I Don't Know You Anymore pt. 3

Disclaimer: Been here, said this. Not saying it again. See chapter 1 if you really think I own anything.

A/N: Nothing to say. Continues where part 2 left off.

**Because I don't know you anymore

I don't recognize this place

the picture frames have changed and so has your name**

Blade took another swig of beer. The loud music of the nightly beach party made a good distraction, but drunkenness was much more effective. He looked up to see Shard in nearly the same state, dancing with some girl who was more wasted than either of them. Her eyes were glaze d slightly and she looked ready to fall over, but she was HOT. Short blond hair, tank top, heels, and slits all the way up the already too short skirt. Blade didn't recognize her, but that didn't surprise him. His vision and mind were both so clouded it was a miracle that he'd recognized Shard, his best friend.

"Hey Shard! Nice!" he yelled over the roar of the party.

Shard glanced at him and smiled. "Hey, good luck to you man!" he called over his shoulder as the girl dragged him off to a more private part of the beach.

Amused, Blade grabbed yet another What was this? Fifth? Sixth? More than that? Did it even matter? 'Nah,' he decided as he chugged half of it almost immediately.

"Hey Blade! Good to see that you're feeling better!" a woman's voice said from behind him. Turning, Blade saw Chain walking towards him. He grinned.

"Yep, and getting better all the time!" he called, taking in her clothes. Or rather, her lack of them. She wore a black triangular bikini top that exposed a lot of cleavage. To go with that, she had on black jean shorts that were so tight they could have been a second skin. An image of long chestnut hair, tight fitting white shirt, brown miniskirt and lively mahogany eyes flashed through his mind. Immediately, he banished the thought and turned his attention to the woman at hand.

"Good to hear," Chain replied, grinning. She grabbed a beer and drained it in three seconds flat. It was amazing. Blade had seen her drinking at least twice as much as him already but she looked like she was just getting started. This chick had major tolerance.

"So, wanna dance Blade?" she asked.

"Sure. Why not? It's better than standing here." He finished his own booze, tossed the can over his shoulder, and let Chain pull him onto the part of the shore that served as the dance floor, all earlier thoughts of Tifa forgotten in his half drunken stupor.

**We don't talk much anymore

we keep running from these sentences

but what I wouldn't give to see your face again**

The full moon shone on Tifa from overhead. She leaned on the railing of a ship, halfway across the ocean on her way back to Costa Del Sol. The cool salty spray cleared her head, and the sea breeze whipped her long hair behind her. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift. Not counting a few days earlier, the last time she'd been on a boat crossing the ocean she'd been with the rest of AVALANCHE and they'd had an encounter with Sephiroth. Of course, back then Aeris had been alive and Cloud had never stuck her.

Her lips curled angrily at the memory of his hand slamming against her cheek, jarring her neck and causing her eyes to water out of shock. When she arrived in Costa Del Sol, she had every intention of telling Blade exactly what she thought of him- in between punches as she beat him senseless. Old friend or not, she was going to treat him the same way she'd treat any man who dared to do that to her. For a moment the thought gave her immense pleasure, but then she felt a guilty twinge in her stomach.

'Go away,' she thought angrily. 'Blade disserves what he's about to get and then some! I have no reason to have second thoughts!'

The bruise on her face was beginning to fade from bright blue to a lighter shade of purple, but it was still painfully clear to her. No, she would not have second thoughts, not so close to her destination. Tifa steeled herself against her conscience. She was more than halfway there. There was no turning back now. Backing away from the railing, she lay on a nearby bench to stargaze. Half awake, she started to drift off. Just as she closed her eyes, she could have sworn that the stars burned a brilliant blue with a glowing Mako tinge.

**I know I let you down

again and again

I know I never really treated you right

I've paid the price

I'm still paying for it every day**

Blade and Chain were out of site of the party, rolling in the sand and occasionally getting smacked by a large wave, making out. A six pack lay a few feet away, a supply for later. Both of them were now drop dead drunk. Chain had had so much liquor that even her incredible tolerance had given out. She swayed when she tried to walk and slurred all of her words.

"Mmm..... Blade..... you sure 'er feelin' be'er..." Chain managed as she paused for breath, smiling as she looked up at him.

"Tol' ya," Blade grinned.

"Mmmhmm, bu' yer better'n I thought," she murmured, running her fingers through his spiky black hair. Suddenly, she started to pull off his leather jacket and he helped by attempting to wiggle his arms out of the sleeves.

