DigitalJessie! Nooooo! Please don't! I'll update more! I'm not mean!! just really bad at not writing cliff hangers! How else to I keep you guys reading?

Bfcat, I remember reading it a long time ago too…:p must update quicker!

Spoony, got any aspirins? My head kinda hurts after the rock bashing….

Anyhow, an update at long last! Enjoy!

Kawaii, for your pleasure and enjoy kay?

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Second meeting point,,,

Cloud sat on the mouldy green rock patiently. His blue eyes flitting from small pebble to large boulder, his hands lightly gripping his Ultima weapon. He could feel his heart rate quicken in his chest and his palms grew sweaty.

The team, his friends, were all scattered in this creepy place. He could only tell for certain which two were alive and well. Hoping with all his might that the other four were all making their way down.

A small part of him wanting the fifth and missing member to make his way down. Vincent had never looked so lost as when Cloud had ordered him to command the team.

"Okay…Vincent, you've had leadership experience before right?" Cloud shifted his weight from foot to foot, trying to keep some of the weight off the growing blisters that had been forming since he took the first step down.

"I…ah…as a Turk I commanded small teams," Vincent managed, clearly looking uneasy with the question.

"You command the second team," Cloud smiled, hoping he was doing the right thing by forcing the leadership on the quiet man.

"You'll be fine," Cloud resisted the urge to punch Vincent playfully on the arm, anything to get a smile or a look of agreement from the pale man.

Vincent opened his mouth to say something, perhaps a protest but was silenced by an evil blast of wind. He merely nodded and looked down to the centre of the planet he was going to save.

Would he have really listened if Vincent had protested? Would he have cared? He'd given the man the most annoying in the team, the two with the least fighting experience.

He had chosen Barret and Tifa. The two who had been in this from the start, they only two who really had a clue as t why they were fighting and doing this.

No matter how hard things had went, they were always on hand. Barret with his ideas and Tifa with her belief in him. However hard it hit the fan, they had stood beside him and fought with him.

Like it had done for the past hour, his mind went to his missing new friends. How were they all coping? Where they all on their down here? Where they all okay?

Are they all still alive?

That question seemed to echo in his mind like his voice in the crater. Bouncing around in his mind like a child's ball in a busy playground.

If their not, you're the one to blame, a cold voice whispered in a type of sing song in his mind, you lead them down to do the impossible. You've killed them.

Cloud shook his head mentally, No. I didn't make them come down here. They had the choice, I didn't and haven't killed them.

The cold voice simply laughed at him, Whatever you say.

"I haven't killed them," Cloud muttered.

Tifa looked up from where she was kneeling, a confused look etched on her features. Her dark brown eyes appearing to be black in the horrid light.

"Excuse me?" she said, her voice echoed in the morbid area.

The ex-SOLDIER shook his head, "Nothing. I…little freaked. I'm worried bout the others. They should be here."

Barret turned round from his staring point, "They'll be fine. I mean, we got here without ya."

"You got here with Cid's help," Cloud countered, "Cid was the one who stopped the train and rescued Fort Condor from the Shin-Ra."

Barret's face darkened, "I know that! Damn…I…Corel owes him one. Damn pilot didn't even think about leaping onto that runaway train."

Tifa smiled softly, she could of just imagined seeing the ageing blonde yell something and leap head first onto the train, cursing about the unfairness of his life.

"He didn't tell me about that," Cloud stated, "said he didn't want me to freak out again."

"Damn near thought he was gonna have a heart attack when he stopped the goddamn train though…" Barret scratched under his chin, recalling the event, "Damn blonde was ready for cracking up and just bailing out on the team then. Muttering something bout how he almost killed everyone."

"What made him stay?" Cloud frowned, could this of been the first sign that Cid had doubts? If so, then why hadn't someone in the team said something sooner?

Barret raised a thin eyebrow, "Ya aint that thick Spike. Whodja think?"

Just after saving Corel….

Vincent watched the scene in amazement. Amazed at how the small dusty town had accepted Barret back into the community so fast. Amazed and a little jealous.

He would be forever looked upon as a monster, something to be feared by small children and pitied by those old enough to understand his pain.

Barret had never looked so happy in his time with the group, the large man grinning from ear to ear like the cat who got the cream. His mouth however, sounded the same. Every second word was damn or goddamn. Every third sentence would be damning the Shin-Ra.

