again. Sephiroth stood looming before her. He was about to cut her throat when a voice stopped him

"Sephiroth! Stop!" a low male voice said. An arm came around his neck and led him back. Behind him stood a bald Turk and a redheaded one. The bald one had sunglasses on and the redheaded had green eyes. Tifa looked directly into Sephiroth's eyes.

"So, you're the apprentice," he said to her. Tifa felt a familiar rage fill her core. She wanted to kill him.

"You killed my father," she said. His menacing face softened. He winced as he saw her pain.

"I was ordered to kill a traitor… if I had known that it was Adair's apprentice's father, I would not have. I had no choice. It was an order. Orders are orders," he said grimly. She nodded and her vision became cloudy as tears engulfed her. The homicidal side of Sephiroth was at bay. They sat down and discussed everything that had happened that faithful day. Slowly, Tifa began to forgive him. Slowly, she opened her heart up to an awkward friendship.

Two weeks later, an urgent man ran through the front door. He skidded to a halt in front of Tifa. She gasped as she saw his cocky smile. He had cut his long spiky hair short and his blue eyes glowed with mischief. He took her by the hand and led her somewhere private.

"Two and a half years ago, I saw a vision. She had long dark brown hair and hazel eyes… I searched for her for two years," he said as he looked at her. She started blushing. "Then, one night after I had given up hope of finding her, I had to make an arrest. I went to this bar down in the slums. I went in and stopped short when I saw the vision. She was standing, preparing to fight me for her master. She was as enchanting as I remembered… I vowed then and there I would protect her for my whole life. I fell so deeply in love at that moment, that I was ensnared… Tifa, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she said. He jumped up and started kissing her. He twirled her around and around. She was crying joyfully and he was laughing…

A young teenager stood at the end of the road. The sun was starting to rise. The teenager smiled and went into the light. Her laughter was heard as she crossed plains. Her job was finally done. She could rest easy now and forever with the ones she loved.

THE END.

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A/N: I know, it was quick. But I have a new idea for a story placed after AC. So, I hope you enjoyed my work. You'll see more of me, I promise! Thanks for the reviews! And thanks for reading!