"All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was."

― Toni Morrison, The Site of Memory

"A toast to the happy couple." Barret grinned as he pushed two glasses across the bar.

Cloud sighed and picked up the drink, tiny umbrella and all. "Thanks."

"Oh I feel awful." Aerith shook her head, looking between the two men. "Ruining a holiday is one thing, but a honeymoon…"

Cloud had to admit that the guilt was niggling at the back of his brain too, but he pushed it aside and tried to alieve the worries of the woman next to him. "Try not to worry, I'm sure they'll get to Costa Del Sol another way."

"The kid's right." Barret intoned. "It will all just be a funny story for them eventually."

"I hope so." Aerith sighed, stirring her straw around her glass. She glanced around the room, expression still glum. "Where did Tifa get to?"

"Think I saw her and Red out on the deck earlier" Barret wiped down the already pristine counter in an effort to look busy. "So what is the plan between here and Costa Del Sol by the way?"

"Just to get through the trip honestly." Cloud lowered his voice, pretending to be focused on the drinks menu before him. "I haven't seen any, but I guarantee that there are some of the black robe figures on board."

"They a problem?"

"No." Cloud looked up at Barret. "But they attract the interest of both Sephiroth and Shinra. Never actually managed this trip without a fight breaking out."

The older man nodded thoughtfully. "So keep our heads down until we can't. Hey, at least you know what we're up against, right?"

Cloud pictured the mutated forms that the robed men would take and frowned. "Unfortunately. If we're lucky then maybe this will be a quiet trip."

"Wouldn't bet on it." Barret huffed.

"Excuse me, barman?" An irate voice beckoned from down the bar. "Could I get some service here, or do you need a hand doing your job?"

Barret turned to the annoyed man, revealing his missing forearm. "Why, you offering?"

Cloud hid his amusement behind his glass as the anger in the patron's face morphed into mortification as he realised his poor choice of words.

Barret offered his friends a brief nod and stomped off towards his customer.

Cloud turned his attention back to Aerith, noting how quiet she had been. "Still feeling bad?"

"Yeah." She shrugged. "Could you imagine being newly married and that high is ruined because someone actually stole your honeymoon?"

"Yeah that would suck." He was pleased when Aerith shot him an annoyed look - he preferred that to seeing her upset. "But I meant it when I said that this cruise always ends in disaster. So they have to get a ride on a different ship? At least there won't be any monsters on that one."

Aerith gave him a small smile. "Thank you for trying to cheer me up." She plucked the turquoise cocktail umbrella from her drink and leaned forward to tuck it behind Cloud's ear. "Matches your eyes."

Before she could withdraw back to her own seat, Cloud caught Aerith's hand in his own. He could count her eyelashes this close, and spy the light flush of pink that bloomed in her cheeks. Times like this, when it was as calm and as peaceful as their adventure got, were his favourite moments. It was almost possible for him to ignore the black cloak of the future hovering over them, to look at Aerith in the sundress she wore and imagine that they were living a life where this wasn't just a disguise.

"Cloud?" Aerith's voice was full of curiosity, but zero reproach, and Cloud leaned forward to close the last centimeters between them.

Playing the part of newlyweds had its perks, he had to admit, as no one batted an eye at the couple sharing kisses at the bar.

"There's our favourite lovebirds!" The chipper voice caused Cloud and Aerith to pull apart. A beaming member of the ship's crew was stood before them, clipboard in hand. "We're just about to start a couple's yoga class out on deck. Care to join?"

"Oh I don't know-" Aerith began, apparently somewhat startled by the sudden interruption.

The smiling woman was not deterred. "Oh come on, there will be plenty of time for kissing later." She turned her clipboard around, showing them a sheet filled with various ticks and crosses. "Yoga was one of the activities you pre-registered for when you booked your trip after all."

Cloud and Aerith shared a brief look before the blonde man sighed. "Well I guess we must have really wanted to do it."

"That's the spirit!" The crew member sang. "Head out on to the deck, you'll see the mats all set up ready. I'm just going to round up a few other stragglers."

"I wonder what else we signed up for?" Aerith mused, standing from her seat as they were left alone once more.

"I dread to think."

Cloud took Aerith's hand and led them through the maze of tables and sofas in the bar, and out onto the sunlit deck. There were more tables set up out here, filled with people enjoying a drink in the warm sunshine. Further towards the prow of the ship, Cloud spotted a dozen or so purple yoga mats spread out, and a few couples milling around.

