Hello my lovely readers, there's a note about a challenge at the end, please don't skip it! I wanted to post this for my birthday and would have posted hours earlier but my internet is acting flaky. :/ If I missed any errors please let me know. :D

Chapter 25 A Night to Remember

Due to the increased patronage and the loss of one of the Saucer's main rope-ways, the Ghost Inn suffered a heavy demand for single rooms. To adjust for the added influx, the establishment upgraded the party's three single-rooms to a three-bedroom suite. Much like the rest of the themed inn, the walls were decorated with a faux spooky theme.

"Couldn't they have been a little more creative?" Yuffie sneered when she leaned in to peer at the false spiderwebs and goblin paintings on the walls.

Barret stroked his chin and mused, "I thought you were scared of ghosts?"

Yuffie shrugged lightly, "I still am, but this place doesn't live up to the hype. Despite their decorations they're trying too hard and it kind of comes off as silly." She stroked a finger along a sideboard and sniffed as it came away pristine. "It is too clean to believably pass as haunted. That mansion in Nibelheim was way scarier."

Zack grimaced and muttered, "I second that."

"Pulling things back on topic," Tifa interjected, "How long do we think we'll be stuck here? Is it bad enough that we should take a different rope-way?"

Cloud shook his head and replied, "No. It isn't likely the rope-way will be down more than one evening. The profit loss for complimentary stays to all those affected would compel them to complete repairs as fast as possible. We'll probably be able to leave first thing in the morning."

Barret squirmed on the plush, black velvet recliner in the sitting room and then asked, "I know Aerith's an Ancient and it's probably important to her, I also know you hated bein' on stage like that..."

Cloud grimaced at the truth of his remark.

"Which begs the question," Red XIII interjected, picking up the line of inquiry. "Why did you think it was important enough to perform a labor you clearly abhorred?"

Cloud scratched the back of his head and admitted, "In all the excitement last time we were here, I guess didn't end up telling you. I met Dio and he mentioned a black-cloaked man asking about the Black Materia. I suspect that is the 'ultimate weapon' thing we heard about. As for the man..."

Zack's eyes widened and he guessed, "Sephiroth?"

"That was my thought," Cloud agreed, nodding once before continuing, "but since Dio didn't know about the Keystone or materia at that point…" Cloud trailed off, a thoughtful frown crossing his face.

"What is it?" Vincent asked, catching on to the younger man's hesitation.

Cloud rubbed his index finger along his lower lip and murmured, "He also mentioned a number tattoo."

"Like the ones back in…?" Tifa gasped, paling.

"What the fu-er 'eff' are you talkin' about?" Cid stammered to censor the swear when Aerith shot him a dark look. His hands rose and stopped just short of covering his mouth.

On the road from the Wutai, the young Ancient decided to break the older man of his more vicious profanity. In an odd twist, she managed to manipulate her powers to send a stream of soapy water in his mouth whenever he released a foul word. It only took two instances and firm scoldings for the man to learn. Strange as the power was, it came in handy for cleaning dishes after meals on the road.

The corner of Zack's mouth twitched in a slight grin at the man's swift retraction and then somberly answered, "Back in Nibelheim we found some sickly people in black cloaks with numbers tattooed on their hands."

From his spot curled on the rug, Red XIII picked up the thread, "With their repetitive moans about Sephiroth, it isn't unreasonable for there to be a connection."

"And since the general has been actin' like a nutjob, the last thing we wanna do is let him get his hands on some kinda' weapon," Cid surmised, nodding his head. "I getcha now."

"I guess it is a relief we have the Keystone so he can't get to whatever weapon is in the temple, whether it is the Black Materia or something else," Aerith mused.

"I 'spose being stuck here isn't as big a problem as I thought then," Barret responded with a huff.

"So all we have to do is go to the temple and get it before Sephiroth can," Zack determined with a firm nod.

"There's a flaw in your plan," Vincent interjected smoothly. "Do you know the location of the temple?"

Zack's shoulders drooped and he frowned. Turning to Cloud he asked, "What were you planning for that?"

Cloud shrugged one shoulder and replied, "I thought maybe the blacksmith who sold the Keystone could tell us who he got it from or where it was found and go from there."

"Tis' a sound plan," Cait Sith approved. "But what shall we do while we wait?"

