Chapter 83: And Afterward

CID AND SHERA

Cid and Shera stood naked in the shower. They washed and bathed each other as they often did. Yet, this time, Shera seemed uneasy. She did not say anything, and Cid made less than an effort to ask what was going on, but the vibe was there.

Eventually, the bubble burst.

"That Rosso girl likes you," Shera finally said.

"It doesn't mean anything," Cid assured her. "She's in the Highwind's holding cell. After that, she'll be transferred to a prison on the Western Continent, where she'll spend the rest of her worthless life."

Shera did not seem impressed.

"You like her, too," she then said.

"I'm committed to you," he insisted. "I swear it."

In response, Shera turned around so she was not facing him.

Cid grew concerned; her feelings seemed badly hurt.

"I mean it," he insisted. "There's nothing."

For a few minutes, Shera stood with her back turned to her fiancé.

Cid did not dare say anything; he was not particularly smart, but he knew one wrong word could set her off. So he waited.

"I'm taking your name," Shera suddenly blurted out.

"What?" he asked in relief; that seemed quite random.

"That's what's been on my mind," she clarified.

"I thought you said you weren't doing that," Cid replied.

"I did," Shera confirmed as she turned back around. "But I thought about it. And how better can I show my love for you than by taking your last name?"

Cid stood in silence. He had almost been expecting to scream him stupid.

"And I've decided not to wear my glasses," Shera continued.

"Will you be able to see the altar?" he asked.

Shera nodded.

"I'll practice before the wedding so I'll know where everything is," she answered. "I want to be as beautiful as possible."

Cid had a hard time believing his ears. Shera was not usually this girly.

Then, Shera placed her hands on her bare hips.

"So don't you go chatting with that Rosso girl anymore!" she said sternly, but playfully.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'll admit I was a bit interested in her life."

Oh shit, he thought. Now I've done it. She's going to walk right out of this shower.

But, instead, Shera just smiled.

"Well, I just want you to be interested in mine," she said.

Cid wrapped his arms around Shera, held her close, and kissed her.

Just a month more, and they would be man and wife.

He knew she was going to be a beautiful bride.

THE 0007 TSENG AND 0007 ELENA

The 0007 Elena stood in her pajamas in front of the bedroom mirror, checking out her figure. The way she appeared, nobody would be able to guess that she had given birth twice in the past year and a half.

Her husband, the 0007 Tseng, approached her from behind, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her.

"You look beautiful," he complimented.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile. "Looks like I'm in perfect shape to bear it all for all my girlfriends."

Tseng sighed, having nearly forgotten about Shera's nude bachelorette party.

"Are you okay with it?" Tseng asked.

"I did go bottomless around the house during the last two months of my first pregnancy, didn't I?"

"The curtains were always closed," Tseng reminded her.

"Not perfectly," she said. "They were sometimes accidentally open a crack, so I'm sure somebody saw something at some point."

"Who else is coming?" Tseng asked.

"To the bachelorette party?" Elena replied. "Jessie, Cissnei, Lucrecia, myself, Shera of course, and I think a couple of Shera's friends."

Elena then turned to Tseng, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Is it making you uncomfortable?" she asked.

Tseng shook his head.

"Be honest," Elena commanded.

"I am," he assured her.

"I'll make it up to you regardless," she promised him.

"I suppose if we get pregnant a third time, you could go around the house sans pants again," Tseng suggested.

"I'll think about it," Elena replied.

"You'll think about it?!" Tseng asked in surprise.

"We have a sixteen-month-old and a six-month-old," Elena laughed. "I don't think our sons would want their mom walking around with her vajayay out."

"They won't remember," Tseng insisted.

"You've got a point," Elena said.

BARRET AND JESSIE

Barret and Jessie walked into their home together. They greeted and later said goodbye to Jessie's mother, who had been watching Dyne. Since Dyne was asleep, they duly retired to their room and changed into their pajamas.

Jessie then sat on the couch they had in their bedroom.

Barret sat down next to her.

Both of them were uneasy.

"I felt as if Omega was supposed to go into the sky," Barret began. "But, instead, it shattered to pieces. Something just seems off."

"It's a different timeline," Jessie replied in a monotone, while staring straight forward and not making eye-contact.

Barret immediately knew something was wrong with Jessie. This was not like her at all, even when she began to suspect she was the one who freed Sephiroth.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"While we were out today," Jessie continued, still in the monotone and still facing forward, "I made a decision."

