26

A Red Cloaked Stranger

Sephiroth's smile was unsettling, his head tilted to one side while he held his sword out, hair a perfect silver waterfall behind him. One more step forward, and he began to hunt, his aqua eyes falling first to Cloud. I could feel Cloud's grip around my waist, tighten just a little more.

"What a sweet picture you two are. It would seem almost wasteful though, someone poisoned with Mako the choice for a full blood Ancient. Though, it doesn't really matter at this point."

What did he mean by that?

"Sephiroth!" Aerith gasped, breaking his external thoughts like she knew what he meant.

He jolted his head up, eyes flaring at her with a wider smile.

"Hush," he smirked. Without barely a glint in his eye, Aerith was pushed hard, a cry out of her when her head smacked into the wall.

Cloud stepped over me. Even if he forgotten he replaced his Buster sword with nothing but a bat, he held it with all the same confidence, two hands holding it in front of him as if it were a heavy weapon.

"Stop!" he growled, taking another step. Mako seeped through his pores, collected as vapor until I saw an outline of its aqua colors swirling all around his body.

Without moving his head, Sephiroth's eyes shifted to Cloud.

"I'm glad you came, Cloud. I wanted to see you."

He then turned his head, and cooly drew his sword back into its long scabbard at his hip.

Cloud lightened only a little, enough to lower his shoulders and muttered, "I've been wanting to talk to you. But first, let Aerith and Yuffie go. Don't involve them."

Sephiroth scoffed, his eyes closed while he tried not to laugh, thinking what Cloud said was funny.

"You act like you have a soul. What a sad creature you are."

I stepped back, shoving a hand over my mouth as the nausea increased, and pressed my back against the glass of a tank.

Sephiroth noticed that, and he glared pass Cloud to me.

"Want to know why my presence makes you so ill?" A red glint appeared in one of his eyes, like a shiny red ruby was wedged in there, but as soon as he blinked, it flashed away before I could really notice it. Was it just my imagination?

Cloud's hands suddenly slipped away, and he was swept up to the far wall with his back slammed hard into it. He gurgled a painful cry, blood mixed with saliva spatting out of his lips, his body pressed into the wall with arms spread out. He clenched his bloody teeth, struggling to pull himself free from Sephiroth's invisible powers.

"No!" Cloud screamed, barely able to peel his head away from the wall. Like Cloud, Yuffie and Aerith were stuck, unable to do anything while Sephiroth walked slowly towards me.

I was his chosen prey this time.

The closer he got, the more sick I felt, until I fell on all fours on the floor, shaking.

"I can hardly move," I gasped, struggling to even push myself up.

In sight, Sephiroth's black boots appeared.

"The calamity that struck your people, it's in your blood. The great illness, the fear, your body screams of it, smelling Mother off of me. She was that Great Calamity, fallen from the sky, and wiping away your race, turning most of those who survived the impact, into monsters."

His knees bent, until his hands touched my face. I tried to pull back, barely able to breathe when I cried, "Stop!"

Even in gloves, his fingers were ice cold, with their slim and long length curled around my face. They shoved my head up, demanding that I look at him. Sephiroth's beautiful face twisted in a smile that kept so many secrets, more than what Aerith held. The leather of his armor creaked as he moved his arms, lifting my head up further until I thought he was either going to kiss me or devour me.

"Just like Mother turning all of those unfortunate Ancients into Monsters, shall I do the same to you?"

He was lying. He had to be. The Ancients…They all turned into monsters? My eyes grew. A pleasing smile fell on Sephiroth's lips, his lower lip fuller and almost a perfect pale cupid's bow.

"Sephiroth! Leave her alone!" Cloud screamed through his teeth. Each attempt he made at fighting against Sephiroth's powers, electrical sparks of the magic zapped around him, cutting into his skin and leaving behind scratches and bleeding cuts. He growled, teeth tight together as he pushed his head forward, shoulders trying to follow.

Sephiroth hissed, turning his focus up at Cloud above us.

"Don't be a fool. You can't break through my powerful hold. Don't even try."

He only needed to barely lift an eyebrow, and Cloud was pushed back so hard, his body cracked the stone blocks and pipes around him, more blood spilling over his lower lip.

Cloud, even without your sword, you still try and fight? Even if you know you may lose in the end?

With his strength of will, Cloud cried, pulling away from the wall again, his veins almost popping out of his neck. His eyes smoldered, Mako brightening the room with his stare. Its flames bursts, leaving his body aglow.

"This is about you and me. Don't do anything to her!" Cloud threatened in a dark tone. Tremors of his voice came crashing through me, making me shiver with a growing heat that only he had ever triggered, and I closed my eyes hard, wishing to have his protective arms around me again.

Sephiroth's eyes closed, intrigued.

"Well, this is interesting. You DO have feelings," he whispered, admiring Cloud's attempt to try and break free.

Aerith and Yuffie watched, their mouths open.

"Cloud…" Aerith admired, her eyes large and reflective of his glowing Mako body.

I tried to push away from Sephirth's hands, slapping them aside. I prayed for the Planet to lend me energy, but I was too weak to bear its burden, growing breathless even when I tried to push back, only to barely stand up and lean against the tank.

"Tell Cloud about his past!" I demanded, losing my ability to breathe. My hands clung to the tank's glass, holding its metal bearings like bars to keep me up.

A sparkle appeared in Sephiroth's eyes, and they shifted, his pupils shrinking until they were like those of cat eyes.

"Oh? And what do I get in return?" He mused, taking a step closer to look down at me hungrily. He was a demon, ready to eat my soul, if that is he wanted in exchange. If I was going to die, I may as well get something out of it.

"What do you want?" I struggled, my sweaty hands sliding over the glass.

