A/n: Hey guys sorry for the late update! Finals week is coming up; feeling a little shaky on that, so. Sorry if I'm babbling. I don't know why but I'm always tired this week…oops, sorry. Now for the disclaimer. (This has been the same from the first chapter…you guys think I should change it? It's kinda boring, right? Anyway, I'll type the same thing and I'll see what you guys have to say about it later. Peace! Oh, and does anyone know when Advent Children's release date is? Thanks.

Now for the thank yous:

spikestrife: Sorry 'bout that. No worries, though. Cloud's with Tifa; I wouldn't have it any other way either. She's gonna end up with someone else…you know who And…is Vincent really a vampire?

Shayna Sedai: Your wish granted. Hehe

jisAtsU siLENcE: That's ok, as long as you're back! Hehe thanks for the review! Oh, and there're a lot of interactions between the couples here (ok, the whole chapter can pretty much be summed up by their conversations…) though technically Vincent and Yuffie aren't together yet, but they will be! Till next time!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned below.

I'm there for you, No matter what

I'm there for you, Never giving up

I'm there for you

For You…

Chapter 7 – Uncertainty

Airship, cabin

Vincent watched as Yuffie slept, seemingly exhausted after her battle with airsickness and something else he couldn't identify. "She looks like an angel when she's asleep…but when she's awake…" He chuckled softly. "She's a real handful."

As he watched, Yuffie stirred, slowly opening her eyes and looking around her at the vaguely familiar room, confusion evident in her expression.

"Good evening."

She jumped, getting halfway across the room before she realized there was no danger. "Vincent! W-what're you doing here?"

"Watching over you."

She felt her face heat up in a blush immediately after hearing that statement, and she was suddenly glad the darkness inside the room concealed it from him. "Why?"

"You were tired, so I brought you here." he replied calmly.

"But I thought Tifa was the one who helped me…"

Flashback

"I think you'd better go to one of the cabins instead. You look like you need the rest." Tifa said.

"Yeah…maybe I will…"

End of flashback

Yuffie didn't remember anything that happened after that. "I must've passed out…"

"Um, Vincent?"

"Yes?"

"Uh…how did I get here?"

"I brought you here."

"You…brought me here?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?" he asked, a little confused. "I just told her I was the one who brought her here…"

"N-no…it's just…I don't remember much…"

"Don't worry about it. You were probably just tired."

"I guess…"

They heard a soft knock on the door. "Hey…can I come in?"

It was Tifa.

"Sure." Vincent answered.

Tifa poked her head into the room. "You guys okay in here?"

"Yes." Vincent replied.

She looked over at Yuffie. "Yuffie? How about you?"

"I-I'm fine. Thanks."

Tifa smiled. "Okay. I… Cloud!" she exclaimed as he poked his head into the room next to hers.

"Hi honey." he said, smiling at a somewhat surprised Tifa before going into the room and starting a conversation with the others.

Tifa smiled to herself as she watched Cloud converse with Vincent, suddenly feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. "He called me 'honey'…" It was silly, she knew, but she didn't care.

Cloud turned to her. "Tifa?" he said, noting the ridiculously wide smile on her face.

Hearing her name mentioned, Tifa turned to him, but she was still in her own little world. "Hmmm?"

"Are you okay?" Cloud asked, wondering why she seemed so out of it.

"You called me 'honey'…" she said, that same smile on her face.

Cloud looked startled. "I…guess I did…"

She smiled, jumping up and wrapping her arms around him in a spontaneous hug.

He grinned, resting his cheek against her soft raven hair. "Heh…I guess I should call you that more often…"

She laughed, resting her head on his chest contentedly, forgetting for the moment that they were not alone.

Yuffie watched as Cloud and Tifa held each other close, lost in their own little world.

The scene before her should have caused her pain, but…it didn't. "Were my feelings for him so shallow? Did I ever even have those feelings?" She looked over at a very quiet Vincent. "Or…did I develop feelings…somehow deeper…feelings for someone else without realizing it? Is that even remotely possible?" She frowned, her thoughts taking all her attention and making her oblivious to everything else…everything…but him.

