I am thankful to see that only two of my wunderbar reviewers felt the need to take up arms… Luckily, one wasn't targeting me, and the other lost their lighter, so I can still continue this story. You wouldn't really want to kill me before the story's over, would you?

mira ff: Yes, Cloud is a freak. Tifa told him she loved him, and he keeps walking… But, try to sympathize, eh? The poor guy just had his heart ripped out…

The Lone Wanderer: And here I thought you would've busted out the confetti and noisemakers when Zack left Cissnei behind… And, yeah, Sephiroth is Tifa's ex. He had to make a dramatic, villainous appearance at some point, right?

Epic Popcorn: Yay! You're back! …With a vengeance… Three reviews! Wow! Better late than never, I always say! And for the record, Genesis proposes after a month and Aeris accepts. Thank god I found that lighter before you could light that rag… But Cloud and Tifa ARE both mature adults. They'll handle this properly… Right?

g2Luvmeh: A new face! Glad to have you! Doi! *Slaps forehead* I keep promising an end to the Generis tryst, but they won't let me! I assure you, though; I know when it'll happen now… Just be patient, 'kay?

kitsune13: I never said Sephiroth painted the building… And while sword fights themselves aren't entirely illegal, what Cloud has gotten himself involved in is. Keep in mind, Cloud lives with a paranoid sister and leaves his swords lying around the house… And, let the frogs be blessed, Zack grew up! Hallelujah!

Valentine'sNinja: Zack's a jerk; Cloud was just caught off guard. How would you feel if the one person you trusted more than anything had been with your most-hated enemy? Probably wouldn't be such a happy camper, I'd guess. And let me be clear, Cloud was NOT Yuffie's mystery man. The proof is in the beginning of chapter six.

Unfortunately, The Lone Wanderer's real life is taking priority over fanfiction (Damn real life… What's that getting in the way for?), so he wasn't able to beta this chapter… Please bear with my poor self-edit job once more… On the plus side, it means you guys can have it sooner!

Chapter X

Tuesday…

The following takes place between 3:20 p.m. and 7:20 p.m.

(Zack, 3:21 p.m.)

Zack sat in his Gabbiani, watching the scenery pass as he drove through the filthy streets of Midgar. He let out a sigh, 'Is this all there is to life…? Honestly… There's gotta be more than this!' He snapped out of his thoughts as his cell phone started ringing. He plucked it out of his pocket with one hand, keeping the other on the steering wheel, and flipped it open. He held it to his ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, Zack," Angeal's deep voice sounded from the other end, "I just got off the phone with Miss Rui's –the younger one's- agent and set up a meeting. Lunch didn't work between your schedules, so you got dinner."

"Okay, when?"

"Thursday. Seven o'clock."

"What!? Thursday? This Thursday?"

"Yep. That's what you get when you don't give me any input."

"Okay… Where is it?"

"You're favorite club… The Pristine Escape."

Zack groaned, remembering the last time he was there, "Gotcha."

"Something wrong?"

"Nah… Just the last time I was there, it didn't go so well…"

"Eh… Oh, well. You'll manage."

"Gee, thanks."

(Tifa, 3:53 p.m.)

Tifa sat in the plush chair, struggling to hold her tears back while fingering the silver bracelet on her left wrist. Yuffie walked into the comfy lounge at the recording studio and sat in the chair next to her, biting her lip. The Wutaian girl spoke quietly to keep Barret and Reno from hearing, "Hey, Teef…?"

Without looking up, she moaned, "Hm?"

"I… talked to… you-know-who last night…"

"Yuffie… You didn't have to…"

"I'm saying this once… Well, twice, since I told him, too. But I'm gonna stay neutral in this… You're both my friends and I can see both sides of this… So, don't try to have me spy on him, okay?"

"I wouldn't ask you to, anyway, Yuff…"

She ran the back of her hand over her forehead as if wiping away sweat, "Whew! Thank Leviathan! So, um, how are you dealing with this?"

"I'm managing…" she pulled her knees up to hug them to her chest, "I never thought Cloud would hate me for something I tried to forget… He seemed so much more… understanding."

"Yeah… I'm so sorry, Teefs… If I'd known he was gonna go all crazy on you, I would've kept him from hurting you."

