Cloud moved back a few steps as his mind attempted to comprehend exactly what he was seeing and hearing. It couldn't be right... He had seen Tifa and Zack... They didn't remember him at all. Cloud watched as Vincent stepped out of the coffin completely; the man moving with a grace and poise that was the unnatural result of Hojo's experiments.

"What do you remember?" Cloud asked, finally being able to get a coherent thought through his mind. Vincent met his eyes again, confusion mirroring his own just visible in the crimson eyes.

"Heading into the Midgar ruins." Vincent replied, only serving to confuse the blond more.

"How?" Cloud asked softly to no one in particular, his voice nearly inaudible.

"What happened Cloud?" Vincent asked, his smooth voice masking any emotion the gunman was feeling.

Cloud shook his head to try and straighten his thoughts out. How was he going to explain this? It was hard enough to tell Zack and Angeal, but this was a whole new different kind of hard. How do you tell someone that they were suddenly back in time? Vincent seemed to notice a few things first though.

"You look... Younger." The gunman stated, eyes narrowing as he looked at the blond. It was odd to see Cloud in clothes other than the black, sleeveless turtle-neck and cargo pants that he had grown accustom to, but under the uniform clothes that the blond was currently wearing he could tell that Cloud was not as tall as he had been, and it seemed like the blond had also lost some muscle tone.

"I... Am..." Cloud answered hesitatingly, "In a way."

It was then that Vincent's eyes grew wide and for a second Cloud was left wondering what was wrong or if he had said the wrong thing somehow, or maybe his friend simply did not believe him. All those thoughts were quickly shoved from his mind when a single word escaped the gunman's lips.

"Chaos..."

"Vincent?" Cloud asked after a moment of silence. He was concerned about Vincent as he seemed to stare off at nothing, not registering anything around him; something that the ex-Turn would not allow to happen under normal circumstances. Cloud took a step closer to the man, still getting no response as he raised a hand and rested it on Vincent's shoulder.

"Vincent?" He repeated, this time a bit louder. It seemed to finally get though to the gunman as crimson eyes snapped to meet his own.

"We are back in the past." Vincent said, the words more of a statement than a question. Cloud nodded either way, unsure what had just transpired that gave Vincent that knowledge.

"Chaos... Resides in me once more it seems. He informed me of what he knew of the situation." Vincent said after he noticed the confusion in Cloud's eyes.

"I still don't understand how you remembered though..." Cloud muttered turning his eyes to the floor, it was then that his own words to Zack only two days previously came to mind. I'm not sure, but I think that the future couldn't be fully erased from the past and that creatures or.. entities, like the Darkness, remained aware of what was, or is, meant to happen. Could that mean that Chaos was one of those entities. It would make sense as Chaos was a powerful being born of the Planet, no matter if it was from tainted Life Stream or not.

"It is Chaos that has allowed me to... retain my memories." Vincent informed, confirming Cloud's thoughts.

Cloud nodded, as of now he was unsure what he was going to do next; the last thing he had expected upon walking in here was this situation, yet Cloud was also profoundly relieved that he had an assured ally in Vincent once more, and an ally that already had extensive knowledge of the future none-the-less.

"Are you here to be rid of Jenova?" Vincent inquired. Cloud shook his head.

"No, not just yet. Hojo needs to be taken care of first; he represents far to much of a threat now, and if Jenova was destroyed first it would only attract his very unwelcome attention." Cloud explained, his bitter hatred for the scientist surfacing for a moment. It was a welcoming feeling for the blond, to be able to talk freely with a companion without the fear of what consequences may possibly arise from the information he gave.

Vincent nodded, understanding Cloud's reasoning. The gunman hid it well, but the thought of being able to kill Hojo again, with the possibility of a more... creative death, was appealing. Yet Cloud's words raised further questions; why had the blond swordsman come to Nibelheim then? Was it just to wake him? See his Mother? Tifa? Somehow Vincent doubted it, from Cloud's reaction the blond hadn't expected him to remember anything, and Vincent knew the blond well enough to know that he would not willingly come to a place for sentimental reasons, not when it may draw unnecessary attention.

