Alrighty, getting started on the new chapter

+Alrighty, getting started on the new chapter. I hope everyone like the last chapter. Things seem to be getting complicated…heh heh. Thanks to all of those who reviewed. I love hearing from you all! Really I do! I hope this chapter is as satisfying as the last. Oh, let's just get this one started shall we? –Annubis

+Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, Squaresoft does.

Chapter 23

There was mumbling coming from the other side of the door, as if two people were in conversation. Tifa sighed and leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the glass of the nearby window. She listened silently to the pitter patter of the small droplets of water hitting the windowpane. A moment later, the door to her room slid open; she ignored the ending conversation occurring in the hall. Another second, she heard the door click shut. Tifa did not bother to look back; she figured it was Yuffie back from whatever errand she had previously run. She closed her eyes, feeling the cool surface. She had tiny goose bumps prickling her arms. There was a small shuffle behind her.

Vincent stared at the small young woman. He could not move. He did not want to ruin her peace. He stared at her as she shivered slightly and a small flash of light lit up the town through the window. She had her back to the man. Her long, dark hair flowed over the blanket she had draped around her slender shoulders. If Vincent had just met the girl, there would be no way he would believe her to be the strong fighter she was. She was sitting in a small wooden chair next to her bed. Her left foot was hidden underneath her right thigh; her right bare foot grazing the cold wooden floor. Her head was hung low; her breath fogged the window slightly. A low growl rolled over the mountainside. A storm was approaching.

Tifa opened her eyes slowly. She was amazed Yuffie had not said anything since she entered the room. In fact she did not even hear any movement. Tifa thought for a minute and then low footsteps approached her slowly. Her mind was frantic, she could not move. Whoever was approaching her was not Yuffie. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She could not help but think that Sephiroth was right behind her, preparing to take advantage of her, frighten her, play games with her, or…run her through. Tifa was frightened as she felt a hand pull a strand of hair from her face. She did not dare look up but kept her gaze outside. Another hand lay on her shoulder, it was cold she could feel it through the blanket. She looked to find a dark figure standing behind her, all dressed in black. Her heart began to pound.

"Tifa?" A quiet voice called in her ear. Tifa looked behind her, shocked.

"…Vincent?" She felt herself blush. She felt so foolish to believe that Sephiroth was in her room, but she could not shake the scared feeling she had. Was it Vincent? Or was the feeling from something else? She stared at his eyes, half expecting them to be a bright, menacing green. She sighed when she saw the blood red color looking down at her.

"Yuffie told me that…you weren't feeling well." Vincent said slowly.

"Oh? Is that all she said?" Tifa looked at the floor.

"She said that you were upset and wouldn't tell her what was wrong." The man disappeared for a second. Tifa heard him pull a chair next to her. She saw his boots as he walked to her side and placed the chair gently on the floor. He sat next to her, and stared. Tifa felt her face get hot. She brought her eyes up slowly, looking into his.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah…I'm fine." She faked a smile.

"What happened, Tifa?" Vincent tilted his head. His dark hair fell over a shoulder. She never had seen him before without his headband.

"It's nothing. No big deal." Tifa shook her head and looked out the window. He could tell by her uneasiness that it was not something she wanted to talk about, at least not with him.

"Are you sure? Yuffie made it seem like a big deal." Vincent scooted his chair closer to hers.

"…It's just been a bad day." She said quietly. The rain started to come down harder. "I just saw things I didn't really want to see."

"…What was that?" Vincent asked after a few seconds. Tifa looked at him; her eyes were full of sadness.

"It doesn't matter because…it's too late now. I ruined things and it's my entire fault." She lowered her head. She felt awful telling this to Vincent.

"Ah, I see." Vincent understood what she meant. She obviously had seen Cloud with Aeris. Vincent stood suddenly. "Well, if you want to be alone, I'll leave." He turned for the door.

"No!" Tifa stood and turned towards the tall man. He looked over his shoulder, his ruby eyes seemed empty.

"…You want me to stay?" He turned towards her. She approached him slowly, a tiny hand rubbing her collar bone.

"Yes, please." She said quietly. "I messed up big time Vincent. I did things I shouldn't have and I hurt another besides myself." Vincent thought about what she meant.

"Who?" He was not sure as to what her answer would be. She bit her lower lip and turned towards the window, her blanket dragged across the floor with her.

"…Zack." She said. Vincent raised an eyebrow in question.