She finally looked at her friend, "Thanks, Yuffie. But you know… I don't regret a thing that happened between us. If I could turn back time and keep myself from falling in love with him, I wouldn't."

"Tifa! You… love him…?"

She gave a short nod without hesitation, "I do. I just… I wish we could work this out…"

She reached out and set a hand gently on her friend's arm, "Have you tried…?"

"Mm… I left a couple of messages on his phone."

"A couple…?"

Tifa made a sound that might've been laughter, "Yeah…"

(Aeris, 4:27 p.m.)

Aeris walked up the steps to Genesis's second-floor apartment with a grin on her face. She knocked on the door and it opened almost immediately. He smiled and stepped to the side to let her in, and she grinned back, "I was a little late getting here, Genny. Sorry…"

He glanced at the clock, "So it would seem. No worries."

Her smile widened, "I love Tuesday's! No work until seven!"

He took her hand and pulled her inside, "We have two hours until we have to go… What would you like to do?"

"Hmm… I don't know. We could watch a movie. There's still one in your collection of Strago Magus films that continues to elude me."

He chuckled, "Picking up on my speech habits, are we?"

"I guess so. It's normal for couples to pick up each other's habits, right?"

He threw his hands up in a shrug, "As far as I know."

She dropped down on the couch, "So… What's this one about?"

"This," he held up the case, "Is Magus's first flick. Back when he was actually a good actor." He shuddered, "The movies he's making now… Goddess… Let him retire soon…"

She laughed as he slid the movie into the player, "You like old movies, don't you?"

"Mm. Like you said, meeting an actor takes the glory out of their roles. And with Angeal being Zack Fair's agent, I meet a lot of actors. The older ones are either out of the business or senile at this point, so I can still enjoy their films."

"Huh… Makes sense." She slid over on the black leather sofa so he could sit next to her and curled into his side once he did. He rested an arm across her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her head before hitting 'Play.'

(Cloud, 4:49 p.m.)

'Damn you, Sephiroth! You always have to have the last laugh, don't you?' Cloud's thoughts circled back to his and his friends' enemy with every punch to the heavy bag hanging from the iron rafters of their base. He paused and let out one more punch for good measure before dropping down on the couch and peeling the bloodied bandages off his knuckles.

"Don't overdo it, kid."

"Shut up, Vincent," the blond snarled without turning.

He jumped over the back of the sofa to sit next to Cloud, "So… What happened exactly? All I know is you and Tifa got into a bad spot and then you're breakin' your hands trying to kill the inanimate punching bag."

"It's none of your fuckin' business."

"That bad, huh? Even you don't say 'fuck' unless you're really depressed." He stood, "If you decide you wanna talk, gimme a call. And let me know if you'll be able to join in this week."

"Don't worry about that. Nothing could help me more than beating the shit out of that bastard."

"Correction: Let me know if you're sane enough to help."

"I'm coming, like it or not."

"We'll see about that."

"Try and keep me away."

"I'll do what I have to."

"Hmph."

(Tifa, 5:18 p.m.)

Tifa looked at her agent, Shalua Rui, as she walked in the room, announcing, "I've arranged for the five of us to go out for a celebratory dinner in half an hour. We'd have to leave almost immediately… I hope you'll all come?"

Tifa nodded shortly, "Of course. Can I have a minute to use the ladies room first, please?"

"Sure. Anyone else have anything to take care of before leaving?"

Barret, Reno and Yuffie all shook their heads as Tifa stood and made her way to the restroom. She walked in and glanced under the stalls to make sure she was alone before locking herself inside one and sitting down on the closed lid. She touched the bracelet fastened to her wrist and burst into tears, 'Why, Cloud…? Why do you hate me so much? I don't understand it… Please… Tell me what I can do…' She sat inside the stall, wiping her constant tears on the sleeve of her formfitting jacket for who-knew-how-long. A knock sounded from the outside of the bathroom, breaking her reverie and making her realize how long she'd been in there.

Reno's voice called out, "You okay, Princess?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Yeah… I'm fine, Reno." She stood up, left the stall and checked her appearance in the mirror for a brief moment. She fixed her hair and splashed some water in her face in a futile attempt to hide her tears before opening the door to the restroom.

