A/N:

Hi guys. Can I just start out by saying, wow? Thanks to everyone who gave me 9 reviews!! I'm so so so happy; I'm sure everyone in my dorm thinks I'm incredibly insane from the happy noises I make when I check my stats (well...that is, if they didn't already know I was crazy). And my lovely reviewers are:

LadyTeefStrife, cherimai, ajax710vv, Sigart, Clement Rage, vLuna, PEANUT v1.2, CB Shipper, and kitsune13 (massive review too! double thanks to you)

Disclaimer: I still don't own 7. I'll let you know when I do.

In retrospect, there were so many other easier options than this. He could have just gone to Reeve directly, who probably wouldn't have told him because the mission was confidential. Or he could always sneak in to WRO headquarters and find the paperwork. Sure, it might ruin his reputation and cause the head of a powerful organization to be angry at him, but it seemed to be worth the risk.

How he could ever convince Vincent Valentine to go on a date with Yuffie Kisaragi was beyond him. He didn't even know how to set up dates for himself, let alone anyone else. Maybe this will be easier…it's not my feelings on the line anyway. He had already told the caped man to meet him by the Meteorfall monument. But now that he was here, waiting for Vincent to arrive, he had no idea what he was going to tell him. Every scenario he played out in his mind involved Vincent running away at the end. 'Hey, Vincent…do you know who seems really un-annoying or hyperactive recently?' Cloud shook his head. This was going to be a challenge.

"Cloud?"

He looked around for the deep voice, clearly recognizable as Vincent's, but he couldn't find him in the light crowd of people.

"It's me."

There was a tall man waving from his left. He was dressed in dark black jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Sunglasses cleverly blocked his red eyes. "…Vincent?"

The man nodded and walked forward, "Hello, Cloud."

"Edge is a little dark for sunglasses."

Vincent sighed, "I am attempting a disguise. It seems my…fan club likes to follow me."

"You mean stalk?"

"…Precisely."

Cloud shook his head. 'Hey Vincent, you know what? That girl who started your law breaking fan club wants to go out with you!' Nope. Not a good transition either. "We can go somewhere less…open if you want."

The taller man looked around, "I do not see any of them. We should be fine here, but what did you want to discuss?"

"Umm…" his head was blank. There was absolutely nothing that could possibly convince Vincent to go on a date with Yuffie. "Well I just wanted to…"

The sharp ring stopped him midsentence, luckily for Cloud. Vincent sighed in apology and looked at his new phone, slightly confused by the caller ID, "Hello?" The dark man cringed, immediately crushing the metal phone in his pale hand.

Cloud blinked, slightly scared, "You okay?"

"….errr." He shook his head, letting dark bangs whirl on his cheekbones. His voice sounded dead, "They know my number."

"Oh." Cloud patted him on the back, "It'll pass, Vincent. I've dealt with...those people before, and they always seem to move on."

Vincent shook his head, "Yes, but how am I supposed to live in the meantime? I can't dress normally or go anywhere without being swarmed by screeching, clingy monsters." He fell back on a nearby bench and ran his hands through his black hair. "I was never one for attention, Cloud. I never wanted to be famous like you."

The only reason I wanted to be famous was for… Cloud shook his head, "So what do you want to do?"

"Perhaps I'll go back to Nibelheim. It was quiet in the basement."

He can't go though…then Yuffie won't tell me where Tifa is. His mind was turning with ways of trying to convince Vincent to stay. But Vincent Valentine wasn't one to be bribed with anything. He went without worldly positions for 30 years; he wouldn't mind doing it again for another five. And I can't exactly stop his club… There was no way. They only stopped following me when I moved in with… Cloud smiled. "I have an idea."

Vincent looked skeptical, "For what?"

"For making those girls leave you alone."

This caught his attention, "How?"

Cloud moved next to him on the bench and coughed. He wasn't exactly sure if Vincent would be too fond of his plan, but it would certainly work and in everyone's favor.

She already wanted to go home. The sun was bothering her, as was the heat and the humidity. Her hair was acting funny, and her skin felt slightly burnt, even though it had only been a couple of hours since she arrived.

Her mind kept contrasting her situations. Edge was dark and rushed. People poured into the streets just to go to their destinations. No one stopped to talk or listen, and frankly, she didn't really mind it. There were always clouds, and they were always a soft grey. It reminded her of the plate over Midgar or the smoke over Nibelheim, neither of those happy memories, but they were familiar nevertheless.