"A decision?" Barret inquired.

Jessie nodded.

"Cid and Shera's wedding's in a month," she began. "So a month from now, we'll be going down to Eros Nova. And I will be going to that naked bachelorette party of hers."

"It's your right," Barret said. "I trust you."

"Actually, I want to keep an eye on everything," she continued. "I heard they're bringing in a gigolo, and I don't want Shera to get lost in the moment and do something she'll regret for the rest of her life."

"So that's your decision," Barret observed.

In response, Jessie turned and finally turned to her husband.

"Barret," she began, "there's something else I want to talk about."

Barret was silent; he knew it was far from good.

"God, this isn't easy," she continued. "Especially since we're celebrating a wedding in a month."

"What?" he asked, in a somewhat shaky voice.

"We'll go to the wedding," Jessie replied. "I'll be a bridesmaid. We'll watch Cid and Shera take their vows. We'll stay at the reception. We'll dance. We'll call it a night and go back to our hotel. And then, we'll make incredible love on the wedding night."

Barret nodded, though he knew there was more coming.

"After that," she continued, "I'm going to go to the nearest police station. And I'm going to turn myself in and sign a confession."

Flags shot up in Barret's mind.

"Jessie, no!" he protested.

"Barret," she said calmly, "this has to be done. I know I freed Sephiroth. I can't think of any other way he could have gotten free. If this crime goes unpunished, God only knows what someone might do next."

Barret tried to think of something to say, but it was hard, knocking Jessie had made up her mind already.

"Once I'm incarcerated," she continued, "I want you to go to family court and file for divorce."

"Jessie, no!" Barret exclaimed again, louder than before.

Jessie looked him in the eyes, and she could see that they were wet.

"Listen," she said. "I love you to the moon and back. But they'll never let me out of prison. I freed Sephiroth, and I need to pay the price. And that price includes losing my freedom and my family."

Barret could do nothing but tremble. It was beyond difficult to take in. Tears began to leave his eyes.

"I'm also giving up custody of Dyne," she continued. "And when you remarry, your new wife is going to adopt him. I can't burden him with being his mother any more."

"Jessie…." he sobbed in a whisper.

Jessie took his hand, and looked at him with empathy.

"But that's a month from now," she gently reminded him with a smile. "I just want one more good month with you. I want to make the most of it."

Barret tried to smile back, but there was no way he could. There was something he was still considering, and he could not resist asking it.

"What if they prove it wasn't you?" he finally asked.

"Well," said Jessie, "I guess we'll see."

Barret did his best to keep his composure. He knew, deep down in his heart, that the love of his life had to be innocent.

VINCENT AND LUCRECIA

Vincent awoke. He found himself in his bed. But he was not at any WRO base or hideout; he was back home.

He figured Lucrecia was downstairs, and probably topless again.

"Sun's out, boobs out," he said to himself as he left the bedroom and descended the stairs.

He spotted Lucrecia in the kitchen, washing the dishes. She was wearing her white sleeveless shirt and glasses, but was naked from the waist down.

And then, she felt his presence, and gasped.

"You scared me!"

She quickly set the dishes down, dried her hands of, and trotted to Vincent, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him.

"Half-naked again?" he asked.

"Meh, pants are off tonight," she said with a smile.

Vincent smiled back, and sat down next to her on the couch, whereupon Lucrecia rested her head on her boyfriend's lap.

Vincent placed his hand on his girlfriend's bare hip, gently rubbing it from side to side.

"Mmmm, that feels good," she purred.

Vincent did not respond.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I just don't think this is over," he said.

"What do you mean?" Lucrecia asked.

"It feels like somewhat of a weak and unsatisfying ending," Vincent answered. "And not because I had to sit some of it out."

"Unsatisfying?" she inquired.

"Shalua never came out of her coma," he replied. "Rufus is still in power. I kind of thought we would encounter Sephiroth along the way, but we never did. Cid still has Rosso detained. I never found out why I can't transform into Chaos. And God only knows where Cloud and Tifa are."

"I'm sure those answers are out there somewhere," Lucrecia assured him. "But maybe there's a new story to be told."

"I guess," he sighed.

He was quite skeptical.

He would be proven wrong soon enough.

YUFFIE AND ZACK

Yuffie stepped off the elevator and began to make her way down the hallway that led to the penthouse apartment she shared with her boyfriend. It had been a long day, and she could still not believe what she had been through.

Zack was sitting at the kitchen table, with ice on his leg.

