Tifa waited in the bar, her face an anxious mess. She had closed Seventh Heaven after the lunch rush and let Denzel and Marlene go out and play with their friends. They were worried, she could tell. Cloud still hadn't returned, and neither he nor Yuffie answered their phones. She let the others know so they could keep a lookout for the two.

She sat in a booth, nursing some fruit juice. Her pregnancy was making her feel tired and a little lightheaded at the moment. As much as she liked being able to do things on her own, as much as she hated having to depend on others because of a weakness on her part, Tifa really wished Cloud was here. He would have had to notice she was out of sorts lately. Or maybe he had been oblivious.

Maybe, a little voice in her head said, he was ignoring what he was seeing.

Tifa sipped her drink and squeezed her hand. Would he do that? Cloud was kind, he wasn't flippant. He liked kids, he liked having a family. He wouldn't ignore her if he knew...He was probably just wrapped up in work.

She let out a little sigh. Where was Cloud, where was Yuffie? Nanaki would be here soon. She hoped he would be, at least. He said he was on the ferry while she was doing her mid-morning chores. Would the scent trails be too faint for his nose? Tifa rubbed her belly; Nanaki would sniff that out first.

Almost on que, there was a scratching on the front door. "I'm coming!" Tifa scooted out of her seat, mentally struggling against the sluggishness taking over her body. She took a deep breath, then carefully walked towards the door. Tifa peeked out of the crack and looked down to a large, ocher eye watching her. She opened the door more, letting in the dull rays of a setting sun. "Hey, Nanaki."

"Hello, Tifa." He backed up a few paces as Tifa closed the door behind her. The kids had keys to the bar, and they knew she probably wouldn't be home when they were done playing. She turned to see the red beast cocking his head and sniffing the air. "...Tifa?"

She nodded with a huff. "Yeah. I'm..." Tifa trailed off. Saying it out loud was difficult to say the least.

"I see. Congratulations," he said in a mild manner. He seemed a little shocked.

Her lips pressed together. "It was certainly a surprise when I found out."

"Does Cloud know?"

Tifa looked down, and she blinked a few times. She shook her head.

"Hm. Well...He'll never find out if we don't find him." Nanaki sniffed the ground around him, his neck pouch grazing the pavement. "I faintly smell Yuffie. It's becoming muddled with every other human's scent, however."

"I'll follow your lead," she said as she began walking by his side.

He sniffed about some more, glancing upwards towards her. "Just tell me if I'm going too fast."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine."

They traveled towards the Plaza, and they both got stares as Nanaki sniffed about. It wasn't hard for them to ignore them when there were more important things on their minds. Tifa took a few deep breaths whenever her head felt light, and Nanaki would look at her with a concerned frown. The two finally reached the other side of the Plaza, near a street that went directly towards the ruins.

Nanaki swished his tail. "Her scent goes this way. I'm sure she's at the church."

But all night and all day? "There's no trail leading away?"

He sniffed around the street. "No, just this one trail that grows stronger."

Tifa bit her lip. "I hope she's not hurt..." She took a few steps, then fluttered her eyes closed as a bout of dizziness struck. It had been particularly nasty today, and she hoped it would subside soon.

It passed after a little while, and she felt something warm and furry brush up against her leg. She opened her eyes to Nanaki right up by her side, watching her with a frown. "Tifa, hop onto my back. You aren't feeling well."

She shook her head. "I'm fine, Nanaki."

"No, you aren't." He gave her a smile. "If I can handle Yuffie riding me for miles, you wouldn't be any trouble at all," he assured her.

Tifa looked around, then held Nanaki's shoulders as she gently put her leg over him and sat down. They had to move, anyway. Every minute counted.

Nanaki quickly made his way towards the church, making sure Tifa was comfortable with his pace. She held onto him firmly, and despite her reservations(because she didn't want to make a friend her mount), she was grateful. Sitting down helped her head.

"That's Cloud's bike!"

Nanaki trotted over, and Tifa slid off as he came to a stop in front of Fenrir. She looked it over and checked the compartments; the swords were gone. Tifa looked down at her friend as he sniffed about. "There is no exit trail. Just one for each," he said shortly after raising his head and looking at the church.

They both walked over to the partially destroyed building and opened the doors. It was like nothing had changed since the last time she had been here. The strewed about pews, the bubbling pool of water, the pale stone walls. The flowers and the Buster Sword, the aura of peace.

She knew Cloud came here without them sometimes. It was intuitive; he was drawn to the church like a moth to flame. Tifa couldn't blame him at all, it was the perfect haunt when one wanted to clear their heads. She had done so a few times too, on the nights Cloud was gone for a few days on a long delivery.

She would have tried to talk to Aerith, but she wasn't sure if she was still around or not. It was still a soothing place regardless if Aerith was there or not.

The two friends walked down the aisle, the sound of their footfalls on creaking wood floorboards and the bubbling of the pool the only sounds coming to their ears. It would be soothing if they weren't here on a search for two missing people dear to them. They stopped at the pool, Nanaki's nose twitching as he sniffed about. "It ends here..."

Please, leave.

"Did you hear that?" Tifa looked around. It almost sounded like Aerith whispering in her ears.

Nanaki looked up from the floor with a confused frown. "Hear what?"

You have to go, now! I didn't know—

It felt like a giant's hand shoved them. Tifa's vision spun out of control, and she blacked out as her hand touched the cool waters of the pool, Nanaki's confused roar the last thing she heard.

"Mm..."

"Tifa, Please wake up." Something cold and moist pressed against her shoulder. Her head jolted back a little.

