Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the FFXII Advent Children. O.o

a/n: Don't you think that these STUPID authors notes are RETARDED! I mean no one actually READS them! He he. By the way since NO ONE is reading this I would like to give a shout out to the two people who R&R'd and got this chapter up for everyone. Gackts Sanura and Kira. Enjoy!

Shiloh's POV:

I don't know why, but after breakfast I had the sudden urge to get outside. So I asked Tifa after lunch if she wanted to come with me and she said, "You know, Marlene and I were just about to go and visit our favorite little spot. It's kinda out of town, but it's very nice. Would you like to join us?"

To which I replied that I would love to and that I was ready whenever they were. And soon after we headed out the door. Saying goodbye to Denzel who was sitting on the front steps. We got in a cab and were dropped off at the outskirts of the town. Then we had to walk the rest of the way to get to the church. Marlene held my hand all the way. I thought that it was nice how much she had warmed up to me.

Cloud was going to be meeting us there too, but he said that he had to run an errand first. And when we met up, they were going to show me around Midgar to see if I could remember anything. I don't think that that was going to happen, but I appreciated the gesture all the same. Then we were going to get Denzel and have dinner with the whole 'family'. I still can't get used to saying that. I never had a family. The sad thing is that I keep on thinking about Rufus. I have him in the back of my head telling me to stay low and not let anyone to notice you. But I wanted another chance. I wanted a family.

It feels like I'm being held back. Like there is something inside me and won't let me go. It's a nightmare. Wanting to pull me back into the darkness to join it. But I am struggling against the restraints of myself. Wherever I go I feel it. I was thinking about this all of our long walk and we had ended up inside the sanctum without my noticing. How I wish I could see it. Marlene had dropped my hand to rush ahead and just when I was about to go explore she came back. I knew it was her, because I don't really think that Tifa would shove a flower up my nose.

"Marlene! Ah! It's beautiful." I coughed and spluttered as she ran away again.

We waited for about an hour taking care and pruning the plants before the doors opened. Marlene, Tifa, and I were sitting next to the flower patch, and they were trying to teach me how to make crowns out of them. It was going pretty good when I heard the giant doors crash open. We all jumped up and Marlene and I tried to rush to Cloud, but Tifa stopped us.

I immediatly knew that something was wrong. I then heard the slow, steady, clomping of boots comming towards us. And every time they took a step forwards, I felt pain shoot from the deep recesses of my body. Pain where I have never felt it before. But, I didn't show it. Instead I pushed Marlene slowly behind me and stood up taller. Somehow this person had an effect on my Stigma.

"Wanna play?" the man asked in his cruel voice.

We didn't say anything. All Tifa did was shoo us off to the side. I turned around, grabbed Marlene, and walked as fast as I could.

"There's a pillar over there we can hide behind." she whispered.

"Thanks." I mumbled breathing hard from having to carry such a heavy little girl.

When we reached cover I heard the man say, "This is going to be good."

And then mayhem ensued. Blasts, crashes, yelling. Sometimes it came from Tifa, and other times it came from the intruder. I couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle my own pain even. I was burning. Inside and outside. I began to shake, and sweat drenched my entire body. My fists clenched and I shut my eyes tight, it hurt so bad. Mother! Mother was doing this to me. I think this man somehow has something to do with Sephiroth. She was calling to him. Willing him to see me, and the true horror that brudes inside me.

"Shiloh? Shiloh, are you alright?" I heard Marlene call from far away. Usually my fits only go on for a minute or so, but this time it wouldn't stop. Who was this guy? Where is Cloud? Please...please come soon.

And then Marlene screamed. Or maybe it was me, I'm not sure. But there was more blasting and I heard Tifa crash into the patch of flowers and not get up again. I heard the man's boots moved slowly over to her and Marlene gasped. From her reaction it seemed like he was ready to finnish her off. Not Tifa. Not my family.

Somehow it felt like I had just stepped out of a flaming oven into a freezer. The pain was shoved back, but was replaced with a new feeling of cold, lonlieness, and unwelcomness. It in itself had a new kind of pain. Then someone called out to the man in a commanding voice, which made him stop in his tracks.

"You want to play? Then come play with me!" I had risen to my feet. And what scarred me, was that the voice was comming from me.