"How's your leg?" Yuffie asked as she kissed him.

"It's getting there," he replied. "How did everything play out?"

"It's a long story," she replied.

"I'd like to hear it," he insisted.

"Okay," she sighed. "Here goes."

The ninja girl cracked her knuckles as her boyfriend listened attentively.

"First we had to walk down this bridge over a bottomless chasm," Yuffie began. "Then we had to go through a hidden Mako Reactor where we found Weiss possessed by Hojo. Then, Nero and Weiss merged and created Omega. And then, finally, I had to go inside Omega myself and kill it from the inside out."

"That's everything?" Zack asked.

"Pretty much," she answered. "I mean, I could give more visual details, but they were kind of hard to describe. Oh yeah, and I puked a lot afterward."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to hold you," Zack apologized.

"You'd really hold me while I puke?" she asked.

He nodded.

"You definitely know how to make a girl feel special!" she giggled.

Zack wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her again.

"I'm going to jump in the shower," Yuffie announced. "I'll be right back."

She then trotted into the dining room and disappeared.

Zack sighed. He felt somewhat useless, but that was a lesser concern. There were two things involving Yuffie he needed to get off of his chest. One was a question. The other was information she needed.

About fifteen minutes later, Yuffie entered the kitchen in her fushia tank top and black pajama bottoms. She was also carrying her laptop. She kissed Zack again, pulled out a chair, and sat down next to him.

"What's on your mind?" Zack asked.

"This just seems….unfinished," Yuffie replied.

"Unfinished?"

Yuffie then pulled the Materia that Shelke's avatar had handed to her out of her pocket.

"I found this Materia, but I don't know for the life of me what to do with it."

"Maybe it's like the White Materia," Zack suggested. "Perhaps it's meant for another time."

"Something just doesn't make sense," Yuffie said. "But, to quote a scientist from the old world, the universe is under no obligation to make sense to us."

She then opened her laptop.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zack saw a picture of a teenage girl. She was half-Caucasian and half-Wutaian. He jumped to a quick conclusion on her identity.

"Is that Miranda?" he inquired.

"It is," Yuffie replied. "This is a video of a musical she did while in Bolton."

She played it for a couple of minutes. Miranda sang and danced like Yuffie had never thought possible. But something else caught her eye as well.

"I never realized how much this Julie Lane girl looked and sounded just like Tifa," Yuffie pointed out.

"I wonder if they're related," Zack suggested. "I never knew Tobin and Tifa were cousins for a while."

Yuffie then closed her laptop.

"Yuffie," began Zack, "there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Of course," Yuffie replied with a smile. "Ask away."

"I was wondering," he began. "What's your fourth regret?"

Yuffie's smile faded from her face.

"Zack," she replied honestly, "if….if it's okay with you, I don't feel ready to discuss that yet. I feel the time's coming soon, but it's just not here yet. Omega's destroyed, but there's other matters to attend to."

"Other matters?" the perplexed and disappointed Zack inquired.

"Cid and Shera's wedding is in a month," Yuffie began. "After that….I'm beginning a new quest. I'm going to go out and find Miranda. Of course, you're invited to join me."

Zack's face suddenly became very quiet and solemn.

"That won't be necessary," he said softly. "Miranda's not out there."

Yuffie gave him a perplexed look.

"Doubting Thomas already?" she asked. "Why would you say that? If you don't feel like going on another adventure with me, just say so!"

Zack paused; he was thinking of the right way to word things.

"Dammit, Zack!" the now-annoyed Yuffie reprimanded. "I need your support here! I need to at least try and find out what happened to her!"

"I actually know what happened," he said, still in his solemn tone of voice. "She's not out there."

Then, it was Yuffie's turn to become tense and quiet.

"W-what do you mean?"

For a moment, Zack stood silently.

Finally, he produced a letter.

Yuffie immediately read the envelope's top line:

To: Yuffie

"To Yuffie?!" she said. "You know, you can just tell me in person."

She then read the rest of the envelope:

From: Miranda

"It's from my cousin, Miranda!" she exclaimed. "It's definitely her handwriting! How did you get this?"

"I didn't want to distract you from the mission," Zack said. "I mean, the whole world's fate depended on it."

"Cut the foreplay and tell me!" Yuffie demanded.

"Don't you remember when we went on the yacht that looked like a swan, and I found a dead couple inside, and that the woman was dressed in a wedding gown?"

Yuffie nodded.