Cloud shrugged and remarked, "I figure we have the night off in an amusement park, we might as well enjoy it. Don't get into any fights though; I'm sure none of us want to revisit the Corel 'prison'."

Barret flinched and grimaced, "Yeah, I ain't gonna take the chance. I'll stay here."

Red XIII huffed and gave a full-body shudder, "I will do likewise."

Tifa and Aerith traded looks and then raised their brows toward Cloud and Zack. Swiftly catching on, Cloud pulled Tifa aside and murmured, "I'm all for going out for some fun. The park attractions stay open until midnight so we have some time. Would you like to join me?"

Tifa nodded eagerly and asked, "Can I have a few minutes to freshen up before we go?"

Cloud shot a scheming look to where Zack spoke to Aerith and replied, "I have something to tell Zack and then we can head out whenever you're ready."

Tifa tilted her head in confusion, but didn't have time to remark when Aerith linked elbows with her and Yuffie, dragging them into the room they claimed.

Zack declared the room farthest from the suite's entrance as the "black-haired club" while Cloud, Cid, and Red XIII were assigned the room closest to the entry way. Cait Sith didn't sleep and thus didn't need a room or bed. The mechanized feline claimed he was fine with the situation and really only needed access to a power outlet.

"Hey Zack," Cloud called before his friend could retreat into his room. "I've got something for you..."

Tifa and Cloud were the first ones to leave the inn, followed shortly by Aerith and Zack. Barret watched Cait Sith bound out the door after them and then stretched, settling into the plush sitting room chair with a sigh. Yuffie looked over Cid, Barret, and Vincent with a frown and then announced, "If even Cloud is going out, it would be a travesty if I were to remain in for the night. Vincent, get ready to take me out!"

The crimson cloaked gunman raised one dark eyebrow and murmured, "I'm not interested."

The young woman sniffed and replied, "Fine, since you won't escort me, I'll go alone. I always wondered what it would be like to have men try and pick me up." She rolled her already short shorts a few inches higher, pulled them lower on her hips, and then flounced out of the suite. Vincent frowned, the scowl on his face darkening with each passing second. After a minute, he snarled and stalked after the young woman.

"She played him, didn't she?" Cid asked, loose jawed after he recovered his voice.

"Like a fiddle." Barret agreed shaking his head

"I wouldn't have put it past her to go through with her plan though," Red snorted.

"Agreed," Barret grimaced.

"Well now what?" the pilot asked. "I don't wanna go out like those yahoos, but we can't exactly play cards either, no offense Red." He tossed to the feline perusing a small magazine.

"There's a re-enactment of Loveless starting in ten minutes." Red XIII announced. Both men perked up and then stiffened, shooting the other a wary look.

"This never leaves present company?" The one-armed man offered.

"Deal, I'll go get some beer."

Cloud and Tifa spent the better part of an hour in the fairway and then watched a few chocobo races. To their surprise, the management declared it "Enchantment Night" and all the rides and events were free. Tifa cynically murmured, "It is probably a small apology for all the people stranded by the broken rope-way" Cloud huffed in agreement.

As they were leaving the races they met Yuffie dragging a scowling Vincent around by his clawed arm. "Hey guys!" she chirped. "We're headed for the play at Event Square. Want to join us?"

Cloud grimaced, but conceded when Tifa shot him a hopeful look. They crossed Wonder Square, missing the sight of Cait Sith pulling out the Keystone and studying it intently. The feline looked up, expecting a shout and pursuit, but only caught the crimson flash of Vincent's cape down the transparent tube to the station hub.

When the two couples reached the Station Hub, they found a steady stream of couples crossing the brilliant chamber to line up for the Event Stadium. Zack and Aerith joined them from the direction of the Battle Square. Aerith's smile of greeting seemed a little brittle around the edges but it was readily apparent they were all headed the same way.

Just as they were about to enter the line, Cloud flinched and held Tifa and Yuffie back. He waved Zack and Aerith to go ahead. The attendant at the doorway threw confetti over Zack and Aerith before crying, "Congratulations! You're our 100th couple this evening! As a prize you get to be the main characters in tonight's show! Don't be nervous about messing up, our actors can cover for any slip ups."