"Aqua, no!" Aerith cried.

"Don't even think about it!" Yuffie shouted.

"Aqua, don't!" Cloud screamed, his head and shoulders free. The room began to quake, Cloud fighting with all of his might to break through Sephiroth's hold. He curled fists at his sides, his arms bulging with muscle growth from the pumps of Mako that flushed into his tissues, enhancing his strength with each push. He closed his eyes hard, arching his head forward, his chin into his chest, and tried harder.

Sephiroth's cold gloved hand reached.

I had no where else to go, no wall to back into nor corner to hide. No magic to cast.

His cold fingers curled tight around the knot of my moist cloak, snatching me in his hold, while another tickled my cheek.

"I think you know what I want," he whispered, enough for only me to hear.

I blinked back a wave of fear, swallowing a huge chunk of ice in the middle of my throat.

"What will you do with me?" I dared to ask, afraid to know.

Sephiroth seemed to admire me, his fingers falling to my silver hair, or maybe he saw himself in me, like looking into a mirror of his female side, really only marveling at himself.

"That depends," he dragged, instability flickering in his eyes. To kill me instantly, or to enjoy me? That seemed to be the options I saw in the way that he surveyed me.

Both hands held my face firmly, giving me no room to look away when he pulled his face in towards mine.

"Should I slice you? Or, turn into a monster, just like your ancestors?" He breathed, leaning close to take his breath into my mouth. One of his eyes sparkled red again, and a throaty woman's voice echoed a hideous laugh through his lips.

Would tasting his saliva turn me into a monster? A bite? A spell? I didn't know how it would work, if the kiss was to be my death wish or a departing gift. Either way, I tried to squirm away from it, but his hands were like metal, cold and unwilling to budge.

I sucked in a gasp, pulling my lips into my mouth and pressing them hard together to keep his breath away.

Again, I made an attempt to turn my head, but to no avail. Sephiroth's fingers dug into my cheeks, his grip possibly cracking into my jaw bones each time I tried to nudge free. It was no use. I'll never get a chance to hear Aerith's secrets. Never see her and Cloud laugh together again. Never-

And then, what I thought were to be my final thoughts, stopped.

Sephiroth grunted, interrupted when he turned his upper body away sharply, taking a hand with him.

And gripped Cloud's bat tight to stop it from slamming into his face. By just a smidge, his aqua eyes grew.

"Incredible," Sephiroth praised, admiring Cloud's horrifying Mako eyes. Their powers clashed, tossing back Sephiroth's hair in a wild frenzy. The broken nails dug deep in his hand until he bled, but he didn't flinch nor make a face. His blood dripped down his arm and made little drops down to his boots and sprayed, a few specks on his perfect face.

"Don't you want to know about your past? Don't you care who you really are?" Sephiroth dangled.

Cloud breathed hard through his teeth, sucking air in sharply, his hair fluttering wildly with energy. The whole room shook. The glass along the full tank, cracked at his powers pulsing around the room. Books fell off their shelves. Aerith and Yuffie closed their eyes tight, faces away.

Sephiroth actually showed signs of struggle, his body barely trembling, but it was visible.

Cloud was like a powerful glowing blue God, all of his muscles gorged and tense. His shirt ripped across his chest where his pectorals grew too much under the thick fabric.

"Fuck it. If I have to choose between my past and Aqua, then it's fucking obvious what matters most to me," he rumbled. Even his voice has changed, a Mako beast lurking inside him, but one he was able to tame for the first time.

I overlapped both hands and pressed them over my dropped jaw.

Cloud. You would choose me over the answers to your past? Those five years could've been yours…

Sephirth's grip squeezed around the bat, until it broke into pieces inside his hand. His blood, the wood, and nails tapped on the floor. But it was no matter.

Cloud swung a glowing fist. It was unexpected of him to fight without a weapon, Sephiroth almost missing it, and lifted an arm just in time to block. Cloud cried, and his knuckles slammed mightily into Sephiroth's forearm, where his Mythril bracer absorbed most of the impact.

And yet, he still slid back a few feet, his boots carved through the cement until there was a short track in front of him.

His perfect silver hair blazed over his shoulders and around his face until he stopped himself.

Sephiroth winced slightly, his bracer shattered around his arm. He glared at Cloud, his aqua eyes glowing over the horizon of his broken armor, his stare building with threat.

Cloud stepped in front of me, collecting his breath. His Mako flames were dissolving, his muscles slowly relaxing. His efforts were too exhausting, leaving his body already weak from just that one blow, and it barely even scratched Sephiroth. But Cloud still held himself composed, a fist ready if that's what it took to keep his nemesis back.

"Oh my gawd, this is the coolest shit I've ever seen," Yuffie gasped, enjoying the show.

Aerith gawked at her outburst, speechless.

Sephiroth dropped his arm, and his Mythril bracer broke into pieces, falling to the floor like broken glass.

"You've managed to break through my magic hold and even my armor. How impressive, Cloud," he whispered, mildly amazed.

"Don't…" Cloud was too exhausted to even make full sentences. "Don't touch Aqua…ever."

If my chest bird hadn't already freed, I would've felt it burst through my ribs, knocking back every rib to the floor like prison bars. Instead, the warmth feeling that is Cloud, grew in the center of my chest, pushing back my sternum like it made my heart grow until it was beginning to push back all the bones in my chest cavity.

Sephiroth smirked, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"For someone not in SOLDIER, it's marvelous to see you surpass one. Your punishment became your strength," he leered. Without knowing it, Cloud latched on and spat, "I am in SOLDIER!"

Sephiroth laid a hand to his Masamune's handle.

