Disclaimer: I own Final Fantasy 7 –somebody walks up to me and whispers something in my ear- OH SHIT, I mean I DON'T own final fantasy 7 =) - innocent smile.

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Shocking, Isn't it?

Vincent walked into the room chatting pleasantly with Nanaki, but once inside, the girls had already set up a… tent? Fabric shelter? Dismissing their child-like behavior, he moved around to his and Nanaki's king-sized bed.

"So, I'm just wondering. If you wouldn't mind me asking, what happened with you and Lucretia?"

"It is a story I might be able to tell you in time but for now I cannot."

"I… guess that's understanda-"

"Yuffie!" The gentlemen turned to look at the females of the room. The shooter gave Nanaki a questioning look but saw the same confusion in his eyes. The women continued speaking in whispers. The night stretched as far as it could for the boys but after another half-hour of so, the two males decided to go to sleep.

Vincent slept on the right side of the mattress and Nanaki slept on the side closer to the girls' bed. Nanaki went to bed as he was but the ex-Turk decided to sleep in only his pants. For the entire night, Tifa and Yuffie had been speaking in murmurs and whispers. But thirty minutes after the men's side of the room had darkened, when Vincent was only semi-awake, a single phrase brought him back to full awareness.

"Vincent is… attractive." Tifa? Is that her?

"Attractive? Attractive?! For god's sake!! He's is totally a TDH!! Tall, dark and hot!!! With the high cheekbones, thin lips and mesmerizing eyes! You can't tell me that he's just 'attractive'!" TDH? Yuffie. Why talk about me? Why me of all subjects?

"Fine! He's positively gorgeous! And yes, yes he is the perfect type of guy; tall, dark and handsome. Also, yes, I will admit he's got the most brilliant eyes. And holy shit, his hair is heavenly. And, and! –he smells unbelievable…" I what?!

Somewhere between him being drop-dead gorgeous, some club named 'The Joint', and Vince's kissing abilities, the gunman found himself pressed against Nanaki's back trying to get as close to the conversation as possible.

"I cover my head but Cloud continued slashing at me with his sword, I could literally feel his blade chewing my skin. Right after it starts, it stops. I turn around and Vince is standing there, he walks to me and just holds me for awhile." Vincent had never been so desperate to hear something before, never. Both hands had found its way into Nanaki's fur, pulling at it slightly trying to calm his surreal nervousness.

"Then! Then!"

"He kisses me." His fingers, sharp and human, all tensed and dug into Nanaki's flesh causing the sleeping beast to scream out but not wake. He could feel the girls' eyes on him but the couldn't see that he was awake. Thank god.

"Okay. It… escalates but! –I wake up before anything is stripped." Damn. Wait, what? Am I disappointed?!

"But it's just a dream, right? Like it's nothing big?" I hope so… I really hope so. How could this be happening? Better yet, why would this be happening? The tingles, the stomach-knots and yet… complete serenity?! This was all Vincent Valentine had been feeling… ever since he'd began to speak to Tifa during their first adventure but he discarded any thoughts of it.

The poor man didn't receive a wink of sleep that night; instead, he contemplated all the sensations he'd been feeling since the journey had begun. In the end, though, he could only believe it was excitement of Lucretia's resurrection. Even with a handful of powerful proof in front of him.

The next morning was glorious, breakfast was succulent and Yuffie was planning to take a break as her rule of Wutai to join the expedition and take Vincent to the Professor that the gunslinger had heard of, Professor Amy Voon. And they needed any kind of assistance available; none of them had any idea of their next step.

"Okay, we're looking for Amy Voon, right?" It was unreal to see Yuffie so collected, so mature. So business.

"Yes." Nanaki gave her a comforting smile; Tifa and Yuffie were the optimistic fraction of AVALANCHE. With Yuffie's antics and Tifa's kind words, it felt as if nothing could stop the rag-tag team.

"I've heard of her, she's very renowned. She lives on the outskirts." Deciding against the Highwind, they began walking. Yuffie, Tifa and Shera led the way, while the men trailed behind. Vincent could hear incoherent whispers; they'd occasionally look back at them and explode into laughter. They were talking about them, the men.

