Frailty of Love
The 7th Heaven bar was unusually empty. The usual patrons had chosen to stay within their own abodes. The entire area seemed to have died overnight. Those few who didn't understand had no access to answers. Their neighbours ignored their calls and left them to their fate.
One unfortunate family who were left without answers were the ones who owned 7th Heaven. Denzel and Marlene were locked in their bedrooms upstairs. They were left without food and their throats ached from screaming. No one answered their pleas.
Unbeknownst to them Tifa had woken earlier than usual. She was the one who locked who trapped them. She locked the windows and doors. After she had done that Tifa fled. She took nothing but the keys to the children's room with her.
She left early in the morning.
The roar of a motorbike reverberated around Edge. The atmosphere of anger and resentment tainted the city. As Cloud drew up outside of 7th Heaven his heart lurched painfully. He leapt off of his motorbike and ran to the door where he promptly stopped. The door was open. Tifa never left the door open; not even during their busiest hours. It was something that she couldn't stand.
He threw the door open. The moment the door made contact with the wall Denzel and Marlene began to scream again. He raced up the stairs to meet them.
"What's happening?" he called, tugging on the handle violently.
"We don't know! The door was locked when we woke up, it-" Denzel began.
Marlene's desperate voice rang out. "Where's Tifa? We called and called but she hasn't come. It's almost night time and she's never out for this long,"
"Get away from the door," he instructed before ramming his shoulder against it.
The wood wailed in protest to his actions. It wouldn't fall. The lock was insistent on keeping the door in place. He tried again. Nothing changed. There wasn't even the slightest bend in the wood. He tried a third time and the lock shrieked. The door shuddered. His fourth attempt finally brought it down.
Denzel and Marlene immediately attacked him with hugs. He rested one hand on each of their backs. They were shaking violently. Cloud's gaze scoured their room. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He urged them back and looked them in the eyes.
"Do you know anything that could explain this?" he pressed.
They shook their heads in unison. They weren't lying. Cloud sighed and glanced down the stairs. The building was silent except for their breathing. He frowned at the children.
"I know that you're hungry and scared but I need you to wait in your room. I have to go and find Tifa. Promise me that you won't leave your room," he commanded.
"We'll try our best," Denzel ran back in.
Marlene wasn't as eager to return. She glanced at it shyly. Then she looked back at Cloud. She bit her lip worriedly before finally coming to a decision.
"Promise me that you'll find me Tifa. She's going to be okay, right?" she whispered.
Cloud nodded and she ran back in. Denzel pushed a chair in front of the door. He grinned at Cloud and ran to the other side of the room. They began the long process of trying to select a game when Cloud returned to the bar. He started searching the room immediately.
His thorough examination ended without any results after twenty minutes. The sun was beginning to set but he didn't look at it. His back was towards the door. He didn't want to leave the children on their own at night.
"Cloud?"
He spun around. Tifa was leaning against the doorframe. Her eyes pierced his sternly. He quickly approached her but she threw a knife at his feet.
"What are you doing?" he enquired.
"There was another one… It was coming close," she smiled wearily, tilting her head to the left. "Today was so strange."
"What are you talking about?" he frowned.
"Bahamut…" she sighed. "or something similar to one."
He began to approach her again. "Why didn't you call me?"
She frowned at him disapprovingly. "You were gone for days. I didn't know where you were… I thought that you left us again,"
"I told you that would never happen," he stresses.
"Don't come any closer!" her voice was sharp.
She sighed and brushed strands of hair from her face. Her anger abated with impossible quickness. She smiled politely. Though she tried to feign normality he heard the strain in her voice. He watched her more closely. There were dark circles under her eyes. She was paler than before.
"Are you alright?" he asked warily.
Her smile became gentle. "I missed you. Now that you're here everything is going to be okay,"
"You aren't mad?" he gaped.
She tried not to laugh. "No, of course not…"
She bit her lip nervously. Her forehead furrowed with lines of worry and impatience. He didn't have much time to be worried as she found her composure.
"I came to say goodbye. Tell Denzel and Marlene that I love them," she smirked. "Tell yourself that you're the best. It's true so admit it."
She stepped back and the door slammed shut. Cloud immediately gave chase. He threw the door open but Tifa was nowhere in sight. He started running – forgetting his motorbike completely – until the sun was gone. He found her on the middle of the road.
He tried to reach for her but she wouldn't let him touch her. "I'm not going to let you go,"
"You have to, Cloud," she replied, solemnly. She pulled the strap of her top away to reveal a large gaping wound that poured blood and housed a shard of metal. "It's poison. I'm covered in blood and if you touch me the blood will soak into your skin. I'm not going to be responsible for you death."
"I'm not letting you give up," he declared.
She laughed. "You're so sweet but it's too late,"
He shook his head. "It can't be. It won't be, but if you die then I'll follow you,"
She stepped back, suddenly angry. "I love those kids. You do too… I lied. If the kids saw me then they would have hugged me before I could stop them. I had a feeling that they would escape even if you weren't there. I came to see you one last time. I came to tell you to take care of them. Be their family and let them be yours! I don't want you to be lonely, but don't let them be lonely either. I don't want them to lose someone else that they love,"
"Do you expect me to let you go?" he demanded. "You don't want me to be lonely. I don't want you to die alone."
She winced. "You can't touch me… Then grant me a selfish wish, Cloud. Walk with me to that place you promised to take me. The one that you were sure I would like,"
"Of course," he nodded.
"I'll make the journey no matter what. Don't be tempted to help me if I trip, stumble or fall. I'll make it," she took a deep breath. "Now, what is this place like?"
Author's Note: I knew this was coming. I'm so sorry but I knew that someone was going to die. I fought the temptation for as long as I could but… I love tragedy and I'm an angst-y writer. I mean, I'm killing off one every thousand words in Perfect World. Ha! What an ironic name… Alright, here goes – thank you for reading my work. I hope that you enjoyed what I wrote and I apologise if it wasn't satisfactory.
Part of the Revival Collection.