A/N: So, once again, it's taken me forever to update this chapter. I'm so sorry, but I am determined to finish this. I put a rewrite of Breath of Fire up on A03, and once this is finished, I'll rewrite this one as well. As always, thanks to my lovely beta, Denebola Leo, and extra thanks to Cerulean1990 for his help with the Spanish parts of the chapter. And thanks to all of you who are still reading and supporting me!

Trigger warning: References to self-harm and suicide.


Chapter 28: Leaving Costa del Sol

Cloud's senses came online one at a time. First was the smell – eau de Tifa. Then came the sound – the soft breath of a sleeping woman. Then touch – the weight of her head and arm on his chest, the smooth sleekness of her hair sliding against his skin with his movement. He opened his eyes and added sight.

Gods, she was beautiful.

Tifa looked so innocent when she was asleep. That little wrinkle between her brows was smoothed out and the tightness around her mouth gave way to lightly upturned lips.

He moved her hair away from her face to get a better look. It was the first peaceful morning in a long time for him, too. For once, he was able to lie in bed without Jenova looming over him. The heaviness of her presence was with him from the moment he awoke until he slipped into unconsciousness. Even then she haunted him, keeping Aerith out of his dreams, doing gods knew what with his subconscious.

He wondered what it was about Tifa that could keep Jenova from him. Her fierce determination? Her protective nature? Those were formidable traits, but he didn't believe that was it. It was the combination of her with Cloud that made it possible. Together, they were potent. Together…he was Cloud.

Jacob contained shades of Cloud. He had Cloud's skills, his mannerisms, his voice, but the person he could be, the person who laughed and loved and felt alive — Cloud — was lost in the ether. Jacob let himself become complacent with an evil presence lurking over his shoulder, influencing every thought, dictating his moods. He used his hard-won skills to extort money from people who could least afford it. The longer he was away from Tifa, the less it seemed to matter. The less he seemed to matter.

With her, he felt different. The idea that he threatened and cut people who owed money to a crime lord was abhorrent. He hoped she would never find out exactly what he did for a living in her absence, but it seemed inevitable. Tifa had a way of drawing those things out. At the same time, he longed for the absolution.

Her eyes fluttered open and found him watching her. She gave him a sleepy smile. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied. "Sleep well?"

Tifa scrunched up her face in a yawn and stretched. "Mm. Yeah. I always sleep better when you're next to me."

"Me too," Cloud said. "I like your smell."

A laugh bubbled out of Tifa. "My smell?"

"Mhm." He smiled. "It's just like your shampoo and your lotion and the scent of your skin."

Tifa threw her leg across his waist and smiled seductively. "Anything else you like about me?"

"I…like everything about you."

Tifa chuckled. "Liar."

He linked his fingers between hers, brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "Right now I do."

"Hmn." Tifa moved her hips, rubbing against him. "Does it have anything to do with this?"

"I mean…it doesn't hurt," he said, grinning.

"What about…this?" She kissed along his jawline and ran her tongue against his stubble.

He shuddered. "Definitely that."

"And these?" She brought his hand inside of her silky nightshirt and pressed it to her chest.

"Those are two of my favorite things," Cloud said sincerely.

She moved up and kissed him gently, pulling at his lower lip. "Tifa…I really missed you," he whispered. A sheath of her hair dislodged from behind her ear and tickled his face. He brought his hand up to push it back, then stroked her cheek with his thumb. "When Ricky had you, I was afraid I'd lost you forever. I never want to feel like that again."

"Then don't," Tifa said.

He pulled her down and kissed her deeply. He tried to pour everything he was feeling into that kiss. He wanted to show her what his words were inadequate to express. How do you show someone that the person you are doesn't exist without them?

One hand cupped the back of her head, lightly rubbing. His fingertips skated down her arm, across her back, and he held her tighter. She tasted like marshmallows, soft and warm, like a comfort food that he would return to, again and again.

Her hips ground against him again, and he moaned softly. His hands moved down to her ass. It was hotter than hell when Tifa got aggressive like this, but it was hard for him to relinquish control.

He slid her silky pajama shorts down, and she sat up with a coy smile to slide out her leg.

A loud snort from the couch startled them. Tifa gasped and dropped down on his chest, pulling the blanket over them. She stifled a giggle. "Think we can do this without waking him?"

Cloud grinned. "I'm pretty sure Barret knows what we do anyway. He saw us that first time, remember?"

Tifa groaned and dropped her head against his chest. "That is so unsexy. Please don't remind me."

Cloud lifted an eyebrow mischievously. "Really? I kinda liked it."

"You would," she said. Then his lips found her neck and began caressing the sensitive skin there, and she had to suppress the moan. She pressed against him and dug her fingers into his biceps.

They were both breathing hard when Barret snorted again.

"Ok, let's go into the bathroom," Cloud whispered. It was tiny and cramped, but in a cabin with only one inner door, it was the only place they could have any privacy.

Tifa grabbed her robe and slipped it on. Cloud didn't bother. Two steps from the bed, he tripped over the edge of his suitcase. "Ouch! Damn it!"

"Huh? Wha?" Barret opened his eyes and blinked groggily.

"Nothing. Sorry. Go back to sleep," Tifa said hurriedly. She grabbed Cloud's hand and pulled him into the bathroom while Barret muttered incoherently.

Cloud practically fell into the bathroom and Tifa leaned against the door to shut it, trying to quiet her giggles. They were instantly enveloped in darkness. With no windows in the bathroom, it may as well have been midnight. Tifa felt around blindly against the walls. "Where's the light?"

"Forget it," Cloud said from the floor.

"Easy for you to say," Tifa scoffed. "You can see in the—ohhhh."

He stood up slowly, trailing kisses up her body as he rose. Her fingers found his hair and tangled in it as she leaned against the door.

"I really can't…mmm…I can't see anything."

"I know," he whispered, his lips brushing against the tender shell of her ear. One arm wrapped around her waist, grounding her in the darkness. "Did you ever wonder what it would be like to do this blindfolded?"

"I uh…well, I never really thought about—"

"Do you trust me?"

He heard her breathy laugh. "I trust you, Cloud."


Denzel sat cross-legged on Lexi's bed with his sketchpad propped on his lap. The pencil bounced up and down in his loose fingers. "This never works, Lexi."

"Just try it, please? My abilities have gotten stronger since I've been here. I don't know why, but I can do things I could never do before."

"You know why," Denzel said with a scowl. "You just can't remember the sessions. That bastard was messing with your head."

Lexi looked abashed. She ducked her head. "I just want to find her. Her emotions are so powerful. She feels hurt so much deeper than anyone I've ever met."

Denzel looked up sharply. "Lexi, you can't take away her pain when we find her. We'll deal with it like normal people and make her understand."

"But—"

"Lex! You just got better! Marlene can deal with some hurt feelings. Now that we know what it costs, I guarantee she would get mad if she finds out you helped her that way."

Lexi couldn't meet his eyes. She picked at a scab on her leg.

"You know I'm right," he pressed.

"Marlene is different, Denzel. You didn't feel it. That day…at the school. When I told her I didn't want to be her friend. I felt it…like my heart was tearing in two. It was crippling, Denzel. Physical pain. I couldn't stop her from getting away because I thought I was going to die."

"Hey." Denzel sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her. "I can't feel it, but I know she's sensitive. She's always been like that. But she's also strong. She can handle her emotions. She just needs time."

He truly believed that. Upset Marlene was like a trapped animal, thrashing and screaming until she wore herself out. Once she was exhausted, she always managed to calm down and find her way out of the cage. If you didn't want to be scratched and bitten, it was best to just stay out of her way until then.

But it seemed like nothing Denzel said made any difference to Lexi. He didn't know if he would be able to stop her from throwing herself on the grenade if Marlene was still mad when they found her. He couldn't risk it.

"Fine. I'll try it."

