Cloud frowned, closing his phone. He tried calling Tifa for the tenth time already, and just like the previous nine – she didn't pick up. He stared at the bright screen, his scowl deepening with every passing moment.

Tifa NEVER didn't pick up her cell phone when he called.

She could ignore Cid's phones, that had actually happened a couple of times before , she would definitely not pick up when Reno called (that too, had already happened and Cloud cheered when she did that, silently and inwardly, but still cheered).

But she always collected his calls.

ALWAYS.

He bit his lower lip slightly, his eyes set on the distant horizon. He was near Gongaga already, a sinking feeling somewhere in the depth of his stomach. Like always when he saw the thick forest surrounding the small, almost forgotten village.

That was the main reason he called Tifa.

So he could hear her make a soft noise and then urge him to just go, without dwelling on the past.

He may have come to terms with his friends death, but that didn't mean he was perfectly peachy with seeing his parents every once in a while. They still didn't know about Zack being gone, as he was the one to actually pass the information to them.

As one could see, in the last three years, Cloud still didn't manage to do that.

He dialed her number again.

"Come on Teef, pick it up…" he muttered under his nose, gloved fingers tapping nervously on Fenrir's shifter.

Nothing.

"Fuck…." His teeth gritted slightly as he slammed the slider down and placed the phone in his pocket.

Maybe something was wrong? With one glance towards his watch, he knew it still wasn't the time for the bar to open. Maybe she was just so busy with the inventory that she didn't hear the phone ringing.

Maybe someone came in earlier and she was busy ushering him out?

Maybe…

Time to try the bar phone, he thought, pulling the PHS once again.

***
Tifa stirred slightly, the first feeling being something cool and moist pressed against her forehead. She also felt the dryness in her mouth, a weird spinning in the back of her head and a very unpleasant memory, which she tried really hard to ignore.

And could someone shut that phone….

DAMN!

She bolted up from her place of rest, which strangely happened to be behind the counter of her bar, winced at the sudden spin of the whole room and rather clumsily collected herself. The first two steps were a bit wobbly, she noticed with a frown, but it got better.

She managed to collect the call

"Seventh Hea…. Oh, hi" she sighed loudly, a long puff of air hitting the receiver, placing it between her shoulder and ear "Yes I'm fine, great even, why…."

She smiled slightly at the sudden outburst on the other end, and patiently listened to Cloud's rant about almost freaking him out on the other side of the Planet.

Obviously her not picking up her phone for eleven times has shaken the world's hero to the core. Somehow that was a reason to feel pretty good about herself.

"I'm sorry…" she repeated again, her smile evident in her voice "No, I'm not grinning like a complete … Cloud, I said I'm sorry" she let out a giggle "Where are you?"

Listening, she took a cautious look around the bar. It was like she thought it would be.

Empty. And the counter was pretty cluttered with her bottles and glasses.

She mentally patted herself on her shoulder. There was no one around ,no rusty Buster Swords whatsoever, no dead SOLDIERS in her sight…

"Gongaga, huh? You don't seem as mortified as usual … hmm? No, how could I even think of making fun of you?" she suddenly felt the little hair on her neck rising, a very unpleasant feeling of being watched forming on the corners of her mind. Very, very unpleasant. "Alright. Say hi to Yuffie when you see her in Wutai. Bye…" she rubbed her neck slightly as she placed the phone down.

Maybe she was just imaging things? There was no one around ,that much was obvious.

Maybe she was just tired, even if she didn't really have any reasons to be, and passed out from weary, and someone saw her through the window and helped her… Yes, that had to be it.

She turned around.

Then again… maybe not.

Because try as she might, Zack standing in the door way pressing a wet cloth to his jaw looked mighty real.

And she had to look mighty ridiculous, judging by the amused sparkle that showed up in his eyes.

The word "awkward" suddenly gained a whole new meaning in Tifa's vocabulary.

"You're not going to hit me again, are you?" his voice too sounded pretty real and so did the bruise that started to show on his jaw.

Dead people wouldn't bruise, that much she was rather sure off.

Her hands flew up to her face, fingers pressed to her lips, covering the mouth that opened in complete shock. She took a step backwards and hit the counter, wincing slightly at the pain the movement caused. Right, she already experienced that, slamming into the shelves before.

She felt a slight tingle at her knuckles as she remembered the punch she sold him and she had to come to terms with what was inevitable.