"Why are you in Nibelheim?" Vincent asked eventually as the two made their way out of the dank room and towards the basements exit.

Cloud sighed heavily before answering, alerting Vincent that he was not going to like the answer.

"The Darkness has been toying with me." Cloud answered bitterly.

Vincent stopped walking as his crimson eyes landed on Cloud with an intense gaze.

"The Darkness is active?" He questioned. Cloud could just detect the hint of concern lacing the words.

"Just barely." Cloud replied, "It seems to be working through people and creatures instead of directly. It is weak and hasn't been able to do anything on the scale of when we... left... our time period, but it is still bent on having the Planet weakened."

"It has been attacking you personally then?"

"Yeah..."

Vincent fell quiet for a moment as he thought over the information he had been given. The gunman could only hope that Cloud was really ok; it was a hard enough task to face the past, but to have everything undermined by a threat that is both new and old... It would have been a difficult experience.

Looking over the blond with a critical eye, the gunman could easily see the added tension that Cloud was under at the moment.

"Does anyone else remember?" Vincent finally asked. He noticed Cloud pause for a moment, seeming to figure out how he was going to answer, and for a moment the gunman entertained the idea of one or more of the others remembering.

"No." Cloud finally answered, "I've only seen Tifa so far and she has no clue... But there are two that have knowledge and are helping me."

"Knowledge?" Vincent echoed.

"I told them." Cloud replied simply, offering no more in way of answer. This surprised Vincent slightly, Cloud was not usually one to speak freely of a matter such as this, nor was he one to seek help. Yet that was not the hardest to understand either...

"They believed you?" Vincent voiced his thought.

"Yeah." Cloud nodded once, "It took a bit to convince them, but the circumstances were in my favour I think."

Vincent nodded in reply, he would find out who and how later.

The two began walking again, both heading up the stairs in their own thoughts when seconds later a scream split through the still, stagnant air of the mansion. Neither man hesitated before sprinting the remainder of the stairs and out of the room above.

When Cloud and Vincent reached the landing above the entry foyer they were able to look down to the source of the scream and what they saw had Cloud's hand reaching for First Sword and the mako burning through his veins.

Below them stood a smirking Razor with a squirming Tifa held in his grip, cussing at the man holding her and attempting to land a solid blow.

"Razor!" Cloud snarled, his anger evident in the single word. Tifa's eyes snapped up at the sound of his voice and she looked about to say something until her eyes landed on Vincent and she froze.

"Hey Cloud." Razor said, his voice casual as though they had simply met on the streets of Midgar, his obsidian eyes locking onto glowing crystalline blue.

"Let her go." Cloud said, his voice low and dangerous.

"Oh, but I was on my way to see you, when I saw her following you into this lovely mansion. So I thought we would come to see you together." Razor drawled in an overly friendly voice.

Cloud didn't bother with a reply and simply leapt over the railings to fall to the ground floor, where he landed with grace and already had First Sword out and pointed towards Razor.

"Feisty!" Razor remarked with a smirk, something that Cloud was starting to really dislike.

"Let her go." Cloud repeated. Razor's smirk only grew.

"How about you take her place then?" Razor offered, an unpleasant gleam in his eyes.

Before Cloud could respond to the question in any way a splitting bang cut though the air from above, and a split second later Razor stumbled back, releasing Tifa in the process as he brought a hand up to his shoulder where one of Vincent's bullets had torn through the skin and muscle. Cloud waisted no time in grabbing Tifa and moving her behind him.

Razor's eyes snapped upwards to where Vincent stood with Cerberus still honed on its target, his obsidian eyes shining with rage. Razor glared at Vincent a moment more before his eyes once more came to rest on Cloud. Slowly, as though looking at the blond was the cause, the rage died from his eyes and was replaced with a calm arrogance that concerned Cloud more than any violent emotion that Razor could have thrown his way.