Lexi lifted her head.

"I'll try to see where she is, but only if you promise to let me talk to her before you see her." Maybe if he could calm her down, Lexi wouldn't be bowled over by Marlene's emotions.

Lexi took a shaky breath and nodded. "Deal."

Denzel returned to the bed across from her and picked up his sketch pad. He knew he wasn't being entirely truthful. He knew that he could control his visions better now than before. If there was a picture of Marlene somewhere in there, he could bring it up. He was just reluctant to use it because Dr. Chuck had taught him about it. It still pissed him off that Dr. Chuck figured things out that Denzel himself hadn't thought of.

Denzel didn't close his eyes this time. He just let the drawing play out, until he could make out the first item. It was the dental chair in Dr. Chiro's office. Denzel growled in frustration and flipped the page. He had to get Dr. Chuck out of his head. He had to focus on Marlene. He put his pencil to the page and let the pencil fill in the details as they appeared.

The dental chair again. The pencil snapped in his fingers. Damn it!

He dropped the broken pencil and leaned his head back against the wall.

"What?" Lexi questioned.

"I'm just going to watch it," Denzel said. "More details come out in the drawings, but I don't think I need details to find her."

Lexi nodded, and Denzel closed his eyes. He pulled Marlene's face into his mind. Her expression was a familiar one: a little amused, a little irritated, and a lot of attitude. It distorted into a grimace, and then a silent scream.

What's happening to her? I guess I do need the details. I need background.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the details filled in. The dental chair. The straps. The scalpel. Dr. Chuck.

Denzel's eyes flew open, and he shot to his feet.

"What? What did you see, Denzel?" Lexi asked frantically.

"Dr. Chuck has her," he yelled as he yanked the door open.

"Denzel! Wait!" Lexi called, but he ignored her. He ran down to the sitting room as fast as his legs would carry him. Her voice grew fainter as he ran, but he barely noticed. All he could think about was getting to Marlene. He slammed into the basement door at full speed.

"Denzel!" Ms. Joya called.

Denzel ignored her and yanked open the door. He flew down the stairs and down the long hallway, past the clouded glass doors, skidding to a stop in front of the door marked Examination at the end. He fumbled with the door handle. How could it be locked? It was never locked.

A stupid lock wouldn't stop him. Denzel had seen Tifa bust down a door once and had been impressed enough to ask her about it later. You want to do a thrust kick just inside the doorknob. Knee to chest. Toes back. Hit it with your heel. If it doesn't give on the first kick, check to see where the wood splinters. Hit that spot again, as many times as necessary.

Denzel followed her example to the letter. He had practiced it on the punching bag many times. He felt like such a badass, imagining all the doors he was breaking down. So he felt reasonably prepared for the door to fly open on his first kick.

Ow! Fuck! That door is solid. Kicking a punching bag that moved when you hit it was very different from kicking a solid object. The impact vibrated back up his leg and his heel throbbed angrily. He pulled in another breath and kicked again. And again. It was splintering at the jamb, but it wasn't nearly as easy as Tifa made it look. When it did finally break, he nearly fell into the room.

It was empty. Silent. Denzel stared at the empty dental chair, catching his breath. It hadn't happened yet. It must be a future vision.

I'll be damned if I'm going to let it happen. I know I can change this one. I know how to stop it, and it's not with my mind.

He stormed forward and ran into another locked door at the office. With a grunt of frustration, he lifted his leg and smashed his heel through. It broke easily this time, and the lighter door smashed into the office wall. Several jars of unidentified substances fell off the shelves and shattered on the floor. As the smell of formaldehyde wafted up to Denzel, he realized how foolish he had been. Obviously Dr. Chuck wasn't in his office, cowering in the dark while Denzel busted through the first door.

The important thing was that Marlene was safe. The vision was here in the examination room, meaning that it wasn't happening yet. There was still time to take care of Dr. Chiro.

As his adrenaline slowed, Denzel started to feel guilty about the shattered jars on the floor. It was silly to worry about destruction of property considering his murderous thoughts, but Tifa had ingrained habits that made him ashamed to leave a mess behind. Always leave a place better than you found it.

He knelt down and began to pick up intact materials on the floor. Some looked like they might have been organs, and Denzel desperately hoped that they weren't human as he scooped them up and placed them on the shelf. There were two small jars, still intact, that caught his attention. It was difficult to see what was inside of them through the murky glass, but they looked like locks of hair – one dark and one light. The labels on the lids were similar:

"Proj S Clone Anomaly – Z1"

"Proj S Clone Anomaly – C3"

Whether it was simple intuition or a triggered memory that he couldn't quite recall, those samples tugged at his curiosity. He scanned the neatly labeled filing cabinets. How lucky that Dr. Chuck still used paper files.


A waft of steam drifted from the open bathroom door, instantly making the already stuffy room unbearably muggy. Barret looked up from his newspaper.

"Breakfast is on the stove," he said gruffly. "We've got an hour."

Tifa cleared her throat and pulled her robe tighter. "Ok. Thanks, Barret." She picked up a plate and began dishing up from the skillet, keeping her eyes averted.

"When did you get tickets?" Cloud asked, pushing a hand back through his hair, abruptly reminded that there were no spikes to spring back. It bothered him.

Barret retreated behind the paper again. "This morning. I was tryin' to give y'all some privacy but I came back and…well, then I made breakfast. And ate. And packed all our stuff. And cleaned the cabin. And still…"

"Yeah, sorry," Tifa mumbled. "The shower was slow. I mean, the water pressure…it was too low. Took a while to get my shampoo and then I have hair and..."

"Teef, you want some coffee?" Cloud intervened.

"Yes, please," she said gratefully, her face hidden behind a curtain of wet hair.

Barret peeked out from behind the paper and smirked at Cloud. Cloud shrugged one shoulder. He wasn't embarrassed, but he could see that it bothered Tifa, so he searched for a change of subject.

"So where'd you stash Marlene while you're enjoying your beach vacation?" he asked, pouring a steaming mug for Tifa.

"Uh…" Barret and Tifa exchanged a look. "She's…at Hubble House."

"What?!" Cloud stood up straight. "But she's not…why would you…"

"It's safe enough for Denzel and Lexi, ain't it?" Barret asked irritably.

"But it's for geostigma kids," Cloud said slowly, setting the cup in front of Tifa. "Is Marlene—"

"Naw, nothin' like that," Barret said, waving his fork dismissively. "She got herself into a bit of trouble and…well, she missed Lexi and we needed a place for her to stay. Seemed logical for them to stay together." His scowl deepened. "It is safe, ain't it?

Cloud rubbed his face wearily. "Safe enough, I guess. I just…I'll never trust a Shinra."

"Shinra?!" Barret's chair scraped against the floor as he jumped to his feet. "Why didn't you tell me Shinra was there?!"

"You didn't ask," Cloud said irritably. "Anyway, I'm sure it's fine. It's in his best interest to keep those kids alive."

"Alive?" Barret stomped his foot. "How about being sent home full of propaganda?! How about little spies planted all over the city?"

"The kids are fine, Barret," Tifa said wearily. "I used to visit all the time on family weekends. There's no trace of Shinra in there."

Barret glared at her. "You knew that place was run by evil incarnate? What the hell, Tifa? How could you let our kids go live there?!"

Tifa stared at him. "I thought you knew," she said slowly. "Didn't you meet Reno at the gate?"

"Well I—" Barret blustered. "I didn't think that meant…"

"Shinra just owns the place," Cloud said, digging through the pan for a mushroom. "He's not involved with it, I don't think. Turks are just there for security."

Barret huffed. "Yeah. The kind of security that does your dirty work. How's that supposed to make me feel better?"

Cloud shoveled another mouthful of food from the frying pan. He was too used to Barret's theatrics to get excited. "Eleanor Joya is the housemother in charge of their well-being. You've met Eleanor, haven't you?"

