Author's Note: I started this chapter the day after I posted the last one, so let's see how long it takes me to finish this. Anyway I have a big announcement. I feel terrible for taking back something I said but due to the large numbers of people wanting me to email them the original version of Victim, and the fact that AOL will only let me send 8 chapters a time, I can no longer send anyone Victim, its just too much work for me to send everyone 8 emails, and write, and do all the other things I need. I'll still try but I'm not making any promises. Again I'm really sorry, if I could send the whole folder as one attachment, that would be great. I might try sending it from a different address, but I'm not sure. Also, hah hah, I finally remembered that I had said at the beginning of this story that the inspiration came from watching The Notebook, and then I noticed that nothing in the story has anything to do with The Notebook so this chapter will introduce that element in it. Well, enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews and support!


The sun was setting into a pink sky late in the evening when a mysterious limousine pulled up outside of Gonganga. Long lines of slow moving white clouds stretched across the hemisphere as if they were traffic during rush hour. The black limo stopped with a cloud of dried clay rising above it like a fog.

The nearest people on the street rushed over to see why such a fancy car would appear outside their town. They pressed against each other, while the shorter people used the people in front of them to gain leverage to jump in order to see what all the commotion was about. Onlooker's peered eagerly into tinted windows to catch a glimpse of who might be inside.

The driver, dressed impeccably in a black tuxedo, was an older gentleman who always had a smile on his face and a compliment to give. His hair was nearly all white and slicked back against his scalp. He exited the vehicle and strolled around to the rear passenger's side door to open it for his occupant. With a deep bow he pulled open the car door as the crowd waited impatiently for their guest.

A long, slender leg emerged from the car wearing an expensive strapped heel. Soon another leg appeared, along with an incredibly short pink plaid skirt. The woman exiting from the limo wore a large pink sun hat to hide her identity and enormous white-rimmed sunglasses to hide her face even more. She wore a matching pink plaid suit jacket with a white blouse underneath. The blouse was not tucked in and the cuffs were folded over the end of the jacket sleeves.

Even under the hat and sunglasses the townspeople knew who she was. They could see her perfect skin and features, and her hair hung loose with large tossed curls. She looked like a supermodel or a movie star walking on the red carpet as she sashayed into town with her driver in tow with her luggage.

The crowd parted as she walked towards the small inn that she would be staying at. Murmurs could be heard in the crowd discussing the reasons behind her visit. No one could definitively say why the most beautiful woman in the world would visit a town such as Gonganga. A town so small that the only place for visitor's to stay was a small inn with three rooms. And never so long as anyone had lived there had there ever been a time when the inn was overbooked.

The crowd followed her to the inn and watched from outside as she checked in. Every once in a while she would turn and give them a wave and a smile, knowing full well how to respond with the average public who weren't used to seeing celebrities.

Her driver placed her suitcases in her room and bowed farewell before returning to his limousine and driving away from the town. Tifa was left to look at the tiny surroundings that she would be confined to during the upcoming week. Aside from the bed there was only a dresser and a bathroom, and the whole room was still smaller than her closet back home.

She let herself fall back onto the uncomfortable metal spring mattress and placed her hands behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling. She was here, in this small town that was seventy percent clay. And now that it was evening everything looked even redder than she had heard about. Tomorrow would be a very trying day and she was not looking forward to watching dirty sweaty men weld metal together. It was definitely not her idea of entertainment.

The least she could do for now was to find a local bar and reduce herself to drinking with common people. She had never thought of herself as being stuck up, but it really frightened her to sit amongst people who weren't like her, people who idolized her for being rich and beautiful. She stood up and walked over to her suitcase to find an outfit to change into.

She arrived at the bar wearing a tight white t-shirt with black sleeves that had been ripped to show off her midriff and the name of Midgar's baseball team written across the chest in red. She had on a tiny denim mini skirt with frayed edges and a pair of red low top sneakers. Her hair was pulled back into a large loose bun and she wore a small black bandana with sparkles on it to top it off. She looked as normal as was possible for her, and took a seat at the counter.

