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Phase III - Part III: Hidden Betrayal

"Vincent!"

Turning towards the voice that called out to him, he then gave her a small smile and started walking towards her. He then noticed her frown as she stood there with her hands on her hips as if in annoyance.

"Aren't you happy to see me?"

Not answering her, he continued walking towards her in silence with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. She then turned around in a huff and began walking away from him, before she realized that she was now walking towards him.

Stopping in her tracks, she then crossed her arms in front of her and then suddenly winced and grasped her stomach, lifting up a bloodied hand she then glanced at a wide-eyed Vincent who ran towards her and caught her before she fell to the ground.

"Tifa!"

"Sir! Is everything alright?!" called out Zack from the other side of the door to Vincent's cabin aboard the Shera.

Blinking again and ignoring Zack's hammering at his door, Vincent swept a hand over his sweaty face and growled out an order for Zack to come in.

"Vince! You alright?" Pouring a glass of water for his boss, he then handed it to him and took a seat next to him on the bed.

Watching his superior, quickly down the glass, Zack suppressed a smile that was worming its way up; he knew what cased his distress, despite the conflicting argument that he would put up if you were to bluntly ask him. Zack decided to nip the thing in the butt, "Vincent, I swear Tifa is going to be fine-

The two of them suddenly became silent as the shuffling sound of someone approaching the cabin was heard, the two of them holding their breaths immediately relaxed as they heard the familiar voice of Cloud Strife from the other side of the door.

"Vincent…can I come it?"

Vincent calmed himself down and then gave a reply for Cloud to enter.

Opening the door, Cloud took a step in and stopped, seeing Zack sitting next to Vincent, Cloud then unsurely closed the door behind him and stood there in silence.

"So….alright what can I do for you, Cloud?" said a nervous Zack as he glanced from a frowning Vincent to a glaring Cloud.

Changing his expression, Cloud then answered Zack, "I got this message from some person named 'The Tower'-

"Let me see that, please." said Vincent as he got up from his seat and appeared right in front of Cloud with a open palm waiting for the message.

Blinking rapidly, Cloud then grudgingly handed over his phone to Vincent and then took a seat next to Zack who gave him a shrug and a weak grin.

Vincent's calm demeanor immediately changed to that of just barely controlled anger, as he then read the message out loud:

"Death can find his Star, by the Lifestream at the Temple of the Ancients. Be prepared to sacrifice something dear."

"I'm so sorry…I lost her, she has probably been taken-

"It's alright, she has been taken to the Temple, and we're on our way there."

"Should we let, him know?"

"No, he will find out soon enough."

Gazing down at the scenery as it flew by, Vincent then felt the presence of Cloud beside him, turning towards the short blond; he then noticed the determined look on his face.

"I'm going to get her back." said Cloud

"Hmm." Replied Vincent as he then turned away from the window and walked towards Cid who was steering the ship at the moment.

"Blondie, getting on your nerves, 'Oh Evil One'?"

Ignoring Cid's attempt to get a reaction from him, Vincent continued on past the foul-mouthed pilot and before he left the bridge, he then said, "Where is Zack?"

"How the hell should I know?"

Looking at her surroundings, Tifa squinted through the fog and gasped as she recognized the place as the ruins of the Temple of the Ancients. The only thing that was different from what she could remember of the place was that she was standing on one side of an acid green river while on the other bank of the river had the ruins.

"Is this the Temple of Ancients?" whispered Tifa towards Nero who still stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

"Indeed, my dear. The setting for the beginning of the end." said the oily haired man in front of her.

"Is everything prepared?"

"Yes, my Lord." said Nero as he bowed slightly and then waved to a shadow, which then formed into a recognizable person.

"Aerith…?" said a surprised Tifa

Walking towards them with a basket of white roses hanging on the crook of her arm, Aerith Gainsborough, calmly walked towards the three of them, not even looking at Tifa who was struggling against Nero's strong grip.

The flower girl, dressed in a green robe stopped immediately in front of them, handing over the basket to the bespectacled man, who grinned gleefully. Stepping over towards Tifa, the flower girl then quickly winked before Nero could notice.

Aerith then took Nero's place of guarding Tifa, while Nero and his superior inspected the white roses in the basket and the black oak rowboat on the beach of the river.

"Are you alright?" Whispered Aerith

"Aerith…I'm so glad to see you, what is going on?" said Tifa as she struggled with the bindings around her hands.

"Don't worry, things will be alright." said Aerith with a smile.

Aerith then turned towards the bespectacled man and nodded towards him, while Nero approached them with a single white rose.

Suddenly piecing together why the rose seemed so familiar, Tifa then struggled even more and tried to crawl away, but to no avail as Aerith had an exceedingly strong grip on her left shoulder.

Watching Aerith accept the white rose from Nero, Tifa then pleaded one last time, "Aerith please, why?!"

"Tifa, don't worry everything will work out in the end." And Aerith then pierced Tifa's shoulder with one of the thorns on the rose...

"Sir, it's been done." said Cissnei as she rose from her bow to the blond man standing near the open balcony doors of Vincent's office over looking the Lifestream.

"Good, he is arriving is he not?" said Rufus as he swirled a glass of electric blue liquid in his hand.

"Yes, he will arrive with Charon, Apollo, Hermes and the Magician, Sir." said Tseng

Silence then followed Tseng's announcement, which then was broken by Rufus' quiet chuckle, "I see, well let's go and see the festivities shall we?"

Next: The last Phase of the plan?

hmm...it seems that I'm going to bring this fic to an end soon (hopefully).

Please Review, I'd like to know what you think, and how I can improve on my storytelling skills.