Tifa grunted as she began to pull herself up from...it felt like mud. "Ugh." She opened her eyes to darkness but for Nanaki's tail flame. It cast a small, warm glow that revealed the flowers she was touching or crushing with her body. She spat out moist dirt that had leaked between her lips. "How long was I out?"

"...About an hour," he replied. Nanaki sounded relieved, then the sound of his sniffing reached her ears. "Tifa, I...I don't know where we are. I..." His silhouette looked about.

She slowly stood herself up and tried to wipe away the mud and flower petals from her face and body. There was the sound of crickets and frogs and even an owl, and the far off sceam of a Coeurl that made her blood run cold.

She always hated that sound.

"Are we in a forest? What do you see?" Tifa looked behind her. The starlight and moonlight that her eyes were beginning to adjust to made out something that looked man-made and cold. The rest looked like trees.

"I...I see ruins. And yes, I think we're in a forest. But these flowers, and the pool..." He sniffed about, then stilled as he stared at nothing in particular.

"...Nanaki?"

He took in a deep breath. "I smell them," he said quietly. "It's faint, but it's them."

Her eyes lit up as she looked down at him. "Cloud and Yuffie? They're here?"

"And Vincent. And...I...No. Let's follow this trail. Hop on." He came close to Tifa, and she slowly placed herself on his back; after that lengthy blackout she wouldn't complain about using his help. He began to take off towards the source of the scents that disturbed him so.

"Vincent is here? But I got a message from him this morning. He said he was in Mideel," she replied with a frown and growing confusion. This didn't feel like Mideel; it was too cool and there wasn't the sound of a particular cricket that was unique to the islands. She grew to know that sound when she was keeping care of Cloud as he suffered from mako poisoning. "Nanaki, were we pushed into the pool?" Her mind was starting to settle.

Nanaki trotted through a narrow path illuminated by his tail and fireflies. "It's his scent. He is with Cloud and Yuffie. I...and it smells like...kind of like me...?" His mind was trying to deny it, because it sounded ridiculous.

Tifa raised a brow as she looked about for any danger between the trees. "You?"

"It sounds strange, but it's even stranger smelling it."

"I bet." She sighed. "This whole thing is strange on top of strange."

He chuckled shortly. "Yes, it is. Let's get to the bottom of it."

Nanaki took his time sniffing out the trail, trying to find where it led. He hoped it wouldn't lead to his lost friends, dead in the dirt. He really hoped this was all just a very strange dream, and he was back in Cosmo Canyon in his room.

After what felt like hours they reached an opening in the forest, and they were greeted to a beautiful star speckled sky that held pale clouds over what looked like a village. There were puffs of smoke and the scent of death that mingled with the forest breeze that came from inland. The sky was beginning to turn hues of red and gold in the east.

"They must be there," Nanaki said as he began to trot down the dirt path.

Tifa's shoulders shuddered as a light wind passed them by; she was still wet and muddied, and the air was a little cool. "I hope so." She looked about the fields one either side of them and noticed they were worked. These were farmlands.

They sky lightened further as they approached the village. Tifa glanced at the damaged walls; something bad must have happened very recently. An older man with a chipped axe watched the two with wariness and confusion. Nanaki stopped a good ten feet away, not wanting to get any closer to the on edge guard.

Tifa cleared her throat. "Um, good morning. We're looking for our friends..."

The guard stroked his beard a few times before bringing his hand back to his axe. His beady eyes studied Tifa's mud-smeared face, then down to Nanaki. His thick, greying brows came together, and he moved his head to look at the tattoo on the red beast's forearm.

"Eh?" The guard scratched his head. "Oh. You must be here for your Elder."

"Huh?" Tifa blinked several times, and she scratched her arm nervously. Elders?

The guard pointed at Nanaki. "Him." He looked at Tifa. "I guess you're another one of those folks that musta came from Junon." Again he looked at Nanaki, his eyes squinting as he studied him.

Nanaki's jaw was partially open, his eye staring at the man. His heart was in his throat; he shook his head to clear it. "I, uh...yeah. I need to talk to him."

The guard nodded, then looked at Tifa. "You must be lookin' for them strangers that came recently. If ya weren't with this one here I woulda thought ya might be trouble, but ya both can come on in. Just behave yerselves."

"Y-yeah. I've been really worried about them, you see. Thank you!"

He opened the gate. "They're stayin' at Corent's house. Can ya sniff'em out?"

Nanaki nodded as he approached the opened gate trepidatiously. "Thank you."

He sniffed the sandy earth, then headed in the direction of a trail of many interconnected scents. The sound of a hammer striking metal could be heard somewhere nearby and behind them, and seagulls were beginning their morning cries over the sea. The two looked about the small, damaged village, a few people out and about and staring at them.

Nanaki stopped at a stone residence that had part of its roof destroyed by what looked like fire. There was the sound of familiar murmuring voices from within. Tifa slid off of her friend, then stretched her body and got rid of the kinks in her lower back. It was as much out of soreness as it was out of a desire to stall. She wanted to know if Cloud and Yuffie were alright, but there were so many things running through her head.

Where were they? What was Vincent doing here? Why did Nanaki smell himself here? Tifa looked beyond the wall, towards the forest they had left. Why did that grey thing peeking out of the trees look so much like the Shinra Tower and the Sister Ray? Was this some strange dream, and she was still back at the church? Part of her hoped so, because she had no idea what to do next, whether she found them or not.

She bit her lip, anxious of what lay beyond the door. At last she released a breath she was holding and firmly rapped upon the door. The talking stopped, and she could feel the eyes of everyone on the other side.

After what felt like forever, the door opened.