An employee in a clown costume led the beaming Aerith and confused Zack down an employee access door near the stage. Tifa and Yuffie turned twin pouts on Cloud. "Why did you do that Cloud?" Tifa huffed, "We could have been in the play!"

"I've been on the stage as much as I would prefer for a while," Cloud grumbled with a scowl. Tifa winced suddenly repentant then Cloud continued, "I also suspect it won't be as fun to be in the play as it will to watch it." A corner of his mouth twitched in a slight smirk.

After waiting in the roaring susurration of the conversations around them, the lights finally dimmed and the play started. The audience slowly quieted as the stage crew announced the production. "Welcome one and all to the audience participation show! Once a week we give a lucky couple the chance to fulfill their thespian dreams on the Golden Stage! Please give our guests your welcome in the production of 'The Great Hero Alfred vs the Evil Dragon King'!"

A faint silence rang at this announcement. "What kind of hero name is Alfred?" a woman a few rows ahead asked the young man at her side.

"A lame one," he replied in an equally quiet voice. Cloud suspected they didn't know he could hear but he agreed either way.

Even in the dark and faint noise of the crowd, Cloud heard Vincent mutter, "Thank you for saving me from this."

The curtains opened after the narrator informed them the dragon Valvados had kidnapped Princess Rosa. Zack dashed on stage and then squinted against the brilliant lights in an attempt to see the audience. While he was distracted, an actor in tinfoil armor pranced up and dramatically cried, "Oh, you must be the legendary hero...Alfred."

"He doesn't seem comfortable with that name," Tifa murmured to Cloud, "Do you think the actors don't know their lines either?"

The awkward silence on stage dragged on and the gesturing knight hissed something to Zack before repeating his line and adding, "By my soul, please save Princess Rosa!"

"Why is he rolling his head like that?" A man behind Cloud groused. "My neck's starting to hurt watching him."

It seemed all the actors suffered from the overblown head movements and spinning onto stage like ballerinas. After the king told "Alfred" the dragon had his daughter on the peak of a tall mountain and asked him to talk to the person to help him.

Zack shrugged and approached the green robed wizard, "Hey, um…" he looked at the frail man in the absurdly fake long white mustache and stammered, "You're supposed to help me?"

The old man raised his arms and asked, "What would you like to know? The dragon's weakness or the princess' measurements?"

Zack gaped at the man, obviously taking too long and the "Evil Dragon King" wobbled on the stage, bouncing on some painfully visible wires with Aerith in its grip. He released her a little too quickly and she landed roughly, sitting on the stage at the actor's foam clawed feet

"I am the Evil Dragon King, Valvados," the "dragon" roared. "I have not harmed the princess but I have been expecting… You!"

"What is up with these actors? It is like they don't know their lines either," Yuffie groused and turned grateful eyes on Cloud. "Thank you for keeping me out of this… travesty."

Tifa nodded fervently, wincing when Aerith asked the dragon for affirmation after her line. Unfortunately she didn't realize her whisper was picked up by her microphone.

Ignoring the remark, the actor demanded "Alfred" declare who his enemy was. Zack blinked and scratched the back of his head, "Um… That knight, since at least he has armor."

"Noooo," the actors moaned twirling in place.

"So much for their promise to cover for them," Cloud huffed shaking his head.

"Stop it Zack, what are you doing?" Aerith hissed, rising to her feet. "This play is a disaster and now I'm getting angry, how could you do this?" The young Cetra stalked up to Zack who crumpled, cowering at her wrath.

She flexed her fingers menacingly over him as if uncertain whether to strangle him or mess up his hair. Before she did either, the "Evil Dragon King" roared, "How dare you ignore me!"

Aerith whirled on the actor, flickers of flame dancing around her and she socked him in the stomach, launching him off the stage from the suspension wires. In the stunned audience a man drawled, "Daaaaaaammmn!"

"Oh my…" the narrator stammered after a moment and then in a stronger voice continued, "With that the kingdom gained a new legendary hero, Rosa. And they all lived happ-erm happily ever after." The smattering of polite applause turned to thunderous cheers and whistles when the young woman turned her glare on the audience.

