Aeris leaned against Tifa's shoulder as the buggy moved toward Nibelheim, but the other woman did not respond to it. She shifted, rested her hands on Tifa's own, but Tifa didn't even seem to notice. The other woman's eyes were wide and unfocused, and she looked tired, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She was so stiff, that Aeris moved away, sat back up. She moved her hands to rest in her own lap, but Tifa held firm, almost to the point of pain. Her nails dug into the palms of Aeris' hand, and the clawed glove she was wearing scratched against the flower girl's knuckles. Aeris flinched, and Tifa let go quickly. "M'sorry," she mumbled, glancing out the window. "I don't know my own strength sometimes." Aeris opened her mouth to respond, but she felt someone staring at her. She looked over, and Yuffie was gazing blearily at the two, a soft, thoughtful expression on her young face. Aeris met the girl's eyes and smiled. 'Good morning,' she mouthed to the ninja. 'Morning,' Yuffie mouthed back. She seemed a bit uneasy for a moment, and then turned back around, presumably to go back to sleep. Aeris frowned. That had been odd. It seemed as if Tifa and Cloud's silence had spread to the rest of the party as well. She wanted Tifa to talk. She loved hearing her speak; sometimes, she could hear the light fringes of an accent. Cloud was very much the same, but Tifa's voice was warmer, softer. She wondered if she could sing. Occasionally, she would hear Tifa humming, or singing a tune under her breath as they walked. Aeris would watch Tifa practice scales in the air, moving her delicate fingers through the sky as if she were at home, playing a piano. She was made for music, it seemed. Aeris wondered, for a moment, why she had chosen to fight instead of play. She glanced over at the younger woman, noticing her drawn-in, tight-lipped expression and realized that she hadn't had a choice. In that moment, she truly understood why they continued, why they fought Sephiroth. At first, she had joined out of her own needs to know more, but seeing Tifa like this made her understand. Shinra had not only taken her mother away. They had taken everything. Shinra, and Sephiroth, had touched so many lives. This was not just the Planet; this was about living, breathing people. People she cared about. She was overtaken by the urge to hold Tifa, wipe away invisible tears, run her fingers through dark hair. Just for a moment, to make her smile. She wanted to do something silly and irrational, so that she could see the grin that never seemed to reach her eyes finally make it there. It wasn't just a want, it was like a need. Something that moved inside her, compelled her to act. But...this wasn't the time. Not with Tifa like this, broken. She settled with putting her hands on Tifa's own again. This time, the martial artist didn't squeeze too tightly. "Nibel Mountain..." Tifa muttered quietly, brushing her fingers against Aeris' knuckles. "Look. You can't see the...town yet, but the mountains..." Aeris obediently looked, and saw the frozen, jagged mountain looming in the distance. Light cascaded off of it, and Aeris couldn't even see the top, it was so shrouded in fog. It looked so cold, so foreboding. It was almost frightening, and awe-inspiring. "Oh my..." "I climbed it. Twice. Well, the first time...didn't count." Cloud looked over his shoulder for a minute. "Twice?" "Yeah...I...while you were gone once." Tifa bit her lip and turned away, and Aeris knew she was lying. But why? Cloud seemed satisfied with the answer however, and turned back to the road. "You climbed that...monster?" Aeris asked. Tifa wasn't a large person now; she couldn't imagine how she had been when she was younger, barely anything at all, climbing up that...thing. It didn't even look like it could be climbed; it was all sharp edges, glass. She thought of the jagged peaks cutting at Tifa's arms and legs and cringed. There was no life there, only ice and monsters. The Planet cried in agony; its blood and Tifa's, interweaving, draining life. The mountain seemed to mock life; all she felt was death from it, pitiful, painful death. There was no warmth there, and she could feel the coldness wrap around her heart like a vise. It was freezing; icicles gathered in her lungs, threatened to take away her breath. Aeris pulled her hands away from Tifa's, and wrapped her arms around herself, shaking silently. Tifa gave her a concerned look. "Are you alright?" "I'm...I'm fine. Don't worry about me." "You're shaking...Cloud, come on. Stop the buggy. We can walk from here. I remember the way. Do you?" Cloud stopped the machine and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Yeah. Let's...split up, okay?" "I want to go with you," Tifa said. Her voice was firm. "We're taking Aeris as well. She looks a little pale. She might...the mountain air might do her