She found Reno waiting against the opposite wall, just far enough away to disguise the fact that he'd been staking out a ladies room. He scowled, "You were crying."

"Reno… I'm a big girl now. I know when I've done something wrong."

"I never said crying was wrong. Just that sneaking off to go do it when no one else's watching makes it stupid. It's not healthy."

"Hm… Maybe so, but I… It's just hard… I trusted him, you know?"

"An' then he stabs you in the back?"

She subconsciously brought her hand to touch the part of her shirt that hid her scar, "No… I… stabbed him in the back. I should've told him before."

"Yer beatin' yerself up over nothing."

"If it was nothing, I wouldn't be crying this much. I really did- do- love him."

"I meant nothing would've come of it you told him. Honestly," he gave his head a good-natured shake, "Why would you have told him? It's not like its first place in things to know about you."

"I suppose… But I still hope he can forgive me."

"You haven't done anything that needs to be forgiven."

"Reno… You know that isn't true… It's because of me that she's dead… I… I killed her…"

"Teef… There's nothing you could've done about that and you know it."

(Aeris, 5:46 p.m.)

Aeris felt herself jerk awake as Genesis tapped her shoulder. She looked around, "Huh…?"

He smiled at her, "You fell asleep."

"Sorry…! I… haven't been sleeping well lately…"

He looked genuinely concerned, "Why?"

"Between work and finals, sleep hasn't exactly been something I get a lot of."

He pulled her closer, "Go ahead and sleep then. I certainly wouldn't say no to some myself."

"You sure? I mean, isn't the point of getting together so we can, you know, be together?"

He smiled, "I'm content just having you near."

She curled up against his shoulder, "You're the best, Genny."

He pressed his lips to her hair, "You're done with finals tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Mm-hm…"

"Are you moving in after that, or at the end of the week?"

"Tomorrow, if you don't mind…"

"Of course I don't mind. Quite the opposite, really."

She looked up at him, "The opposite of what?"

"Of minding," he continued at her confused expression, "I'm ecstatic you're coming to stay."

"Oh. Okay," she mumbled before snuggling up against him again and feeling sleep coming.

(Zack, 6:00 p.m.)

Zack sat on the bed of his fancy hotel room, flipping through images in his digital camera. He passed by excited fans and cute girls he'd captured without them knowing and stopped when he came to one image. He studied the girl at his side for a moment, cocking his head in curiosity, 'Why am I so… stuck on this girl?' He touched the screen, sending prismatic ripples across it, 'Aeris Faremis… What is it about you…? Damn… Even when filming I had trouble keeping my thoughts- not to mention hands- away from you. Why? We just worked together for a week, tops. Then you had to go and ask for a picture together…' He slapped himself across the face, 'Come on, Zack! You're better than this! Quit thinking and go do something about it! …But isn't she engaged?'

(Cloud, 6:36 p.m.)

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Cloud shouted as he launched himself towards the young man. He connected, sending the other to his back, knees braced on either side, one hand holding his arm and the other raised to strike a blow. He thrust his fist down and heard the satisfying 'Crack!' of his nose breaking.

Within seconds after his attack, Biggs and Wedge were behind him, pulling him to his feet and dragging him away from the silver-haired teen. Kadaj stood up and prodded his nose lightly, wincing at the contact. Vincent skidded to a halt nearby, "Kadaj, go get that taken care of. Bandages in the normal place."

The teen nodded and held his palm beneath his nostrils to catch the blood as it streamed out at a steady rate. Jessie walked over to him, "Here, I'll help."

He nodded, "Thanks…"

Vincent turned his fierce glare to the blond, who was busily fighting his captors, "Cloud…" He walked over to where Biggs and Wedge each held one of his arms behind his back and kept him in a kneeling position on the floor. The raven-haired man's features twitched with rage as he bent down to his level, "Cloud, we do not attack our allies. Kadaj is innocent of his sins. Don't get him involved in your issues."

Cloud glared back, refusing to back down, "Vincent! He's Sephiroth's cousin! How in the hell can you trust him!?"

