just as a point of note, those 'famous last words'? Yeah, got them off an online quiz. Mine was the 'so... you're cannibals' while my friend's turned out to be 'it's probably just a rash'... if ffnet will let the link through try: www (dot) espin (dot) com/quizzes/what-will-your-last-words-be - I'd love to hear what ya'll ended up with - aw, crap, never mind. You have to have an account to get the answer now. When I took it, it just gave you the answer.

Chapter 89: Into the Woods

The Highwind was barely visible through the trees but Tifa stood with her head tipped back watching it until it moved out of sight. She was leaving her brother and sister alone. A lot. She didn't like it but it was safer that way. She certainly wasn't about to bring them with her now, for instance. Aerith gave her hand a gentle squeeze and Tifa looked over and gave her friend a smile.

Maybe, when they had the chance, she'd see if Aerith could do anything for Cloud. The hard part would be convincing Cloud. She had the sinking suspicion that he was being so calm about what was happening to him because, deep down, he thought he deserved it. Maybe 'deserved' was the wrong word. Maybe he wasn't fighting it because he thought it was the way things should end for him.

Yuffie was spinning around the clearing and Tifa wondered how she managed that when her stomach had been so sick only moments ago. The younger girl laughed and pumped her fist in the air.

"The Great Ninja Yuffie is back! Time to kick some mummy butt!"

Cloud watched her with a quiet smile and then reached into his pack to hand Tifa a PHS.

"It's already programmed," he told her with a wry look in his eyes and she gave him a slit one in response. It just made the edges of his lips shift slightly upward.

"Is that Cissnei's?" Zack asked and Cloud shook his head. Yuffie laughed again and came bounding over.

"I've got those," she clarified and Zack gave her a sudden grin.

"Really? So we're gonna prank Shinra on them, right? How'd you get them anyway?"

"Duh," Yuffie scolded him. "I did just say I was the Great Ninja Yuffie, didn't I? I ninjaed them away from those lousy Turks!"

"You stole them?" Zack shot a look at Cloud. Who just smiled quietly and gave the facial equivalent of a shrug.

"She is the Great Ninja Yuffie," Cloud stated calmly.

"Right! Just 'cause I was busy losing my lunch doesn't mean I can't swipe some stupid phones."

Zack burst into laughter and he and the younger girl exchanged enthusiastic high-fives. Aerith gave Yuffie a hug.

"Thank you," she told her, glowing.

"No big." Yuffie pulled back looking slightly embarrassed by all the emotion. She wasn't that different from her older brother in some areas apparently. Except he never bounced on his toes the way she did.

"So are we gonna go adventure-archeologist-fedora hat and whip, or what?" she asked and Tifa couldn't stop her own smile. Aerith reached into her jacket and gently took out the 'key' that they'd gotten for the Gold Saucer. In the filtered light from the trees, it seemed to almost shine with a green whisper of color over its pearl surface. It seemed as if even the soft animal noises of the woods quieted. Gentle, reassuring, Tifa wrapped her arm over her friend's shoulder and gave a soft squeeze. It all came down to Aerith now and she knew that kind of importance made her friend nervous. Aerith pulled in a deep breath and gave Tifa a grateful look. Then she closed her eyes and opened her hands so that the key rested in her palms.

For a long moment, it seemed the entire world held its breath and Tifa wondered if it really did. The last of its Ancients was coming home.

Steps small but growing in surety, Aerith started forward. Without having to talk about it the rest of the group fell into positions around her. As peaceful as the forest seemed, they'd all traveled too long to think there wouldn't be monsters.

The depths of the trees didn't disappoint them.

It had been a while since Tifa had fought monsters. They didn't get attacked when they were in the Highwindand and it had been towns and ships before that. She was a little surprised at herself to find… she'd missed it. All her thoughts and worries and fears shut down when she was fighting and it was a real pleasure to feel the lightening or fire or ice coursing through her again. It was a team of three, her, Zack, and Cloud that did most of the fighting. Yuffie stayed next to Aerith who didn't always seem aware of what was going on around her and made sure none of the creatures snuck up on the Cetra while her main defenders were busy. It felt comfortable and familiar and reassuring fighting next to the two men she'd traveled so far with and Tifa realized she needed that. Seeing Cloud's wound had shaken her deeper than she could let herself admit to and, while she was fighting, for a little while at least, the fear of losing him, as strange as that seemed, disappeared.

Cloud moved with calm, economic movements and next to him Zack was his usual barely contained energy. To Tifa, watching, she didn't see much difference in the way Cloud moved now and the way he had when they'd traveled from Costa del Sol. Except, maybe, his blows were even more economic and efficient than before. They stopped just a bit sooner and… and maybe they were just a bit slower… She also noticed that the skin around his eyes never really relaxed, not even when they were walking. Little things, almost invisible things, but ones she wondered how she'd missed up until now. He caught her eyes on him once after they'd laid out a green dragon and his lips shifted a little sadly upward, knowing what she was thinking.

Aerith's healing washed over them in waves and the first time it did, it took Tifa by surprise. She'd felt Aerith's healing before and it was still recognizable. It was just… so much stronger than she was used to and her friend didn't even have to touch anyone to give it. When she'd glanced at her friend though, Aerith's eyes had been half lidded and hazy and there hadn't been any recognition in them.

They'd looked… awfully green under the curtain of her lashes…

For the first time, Tifa felt her own shiver of trepidation about this. She had to remind herself that it was just a bunch of fallen stones and all those offered in way of threat were snakes and spiders and random monsters. Nothing they couldn't handle.

She still found herself sticking close to Aerith's side when they weren't fighting though.

She wasn't the only one that noticed either. Zack kept casting glances over his shoulder at the entranced Cetra.

Slowly around them the trees started to change. At first Tifa thought it was just that the canopy overhead was getting thicker and that's why things were getting darker. It wasn't though. There was a strange twilight gloom starting to slip over the trees and the trees themselves were starting to go pale and whispering. The grass and low foliage began to disappear and even the monsters vanished. Small flickering lights, like fireflies but white instead of green, danced at the edges of their vision between the ghostly trunks of the growingly tall trees. The usual noises of trees and green disappeared into a still, waiting hush.

Aerith moved through it all with her half closed eyes and the pale, pearl green Ancient key in her palms in front of her. In the dark, against her pale skin, there was a definite green light being cast off of the oddly shaped artifact.

Tifa jumped when something bumped the back of her hand and looked over to see Cloud had fallen back from his point position to walk next to her. His eyes met hers briefly and they were very pale green with very little blue in the strange light. The back of his hand had been what had bumped against hers and she reached out and twined her fingers with his, finding relief in that touch even through their gloves. Blue spread from the edges of his irises and melted inward.

"Sephiroth is nearby." His voice was so calm and soft that it took a minute for what he'd just said to register and send a chill down her spine. She flicked a nervous look around the ghostly glowing trees they were moving through. Next to Aerith on the other side, voice just as quiet, Zack asked:

"Where?"

"Don't know." Cloud's eyes shifted away from Tifa and looked forward again. Yuffie made a noise and wrapped her arms around herself since Tifa already had Cloud's hand on the side that was away from the silent woods. It reminded her that Yuffie had had her own run in with Sephiroth years ago. Before she could reach out for her though, Zack slung an arm around the younger girl's shoulders, pulling her against his side and for once, he didn't tease.

"How can you tell?" he asked Cloud softly and again, Cloud's eyes didn't flicker.

"Don't know," he answered calmly.

Between them, Aerith moved slowly but steadily forward into the growing darkness of a world lit only by pale, glowing trees and silence.