Tifa sat next to Cloud on the couch, still emotionally jarred from the confirmation that it really was Cloud and no one else last night. Why else would he keep the silly little bangle? It didn't even match his usual, dark outfit. She took a glance at the vampire next to her, an awkward look on his pale face as he tapped his fingers on a knee.

Cloud had left earlier, no doubt for a mark of his before coming back hours later. The thought of her friend doing such things made her cringe, even after he argued it was the best way for him and others to feed. 'He said whether or not it was him or not the assassin's guild would still be taking the marks.' Tifa couldn't argue with that logic, another human or vampire would take the job up if he wasn't there. Still, it irked her that he was the one doing it.

'At least he didn't kill Rox...' When Cloud had returned home with that familiar shank in hand she thought the worst had happened to the young woman she was supposed to be assisting with weaker jobs. She was only sixteen, taken in by the guild six months ago after a vampire had laid waste to her family before the hunters could intervene. The only reason she believed Cloud hadn't killed her was because he didn't smell of blood when he entered the house, and she was grateful if confused why he showed an act of mercy to a stranger training to kill things like him.

To add to her thoughts, she missed the comfort of the cathedral and the half dozen hunters that she socialized and worked with. Tifa wondered how she could be reunited with them again; she knew Cloud wouldn't want her working for them again, but if she could just outlast his guild's search...Would they look for her after a month or think she was dead already?

Again she looked at Cloud, the vampire a personal conundrum. Despite everything she was certain she couldn't do the deed that she had planned for so long. Not just because he truly was her childhood friend, but because he had put himself in a risky situation by hiding her away. 'I'm a vampire hunter, but what kind of person would I be if I repaid his trust like that?' It pulled at her heartstrings, with all the various factors involved.

"I guess Zack's running late." Cloud mumbled, looking towards the door.

Tifa just wanted to get this over with so there would be no more strange incidents involving Zack. Was this vampire so worried she would kill Cloud? The thought was flattering that a vampire feared her, however. "For someone so worried about you, I would have thought he would show up earlier."

"I called him when I woke up."

She frowned. "Why didn't he just call you last night? Or you call him?"

He chuckled humorlessly. "It's his way of pushing the meeting, he would have come over regardless. Since you agreed to talk with him tonight, he said he would come by later."

Tifa nodded, she had told Cloud that evening she would if just to get that particular monkey off her back. She began to wonder how many calls and texts were on her phone, wherever it was hidden in the house. Tifa was certain Rox had called a dozen times since she went missing, maybe a handful from other guild members, and at least one from Aerith. This was her fourth night in the vampire's lair.

There was a knock on the door and soon Zack entered, the vampire walking towards the couch opposite the other two after a quick greeting. He sat down and rubbed his hands together between his knees. "So, you're Tifa?"

Tifa nodded. 'This is Cloud's friend. Okay...let's see what kind of company he keeps.'

Zack smiled at her. "It's nice to meetcha. Cloud talked about a good friend of his who lived in his hometown."

"That would be me..." she said, watching the vampire intently.

Zack rubbed the back of his head. "I guess in regards to you two, fate has a sick sense of humor."

Tifa let loose a humored huff. "I'd tend to agree with you on that, Zack. So, you're...worried, I'm going to hurt Cloud while he's asleep..." She again glanced over at her childhood friend, her eyes looking deeply into his for a moment before returning them to Zack. "That would be kind of rude at this point."

His grin grew more relaxed. "You're not an impolite vampire hunter, then?"

"I should hope not..." Tifa put her hands together, pointing them at Zack. "I probably don't know you as well as you know me, and I'd like to know Cloud's friends better."

Zack clapped his hands together. "Well, I met Cloud about six years ago at a fall festival, and we were makin' fun of the owner of the petting zoo 'cause he was saying how he was from the country side, but he couldn't name off the breed of goat or chickens he had." He looked upwards in thought, smiling. "Cloud told the owner that unless he wanted someone to lose a finger he should put the Nibel goat in the stall."

Cloud snickered next to Tifa, and she looked over as he began to speak. "He said I was full of it and tried to pet it on the nose. I'm sure you know how that went, Tifa."

She found her hand partially covering her mouth as it twitched upwards; she was well aware of how ornery the goats of the Nibel region were, having watched one kick a villager into a wooden fence as they tried to cross the pasture.