"Hmph. If you were willing to give up Aqua, then maybe I would have told you more than the fact that you actually weren't a SOLDIER. You were really just a nobody turned into a Mako monster," he revealed sweetly.

Cloud's eyes grew, and he became paler, his posture faltering. This is what Sephiroth wanted, smiling over it.

"Too bad. I would've enjoyed watching you break apart, finding out the truth. Maybe I will reveal it someday to you. Someday," he warned, ready to pull out his sword.

"Sephiroth, stop!" I cried, trying to push away from the tank to pull Cloud out of the way.

A gun shot fired.

Sephiroth paused, three deep holes in his arm. In the corner of his eye, he latched on to someone at the doorway. The rest of us turned our heads, spotting smoke sizzling out of a large three barrel handgun. Holding that gun was a brown leather glove, followed by a leather bracer with small belts around it, and then nothing but red.

"Sephiroth…" the stranger croaked, his voice low and subtle behind a neck high red collar of a cloak. It settled around him like broken red wings, a demon to the rescue. He had matte raven hair, and a face as white and pure like a polished pearl. Like blood gems, his eyes flickered from Sephiroth to Cloud, and then to me, scanning the room he intruded, last to Aerith.

It seemed so improper, this random stranger coming in, interrupting everything Sephiroth had planned to say, to leer Cloud with like it was all a game to him. In the end, Sephiroth closed his eyes and scoffed to himself, his hand away from his sword. The three holes around his arm healed, and three bullets rang lightly near his feet, holding remnants of his blood on them.

"Come to the Reunion. Until then, the next time we meet, let's see if your feelings will even be enough to fight back your DNA, Cloud."

He said Cloud's name with pleasure to it, and took long strides across the room towards the door. He passed the stranger, but not before giving him a hidden glare. They exchanged looks, though I wasn't sure what they meant.

Did they know each other?

But no words exchanged between them. Sephiroth lifted himself and hurried away through the air, leaving the room quiet his his silver hair followed. He left.

My legs grew strength, helping me stand up fully and rush to Cloud's side when he collapsed.

Yuffie waved her hands as she fell, landing on her feet with barely enough grace, and she smiled in the end like she did an acrobat move. Aerith gasped, twisting around and falling back first, but before she were to land her rear into cement, the stranger caught her in his arms. Aerith blinked up at him, thankful for his heroic efforts, and her cheeks turned pink.

"Cloud, how are you feeling?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his to help him stand. He struggled getting up, cursing to himself while his legs trembled.

"I'm fine. I just need to rest. That's all," he reassured me, trying to toughen it out even though he winced.

I then shoved him.

It was with weak effort, but still, my hands planted on his torn shirt over his back, and I pushed, making him stumble forward a step.

"You idiot!" I cried, tears swelling up.

"You could've been killed! Why did you even do that?! And your past is important to you! That's five years of your god-damn life! Don't you want to know what happened?! What about your old scar?! Don't you want to know the truth?!"

Cloud endured my screaming, his head bowed and smirking to himself quietly.

I continued, tears too heavy to hover at my lashes, when they spilled freely like large clear globs.

"There's only three things you've ever really wanted. To be a hero. To have Tifa love you. And to figure out your past. Why give up one of those-!"

"That's enough," Cloud interrupted weakly, standing tall with great effort. His shirt fell apart, falling to the floor along with his broken bat, Sephiroth's blood, the broken armor, and the pieces of glass to the tanks. Cloud looked at all of that, thinking hard to himself.

He spoke quietly, his voice sounding raw as he kept his battered back to me. His scars seemed to hiss, surrounded by new scratches and bruises.

"You don't get to decide what matters most to me. Wants and dreams change. And mine changed a long time ago," he began, looking over his shoulder at me. Something in his eyes sparked, one that I've seen on and off since his battle with Isaac, but I was too distraught to take much notice.

I rubbed my whole forearm over my eyes to wipe at all of the tears, sniffling like a child.

His steps came closer.

"I know that. It's just, you need to-"

His hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me into him.

And then...

Cloud's lips met with mine.

I gasped into his mouth, his eyes closed and serene. I held mine open and wide at first, completely startled at feeling his moist lips, unexpectedly tasting him. There was a hint of rain and traces of his blood falling to my tongue. The way his mouth opened, how his tongue shyly touched mine, grew shivers through my cheeks, down my neck and into my spine. I wanted more, opening my mouth to swallow more of Cloud's taste, my eyelids slowly dropping until I was able to relax. My hands traveled around his neck, fingers behind his wet hair, and like I've been waiting a long time for this, I pushed for his lips harder against mine. Spikes of his damp hair tickled my cheeks and forehead, giving me little wet kisses, feeling his hot breath escape heavily through his nose.

"Whoa," Yuffie gaped.

"We should probably give them some time alone," Aerith whispered. She tiptoed away, having to drag a goofy grinned Yuffie with her.

The dark stranger sighed. Something he used to long for, stirred inside of his distorted body. It felt warm and yet cold, making him tap his golden claws across his chest where he thought his heart no longer existed.

But it was there, and surprisingly, it thumped. He was reminded he still had one.

He closed his eyes, smirking to himself, and then turned away. Lacerated at its ends, a red cape flapped gently, and disappeared.

Oblivious to us, Cloud and I were alone in the lab. Alone in a place that may have haunted him, that may be where his worst parts of his life occurred. But the chains on the walls no longer appeared threatening. The tanks stood harmless, their presence quickly forgotten. The lamps seemed dimmer, hiding away the titles to hundreds of books, their stacks and fallen pages abandoned. Shadows easily swallowed us up, but we didn't care. Cloud's trembling hands lifted up into my hair, taking a gentle hold of my scalp, and pushed me further into him until my lips ached. I could hear nothing but his heart beating fast against me, matching the rhythm to my mine. His kiss grew deep and hungry, a low rumble of his moan trembling my throat, but then his hands weakened.

