-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.

[couldnotfly]

[Oh, thank Shiva for that...]

I'm sorry...I shouldn't have told you so quickly.

[unlocked_hart]

Nnnnnnnnnnnn...

[That would be Tifa with her head down, trying to make some sense out of this. And failing.]

[couldnotfly]

...If it's any consolation, I don't think it was...something was wrong with him. It didn't feel like Cloud was doing all that.

[unlocked_hart]

[Oh, Shiva, it's not. It's so not. Crap, crap, crap! Wait-]

What about Sephiroth? Where is he, Zack?!

[If Sephiroth had anything to do with this-!]

[couldnotfly]

[Que audible flinch, and he takes a moment to respond.]

...Sephiroth's dead, Tifa. He died in my arms.

[unlocked_hart]

[And that would be Tifa plunking down on the curb again because her knees gave out.]

D-dead? Oh, Shiva...ohshivaohshiva...oh...

[couldnotfly]

[Not good. The way she asked about Seph, and now this? What the hell is going ong?]

...Tifa...do you know something about what happened?

[unlocked_hart]

I don't have the first clue, Zack...I really wish I did...Oh, Cloud...not again! Please, not again!

[couldnotfly]

That makes two of us...[Again? What does she mean that? Geez, Spike...]

When I took him in, the doctors thought he was gonna make it. I think Cloud'll be fine.

[unlocked_hart]

Okayokay...Cloud'll be all right.

[But...]

Zack...I'm sorry...about Sephiroth.

[There, she said it.]

[couldnotfly]

He's too stubborn not to be, ya know.

[He doesn't answer for a long moment, and his voice is quiet when he does.]

Thanks, Tifa.

[And he does appreciate it. Truly.]

[unlocked_hart]

Welcome.

[Oh, but she needs to go lay down for a while. And figure this out, if possible.]

...are you all right, Zack?

[couldnotfly]

[And hopefully stay out of trouble so this kinda thing doesn't happen again.]

...I'll be okay. Don't worry about me.

[unlocked_hart]

[She at least manages to laugh a little.]

Too late.

[couldnotfly]

[Success has arrived.]

Really, Tifa. I'll be fine. You just take care of yourself.