A/N: Hey guys, it feels like it's been a while since I updated. =/. But here's a new chapter and a proposition. I already have the next four chapters written. But I'm spreading out the times between posts hoping for new readers. Yes, that's selfish. No, I'm not changing my selfish ways. :3

However, I will change if I get more reviews. The more reviews I get, the sooner I post updates. Sound like a good deal? ;)

Disclaimer: Despite my wildest fantasies, I do not own Cloud nor any other FFVII characters. Sad day. ;(

Chapter Five: Working Together

The air outside was cold, which wasn't surprising, considering that it was the autumn season. It was a wonder that it wasn't snowing with the temperatures feeling so frigid. And yet Tifa still sat outside on that bench for a long while, wearing a sweatshirt instead of the heavy coat she should have been.

Eventually, when her tears ran dry, she considered going back inside. There was work that needed to be done, and sitting out here feeling sorry wasn't going to help Marlene. Those two men in black...they would do terrible things to her. The one who carried her off didn't seem interested in hurting her, but the others seemed extremely violent.

A faint noise carried in the wind entered Tifa's ears. A cell phone? Yes, it was a familiar ring tone....it almost sounded like something she heard before, but at the same time, it wasn't a common tune. Or was it? Not anymore, but a long time ago it was.

Tifa froze. She knew who took Marlene.

"Vincent, I'm fine," Yuffie stated as they exited the medical clinic, giving the vampire a push to the side. "You don't have to help me walk just because I have a small limp."

Vincent sighed, again. That seemed to be a habit of his whenever he was with the younger girl. She was always trying to be so strong, but in the end, her act always looked ridiculous. She had far more than a limp; her ankle had nearly been sprained because of her reaction to the snake. But no, she wouldn't admit this. And she had already made him swear not to tell the others what happened. In the end, he had agreed to her terms just to get her quiet.

"And anyway, we can't search very well if you're half carrying me the entire time. Let's just look around and get this done."

"You can't walk around on that wound."

"Wound? Ha! You make it sound so serious, Vinnie," Yuffie commented with a laugh. Vincent didn't smile even a tiny bit. The look on his face made Yuffie somber. "Alright, what do you suggest we do? We can't just sit around and do nothing. We have a job to finish."

He paused, unsure or the next course of action. She had a good point, but walking around on that ankle would not only slow them down, but it could possibly damage it worse. Not that he cared....too much. Vincent looked around and saw that there was a restaurant nearby, along with several tables and benches.

"Let's sit down here and think of area's we can search while giving your ankle some rest."

Cloud Strife gave Tifa twenty minutes to herself before deciding that he needed to try and find her. After she had stormed out of the conference room, he had just stood there in awe. She was still the stubborn girl that he knew growing up, but she was bolder than she used to be. And it was clear she was hurt. Not physically (even though that was true too), but emotionally. Tifa wore her heart on her sleeve, whether she realized it or not.

The swordsman rounded the corner of the building outside and there she was, huddled up on the park bench. Although he didn't know exactly why she was distressed, his heart ached for her. And he could take a good guess as to what was bothering her.

He approached her and set a hand on her shoulder, immediately noticing how stiff she was. Man, if we don't resolve this situation soon, she's going to break because of the stress, he thought. He started to run a hand over her shoulder as a comforting gesture, but she pulled away. His bright blue eyes followed her movement as she set her feet on the ground and turned to face him.

"I know who took her," she said weakly.

"Who?

"Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo."

Cloud was stunned, to say that least. "That's not possible."

Tifa shook her head. "It is possible, and it's happening. The outfits, Loz's voice...it's all clear to me now. They're the ones that took Marlene."

Again, Cloud shook disagreed. "No. I killed Kadaj myself. And Yazoo and Loz were killed in the explosion after my battle against Sephiroth. There's no way they could be alive." Tifa wasn't convinced, so he kept speaking. "Loz told me that we'd go together, meaning we'd all die and go to the lifestream. And since I died that day, it only makes sense that they did too."

"Fine, so they died," Tifa snapped, frustrated. She knew the truth...she just had to convince Cloud of it. "But I recall you didn't kill Kadaj. He faded away. That's not necessarily death."