good." "Um, alright...let's go then..." ----------------- The town was still there. Tifa closed her eyes, opened them. It was still there. It couldn't be. She saw it burn, saw it, heard the people screaming, the flames, the smell of burnt flesh, burnt buildings. Broken glass and her papa bleeding to death in the reactor, Sephiroth cutting her down...and Cloud...never came. Aeris had stopped shaking, but she still looked a little woozy. Tifa put a hand in the small of her back and led her along. Cloud walked ahead, quiet and uneasy. If they walked in, she would wake up from the dream. Everything would be gone again, like it never existed. They arrived in the courtyard, and Tifa reeled, she was so shocked. She staggered back and held her hands to her mouth. All of her breathing exercises were forgotten in that instant; she couldn't remember how to calm herself down. It wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare. She turned to Cloud and waved her hands around, trying to get him to understand. He only stared ahead in blank shock. "This was all supposed to be burnt down, right?" Cloud nodded, running a hand over his face. He looked tired now, frightened. "I thought so." "Then why...? My house is still there too..." Aeris glanced around, and her gaze settled on Cloud. "...something's strange?" "I'm not lying!" Cloud protested. His face twisted into such an expression of forlorn agony, that Aeris regretted saying anything. "I remember...the intense heat of the flames..." Tifa suddenly shot off toward her house. Cloud watched her go and shook his head worriedly. He spared a glance at Aeris, and she took the hint. She followed. -------------- The house was cozy, or it would be, if there wasn't a hunched over thing in the living room. Aeris stared at it, warily. It mumbled something about Sephiroth, and the Reunion. She had no idea what that was, but the Planet buzzed excitedly in her head. It was something bad then...but that was to be worried about later. Tifa was the main priority now. Aeris walked up the stairs lightly, biting her lip. It felt secure enough, but she was almost afraid the staircase would crumble into ash if she wasn't careful. She heard a piano playing. The song started off slowly at first, and then gained speed, became almost violent. Aeris ran the rest of the way up the stairs. Tifa was sitting in what had to have been her room, playing the piano at such a frenzied pace, Aeris was afraid to stop her. Her gloves sat on the top of the instrument, and for a while, the flower girl simply watched her play. Tifa played like she fought, with a quiet, serious energy. She wasn't staring at the keys, or any sheet music, for that matter. She played by memory. The song caught a snag and she frowned. She tapped the keys for a moment. "It's been tuned recently, for some bizarre reason. Who's going to play it, the thing mumbling in the living room?" Tifa ran her fingers against the keys almost lovingly, and then slammed down hard, clenching her teeth. "It's so fake. Everything is wrong. The bedspread is the wrong color. You see that corner over there? It's supposed to be missing a bit of the wallpaper, from when I was seven and decided it would be fun to play with. This...isn't my room. It's not my town. It's something else." She glanced over at Aeris, and her eyes were almost pleading. "You believe me, don't you? I'm not lying." Aeris glanced away, and Tifa's expression became dark. "I'm not! You don't believe me, do you?" "I do..." Aeris began, but Tifa didn't seem to hear her. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I'm sorry Cloud. I'm sorry Aeris. But no one understands it. I can't tell, I can't. I'm sorry. I promise I'll tell one day, but I can't....I can't...so sorry, I'm so sorry..." She sunk to the ground and held her face in her hands. "I'm sorry." Aeris knelt down next to her and shook her shoulders. "Stop this right now, do you hear me? Stop it. It's not your fault, okay?" "You don't...you don't understand...how it feels...no one does." "Remember when I said that in Cosmo Canyon? Do you? And you told me that there were people that loved me. As...as long as I'm here, Tifa, you'll never be alone, okay?" "Aeris, I..." Tifa sniffled, brushed away her tears. Aeris smiled weakly and hugged Tifa, mumbling soft words against her hair. "I don't want to see you sad. You're strong, a lot stronger than I am..." "That's not..." "Shh...it...it hurts, to see my...to see you like this. I want you to smile. You're so pretty when you smile," Aeris' voice cracked for a moment, but she regained her composure. "Can you smile for me, Marianna?" "I...I can try. For you." Tifa glanced up at Aeris, almost shyly, and gave her a soft, tentative smile. Aeris clapped her hands in delight. "Wonderful! I knew you could do it." "It's just a smile," Tifa said, but her grin widened. "And didn't I tell you not to call