No Place Like Edge

"Love you too Ariana..glad I met you to.." Adell drifted off to sleep as he rested against Ariana, he couldn't ever really remember being this happy.

* *

"Gah, where are those two, ya?"

Kiera and Rick were looking around for their lost traveling companions, the Air Pirate had to rely on the item she had given Adell to track them both down. It had been a few hours and it was decided to round them up to prepare to head out soon. Rick hadn't ran into Cloud so he was a bit disappointed but they couldn't keep looking around forever.

"I'm sure they're around somewhere, maybe they went for some alone time." Rick shrugged, those two were a couple and he could tell without knowing them as well. Both of them loved each other and it was something Rick could easily see; it was something he knew--or rather something Zack knew where to look for and went to him. He was his own person, but he tended to have a lot of Zack's memories, some were pleasant and some, not so much.

Before Kiera and Rick could get very far, a door several feet away flew open, and out stepped someone impossible to miss. He seemed distracted, and his reason became evident shortly. "Cloud! I know you don't want to take the job, but we could use the money at the moment!" He glanced back as another unmistakable person stepped into the street.

"...Tifa, I'm not going to do anymore business with Rufus. He's caused enough trouble for one lifetime. Denzel is fine staying with Barret and Marlene now that things have settled with them, we don't need the money bad enough to take his money."

Rick instantly stopped walking once he saw both Cloud and Tifa come into view. He hadn't actually been expecting to run into Cloud, or more to the point he hadn't thought just moments after thinking he wouldn't run into them, here they were. Both Cloud and Tifa looked different, but even after all this time, he would know those two from anywhere.

"Rick, what got ya distracted?" Kiera noticed her friend a

"One second." Rick went over to where Cloud and Tifa were talking. "Cloud, Tifa?" Then he realized that his apperance would likely startle them, with him being we'll, dead. Zack was anyway, but that was besides the point since he looked almost exactly like him to the letter.

Cloud and Tifa turned to look at Rick, and when they did, the reactions were obvious. Tifa looked at Rick first with curiousity, then growing confusion, before she gasped, taking a step back as her eyes widened. Tifa hadn't known Zack well, barely at all really, but she could never forget the events at Nibelheim, and she also had heard of what Zack had done for Cloud. As for Cloud...

Cloud was simply staring at Rick with wide eyes, and various emotions showing on his face and in his eyes. Shock, guilt, sadness, and fear were prominent in his eyes. He took a single step back, his body rigid. "You...Z-Zack, but you...you died...I saw you die...they killed you..." His breathing picked up a bit, and he put a hand to his head as if in pain. There was no actual pain, but he expected it, expected that the hallucinations and memory inconsistancies from his past were coming back.

Nice going Rick.

He had been a bit impulsive on seeing the two again, and was starting to wish he had planned things out first. Coming to think of it, he really didn't have any plans when he Did meet Cloud or Tifa again. It would have probably been better to think of something then simply pop up and say 'hi guys, I know I look like your best friend, but I'm not really him'. But it was too late to go back now and he never believed in running away, that always made things worse.

He took a few steps forward, but kept his distance from the two. "Hey..it's me..sort of.." God damn this was awkward and he had put himself there.

What had he been thinking?

At Rick's words, Tifa seemed to snap out of her own shock, and glanced at Cloud. She went over, placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to get his attention. "Cloud...Cloud, calm down....you're not hallucinating, I can see him too, okay? Calm down so we can figure this out..." Cloud paused, looking at Tifa for a long moment, then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he stood up straight. He stayed like that, and Tifa started to think he was deliberately not looking at Rick. She bit her lip, then turned to Rick, watching him warily. "...Zack? Zack Fair?" Best to try and sort things out as best she could, for Cloud's sake.

Yeah, about that part, I'm kind of not your friend exactly I just look him?

It sounded worse in his head then out loud.

Still, at the moment there was really no getting around it so he might as well explain. Kiera was nearby but she was smart enough to know something was going on so kept silent for now.