There was a palpable sigh of relief when the curtains closed. Cloud shook his head and stood, helping Tifa to her feet. In the press of people trying to leave he overheard a pair of young women discussing the play. "Yeah, it is awful every time, I don't think Dio realizes how bad the actors are. A good portion of the repeat visitors come to see how bad it could get. I've seen the dragon kissed, someone joining forces with the dragon, and even one weirdo that ended almost every sentence with a complaint and 'yo', but this certainly was a surprise."

Cloud's PHS vibrated and he pulled it out, scanning Zack's frantic note, "Aerith's really mad, what do I do? DX"

"How about you use that ride voucher I gave you?" Cloud suggested back, a toothy grin spreading across his face. Before pocketing the device, he noted the time and addressed Tifa, "It's getting late. How about a ride on the gondola before returning to the inn?"

Tifa smiled up at him and replied, "I'd like that."

"Sounds like a plan," Yuffie chirped from behind her. "Of course, we'll go on a separate car," Yuffie reassured her when the brunette shot her a glare. The quartet jumped into the transfer tube and lined up for the gondola ride. Shockingly, the line was nonexistent and they were able to board immediately.

Just as Yuffie and Vincent climbed aboard the ride after Tifa and Cloud's gondola departed, Cait Sith appeared and pulled out the Keystone. Once again his actions were totally ignored. "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered in a voice far different from Cait Sith's normal accent. In a formal tone he announced, "I'm headed for the pick-up point. Have the chopper ready."

The Golden Saucer's Gondola ride was one of its most popular features for adults and couples. The slow loop around the circumference of the theme park gave the riders a chance to relax from the frenzied pace of the rest of the theme park. The constant blaring music and flashing lights were dulled by the distance. It was one of the few rides that had an age restriction since most children couldn't stand the half hour ride without some flashing lights, music or gimmicks to otherwise entertain them.

Cloud and Tifa sat in companionable silence for the first few minutes of the ride, lost in their own thoughts. Eventually Tifa shook herself and scooted closer to Cloud and he obligingly curled his right arm over her shoulders, pulling her against his side. "This has been such a strange trip," she mused, gazing out into the darkness of the desert rather than the gleaming lights of the park.

Cloud hummed in agreement waiting for her to continue. After a few heartbeats she murmured, "If you had described today to me two months ago I would have laughed in your face. It's just…"

"This crazy quest?" Cloud finished for her. She nodded against his chest and he sighed, looking up at the wooden ceiling of the cart. "I know you're not alone wondering about all this. I've fought so many crazy monsters, gone through so many dangerous and… weird situations that sometimes I feel numb to it all.

"And yet," he mused, his left thumb absently stroking the bare skin of Tifa's shoulder, "I left home to make a difference. I look out at the Saucer and all those cities and towns we've visited. They don't understand the implications of Shinra's damage to the planet, much less that Sephiroth is after some destructive weapon. He destroyed our town in minutes with just his sword and materia, I can't even imagine what he could do with a greater weapon."

Tifa shuddered and clutched a fistful of the fabric of his sweater and then sighed, "You're right. We may be normal people...well, most of us, but since we know what is going on we've got to do what we can to stop him."

She fell silent and they looked down on the chocobo racetrack, collecting their thoughts again before Tifa poked him in the side and teased, "Do you mind telling me what sort of revenge you're planning on Zack so Aerith can avoid it?"

Cloud ducked his head, laughing into Tifa's hair, "Sorry, you're much too late for that."

"What?" She braced her hands on his chest and pulled back so she could look at his face. "You… that play thing? You did stop us from getting caught in it..."

His blue eyes sparkled in the low light of the gondola and he laughed, "Well I didn't plan the play but I might have told him to have fun with the evening. It was his decision to act things out that way."

Tifa shook her head and settled back down against him before asking, "Then what did you do?"

A low laugh rumbled against her ear and Cloud admitted, "I might have bought him a ten-round non-stop pass for the Speed Square coaster and told Zack that if he got enough points there was a new weapon for Aerith."

"Cloud!" Tifa shouted, though there was a bubble of humor in the admonition.

He laughed and shrugged, "There are worse things I could have done."

Tifa was silent a moment and then hummed her agreement. They lapsed into silence once more and watched the brilliant flashes of fireworks bursting outside the gondola's windows.

