The Coma Story
Tifa lay in the darkness of her small overcrowded room. The inn room had way too much furniture for it's area. She had stated that she was going to bed hours ago, but sleep had yet to come. She stared at the celiling, counting the knots in the wood. "Why can't I sleep?", she asked herself outloud. Her decision to go get something to drink came to her after another twenty minutes of tossing and turning. She pulled her door open with ease and expertise. She knew how to keep quiet if need be. Her and her friends had decided to stop at this Inn to get some rest before they started out again. She was supposed to be sharing a room with Yuffie, but she hadn't gotten back from her "walk". No doubt she was out and back to her old ways again. "Materia beware", Tifa thought with a chuckle. When she finally got out of the room and was out in the hall she looked over the railing at the tavern below. No one was out, obviously everyone else had no problems finding the rest they all needed. She crept down the hall toward the stair case. As she slowly turned the corner a figure jumped out. Tifa gasped in horror and punched the intruder in the face. "TIF! OWWWWW", Cloud wailed hiding his face with his hands. "Cloud!!!, what do you think you're doing!" "Trying to have a little fun. What are you doing knocking the crap out of people like that!" "Well, you shouldn't have scared me. In fact, I think you deserved that!" Cloud rubbed his aching nose and nodded in agreement. He looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet. "But, you have to admit... I did get ya", he said coyly. "Ha ha ha", Tifa replied. She put her hand on his chest and playfully pushed him back. Cloud jokingly over exaggerated the force and threw himself backwards. When he did, he lost his footing and really fell back onto the railing of the small hallway. The Inn was old, and craftsmanship not very well. When his weight dropped onto the rails, they snapped and Cloud fell through. Though he only fell about nine or ten feet down, his head clipped the side of a thick wooden table and his body contorted around the chairs. The other tenants heard the commotion and came running with weapons drawn. What they found was a girl sitting in the floor, amognst debris, of the downstairs tavern. Cid and Barrett rushed downstairs and ran twords Tifa. "Tifa! I heard a crash, Are you okay!", Barrett said breathlessly. Barrett and Cid gasped in unison when they saw the condition Cloud was in. His normally blonde hair was now auburn from the blood, and his skin was scratched and bruised from the splintered wood. Tifa looked up at the both of them with the most helpless look in her eye and squeaked out, "help him... we were just playin around... I hit him and he fell back on the railing and... I didn't mean to...". Cid helped Tifa to her feet while Barrett gently picked Cloud up. They made their way up to Cloud's room and put him back in bed. A doctor would be called in the morning, but for now there was nothing that could be done. Now there was absolutely no sleep in sight for Tifa as she sit vigilant by Cloud's bedside. She cleaned and dressed all of his wounds and washed what blood she could from his hair. Barrett had also been in and out of the room, mostly to check on Tifa and her well being. He could tell that guilt had overwhelmed her in a way he had never seen. The doctor that was supposedly on his way in the morning didn't arrive until the afternoon. While he examined Cloud Tifa sat in the tavern downstairs picking at her food. "Tifa, you have to eat!", Yuffie scolded,"we are all torn up over this, but your health is also important!" Tifa looked up at her young friend and put on a fake smile, "thank you. I know I should eat... and I will, promise. I'm just not hungry right now". Yuffie looked at Tifa, who by now had dark circles under her eyes, and nodded, not overlooking the patronization. When the doctor opened the door and stepped out Tifa was at his heels instantly. "So, what's wrong with him, Doctor?", she asked. "I'm sorry, but your friend is in very bad condition". Just as she had believed she couldn't cry anymore, her eyes filled up and tears ran down her face in a well traced path. The news was tearing out her heart, even though she had anticipated it. "Will he recover?", she asked, her voice shaking with the words. "I'm afraid not. He's in a coma and will probably not make it through the night". Her knees buckled and she hit the ground. The bond they shared was being ripped from her soul, and she felt every excruciating second of it. She could feel Yuffie pulling her to her feet, and could feel the arms of the group wrapped around her, but couldn't sense anything. Back in the darkness of Cloud's room, the group said their final goodbyes. Tifa didn't remember much of what everyone said to him. She sat by his bedside and stared at his face, at his eyes that were motionless. No dreams. She stared at his chest that rose up and down slower and slower with every passing minute. The sunset on a heart broken girl at a bedside. Her heart dying with the man beside her. "Cloud", her voice sounded small in the solitude, "why did this happen"? She laid down beside him, snuggling up to his body. "I know that you can hear me, on some level, and I have to tell you something before it's too late", she paused. Even though he was unconsious she had trouble admiting her deepest feelings outloud. "I love you, Cloud. I have loved you since we were kids. Before you went to Soldier, after you came back, and every second inbetween. I haven't had the nerve to tell you before, and now it seems redundant. If only time hadn't robbed us, if only we could have the chance to be together", she held back her tears, but couldn't. Her tears ran down her face and dropped onto his chest. She cried until she slipped into darkness. She awoke alone, and in her room. Standing up, bewildered and confused, she walked to the window. It was midafternoon. The group was gathered at a table when she came down. The realization had hit her what had happened in the night. Barrett met her half way across the room and walked her back to the table. As she looked around at her commerades she noticed that all their eyes were red and puffy. She put her arms around Barrett and Yuffie and sat in silence for their friend. The sun set and rose on another day. They found her on the hillside where they had buried Cloud. She sat with a small, dried yellow flower. "Tif- we have to be heading out if we're to make it to Neibelheim before dark", Cid yelled through the wind. She kissed the flower that Cloud had given her, the one he had bought from Aeris the night joined the group, and placed it on his home made stone. Nothing she could say would express her goodbye properly, so she left in silence.
