Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy VII characters. They and the other Final Fantasy characters belong to the great Square Enix.

Chapter Two: New found love

The next day, Cid whom was getting extremely worried about his friend ascended to his room to check on his condition. As he peeked through the door, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed a familiar figure wrapped in the comfort of Cloud's arms.

He closed the door behind him and shouted, "Damn it Cloud, how'd the @#%$ ya get 'er back?".

From their little heaven, Cloud and Aerith shot up abruptly off the bed.

"Good to see you, too, Cid," as she gave him a hug.

"So, how'd ya get her back?" he asked after letting her down.

"I'm not entirely sure, myself," he glanced at Aerith for ideas.

"From what I recall, I was perched on the roof when the Lifestream surrounded me, making me whole," She began her theory, "It must have been touched by the love we had for each other."

"Well, whatever it was, glad to have ya back girl. We missed you too much, but not nearly as much as lover boy here *grinning at Cloud*," Cid concluded.

Meanwhile, down in the living room, the other members of AVALANCHE were wondering what was taking Cid. When finally footsteps were heard, all eyes were on the staircase.

"It's about time. I thought he'd never come out." Barret blurted out.

To all their surprises, Cid emerged with Cloud and ... "Aerith?" Red XIII let out as she popped her head from behind Cloud and Cid. While all stared at her wide-eyed, Marlene zoomed towards her from Barret's lap.

"Aerith...I'm so happy you're back. I missed you so much!" she screamed in delight about to burst into tears.

Aerith received Marlene with open arms and kissed her forehead, "I've missed you, too, Marlene." One by one, all welcomed her back including Reeve whom revealed to be the mastermind behind Cait Sith.

Through all the excitement none noticed that Tifa Lockhart had retreated to her room and there she wept hoping that no one heard. She then recalled her past and finally accepted that she and Cloud were never close as children. Though she loved Cloud, but was the love she had real or fake? She didn't know. Tifa knew now that none could replace Aerith in his heart. As she wept bitterly, Tifa didn't hear the door creak open revealing a cloaked figure.

He cupped his hands on her shoulders and spun her around to face him. It was Vincent Valentine. She struggled trying to shield herself from his gaze as she didn't want him to see her distraught. He felt his heart melt as he saw her in tears and pulled her close. Strangely enough, Tifa didn't struggle but instead she dug her face on his available chest. Not used to such situations, the emotionless figure had turned five shades of red and surprisingly enjoyed the moment.

After a while, Tifa calmed down and felt comfortable being with Vincent. He had laid a comforting arm around her as she leaned on his shoulder. Both parties blushed greatly, but that died away after a while. It almost was as if the moment was meant to be. They were the same in ways that they themselves couldn't explain. By now, the rest were wondering where they were. Yuffie searched for Tifa in her room to stumble upon them together. Not wanting to interfere, she replaced the door and sped down the stairs. When they had finally emerged, they were greeted by a mouth- watering smell. Shera and Aerith had been preparing brunch as it was too late for breakfast.

"Hey, you two, what have you been up to? We've been searching all over for you." Reeve took them by surprise.

"Well... uh..." Vincent stuttered as he tried to conceal his flushed face.

"Vincent was checking on me as he saw me run up the stairs to my room. I was extremely happy that Aerith was back that I cried but didn't want to be seen." She quickly replied with her face flushed, too.

Apparently Aerith overheard and hugged her. "I missed you, too. You're the first best friend I ever had." Her words melted Tifa like butter and returned her gesture, "I'm glad you're back."

All through brunch, Vincent and Tifa had been stealing glances at each other. Both Reeve and Red XIII noticed but decided not to create a commotion. After brunch, the whole group were scattered all over the villa. Barret, Reeve and Yuffie were playing board games with Marlene, Cid and Shera were in the kitchen tending to the dishes, Cloud was watching TV with Aerith curled up beside him, Red snoozing at Cloud's feet and Tifa and Vincent found themselves back in Tifa's room. They just stared at each other for a long time till...

"Thank you for being there for me, just now Vincent. I really appreciate it." She finally let out.

"You're... you're welcome, Tifa. But I have to thank you, too." He replied.

"Did I do something for you?" she asked with a puzzled gaze.

"Yes, you did. When I saw you cry, I felt an emotion that I hadn't felt for a long time. I think I have fallen for you, Tifa." staring at her lovingly.
She was lost for words and jumped into his arms. "I think I, too have fallen for you, Vince."

Soon they found themselves sharing a gentle kiss. Both were lonely and wanted company. Now their hearts were full and alive rather than lonely and empty. Unknown to them, four pairs of eyes were watching them with smiles wide on their faces. Apparently, Reeve, Red, Cloud and Aerith were wondering why they were acting strange and were glad for them.

"Well, I guess there won't be any lonely hearts around here for a while," chuckled Reeve.

"Yeah, I was getting kind of worried about Tifa, for a minute there," beamed Red.

"Hopefully they'll be as happy as we are," Cloud faced Aerith.

"Yes, I'm sure they will be," she giggled. Cloud then pulled Aerith into a passionate kiss.

Both Reeve and Red laughed softly before returning downstairs. It turned out that Aerith's come back had brought its share of miracles and happiness. Now, like Reeve said, there was one less pair of lonely hearts, brought together through endless similarities and differences.

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Well, that's the whole story. I didn't want the songfic to look like it was hanging. So I wrote this as a second chapter. I hope that all those who read it, enjoy it. If you don't like it, I don't mind as this was a last minute sort of story. Please review, thanks.

Sea-EnigmaDare