Zack chuckled, and Tifa brought her attention back to him. "It turned out we were both country boys! He was a cadet that patrolled the sector I lived in, so I'd meet him on his nights off or if he wanted to hang out after his shift."

"I guess I should have asked why we never hung out during the day." Cloud said.

"Having too much fun, I suppose!"

Tifa frowned. "Did you...change him?" Was the news of his demise incorrect?

Zack shook his head while waving his hands in front of him. "No no no. I helped him get back on his feet after it happened."

Cloud interrupted. "When I fought those things the night I died...Zack explained that sometimes, those shadowy wraiths can inflict the curse of undeath to their victims." He shrugged. "It's like some sort of magical disease on dead bodies. Usually, victims end up as ghouls or some other mindless thing, but rarely they end up like me."

Tifa glanced back and forth at the two. She had knew of the different ways one could become a vampire, the most well known in popular culture being through another vampire. But that was only the most surefire way, wraiths being an uncommon sight and rare vector. Zack continued on with the story. "I had this strange feeling Cloud was gonna...er, make it. In a sense. I got his burial prepared and everything so he wouldn't have to dig his way out of a coffin, then I helped keep him outta trouble until he could fend for himself."

She looked down at her feet. 'So this is what happened to Cloud five years ago. What would he have been like without Zack?' Tifa knew Cloud didn't make friends easily. Was this the only person he had to confide in, so far from Nibelheim? "It's still hard to think about...drinking blood..."

"Yeah, it sucks, doesn't it?" Zack scratched his cheek, completely oblivious to the pun he just made; Cloud let out a soft groan. "I've been part of the assassin's guild for a good sixty years now, so I'm only ever taking from people who are gonna die anyway...I guess that doesn't make it any better to you."

"They're innocent people."

He nodded. "Sometimes. Sometimes not. I'm just there to do it quickly." Zack looked apologetic, as if thinking too hard on the subject bothered him as much as it did Tifa. She glanced at Cloud, her friend holding his gaze towards the edge of the coffee table as he played with his fingers.

A thought crossed her mind, and she chewed the inside of her cheek. How many servants did she help kill that could have been rescued, at her trainer's orders? 'Are my hands bloody, too...? No, it was for a good cause...but...'

"I wasn't really thrilled with that part of the whole vampire deal, either." Cloud mumbled as their eyes met.

Tifa wondered if it became akin to killing farm animals for food to the two, the action necessary if uncomfortable to dwell on. She decided to change the subject. "So, I guess Zack's something of a teacher to you?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't without hiccups, though."

She raised a brow, curious. "What kind of hiccups?"

He looked away, gripping the fabric of his pants. "Well...you know how vampires can...turn into things, right?"

She hummed an affirmative, she had seen it in the past. Wolves and bats were the most common forms they used that strange, innate magic for.

"Zack...tried to teach me how to turn into a bat. He said all I had to do was jump off the building he took me to, and focus." He bit his lip before turning his head and giving Tifa a shy glance under his bangs. "I fell five stories onto my face."

Tifa brought a hand to her mouth as the scenario ran through her head. "You...jumped off a building." She looked away, shoulders shaking as she tried to suppress her laughter. It didn't help that it replayed again and again in her mind, and she pursed her lips.

Zack spoke up. "He tried waving his arms halfway down."

She let out a snort and began to laugh, glancing over at Cloud as he also pursed his lips and flared his nose, arms crossed over his chest. He made eye contact with her, then graced her with a shy smile as he let out a short chuckle.

"I think I feel a bit better about you stayin' with Spike." Zack said as he stretched.

Tifa's brows furrowed. 'Spike...?' She looked back at Cloud, her eyes going to his golden locks. 'Oh.'

Cloud rolled his eyes. "What are you, my father?"

"Someone's gotta watch after you!" He stood up and leaned towards Tifa a little, stretching his hand out. "Thanks a lot for talking to me, Tifa. And...if you could watch after him too, I'd appreciate it." She tentatively went to reach for his hand as an act of politeness, though she found the vampire to have a likeable personality. The last several days had been mentally fatiguing and it was no different tonight with vampires acting the complete opposite of how they should be acting.

She nodded. "I will."

He left quietly after a final wave goodbye, and the two sat in silence on the couch. Cloud spoke up as his eyes followed Squeak, the rat scampering up the stairs after skirting the wall. "Have you made a decision yet?" His voice was quiet and hesitant.