Closing in on the large white mansion, a woman with square-rimmed glasses was in the garden, prepping her flowers for the up-coming gardening contest. Yuffie had ordered someone in her large staff to call Ms. Voon and arrange a good time to meet and such.

"Professor Voon!! Open the gate! … Please!" The ostentatious young ninja called for the Wutainese woman's attention. Following the grey-eyed brunette's request, Amy pressed her finger against a button that compelled the gates to swing wide, opening as if they were welcoming arms. Stone tiles fabricated a path to the wealthy professor's estate.

"Hi there. I'm Amy Voon."

An hour later, they had filled the middle-aged University professor with knowledge of their mission, not to mention her role in it all. Kind as she was, the memory of Nguyen was still fresh in their minds'. The group had yet to tell neither Yuffie nor Amy of the death that had already occurred in only the beginning of their adventure.

"I've heard stories on the Temple of Ares. I can swear to you that it's pretty much a ruin of some kind of circular room. Nothing more. No pedestal or anything." Amy knew her work; she was a historian for twelve years.

"In both books, it speaks of the same spell we're trying to perform and it only says we have to put the dagger in the center of the room. Possibly it's some kind of key?" As always, Nanaki was the only one having an intense conversation with Amy. The rest sat around leisurely, doing their thing. Cid sat with Shera, both caring for Ashley. Vincent stood alone, having a hell of a time glancing at Tifa and Yuffie every time he felt their eyes on him. But the moment he'd roll his pupils towards them, they'd turn away and giggle off. God, it was the about the dream wasn't it?

"Guys," Nanaki shook them from their worlds so he could speak. "Amy's gave us the information we need. We should get go get some dinner."

The band of fighters was given the bits and pieces of the conversation that was exchanged between Nanaki and Amy. Temple of Ares was in the ocean, deep in the ocean. Between Midgar and Costa Del Sol, therefore, visiting Barrett would be on the way. They'd have to find a woman named Tammy Du in Costa Del Sol, she was the owner of a submarine.

Once they boarded the Highwind, a certain idea began to manifest itself within everyone's mind. Costa Del Sol was also the number one place to relax. By the end of dinner, they'd decided to pick up Barrett and his family and stop at Costa Del Sol for some R and R.

A cool breeze blew through the open window, whipping his hair silky hair back. Some unknown reason, Vincent felt guilty for wanting a small break in Costa Del Sol. He was supposed to be bringing Lucretia back to life. That was what was clawing his insides, right? Or maybe it was hearing Tifa talk of him in such a light tone, one he had never heard Lucretia to talk of him with.

Could he truly be falling for the wonderfully compassionate martial artist? Or was it simply raw lust from not being in a woman's touch for so long? Well. Not a sincere touch. The strong force that pulled him to Lucretia had weakened by so much and replaced by magnetization to Tifa's every move, every scent and every word. Something he'd only been recently doing with Lucretia. This can't be happening.

Tifa gazed out of the glass window; no clouds were visible. The dream she'd discussed with Yuffie was still nagging her. Telling someone, like Yuffie, seemed like a good way to make the constant guilty poke at her conscious disappear. But onyx strands, soft lips, piercing crimson eyes, warmth of his body, his mellow yet luscious scent still filled her every sense. Only Cloud could do that to her before. What did it mean? It means nothing. Nothing… right?

"Daddy! Daddy! Mr. Cid is here!" Roaring engines blew wind into the face of a small cottage; cottage in which a young girl, named Marlene, lived with her father, former AVALANCHE member, Barrett.

Grumble. Mumble. Moan. "…Marlene… go back to bed… it was just a dream…"

"No! Daddy! Mr. Cid's big ship thingy is coming closer!" Somehow, the girl had dipped into a secret stash of energy and was bubbling with enthusiasm.

"Marlene…" The black, beefy man turned to take a look at the clock, it only read 4:23. "Mr. Cid wun be 'ere for another two hours…"

"But-"

"No buts'. Get so-" The engines' noise was slowly getting louder, finally loud enough to reach a sleepy man's ears. "That foo' gotta be kiddin' me."