"Oh, and nice reaction time by the way." Razor commented out of the blue, "I didn't expect you to make it into town until tomorrow at the earliest."

Cloud hadn't expected Razor's words and kept his face completely blank despite his confusion. It hardly seemed important that he had managed to make it to Nibelheim as quickly as he did.

"For that," Razor continued despite Cloud's lack of response, "Nibelheim will be spared."

"What?" Cloud asked, his confusion only rising further. This time Razor laughed before taking several steps towards the blond who in return stepped back, making sure to keep Tifa behind him.

"We were never going to burn Nibelheim Cloud," Razor said, a huge grin plastered on his face, "We just wanted to test you. After all; what damage can we do compared to the silver haired General himself?"

Cloud's anger towards the obsidian eyed man before him only grew with each word and it took more effort than usual for Cloud to keep his emotions locked up and off his face. There was no point in letting the enemy know how much it had effected him.

"Although I was more surprised that you would bring Zack up here. Oh how the memories must haunt you!" Razor practically sang, "I mean; after all, it was to get you out of this very building that he died." The last sentence came out with a mix of mock sympathy and accusations.

Bringing First Sword to the ready Cloud launched himself at Razor, the blond had had more than enough of listening to the obsidian eyed man and at that moment had decided that it was time for him to shut up. Bringing First Sword down hard in a large arching swing, Cloud was only slightly surprised when the ring of tempered steel sounded in the still air of the mansion as Razor brought up two twin katanas to parry the blow, the man didn't even flinch at the pain he must be feeling in his shoulder from Vincent's bullet...

"Vincent!" Cloud called, knowing that the gunman would be otherwise be looking for a quick way to join the fight by assessing their enemies skill, "Get Tifa out."

There was no verbal reply from Vincent, but none was expected and soon after a small sound of protest sounded from Tifa, letting Cloud know that Vincent was doing as asked. Ignoring any further sounds, Cloud focused his attention on Razor as they both exchanged fierce blows. Cloud had little problem fighting against the two blades of his foe and for now left First Sword fully assembled; blocking and re-directing blows with practised ease while dealing blows of massive power that eventually began to drive Razor backwards. However no matter how far Cloud drove the obsidian eyed man backwards, the infuriating smirk on the others face never once left.

"Why don't you just give up?" Razor asked, seemingly truly curious.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" Cloud retorted, the words clipped but calm.

"Heh, that wouldn't be any fun." Razor replied with a smirk, "Although sending you across the country was fun. And seeing your face when I mentioned poor little Zack Fair was priceless as well... You do know that we will use him to get you, don't you?"

Anger coursed through Cloud once again at the words, and even though he knew that Razor was doing it to get a rise out of him he had had more than enough, and in response Cloud moved back across the room in a quick leap and began to gather together the power running through his veins. First Sword began glowing and soon became wreathed in iridescent blue flames that intensified quickly until First Sword was completely encased in the spirit energy flames.

For the first time in any of their fights, Razor showed an almost anxious caution as he hesitantly waited for what Cloud was doing, but the blond no longer cared about what his enemy was feeling and was focused solely on the expulsion of his power. Cloud lifted First Sword high above his head and for a moment Razor's mind silently compared the blond to an avenging angel as the light from the spirit energy lit up the planes of Cloud's face from above and his eyes glowed a brilliant blue-green.

Cloud brought First Sword down in a sweeping arch; the result being a large beam of pure energy sweeping from the blade and straight towards Razor, who for once stood frozen at the sight before him. His master had never warned him of this power.