"Well, you may want to listen to whatever this letter has to say, because that was her."

Yuffie was silent, and remained that way for an hour.

Zack also remained silent, half-expecting his girlfriend to lash out at him for not having told her sooner. But she remained silent, simply staring at the letter.

Finally, Yuffie picked the letter up. It was only then she noticed the writing on the bottom, which was bigger than the rest.

DO NOT OPEN UNTIL JULY, 0011

Cautiously, Yuffie opened the envelope.

Inside was a handwritten letter. The handwriting was most definitely Miranda's.

Yuffie sighed, and read the letter:

Dear Yuffie,

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew my life wouldn't be a normal one. My parents, your aunt and uncle, would always tell me, ever since I can remember, that I would grow up, get married, and have kids of my own. Somehow, I never thought that was my destiny. Years would fall off the calendar, but that particular feeling remained.

And then, when I was ten, I fell while playing soccer, and didn't have the will to get up. I knew right then and there that something was wrong. That is, something was wrong with me.

Of course, my parents took me to the hospital to get me checked out. They didn't find anything unusual. So my mom took me to the family doctor's. He referred me to a cardiologist. I was then taken to said cardiologist. They ran more tests. Then, one day, they called my parents and I and said they had to discuss the test results.

I knew right away it was bad news, because there was a box of tissues on the doctor's desk. Sure enough, that's when we found out I had a fatal heart condition, and that I would most certainly not see my twelfth birthday. We all cried, but, strange enough, I cried the least.

I defied the doctor's expectations, and saw my twelfth birthday, plus my thirteenth and fourteenth. Resigned to my fate of not ever growing up, I never played soccer again. Instead I took to babysitting, including where I saved that Easton girl after she electrocuted herself by sticking a screwdriver into an outlet. Of course, her parents were grateful, but, two years later, they decided it would be traumatizing for her when I finally died from my heart condition. So I was fired.

I then babysat Aidan Gorski, and that was the night that changed the rest of my life. The long and short of it was a difference of opinion. I noticed there was a pond in his yard. It was tempting for both of us to swim in. But Aidan's swim trunks were packed away, and of course I didn't bring a bathing suit. So I decided we would swim au naturel.

I didn't see it as any wrongdoing. But the authorities had a different opinion on the matter, so I was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced. The judge said I would be going to the Bolton Reform School, and that I would not get out until I was twenty-one. And since I wouldn't live to be twenty-one, to me, it was a life sentence.

So, I went to Bolton. Right away, nobody wanted anything to do with me. News doesn't always spread the way you think it should. People gossip, the gossipees become the new gossipers, and the new gossipees become the newer gossipers, and so on and so on, until the truth gets destroyed. Soon, I had the worst reputation in Bolton. They called me a child molester and a pedophile and all that stuff, because that was what they were automatically assuming about me, when all that actually happened is that the two of us went skinny dipping in a pond at his parents' house.

I met Riggs on a ski trip my first year in Bolton. I kept falling on my butt, and he showed me how to ski properly. He really reached out to me. And yes, he knew about my past. He restored my faith in humanity, and became my first real friend at Bolton. He was there for hacking into the Shinra's database. I knew he liked me, and, to be honest, I'm now more convinced than ever that I liked him too. More on that later.

Now get out the salt lick, because you'll never believe what you're about to read next. If you've watched videos of my performance-they exist all over social media-you might have noticed that my friend, Julie Lane, seems to closely resemble your friend Tifa. Take a breath. How do I know about Tifa when I died long before you met her? Julie does not resemble Tifa; she actually is Tifa.

Please let me explain. You might have noticed that Cloud and Tifa have gone missing, and nobody knows where they are. Well, your dead cousin knows where they are. You may have heard that Sephiroth stole your engaged friend Shera's Regenerator. He used it on Cloud and Tifa, and turned them into a ten-year-old and a nine-year-old, respectively. You might have also heard about two kids breaking into a museum; that was also Cloud and Tifa. They stole the Chronus Wand and went back in time so they could grow back to the age they were when Sephiroth turned them into children. That's genius, if you ask me.

Of course, there were unfortunate side effects. Kids, as we all know, don't get married or have romantic relationships. So they were demoted to friends, and, believe me, it broke both of their hearts. There was a lot of doubt whether they would ever get back to normal. By the time they decided to impersonate the Lane cousins, they were young teens, and were "dating," as best to call it. The doubt was still there.

