Author's Note: Yep, another chapter. I don't quite know what happened but I think it was a song I heard a few days ago. I've had it on loop for 5 days now so I guess that's why I've been writing so much. Plus I have my new kitten with me so that helps . He's playing with his tail right now. Anyway the last chapter ended abruptly because I realized that the original ending to it would fit better as the beginning and core of this one. I guess I'm going to spend the rest of my summer writing haha. Well since this story is a parallel of Barfly, you know that it is ending soon. Sad, I know. But be happy, because when this over I'll probably return to Victim. I don't have any other story ideas so these are pretty much it. I really need to write my original stories if I ever want to get published. Well, enjoy!


Zack slowly removed his arm from around Tifa's waist at the sight of Cloud. Tifa's jaw dropped as she closed her eyes and anxiously awaited someone, anyone, to say something, to break the extremely awkward silence. Hearing no one, she decided to speak up on her own.

"Cloud…I had no idea you would be here…" She trailed off, almost pleading with him for forgiveness and clasping her fingers into a fist and bringing it up between her breasts.

Cloud would never have blamed Tifa. She couldn't have known that he was here, or that he knew Zack. But Zack…he was the only person that knew how Cloud felt about Tifa. Cloud could feel a heat rising up into his chest, an anger that one spark could ignite.

"Hey…man…look…I'm really sorry, I was at a bar last night…and she was there…she was crying…and you acted like you didn't care about her…I didn't mean to…it just sort of happened. I'm sorry." Zack gritted his teeth and raised his cheek bones, mentally kicking himself for betraying his best friend.

Cloud began to heave behind a clenched jaw and flared nostrils. Hearing Zack was the trigger he needed to set off his anger. He felt like a raging bull about to strike, and he licked his lips. He looked over at Tifa, who stood in horror looking back and forth between himself and Zack. Suddenly she too looked angered and she turned to shove Zack hard against the chest, sending him back a few steps and causing him to lose his balance. He fell to the clay in a cloud of dust and grunted. He looked up at her with a bit of fear in his eyes.

"You…you know him?" She asked while stamping her foot and extending her index finger toward Cloud.

Zack nervously nodded his head and received a kick in the chest. He clutched his heart in pain, feeling himself bleeding. He removed his hand slowly to find an open wound from where her heel had dug into his skin. He felt like someone had stabbed him with an ice pick. He dry heaved and staggered to his feet.

"You're his friend and you still…" Again she trailed, embarrassed to finish her sentence and let Cloud think that she was a whore. Her cheeks flared and she turned away to hide her face from the two men.

"You knew how I felt about her man!" Cloud growled, pulling his fist back as Zack regained his composure.

While glaring at Zack he failed to notice the hint of a smile that formed on Tifa's lips when she heard what he had said. She turned just in time to see Cloud's fist smash into Zack's jaw and sending the man back a few steps. He twisted to crack his neck and shifted his jaw back and forth to knock it back into place. He brought his hand up to rub his skin and focused on Cloud.

"I told you I was sorry!" He yelled, hoping to be able to reason with Cloud.

"You son of a bitch!" Cloud called before driving his fist into Zack's nose. Tifa lifted her hands to cup her mouth as she gasped.

As fearful as she was at this moment, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement. Two men were about to fight over her, something she was quite accustomed to, but never had she actually cared about both of the men before. Not only that, but one of them was Cloud.

She had thought that he probably hated her for not believing him and inadvertently causing him to get fired. She knew that her intuition the night before had been right, when Zack had mentioned a man he knew, then seemed to change what he had intended to say; somehow she had known that it was Cloud.

Zack put his hand under his nose to catch some of the blood. He began to feel his own anger and brought his fist around to meet Cloud's cheek. Cloud felt the blow in slow motion as blood fell from his busted lip and his head was pushed to the side. He shook off the attack and lunged for Zack, pelting him with a fury of punches to the chest that knocked him to the ground.