Cloud's exhaustion caught up with him, and he grunted, pulling away just to fall to his knees.

"Cloud!" I gasped, gripping his arm.

He panted, one hand smacked to the floor to keep his face from falling over it.

"I guess I over did it a little bit," he winced, his body shaking. I tried pulling him up. He had to lean into me as we struggled to head back out through the dungeon corridor. Cloud's head laid over my shoulder, an arm draped around my neck, breathing hard.

I couldn't imagine myself half-dragging him through the entire mansion, but what else could I do? Taking it one step at a time, I assisted Cloud's limp body. So many thoughts distracted me, taking little notice to the hanging chains that slithered tiny metal arms over my shoulders. I didn't take much notice to the mangled wooden door we've passed, the dead bolt broken like someone clawed their way out. My eyes fell to the little puddles from snuck in rain water.

"You were going to go against Sephiroth with a bat. What's the matter with you?" I snapped, hating how hurt and drained Cloud allowed himself.

I felt him smile against my neck.

"I'm a fucking idiot," he whispered proudly, and he let his lips rest there.

My recent talk with Aerith, and hearing Cloud say those words, burned my cheeks. I too, smiled in the darkness, and threw in another step while Cloud's warm lips and hot breath tickled me. By the time we reached the stairs, I gaped up at them spiraling high above, ready to give up. But I shook myself out of such thoughts, and narrowed my eyes at the wet looking steps.

"We got a long ways to go," I told Cloud, his strength still there enough to help him walk. But the more we climbed the steps, the heavier he became. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Drops of water tapped at my nose and head. My boots struggled to stay put, trying not to slip while putting a hand to the cold stone walls. I pretended there weren't insects to worry about while I kept talking, anything to keep Cloud awake.

"Sephiroth mentioned you weren't in SOLDIER. But how could that be, when you fight like one? You have the uniform, don't you? I don't understand. Do you think he's lying?"

Cloud's head bobbed up and down over my shoulder. He weakly shook it, lifting a struggling step to match with mine.

"I don't care," he mumbled into my cloak.

I gasped, stopping for a moment to catch my breath. One of Cloud's arms swooped around my waist, and his hand rested at my hip.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he admitted sadly, finally realizing it, even though it was only a while ago, he told me he wanted to understand.

"But why, Cloud?" I asked desperately. How was I to help him if he wasn't even going to put in the effort anymore? Has he given up so soon?

"I've almost lost you too many times, Aqua. If not knowing my past means keeping you safe, then there's nothing to discuss. I'll live. I can make new memories."

He squeezed.

"New memories with you," he ended, words muffled in my cloak, and his face warmed against it.

My eyes stung. I licked at my lips, already wanting more of Cloud's when I found his taste fading. But then his body felt heavier, reminding me that we still had to climb.

I started again, fascinated by Cloud's sudden honesty. Was almost losing me to Sephiroth a part of that? Had he had enough holding back? Was he just drunk with exhaustion? What happened between him and Tifa? I wish I could read this thoughts.

"I thought it was just going to be hugs and hand stuff," I humored, breathing hard from the effort of keeping Cloud from slumping onto the stairs. I grunted through my teeth when we finally stepped into the small study, ready to fall to the floor.

"Here. Let me take him," a low voice grumbled.

I gasped, Cloud's body suddenly light to nonexistent, until my eyes met up with Aerith's. She smiled at me, her emerald eyes in a sparkly mood when she waved.

"We made a new friend," she chirped.

I twisted around, finding the red cloaked stranger lift a passed out Cloud over his shoulder with ease. The stranger was tall, his legs long in skinny dark leather. Lightning flashed, brightening the room briefly in white, and it reflected off of one of his hands, a golden claw with sharp fingers curled around Cloud's arm.

Yuffie screamed at the lightning, hiding in the corner of the room as a ball.

When the flash disappeared, I found the stranger's red eyes to be glowing. Thunder rattled the walls when such eyes searched mine, blank and lifeless.

"Who are you?" I asked as he straightened, able to carry Cloud himself over a shoulder.

"Call me Vincent," he growled.

More lightning.

I stepped back, afraid of this Vincent, but Aerith laid reassuring hands on my shoulders from behind, and whispered, "He's okay."

Vincent's eyes glared lightly as he mentioned, "I don't blame you for being afraid of me. No matter. I'll help you carry your friend. Where to?"

I was at a loss for words. Yuffie was too terrified to make a peep.

"We're at the Inn. Could you help us carry Cloud there?" she asked, not needing to flutter her eyelashes. Like a beast, Vincent rumbled deeply, gliding out of the room. His long black hair and cape followed him.

I dropped my jaw at Aerith, but she continued to smile at me.

"I like him!" She sang, a finger up in the air.

I blinked at her easily trusting such a figure, and replied, "He looks like a vampire."

Yuffie struggled to stand, her knees shaking from fear.

"I bet you five hundred Gil, he'll burn in the sun," she insisted, a shaky hand out.

I thought about it, and snuck a quick look at Aerith. Her smile grew.

"Deal!" I spat, and shook on it.

"You two are terrible," Aerith sighed, followed by a yawn.

We followed Vincent out of the mansion. Stepping out, the rain waited for us, unchanged, and even gained new friends, such as thunder and lightning. Another flash sparked the sky, and I clung to Aerith's arm, the storm bringing me back to memories of the swamp near Kalm. Yuffie gripped Vincent's cloak and held it up to her like a blanket. He rolled his red eyes, and continued towards the stairs, acting like he knew where he was going.