When Cloud and Tifa arrived at Bolton, they were fifteen and fourteen; as of this writing, they are seventeen and sixteen. They had no problems sharing anything of your present with me; we all knew I would be dead by the time any of it happened.

By the way, Tifa was my roommate. It was she who twisted my arm into auditioning for that musical. I really think it kept me alive for another year. I couldn't die; I was booked. And it made me famous and immortal. Even when I finally get around to passing away, I'll never be forgotten. These videos will be on social media long after I'm gone, and I have Tifa to thank for it.

Naturally, I wanted to return the favor. Cloud and Tifa, while "dating," still had the doubt hanging over their future. I had to do something, and what better time to jumpstart their relationship than the prom? I snuck into the chemistry lab, took some chemicals, and made a cologne for Cloud that would act as an aphrodisiac for Tifa. They went to the prom together. Riggs and I went as friends, mainly to keep an eye on them. The cologne worked its magic, and Cloud and Tifa went down to their boat to re-consummate their relationship. Exit doubt.

I turned eighteen, by the way. I never thought I'd live to see it, but I'm writing this letter as a grown woman. Adulthood was a far shot, but I made it.

And then, Riggs lost his parents and sister in a fire that I know was set by the Shinra as an additional punishment for hacking into their system. Soon afterward, I put my next plan into motion.

I arranged a vacation for us to spend at Ruki Island. At Bolton, you're allowed to take vacations if you've behaved enough. So we all checked into our hotel and spent a couple of fun-filled days as a group. And then, after dinner, I took Riggs down to the beach and told him the real purpose of the trip: I felt terrible he no longer had a family, so I decided I would give him one….by marrying him. He was naturally skeptical at first, but he agreed, and we were married the next day. And later on, we had Cloud and Tifa renew their vows as well.

We've now been married for three days, and I've since realized that I truly love Riggs. I don't think I've ever been more certain of anything in my life. Now I know most people would think I'm crazy, and that I'm throwing my life away, but that's not the case. I'm not throwing my life away because there is no life to throw away. A week before I married Riggs, I visited the campus physician; he found my heart condition is accelerating, and that I have a month to live at best. At least, in addition to giving Riggs a family again, however briefly, I'll be able to cross another item off the list of things I thought I'd never get to do: marry my best friend and become a wife.

As far as Riggs goes, and I don't know if he realizes this or not (I think, deep down, he does), he's as doomed as I am. As soon as he turns twenty-one, he'll be released from Bolton, and will surely be executed by the Shinra, either on the spot or shortly afterward. I mean, he knows too much.

Despite all my unexpected achievements, I'm still going to die. It sucks, but it's something I've had to accept since I was ten. I have no idea whether this will be three weeks from now or later tonight. I'll have to live every day as I can. My story has been written.

Yours, on the other hand, is still in progress. If I did my math right, you must be nineteen by now. I don't know whether you're in college or married or have a cute boyfriend, but I will say this: never take your life for granted. You don't know how much time you have; live life to the fullest while you can, and never shoot down a great experience. I'd like to say I can see you living a long time, but, you know…..well, that's it; you never know.

Don't leave this world without regrets. I sure didn't.

Love Always,

Your Cousin,

Miranda Kisaragi Maynard

Later that night, after Zack had fallen asleep, Yuffie lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Never shoot down a great experience, she repeated in her mind. Never shoot down a great experience.

TWO DAYS LATER….

July 11, 0011

A giant, seemingly eternal whirlpool rotated endlessly off the coast of the Western Continent. The Highwind slowly traveled to its epicenter, and began to hover above it.

On the bottom deck of the Highwind, there was a hatch in the floor that opened.

And on the hatch was an occupied body bag.

Beside it was a prosthetic arm.

Shelke stood on the other side of the glass that sealed off the hatch, wearing a black dress. Tears were streaming down her face. Her left hand was clutching Yuffie's. Her right hand was clutching Vincent's. Yuffie and Vincent were wearing a black dress and suit, respectively.

Cid, also wearing a black suit, stood at a nearby control deck, his hand on the lever. One pull, and the hatch would quickly open.

"I'm about to pull the switch," he announced.

Nobody responded.

"Anyone want to say anything?" he asked.

Shelke was too brokenhearted to think of anything.

Vincent did not know the deceased.

Neither did Yuffie.

So Cid pulled the switch.

The hatch opened.

The occupied body bag and the prosthetic arm fell from the Highwind and into the whirlpool.

