His breath hitches again.
Cold Steel. Flashes before my eyes. Cold words. Cut deeper, they're cutting in deeper. Laughter? Cruel laughter. Fire, it's burning. Burning it all down. Eyes...
Green eyes, fading.
His eyelids twitched.
Burning, Burning, Burning, Burning. Fire spread amongst familiar faces, blood soaking the earth, screams littering the air, and cold eyes piercing through the flames. Closer, Closer, Closer, Closer, he was almost there. Screaming, a beautiful voice screaming, as he looked at her with hungry eyes, cruel eyes, soulless eyes. Steel to match the listless stare of his own eyes, slicing through skin, steel spilling over with red, slicing through lives, blood that litters the cold floor with what was supposed to be their promised moment. Cold steel, cutting through promise, after promise, after promise. You can't protect anyone.
His lips parted slightly.
Where is she? Kitchen...Making dinner...
Flash
Tifa?
Flash
Tifa...
Flash
where did she go?
Flash
where is Tifa?
Flash
Tifa...I'm sorry...
Flash
Aerith..?
Flash
what do I do..?
Flash
Tifa...
Flash
Tifa...
Flash
I...Want...
Flash
Protect...
Flash
You...
Cloud...
That voice.
Let me take...What you cherish most...
No...NO!
His eyes opened with a start, where was he again? Dazed from the nightmare, he had frequently, he looked around the dark settings of his room, turning his head, he saw her, Tifa. She was asleep on the bed right next to his, they moved the beds into the room together, he had been the one to suggest it. Would he be able to protect her if the time came though? Would he ever be able to protect her from...him? He stood slowly, walking around their beds to the lamp Tifa had left on, turning it out for her, he watched her sleep, slowly breathing in, and out, she was alive. Cloud smiled, a soft smile, before he even realized it. Tifa was alive; he had a reason to smile, at the very least. He kneeled down and brushed stray hairs away from her face, he heard a soft whine from the back of her throat. Cloud sighed softly, resting his forehead against her shoulder, he shouldn't be doing that, he mused idly to himself.
Tifa...I want...To protect you...But I...
Pain surged throughout his body, he hissed and drew back quickly, hands darting to grab locks of his own hair. The pain racked his body, over and over, relentlessly, without stopping, without breaking, just like when those cold eyes stared into his. Challenging him, mocking him, destroying everything he cherished. Destroying, everything.
I have...Geostigma...I want to be here with them, with Marlene, with Denzel, with...Tifa...
He left the room, left the bar, left Edge, he had to get away. The closer his heart came to the warmth of their family, the more the fear of losing them grew, and grew. The more he began to cherish, the more he began to belong, the more important he felt...
The more he began to...
Sephiroth.
...Love
Would take them away. Take them somewhere he couldn't be...
Marlene...His daughter..?
Green eyes fading.
Denzel...His son..?
Innocent laughter dying.
Tifa...His...
Frozen smile.
Tifa...His...
Kneeling in rain, and mud, and blood.
Tifa...
"Tifa..." He choked out softly, a tear trailing down his cheek.
His Tifa.
Shall I give you despair?