"No." They were more like bad jokes in her opinion. There had to be another way, she thought.

Cloud nodded. "Let me know if you come up with something that suits us both." He stood up and stretched, before looking down at Tifa. "Leave me a list of things you need at the store...I'll see you tonight." He turned to walk up the stairs, then disappeared into the darkness. Tifa sighed heavily, wondering how to satisfy both of them just enough. Soon enough she found herself back in her room, reading at first and then drifting off to sleep.

"Tifa, you came!"

"I can't be gone for long, Cloud. Papa doesn't like when I'm out this late." Tifa climbed the last few rungs onto the top of the old well.

Cloud rubbed the back of his neck, his blush dark in the starlight. "Sorry."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's alright. What did you need, Cloud?" Tifa sat next to him, the two dangling their legs over the edge of the well and staring at the night sky.

He puffed out his chest. "This coming spring, I'm gonna go to Midgar and join their military."

Anxiety panged in her heart. "Oh. I guess that means...you won't be back for a while."

"At least four years, if I don't decide to stay longer." Cloud looked at Tifa as her gaze fell to him, the stars swirling in his eyes. "I'll come back...maybe I can take Mr. Grunn's place, he's gettin' old."

Mr. Grunn was one of Nibelheim's guards. Tifa smiled at the thought, she could stand a few years apart if he was going to come back. "So, you're gonna be a hero, huh?"

He blushed again. "It'd be nice."

"You're strong enough as it is...Hey, promise me that if I'm ever in a pinch, you'll come help me."

"Huh?"

"Come on, promise me, Cloud!"

"What if I'm not around?"

Tifa huffed. "It's only if you're around, goober!"

Cloud grinned, then nodded. "I promise, Tifa. If you're ever in trouble, I'll be there for you."

She grinned back, then they both turned towards the stars again. Silently in her mind, she made the same promise to him. 'I'm not helpless, and neither are you, Cloud. But if you need my help, I'll be there for you, too. I promise.'

Tifa finished her breakfast, glancing at Squeak as he munched on a piece of cheese she had reluctantly given the rodent as a peace offering after he had stayed out of her way for the last couple of nights. He had seemed to accept it happily. 'Don't even think we'll be friends after that little joke, rat.' Still, better to get on each other's nicer sides, considering she didn't know how much longer she would have to be here. It was the cusp of the second night since meeting Zack and neither she nor Cloud were any closer to a compromise.

Cleaning her dishes and putting them away, she went to the living room to stretch and do a few katas. Tifa felt much stronger this afternoon as she tested her body, a happy sigh passing her lips as her body remembered the movements she had neglected after almost a week. She wasn't rusty, but she had skipped out on her practice for longer than she liked.

Squeak looked at her with a cocked head as he sat on the top of the couch, and she turned her head to look at him. "I know martial arts. I don't wanna get rusty."

He went onto his hind legs and stretched one foreleg out and tucked another in, mimicking her stance. Squeak wobbled a bit and fell onto the cushions with a tiny grunt, Tifa chuckling at the rodent. "I don't think rats can do this."

After she was finished Tifa went to the kitchen again to check the time; she hadn't noticed the wall clock since she came here, so many other things were bothering her mind. It was getting closer to sunset, and it would be yet another night where she and Cloud met an impasse. Still, he kept her as his guest despite her original hostility. It wasn't that she wasn't upset with the situation and with him, but a big part of her was relieved that the guild was incorrect. At least in regards to Cloud and Zack.

Tifa went back to the living room to peruse the books, peeking at a monster manual on the top shelf. As she took it a familiar sound twinkled in her ears, and she gasped as she twisted around to face the front door. Walking and stopping midway from the entrance, she looked at Squeak and motioned for him to hide, hoping she got her point across. He skittered underneath the couch to her relief.

She heard muffled voices on the other side, her arms coming up to her chest as if in anticipation for an attack.

"Finally, this's the place. Keep an eye out for servants."

The door handle jiggled, then the end of a blade ripped through the wood, one, two, three times in an effort to dislodge the lock. The dusky glow of the last rays of the golden sun billowed in, the sight welcome despite Tifa's anxiety.