Fini
Tifa lay in the darkness of her small overcrowded room. The inn room had way too much furniture for it's area. She had stated that she was going to bed hours ago, but sleep had yet to come. She stared at the celiling, counting the knots in the wood. "Why can't I sleep?", she asked herself outloud. Her decision to go get something to drink came to her after another twenty minutes of tossing and turning. She pulled her door open with ease and expertise. She knew how to keep quiet if need be. Her and her friends had decided to stop at this Inn to get some rest before they started out again. She was supposed to be sharing a room with Yuffie, but she hadn't gotten back from her "walk". No doubt she was out and back to her old ways again. "Materia beware", Tifa thought with a chuckle. When she finally got out of the room and was out in the hall she looked over the railing at the tavern below. No one was out, obviously everyone else had no problems finding the rest they all needed. She crept down the hall toward the stair case. As she slowly turned the corner a figure jumped out. Tifa gasped in horror and punched the intruder in the face. "TIF! OWWWWW", Cloud wailed hiding his face with his hands. "Cloud!!!, what do you think you're doing!" "Trying to have a little fun. What are you doing knocking the crap out of people like that!" "Well, you shouldn't have scared me. In fact, I think you deserved that!" Cloud rubbed his aching nose and nodded in agreement. He looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet. "But, you have to admit... I did get ya", he said coyly. "Ha ha ha", Tifa replied. She put her hand on his chest and playfully pushed him back. Cloud jokingly over exaggerated the force and threw himself backwards. When he did, he lost his footing and really fell back onto the railing of the small hallway. The Inn was old, and craftsmanship not very well. When his weight dropped onto the rails, they snapped and Cloud fell through. Though he only fell about nine or ten feet down, his head clipped the side of a thick wooden table and his body contorted around the chairs. The other tenants heard the commotion and came running with weapons drawn. What they found was a girl sitting in the floor, amognst debris, of the downstairs tavern. Cid and Barrett rushed downstairs and ran twords Tifa. "Tifa! I heard a crash, Are you okay!", Barrett said breathlessly. Barrett and Cid gasped in unison when they saw the condition Cloud was in. His normally blonde hair was now auburn from the blood, and his skin was scratched and bruised from the splintered wood. Tifa looked up at the both of them with the most helpless look in her eye and squeaked out, "help him... we were just playin around... I hit him and he fell back on the railing and... I didn't mean to...". Cid helped Tifa to her feet while Barrett gently picked Cloud up. They made their way up to Cloud's room and put him back in bed. A doctor would be called in the morning, but for now there was nothing that could be done. Now there was absolutely no sleep in sight for Tifa as she sit vigilant by Cloud's bedside. She cleaned and dressed all of his wounds and washed what blood she could from his hair. Barrett had also been in and out of the room, mostly to check on Tifa and her well being. He could tell that guilt had overwhelmed her in a way he had never seen. The doctor that was supposedly on his way in the morning didn't arrive until the afternoon. While he examined Cloud Tifa sat in the tavern downstairs picking at her food. "Tifa, you have to eat!", Yuffie scolded,"we are all torn up over this, but your health is also important!" Tifa looked up at her young friend and put on a fake smile, "thank you. I know I should eat... and I will, promise. I'm just not hungry right now". Yuffie looked at Tifa, who by now had dark circles under her eyes, and nodded, not overlooking the patronization. When the doctor opened the door and stepped out Tifa was at his heels instantly. "So, what's wrong with him, Doctor?", she asked. "I'm sorry, but your friend is in very bad condition". Just as she had believed she couldn't cry anymore, her eyes filled up and tears ran down her face in a well traced path. The news was tearing out her heart, even though she had anticipated it. "Will he recover?", she asked, her voice shaking with the words. "I'm afraid not. He's in a coma and will probably not make it through the night". Her knees buckled and she hit the ground. The bond they shared was being ripped from her soul, and she felt every excruciating second of it. She could feel Yuffie pulling her to her feet, and could feel the arms of the group wrapped around her, but couldn't sense anything. Back in the darkness of Cloud's room, the group said their final goodbyes. Tifa didn't remember much of what everyone said to him. She sat by his bedside and stared at his face, at his eyes that were motionless. No dreams. She stared at his chest that rose up and down slower and slower with every passing minute. The sunset on a heart broken girl at a bedside. Her heart dying with the man beside her. "Cloud", her voice sounded small in the solitude, "why did this happen"? She laid down beside him, snuggling up to his body. "I know that you can hear me, on some level, and I have to tell you something before it's too late", she paused. Even though he was unconsious she had trouble admiting her deepest feelings outloud. "I love you, Cloud. I have loved you since we were kids. Before you went to Soldier, after you came back, and every second inbetween. I haven't had the nerve to tell you before, and now it seems redundant. If only time hadn't robbed us, if only we could have the chance to be together", she held back her tears, but couldn't. Her tears ran down her face and dropped onto his chest. She cried until she slipped into darkness. She awoke alone, and in her room. Standing up, bewildered and confused, she walked to the window. It was midafternoon. The group was gathered at a table when she came down. The realization had hit her what had happened in the night. Barrett met her half way across the room and walked her back to the table. As she looked around at her commerades she noticed that all their eyes were red and puffy. She put her arms around Barrett and Yuffie and sat in silence for their friend. The sun set and rose on another day. They found her on the hillside where they had buried Cloud. She sat with a small, dried yellow flower. "Tif- we have to be heading out if we're to make it to Neibelheim before dark", Cid yelled through the wind. She kissed the flower that Cloud had given her, the one he had bought from Aeris the night joined the group, and placed it on his home made stone. Nothing she could say would express her goodbye properly, so she left in silence.
Fini