Disclaimer: I do not now or before and most likely not in the future, own Final Fantasy, Square Enix or any of the characters.

A/N: Review responses at the end of the chapter.

Reviews, critiques and flames are welcome. I absolutely love all reviews about the story as it gives me motivation, I use good constructive criticism to help my writing improve and I feed the flames to the fires of my imagination.

Thanks to my before posting beta Queen of Jokers and my after posting beta SubZeroChimera!

"We are all motivated by a keen desire for praise, and the better a man is, the more he is inspired to glory." -Cicero

Chapter 81

Deciding to go back to the bar was a big risk, but it was one that Tifa wanted to carefully gamble on. Expressing to Zack and Sephiroth that she was afraid, she was adamant that someone would try to turn him over to Shinra and who knows what Rufus would allow. So because of that, they were planning on a move to Skiba, a quaint little town where Zack had met Rebecca and her magic hands.

Although the new President of Shinra pretty much called the army from hunting them, with Hojo gone, there was no need anymore. The stares that they got were priceless though, especially Sephiroth when he stopped wearing his wig.

For three weeks, there was no change in Cloud's condition and the doctors said that they didn't know why he wasn't awake. His health was good, physically. Zack and Sephiroth told Tifa that it may have something to do with green-eyed Cloud, but they weren't able to 'connect' with him anymore.

At closing time one night, Tifa busily wiped down tables when she heard someone come in behind her.

"What's up sexy?"

Whipping around, she smiled at the sight of the red-headed Turk, "Reno! How have you been?"

"Oh, not too bad, just been laughin my ass off at the Presidential sucker-munch."

"Why? What has he done now?"

"He's finally come to the conclusion that chasing after Sebastian is like pissin' in the wind. Rufus would have an easier time trying to screw a running chocobo before Sebastian would fuck him," With a wink, he lit a cigarette.

With a giggle, Tifa asked, "You know, I heard from Seph that you and Rufus were an item once. Why don't you try to get back together with him? It might keep you two out of trouble."

Letting out a smoke-filled exhale, he gazed off into space with a smirk, "Nah, I never really liked him. Just a good uke when we were younger, that's all. I did meet a girl who was Hojo's right hand woman for a while, Lilly Cooper. It wasn't too long ago that I had to… acquire her keys to his lab before all the real excitement with Jade happened," Reno refocused on Tifa's bright red face and smiled at her, "I might give her a call."

With a teasing smile, she sighed and lowered her head, "Oh, well that's too bad. I was thinking about you yesterday," Picking up a tray of empty glasses, she took them behind the bar.

Sitting down on one of the bar stools, he pulled an ashtray toward him, "You know, I was thinking about me too."

"Shut it Reno," A playful smile put a bounce in her step.

Holding his hands up in surrender, he stated, "I'm just sayin'"

Stacking the clean shot glasses, Tifa inquired, "So what brings you here?" She pushed a freshly poured shot glass to him.

"I just wanted to check on you and Cloudy-boy," Slamming the shot back, he winced and smacked his hand down on the wooden bar and coughed out, "What the fuck was that shit?!"

Smirking, Tifa winked at him, "My own mixture," momentarily staring with her eyebrows raised and a smile, she asked, "Want another?"

"Give me another one of those and my balls may shrivel up permanently," Reno put his cigarette out, "If you want to poison me, don't use the same shit that you use to take paint off the walls," With a short pause, he pushed the shot glass back toward her with one finger, "Hit me again."

Stifling a giggle, she dutifully poured him another. When she sighed after a few silent moments, her demeanor changed to sadness, "Getting back to why you're here, Cloud's condition hasn't changed."

"Was afraid of that," Quickly drinking down the second shot, he slapped the bar loudly and bounced on the stool. A grimace covered his face as he shook his head. Clearing his throat, he watched Tifa round the bar and into the open area with the tables, his eyebrows wagged up and down and the pervert in him came out, "So if you were to give in to your feelings for me, he wouldn't wake up even if we did it right next to him? Hell, we can even include him a little if you want. I mean, he is pretty easy on the eyes. I'd do him."

Tifa turned bright red and playfully recounted, "Reno, you'd do anyone."

Shrugging his shoulders and smiling, he pulled out his cigarettes again, "True."

"Have you heard anything from Rufus about trying to get Cloud, Zack or Seph back?"

"Nah, he hasn't had any interest in ya'll anymore," Blowing out a puff of smoke he winked, "I've got my eye on Hojo's work and that walking dick repellent, Rufus. I don't think you'll hafta deal with them anymore."

"Thanks Reno. We're leaving town in a week, so the less interference we have, the better," Tifa pulled him up by his arm and escorted him back to the door, "Now get out of here, I need my beauty sleep."

"Okay, well you know who to call if you want to get ugly for a night," Reno stepped out with a sly grin as she shut the door.

