Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or Final Fantasy VII. They belong to their respective creators.

Taroguru: "Hi everyone! And welcome to Chapter 10 of Final Fantasy Slay—erk!"

(Gourry is seen running while dragging Taroguru behind him)

Taroguru: Oi, Gourry! What the heck do you think you're doing?

Gourry(panicked): "NOTIMETOEXPLAINYOUHAVETOGETOUTTAHERENOWORWE'REALLGOINGTODIE!!!"

Taroguru: I can't understand a word of that, bakayaro! Now will you please speak like a sane person?"

(Zel appears jogging along with Gourry)

Zel: "Gourry's right! There's no time to explain! Just move it or SHE will come!

Taroguru(raises an eyebrow): "'SHE'?"

KABOOM!

(The three look towards the collapsed wall. There standing was the scariest, most horrifying creature the world has ever seen)

Zel and Gourry: "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! SHE'S HERE!!!!!!!"

Lina(looking beyond pissed): "TAROGURU!!"

(Taroguru's eyes bug out of his head as he does a Homer-like shriek)

Lina(while holding a fireball in her hand): "You lousy, no good, turncoat bastard! How dare you do that to me!!"

Taroguru(trembling in fear): "Wha..? W-what ever do you m-mean, L-Lina-chan? Eh heh…

Lina: "You know damn well what I mean! You let that Sephiroth freak kick me around like I was a rag doll in that last chapter! What's up with that?!!" (fireball grows even bigger)

Taroguru(frantically waving his hands): Whoa, Whoa, WHOA! It wasn't anything personal, Lina. I would've let you won that fight, honestly I would! But like I said before I have big plans for you and Sephiroth, so I couldn't let you win now."

Lina: "WELL WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE ENDED IN A DRAW?!"

Taroguru(blinks, then sweatdrops): "Uh, well…that never occurred to me, heh heh"(gives a cheesy grin)

Lina(roars): "WHAT?! What do you mean 'it never occurred to me'? you moronic, absent-minded, thoughtless, inconsiderate second-rate excuse for an author! I"LL SHOW YOU!" (hurls the fireball at Taroguru's head)

Taroguru: "Aaah! (Taroguru ducks; the fireball toasting his Orphen and Saiyuki posters on the wall) Well, it's been nice talking to ya, Lina, but I've gotta be heading for school, bye!"(grabs Zel and Gourry and takes off running)

Lina: "Come back here and take your punishment like a man!" (chases after them)

Zel: "Wait a minute! Why are you dragging us for?"

Taroguru: "For protection, duh! She can't kill me without blasting you first! Especially if I have Gourry!"

Zel(sarcastically): "Right. Like 'that's' stopped her before."

Taroguru: "Shut up, Rocky!(A/N:Sorry, Gerao-A, I couldn't resist) and move your ass!"(turns his head to look at the audience) "This may be my last chapter if I don't escape Lina's wrath so here's Chapter ten of 'Final Fantasy Slayers!' Enjoy!"

A Time of Recovery! Getting to Know You?

"So, how is she?" Tifa asked reluctantly, afraid of what the answer may be.

Amelia and Yuffie sighed, exhausted. They had stayed at Lina's bedside for three days straight tending to her wounds with the strongest healing spells they knew. The others had found a small inn that they could settle in the next town. Gourry insisted on staying with Lina until she woke up, but considering the condition she was in, it looked like she wouldn't awaken for quite a while.

"Well, we're not sure. We managed to patch her up the best we could, but there are still some bruises and burns that will take time to heal," Amelia said tiredly. She took a seat next Cid, who was tapping his finger on the top of the table impatiently.

"Well, we should let Ms. Lina get her rest. It's not as if we have anywhere else to go at the moment," Cait Sith said. "After all, Sephiroth must have been too tired out to fight us anyway. I mean, he did have to fight all twelve of us at once."

"Unlikely. You must keep in mind of Sephiroth's strength and endurance given to him by Jenova's power. He can fight for indefinite periods of time and heal any physical wound afflicted upon him," Vincent stated logically.

"I'd imagine." Zel remarked, leaning on the wall. "But, what I want to know is just what would Xelloss want with Sephiroth."

"Well, that's what we want you to tell us, stone face," Yuffie said rudely. Zel made an indignant face. " 'Stone face'?" But Yuffie continued on with her ranting, "And what was up with Xer-ass guy or whatever his name was anyway? I mean that jerk just popped out of nowhere like he was some ghost or something! And not only did he act fruity but he has, like, the creepiest eyes I've ever seen! I mean Gawd! Why would anyone want to go out with a guy like that?"

