A/N: I am so sorry for not updating in three years. I had a huge writer's block, didn't know where I wanted to take this story and thus delayed it for far too long.

Nevertheless, enjoy.

...in trouble.

gunblade...

...caught by WRO.

Tifa...

Anything else she was not able to hear for she had to compete with the boisterous dissonance that surrounded her. Cloud Strife had allowed her to borrow his villa in Costa del Sol and she had been lying down on the bed attempting to sleep but opted to go for a walk to clear her head. That was when she heard the two talking.

It has been five months and thirteen days since she had contacted the Seventh Heaven family. They had taken her in without question and let her live with them for three years. They were... unusual, or perhaps it was her that felt out of place upon staying with them. Regardless, her time spent living with them was... happy. Normal. A concept so strange to her that she needed to leave them in order to see how normal she had become. And now she found herself tailing two people; two people that were discussing about Tifa.

Shelke knew what the woman was like. She reminded her of Shalua. The bits and scraps of her memories were vague and unclear but her sister was always there beside her, and now she wasn't...

For a moment she let her thoughts wander. Tifa had reminded her so much of Shalua. Before she was taken, Shalua was her only family and being the older one she took care of her. She could not recall anything about their parents; they were practically strangers. Shalua had fought life and limb for her, and Shelke could see a little bit of that in Tifa.

Shelke sensed that Tifa would have lifted mountains if it meant protecting the ones she cared for. She was strong and kind and patient. Shelke could not see someone like her making enemies given that she was always friendly toward others. The two people who were discussing about her must have been acquainted with Tifa at some point then.

She followed the two to the beach where they settled among the rocks and set up a small campfire behind the cliffs. It was a perfect hiding spot, but they were vulnerable as they were cornered with only one exit. Shelke didn't plan on attacking them. That was not necessary. She would just gather intel and keep track of them afterwards.

Shelke hid behind a large rock, leaning against it as she sat down with both her hands on her fuel rods. Taking a risk, she peeked over the side and listened.

A woman and a man. Both young. Probably as old as her. The woman sat on the sand with her legs folded under her while the man sat cross legged, poking at the campfire with a stick.

"How far is Edge?" The girl asked.

"It's right across the ocean from here."

The girl looked at him curiously. "You said that Tifa works in a bar?"

"I think she owns it. She probably does." He snapped his fingers. "Oh man. I forgot to ask her that."

The girl stared out at the sea, her quiet eyes looked nostalgic. "I want to see it."

The man jerked his head up towards the girl. "What?"

"Well," she looked away. "her bar. We'll drop by to say hi. I haven't even seen her, yet you have."

The boy sighed. "I dunno. Tifa said she didn't want us to see her again unless it was an emergency."

"I know, but it's alright to visit, isn't it? Besides, who knows how long we'll stay here until we all have to go."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess." The guy shrugged. "Let's not go anytime soon though. It's only been two weeks and she doesn't want us all in one place. Cause' you know if we all get together—"

"I understand."

That seemed to be the end of their conversation. Shelke stayed for a few minutes in case they were going to discuss anything else but eventually withdrew. She did not know who she could tell this to. Surely, it was none of her concern but she couldn't just keep it to herself either...

Cloud spotted it again on his way home from a delivery. How couldn't he? This time it was heading towards Seventh Heaven.

Damn it. His heart was racing. The weird crystal monster moved sluggishly and was shaped like a man. Its vibrant light blue skin and odd shape stood out amongst the dull, grey that was associated with Edge.

When he drew near the creature, Cloud parked his bike to the side and retrieved his sword from its compartment. A few passerbys glanced at him strangely but immediately deserted the street. Monsters were never usually spotted in the city but when Kadaj had attacked the city, citizens were a bit wary. People still remembered how AVALANCHE defended the city and they knew that Cloud brandishing his sword meant that they needed to hightail it to safety.

Cloud guessed right and the humanoid monster was the exact same as the one he had seen while on his ride from Junon. The only difference was that it didn't move like Sephiroth. It seemed smaller and was holding something huge in its hands. He finally reached the crystal monster and raised his sword over his head. The monster reacted so quick he didn't see it move but one second it had its back turned to him and the next it was blocking his sword with its own. Cloud grunted and struggled against it. He stared hard at it, it was the closest he had been to these things and if it was another Sephiroth clone then this was something he could no longer ignore. But what he saw made his jaw drop.

It was him.

It was like looking at a mirror. Cloud saw an exact image of himself staring right back at him. Its eyes were empty, devoid of expression, and completely soulless.