The last night before they were to leave for Skiba, Tifa had all the papers in order for Jessie to take over running the place in her stead. Happy with everything the way it was, she closed the bar and cleaned up, the entire night had been overly busy. Shuffling up the stairs, she got a shower and crawled into bed, curling up to Cloud's shoulder.

Across the hall, the former General and former First Class settled in bed and fought over the blanket, "I swear Zackary. I am buying another blanket very soon!" Playfully chuckling, Zack rolled over and Sephiroth sighed loudly, "Your wings are poking me in the butt!"

Punching at the pillow under his head, Zack lightheartedly argued, "Yeah? Well I almost choked on some of your feathers yesterday morning, so stop shedding."

"I am not shedding. Now go to sleep," He closed his eyes and tolerated the other's wings jabbing him.

Zack fell asleep with a playful smile.

…Downstairs, the phone began to ring…

In a light sleep, a half scream woke them both, rushing across the hall to the room holding their unconscious blond friend. They laid eyes on a panicked Tifa and Zack was the first to speak, "What happened?"

"It's Cloud, he's gone! We've got to find him," As all three of them left the room, they instantly came to a standstill at the sight of the man walking up the stairs, "Cloud! You're awake!"

The blond readjusted the way his feathers lay by fluttering the wings without them expanding fully and then he folded them back behind him neatly. When he drew his eyes up to the three in front of him, all three of them gasped.

With the three of them staring and unable to speak, Cloud spoke instead, "That's right I'm Cloud and you are Zackary and Sephiroth and you… you're Tifa."

Zack's dumbfounded voice found its strength, "What is this?!" Unbelieving, he stared at the bright green eyes with slit pupils, "What happened to Cloud?"

…The phone continued to ring…

Taking a small bite of the sandwich he held, he chewed and swallowed, "Fascinating, although it is very simple ingredients that have no extra value alone, together they make a tasty treat. Kind of like the three of us, alone we are nothing, but together we are invincible."

Sephiroth caught Tifa before she hit the floor and held on to her and reiterated to the blond in front of him, "Answer the question! Where is Cloud?!"

Glancing between the two men, green colored cat-like eyes danced with light and energy, "I am… all that is left."

A feminine whisper came from the woman in Sephiroth's arms, "No…"

…When the answering machine didn't pick up, the ringing stopped…

With a loving smile, green-eyed Cloud caressed Tifa's wet cheek and spoke softly, "Am I not enough for you?" Tifa stood under her own power and shook her head, backing away into Sephiroth's chest while Cloud finished, "This is his body. It should be enough. No?"

Zack grabbed his wrist and kept him from touching Tifa any further, "No it isn't enough. It isn't just the body, but the soul too!"

…The phone started ringing again…

Lowering his eyes in defeat, Cloud dropped the remnants of the sandwich, "I couldn't stop the life stream's calls to him. It was too strong."

Tifa's screaming caught both Zack and Sephiroth off guard, "Get out!" Pain and suffering constricted around her and enveloped the other two who loved Cloud. Fists flew at the pale muscular chest, pushing him back to the dining room, back where he'd come from, "Get out. Leave!"

Wrapping his arms around the flailing woman, Zack pulled her to his chest as Sephiroth stepped between Cloud and Tifa's weeping form. Narrowing his eyes, Sephiroth quietly asked the blond, "Is there any way to get our Cloud back?"

When his back hit the front door, the blond recoiled. Frightened, he sought answers, "I do not understand. When the life stream takes you, that is all there is, it's the resting place of the dead, correct?" Confusion leapt to his features, "Did he lie to me?" Focusing on Sephiroth he choked out, "He said that you would understand, that you would accept me… but he lied." A loud crash had the three saddened friends jump and Sephiroth ran out of the now open door followed closely by Zack and Tifa.

The cold night air kissed their skin and Tifa's tears were not comforted by the two men at her side. Together, they watched the spectacular silver wings expand and flicker until he was out of sight.

Catching a glimpse of something, Zack held his hand out and caught the lone silver feather as in floated back to the earth.

…The phone stopped ringing…

Zack wrapped the feather in his tightened fist. Dumbstruck, both men walked back inside, feeling hollow and without a voice. What happened? Cloud was doing better, he was alive, just sleeping, right?

With quick reflexes, Sephiroth caught Tifa when she passed out. Taking her upstairs, he laid her down on her bed and sat on the edge. Zack stood motionless in the front room beside the bar. What happened? Cloud was on the mend, now the other Cloud said it was over? "No, it can't be over. Cloud can't be gone," Zack didn't know that he had spoken aloud, but he lost the strength in his legs and dropped to the floor on his knees. What was he going to do now?

Softly, a low voice spoke from above the kneeling man, "Zack, we need to call someone. Maybe someone can help him, help us."

