A/n: I'm baaack...!! Hehe Sorry it took me so long to update; I was away on a trip for a week, and I had this really bad case of writer's block, and school's keeping me busy...anyway, I'm thinking of making the chapters a bit more dramatic from here on...I'm not sure what I'm gonna do, but I'll try. Okay, on with the story!

Midas – Thanks a lot for the review!

Adriana Evander – I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review.

jisAtsU siLENcE – You're right, they aren't...at least not Cloud in this chapter. 'grins'

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fic.

Chapter 4: Revelation

Never giving up

I'm there for you

For You...

Rocket Town

Cloud arrived in Rocket Town with a slightly lighter heart than before. Vincent was helping him find Tifa now, and, for the first time since he'd realized she was running away from him and he started his pursuit of her, he felt real, untainted hope. He knew in his heart that this trial would pass; he would surely be able to see her again...

His thoughts were interrupted when he caught sight of Cid and Shera's home. The large airship he knew so well was conspicuously parked just behind the small house; he knew Cid had to be inside, hard at work as usual. He smiled slightly, thinking about Cid's reaction to seeing him. They hadn't seen or talked to each other since he left for his journey nearly a year ago. "He's gonna be mad." he thought, bracing himself for the tongue-lashing he knew he would get from the grumpy old man as he turned into the last corner.

"Well, I might as well go in and see." he thought as he stopped in front of the door and raised his hand to knock. The door was opened before he could, and he suddenly found himself looking into Cid's greasy face.

"Uh...Cid?" Cloud said, not yet recovering from the shock.

"Cloud you #$! Where've you been?"

"...Around."

"Whaddya mean 'around'? None of us have seen you or heard from you since you left!"

"...I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, man! Tifa's been - !" Shera appeared beside Cid and grabbed his arm, effectively interrupting whatever it was he was going to say next. "What?!" he asked, surprised.

Shera just shook her head, silently telling Cid not to continue saying whatever it was he was going to say. She then turned to face Cloud and smiled. "Why don't you come in for awhile? You look tired." she said, turning to Cid and poking him in the ribs to get him to second the invitation.

Cloud looked from Cid to Shera, wondering what Cid had been about to say. He decided he would find out later as Cid finally spoke.

"Oh alright. Why don't you come in?" Cid said reluctantly.

Cloud nodded, amused.

"What're you smiling at?!" Cid said when he saw the look on Cloud's face.

"...Nothing." he said, trying hard to keep from laughing.

"So stop smiling like there's something funny!!" Cid told him, a menacing look on his face.

Cloud sobered up and shrugged. He didn't want to get into a fight now; and besides, Cid wasn't going to let him borrow the airship if he was mad at him. Cid seemed to be placated by his attitude; but he was still grumbling like crazy as he turned around and went inside the house.

Cloud had started to follow when it dawned on him that Cid had decided to let his 'offense' go because of Shera. He was a little taken aback by it. Cid never bowed to anyone else's will; he followed only his own. But, because he loved Shera, he willingly lowered his pride for her...

"I guess love really does change you..." he thought to himself as he followed Cid into the house.

Midgar

Vincent looked around the now unfamiliar place he'd once roamed as a Turk. Meteor had all but destroyed the city a few months ago, but people had already started to rebuild it. He knew that when it was finished, the new Midgar would be nothing like the old one; after all, this was the people's Midgar.

"And besides, their new leader's nothing like Rufus of Shinra." he thought. He entered the small district where he knew Reeve's temporary office would be and started looking around for it. He didn't have to look too far though; Reeve had just come out of his office, and Vincent started walking toward the man he'd initially known as Cait Sith.

He got to Reeve's side and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. Reeve jumped in surprise and turned, just in time to see Vincent's expression of sardonic amusement. "V-Vincent! Man, you scared me! How've you been?" Reeve asked, still visibly rattled.

"I've been fine." he answered.

"Good. We haven't seen you since you left Kalm all those months ago." Reeve said, questioning the other man with his eyes.

Vincent shrugged, not taking the hint.

Reeve decided to let it go. Vincent never told anyone about himself anyway. "So why're you here?" he asked, knowing Vincent wouldn't come to Midgar just to chat.

"I'm looking for Tifa." he answered plainly.

"Why are you looking for her?" he asked, an expression of surprise on his face.

"It's a favor for a good friend." he replied.

"Who?" Reeve asked.

"Since when have you made it a habit to start asking so many questions?" Vincent answered instead, ignoring the question.

Reeve sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just that it's so unlike you to do 'favors'. You're always so...cool and detached."

Vincent shrugged. "I guess it's just my nature."

Reeve sighed again. "Why don't we go into my office? It's hot out here."

Vincent merely nodded before following.

In Reeve's office...

"So where have you been this past few months? Everyone's been worried about you, y'know." Reeve said, sitting down at his desk and motioning for Vincent to sit on one of the chairs adjacent to it.