"Yuffie, you're getting a 'little' off-topic, don't you think?" Red XIII said smirking at the young ninja. "We're not talking about your taste in men, after all. Besides, we all know that you're into those dark, mysterious types" Yuffie growled loudly at the lion-like creature who continued to grin. She stole a glance at Vincent and blushed. "Yeah, like you know anything, Red!" She pulled her left eyelid down and stuck her tongue at him.

"Quit being brats and act your age," said Zelgadis gruffly. " This is serious. We need to concentrate on our next move, not waste our time listening to the two of you bicker."

Yuffie just waved him off "Oh, lighten up, Stony. We can't do much of anything right now 'til Lina wakes up. By the way," Yuffie turned to face Cloud. "You still didn't tell us what you were doing with her, anyway."

Cloud sighed. "That's a REALLY long story, but basically we were sent here by Aeris—"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Did you say 'by Aeris'? But Aeris is dead, Cloud!" Yuffie protested.

"Shut up, brat, and let the man finish." Cid said angrily, bopping Yuffie on the head. Yuffie glared for a moment, then sat down and listened quietly, but not before grumbling a few colorful words and phrases at our 'favorite' pilot.

"I know it's hard to believe, Believe me, but I swear it happened. Aeris spoke to me, probably sometime after the mazoku came for Sephiroth. I suppose that she was communicating with me from the Lifestream. Basically, she wanted us to find Lina Inverse and help her because the Mazoku want to use Sephiroth for some plan of theirs."

"Hmm, She must have used the power of Holy to transport us here then." Red concluded.

"So, let me get this straight: Aeris sent us, on another PLANET, to play bodyguard for a bunch of people we don't even know? That's nuts!" Yuffie said.

"Well, we didn't exactly ask for your help so you shouldn't feel any obligation to continue," Zelgadis stated emotionlessly.

"Look, we didn't ask to be here either, ya know? But we are, so you're just going to have to deal with it." Barret said, folding his large arms.

"Mr. Zelgadis, they did help us. I think it's okay to trust them." Amelia said, voicing her opinion.

Zelagdis stared at Amelia for a second then shook his head negatively. "It's not a matter of trusting them, Amelia; It's a matter of responsibility. This is the second time we had to deal in the affairs of Overworlders bringing their trouble to our world. Darkstar and Valgaav were enough to put up with, but now thanks to them we have to worry about being pursued by a person who's just as powerful."

"Just wait one freakin' minute here, Granite-for-Brains! Are you saying that this is our fault?" Yuffie asked heatedly.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. If you had dealt with Sephiroth on your own world none of this would be happening now." Zelgadis said, without remorse.

"And just how would the outcome have turned out any differently?" Vincent asked, sending a slight glare at the young shaman. "Perhaps you are right that we weren't strong enough to destroy Sephiroth on our own but we had believed at the time that Sephiroth was no longer a threat. We were wrong; but we wish to remedy that mistake. And do not speak as if it were that simplistic; you have no idea of the losses we have all had to suffer during our mission." Vincent responded, he hadn't noticed his raise in tone near the end of his speech.

"You're right, I don't. And frankly, I don't care. Stop hiding behind excuses." Zelgadis stated coldly. Vincent glared into the chimera's eyes with barely veiled anger. His bronze claw made a 'clink' noise as it closed into a fist by his side. Then, without warning, Yuffie slapped the chimera, ignoring the throbbing pain in her hand. Everyone except Yuffie started in surprise. She decided to make her opinion of Zelgadis known before the tall gunslinger could. "You, You soulless son of a bitch! How can you say something so heartless? Don't you ever consider others' feelings?! We lost a good friend to that psycho Sephiroth! And you want to turn your nose up about it and be ignorant? I feel sick and disgusted at myself for saving a cold-hearted monster like you!" With that, Yuffie sat up from her chair and bolted out of the room, tears flowing down her face. Zelgadis sat there, dumb-founded. Not only at the girl's words, but by the fact that her slap had actually hurt him.

"Ms. Yuffie, wait!" Amelia got up from her chair and ran after Yuffie, but not before giving Zelgadis a reproachful look.

They all sat in silence; All of the remaining members of their group lowering their eyes on the table. Cloud was the first to say something after a long period of silence; he faced Zelgadis, saying "You know, Lina talked a lot about you while I was traveling with her. She said you were an all around pessimist, cynical, and mistrustful of others, but she also said that you were a loyal friend and companion that she could count on. And from what Lina's told me about your past, I don't blame you for being suspicious of us. I know I would be if I were you. But whether you're willing to believe it or not, we're on your side. You can either accept our sincerity or not, but regardless, we will be helping you whether you like it or not." Cloud crossed his arms stubbornly, looking pointedly at Zelgadis.

