Disclaimer:

We all know I don't own anything from FF7 or square-enix/soft. No characters. No locations. No vehicles. No Chocobo. All I own is myself, and I'm not even sure about that one.

Oh well, at least this story's mine. See, I can see the silver lining to every Cloud... :-p

Sorry, couldn't help that one :-p

Don't upset the Lifestream... I want to share the fun too! Wait for meeeeeeeeeee!

Part 1 : A Smile through a Rainbow of Tears.

The young woman replaced the phone back on the cradle and absent-mindedly closed her phone book. Maybe it was time for her to get a cell phone; had she had one, she would have been able to contact her friends sooner. As it was, all she could do was hope that they would be able to make it in time. The trio who had kidnapped the children were powerful and neither her nor Cloud had been able to bring down even one of them. This was going to take all of AVALANCHE, together again after two years of separation, to fight them and stop whatever they were trying to do.

And as whenever she thought of the past these days, her eyes fell on that small piece of paper that Cloud had left on his desk, among a hundred of other little notes, before leaving their home. When she had first seen it, she had quietly replaced it in the messy pile and had left the room. She had thought that it had been the reason why he had left… now she knew that it had been his sickness that had driven him away from them. His sickness…compounded by a lot of other things that they had left unsaid, repressed to a deep corner of their souls and minds; things which had finally overflowed and overtaken his new-found self and sense of purpose.

He discreetly watched her silently for a moment, lost in her thoughts as she gazed at the messy desk. Cloud's room was large enough and the setting said something about its owner. A simple, narrow bed was set against a wall and a closet stood against another. A couple of wooden crates completed this Spartan décor, along with scattered mechanical and bike parts. She was obviously keeping it clean, but was careful not to disturb his things. So she was waiting for his return… but the lack of personal belonging, of anything that might identify the owner bespoke the temporary essence of the place. Cloud had been in the army, but everyone made a room, a corner, a spot, his. Cloud had not. This place was as much a warehouse as a room. The only personal touches he could see, a couple of photographs on the desk, were more than probably Tifa's idea. She was a home-maker, whether she wanted to or not. Such an empty, impersonal room would have made her feel uneasy. Maybe she had added those pictures to remind Cloud that this was home… or maybe that she had been trying to comfort herself with the idea that this was Cloud's home. But this was their problem. Let them sort it out.

He stepped through the open doorway, breaking her dark reverie.

"Vincent! Why are you up already? You should be resting…"

"I am all right. I have to go."

"Can't you please stay? You still need some rest and we'll need your help to stop the three brothers."

He silently shook his head; he had overheard her conversation with Barrett and knew that she had already contacted the others, who were probably on their way here. He had to continue on his path and his investigation; let AVALANCHE sort this crisis out.

"Everyone will be here to help! Cid is going to pick up Yuffie and Reeve is arranging transport for Nanaki and Barrett-"

"Whatever you're trying to do… I want no part of it. Thank you for everything."

"Wait!" She grabbed his left arm as he turned to leave. "Why? We are comrades and friends, isn't it?"

"…What you are trying to do… it is a full-fledged onslaught against them. This is not going to work. You've seen first hand how powerful Loz is. Kadaj and Yazoo are even more powerful than he is."

"It's not futile! We may not manage to beat them down, but we will be doing something!"

"Then let me return the question: why? Why would you fight? And for whom?"

She peered at him in the feeble light of the rising sun filtered by the half-closed blinds. He looked so odd here, in Cloud's room. Like he didn't somehow belong in so tame an enclosed area. She had observed the same thing about him again and again, every time they had stopped at an inn or some house to rest during their journey. It had little to do with his appearance; it was more of an aura that he projected… he was so discreet, so together; his presence was like a dark shadow, giving away nothing, insubstantial, mysterious, intimidating and fleeting, all at the same time.

One could almost forget that he was in the same room, until he said something. His voice…so strange with its deep, uninflected tone. His half-hidden face, always so set and serious, giving away nothing that he did not wish to express. And yet, when he spoke, everyone listened. And usually, what he said made sense.

That he would ask these questions half-surprised her. They had fought together to stop the greatest menace ever to threaten the planet in recent times. They had risked their lives for others and for the greater good, one of them had even died. On the other hand, the primary reason for his fight had been revenge, not for himself, but for the woman he had loved, maybe still loved.

"I fight for those who live, and for those who have given their lives so that we may live. I fight because this is what I owe to this planet, to its inhabitants and to my friends. Remember what it was like, Vincent. You cannot have forgotten."

"Your memories and mine differ, Tifa. I do not care for this world, or for its people. Your fight is no longer mine. Our ways have parted long ago."

Tifa let her arm fall to her side. "Is this really what you think?"

"Yes. I am sorry."

"I see..." He wondered if she did.

"One last thing, Vincent. Could I have your phone number? So that we can keep in touch? We still are friends, even if you're not with us."

Vincent understood; for the young woman, their fight had created bonds that could not so easily be forgotten. They had relied on their comrades for help and had provided it in turn. Whether he wanted to or not, they were part of his past, and him of theirs. He nodded.

"I will not forget. But… I cannot give you my number."

"Oh…"

He stopped at her crestfallen expression. "I do not own a cell phone."