Finally looking up, tears dropped down his cheeks. Anger, pain, frustration and sadness spoke for him, "Who Seph? Who are we going to call?!" Standing up, still and strangely angelic, Zack clenched his fists and his wings unfurled in an arch, filling half of the room, "There is no one who can help. Harding is dead, Hojo is dead, Cloud is dead. Everyone is dead! So who do you suggest we call?"

Taking a deep breath, the stoic and saddened dark winged angel dropped his head, "I don't know Zackary. I don't know what to do."

Neither man knew how long they stood there, staring at nothing and in shock until a light touch on his arm got his attention, "Zack?"

"Aerith?" Sephiroth raised his head when he heard Zack speak her name.

Speechless, he couldn't speak to Aerith, what would he say? Losing Cloud, then getting him back and now they lost him again. This time though, it was much worse than they could have ever imagined, so much worse than in the hospital. Unconsciously, Zack's wings spread out again and started to wrap around his body, he wanted to hide, just curl up and shrivel into oblivion. He'd been there once, before Hojo had taken his experiment back from the realm of death.

Peace and tranquility, he'd gotten a taste of it before he was pulled back to this bleak harshness of reality. It was a difficult thing to ignore; the restful and undisturbed quiet that it offered trumped that of anything else. Burying his face in his hands, his wings enveloped him, but a small hand reached through the feathers and took his wrist, "Zack, I know," The sweet voice of the ancient calmed his raging heart.

Sephiroth's quiet question rang loudly, "How did this happen?" Like the ticking of a clock, steady and consistent, Zack could feel his and Sephiroth's heartbreak fill the quiet room.

Taking his wing in her hand, she gently pushed it aside, once she held their hands in hers, she shivered in sadness, "The other Cloud kept him alive long enough for him to fight, but it was too much that he just couldn't hold on any longer. I'm sorry."

Finally revealing his face from behind the large wings, Zack questioned, "So there's no way to get him back?"

Aerith bit her lip and choked back a sob and with a shake of her head they had their answer. Her ever knowing eyes told more than she let on.

"No… I won't accept that! There has to be a way," Zack pulled his wrist from her grasp and held his breath, "There is always a way, the Jenova cells, the mako, something!"

Aerith brought her free hand to her chest and swallowed down what emotions that insisted on escaping. Taking a step back, she quietly said, "Zack, please don't do this to yourself."

What was she talking about? Of course he filled with guilt and losing his friend just magnified that. Looking at the unique eyes of his friend when Sephiroth sunk to his knees, his watering eyes broke up his image, "I'm sorry Seph… I'm sorry Aerith. If it hadn't been for my weakness, none of this would have happened."

Fresh air, he needed time to think, but the darkened sky held little comfort. Standing in the street, very little light from the few street lamps illuminated the area, but he longed for the darkness. Flapping his wings, he lifted himself to the air and flew off toward the gates of Midgar.

A/N 2: Thanks to everyone who reads, favorites, subscribes and/or reviews, I appreciate your time and I dedicate all of this to you. To quote another author, "Getting reviews makes me feel all warm and squishy."

Please send me your reviews if you want. It is really easy. Just click your arrow in the little box, write what you thought or felt about the chapter and then click right down there, just below the box. A little lower… a little to the right… yeah, right there! Click it! *grinning*

Guest reviews with my thoughts:

Guest:
Just finished reading this. I passed this story over and over again, and I finally decided to have a look and I'm so glad that I did. This was a really great read, I read the whole thing over a week (props on basically writing a book). Some parts were a bit eek, but very well done , and that's what they were supposed to be. I think it's easy to write lemons and fluff, but I like that it stuck with what (i assume ) you wanted it to be, despite some unfair criticism and downright insults. Can't wait for the last installments.

I am thrilled that you decided to stop by and give my story a read through - and actually enjoyed it! I really didn't intend for this to be as long as it is, but I guess you could say that it just turned out that way. With all the things that I put the characters through, I felt that I really needed to get into the meat of the story and there were things that needed to be explained that I couldn't rush through. (That sounds so sophisticated doesn't it? I didn't mean to sound all highfalutin and all ;P) Anyway, thanks for your thoughts. All the unfair criticism and insults were taken as they were given - flippantly. If people don't like a story, they generally skip it and move on and I guess they thought they found an easy target in me, but they didn't know me as they thought. I just want every other author out there who has been the victim of a troll that they don't have to take their statements as gospel. Thanks again for taking time to review! I hope you enjoy the last chapter coming up.

Grover:
Personally I don't think I would mind another 10 chapters of this story. I know you said the last couple of chapters were the epilogue but getting to read more of this is what I want. I don't want to say goodbye to your story just yet.

Geez, your so sweet. I know that saying goodbye is hard, but there is a sequel in the works. When I first wrote this, I'd been working on it for well over a year between work, kids, dinner, kids, laundry, kids, cleaning, kids and grocery shopping, so it was getting to that point for me that it just needed to end. Thanks for taking time to review!