-11- [Voice]

[unlocked_hart]

[There's...a lot of coughing. Which finally emerges as Tifa's croaking voice - she sounds as if she's swallowed a cheese grater.]

...Cl-Cloud...?

[More coughing.]

...Cloud? [She clears her throat and tries again.] Aerith?

[Pause.]

Yuffie? ...you guys...you guys okay?

Comments

[couldnotfly]

[Whoa whoa whoa! He'd heard you were dead, Tifa. Not comatose; dead. How are you...what the...what's going on?]

Tifa? Are you--[Of course she is, you dolt.] You're alive.

[unlocked_hart]

...Zack! [Oh, thank goodness.]

Yeah, I'm alive...sort of...I think?

[couldnotfly]

[That is a sigh of relief that escapes him. If you're back, then maybe...maybe Cloud can get better now.]

I think you are. Unless we're both hallucinating.

[unlocked_hart]

I hope so. The alternative...isn't that pleasant. ...where's Cloud?

[couldnotfly]

Cloud's in the clinic. He...uh..he's gonna be fine. Just got a little banged up. [He can't bring himself to tell her what happened after she died..]

[unlocked_hart]

[Crap. And...crap. Those must have been some rough zombies.]

...the zombies were that bad, huh?

[couldnotfly]

Uh...it was actually something that came after the zombies...left.

[unlocked_hart]

...after the zombies?

[This is getting irritating. NO ONE WILL TELL HER ANYTHING!]

Zack. What happened!

[couldnotfly]

[Okay. That tone, when he's had no sleep after all that's happened? Scares the crap out of him. But he still hesitates; Gods...she has a right to know.]

After you...died..Cloud kinda went nuts.

[unlocked_hart]

[And, her stomach just hit the floor.]

...

...what kinda...nuts?

[couldnotfly]

Uh...he...well..[In with both feet, Fair.]

He set fire to the town. [After going to the Regent's house, getting shot, and stabbing Zack right through the gut. But he's not going to mention that.]

[unlocked_hart]

[Insert long pause here, before Tifa finally chokes out:]

.....h-he did....wh-what??

[couldnotfly]

I know it sounds crazy, but one second the town was fine, and the next it was on fire. He was the only one close enough to have started it, Tifa.

...I'm sorry.

[unlocked_hart]

[Oh, this is Tifa wheezing in shock. Really, not nice to do that to the poor girl. She's been ill.]

..Zack... Th-that's impossible. Cloud wouldn't...he wouldn't do that!

[couldnotfly]

[Oh, he's sorry. Note the panicked tone in his voice?]

Tifa, calm down before you end back in the clinic. He's fine. It's over now.

[unlocked_hart]

[It takes her a minute, but finally she does calm down and gets her trembling under control.]

...yeah. All right. Okay.