Author: Man oh man, I just can't keep with these stories. I gotta quit work and school and start working on the things that matter…. :P

Sephiroth: Like me!

Author: Or the stories? Perhaps?

Sephiroth: OR ME! Ow:rubs spot on head where Author whacked him:

Author: Well I usually have a lot more interesting stuff in my authors notes, but sadly since I'm running on a schedule I have to do the review replies and then start!

Readers: Yay! No more boring random crap!

Author; :pouts: Well fine then. I'll just stop updating……heh heh. Like I ever could.

Ezri-Candy – Wow, I'm impressed. It must be hard to have to deal with all those damn computer fixing people. BEST BUY MUST BURN! BURN I SAY! I feel so bad for you that you lost everything on your compie. I would die! At least you were able to install the new harddrive yourself and not be charged some lame ass price for the half ass job they'd do. :huggles her new computer: Thank you for the lovely long review and for all the compliments! Through your eyes I feel as though I do no wrong! That's not true but I still feel that way :P Vincent is the cutest man alive and only me and you know it sista! (And of course all the fan girls, but they don't count) lol. Anyway, thank you for the fantabulous review and enjoy the chapter!

Mr. Flames – Well my flamey friend, congrats on your first "drunkedness" lol. You really are a bad boy. Sephiroth will get you one way or another! And you are mistaken. When Cloud finds out bad things, he doesn't blame himself, he blames Sephiroth! Lol. Interesting outcomes….I must say…… Go read the chappie now or I shall slay you!

Karaoke Risa – Cloud deserves every bit of torture he receives! He's such an annoying jerk. Lol. I really dislike him. You love me! You REALLY love me:cries happily: As for Sephiroth having ulterior motives….well….can you blame him? Thanks for the review!

shadow lurker – I can't promise Cloud's death, but here's your update:P

Sephiroth: On with the fic! I need to kiss my sexy woman.

Author; :blushes: You're so sweet.

Sephiroth; :grabs Aeris and kisses her:

Author; :sweatdrops:

THISISTHESTUPIDLINESEPARATINGTHEFICANDTHEAUTHORSNOTES

Squall sighed heavily as he gazed at Rinoa's turned back. She was still angry with him for going to confront Seifer without her. "Rinoa…..," he frowned, touching her shoulder, "you have to understand that what I did was for the best. I don't want him getting another chance to hurt you. I love you too much." She turned her tear-filled gaze towards him and lifted her hand to his cheek.

"I know you want to protect me, Squall. But I'm a big girl and I can make my own decisions. You can't just leave without telling me if you don't want to take me somewhere. Our marriage has to be based on trust and love. How can I trust you if you don't tell me things when you think it will hurt me?"

Squall knew she was right, but still felt wary about the whole Seifer thing. "Seifer asked me if I would do something for him."

"What?" Rinoa asked quickly.

"He wants to…….well he needs a place to stay….and….you see….," he sighed again and leaned into Rinoa's gentle touch. "Seifer asked if Rajin, Fujin, and him could stay in Garden for awhile….." Her eyes widened and her hand dropped from his face.

"He what?"

"Seifer wants to live here for a while. I told him I had to think about it."

"What's to think about!" Rinoa exclaimed, "he tried to kill us and he works for Adel! Would you really put the students at that kind of risk?"

"I don't know," Squall protested, "I wanted to talk to you about it first."

"Well, my answer is no." He watched her determined expression grow sad and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Think about it for a while, honey. Don't make rash decisions."

"Let's not talk about this anymore," Rinoa pleaded, burying her face in his chest. Squall gently stroked her hair and wondered what he should say to Seifer. He wanted so badly to forgive him….

:-:

Sephiroth spun the delicate hairpiece slowly in his fingertips, thinking about the confusing flower girl he was rapidly falling for. He didn't understand how she could be so coy and seductive one minute and suddenly become so quiet and unsure of herself the next. It was like she pretended Cloud didn't exist when she was with him and then began feeling guilty as she remembered who she should be spending time with.

With a sigh, he dropped his arm to the bed and rolled onto his side. There was a terrible aching feeling in his gut that wouldn't go away no matter what he tried. The thought of Aeris being with someone else was unbearable and he'd considered more then once simply killing Cloud so she'd be with him guilt-free. Aeris was too kind and loving to hurt Cloud purposely and most likely wouldn't divorce him. He didn't even know if she felt that strongly about him in the first place. Would it really be worth it to kill Cloud and then discover that Aeris didn't love him anyway?

