Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Okay? Oh...my...god... people actually read this??? Holy shit! Like HOLY SHIT!! Haha anyways, I'm not in the mood to type my OWN life-story, so let's move on to the story!

The Witch Doctor's Advice.

"Vincent?!" his form shot up with incredible speed but the voice that called him soon was overwhelmed with coughs.

"Tifa?" He craned his head upwards to see her shaking physique. He also was feeling the slightest illness coming over him; he had been shirtless for the entire chilly night.

"Why are… you here?" the obviously ill woman's voice was cracked and her vocal cords strained to let the each word out.

"You almost fell off a cliff." Glimpses of the previous night pumped into her mind.

Deciding that her voice would not allow her support her if she tried to speak; she took out the notepad and pen she had used earlier and wrote down a note with ferocity. 'Then why was I half-naked?!' her eyes showed great digustment.

"You… were soaked from head to toe. I had to remove your soaked clothing else you catch a pneumonia. It seems I have failed at that task." Though he seemed unemotional from his appearance; Tifa could see the slightest annoyance sparkle in his eyes. Guilt gnawed at her soul, she should have known that Vincent Valentine, the one who had always been quiet and noble, would have tried to commit such a perverted act on her feminine body.

He made his way off the uncomfortable bed and moved to the bars that separated her and him. The whore that he had had to share his cell with was still out cold from Vincent's punch earlier that morning. She was writing away once again, she ripped it out of the coils and threw it towards him and hustled to the front desk. It floated to the pale man's feet; letting his eyes quickly scan it. Afterwards, he continued to lean against the bars with his arms through the parallel metal pipes. The small grateful message read 'I'll get you out, wait here… well you can't really move…'

"Hiya Tifa!" Officer Bennett gave her a blinding smile.

"How's that pervert doing in there? You going to beat him down or what?"

"Actua-" She broke into another fit of coughs. The police member ran to her side from around the small desk and gave her his bottled water. Another relieved smile blew across her face; accepting the water she drank it quickly.

Once done, she began to work on the memo for her lawful friend. 'Let him go. He's a friend of mine.' Vincent walked over to the drag queen, he noticed that she hadn't moved at all. It was just one punch. Only letting the tip of his dirtied boot nudge at her side, no response came and he began to worry. He was stronger than he looked, could he have killed the desperate slut? His face hovered above the prostitute; he saw no signs of life. It didn't even seem like she or he was breathing. But then, the eyelids that should have been shut opened and a forceful pressure pressed against his lips. Before any reaction could process within his brain, he was pinned against a wall being slobbered on by this very, very good actor.

"Holy shit!" Vincent's eyes searched for the source of the voice as he tried to move his arms to push the ugly beast off him. His eyes landed on a shocked Officer 'Bennett' and a traumatized Tifa; she had even dropped her notepad and pen. Finally, he mustered enough strength to shove the whore away from him and gasped for any kind air that would fill his lungs.

"He's doing it again!" The cop screamed once he reality slapped him but Tifa was still deaf to it all.

"She forced herself on me!" Vincent's voice boomed throughout the small jailhouse. His eyes widened at his own outburst. Tifa, on the other hand, was now even more surprised than before.

"Yeah! Right!"

"Oh, baby. You like it rough, huh?"

"Get off of me!"

"Hey, maybe I should leave you two alone."

"You. You fucking shut up before I make you shut up."

"All this drama is making me want you more, Mr. Hot stuff."

"I said get off of me!"

Violent words were flung around as Tifa's headache began to worsen. Starting to feel faint, she let out an inaudible whisper.

"Just let him go." But of course no one had heard her over their own screams. Alike to the evening before, she felt herself plunge forward, in her mind, it was into a sea of haunting images, but in reality, it was towards the concrete floor.

Officer Bennett caught her not so gracefully but everything fell silent.

"She's running a hot fever." His hand slipped onto her forehead and felt the hot temperature. A solemn look filled his expression.

"She said to let you go before. She also mentioned that you two are friends. Please explain. I don't want to let her go until I know what the connection is. My wife and her are real close, same with me and her and I'm not letting her into the arms of a crazed rapist."

Friends? The small word enlarged itself within Vincent's mind. She considers me a friend? Not letting his inner voices interfere, he replied.

"We… are of some form of friends."

