I hope no-one felt that the last chapter was out of character. I honestly believe that Tifa would feel guilty about not being there for Cloud, and I also feel that she would be reluctant to approach the subject, even if the guilt was eating her up from the inside. So that's what that was about.

Anyway, here are all the girls together.

Disclaimer: SquareEnix owns the recognisable bits.

All.

Empathy: the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

"So, is everything okay with you and Cloud now?" Aerith smiled as Tifa tilted her head in confusion. "I couldn't help noticing that sometimes you would look… guilty."

"Guilty?!" Yuffie was loud and indignant. "What would you have to look guilty for?"

Tifa ignored Yuffie's input. "You noticed?" She had thought she'd hidden her feelings well, but then, Aerith had always been pretty empathic.

Aerith's smile became teasing as she replied, "Well, what with Cloud, Leon and frequently Yuffie, I have some experience of a guilty look."

Tifa laughed at the outraged expression of Yuffie's face and her retort of "I don't have a guilty face, I don't get guilty!"

"But, things are better? You don't feel guilty anymore?" Tifa shook her head, but was interrupted by Yuffie.

"I don't see what you had to feel guilty about. If anyone should feel guilty, it's Cloud. He's the one who left you behind."

"Don't, Yuffie. It wasn't like that." Cloud had left her because he thought she could take care of herself, she was the one who had let him down. "Yeah." She responded to Aerith, "we talked about things."

"But why, Teef? Why would you feel guilty?" Yuffie never had had any idea what equaled personal information, it was all fair game as far as she was concerned. If she wanted to know, she was going to find out.

"I… let him down." She held up a hand to forestall the ninja. "He needed me… Sephiroth came and Cloud needed me… and I couldn't help him." Don't go. Don't go where I can't follow.

"That's not true!" Tifa was surprised at the passion in Yuffie's voice. "You've always been there for Cloud, even when he's not been there for you!"

"Yuffie…" She wanted to say that it wasn't that simple, that being there sometimes wasn't enough, but Aerith joined in.

"She's right you know. The only reason Cloud made it here was because he was looking for you. He would have given up long ago if it wasn't for you." She took Tifa's hand and squeezed it gently. "Maybe you couldn't be with him in his fight against Sephiroth, but you gave him the strength to face him."

Tifa looked at her friends, at their earnest faces and she thought she might cry. "You know what? I really missed you guys."

"Of course you did!" Yuffie punched the air and grinned. "Who wouldn't miss us? We're the best!"

Tifa laughed. She was finally home. "Yeah, you guys are the best!"