"Hmph." he scoffed and stepped away from Tifa and towards me.

And I don't know how, but the pain had subsided after all that. All I felt now was a dull throbbing deep within myself. A dark cloud suffocating me, pushing me away from reality. It was almost like someone was there...inside me, taking ahold of me. I took a few more steps forward and took a stance. He chuckled again and grew silent, readying himself.

A few seconds passed and without warning he charged. The stomping of his boots creating tiny earthquakes. But, it was like time stopped. I stepped to the side, and as he passed I whacked him on the back of his head. He stumbled forwards and what sounded like him nearly falling. But, again he attacked, and again I dodged.

"So babe...where you get off being so good, being as blind as a bat?" he said pressing a button on the side of the contraption that was attached to his arm.

Now it was my turn to be on the offence. I bolted forward almost unnaturally. Like I was just sitting back and watching from inside the person's head who was doing all the actuall fighting. I pulled my arm back and balled my hand into a fist all in the matter of three seconds. I pushed my arm forward as hard and fast as it could go and it collided with his face. He flew back, but I followed, quickly giving another attack. I kicked him this time, and when foot met his body, he flew up.

I couldn't see where he went, so I landed, my clothes rustling slightly, and listened. Sadly enough my reflexes wern't quite up to snuff when I was blind. He came from the rear, and before I could do anything, he had hit his target. I could barely feel it. What was wrong with me? He had kicked me and I sailed forwards.

I didn't even have time to land before he struck out again. This time electricity shot through me, waking up the slumbering feeling of being burned alive. I cried out, but he had no pity. I felt him jump to where I was in the air, I then heard the horrible sound of his weapon charging, then again, shock. This time it was in my stomach. I crashed into the floor and bounced for a few yards before I skidded to a stop next to the unmoving Tifa. I heard the terrible crunching of his boots coming closer once more, and his terrible laugh. His shadow crossed over me and he laughed even louder.

I heard Marlene yell, "Leave them alone!"

He turned and I forced myself to cry out to her, "Marlene...run!"

He kicked my head and I fell back down. Then I heard the ring of a phone, then the click of it opening.

"Yeah...yeah...no, mother isn't here...I'm not cying...yeah they're right here...fine , I'll bring 'em...bye." he said. I heard the phone click shut and him turning back around to look at Marlene and I, since she had run over to see how I was.

"Looks like you got some pretty good luck there girl."

He laughed agan, grabbed my shoulder, and I blacked out.

Cloud's POV:

I pulled up to the church and got off of my bike. I only took one of my swords with me though. I didn't think that I would need it. But when I walked in, my stomach did a freefall to my toes. Tifa was lying in the middle of our flower patch, with Marlene and Shiloh no where to be seen.

I ran to her and took her up in my arms. I then yelled, "Tifa! Tifa, no! Wake up!"

"Ugh...Took you long enough." she mumbled

"Who did this?" I asked, shaking her slightly.

"He didn't say. Marlene and shiloh! Ah!" and she fainted again.

I was just about to get up when pain shot through my arm straight to my head. There was bone shattering pain for a few moments, and then black. When I woke up again it was dark out. I bolted up and looked around.

"You know you really are heavy." I turned and saw Reno and Rude standing next to the door.

"Where are they?" I asked sternly.

"They were taken by Kadaj's gang. Along with alot of the kids from the neighbor hood...including Denzel." Reno said calmly.

"You're the only one who can help them." Rude said stepping out of the shadows slightly.

"But I can't-"

"Dilly-Dally Shilly-Shally." I heard a voice behind me say.

"What?" I asked seeing that Tifa was awake.

"Dilly-Dally Shilly-Shally." she repeated more urgently.

"I think she means you need to get a move on." Reno said pushing open the door.

I stood looking at the dark hallway beyond, not quite knowing what to do. And then I heard her again, "You can't save everyone Cloud. And I think that Aerith understands that."

I nodded and asked, "Where are they at?"

"At their base in the Forgotten City."

I nodded slightly, and took a step forwards into a hopless attempt at what I hoped was a rescue. I didn't look back.