More dull light burst through as the door was kicked open, and Tifa tensed. Heavy footsteps stomped on the hardwood floor as a tall, muscular, gray silhouette came forward. She barely had a chance to dodge the projectile that flew towards her chest from behind the man in front of her, who wore a protective leather vest and brown braided hair. "Hey! Stop it!" She narrowed her eyes. "It's me, Tifa!"

"So this is what happened to you, Tifa. A vampire's servant..." said a deep, sad and disgusted voice.

That voice belonged to Regis Knollgrove, a veteran vampire hunter Tifa had worked with before. She huffed at the accusation. "No, I am not! I haven't been forced into servitude." she said with an indignant tone. "Just...listen to me!"

"Tifa!" Came a sharp voice. Huey, a man about her age that was obviously along for training. "Oh, Tifa. what happened to yeh?"

"Huey! She'll only speak lies now, she's under the vampire's thumb!"

Tifa huffed. "No, I'm not under his thumb at all." She hesitated; there was no way they would believe her without perhaps a holy water bath. "If you could give me some holy water-"

Regis shook his head. "It's too late for that now." he said quietly as he brought up his sacred axe. "Huey, prepare yourself."

"But we're friends!" Tifa looked at Huey, the young man uncertain as he put another metal projectile into his crossbow. "Huey, please listen to me!"

"Master Regis...are yeh sure we can't bring her back?"

"Huey, former vampire hunters are exceedingly dangerous foes because of former bonds." Regis said as he gave a calculating look towards Tifa, weapon at the ready. "I'll end this quickly little Tifa, and then we'll finish off your bastard master."

She narrowed her eyes. "The least you can do? You wouldn't even try to free me first if I was?!" Tifa dodged the silver axe as it came down at her, then narrowly missed the next arrow that was aimed at her chest. "And he's not my master!"

"We don't 'ave much time left, Master Regis!" Huey said after a quick glance at the fading light at the door, then aimed at Tifa again, his green eye lining the sights. "I'm so sorry, lass." He shot, grazing her arm and tearing into the books far behind her. "Orders's orders." he said lowly.

Tifa twisted around and roundhouse kicked Regis in the face, the impact hurting her naked foot but causing him to stumble backwards from the force. She quickly took a couch cushion and flung it at Huey, the next bolt flying into Regis' shoulder with an angry shout. She pressed the advantage and striked Regis several times in the face in an attempt to knock him out and hopefully get Huey to drag him away before Cloud woke up; no one had to die tonight, if they would just leave. In his anger Regis punched Tifa in the gut as she came in for another swing, dropping her to the floor next to the stairwell from the powerful uppercut. "Huey...don't...listen to him...!" She struggled onto her hands and knees, gasping for air. "I'm...not a...servant!"

"Lassy..." Huey bit his lip, glancing back and forth between the two.

Regis snapped his head back at the rookie. "Stop feeling, start thinking, or you die!"

Huey let out a heavy sigh, glancing at Tifa as she tried to recover. He nodded.

"Please, just leave..." she rasped.

"Finish her while I take care of that monster upstairs before it wakes up!" Regis said shortly. He took several heaving breaths as he spoke, then walked towards the stairs.

Tifa looked between the two as Regis disappeared and Huey put in another arrow. 'Cloud. I...promised, too. No, you can't die like this!' She gritted her teeth before lurching towards the stairs; Huey had made the error of taking his eyes off of her. She grabbed Regis around the neck, the master grabbing her loose shirt with his free hand and wrestling her off his back as he crouched down, Tifa landing on her back, feet facing the second floor. "Master Regis, just leave!" she pleaded. "This isn't what you think it is!" She pushed herself out of the axe strike that had been intended for her head, uprighting herself and kicking Regis down the stairs with a hard kick of her feet as he attempted to dislodge his weapon.

She noticed Regis had almost bowled over Huey, the young man dodging by inches. He glared at his former companion and raised the crossbow quickly, aiming for her heart. Her breaths were shaky with emotion and pain, and she tensed. Tifa needed time to recuperate and she didn't have enough room to dodge the arrow this time. She had enough time to think about how ironic it was that her death would not be by the fangs of a vampire, but the projectile stake of a vampire hunter as she tried to stall their advance on Cloud's room. Everything that occurred in the last five years meant nothing now, they wouldn't listen to her.