"He's right." Tifa spoke this time, "We didn't come here to start any trouble and you're right; Sephiroth is our responsibility, But we weren't the ones who brought Sephiroth here, it was the Mazoku. Trust me, I'm not trying to make excuses for us but I just want you to understand that we aren't entirely at fault for putting this world in so much danger. We want to make things right but we need your help."

Zelgadis lowered his head in deep contemplation. He was fighting the instinctive feelings of mistrust and trying to accept the logic and honesty in their words, but it was difficult. His past taught him a harsh lesson in humanity. After all, his own grandfather had turned him into a monster. The only people Zelgadis had ever truly trusted were Rodimus and Zolf (Dilgear was the only one that Zel didn't particularly trust nor liked and his intuition had served him well), who were his mentors since childhood. Even as he got to know Lina he was still wary of her. (A/N: Taroguru: who wouldn't? She IS pretty unorthodox, y'know. Lina(opens the closet door): There you are! Taroguru: Aaah!) But gradually, he began to accept the friendship that they offered, even returning it as best as he could. These new people had not only saved him but Lina as well, not to mention that none of them seemed malignant nor did they seem like the type of people to have ulterior motives. He thought for a moment. He was initially grateful for their help when they had first met, but that was due to the circumstances. Still, he would, for once, ignore his paranoid skepticism and give them the benefit of a doubt. He sighed, massaging his temples to soothe the migraine that he was developing. He raised his head up, looking Cloud squarely in the eyes. "Alright, I'm willing to trust you and give you a chance, but no surprises or tricks. Otherwise…" He let the sentence hang, feeling that there was no need to continue.

"Fine. We're agreed then," Cloud said in agreement. He extended his hand to Zelgadis, which Zelgadis took hesitantly and shook it.

"Well, I don't know about you all but all this tension crap is making me hungry, so let's eat something to eat for &&'s sake!" Cid complained; Barret 'humphed' in agreement.

"I think we should wait until Amelia comes back with Yuffie first. It wouldn't be fair if we started without them." Tifa said.

"Eh, I wouldn't hold my breath, Teef. Yuffie was pretty pissed off by what Zelgadis said. It'll probably be good for her to let out some steam for awhile," Cloud explained.

"Cloud, you 'do' know what Yuffie does to relieve anger, don't you?" Tifa questioned incredulously.

"Of course! She---Cloud's eyes widened to the size of saucers, realization hitting him like a brick wall, --Oh holy mother of crap, Poor Amelia" he murmured, shaking his head in pity.

"Well, what does Yuffie do when she's upset?" Zelgadis inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Cloud turned his head slowly. Looking at him with closed, slanted eyes, he muttered "Target practice."

"MS. YUFFIE, WAIT! CALM DOWN!! AHHHH!!!!" Amelia screamed, running as if all the seven horsemen were after her. She tripped and fell, which was a good thing since the flying shuriken whizzed past where her head was a split second ago. It sliced cleanly through two trees that were now reduced to stumps and splinters. Yuffie angrily grabbed her Conformer, took aim, and with a growl threw it again. Amelia shrieked loudly and sprinted, moving at twice the speed she had before.

Why does this always happen to me?? Amelia thought as she ran through the forest. Ooohhh, I'd never imagined she'd be so angry! Her temper is almost as bad as Miss Lina's! She could hear Yuffie's rather crude and offensive rantings of Zelgadis' personality, upbringing, and the others she couldn't understand since they were being said in Wutainese.

"No good, insensitive, ungrateful, conceited, egotistical, rotten, spikey-haired, son of an incubus!! I hope that damned coffee of his burns his lungs out! I hope his eyes boil out of their sockets from pink eye! I hope that he is reduced to a fountain statue so he has the pigeons plaster on his head!" And so on.

Amelia would have protested on Zelgadis' behalf if it weren't for the fact that she was running for her life. They continued this way for what seemed like hours: Yuffie attacking everything in sight (95 of the time being Amelia) and Amelia trying to take cover from her rampage. Finally, Amelia fell face first to the ground, exhausted too tired out to run; Yuffie fell to her knees shortly after. The two teenagers sat there, panting. They looked at each other weakly—then, after a long silence Amelia began to giggle, a few seconds later, so did Yuffie. This elevated into full-blown laughter; the two could no longer contain it anymore. They continued laughing for a full five minutes until they started to calm themselves—and even then, there were some chuckles.