"Zack? How?" He leaned forward, interested in how she was going to explain.

"I heard…him yelling across the hall for Aeris…I think I got him in trouble." Tifa lowered her head and covered it with the heavy blanket.

"…What happened, Tifa?" Vincent looked to the corner of the room. Tifa shuddered a little. He saying her name always sent chills down her spine.

"Well…to make things short, I …" She sighed and sat in the chair by the window. "…kissed him."

"…" Vincent was silent in the room. He did not understand. Why would she kiss Zack, and why would Zack allow that to happen?

"I'm sorry…" Tifa felt like she was apologizing to everyone.

"Why are you sorry?" Vincent turned away from her.

"…I saw Cloud and Aeris. They said they loved each other…and they kissed. It was too much. I came inside and ran into Zack. He questioned why I was upset and got it out of me. He was so upset." Tifa's voice cracked as a few tears came to her eyes. She did not look back up at Vincent. "I felt so bad…and the next thing I know…we're trying to comfort each other. Make each other feel better and stop crying." She gasped for air.

"…So you two kissed." Vincent said rather cold.

"Yeah…" Tifa covered her face, hiding beneath the thick blanket. "I…I wasn't thinking and I know he wasn't either. He pulled away and said he couldn't do it, that he shouldn't have. I realized my mistake instantly."

"…" Vincent sighed, looking at the ceiling.

"…I am guessing she found out and now they are fighting. I don't know what to do. Cloud ignores me. He and Zack swoon for Aeris…while…I get to stand back and watch." The lump under the covers moved slightly. "I just felt lonely and afraid."

The room was silent for a long time. It was killing Tifa; she knew she should not have told Vincent about the kiss. She cried even harder, knowing that there was no chance he would forgive her.

"Why did you apologize to me?" He asked her again. She pulled her head from underneath the covers, staring at the dark man.

"Because…" She looked at him, confused. She popped her head into the small hole she made, hiding under the layer again. He could hear her muffled cries. "…I thought that if you knew, you'd be hurt. Was I wrong?"

"…No…" Vincent walked towards her.

"Do you hate me?" A muffled voice called from the other side of the blanket.

"No. Why should I?" He slowly pulled the blanket down from over her head.

"Because…I…" Tifa looked away from him. His hand caught her chin and turned her to face him. They stared at each other for a minute.

"I understand, Tifa. You don't have to be sorry. It was a mistake, I'm sure anyone would have done the same thing. Besides, you've done no one wrong." Vincent leaned in closer to her. "In fact, Aeris has done a lot worse to those men than you have." He smirked.

"…I guess so…" Tifa giggled slightly. "I still feel awful." Her large brown eyes locked onto Vincent's gaze.

"Don't…" Vincent whispered. The two stared at each other. He watched her as she bit her lower lip and lowered her head while still looking into his gaze. She was being cute, and Vincent could not resist. A smile crossed his face. He reached forward, grasping one of her hands. Tifa smiled and leaned forward, resting her head on his chest. She wrapped a few fingers around the claws on his metallic appendage. He jumped slightly at the touch on his artificial arm.

"…You're not mad, Vincent?" Tifa whispered.

"No." He whispered back, enjoying the fact she said his name. He leaned forward, they both were silent. Tifa sat up, looking into his shining eyes. They were no longer empty. The two grew closer, their noses almost touching.

'She's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful…' Vincent thought as he pulled her close to him, bringing their lips together. A soft sound came from Tifa's throat. The kiss was short and soft. It was very gentle and made Tifa blush. She wanted more; she realized how much she really wanted Vincent to be by her side.

'Tap Tap' A sound came from the window next to them.

"Oh! What was that?" Tifa looked through the glass to the ground below. Vincent stood quickly.

"Tifa…" He whispered as he opened the window and looked outside to the muddy streets below. A second later, the other window a few feet away slid open quickly. Vincent turned quickly, his eyes full of fear. Tifa felt goose bumps by the look Vincent had.

"RUN!!" Vincent shouted. A second later the room lit up. Tifa felt herself falling, hitting something. She heard a loud thudding in the room. All went dark and silent.

Zack's lips caressed Aeris gently. She dug her fingers into his hair. She looked down at the many scars he had. There was one across his chest and stomach. She assumed that was the one from Sephiroth. She traced the many bullet wounds on his upper body. She felt her heart sink. She heard a laugh in her ear.

