A/N: Ahw Gawd… I'm sorry, I meant to have this chapter up yesterday but I got sucked into yahoo and my artwork and totally didn't finish the chapter.. Then my computer turned off on it's own and I lost the what I had written. So, I'm shortening the a/n and getting back to finishing the chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed, I love you! lol.
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Once Again, Memories
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Tifa looked up when the door swung open, accompanied by the sound of familiar steps. Surprised, she looked at Cloud and her hands stilled. Then she smiled widely and waved, setting the glass she had been drying down and moved to walk around the bar.
"Cloud! It's good to see you again!" He flinched internally when what she said sparked a memory of someone else and a not very pleasant day. "You too, Tifa. Hey, Reno texted me..." He smile fell into a scowl and she nodded. "Yeah, Me too." He fell silent and looked at her. She realized he was asking why.
"He told me to close the bar this Friday. I called to yell at him and Tseng answered… Said that I'll be paid but he mentioned it being 'our' request, so I assume it has something to do with Shin'ra and the Turks." Cloud frowned at this and nodded. "Vincent and I both received a text from Reno telling us to be here at 8 Friday night." Tifa frowned in response and hopped up to sit on the bar. "I assume they're going to get everyone together then… Shelke was told to be here and Barret called me this morning to tell me the same." Cloud was still frowning as he moved to sit on a stool near her. She turned to look at him and could almost see the gears turning in his mind. Finally he spoke
"I was dropping a delivery to Vincent and long story short, he ran across some girl in the woods fighting a Behemoth. We think she might have come from someone's lab." Tifa blinked in surprise and slid down from the counter top to lean back against it. "I wonder if that has anything to do with why the Turks are calling us together…" Cloud thought for a moment. "It may be… But I don't know for certain. The girl doesn't remember anything about herself really. Vincent will bring her Friday I'm sure, and maybe we can figure out a way for her to remember." Cloud rose to his feet and took a few steps away. "I'll be back later today." She nodded and he left, just as quickly as he had come. She smiled sadly. She loved Cloud, she really did… But somehow, she didn't think he loved her the same way. She walked back around the bar with a soft sigh and went back to doing dishes, her mind turning what he had said over and over.
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XxXxX
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"…Yes."
Vincent said nothing but Ranisa knew he heard her. She started to get a little nervous as the silence drew longer but she said nothing, letting him think. Vincent still had his head tilted down and his hair was covering his face. As soon as she had spoken he closed his eyes and resisted the sigh that wanted to escape. Surely hearing voices wasn't a good sign. Technically you hear voices too. Vincent blinked at the almost smug sound of chaos in his mind. But what he said was true. Lifting his head and looking over at Ranisa he realized she seemed worried by the silence followed her admission.
"Is it one voice or many?" He asked, his voice regaining that smooth indifference.
"Just one voice… it's female." She proceeded to explain to him what had happened in the shower, not bothering to exclude that she had thought of herself as a monster. Vincent mentally flinched when she openly told him that she thought she was but he said nothing. He frowned slightly into his collar when she spoke of the cavern and the first thing that came to mind was Jenova. He seriously hoped not… although at the same time, he wondered what it could be if not the Calamity. But, what the voice said to her was nothing like what Jenova that he knew of… Although calling Ranisa My child might imply so. But Jenova would never tell her to trust Vincent let alone Cloud. So, if this voice wasn't telling her to join her, to get away from Vincent and Cloud and things along those lines, then it probably wasn't Jenova. Aside from that, She doesn't smell like she has any of Jenova's cells in her. Chaos added this bit of information and Vincent wondered what else the demon wasn't telling him but stilled his thoughts. So, if there were no Jenova cells... he shook his head, clearing the thoughts.
"It isn't something we can really worry about right now, unless this voice tries to tell you to start killing people." He offered the barest hint of a smile. "We just don't know enough, although I hope when we go see the others, someone will know something." She nodded before she fully processed what he said and a confused look crossed her face. "Wait... Go see the others?" Vincent nodded and then stared at her for a moment before speaking.
"Do you know anything about the world events over the past four years?"