The Beam Blade would have hit its target if not for a large shape detaching itself from the shadows off to the side and launching itself into the path of the beam where it was killed instantly, but succeeded in protecting Razor. Cloud looked on with eyes blazing like blue flame, in truth he was not surprised that the Darkness would come to Razor's defence, but it did serve to raise his determination to end this tonight. The blond swordsman readied himself for a follow up attack only to have Razor flee into the shadows with only echoes of the obsidian eyed man's words left behind.

"You caught me off guard Strife, it will not happen again..."

Cloud refused to lower his guard for several minutes as he waited to see if any further threat would present itself, soon enough though it was obvious that Razor was indeed gone, at least for the moment anyway, so Cloud let his physical guard drop.

The blond found it increasingly irritating how Razor was constantly attacking since the first fight in the dorms what felt like more than a few days ago. Where ever he went, it seemed that the enemy was following and not allowing him a moments peace to continue with the true task at hand, and while he acknowledged that it was likely for that very reason that the Darkness was doing this it did not make it any less annoying or troublesome.

Sheathing First Sword Cloud took the time to look around the room; it was now still once more with only the floating dust motes still dancing around from the fight. Other than that the room was relatively untouched, with only a blackened line across the floor to show where the Blade Beam had travelled.

Figuring that Vincent would have taken Tifa outside the mansion, but not to far away, Cloud made his way to the exit and out into the cool night air. Sure enough Vincent stood to the side of the garden holding a very pissed off Tifa as she struggled and cursed him for 'leaving Cloud with a monster'. Cloud could see that Vincent was about as happy as Tifa at the idea of not helping; the gunman was visibly tense and one hand always stayed close to Cerberus where it sat in its holster.

Crimson eyes settled on Cloud as he walked over and quickly assessed him for damage and, only upon seeing him unharmed, did the gunman relax at all.

"Cloud Strife!" Tifa yelled, turning angry brown eyes on him, "What the hell just happened back there?! Who was that creep?! Who is this?" Tifa gestured wildly at Vincent before taking a breath to continue. "How the-"

"Enough." Cloud said, his voice soft but still carrying power as he interrupted Tifa's flow of questions. "This is Vincent Valentine," Cloud continued, nodding to Vincent as he addressed the simplest question first, "He is a close friend, and he just saved your life."

The anger in Tifa's eyes faltered for a moment before settling on simply looking very pissed off.

"Fine then. What about the other guy?" She questioned harshly, "Another Friend?"

"No Tifa, he was not a friend," Cloud replied, suddenly feeling very tired, "He was the person who would have killed you without hesitation to get to me."

At he bluntness of Cloud's words Tifa faltered again, the final vestiges of anger fading from her gaze. Cloud almost felt guilty for being so harsh when she was just scared and confused; after all this was not the seasoned fighter who had stood by him in many hopeless battles, this was a young woman who was still finding herself. Cloud pushed the guilt down, now was not the time to be gentle.

"Why?" Tifa asked, the fire now gone from her voice leaving behind something close to desperation. Desperation to understand. "Why is he after you?"

Cloud sighed mentally at the question and at that moment really wished that the Tifa standing before him knew everything that they had already been through; he wished she was the friend who had helped him piece together his shattered mind, the one who had agreed to care for two children who were not her own, the one that understood who he was now.

"It doesn't matter." Cloud replied, looking away and meeting Vincent's knowing crimson eyes. "It's something that you don't need to worry about..."

Vincent had caught the look in Cloud's eyes; the sorrow and the seemingly ever present self-condemnation and guilt. Releasing the hold he had on Tifa's shoulder now that the girl was calm, the gunman simply stood sentry, waiting for if he was needed.

Cloud expected Tifa to begin hounding him for answers to her questions; he expected her to demand that she know what was going on and why, but she surprised both men by suddenly lurching forward and throwing her arms around Cloud.

"You stupid chocobo!"Tifa said, her voice choked with tears that she hid on Cloud's shoulder. Cloud had no idea what to say to her so he just waited for his childhood friend to calm down, rubbing small comforting circles into her back. If anything he knew that the Tifa he loved as a sister was here still; it always had been. This part of Tifa took hold of what she wanted and cared for and refused to let go no matter how hard she was pushed away.