Running a finger thoughtfully down the blade of his sword, he imagined all the wonderfully gory ways he could rid himself of Cloud. "Love," he scoffed aloud, "who needs it." Silvery hair spilled over his shoulders as he sat up and shook his head. This was just another obstacle. He could overcome it just as he had with the rest.

Throwing the hairpiece into the garbage angrily, he crossed his arms over his chest and willed himself to hate her. He grew more anxious as the seconds passed and finally whipped back around, snatching the hair clip up again and growling in frustration. This was going to be harder then he thought.

:-:

Pale hair enveloped Aeris as Sephiroth leaned over her, smiling warmly down at her before claiming her lips. She returned his kisses forcefully and gasped as he ran his hands up her sides, dragging his nails along her skin. Fire raged through her senses as he explored her soft skin with his tongue. She didn't know when he had arrived in her room, but she didn't mind in the least. His fierce kisses left bruises down her neck and she ran her fingers through his hair, tilting her own head back with pleasure.

"Aeris?"

"Mmmm?" she murmured, closing her eyes.

"Aeris," a voice interrupted them.

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed, still in a dreamlike state. "Cloud?" she asked groggily. What was Cloud doing here! Did he just see what she had been doing!

"It's me, sweetheart. You looked like you were having a nightmare. I had to wake you up."

She shook her head a little and rubbed her eyes with a yawn. "Nightmare?"

"Are you still sleeping?" he teased, brushing her wild bangs out of her face, "you're certainly lazy today."

"Ugh," she groaned, falling back against the pillows. "It's too bright out here." It was only a dream, she realized thankfully. Sephiroth wasn't really in their room. Relief washed over her and she sighed deeply.

"So, where were you yesterday?" Cloud asked casually, lying on his side next to her.

"Exploring," she answered cryptically.

He raised an eyebrow at her strange expression. "So you did go into town. You could've waited for me instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to go alone."

"I wasn't alone," she mumbled into the pillow, already falling back asleep.

Cloud frowned and shook her shoulder gently. "Pardon me?"

"I wasn't alone," she repeated, snuggling into his warmth tiredly.

"Who went with you?" he asked carefully, trying his best not to get frustrated with her. Aeris remained silent, but he could tell from her tense body that she was still awake. "Aeris? Who went with you?" She hid her face from him until he pulled her into a sitting position, looking her hard in the face and speaking in a dangerous tone. "Who went with you?" She winced under his tight grip and licked her lips nervously.

"Sephiroth."

"What! What the hell were you doing with him?"

"Nothing. We were just looking around town."

"Then why were you so reluctant to tell me?" Cloud demanded, "and why do you look so guilty? What have you done? Are you cheating on me with that bastard?"

"Cloud!" Aeris gasped, shocked he would even say that.

"Don't lie to me, Aeris," Cloud growled, "I've had enough of that. Tell me why you were gone for the whole day without telling anyone. I was scared, you know, I looked everywhere for you."

"I'm sorry….," Aeris whimpered.

"Sorry?" he scoffed, "SORRY! What the hell were you doing? Having a fucking affair! I can't believe it! First Tifa, now you!"

"Cloud, you're scaring me…..I didn't-" Her words were cut off as Cloud backhanded her across the face. She cried out in pain and surprise and fell to the floor, shaking all over.

"Don't you dare try to make what you did better," he snarled, grabbing his buster sword from its resting place against the wall, "I'm going to have a word with Sephiroth and when I come back you better not have moved from that spot! You understand me!"

She nodded weakly, holding her cheek and trying not to cry. "I'm sorry," she whispered as Cloud stormed out of the room. "I'm sorry." She broke down in tears and wept helplessly into her hands. She needed to get help before Cloud did something really stupid.

-:-

Cloud felt an icy rage creeping through him and tightened his grip on the sword in his hand. He would stop that man from stealing his wife if it was the last thing he did. Sephiroth was better off dead as far as he was concerned. A twinge of guilt ate at his conscience as he remembered Aeris' frightened expression. I shouldn't have hit her, he groaned inwardly.

'No!' a voice drifted through his mind, 'she deserved it. You've put up with her disobedience for long enough. In fact, you went easy on her. Don't let her get away with treating you like this. Make her suffer. Make everyone suffer. She doesn't love you anyway. She's loves him.'

Cloud nodded silently. He'd teach her what happens when you disobey your loving husband. She was his property. How dare she! His pace quickened and he came to a stop outside the infirmary, seething mad.