Most of the men in the bar were already drunk and were too afraid to go near her, thinking she would have them arrested or something. There was one man in the room that was neither afraid nor too drunk to move to a stool next to her. After ordering a martini she glanced over at the man to judge how to react. She was pleasantly surprised to find that he was an attractive young man in his twenties, with jet black hair that was long styled into large spikes almost like a hedgehog. He smiled and took a sip from his glass.

"So you're Miss Tifa Lockheart. What an honor." He stated, swirling his drink and bowing his head slightly. Tifa smiled nervously in return.

Being a smart woman, she knew not to trust any stranger, especially men. Whenever she saw someone she didn't know looking at her, she could only think about that party where Reno tried to…and that of course reminded her of Cloud. The man next to her sure did look an awful lot like him too. But he seemed to have his own charm about him as well, and hell, as long as she was here, why not have a little fun?

"Thank you." She responded with a soft smile. "And you are?"

"Zack. I'm not sure if you know this, but…I used to date your friend Aeris." Tifa cocked her head to the side as she put all the stories together.

"So…you're Zack?"

"Did she ever say anything about me?" Zack asked, nervous of the answer. Tifa nodded.

"Yes, actually, all the time for awhile…" As interested as Tifa was to learn about the man her friend had been in love with years ago, it pained her to talk about Aeris since her death.

"Really?" Zack almost seemed giddy as he asked. Again, Tifa nodded.

"Yes, but that was a couple years ago…she moved on but she still mentioned you from time to time. I never heard her speak of any guy as much as she did you. You must have been very special to her…" Tifa looked down at her drink and sighed. She could feel tears form in the corners of her eyes for her late friend. Zack inched over and nervously placed an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you…I heard what happened. I hope they catch the bastard that did that." Tifa leaned her head against his chest and allowed him to wrap his arms around her.

It wasn't so much that Zack seemed like a nice guy, it was more the fact that he had known Aeris and cared about her as well. Tifa had never even seen a picture of Zack, Aeris had really been hurt when they had broken up and hid all their old photos to keep herself from crying. Tifa felt an instant bond with this man for that reason.

"Hey, you know, there's this guy here…" Zack stopped talking when Tifa looked up at him with tear streaked cheeks. There was almost a look of hope in her eyes, as if she already had an idea of who he might be talking about. Whether or not she suspected that Cloud was here, Zack decided to do something he knew he would regret someday. "…He's a new reporter. He thinks that maybe Reno of the Turks was behind the attack…" Tifa's hope was diminished and she pressed her head against his chest again. Zack looked away and closed his eyes, disgusted with himself. He hugged Tifa a little tighter and ran his fingers through her hair.

After a few minutes Zack looked around to notice the other patrons staring at them. He turned away and finished off his drink and held up his finger to signal for his tab. Tifa was breathing softly and shuttering as she cried into his chest. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled away from her gently.

"You wanna go somewhere to talk or something?" He asked timidly, shifting his eyes toward the customers.

Tifa looked at them and immediately turned bright red. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and pulled out a mirror and a tissue to try and erase the mascara lines that snaked their way down her face. She nodded at Zack and he placed some gil on the counter to pay for both their drinks. He placed his arm around her shoulder again and walked her out of the bar.

The moon was shining clear when the two exited the bar. Tifa looked up at the stars that prominently dotted the sky above her. She could have sworn that she saw one shoot across the night and she smiled a little. Zack walked her to the inn and stopped outside her door. He knew what he was doing was wrong to Cloud, but he couldn't help himself. He wouldn't want to hurt his friend, but he doubted that anything would happen between him and Tifa anyway.

"You wanna come in for a little bit? I mean, I just wanna talk. Is that alright?" Tifa asked, innocently, looking up at Zack with her big brown doe eyes. He could have melted right then and there. Cloud? Cloud who?

"Sure, whatever you want."

Tifa smiled and opened the door for him. Zack looked back and forth down the hallway to see if anyone had seen them, and being satisfied, entered the room cautiously, as if Cloud or some sort of body guard would appear and attack him.

Tifa walked into her bathroom and wet a towel to remove the remaining mascara from her cheeks. By now she had stopped crying somewhat, she was still missing Aeris terribly, and was happy to find someone that had known her friend.