"That tickles." Zack smiled and brought his loving eyes to hers. She kissed him softly.

"Do they hurt?" Aeris placed a hand on his chest. He chuckled.

"No. They never hurt." He smirked, his boyish charms worked on her.

"Oh. That's good." Aeris giggled. A loud roar of thunder sounded. Aeris jumped.

"Whoa! It's just thunder. It's raining out." Zack smiled. She looked like a scared little girl. Zack wrapped his arms around her.

"I didn't realize it was raining." Aeris sighed.

"It always rains here by the mountains." He leaned forward, kissing her softly on the forehead. He sighed as he hovered over her. Her smell flooded his senses. He loved her smell, like shampoo and flowers.

"Oh!" Aeris gasped and rose quickly. A loud thudding came from across the hall. Zack held onto Aeris tightly. She had leapt up from underneath him and wrapped her arms around him.

"What was that?" She asked quickly.

"I don't know…" Zack looked towards their closed door.

"That was Tifa and Yuffie's room." Aeris shifted uncomfortably underneath Zack.

"Its okay, Aeris. They probably just knocked something over, you know Yuffie. She probably got carried away telling a story or something like that." Zack shrugged his shoulders.

'Damn , Vincent. What are you doing in there?' Zack chuckled. He looked down at Aeris. She still had frightened eyes.

"Look, I'll go check up on them alright?" Zack stood up.

"No!" Aeris reached forward, wrapping her arms around Zack's waist. He looked down at her. "No…stay here with me. He'll get me."

'He'll get me…' Zack clenched his fists. He was not so sure of their safety anymore. He had forgotten about the incident with Aeris and Sephiroth. Zack turned to her quickly, his eyes serious, wishing he had not broken the lock on her door.

"Come on, let's go to my room. We can lock the door there." Zack grabbed a hold of Aeris' wrist.

"A, alright." Aeris nodded and reached for her blanket. He looked at her and laughed.

"I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to go out there in just your underwear." He helped her cover herself. He wrapped the blanket around her and pulled her close to him. "Aeris, don't worry. I promise he'll never get you, I'll take care of you, until the day I die."

With that said, the two carefully went out into the hall. Zack was in the lead, making sure there was no one to see them and that there was nothing unusual.

"It looks alright. There doesn't seem to be anything unusual." Zack pulled Aeris towards his room down the hall. "It's all quiet."

'That's what I'm afraid of.' Aeris shivered under the blanket.

They approached his room. Zack opened it quickly and led her in. All the lights were off and the only sound was the down pouring rain and thunder outside. Aeris walked quickly to his bed and sat down. Zack's back was to her as he locked the door. The sound seemed deafening as the heavy bolt clicked.

"Damn, I can't see a thing!" Zack laughed and stumbled towards the bed. "I need a flash of lightning." He joked. A quick flash lit up the room. He smiled.

'That was good timing.' He looked up as Aeris' scream cracked his eardrums. That was when he saw him.

"Can you see now?" A low, dry voice came from the corner of the room. Another bolt of lightning lit up the room and a tall, dark man teleported across, grabbing Zack around the neck.

"How'd you get in here!?" Zack gasped.

"Through Tifa's window." The man grinned.

"Tifa! If you even touched her Sephiroth, I will personally kill you!" Aeris tightened the blankets around her. Sephiroth looked back at the woman and shoved Zack against the wall.

"Well?" Sephiroth smirked. "Are you going to kill me now?" The question hit Aeris hard.

"No!" She covered her face.

"You bastard!" Zack grabbed Sephiroth's wrist and shoved his arm down. The dark haired man fell to the floor. He took in deep breathes as he stood up quickly.

"Hmph." Sephiroth glared at Zack. "You're pretty strong." A soft sound of metal sliding ruined the silence of the room.

Aeris watched in horror as the Masamune came from Sephiroth's sheath and glided for Zack's head. She closed her eyes, hearing the sound of splintering wood. Quick footsteps ran across the room. She opened her eyes quickly. Zack had dodged the sword and had made space between him and Sephiroth. She could not move. She did not know what to do.

"Get out of here! Aeris!" Zack glanced at her momentarily.

'That was a mistake, boy.' Sephiroth chuckled and lurched forward, ramming his shoulder into Zack's chest. Zack hit the wall hard, it crunched behind him and the ceiling shook. He spat out blood and groaned as Sephiroth brought a hand around his throat once again. In the midst of the sounds of the battle, Aeris' screams could be heard.

