Howdy y'all! You know something? Right after I posted that last chapter I started on this one. I just had to start typing this chapter up. I still think the last chapter kind of sucked, it was lacking something, to me at least. But what was it.. hmm.. I believe it lacked detail. Yes detail. Detail is the key for a good chapter. I don't know what the hell was wrong with me with that last chapter. But this chapter will be better. I promise.. (Smiles) Then again, you guys probably don't care about that because we have Cloud here. heh heh heh. But will he stay or will he go? Heeheehee. You'll have to read to find out. Well enough of my useless non-sense lets get this started.
Disclaimer-
&%$! She got away! I almost had her! (Punches wall)
??????- Yes.. locking the door to your room was just brilliant. Now if you only thought about the windows.
(Glares) Shut up Malice! Maybe if I'm lucky, the bears got her. Grr... I had her trapped dammit! I could of finally gotten her out of my way. She's the only thing between me and Squaresoft.
Malice- You DO know she most likely had another weapon hidden somewhere..
Uh... no. But if she did have another weapon then she would of killed me, or tried to.
Malice-Say... what happened to my claws?
(Smiles) Oh that. Well you see... I WAS going to give Vincent a new demon and the demon's name was going to be Malice.
Malice- (Nods slowly) Why the change of plans.
(Scratches head) Two reasons.. well three actually. One, I like to use Chaos. Two, I couldn't really think up of a demon. And three, the silent predator type thing, just popped in my head in the middle of typing, it sounded pretty cool so I used it. And I needed to give you a name so I called you Malice.
Malice- oh.
(Blinks as a thought strikes) Hey wait a minute... your title is the silent predator, so stop talking!
Malice-... why don't I ever talk?
(Tapes Malice's mouth shut with Duck Tape) There! And for your question. I can't answer because it would give something away. heeheehee...
Chapter 51- Farewell Zack.
The shot echoes off the steel walls of the Mako Reactor. The shot made everyone jump in surprise, they didn't think something would happen so quickly. Sephiroth is caught off guard, he didn't think someone would attack him so quickly. He doesn't even see the gun until it's fired. The bullet speeds through the distance in an instant and hits the target. The blade of the Masamune is struck by the bullet causing Sephiroth to loose his hold on his sword.
Vincent aims his weapon at Sephiroth's head next and begins to pull the trigger. "WHOA WHOA HOLD IT!" Cloud jumps in front of Sephiroth and waves his arms in the air making Vincent stop his attack. "There's no reason to attack!" Cloud quickly says.
That comment makes everyone dumbfounded, "What do you mean there's no reason to attack. He was about to kill you!?" Tifa yells while thinking Cloud has lost his mind.
"Perhaps we misunderstood the situation." Red XIII says as he sits on his hind legs.
Yuffie's face goes bright red when she finally notices Cloud's lack of dress. "Where is your shirt?" Yuffie asks embarrassedly as she tries to cover her face with her left hand. Everyone glances over to her with a weird expression, each wondering why that question popped up in a situation such as this. "WHAT!?" Yuffie suddenly yells, "Stop starring at me!?" Yuffie covers her whole face with her hands.
Sephiroth's laughter rings throughout the reactor. Cloud scratches the back of his head, suddenly embarrassed. "Um... yea." Is all Cloud can say. He walks over to his discarded shirt and quickly throws it on. He picks his Ultimate Weapon and sheathes it. "I didn't have a shirt on because I was in one of these mako tanks." Cloud explains.
Rima's hand twitches a bit while it hovers above her sniper rifle. Her eyes remain locked on Sephiroth as she tries to decide whether or not to attack him. It's hard enough for her to just remain silent and not start yelling profanities at the swordsman. She watches as Sephiroth walks over to his sword and sheathes it. He turns back around, crossing his arms as he looks at the group.
"I'm... confused." Tifa says as she glances between the two.
"Believe me, you're not the only one." Vincent says as he puts the Death Penalty in its holster. "Why are you with him and why were you in one of those Mako tanks?" Vincent suddenly asks.
Cloud holds out his hands beckoning everyone to be quiet while he talk, "Ok.. I can explain this. um.." His gaze lifts up as he tries to think of a way to explain everything. "Um... Sephiroth said that going through this Mako treatment would make us stronger. So we came to a truce and came here."