'Kill him. And then the girl. We have bigger things to take care of,' the voice spoke, caressing his mind gently. 'I won't let anyone look down on you ever again. You could rule this earth.'

"I could rule over them," he whispered aloud, with a grin, "I'd be above everyone. Like a God."

'Yesss,' the voice hissed, 'a God.'

"But kill Aeris?" he faltered, lowering his sword with a frown. "I……love Aeris."

'She mocks you with her new lover. They laugh behind your back and plot ways to get rid of you. You're nothing to her.'

"I'll kill him," Cloud breathed excitedly, "and then my disobedient wife."

'Go then. Do it before the girl realizes something's wrong.'

Cloudnoddedagain and readied his sword, eager for the sight of the blood.

:-:

When her tears finally stopped, Aeris climbed to her feet shakily and had to sit on the bed to regain her balance. She didn't now how wise it would be to stay here and wait for Cloud to get back when he was so upset. He had a tendency to do violent things when he was mad. A soft wave of peace from the planet washed over her and soothed her throbbing cheek. It helped her calm down a bit and she realized she couldn't just sit here while Cloud ran off to kill Sephiroth. She had to warn him.

Pulling on her boots and grabbing a ribbon to tie her hair later, she ran out the door and over to Sephiroth's room. "Sephiroth?" she called, knocking on the door, "Sephiroth, are you in there?"

Sephiroth's head jerked up at the sound of knocking. Who would be coming to visit him this early in the morning? Aeris' voice drifted to him and he groaned. He had to do this. He had to break it to her gently that he couldn't and wouldn't love her because he had other plans to take care of that he just couldn't ignore. Her voice came again, this time more urgent and he walked to the door, steeling himself to do what he had to do.

His resolve melted when he opened the door to Aeris' wild, frightened face and she shoved him in, closing the door behind them. "Sephiroth, you have to get away from here" she begged, "Cloud is out on a murderous rampage and when he finds you……please…..I want you to run."

"Hold on a second," he frowned, "why is Cloud coming to kill me?"

She hung her head in shame and her hair covered her face like a tent. "He thinks I'm having an affair with you."

Sephiroth chuckled softly, but stopped when he saw tears fall from behind Aeris' shield of hair. "Aeris? What's wrong? Look at me." She slowly lifted her head and he stepped closer, inspecting the side of her face. "Did he do this? Did he hit you!"

"I-It doesn't matter," she stammered quickly, "I don't want you to die. I……I just……I need you….."

"It does matter!" he said angrily, "because if he hurt you I'm going to make sure he suffers a slow and painful death."

"I'll be fine," she argued, covering her bruised face with a hand. "I'll deal with it."

"No," he shook his head, "no. I won't allow it." He led her to the bed and sat her down, kissing her cheek. "You wait here. I'll fix this for you." Pulling on his long jacket, Sephiroth ignored Aeris' weak protests and left to find Cloud.

:-:

Cloud tore apart the room, furious to find that Sephiroth was no where to be found. "That coward! He knew I was coming, somehow, he knew!" He smashed a desk into the wall and slashed at the papers that rained down through the air. "Where are you, Sephiroth!"

"Looking for me?" a calm voice in the doorway spoke. Cloud whipped around and an evil smirk settled on his face at the sight of Sephiroth.

"I was. How kind of you to make my job that much easier."

Sephiroth studied Cloud with a frown. Something was different about him. His eyes were wild and angry and had a certain…..subconscious evil to them. "Cloud?" he spoke slowly, "have you been hearing any voices lately?"

"What the hell are talking about?" he growled, stepping towards the platinum haired man.

"She's in your head," Sephiroth whispered in shock, "she can get to you too. Don't you see? Because you have Jenova cells in you, she can use you. Just like she did to me."

"Shut up! You stupid bastard. Thinking you can just waltz into our life and take over everything without any consequence. You must be punished, along with my sinful wife!"

"Listen to yourself, Cloud," he urged, "you love Aeris. Why on earth would you ever want to hurt her? She's willing to stay with you and love you and you repay her by hitting and abusing her. You don't deserve any wife with the way you're behaving!"

Cloud lunged forward with a cry and sank his sword into Sephiroth's stomach, watching with an evil smile as he staggered back, his mouth opening and closing as he gasped in pain. Cloud pulled the sword back out with a yank and lifted it above his head the finish his enemy off. A sharp pain coursed through the back of his skull and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Sephiroth, hang in there buddy," Squall said, kneeling down next to him and pressing his jacket to the open wound. Blood gushed out of the injury and ran down Squall's arms in a red stream. "HELP!" he yelled as loud as he could. "SOMEONE HELP!"

