And all together it went well
We made pretend we were best friends
Then she said, "Oh, I can wait"
They ordered me to make mistakes
Together again like the beginning
It all works somehow in the end
The things we did, the things you hide
And for the record, it's between you and I
-Barely Legal, The Strokes

"The hurricane's supposed to completely clear out before morning comes," James noted with slight interest the following morning. No one seemed to listen to him, as they were all busy digesting the news of Emperor Cloud Strife.

"They put THAT mad man in charge?! We're all doomed!" Biggs was filling Reeve's shoes as the local pessimist quite well.

"Wait, what did you say James?" Reno turned his bright eyes on the Cetra with curiosity. "About the storm?"

"It's supposed to be clearing out tonight."

He looked around at the others in the main hall. "Well, what's keeping Shinra here then?"

No one had an answer.

Vincent nodded toward Reno. "I'd say some investigation is needed."

***

"Can I get you anything, sir?"

"What on the Planet were they thinking, just up and making me Emperor?!"

"Cup of coffee?"

"I'm a SOLDIER not a politician!"

"Perhaps a bite to eat?"

"I don't know what I'm doing!"

"Er...perhaps some more advisors?"

Cloud stared down the brunette secretary for a moment, proud when she didn't squirm. "Sounds good."

"Er, which one?"

"All three! On the double now, Josephine!"

"Right away sir!"

***

Tifa was just beginning to think that she was going to have to complain to Cloud about the lack of entertainment in his place when someone knocked at his apartment door.

"Miss Lockhart? Are you in there? The Emperor asked me to come get you. I assure you, I am not a SOLDIER here to throw you in prison. Emperor Strife has ordered the sentence on you lifted. Now," the voice, definitely feminine, paused. "May I come in?"

"Uh, alright," stumbling slightly with shock, she turned the lock and let the door swing open, revealing a very professional looking woman with shoulder length auburn hair wearing a business suit of sorts.

"Hello," the woman greeted her with a smile. "I'm Elle. I manage all of the Emperor's personal business. I'm here to show you to the Emperor's office."

"Er...o...k..." Tifa paused. "Why?"

Elle shrugged. "I don't ask questions, I just do what I'm told."

"Alright, I guess I'll be coming with you."

***

"Er…Reeve?" Aeris cocked her head in a perplexed fashion. "Have you noticed it's been awfully quiet for quite some time now?"

The man gave a thoughtful look before nodding. "Yeah. Incredibly quiet."

"Almost like-"

"-they're done."

Both leapt from the spots on the sofa and sprinted for the door, scarcely remembering to throw the door open in wake of their excitement. Before long, both were practically skipping to the edge of town where signs of a smoldering Costa del Sol had been visible for some time after the heated battle had erupted.

No loud rumbles of airships or rapid explosions of gunfire could be made out but a steady beat could be distinguished from the rustling wind. The sound of thousands of tired souls marching home at last.

***

Biggs was glaring, Wedge was seething, and Caleb was looking quite the nervous Shinra soldier. Jessie was hovering protectively as Vincent and Shion went over final details with the three selected to "investigate."

"Now then, Biggs, Wedge, let Caleb do most of the talking and try not to get in the way," Shion was saying.

"Hey!" Biggs interrupted. "We're not three years old!"

"Could have surprised me," Jessie found herself mumbling under her breath, to be met with a snicker from Caleb as almost tangible anger soared from the two false soldiers.

"Alright now, stay on task," Vincent raised his voice in warning.

"Yeah, yeah," Wedge muttered. "So, can we leave and get this over with?"

Shion and Vincent sighed as one. "Yes," Vincent told him at last. "Just, go and hurry back."

"Sir, yes sir!"

***

"We'll be going back to Midgar soon."

"I know."

"Many 'accidents' can happen on an airship," Scarlett peeked cautiously out the office window.

"Yes, but any not openly involving us?" Heidegger raised a gray eyebrow up at the blonde vixen before him, who bit down on her lip, gossip clearly written in her eyes.

"My dear Heidegger, you really should keep up with latest news."

"What are you getting at?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes and took her seat in front of her companion's desk. "Strife's ordered Tifa Lockhart's name cleared! Rumor has it he's got her stashed away somewhere. They were supposedly good childhood friends."

"…aaaaand?"

"Oh, you dolt!" The woman had to resist reaching across the desk and smacking some sense into the dense man. "Tifa Lockhart will almost definitely be on that airship with us! No one will trust her! All we have to do is-" she paused, leaned in and began speaking once more in a much softer voice. "All we have to do is hire an assassin. Everyone will think the terrorist did it!"

