Just a few changes this chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or FFVII. Those games belong to Square Enix along with FFVII: Advent Children. There is also a part of dialogue that is directly from KH2 which is soley Square Enix property.

Her eyes meet his and neither of them move for a moment. Then she begins to move forward when she hears "Cloud!" Marlene runs and tackles him around the legs. "Cloud, you came back, where have you been?"

Aeris can't help but crack a smile as she watches Cloud try to handle Marlene's questions. She herself lost count after ten and before any are answered Marlene abruptly says "Wait you have to come and tell everyone where you have been!" And with that Cloud is being "dragged" back to others. Aerith follows but slowly. She is so relieved and happy to see him, but she has felt this before and is afraid that like last time, it won't be for good. When she finally walks back into the briefing room, she sees Cloud, Leon, and Cid talking. It appears Sora has left them for the moment. Aerith can hear Yuffie in the kitchen with Marlene scolding her for something. Cloud is talking to Leon and Cid about Sephiroth. He is explaining how Sephiroth continues to allude him so when he has decided to take a huge risk and hope to lure him out in the open by visiting his friends. Cloud also wanted to tell each of them how to defend themselves should he appear.

"So what's the first rule in defending yourself against Sephiroth?" Cloud asks. Aerith responds without thinking, " Make sure your back isn't to him." An uncomfortable silence comes over the room. Yuffie grabs a hold of Marlene's had and they head silently for the kitchen. Cloud looks as though he has been punched in the stomach knowing that she remembers Sephiroth and that she remembers how he killed her. Aerith immediately regrets her outburst but deep down she knows it is better that Cloud knows that she remembers. Before any of them can break the silence, a noise does it for them. Crash

"YUFFIE WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"I'm sorry Marlene I was just"...

"GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!" Marlene screams.

"Hey you can't talk to me like that, kid!"Yuffie shouts back.

Aerith rushes toward the kitchen and says in a sarcastic tone "Yeah this is great we're all together again, just one big happy family." Aerith walks into the kitchen and surveys the scene.

"That's a good look for you Yuffie" Aerith giggles. There was Yuffie covered in flour with Marlene behind her with flames in her eyes. "I'll take it from here, why don't you go clean up and change before the celebratory dinner that I assume we're having, okay?"

Though Aerith knew the cleanup didn't take that long, by the time she and Marlene had the main course cooking, she felt like it had been ages. As Aerith works she becomes lost in thought and begins to remember one of the times she watched Cloud take on Sephiroth. She had been right there with him, even though she couldn't be physically seen. Sephiroth had made the entire sky turn black, trying to attack their planet. Cloud had taken him on one on one. That win against him had been so significant. Cloud had found the light within himself, he was at peace. Then sometime after that the darkness had appeared and took everything; changed everything. Well, changed everything but Cloud's connection to Sephiroth.

Marlene bumps into her on accident bringing her back to the present. That's when it hit her, she knew Cloud was not in the other room and she felt her stomach drop. She calmly excused herself from Marlene explaining she wanted to take a little break and then she calmly went out to walk around and look for him. After searching for a little bit she sees Cloud, his back against a wall outside Uncle Scrooge's Ice Cream Shop, talking to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Aerith decides as she moves toward Cloud that she is going to be as supportive and kind as she can because she already knows where their soon to be conversation is headed.

"Is something wrong?" Aerith asks. (1)

Cloud responds, "Its nothing."

Aerith leans forward trying to see into his eyes, "Hmmm?"

Cloud speaks again "I don't want you involved."

Aerith feels a little twinge of pain in her heart but tries to stay steady. "You mean you don't want me there when you go away again."

As Aerith sees his reaction, she thinks to herself; Cloud seems agitated.

"I just...listen, even if I go far away, I'll come back."

Aerith's heart leaps, "Do you mean it?"

Cloud replies, "Yeah."

Aerith's stomach sinks a little. "See, you don't look so sure." She digs deep within herself to stay calm and strong for him,

"Well okay, I understand." "Go...get things settled."

Cloud reacts with a question, "Huh?"