After a while of silence from Tifa, Cloud gently placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, where he looked down kindly at her tired brown eyes. It had to be late by now, and Cloud knew that if it was discovered he was the one with her at this time of night he would surely be

blamed and shunned as he had been when he and Tifa were kids in the mountains.

"It's late Teef, let's get you home." Cloud said, smiling slightly at red-ringed chestnut brown eyes.

Tifa did not complain or resist as Cloud led her from the Shinra Manor gardens and out into the silent streets of Nibelheim with Vincent following soundlessly behind as a comforting presence for the blond. The three walked in silence and soon reached Tifa's home, and after a quick fare well the tired girl quietly made her way inside.

Once Tifa was gone and the streets were completely quiet Cloud let out a small sigh, while he was glad that Tifa had not asked too many questions tonight he was pretty sure that she would be back full force another day. She simply was not the type to move on from something like that if she thought that it affected those she cared about.

Cloud led Vincent to his place in silence, the two men both lost in their own thoughts about what had transpired that night and, in Cloud's case, hoping that it would at least be some time before he saw Razor again.

The house was quiet when Cloud opened the back door that led into the kitchen so he figured that his Mother had gone to bed and that Angeal and Zack would at least be in one of the spare rooms, he doubted that they would be asleep. Cloud was therefore surprised to see a flash of gold hair as he walked inside and turned to find his Mother sitting at the kitchen table waiting for him. Cloud froze mid-step as he remembered all the times his Mother had done this very thing when he was younger; he was constantly leaving at random times through he day to be alone and would often be gone for hours at a time as he explored the mountain or hid around the village. Yet he would always come home to see his Mum waiting for him in that exact seat, no matter the time of day or night.

It sent a flash of raw pain through his heart to see it once more.

"...Mum..." Cloud said after a small time of just standing there, once he finally got control of his body Cloud walked the rest of the way into the kitchen, leaving the door open for Vincent. Ms Strife smiled warmly at her son and stood up to give him a quick embrace.

"Welcome home." She said for the second time that day. Her eyes raised to look over Cloud's shoulder where she saw Vincent enter the open door but she didn't so much as bat an eyelid at the appearance of the caped man. Cloud pulled out of the embrace and looked to his friend.

"This is Vincent," He said to his Mother, "He's a friend of mine who's helped me through... some tough times."

"Hello Dear," She said to Vincent, smiling brightly and surprising the gunman with the open, friendly look on her face, "Make yourself at home. Any friend of Cloud's is welcome here."

At those words Cloud sent a small smile over to Vincent, he could see the shock in the man's eyes at how easily his Mother had greeted and welcomed him; something that very few people had ever done given the reclusive nature of the gunman. The cape and cowl usually dissuaded people as well.

"Cloud!" Everyone turned to see Zack Fair smiling at he entrance to the kitchen with Angeal just behind him, "'Bout time you got back Spiky! We were just about to send the search party... Which would have been Me and 'Geal of course."

Ms Strife chuckled at Zack's cheery energy while Cloud simply shook his head in amusement. He doubted Zack would ever change. Cloud noticed that Angeal was looking at Vincent who still stood just inside the door, and while the tall First showed no outward signs of hostility he certainly looked cautious and ready to act at the slightest moments notice.

"Zack, Angeal," Cloud said, deciding to get introductions out of the way now, "This is Vincent Valentine. He's a close friend." Cloud then turned to Vincent. "This is Zack Fair and Angeal Hewley."

The recognition in Vincent's eyes was well hidden but Cloud caught it, especially since those crimson eyes locked with his with a burning intensity that quickly passed on all the questions that were running through Vincent's mind. Like everyone in their group Vincent had learned about Cloud's past and the death of Zack Fair and a rough timeline of the events that led up to it, so now at the introduction of the vibrant raven-haired man, Vincent had immediately made the connection. A small nod from Cloud confirmed it.