Barret blinked. "Yeah, I know her. Million kids. No-nonsense kind of lady."

"Right. She'd never be intimidated by the likes of Rufus. She keeps that place in line."

"Half of her own kids are living there," Tifa added. "She won't let anything happen to them."

Barret sat back down slowly. "I ain't happy about this but…I trust your judgment, Tifa."

Tifa gave him a small smile.

"You sure you got the right tickets, Barret?" Cloud said, picking a potato off the skillet and tossing it into his mouth. "Passenger ships to Junon don't usually leave until after noon, after the morning freights are in." Even after his relatively short stint working at the docks, it wasn't difficult to learn the schedule at the port.

He almost missed the look between his friends at the table. "What?" he asked suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me?"

Barret scoffed. "I think you developed some trust issues out here, Spiky. Damn."

Cloud looked across the table. "Tifa."

Tifa took a slow sip of coffee before answering. "I'm sure Barret knows what he's doing," she demurred. Her eyes pleaded with him. Please don't ask any more questions, Cloud. Not now.

"Fine," Cloud said, decisively stabbing the last of the food in the skillet with his fork. If he couldn't trust Barret and Tifa, there was no one he could trust. "If we're all packed, we just need to clean up our dishes, right?"

"Mhm," Barret confirmed. "Thoughtful of ya not to dirty another plate," he said pointedly.

Cloud grinned. "What can I say? I'm a thoughtful guy."

The three of them made quick work of the dishes. Loaded down with suitcases and backpacks, they left their breezy hut for the bright sunshine of the beach. It was the worst kind of day to be leaving the sea — bright and hot, the sweltering sun bearing down early on the town. The ship would be uncomfortably muggy below deck, and all that refreshing water would be just out of reach.

Barret pulled the door shut and locked it. "We just need to drop off the keys before we go."

"Hey Barret, can you carry this?" Cloud asked, tossing him a rolled-up sleeping bag.

Barret caught it with his good hand, dropping the keys in the sand.

"I'll get those," Cloud said, picking up the keys and dropping them in a pocket.

Barret tucked the sleeping bag under his prosthetic arm. "I s'pose. Why?"

"I need to take something else."

He linked the fingers of his left hand with Tifa's right. She smiled at him.

Barret scoffed, but he turned around and started walking across the sand with the luggage.

The rental office was between their cabin and the harbor. When they reached the open window, Cloud slid the keys across the counter to the owner, an older man with a rotund belly and a tobacco-stained beard.

"How was your stay?" he asked politely.

"It was great," Cloud said, smiling at Tifa. "Fantastic. We'll have to do this again soon."

While Barret signed the paperwork, he leaned over and kissed Tifa. It was more than a quick peck.

"I see," The owner said appreciatively. "Cabañas El Cornudo … is a beautiful place for lovers." He eyed Barret speculatively and then winked. "Por que tres no son multitud."

"Err…right," Barret said while Cloud coughed to cover his laugh. "Thanks."

He shoved the paper and pen back towards the owner and turned away. "Let's go, we've got twenty minutes to get to the buggy post." He was walking quickly, and Cloud and Tifa had to jog to catch up.

"Wait, the what? Barret, the port is the other way," Cloud protested.

Barret slowed his walk slightly, but he didn't stop. "Yeah, uh, about that. We're not going back to Edge right away."

Cloud felt something move inside his head. Tifa was holding his hand and Jenova was effectively silenced, but for the first time he could feel her presence and he knew she was listening.

He stopped walking, and Tifa was forced to stop too. "Tifa, what's going on?"

Tifa looked sheepish. "We're going to make a stop at Cosmo Canyon before we head home," she said.

"Cosmo Canyon," Cloud said slowly. "Why?"

"We thought…it would be a good place to reconnect…with your spirit."

Cloud hesitated. "I see."

"Plus we want to check out Nanaki's library," Barret said breezily. "If there's anything that was ever written about squashing that parasite, it's gotta be in there."

Tifa let out a frustrated sigh. She was obviously trying to hold that part back.

"Oh," Cloud said. "Ok. Let's go, then."

They began walking again.

"Bugenhagen's got some of the craziest shit in that library," Barret said. "You know last time I was there, I found this book that said you could bring someone back to life."

"Really," Cloud said blandly.

"Yeah. It said you needed 'Tears of the Ancient' and you could restore someone whose soul hadn't moved on to the lifestream yet."

Cloud felt a pang of sadness. "That would've been useful information when there were still living Cetra."

"Yeah," Barret said thoughtfully. "But we couldn't have saved her anyway. It can't be bottled. It has to be fresh. And the Cetra has to feel true sorrow at losing that person."

"Oh," Cloud said. "Well, she's happy where she is. She's with Zack. No use mourning what could have been."

Barret nodded. "That's right. Anyway, the point is, it's gotta be the biggest arcane collection on the planet."

"Mm." Cloud tipped back his head, letting the cool breeze dry the sweat on his brow. It was such a simple thing, something that he hadn't fully appreciated since he'd left home. There was something almost like a smile on his face.

"You seem a lot better today," Tifa commented as they walked. "More like yourself."

"Do I?" Cloud asked, squinting at her. "Well, I had a really great morning."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm. Thanks to you."

Tifa laughed softly, that adorable pink dusting spreading across her cheeks. "I'm glad I could help."

He loved that she still responded to him like that, like the thought of being with him was still a secret they could only talk about in hushed tones behind closed doors. Although his comment hadn't been strictly referring to sex, her reaction stirred something in his belly. His voice dropped lower.

"You were very helpful, Miss Lockhart. I might…need help again this afternoon."

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "I'll have to check my calendar."

Somewhere in the background, he heard a yell. Distracted as he was, it took a moment longer than it should have to register. Cloud spun around just in time to deflect the volleyball before it smashed into Tifa's head.

"Hey! Careful!" he yelled at the kid chasing it.

"Sorry," the kid called, scooping up the ball before running back to his friends.

Cloud scratched his head as they started walking again. "I think I'm losing my edge, Teef. I almost—"

A flash of light and pain ripped through his head. Cloud dropped to his knees in the sand, both hands gripping his head as if he could hold it together. It was coming apart in great cracks. He felt like he was screaming, but he couldn't be sure. There was a buzz that drowned out everything. It filled his senses, obliterating the beach, the waves, Tifa…

Hello, Love.


When Lexi finally escaped Ms. Joya's inquisition, Denzel had been gone far too long to hope that he had found the locked doors and turned back. As soon as the matron was out of sight, she slipped through the basement door.

The basement was as quiet as a tomb. She couldn't feel anything from Denzel, and she hadn't felt anything from Marlene, either. It seemed like her senses had been dulled since she had emptied out the darkness. It should have been a relief, but she actually felt like she had lost one of her senses.

She crept down the stairs, listening for some hint of what was going on with Denzel, but she didn't get her first clue until the examination room door was in sight. It looked like a grizzly had been attempting to break through. The door was mangled and dented. Splinters from the door jamb were scattered across the floor.

She stepped carefully around the debris and into the exam room. Other than the door, the room was perfectly tidy. The giant glass tank that had been in the center of the room was gone. There was no sign of blood anywhere. The dental chair was spotless.

Lexi let out a breath and stepped further into the room. The next thing out of place was the office door, which was hanging from one hinge. She tiptoed to the door, afraid of what she would see.

He sat on the floor in the corner of the room with a file open on his lap. She couldn't interpret his expression, but at this distance, she could feel it. Horror, sadness, hurt, anger. It was all wrapped up in one big ball of pain.

"Denzel." It came out in a rush of air. His pants were soaked in formaldehyde, and broken glass littered the floor, and he didn't seem to notice any of it. "I know it's awful, but she doesn't remember any of it and I think that's a blessing this time."

Denzel blinked slowly. "What?"