Cloud and Tifa slipped quietly in their suite of rooms in case anyone was sleeping. "Looks like we're the first ones back," Tifa hummed quietly. Cait Sith slumped in the corner near an outlet, obviously powered down for the night and only a lamp on the end table between the couches was lit. The flickering light of a television shone beneath the door of Cloud, Cid, and Red XIII's room and both of them heard the faint murmur of voices.

Cloud tilted his head to the side, trying to place the familiar but muffled words from his room. Tifa watched his face with interest as his curiosity turned to a war between humor and horror. He sobbed a choked laugh into the palms of his hands and shook his head back and forth. "I'm not going in there," he muttered.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked, her whiskey colored eyes widened with the smallest amount of worry.

"Barret, Cid, and Red XIII are watching Loveless," he replied, voice muffled through his hands. "Not only are they watching Loveless, it sounds like they're analyzing it."

She blinked, looked towards the door and then back up at Cloud one brow raised in silent question. Catching the look through the cracks between his fingers, he nodded. She squeaked a small laugh and then buried her face in his chest to muffle her giggles. Shaking his head once more, he wrapped his arms loosely around her shoulders.

When the initial humor faded she turned her head to the side, her right ear listening to the steady beat of Cloud's heart and asked, "So I realize that would be awkward to walk in on, but is there something else about the play that bothers you?"

His chest rose with a deep sigh and he buried his nose in the crown of her head before slowly replying, "You know my memories from before Zack got us back to Midgar are… a bit fractured, right?"

She hummed quietly and tightened her arms around him, a silent signal of understanding and encouragement. "Well I don't remember much about the trip from Nibelheim to Midgar or even the time after I first met Zack, but one thing I remember was this guy in red who was obsessed with that play. I think I may have absorbed some of Zack's irritation with it as a result."

"Ah, I see," Tifa hummed and fell silent, content to let Cloud's warm embrace soothe her. Underneath the popcorn and cotton-candy carnival scents sticking to his clothing she faintly detected Cloud's musky sandalwood scent. Beneath that, the faint ozone scent of the mako in his blood tingled against her nose. Foreign, yet when mixed with Cloud's smell it hinted at protection rather than danger.

It was nice to hold each other and just be. Holding him like this though, she couldn't miss the minute stiffening of his muscles under her hands. "Yuffie and Vincent are on their way up," he murmured into her hair.

"Alright." Tifa sighed, her eyes still locked on the luminescent blue of his eyes. Knowing neither of them wanted the peace of the last hour shattered by the young woman's good-natured teasing. She pulled back slightly and rocked onto the balls of her feet to kiss the corner of Cloud's mouth. "Thank you for the date Cloud, we should do it again some time." He only had time for his eyes to widen before she rocked back down and stepped out of his arms just as the door to the suite opened with Vincent and Yuffie lightly debating something.

"I still say he would have won," Yuffie insisted, clinging to Vincent's arm. In his free arm he held a giant stuffed chocobo in a stranglehold.

"While I agree that Choco Mog is faster than the racers we saw," Vincent conceded, "with our current luck however, you would have summoned Fat Chocobo and squashed the competition." Shaking his head, he handed her the stuffed prize he won in a shooting contest.

Yuffie sighed and scratched the back of her head with a grimace, "You're probably right. Thanks for the great time Vincent." She set the stuffed chocobo on the floor of the suite and motioned for him to lean over, one hand cupped by her mouth. Huffing lightly and raising a single eyebrow he bent down. Instead of whispering in his ear however, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Sleep well Vincent," she whispered. Humming cheerfully, she grabbed the chocobo and skipped away and into the girls' room. Vincent straightened his eyes wide and slowly touched his cheek. Tifa shook her head, quickly planted a farewell kiss on Cloud's jawbone, and scurried after the young woman. Grinning, Cloud waved the stunned man towards the the far room before entering and preparing for bed. Vincent didn't question Cloud's change of rooms but didn't move to follow him either.

Cloud managed to remove his armor and boots before an argument outside drew his attention. He stepped back into the suite's living room and opened the door to peer down the stairs. Zack rubbed his head while a scowling, faintly nauseated Aerith stood on the steps above him brandishing a shimmering violet umbrella. Sniffing, she whirled and stalked inside but paused when she spied Vincent behind Cloud. The man's expression was confused and torn.

She leaned close to Cloud and asked, "What happened to him?"

"Yuffie kissed him on the cheek," Cloud replied.