"You're really stubborn, you know that?" Sephiroth said as he lifted Zack into the air. "Why the hell won't you just stay dead?"

"Funny…I was…going to ask you the…same thing." Zack struggled for air. He felt his leg hit the wall and then heard the soft metallic 'clink' under his boot. His sword was next to him. Zack's hands tightened around Sephiroth's.

"Zack!" Aeris stood from the bed. This made Sephiroth chuckle.

"You won't live, once I'm done with you." Sephiroth squeezed harder. Zack could not take it anymore. He kicked Sephiroth in the stomach. He grunted and dropped the ex-SOLDIER to the ground. Zack darted to the side lifting his sword. He swung to the side in hopes of hitting Sephiroth. The sword, however, went right through the man as he teleported away.

"Damn it." Zack spat and lurched forward, after the silver haired man.

"You think you can get me that easily?" Sephiroth's voice sounded to the left.

"Why don't you fight for real, and stop using your little tricks!" Zack shouted and brought the sword down towards Sephiroth's head. It met his Masamune instead.

"You really want to die, don't you?" Sephiroth's green eyes flashed with the lightning. He pulled upwards, sending Zack stumbling backwards. Zack ducked and spun, bringing his sword towards Sephiroth's legs. Sephiroth jumped and brought an elbow down on Zack's shoulder. He hit the ground hard and rolled quickly to his feet and brought his sword up, stopping Sephiroth's. He kicked upwards hitting the silver haired man in the chin.

"Don't get cocky." Zack felt his blood boiling underneath the surface. He wondered if Jenova's cells would help him at all in a battle with Sephiroth. He jumped into the air; he felt the energy surround him as he spun down towards the floor to hit the man. Sephiroth jumped out of the way, leaving Zack's sword to only meet the wooden floor.

"I taught you that. You plan on beating me with my moves?" Sephiroth felt a bead of sweat on his forehead.

'This isn't right.' Sephiroth took a deep breath.

"What's wrong old man? Getting tired?" Zack smiled. He wasn't sweating at all and this made Sephiroth nervous.

"Don't underestimate me, boy!" Sephiroth swung from side to side and darted forward. Zack met Sephiroth's sword evenly. Sephiroth spun the sword in his hands as he kicked high towards Zack's face. Zack leaned back and sideways. He lost his balance and stumbled. A small smile crossed Sephiroth's face. He kicked low, tripping Zack. The dark haired man fell hard.

"You never did have good balance." Sephiroth smirked and brought his sword down. Zack's eyes widened as he saw the blade come down. He tried to slide out of the way, but the cold metal slid through his body. He winced as the blade impaled him and he felt the warm liquid gush from his wound. The sword was aimed at his chest, but after sliding a bit it missed his heart. He heard a yelp from Aeris.

"And that's the only thing that kept you from being a General." Sephiroth crouched and leaned forward, whispering in Zack's ear.

"…W, what?" Zack questioned.

"Should have followed in my footsteps, boy. We would have made a great team." Sephiroth grinned. "I suppose my offer still stands from so long ago."

"Off, offer?" Zack took in a raspy breath. He could taste blood.

"Oh, you don't remember? Well, let me refresh your mind." Sephiroth stood up, leaving the sword. "In the reactor, I proposed my offer to you to join me and help me on my journey to the Promised Land." The silver haired man turned towards Aeris.

"And help you destroy the planet? I don't think so…" Zack tried to sit up but the cold sword was keeping him pinned to the floor.

"Hmph…what a pity." Sephiroth turned quickly and strode towards his 'student'. "That's the problem with you humans…too much compassion and love for others." Sephiroth pulled the sword from Zack quickly and spun it upward, bringing the handle down on Zack's temple. The ex-SOLDIER crumpled to the floor, blood spewing from his wounds.

"ZACK!" Aeris screamed. This alerted Sephiroth. He walked over to her slowly, talking to the unconscious Zack.

"You know, you could have said yes and I bet this girl would have come with you. She seems to have quite an attachment to you." Sephiroth leaned over the girl and shoved her onto the mattress.

"Go away." Aeris hissed.

"Looks like no games tonight." Sephiroth crawled over the girl, his coat engulfing her.

"NO!" Aeris screamed and clawed and pushed at him to get him away. She looked down at the man on the floor, tears in her eyes. "Zack!" she screamed desperately.