Lexi looked down at the file in his hands. It looked older, softened and fraying around the edges, and the color was faded. It wasn't Marlene's file.

"What are you looking at?" The page was filled with handwritten notes, and the photo on top was grainy. She angled her head to get a better look, but hadn't managed to make sense of the picture when Denzel snapped it closed.

"You don't want to see it, Lexi. It will give you nightmares."

"Oh, Denzel." Lexi squatted down next to him and reached out her arms, but Denzel held her back.

"Don't you dare try to take this from me," he said fiercely. "I need to hold on to this…this rage."

"Okay," Lexi said, sitting back on her heels. "I was just trying to give you a hug."

Denzel wiped at his face. "Oh. Sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" his face crumbled, and he started to cry. This time, he let Lexi hold him. She sat down in the formaldehyde and let him bury his face against her chest. He cried great big heaving sobs, and she could feel how much it hurt, but she didn't try to take it from him. She wanted to share his burden, but it didn't lighten his load one bit.


It had been years since Cloud had dealt with a hangover. He desperately wished that he had one now.

His head throbbed painfully out of rhythm, as if a dozen tiny men were trying to break into his skull with a ball-peen hammer. His muscles ached. His skin burned. His stomach rolled. It was his worst hangover times ten.

Then something cool and soothing touched his forehead. He forced himself to open his eyes. He was greeted with brown irises flecked with red, long brown hair sheltering him from the harsh sunlight.

"How are you feeling?" Tifa asked.

"Mmugh," Cloud groaned.

Another cool hand touched his face, blunting the sharpest edges of the pain.

"He's awake?" A slightly less soothing voice boomed as Barret loomed over them. "Well he ain't screamin', so that's a good start."

"Mmm. No," Cloud mumbled. "I haven't seen your ugly mug yet."

Barret chuckled. "Ahh that's my boy. See? He's fine, Tifa."

Cloud groaned.

"Look, not to rush ya, but that buggy ain't gonna wait."

"We should wait another day," Tifa said. "He looks awful."

Barret hesitated. "If we wait, it's gonna be another week, and the tickets ain't refundable."

"Barret—"

"No," Cloud muttered. "We should go. I'll be fine. I just…need a minute." He threw an arm across his eyes.

"I'll get some water," Barret said. The protection of his shadow disappeared, letting the sun beat down on pale skin.

"Is he dead?" a young voice asked loudly.

Cloud cringed as a shard of pain shot through him. A cool hand stroked his forehead. "No, he just needs to rest for a moment," Tifa said softly.

"I…I didn't hit him," the voice protested. Cloud flinched again. The shard came in the shape of an obnoxious child's voice.

"I know," Tifa said wearily. "This has nothing to do with you."

"The ball didn't even get him."

The shard dug deeper into his skull and he groaned. "Tifa..."

"Just give us some space please," Tifa said, her voice losing some of its sweetness.

He heard the retreating of footsteps in the sand, but not enough. From slightly farther away, the kid yelled, "Hey guys! Want to see someone die? I think he's about to die!"

Tifa pulled in a breath to respond and Cloud braced himself, but then the welcome relief of a large shadow shrouded him again. There was a high-pitched scream, thankfully far enough away that it didn't tear through him, and then fast footsteps were fleeing in the sand.

Tifa's hand moved behind his neck. "Can you sit up enough to drink?"

She helped him lift his head and guided the bottle to his lips. The cool water felt like bliss on his tongue, and the pain in his head seemed to ease a bit.

"That helps," Cloud said, easing his head back to the ground. "I think it's getting better."

"Yeah. You don't look…great," Tifa said. "But if you can make it onto the buggy, maybe a little Rainbow would help dull the pain."

Cloud cracked one eye open. Was Tifa seriously suggesting drugs to get him through the trip? She usually wasn't all that keen on them, and he did remember most of their conversation from the last night in his apartment. He remembered how disappointed she was when she found out he'd been smoking.

But then…then he'd told her about the way the Rainbow silenced Jenova, and she seemed to understand. Maybe she had a plan. Maybe she had something to tell him without Jenova listening.

She smiled down at him. "Just a little bit, though."

Cloud swallowed painfully. "Okay. Let's mosey."

Barret laughed loudly, and Cloud cringed. "You always gonna be a nerd, ain't ya, Spiky? Alright big boy, here we go."

Giant hands reached under his arms and hefted him upright. Cloud's stomach lurched with the sudden movement, and he spewed eggs and peppers on Barret's chest. Barret groaned.

"Damn it, Spiky! That was my last clean shirt!"

"S-sorry." Cloud tried to steady himself on his feet, but the ground seemed to be moving beneath him.

Barret sighed. "It's fine. Let's jus' get movin'."

Tifa rubbed Cloud's back soothingly. "Maybe try some more water?" she suggested, holding up the bottle.

"Mmkay."

Blearily, he took the bottle and brought it to his lips. The water seemed to calm his stomach, and his head was almost bearable now.

"Better?" Tifa asked.

"Mhm."

Tifa studied him worriedly. "Are you sure you're up for this? We can wait—"

"No," Cloud said. "This is the only buggy for a week. I need to be out of this town."

"Let's try this," Barret said, shifting Cloud to his left side. He put an arm around Cloud's back and under his armpit on the other side. "Can y'walk now?"

They started moving forward awkwardly. Cloud staggered, and Barret caught him. It was a strangely intimate position, and if it had been anyone else, Cloud might have protested. It wasn't as if he could put his arm over Barret's shoulder. Barret was almost twice his size - over three hundred pounds of muscle and attitude - and it was clear that he could have thrown Cloud over his shoulder and just carried him much faster. The fact that he didn't, that he chose this slow, staggering walk to spare Cloud the indignity of being carried, meant a lot.

Combined with the fact that he had apparently rescued Cloud from that screeching kid on the beach, Cloud was feeling an awful lot of affection for the big man at the moment.

"What did you do to that little kid?" Cloud asked.

"I pointed at him," Barret said solemnly.

"With your gun?!"

Barret laughed. "I wish." He held up his arm and the prosthetic hand. That was probably for the best anyway. The gun graft tended to draw a lot of attention. "I think he pissed his pants."

Cloud smiled wearily. "Thanks."

"For what?" Barret asked. "Kid was annoying me."

"Just for…being you," Cloud said.

"Damn, boy, this place has turned you into a sap," Barret said gruffly. "Knock it off."

When they finally reached the stall, they were almost ten minutes late. The driver was impatient and irritable. "I almost left, you know," he said. "I've got a schedule to keep here."

"Sorry," Tifa said, flashing him her sweetest smile. "We're here now."

The man seemed to lose some of his steam. "Well, alright then. Just be quick loading your — wait a minute!" he said sharply. "What's wrong with that man?"

Cloud swallowed and tried to stand up straight. "Nothing."

The driver's beady little eyes scanned him from head to toe. "You're sweating and pale. And you!" He scanned Barret too. "You have vomit on your shirt. You're sick."

Barret scowled. "Kid just had too much fun last night, alright? He'll be fine once he sleeps it off."

But the driver was backing away, releasing the brakes. "No, no. He's sick. You can't bring him on here."

"Wait, please," Tifa said, stepping forward.

The driver paused, glancing back at her traveling companions. "Are you in danger, Miss? I can get you out of here, but those two aren't coming."

"No," Tifa said, reaching for his arm. "We all need to go. We're good passengers, I promise."

Cloud swallowed repeatedly as he felt his stomach lurching, trying to keep it down. It was no good. He pushed away from Barret and dropped to his knees just before the remainder of his breakfast showered the bushes.

The man jerked his arm out of reach and started the noisy motor. "Sorry. I can't," he yelled over the noise.

"Hey!" Barret yelled. "What about our money? We paid for these damn tickets!"

"Try the next one," the driver called back as the buggy lurched forward.

Barret let out an impressive stream of expletives and the driver stepped on the gas.

