A/N: So sorry it took me so long to post this, guys; life has been kind of hectic lately. I promise, I'm going to try and pick up the pace with my posts.

And another apology: this chapter is pretty short. But if I feel like it, I may post then next one sooner than usual to make up for that. ;D Of course, comments help with me posting chapters sooner (hint hint).

Disclaimer: I don't own anything FFVII.

Chapter 15: Where to Look…?

Cloud and his friends sat in silence for a while, mourning. A sensible person would ask why they were mourning if Tifa were still alive, but they all knew something that a normal person wouldn't: there wasn't a great chance Tifa would make it out of this alive. That impacted Cloud the most, sending him into a stunned silence.

"Cloud," Reeve started quietly. The blond warrior looked up at him across the table and made eye contact, letting him know he was listening. "Was there any background noise in the phone call you received? Anything that could help us?"

He shook his head slightly. "I…don't know…I…I think I heard the floor creak once. And it sounded like it was a bit windy. Either that, or there was a machine nearby outside."

Nanaki sat up more in his seat at the table. "So, there is still hope," he said optimistically. "We won't let them keep Tifa without a fight."

"Yeah, it's like they totally forgot what we're capable of!" Yuffie exclaimed, jumping out of seat. "We'll get Tifa back right away and kick their butts! And there's nothing they can do to stop us."

"Right," Vincent said in agreement. His statement seemed to put a spell on the room, everyone turning to look at him. Since when had he sided with Yuffie so openly? Cloud looked the man in the eye, but Vincent broke eye-contact, his cheeks reddening slightly.

Barret destroyed the silence, completely unaware of the awkward state it had been in before. "So, what'll we do to start the search?"

"Yeah, we're not going to just fly over any place that could fit Cloud's description, right?" Cid inserted, not using a swear word because of the presence of a little girl in the room.

Reeve shook his head. "Heavens, no," he said. "That would take far too long. I'll go to the library and look up places that could be it. I'd appreciate it if you two-" he nodded to Vincent and Yuffie "—would come with me and help narrow things down."

Yuffie nodded emphatically. "Absolutely."

"Whatta 'bout the rest of us?" Barret asked.

"Stay here and discuss everything we know about Kadaj and his gang. We need to figure out what to expect."

"Cid, pretty soon, I want you to take Marlene to Shera and Denzel," Cloud randomly inserted.

"What?" Marlene cried out. "I want to help!"

"You did help," Cloud said calmly. "You told us that Tifa was gone. If you hadn't, we may not have found out until a lot later."

"But that's not good enough!" she said stubbornly. "Tifa's still gone. And she's gone because Kadaj told her to come and get me!"

"There's nothing more you can do, Marlene. Please, try to understand. This is a lot more dangerous than you realize."

"But-"

"Cloud's right, Marlene," Barret interrupted softly. "I won't let you get near this again; I'm not losing you to Kadaj again." The burly man looked as if he were fighting tears, which ended Marlene's argument. She silently nodded, giving in.

"Cloud," she said calmly. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

The man responded with a nod, rising out if his chair. Marlene got out of her seat as well and grabbed onto Cloud's hand. It was funny how she could act so old sometimes and yet still be so innocent. This was the Marlene that he remembered from a year ago.

The two exited the room and stood in the hall, the area pretty empty. But apparently, that wasn't good enough for Marlene. She kept her grip on Cloud's hand and escorted him outside, where the air wasn't too hot or too cold—it was comfortable.

"Cloud, you've got to save her," Marlene finally said, stopping him where he was. "I didn't want to come home like this. If she's hurt, it's because of me!"

"Marlene," Cloud said calmly, kneeling down in front of the girl. He looked her in the eye, seeing all the emotions stirring inside her soft, naïve eyes. "None of this is your fault—Kadaj is the one who started this. Nobody has any control over this situation, much less you."

The little girl nodded faintly, avoiding Cloud's gaze for a moment. "Hey," Cloud whispered gently. He lifted Marlene's chin gently so he could have eye-contact with her again. "Believe me; I'm going to get her back."

Marlene nodded again, looking down at the hand she still held. "You love her, don't you?" The girl was wise beyond her years, much like a person she resembled. Aerith.

Now it was Cloud's turn to nod. "Yes," he said quietly. "Yes, I love her with all my heart."

"Good," Marlene said with a smile. "That means you'll do whatever it takes to get her back, right Cloud?"

He nodded in agreement. "That's right."

Marlene's small smile stayed on her lips for a few more moments, but then it faded. "Cloud…what do you think is going on with Tifa? Is she gonna be okay?"

Cloud set a hand on the girl's shoulder in a fatherly way. "Of course she'll be okay," he said softly. "Tifa's not giving up without a fight. And besides-" he gave Marlene a wink "—she won't be fighting long, because I'm going to find her and bring her home."

Marlene smiled, pleased with Cloud's answer. "Mmhmm."