Vincent looked back over at the two men and straight away he felt respect and gratitude towards Zack for all that he had done; even if the man himself did not know it. His eyes then focused on Angeal who still watched him cautiously, something that the gunman was more than used to. He knew the name of Angeal Hewley but had never had anything to do with the man himself, he was glad that the taller SOLDIER had chosen to stand by Cloud.

"Well," Ms Strife said, breaking through Vincent's thoughts, "I think that it is time we all went to bed and got a good night sleep. We can all talk and meet properly in the morning when we are all well rested."

Vincent allowed the corners of his mouth to turn up slightly behind his cloak as he compared Cloud to his Mother. It was easy to see where the blond had gotten many of his traits and already it was easy to see that Ms Strife had played a large factorial role on the attitude and outlook of her son even if Cloud was nearly as much of a recluse as he was.

When Cloud had first stopped in the door way, Vincent had feared that something was wrong but then the blonds near silent word had not only put those fears to rest but also completely surprised the gunman. Cloud had only rarely mentioned his Mother before and the thought of meeting her was actually a very pleasant one for Vincent.

Tomorrow Vincent would have to get Cloud to tell him all that had happened so far. It was bound be interesting...

XxXxX

It was well into the afternoon the next day before anyone sat down to discuss what was happening, Cloud had told Vincent everything that had happened since he woke up during the morning, although he still needed to try and explain exactly who Vincent was to Zack and Angeal. Cloud had decided that morning that he would take them all up into the mountains for the day, hoping to discourage any further attack from Razor within the town limits while also giving them all privacy. Cloud had spent the night wide awake and had come to the decision in the early hours of the morning to show his companions one of the places he used to frequent as a child when he wanted to get away.

So now they all sat atop a large rock outcrop that gave a stunning view of the surrounding lands; it was an hour or so walk from Nibelheim when walking at a fast pace but Cloud had led them there confidently despite having not been there in years. The outcrop was a fair way above ground and they had all had to climb in the end, but no one had said a word in complaint.

"So what is happening Cloud?" Angeal asked. The tall First figured that something had happened after Cloud had left he house the day before, but so far Cloud hadn't said a thing about it.

Cloud took a moment to think about what he was going to say as he sat and looked out over the mountains below. Zack sat next to him as he thought, something that Cloud found very comforting and calming while he arranged his thoughts.

"Well," Cloud eventually started, "There are a few things I need to explain first..."

Vincent, who had stayed further back on the rock looked at his blond friend, he knew about Cloud's hesitancy to say too much and he wondered exactly what was going through the blond's mind then.

"Do you remember when I said that I was a member of a revised group of AVALANCHE?" Cloud asked.

"Sure, you said that it was different to the current terrorist group and that the members from your time were still too young." Zack answered, his voice a strange mix of both cheerfulness and seriousness. Cloud nodded in response.

"Yes I did, but there was one member who is a bit of an exception to that." Cloud said carefully as his eyes rose to meet Vincent's for a quick second before resuming there gaze outwards.

"You mean Vincent?" Angeal asked, picking up on the glance. "He is already part of AVALANCHE?"

"No." Cloud quickly assured seeing Angeal's suspicion growing, "Well, yes he is the exception, but no he not already part of AVALANCHE..."

Cloud sighed and ran a hand through his hair, in some ways this was more difficult than telling them that he was from the future. This time there was no evidence to back up what he was about to say, nor did they, or at least Angeal, trust Vincent. Finally Cloud figured that he would just have to say it however it came out and deal with the repercussions later.

