A/N: Thanks to my reviewers cloudude55 and Mako-Magic. I kinda need help; I'm running out of ideas for later chapters. If you have any suggestions, send me them. For my email check my profile or chapter 1 of my fic. I now how the stories going to end though.

Summary – The gang had set of to Junon. Using two motorbikes and a jeep they crossed the Midgar Marsh, not before encountering a Midgar Zolom. Cloud used his magic skills to defeat it easily and they once again headed off to Junon. Upon reaching Junon dock, they saw they cruise ship they would be travelling on.

Chapter 10 – Crossing The Seas To Fun

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It had been just over an hour since they ship had set sail. The sky was clear blue, with no clouds in sight. They couldn't ask for a better day. It was also the first day that Squall had been able to relax properly. He had gone down into the ships cargo hold to practice his magic. He had now mastered the use of Bolt, Ice, Fire and was now working on Cure. He headed to a spare cabin with Rinoa afterwards. She had come down to watch then dashed up to Cloud, practically begging him to teach her. She was in a very cheerful mood when Squall next saw her. Cloud had obviously said yes.

In their room, Squall was lying on the bed, his legs crossed and his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling thinking.

Was this really the time to be having fun? They were 1,000 years back in time, and they didn't know if they'd ever get back. Maybe they should enjoy they're time here while they can, in case they do find a way back. That was it. They shouldn't worry about it. They had a chance to find out what life used to be like. Even though he was slightly homesick, Squall wanted to stay here as long as possible. Was that a bad thing?

Squall sighed. He had enough on his mind besides worrying about getting home. Using materia was quickly tiring him out, and it was slowly getting harder each time he used stronger magic. And Cloud's secrecy. What was he hiding? There were things unusual about him. His glowing eyes, his superior strength and speed, and how he could tell when people were nearby or listening to his conversations. He was different in some way, Squall knew that. But what? What could possibly make him different? Tifa and Barret knew. Tifa was closest to Cloud; she must know everything about him. Was she afraid to tell anyone, in case Cloud hurt her? Cloud didn't seem the type to hurt his best friend. But Squall hardly knew him. He didn't even like him much. Cloud always managed to irritate him somehow. But how?

Squall was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Rinoa coming into the room and sitting beside him. He looked up at her surprised.

"You're thinking to hard again." She told him.

"I know. I'm just getting worried." He answered.

"Well…don't. This is a cruise; you're supposed to enjoy yourself."

"And how will I do that?"

"Well..." she said kissing him, "I can think of one way." She smiled and kissed him again, removing his shirt in the process. He rolled her over so he was on top and got down to business.

* * * * *

On deck, Irvine sat on a deck chair, his hat over his face to stop the sun burning it. Selphie was lying beside him cuddling into him. Zell had decided to hit the arcade that was onboard. Quistis lounged on a deck chair, with a book in hand. Barret had Marlene on his shoulder and was pointing down at the water, where some dolphins were swimming alongside the ship. Marlene squealed in happiness each time one jumped up out the water. Angelo was happily chasing a mouse around the deck. Cloud and Tifa were at the opposite side of the ship to everyone else, watching their Leviathan summons swim in the water. Having MASTERED Cloud's Leviathan materia, it split into its original form, where it was in its weakest state. Both Cloud and Tifa's materia's had been MASTERED to produce a third. That one had been given to Yuffie.

"Cloud? Do you think that you should have told Squall about your Mako and J-E-N-O-V-A cells?" Tifa asked uncertainly.

Cloud didn't answer straight away. He sighed and stood back from the railing.

"They don't need to know. If any of them ask about my eyes, you can tell them. But I don't want any of them to know about the cells inside of me. Or about Sephiroth. Unless you have an important reason to tell them."

"But why are we keeping it from them? Do you think they'll turn on us?"

"That's exactly what I think. If they find out about J-E-N-O-V-A and Sephiroth, they'll find out that I was used as a clone. They'll probably think I'm dangerous."

"But you're not. We'll back you up. We'll say that the experiment was a failure, that you're not a clone."

"How will you reason with them, once they found out it was me, who help Sephiroth summon Meteor."

Tifa nodded in defeat. Cloud was right. They couldn't find out about that. They'd see Cloud as a threat.

"You could reason with them forever, Tifa." He continued, "But Squall won't let his friends be around anyone that could hurt them. Especially if it was me. I've beaten Squall before, which means that he wouldn't be able to protect them without help. He's only protecting those he cares about. I'd do the same if I were in his position. Especially if you were in danger."

Tifa looked straight into his eyes when he said that. His eyes had always captured her whenever she looked into them. They were filled with warmth and happiness. They always showed how he felt. Tifa could look in his eyes and could tell if he were upset or worried. She was sure he could do the same with her. They were so close they could almost read each others thoughts.