me that?" "It's my pet name for you," Aeris said matter-of-factly, helping Tifa to her feet. "Come on, sit down on the bed." "Why? And pet name?" "Because. And yes." "That's not a--" but she didn't get to finish her sentence. Aeris pulled her down on to the bed. The flower girl's eyes twinkled. Tifa swallowed hard. "Tell me about your childhood. Can you sing? I think you can. When did you first start playing piano? Who taught you how? Did you have lots of friends, or was it just Cloud? Why did you climb the mountain? When did you first learn how to fight? Why--" "Whoa, whoa!" Tifa raised her hands in mock-defeat. "One at a time. Alright...I did sing," Aeris squealed in delight, and Tifa rolled her eyes. "But I don't anymore. My father...and mother taught me how to play the piano. I started when I was three. You...don't forget it that way, if you learn young. It stays with you...and it did," Tifa murmured, staring down at her bare hands. "Just like fighting, I guess." "Why'd you stop?" "I...no reason to. Not anymore. You can't find a piano in the slums...and well, singing. There's no point." "But...you enjoyed it, didn't you?" "I did." Tifa slumped her shoulders and played with the bedspread. She hated the color; even though it was only slightly off, it bothered her. "But there's a time in someone's life where you have to give up...some things. It's not that bad," she insisted. "It's just...different. A little sad." "You don't have to give up everything," Aeris whispered. She moved her hand to touch Tifa's cheek. "Everyone," and then she steeled herself, "I'm here." She smiled, but Tifa did not return it. The martial artist lifted up Aeris' other hand and held it between her own. Still keeping eye contact, she kissed Aeris' fingertips, her palm, her wrist. Aeris gasped, and started in surprise, but Tifa held firm. "Are you afraid?" Her kisses moved up Aeris' arm, and the girl squirmed in her hold. "I'll stop, if you want me to." "N-no, I," she shivered when Tifa's kisses made their way up to her neck. "I was just...just, uh...umm..." Her eyes rolled to the back of her head for a moment before she regained her train of thought. "Surprised...yeah, that...that's the word." "I'm sorry," Tifa mumbled against Aeris' collarbone. "I shouldn't be doing this. I...I just..." Aeris ignored the pleasant feeling swirling through her body and smiled. "Go on, you can tell me." "I...I know I've said this before..." Tifa pulled away for a moment. "But, I don't want to fight over Cloud anymore." "I know." "And, I...I'm sorry for hurting your feelings in Gongaga." "I know." "No, I mean..." Tifa stared down at her hands, biting her lip. She looked very young in that moment, and Aeris smiled. "I mean, I didn't...want to say that. I didn't mean to. I barely think about...Cloud, like that, anymore. It's only you. I..." she seemed to stumble over her words for a moment before continuing. "I...you are special, Aeris. I meant what I said back then. And...I am afraid. More than you can imagine. But...you notice things about me that Cloud doesn't. You ask me questions, and you smile, and laugh, and you're so stubborn that it's annoying, but I...that's why..." Aeris leaned over and pulled Tifa into a kiss, holding her tightly. Tifa mumbled in surprise, but held Aeris as well, pulling her closer. It was amazing, but she still smelled like flowers, even though they were so far away from her garden. Tifa sighed. She was so small, so delicate, like a flower herself. But something was wrong. She loosened her hold, but Aeris broke the kiss and gave her an odd look. "What's wrong?" "I..." Tifa gazed around the room uneasily. "This is...it's freaking me out." She shuddered a bit. "I'm sorry, I just can't, um..." she blushed.”I can't...be romantic in here. And Cloud...he's probably worried about us. We've been gone for a while." Aeris nodded, shaking off her disappointment. There were more important things to worry about anyway. "Alright. Come on then, let's go." Tifa nodded, and she frowned, quietly coming to a decision. She grasped Aeris' hand in her own, and grabbed her gloves from the top of the piano. "Yeah, we should go." Taking one last look at the room, both of the women left. ---------------- Cloud smiled weakly when he saw Tifa and Aeris approaching. Aeris was holding Tifa's hand. Well that was nice of her. Poor Tifa. He was pretty shaken up too, by the whole thing. But they would get to the bottom of it, eventually. He frowned, his face darkening. The bastards in here were lying; he knew it. Some things were kinda fuzzy, but he remembered his home, his mother. He'd never forget that. And those weird cloaked men...what was with that, anyway? He was deep in thought, when one of the girls tapped his shoulder. He turned to Tifa, who stared ahead grimly. He knew what she was looking at. "The mansion?" he mumbled, ignoring Aeris' confused