1 Note from author: C'mon guys review this if you are going to read it please review

2 Disclaimer: Square stuff belongs to Square the rest to Falkon and me.

Note: Stuff between the *s are thoughts.

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5 Whispers of a Shadowed Soul

*Hate has made her like me… I suppose. Ghast didn't turn her inside out trying to turn her into a perfect soldier. She was a hero, she stopped Sephiroth… Cloud pretended to lead. Cloud dealt with seconds in the lifestream and became completely inebriated Tifa swam for hours and then pulled his worthless ass out.* "Tifa… I need to talk to you." Vincent said as Cloud stumbled over his own feet in a vain attempt to leave with some dignity.

Tifa whirled to face Vincent, her eyes still full of rage. She let out a small growl.

*What now?* "Well? What is it?" she snapped. Vincent got down on one knee and wrapped his cape back around his shoulders and paused for a moment to do up the collar.

"Unless you plan on hitting me too, don't you dare snap at me." Vincent spat the words back at her.

"What the hell? What makes you think you have the right to…" Tifa paused as she caught herself. She forced herself to calm down. "I'm sorry Vincent. I'm still a little angry and it looks like Cloud can't take it anymore." *I'm going to have to watch myself more now. Maybe I have changed.*

"Please Tifa, Don't belittle me with the anger you force on him. I'm here to help you… If you don't want the help, tell me." Vincent knelt over again to pick up his candelabra. *Little girl… Now is not the time to mess with me.*

" I'm sorry Vincent, I have a lot of anger and Cloud is too much of a little priss to take it. What the hell do you expect me to do?" Tifa's voice held a hint of anger. *Vincent now is not the time to F-ck with me*

"Tifa, I expect you to take your anger out on the sinner… not the saviour." Vincent stroked the flame of one of the candles with his palm.

"Yeah you're right. Well what should I do with the sinner since he can't take much more, my dark angel?" Tifa gave him a slightly evil smile.

"Emotionally you have slain him, physically he can't take the punishment you deal… Hmmm, yet you wish to destroy him completely? You aren't good with subtleties yet little one… let him live, suffering comes from his life… you are beyond his grasp now, the muck of his existence will no longer stand your presence."

" Fine. Though there is something I did want to ask you…" Tifa paused as her hand went to the side of her neck. There blood there was now dried completely. "So when I ask you to your face it's wrong to use me as your juice box, but it's fine to take from me in my sleep?"

"Not until you answer my question…" Said Vincent with increasing frustration in his voice; "You tell me if it is right to use Cloud as a toy… to play with his emotions and take away the thing he desires the most by simply being near me."

"Hmmm, to toy with him like a cat toys with a ball of yarn. Well it is what he deserves but I stay near you for my own reasons. Now will you answer my question?" *Why the hell do you have to try and dodge everything I ask you and send it back at me?*

"Tifa… I admit to taking your blood but I cannot say weather it is wrong or right, I loathe the fact I cause you suffering by doing it and having you beg me for it makes me ill… So I do it when I cant hurt you." * Stop asking me these questions Tifa… You have no reason to know these things and you have no right to ask me anything… you should be so lucky as to be alive! *

"You don't get it do you? I only suffer when you don't take it from me when I ask; it hurts me even more that you would take it from me when I am unaware of it! Then you pretend to open yourself to me only to lead me on and close yourself back up!" *Why are you still hiding from me? What the hell did I ever do to you?* Tifa began to get infuriated.

"I opened nothing, I closed nothing… But you did enough coming on to me to lead me to believe just the contrary about your legs. I lead you nowhere… you have no idea what my bite feels like do you? You think it's pleasurable? I assure you… having Cloud vomit down your throat would be more pleasurable…"

" I never lead you anywhere you were the one who started this. If your bite is so damn horrible then why the hell did I not wake up until Cloud began to scream?" *You were the one leading me around, hell I couldn't help but fall for you. So what if my legs are open to you I doubt you'd ever care. Now that would be pleasure*

"You ignorant slut. Sleep is a common materia. I dull your senses and t-h-e-n bite you." *Stop talking before I kill you*

"Ignorant slut eh? I'm surprise Vincent; I now see why you speak so much of ignorance, since you embrace it so closely. I'll clear things up for you I want to embrace you because I love you! All right I f-cking love you, but that wouldn't matter would it? You couldn't see love if you were beaten by it!" *What the hell am I? Why the hell won't anyone love me how tough is it?*

*Of course loving me means something… it means you're still human * "I won't love you because you don't really love me! You're used to loving Cloud and now your goddamn confused!" Vincent clenched his fist hard enough to crack his knuckles. Then Tifa could see the rage burn within him and he hammered the wall closest to him… she could swear the house howled…

"Don't you dare tell me how I feel! Don't you goddamn well dare! If anything I see more clearly now then I ever did… I thought I love Cloud, but I was wrong. I fell in love with the idea of being loved! I don't care any more… screw love no one else seems to need it. I give up!" *Why even bother any more. I'll let my heart grow cold like yours* God help her… Vincent laughed.

"What the hell is so funny?!" Tifa screamed.

"I find it incredibly amusing that you still persist! You 'helped' Cloud… and look at him now! Your love is like a virus leaching energy from the healthy as some sort of sick hobby of yours. Cloud is a shell of a being and I am simply immune to the sickness that you bring."

Tifa fell to her knees sobbing. " Why the hell do you always have to be right?" she looked up at him her eyes pleading with him from behind the tears.