As they made their way towards the lesson, Aerith tugged on Cloud's hand lightly and nodded over his shoulder when she had his attention. Turning, Cloud spotted Tifa reclining on a sunbed, tropical drink in hand. She had thankfully shrugged off the fur coat in the heat of the day, but the long, black dress that had been underneath didn't seem much cooler. Red was sprawled out on the floor next to her, bejewelled collar sparkling in the sun.

Cloud saw the woman's lips curl into a smirk as she spotted them, and she shifted her oversized sunglasses down the bridge of her nose slightly.

"Hello, Darlings." She called to them, and Cloud and Aerith moved to close the distance. "You must be the newlyweds I've heard so much about. Where are you off to?"

Aerith giggled at Tifa's terrible accent but played along. "We signed up for a yoga class, apparently. Care to join?"

Tifa slipped her sunglasses back into place and lifted her glass. "No, I'm far too rich for something like that. I'm just going to relax and drink."

"Lucky." Cloud muttered, though he couldn't hide the amused quirk of his lips.

"Don't worry." Tifa dropped her voice. "I am actually keeping an eye and ear out for anything unusual. So is Red." A tail swished in agreement. "Now," her voice switched back to that of her haughty, wealthy persona. "I believe your yoga class is waiting for you."

Indeed, when Cloud and Aerith looked around, they saw the yoga instructor waving them over, and the other couples stood ready by their mats.

Aerith took Cloud's hand and smiled brightly. "Come on then, husband of mine. Let's get this over with."

"It's been a nice day, really." Aerith mused as she and Cloud stood at the rear of the deck, watching the sea bubble and churn in the wake of the ship. "Weird, but nice."

"It has." Cloud nodded. After their yoga lesson (where he had pointedly ignored the fact that both Tifa and Barret were taking every opportunity to watch them), the crew had served dinner outside on the deck. Everyone had enjoyed a beach-style barbecue, complete with flower leis and a band playing steel drums. The sun had begun to set, the sky and the water along the horizon morphing into a deep orange, although the party was continuing. Cloud had slipped away from the festivities once the words 'limbo competition' were mentioned, and he and Aerith were taking a quiet moment before turning in for the night.

"Guess it will be back to running and fighting soon though."

Cloud hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, always ends up that way. But we seem to find moments like this to break up the moments of peril."

Aerith turned to smile at him, her hair painted golden where it faced the waning sun. "Well we'll have to make all those moments count then, right?"

"Right." Cloud tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Especially this time." Aerith shot him a puzzled look and he continued. "I've been on this ship a lot of times now, been to Costa del Sol just as many. But this time it's gonna be the last time… it has to be."

Aerith's eye softened and she leaned into him, shoulder pressing against his own as she looked back at the sky, now shot through with hints of purple. "This will be the last time. I'm sure of it. You're still getting first times too though, huh?"

"What to do you mean?"

"Well," Aerith's lips quirked. "Isn't this your first honeymoon?"

Cloud chuckled at that, thankful that Aerith always knew how to lift the gloom that settled like a weight around his neck. "Definitely a first."

Unlike his other crossings on the Shinra 8, this time Cloud would be staying in one of the luxury cabins. The difference between the private staterooms, and the economy bunks was stark.

"Okay, this is fancy." Aerith flopped down on the bed, bouncing a little against the veritable mountain of pillows.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed, eyeing up the generously sized sitting area in the adjoining room. He could see that their (stolen) luggage had been delivered to the room ahead of them. In fact after boarding they had been whisked away for welcome drinks and had not had a chance to even see their accommodation up until this point. "Seems a waste for a one night trip though."

Aerith nodded. "I guess when you're rich you have a different view on what is wasteful."

"We should probably try and get some sleep." Cloud kicked off his shoes. "While we can."

"Still anticipating trouble?"

"Definitely." Cloud glanced at Aerith and suspected that she was already on the verge of drifting off to sleep. "I'll take the sofa."

"Why?" Aerith rolled over to look at him. "This bed is almost indecently comfortable. You can't waste it by sleeping on a sofa!"

"But-"

"Hush you." Aerith sat up and pointed at him. "I don't mind sharing the bed, Cloud. We're adults."

Unsure whether that was meant to deter or entice him, Cloud shrugged, silently agreeing with her. He moved towards the closed door opposite the bed, intent on finding the bathroom. Pushing the glossy, wooden door open Cloud froze and then let out a breath of disbelief.

"What is it?" Aerith appeared at his elbow and saw what had caught his attention. "Oh."