"You have one more chance." Sephiroth smirked at her, his gaze full of evil.

"No, I'll never help you! I'll never give you my materia and I will never EVER help you destroy this planet and everyone else!" Aeris kicked her feet out and pushed against his stomach.

"That's just…too…" Sephiroth grabbed her arms and pulled them to the sides. He immediately fell forward on the girl, her legs sank underneath his. "…bad!" He leaned over her.

"No…please." Aeris turned her head away from him.

"This time, I'll have no mercy. I'll make sure you remember everything!" Sephiroth laughed heartily and leaned closer to Aeris, their foreheads touching.

"Zack…Zack…" Aeris whispered for her love. Her green eyes switched from the man on the floor to the man on top of her.

'…Zack….Zack…Zack…that's me.' There was a whisper in Zack's mind. 'Zack…help me please.' He heard the voice in his head.

"A…Aeris…" Zack slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on the cold flood. He felt and tasted the blood and he glanced upwards to see a dark figure on another small figure. It hit him instantly what was occurring. Zack darted to his feet, pulling his sword with him, he leapt for the bed. The sword swung out for his target. He saw Sephiroth's eyes widen and look up to find Zack's blue eyes. The silver haired man leapt from the mattress, but was too slow. Zack's sword cut into the man's side. Sephiroth stumbled as he landed on the floor a bit ungracefully.

"Ugh…how?" Sephiroth muttered.

'He's…so fast.' Sephiroth frowned. He felt the blood pour down his side. 'The cut would have killed a human.' Sephiroth scoffed.

"Get the & out of here, before I kill you!" Zack lurched forward swinging the sword towards Sephiroth. The blade sliced across Sephiroth's chest as he stumbled backwards. Zack's eyes were glowing, full of Mako and Jenova.

"Im-impossible!" Sephiroth stood and disappeared from the room. "Next time…you won't be so lucky." Sephiroth's voice echoed in the room and was gone.

"No…next time, you won't be so lucky." Zack gasped for air. He turned to find Aeris running towards him.

"Zack!" She sobbed and reached for him as he fell. Her skin was covered in his blood. "ZACK!" Aeris continued to scream. She held onto him, yelling his name. There were tears streaming down her cheeks.

"HELP!!" Aeris yelled, trying to get the others to hear her. A moment later she heard footsteps running down the hall. She looked down at the man in her arms.

"Oh, Zack…Please…Not yet. You can't die." Aeris whispered and leaned her head down to his. She kissed him softly. His skin was cold and he was pale. Aeris felt for a pulse.

"Tifa! Tifa!" A voice was calling from above Tifa.

"W, what happened!?" Tifa sat up. She saw Vincent leaning over her with a worried expression.

"Sephiroth, he was here." Vincent helped her up.

"Sephiroth!?" Tifa looked down at herself to make sure she was still dressed and everything was normal.

"I'm guessing he hit everyone with another sleep spell." Vincent pulled the blanket from the floor and wrapped it around Tifa's shoulders. "I'm going to check up on everyone to make they are okay-."

"HELP!!" A voice called through the walls.

"That's Aeris!!" Tifa ran for the door, dropping the blanket behind her. Vincent was quick to follow. He hit the doors as he ran by, waking everyone else up.

"Aeris, Aeris! Open up! The door is locked!" Tifa pounded on the door. She leaned back and kicked, sending the door flying forward. Vincent darted into the room behind Tifa. She slid across the floor, glancing at Aeris; she turned to the bed and pulled a blanket from the mattress.

"What happened!?" Tifa asked as she wrapped the blanket around Aeris.

"Sephiroth. He was here! They fought…and this is what happened." Aeris showed the two his wounds.

"Oh no!" Tifa huddled next to the girl. Vincent ran to Zack's side.

"Zack!" Vincent lifted him from Aeris' arms. He carried the young man to the bed and placed him down gently. "Tifa, I need something to stop the bleeding. Aeris, get washed up and…put on some clothes. I'll watch him, don't worry." Aeris and Tifa darted from the room. As they ran down the hall, they encountered everyone else in the group.

"What happened!?" Yuffie asked, wearing her top and shorts.

"What the &Damn hell is goin' on here!?" Cid sputtered in his long johns.

"What's up!?" Barret skidded around the corner. He had the decency to at least put on some pants. Red XIII was close behind.

"Sephiroth was here! Head down the hall!" Tifa shouted and pointed for Zack's room.