"..Rick Fair to be exact. In case you're wondering how its possible for me to be 'alive' there's a good answer." This wasn't exactly the best place to have this kind of convo but he might as well start. "..You guys remember that bastard Hojo, right?" But then nobody who met him forgot about him, but that was besides the point. "Let's just say when he was working on cloning, he was successful in a way. He made..clones of Zack Fair, I'm one of them. I'm the only one left."

How would they react? Would they be more wary of him because Hojo did technically make him or would they want to hear him out more? If they didn't want anything to do with after wards..he didn't want to think about it but it was a possibility and something he'd just have to accept if that was the case.

"This is his brand, he gave us numbers.." Rick rolled up his sleeve for them to see, it had number twelve on it. Cloud would recgonize Hojo's 'work' though as he had been around him enough, it definitely wasn't just a tattoo.

Tifa and Cloud were both shocked, but surprisingly, Cloud recovered first. He walked over to Rick, his face schooled into a calm, stern mask, hiding the warring emotions within him. Once he was right in front of Rick, he spoke. "I'm perfectly aware of the...lengths, that Hojo would go to. His cloning program, particularly..." He paused, his eyes unfocused as if reliving some distant memory. After a moment, he recovered, and continued. "...Tell me everything. Everything you remember...and why you're here..." Tifa smiled sadly behind him, glancing over at Kiera. She realized she had come with Rick, and waved her over, letting her know it was alright.

"Cloud, Z-...Rick, let's go inside to talk..."

Rick was relieved it had turned out better then he thought it would, though there was still the fun task of explaining everything. That wasn't something he was looking forward too, then again might as well get the hard stuff out the way. The air pirate in question came bounding over once she got the 'okay' sign from Tifa that it was all right for her to come over and she wasn't intruding on anything.

"Hiya, I'm Kiera Blackheart nice to meet ya folks. Air Pirate Extraordinaire!" She introduce herself proudly.

"I don't think they know what Air Pirates are here." Rick was a bit amused as he followed the others inside. He looked around after wards, it was a nice place and well kept together.

"Right. Where to start.." Rick then did his best to explain everything, about how he woke in the lab and seemed to be the only 'clone' of his kind that lasted more then a short while after being released. He had wandered the country for the most part doing odd jobs here and there after quickly discovering he wasn't really Zack, so he made a name for himself but kept the last name. Then he explained about meeting Kiera one day and deciding to become part of her crew, in a airship that was similar but more advanced then the ones they were used too.

"So I decided to go with Kiera over here, mostly so I could try to make something of myself." Rick was sitting down by then by the time he started to get towards the end of his story. "That, and find a cure for myself. I learned from digging through notes and such that the problem with the clones were that they were genetically unstable. They don't usually live that long, I was an exception but its still there. I have about five, maybe ten years to live from now tops."

"But its not all bad. I got to meet a lot of different people and see a lot of places away from here. I'm still looking for something of course but if nothing is there, I'm not gonna dwell on it just enjoy the time I have." Rick paused. "..I heard Shinra reformed or something. Even still I don't trust them enough to poke around for a 'cure' of some kind."

At the end of all this, Tifa seemed worried, concern evident in her eyes, but Cloud was brooding silently. After a bit, however, he nodded. "I'll go with you. To find this cure." Tifa's shocked look showed she hadn't expected this at all. As if sensing it, Cloud continued. "You may not be the original Zack...but you look and act like him, and have his memories. I can't...I can't ignore that. And I can't ignore the debt that I've always owed to Zack. This is a chance to repay that debt, at least a little bit...and I'll admit, it would be nice to have my friend back, even if it's not quite the same." He looked contemplative, and was looking out the window...until Tifa spoke up.

"Well, guess that means I'll need to ask some people to watch the place for awhile, and tell Barret he's going to be watching Denzel for awhile longer. I wonder if we should bring anyone else with us." Cloud looked like he was about to protest even her coming along, but one mild glare had him reconsidering. "Can't take Cid away from Shera..."

"Red is busy in Cosmo Canyon."

"Barret will of course be watching Marlene and Denzel..."

"And I don't even know where to look for Vincent, so it's just us."

