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Chapter 5: apology

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Vincent stood from his place on the couch downstairs after he heard a knock on his front door. He slowly made his way to the door when another knock came. "Well, she's a bit impatient today." He mumbled to himself. Vincent swung the door open and looked surprised to see Zack and not Yuffie.

"I figured since you brought me back and all, you might as well house me for a bit too."

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"I'm tellin' ya Teef, we really gotta talk, head over to Vincent's will ya?!" Yuffie plead with her friend through the phone.

Tifa rolled her big, wine eyes. "I'm at the store. And right after this, I have to pick up Marlene and Denzel from school, can't you just tell me now?" Tifa asked as she shouldered the phone and heaved a few gallons of milk into her shopping cart.

"Why are they at school, isn't it summer?!" Yuffie exclaimed, quite confused.

Tifa sighed loudly. "They have two weeks left until Summer break. Can we get on with this conversation?" She asked, annoyed. Tifa then began making her way through the store, checking items off her list, waiting for the news Yuffie claimed Tifa desperately needed to know.

After a short pause, Yuffie spoke again, catching Tifa's full attention. "It's about Cloud."

"What about him?" Tifa asked, coming to a halt in the middle of the cereal aisle.

"Remember how I couldn't remember the name of that girl?"

"Spill it, Yuffie!"

"It's Aerith."

A moment of silence passed that seemed like an eternity before Yuffie heard her friend speak again, and the voice she heard come through the phone sounded broken and dismayed. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

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Moments later, Tifa rushed to Vincent's house and knocked on the door. Yuffie immediately greeted her and brought her inside.

"I told you to just come over." Yuffie scolded.

"I didn't know it was gonna hit me like a ton of bricks, Yuffie." Tifa sassed back.

"Well gee, sit down and take it easy for a minute." Yuffie studied her friend, her face was pale and it looked tired and worn, she could see her countenance was abnormal and her confidence was shattered.

Tifa sat on the black leather couch, her thighs below her shorts sticking to the serfice. "How? How did she come back?" Tifa asked quietly, putting her face in gloved hands.

Yuffie strolled over to the couch and sat on the arm. "Well, Vincent created this invention that brings dead people back to life." She started as she kicked her feet.

Tifa looked over at Yuffie and sighed. "Figures Vincent would create something of that caliber."

"I know, right?!" Yuffie exclaimed with a blush finding its way to her cheeks.

"Why would he bring her back?" Tifa asked, a slight crack to her voice.

"It's not something he can pick and choose, it just happened randomly." Yuffie replied.

"Where is Vincent now?" Tifa asked, running fingers through her long dark hair.

"Upstairs."

Tifa stood and made her way up the stairs. Yuffie quickly owed behind. Tifa rounded the corner into Vincent's lab, when she walked through the doorway she stopped dead in her tracks and gasped at the sight before her.

None other than Zack Fair, sat perched on the desk in Vincent's room. He appeared to be studying a large book of some sort. Tifa put a hand to her mouth and stood in disbelief and stumbled inward as Yuffie crashed into her. Tifa looked at Vincent who stood back a bit, at a table examining some vials, then back to Zack.

Zack looked up from the book and gave Tifa a cunning smile before looking her up and down. He soon realized she had developed into quite the woman over the years and tried to keep himself from drooling. "Well if it ain't miss Tifa Lockhart." Zack closed the book and hopped down from the desk.

"C..can you please give us a moment?" Tifa asked, turning to Vincent and them to Yuffie.

"Absolutely sister!" Yuffie said with a wink. Vincent gave her a nod and walked around her and pulled Yuffie out with him, closing the door behind them.

Tifa shook her head, still in disbelief as she stared at Zack. He seemed to be so real.

Zack was a little unsure as to why Tifa requested to see him alone, he figured maybe she still had some bent up anger toward him or something of that sort.

Yuffie pushed Vincent away and pressed her ear to the door to listen to the conversation.

"Zack," Tifa started as she gathered her thoughts.

"Yes, Tifa?" Zack asked with a curious smile.

"I am so sorry." Tifa whispered as she looked down. Her long brown hair falling in her face. Tifa brought a hand to her face and covered her eyes as tears fought their way down her cheeks.

Zack's eyes widened. Why on earth is she apologizing?! Zack thought to himself. "Tifa, what for?" He asked her as he slowly walked up to her.

"This is all so confusing, as to why or how you're here, I really don't know." She said, this time she looked up, her eyes were red and tears fell down her cheeks. "But since you are here, I want to take this opportunity to say I am so sorry for what I said to you, the last words I said."

"Ah." Zack remembered now, very clearly, he remembered the last words Tifa said to him before he died. Soldier, I hate them all! I hate you! "Tifa, I never blamed you for what you said."

"I felt horrible." Tifa wiped her tears and looked up at him. Zack gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about it. No hard feelings, alright?" He said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Yuffie stood outside, desperately wondering what it was Tifa said to Zack in the past. She figured it must have been nasty for Tifa to still be upset about it.

"Thank you, Zack." Tifa said with a smile of her own. "Have you had a chance to see Cloud?" She asked, changing the subject.

Zack released his grip from her shoulder and made his way back to the desk and sat atop it once more. "Why yes I did happen to see the woman snatcher this afternoon."

Tifa only rolled her eyes. "Good to know he's alive I guess." She replied, angrily.

"Why do you care? Haven't you two broken up?" Zack asked, unaware he was about to hit a 'do not press' button.

"As a matter of fact, we have not." Tifa said, crossing her arms on her chest and looking at Zack sternly.

"Wait wait wait, you mean to say, you haven't broken up? Because when I visited him, I was under the impression that you had." Zack said, again standing up.

Oh this is getting good. Yuffie smiled to herself.

"Well, If he said to you we had, he lied. Where is he right now?" Tifa asked, trying not to raise her voice or take out her anger on innocent Zack.

"I'll take you. I have a few words to say to him as well." Zack said, cracking his knuckles.