"A truce?" Yuffie says in confusion.
Cloud nods, "Yea, we're no longer enemies. We're um.. allies?" He replies hesitantly.
"WHAT!?" Most of the group yells in union. Tifa immediately argues with the idea. "Cloud! We can't be allies with him! This is the man who destroyed our home! He tried to destroy the entire planet and almost succeeded. Cloud, he KILLED Aerith!"
Zack lowers his gaze to the floor at the last comment. He never thought he'd run into Sephiroth again. He learned about Aerith's death and how Sephiroth was the one who killed her. He ran his sword through her. Yes, he loved Aerith. As a matter of fact he went to her house when he recovered from his wounds that he almost died from. Only to find Aerith's mother crying over her recent death. He arrived too late.
Sephiroth's face remains expressionless as he stares at Tifa while she continues to rant on about what he's done in the past and how cruel and evil he is. Sephiroth rolls his eyes, like anyone needs to be reminded. He scans the group his gaze stopping on Rima. Her right hand is inside of her coat, a clear sign that she's ready to attack him at any moment. He'll have to keep on guard with her standing there.
Sephiroth glances to the right a bit and spots a strangely familiar head of hair. Long, black, and really spiky. The man's head is lowered a bit, hiding his face from Sephiroth's sight. Sephiroth doesn't need to see his face to know who it is. The hair and the massive sword on sheathed at his back is enough for him to recognize the man. "...Zack?" Sephiroth calls out. Tifa stops her ranting and glances at Sephiroth, as well as everyone else. Zack lifts his head up, scratching the back of his neck and giving a humorous grin. Sephiroth rolls his eyes at the familiar grin. Yup, it's him. Sephiroth walks up closer to Zack, a faint smile across his face, "I heard you were dead." Sephiroth states.
Zack chuckles a bit, "Yea, well I guess I could say the same to you."
"Yes I suppose you can." Sephiroth says before laughing, Zack soon follows suite. The group watches silently as the two throw their heads back and laugh.
Slowly the two stop laughing. Zack's grin disappears with his laughter as he stares at Sephiroth, "You killed Aerith." He suddenly states.
Sephiroth crosses his arms, "So I've been reminded countless times."
Zack turns his head to the side a bit as his brows lower in anger, "I would of never thought you'd even think about killing her. " Sephiroth remains silent as he waits for Zack to continue. Zack looks straight at Sephiroth, "How could you kill one of your friends?" He asks in disbelief.
The groups brows raises in surprise at the question. "Arghhh. I've had enough of this!" Rima suddenly yells as she pulls her sniper rifle out. "Die Sephiroht!" She fires her gun. Everyone quickly dives to the ground to avoid the bullet. Sephiroth jumps out of the room to the walkway outside. Rima growls in anger, "Get back here!" She yells as she runs out after him. The group quickly get to their feet to see what's happening.
Rima runs out to the walkway and looks around, 'What? Where did he go!? There's no place for him to run.' She looks up to the upper walkway to see if he managed to get there. She doesn't see him. Chains rattle from the right, Rima turns to the side to see Sephiroth swinging towards her on a chain. Her eyes widen as she pulls her rifle up and fires a shot. The bullet breaks the chain, the momentum that Sephiroth has manages to carry him the rest of the way to the walkway. With his feet outstretched, he kicks Rima in the stomach and lands on the walkway on his back. Rima stumbles back to the edge of the walkway. She swings her arms to try and keep herself from falling down into the mako pool below.
"RIMA!" Yuffie calls out in terror as Rima begins to fall back.
Rima can feel herself falling back. She tries to clutch at anything to stop herself from falling. Her dream suddenly flashes through her mind. The one where she's younger and is chased into a cave. She sees the bats swarming around her, causing her to fall back into the strange glowing spring. Rima's eyes widen as she realizes something while falling, she realizes what the glowing spring is. They're both the same color. The one in her dream and the one below her now. The strange spring in her dream can be none other then, "Mako..." Rima says aloud before she feels something grab one of her wrists.
Rima blinks out of her daze and looks up to see Sephiroth hanging over the edge of the walkway. His brows are lowered in concentration as he tries not to let go. Sephiroth's eyes locks with Rima before he smirks, "You need to stop shoting at me." Sephiroth says a bit jokingly, and who says Sephiroth doesn't have a sense of humor?