"Them what is it?"

Tifa sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. "...I don't know. But he could have resurrected the other two. I don't know why they went for Marlene...but it is them. I know it is.

He was just about to argue that a feeling wasn't enough evidence, but fortunately for both of them, Tifa's cell phone rang. She immediately jumped on the opportunity to escape the conversation and pulled it out, opening it up.

"Tifa here."

"Tifa," Reeve said on the other side of them line. "Is Cloud there with you?"

She turned her eyes upward towards the blonde man, who was staring at her intently. "Yes."

"There's something you both need to hear. Please put your phone on speaker." Tifa obeyed, pulling it away from her ear so they could both listen. "Teef, you know your neighbor Mrs. Smith, correct?"

Tifa nodded then answered with a yes. Mrs. Smith was an adorable elderly woman who would sometimes make pies for Tifa and the kids. She had always appreciated the woman's kindness and looked to her for advice and confidence.

"Well, she heard the commotion and wisely set up a tape recorder in her window. She recorded the second half of your confrontation, Tifa. If you two could listen in to it, maybe you could pick up something that we can't. Perhaps even the identity of the kidnappers."

"Let's hear it," Cloud said, speaking for the first time this whole conversation.

"Okay, listen closely for details we could have missed. Here it comes."

"C-coward," Tifa's voice said over the phone, sounding quite ragged and out of breath. "Come fight me like a man". The young woman immediately knew what was coming next, but she still flinched when she heard the next person speak.

"Funny; I don't think you're in a position to order him around." The stairs creaked for a moment, then fell silent when the man apparently stood still. This was the way that Tifa remembered it.

"Let her go," she said tensely. Hearing it now, Tifa knew that if a tone of voice could kill somebody, all three of those men would have died at that moment. The rage in her voice was so heavy that it startled her.

The sound of a gun going off on the other side of the phone made both her and Cloud jump. Tifa almost dropped the phone just remembering the pain of that first bullet in her leg.

"Try again, pretty lady. You're not going to win back the girl this way." Cloud stiffened beside Tifa at the name, although Tifa wasn't sure why. After all, he was the one who left her before...

"Come fight me," Tifa said.

"Some other day. Let's get her out of here."

"No!" The sound of running feet was surprisingly clear, then the grunts and impacts of the short brawl that occurred between Tifa and "Yazoo". Even more clear than that was the breaking of the glass cupboards and her impact against it. Tifa didn't look up to see Cloud's reaction to that.

"I must say, I thought this fight would end differently than before. I'm a bit disappointed in you, Tifa."

"Shut up, this fight isn't over yet."

"Looks to me that it is."

"Well it isn't!" New sounds filled the room, along with what sounded like a cry.

"You'll pay! Your little girl will pay because you had to fight." Tifa's heart broke at the memory of that threat. Marlene...

"Leave her out of this!" There were more sounds of battle, including a gunshot and an incredibly strong punch that had sent her flying.

"Looks like you're out of the game, Lockhart."

Tifa clenched a fist at that line, turning her head the other direction. She hated that voice. She absolutely hated that they had successfully taken Marlene away from her. And she hated that Cloud was listening to this whole thing with her. She didn't look up at him for a long time, barely listening as the recording started finishing. Only when she heard the men leaving did she start tuning in again.

The sound of the blaring alarm startled her even though she, unlike Cloud, knew that it was coming. But even more than that, she was startled by the last thing that she said on that tape. The alarm was going off, but the noise wasn't channeled directly into the recording for some reason. But what she said next was.

"Cloud..." Tifa's eyes widened at that; she had nearly forgotten. Oh why had she allowed herself to say his name like that?! And here he was, standing right next to her.

Reeve turned off the recording and spoke into the phone again. "Did you two catch onto anything useful?" Tifa numbly realized that he didn't mention her last line. She thanked her stars for that bit of good fortune.

"Tifa told me she thought she knew who they were," Cloud said, also not bringing up the ending of the tape. But Tifa knew he wasn't going to ever let it go. "And hearing them now, I know who they are too. It is Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz."

"What? B-but how?"

"I don't know," Cloud admitted. "But that doesn't change reality. They're back, and they've taken Marlene."