"Uh-huh." Heidegger was staring at her. "And how, pray tell, do you think an assassin is going to be able to take on the good Emperor? He is after all Cloud Strife."

"To a good killer, the little fact of his 'superior strength' will mean nothing. Oh come on, at least try it!"

He sighed. "Fine. But if this goes bad, the blame's all on you."

Scarlett smirked. "It won't go bad. Trust me."

***

"Hatcher! Where the hell have you been, buddy?" A blonde young man, no more than twenty years of age, came jogging up to three, his brown eyes wide with puzzlement.

"Oh, hey Cole. I've just been...around." Caleb shifted nervously in his gear, hoping no one would pay him enough attention to take notice of the state of slight disarray his uniform was in.

"Who's that with you?" Cole raised an eyebrow at the two in question.

"Oh, that's just Garrett and Connor. Heard any news lately?"

Cole shrugged. "Nothing much. Mainly just about that terrorist chick having her sentence removed. Oh, and our heading back once the storm's cleared." He casually reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "You heard anything else?"

Caleb shook his head. "No. I haven't heard much about going back, you hear any details?"

The soldier shrugged again. "Not really. Some of us will stay, others will head back to Junon. Mostly it will be SOLDIERs staying here, though. Heh, guess us common fighters aren't good enough."

Caleb nodded distractedly. "So, you don't know when we'll be heading back?"

"Rumor has it the head honchos will be leaving for Midgar late tonight , I dunno about us though. Hey, I've still got to finish my workout for today so I'll be seeing you around!" Without a word more, the blonde soldier turned and began to jog away.

"Hmm..." Biggs scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Think we'll be able to get anything else out of anyone?"

"Nah...let's head back," Caleb shook his head and turned to leave the way they had come.

***

"Sooo...this is a nice office you got here." Tifa was looking at Strife with more than a bit of humor in her mahogany eyes.

"Ha ha. Since when do you have a sense have humor?" A look of murder was obviously trying to show, but the only thing the Emperor could muster was a pathetic look of boredom.

"Touchy, touchy, Mr. Emperor. What did you call me down here for?"

"Oh, that." He straightened a little in his seat. "I hope you aren't to attached to Vector...Wutai...whatever the hell you call it, because we're leaving as soon as we're given clearance on the weather tonight."

"You mean," her eyes went wide. "We're going back to Midgar?"

"As soon as possible, yes."

"You...you were serious then? About keeping me with you?" Tifa dropped her chin down.

"Yes."

"I'll never see them again, will I? My friends, I mean."

"I doubt it."

She sighed, looking back up at him. "You could end all of this, you know. You have the power now. You could set the world back to peace."

Strife raised an eyebrow. "Now why would I want to do that?" His smirk softened slightly as she turned her head away from him once more. "If it helps any, I pulled the SOLDIERs out of the Central Continent. There won't be any more invasions." He paused. "For the time being."

***

"They just pulled away? Just like that?" Reeve and Aeris were at the edges of their seats as Cid, Shera, and Barrett described the very anti-climatic battle to them.

"Yeah! Strangest damn thing in the world!" Barret was shaking his head. He was covered in dirt and grime, but other than that, he seemed no worse off. Standing, he nodded to all of them, "I dunno about you guy all, but I need a drink. See ya."

"Don't stay out too long!" Cid hollered at his back. "We're heading back to Rocket Town within the hour!"

"Alright!" With a wave of his hand, Barret left the small home.

"So, we're leaving already?" Aeris seemed surprised. "Shouldn't we...wait? You know, in case something else happens?"

"Oh, not everyone's leaving. I just think we should get back to see if there's any word from the others. I hate being out of contact." Cid's face fell into a look of discontent.

"I'm sure they're fine, Cid," Shera patted his knee comfortingly.

"I'm sure they are too, they got Vince and Shion with them. Hell," he shrugged, "I'm more worried about the kids, truth be told."

"Well, I don't think you need to worry about them either. We left Mandy in charge. I'm more worried about the state our house will be in when we get back." Shera rolled her eyes as the others laughed. "You think I'm just joking, just wait though. Just wait."

In turned out, as the platoons arrived back home three hours later, Shera had spoken the truth. The Highwind home somewhat resembled the war zone they had just returned from.

"Mandy!!" Shera hollered at the top of her lungs, heading through the wreckage of the home while the others settled in the kitchen as Cid began to write an update to those in Wutai-Vector.

"How long do you expect a reply will take?" Reeve asked him as he sent the letter off with one of the many letter-less pigeons hanging around the window sills.