Rima's eyes narrow in a glare, "I'll kill you for having Hojo do this to me." She states, "So you might as well just drop me."
Yuffie begins to run over to Sephiroth help him lift Rima up. Vincent grabs her arm, stopping her. Yuffie turns around to give Vincent a bewildered look. All Vincent does is stare ahead.
Sephiroth gives a half smile, "Believe me. I'm debating whether to do so or not." His brows lower in thought, "However, you seem to be misunderstanding something." He begins to lift Rima up as he speaks. With one swift pull he throws her safely onto the walkway. Sephiroth stands up and gazes down at Rima, "I never ordered Hojo to do this to you." Sephiroth turns around to look their audience. "I think it would be wise to explain things later."
Cloud nods his head a bit, "Yea, listen guys. Let's go to Rocket Town and get an inn. I can explain things when we get there." The group agrees and they begin to make their way out of the reactor, the group remains weary of Sephiroth's presence. Although Sephiroth is acting differently then they remember him, that doesn't mean they'll trust him. The only ones that don't seem to have a problem with Sephiroth's presence is Cloud and Zack.
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The group traveled in silence all the way to Rocket Town. To everyone, the town is a welcoming sight from the exhausting hike through the mountains. Although the sight of the town still seems rather strange do to the rocket that used to be kept there is gone, it was used as an attempt to destroy Meteor two years ago. Now the town looks as if it's missing something. The group quickly heads into the town's inn and get rent some rooms. Everyone gathers into one room to here Cloud's story.
"He--y.. Where's Rima?" Yuffie asks looking around the room.
"She said she'd go and find us some means of transportation across the ocean." Cloud answers. Sephiroth walks across the rooms and leans his back against the wall. Everyone stares at him for a moment before getting comfortable before Cloud begins his explanation. Cloud looks at everyone to see everyone settled in. Cloud runs his hand through his blonde spikes in thought, "Ok, now where do I begin? Um.. I ran into Sephiroth one night, or rather he found me. He was the one who came up with the idea for a truce. I didn't by it for a second and began to fight him. After all, he's the one who ended the lives of many and ruined my life. But while fighting him he pointed a valid point to me."
"What was that?" Tifa asks curiously.
Cloud shrugs his shoulders, "He was never our enemy. In truth, it was only Jenova who was our enemy."
"What does that mean?" Yuffie asks confused.
Sephiroth pushes himself off the wall and walks towards them. He glances towards Cloud, "I'll explain this part." Cloud shrugs his shoulders, letting him do so. Sephiroth turns back to the group and crosses his arms, "That disgusting creature that's my mother was controlling me. Ever since I arrived in Nibelheim it took control of my mind."
Vincent's brows lower in thought, 'So.. he still believes Jenova is his real mother.' He thinks to himself. He frowns a bit, 'Lucrecia... if you only lived longer, you could of met your son.'
"And what makes you think we'll believe that?" Red XIII asks, the wise fiery beast isn't one to give his trust easily.
Sephiroth shrugs his shoulders, "I don't suspect you to believe me. Although Jenova had control over me, I still accept the fact that I was the one who killed Aerith and summon Meteor."
Cloud crosses his arms and places a hand on his chin in thought, "Zack said 'How could you kill one of your friends' What did he mean?"
"Have you forgotten?" Zack asks, breaking into the conversation. Everyone glances over to Zack. Zack let's out a sigh, "Aerith and I were together. I brought her to the base once to meet a friend of mine, Sephiroth. Although Shin-Ra was still trying to get her back then, Sephiroth promised he wouldn't tell the president about Aerith. They became friends, thank god, because if they didn't I would of been severely punished for bringing an outsider to the training camp." Zack says laughing at what could of happened.
"Oh.." Is all Cloud says. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts, "Anyway, Sephiroth said he knew a way to make us stronger. We were suppose to be submerged in Mako for two weeks but it got cut a week short because the reactor shut down. The results however, had some interesting results." Cloud says giving Sephiroth a look. Sephiroth merely smirks.
"Like what?" Tifa asks noticing the look Cloud gave Sephiroth.