"Maybe 'cause I didn't fall in love with his ex-girlfriend. Kadaj is clean. Sephiroth is the one you want. Leave him out of this." The blond struggled in vain against the four strong arms holding him down. Vincent nodded to where Yuffie watched on the side and she came over, stood behind him and slowly slipped an arm around his neck to help hold him down. Vincent adjusted the gold armor on his left hand and curled his fingers into a fist. He looked at Cloud with a sad expression. No anger, no judgment; just pity. "This is for your own good, kid." The others watched as he drove his plated fingers into the blond's stomach. "How's that for the 'mighty Cerberus'?" he asked, grabbing a cloth to polish his gauntlet.

Cloud grimaced as the others let him drop to the floor. Most people who were subjected to Vincent's literal iron-fisted rule didn't forget the experience and all of them chose never to cross him again. Cloud spat some blood on the floor and glared, "I still don't see how you could let a punk like him into our group… We were fine without him."

Vincent bent down to address him, "Tell me, Cloud, before you joined up with us, were you okay? We might've been fine, but how were you handling the cruel world on your own? As I recall, dumpsters weren't exactly your friends…"

"That's different…"

He jammed his hand into the blond's hair and lifted his head to look at him, "No, it's not. Kadaj needed our help and I wasn't gonna turn him down. Because of him, we've gotten tons more dirt on Sephiroth than we could hope for."

Kadaj walked over and bent down to look at Cloud. He spoke, voice muffled by the cloth he was holding to his nose, "I will fight on Thursday. I will not back down. This group has been so much more of a family than my blood relatives ever were. I won't abandon them, even if it does mean fighting my brothers and cousin." He gave his head a shake, "I will never forgive him for all the pain he caused and the lives he's taken. I've seen firsthand what he's capable of, and I want to end it."

Cloud spit another round of blood on the floor, "Fine. I still don't trust you, but I won't keep you from your goals, either." He stumbled to his feet, "Just one thing…"

Kadaj stood with him, "Hm?"

"Sephiroth is mine."

Wednesday…

The following takes place between 10:40 p.m. and 2:40 a.m.

(Tifa, 10:43 p.m.)

Tifa walked into the garage and dropped down on her futon after another long day at the recording studio. She slipped her fingers inside the only place where Reno wouldn't dare go; her lingerie drawer. She came out with a notebook and glanced at the scribbled notes scattered across the pages. She sighed and set her pen to the top, outlining the title. 'Cloud's Song…' she thought to herself, decorating his name with elaborate stenciling, 'I… may have failed you, but a promise is a promise. I will finish your song…'

A knock sounded on the door between the garage and the house and she snapped her notebook shut before Reno walked in, "Hey, Teefie. Wassup?"

"Reno… Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"Nope. Took the night off."

"Taxi drivers can do that?"

"Sure. Midgar doesn't need every cab, every night, ya know."

"Huh…"

"That, and you looked pretty depressed. I was a little afraid to leave you alone." He made his way to the fridge and pulled out two beers, handing one to Tifa before sitting down beside her.

"Reno… I'm all the family Marlene has… I won't abandon her for Cloud. He's not… He's not that important."

"You don't sound so sure."

"I want to be with him, but I won't drag Marlene into this. I need to get over him… It's pretty obvious that he doesn't want anything to do with me…"

"How many messages have you left him?"

"Sixty-seven."

"Since Monday!?"

"That's both voicemail and texts. You'd be surprised what a broken-hearted girl with a cell phone can do."

"You know… You're right. I would be." He noticed the notebook laying there and asked, "Whazzat?"

"My concept for… his song."

"You still gonna write that?"

She sighed, "A promise is a promise."

"Let me know if you need help with the music."

"Thanks, Reno."

(Aeris, 11:21 p.m.)

Aeris wiped the counter clean of spilled vodka and turned back to help a customer. She let out a sigh as she surveyed the thin crowd, 'I love Wednesday's! Early closing time… I'll be out of here at midnight!' She looked up as a motion from the backroom caught her eye. Shera walked out and started to pour a drink and chug it down. Aeris watched her, "Ms. Shera? Something wrong?"

The older woman looked at her, "Hm? Oh… It's just Cid… He refuses to give up smoking…"

"No surprise there. Asking Mr. Cid to quit smoking is like asking Genny to quit reading poetry."

