A/N: Well, here's the next chapter...two months later. Sorry guys, school started and threw me totally out of whack. But I'm back and this story only has one or two more chapters until it's finished. Hope you guys like this chapter. Bye!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Eight:

Day Number Four Before Sunset

I woke up the next morning and made my way out of my stuffy room. Cait was still sleeping so I could walk around in peace. When I got to the front room of the palace I saw Vincent standing with his arms around Amanda. I ducked into a dark corner, hoping they wouldn't see me. Tseng walked right by me mere seconds later and strode towards his cousin.

He slapped Vincent on the shoulder, bringing him out of his trance. "Vincent, the wedding ship is being prepared. When should we set sail?"

Vincent looked down at his bride to be. "One hour before sunset. Amanda and I will be wed when the sun sets."

Tseng nodded. "I'll tell the crew that."

Vincent's older cousin walked away, leaving them to their business. I watched them for a few more seconds with jealousy burning in my dull eyes before getting up and quickly disappearing. When I got back to my room, Cait was just waking up. He rubbed his eyes with his small paws and yawned.

"Hey, Tifa, did you sleep well?" He asked, jumping off of the bed and trotting over to me.

"Not really," I replied, picking him up. "Cait, I have an idea but I need your help along with Yuffie and Cloud. Will you help me?"

"Anything for you, Tifa. Of course, we'll help you."

"Vincent and Amanda are getting married on a ship. They're setting sail one hour before sunset. When does the sun set up here?"

Cait thought for a few moments. "Well, lately, it's been setting around six o'clock." He looked over at an analog clock on my bedside table. "It's almost three o'clock. We have three hours. Let's go find Yuffie and Cloud."

I nodded, quickly threw on a black skirt and blue button up blouse and walked out of my room once again. As we were walking down the beach Yuffie dropped out of the sky and landed on a rock not too far away. She waved her wing, calling me over.

"How are you, Tifa?" She asked, concern in her voice.

"I'm okay," I managed. "I have an idea. Where's Cloud?"

She looked out over the expanse of sea. "He's out there somewhere. He never strays too far from the shoreline." She took off and circled around for a few seconds until she landed softly in the water and squawked at me.

Cloud's shiny gray head popped up from below the surface and he gave me a toothy dolphin grin before swimming towards me. I waded out into the surface to greet him. "Hey, Tifa," he said, waving his flipper in the air.

I smiled at him and grabbed his flipper. "Well, Tifa?" Cait pressed. "Tell 'em."

Yuffie cocked her head when Cait spoke. I bit my bottom lip before taking a deep breath. "We need to find a way to get on that ship and stop that wedding. If we don't Vincent will never know the truth."

Cait smiled and nodded. "Cloud, you need to go back to the city and tell Tifa's father she's okay and try to get help. Yuffie, you hide out on the ship somewhere. I'll try to sneak Tifa on board but if that doesn't work I'll try to find another way to get her on that ship."

"Should we go right now?" Cloud asked, preparing to submerge.

Cait shook his head. "Wait for a little. We still have a lot of time." He stopped and turned to me. "Have you tried talking to the prince yet?"

"No, I haven't even thought about it." I paused. "Should I?"

Yuffie nodded. "Maybe it'll help."

"Cait, stay here with Yuffie and Cloud. I'll go talk to Vincent."

I turned around and clumsily ran through the sand. I saw Tseng talking with a guard that was stationed at the front gate. I called his name and waved at him as I approached. He smiled and waved as well, acknowledging my presence.

"Hello, miss," he said, kissing the back of my hand and bowing gracefully. I smiled in spite of myself. "What can I help you with?"

"I would like to speak to the prince," I mumbled, almost stumbling over my words.

"Of course," he said, offering his arm. "This way." Tseng led me high up into the palace and stopped in front a solemn door at the end of a long hallway. "Prince Vincent is in here getting ready for his wedding."

A lump formed in my throat as he spoke but I didn't let my discomfort show on my face. "Thank you," I said, reaching out and knocking a few times. I heard a muffled 'enter' and slowly turned the brass doorknob and pushed the door open. The prince was standing in front of his mirror in a white tuxedo. His ebony hair was held back by a single rubber band. I heart beat starting ringing in my ears as the prince turned towards me with a placid look on his face.

"Hello Tifa," he said idly, going back to fixing his gold colored tie. I waited in the stark silence that engulfed the room, waiting for him to say something else. The prince obviously sensed my unease as he fully turned towards me. "Is something wrong?" He asked, walking towards me a few paces.