"So, Vincent, what brought you into the mansion at the right time to come stop Sephiroth? How do you know him?" I pried, walking beside him.

"One question at a time," Vincent demanded, his eyes searching over the view of Nibelheim. Could he see well into the dark? Did he take in more detail than even Cloud's Mako enhanced eyes?

"I was in the mansion for a long time," he began, eyes drifting down to the steps ahead of him.

"Many years ago, I used to work as a Turk, watching over the Jenova Project that was conducted here in the mansion."

"You were part of Shinra?" Yuffie gasped, wrapping the ends of Vincent's cloak around her head and shoulders to make her look like Little Red Riding Hood. I smiled at her innocent looking image, and Vincent sighed, a dark eyebrow raised as he tried to ignore her touching his clothes.

"During my time here, I fell in love with a beautiful scientist. Her name was Lucrecia." He then stopped, and pulled his face up to the dark sky, rain falling to his black fringe bangs over a red band around his white forehead.

"My first sin was not being able to stop her from experimenting on her child. I tried, but she wouldn't listen. She implanted Jenova's cells into her pregnant body and…" he dropped his red eyes to the three of us.

"She gave birth to Sephiroth."

The sky glowed, highlighting all of our fallen jaws and large eyes.

"Wait! Sephiroth's mother?! You mean he's human? I thought he was a test tube baby or tank or that Jenova thing you guys talked about," Yuffie gasped, her fear of lightning miraculously gone.

Thunder aggressively told us to hush.

Vincent closed his eyes.

"No. Sephiroth was born like any other child, except that he carried Jenova's cells. After his birth, Lucrecia became ill along with dwelling in guilt, tearing herself apart. I couldn't stand seeing the woman, I love, suffer. I confronted Hojo in his lab, we argued, and then…"

He lifted his free hand up, amazed to still see it intact, with all of his fingers curled into a tight fist under a brown leather glove.

"He shot me. My body became a plaything, a carcass for monster parts, until I became this. I've been asleep ever since, waiting to see how long it takes for my impaired body to decay while I rest in that coffin. Continuously dreaming of all of my sins."

"Coffin?" I jabbed, suddenly connecting the dots.

I froze one step below Vincent and gawked up at him.

"Wait! You're from THAT coffin?! The one in the basement?!" I screeched.

Vincent proceeded, hoisting Cloud's body over his shoulder a little more until his arms dangled down his back.

"Yes. And I heard your voice." He walked again, a few more steps until we reached the town.

"Me?!" I blurted, slamming a hand to my chest.

"I thought you were Lucrecia. You sound like her. You are probably the same age as her at the time. It awoke me, and then, I was stunned to see her son, all grown up, right there with all of you. How many years have passed since I've fallen asleep?" That last bit, Vincent asked himself, his eyes not on particularly anything. Lights to most of the homes around the town's square, died out, the town asleep. Only the Inn glowed to life, flickering like a warm flame to guide us home.

"So, Sephiroth is around then. Since I've enlightened all of you with my tale, will you please do the same with yours, such as how you know him?" Vincent asked any of us. He then yanked his cloak out of Yuffie's hands, startling her.

Aerith opened the Inn's door for Vincent, and he paused a moment, like the warmth inside the place was a threat. How long has it been since he felt the warmth of a fire? The smell of hot whiskey and cider? All of his senses slammed into him, his body trembling at all of them happening at once. His red eyes grew, a silent inhale through his hidden lips.

He didn't move.

I stepped close to the mysterious man, his smell reminding me of old wash rags and mud, and pressed my lips together.

"We can share our story. How about the lounge?" I suggested, gesturing pass the stairs to the large room of chairs and a warm fire.

Vince blinked, coming back, and replied quietly, "Okay."

We walked into a world of coziness. Barret fell asleep in his chair, the fireplace holding nothing but crackling embers. Red was still there, too, sleeping on that same rug. They hadn't moved an inch since we've left.

Vincent carried Cloud up to his private room, flopping him down onto his made bed. Cloud groaned, his eyebrows up while his eyes stayed closed. Aerith craned her head over him and muttered, "He's not injured, just needs to rest."

She lifted her eyes up to me and added, "Aqua, why don't you meet us downstairs? I'm going to see if I can make hot chocolate in the shared kitchen."

"Oh yeah! And we'll share stories till we fall asleep. Like a sleepover!" Yuffie encouraged.

Vincent stood tall, his eyes up to the ceiling.

"Dear God," he groaned, already regretting waking up from his coffin.

The two giggled, already warming up to the vampire like fellow. I wondered if having a crush on a vampire was really a thing, and shook my head over it while watching them leave, one lady holding each of Vincent's arms to drag him.

Poor guy. I think he was just going with the flow.

I twirled around, focused on Cloud's limp body on the bed, and laid a palm over his forehead. He was warm. The back of my hand found his cheek, also warm to the touch. He breathed deeply, already asleep. When my hand traveled to his bare chest, I felt his heart thump slowly, calm like a steady ocean. I pulled his boots off and threw a sheet over him, lastly observing his face.

Cloud slept peacefully, his closed eyes to the ceiling fan. His wet hair easily left a large wet spot onto his pillow behind his head.

I let a finger draw a teasing line across his chest under the sheet, and pulled it away before it ventured too far.

"Get some rest," I whispered, fighting the urge to slip in and curl next to him, falling asleep in his arms.

I flicked the light off from the ceiling fan. Rain tapped at the window, light only coming in from the hall to give a strip of yellow over the floor. I closed the door, and leaned my back against it, finally taking in a considerable breath and letting it fall heavily down my chest. As I exhaled, heat spread from my heart into my arms, my legs, and up into my cheeks, recalling how Cloud's lips felt. I couldn't believe it actually happened.