"Hehe. You're from AVALANCHE. I remember seeing you, well about half of your face in one of the pictures Tifa showed me." The accusing glare Vincent had only been seeing in the man's eyes converted into a friendly beam. The middle-aged police officer stood and unlocked the caging door.

"I can't leave this hellhole with you. Take care of Tifa. There's no real doctor here in Nibelhiem. Kind of pathetic, don't you think? You might want to take care of her yourself or take her to Ms. Xiao. She isn't licensed… but she knows her medicine and sicknesses. Tifa's going to need something intense. Look at the color of her face." Tifa's skin was now possibly paler than Vincent's. Though this Ms. Xiao didn't sound very promising, the AVALANCHE member knew he didn't know enough medical techniques to help the very ill-looking Tifa.

Later that day, Vincent had gotten the details on 'Ms. Xiao' and her whereabouts. He carried the unconscious woman to Tifa's house, which he had also learned from his newfound friend. He placed a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. Tifa was burning up; how was it possible to even reach that kind of body temperature?

He had place on what he believed was her room and on what he hoped was her bed. Turning to leave, he heard a harsh cry from her restless sleep.

"Aeris!...No!.... Please… Cloud… come home…" Tears were evident in her voice but none leaked out of her closed eyes. He walked back over and tucked her in… again. Once more, he made his quickened pace towards the exit of the room but another whisper made him stop. Everything around had stopped.

"…Vincent…" What did he have anything to do with her unconscious mind? His ears burned to hear more of her words but none came and time restored itself. Vincent stayed in the room across from her, hoping to calm his own nightmares also.

The next day, he carried Tifa to the small cottage that belonged to Ms. Xiao. He was contemplating on how to knock with Tifa bundled in his arms when the door swung open and a haggish old woman answered the door.

"You… are… Vincent…" there was a 30 second pause between each word. She moved out of the doorway, allowing him to enter.

"Set… her… on… the… bed…" Taking in the cozy yet unnatural room in, he set her onto the soft bed.

"…Away…" Her voice was raspy voice was soothing in the most odd way. Maybe it was the way she said things.

"Away?" the questioned with uncertainty.

"Leave… us… come… back… in… an… hour…" That sentence alone had taken three minutes to conjure. But he listened to her wishes and left the cottage but not before giving Tifa another glance.

He kicked a small pebble, the hour was almost up. Should he stay? Could the witch doctor take care of her and let him leave for his search of the elusive Lucretia? Lucretia. He hadn't heard her say anything to him for the last two days.

It should be time, he made his way back towards the small home. Once he was within sight range, he saw that the old doctor was standing at the door.

"How is she?" Vincent's expression stayed the same unreadable face as Ms. Xiao's.

"She… is… very… ill… You… must… go… to… Cosmo… Canyon… for… Doctor… Chong…" Cosmo Canyon? That was the most likely place that Nanaki AKA Red was; but how to get there?

"Thank you." He entered the house and retrieved Tifa, bringing her back to her own home. Soon, Vincent found himself holding his old PHS in hand, ready to dial Cid's number. He looked over his shoulder again from his spot at the doorway of Tifa's room; where she was placed in bed and lay to rest. She was sweating but she didn't seem to be having any nightmares like the night before.

Swallowing his pride, he called the old pilot.

"What the fuck do you want?! I'm busy!"

"Cid?"

"Holy shit knockers! Vincent, my man, is that you?!"

"…Yes."

"Well, I'll be damned. What the hell do you want?" Though Cid's voice held no hatred, there was some sort of dislike hidden in it.

"I am in Nibelhiem and am in need of a ride to Cosmo Canyon… with Tifa."

"Tifa?! She didn't say anything about you in her last letter! What the fuck is going on?!"

"She's ill. I am here now and it is not your concern of my reasons."

Silence ringed on the other side but a sigh was heard. "Fine. I'll be there in the morning. You better be fucking ready to explain a whole lot of shit for me." A click represented that the conversation was over leaving Vincent only to hang up.

"Vincent…?" Tifa's voice was small but it was loud enough for Vincent's acute ears to pick it up.

"You should be asleep. We are going to Cosmo Canyon tomorrow to get a doctor." His words weren't harsh nor gentle. But the phrase 'get a doctor' was alarming, it meant seriousness.

"Am I dying?" She wasn't afraid of death… but she just didn't want it.

"No. Get rest." The sick woman didn't realize he had left the room but she fell into a sleep anyways.