"Please. You're ruining my rug. Salt is horrible for them." * I don't have to be right; you just have some sick obsession with being wrong. *

Tifa got to her feet and without another word she left. *I just can't take it anymore…*

"Going back to the one that loves you then? You know because you almost consent it won't be rape…"

Vincent was roused from his slumber the next night by familiar screams… Cloud's screams. When Vincent stepped out from the mansion he was greeted by a crowd around the well watching Cloud. Cloud had been bound to the well by razor wire, his cure materia still equipped. A handful of people had started in on trying freeing Cloud. Tifa stepped out from the shadows behind Vincent. Her hands where horribly lacerated, blood trickled down her fingers. There was also a small cut on her face still bleeding. Her dark clothes were in shreds. She looked very weary. "He was unconscious up until about and five minutes ago. I think I like him better this way. I call my work of art 'Drip on a Well'. You inspired it. What do you think?" She gave a sincere yet dark smile. * I'm tired of hiding my true feelings… It's about time I let people know how I feel. * Vincent with zeal no other had seen him with leapt from the steps leading to his mansion. With offhanded casting he erupted into haste and without a second thought cured Tifa.

"What the hell do you think you are doing little girl? I saved you because you made a stupid decision and now it's as if you have gone out looking for them." Vincent yelled as he gestured to Cloud. "You think your title is endearing? That you can dress murder and make it look elegant? What has become of the Tifa with morals and emotion, Hmm?" *At least I'm ready for any retaliation… I hope they don't decide now would be the time to cast stones…*

"What the hell am I supposed to do then? He has torn my soul deeper then the razor wire could ever cut into his flesh. I think he has gotten what he deserves." Tifa spat to him. * You cut just as deeply*

"Hmph, Then my help is no longer needed… you can live in the dead mans home." Vincent brandished his quicksilver and pressed it to Clouds temple. * Come on Tifa, I know you are in there… react damn it…*

"Vincent stop!" Tifa cried as she flew at Vincent with Final Heaven. When her fist met his flesh Vincent went reeling. "Please …" *I'm so sorry Vincent, I never wanted to hurt you.* Vincent rose… albeit slowly clutching his chest while he cast regenerate and cure2.

"As you wish." Vincent said with a low bow and the hiding of quicksilver once more. Tifa turned to Cloud and ripped him still entangled in the razor wire down from the well. Her hands were now bleeding severely, though she didn't seem to notice.

" What were you thinking Vincent? Why kill him?"

"Did I kill him? It's what you were thinking… you almost took his life." * Thank god… there is a light on inside.*

"I didn't want to kill him. He still has his cure materia on him… I just wanted to show him the pain I've endured…" Tifa sighed. *What's wrong with me?*

"Then there is no harm in showing you what pain is?" With that Vincent raised his heavy gauntleted hand and struck Tifa with all his force in her stomach. "If you can still bear to love me… fine… I love you more than he ever could… and it hurts me to see you in pain. I loathe his existence and have even flippantly ignored him but I have never caused him pain or tried to kill him… this is all I shall teach you because that is all I have learned… heroes do not deserve to be killed by other heroes while they sleep." A blood tear ran out of Vincent's eye and was quickly wiped away with the back of his hand. Tifa looked Vincent in the eyes, hers filling with tears, She wiped them away with her bloodied hand; her own blood now streaked her face.

"How could I not love you?" * you are the hero*

"Bu…bu… T-t-t-tifa you can't love him!" Cloud struggled hard against the razor wire lacerating his wrists and throat. "You love me… I love you… a monster like him can't love! Please Tifa." Clouds next words were indecipherable as he choked on his own sobs.

"I don't know why you love me… but I thank you for doing so…" Then out of No-where… Vincent smiled. "No one has loved me since Lucrecia…"

" I love you because you are my friend, my savior, and one of the few people who has truly treated me well and cared about me." Tifa turned to Cloud. " I don't love you Cloud. Since you think Vincent is a monster then obviously monsters are my type, which doesn't include scum… like you Cloud." *Finally a smile* While she was smiling to herself Vincent took the back of her hands and faced her palms upward. He bent over and licked the open wound… trying desperately not to take too deeply of her sweet… mako filled blood. Then before giving in he hastily cast a Cure spell on her.

"I will try to live up to your expectations." *You have fallen for the worst of all monsters Tifa… I hope I never hurt you. * A few brave townspeople gathered up Cloud razor wire and all and carried his sobbing mass to the hospital. The rest of the crowd followed wondering about what had really happened. Tifa gave a small smile to Vincent.

" You don't need to try Vincent. You have already succeeded." * I need to focus again, I need to keep occupied. Since the defeat of Sephiroth I no longer have a driving goal. I'm lost. That's it I'm lost! That is what's been troubling me for so long. I'm not becoming a monster, I just need to find my way again. Show me the way. *



Moments later Nanaki arrived in the town, seeing Tifa and Vincent near the well he loped towards them. * Finally I can be free of this curse, I can put it in safe hands. I will no longer fear that the power of this materia may never be abused. What the… Blood! * Nanaki halted as he reached the well and stepped in a puddle of Clouds blood, nearly dropping the Nefarious materia he held in his jaws. He leapt away from the puddles of blood * This cannot be right. * As Tifa and Vincent turned to greet Nanaki, he placed the materia upon a dry part of the ground between his paws. " What in the name of mako is going on here?" *Please let have just been a monster that mistakenly wandered into town. Let this town remain a peaceful place. The fate of all that is good rests upon it.*