A passing student stared in shock at the three men and looked to Squall for instructions. "Go find the doctor and gather a few of the stronger SeeDs that can guard the attacker. Hurry!" The boy ran off quickly and Squall slid the jacket arms under Sephiroth, tying it tight around him.

"Can you hear me?" he spoke into the man's ear. "Sephiroth?"

He groaned softly and made a choking noise, worrying Squall more than the bleeding. He pried open Sephiroth's mouth and slid his hand inside, pulling his tongue from the back of his throat. Shifting so he was siting behind Sephiroth's back, Squall propped him up a little so he wouldn't start choking again. "Hang on. Help will be here soon."

"Ais….," he spoke in garbled English.

"What's that?"

"Ares," he tried again, his eyes rolling upwards.

"Aeris?" Squall said, a little confused, "Don't talk, okay? You just need to relax and stay awake."

Dr. Kadowski came running in, followed by a small group of level twenty SeeDs, all armed. "How is he?" she asked, kneeling down and touching a hand to Sephiroth's forehead.

"Barely hanging on. Is there anything you can do?" he asked hopefully.

"Get him up on this bed," she instructed, frowning at Cloud's unconscious body. "And what's wrong with this one?"

"I don't know really know. I had to knock him out to stop him from finishing off Sephiroth. He just went berserk all of a sudden."

"We'll watch him, Sir," one of the young men offered, "don't worry about him." The SeeDs moved Cloud's sword away from him and stood around him to wait for him to revive.

A loud shriek came from the doorway and all heads turned to see Aeris' pale face frozen with shock. "W-What happened?" she gasped, running to Sephiroth's side.

"Aeris, I don't think you should see this," Squall said, placing a hand on her arm, "I'm not sure if he's going to make it."

"No…..," she trailed off tearfully. "I won't let him die! I can't!" Squall found it slightly odd that she was so concerned about Sephiroth's well being when Cloud was still in plain sight on the floor. "Please, Squall. You have to save him. He was trying to protect me……..he has to be all right……"

"Protect you?" Squall asked with a raised eyebrow. Aeris blushed ashamedly and looked at the floor.

"It's nothing."

He noticed the side of her face that was turned away from him was swollen and purple, looking very painful. "What happened to your face?" he asked softly, leaning in to inspect her.

"He……….he had every right to…..," she said in a quivering voice. "I made him angry……he couldn't help it."

"Cloud did this?" Squall asked in disbelief, "and Sephiroth tried to defend you?" She nodded and glanced down at the bleeding man fearfully.

"That's why I need you to save him. It will be all my fault if he dies."

Cloud stirred quietly, opening his eyes with a painful groan. "W-What the hell happened?" he demanded, sitting up slowly and rubbing the back of his head with a wince. The SeeDs kept their weapons trained on him as Cloud staggered to his feet, eyes widening at the blood everywhere. "Who………who got…." He couldn't finish his question as his stomach heaved and he fell to his knees, vomiting all over the floor.

Aeris left Sephiroth's side to go to Cloud. She paused hesitantly at the edge of the group of SeeDs before going to Cloud's side and kneeling down with him. "Are you……feeling better?" she asked carefully when he finished throwing up and leaned on her exhaustedly.

"What have I done, Aeris?" he whispered, gazing up at her swollen cheek fearfully, "what did I do?"

"Shhh," she spoke soothingly, stroking his hair gently, "don't think, Cloud. Please….don't think."

The blonde's eyes closed as Aeris and a few SeeDs helped him to his feet and he leaned heavily on his wife, a wave of nausea hitting him hard. "Come on, Cloud," Aeris encouraged, "we'll get you back to the room and you can lay down for a while." He nodded weakly and Squall watched him carefully, wondering what could ever come over his friend that would make him strike Aeris.

"Please take care of him," Aeris pleaded over her shoulder, "I'll be back to help in a little while."

"Don't worry," Squall nodded, "he's in good hands." Aeris and Cloud slowly made their way out of the room, worried SeeDs watching the two leave.

"Will she be all right on her own, Sir?" a young man asked him, fingering his weapon tensely.

"They're fine," he assured the student, relieved to see Cloud back to normal, "now if you guys could help me out, we need to get Sephiroth into a proper bed before his situation goes from bad to worse."