After watching the couple for a while, Vincent finally realized that he was intruding. He turned to leave…then he stopped, remembering that Yuffie was in the room as well. He looked at her, and he was a bit troubled to see the fierce frown on her face.

She glanced at him again, surprised to see his eyes on her as well. "I…don't understand…"

He saw the confusion in her eyes…the frustration. She seemed to have a battle raging inside her, a battle about something he didn't know about or comprehend…but he wanted to know; he wanted to help her through it. He didn't fully understand why himself, but something within him told him to stop thinking and start doing.

Yuffie watched as Vincent started walking toward her, an unreadable expression on his face.

Vincent reached her side and held out his hand. "Come on, let's go."

She slowly, hesitantly, put her hand in his and let him help her up, then she looked into his eyes…mysterious, calm, beautiful… "Where are we going?"

"It doesn't matter. We need to leave those two alone for awhile." he answered, tilting his head in Cloud and Tifa's direction.

"Okay…" she said, letting him lead her out of the room. It was then that she realized he hadn't let go of her hand…

On deck (I use this location a lot, don't I?)

Vincent led Yuffie away from the cabin where Cloud and Tifa were, his mind assaulted by what felt like a thousand different thoughts at the same time, not paying attention to where he was going until Yuffie finally stopped, wrenching her arm from his grasp.

"Just where do you think you're walking off to?" she asked, wondering where he had intended to go, seeing as there really was nowhere else to go from here.

"What do you mean? I know exactly where I'm…" he stopped, becoming conscious of the fact that they were up on deck.

"You were saying?" she said a little crossly.

He looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry."

She grinned. "Okay, I forgive you." she said flippantly.

His eyes widened in surprise. "That's it?"

She nodded.

"But I thought…"

"I was going to give you a hard time?"

"Well, I wouldn't phrase it that way but yes, I did."

She brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, a mischievous glint coming into her eyes. "Do you want me to give you a hard time?"

He was quick to answer. "No."

She smiled, looking out into the distance. "That's good, because I'm actually glad you brought me here."

He glanced at her. "It's just as well that I did then."

She turned to face him. "You didn't even know where you were going, Vincent."

"Well, I had a lot on my mind." he said defensively.

"Like what?" she asked, her innate curiosity getting the better of her.

"You. Or, more specifically, this strange attachment I have toward you…" he thought. "Just…things."

She studied him through narrowed gray eyes, her brow wrinkling in concentration.

Without thinking, he reached over and rubbed his thumb over her furrowed brow, surprising her.

"Why did you do that?"

"I don't know either…but I don't like seeing you frown for some reason." He shrugged.

She persisted. "Tell me."

He relented. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

He smiled ruefully, shaking his head at her. "I…wanted to, I guess."

Yuffie's expression abruptly changed from that of stubborn determination to that of almost childlike admiration.

And, unfortunately for her, Vincent noticed. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She felt her face heat up, and, without thinking about how he would react to hearing what she was about to say, said in an uncharacteristically shy tone of voice, that she thought he had a very nice smile.

He was rendered speechless after that admission. No one had ever said something like that about him before…not even Lucrecia; at least, not the way she did. The honesty in Yuffie's voice as she said those words tugged at his heart, and his pulse quickened in reaction, as if he had just run a marathon…

Yuffie, on the other hand, was quite heartily regretting her impulsively released statement. In her mind, Vincent's continued silence meant he didn't like hearing what she had just said. "I can't believe I just said that…but I meant every word. He has such a beautiful smile…he really should show it more often, but…I still shouldn't have said it. I just don't know him well enough…" she thought, a little remorseful for it.

Without looking at him, she said in a quiet, again unusually subdued voice, "I'm sorry. I…shouldn't have said that." She hastily moved away from him, her head bent. "I'll be going now. I don't feel so well." she said, hating herself for sounding so weak.