"…?"

"I have never seen the need for it."

"You are as bad as Cloud!"

"…what?" He glanced incredulously at her. He had rarely seen her irritated, and this was probably the first time that her ire had been directed against him. For some obscure reason, that made him uneasy. What intrigued him was why his answer to her unspoken question had irritated her at all.

"You… you both refuse to live in this world! You both act as if you do not have friends, as if you care for no one! You both keep dragging around the weight of mistakes, whether real or imaginary! Both of you… you are hiding from the truth, lamenting so much your fate that you are stuck here, with us, that you're missing out on things that make of this existence a life! You cut yourselves off from those who know you and care for you!"

So this was what had been bothering her. However, he felt that her anger was more directed against Strife than at himself, mainly due to anxiety and the pain of loneliness. More often than not, those left behind hurt more than those who left. It was obvious to him that she needed to let that pain and that distress out if she wanted to be in any shape to fight later on. But even if she was transferring some of her undoubtedly pent-up feelings on him, what she said had surprisingly the bitter taste of truth. At that instant, Vincent decided not to tell her that he was going to buy one of those dratted things later on.

"…you are right."

His answer surprised her so much, her anger fled. In its stead, she felt… sad. That he would admit to such a thing… then he knew why he was acting like that. Knowing and not acting upon it equated to giving up. Vincent had given up on this world altogether. What this translated into as an existence for him, was something that broke her heart. She felt ashamed for her outburst as she remembered what he had gone through. They had all had difficult episodes in their lives, but Vincent… he had lost more than any of them, and suffered much. Maybe it was she who had forgotten what it was like, to want to be alone to mourn.

"I… I didn't mean… Vincent …"

He watched her as a range of emotions played over her pale features, her eyes shining with tears threatening to fall.

"I understand, and I am sorry for being like that. Goodbye, Tifa."

And he silently exited the bar, leaving tears to fall for him, once again. Tears that reminded him of another woman, in another place… in a happier world.

The young woman's tears fell silently, unheeded, as she watched the tall, dark figure take the road out of Edge.

"Let him go."

Another tall man stepped through the doorway and silently handed her a clean handkerchief. She accepted it gratefully, trying vainly to smile through her tears as she wiped them away.

"She told me never to give up. That there is always hope. I'm trying, but it's hard." Her voice came out as a hushed, broken whisper.

"Then, don't try." Rude kept his gaze on the window. "Just do."

Her hand froze as her heart skipped a beat. Maybe... he was right... maybe she was trying too hard. Maybe all she had to do was to be herself. Cloud, Vincent... maybe they too would find out that there is hope within every human being, and most of all within themselves, if they just let go of all the things that were shackling them down. Yes, in time, they would.

Tifa's smile blossomed through her tears and her gaze too wandered out of the window.

Together, side by side, the Turk and the AVALANCHE watched the sun quietly embrace the sleeping city.

Author's Notes:

This is a continuation to 'Uncertain Heart'... and to 'The Tree of Hope' too. /hint/ Just take a look at the endings... ;-)

i fist planned to orchestrate the planning for the AVALANCHE reunion in Edge, but it was nt really very pertinent in the end; just a flow of stats and data, so NOT interesting :-p we all know that Cid picked Yuffie up in wutai and uses the Shera to fly over. Barrett comes first on the scene, so he and Nanaki did not travel together. etc.

I'm sure all of you had a theory as to why Vincent asked Tifa where he could buy a cell phone. This is the start of my theory as to why he would say something like that to her, and why she would smile knowingly (and with so much warmth to boot. i mean, bang, he says that and she smiles as if she knows the whole story? no there are undercurrents here, namely his refusal to have anything to do with them. must be his Turk side surfacing from time to time. among other things XD)

If you're wondering about that piece of paper Tifa gazes at so thoughfully, you're right. because this piece of paper will feature in another part of the story!

the original title for this chapter was 'Veil of Tears' but it was too sad and did not match the ending. i hope you agree.

/spoilers for this scene, i.e. things that are kinda between the lines start here/

Vincent does not tell her that he had already half a mind to buy a phone. Let me explain that a bit more. Maybe :Vincent knew that Tifa needed to let out some steam. (again, but then, he couldn't know that she had already had a 'talk' with Spikey)

So, gentleman that he is, he let her... telling her that he was going to buy a phone if only she had let him the chance to say so you have made her feel BAD. just remember any situations when you put your foot in your mouth; yes, that would be it. ;-) I remember mine all too well.

So to spare her, he kinda deflates the situation by accepting her tirade. i don't mean that Tifa was aiming for another 'talk' or a screaming match, but she was getting pretty nervous, which was not a help to anyone.

I first planned Reno as the one who would make Tifa realize that simple truth at the end... but then, after Rude's story, i felt that a connection was screaming to come out here. who better to accompany/guide her out of this? To get her morale back up? Reno... well, you know him and the kind of outrageous things that he would say. but that would not have solved the problem in the long term, just cheered Tifa up a bit. hence, Rude ;-)

And of course, the 'she' Tifa refers to is... /hints/ starts with an 'A'. I changed a bit the meaning here from the quote i used in 'Uncertain Heart' but it's almost the same thing, really. only i like this one better.

;-)