ANOTHER TWO DAYS LATER….

July 13, 0011

Tears streamed down Cissnei's face as she sat on the couch. She quickly reached for the tissue box and dried her eyes. Her husband, Tobin, wrapped his arms around her for support.

"That was so unfair," she sobbed. "Just because he lost his job."

Cissnei and Tobin were sitting on a couch in their living-room, having just watched what is laughingly called a chick flick.

"Get a hold of yourself Cissnei," she said to herself.

She then turned to Tobin.

"Next time, we can watch one of your movies," she assured him. "I promise."

"Right now," he replied, "I'd rather just watch you."

"Sure," Cissnei said with a smirk.

She looked down at the pink lacy bra she was wearing; it flattered her cleavage. It also happened to be the only thing she was wearing; her lower half was completely bare. Tobin, meanwhile, wore nothing. This was because they had gotten horny about halfway through the movie, and they decided to remedy that situation where they were. They left their clothes off just in case it happened again.

Cissnei then stood up, and stretched.

"You know," she said, "I should be getting the results today."

"The results?" Tobin asked.

"Of the investigation," Cissnei replied. "Of whether it was one of us who freed Sephiroth three years ago."

"Sorry," Tobin apologized. "I lost my train of thought."

"Because you were staring at my butt," Cissnei playfully reprimanded.

Before Tobin could poorly defend himself, Cissnei's laptop signaled a video call.

"Right on cue!" Cissnei announced as she ran to her desk and sat down in her office chair.

"You're going to answer the call like that?!" Tobin inquired.

"They won't see my lower half," she assured him. "Besides, I'm baring it all at Shera's bachelorette anyway."

With that, she answered the video call.

Polk and Nayo appeared on the screen.

"Hey guys!" Cissnei greeted.

"Hey, Cissnei," Polk greeted back.

"Cute bra," Nayo complimented. "It looks comfy. I'd kind of like one just like that."

Polk, meanwhile, said nothing, but he looked as if he was blushing.

Just then, Billy Bob appeared next to Polk.

"Hi Polky Butt, who's a baby and a jerk!" he taunted.

Polk was about to punch him, but he stopped himself.

"Billy Bob!" Nayo reprimanded.

Billy Bob sighed, but then turned his attention to the obvious.

"Why are you in your underwear?" he asked.

"I'm actually mermaid style," Cissnei replied.

"Mermaid style?" Billy Bob inquired.

"Bra, no panties or bottoms," Nayo informed him.

"Why?" Billy Bob naturally asked.

"I was just intimate with my husband," Cissnei answered honestly. "I'm unashamed I love the man I married."

"Hey," Billy Bob said, "Cissnei, why don't you stand up since you're so unashamed."

Cissnei sighed and folded her arms.

"You're a grown man and you don't know what I've got?" she replied.

"Did we catch you at a bad time?" Nayo asked.

"Not really," Cissnei replied. "I've been waiting for this call for long time."

Nayo, Billy Bob, and Polk all nodded in unison. For a moment, they were silent. Then, Cissnei got her answer.

"It is one of the six," Nayo confirmed. "There was no way it could be anyone else. We analyzed the encryptions, and it was definitely one of their keycards."

"Thank you," Cissnei said.

A moment later, the call ended.

"Well," said Tobin, who had been standing to the side to hide his nakedness from the three callers, "there we have it. One of those six, for sure. Barret, Jessie, Cid, Shera, Reeve, and Red XIII."

"Everyone says it's Jessie," Cissnei added. "And it makes the most sense. She was missing when Sephiroth was freed and she was found in a ditch right after."

"But she was pretty drunk," Tobin added. "I don't know if she could have swiped the card property if she was that plastered."

Cissnei stood up, and rubbed her chin.

"You do have a point," she said. "You think it wasn't her."

"Maybe, maybe not," Tobin said. "She's innocent until proven guilty."

"So exactly who could it have been?" Cissnei asked. "I mean, how can we prove who it was for sure?"

Tobin looked at the ceiling.

"I think we can determine that by planting false information," he replied.

"False information?" Cissnei asked.

"Whoever says Sephiroth is in danger of getting petrified again, that's the traitor," Tobin reinforced.

Cissnei made her way to Tobin, put her hands on his shoulders, and smiled at him.

"You're a genius," she complimented.

Tobin placed his hands on his wife's bare hips, reminding them both that she was bottomless.

"And geniuses turn me on," she said with a seductive smiled.