I know what you're up to, Love.

Tifa put a cool hand on the back of his neck. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Cloud grunted, wiping his mouth. "Let's just get back to Midgar. We need to finish this."

They picked up their bags and made their way across the beach. Tifa's hand was a steadying presence as much as a comfort, and he felt his steps becoming stronger as they navigated the uneven surface. If Jenova was his poison, then Tifa was the antidote. He could practically feel Jenova seething when Tifa touched him. It was no wonder that she found a way to separate them.

Tifa looked up and caught him staring. "What?" she asked.

Cloud shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just…really glad you're here."

Tifa smiled back. "Me too."

It seemed that he did need to be rescued, after all.


Reno was sprawled across the couch on his back, tossing a beanbag ball into the air and catching it. The lounge was the only place in this whole building where they could really kick back when they were off duty. It was pathetic in comparison to the lounge they had at headquarters, but at least it had a giant TV. And a dartboard. Turks like to throw things.

"What I can't figure out is how he got his hands on the sword," Reno mused. "You sure it's still in lockup?"

"I'm sure," Rude said irritably, snatching the ball out of the air. "I checked twice. Whatever he used, it wasn't that mini-fusion sword."

"He's getting too dangerous," Elena said. She stood looking out the window with her hands behind her back, her suit jacket folded neatly on the chair beside her. Unlike the others, who were more or less stationed there until further notice, she still came and went and took care of the things Rufus needed handled outside of the mansion. "We have to terminate him."

Reno snorted, then sat up and grabbed the ball from Rude's hand. "You got a death wish, Elena? You wanna get on Cloud's bad side again? I personally enjoy having my head attached." He chucked the ball at the back of Elena's head.

Elena spun around and caught the ball, just inches from her nose. "I meant terminate him from the program, Reno. He's a liability. Cloud needs to get him under control."

Rude removed his sunglasses and cleaned them on his shirt. "I don't think Cloud is in any shape to do that right now."

"Come on guys, let's be real," Reno said, folding his arms behind his head and laying back again. "No one is all that broken up about that crazy-ass scientist."

"It doesn't matter how much we liked him, Reno," Elena said sharply. "He was a member of the staff and that kid mutilated him. Did you even read the report?"

"I didn't need to, sweetheart," Reno snarked. "I was on cleanup."

"Then you should know! You saw the body. You saw the message on the wall. It couldn't be much clearer. The kid is unbalanced. He's dangerous. And he was trained by Cloud fucking Strife!"

Reno snickered. "What happened to all your training, Elena? Are you afraid of losing to a teenager?"

"I'm worried about the other children, Reno. You remember them, right? The ones we're supposed to be protecting?"

The door opened and Tseng walked in, carrying several copies of a bound report. No one bothered to move from their casual positions. "Another one, Tseng? You really get off on writing those things, don't you?"

Tseng kicked the leg of the couch and dropped a report on top of Reno. "Get up. Boss's coming."

All three jumped to their feet and snapped to attention. Hands tugged at uniforms and smoothed over wrinkles.

"Sit," Rufus waved vaguely as he passed through the doorway. He strolled across the room and perched on the elevated platform in front of the giant tinted window. Once he was seated, the others found their places.

"It seems we have a bit of a situation," Rufus said, looking down from his throne.

"I agree, sir. I think he should be removed immediately," Elena stated.

"He?" Rufus raised an eyebrow.

"Denzel, sir. Cloud Strife's ward."

"Maybe you should read the report, Elena."

Elena looked suitably abashed, and she immediately opened her copy of the report.

Reno flipped straight to the pictures. He got a lot more out of the images Tseng chose to include than the thousands of words he used to describe them. The guy really needed to learn some succinctness. It wasn't like he was writing fan fiction, for Shiva's sake.

The first was an overall shot of the scene, with which Reno was already familiar. The doctor was sprawled on the floor, naked and decorated with dozens of deep gashes all over his body. The floor was scattered with glass, the remnants of the giant tank at the center of the room. Instead of one large pool of blood, there were multiple small pools scattered across the room, as if he'd been batted around like a cat's toy. And painted on the wall, shakily drawn in blood, the words "I'm sorry."

See? Just like that. Short. To the point. No explanation needed. Are you taking notes, Tseng?

The following pictures provided a few more pieces to the puzzle. One was a picture of Dr. Chuck's hand, a palm marred with cuts and pressure marks. The next was a sharp piece of glass with multiple layers of dried blood. After that was a sampling of instant pictures from an overhead camera.

"…the fuck?" Reno whispered.

"Have you lost it, Tseng?" Elena commented, halfway through the text. "Self-inflicted? Who would do this to themselves?!"

But Reno believed him. It was hard to argue with all those images. Dr. Chiro, by himself in every single one, his face tortured as he pressed the shard to his skin. Dr. Chiro using his own spilled blood to finger-paint a message on the wall. Dr. Chiro cutting himself, again and again, until there was scarcely an unblemished inch of his body. Until he lost too much blood to stay conscious.

"So…the doc was off his rocker," Reno said. "Why is this our problem? We did cleanup. He ain't got no family. No one even knows he was working here."

"The problem," Rufus said, "is that one of these kids is using Jenova abilities to knock off our staff. Surely you can see why this should concern you."

Reno suddenly remembered that his boss was in the room. "Uh, sir," he started. "With all due respect…Chuck was a dick, yo."

Tseng cleared his throat pointedly.

"I'm just sayin'," Reno continued, "the kid probably had good reason to hate him."

"Be that as it may," Rufus said, "you've clearly lost control of one of our soldiers."

Reno didn't miss the implication of his choice of pronouns. Rufus couldn't seriously blame them for a kid abusing their powers, could he? Of course he could, especially if Reno pissed him off during a meeting. He knew when it was time to shut his mouth and let Tseng be the diplomat.

But it was Elena who spoke up. "Sir, I've studied the dossiers of every child in the compound. None of them have an ability like this."

Tseng cleared his throat. "Actually, some secondary abilities have come to light with Dr. Chiro's...ahh...experimenting. There is a child who could push one to these depths of despair."

"Then her dossier should have been updated," Rufus said reproachfully.

Tseng bowed his head. "Yes, sir. My apologies."

Reno's eyes flicked between Rufus and Tseng. It was unusual for Tseng to fall behind on his reports. He was usually the one nagging Reno to fill out his forms, and then again to make them more detailed. What could have possibly prevented Tseng from updating such critical information?

Elena had gone back to the report and finished reading the text. She looked up, her eyes wide. "Lexi? But…she's so sweet. I can't imagine that she's mentally capable of this, even if she has the ability. Is she aware of it?"

"Our investigation indicates that she is," Tseng said flatly.

"Ms. Joya," Reno said suddenly. "It was so out of character, yo. Was that Lexi's power?"

"I believe so," Tseng replied.

"Well…shit," Reno said, sitting back in his chair. "What are we gonna do with Lexi? She's under Cloud's protection too, ain't she?"

"Essentially," Rufus said. "Which is why we have to be careful how we deal with this."

"Yes, sir." Tseng looked at Reno and Rude. "You know the drill. Bring her up when she's alone. We'll interrogate her and assess the threat."

"I know how to do my job, yo," Reno retorted.

"Really?" Tseng challenged. "Because that spectacle you made when you brought Alicia up was not following protocol."

Reno shrugged. "Kid attacked me first."

He knew Tseng was right, though. This was a different story. They had to be discreet with this, and even then, Denzel would probably be up their asses within minutes.

"I'll talk to Ms. Joya about a schedule change," Rude said. "We'll put her on chocobo detail where Denzel can't check in on her and won't suspect anything right away."

"Good," Rufus replied. "I want her in my office by this afternoon." He stood up from this throne, signaling the end of the meeting, and strolled out.