The monster pushed him back, making him stumble. It swung its sword at him and Cloud realized too late that it really was an exact carbon copy of him complete with its own Buster Sword. It seemed to move like him, too. He dodged the swing but the tip grazed his arm, making him wince. It did an upward thrust but Cloud blocked it. He removed one of the side blades from his fusion sword and used his other hand to strike. The clone staggered and fell sideways. Cloud didn't hesitate and stabbed it. A crunching noise came out of its mouth but it was too distorted for him to make out what it said, although he did note that it sounded eerily like him. He watched with mild fascination as the million facets of crystals that it was made of begin to lift toward the sky and dissolve.

Cloud opened the garage behind Seventh Heaven and parked his bike. He mounted off and adjusted his jacket. He hissed as he spotted the cut that the thing gave him. The gash was deep enough to cut through his favorite jacket and leave a small scar on his arm. He wasn't worried too much about it but Tifa had given the jacket as a Christmas present.

"You wanna be a tough guy, you gotta look it," she had joked, smiling at him. "Besides, when I saw this I... it made me think of you and that maybe you would like it?"

He did, and now it was ruined.

Removing his goggles, his phone started to ring. Without bothering to check who it was he answered it. "Yeah?"

"Cloud Strife."

"Shelke." He sighed. She still hasn't changed. Addressing people by their full name was a habit she didn't seem to be dropping anytime soon. "Hey. Is there something you need?"

"I have some information that you might find interesting. It's about Tifa."

Cloud looked over his shoulder at the closed door that led to the kitchen and lowered his voice. "What about her?"

"I recently came into contact with two people who seem to be acquianted with her. They were discussing how Tifa would not want to see them." She paused. "I informed Vincent about this first then he told me to tell you."

"Okay, start from the beginning."

And so she told him.

Cloud rubbed his eyes as Shelke finished telling him everything. "I am curious to know about this," she said at last.

"Why don't you ask her then?"

"I do not think Tifa would inform me of this. These two friends of hers have been hanging around Costa del Sol for a while. I don't think it's good if I were to approach them." Shelke paused. "I took a picture of them but it is difficult to discern their faces."

"You mind sending it to me?"

"Sending it to you now."

Shelke hung up after that. Cloud leaned on Fenrir, his phone in hand as he waited with baited breath.

Two people. They were young. Possibly late teens but he could be wrong. The girl had long straight brown hair. The image was blurry so he couldn't make out her face. Did she have blue eyes or green eyes? She wore some sort of exotic dress with a wide yellow belt on her stomach. What were those called? A kimono. The person next to her was a guy a few inches taller with sandy blonde hair and a faint tan covering his skin. He wore grey and aqua pants with a white dress shirt under his metallic vest and his knee high boots and elbow length gloves seemed to also be made of the same metal. Cloud couldn't decide if he wore that for luxury or for combat. Maybe both.

After a few seconds of examining the image, he sent the picture to Cissnei and requested her for a background check on the two. He fished his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, his thumping heart ringing in his ears.

What the hell is going on? First he fought... whatever that thing was. He refused to fathom the idea that it was him. It couldn't have been. It looked like him. Maybe someone was making clones of him? But why? And what about the Sephiroth-esque clone that he saw in the forest? It was no coincidence that they were both light blue and seemed to be made of crystal.

And then there was Tifa. She's got some friends who need her help with... something. Were they somehow connected? Cloud had no clue what to make out of all of this but he knew that this whole ordeal needed to end.

He stepped into the kitchen and saw that Tifa had already prepared dinner for him. Usually around this time she was in the living room, curled up on the armchair with a book in her hands as she waited for him to come home but that was only after she cleaned the bar and washed the dishes. She wasn't in the living room and Cloud didn't hear the running water from the bar or her light footsteps as she walked across the room to clean the tables. It was strangely empty and immediately he began to panic.

"Tifa?" He called out.

"I'm in the bar."

As soon as he walked in, his body tensed.

"Yo," Reno greeted.

From his seat, Rufus finished his drink. "Cloud. We were beginning to wonder if you would show up, and just when I was about to leave."

Rufus wore a tailored white suit and tie and was drinking water while eying him lackadaisically. He no longer had the bandages around his head nor was he wearing a robe but he was still bound to a wheelchair. Even then Cloud wouldn't hesitate to throw him out. He knew Rufus could walk without any problems but for some reason he confined himself to the damn thing. You'd think that despite finding some common ground in the past Cloud would tolerate Rufus but he knew that he always had some ulterior motive.

"What do you want?" Cloud demanded.

"I actually stopped by for a drink and—"

"Get out."

Rufus sighed. "Asking me questions and then interrupting me before I could finish?" He shook his head then glanced at Tifa. "How do you live with him?"

Instinctively, Cloud stepped closer to Tifa. He remembered how Reeve told him to watch out for Rufus and the Turks and about how they might try getting to Tifa for information about the mysterious woman that they caught. Guess this is what he meant.

Sneaky bastard did it while I was away, too.

"I'm here now," Cloud said. "so make it quick."