She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing her head on his chest. It wasn't difficult, with him being so small. Taken aback by her actions, Cloud hesitantly put his arms around her, holding her close.

"You'll always protect me Cloud, won't you? Just like you promised."

"Always. No matter what, I'll always be there for you when you need me. I've kept my promise so far, haven't I?"

"Yeah, you have. I don't think I can repay you for saving me the amount of times you have."

"You've already repaid me Tifa."

Tifa looked up at him in confusion. They were still in each others arms, and their faces were inches apart.

"What do you mean? When?" she asked.

"Remember when I had Mako poisoning, and I was in a coma?" She nodded, "It was you who brought me back Tifa. If you hadn't been there, I know I wouldn't have woken up. And in the Lifestream, you helped me find out who I really was. If it wasn't for you, I would have stayed the way I was. A failed clone and Sephiroth's puppet. I'm here now because of you Tifa."

Tifa smiled and placed her head on Cloud's chest once again and shut her eyes.

"Maybe you're right." She said.

"I know I am." He said back, his cheek resting against the top of her head with his eyes closed, his left hand stroking her long brown hair.

Around the corner Barret saw them both in each others arms. He grinned.

* * * * *

Several hours, and hotdogs for Zell, later. The ship docked at Costa Del Sol. Squall could feel the heat radiate off the sun as soon as he stepped off the cruiser. He lifted his arm to cover his eyes. The heat here was almost unbearable. You could probably get a tan here in about two days, if you didn't get burnt to a crisp first. Cloud, Tifa and Barret stepped off the ship but weren't bothered by the extreme heat and light. They had been here plenty of times before and had gotten perfectly used to the heat. They once again got on their vehicles and drove out of Costa Del Sol.

"Where do we go now, Cloud?" Squall asked him.

"It's an hour's ride to North Corel. There used to be a train that ran through the mountains, but the track was destroyed so we'll need to take the road through."

They set off through the mountains. The area used t be infested with monsters but they quickly disappeared when the reactor was destroyed. They quickly rode through without any disruptions. Tifa was sleeping peacefully, her head on Cloud's back, while he rode the bike.

In the jeep Zell, Quistis and Marlene had fallen asleep. Zell's head was facing the ceiling and his mouth was open. It was a comical scene. Irvine had to shove his fist in his mouth to stifle his laughter. Quistis's head was against her chest and Marlene was snoozing on her dad's knee. Angelo was on the floor, playing with a shell she had found at Costa Beach.

As Cloud had said, it took them just under an hour to reach North Corel. After Barret became the mayor of the town, it quickly got back on its feet. There were lots of proper houses, some still being built but they had made a lot of progress after only a year. They parked the bikes and jeep at the car park. They each climbed off or out of the vehicles and headed towards the tram. Cloud, not wanting to wake Tifa, lifted her onto his back and carried her onto the tram. It reminded Squall of when he had carried Rinoa over the Horizon Bridge, towards Esthar. Marlene was still sleeping in Barrett's arms as the tram doors closed and they started moving.

Squall looked around at everyone. Rinoa rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Almost everyone had decided to go to sleep, seeing as how the tram took half an hour to get to Gold Saucer. Both Marlene and Barret fell asleep. Angelo was lying quietly on the floor. Quistis and Zell slept with their heads on their chests. Selphie and Irvine were looking out the window. They had slept on the cruise and were perfectly awake. Cloud was looking outside as well. Squall was surprised. Cloud hadn't had any sleep since they left Kalm. He had also gotten up earlier than everyone else. But he looked fine. Tifa, who hadn't woken, had her head against his shoulder. Squall knew they were close, but he was sure that they felt something for one another. Why would they hide it from each other? Squall wasn't sure. He had only ever shown his feelings to Rinoa and his friends, but it had taken him a long time to do so. He hid his feelings because he was afraid to get hurt. Maybe Cloud and Tifa were each afraid of being rejected by the other. Squall thought that it was obvious that they loved each other. Maybe there was a reason that they hid their feelings from one another. What it was he didn't know, and it wasn't really his business.

After half an hour, the tram abruptly stopped. Everyone jerked awake and walked out of the tram.

Squall and the others gasped at the sight.

The lights around them shone over 100 different colours. Everything was bright. There were large Mog's bouncing around and carnival-like music was playing. They each peered over the railing at the edge of the plate. They could barely see the desert below them. They must have been around 1000 feet off the ground. All of them looked round at Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Marlene.

Cloud smiled.

"Ready to have some fun?"

A/N: Yeah!! I got that chapter out of the way. Sorry if I kept blabbering on but I can't help it. Anyway, please R&R and send your suggestions, please!