The honeymoon suite apparently came with a bath large enough for two, which had been thoughtfully filled with with fragrant, bubbly water, with a dusting of rose petals added for good measure. Candles in glass holders illuminated the room, the soft yellow glow glinting off the champagne bottle and cut-glass flutes placed next to the bath.

Cloud glanced over at Aerith, unsure of what to say. The woman next to him blinked twice before she turned to Cloud and offered him a coy smile.

"Not tonight dear, I'm tired."

With the bath drained, the candles extinguished, and the champagne untouched, Cloud slipped into the bed next to Aerith. His companion was already asleep, soft huffs of air escaping her nose and Cloud took a moment to just stare at her. The bed was indeed the most comfortable thing he'd had the pleasure of lying on, but it was the woman next to him that really put him at ease. In quiet moments, especially when the others were asleep, Cloud had to fight against letting his mind wander to the what-lay-aheads and the what-ifs. His mind was rarely a quiet refuge. But with Aerith this close, so warm and alive and real next to him, Cloud found it so much easier to just be at peace and live in the moment.

He permitted himself to sink further in to the pillows and, after hesitating for just a moment, he lifted his arm and brought it to settle across Aerith's waist. The woman sighed in her sleep, body snuggling backwards in search of the extra warmth, and Cloud lay still, scared of waking her. When she settled against him, and her breathing evened out once more, Cloud let out his own sigh and allowed his eyes to close and his muscles to relax.

Cloud soon found himself drifting off, at total peace wrapped around Aerith. Before he could fully submit to the lull of sleep however, a heavy banging on the stateroom door had him on his feet and out of bed.

"Hey, you pair in there?"

"Barret?" Cloud rushed to the door, opening and allowing the man to step into the room.

Barret was dressed in his normal clothes and his gun was affixed to his wrist. In his other hand he was toting Cloud's buster sword. "Here." He slipped a heavy canvas kit bag off his shoulder and handed the sword over. "Get your gear together."

"What's going on?" Aerith was fully awake now, pulling her dress and materia out of the bag. She moved behind the dressing screen in the corner of the room, giving both herself and Cloud the chance to change while Barret explained.

"Heard some talk down in the crew quarters. There's an intruder on the ship. Not much of a description to go on, but someone did mention a big-ass sword."

Cloud met the other man's eyes as he fastened his gauntlet to his left wrist. "Any monsters?"

"Didn't see anything out the ordinary on my way up here. I woke Tifa and Red up and then came for you. I assume it's not good news."

"Never is." Cloud flipped his sword on to his back and made sure his materia was slotted to his liking as Aerith emerged, back to her normal self. "Let's go."

Tifa and Red emerged from a suite a few doors down, both outfitted for whatever faced them next. The group flew back past the first class cabins, emerging back in to the main corridor of the ship and straight in to a mass of panicking passengers.

"What's going on?" Barret caught hold of one of the uniformed crew.

"Monsters, man! Didn't you see them?" He shrugged Barret's hand off his arm and sprinted towards the doors that led out to the deck.

As if on queue, the captain's voice blared from the public address system overhead. 'Attention all passengers. We have an emergency on board. Return to your cabins and remain there for the duration.'

"Back on track." Cloud sighed, pushing forward through the flow of escaping passengers. They took the stairs down towards the economy deck and found that the people here were also ignoring the captain's call to shelter in place. It was mayhem. Halfway down the hallway, one of the heavy, metal doors exploded off its hinges, hitting the opposite wall with tremendous force.

A figure in a black robe stumbled out in to the hallway, a monster oozing with a purple, miasmic aura wrapped around its torso. Cloud narrowed his eyes as the robed figure began to mutate into a hideous being, while the rest of the group voiced their horror.

"Aw man, that's nasty." Barret levelled his arm at the monster as another two slithered in to view.

"Are they those robed guys?" Tifa asked, eyes fixed on the humanoid face possessed by the monster.

"They were." Cloud jumped back to avoid the slice of a clawed hand. "Now they're something else."

Red somersaulted in to the mutant, causing it to stagger back towards the other beasts. "This has Hojo written all over it."

The entity that Red had struck reared back and let out a piercing shriek. The group had to fight the urge to cover their ears as the other two monsters lunged forward on the attack. Shaking his head to try and clear the ringing in his ears, Cloud slashed at the creatures with his sword, a bolt of lightning following the arc of his blade.

"They may be tough, but we can handle it. Just focus on taking them down before any others turn up."