"I just want a word with you and then we'll get out of your hair."

Cloud clenched his jaw but relented. The sooner he had to say what he needed the sooner he'd leave. "Fine."

They went outside to the entrance of the bar to talk in private. Thank Gaia for that. Not only did he not want Tifa listening but he wouldn't need to walk Rufus out when they'd finish.

"Notice anything... strange happening?" Rufus started.

Besides you coming here just to ask me that, when you could have one of your bozos do it for you? Instead he said, "No."

Rufus gave him a look from the corner of his eyes before lazily shifting to the empty road in front of them. "Well, I'm assuming that you've been informed about the intruder at WRO headquarters."

"Reeve told me. What about it?"

"How much did he tell you?"

"He told me enough so that I would keep a sharp eye out for anything."

Rufus seemed satisfied with his answer. "And have you seen anything?"

"I just said no," he snapped.

"Nothing at all?" Rufus pressed.

"I don't know anymore than you do." Cloud answered. He wasn't lying. Though, from what Reeve told him there was no denying that whatever it was Tifa was somehow involved. And Cloud knew that Rufus knew that Tifa was the key to probably understanding this whole problem, but she wasn't budging. If she wasn't telling Cloud a damn thing then he couldn't imagine why she'd say anything to Rufus.

Rufus turned his head and focused his eyes on him. Cloud stared right back, not the least bit intimidated. "Why are you so interested about the intruder at WRO, anyway?"

"You would be, too." Rufus craned his neck and peeked into the small crack of the bar door. "Your girlfriend sure seems to know a great deal."

Cloud scoffed. Good luck asking her.

"Well, sorry to waste your time but like I said, I don't know anything. Now get out."

Rufus sighed but barked for Reno and the lanky redhead stumbled outside. Rufus gave Cloud another distressed look. "If you do find out anything, then you know how to contact me."

Cloud huffed impatiently. "You're shit out of luck, Rufus. Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you a damn thing."

Rufus didn't seem fazed but after a second his eyes hardened. "Your cooperation would be most beneficial, Cloud. At least tell Reeve."

"No promises."

Cloud walked back into the bar and locked the door behind him. Tifa looked up from behind the counter as she was drying wet glasses with a white rag.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"He's just fishing for information... which I don't have." Cloud crossed his arms and tapped his finger. "Tifa, we gotta talk."

"Are you moving out of my room?" She asked hopefully.

"Not even close." He glanced down at himself and looked over to her sheepishly. "But first, you mind fixing my jacket?"

They both went upstairs to her room. Tifa sat on her desk chair with Cloud's jacket in her lap while she sewed the hole with a thread and needle. Cloud leaned against the headboard of her bed and watched her, trying to figure out how the hell this was going to work.

Tifa sighed. "If you're going to ask me about—"

"I'm not." Cloud interjected. She raised her eyebrows and looked up from her work to stare at him. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something else."

"Oh, about what?"

Shit. He didn't think he'd get this far. His "brilliant" plan that he created was to get Tifa to tell him everything about what the hell was going on with her. The first step was to get the kids outta the picture. They were a big help with keeping an eye on Tifa while he was doing deliveries but if her problem posed a threat to everyone then they needed to be somewhere safe and far away. Cissnei was also helping him, and with Shelke calling him earlier he suppose she was also included.

However, the next part of his plan was tricky...

Cloud gulped and sat up. "I was hoping you would come with me to Costa del Sol."

"To Costa del Sol...? Why?"

Cloud pursed his lips and looked around the room nervously.

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Does it have to do with why Rufus came today?"

Cloud shook his head. Rufus wanted to learn whatever Tifa knew but she wouldn't even tell Cloud what that was.

He cleared his throat. "I was just thinking that it'd be a good opportunity to—I mean, Marlene and Denzel are with Barret and you and me," Cloud rubbed the back of his neck. "we're uh, not doing anything so I figured why not."

Shut up. Just shut up. Sweet Gaia, he could feel his stomach burning. His shirt was sticking to his back thanks to all the sweat and the palm of his hands were getting clammy.

"The villa that I-we purchased back then it's still there. We could stay there for a...vacation." He finished lamely.

She blinked. "Didn't you give that place to Shelke?"

"I let her borrow it. Besides I already talked to her. She said she left last week."

"Oh."

Cloud could feel his face getting warm. "Well...I'll let you think about it."

He left her room immediately after. If she agrees, then it's all set. He did want to go on a vacation with her, however there was also the plan that he had discussed with Cissnei. He was going to help her when he found the chance but he didn't know how long that would take and he didn't want to leave Tifa by herself. Otherwise she might go on one of her "walks" and who knows what could happen to her without him closeby.

He went to his room and waited. An hour passed since then and he thought Tifa fell asleep and that he would have to wait for her answer tomorrow. What surprised him was that she ended up coming to him.