look. It had been years, but...he still hated that place. It gave him the creeps every time he stared at it, made something in the back of his head tingle, like a memory he couldn't really place. "The mansion," Tifa affirmed. She looked paler than before, and he was a little worried about her. Was she shivering? It looked like it. Man, was it that cold, or was she just worried? Aeris must have noticed it too, because she pulled away from Tifa and started to take off that jacket she always wore. Both she and Tifa spoke quietly amongst themselves, and Tifa reluctantly took the jacket afterwards. "It fits you better," she mumbled, and Aeris shook her head. Cloud frowned, for a moment, when the girls walked ahead, without him. They had been acting kinda weird around each other lately, but he couldn't really figure it out. He had dismissed it, because they were actually getting along. He wasn't stupid. He knew how strange they acted around him. This was a different kind of strange though. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. I wonder what's wrong, he thought, as the two walked, hand in hand, toward the ominous Shinra Mansion. -------------- "I've...always...hated this stupid mansion!" Tifa yelled sharply, jamming her knee into one of the strange, floating pumpkins. It fell to the ground and sputtered weakly before dying. Its comrades were still around, floating about her head, and she smelled a sickly-sweet aroma coming from them. "Confusion!" she heard Cloud cry out in warning, but it was too late. The pumpkin cackled gleefully as the party was surrounded in a thick, purple haze. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. Her vision was hazy, and she swung wildly at the retreating pumpkin, which deftly dodged. She tried to clear her mind, but she was so dizzy...everything was spinning. She heard the distinct sound of Cloud's sword rattling through the air, and the mournful cry of a monster, before everything went black. She heard both Aeris and Cloud yelling for her, but it sounded as if they were very far away. She forced herself to get up, but immediately fell down afterwards. "Tifa!" Cloud ran up to her and shook her shoulders. Her teeth rattled in her head. "Come on, Tif, snap out of it!" He turned his attention away from her for a moment and spoke to Aeris. "Hey, do we have a Remedy?" The flower girl nodded and ran over to Tifa, holding a small vial in her hands. Pushing Cloud away irritably, she gently held Tifa, inclining her head. Tifa sputtered and coughed when the cold liquid entered her mouth. "Don't spit it out," Aeris muttered. "Come on, don't be a baby. Drink it all." Tifa reluctantly choked down the rest of the Remedy, blinking as the haze in her mind cleared. "Wha...what happened?" "You got Confused," Cloud muttered. He looked irritated. "Come on. Let's look around." "Give her a minute," Aeris murmured. She smiled down at Tifa. "Are you alright? Can you walk?"" "Y-yeah." Tifa pulled herself to her feet and wavered for a moment. Cloud put a hand on her arm to keep her up. His earlier aggravation forgotten, he frowned down at her in concern. "You okay?" "I...I'm fine. Just a little dizzy." She gave him a tired smile, and suddenly remembered she was still wearing Aeris' jacket. "Oh! Aeris, I'm sorry. Your jacket..." she began, and then stopped. Something was...well, odd. Really odd. Cloud had his hand on her arm, still, and Aeris was frowning, but she was still wearing Aeris' jacket, and the room was cold and dark and her arm was tingling, but she felt warm because of the jacket. She decided to try something. Faking a stumble, she fell over and gasped in feigned surprise. Cloud reached out for her, but Aeris caught her first, and then stumbled backwards from the added weight. Aeris gasped in surprise and coughed in mild embarrassment. "Are you alright, Tifa?" Tifa turned to glance at Cloud, who looked highly confused, and suddenly started to laugh. Both Cloud and Aeris stared at her in concern. "Tifa?" Aeris asked, gently shrugging the other woman off of her. Tifa continued to laugh, clutching her stomach as she shook with giggles. It made sense now, and she hadn't even realized it. Cloud helped her to her feet as her laughter quieted. "What was that all about?" Cloud mumbled in confusion. Tifa gave him a bright smile. "Nothing, nothing. I'm just...I'm happy we're alive." At their confused expressions, she sobered. "I'm sorry for worrying you two." "Huh?" Cloud asked. He shook his head. "No, it's okay...hey!" "What?" Both girls asked. Cloud was kneeling down, staring at a floorboard. "This one...is kinda loose," he muttered, moving to pull it up. It snapped up with a sharp creak, and Cloud reached into the floor, pulling out a worn sheet of paper. "What's this...hey, Tifa, Aeris. There's something written on this paper..." "Then read it," Aeris said, keeping her hand on