She shook her head, "The last thing I can recall about… World events, was some big war and even that's from some vague reference from one of the lab associates..." He blinked at her in surprise. The War with Wutai had begun nearly 19 years ago from what he understood. He had been in a coffin at the time. But she would have to have been three, how would she remember that?
"How old were you when you heard about that?" She looked up at him confused for a moment as if she didn't understand why he asked. Thinking hard for a moment she frowned. "18 I think." Vincent could only stare at her for a moment. So somehow, the last 19 years were like four to her. He wanted to say he had no idea how that was possible, but he had several very, very good suspicions, not to mention it made sense with the response to how old she was the day before. She had said twenty two, physically. So, clearly, the voice in her head had supplied that last part, because she didn't seem to understand what it meant.
Ranisa saw the surprised look flash in his eyes before his face relaxed into its normal impassiveness. She narrowed her eyes slightly and then raised an eyebrow. "What?" He blinked before responding and she could tell he was gauging her response.
"That was roughly 19 years ago…" Her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly but no sound came out. Her brow scrunched together as her golden gaze fell to the table.
"That… that's not possible..." He shook his head and his voice was very quiet in response. "No, it is very possible. I spent more than twenty years locked inside of a coffin beneath an abandoned lab without aging. It is very, very possible." Her eyes snapped up from the table and looked at him in shock. She struggled to understand and the only thing that came out of her mouth, rude as it was, was a soft, "But how…" He shook his head and stood from his seat, his empty tea mug in one hand. Clearly he did not wish to talk about it as he walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Frowning she sat back. It had to be because of the experimentation… that much she could understand. She suddenly got up and followed him. He was refilling his mug.
"So, Why did you ask about that, and Who are we going to see Friday?" She had gotten sidetracked from her original question. He turned around and leaned back against the counter, looking at her silently.
"Friends… I'll let Reeve or Tseng explain everything." He sipped his tea and she sighed in resignation. "Alright." Turning she walked down the hall to where her sword was leaned against the doorframe. She closed her fingers around the hilt and lifted it easily. She stared at the blade for a long moment before she heard Vincent come up behind her.
"Here." Turning, she saw Vincent holding out a small wooden box and a rag. She set her sword back down and took them from him, recognizing the smell of the oil on the rag. Her face lit up and she grabbed her sword and practically bounced into the living too and sat on the couch, sword across her lap. He had handed her a sword cleaning kit, one that Cloud had left there at some point in time. He didn't think the man would mind her using it now.
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XxXxX
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A loud string of curses sounded immediately after the sound of a cell phone ringing. Cid nearly tripped over himself to grab his phone and flip it open, growling into it.
"The hell do ya want?" The loud shrieking on the other end made him wince and pull the phone away slightly. "Alright, girly, calm down and tell me what ya need." He tucked the phone against his shoulder as he pulled his pack of smokes from his pocket. "Yeah, I got that message too." He tapped one out and brought it to his lips. "Alrigh'! I'll come and get ya! Just hold yer damn horses." He lit it before pulling the phone from his ear and snapping it shut. Luckily, he was already in the air. Walking over, he reset the destination for the Shera and took a long draw from his cigarette. With a sigh, he leaned on the wheel and rubbed his temple. "Why do I gotta put up with that damned ninja anyways!"
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XxXxX
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Soft scales moved across metal grating, barely making a sound. The creature paused as it heard raised voices and listened.
"I expect him to be conscious within days, Doctor, or you'll find I'm not so forgiving. Is that understood?" A strong male voice sounded, almost sarcastic in its inflection. A smooth, almost oily voice responded, sounded as if they hadn't heard the threat.
"He'll awake when he wakes, I cannot make this process go any faster than it is. No one can and you know that as well as I do, so I suggest you find a bit of patience and shut your mouth." A growl sounded from the first man, but the creature was no longer listening, it was moving away from the sound of men and towards the smell of fresh air. Excitement coursed through it with the thought that soon, it would be free.
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A/N: I know it's a little shorter than the last chapter, but I had this almost twice as long and my computer shut off... I hadn't saved it so I re wrote it and moved some things around.