My first Final Fantasy story. Hope you enjoy :)
Prologue
"Which is it? A memory or us?" Tifa's words were nailed in his heart, paining him badly. Surely enough he couldn't choose between his past, which included Aeris and Zack, and his future, Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene. He leads a life of sin just like we all do, but his is much more of a burden on him than the million others we carry around. He had to choose. Everyone knew that, especially Tifa. She was tired of waiting for something she knew was never there. His love. She knew he still owes his heart to the late Aeris. A beautiful, caring woman. But wasn't she also those things? Or were they not enough? Was she just being another version of the dead woman? She wanted to have a family. A family with Cloud Strife. She held Denzel under her care to feel what it was like to have a family. Cloud's role as the father and her as the mother. Marlene was Barret's daughter, but Tifa still loved her as her own. Was all of that wrong? Was she just creating an illusion for herself so she wouldn't have to face reality?
She didn't know.