"Really?" Her green eyes lit up with interest. She skipped past him to the women's room and slipped inside, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Shaking his head, Cloud grabbed Vincent's arm and led him to the room Vincent, Zack, and Barret were going to share. Zack followed behind them, stepped into the room's en suite toilet, and poked at a bruise on his cheek. "Damn it Cloud, your advice messed up my date!"

"Revenge for the squeaker boots," Cloud shrugged unrepentantly and stripped off his socks.

Zack snorted, "You remember that now eh? That prank was awesome. You should have seen Heidegger's reaction when you went past. I thought he'd have a heart attack, I'm not sure whether Rufus found your shoes or Heidegger's apoplexy more amusing."

Cloud grumbled, digging a pair of complementary pajamas from the dresser and huffed, "I'm staying in here, by the way. I suggest you avoid the other room."

Zack frowned and then growled, "After your last advice, I think I'd better check things out." His jaw set, he stalked out of the room. Cloud shrugged and ignored the muffled shouts at the intrusion from the other room, calmly pulling the covers back on his bed.

Zack returned pale and shaken whining, "That play… why can't I escape that play?"

"I tried to warn you," Cloud reminded him while he slipped into the tacky, black silk pajamas. They didn't often have a chance to sleep on real beds and he was going to make the experience as comfortable as possible. With a lusty sigh, the blond collapsed face-first on his down pillows.

"That's it!" Zack crowed, perking up. "Great idea Cloud, we can spy on the girls, see if we can catch them having a pillow fight or something!"

"I suggested nothing of the soo-ort!" the last word trailed off in a yelp and muffled 'oof' when Zack grabbed the blond's ankle and dragged him off the bed.

"Zaaaack," Cloud didn't even try and hold back the whine. "I want to sleep! Besides, don't you know that eavesdroppers rarely like what they hear?"

Zack ignored him and continued dragging him across the polished floor of the suite. Folding his arms and slumping back to force Zack do all the work, Cloud moaned, the aches and pains of the day hitting him once more. Putting their ears to the door was unnecessary since the rooms weren't soundproof and their hearing was more than keen enough to hear through the wood from a distance but Zack grinned and stuck his head against the door anyway.

Meanwhile in the ladies' room Aerith and Tifa perched on the foot of Yuffie's bed, their eyes gleaming with curiosity while the younger woman continued, "Yeah yeah, I know he's kinda old for me, even discounting the time he was in limbo." She sighed, a pout on her face. "But you gotta admit, even with the ratty cloak that man is smoking HAWT! Not to mention lea~ther." She sang, waggling her eyebrows.

Tifa and Aerith giggled. "You gotta give her that one, Aerith." Tifa hummed, with a purr. "Imagine the guy you like in that get-up..."

"Yeah," Aerith hummed, cheeks flushed and her eyes slightly glazed over. Then she shook her head and sighed sadly, "I know what you mean, but Zack could NOT pull it off."

Yuffie covered the lower half of her face with a pillow, spiked her bangs up with her fingers, and tried to mimic Zack scowling like Vincent. She failed spectacularly. Catching on to the spirit of things, Aerith draped the blood-red comforter around Yuffie's shoulders and tried tho help spike up more hair. The trio burst into laughter and collapsed on the center bed at the display, the younger woman vanishing under her coverlet cape.

Outside, Zack's expression soured and he pouted, "I can do leather." Muttering in annoyance both at what he overheard and Cloud being right, he tightened his grip on Cloud's ankle and dragged him back across the polished wood floor to their room. The blond fought to keep his shirt from rising, inwardly grateful Zack was too distracted to notice the faint blush on his cheeks.

Ignorant of the departing eavesdroppers, when her laughter calmed Yuffie asked Tifa, "I've been wondering for a while, why do you have a stuffed Cl-" Tifa covered the girl's mouth with a hiss.

Aerith perked up, wiping away remnants of tears from laughing and chimed in, "Oh yes I've wondered the same thing. Where did you get the stuffed Cloud? It's adorable!"

Tifa blushed and buried her red cheeks in her pillow. "Come on, I want to know who made it and if they could make me one of Zack," Aerith wheedled. "Can I see it closer?"

Tifa mumbled something in her pillow, hiding her face deeper in the detergent scented, feather-stuffed depths.