Cloud got down on his knees to straddle Zack and grabbed his shirt to lift his head off the ground, then thrust it to the dirt and disorientating his former friend. He stood up and wiped the dirt off his hands, turning around to face Tifa, who stared at him, frozen and unable to warn him.

Zack's vision focused again and he brought his knees up to his chest, rolled back on his shoulders and leap forward, extending his legs to kick Cloud in the back. Cloud grunted and fell face first to the ground at Tifa's feet. She bent down and gently placed her hand on the back of his head for comfort.

She knew that she would have done the same if it had been Zack lying at her feet, she just couldn't stand to see someone hurt. Cloud lifted his dirt covered face to look into Tifa's sympathetic eyes. She looked as thought she truly cared about him and stroked his cheek with the back of her hand.

Zack grabbed Cloud by the feet and dragged him away from Tifa. With all his might he began to spin around so that Cloud was lifted into the air. Zack let go of his ankles and watched the blonde fly several yards away, landing hard on his side. Tifa gasped to see Cloud struggle to get to his knees while clutching his ribs. He slowly got to his feet and shot Zack a death stare.

Cloud tried to block out the pain with his rage and ran toward Zack, jumping into the air and locking his feet together to kick Zack in the gut. Zack felt himself nearly vomit as he took a few steps back to recoil from the attack. Cloud landed on his feet and brought his foot up and around to kick Zack in the head. Zack stammered a little and bent at the waist to run his shoulder into Cloud's stomach and tackle him to the ground, throwing a barrage of punches once they both hit the ground.

At this point several other workers ran to peel Zack off of Cloud and separate the two men. Tifa watched as both of the men were lead to the infirmary, where they eventually passed out from their injuries. When she had composed herself she followed the workers to make sure that both Zack and Cloud would be alright.

Several hours later the men awoke in the same room, separated by a curtain. Each was shirtless, with bandages around their head, arms and chest and feeling a great deal of pain. Cloud's first thought after waking up was to wonder where Tifa was. His stomach dropped as he feared that she was with Zack in his room, that maybe the fight had drove her away from him.

Zack, on the other hand, thought of Cloud first. He knew that what he had done was wrong and that he deserved Cloud's rage. He knew that he certainly hadn't won Tifa's heart by stabbing Cloud in the back by sleeping with her and then attacking him. He brought his hand up to his sore forehead and closed his eyes, regretting what he had done. Tifa was probably in Cloud's room with him after what had happened.

"Miss?" A doctor asked Tifa as she sat in the waiting room. "We need you to answer a few questions."

Tifa nodded and sat up at the edge of her seat. She had a look of concern on her face as she waited for the doctor to continue. No one had told her anything about the two men, whether they were seriously hurt or if they were okay. She had been worrying for the past few hours and wrenching her hands together until they were red and sore.

"Can you tell us what happened?" The doctor asked. Tifa took a deep breath before answering.

"It's all my fault!" She cried as tears escaped her eyes. "They were fighting over me! Are they all right?" She asked while a knot formed in the pit of her stomach.

"They'll be fine, they're just bruised. Zack has a cracked rib and a broken nose. Cloud has a bruised lung which should heel in a few days. They can both go home tonight."

Tifa placed a hand on her heart and breathed a sigh of relief. She never expected them to fight and she certainly never expected to see Cloud again. She wished that she had never let herself go to Zack. It was a moment of weakness on her part; she was missing Aeris and probably would have kissed any man that had been there for her. She hated herself for that. No matter where her relationship with Cloud could possibly go, he would always remember that she, whether it was knowingly or not, slept with his best friend. She knew he would probably never get passed that.

Zack was closest to the door when Tifa entered, so she sat next to his bed rather than walk past him to Cloud. She knew that Cloud would hear the moment she spoke to Zack but at least this way she could at least say something to Zack uninterrupted.

He smiled when he saw her. He knew that whatever she would say to him would not have a happy ending for him. When all of this was over she would leave with Cloud, there was no avoiding it and he knew that he was just going to have to deal with it.

"Hi." Tifa said softly, giving him a comforting smile.

