Final Fantasy VII belongs to Squaresoft

Love is caring for somebody more than you care for yourself.

Tifa Lockhart remembered the words coming from the lips of her mother so long ago. She looked off into the distance, almost as if she could see the blond, spiky-headed figure coming. She didn't quite know why, but she seemed to have an innate sense of when Cloud was around. His visits were infrequent, and completely random. Her thoughts shifted to a conversation they had, only a few months after Meteor had come and gone.

"Where will you go now, Cloud?" Tifa had asked her childhood friend.

"I don't know. To search for her I suppose." He had replied. "And you, Tifa?"

"Nibelhelm. The place holds terrible memories, but any memories are better than none."

True to his word, Cloud had left to search for the dead flower-girl. Tifa didn't blame him. He loved her; that was that. And Tifa loved him, so she remained, keeping her home and the bar she opened in Nibelhelm as a sanctuary, for when Cloud needed a haven, a break from his battles.

The brunette looked across the horizon from her perch on the old well. It was November. Cloud usually spent the coldest days of winter with her, when the weather got too cold for even him to travel. This winter boded to be extremely harsh.

"Tifa! Tifa!" a very familiar voice summoned her out of her thoughts.

"Cloud!" She jumped off to embrace him, and carefully scrutinized him. He looked tired, bags under his eyes, but there was a glow in his eyes she hadn't seen since…since his flower-girl left him.

"How are you?" She asked the blonde.

"Tifa, I've found it! I'm going to bring Aeris back. It's possible!"

"How?"

"I've been searching through the records at Cosmo Canyon, and I found something called the lifestream materia."

"Where is it?"

Cloud sighed. "I don't know, but I'm going to go find it. I'm going to bring her back." He spoke the next words faintly. "It's the least I can do."

Tifa bowed her head. She knew Cloud still believed that Aeris's death was his fault.

"I'm leaving day after tomorrow." Cloud said quietly.

Her head snapped up. "But Cloud…"

"I know, it's going to be hard traveling during the winter. But Tifa, I can't just stay here doing nothing. I'll go crazy."

Tifa bit her lip to keep from saying anything, or worse, from crying. "Alright," She said faintly, "We better get you set up and ready." She led him into the house.

Cloud spent the next day mapping out his route and getting ready. He was going to start at the City of Ancients. "It's the logical place." He had told Tifa.

Tifa however, had been working furiously at the bar that day, trying not to think of anything. She had very few customers that day. The locals, seeing that Cloud had come back, wanted to give them time together. As a result, Tifa spent the day scrubbing at the kitchen, the tables, anything she could get her hands on. The normally neat bar was immaculate by day's end. She worked until late that night, unable to face Cloud or her own emotions. Finally, with a sigh, she collapsed into a stool and gave way to her tears.

"Tifa?"

Tifa whirled around, quickly drying her tears, to see Cloud at the doorway. "I was wondering what happened to you."

"Oh, I'm sorry Cloud, I didn't realize that it was so late. Have you eaten yet?"

He smiled at her, "I've eaten." He stepped into the bar to stand before her, and reached out to gently touch her cheek, feeling the traces of tears still on her face.

"Cloud…I…"

"Tifa, I'm sorry, I really am. I have to go find this materia, but I don't like the idea of you spending the winter all alone. Do you want to stay with Yuffie or Shera and Cid?"

She shook her head. "I need to keep the bar open. They really do depend on me here."

He gave her a rueful smile. "Everybody depends on you."

But who can I depend on? She thought to herself.

They both woke up early the next morning. Or rather, got up early. Tifa didn't think she had gotten any sleep the night before: her heart hurt too much. She had been looking forward for so long to Cloud's return, and now…now he was leaving again. She would be alone…again.

She took a deep breath and went about making breakfast.

Soon, Cloud came out, sleepily rubbing his eyes. But he was alert, and ready for whatever he faced, for he had hope, hope of seeing the flower-girl he cared so much for.

"Smells good, Tifa. Thanks."

"I packed some food for you to take along as well." She pointed to a basket that lay nearby. "It won't keep very long though."

"Thank you."

The time for Cloud to leave came quickly, too quickly for Tifa. She walked with him outside, where he was loading his meager belongings onto the chocobo.

"Well, I guess I'm off." He hesitated before mounting. "Tifa?"

"Yes?"

"Take care of yourself okay?"

She managed a weak smile as he continued.

"I'll try to be back as soon as possible, with Aeris."

"Good luck Cloud. Be careful." Tifa called out to him as he left Nibelhelm.

The house seemed very empty when Tifa returned to it. The winter before her seemed to stretch out infinitely, without Cloud around. She sat down at the breakfast table; their empty plates still lay there. With a sigh, she laid her head down on the table.

Tifa knew that she couldn't spend all winter moping over Cloud, she needed to get over his leaving, and the fact that he just didn't love her like he loved Aeris. She needed to move on.

Tifa left for the bar and worked silently all that day, speaking little to even the patrons she knew the best. More than anything, she dreaded returning to her house, knowing that she'd be alone for so long.

The house seemed bigger than ever. The normally strong, self-sufficient girl felt lost, insignificant, and most of all alone. How would she get through this winter? She cried herself to sleep that night.

Cloud could not rid himself of a guilty conscience. He felt like he owed Tifa something: she had done so much for him, bringing him back to himself at Mideel, always being there for him. He couldn't help being so restless, unfortunately, he couldn't bear staying in one place, especially in Nibelhelm. He wasn't sure why he had agreed to settle there. There were no pleasant memories in that place, not now, not ever. For Tifa, he supposed, it was a reminder of the family she lost, and of the friends who disappeared. How could she be reminded of that all the time?

Cloud didn't need any reminders. Day in and day out, all he could think about was the ways he failed. He failed to protect his family, his village, Tifa, and now, the flower-girl he had promised to safeguard…

Before he knew it, Cloud had reached Bone Village. It was mostly deserted now, people were going back to their hometowns, to regain the deeper meaning of life. I should be doing the same. But he was there for a task.

In Cosmo Canyon, he and Nanaki had researched, for hours, the possibility of resurrection. Of course, normal human beings were absorbed into the lifestream upon death, and could not be revived. Aeris, however, was a Cetra, and the rules had to be different for her. Still, the sources on the Cetra and the lifestream were few.

There was only one book that had offered the possibility that the Cetra could be revived, that is, brought back from their Promised Land. The book mentioned the possible existence of a special kind of materia, called the lifestream materia, which would rearrange the make up of the lifestream to allow a path from the Promised Land to their world. If all went well, Aeris would be able to return.

Unfortunately, the book made no mention of where the materia could be.

For Cloud, the logical place to start was the City of Ancients, where Aeris's corporal body lay. If nothing else, he could kneel at the altar and pray for inspiration.