Fighting in close quarters was difficult, especially when their foes had a multitude of dangerous appendages at their disposal. They worked as a group, playing to their strengths and baiting the monsters around the narrow space, allowing each other some breathing room when needed. The mutants were strong, but the team were smarter and they kept their focus as they whittled down the enemies one by one.

"These things are annoying!" Tifa panted as the last mutant collapsed to the floor and stopped moving.

The sound of snarling drifted along the corridor to their left. "Yeah, there's more to come too." Cloud levelled his sword in the direction of the noise, but fresh screams from the direction of the deck diverted their attention.

"Ah crap, they're outside too?"

"We'll have to split up." Cloud directed. "Three to the deck and two-"

Pain lanced through Cloud's head, an invisible fish hook yanking at his brain. He stumbled slightly, caught off guard.

"Cloud?" Aerith grasped his elbow, holding him steady.

"He's here." Blue eyes drifted towards the door leading to the engine room.

"Sephiroth?" Red growled.

"Yeah." Cloud straightened himself and looked at his friends. "You guys split up and take care of the monsters, I'll go see to Sephiroth."

"By yourself?" Tifa frowned while Aerith shook her head in protest.

"I'll be fine, we can regroup once the monsters are dealt with."

Barret frowned deeply, but renewed screams from the direction of the deck stopped any of his arguments. "You sure you got this?" Cloud nodded and Barret turned to the others. "Tifa, we'll take the deck. Aerith and Red can handle things down here."

Aerith hesitated, hand still gripping Cloud's elbow, her eyes flitting across his face worriedly.

Taking Aerith's free hand in his own, Cloud offered her a small smile. "It will be fine. Just watch each other's backs."

"And who will watch yours?"

Huffing out a low laugh, Cloud squeezed her fingers. "I will. Until you come back and watch it for me."

"Right." Aerith smiled back. "See you soon then?"

Releasing his grip, Cloud watched his four companions head back towards the sounds of panic, splitting off into separate hallways, his eyes catching green for a brief moment before Aerith turned the corner. He expelled a heavy breath as he turned back to the bulkhead door, the dagger in his skull still probing deeply.

Into the depths he went.

The passageways to the boiler room were narrow and noisy, the emergency lighting casting everything into an unsettling blood-red relief. The ship creaked and the pipes leaked pressure with low, intermittent hisses. Cloud pressed forward, his grip tight on his sword. He passed no other soul, the engine crew all absent - whether they had escaped towards the deck, or been trapped below, Cloud was not sure.

Coming to the end of the corridor, he pushed his shoulder against the door barring his way, and the thick metal eked open with a low groan. The tight hallways were replaced with an expansive room, with Cloud looking at it from a walkway above. The engine, the heart of the ship, took up a great chunk of the space in the room, and stood before the whirring machinery was a familiar, if unwelcome, figure.

"Sephiroth!"

"Cloud." Sephiroth stood in the chamber below, eyes fixed on the younger man as Cloud reached the top of the stairs. "Finally, a chance to talk."

Cloud gripped the walkway railing, fighting the urge to strike at the figure before him. As much as he loathed Sephiroth, and as much as he wanted to annhilate the person resonsible for taking Aerith from him so many times over, blindly attacking would not work in his favour.

"You've become a bit of a mystery, Cloud." Sephiroth eyed him speculatively. "They say Mother can peer inside your soul and see all that you are. We see a change in you, Cloud. A very sudden change. Something that did not exist in Midgar. Are you interfering in things that don't concern you?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes but kept his face neutral. "What are you talking about?"

"I think you know. Though I'm not sure how that would be possible." Serpentine eyes raked over Cloud. "There's no stopping the wheels of Fate. At least not for simple humans."

Cloud's stomach turned, and his fingers tightened around his sword. He knew that Sephiroth had knowledge of the alternate worlds, but the man usually refrained from speaking so plainly to Cloud until he had taken hold of the black materia. Yet another change of events this time round. Had things been altered so much just because he had shared his knowledge with the others? Cloud couldn't help but feel on edge.

"How peculiar." Sephiroth mused, turning his eyes to the ceiling. Faint screams could be heard from the floors above. "But of no consequence." His sharp gaze flicked back to the younger man. "You will still heed my call. Come, Cloud."

The familiar lance of pain shot through Cloud's head again as he felt Sephiroth - or rather the Jenova clone before him - probe at the tainted cells within his body. Gritting his teeth, Cloud pushed back at the intrusion. Resisting the call of the Jenova cells within his body had become second nature by this point, but it still hurt him to do so.