Zack sat down on the edge of the bed slowly and waited for her to return. He felt as though there were an angel on his left shoulder telling him to leave and not to talk to her anymore, and a devil on his right shoulder telling him to continue. He couldn't help but feel guilty, but he was also a man who wouldn't miss an opportunity for anything. He was trying to keep his impure thoughts pushed to the back of his head and focus on helping Tifa through this.

"I just…I just miss her so much." She sobbed, leaning against his shoulder. Zack put his arms around her again and let her cry loudly.

"Sshh, sshh, it's okay, everything will be okay." Zack cooed while stroking her hair.

"I mean…it should have been me. It was my drink and I shouldn't have given it to her!" Tifa moaned while letting her lips stretch toward her jaw as she let out a loud sob.

Zack prayed that no one had heard or would check on the noise. He wasn't worried about the guys at the bar, they were too drunk to remember what had happened, but this was a small town, and he didn't want anyone to see him with Tifa so that it wouldn't get back to Cloud.

"Don't blame yourself, its not your fault. You had no idea what was in the drink, how could you have known? There's a reason it was her and not you, the Planet has a funny way of doing things but…there's a reason you're still here."

Tifa inhaled heavily and looked up at Zack. She couldn't explain why, but she felt very close to him at that moment. She gazed at his lips, and then back up into his eyes. Zack felt his heart begin to beat fast and his stomach sink. He knew what was coming and felt powerless to stop it.

Tifa inched closer to him and began to lean towards him. Zack closed his eyes and met her lips with his. She kissed him with all her built up passion, slow, but meaningful, while Zack wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her close to him, gripping her shirt with his hands.

Tifa woke up early in the afternoon in a daze. Zack was gone and the room felt very empty. Once she and Zack had gotten back to the inn she hadn't thought of anyone besides him and Aeris, and certainly not Cloud. It was nice to be with someone that seemed to generally care, Zack did, as a matter of fact console her while she broke down over Aeris.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt a little guilty for being with the one man that seemed to be important to Aeris, and so soon after her death, but she was just looking for comfort, and that's what Zack gave her.

She got out of bed and walked into the bathroom wearing only a black lacy bra and matching panties. She brushed her teeth, combed her hair and applied makeup before walking to her dresser to find an outfit suitable for work and the heat. She settled on an airy white short-sleeved blouse with rows of vertical ruffles on the front and unbuttoned to show just a little cleavage. She paired it with a tight knee-length gray ruffled skirt and a simple black belt. She knew it would be painful, but she wore a pair of black heels as well and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. She grabbed her notebook and set off for the construction site.

She checked in with the foreman to learn that the project was behind schedule. She groaned and walked to a shady area to watch the workers, looking around for Zack. One worker in particular caught her attention. He was shirtless, like all the other men, but he had a very muscular back, unlike most of the other workers, who were overweight middle-aged men. He was very tan and even though his hair was soaked with sweat and hanging limply against his head, she could tell that he was a blonde.

She couldn't help but wonder if maybe…somehow it could be…him. She shook herself out of her day dream and reminded herself that he was gone and there was no point in wondering about him anyway. Besides, Zack was a great guy that might possibly lead to more than just whatever it was the night before.


"Cloud…" She whispered softly.

Cloud sat up in his bed, jolted from his sleep by the voice. He had heard it as clear as if she had been standing in the room with him. He looked around almost in a panic, knowing full well that it had only been a dream. Confirming the fact that she was not in his bedroom allowed him to gently close his eyes and fall back asleep.

The next day was the hottest day of the year so far. Cloud's back was so burned he could have sworn his skin was melting off. He picked up his shovel and drove it into the ground as hard as he could. The sweat was pouring from his face as he worked, his hair soaked and dripping with each swing of the shovel. He stuck the shovel in the ground so that it stood on its own and placed one of his feet up on it to rest. He pulled out the towel that was hanging from his back pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Cloud!" He heard her voice again.

This time he was sure that she was nearby and turned around. There, standing in Gonganga's clay, was Tifa. Her skin glistened in the afternoon sun and his jaw dropped. He could not believe that she was actually right in front of him. Then he realized that she was not alone. Standing next to her was the last person on the planet he would have suspected her to be with: Reno.