It was strange to be getting marching orders directly from Rufus. He usually preferred to stay out of the matters he delegated to the Turks. The less he knew, the more plausible deniability he would have. In most cases, he trusted them to handle things discreetly for him, things far more sensitive than interrogating a teenager.

"Why's the boss so interested in this, yo?" Reno asked.

"Because Cloud's involved," Tseng said solemnly. "The fastest way to bring down Cloud's wrath is to mess with his kids."


The trio managed to get on the ship without drawing any more attention than usual. Cloud and Tifa paid for a suite so that Cloud could be medicated in peace. Barret settled for coach. They had to pay extra to bring Cloud's bike on board, but Cloud just waved it away when Barret tried to argue.

Tifa tucked her backpack into an overhead compartment and looked over at Cloud, who was already sprawled out on the bed with an arm thrown across his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Cloud shrugged. "Better than this morning. Worse than yesterday."

"Do you…still need the Rainbow?" she asked tentatively.

"I could use it," Cloud said, sitting up. "If it's ok with you."

Tifa handed him the baggie. "Just not too much, ok? I have other activities planned for us tonight."

A wicked grin spread across his face. "Is that so?"

Tifa looked away, her face burning. How could he still do that to her after all these years? "Ahem. Yes," she said, busying herself with straightening a towel. That wasn't exactly what she meant, but if it kept him from going overboard with the Rainbow, he could think what he wanted. And it really wasn't out of the question.

She heard the flick of the lighter behind her and picked up her purse. "I'm going to get some air and talk to Barret while you do that." She turned to look at him through the smoke. He still looked haggard, but she could already see some of the tension loosening in his muscles. She leaned over to kiss his head. "I'll be back in a bit, ok?'

"Yeah," Cloud sighed, scooting back to lean against the wall. "I'll be fine."

Tifa slipped out the door and climbed the stairs, taking a deep breath of the crisp sea air on the deck. They were not yet moving, but the air here was cooler and still felt fresher than the stale air of the cabin. It seemed like years had passed since she made the journey there with the old man and the little girl. Tifa wondered where they were now, if she was still holding her dolly.

Barret wasn't hard to spot. He never was. He had found someone to play dice with him and was already starting to grumble about cheating. Tifa decided to nip that in the bud.

"Barret! Take a walk with me, would you?" Tifa asked sweetly.

Barret stood up and stepped over the other man. "Too afraid to walk across the deck by yourself?" Barret teased her.

Tifa batted her lashes. "Yes, please keep me safe, big strong man."

Barret laughed and fell into step with her. "What's up? Is he doing ok?"

"Um, yeah," Tifa said. "I just wanted to talk to you someplace where she can't listen."

Barret chortled. "You almost make it sound like a person."

"I…think she almost is," Tifa said. "She's certainly an intelligent being. She hears what he hears and sees what he sees and is constantly whispering in his ear. I'm afraid…" Tifa bit her lip and looked out over the water.

"Tifa. What?"

Tifa shook her head. "Cloud is still there. But I feel like he's only connected by a thread, and it's worn thin. As soon as she snaps it—"

"Hey! Have some faith, Teef. Cloud is strong. She's been workin' that thread for years and ain't managed to break it yet."

"I know," Tifa said softly. "But I think it was…reinforced…as long as we were together. And those months that we were apart, she's gotten her claws in deeper." Her fists clenched at her side. "Damn it! Why did I let her get between us?"

Barret's giant mitts closed over her shoulders and he turned her to look at him. "Don't do that to yo'self. You thought you were doing what was best for everyone, right? For the kids?"

Tifa nodded hesitantly. "Yes, but I was wrong."

"Well fuck, Teef. I was wrong about Corel embracing mako energy! And what did you always say to me?"

Tifa smiled ruefully. "Point taken," she said, beginning to walk again. They walked in silence for a while, listening to the engines start to purr and the water start to break against the ship. She appreciated that about Barret – how they could just be, and she could be alone with her thoughts without feeling any pressure to speak. But when she was ready to speak, he was right there.

"The Rainbow," she said suddenly. "He says it puts her to sleep or something. It's the only time we can talk without her overhearing."

Barret eyed her from the side. "Ah. That's why you suggested that? You got an idea about how to handle her?"

"Not exactly. When we get home, we need to go to Hubble House and talk to the Turks. They must have some idea about how to stop her. Cloud might be a little…unclear…while he's smoking, but we'll need to make him understand the plan. He needs to go somewhere without us, keep Jenova distracted so she doesn't know when we go to Hubble House without him."

"If she's as intelligent as you say, are you sure she really can't hear? Or is she just making you think she don't know?"

Tifa paused, then shook her head. "I have to believe she can't. Aerith has been blocked most of the time, but she's been able to get through when he smokes the Rainbow."

Barret raised an eyebrow. "Again. What if she just wants you to think that?"

"You're right," Tifa sighed. "I know you are. If we're going to figure out how to get rid of her, we have to figure it out without Cloud knowing what we're up to. I just hate to do that to him."

They walked together in silence for a few more minutes before Barret tentatively spoke. "I think…I know how we can do that."

Twenty minutes later, when she slipped back into the cabin, the pipe was nowhere to be seen and Cloud was dozing on the bed. She sat down next to him and traced her fingers lightly along his jaw. His eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," she said.

He smiled sleepily. "Hey."

"Feeling better now?"

Cloud pulled in a noisy breath. "Much." His fingers trailed lightly over her arm. "Did you want to talk to me about something? While she's gone?"

"Yeah. Scootch," she said.

Cloud sat up and moved against the wall to make room for her. She sat down, facing him. "But first, I want to know what happened on the beach this morning. That was her, wasn't it?"

Cloud sighed and rubbed his forehead wearily. "Yeah. She said it was the only way she could…get my attention…around you."

Tifa felt a bit guilty about being the reason for his pain, but more than that, she hated Jenova for using her as an excuse to hurt him.

"She said we didn't have time for this detour to see Red. She said we needed to get back to Edge so I could be free."

Tifa furrowed her brow. "What does that mean?"

"She says…when she's collected the rest of the souls, she'll be able to take on her own form, or rather, the human form she has created for herself."

Tifa's breath caught. "So she won't need a host anymore?"

"No, she still will. It just…won't need to look like me anymore."

Tifa scoffed. "And how is that supposed to convince you to hurry back?"

"She wants to split our time in my body. Like it's a fucking timeshare. I could sleep while she's controlling it, and then she would leave me alone while it was my time. She said she would need to 'recharge' after each use."

"Do you believe her?"

Cloud laughed a short, humorless laugh. "Of course not. She is a master of deception. But I let her think I was going along with it. I'm…really hoping you have a plan to get us out of this."

Tifa chewed at her bottom lip, thinking about her conversation with Barret. If Jenova really was listening, only pretending to be asleep, she would now know that Cloud had lied to her. She would have to tread carefully.

"Not exactly," Tifa hedged. "When we talked the other night, I know I was really against your idea. About taking her down with you."

His brows furrowed. "Uh huh."

She played with his fingers idly. "I don't want to lose you, Cloud. But if we don't find a way to get rid of her…I'm going to lose you anyway. In a much more awful way. And we're running out of time. So if we can't find anything, when we get back to Edge…we're going to go to Hubble House. We'll do your plan."

Cloud's eyes drifted over her shoulder, locked on the fancy curly designs on the wallpaper. "Oh…kay."

"What?" Tifa frowned. "Have you changed your mind?"

Cloud shook his head. "No. I just…"

She saw the moment he accepted it, and she knew that until that point, he hadn't. Despite his brave words, he had still believed she could come up with something safer - a better idea, a way to save him and still get rid of Jenova once and for all.

He'd believed in her. He'd thought she would be spending every waking moment trying to figure out a way to fix this while he was away. She hadn't. Every avenue she followed led to a dead end, so she had carried on working and teaching and trying not to think about it. And now he had given up.