My fingers touched my lips, trying to pretend it was Cloud, but nothing could even come close to the real thing.

It felt like a dream. It came and went too quickly, and I sighed again, staring at the darkness outside the windows. Rain reminded me it was still there, tapping for my attention, but I turned my back to it and headed to the stairs.

By the time I joined the others at the lounge, Barret and Red were informed about Vincent's appearance. Yuffie was in the middle of a dramatic story telling, Barret at the edge of his seat while Red flapped his tail wildly.

Yuffie sat cross-legged on the floor next to Red, and she raised her hands in the air.

"You should've seen it, you guys! Cloud turned into a glowing muscle man, and almost bat Sephiroth in the face! He then threw in a punch, pushing him back!" She went on and on, recalling everything that happened, except for the kiss. I didn't think Yuffie cared about my privacy, but I was relieved she left that part out, ending with Vincent carrying a passed out Cloud upstairs.

Aerith sat in a love seat, and I joined her. I was given a warm mug filled with hot chocolate, and I let it settle warmly in my hands.

Vincent stood near the fireplace, his arms crossed. Someone must've fed more wood into the fire because fat flames cracked and flapped powerfully, and Vincent leaned into it, letting his bones warm up. He's been in the cold for so long, stepping close to the warmth must've felt like Spring to him. Barret was impressed with Yuffie's mild exaggerations and sound effects.

"So, you a vampire or something?" Barret asked, lifting hard eyes on Vincent like he was scanning him.

Vincent sighed.

"For the third time, I am not a vampire," he growled, eyes stuck to the flames beside him.

"I've endured your monologuing long enough. Please tell me, how do you all know Sephiroth?" He insisted, eyes on all of us in the room.

We all shared what we knew so far, all the way from the beginning. It felt like over an hour, with Yuffie's enthusiasm interrupting, and Barret grumbling about Shinra. Mugs emptied. Aerith slumped heavily on her end of the chair, her head across its cushioned arm. Yuffie fell asleep on the floor, using Red's body as a soft pillow, which he didn't seem to mind. Barret snored. I barely drank my hot cocoa, my stomach still in knots from the recent events, and settled it on a side table. The fire died down, tiny little flames dancing around like glowing red children over a broken, ashen log.

Vincent's eyes closed, his body a statue against the fireplace's mantel, not any part of him trembling with exhaustion from being in one position for almost two hours.

I yawned, rubbing at my eyes, and blinked them open to a sleeping Aerith. She smiled sweetly as she dreamt, her arms crossed under her chin.

"You aren't tired?" I heard, Vincent's low voice pulling me to look up at him.

He opened his eyes, gazing at a painting of a field of white flowers above the mantel.

"No," I replied, looking down to my hands fumbling with my skirt.

"I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight. But that's okay. Uh, what about you? Did you get enough sleep?" I joked, trying to see if I could make him smile.

Vincent closed his eyes again, keeping his mouth hidden behind his red collar. He could probably stand still for years if he wanted to.

"It sounds like I've slept for over thirty years. I don't think I need anymore any time soon," he muttered. It gave me chills when he opened his eyes to me, and they appeared unnatural. Eyes of a melancholic predator.

"Were your eyes always red?" I blurted, and gasped, covering up my mouth with a hand too late. Vincent closed his eyes, and I couldn't tell if he smirked or not.

"No. They were amber," he simply answered, and didn't say another word. He kept them closed, as though afraid to insult me with their crimson stare.

I swallowed, and leaned back in the love seat, watching the fire. My thoughts drifted to Cosmo Canyon and its candle, of Aerith and Cloud. All that's happened in just a few days.

Now that we've reached Nibelheim, it was a waste of time. Meeting Sephiroth was nothing more than a step in his pleasurable game to abuse Cloud. And yet, something changed, something significant that may have not occurred if we hadn't come here. Cloud started his farewell with his passed away Mother. Tifa finally opened up to Cloud. Sephiroth revealed clues about the Ancients. Cloud kissed me. And we met Vincent.

"Vincent?" I began, and I waited for his eyes to open. When he did, I asked, "What will you do now? Go back to your coffin? Or come with us to hopefully encounter Dr. Hojo?"

Vincent tapped his chin with his golden claws on his left hand, and simmered for a minute.

"I will not rest until I get my hands on…" He cleared his throat, the name too heavy in there to come out easily.

"Hojo…" he exhaled with effort, and then sighed. "I will join you, hoping it increases my chances of meeting with him, and getting my revenge for what he did to Lucrecia."

I noticed he didn't mention anything about revenge for what Hojo did to his body. Vincent may felt he deserved it, instead focused heavily on avenging his lost Love.

I then thought of the picture I picked up. Quietly, I unzipped my belt pouch, pulled out the folded sepia photo, and unfolded it in my lap. I stared at it again for a few seconds before rising and lending it to Vincent.

"Which one is Lucrecia in this photo?" I asked, interested. Vincent's claws reached it, the gold tips tapping at the photo without trying to pierce it, and pulled it up to his face. I wedged next to his tall frame, and looked up over his shoulder. He was probably six and a half feet tall.

Quietly, he planted a gloved finger over the familiar looking woman, the one with Hojo's hand over her shoulder.

"There. That's Lucrecia," he whispered, and I thought his body shivered.

I stared.

It was no wonder she looked familiar. I could see traces of Sephiroth's beauty in her, the way her hair dropped, and her eyes. In the sepia photo, I pictured her eyes intense blue or aqua, her stare that told secrets like Sephiroth's gaze.

My mouth slowly opened, glad to have finally gotten some clarity.