A few of them gently lifted the unconscious man and followed Dr. Kadowski into an empty room, placing Sephiroth down on the small bed. "I'll need to find some more supplies," the doctor noted, frowning around at her destroyed front office, "can you find me some gauze and medical tape, Squall? And perhaps a different outfit for the patient since this one is a little blood-soaked."

Squall saluted and sheathed his weapon hurriedly. "I'm on it."

A sigh escaped the doctor's lips as she leaned over and inspected the damage to the silver haired man. "What are we going to do with you?" she frowned, "just finished healing and you land yourself back in here…." She turned away from him and began preparing a salve to spread on the wounds.

"Got the stuff," Squall called, running back into the room, out of breath, "here." He piled the supplies on the table beside her and frowned worriedly at Sephiroth. "He gonna make it…..right?"

"I sure hope so," she answered truthfully, "life has been more pleasant with him around. Even the students seem to have grown attached to him."

"He's a good guy," Squall smiled, watching the doctor remove Sephiroth's shirt and dip a clean piece of gauze into the salve next to him.

If only they knew, Sephiroth sighed inwardly, only half conscious and half-aware of the conversation happening around him. An immense pain throbbed through his middle, warmth flowing down his front. Blood, he realized, my blood. Oh god. Am I……dying?

-:-

Aeris sighed and leaned back against the bed frame, absently stroking Cloud's hair as he slept. A million thoughts were reeling through her mind, but not one logical thing could come out of them. Did Cloud really not remember what he had done to her?

To Sephiroth…?

Was it possible to savagely stab someone through the stomach and then just…forget? Cloud stirred slightly under her gentle touch and she let her eyes drift over him, ashamed that she had given him any reason not to trust her. Kissing the top of his head, she slid down beside him and leaned on his chest. The beating of his heart filled her mind and she closed her eyes, feeling the rise and fall of his body as he breathed.

"Aeris," he mumbled groggily.

"What is it, sweety?" she whispered, trailing her hand across his stomach.

"I'm sorry….."

The silence that filled the room was thick and uneasy with worry. Aeris couldn't bare the pain in his eyes much longer.

"Cloud…," Aeris whimpered, tightening her grip on him. Tears ran down from under her closed eyelids and Cloud's arms closed around her in an understanding hug.

"Whatever happened with him….," Cloud spoke softly, "I don't care. I love you. I love you so much!" She was shocked to feel a wetness on her skin and Cloud's shoulders shaking. Cloud……crying?

Aeris felt helpless. Afraid of how much she might have hurt Cloud. "I swear I only kissed him," she blurted out frantically, "….and I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Cloud please, stop crying. I….I love you."

Cloud took a shuddery breath and took a minute to compose himself before pulling them up into a sitting position and wiped at his eyes. "Do…..do you want to be with him?"

His pained voice broke her heart and she gazed into his eyes, seeing for the first time, a scared expression in their depths. A small smile crept onto her lips. "I want you Cloud. Forever, until death. I want you." Leaning towards him, Cloud stopped her and frowned carefully.

"What came between us, Aeris? We've been drifting apart for some time now. What happened?"

"I don't know," she admitted, running a hand down his cheek, "but I want to fix it."

"I want us to be like we were five years ago," Cloud smiled, "when I enjoyed every spare second of my day with you and loved it. When I was so proud every time someone saw me with you. When I never once thought of what could have been with other women from my past…… I want that fluttery feeling in my stomach every time I'm near you…"

"Oh, Cloud," Aeris sighed tearfully, "how could we ever doubt each other like this?" Wrapping her arms around Cloud's neck in a fierce hug, Aeris held him as though he might disappear if she ever let go. His lips grazed her cheek and she bit her lip, hating herself for allowing Sephiroth so deeply into her heart. As Cloud's hands gently stroked her back, a feeling coursed through her that she hadn't felt for him in some time.

Love.

This was why she had married Cloud. She loved him more deeply then she even knew was possible. Even when she ignored it, it was embedded so deeply in her being that it survived, somehow; she had never truly given up on him.

"Don't ever let me lose you," Cloud murmured, pulling her closer still.

"That's a promise," she whispered, closing her eyes comfortably. It wasn't long until the two were fast asleep in each other's arms, exhausted from the day's events.

-:-

"He has a better chance of recovery," Dr. Kadowski reassured Squall, "but I've done all I'm able to and I still can't guarantee that he'll live."