She jumped at the sound of a scream and the crossbow's release, and she herself screamed in pain as she snapped her head to look at her shoulder; the arrow had carved out a small chunk of her shoulder as it whizzed by, embedding into the stairs. Turning back her eyes widened, Squeak was tearing into Huey's throat with sharp teeth and little claws as the vampire hunter struggled to get the large rat off, his blood pouring out of the wound more and more before he finally dislodged the servant and flung him into a wall with a sickening thud. He held his hand to his neck in an attempt to stop the heavy flow as he gasped his breaths in a panic.

Tifa was shaken out of her stupor as Regis recovered, the man releasing a cure spell on Huey as he crouched on the floor in a growing pool of his own blood. Regis turned to Tifa, the pugilist pushing herself up the stairs as the master recovered his axe. "May the planet give you a life free of the undead after this one is finished." He brought up the axe, advancing on his former underling.

"Master Regis...why?"

About to bring the axe down upon her head he paused a moment to explain in a quiet voice. "A vampire hunter who fails at their craft...is irredeemable." He swung.

Tifa closed her eyes and held her breath before hearing a slam and feeling a wisp of air above her head, and a panicked grunt. Peeking, there was someone next to her, and glancing straight ahead, Regis sported a look of shock and horror as her protector gripped the vampire hunter's wrist.

"You're irredeemable." Cloud's voice growled with a barely contained rage.

"You monster...!" Regis whipped out a strange golden icon, Cloud releasing a hissing groan as the master pressed it towards the vampire. Tifa mustered the strength to kick Regis hard in the face, and Cloud took the opportunity to knock the icon out of his opponent's hand before tackling him down to the first floor. Tifa watched the short struggle unfold, the spiky headed vampire slashing Regis' face open with lengthened claws. The vampire hunter let out a scream from the pain, his face quickly painted red.

"As if you're any different!" Cloud bit down on Regis' neck, cutting off the man's death wail. Tifa looked away and covered her ears, eyes to her bruised and blood splotched feet. Her shoulder burned and bled, her gut felt bruised and it hurt to put pressure on her right foot. She held herself like that for what seemed like an eternity, her vision warped from growing tears.

"Why did it turn out like this...?" she whispered to herself.

She felt a cool, gentle hand on her forearm, digits wrapping around the area below her wrist. Tifa glanced up, Cloud looking her over as he held an injured Squeak in his other hand. He cringed at the bloody shoulder injury, handing her Squeak and tearing off some of his shirt to bandage the wound; she moaned in pain as the fabric touched the sensitive area. "Regis has a materia on him...please."

"I know it hurts, Tifa, but let me try and take care of this mess first." He finished bandaging her arm and then picked her up bridal style as she cupped Squeak in her arms, finding herself in her bedroom. Cloud rubbed her forehead with his thumb, his face a concerned mess. "I'll be back soon, okay? No one else is gonna hurt you tonight." He left after a lingering glance at her and Squeak.

Tifa bit her lip as she thought about the two who sealed their fates this evening. Huey was either unconscious or dead, or soon to be dead when Cloud got around to finishing him off. She blinked; Huey had been a friend that shared silly jokes with her and sometimes did practical jokes on the priests. Master Regis had always been stern but occasionally she would catch him chuckling about some silly thing or another. She had attended a hunt in sector three with him several months ago, the scene a blood bath.

Now they were both gone, and there was no way she could ever show herself to the guild again, even if they didn't know she was responsible for delaying them until Cloud woke up. If only they listened! She covered her face in her hands. This was all wrong. She had heard nothing of a new hunt before she was spirited away, and now two people she knew, two people she had considered friends recently were dead. 'What was I supposed to do? They would have killed me! Cloud had more reason to kill me than they did.'

Squeak seemed to pick up her silent turmoil, the rat cooing his squeaks at her as he laid on her abdomen, leaning on her crossed arms. Tifa sniffled and gave a pained smile as she looked at the rodent. "I wish I knew what you wanted to say, Squeak..." She rubbed his chin as gently as she could, the large black rat leaning into her finger. "Thank you for saving me earlier." Tifa swore Squeak grinned before curling back up and resting again, and despite the pain her shoulder was in she closed her eyes in search of a small nap as she awaited a magical solution to soothe her aching injuries.

Her mind flashed to Cloud as she tried to rest. She made her choice this evening, and it wasn't in favor of her old life as a vampire hunter. There was no going back from where she was going now.