Cloud scratches the back of his head and laughs nervously, "Uh.. it's a surprise" He says quickly. "Listen, tomorrow we'll be leaving pretty early so we should probably be going."
"Oh yea... where we going anyway?" Yuffie asks, remembering he hasn't told them yet. Yuffie tilts her head a bit to the side when Cloud stares at her strangely. She opens her mouth to asks what's wrong but is interrupted by the door opening up. Rima walks into the room.
"Do they have any boats?" Cloud asks upon her arrival.
Rima nods her head once, "The ship to Wutai leaves at eight." She informs them.
Yuffie's eyes widen at the comment, "WUTAI!?" She yells in surprise. She quickly turns back to Cloud, "Why are we going to Wutai!? There's nothing left. What the point of going there?" Yuffie immediately asks.
Cloud frowns a bit, knowing that this would upset Yuffie, "I'm sorry Yuffie. I kow you don't want to see Wutai right now. But I wanted to search the area again. This all started there, so I just want to go back to make sure we didn't miss anything." Cloud explains. Yuffie blinks back the tears in her eyes. Cloud places his hands on her shoulders and looks into her eyes, "I think it would be best for you to see your home."
Yuffie hangs her head a bit, "I... want to see Wutai again... I want to know what its fate is. I... tried so hard to get it back to its formal glory like it was before the war with Shin-Ra... but now.. it's nothing more then a memory."
Cloud nods in understanding, after all, his hometown was burned down. Then Shin-Ra rebuilt it to cover up the incident, "Well we should get some sleep. We have four rooms so, We'll have to pair up" Cloud informs. Everyone nods in understanding.
Tifa walks over to Yuffie and grabs her arm, "Come on Yuffie. Me and you will share a room." Yuffie gives a small smile before allowing Tifa drag her to their room.
Sephiroth walks over to a bed and sits down, signaling to everyone that he'll be take the room they are in. Zack shrugs his shoulders and walks over to the other bed in the room and plops down, "Guess I'll room with my good Ol's pal Seph." Zack announces.
Sephiroth rolls his eyes at Zack, "Oh joy." Sephiroth mutters.
Zack grins over to Sephiroth, "Oh.. would you rather room with.." Zack pretends to think for a moment, "Rima?" CLICK! Zack glances over to the noise to see Rima aiming her rifle at him. Zack jumps to his feet and shakes his head, "I'm joking! Honest!" He says quickly. Rima's eyes narrow before she puts her weapon away and walks out of the room. A moment later Vincent walks out of the room.
Cloud shrugs and looks down at Red XIII, "Guess that leaves you and me." He states before walking out of the room. Red XIII follows him.
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Darkness surrounds her in the room. The only sound is the obnoxious ticking of the clock. As much as she tries she can't get to sleep. One question rages through her mind, causing her to stay wide awake. Her answer to the question is only a few doors away. She must know, she has to know the truth.
Rima glances across the room to the clock, 'One thirty.' He may be asleep already but Rima doesn't care. She'll drag his ass out of his room if she has to. Dragging her self out of her bed she walks across the room, walking pass the bed Vincent is in and towards the door. Quietly she slips out of the room.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Sephiroth's eyes snap open to the soft knocking on the door. He looks at the time before he throws the covers off of himself. He glances over to Zack to see if he's awake. Zack mumbles something in his sleep and rolls over. Sephiroth rolls his eyes and walks across the room and opens up the door. His brows raise in slight surprise when he sees Rima standing outside the door.
Rima blinks a bit when she sees him. Her eyes travel from his face to his bare chest. Rima faint blush spreads across her face before she banishes it with a glare. She glances back up to Sephiroth's eyes, "I wish to speak with you." She explains.
Sephiroth crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe, "What is it?" He asks tiredly.
Rima shakes her head, "Outside." She says simply before turning around and walking away. Sephiroth watches her disappear down the steps before going back into the room and slipping his shirt on. Shoving his feet into his boots he walks out of the room.
Zack cracks open an eye as Sephiroth closes the door. A small knowing smile spreads across his lips before he throws his covers off of himself. Jumping out of the bed, he quickly walks out of the room. Scanning the many doors in the hall he scratches his head in confusion. 'Well I guess any of them will do. After all, they all should know.' Actually he wanted to speak with Tifa, but if he doesn't get her room then he'll just ask whoever he does end up getting.
