Shatter of a Heart
by: Celestial Breeze

A young woman sat on a wooden chair by her circular kitchen table. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs tightly. Reaching for her cup of cappuccino, she reminisced about past memories.

"Hey, Cloud, stop it! Can't you see I'm trying to . . ." She tried to finish her sentence but was restrained by the crystalline water rushing into her mouth. Once she resurfaced, she looked at Cloud. His mako-infused eyes were twinkling with mischief.

"Cloud Strife, you are going to pay for throwing me in the water!" said Tifa. Her own eyes were full of devilment as well.

"Oh, yeah? How? I'd like to see you try."

"Oh well, I guess, I couldn't do anything to you," Tifa sighed and walked away with a look of defeat on her face. All of a sudden, she turned around, started running at him head on, and tackled him onto the sand of the beachy city, Costa Del Sol. The environment was filled with laughter as the two rolled around.

She started smiling as she thought about the happiness of the days after the defeat of Meteor and Sephiroth.

Suddenly, her eyes started to tear as she thought about the day she confessed her love to Cloud.

"Cloud, what I am trying to say is, I love you," she said in a whisper that was barely audible.

She could still remember the look on his face. A look of disbelief, a look that shattered her heart into pieces.

"I'm sorry, Tifa. I really am," said Cloud, reaching for his childhood friend.

Tifa stepped backwards to keep herself out of his reach. "It is she, isn't it?" she interrogated with a tone of wisdom combined with venom.

"What do you mean?"

Tifa simply said, "Aeris."

Not waiting for him to reply, she ran out of the door with droplet of tears streaming down her face. That night at home, she promised herself that those would be the last tears she would ever shed for Cloud Strife. It was six months since that event occurred, but it still broke her heart every
time she reflected on it.

She sat there, holding her coffee mug, sustaining back the tears that threatened to cascade down her cheeks.

The doorbell chimed, giving off a deep ding-dong. She jumped out of her seat in alarm, almost tipping over her cappuccino. Tifa stood still for a moment before her mind comprehended what the noise was. She sprinted to the door and swung it towards her. Tifa clutched the door handle until her knuckles turned ghostly white. It was the last person she wanted to see right now, Cloud Strife.

They both stood there staring into the other's eyes for a long time. When Tifa's senses came back to her, she slammed the door in his face. Just as the door was about to reach closing point, Cloud's hands shot out and pushed against the opposing force.

"Tifa, I need to talk to you," said Cloud.

She started to tremble a little when she heard his voice for the first time after six months. Her heart wanted to let him in, yet her mind simply couldn't let go of what happened. "There is nothing to talk about. Everything that needed to be voiced out loud, was said that night six months ago." She retaliated while trying to close the door.

"No, it wasn't. I never had the chance to talk. You ran away before I could say anything."

Tifa's anger boiled and rose to an immeasurable point. "How could he say that he didn't say anything?" thought Tifa to herself.

She loosened her hold on the door, and Cloud came tumbling in. He quickly placed his hands on the table to keep himself from dizziness. Tifa slammed the door a little harder than usual to show that she wasn't the least bit happy at his sudden arrival.

"Maybe you didn't get to say much that night, but you said three words that corrupted my heart!"

"I'm sorry."

Tifa narrowed her eyes into threatening slits. She was enraged that Cloud thought a simple sorry can erase all the harm he had done.

"You think that saying sorry can undo everything? Well it can't because not only did you puncture my damn heart. You also made me incapable of loving any other man because I love you too much to feel anything for someone else. Yet, you, Cloud Strife, caused me too much pain for me to go back to you."

"Tifa, I do love you."

"Damn it, I don't want you to love me because Aeris isn't here anymore. I want you to love me for me and not because you want me to replace Aeris."

"I don't want you to replace Aeris, but you have to understand that she played a big part in my screwed up life as well."

"If you love me like you said, why did it take you six damn months to realize it?" Her cinnamon colored eyes were blazing unusually bright.

"Because I had to do some thinking."

"You had to do some thinking? Well, I am sorry, Cloud, but this world does not revolve around you!"

"Tifa . . . "

"Get out, now!" Tifa interjected.

Not realizing the seriousness in her voice, he continued talking. "Listen to me . . ."

"I said get the hell out of my damn house!" She stretched out her left hand and reached for the nearest thing to catapult at him. Not even realizing what it was, she chucked the vase at him. It missed his blonde, spiky head by a mere inch. It hit the wall behind him and shattered into tiny pieces, just like her heart did. Tifa was surprised at her sudden action, and Cloud was startled that she actually tried to hurt him.

He realized that Tifa was equally hurt when he turned her down that night. He slowly got up and walked towards the door. Before he left, he turned around and said softly, "I loved you, Tifa." He ran outside into the midnight black not bothering to close the door.

~*~*~

Tifa's phone rang at what seemed like three o'clock A.M. Her hand searched the surface of the tiny chestnut wood cabinet to her left. With her eyes still closed, she clicked the talk button on the cordless. "Hello?" she asked groggily.

"Hello, this is Junon Hospital calling. It seems that your friend, Cloud Strife, has been in a terrible accident." The nurse continued talking, but Tifa was deaf to whatever she said after the first two sentences. Her grip on the phone loosened, and it fell to the ground, making a loud clang.

When Tifa made it to the hospital, her only thoughts were focused on Cloud. She waited outside the emergency room for him to come out. It seemed like eternity, but the door finally opened. The doctor came out shaking his head to inform her that he had tried his best.

"M-may I see him one last time?" She tried to keep herself from stuttering.

He nodded his head sadly and slowly. "Yes, you may. In fact, I think he wants to see you." Tifa thanked the doctor and ran inside. She was greeted by a Cloud who was all bandaged up. She occupied a chair and took his hand into hers.

"Cloud, I am so sorry. It's my fault you're like this," whispered Tifa. She gently stroked his hand with her slender fingers.

"It's ok." Cloud muttered. "I forgive you."

"I still love you. I hope you know that."

He lightly nodded his head. "I lo-love y-you, t-too." As his last breath came to an end, he slumped his head to his left tiredly as Death came and carried him away.

~*~*~

Tifa stood in front of the hero's grave in a silent, unwavering manner by herself. As she laid a white rose on the dirt, she whispered, "How did I fall in love with you?" A single crystal, clear tear glided down her face, tainting the beauty of it. It was the very tear that she promised herself she would never shed for Cloud Strife.

.fin.

Remember when we never needed each other
The best of friends like
Sister and Brother
We understood, we'd never be,
Alone

Those days are gone, and I want so much
The night is long and I need your touch
Don't know what to say
I never meant to feel this way
Don't want to be
Alone tonight

What can I do, to make it right
Falling so hard so fast this time
What did I say, what did you do?
How did I fall in love with you?

 ~Backstreet Boys, How Did I Fall in Love with You

Author's Note:
Ok, ok, this is my first Cloti, so don't berate me about it if it's really bad. It's pretty dark, ne? Sorry, but I was feeling kind of blue when I typed this up.

©Jennifer, Mar. 01