((Note from the Author: Thank you soooo much for all the reviews ^-^ I'll try to update as much as possible, but I have a BIIIIIIG Earth Science test coming up, so I may have restricted access to the computer once my parents see my grade -_-; Anyway, thank you sooo much. I'll try to make this brief, because I don't want to waste this whole chapter on my notes. So, keep reviewing, peace out...~Christina))

Cloud's eyes slowly fluttered open, only to be met by the one person he least expected to see upon his awakening.

"Aeris?" He asked, confusion clouding his voice.

"You're finally awake!" Aeris smiled, seeing Cloud finally wake up. He had been in the same state as when she arrived for over two weeks, and she was becoming a bit impatient and worried.

"Aeris! What are you doing here!? I thought you were.....dead" Cloud said, looking at her closely.

"The elder Cetra switched Tifa and I." Aeris explained simply. Cloud looked at her for a moment, concern etched on his face.

"Is Tifa alright!?" He asked, strugling to sit up in bed.

"She's in the promised land for the time being. My stay here won't be long, but she will remain there for the entire time." Aeris said, smiling.

"What about everyone else? How the hell am I supposed to explain this to them!?" Cloud demanded, even though he didn't expect Aeris to have an answer.

"Don't worry about it. The Cetra elders have changed their memories temporarily so they will think that Tifa was dead instead of me." Aeris said, lightly. Cloud didn't say anything. He had a stern look on his face, as if deciding whether not to be pleased with the Cetra doing that.

"I don't like the idea of them not knowing the truth..."Cloud said quietly. Aeris sighed, and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Cloud. The spell is temporary. Their memories will be returned to normal in time." Aeris assured him, but he didn't look very pleased with her answer.

"...and you're certain that Tifa is safe?" Cloud asked, after a slight pause.

"positive." Aeris said, without another thought. She was becoming slightly annoyed with Cloud. She was sure when the Cetra had switched her with Tifa, Cloud would have been right on her. She wanted to have the same relationship with Cloud that she had with him before Sephiroth had killed her.

"...hey Cloud?" She asked meekly.

"Yeah?"

"...you remember that time in the Gold Saucer? When we went on that date...?" She continued. Cloud nodded, blushing slightly. He was embarrassed to bring it up. Aeris was sure of that.

"That was fun..." She said, smiling. She was getting the feeling that she enjoyed the date much more than Cloud did.

"...yeah..." Cloud said quietly, somewhat lost in thought. Aeris looked at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"Whe should do something like that again." She suggested, looking up at the ceiling, simply to avoid eye contact with Cloud.

"...yeah..." Cloud replied, in a spaced-out sort of voice. Aeris sighed, and stood up.

"I'm gonna go get something to eat. Be back in a little bit." She said, starting towards the door.

"...okay..." Cloud said, still in the same, dreamy voice. He turned and watched after her as she left, and once she was around the corner, and out of sight, he stared up at the ceiling and whispered,

"...I hope you're okay, Tif...wherever you are..."

***

Tifa sat in the center of a long, empty meadow. She sighed, laying back on the cool grass. The sun shone brightly overhead, and a few birds flew past. She sighed dreamily, lost in her own pleasant thoughts. She was quite glad for the opportunity to have so much time to herself.

During the day time, she would explore the wilderness of the great place. In the evenings, she would explore the enourmous libraries, gaining knowledge from the Cetra elders, and their writings. She seldomly rested. In truth, she didn't really need to. She hadn't felt so alive and energetic as long as she could remember.

Yet still, at times, her thoughts would wander back to Cloud and her friends. She wondered if he missed her, if he ever thought of her. Mostly if he remembered her at all. To her, she had been in the place an eternity, yet no time at all. She got along well with the elder Cetra, and they kindly informed her of anything she wondered.

She got along espically well with Ifalna, Aeris' mother by birth. The two spoke for hours on end, though being in the promised land, it only seemed like minutes. They spoke of their time on earth, despite the fact that Tifa's time was merely being postponed.

Tifa would ask her what she thought about Cloud and Aeris, and Ifalna would always assure her that things would work out for the best. Ifalna, being one of the elder Cetra, knew well enough that the plan was to show Cloud how important Tifa actually was to him, by replacing her with Aeris.

"Aeris saw Zak in Cloud. That's why she fell in love with him. She remembered the SOLDIER that she had fallen in love with, and made herself believe that Cloud was the same man." Ifalna had explained soon after Tifa arrived. She had been so worried that the two would fall in love, and Tifa would be ignored when she returned.

Tifa stood, surveying the huge meadow in which she was positioned. Some wildflowers grew tall, brightening the already peacefull atmosphere. She began to gather the light blue and yellow blosoms, weaving them together into a flowery crown.

She placed the budding headpeace upon her head. It looked perfect on her. The swirling pastel colors of the wildflowers accented her wine colored eyes perfectly. She looked down, and picked a small blue flower from the ground.

One by one she picked off the petals, whispering to herself with each blosom,

"He loves me, loves me not...." She contuned her chant untill the last petal dropped, with a final,

"He loves me." Tifa twirled the bare stem in her fingers, not noticing the person approaching her.

"You know, I don't think the other elders will appreciate you dismembering the flowers." Tifa jumped, startled by the voice. She turned, and smiled, seeing Ifalna standing near her.

"You startled me." Tifa said, softly, dropping the bare stem to the ground.

"Sorry." Ifalna appologized, still smiling. Tifa returned her soft grin. She looked around, the meadows were just as peacefull as before, and it had seemd that all the flowers she had picked had already been replaced with new onces. She smiled, and looked to the sky.

"This place is so perfect."

That's all for now. More to come soon ^-^