She had wanted to say something else, to yell at him for betraying Cloud and taking advantage of her. But the truth was, she let him into her hotel room and she allowed herself to fall for him in her depressed state of mind. She could only blame herself for what happened and pray that Cloud did not see her poorly.

"Hey." Zack whispered through the pain he was experiencing. "How's Cloud?" Tifa smiled at his question.

"No worse than you." She said. Zack laughed. Then he looked down at his hands folded in his lap.

"You know, Tifa, I really didn't want to hurt him, its just…well…you're…you know." Zack said. Tifa rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Right. Was it really worth losing your friend over?" Tifa asked. Zack couldn't even answer, he just looked away.

Tifa took a deep breath and stood up. She knew he wouldn't answer, but she kind of hoped that he would have. She walked to the other side of the curtain to see Cloud resting. Unlike Zack he turned away when he saw her. The smile broke on her face as she eased herself onto the chair beside Cloud. She reached out and placed her hand over his. He turned his head to look at her but did not smile or say a word.

She had just been with Zack, the night before and just a few minutes before. Whenever he looked at her he would see her with him. He was aware that she hadn't known that he was in Gonganga, or that he knew Zack, but it still stung. Not to mention the fact that she didn't believe him back in Midgar when he had risked his life to rescue her.

"How are you doing?" She asked, gently placing her hand against his cheek and trying to smile.

"Fine." Cloud stated with little emotion. Tifa lowered her head for a moment before looking at him again with tears in her eyes.

"Cloud I am so sorry for all of this, I never knew that something like this would happen…I didn't want it…" She sobbed as quietly as she could so as not to disturb Zack. Cloud put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"Sshh, sshh, its okay. You didn't know." He comforted while she rested her head against his chest.

"I…I never thought I'd see you again." She smiled through the tears and Cloud used his thumb to wipe away some of the mascara from her cheek.

"I know…"

"Is it true...did you not care about what had happened?" She asked, hoping for him to respond the way she wanted.

Cloud turned away without answering. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't the type of guy to get all choked up over a girl, no matter how he felt about her. It's just that, with Tifa, she had meant something to him, and she had hurt him, there was not many other ways he could feel. He wouldn't get upset, or even angry, he just became indifferent, he would turn the other cheek without comment.

Tifa looked away and closed her eyes, pushing the tears out and tightening her lips. With what she had done, how could Cloud have cared? She had really let him have it that day had never expected him to forgive her. Cloud looked at her and took a deep breath. He knew that what he was about to say would probably hurt her, but he thought it would be the best thing to do.

"You should…you should go with Zack." He stated. Tifa gasped and snapped her head towards him, her hair whipping around her shoulder. She felt her heart drop at his words. "I think it would be best." Tifa shook her head pleadingly and grasped his hand in both of hers.

"No, no…I want to be with you, I always have." She whispered.

"You can't just leave Zack after what you guys had."

"But…please…don't…" Tifa couldn't believe that Cloud was saying this to her. "But…you just fought, for me right?"

"Yeah but…I just can't see this working out right now."

Tifa felt as if she had been shot. She felt Cloud fading away from her, just when she had found him and thought that she had had a chance to make things right. She felt safe with him; she didn't feel that way with Zack. The thought of Reno coming back for her still haunted her to the point that being alone outside of her own house frightened her. It was part of the reason she had let Zack get so close to her, for protection.

"Please don't say that…it could work, I know it could." She pleaded once again, searching Cloud's blue eyes for a hint of compassion, but saw none.

"I'm really sorry." Was all he said.

Her lower lip quivered as she waited for him to change his mind. She knew that she must have looked terrible, her face all red and twisted into a frown with black mascara lines streaking her cheeks. She must have looked like a monster. And she had never been so broken hearted. She had learned the truth and wanted to try and make things work with Cloud, and here he was turning her down.

After a moment of fully taking in what Cloud had said, she cupped her mouth with her hands and stood up. She gave Cloud another minute of silence to see if he would figure out what he had done, but still he didn't. With a loud sob she turned and ran from the room and out of the hospital.