"But what about-"

"No. Not Reeve, not the Turks, and definitely not Yuffie." Tifa chuckled softly at that. Yuffie was a dear friend, but she annoyed Cloud to no end...

Rick hadn't been expecting this. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but both Cloud and Tifa willing to help him like this even after finding out he wasn't truly Zack. He wasn't Zack and couldn't replace him, no matter how similar he looked and acted like him and didn't want to try. Even so, it would be something of a new start to get to know Cloud and Tifa. 'Zack' did but he only had his memories; actually interacting them himself would be different.

Finally, he grinned a bit. "We'll, sort of surprised but not complaining." Then something clicked. "Wait, Yuffie? As in the same Yuffie from Wutai? You guys have friends in high places don't you?" He scratched the back of his head. "Guess it doesn't matter. When do you guys want to go? We have to find Adell and Ariana anyway before we leave.."

Kiera suddenly got Rick in a headlock, he didn't resist but seemed amused. "See? Everything worked out fine ya?" She let him go. "Hey, I was just wonderin', you folks have Airships here?"

Cloud said nothing, simply moving to gather a few things. Tifa smiled lightly. "Yes, that Yuffie. She's a dear friend, though she's very upbeat and...well, Cloud calls her 'obnoxious.' And we have one airship. The first one ever was built by Shinra, but when it was basically destroyed during the whole Meteor thing, Cid took it upon himself to build a new one, even better than the first. It's named after his wife, Shera, actually. As for when we can leave...whenever is good, honestly. Me and Cloud just need to grab some things, make a few calls, and then we'll be good."

Rick knew a bit of what was going on with the current world, having done some reading up and running around, but there were still bits and pieces missing. Mainly due to traveling with Kiera and being away from his own world for a while. The 'Meteor' thing was hard Not to hear about. Of course he only knew the short version: Sephiroth goes crazy, tries to destroy the world with giant rock, it fails but messes up part of Gaia anyway. The end.

Though he'd probably should replace the 'go crazy' with something else, since he was crazy for a long time before that.

"That's fine. I'll leave ya folks to Rick to take care of. I gotta get Adell and Ariana. I'll meet you three when I come back." Kiera said to them.

"All right. Don't need to say it, but be careful."

Kiera just waved and then headed out the door.

Rick watched her then got up from his seat. "If you guys need to get a few things and take in some calls, that's fine. When you're ready let me know and we'll go."

* *

Now..where are those two?

Kiera was tracking down Ariana and Adell, thanks to the item she had given Adell earlier; otherwise she'd be more lost then she'd care for. She did get some odd looks here and there, mainly for her unusual clothes but she ignored them. Those folks weren't worth her time and she didn't care what they thought.

"They're in a hotel?" She stopped for a moment seeing where Adell and Ariana were suppose to be. Maybe they had been doing something naughty, but that was their business. She put it aside and went into the place and was stopped by the front end manager until she talked to them and was let go.

She found the room number and knocked. "Ya two dressed? We're ready to head out."

Ariana was woken up by this, and rolled over a bit, opening her eyes to see Adell laying next to her. She smiled softly, just watching him. She heard Kiera, but couldn't bring herself to answer. She'd prefer to just lay there and look at Adell until he got up. Why? Because she'd finally found the love she'd always wanted.

Adell didn't instantly wake up, he shifted a bit from his sleep before slowly opening his eyes and seeing Ariana. She seemed more happy and peaceful then he had ever seen her before. Just that fact alone made Adell slowly smile. "Hey.."

Ariana's small smile grew a bit, and she shifted toward Adell, softly pressing her lips to his. When she pulled back, she didn't even care that the sheet had slipped, exposing her breasts to the open air. "Good morning, Adell...did you sleep well?" She didn't bother mentioning that Kiera was at the door. Nothing against Kiera, but she'd gladly take as much time as she could, just laying in this bed with Adell.

"I'll wait for ya guys outside." It was Kiera's last words before she left, her foot steps were heard by Ariana growing fainter until they vanished.

Adell heard it, but didn't pay attention since they did have some time. He went and gently kissed Ariana. "I think I had the best sleep I ever had thanks to you. You?" He didn't really feel like moving to be honest.