Vincent chose to stand instead. "I've been everywhere by now. I never liked to stay in one place too long." he replied.

"I see. You're looking for Tifa, right?"

"...Yes."

"She's not here; not right now at least."

"Then where is she?"

"The last I heard, she was going to Wutai then Rocket Town. She isn't scheduled to be here until next week at least."

Vincent nodded, taking it all in. "She's already been to Wutai, and she isn't in Rocket Town...where could she be?"

"She could be anywhere – wait – have you checked Cosmo Canyon? What about Kalm?"

"No. I'll be heading to Kalm after I leave here, and my friend will check Cosmo Canyon."

"Okay...wait – where's your PHS?"

"...I lost it."

"What?! How are you supposed to communicate?!" Reeve asked, incredulous.

"I don't." he answered.

Reeve shook his head disapprovingly. "I'll let you borrow one of mine; you'll probably need it later." he said, grabbing one from his desk and handing it to Vincent.

"This thing is useless with me; my friend lost his too." Vincent said, trying to refuse.

"Then give this one to him when you see him." Reeve replied, grabbing another from his desk.

Vincent sighed, reluctantly accepting both. "I have to go now."

"Okay. Make sure Cloud gets the other one. Alright?"

Vincent turned around to face him. "How did you know?"

"Everyone else kept their PHS's so we could keep in touch with each other. We couldn't contact either of you; I figured you either lost or destroyed yours."

Vincent nodded, accepting what he said as fact. He then opened the door and stepped out, leaving a somewhat amused Reeve in his wake. The fact was that he hadn't known the other guy was Cloud; he'd taken a wild guess, hoping he was right. "Man, it's about time."

Everyone in the AVALANCHE gang knew at least some of Cloud and Tifa's history; and they all wanted them to get together. They had been through a lot already; and everyone knew they were in love...everyone, that is, but Cloud and Tifa. "I just hope they find her soon. The suspense is killing me." he thought with a grin before going back to work.

Kalm, a few hours later

Tifa woke up on a bed she didn't know; her body sore from the fatigue she'd suffered because of her haste. She turned her head and saw Marlene looking at her from the side of the bed. She was just starting to get up when she felt a sharp stab of pain in her back. "Ouch. "What happened to me?" she asked, wincing.

Marlene grinned. "You fainted."

"What?! I fainted?! When?! Where?! Why?!"

"You looked so worn out when you arrived here, and before papa and I could ask you to get some rest, you just...fainted. The reason your back hurts is because of the fall. You landed pretty hard." Marlene replied, still grinning.

Tifa looked at the child in horror, her face turning a deep red in embarrassment.

"So we're awake are we?" Barret said as he came into the room carrying a large glass of water.

"How long was I asleep?" Tifa asked as Barret handed the glass of water to her.

"A long time." Barret answered.

"How long?" she persisted.

"Almost two days."

"...I see."

"Well, I'll go prepare dinner." Barret said, standing.

"I'll help you." Tifa volunteered.

After dinner, Tifa went out to get some fresh air and Barret washed the dishes before going up and tucking Marlene in. Then he followed Tifa outside to chat. "Hey."

"Hey." Tifa replied.

"So why did you come early?" Barret asked.

"No reason." she answered uneasily.

"Come on, Tifa. I know you. You wouldn't have come here without warning and almost limp with exhaustion if it wasn't something." he said, watching her face.

She sighed. "You're right. It is something – but I'm afraid you might think I'm crazy."

He saw pain flash across her features for a second – and only a second – before she masked it. "We have no secrets from each other, right? You're like a sister to me, Tifa. Whatever it is, I promise I'll listen – and I won't think you're crazy." he added.

"...I – I think Aeris might be coming back."

Barret's eyes widened. "Whaddya mean 'Aeris's comin' back? She's dead, Tifa. We all saw her die."

"I know. But I think Cloud's trying to bring her back."

"Huh? Why would he want to do that?"

"Because he still has feelings for her."

"Whaddya talkin' about? It's impossible to bring someone back from the dead – and besides, I don't think he thought of her that way."

"What do you mean?" she asked, hope lighting her face.

"Well, uh, you see..."he stammered.

Tifa put her hands on her hips and looked pointedly at Barret, curiosity evident in her expression. "You know something, don't you? Spill."

"She liked him a lot – that was pretty obvious – but he never treated her differently from the others." he replied. "He didn't pay half as much attention to her – or anyone else – as much as he did you." he added silently.

"But he left for that damn 'journey' of his so suddenly – and without telling anyone himself..."

"Did you ever think that he went on that journey for another reason?" a voice asked.

"Who's there?!" Barret and Tifa asked in unison.

Vincent stepped out of the shadows and into the light, a weird expression on his face.