"Wake up Rude." Reno commanded while hitting his friend over the head with a rolled up newspaper.

Rude jumped as he stirred, looking around the room to gather his bearings. He had fallen asleep on the couch watching T.V. and was still half asleep when Reno began to speak again.

"We're going to Gonganga." The redhead stated abruptly.

"Okay, why?" Rude asked, hoping Reno would tell him it was for a job prospect.

Since Reno had been fired as a Turk he had been laying around the apartment that he shared with Rude all day, and annoying his bald friend all night. All he ever talked about was Tifa, and the mistake that was made that night and how he needed to rectify everything. It really got on Rude's nerves but he had learned to tune out the chatter.

"She's there." Reno said with a maniacal grin on his face. Rude rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair, slapping his palm against his thigh.

"Why won't you just quit with that already?" He asked, annoyed. Reno walked over and sat next to his friend.

"Because egghead," Reno said while knocking on Rude's head, "She ruined my life. What other work could I possibly do? Now come on, its your job to take out bad people, and she is bad people."

"I take out people who are a threat to Shinra. Not Shinra's daughter!" Rude snarled. "Now I am not helping you."

"Aww come on big guy, you're in this as much as I am. You've been with me through everything else, why abandon me now?"

"Because you're drunk. Not to mention totally insane!"

"Well I beg to differ." Reno sneered, pulling out his mag rod and charging up the end.

Rude weighed his options very carefully: either kill the president's daughter or fight Reno, his long time friend, part time lunatic. Tifa had done nothing wrong, he was wrong for trying to foil Cloud's attempt to save her from Reno, and by being at the club the night that Reno tried to kill her. He sighed heavily and got into battle stance by bending into a lunge and holding his fists up in the air.

"Bring it on." Rude said calmly.

Reno held his mag rod behind his head as he lunged for Rude, bringing the electrified prongs down into his friends ribs. Rude felt the electronic charge course through his body as he began shaking uncontrollably until Reno withdrew his weapon. Rude placed a knee on the ground and held himself up with one fist as he clutched his side with his free hand.

He glared at Reno and leaped toward him, grabbing his ears and slamming his head against Reno's. Reno stood in a daze for a minute before regaining his balance and lifted his rod to strike Rude across the face, but Rude held up his bicep to block the attack.

"Huh?" Reno grunted, unprepared for the defense.

Rude grabbed onto Reno's wrist and flung him into the couch, knocking it over. Reno's arms shook as he pushed himself up onto his hands, then fell again before gaining enough strength to stand up. He took a few steps to steady himself and yelled as he thrust the mag rod into Rude's gut.

Rude clenched his teeth to withstand the pain and reached for Reno's arm. He twisted it behind Reno's back and bent at the waist to throw Reno over his back and into the wall. Reno growled and ran towards Rude, leaping into the air foot first to land a kick to Rude's face. As Reno's foot was in his face, Rude grabbed onto the redhead's leg and threw him into the kitchen counter.

Reno sat on the floor holding his head while Rude ran towards him poised to punch. Reno rolled across the floor and Rude smashed his hand through the lower cabinet. Reno stretched out his mag rod to poke Rude in the back, but the bald man pulled out a metal pot to block the rod, sending the electric jolt back into Reno, who twitched violently before falling to the ground, smoke rising from his shoulders.

"So forget it." Rude stated, turning his back toward Reno and pulling out a beer.

Reno jumped to his feet and rushed toward Rude, stabbing him in the back with his mag rod. Rude's whole body pulsed with electricity, before he fell to the ground in agony, hitting his head on the kitchen counter as he did so. Reno stepped towards him and kicked him over, so that Rude was sitting on the floor with his back resting against the cabinet. Reno held up his weapon to Rude's throat.

"Forget what?" He asked cynically. Rude sighed heavily and looked away from Reno, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, I'll go with you. But when you fail this time, promise me you'll give it up."

"Fine. Now get up, we have a train to catch." Reno scoffed.