Before she could get away, he grabbed her arm and made her face him. When she still refused to look at him, he said gently, "Look at me."

Sensing that he wasn't going to let her go if she didn't comply, she looked up at him and met his steady gaze. As soon as she did that, he let go of her arm and said in an unexpectedly soft tone of voice, "Thank you."

She looked into those secretive dark eyes again, his softly spoken appreciation for her candor repeating itself in her mind. "Why…why would you thank me?"

His eyes softened, and his voice was laced with a newfound appreciation for her when he told her that no one had ever said those things about him before.

She blushed. "What is it about this guy that can make me lose my composure so easily? It's irritating…I just…I just don't get it."

Vincent's thoughts were of a similar nature. "Why did I just tell her that? We aren't that close! Heck, we aren't close at all! But still…I feel like I know her well for some reason… Damn. What is happening to me? I shouldn't even be thinking about anything but the battle that's looming ahead of us…but all I can think about is her…"

Just then, the airship hit some unexpected turbulence, making them fall into each other for the second time that day.

Yuffie's arms went around Vincent's waist, her eyes tightly shut, as his own arms went around her shoulders, holding her close in a very protective embrace…

"Why does it feel so right…being held by him? I don't understand this…what I'm feeling…but I…I think I want to stay like this…just a little longer…" she thought, letting herself live in the moment…a moment that, if they failed, would never come again.

"Why do I feel so protective of her? I've never felt this way before…it's strange, and…what am I thinking? I shouldn't be thinking of something as trivial as this when the future of the world is hanging in the balance…but…just a little longer…I want to hold her…just a little longer…"

And so they stayed that way, each caught up in feelings they either don't understand…or don't want to admit to feeling…

Cabin

Cloud sat in the same chair Vincent had occupied earlier, watching his Tifa as she slept, his thoughts once again turning to matters that were less than pleasant.

'Stop acting like you're sad. There's no need to act as though you're angry, either. Because, Cloud…you are a puppet.' Sephiroth's words. How he hated them. "He made me doubt myself…so much that she had to follow me to the lifestream to get me back…"

'You weren't created five years ago, Cloud.' "Tifa." he said under his breath. "After this battle…if we win, she'll be with me, and I with her… I don't know what'll happen, and…fate has been so cruel to me before now, but maybe, just maybe…fate will let me keep her."

Barret poked his head into the room. "Hey, Cloud, Cid asked me to tell you guys that we're gonna be landing real soon."

"Okay." Cloud replied, rising. "I'll wake Tifa."

Barret nodded, and then he asked, "Have you seen Vincent?"

"…No."

"How 'bout Yuffie?"

"…No. But they should be together."

"Ok." Barret said, walking off to find the rest of their comrades.

As soon as Barret was gone, Cloud sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out and tenderly brushing a lock of Tifa's jet black hair from her face.

She stirred, opening her eyes and giving him a sleepy smile. "Hey. Is it time?"

"Yeah. But I want to stay here a little longer. That okay?"

She nodded, sitting up. "What's up?"

Cloud smiled. She could read him like a book. "Nothing. I just want to be alone with you a little longer."

Tifa reached out and put her hand against his cheek. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." he answered, pulling her to him.

She put her head down on his chest, a contented sigh escaping her lips. "Cloud…after this is over…" she trailed off, a shiver running down her spine at the thought that crossed her mind. "If we fail…if we die…"

He felt her shudder and wrapped his arms around her. "After this is over, we're getting a house together. And then we're going to get married, have kids, and grow old together."

Tifa looked up at him. He had an unreadable expression on his face. "Cloud?"

He let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and said, "That's what we're gonna do after we get rid of Sephitroth." He glanced down at her. "But I need you to promise me."

"Promise you what?" she asked, pulling away slightly.

"Promise me that you'll be around to do those things with me; that when we fight, you'll be careful…"

For what seemed like the thousandth time that day, Tifa's eyes filled with tears. "Of course I will; but you need to make me the same promise."