I shook my head, letting a lie slip through slightly clenched teeth. "No, I just wanted to say congratulations."

"Thank you," he said, his red eyes sparkling. "Amanda and I will be very happy together."

"I'm sure you will." I opened my mouth to say something else but another's presence filled the room.

"Oh, there you are, darling." Amanda strode elegantly into the room, dressed in a lavish wedding gown decorated with pearls and sequins. "Who are you talking to?" She asked, fastening herself onto Vincent's right arm. I stopped to stare at the amulet. I hadn't taken the time to examine it before. It was nothing elaborate; a black chain held a red piece of crystal on a small clasp. Upon further examination, the crystal was glowing eerily.

"Just a well-wisher."

She smiled at me. "Thank you, dear, but me and my fiancé are still getting ready for our wedding. If you don't mind?"

I shook my head and quickly left the room. It had been a mistake to go to him. Ashela must have cast some type of spell on him. A spell that made him fall completely and utterly in love with her. Or maybe his love was genuine; it was just directed at the wrong person. My footsteps echoed through the halls as I left the palace. I wanted to get as far away from Vincent and 'Amanda' as I could for the time being.

The trip back to where I left Cait was short. Once Yuffie saw me approaching she squawked excitedly, alerting the other two sitting with her. "How'd it go?" Cait asked, as I sat down on a rock.

"Amanda interrupted us," I stated simply. Cait glanced nervously at Cloud and Yuffie and was getting ready to speak until I interrupted him. "Let's try to get on that ship. I think I know how Ashela looks like me."

Cloud's dolphin eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"When she turned me into a human she was wearing an amulet around her neck that my beauty went into. When I saw her just now the amulet was glowing."

Cait sat down in thought. "We have to get that amulet away from her." He sat thinking for a few seconds before getting back up. "We can figure it out later. Right now we need to figure out how to get on that ship. Yuffie, you fly ahead and check it out."

"Yes, Sir," she said, saluting as best as she could with a bird's wings before taking off into the sky.

"Cloud, you follow." He nodded then submerged, disappearing beneath the waves. Cait jumped into my arms. "Okay, Tifa, let's go get your man!"

Cait gave me directions to the palace's docks where the wedding ship was waiting to disembark. I spotted a large pile of wooden crates and made a beeline for them, hoping they would give sufficient cover until we found out how to get on the ship. I placed Cait on the ground and peered over the edge of one of the crates.

"Any sign of Yuffie?" Cait asked, tugging on the edge of my skirt.

I turned my eyes to the sky and searched for the small white gull. I smiled as I saw her circling high above the ship. "She's up there." I paused as I watched as she dropped down a little; her head swiveled back and forth like she was looking for something. "I think she's looking for us."

"Try to get her attention then."

I stood up all the way and waved my arms over my head. Yuffie saw me and squawked before flying towards me. I kneeled back down near the crate as Yuffie landed softly on the top. "Hey, Teef, how's it going?" She asked, dipping her head low.

"Fine. What did you find?"

"There's an open cargo hold. The loaders walked off a few minutes ago and disappeared into the palace. If you're gonna sneak on, now's the time to do it."

"Alright," I said, picking Cait up. "Let's go."

Yuffie took off as I snuck around the crates. I spotted the open cargo hold door, looked around cautiously for a few moments then dashed toward it. As soon as I was inside I ran to the very back of the cargo hold and hid behind a large pile of crates. I sat down and took a deep breath.

Cait jumped out of my arms. "Okay, we're in. All we have to do now is wait."

I sighed and leaned against the wall. "Where do you think Yuffie went?"

"She's probably hiding on the deck some – "

Voices in the cargo hold made clamp a hand over Cait's mouth and push myself further into the wall if that was possible. The last thing I wanted was to be found stowing away on the prince's wedding ship. If that happened I'd never be able to stop the wedding

"Alright, boys, just a few more crates and this ship'll be off."

"Heave ho! Heave ho! Come on, blokes, lift!"

There were a few loud thuds as the loaders dropped the crates onto the floor and footsteps as they came in or left the cargo hold.

"Okay, men, that was the last of them. Help me close this door."

There was another thud as the cargo hold door was securely fastened in place. Darkness encompassed the room like a candle had been blown out. I felt Cait wiggle out of my grasp and jump in my lap. "Once we set sail let's try to find a way out of here. There has to be a door somewhere."

I nodded and scratched his ears, earning a satisfied purr. "Sounds good."