Time Jump:

Soon I found myself in the midst of the forest, with the beautiful, haunting trees. And I couldn't stop thinking about her. It was all my fault, and if I couldn't save her, then there was no other hope. More than anything I wanted to be forgiven, but that couldn't happen. Then, a shot rang past my ears, and when I looked back up I saw that Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj were all waiting for me. I took out my sword ready for an attack, but then all of the children that had been taken jumped down from out of nowhere and I had to bail off of my bike so as not to hit them.

When I rolled to a stop I saw that Marlene was standing next to the three brothers. I looked around for Shiloh, and when I saw her, my heart stopped. She was lying on the ground behind them and wasn't moving. I was too late. I knew it, I was of no help to anyone.

"Cloud!" I heard Marlene yell. I looked up and saw Kadaj come flying at me. I jumped to my feet and swung my swords. One of them collided with his sword, sparks flying. I looked into his eyes, cold and merciless. And then I saw, over his shoulder, movement. A closer look showed me that it was Marlene. She had run over to Shiloh and was shaking her. Please let her be alright. I couldn't handle losing her too.

Loz attacked this time and I had to draw my gaze away to fight. I doged, and attacked for a few more minutes before I had a chance to look back over at them. I looked, but they wern't there anymore. That must mean that...she's okay. I turned back to the gang and charged with a new found fire burning. But, it didn't last long. Soon I became too weak to even hold up my own head. And I blacked out.

When I woke up I saw Vincent leaning against a tree in front of me. I sat up and shook my head sadly.

"See...I knew I'd be no help. What do you know?" I mumbled looking at my left arm with hate.

"I come here often. I know what Kadaj's group is doing. The stigma. It's a symptom of alien matter infesting the body. The body tries to eliminate it, and over compenstates. Inside our bodies is a current. Like the lifestream.That current is what fights off any melevolent intruders." he said gazing at me through his piercing, cold, blood red eyes.

"What do you mean by intruder?"

"The Sephiroth gene. Jenova's memetic legacy. Call it what you want."

"You're well informed."

I starred at the earth in front of me, mezmorized by what has happened. But, I jumped to my feet when I heard a rusling in the bushes. I drew my sword and braced myself.

"Cloud! Cloud!" Marlene cried out panting and holding up half of Shiloh. I could barely move. But Marlene put Shiloh down on the ground and ran the rest of the way to me. I caught her as she plummeted into my midriff.

"They...pant...they took Denzel...and Shiloh...pant...she's hurt."

"I know..." I couldn't look at her.

"Can I use your phone?" she asked tugging at my shirt.

I reached to where I always kept it, but felt only air. I looked down, but again saw only air. It must have fallen out when I crashed my bike.

"Forget it Cloud! Why don't you ever pay any attention to us?" she cried out, running to hide under Vincents cloak.

I couldn't understand why she was acting like this. So, I went over to where she had put Shiloh. I took ahold of her arm. Blood smearing onto my hands,and pulled her up. Propping her against one of my shoulders, and slipping an arm around her waist.

She moaned and mumbled, "Marlene..."

"It's alright. She's fine. Tifa's alright too, she's home." I whispered quietly. She tried to help, by walking slightly. But she could barely keep from dragging her feet.

"I heard Marlene. You know...I think you're scarred of helping people. Scarred that something will happen that can never unhappen. But...cough...you need to think about now. Really take it in..." she mumbled struggling to form words. "From what I can tell...you hate being alone, so let people in! You can't live in the past. Memmories are only memmories."

But, I let her die.

In my head I heard her voice, "Dilly-Dally Shilly-Shally. Isn't it time you did the forgiving?"

I came back from my day-dream and I looked to Marlene under the cloak and said, "Are sins...ever really forgiven?"

Vincent answered, "I've never really tried."

And it's like a light clicked on in my head. If you never really try to help anyone, you're letting them down. How do you know, if you don't try, that you could have saved them.

"Marlene let's go." I said looking at Shiloh and smiling slightly. Marlene poked her head out and nodded running over, grabbing Shiloh's other arm.

I looked back down to Shiloh and said, "Well I'm going to try."

I turned carefully towards the direction of home, steering the blind girl who had just helped me so much, and began our slow walk.

a/n: sweeeeeeet. Okay now three more reviews before you see anything else, and if you wish to complain or critique me it's perfectly okay. I just want to hear from my readers!O.o