"…I promise; and I have another…I'll protect you, Tifa."

A winsome smile appeared on her lips. "Thank you. But all I really want…is to keep you." she said, her face turning pink.

"But all I really want…is to keep you." He grinned idiotically, pulling her close, resting his chin against her hair. "I love you so much…" he murmured.

"I love it when you say that." Tifa said, surprising him.

"…I'm glad you do." he said, a little disappointed.

She smiled up at him. "Just kidding, sweetie. I love you, too."

He didn't answer.

She peered up at him. "Cloud? I'm sorry…"

He moved so fast she didn't realize what was happening until she found herself on her back, her boyfriend smiling down at her. "You didn't do anything wrong, but, now that you've apologized…what're you gonna do to make it up to me?" he said, his clear blue eyes shining with suppressed laughter.

She laughed. "Okay…" Then she leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"There. That should make up-."

Whatever she was going to say was lost as Cloud's lips found hers in an intense kiss that left both of them trying to catch their breaths.

He smiled. "No, that made up for it."

Meanwhile

Barret's patience was reaching its end. He'd looked everywhere for their two other comrades but he'd had no luck so far. "Where could those two be? If they're not here, I'm giving up." he thought as he approached the steps that led to the deck.

When he reached the top of the steps, he turned and received the shock of his life. There, in front of him, stood Yuffie and Vincent, locked in an embrace that, at the moment, neither one of them seeming to want to let go of the other. And, wanting to leave them alone, he quickly turned to leave.

Vincent stopped him, however. "Were you looking for us, Barret?"

He turned. Yuffie was more than an arm's length away from Vincent now. Embarrassed because he had inadvertently interrupted a private moment between his friends, he hurriedly stammered out what he had come out here to say. "Cid asked me to tell you guys that we'll be landing soon."

The other man nodded. "Okay."

He turned to leave. "Oh, and I'm sorry for interrupting!" Barret added as he raced out.

Vincent then turned to Yuffie who had drawn away from him and was now staring up at the moonlit sky, seemingly lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

She seemed startled. "What?"

"I asked you what you were thinking about."

"I was wondering why you guys wanted to meet so suddenly." she replied, turning to face him.

"You mean they didn't tell you?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I knew, Vincent."

"I'll keep it short and simple. Sephiroth was somehow able to revive himself, and we have to stop him before he carries out whatever it is he has planned."

Her jaw dropped open in shock. "You mean…but how? I thought we were rid of him for good."

"I thought so too. That is not the case, however."

"Do we know anything else?"

"…Yes."

"Go on, I don't think anything can surprise me now."

"Very well. His mother is assisting him."

"…His mother…? But his mother is…"

"Lucrecia."

"She's your ex, right?"

"Yes."

"But…if she's helping him, that means we might have to fight her, too…"

"Yes, that is a possibility." he replied, not a hint of emotion in his voice.

She took hold of the front of his cape, wanting to shake some feeling into him. "How can you be so calm about it? Don't you care?"

He looked away. "…I used to. I'm not sure anymore."

"What do you mean 'you're not sure'?" she asked, relieved to hear that he didn't have feelings for his former girlfriend and hating herself for it. "Why…am I so relieved? It's not like I have feelings for him or anything…or…do I?"

"It's just…I can't tell you right now, alright? Look, let's just get back to the bridge and meet up with the others. We should be landing soon."

"…Fine." she answered, a little annoyed with herself for worrying more about what Vincent was thinking than about the crisis the world was facing. "Let's go." "I'll figure all this stuff out later; I need to focus on the mission...because if I don't, there won't be a 'later'; for me, or for anyone else on this Planet."

A/n: Ok, that's it. They'll get to hear the bad news in the next chapter (obviously) and after that, there'll be two maybe three chapters left; I've already started on chapter 8, and I'll probably be done with that in a week or two, unless my final exams are really tough, which would mean I won't be able to work on this too much, but I'll try my best… (grins) anyway, until next chapter! Read and review please! Thanks. Byeeeee!