"He's that hooked on it?"

"You wouldn't believe." She continued mixing drinks and helping customers as she spoke, "Every book in his- our- apartment is poetry, mine, or a cookbook."

Shera let out a little laugh, "At least his passion can be romantic."

"I guess…" she paused, a new thought occurring to her. She reached up to finger the ring fastened around her neck, "Ms. Shera?"

"Hm?"

"Do you have any advice? As an experienced wife?"

She chuckled, "You can be married all your life and still not understand men. But that's not such a bad thing. It's the little mysteries that make it fun to wake up every morning."

"What do you mean?"

"You discover new things about your husband every day. It surprised me at first; I thought I knew everything about Cid when I married him, but as time went by, I found it fun to keep learning new things. Otherwise, it'd just be the same boring routine every day for the rest of our lives."

"So… You're saying… to accept everything Genny is and don't let our differences get between us?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Huh… So, even if he goes overboard with his smoking habit, I should just accept it?"

"Well… There is a point when you should put your foot down. Especially when you're talking about bringing kids into the picture."

Aeris's mouth dropped open, "You and Mr. Cid are talking about having kids!?"

She gave a small smile, "Talking's about as far as we get…"

"Can I baby-sit?"

Shera laughed, "While I certainly wouldn't mind having a close friend watch my children, it would depend on whether or not you're occupied with your own little ones." She smiled and nodded her head in Genesis's direction.

Aeris felt the heat rise in her cheeks, "M-Ms. Shera! I… We… Genny and I aren't even married yet! Kids are pretty far off…!"

"If you say so. You'll be a great mom, whenever it does happen."

"Thanks… You, too."

Shera gave a little chuckle accompanied by a shake of her head as she turned back towards the backroom, "Nothing more than friends, hm?"

"Ms. Shera!"

(Cloud, 11:56 p.m.)

Cloud sat on one of the three mattresses in their base, sharpening his abundance of swords. He glared silently at the silver-haired teen who wisely chose to stay away from him. He didn't bother looking up as Yuffie dropped down on the mattress across from him. She stared at him for a minute, then gave up whatever battle she was fighting in her head and tossed her hands in the air. She bit her lip and started to speak, "Okay, Cloud. I can't hold it in anymore. Tifa's in love with you."

He felt his heart freeze in his chest, "No, she isn't."

She gave him a skeptical look, "You're an ass. You know that?"

"She's not worth my time. She's got her friend she can go back to for all I care."

"Cloud… If you don't get yer head out of that hole and start looking around, I swear I'll pull it out for you beat the shit out of you. Tifa hates Se-him… If you thought to give her a chance to explain, you would've found that out by now. He hurt her; physically and emotionally. Do you have any idea how hard it was for her to build up the nerve to let you in her life?"

"I don't care. She lied to me."

Yuffie crossed her arms, "When?"

"She didn't tell me about him."

"So? Did you tell her about every one of your past girlfriends? Did you think it was necessary? And, yes, I hate him, too, but Teefs was young and blind. She realized her mistake and moved on. She got hurt pretty bad in the process, too."

Cloud's memory flashed back to the scar on her chest that he'd seen on two different occasions. It ran from the left side of her collarbone and down to the right side of her ribcage, just below her breast. He'd always wondered how she could get a scar like that, but he never felt comfortable asking. He lowered his gaze, "So that's where…" His attention snapped up, "Wait. How do you know this?"

"She told me this morning, dumbass. Now, are you gonna dig that cell phone out of your pocket and call her or what?"

"Or what. I can't… I need more time."

She let out a frustrated scream and stood, walking away. She stopped, turned to face him and said, "You really are an ass."

He looked back at his sword, "I know."

(Zack, 12:18 a.m.)

Zack dropped down onto his mattress with a sigh. Angeal walked into the room after him, "You know, if you didn't stay up so late, you wouldn't have any trouble in the mornings."

"It's not the hours… I've been dealing with those since I got my break eight years ago. It's the stupid costume fittings I hate…"

"It's part of the job. And it's only three days a year for each season of 'Princes' plus whatever side work you take on."