Zack Fair was right in front of her.

As alive as one could be.

Dear gods….

***

"Aunt Elmyra, come on, hurry up!"

Aerith turned her head slightly, upon hearing a cheery, familiar voice just right in front of the grand door. She felt a ball of nervousness forming in the pits of her stomach. If anything ,she didn't plan on facing her mother so soon.

What she could tell her? "I'm back"? She didn't know why, or if it was for long of just for a while… oh how she hoped she was given a chance to fully live her life.

"Far too young to live eternally in the Stream… this is our gift to you"

She could still hear that gentle voice in her head. Deep inside she knew already who was it, and even deep she knew it was a promise of staying on Gaia till her time would finally come… but still she was afraid to fully believe it.

She brushed off her pink dress, frowning lightly at the dried up blood-stains and stood up from her spot near the small pond.

The door gave a slight creek and a small girl ran inside, almost dancing.

"We can take some flowers for Ti…" she stopped in her tracks so abruptly, that the boy that was right behind her bumped into her small frame.

"Marlene, you can't just stop like that" he frowned lightly, grabbing her shoulders to prevent her from tripping "Oh…. Good day" he noticed the gentle looking girl standing next to the pond and bowed his sandy hued head.

Marlene's brown eyes glued to the girl's face, colored with surprise, disbelief and a hint of hope.

"Big Sister" she whispered taking a few steps forward.

"Marlene" Aerith smiled, her green eyes lightening up with a soft light "You must be Denzel" she greeted the boy, slowly walking towards the two.

"Aerith…"

She looked up towards the door, and felt her eyes water. The nervous feeling dissolving somewhere as soon as she laid her eyes on the frame of the elderly woman who just entered the Church.

She didn't change much. Maybe just a few more silver streaks in her neatly tied bun, and a few more wrinkles formed around her lips. Maybe she seemed smaller, with her back not as straight as it used to be. But she still had that sparkle in her deep blue eyes, and an air of gentleness around her.

The smile Aerith had changed into a grin, first tears falling onto her cheeks as she rushed to the older woman's side, her pale arms wrapping around slightly slumped shoulder greedily. How she missed her…

"Aerith…" Elymra's voice was strained, her hands shaking as they brushed against the familiar neat braid, feeling the warmth radiating from the Cetra's body "Reeve told me you were gone…" she murmured into the chestnut hair as she returned the tight embrace.

"I was…" she smiled more, relishing the closeness of her mother "But I'm here now… and I'm not going anywhere…"

And Aerith couldn't stop a small giggle when she heard Marlene's excited whisper "Wait till Tifa hears about this!".

***

Tifa took a deep breath, while placing the liquor bottles on the shelves, in no real order. She was keen on making it all neat, but that was in the morning, when her life seemed peaceful and nice and well organized…

Before he stepped into the bar.

The person in question was watching her with a cheeky grin and bright eyes and causing her to take calming breaths every few seconds.

The bottle she held shook slightly as she placed it on its appropriate place, making her clench her teeth.

"You seem pretty shaken" Zack noticed in a flat voice.

"Whatever gave you that impression…?" she hissed.

Oh to hell with it..

She grabbed one glass and poured herself a handsome dose of Cactuar vodka. She wasn't the one for drinking too much, but this situation called for drastic measures.

Zack's eyebrows shot up to almost touch his hairline as she downed the burning drink in a flash.

Much better.

"I never saw you drink before" he mused aloud "At least at those occasions when we decided to take a peek at your activities"

"Cherish the experience" Tifa sighed heavily walking to the small table he was sitting at.

She leaned closer, one hand reaching to the bruise on his jaw and he flinched lightly. Fingers gently tracing the small bump that formed there, her brows knitted while her eyes examined the swollen tissue.

"I'll give you a balm for that" she sighed again, her breath tinted by the sweetness of her drink "Sorry for that…"

"Yeah well, not the kind of welcome I hoped for" he grinned against her palm.

Her lips twitched at the corners as she forced not to smile. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the very tip as she sniffed lightly.

Cinnamon eyes looked straight into enhanced blue ones, fingertips still brushing against his jaw.

"Zack…"

"Yeah?" damn, she could do hell of a damage in a cardinal assembly with those eyes.

"You smell."

One thing was sure now.

Tifa Lockhart could do hell of a damage to his ego.