"Aeris, are you alright!?" A voice called from an opening door. It was Cloud in his boxers. He was staring at her, blood covered her hands and face and the blanket she had wrapped around her.

"Yes! I'm fine! Zack isn't. Please…help him!" Aeris ran into her bedroom. She rushed to get cleaned and dressed.

"Shit!" Cloud darted down the hall. 'Zack you better not be dead. We can't do this without you.' Cloud frowned and ran faster towards the bedroom down the hall.

"Damn it! I got careless! I underestimated him." Sephiroth continuously ran a cure spell over his new wounds. He was sweating from all of the blood loss. "That bastard. How the hell did he get so strong?"

'You should have listened to me! You should have killed him when you had the chance!' Jenova's voice screeched in Sephiroth's head.

"I know, mother! I just never thought he would become so strong!" Sephiroth squeezed the sides of his head.

'He's as strong as you! Maybe I should go to him instead; I bet he would listen to orders better than you!' Jenova clawed at Sephiroth's brain.

"No! Don't say that!" Sephiroth leaned forward on the desk in the basement of the Shinra mansion.

'You better stop this childishness, or I'll kill you myself and take that boy!' Jenova growled and disappeared from thought.

"…No…mother…" Sephiroth sighed and laid his forehead on the desk. He wrapped his arms around his head and screamed in anger.

Cloud stared down at the dark haired man on the bed. He shook his head and growled in frustration. His blonde spikes hid his eyes.

"How the hell did they have this fight and none of us hear it?" Cloud clenched his fists.

"He hit us all with another sleep spell, like last time." Vincent murmured.

"Damn it!!" Cloud punched the wall.

"Is he going to be okay?" Tifa asked. She had her hands full of towels and blankets.

"I don't know…" Aeris sniffed. She was in her pink dress only. She leaned over the bed, staring at Zack. She held the small green orb in her hands. "I'll try my best."

"Are we going to leave in the morning?" Red XIII asked.

"If he's alright, then yes." Cloud nodded.

"If he's not alright, then we'll have to either leave him here or take him with us." Vincent said.

"We can't leave him." Cloud said quickly. "There's no way in hell I'd leave him here."

"…He'd be killed…" Aeris said quietly. "He'd come back to kill him. I have to protect him." The girl climbed into the bed and sat next to the man.

"Aeris, do you need everyone in her right now?" Yuffie asked.

"No." She smiled lightly. "You guys can go to bed. You all need your rest."

"I'm not going to bed, not yet." Cloud said.

"Neither am I." Tifa folded her arms.

"The rest of you should go to bed. There really is no need for everyone to be in here." Vincent added. Cid, Barret, Yuffie, and Red all nodded and stayed a minute longer.

"Just one thing…" Cid looked at Aeris. "I need to hear it, will he be okay?" Cid crossed his arms. Barret joined his side. Aeris smiled and giggled.

"He'll be fine! Don't you guys worry about it; I'll take care of him!" Aeris held up her green materia.

"Yup! Just like how she helped me!" Tifa smiled as well. These girls sure did know how to put on a smile, even if it was a fake.

"…Alright…just needed to hear it. Even if it's true or not." Cid turned to leave. Barret sighed and followed. A moment later the door closed, leaving Aeris, Tifa, Cloud and Vincent by Zack's side.

"I'm going to get started." Aeris grabbed the orb and began praying. Cloud pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. Vincent and Tifa looked at each other.

"You know…I'm going to go get some coffee. I bet it'll be a long night, I'm sure the innkeeper wouldn't mind helping us out." Tifa headed for the door.

"I'll come with you." Vincent said quickly. "Cloud, you be sure you're prepared. If anything happens before we get back, you alert us."

"Sure thing." Cloud nodded as Tifa and Vincent left the room.

"You know…it's kind of weird. If they said they loved each other, then why does she continue to hurt Zack?" Tifa asked her companion.

"I'm not sure if things are really as they seem. Aeris, I know she's a nice girl. I think she's just too nice to let one of them go." Vincent said quietly as he went down the stairs to the lobby.

"But…even if she's too nice, it's still not nice. It's actually worse. I'm sure she would have realized that by now. Unless she really loves them both." Tifa sighed.

"Tifa…" Vincent turned to her. "Are you sure she said she loved him? Did you hear those words come from her mouth?"