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Sephiroth walks out of the inn and into the night. He looks around until he spots Rima leaning against a tree. He walks over to Rima, "So what is it you wanted to speak to me about?" He asks, although he has a pretty good idea already.
Rima crosses her arms and keeps her gaze to the ground, "I want to know the truth. Here and now." She says getting to the point, "In Hojo's journal, he wrote you ordered him to do tests on me."
Sephiroth raises an eyebrow, "And you believe it?" He asks amused. Rima remains silent. Sephiroth sighs as he walks around to the other side of the tree, he leans his back against the tree and glances up to the stars, seemingly lost in thought, "It's true. I ordered him to do a test on you." Sephiroth admits.
Rima's fist clench, "So it is your fault I am like this."
"I guess it is. But I said 'test, not 'tests'. I didn't order Hojo to do anything to you." Sephiroth explains.
Rima lifts her head up, she glances over her shoulder to try and see Sephiroth, "What are you talking about?" She says in confusion.
Sephiroth crosses his arms and scowls, "My mistake was to have Hojo do the test. Especially since I knew something wasn't right with you." Sephiroth says, more to himself then Rima.
Rima remains quiet for a moment then asks, "What kind of test did you order him to do on me?"
"A blood test."
"Blood test?" Rima repeats in wonderment, "Why did you won't him to do a blood test on me?"
"......" Sephiroth debates whether or not to tell her everything, especially since she should already be aware of everything herself, after all, it's her body. "The tests Hojo did on you, had nothing to do with you becoming what you are."
Rima walks around the tree to look at Sephiroth. Sephiorth turns his head to the side, not meeting her gaze, "When we were working together, you began to act... strangely." Sephiroth hesitates trying to find the right words, "You were beginning to change."
"Change?" Rima repeats uncertainly.
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Yuffie groans and rolls out of bed. 'oof' scratch that, she falls out of bed. Yuffie rubs her eyes tiredly as the knocking continues. Tifa sits up in bed and looks over to Yuffie. Yuffie waves her off telling her she'll answer the door. Besides, she wants to know who's stupid enough to come knocking on someone's door this late. She opens the door and sees Zack standing there. Yuffie rolls her eyes, "Tifa it's for you." Yuffie calls out.
"How do you know I was knocking for her?" He asks in confusion.
Yuffie begins to laugh, "Please... You can't say you wanted to see me" She says before throwing herself back into bed.
Tifa quickly walks out of the room, closing the door behind her. She leans her back against the door, ready to fall asleep any moment. Zack looks at her up and down, a teasing grin spreads across his face, "Nice pajamas." He comments making Tifa blush in embarrassment.
She's wearing purple pajamas with hearts all over it. "Uh.. thanks... you wanted something?" She quickly changes the subject.
Zack's grin drops, he lowers his head. He places a hand on the back of his head, his eyes glance up at her hesitantly, "I wanted to ask something" He says quietly.
Tifa blinks a bit surprise. She gives him a nervous smile, "Uh.. what is it?" She can feel her heartbeat begin to quicken.
"Aerith.." Zack says.
"Oh.." Tifa's mood suddenly drops.
Zack blinks, "What?"
Tifa shakes her head, "Nothing!" She quickly says, "Um... What about Aerith?" She quickly asks.
Zack cups his hands in front of himself and twirls his thumbs nervously, "I was wondering..." He begins, "Where did you guys bury her?" He glances up at her through his bangs.
Tifa frowns a bit as she remembers that faithful day they lost their dear friend. "Cloud placed her in a small lake, near the place she was killed."
"Where is it?" Zack says almost immediately.
Tifa stutters a bit trying to find the answer, "It uh.. in the City Of Ancients." Zack opens his mouth to speak but Tifa answers his next question before he manages to get the question out, "It's on the North Continent. You can get there traveling through the Sleeping Forest in Bone Village. You'll need a Lunar Harp to get through the forest." Tifa explains.
Zack smiles a bit and before Tifa knows it, he's hugging her, "Thanks Tifa." Zack says softly. "I won't be..." He pauses
Tifa gives a small smile before returning the embrace, "I know.." She says.