"Vincent had the... misfortune of being one of Hojo's experiments. The first time I met Vincent was a few years after escaping from the labs; I found him here in Nibelheim in the Shinra Mansion in a... sleep-like state." Cloud decided to leave out the part about Vincent being in a coffin for now, "Eventually he agreed to join us in our... quest at the time and later we became close friends. I went to the Mansion last night to try and wake him early, I wanted him to have a life, something that does not come easily to those who have experience with Hojo. Thanks to those very experiments though, Vincent was able to remember the future and knows everything, if not more, than I do."

Cloud fell quiet for a while to let this sink in. Looking up to meet crimson eyes, Cloud was glad to see only a quiet support from his friend. Cloud knew that Vincent was not fond of people knowing the intimate details of his past, so he had tried to explain as best as possible without going in too deep.

"Ok, so Vincent, due to Hojo's experiments is able to remember everything that happened in the future?" Angeal asked, wanting to make sure that he understood what Cloud was trying to say. Cloud nodded in response, but despite how much Angeal trusted Cloud, it was difficult for him to believe this story about the strange man. "That seems very... hard to believe Cloud." Angeal admitted truthfully.

"I know it isn't easy to believe... but it is true." Cloud said, meeting Angeal's eyes straight on.

"How though?" Zack said, finally speaking up from where he sat. There was a look of concentration on his face as he thought, "I mean, there are so many people out there, so how could even Hojo manage to influence Vincent that badly that he could remember without the Planet's intention?"

Cloud had to admit that it was a fair question, although it only made it even harder for him to explain. Once again Cloud looked up to Vincent, but this time the gunman would not meet his eyes and Cloud was left wondering what exactly was going through his friend's mind. While Cloud knew that he had the knowledge of what had happened to Vincent, he refused to share it. He knew, more so than most, what it was like at the hands of the twisted scientist and he knew that he would never want his own experiences spoken by another...

"Chaos." Cloud looked up to Vincent, who had spoken for the first time since they had gotten there, in surprise, but the gunman was still looking away and he couldn't see his eyes. The blond hadn't thought that Vincent would be willing to share anything.

"Pardon?" Angeal asked, looking over at Vincent.

"Chaos." Vincent repeated. "The Soul wrought of Terra Corrupt."

"You mean like the legends?" Zack asked, confused but more willing to listen than his mentor. Vincent nodded once before continuing.

"It is hardly a legend. Chaos resides within me, one of four demons that were placed within my body and moulded to my soul by Hojo. If not for Chaos who is born of tainted Life Stream, I would not recall anything."

"He put... demons... inside you?" Zack asked, sounding shocked and disgusted at the idea.

"Yes."

It was only then that Vincent raised his eyes and looked between Zack and Angeal. Zack's face held reserved curiosity, while Angeal's face still held guarded suspicion. Vincent's eyes met Cloud's then and Cloud could easily see the silent question.

Should I show them?

"Could you control him?" Cloud asked in response to the question that was never voiced. Vincent thought on it for a moment before nodding.

"Yes."

"Ok then, be careful though."

Cloud stood up from where he had been sitting with his legs over the edge of the outcrop. He knew that Vincent had control of his demons, but it was extremely rare for any of them to be let out without being in a battle situation, much less the one that he figured Vincent was planning on using.

Vincent who had already been standing, closed his eyes and stood completely still for a moment, Zack and Angeal who figured that something big was about to happen waited patiently. Cloud watched Vincent closely, looking for any sign that the gunman may loose control, but soon enough Vincent's eyes opened once again.

Only this time they shone a brilliant gold instead of the usual crimson. Other than that Vincent retained his usual form and Cloud allowed himself to relax slightly. Those gold eyes scanned over the others before finally resting on him.

"Chaos." Cloud said, wanting to break the silence and lessen the intensity of the stare from the demon. He was aware of Angeal and Zack watching them both closely.

"... The one named Strife." The voice that replied was not Vincent's, instead it was deeper and held a hollow echo to it. Zack stood up and moved to stand next to Cloud, but the blond stopped him from moving too close, making sure that Zack stayed behind him. Chaos had been serious trouble in the past, and while Vincent held control and Chaos was showing no outward signs of hostility now, Cloud still did not trust the demon.