"Yeah…I…I think so." Tifa thought about it. "I heard Cloud. I heard him for sure and then she started and I heard her say 'I love'…and then I ran away."

"So you didn't hear her say 'I love you, Cloud'?" Vincent followed her to the kitchen area in the back of the inn.

"I…guess I didn't. I assumed that was what she was going to say." Tifa covered her mouth. "You don't suppose she said she loved Zack!?"

"Maybe you should ask her." Vincent said.

"Oh my! If she didn't I would feel so foolish because of what I did to Zack!" Tifa covered her face. "This is getting ridiculous."

"Maybe you should talk to Cloud." Vincent said as he walked past her and pulled a bag of coffee from the shelf.

"Talk to…Cloud?" Tifa stared at Vincent.

'Why would he say that? Does he…not want me?' Tifa felt a lump in her throat.

"If you have feelings for him then you should let him know before things get complicated again." Vincent began grinding the beans. The machine was deafening in the quiet kitchen.

"What do you mean? You don't…" Tifa looked at her feet.

"What the hell's going on in here!?" A voice called from the doorway.

"I'll explain." Vincent looked over at the innkeeper. "Things got a little dangerous around here. Do you mind if we make some coffee?" Vincent led the man out of the room as he stared in confusion.

"Vincent…?" Tifa called to no one. She felt tears sting her eyes again. Now she knew how Aeris felt. She did not know what she wanted.

'Tifa…what the hell do you want?' She sobbed once and took a deep breath before finishing the coffee. The sounds were loud in the kitchen. She flinched with every noise.

"Alrighty…coffee. What else? Cups and something to carry everything on." Tifa talked to herself, being her only company. She felt like she was back in Midgar closing up the bar for the night. She placed everything on a platter and made her way slowly up the stairs. Little did she know, she was being watched.

'Damn it Vincent, what the hell are you doing?' Vincent thought to himself. He watched the small woman make her way up the stairs. He admired the muscles in her calves and the way her hips swayed in the mini skirt she wore. Her long hair flowed from side to side, complimenting her hip movement. He knew that it was impossible to have a girl like that.

"Lucrecia…" Vincent sighed. "What the hell am I going to do?" A moment later he was rushing up the stairs. He had heard Tifa's yelp of surprise.

'What happened!? Are they alright? Sephiroth better not be here again!' Vincent felt his heart pounding. 'He better not touch Tifa.'

Aeris prayed for what seemed like hours but was only minutes. She could see Zack in the Lifestream. He was running through the bands of green light, playing with the floating green orbs. He looked like a child.

"Zack." Aeris rolled her eyes.

"Huh?" He looked back at her. "What's up!? What are these things!? They're funny!" Zack grabbed one and looked at it through a tiny hole in his hands.

"I don't understand..." Aeris giggled.

"What? You don't understand where we are? That's alright, I don't understand either." Zack shrugged. "But if you're here, I don't really care where this is."

"No…I don't understand how you're here. You're not an Ancient. You can't possibly be here." Aeris sighed.

"Where is 'here'?" Zack sat down on the 'ground'.

"You're in the Lifestream." Aeris started.

"But…wasn't Cloud in the Lifestream too?" Zack questioned.

"Yes, but this is different." Aeris sat next to him. "This isn't the physical Lifestream. It's the spiritual Lifestream."

"Spiritual?" Zack looked around him. "Am I dead!?"

"No! This isn't where the dead are supposed to go." Aeris held his hand. "At least not right away."

"I don't get it." Zack whined.

"Zack…only Ancients are able to access this place." The girl looked at a green orb as it floated past her.

"But, I'm not an Ancient." Zack scratched his head.

"Through prayer."

"What?" Zack was confused.

"Only Ancients have access to this place. They go here when they die, or can access it through prayer. This is where I go if I need help from the planet." Aeris spoke plainly. She wanted to make this as easy to Zack as possible.

"So…I'm either dead, or praying right now, but I'm not an Ancient so it's not possible." Zack leaned back. "This is weird. How did this happen?"

"I don't know, Zack. But I sure am glad to see you!" Aeris hugged him.

"…" Zack grabbed Aeris' wrists and pulled her away from him. "Aeris…what's happening to me? Why am I here?" Aeris opened her mouth to reply but could not find the words.

"I don't know." She looked down. The sea of green was never-ending.

"Aeris…what's wrong with me? What's happening?" Zack stood up.

"I told you, I don't know." Aeris stood with him.