Tifa's shoulder in case she fell again. Cloud obeyed, squinting his eyes as he read the slightly faded script. "Hmm...'I must get rid of all those that stand in the way of my research. Even that one from the Turks. I scientifically altered him, and put him to sleep in the basement. If you want to find him, then search the area. But...this is merely a game I thought of. It is not necessary to participate if you don't want to.'" Cloud frowned and reached back down into the floor, fishing around for something. "There seems to be another letter..." "Read that one then," Tifa said. Cloud frowned and grumbled before obeying. "I'm getting to it...'Move the dial on the safe carefully, but quickly. You have 20 seconds. You can not go past the numbers while turning. The 4 hints for the numbers are...'" Cloud read the last part quietly to himself before turning to the girls. "We're gonna go on a treasure hunt before we climb...Nibel." ------------------ Tifa grinned in delight when she found the last clue, scrawled into the floor. "Right 59, Cloud! We can open up the safe now!" "Great," he mumbled. The three walked into the room, where a rather large, but otherwise simple safe stood. Cloud knelt down and started to input the code, and Aeris took a step back when it slowly creaked open. Four sets of eyes stared out at them, but Cloud didn't notice. He reached down and grabbed the summon materia that had fallen out. "Cloud..." Tifa began. Cloud frowned down at the red orb in his hand. "This is it? We walked around this dusty old mansion for a summon materia?" He looked up sharply when he heard a low growl emitting from the partly opened safe. Hopping back, he placed his sword in front of him. "Apparently, that's not all we're getting..." A large, gruesome beast made its way out of the safe. It was a very odd looking monster, like nothing any of them had seen before. One side was a large, bald thing, with a huge mouth, full of flat teeth and a thick, pink tongue. Its arm was huge, and it was covered in leathery, greenish-gray skin. It stared at Tifa and Aeris with beady, dull eyes, and licked its lips. The other side was covered with bright red, orange, and yellow spikes, and screamed in maniacal glee as it advanced on the fighters. Aeris immediately prepared an Ice spell, and hurled it at the offensive beast. The thing shook, and then morphed completely into the red-and-orange creature, shooting a bright, Fire 2 spell at the group. Tifa pulled up an MBarrier, running up and pummeling it with her fists. The beast screamed in added agony when Cloud buried his sword into its back. With a blast of unholy light, the creature morphed into its other form, swinging its fists wildly. It grabbed Cloud and flung him to the other side of the room, yelling in triumph. Tifa punched at it, but she was no match for its resilient hide. It flicked her away, and advanced on Aeris, but she was prepared. She called out to Cloud and Tifa, who were still struggling to their feet. "You guys! One side is powerful against physical attacks, and one is powerful against magic attacks! We have to hit this side with spells!" Energy crackled in her hands as she prepared a Bolt 3 spell, and both Cloud and Tifa moved to each side of the beast as they prepared Fire 2 and Ice 2 spells. The combination of elemental magics crashed down upon the heinous fiend, and he fell to his knees, morphing into his magic form. Cloud performed the final blow, Meteorain, drowning the monster in a hail of flaming meteors. Tifa stumbled over to the smoking carcass of the monster and nudged it with her foot, satisfied when it didn't move. She caught the glint of something in the safe, reaching in carefully and pulling out a key, and a small pamphlet, reading, 'Cosmo Memory.' She handed the pamphlet to Cloud and pocketed the key. "That was a lot of fun, but...let's go get our real treasure." ---------------- Tifa unconsciously flinched at each creak of the stairs as they walked down to the basement. When they finally reached the last level, she walked ahead toward a closed door, and used the key to unlock it. She gasped at what she saw. The room was full of coffins, most of them open, with skeletons leering blankly at them. There was one coffin, more elaborately decorated than the others in the center of the room that was still closed. After a moment of thought, Cloud walked over to it, motioning for Tifa to follow him. Aeris trailed close behind, brushing cobwebs away. "Tifa," Cloud muttered. "I need you to help me open this thing." Tifa balked and stumbled backwards, shaking her head. "No!" Cloud sighed in frustration, rolling his eyes. "Geez, Tifa. Quit freaking out. Just help me open it." He tapped the top of it. "See, no zombies. Come on." With a sigh, Tifa moved to the opposite side of the coffin, and gently hefted the top off, with Cloud's help. They all gasped at the