"Heeeyyy, pal." The redhead slurred while pointing his index finger at Cloud and holding his thumb up to form a gun, making a clicking sound with his tongue.

Cloud shot up in his bed once again, this time with a loud grunt. He placed a hand to his forehead and massaged his skin for a moment. He pulled the covers back and swung his legs off of the bed. He stood up wearing nothing but his boxer's and went into the bathroom.

After using the toilet he walked to the sink and washed his hands. He then splashed some water on his face and grabbed a towel to dry himself. He placed a hand on either side of the sink and looked into the mirror. He took a deep breathe and shook his head. He knew that he would never see her again, but there was always that hope. Seeing her in his dreams was the worst, because he would have to wake up and realize that it hadn't been real. He took another deep breathe and returned to bed, this time uninterrupted.

The next day he was on edge. Every time he heard even the slightest noise behind him he would turn around anxiously. At least he wasn't shoveling, so he didn't think his dream could possibly become a reality. Zack had been assigned to shovel so Cloud hadn't had a chance to talk to him at all, in fact, he hadn't even seen him for several hours. Cloud shrugged it off and continued with his work.

He was helping to put together one of the inner Mako containers. He was holding up the large sheets of reflective metal while two other workers welded. Cloud had to constantly close his eyes and look away from the reflection of the sun in the metal in order to keep from going blind.

All day he couldn't help but think about his dream. He didn't dream about her often, but when he did, it ruined his whole day. It was days like this that he wished he could have another chance to explain himself to her, that maybe she would just listen. But now, since Aeris was gone, she'd probably never give him the time of day. And since Aeris was gone, there would never be a chance for Tifa to find out the truth, and of course she wouldn't believe him, she barely knew him.

Once the container was built and the lid welded on, all that was left was the shut off valve. It was a solid round piece of the metal with a slightly concave center, like a shallow bowl. He picked it up and held it in the shade before he would hand it off to the welders. While he was holding it he caught a glimpse of a person behind him. He shook his head to dismiss the thought, knowing full well that the heat and his mind were playing tricks on him. He knew that she wasn't really there, but it would have been nice.

When he opened his eyes again, she was still there, staring back at him in the silver valve. Her image was distorted, but he could tell it was her and see her beauty. He turned around, expecting to find no one and to confirm that he was just dreaming again, but when he turned around, she was there. She was staring back at him, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She looked like a deer in the headlights, and he couldn't tell if she was startled to see him or if she was afraid that he was so close to her.

He pulled out his towel and wiped the sweat off of his face. His heart began pounding as he watched her slowly raise her hand to cover her mouth. He noticed her chest beat heavy and she grinned. Before he knew it she was running towards him, tripping on the clay in her heels and falling face first to the ground. Just as she tripped he rushed forward to catch her in his arms before she could injure herself. She gripped his arms tightly after realizing that she had not hit the ground.

The looked up at him slowly, her lips slightly parted and tears in her eyes. She smiled and jumped to wrap her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his. She didn't care that he was sweaty, she was glad that she had finally seen him again. She pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes, then looked down at herself and laughed noticing that she was now soaked with his sweat. He laughed too, but nervously, waiting for her to realize that she hated him.

"Cloud!" She cried, lunging to hug him once again. Again, he wrapped his arms around her nervously. "Yuffie told me the truth." She said with a smile.

"Yuffie?" Cloud asked. Tifa pulled away, barely able to contain her excitement.

"She overheard Aeris at the party, I know it wasn't you. I…I'm so sorry I didn't believe you." Tifa said while looking at her feet. Cloud let out a sigh of relief and hugged her again.

"I'm sorry…about Aeris…I know she was your best friend." Tifa looked down at the ground again.

"I know…it's been…rough."

"I'm sure it has." Cloud said, pulling away and bowing his head. "So what brings you out here?" He asked, looking skeptical.

"Work. My dad thinks this will be good for me to help get over Aeris." Tifa said cynically. Cloud let out a chuckle.

"Hey beautiful!" Zack said cheerfully as he came up next to Tifa and kissed her on the cheek.

Tifa felt her stomach sink as she smiled nervously until Zack noticed Cloud was talking to her. He too, felt a pit form in his stomach. Cloud just looked at them, his heart sinking and a look of horror on his face.