"We are so ridiculous," Amelia commented, still giggling a bit. She laid flat on her back, her arms and legs spread out. Yuffie was propped up against a tree (one of the few remaining), her hands folded behind her head and her legs crossed. Yuffie gazed up at the sky, which was a clear sea of blue without a cloud in sight. She looked over at Amelia, grinning. "What do ya mean 'We'? YOU were the one running through the forest screaming 'Please, Miss Yuffie, calm down! Don't kill me!' and stuff."

Amelia threw a mock glare at the shinobi, "Well, maybe I wouldn't if you didn't keep chasing me around with that weapon of yours, trying to slice my head off! Honestly! I've never seen anyone go so berserk like that besides Miss Lina."

That caused Yuffie to grin mischeivously. "Y'know, I'm still a little angry…" Yuffie burst out laughing when she saw Amelia's face turn as pale as a ghost while backing away from her slowly. "Kidding! I'm kidding! Sheesh, no one seems to get my sense of humor."

"Er…right. Anyway, Miss Yuffie, I want to apologize for what Mr. Zelgadis said. He's not exactly open to new people, but that's because he doesn't trust people easily." Amelia explained.

Yuffie let out a sigh. "Yeah, maybe. It's just that the guy is so frustrating! Vinnie and I saved his butt and then he goes and treats us like we're fugitives or something. I just wish he'd be a little more understanding. I mean, we don't look like assassins or whatever do we?" Amelia gave her a strange look, eyeing her up and down. Yuffie sweatdropped, "Okay, okay, dumb question! But do we seem like the—oh, just forget it."

"Well, anyway, we should probably be getting back now. They're probably wondering what happened to us," suggested Amelia.

"Right, right. Let's go." With that, the two young girls set out toward the inn.

Lina laid in her bed, securely; Gourry stroking locks of her auburn hair. She had a patch on her cheek where Sephiroth had struck her. Lina had sustained serious injury form her fight with Sephiroth; the top half of her body was covered in bandages, due to the fact that Sephiroth's energy attacks had burned away most of her clothing. Gourry sat on the chair, watching Lina intently; his mind clouded with thoughts of what had happened. He felt so helpless. I should have helped her Gourry thought, angry at himself. I should have helped Lina when she needed me but I…couldn't do anything. That guy, Sephyrot-or-whatever, he was so strong. I could feel something…unreal about him the moment I saw him, but I didn't know he could beat the two of us so easily. I mean, I never seen anyone stand up to Lina's Dragon Slave like that before! I never thought anyone except Valerie-o r-was it Dalgaav? Gourry gazed down at the sword that rested on his hip. Not even my new sword could hurt him. I'm Lina's protector. I know she's strong enough to defend herself but that's not the point. We're partners. We're supposed to help and support each other any way we can and I can't even do that! If I can't be there for Lina as her friend and partner, how will I handle being a husband to her? Gourry sighed as these thoughts weighed heavily on his mind. He resumed his vigil over Lina until he heard a knock on the door. "It's open."

Gourry was somewhat surprised to see Cloud walk through the door. He wore a solemn look on his face as he gazed at the taller swordsman. One could easily mistake the two for brothers due to their eye and hair color—not to mention their skill with a sword. Cloud lookeddown at Lina's still form. Returning his attention to Gourry, he asked, "How is she?"

Gourry looked down at his feet, "a little better. Her burns are healing at least, but she hasn't woken up yet."

Cloud patted his shoulder. "Cheer up. She may have taken a beating but she's strong, she'll get better soon."

Gourry sighed, running his hand through his long hair. "I know that. It's just that….I feel so useless."

Cloud grabbed an extra chair from the corner of the room and dragged it over to Gourry. He took a seat next to him staring at him with a look of understanding. "…You shouldn't blame yourself, y'know Gourry."

"I know. I just can't help it. Lina's my responsibility. I can't help thinking that I should've done something," said Gourry, bowing his head.

Cloud shook his head, sighing. "But you couldn't. We couldn't get to her in time. That's fact. And what good would we have been in our condition. We would be no better off than Lina is right now. You need to understand that there are just some things that are beyond our control.

Gourry rose his head slightly. "Then why do I feel like this? Why do I feel so guilty?" he whispered.

Cloud's lips curved upwards. "Because you love her, that's why. Trust me, I know what it feels like to want to protect something precious to you."

Gourry's expression became one of confusion. "What do you mean? How would you know?"