"All right." She said. There was something in her eyes that he couldn't place. "I'll go."

"You will? Okay."

"Sorry for deciding so long. It just seemed kind of sudden." Smiling, she held up his jacket to him. "Try not to tear it up again."

He nodded and felt his heart stop when she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"It's been so long since we were here," Tifa said.

Cloud hummed in agreement and set the groceries down on the dining table. They arrived at the villa early and the first thing Tifa did was raid the fridge. Shelke didn't seem to have any etiquette when it came to food much to Tifa's chagrin so they went grocery shopping. Cloud didn't want Tifa cooking on their vacation but they were going to be here for a week and she said that she didn't want to eat out every night because it would be too expensive.

Cloud stepped into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. A week. They were gonna spend a week in Costa del Sol together... without the kids... completely alone...

Cloud was never romantic so he had no idea what couples did or should do. He asked Cid which turned out to be a huge mistake that he would regret. Cid's suggestion was to rent a hotel room for a month, leave a "Do not disturb" sign on the door and never come out. He then proceeded to goad and mock him for not having the balls to make the first move on what he considers an already established relationship.

He and Tifa usually did stuff that the kids wanted to do but now they weren't here. He was perfectly content with staying inside and just relaxing with her but what if she didn't want that? Maybe they could go to the beach and rent a few surf boards? Maybe go hiking and sightseeing? He did hear that there was a waterfall somewhere in the forest that they could visit but that was two hours from here, and then there is the fireworks show in a few days. Whatever he planned always seemed to get thwarted and he still didn't know what she wanted to do so he'd have to improvise.

Tifa knocked on the door and poked her head inside. For some reason, her face was flushed. "You want to go to the beach?"

"Yeah, sure."

When he finished changing into his bathing shorts, he walked outside and tried hard not to gawk at her. She was already dressed in a cropped blue button up shirt that was tied in the front with white shorts and flip flops. Underneath she was wearing a black bikini and she had sunglasses on top of her head. She had a bag under her arm and a red towel in the other. Cloud thought she looked beautiful but she always did.

"You ready?" She asked. He nodded and followed her out.

They spent the next two hours at the beach. It was sunny and thus crowded. Cloud didn't let the horde of people sour his mood because Tifa seemed to be enjoying herself and that was enough for him. As he thought, they did end up renting two surf boards and took lessons. Tifa, of course, was a natural and did it with ease while he struggled. He opted to watch her and admired at how fluid and graceful she looked. The wide and excited smile she had was contagious and he found himself grinning like an idiot at just the sight. They took a break and Tifa took the opportunity to sunbathe and read, and Cloud blushed madly as if he was some sort of teenager as he applied sunblock on her back.

As cheesy as it was, they lingered on the shoreline and watched the sunset. Tifa quickly put their stuff back at the villa and grabbed two beers. Now they were just walking on the pier, holding hands. Cloud took a swig of his drink and felt some semblance of peace and content wash over him. In the back of his mind he knew that Tifa was still troubled from the problems she refused to tell him but after today he didn't seem to feel any of that. Today felt like a regular vacation where he could bask in the view while enjoying the company of a beautiful woman whom he loved.

Cloud gulped. He always knew it but saying it outloud was one thing he could never bring himself to say. Even after living with her for years he was such a coward.

He loved her. There was no way around it. And it wasn't until recently that he was absolutely certain that she felt the same way about him.

Tifa wrapped her arm around his and laid her head on his shoulder. Despite the heat and the fact that her long dark hair stuck to his skin, he wanted to envelop her in his arms and kiss her. Before he often felt this strong urge to do just that but there was always something that prevented him. Now there wasn't anything stopping him.

So he did.

Without warning or hesitation, he clumsily brought his lips to hers. He felt a bead of sweat fall down the side of his face as he pressed his mouth against hers. Her sweet lips tasted like beer and the bottle that she was holding dropped from her hand and fell. Other than that she was unresponsive and seemed shocked or dazed, but he couldn't tell.

He pulled away, feeling almost ashamed to kiss her without her permission. She blinked at him and he could feel his body churning from the way she was looking at him. For a few seconds, they stood like that. Disheartened, Cloud took a step back, his mouth already opening to apologize but she stopped him. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back fiercely.

A few seconds later, she pressed her face against his and laughed. "Took you long enough."

A/N: Oh man I hoped I nailed the kiss scene without making anyone gag. I feel like Cloud is just a ball of nerves when it comes to this kind of stuff so I wrote him as just that.

Anyway I didn't think so many people would be interested in this story so it's nice to see that people were psyched just to see what's next.

Sad to say, I don't know when I will update but I will continue to work on this. I also want to clean up some of the previous chapters since they need some fixing. Hope you guys enjoyed!