Chapter 11 - Complicated Hearts ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A/N - Wow, it's been a while. I'm sorry for not updating. I've just been too lazy to work on this. But I'm doing it now. ^_^ ~ Zack lay back in his bed, looked over at the innocently dozing Aeris next to him and sighed mentally. Maybe he was wrong. maybe he was wrong to listen to Aeris, and to do her bidding. It was just that he was so scared to lose her that he wouldn't stand up for what was right. She was so set on getting Cloud out of the way, maybe because she felt guilty about leaving him and if he wasn't around then she couldn't be reminded about him. That was Zack's theory, anyway. Aeris just wanted Cloud out of her life, and the insecure part of her was driving her to ruin his life instead of having him around her to remind her of what she left. Or maybe Aeris just loved Zack too much to see Cloud. whatever it was, Zack knew now that he shouldn't have been a part of it, even though he felt anger and pain that Cloud had taken his life and his girl, and become a hero in Zack's name. He shook his head, and his long spiky hair rustled against the pillow. That still wasn't enough to kill him; the anger had taken over, and he had lost control. He had started the fire, after all. The fire had spiralled out of control. Cloud couldn't have survived that. Zack sighed, and got out of bed. Maybe it would be best if he went to the spot and said goodbye to his former best friend himself, and tried to apologise for the half hour of madness that had ended his life. ~ Cloud flopped down on the bed and buried his head in the pillow. He felt the bruise on the back of his head, it was raised and painful, but he wasn't capable of feeling any physical pain. It just never materialised. The emotions racing around his body were almost too much to contain, it made him want to be sick. The effort was so great to keep himself from going back to Starlit Heaven that he felt as if every cell in his body, Jenova or human, was pulling him in that direction. He ran his hands through his hair and moaned loudly into the pillow out of frustration. Why had he done this? It was torture for him, pure torture, to sit here and imagine Tifa in Keenan's arms. It was almost as bad as thinking about Aeris in Zack's arms. That had tore him up when he first realised it for sure, but then he had known for a while inside that Aeris' heart didn't belong to him. And besides. it had been about a month between truly falling for Tifa and Aeris's leaving him. Why was his life so complicated? The one he loved had died, then he gave up Tifa's love, his love came back, ten he realised that his true love was the one he had given up. He was a mess. Why was he living like this? All he did was break up other people's relationships and then hurt them even more. With a sob, Cloud buried his head in deeper and tried to stop thinking. "Pathetic boy." Cloud sat up, and looked around him slowly. What the. Who had said that? There was nobody here. Cloud sat still. There was nothing but silence. He shrugged and threw himself back down. (Must be drifting off to sleep.) "Don't try to ignore me, you wont be able to." Cloud opened his eyes wide. (No!) He knew that voice. (I. I killed you!!) "I can't be killed by the likes of you, I am not of this world. You killed him, but not me, oh no." Cloud gasped as the familiar buzzing sensation in his head materialised. (No. this can't be real.) "I'll show you how real I am, child." ~ Cloud stepped out into the street, just as a tearful Tifa ran along it. They collided around a corner, Tifa being knocked to the rain soaked ground. Tifa lay there for a bit, shocked and winded. As soon as she realised who it was, she jumped up and threw her arms around Cloud. "Cloud. I love you, and only you. please forgive me, I'm so sorry." Tifa gasped for breath as she sobbed through her tears, searching her lover's face for signs of emotion, only to be met with coldness. "Cloud??" Cloud pushed Tifa back off him and reached behind his back, unsheathing the Ultima Weapon. Tifa's eyes widened. "CLOUD?!" She screamed in fear, but no one was around on a cold night like this one. Inside Cloud's mind, he was screaming in panic. (No. oh my god, Teef. I love you, please, stop this, Oh Ancients. don't do this to her. kill me, just let her be alright.. Damn you, bitch, you touch her and I'll. Tifa, I love you. STOP IT!!! No!!!.) But Tifa heard none of this; all she heard was an evil cackle from Cloud's lips, a laugh that was defiantly not human, and certainly not Cloud. Tifa closed her eyes and whispered the dreaded name. "Jenova." The voice burst forth from Cloud's lips as Tifa stared up into those ice blue orbs of his. She could see the pain and panic reflected in them... (Cloud... you're in there aren't you...) Jenova grew tired of Cloud's panicking and endless screams. "No more, child. from now, you're mine." With that, Cloud felt his consciousness slip away, but not before he heard Tifa's scream as the possessed figure of Cloud Strife slashed at her helpless form. ~*~ A/N - Ok, the last chapter is up soon, and maybe, just maybe, I'll write another chapter on what happens afterwards. This is a bit of a plot twist, I know, but hey. it's my story!