"She's beautiful," I whispered, and my eyes hardened at Hojo's hand on her, like he was a disease that sickened her pure body and soul.

"But why does Hojo have his hand on her like that? Were they together?" I asked nervously.

Vincent hissed lightly, and crossed his arms.

"They were married. Hojo is Sephiroth's father," he grunted, eyes closed.

I gasped, and snapped my eyes to Vincent to make sure he wasn't joking. No way anyone would marry that sleazy-ball scientist. That beautiful woman married him?! Was it the money? The intelligence? What?

"You mean Hojo experimented on his own unborn child?" I breathed so quietly for only Vincent's ears, or maybe because it just sounded too painful to say it any louder. A pain smacked me somewhere in the chest. Why would Hojo do such a thing? Was there a motive to his behavior, or was he just insane?

"He did. And Lucrecia let him," Vincent added.

Sephiroth's father. Dr. Hojo, the man he despised, was his own father all along. Did he know that?

"He should know the truth," I muttered. "Sephiroth should know. He thinks Jenova is his Mother."

Vincent whipped his head, the first real quick movement he's done thus far since we've met, and he stared at me with his red eyes slightly opening up more.

"I don't think it matters at this point. He's gone, taken over by her cells," he finalized.

I stared back at the photo again, Vincent joining me. He winced a bit when he scanned it heavily.

I surveyed the handsome man in the dark suit, his black hair similar to Vincent's, that same stare, his eyes on Lucrecia in the photo. My finger tapped to that gentleman in the photo, and asked, "Is that you?"

Vincent looked away, his head turned to the flower field painting, deciding which is more durable to look at, and ended up dropping his stare to the fire.

"What's it matter?" He growled, eyelids heavy with a deep pit of despair.

"You were handsome," I tried to uplift. Was it possible to cheer up Vincent?

"Were?" Vincent challenged. I couldn't detect any humor in it, and I stiffened.

"Uh, I mean, you still are. In a cryptic way," I panicked.

"Cryptic?"

I was digging myself deeper into a hole, afraid to peeve the grim reaper that is Vincent.

"I mean-"

"It's okay. I'm trying to joke here," he grumbled, and tucked his face deeper into his collar. If he were blushing, his face remained white.

I blinked, marveled at his attempt to try to be more human.

"Oh, you were messing with me," I clarified, and smiled.

Vincent sighed, and lent me his hand.

"The photo, please," he demanded in a low voice. Politely, I handed it to him. He took a sweep of it with his narrowed eyes, and then he carelessly tossed it into the fire. I gasped, pulling back the urge to reach for it when it was already smoldering and turning black. Sadly, I watched the photo curl up its black corners and shrivel into a large leathery piece, a tall column of black smoke escaping from it.

"I dream of my sins every day. Why carry a picture of it around to dream it when I'm awake, too?" Vincent asked me heavily.

I had no words for such a question, and remained silent.

"You do sound like her, though. And you have hair like Sephiroth's. For a second, I thought you two were related," Vincent shared.

I couldn't tell if he was trying to be funny again, and scoffed.

"That wouldn't make any sense, and thank Gods," I mumbled, and stared across the rug where Yuffie snored, her head wedged over Red's back. I then scanned Aerith, ready to wake her, unless…

"Vincent, can you carry Aerith to bed for me? I'd hate to wake her," I dared. He lifted his eyes up to the ceiling, and then closed them.

"Leave her be. I will watch," he rumbled gently.

I was a little disappointed. Sleeping alone in a room with three beds seemed almost as less inviting as the Shinra Mansion. I gave sleeping Aerith one last look, hoping that she stirred, but she was motionless, just her mouth slightly open to let out her tiny sounds. Barret's snores easily tuned out everyone else's.

Yuffie curled herself up, comfortable feeling the heat of the fire, and Red's heart beat nudging against her head. Red appreciated the warmth of another soul, welcoming it. I lifted my head up, pretending I could see through the ceiling to the second floor, and wondered if Tifa was resting peacefully like everyone down here?

My footsteps followed up the stairs, and muttered to Vincent, "Good night, Vincent."

He didn't say anything, but I knew he heard. He was comfortable with silence. I dragged my exhausted body upstairs, pausing at the top, hesitating to go to bed. But I couldn't really go anywhere else, could I? I gave one last glance at the door to Cloud's private room, still shut, and passed it without second thoughts. Let him sleep. He needs to rest. Ask him all the questions in the morning.

What questions? It's obvious...

Even with a fatigue body, my heart, and mind wouldn't slow down, both throbbing as I rounded a corner to the other hall with windows that overlooked the town's square.

I stopped.

Standing there, gazing down at one window, Tifa stood. She didn't even acknowledge me when it was obvious I was present, frozen as I watched her stare at her old home outside, a world that forgot about her.

Her eyes were dim, her long and beautiful dark hair a mess over the shoulders of her cotton robe.

Should I say something?

"Tifa, you're up late," I tried to lighten, waving at her. I noticed her hands gripped tight to her elbows, the dim hall lanterns gleaming over the tops of her breasts.

She didn't even blink when she droned, "It's a shame there are no windows in my room. I can't believe I'm staying at an Inn in my own hometown. I can't even go in my old house."

I stood next to her, and turned serious when I asked, "How are you holding up?"

She hissed, like my question was an insult, and her eyes glued to the old water tower.

"Stuck in the past, it seems," she replied weakly, and a glass of a smile, cracked across her pale face. She scoffed and tried to smile wider, more cracks, and bowed her head.

"You must hate me," she mumbled.

I stab hit me in the chest.

"I don't hate you…" I answered uneasily. I thought it was complicated.

"Well then, you should."