Cloud watched as Sephiroth frowned, seeing that his onslaught was rendered ineffective.

"Very peculiar. This won't do, Cloud."

"You can go to hell." Cloud spat.

Sephiroth laughed at that, gloved hand covering his eyes. "So ferocious, yet so helpless. Just like a puppy." He lowered his hand, casting an appraising eye over Cloud one more. "I will see you soon, Cloud. We have work to do."

Cloud settled in to his fighting stance, his mind running through the previous times he had bested Jenova on this ship. He watched as Sephiroth's facade shimmered and then split, an alien skull emerging in its place.

Sephiroth's form held like that for a moment then, not changing further, and the voice used by the monster was the one so familiar yet detested by Cloud. "Why do you not cower before Mother, Cloud? Were you expecting this?" The grotesque face of Jenova rippled again, this time settling back into Sephiroth's fine features. "Then perhaps a different approach will be needed? I should hate to bore you, after all."

Cloud remained silent, body still poised for an attack, but Sephiroth merely continued to stare.

"A mystery indeed, Cloud." the older man said eventually. "Until next time, then. Be ready."

A single, ebony wind unfurled from behind Sephiroth and enveloped the man's form. Cloud gritted his teeth and rushed forward, no plan other than trying to do some damage to his foe, even if he knew that the real Sephiroth was currently sequestered in the Northern Crater.

Sephiroth was gone before Cloud could reach him however, a flash of purple light signalling his departure. Cloud skidded to a stop, though the edge of his sword cleaved in to the mess of pipework long the wall. He swore as a plume of steam erupted from the pipes, the skin on his right arm taking the brunt of the blast.

Moving away from the hissing, spitting cavity, Cloud cast his eyes around the room. No Sephiroth. No Jenova. This was new, and he didn't like it at all.

'Good evening everyone, this is your Captain speaking. The earlier disturbance has been resolved and you are free to move about the ship as you please. I would like to apologise for the unplanned disruption and hope that the remainer of the journey is to your liking.'

Assuming that meant that the rest of the monsters on the ship had been dealt with, Cloud sheathed his sword and turned to leave the engine room. He had almost reached the bottom of the steps when he heard rushed footfalls approaching from the passageway above. Barret and Tifa emerged on to the walkway, quickly followed by Aerith and Red.

"Cloud!" Tifa bounded down the stairs. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Cloud's eyes swept over his friends. "Anyone hurt?"

"Nah we're good. Better than you anyway." Barret nodded at the welts along Cloud's arm.

"It's nothing." Cloud moved to cast a healing spell, but Aerith beat him to it, coming to stand next to him. Sighing in relief as the scalded skin was repaired, Cloud looked at the others. "The monsters?"

"All dealt with." Red informed. "Sephiroth?"

"He was here." The others became still, staring at Cloud. "Spouted his usual cryptic shit and then left."

"Oh. Well that's good?" Tifa ventured hesitantly.

"It's different." Cloud rotated his arm, letting the skin flex as Aerith finished healing him. "And he definitely seems to know that something is going on with me."

"That's bad." Barret nudged Tifa who shoved him away.

Cloud looked back at the spot where Sephiroth had stood and shrugged. "I don't think he knows exactly what or why, but he can tell I'm different now."

"I imagine he doesn't like not knowing everything that is going on." Aerith mused, fiddling with the bracelets at her wrist."You know, considering his god complex and all."

"Right. But for some reason he didn't attack me. Every other time we've been on this ship we've had to to fight a Jenova life form. This time he didn't and just said to be ready for next time."

"I understand less and less about what's going on with each passing moment." Barret sighed. "It's like being back in school again."

Tifa and Aerith laughed, and even Cloud found himself relaxing at the joke.

They made their way back up, out of the innards of the ship, and in to the guest areas. There were signs of the battle left along the metal walls, gouges and scorch marks, but most of the guests seemed to be taking the recent events in their stride.

"Complimentary drinks in the bar for the rest of the journey." A crew member called out as he walked along the corridor. "And we have first aid available should anyone require it."

"I haven't seen Yuffie." Tifa noted as they joined the flow of people heading up to the bar.

"Good point." Aerith craned her neck left and right, as though expecting the young ninja to pop up next to them. "Do you think she got on the ship?"

Cloud shrugged. "Not a clue. But we'll see her again sooner or later."

Or at least, Cloud thought, he hoped so. With how things were progressing, he was becoming less sure of what was coming next.