Here there was only blue. And as much as she knew that she should like it, she only wanted the clouds. Really? Her mind was laughing at herself. Maybe it wasn't that kind of cloud she wanted.

"Too late."

She had set the deadline herself, didn't she? It was too late to be thinking about things that will never happen. It was too late to do something or try. It was the time to move on, forget him, forget whatever feelings that still may exist, forget that maybe…if she wasn't too late…

"You wanted a separate room, Miss?"

Her head perked up at the bellman and nodded, "Yes, please." She had convinced Reeve that she didn't have to hide her identity. This wasn't exactly too much of a covert mission anyway. She started to unpack, piling her clothes onto her bed, first wanting to put away all of her other things. The black notebook on her desk was of particular interest. Record anything suspicious… Reeve had told her to take note of everything. Of the tourists, the location, but mostly her partner.

She folded her clothes precisely, more for distraction than out of habit. Her mind couldn't stop going back to Edge. And she felt stupid for feeling so homesick. Remember when you didn't even have a home? But that thought only made it worse. She had a home now, and she wondered if she hurt it.

What was he trying to tell her?

Knowing Cloud, it wasn't simply that he wanted her to stay. There was more to it, more than the simple 'don't go'. But she didn't want to think about that. She couldn't let herself. The mission was her focus. Instead of making breakfast for Denzel, she'd only need to feed herself. Instead of keeping track of Cloud's calls and messages, she'd only have to watch Reno's….which was a poor substitute at best.

The soft knock on the door killed her thoughts, luckily for her. "Come…" but she stopped, remembering she was in a hotel, not home, and that these doors would be locked. "Hey, Reno." She gave him a soft smile as she opened the door, "Sorry, I just started unpacking so can't say I'm ready to start yet…"

"That's okay, Teef." The Turk invited himself into her hotel room, crashing into her chair and letting his feet loose on the coffee table. "I'll just sit here and chill until you're all ready, yo."

"…It'll be pretty boring, but okay." Tifa continued to fold, trying to forget his presence. She felt nervous around him, and not the same kind of nervous she was accustomed to back in her own house. Maybe I better just talk to him. "You're excited about your first mission?"

Reno shrugged, "Eh, I'm not really looking forward to the mission if you want me to be completely honest with ya."

"Oh then what?" She was putting a pile in the drawers now. Would she really be gone this long? Was it really necessary for her to pack 3 weeks worth of clothing? Reeve had never put a timeframe on it. Search the area for remnants of Shinra, of any reports from Hojo, and suspicious behavior. He'd call her when she's done. Whenever that is.

"…um, well the beach for one thing, yo! Which reminds me…" Reno removed his feet from her table, "I was thinking about hitting up some clubs before we get knee deep in work, what do ya say?"

Clubs? That would be a change. There were no clubs in Edge or Nibelheim, and the clubs in the slums of Midgar weren't exactly her taste. "Sure, why not?"

Reno hopped up from the club chair, "Great! So I'll pick you up around 10ish?"

She didn't exactly like the way he phrased that. He almost makes it sound like a …"Okay." Her thoughts had to move on, and even if they didn't want to, she would just have to force them.

"No."

"Vincent…"

"No."

"So you rather be stalked for another 2 years?"

This made him stop and think. "…why her?"

"Is she that bad?" Vincent's expression was enough to take back the words, "Okay, but who else could we use?"

"Tifa?"

Cloud refrained from punching him, "She's not here. She went on a mission for Reeve."

The dark man collapsed back on the bench, looking transparently white. He was clutching at his black hair in utter pain, "But Yuffie?"

"It's your choice. " Cloud stood in front of him, a little desperate. "Go on one date with a girl you've known for many years or keep hiding and destroying your phone."

Vincent looked up at him, a little suspicious, "You seem rather for this, Cloud."

The blond shrugged, "I'm just trying to help you."

"You didn't talk to Yuffie about this?"

He smirked, "Since when do I talk to Yuffie at my own freewill?"

"Hmph," Vincent smiled a little, "Alright, Cloud." He took Cloud's hand and shook it halfheartedly, "We have a deal."

The blond grinned excitedly, one step closer to finding Tifa. But even with that goal in his mind, he couldn't help but feel like he just sent Vincent to his death.

A/N:

yay! I'll get to work on chapter 6 right now (actually...after I eat food). You know what would be awesome? getting reviews in the double digits :D.....just saying.

hope you all liked it!

~Honey