"Vincent!" Tifa shouted, surprised. "I'm so glad you're okay! We've been wondering where you were."

"He seemed surprised at her outburst; but he didn't say anything about it as she gave him a brotherly hug. "You didn't answer my question." he said when the hug was over.

"No...not really. I wanted to ask him these past few months, but he doesn't seem to have his PHS with him...and, I guess I was afraid to find out...so I hid." she said quietly, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

Vincent didn't know how to respond to that. He hadn't thought Tifa would be so open about her feelings. He looked over at Barret, hoping he could help.

Barret could see that Vincent didn't know how to deal with a distraught woman, but he didn't know how to either. "Why don't we go inside? It's gettin' cold out here." he said instead.

Vincent nodded, relieved.

Tifa nodded too and wiped her tears away before forcing a cheerful expression on her face for Vincent and Barret's benefit and following them to the house.

In the kitchen...

They sat chatting at the kitchen table for awhile, the two men ever conscious of the fact that Tifa was forcing herself to be cheerful. "...I'm going to go out for awhile." Vincent announced suddenly.

"I'll go with you." Tifa said.

"No...I won't stay out long; I just need to do something first." he said firmly.

"Well, okay, I guess. We'll wait for you here." she replied.

"Well then, I'm off." he said before stepping out the door and disappearing into the night.

Outside...

Vincent took out the PHS Reeve had lent to him and dialed Cid's number; which Reeve had already programmed in. "I guess this thing really did come in handy." he thought, remembering Reeve's earlier comment.

Rocket Town

Cid was watching TV with Cloud and Shera when his PHS rang. He picked it up and answered it, thinking it was Reeve calling. He was surprised to hear Vincent's voice instead.

"Hello? Cid?"

"Yeah. Vincent! Where are you, man?!"

Cloud perked up at hearing Vincent's name mentioned and listened intently.

"That doesn't matter right now; is Cloud there?" he asked from the other end.

"Yeah, he's here." Cid answered.

"Could you give the PHS to him?"

"Sure." Cid said, confused. "Yo, Cloud, it's for you."

Cloud got up from his seat and took the PHS from Cid. "Vincent?"

"Cloud. I've found her."

"Really?! Where are you? How is she?"

"I'm in Kalm. But, Cloud, she isn't doing too well right now. You have to come quickly."

"What's wrong with her?! Is she sick?!" Cloud asked, alarmed.

"You could say that. You could see for yourself when you come here."

"Alright. I'll leave right now."

"Okay." Vincent said, and then he hung up.

"Cid! I'm gonna need your airship." Cloud said, picking up his small bag of clothes.

"No way am I lettin' you fly my airship! I thought we agreed we wouldn't leave until morning! Why are you in such a rush anyway?"

"I need to go to Kalm now."

"Is Tifa there?" Cid asked.

"...Yes." Cloud replied, walking to the door. He would leave with or without Cid.

"Wait – I'll come with you. We can take the airship."

Cloud whirled around. "Thanks."

"Ok, let's go!" Cid said, kissing Shera good-bye before following Cloud out the door.

Back in Barret's kitchen

Tifa stood up and walked to the door. "I'm gonna go check on Vincent." she said, heading out.

Barret nodded. He knew Tifa needed the fresh air to clear her head. Then he went up the stairs to the second floor to check on Marlene.

Outside...

For You...

Tifa stepped out and felt the cool night air on her face. She looked around for Vincent, wondering where he'd gone.

She found him not far from the house, and as she started to approach him, she accidentally overheard his conversation.

"Cloud. I've found her." she heard him say. "Cloud? He's talking to Cloud? Is he talking about me?"

"I'm in Kalm. But, Cloud, she isn't doing too well right now. You have to come quickly."

"Cloud's coming here?! He's...coming for me? Does that mean...?" Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Vincent say "okay" then hang up. She hid so Vincent wouldn't see her, but it was too late. He'd spotted her, and he was slowly walking toward her.

Vincent was surprised to find Tifa hiding in the shadows, and he wondered how much she'd overheard. "How much did you hear?" he asked.

"...Enough." she answered.

"Great." he thought. He knew he would have to explain. He hadn't wanted to interfere; he had wanted Cloud to be the one to tell her.

"Why were you talking to Cloud?" she asked.

Vincent just looked at her, not saying anything.

"You know something, don't you? Please, tell me. Is it the reason for his journey?" she asked when he remained stubbornly silent. "Please, Vincent. Tell me something. Anything."

Vincent finally spoke. "I don't want to interfere, so I'll let Cloud tell you himself. I will tell you one thing though."

"What is it?" she asked, holding her breath.

"Cloud left on that journey for you."

a/n: whew! Chapter 4's done...it's the longest one yet! I'm sorry it took me so long to write this chapter...I hope you guys like it! Oh, and the PHS here are only mobile phones.