"Why is that?"

She scoffed again, and shook her head, her hair dangling over her eyes and down her face.

"Because…"

And there was a hard slap.

That was the third time I got slapped in this world. Tifa must've held back because with her martial arts strength, I'm sure she could've shattered my skull. Instead, my left cheek swelled into my lips, burning from Tifa's non-fighting glove hand. She must at least had some regard for me.

Tifa's slap twisted my head around, forcing me to stare through globs of fresh tears, out the window, noticing her hometown dark and sleeping without her in it.

I was so caught off guard, I gasped, my tears speckling to the glass, and noticed my reflection with wide eyes.

"It's all your fault. If you hadn't come here, then things would've been different. I wish you would just go back home," Tifa whimpered.

I ran a trembling hand over my burning cheek, and prayed there wasn't a mark.

"I know…" I whispered, knowing where she was coming from.

Tifa had silent tears, but she spoke as though she was collected, and darkly upset.

"I would've been-"

"It's too late!" I cried, hands on her shoulders to shake the nonsense out of her. Tifa gasped, her wet eyes large on me. We were about the same level, maybe she was a little taller.

"Enough, Tifa. Enough is enough. I know. I know you're hurt. I've been walking on eggshells around it ever since we've met. I've known you loved Cloud since the beginning. I had no intention of ever getting in between you two. Just know that I tried advocating for you. I tried thinking about you instead of my fucking self. I know!" I argued, suddenly in tears. My voice grew, and I had to take a deep breath to lower it, in case others could hear.

I shook her shoulders again, and muttered in a hushed tone, "But what about Cloud? What does he want? Have you ever thought about what he wanted? Can you be okay with him figuring out what he wants, if it makes him happy? Yes, you two have history and old dreams. But we change. Dreams change."

And mine changed a long time ago.

Cloud's words froze me, lending Tifa a chance to smack my hands away.

"Bullshit," she hissed, and she put a hand across her wet eyes. "Bullshit," she repeated, weaker.

I tried to smile, even just a little, but it hurt to lift my left cheek up, so it was almost a half smile.

"Have you told him how you felt?" I encouraged. Tifa gasped so sharply, I took a few steps back, her red eyes glaring while her hands slammed into her chest where her broken heart still sat.

"How dare you," she said through her teeth. I didn't mean that as an insult, thinking Tifa's eyes could rip me to pieces.

She stormed pass, returning to her room, but I twirled around and tugged on her robe.

"Tifa, wait!" I gasped, halting her. She stopped, her hand just about to reach for the door to her private room. Fuming, she waited.

"Back in Costa De Sol, I remember you talking about Cloud's memories. How it bothered you that he got his story wrong. What did he get wrong, exactly? How bad was it?"

Tifa slumped against her door, suddenly looking half dead, her eyes glued to its knob where she wanted to reach. She sniffed, and rubbed a palm up her eyes to wipe the leftover tears.

"This again? Don't meddle where you don't belong," she sniffled, and her hand clutched the door knob. She stepped away, pulling her robe out of my fingers, and rammed her door open.

"No," I stormed, and wedged my boot before the door could slam in my face. Through the wide crack, Tifa looked down as she struggled to push the door shut. It was going to cut into my foot, tearing into my boot's leather skin until it began to grow a searing pain. My fingers latched on the door's edge, and I tried again.

"Tell me. Please?" I begged.

I gave her the chance she wanted. Would she at least give me mine?

"Please, I'm begging you," I uttered.

Tifa stopped fighting me, but she didn't open the door any wider. Her head froze in the gap, and she sighed, her chest rising under her robe.

Her tongue lapped around her lips, to lick away her tears, and she took a deep breath, red eyes flickering up to me and then back to the wood floor.

"He wasn't there…"

My fingers stiffened at the door.

"What?"

Tifa tried again, taking another deep breath, and she finally gave me her eyes. They were alive, full of pain that she didn't want to face, but answering to me was going to force her to acknowledge it.

"Cloud was never there. He didn't show up five years ago," she confirmed with a trembling voice.

My mouth dried when I sucked in a large breath, and held it.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, not quite understanding. Cloud never in Nibelheim five years ago? What about his story? His Mother dying?

Tifa dropped her eyes when she answered, "Because I waited for him. I heard of Shinra troops and a few SOLDIER coming to visit here. I got excited, waiting for him at the gate, thinking my hero was going to come back. And…"

Her voice dropped.

"He never did."

Goosebumps cascaded through my shoulders and my ankles, feeling them weaken.

So, that's why Tifa couldn't tell Cloud. I had hoped it was just some small thing, a flaw or forgotten detail.

But it was everything.

"But then how? How did he come up with that story? Was it even accurate? Did any of that really happen?" I shivered.

"Yes, it was accurate. Everything he said was true. Except that he wasn't there. The mission. Sephiroth going mad. The fire. My injury. It all happened. But I never saw him. I don't know how Cloud knows. I don't think he's lying, but I can't tell him," Tifa pleaded.

Her eyes narrowed at me.

"There. Now you know. Now go tell him and see what a great person you are. Tell him all that I told you, if you think that's the right thing to do. And see if he still loves you," she hissed sarcastically, and with that, she slammed the door, a wall of air blowing in my face.

I stiffened for a few seconds, half thinking my nose got stuck, and then blinked to wake up from the rough end of our conversation. Residue of our encounter pulsed through me, quaking me to the point of wanting to fall to the floor. But I held my breath, sucking in a shaky gasp, and wobbled to my room. I didn't even turn on the light. In five quick steps, I rushed all the way to the end where my bed sat, and flopped on it.

My face fell into a pillow, and, like it was planned for me to have the room to myself, I cried.

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