"What was that?" Yuffie asked, a grin in her voice while she snatched a lock of the martial artist's hair and idly plaited it.

She lifted her face from the pillow, brushing a few stray hairs out of her face and muttered, "I said 'I made it'."

"Wow, really?" Aerith's eyes widened and she hummed, "Can I get a closer look at it? I've only seen flashes and pieces while you were sleeping."

Blushing lightly, Tifa pulled the small plushy out of her hip pouch and showed the pair of young women her handiwork

"He's so cute!" Yuffie chirped, peeking over Tifa's shoulder. "I love the little pout."

Aerith gently picked up the plush figure and stroked one of his carefully embroidered blue eyes. "Can you make me one? Please?"

Tifa took the doll back and hummed, "I suppose I can work on one for you. Now that I finished Elena's I-"

"What?" Yuffie and Aerith interrupted.

"Wait, is that what you gave her back on the Da-Chao statue?" Aerith theorized, her eyes widening with the realization.

Tifa nodded and Yuffie whooped, "Oh that's awesome, I've got to know, who did she want a plushie of?"

Tifa smiled enigmatically and said, "Tseng." Their laughter rang out through the sleepy air of the park, lights powered down for the evening.

The next morning Aerith roused the party with her yelp of distress, "They Keystone is missing!"

"What?" Zack cried, popping his head out of the bathroom, a metal comb stuck in his hair.

"Whadda ya mean?" Cid yawned, pausing in lacing up his boots.

Aerith clasped her hands nervously and explained, "I wanted to take a closer look at it, perhaps figure out if I could sense where to go but when I searched Cloud's bag, it was gone!"

Cloud frowned and stuck his hand in his pouch. After rustling around for a minute, his frown deepened and he reached even further inside. Growling in frustration, he opened the pouch wider to peek in but Cait Sith finally came out of his night hibernation and yawned, "Don't bother stickin' your head in there laddie. The Keystone is well and gone."

Tifa whipped around to gape at the feline. "What do you mean, 'gone'?" she demanded.

Cait snorted and settled more securely on his mog's head, "If you all hadn'a been ignorin' everything around ye last night, ye woulda' seen me run off with it."

"B-but why?" Aerith cried, her lower lip quivering.

"It's a little complicated," Cait Sith admitted, bowing his head, "But I joined you as a spy."

"That's not very complicated," Zack replied flatly.

"That's because I wasn't finished!" the mechanized feline snapped tartly. "I joined you as a spy, but despite my Shinra ties, I grew sympathetic to your cause."

Zack opened his mouth again, but Cait interjected loudly, "However!" He glared the man down before continuing, "As Vincent mentioned before, none of us know where the Temple of the Ancients is located. Turning the Keystone over served a dual purpose: I could only continue on this journey with you if I turned the Keystone over, and the Turks know where the Temple is."

Vincent narrowed his eyes and theorized, "You're tracking them, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am!" Cait confirmed, capering on his mog's head.

Aerith perked up, clasping her hands close to her chest and asked, "So you'll be able to tell us where to go?"

"That's the plan!" Cait Sith agreed. "So if the rope-way has been repaired, we'd best head to the Tiny Bronco."

Author's notes: There's canon support for Cid having seen LOVELESS, of course, he claims to only remember the end, but he can use that as an alibi "If anyone asks, I'll say I only saw the end."

Second Note: While writing one of the future chapters, it occurred to me that since Vincent stole Reno's phone, it likely still has Reno's ringtone. I have a challenge for you dear readers. My challenge is to make up a song name with a description for Reno's ringtone. I don't want actual song titles since they aren't on Earth. It could be anything from sea shanties titled "The Chocobo Riding Wench" to some teeny bopper thing called "Golden Saucer Love Train". Depending on the amount and quality of responses, the top entries could go to vote on my profile.

Rules:

Describe type of song (country, rap, etc)

Create a song title (something to do with the FFVII verse is preferred but not totally required

Song cannot be a real song since they don't live on Earth

No profanity please. I'm not a huge fan of it and FFN edits it out of comments. If you want to *say* the song is rife with profanity though, that is fine (I don't need examples unless you have a humorous one you're dying to share and can do so without the actual word(s))

I look forward to your suggestions. :D