"No! I mean in the real world! Right now, why are you here?" Zack seemed a little panicked.

"…Zack, You're dieing." Aeris felt her heart sink.

"WHAT!?" Zack grabbed his hair and turned around in circles. "I'm dieing!? Is that why I'm here!?" He screamed upwards to the 'sky'.

"We have to get you out of here." Aeris tugged on his arm. "I'm not sure why you're here, why you can hear the planet like me, and why you're so much like Sephiroth, but we have to get you out now!"

"Am I an Ancient!?" Zack rubbed his face.

"Zack, please!" Aeris ran to a green orb. "Usually I pray in here. I pray to heal people. This is the healing power, Zack." Aeris picked up the orb and shoved it into Zack's chest.

"What are you doing?" Zack asked her.

"I don't know! But I'm trying it anyways. Maybe since you're here, I can bring you back with me. Somehow you may have gotten lost, if so, we're lucky." Aeris smiled and pushed more green orbs into his body.

"So these little green guys will heal me?" Zack picked up one and shoved it into his chest. Aeris stopped and stared at him. "What?"

"How'd you do that?" Aeris asked him with a serious tone.

"I dunno. Why?" Zack grabbed another and stopped. "Hey, this one is talking to me!" He laughed.

"Only Ancients are supposed to be able to do that." Aeris stared in awe as Zack talked to the green orb. His voice changed and he spoke in a different language.

"Cool!" Zack grabbed the orb and put it into his chest as well. "Now what?" He asked Aeris.

"You just spoke the language of the planet…" Aeris felt herself shaking. "The Ancient language."

"Huh? No I didn't! I was just talking to it like normal." Zack raised an eyebrow.

"No…you spoke the Ancient language." Aeris shook her head. "Zack…I think you're an Ancient."

"Whatever." Zack scoffed.

"I'm serious! I don't know why or how, but…I think you're…an Ancient." Aeris grabbed his hand.

"Well if I am…that's freaking awesome!" Zack grinned.

"You're sucha child." Aeris rolled her eyes. Zack suddenly fell to the ground. "Zack!?"

"Whoa. Just a little dizzy." He stood up slowly. "Are you cold?"

"You look pale! Zack we've got to go! We've been here too long!" Aeris pulled his arms around her waist. "Hold on, Zack! Just hold on!" Aeris began praying again. Zack stumbled slightly as he saw hundreds of green orbs surround them. A second later they were floating through the Lifestream at an unreal speed.

"Zack! Zack wake up! Get up!" Aeris stood up suddenly and began shaking the man.

"Hey! What the hell!? What are you doing!?" Cloud stood up. He was starting to fall asleep again when Aeris snapped out of her prayer and began shaking Zack.

"Zack! ZACK!!" Aeris leaned in close over his body. Cloud watched in amazement as Zack's eyelids fluttered slightly.

"Stop…" A soft word came from his lips.

"What!?" Aeris stopped and pulled his head close to hers.

"Shaking…me." Zack whined.

"Oh! Zack!" Aeris hugged the man. He hissed in pain as she did so.

"Holy crap!" Cloud laughed and ran into the wall next to him. The door opened and Tifa walked in.

"Ahh!" She screamed in surprise, almost dropping the tray she had in her hands.

"He's alright, Tifa! Zack's alright!" Cloud helped her with the tray. He looked at Tifa. He saw that there were tears in her eyes. She had a hand covering her mouth and nose. Loud footsteps came down the hall.

"What's wrong?" Vincent entered the room quickly.

"Nothing's wrong! He's alright!" Cloud pulled Vincent into the room.

"What?" He looked towards the bed to see Zack sitting up and Aeris holding him.

"Uh…hi." Zack grinned and waved at the people in the room.

"Unbelievable." Vincent sat in the chair next to the bed. "Now…how did this happen?" he looked up at Aeris.

"Yeah, that's right. There weren't any green lights or anything like usual." Cloud leaned against the wall.

"I'd like to know what happened as well." Tifa smiled. She was so happy that she would be able to speak to Zack again, and hopefully resolve their problem.

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain." Aeris laughed. She hadn't been this happy in a long time. She felt like she was normal again, like there was nothing to fear.

"We have all night." Cloud smiled.

+Okay I got to stop it here tonight. There's so much more I wanted to add but then it'll be too long. So I'll add it in next week! Hope you liked this one! Thanks for reading and reviewing! -Annubis