Cloud sighed again; he didn't want to discuss it since it is so heartbreaking to him, but he was willing to tell his new friend of his past. "You see, When I was a kid I would always get into brawls with the other kids in my village. They hated me for being a fatherless child and the adults thought I was nothing but a delinquent. I was basically an outcast in my own town. But that was partially my fault since I always used to think that I was superior to the other kids because I was more mature than they were. Not that I wanted those people in particular to be my friends, but I just wanted to belong: To play and have fun; to be normal, But I was too full of pride. The only one who seemed to at least tolerate me were Tifa and my mother. Tifa and I were never really close when we were kids, but I always admired her for her personality, and how people were so naturally attracted to her as a person. A few months later, Tifa's mother fell ill and died, Tifa was so depressed that she went to climb Mt. Nibel by herself. I was so worried that I followed her up there. I was still a ways behind since she already reached the bridge. By the time I reached her the rope snapped and we both fell off the bridge." Cloud took a deep breath; this one part he hates more than anything. "I survived with a scratch or two but Tifa was in a coma for an entire week; I was afraid she would never wake up. I watched every chance I got whether it was outside by her window or from my house, praying she would be okay. When I heard Tifa had woken up I was thrilled. I rushed over to her house but her father stopped me from seeing her saying it was my fault she was in that condition in the first place. I thought that he was right at that time, and that it was my fault, but now that I look back on it…it wasn't. If I wasn't there Tifa would have died and would have hated myself even more for not doing a thing to stop it. One night, I asked Tifa to meet me at the well in the middle of town. I told her I was going to become a SOLDIER and become as strong as Sephiroth." Cloud chuckled mirthlessly at this, "Then, we made a promise; that if I ever made it in SOLDIER and she was ever in trouble, I would come and protect her."

Cloud looked at Gourry who was surprised by his new friend's openness but he wasn't done. "Years later, after I had failed getting into SOLDIER, I returned home, ashamed. I didn't let anyone but my mother know who I was. I definitely couldn't face Tifa since I failed in becoming the person I thought she wanted, so I hid behind my mask, not even allowing myself to speak to her the entire time. Then," Cloud's face hardened. "It happened—Sephiroth went insane after discovering he was an experiment just like those monsters we found at the reactor. He used a powerful fire spell and set the whole town on fire, he slaughtered the townspeople, killed my mother—" Cloud grimaced at the memory before continuing. "Then, he headed to the reactor at the mountains to free Jenova. I arrived there only to find Tifa crying over her father's death at

Sephiroth's hands. She took his sword and went after him, I followed her. I saw Tifa attack Sephiroth with his own sword but the sword was too powerful for her to handle properly and Sephiroth managed to overpower her and cut Tifa across her chest. I was able to use a Phoenix Down to keep her alive, after that I took my friend Zack's sword—who tried to fight Sephiroth too but was hurt badly-- and took off after Sephiroth. He had already freed Jenova and while he was distracted, I ran him through. But it wasn't enough to kill him so I finished him off by tossing him and his sword into the mako energy."

Gourry nodded in understanding, even though he was still in the dark about mako and Jenova, he could understand the rest. Cloud stood up and stretched, letting out a loud groan. He finished stretching and looked down at Gourry, "But do you see what I'm saying, Gourry? I made a promise to someone I cared about that I would protect them also, and even if I failed I wouldn't give up on myself or doubt myself anymore, I would just keep doing my best to ensure that she is never put in danger again. I may not have been able to protect my mother or Aeris but I refuse to let anything happen to Tifa. So, don't give up on yourself; Lina believes you're a great protector and you always will be, but only if you still believe in yourself first.

Gourry smiled gratefully, "thanks, Cloud, I'll remember that."

Cloud smiled back. "good."

You understand what is expected of you, correct.

Yes.

Then you know what you must do.

Yeah, yeah. I got it already! I'll be sure to let the girl know where Lina and her friends will be found so they can meet up. You've told me this like 20 times already!

Merely ensuring that you carry out your duty without mishap. Besides you realize that the dragon girl must reach Lina and Cloud's parties before the Mazoku discover of our motives.

Why is it so vital that they should work together? Surely it's not that—

It is ESSENTIAL that the dragon priestess reach Lina Inverse before the Monster Race proceed with their plan! They will need both their friends AND enemies in order to

Combat the one who wishes to restart what Shabranigdo started, thousands of years ago.

Alright, you don't have to scream! I'll personally see that she is taken to them(after all I want to see Lina's face when she whose come to check on her heh heh heh…)

Did you say something?

Oh, nothing Lord Bahamut.

You are a strange one, Luna Inverse.