Disclaimer: …Is there any particular reason I have to put this thing in every

chapter? DOES ANYONE EVEN READ IT?

Note: Hoo, boy! Sorry about the agonizingly long wait for this chapter. Stuff's been going on. Huh? What kind of stuff, you ask? Well why should I tell you, huh? Er, anyway, I'm still busy so this chapter might be kinda short and cruddy. Sorry!

Second Note: If I make Vincent sound like a total asshole in this chapter, I'm really, really sorry. Keep in mind that I didn't mean to.

Chapter 19: The Fall

"Cloud!"

Tifa looked at the blonde man, his name coming from her mouth before she could think about it. Hearing her, he turned to embrace his friend but was stopped by Vincent.

"…My apologies but the deal has not yet been made," Vincent said, frowning slightly. He really did hate having to act like this, but Chaos wouldn't let him do anything else.

"Deal?" Cloud said. His voice was calm, but in the way air was calm before a storm. "…There is no deal, Vincent. I don't give a crap about your pathetic excuse for kidnapping Tifa. Solitude? Bullshit. You don't want solitude, you want her ass."

The red-eyed man just stared at Cloud, one eyebrow raised slightly. "I see you put a lot of thought into this," he said mockingly.

"Yes, Valentine, contrary to popular belief, I do have a brain and I do use it."

"Of course you do, Strife…of course you do…"

"Guys…!" Tifa said pleadingly. Her best friend, and her lover; she didn't want either of them to fight. She didn't want either of them to get hurt.

"Oh by the way, Vincent," said Cloud, almost ignoring Tifa…almost. "The Highwind is on its way so no matter what 'master plan' you think you have, you're screwed. Six against one? Even with your stupid demons you're going to die, Valentine, and I personally will make sure you do."

"Cloud!" Tifa gasped.

"I see. I was hoping that this would not have to resort to violence but I guess I'll have to kill you before your lapdogs arrive," said Vincent calmly. Chaos was slowly taking control.

"The room's too small. Shall we take this outside?" Cloud offered with mock respect.

"Sure thing…"

Tifa was in a daze for the next few minutes. When she snapped out of it, she blinked in surprise—the first thing she knew, they were all still in the inn room, and the next, they were somewhere on a cliff on the Nibelheim Mountains.

"I'm not going to fight you right now, Vincent," Cloud decided, leaning against the broad, rocky wall of the gray cliff. "That wouldn't be a good idea…the ledge we're walking on is too narrow, and one of the three of us could easily get pushed off. Including Tifa. I don't want to put her in any more danger than she's already faced…"

Vincent, the real Vincent, nodded. "In all honesty Strife, I don't want her to be harmed either."

"Then why the hell did you…?"

"That is none of your concern."

Judging by the red-eyed man's icy tone, Tifa could guess that Chaos was now in control…and she could tell by the look in his eyes that the demon actually was in control.

"You're an odd man, Vincent. A very odd man in fact," Cloud said coolly. "…I see the Highwind coming. Let's go."

The bartender didn't know why Chaos was being so obedient to Cloud.

Then she heard a click.

Chaos was going to shoot Cloud…and she couldn't let that happen.

"CLOUD!" she screamed, flinging her arms around him from behind to shield him, just as a shot rang out. A piercing, hot pain appeared in her lower back…and she felt something warm trickle down from the pain…"Ugh," she groaned, her hands falling loose, losing their grip on her friend as gravity pulled her in the wrong direction.

She fell down, off of the cliff.

Cloud watched as she fell, in shock—the last thing he saw of her then was her half-closed burgundy eyes, empty, cold and lifeless, staring up at them as her dark hair whipped wildly around her face before she disappeared into the misty abyss below.

"…Tifa…" he squeaked as soon as he realized what had just happened.

"I won, Vincent," Chaos silently taunted. "The girl is dead. How does that make you feel?"
"Liar…" Vincent replied. "She can't be dead. There is no way in the Planet that Tifa Lockheart can be dead. There is no way. There's just no way…"

"What…" Cloud snarled. "…The hell…did you just do…"

Chaos let Vincent take control of himself back at that very moment.

"I don't know," Vincent said honestly. "But whatever it is that I just did, I regret it greatly."

"Oh, sure as hell you do. You'd better."

Vincent peered over the edge where Tifa had fallen. She just can't be dead, he thought desperately. The thought was so horrible. He'd loved her—he still loved her—more than he had loved Lucretia, and now, she was dead by his hand.

No.

Both were perfectly aware as the Highwind approached and remained stationary in the air by the cliff the two men were standing on.

Yuffie, who was standing on deck, looked between Vincent and Cloud several times. "Somethin's missing…" she observed, then smacked her forehead. "Oh duh! Where's Tifa?"

Cloud cringed slightly and pointed to the spot she fell.

Cid's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Oh. Well, uh…shit. Git yer asses onboard and I'll see what I can do."

Before he even had time to think, Vincent was on the deck with Cloud as they headed towards where the bartender fell.

Yumesuta: DON'T HURT ME! Mixing a cliffhanger with a crappy, short chapter isn't a good thing to do but I'm sorry! Stuff really gets in the way of my updating these fics. I PROMISE the next chapter will come soon! I PROMISE! So please review.