"You mean like that pain in ass called 'Shattered'?"

He shrugged, "That's one example. I thought you were a little glad to get into the nude scenes. Am I wrong?"

"I don't get any with 'Princes'… But 'Shattered was a pain on a whole different level. People always in your face, personal trainer breathing down your neck, chicks driving you mad…"

"I thought you enjoyed being the center of attention, your trainer is always on your case anyway, and I thought for sure you loved women…"

"Eh… I'm not talking about just any women… Tifa, Cissnei, and Aeris."

His agent raised an eyebrow at this, "I thought you got over Tifa?"

"Well… Kind of. She found someone else, and I just… went with it."

"Cissnei…?"

"Cissnei… You know what happened there… She deserved someone who could be there for her, 24/7. I can't."

"And… Aeris…?"

Zack dug his hands deep in his neatly gelled hair and fell back on his bed with a groan, "I can't explain it, Angeal! She… she's in my head…! All the time with that weird, cute smile of hers!"

He crossed his arms, "You are aware that she is engaged to my closest childhood friend, right?"

"Yeah, I know. That's another thing I can't figure out. Why in Gaia did it have to be an unavailable woman to swim around in my head!? Why couldn't it be someone I could do something about it with?"

"Sounds like you have a crush… One you can't do anything about. At least, you better not."

"I might have low standards. I might've just been in it for the sex. I might be a shallow jerk. But one thing I'm not is a home-wrecker."

"You make me proud, Zack."

He sat up, "Really?"

"In one department, anyway."

He grinned, "Cool."

(Aeris, 12:59 a.m.)

Aeris yawned and stretched her hands over her head before climbing into Genesis's car. He pulled out into the street and headed towards Sector Four. He glanced to his right and asked his fiancée, "Aeris… You are coming home with me tonight, right?"

She turned to face him, smiling, "Yep!"

A grin found its way to his face, "Good."

(Tifa, 1:12 a.m.)

Tifa's eyes snapped open while she lay on her futon. She climbed out of bed, feeling depressed and in need of some chocolate ice cream. She pushed the door to the house open and stopped in her tracks. There, on the couch, sat Reno and Yuffie, the latter straddling the former. They both had heard the door open and turned to see Tifa's reaction. She shook her head and asked, "How long has this been going on?"

The pair glanced at each other briefly before Reno replied, "Just over a month."

"A month? Why is this the first time I'm hearing about it?"

Yuffie clamped her teeth around her lower lip, "Um… We just… got off to a rough start… and… we wanted to hide that, and then… one thing led to another, I guess…"

Tifa smiled weakly, "I'm happy for you guys." She fought back her tears as she turned towards the door, "I'll leave you two alone."

"No, wait! Tifa!" Yuffie jumped up and chased after her friend, "Where're you going?"

"I need ice cream… and I don't want to get in your way. I can take a hint."

"Tifa…!"

"Just because my love life's a wreck doesn't mean you guys' should be, too."

"Tifa…"

"Have fun, you guys," she gave them woe-laden smile before turning towards the door and grabbing her keys from the ceramic dish and walked out the door. She ducked into her sedan and drove off, pulling up to the grocery store to get herself a tub of triple-chunk ice cream.

(Cloud, 1:43 a.m.)

Cloud wandered up the stairs of his home, stumbling from sleep deprivation. He found his way to his bedroom and fell over on the bed, thinking, 'Tomorrow… Sephiroth will die tomorrow…' A knock sounded on his doorframe, sending him through the roof. He turned to cast a glare over his shoulder and found his sister standing there with a fist poised by the doorframe. He snarled, "What do you want?"

"Geez… I was just wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow."

"Why?"

Lucrecia bit her lip, "Tomorrow's the anniversary of Mom's death, and I thought we should do something for her…"

"Huh… Oh, yeah. Vincent's counting on me for something. I promised him I'd be there."

"Cloud," she set her hands on her hips, "This is Mom we're talking about! Can't you reschedule with Vincent?"

"No. Everyone's getting together. We're meeting up with another group of people. I can't."

"Can we do something earlier in the day, then?"

"Fine. I have to meet the others at six. I'll let you figure out something to do."