contents. A man, dressed in red and black was asleep in the coffin. He was almost too beautiful to be a man, with long, black eyelashes and soft, pale skin. Locks of wild dark hair framed his face, held in place by a red bandanna. One of his hands had been replaced with a shiny, golden claw. Tifa made a noise in-between a squeak and a gasp, almost jumping out of her skin when she heard the man speak. "...To wake me from the nightmare..." His eyes flew open suddenly, and all the color drained from Cloud's face when he saw that they were bright, cold crimson. "Who is it?!" He glanced around at the three frightened faces and sat up slowly, shaking his head. "...Never seen you before. You must leave." When Cloud finally found his voice, he choked out, "You were having a nightmare." "How bad was your dream?" Tifa asked. The man snorted. "Hmph...a nightmare...? My long sleep has given me time to atone." "What are you saying?" Cloud asked. The man lowered himself back into his coffin, frowning darkly. "I have nothing to say to strangers. Get out. This mansion is the beginning of your nightmare." Cloud frowned, glancing down at his feet. "...you can say that again." The man glanced up at him. "Hmm? What do you know?" "Like you said," Cloud began, his frown deepening, "this mansion is the beginning of a nightmare. No, it's not a dream, it's for real. Sephiroth has lost his mind. He found the secrets hidden in this mansion..." "Sephiroth?!" The man gasped. Both he and Cloud stared at each other for a moment, before saying, in unison, "You know Sephiroth?" Tifa watched, baffled, as the man rose from the coffin, floated above it for a moment, and then did a slow backflip before landing on the edge of it. He waved his human hand at Cloud. "You start first." Cloud took a deep breath and relayed the entire story to the man, not even pausing for breath. With the exception of his speaking, everyone in the room was respectively quiet. After finishing, he waved his hand. The man sat down, narrowing his eyes. "So Sephiroth knows he was created five years ago? And about the Jenova Project? He was missing...but he just recently reappeared...he is taking many lives, and is seeking the Promised Land." Cloud nodded, waiting for the man to tell his side of the story. “Now it's your turn." The man sighed sadly. "Sorry...I cannot speak." Tifa frowned in annoyance, crossing her arms. "Hmm...I'm disappointed." The man lowered himself back down into his coffin. "Hearing your stories has added upon me yet another sin. More nightmares shall come to me now, more than I previously had. Now...please leave." The lid of the coffin floated in midair for a moment, before landing back over him with a loud thump. Cloud cursed under his breath and tapped the coffin, stepping back when the lid flew off. The man sat up and stared at the group. "You're still here..." "Who are you?" Cloud asked. "At least tell us your name." "I was with...the Shinra Manufacturing Department in Administrative Research, otherwise known as--the Turks." He paused for a moment, and then added, "Vincent." "The Turks?!" Cloud exclaimed. Vincent sighed and shook his head. "Formerly of the Turks. I have no affiliation with Shinra now. ...And you?" "Former Shinra soldier, Cloud." "You were also with Shinra...? Then do you know Lucrecia?" "Who?" ".....Lucrecia." The man paused for a moment. "The woman who gave birth to Sephiroth." "...gave birth...?" Cloud frowned in confusion. "Wasn't Jenova Sephiroth's mother?" "That isn't completely wrong, but just a theory. He was born from a beautiful lady. That lady was Lucrecia. She was an assistant to Professor Gast of the Jenova Project. Beautiful...Lucrecia." "...A human experiment?" "There was no way to cancel the experiment. I couldn't stop her. That was my sin. I let the one I loved, the one I respected most, face the worst." Tifa frowned. "So the punishment was sleep? That's weird." The man shook his head and the coffin closed again. Cloud and the two girls walked out of the room, and they were about to climb the stairs, when Vincent stopped them. "Wait! If I go with you will I meet Hojo?" Cloud shrugged. "Dunno. But we're after him and Sephiroth. So, I guess, sooner or later..." "Lucrecia..." Vincent murmured. "All right. I've decided to go with you." Tifa blinked in surprise, and Aeris inched behind her warily. "What? You're coming with us?" "Being a former Turk," Vincent explained, gazing at the two women, "I may be of help to you..." Cloud frowned in thought, and finally made his decision. "All right, then." With that, he and the others climbed the stairs, out of the mansion. ----------------- end of chapter eleven That was the longest chapter so far. The longest, I say. Over 5000 words. Next chapter is Nibel Mountains, Rocket Town, and Cid! Yay for tea-drinking chain smokers!
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