"Dunno. Depends on the weather really. The storm should pretty clear by now, and those birds are pretty fast so, shouldn't be too long. All we can do now, is wait."

***

"I'm going with them."

"You can't you're too recognizable! You'll have to go with the others back to Rocket Town first."

"No!"

"Reno! This isn't open for discussion!" Vincent was glaring at the angry man before him, his face every bit as red as the hair on his head.

"And why not!?" Reno was positively livid with the arrangements that had been made. "Why don't any of us get a say in this, huh?"

"Because, that's why!" Jessie butted her way in between the two men before a physical fight could break out (with Reno involved it was almost a sure thing). "You're coming with us to Rocket Town! You'll still get to go to Midgar!"

A few moments before, a pigeon had arrived from Cid with tidings on the abrupt halt to the invasions over there. Shion had already written a brief reply and sent the bird back off.

Reno glowered at the two before him, opened his mouth as though to say something, then snapped it back closed and threw himself down onto the sofa beside Alli. The teenager was too, coincidentally, pouting. At least, Reno assumed she was pointing, until he took a closer look at her a realized she was looking more mournful than pouting. Hmm...he'd inquire about that later.

"How...how soon are we leaving for the air field?" Biggs, from the other side of Alli, looking a bit uncomfortable, asked Vincent. He and Wedge would be accompanying Vincent and Caleb directly to Midgar with the Shinra. Yuffie and Shion would be staying behind in Wutai-Vector. Jessie, Alli, Reno, and James were going to head back to Rocket Town in the sub James and Yuffie left back at the coast. No one was quite sure what to do with Captain Reice, so for the time being, he was staying put where he was. Tied to a folding chair.

"Within the hour," the raven-haired man answered, checking his watch. "It's getting late and I don't want to miss the executive airship."

"So, like, really soon?" Yuffie perked up in her seat on the floor. "Is that everyone, or just you guys?"

"Everyone..." Vincent looked at her suspiciously. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," she replied, a happy look on her face as she turned her head towards Alli, her grin widening. James, seated next to the young ninja, nudge her in the ribs with his elbow, but Alli didn't seem to notice as she leapt from her seat.

"ALRIGHT YUFFIE, THAT'S IT!" She threw off all attempts Biggs made to calm her down. Everyone looked at her in shock, never having seen the girl this angry. "You're being childish, you know that?! I thought maybe you'd give up your irrationality, but I guess you won't! You know what? I don't care anymore! James can see that I'm not stupid spy, so why can't you?! So I'm Rufus Shinra's cousin-" collective gasps came from the group- "so what?! If you can't see that I care just as much about the Planet as everyone else here, then that's your fault!!" Still fuming, she charged into the sitting room, slamming the door so hard behind her, it sprang right back open. She didn't even make a move to close it.

Several moments of silence, marked with gaping mouths, followed.

Then several more.

Finally, James, openly glaring (and practically seething) at Yuffie, who sat with a conglomeration of emotions swirling across her face, stood and quickly strode into the open sitting room, followed closely by Biggs, who shut and latched the door behind him.

***

"So Cid said they'd be here by tomorrow afternoon?" Aeris glanced at Reeve who sat across from her on the Highwind's porch railing. Aeris was seated on a small wooden swinging bench with Lienna in her lap and Diane next to her. The two youngest of the Highwind clan had escaped punishment due to...well them just being adorable.

"Yeah, at least, that's what Shion's letter said. Jessie, Alli, Reno and James." He found himself not able to look straight at her when he talked. Or when she talked. Or at any time for that matter... Geez...what's that matter with you, Reeve? Pull yourself together!

"So are you nervous?" Her Cetran green eyes widened with curiosity.

"What about?" He took one glance at her, then quickly turned away, feeling his face reddened when the first thing that popped into his head was how pretty she looked. What is with this? When did this start? She's Aeris! Don't think about her like this!

"Going back to Midgar. I know I'm not particularly looking forward to it. I kind of like here, you know? Nice and quiet...well, for the most past."

"I'm not exactly nervous, I mean, Midgar's my home so, I suppose I'm kind of glad on some level." He shrugged and turned his head skyward. "Though I will miss all the stars you can see out here."

Aeris let out a contented sigh. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Well," she glanced down at Lienna who was now fighting to stay awake, then to Diane who was already tuckered out. "I think we've all had a long day so we should probably be off to bed."

Authors Notes: Sorry for the long wait for a short chapter. I just can't progress anymore without a new chapter. It won't work. I should be getting over the writer's block though, because I finally decided to drop Old Skies (it was just dead weight) so this is my main project. Well, until I start that mammoth HP fic I know is coming. Gah!