"Come, on, Cloud! Listen to yourself! This is Mom…! If you can't show some compassion…!"

"Sorry, Luc. I've got other stuff on my mind."

"Look, I know you're in a tough spot with Ti-"

He looked up to glare at her, "Don't even say her name! I… just need to forget…"

"You… really liked her, didn't you?"

His gaze softened, if only slightly, "Yeah."

"Alright. I'll be quiet. But plan to visit Mom's grave tomorrow. And since I don't seem to have the talent, could you put a bouquet together for her?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks." She gave him a half wave before turning and walking back to her room, leaving him to his moping once again.

(Zack, 1:54 a.m.)

Zack released a yawn and turned his Gabbiani into the hotel parking lot. He wandered over to the elevator and took it up to his regular room. He stretched his hands over his head and yawned again. He shrugged off his jacket and shirt and switched his jeans for a pair of lounge pants. He dropped down onto his bed, 'Ahh…! I feel so much better after a couple drinks! All set to sleep like a baby!' He grinned and fell back against his pillows, jumping up again when his cell phone blared from the pocket of his discarded pants. He stood up and fished the ringing object out of his jeans and answered it swiftly, "Hello?"

"Hello? Zack?"

"Huh? Who is this?"

"It's me… Aeris. Millie, remember?"

"Oh! Yeah! I remember! So, what's up?"

"I… just wanted to say… I knew about you and Cissnei…"

"Huh? How?"

"I saw you two together… But I was calling to ask why you weren't at the hospital for her. You do know she's been in an accident, right?"

"Of course I know. I was on the phone with her when it happened."

"So why didn't you go see her?"

"I was there… Ask your fiancé. I thought it was better for her if I left. She needs someone better than me."

"Are you kidding me? She was probably your biggest fan."

"What fans feel and what lovers feel are two entirely different things. I've had lots of people look up to me as an actor, but when it comes to having a personal relationship, the high you get from meeting someone famous wears off and you have to be willing to deal with my stubborn ass of a personality."

She remained silent for a moment before asking, "…Angeal?"

"What?"

"Is this Angeal? Did you answer Zack's phone for him?"

"No! I… had a change of heart. What happened to Cissnei… It opened my eyes. And I want you to know… I didn't abandon her. I just… gave her the opportunity to get what she deserves. I left a letter with her sister, explaining why I left in case she remembers me on her own."

"Wow… That's… awfully mature on your part."

"Like I said, I had a change of heart. I grew up."

"I see. I wish you the best, Zack. It… was fun working with you. Kind of."

He felt a laugh echo from his throat, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"I have to go. Talk to you some other time!"

"Yeah… 'Bye."

(Aeris, 2:21 a.m.)

She snapped her phone shut and unlocked the bathroom door. She smiled and threw it open to find Genesis in a plain black t-shirt and matching pants. He raised an eyebrow, "Who was that?"

"Huh?"

"I heard you talking. Sounded like you were on the phone."

"Oh! You could hear that? Sorry. It was just my mom. It's still pretty early up north, so I thought I'd give her a call…" She mentally scolded herself, 'Why'd you lie? It's not like you did anything wrong…'

He smiled, "I see. Ready for bed?"

"Teeth all squeaky clean, pajamas on, hair brushed… Yep!" she grinned widely, showing him her white teeth.

He laughed a little, "Come on." He nodded his head in the direction of the bedroom and held a hand towards her. She took it and he tugged her lightly towards the double bed. When they were right next to it, he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up. She gave a squeal of surprise before he laid her on the bed. He crawled on next to her and lay on his side, facing her. She smiled shyly, not really sure what to do. He took control and slid a little closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. He pressed a kiss to her hair before slowly moving his lips down to capture hers. He pulled back after a moment and whispered to her mouth, "I love you, Aeris."

She smiled, "I love you, too, Genny."

*Sigh…* It's getting hard to write 'Aeris'… I've been calling her 'Aerith' in all my other works. Maybe she'll get a name change or something…

I know, this chapter was short and probably a little boring… But it was supposed to reflect everyone's emotions through their different situations. And next chapter'll make up for it ;) Promise.

Then I guess, see you next chapter (hopefully) and please leave a review!

-Valk