Aerith is using all her strength to keep herself from shaking. "No matter how far away you are, once you find your light..., I'm sure it will lead you back here again...right?"

Cloud answers, "I suppose."

With that response from him she feels as though the wind has been knocked out from her lungs but she refuses to show how she is feeling. She continues.

"So I'll stay here, and I'll cheer for you. Okay Cloud?"

Cloud responds with one word "Okay" and then turns away from her. Aerith watches as he walks away.

She can feel Sora's presence coming up next to her, but her body feels almost completely numb. Her initial reaction was just to be optimistic, after all that is how she always tries to view things.

"Wonder if he'll be okay." she didn't even realize at first she said it out loud.

Sora replies, "He'll be fine. I'm sure there is light in him somewhere." Aerith is very grateful for Sora's words and she responds "You're right."(1)

And though she had faith in Cloud and Sora's words and they rang true to her she couldn't say anything about how she was really feeling. In the end all she could do was wait and pray.

Sometime later Sora and his companions were going to head out again and she and the rest of her friends were trying to help them get ready. Sora and his two companions were making some last minute preparations when an unexpected old friend walked in. Since Cid was standing, Aerith couldn't see the person at first, but then she heard the voice. "Cid! Yuffie! I can't believe it!"

"Tifa!" Marlene attacked her before she half realized who it was attacking her.

"Marlene! Oh thank goodness you are all right; it is so good to see familiar faces." After a few moments, Aeris finally got the courage to speak to Tifa; the fighter who was her dear friend in her memories and the girl who she had a friendly rivalry with over the affections of a certain man. Tifa is a tough fighter against her enemies, but she is fiercest with her loyalty to those she loves. Aerith remembers feeling slightly jealous of her because Tifa was able to be with Cloud and Aerith could only watch over all of them. Yet she knew Tifa would always do everything in her power to help and protect Cloud and to make him happy.

"Hello Tifa."

Aerith spoke softly not knowing what reaction she would get. Tifa looked up from her embrace with Marlene. Her eyes widened, she stood up, looked at Cid and Marlene. Aerith figured she was trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"Aer...I can't believe it...you're alive...you're really here?" Tifa's voice was shaking.

Aerith and Tifa hugged and half laughed and half cried. As they were reminiscing and Marlene was getting the opportunity to hear more about her father, Aerith's attention was shifted over to Leon who had walked in at some point. Aeris noticed that Leon was unusually antsy and kept taking long glances at Tifa. At first she thought that possibly he found Tifa cute but as she observed him more she realized it wasn't that simple. Tifa reminded him of someone or some memory and there was deep pain in his eyes. Aerith promised herself silently to go to Leon later and really talk to him about his past. After Marlene had been forced by Yuffie to take her bath, the subject that both of them had been avoiding finally came up.

"So, Cloud was here."

Aerith forced the words out of her mouth. She then asked the question she already knew the answer to. "You're looking for him, aren't you?"

She had found the strength to bring the subject out in the open.

Tifa's face began to turn slightly pink, "Yeah, do you know where he went?"

As Aerith responds to Tifa's question her voice sounds like she is a million miles away, "Cloud is searching for his light, and I don't think he can truly find it until he faces Sephiroth again and takes on the darkness inside himself."

Tifa rises, "Then I have to go, I have to help him."

Aerith replied but her eyes were focused on the floor, "I know you do".

She could feel Tifa looking at her for a moment and then she spoke, " Aerith, I will help him regain his light. Everything will be okay." And with a nod to Cid, Leon, and Yuffie she went to say goodbye to Marlene. When she came back a few minutes later Aerith said, "I'll point out the direction he went."

She then walked her to where Cloud had last been seen. Aerith tried to sound strong as she spoke to Tifa.

"Tifa, come back to us."

And after a brief hug and nod from Tifa, she walks away. After a few moments she was out of Aerith's sight. As Aerith stood there alone she thought about all of her friends and the recent events that had taken place. Each of them had a path and though she wasn't sure of everyone's path, she knew Tifa's path was the same one as Cloud's. What she didn't know is if it would always be that way. All she could do for now was pray for their safe return.