"You are right to be cautious young leader, if not for my Dear Host I would enjoy toying with you and breaking you slowly." Chaos said, seeming to read his thoughts.

While Cloud did not flinch he felt Zack tense beside him and saw Angeal do the same from the corner of his eye. Cloud simply shook his head in response.

"You already know that will not happen Chaos." Cloud said, his voice confident.

"My Dear Host will not forever control me." Chaos said, a dangerous glint to his eyes, "You have already seen this. Next time I will not waste my time, next time my Host lets his guard fall I shall make sure he is the one caged within this body whilst I am in control, and then you will taste your own blood and feel my-"

Chaos was abruptly cut off for seemingly no reason, but Cloud knew that Vincent was once more taking control and sure enough the gold faded to be replaced by crimson as Vincent pushed Chaos down again. Cloud didn't realise just how much he had tensed up at Chaos' words until he relaxed upon Vincent taking back control.

"That... was... unpleasant." Angeal commented quickly getting a quick agreement from Zack.

"Chaos is a violent being." Vincent said simply.

Cloud looked over to see that while Angeal was still clearly not comfortable with the idea of Vincent he seemed to at least believe Cloud now.

Cloud moved his gaze back over to Vincent then and sent the gunman a look of gratification. Vincent nodded and allowed a small amount of emotion to pass his eyes to let Cloud know that he was fine.

"Is... Is it hard to control them?" Zack asked hesitantly, moving up next to Cloud to look at Vincent. The gunman looked at Zack for a moment, but Zack refused to back down under the crimson gaze.

"At times." Vincent answered, and Cloud hoped in that moment that perhaps Angeal and Zack would come to accept the reclusive man as he had, although he was pretty sure that Zack was already getting there.

XxXxX

The four of them stayed on the rock outcrop for a few more hours, in that time Cloud filled Zack and Angeal in about the attack from Razor, something that both men admonished him for, saying that he should have never walked off alone, but Cloud belayed their fears after a while. Eventually Vincent wandered off into the surrounding area to be alone for a while, something that came as no surprise to the blond and not long later Angeal had decided to explore one of the nearby caves and, after a few quick warnings from Cloud, left Zack and Cloud alone.

Cloud took a seat at the tip of the outcrop with his feet hanging over the edge once more, dangling over the ground far below. Zack sat next to him soon after and the two took the chance to simply enjoy the others company.

"You know what Spiky?" Zack asked a while later. Cloud looked over to him with curious blue eyes. "This place isn't as backwater as I thought it would be."

Cloud allowed a small chuckle to escape him at those words as his mind wandered back to the now two times when he had met the raven-haired man and they had both said the others home area was backwater.

"Gongaga isn't so bad either." Cloud admitted.

"Wait, when did you go there?" Zack asked, looking confused and very puppy like.

"I've been a few times over the years." Cloud replied, he figured that now he would have no problems in letting Zack know that he had indeed been to Gongaga.

"Did you visit me often in the future?" Zack asked hopefully.

Cloud faltered a little bit for a second at the question. He still had no idea if he would, or could, tell Zack that he had died in the future, but after a second he nodded. While he didn't visit Zack the way he wanted to, he always made time to visit Zack as closely as he could. Atop the cliff on the outskirts of Midgar.

The two fell into a pattern of idle chatter as they watched the sun near the horizon and they sky turn a brilliant orange hue highlighting the surrounding mountains. Zack couldn't help but notice the way the setting sun lit up Cloud's hair and eyes and outlined the planes of his face. It was a picture of beauty and in that moment Zack wanted it to last forever. Soon brilliant crystalline blue eyes turned to meet his and Zack smiled widely.

Carefully sliding his hand over, Zack took hold of Cloud's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before turning his gaze back out to the setting sun. The two sat that way for a long while, even after Vincent and Angeal returned from their wanderings.