Disclaimer: Okay, just like the chapter heading says, Vincent and Tifa confess practically everything to each other. If Vincent is OOC please let me know so I can go fix it. I don't want to offend anybody!! Anywho, tell me how you like it after you read it!

What seemed like hours later, I woke up in my bed. I looked around and found that Nova and Kayo were lying in bed with me. I smiled as I moved my hand patted them both on the head.

Their eyes opened and their heads shot up. Upon seeing me awake they got up and jumped onto my chest making me flinch.

"Auntie Tifa!" They exclaimed, licking my face.

"We're so sorry, Auntie Tifa! Are you okay?" Nova said, his yellow eyes filled with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. How about you two? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Kayo said, blinking. "Unca Vincent was really worried about you though. He left after he put you in bed."

"How long ago was that?"

"Um, maybe an hour or two?" Kayo said, looking at his brother.

"Yeah," Nova said, nodding.

"Did he say where he was going?"

"No, he just . . . left," Nova said, shrugging his small shoulders.

"I have to go find him," I said, picking up the two small cubs and setting them on the floor. I looked around for my boots and found them next to the bedside table. I grabbed them and slipped them on.

I grabbed Nova and Kayo from their place on the floor and carefully made my way downstairs. I put the cubs down and left the Observatory. I stopped at the stairwell that I fell down and thought.

Now, if I were Vincent Valentine where would I go? A bar? Well, you gotta start somewhere.

I flung my legs over the side and climbed down the long, wooden ladder. After reaching the bottom I made my way over to the Starlet pub.

It was full as usual. I walked around looking and asking about Vincent but no one said they saw him. Not about to give up, I looked at all the dark corners trying to find a glint of red cape but couldn't find any such thing.

Defeated, I walked out of the bar and over to the Cosmo Candle. I stood and watched the flame for a bit before walking out of the canyon and over to the chocobo stables.

I grabbed a handful of greens from a bucket that was hanging from the door and fed them to Seraph. I leaned on the door as I pet Seraph. I sighed as I began to talk to her.

"Have you seen Vincent around here?" I asked her running my fingers through her golden feathers. "I hope he hasn't left yet. I want to thank him for helping me. Gosh, Seraph, I'm so blind. I can tell Vincent loves me. He's done so many nice things for me and I haven't paid him back in the least. Everyone told me what a good person I was when we were in AVALANCHE, but I don't feel like a good person at all."

"I think you're a good person, Tifa."

I spun around and saw Vincent standing a few paces away from me. I looked down at the ground then looked back up and leaned against the stable door.

"What makes you think that?" I asked, sweeping some loose strands of hair behind my shoulder.

He didn't answer right away. He clenched his fists and looked away from me for a few moments.

"Because you were the only one that thought about me when no one else would," he said, looking back at me, his jaw clenched.

I brought my right hand up and ran it lazily through my hair. I opened my mouth to say something then shut it, realizing that what I was going to say wasn't the right thing. I sighed as I rubbed my eyes.

"It's just that . . . . . since Cloud ran out on me to look for a dead girl, I just shut myself off from the world. I acted fine most of the time but, inside, I was fighting a battle for my sanity. Then when Cloud committed suicide, I almost went over the edge. He was the only one in the world that I had left and he killed himself. You know, I never even got to say goodbye," I said, covering my mouth as fresh tears built up behind my eyes. I closed my eyes and held them back. "After that I swore to myself that I would never love another man for as long as I lived because I didn't want a repeat of Cloud. Yes, I loved him and yes, I about lost it when he died. Hell, I'm loosing it right now! But the point is, Vincent, I'm not sure if I could love you back the way you love me. When Cloud died he took a piece of my soul with him and I can't get it back. No matter how much I try to put his death behind me it just hasn't worked. Barret told me to, Yuffie told me to, and even Cid told me to!"

I stopped and covered my face with my hands as I slid down the door of the stable to the ground.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," I said, trying to keep the tears from flowing out of my eyes.

I heard Vincent walk over and kneel down on the ground next to me. He grabbed my chin with his right hand and made me look at him.

"Tifa, I'm not Cloud. I may have loved Lucrecia deeply but I had to except that she's dead and I can't get her back. Cloud never learned that and he wasted his life. He never realized how much you loved him and he missed out. You're a wonderful person, Tifa," he said, looking into my eyes compassionately. "Whenever you enter a room, it gets brighter. You're beautiful and Cloud couldn't see exactly how beautiful you really are."

I smiled slightly before I got up. The smile disappeared as I walked forward a few paces.

"No, that was Aeris," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and grabbing my shoulders. "Whenever she entered a room it was like she was a magnet. Everyone wanted to talk with her. I even heard a little girl ask her if she was an angel. Well, if Aeris is an angel then what am I? Some kind of friggen Demonic figure?"