Ariana closed her eyes a bit, her hand finding his as she sighed, fingers entwining with his. "Ever since I started sharin' a bed with you, I stopped havin' nightmares. Ever since our relationship began, I've stopped havin' bad dreams at all. And last night...last night I had my first happy dreams in a very long time...even a fantasy dream." She brought his hand down under the sheets, pressing it to the obviously moist area between her legs. More surprising that even that, was the saucy smile on her lips. "You did this. You broke down every barrier I've thrown up in my life...so I think it's fair I be completely open with you from now on."

"Ariana.." Adell was stunned. He didn't even know what to say at first. Then slowly a warm feeling spread through out him again, hearing that made him incredibly happy and so like before he..wanted show her how much he apperciated that.

He kissed her again, not being shy about it now, then trailing to her neck. That had triggered something within him again to the point he began to crave Ariana again. The woman had him completely under her spell and there wasn't much he could do about it, even if he wanted too.

When Adell began to trail kisses along her neck, she knew where things were going, and briefly entertained the idea of reminding him that they needed to get ready to leave soon. The idea was abandoned, however, without much thought. Her body had become conditioned, in a way, and her body craved the touch of another person, craved the completion of an orgasm...and now she had Adell, who not only made her feel loved, but was ready, willing, and able to give her the pleasure her body so desperately wanted.

She had no intention of ever stopping him when he wanted to do this. She had twenty-five years of celibacy to make up for. She ran a hand through his hair, still with that soft smile. "I love you, Adell, I really do...though, don't expect me to be this sweet all the time, alright? I can't change overnight. I still have hang-ups, I still have a temper...I'm just in a very good mood right now, so bein' honest with you is pretty easy. For example..." She titled her head so her lips brushed Adell's ear lightly as she spoke in a whisper, "I will tell you honestly, that any time you want me, you can have me. Includin'...right...now." Those last three words were punctuated by her lightly nibbling on Adell's ear as she allowed herself to let out some of the desire and sexuality that she'd repressed over the years.

Between already being very attracted to Ariana, his feelings for her and what she did finally really did seem to get to Adell in more ways then one.

"That's okay..you don't have to really change, you're fine how you are Ariana.." Those words probably would get to her even if Ariana already knew that on some level without him saying anything. He began kissing her again, trailing down to her womanhood. Adell had figured since she had done the same for him, so the least he could do was be able to 'repay' the favor as they say.

He at first teased her a bit, slowly, before picking up the pace a bit. Adell wanted to hear her moan and cry out, and he planned on not stopping until they both finished. How ever long that took, the thought about Kiera waiting was thrown out the window; for the moment.

While Ariana would have actually preferred that Adell be thrusting into her right now, she couldn't deny that what Adell was doing instead still felt amazing. The fact that he was doing it just to please her was also giving her a good feeling, along with his earlier words. She buried a hand into Adell's hair, closing her eyes as she tried to regulate her breathing, despite the moans that were starting to slip from her lips.

Adell felt encouraged by her moaning, so he used to his tongue to go further in, experimenting a bit and seeing which got the most reactions out of her. He didn't plan on stopping after this, though. Ariana wanted him inside her and he wanted to be inside of her again, so there was no reason to hold off on that part. Not that his instincs at the moment would let him stop so soon.

Ariana's attempts at breathing more calmly were abandoned once it became obvious she'd fail, as Adell's actions constantly caused her to writhe and moan in pleasure. She shivered a bit, and the hand that wasn't buried in Adell's hair went to her own chest to fondle herself, gasping softly as she pinched her own nipple. She was thoroughly enjoying this particular activity, something that nobody else had ever done to her. It wasn't as good as having Adell inside her, but it was still mindblowing to her.

Adell was happy he was pleasing her, but it wasn't taking care of his own needs. And truthfully he doubted this was enough for either of them. He decided to stop, he wanted Ariana badly to the point he might of actually hurt someone who tried to interrupt them, though that was more his instincs talking.

After stopping he went to kiss her before moving to thrust into her once, then once in he began thrusting into her hard again, grabbing the red-headed temptress by the hips. This was much better. For them both.