All of AVALANCHE had gathered…well, almost all. Cloud and Tifa were absent. Aeris, lost forever to the planet. The group, taking the chance for a little R&R before going back into the foray that had become the norm for them.

His red ruby eyes searched the gathering crowd for a certain man, trying to catch a glimpse of a pair of goggles or cigarette smoke but falling short.

It meant he would have to ask Yuffie or Barret if they had seen him.

Vincent gently pushed himself past the crowd, looking for the pair. Instead, he bumped into Cait Sith, gently rocking in his bizarre way. The small cat curled up on the large white head of the mog.

Cait Sith's controller must have been away or sleeping. That raised questions in the former Turk's mind. Who would help AVALANCHE in the Shin-Ra? Someone in power…or at least access to it.

His ideas, his theories were next to useless in this timeline. He knew nothing about the current power structure, except that Rufus was the president and that Palmer was head of…of what? The science…no, that had that bastard Hojo, didn't it?

Security…no, Headigger and Scarlet shared that honour from what he was lead to believe.

No one had actually sat him down and filled him in. He had had to figure out what was happening. Simply being told that they were out to save the planet.

"Good to see that someone isn't bothered by the party," he muttered softly, "Now…where are our misguided allies?"

"VINNNNNIIIIIEEEEEE!" came an unmistakable screech, it's owner appearing a few seconds later.

The great ninja Yuffie, half staggered, half stumbling towards him. She was drunk for all to see, but so was half the population of Corel.

Vincent took a deep breath, Yuffie was always annoying when sober but drunk? Did he really have the patience to deal with her?

"Yuffie…have you…," he was cut off by the minute teen hugging him and trying to planet a big wet kiss on his cheek.

"HaveIwhat?" she slurred, she sighed happily.

Once again he took a deep breath, "Cid. Have you seen Cid?"

"Nope," she shook her head abit to fast, her tanned face turning that interesting shade of green she went when she was seasick or travel sick.

"Bathr…" Vincent resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the teen threw up, barely missing his feet.

Cid sat with his feet dangling over the edge of the ledge. His eyes closed and he allowed the wind to the take his thoughts. He was just so very tired, all he wanted was to curl up in his own bed and forget the world existed.

He was tempted just to leap off, forget that he had a role to play in the insane act that he had been forced into. To stop being a puppet and to be his own man, to be himself.

Yeah, as if that is gonna happen anytime soon buddy boy, face it, you're fucked, Cid ran his hands through his hair, trying to shake out all his thoughts.

I mean, let's face it. You almost destroyed Barret's home, the Shin-Ra almost took Fort Condor.

The pilot wondered where the hell the rational voice seemed to came from. Why hadn't it been there when Cloud and co and nicked his baby, the Tiny Bronco? Telling him not to jump aboard?

"Any closer and ya would have had to explain to your grandkids why ya sing soprano…," Cid sighed tiredly.

Ah yes, grandkids. That raises the interesting little thing called Vincent, the voice seemed to enjoy taunting him. Telling him of his problems in it's nasty little sarcastic way.

"Go away you annoying little fuck," Cid hissed.

What? And not enjoy making your life a misery? No bloody chance! the voice laughed right in his face, enjoying the current misery it was putting the blonde through.

"Are you alright captain?" Vincent's soft voice cut through the annoying voice.

"hmm," Cid offered, "I'm okay."

Vincent made his way almost silently to him, the only noise was the rustle of his clothing as he knelt down beside the blonde. He placed a hand on Cid's shoulder, gently squeezing it.

"You're lying," Vincent replied, "What's on your mind?"

"How far down it is to the bottom?" the pilot nodded down to the severe drop from the lift stop to the bottom of the cliff.

"Killing yourself isn't the answer," Vincent pulled Cid to him, a little startled when the blonde pushed him back.

"So it's okay for you do the whole angst shit? Okay for Barret to shove me as leader?" Cid stood up, "Okay for the planet to dump this shit on me?"

"You know what?" Cid pointed at Vincent, an insane look in the blonde's eyes, "Might as well jump and be damned."

Vincent barely had time to react as the blonde turned to get a run up. He simply watched as the blonde took a few large steps back. Was he really thinking about this?

Grudgingly, he hated himself for thanking Hojo for his improved reaction time.

Both his hands shot out as the blonde leapt into the air, grasping onto thin air……

**************

Don't hit me.