Vincent walked around in front of me and put his hands on my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You're not the Demonic figure. I am. I'm the one that has four other creatures living inside me. Not you. When I saw you the first time, when you, Cloud and Aeris woke me up, I thought you were the angel. When you tried to talk with me after I joined you, I didn't want to talk with you because a creature as beautiful as you would never find anything appealing in a monster such as I. I realized how wrong I was," he said, lifting my chin up with his index finger. "I realize that I may sound foolish but it's the truth."

I backed away from him and looked down at the ground.

"No one tells the truth anymore. Then no one can hurt you," I said, my voice flat.

"Tifa," he said, walking up to me and cupping my face with his hands. "I would never hurt you. I would rather die a horrible death than even consider it. Cloud may have hurt you and left you with nothing but like I said, he missed out on something wonderful. Don't believe other wise."

I smiled at him genuinely. Something I didn't do too often anymore. I looked into his dark red eyes and sighed.

"I don't know what to say. I guess all I can say right now is thank you for all you've done. Letting me stay in your home, fixing me dinner, helping me when I was laboring for breath. Maybe someday when it doesn't hurt so much that I could tell you how much I love you. But not right now. I can understand if you don't want to wait for me," I said, looking away from him, sadness over taking me.

"Tifa," he said, turning my head back so I was looking at him again. "I'll wait as long as it takes. Time does not hold me in its grip any longer."

"That's because of what Hojo did to you. I'm not like that. I'll grow old and die and you'll be left here. You'll have to watch Cid and Barret and Reeve and Yuffie and even Red die and you'll be here, watching the world go by. That's the only thing that holds me back. It's because one day you'll be all alone again and it kills me to think about it."

Silence. I expected Vincent to walk away and go find another dark corner to sit and think in, but he did the total opposite. He stood there, a few paces away from me, and waited while I collected myself.

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand then looked up at him but quickly turned my head to the left and covered my mouth as I coughed a few times. I looked back at him and walked back into the canyon and back to the Observatory.

Red was sitting on the floor watching Nariko and Seto when we walked in. He looked up and smiled at us.

"Oh, Tifa, Yuffie just called on your PHS," he said, turning back toward the table and grabbing the device carefully in his mouth and handing it to me.

"Really? When?" I asked, flipping it open.

"About five minutes ago. I told her that you'd call back."

"Thanks, Red," I said, turning around and walking back out the Observatory.

I dialed Yuffie's number and she picked up on the first ring.

"What's up, Yuffe?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd call you and ask when you'll be getting back tomorrow."

I walked forward a few steps and thought.

"You know Yuffie, I'll probably go visit Cid then come home. Is that okay?" I asked, hoping it would be.

"Yeah, sure. But hurry up! I really want to see Nariko and Seto!"

"Don't worry, Yuf. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, Tifa. See ya."

I shut the PHS and turned around. Vincent was leaning against the door jam, arms crossed.

"You're going to see Cid?"

"Yeah, he'd be really angry with me if I forgot to come see him." I paused. "Um, are you still going back to Nibelheim tomorrow?"

He lowered his head and his silky ebony hair fell down in front of his face. He straightened and scratched an unknown itch on his neck before answering.

"Yes."

"Oh," I said, sort of disappointed.

Whoa! Whoa! Wait a second, Lockheart! Why are you so disappointed that he's going to leave and go back to his own home? Yes, you both feel strongly for each other but it's not like he'll follow you were ever you go.

I quieted the voice in my head and walked past Vincent back inside the Observatory. Red was sitting in the same spot that he was when I walked in earlier, Nariko and Seto still sitting in front of him.

Seto saw me and dashed towards me, jumping up on my legs. I laughed as I picked him up. He threw his small paws around my neck and hugged me as best as he could. Nariko ran over and sat down, looking at me with big eyes, requesting to be picked up also. She licked my face and nuzzled herself into my neck. I smiled as I squeezed both of them and walked toward Red.

"They are very excited about going with tomorrow, Tifa," Red said, glowing. "Will you be going straight to Wutai or will you go somewhere else?"

"Well, because I didn't go visit Cid I thought I'd go there then go to Wutai. Is that alright?" I asked, putting the cubs down on the floor.

"Of course. And do not worry about Nariko or Seto falling off your chocobo. Our kind, even at this young age, has extremely good balance. Just make sure they don't move around too much," Red said, smiling down at the two red cubs at my feet.

"Oh, Red, I have a great idea," I said, looking at him with a wide smile. "Because you won't see them for nine months, Yuffie told me that she just a bought a new digital video camera so we can tape the cubs then send you the tape."

"That's a wonderful idea. Seta will be pleased."

"How will I be pleased, Nanaki?" Seta asked, walking out of the Observatory room followed by the three other cubs.

"Tifa said that she's going to video tape Nariko and Seto and send us the tape."

Seta nodded her approval and walked up to me. I kneeled down in front of her so I was looking her in the eye.

"I trust you with them, Tifa. And they trust you. You're like a part of our family. Take good care of them," she said, sitting down and lifting up her right paw. I gently took it in my hand and leaned forward to give Seta a hug.