Tifa swallowed hard. "I didn't want to. But after what happened on the beach today, and last night in the villa, I don't think we have a choice. We're out of time. I'm so afraid of what will happen if she gets control of you. She has to be stopped…one way or another."

He didn't respond. His eyes were distant, not really seeing the elaborate designs on the wall.

"Cloud…" she touched his face. "Are you…alright?"

He blinked a few times and then nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry about me. I always knew it might come to this. I just didn't think it would be so soon. I wanted to talk to the kids and make sure they would be ok. I figured we'd get together with the old team, maybe brainstorm a bit. Maybe all of us sitting around a table in a very smoky room." He smiled ruefully.

Tifa was hit with a pang of guilt so strong it rocked her. Her eyes filled up with hot tears. "I should have come sooner. Gods, I should have never made you go alone in the first place. This is all my fault."

Cloud just stared at her, and Tifa actually envied the fact that he had the drugs to help him stay cool.

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this, Tifa, but I actually have free will."

It was such a Cloud thing to say, delivered in his deadpan Cloud way, that Tifa actually laughed. In the middle of all this, and she laughed. It helped push back the panic lurking just beneath the surface, and she allowed herself to breathe.

Cloud squeezed her hand. "It's not your fault. We had no way of knowing this would escalate so quickly. We've had years with nothing but a few random nightmares. Even after I left, she wasn't nearly this aggressive. It didn't start until I found you in Costa del Sol."

The rock in her gut throbbed. Tifa bowed her head. "If I'm causing the acceleration, maybe we should—"

"No! No," Cloud said. "No matter how aggressive she is, I need you here. Just…stay with me. Please. While we still can."

Tifa turned away to hide the tears. She laid down with her back to his chest. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close.

She had always loved spooning with him, the leashed power she felt just under the surface of his skin, the security of his arms. He nuzzled her hair with his nose and inhaled, just like he had always done, and she let herself believe, just for a moment, that things were the way they used to be.

"Tifa," he said softly. "When this goes away…when my head clears…we have to act normal, ok? We can't let her figure out what we're doing."

Tifa nodded. "I know."

"If this is going to work…"

"It's going to work," Tifa said.

"Okay," Cloud sighed. His lips brushed the crown of her head. "I love you, Tifa."

"I love you too, Cloud."


Marlene may have been a bit dramatic.

The rain pounded against the window, a mockery of the tears that had long since dried on her face. She was so well hidden in her little alcove that dozens of kids had passed by without a single one noticing her. She had been sitting there for so long that the hallway lights had dimmed to night-light levels. She had passed the time staring out the window, memorizing the pattern of the flickering electric field. It was difficult to see, just a little blue spark on a coil on the eastern fence. Spark, spark, spark, off, off, spark, off, off, off, off, off, bright spark. Over and over this pattern repeated. On the bright spark, if she watched closely enough, she could see an eerie disturbance in the air, starting about 100 yards from the house.

She wanted to ask Denzel if he knew about it. She wanted to ask Lexi about how she had rid herself of the darkness. But every time she considered going out to talk to them, that little fire inside of her flared. Betrayal. Users. Alone.

"Marlene!"

Marlene was so startled that she would have fallen out of the alcove if she weren't so tightly wedged in it. She looked up to the stern face of Ms. Joya scowling down at her, hands propped on her hips.

"How did you get all the way down here? Have you been here the whole time?"

Marlene turned her face back to the window. "Yes."

"Didn't you hear us calling for you?" Marlene silently shook her head. "Gods, my girl, Denzel and Lexi have been worried sick!"

"They have?" Marlene felt a smug satisfaction, but immediately quashed it. Even if she was feeling hurt, she shouldn't celebrate their misery. And it did prove that maybe they still cared about her.

"Yes! Of course!" Ms. Joya said. "Now come on out of there. It's well past lights out."

Marlene crawled out of her cramped hiding space and attempted to straighten her legs. "Ouch!"

"A bit stiff, are you?" Ms. Joya tsked. "I can imagine." She held out her hand to help Marlene up. "Come along now, dear."

As Marlene followed behind the housemother, a pit began to form in her stomach. They were going the wrong direction. "Aren't we going back to the girls' wing?"

"Not yet," Ms. Joya said. "There's someone else we have to see first."

Marlene's mouth went dry. "Am I in trouble?" Ms. Joya didn't answer immediately. "Are you taking me to see Mr. Shinra?"

Ms. Joya stopped walking and turned to look at her curiously. "What makes you think Rufus Shinra would be here?"

"Um. Well. The Shinra logo is on the front gate."

"It is?" Ms. Joya seemed surprised.

Marlene nodded. It wasn't prominent, but it was there, carved in the marble of the entrance. "And the guards here, I know they all work for him so…obviously it's his place."

Ms. Joya chuckled. "No. We're not going to see Mr. Shinra." She began walking again and Marlene scrambled behind her, only slightly comforted. "And not the guards, either. I wanted to ask them for help searching for you, but Denzel made me promise not to tell them."

Marlene swallowed. It had never occurred to her that the Turks might have been tasked to search for her. They had always been nice enough to her, and although they never talked shop in the bar for her to overhear, something about them made her uncomfortable. Tifa didn't like her to play near them when she was younger. Cloud moved in front of her when they were nearby. So even though they had never said anything to Marlene about the men, and although they seemed to get along with them, Marlene was extremely wary of those pristine suits.

"Seems silly, you know, to take the advice of a teenage boy," Ms. Joya continued. "They might seem a little scary, but they're part of the staff here. It's their job to make sure you all are safe. But Denzel was so adamant. I finally had to agree just to get him to stay put after lights out. I can't be endangering the other kids to look for you, you know."

"Is…this a dangerous place at night?" Marlene asked timidly.

"Dangerous?" Ms. Joya glanced over at her. "Oh, I don't know if I would say that. But there are only two guards on duty after lights out, and I know the others drink on their nights off. They can get a little rowdy. Tire tracks, all over the lawn, like they're out joyriding in the middle of the night…I even saw one of them urinating into the electric field once, trying to get it to spark!"

Ms. Joya seemed absolutely scandalized at the idea. Marlene had to smother a laugh.

"Well, I see drunk people every night," Marlene said. "And so does Denzel. I think we're safe enough here."

Ms. Joya just scowled. They continued walking in silence for several seconds before she spoke. "You probably are. But Denzel has rubbed some of the staff the wrong way."

She didn't seem keen to volunteer any more information, and Marlene wondered what Denzel might have done to anger the staff here. He was always the quiet one. He'd never been in any trouble at school. In fact, he was usually the one to temper Marlene when she got sassy.

"Are you sure it was Denzel?" she asked. "He wasn't just covering for someone else?"

"Quite sure," Ms. Joya said irritably. "And we're talking about your misbehavior right now, thank you. You've caused us a lot of trouble tonight, Marlene."

Finally, Marlene started to feel a bit ashamed. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I guess it was pretty immature to just run off like that." It would be a lie to say that she hadn't wanted Denzel and Lexi to worry, at least a little bit, but she hadn't meant to inconvenience anyone else.

Ms. Joya looked over at her with softened eyes. "You know where my office is if you ever need to talk, dear. I am the housemother, you know."

"I know. I just wanted to be alone for a while."

"Mm." Ms. Joya nodded. "I understand you learned about Denzel and Lexi's relationship tonight. That can be a lot to take in."

Marlene frowned. "It just felt like Lexi was the one person who was just there for me. But seeing her with Denzel, I was afraid that she never really liked me in the first place. Maybe she just wanted Denzel all along. Maybe she was just using me."

"That doesn't sound like the Lexi I know," Ms. Joya said. "Haven't the two of you been friends for a long time?"

"A few years," Marlene admitted.

"And did you ever get the impression, in all that time, that she wanted to see Denzel? Did she make excuses to have him around or ignore you to talk to him?"

"No," Marlene said with a sigh.