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Rima continues to look at Sephiroth in confusion. 'What does he mean I began to change?' She thinks to herself.
Sephiroth nods his head, "I began to get suspicious, so I had Hojo do a blood test on you. The results said..." Sephiroth pauses in mid sentence as he lets out a breath, "Hojo.. he didn't turn you into a vampire. You were already turning into one. Hojo most of just quickened the process."
Rima feels her stomach drop. It can't be true can it? He must be lying to her. But she's never known Sephiroth to lie. But, if he says is true then, what does that mean? Does that mean she's always been a vampire? No, that can't be true. She never had a craving or a need to drink blood until she escaped from Hojo. Maybe she didn't need the blood because she wasn't fully turned. Rima pushes the thought out of her head. She won't believe it, Hojo did this to her. She wasn't a vampire before this, there isn't any proof of it.
THERE SHE IS! QUICKLY GET HER! BURN THAT LITTLE WITCH! The shouts of the villagers in her dreams suddenly pop into her head. Is that why they were chasing her? Rima's face goes as white as a ghost. It can be the only reason why villagers were chasing her. That may be the only memory of her childhood she has but it explains enough. It's true... she's always been a vampire. It was merely hidden inside of her until Hojo enhanced it.
Rima blinks the tears back as her sight refocuses. She turns back towards Sephiroth only to see that he already left. Rima hangs her head, 'At least now I know the truth..' She thinks to herself. 'I think I need a drink.' She thinks to herself as she walks back into the inn and towards the bar.
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"I hate ships, I hate ships, I hate ships." Yuffie keeps repeating to herself as she sees a few ships pull into the shore. Just what she needs, to throw-up all her breakfast. 'I knew I shouldn't have eaten something. The moment I walk on that damn boat I'm going to lose all of it.' It was bad enough they had to walk two miles out of Rocket Town to get to the damn docks.
Tifa gives her younger friend a sympathetic look. She herself has never gotten motion sickness, and thank god she hasn't. After seeing the results of Yuffie's motion sickness, Tifa was just happy that she'll never have to go through that.
Their ship pulls onto the docks. Cloud turns to the group, "Alright everyone. This is it, let's get on." He announces everyone nods before heading towards the ship.
"I'll see you guys later." Zack suddenly says.
Everyone turns around and looks at him in confusion. Cloud walks over to him and scratches the side of his head, "What do you mean?" He asks.
Zack frowns a bit, "I mean.. I'm not going with you guys."
"What!? Why?" Yuffie asks surprised.
Zack laughs a bit nervously, "Let's just say, I need to pay a visit to someone."
Cloud raises an eyebrow, "Who?" He asks curiously.
"That's none of our business." Sephiroth suddenly says. Everyone turns towards him. Sephiroth gives a short nod to Zack before heading onto the boat.
The group turns back to Zack. Zack gives them a smile, "Hey, don't look at me like that. It's not like this is goodbye or anything." He says reassuringly.
Tifa gives him a small smile before walking onto the ship. Yuffie gives him a hug before leaving. Vincent gives a short nod before walking onto the ship. Rima just follows the rest of the group.
"I guess we'll meet up again some time." Red XIII states before walking to the ship.
Cloud sighs in defeat, "I guess this is farewell." He says.
"But not goodbye." Zack states, "Don't worry, I'll meet up with you sooner or later."
Cloud nods, "I don't know where we'll be going after Wutai."
"No worries. I'll track you guys down. I did once before right?" Zack says giving a grin. He holds out his hand. Cloud smiles and shakes his hand, "I'll see you guys later." Zack promises. Cloud nods before walking towards his ship. Zack waves to them as the ship departs and winces when he sees something fly out of Yuffie's mouth into the sea. Zack heads off to the ship that just pulls in, 'Guess this is my ride.' He thinks to himself, 'Time to pay a visit that is long overdue.'
Well.... That's it ya'll! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, this one wasn't as much of a hassle to write like the last one. Hmm... So Rima finally knows the truth, well kind of. Only one question remains for her, was she always a vampire? Heeheehee. Zack rides off into the sunset and leaves his friends behind to pay one final visit to a dear friend =0P. When and where will the group be reunited with him? Guess you'll have to wait and find out, now won't'cha? Well Review y'all! TTNC