"They're in good hands. Me and Yuffie won't let them out of our sight," I said, letting go of her paw.

Seta nodded once again before walking back to Red and sitting beside him.

"We'll be holding a small ceremony for Nariko and Seto tonight in front of the Cosmo Candle," Red said, looking at me.

"Like a going away party?"

"Some what. We'll just be announcing that they've come of age and that they're going to go live with you. We'll announce you and we want you to come stand next to us," Seta said, taking over for Red.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll go get ready," I said, walking past them. I stopped and looked back. "Is what I'm wearing fine?"

"Of course. You don't need to dress up," Red said, smiling at me.

I smiled back before climbing up the ladder. I walked over to my bag and dug my hairbrush out of it. After taking out the hair tie I slowly began to brush what I could reach. A voice behind me made me jump slightly. I whirled around causing my hair to cascade down my shoulders. Vincent was standing behind me.

"Do you need any help with that?" he asked, pointing to my brush.

"Uh." I looked down at my brush then back at him. Why not? "Sure."

I handed him the brush then sat down on the small coffee table. He slowly dragged the brush through my long hair being careful not to go too fast.

I smiled in spite of myself. He's being so kind to me. Well, I guess he's returning the favor, maybe.

He finished and handed the brush back to me. I stood up and pointed to the coffee table.

"My turn."

Vincent looked at me with wide eyes for a few seconds before sitting down. I walked around behind him and took out the red bandana that he wore in his hair and set it behind him.

I slowly began to run the brush through his hair being careful of tangles. I reached out my left hand and put it on the side of his head while I brushed out a few knots. I almost pulled my hand back out of surprise. For a man his hair was extremely soft. Shaking that thought out of my head I continued to brush his hair until I was satisfied. Then I put the brush back down on the table, handed his bandana to him and watched while he put it back in his hair.

I smiled and walked back over to the bed and put my hair tie back and turned around to face him.

"Now when is that ceremony thing starting?" I asked, walking toward Vincent.

"Red and Seta left with Nariko and Seto a little while ago. They want us to come down when we're ready."

I took a deep breath and pushed up on my upper arms like I was pushing up sleeves and walked toward the ladder. I waited for Vincent at the bottom then we walked out of the Observatory and made out way down to the Cosmo Candle.

When we arrived, Red signaled us over to sit behind him, Seta and the two cubs. Red quieted the crowd by getting up and walking forward a few steps. He looked around at the crowd for a bit before speaking.

"Thank you all for coming. Seta and I have waited for this day. Some of you may have heard that little Nariko and Seto will be leaving tomorrow, but with whom?" He smiled as he looked back at me. I nodded and told him I was ready. "I would like to introduce to you, Tifa Lockheart."

The crowd erupted into cheers as I got up and stood next to Red. The cubs walked up to me and sat at my feet. I kneeled down and picked both of them up before Red continued.

"She will be taking Nariko and Seto with her to live in Wutai for nine months. Why did we choose this individual, you ask? Tifa is a part of my family and I felt it only right that I give her the opportunity to share in both my cub's lives. All five of my cubs love Tifa with all their heart and they even asked if all of them could go live with her. But tradition says that only two may go with another family or individual. We know that she will take care of them and love them unconditionally. Seta and I have already agreed that if we choose to have more cubs, Tifa will be the one we turn to. Again thank you all for coming," Red said, before turning around and walking back to Seta.

I turned around as well and walked back to Vincent with both cubs still in my arms. I sat down next to him and Nariko jumped into Vincent's lap. She put her little paws on his chest and looked into his eyes. "Hi, Unca Vincent! Are you coming with Auntie Tifa to Wutee?"

I bit my bottom lip as Vincent looked over at me with regret in his blood red eyes. Oh, how I wish he would. He looked away from me as he picked up Nariko in his strong arms and cradled her.

"No," he said, shaking his head causing his dark ebony hair to fall in front of his face. "I'll be returning to Nibelheim tomorrow when you and Tifa go to Wutai."

Nariko's eyes became sad when Vincent said that he wasn't coming. It looked as if she might say something more but instead she wriggled out of his grasp and jumped back into my lap. I looked up at him with concern filling my eyes.

"Are you gonna be okay?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He seemed to ponder my question before nodding.

"I will be . . . fine."

I nodded my understanding and looked over at Red. He came padding up to Vincent and I and sat down.

"As of right now, the cubs are yours until nine months are up," he said, a smile in his voice. "Both Seta and I trust you with them. We'll see you and Vincent off in the morning."

I nodded and watched Red and Seta walk up to the Observatory together. The cubs hopped out of my lap and began chasing each other around the Cosmo Candle. I smiled then looked over at Vincent. He had a far away look in his red eyes.

I looked away from him and straightened my black skirt before getting up. I rounded up Nariko and Seto and stopped in front of Vincent with the cubs in my arms.

"Hey, Vince, you wanna go back up to the Observatory now?"

He looked up at me before getting up as well. He nodded his head and we walked back up to the Observatory together.