"Did she talk about him or ask about him?"

"Not really," Marlene shrugged.

"Then doesn't it seem likely that, living here together in Hubble House without you around, they just became closer?"

"Probably," Marlene muttered. She was starting to feel very small. If she were honest with herself, she'd had those thoughts in the back of her mind already. But the louder part, the emotional part, drowned it out every time she started to think rationally.

"And would you begrudge them that?" Ms. Joya pressed. "Do you think it's wrong for them to become friends, being stuck together in this house for nearly eight months? Does that feel like a betrayal to you?"

"But what if I lose her?" Marlene blurted out. There it was, the real worry hidden behind all the other excuses she told herself. Excuses that made her feel less pathetic.

Eventually, they reached the sitting area next to the dining room. Denzel and Lexi sat silently on the couch by the basement door, looking subdued. Marlene felt relieved. It was only those two who needed to speak with her? Then she remembered that they were probably really upset with her, and braced herself for the wave of anger.

Denzel finally heard their footsteps and looked up. He jumped to his feet and rushed at her, scooping her up in a hug so tight that it hurt.

"Denzel. Can't breathe!" she gasped. He didn't ease his grip, and his breathing sounded hitched.

Finally, he set her on her feet. His hands searched up and down her arms for injuries. "Are you ok? No one hurt you? Where were you?"

Marlene blinked. "I'm fine. I just needed some time alone." She wrinkled her nose. Denzel was giving off some strong chemical scent that she couldn't quite identify.

Denzel gripped her shoulders. "Marlene, this isn't Seventh Heaven. You can't just wander off by yourself here, ok?"

Marlene was taken aback by the intensity of his stare. "Jeez, what is everyone so worried about? It's just a big house with a bunch of kids."

"No it's not," Denzel said sternly. "There are a lot of things going on here that—" he stopped abruptly, looking up at Ms. Joya behind her. He put on a charming smile. "Thanks for finding her, Ms. J."

"Thank you for actually staying put," Ms. Joya said. "I half expected you to be gone when we got here."

Denzel focused intently on Marlene. "Don't go down to see Dr. Chuck, no matter what, ok? Ever. You're weren't a geostigma kid and there's no reason for him to examine you." Demands like this piqued her interest, and normally she might have played devil's advocate, questioning why and what he thought might happen if she did, but she had a feeling that she wouldn't get as much information out of him with Ms. Joya watching them. It would be easier to poke around and find answers later.

"Promise me." His blue eyes burrowed into hers, as if he could force her by will alone. His grip on her shoulders was relentless.

"Ok, ok. I promise," Marlene said, squirming in his grip.

He released her, but only to pull her into a hug again. It was gentler this time, and she let herself relax into it. It felt a lot like being hugged by Cloud, only to a lesser degree. He surrounded her with strength, made her feel safe and protected.

Ms. Joya cleared her throat. "I don't think you will have to worry about that for now, Denzel. Dr. Chiro is out of the office."

Denzel released Marlene. "Really?" His brows drew together. "For how long?"

Ms. Joya shrugged. "No idea. Indefinitely. Apparently some kind of family emergency."

Lexi stepped forward timidly. "Marlene," she said hesitantly. "I don't want this to change anything between us. You're my best friend and I care about you, so if you don't want us—"

"No," Marlene interrupted. "It's okay. I'm sorry I flipped out like that. You deserve to be happy. And…if I'm going to entrust you to someone…Denzel will be good to you."

She looked relieved, and she pulled Marlene into a hug as well. The same chemical scent surrounded Lexi.

"Well!" Ms. Joya clasped her hands together briskly. "Now that everything's been settled, it's long past lights out. You all need to get to your respective dorms and get some sleep."


Tifa awoke in a puddle of her own sweat. As she had predicted, the cabin had heated up unbearably during the day, and their afternoon nap had left them both overheated. At some point, Cloud had removed most of his clothes and was sprawled on the far side of the bed in his underwear.

Disgusted with herself, Tifa got up and went into the little closet that served as a bathroom. It was one of the older ships used for shorter journeys, and what Tradestar Line considered a "suite" was just a bed and a tiny bathroom with a sink and toilet.

Tifa stripped off her disgusting clothes and tied her hair up in a bun to keep it off of her neck. She turned on the faucet and tepid water dribbled from a clogged tap. She rinsed a corner of her sweaty shirt as well as she could, and then used it to wipe herself down. A warm sponge bath was the best she could do at the moment, but she still felt refreshed once she had changed into clean clothes.

She returned to the main room, where Cloud had rolled onto his back with one arm behind his head. Tifa caught a glimpse of something red on the side of his hip, so she eased down on the bed and turned on her mini flashlight to get a closer look in the gloom.

It was a cut, fresh and relatively deep. Just above it was another cut, slightly older but just as deep. She followed them upward, a line of continuous cuts that became lighter and fainter as she traced them up to his chest. They confused Tifa. They were deliberate and measured, not the messy scratches of a battle.

She ran her fingers over the faintest, just below his collarbone. She couldn't even see it, but the scar tissue was there, rigid and hard.

"Bloodlust," Cloud said quietly.

Tifa jumped at the sound of his voice. She hadn't even known he was awake. His gaze was glued to the ceiling above him.

"She needed me to be constantly killing and I just…couldn't. This seemed to be enough. For a little while, anyway."

Tifa's brows drew together. "Why didn't you heal them?"

Cloud shrugged one shoulder.

"May I?" Tifa asked gently.

His nod was barely perceptible.

Tifa got up to dig through her luggage. When she returned with the materia, Cloud was looking at her. She tilted her head.

"Are we alone?"

Cloud shook his head.

"Mm." Tifa turned her attention to the lowest, deepest cut. It didn't matter anyway. There was nothing Jenova could do to stop her. She called the lifestream to her and channeled the healing energy into her fingertips. The cut sealed up and smoothed over. She moved up slowly, giving attention to each line individually. There were so many. How many times did he have to do this? How much of these last months were spent in pain and loneliness?

She leaned down and pressed her lips to the next cut before touching her fingers to it. She felt the skin smoothing beneath her kiss. She could taste the salty, mako-infused sweat of his skin, but she didn't mind. It was a taste she had gotten used to over the years, and it brought back memories of so many passionate nights.

She worked her way up his side, up his chest, to that last, faint scar, just below his collarbone. It didn't soften and smooth under her lips like the others. It was too old.

She lifted her head and met his eyes. They were different than the ones she had fallen in love with. The green glow that surrounded the pupil had spread and leaked into the blue. But just now, it seemed unimportant. The blue glowed brighter.

"Tifa," he said softly. "I don't want us to be apart again."

Tifa smiled. "So we won't be."

Cloud chuckled. "We can't always be together. At some point, you're going to want some space. I am going to need some."

"Hm." Tifa reached up and plucked a hair from her head. She wrapped it around his pointer finger and tied it into a bow. "There. Now you'll always have me with you."

His eyes seemed to be getting brighter, and then she realized they were just being magnified by tears. His fingers curled around the back of her skull and he gently tugged at her until her lips reached his. She let him roll them over and pull her beneath him. The pressure she had felt to rush that morning was gone. They made love slowly and tenderly, in a way it hadn't been since they first got together, before they knew each other's bodies, before they knew what the other liked. It was like falling in love again, except with a person who knew you better than you knew yourself.

Afterwards, she found herself getting groggy again. They were practically stuck together with sweat, and there didn't seem to be much point in cleaning up again unless they were going to leave the muggy cabin.

The next thing she knew, she was awakened by an unnaturally pleasant voice over the intercom. "Now docking in Junon. Please be sure to gather your belongings and dispose of any trash on the way out. Thank you for riding Tradestar Line."

Tifa sat up and looked down at Cloud. "Are you ready to go home?"

Cloud smiled, though it was tinted with anxiety. "I'm ready to be home."

30