'Oh yeah..... this is what I need.... ' he thought. 'This is a perfect painkiller.' Gazing down into her metallic gray eyes, he let himself totally forget Aeris as he reached over to unsnap her bikini top. But as she clumsily started to slip him out of his shirt, something, whether it was the alcohol in his brain or his subconscious he didn't know, caused him to again see her eyes turn green. He started, shaking his head. Blinking down at her, the eyes changed back to her own.

"S'matter, Bladey?" Chain asked, noticing his hesitation.

"N-nothing," he replied. But when he looked again, her eyes seemed to turn to a lively brown, then wise green, and back again.

"NO!" he cried, pulling away. 'This can't be happening....' he thought wildly. The more he looked at Chain, however, the swifter her eyes seemed to shift in color until it was all one big blur. Almost desperately, he tore himself away from his friend.

"Hey Blade! C'me back!" Chain protested.

"No! Stop!" he yelled. Stumbling awkwardly to his feet, he grabbed the six pack and took off as fast as his wasted legs would carry him. What was happening to him? How could he even begin to compare Tifa to Aeris? There was no competition.... right? Finally, he collapsed, exhausted, in the sand, out of sight of Chain, who he could still faintly hear calling after him.

"I'm sorry Aeris..... I couldn't save you....." Blade said quietly to himself. He yanked a can out of its plastic bindings. "I'm so sorry," he murmured before gulping at the alcohol as fast as he could, his only thought of stopping the barrage of confusion and guilt assaulting him. The last thing he remembered before the world went black was two pairs of eyes dancing in front of his face, one green, one brown.

**So maybe I shouldn't have called

was it too soon to tell?

oh what the hell

it doesn't really matter

how do you redefine something that never really had a name?**

"Miss? Miss, wake up. We're here."

"Hmm?" Tifa opened his eyes and looked at the man above her in confusion. It took her a moment before she realized that he worked on the ship and was telling her that they'd finally made it. When had she fallen asleep?

"Thanks," she said tiredly. Looking around, she noticed that it was already past noon. Holy, how long had she been asleep? Yawning, she picked up her bag and walked down to the dock. She saw the remnants of a party much like the one at Blade's house scattered along the beach, but no Blade. All the better. She wanted to prepare a bit before "visiting" him.

She checked into the Inn. After getting something to eat, she went to her room and put her stuff on her bed. Digging through her bag until she found a hairbrush, Tifa absently looked out the window, a now familiar habit. Carefully, she brushed back the long chestnut locks and pulled them into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. The last thing she needed was for her hair to get in her way today. That would not be good at all. Taking out her Dragon Claw glove, she examined the weapon with approval. Even through the months of disuse, it was still in good condition. It wasn't her best weapon by far, but she only wanted to hurt Blade, not kill him, and she had the foresight to realize that she might do just that without meaning to with her Premium Heart. This would do. Yes, this would do beautifully. Slipping onto her hand, she looked in the mirror.

Tifa looked dangerous and she knew it, with her killer body, eyes burning with rage, and the remnants of the bruise emphasizing her cheek. It was going on 2:00pm, according to the clock on the dresser. Confidently, trying to rid herself of all leftover doubts, she walked outside, ignoring the stares she received. She went straight to Cloud's house.

'No, Blade,' she reminded herself sarcastically, mocking him in her head. 'The jerk.'

Once she reached the porch, though, she hesitated. Was this really a good idea? Was this really the way to fix things? And if it was, was it too soon after the incident to tell anything definite from his reaction? Did she really want to hurt him, or was it just her injured pride and broken heart talking? 'What the hell,' she thought, casting uncertainty away. That didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that he had hurt her in more ways than one, and now it was payback time.

Preparing what she was going to say once more, she thought wistfully about what she and Cloud had once had. But what had they had in the first place? They'd never gone on a date. Sure, Cloud had been infatuated with her as a child, but what about now? Could she really redefine her relationship with him when she wasn't even sure what it had been originally? 'Well, whatever it was, it's not something good now. Hello? He HIT you, remember?' the still hurt part of herself reminded her. Nodding, she made her decision.

Taking a deep breath, Tifa raised her fist and brought it down hard on the door.

A/N: Oooh.... a cliffhanger!!! I'm proud! So what do you think? I think you'll be surprised at what happens...... But you'll just have to wait, have patience, and review if you ever want to find out. I'm evil like that.