"Well, he's always been good at escaping death," Squall nodded worriedly, "hopefully that luck will last."

"I know what you mean," she sighed, "luckily Cloud made a clean cut through his stomach though or the blade might have punctured a vital organ on the way back out."

"I'll have to have a talk with Cloud about this later. Even if he wasn't himself, he can't just attack a person and walk off scot-free. And if Sephiroth dies….."

Dr. Kadowski shook her head and guided Squall out to the hallway. "Don't say things like that around the patient, all right? He may still be able to hear us."

"But he does have a right to know," Squall protested.

'I do have a right to know….' Sephiroth thought, drifting and floating along the waves of pain. His whole body felt very cold, but at the same time as though it was burning. Waves of pain rolled over him every few second and he could feel his body fighting to heal itself. He hoped it wasn't a losing battle. What had happened to Aeris? Was she safe? He desperately wanted to ask Squall if she was okay, but he wasn't able to speak. Just listen.

He lay on the bed for what seemed like hours, getting checked on and re-bandaged every once in a while. His whole body tensed when he saw Aeris come into the room. He wanted to jump out of bed and wrap his arms around her. Cursed weak, damaged body! Another wave of pain washed over him, this time mixed with relief, as Aeris stood at his side and took one of his hands in hers.

"How are you holding up?" she whispered, softly running her fingers over his hand, "they told me you might not make it, but I won't accept that. You're strong right? You'll fight your way back to this world. To see me. I want you to live. For me. Please Sephiroth…." She fell to her knees, crying helplessly on the bed next to him. Every bit of strength and muscle in his body fought to inch an arm around her, but all he managed was to twitch his hand in hers slightly.

Her head came up and she studied him with a tearstained face. "You can hear me can't you?" She slid onto the bed, sitting by his torso, and stroked a hand very gently down his cheek. "If you die on me I don't know what I'll do," Aeris whispered, kissing his forehead. Sephiroth felt like this was heaven and she was an angel. Did he deserve such devotion after all the terrible things he'd done in his life? Probably not, but he still loved this angel more then any being on the planet.

"You have to give up on me," she said suddenly, looking ashamed. He blinked quickly, not understanding what she meant. Aeris saw the frantic blinking and squeezed his hand lightly. "Cloud has taken me back and I don't want to destroy him again by being with you. I did marry him and I have to uphold that oath. As much as I loved you, this has to stop…"

Sephiroth winced at the past tense. 'Loved'. Not love…. If he could've cried, he would. Was she really telling him he could never hold her again? Never kiss her? Love her? She knew he couldn't go on, couldn't face the world, if she wasn't at his side…. Something in him died right then at the loss of her and his body went still, the fight for life ceasing for the moment. The bells on his monitor went wild as his heart rate flat-lined.

"DOCTOR!" Aeris screamed, running into the main office. Workers and Dr. Kadowski were already running into the room, one of them with a machine to help start his heart again. She stood staring as the worked desperately to bring him back, without success. 'What have I done!' she thought desperately, 'I've killed him! Oh god, I killed him! How can I stay faithful to two men at the same time? They both seem to need me like their lives depend on it. I'm only one frail woman! I can't do this….'

"Aeris! Talk to him!" Dr. Kadowski pleaded as she pounded on the silver-haired man's broad chest. "He'll come back if he has something to live for. I don't know why his resolve gave out like that…"

Aeris came back into the room, tears running down her face. "Sephiroth," she whispered in his ear, "you know what's in my heart. You know I can never stop loving you. It's just someone has to prevent Cloud from becoming murderous again. He needs help and I fear I'm the only one who can give it. I don't think I could ever stop loving you…." She broke down crying again when suddenly a faint beep silenced all the panicked workers in the room. Beep…..beep…..beep….. The heart monitor showed a heartbeat. It was faint and weak, but it was there. Sephiroth's chest began to rise and fall again with his ragged breathing. "Thank god!" Aeris cried, wrapping her arms around his neck. What was she going to do with two men who loved her? It seemed her life had just gotten complicated again.

Sephiroth shuddered slightly, showing no other signs of life except his breathing. She cried silently against his chest, whispering tearfully as she gripped him tighter. "God help us all."

THISISTHESTUPIDLINESEPARATINGTHEFICANDTHEAUTHORSNOTES

Author: That's all for now folks! Off I run to typeth some more!

Random cute fuzzy creature; :blinks big glossy eyes cutely: And please review!