Drabble #29: Strong
Summary: In the end, only one could give him the strength to carry on
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Characters and places belong to SquareEnix
He tried to talk but all that came out was squeaks and groans. Tifa knelt beside him sympathetically and clutched his arm in comfort. Even after she had returned his rightful memories to him, helped him realise who he truly was and still, he longed to stay in the lifestream.
The former barmaid knew exactly why he wished to stay. Somewhere in his clearing mind, he was connecting the fact that her spirit was here and that if he stayed, allowed himself to die, he would be with her once again.
She lowered her eyes sadly, knowing there was nothing more that she could do. If he wanted to meet Aeris again, she knew she couldn't stop him. She had seen the shocked, broken expression on his face when he had buried the flower girl and she knew that, though he kept his face expressionless, his heart was still breaking.
"Cloud?" she said softly, trying to get him to look at her. Instead, he spoke, startling Tifa.
"I can hear her," he whispered, not even realising that he had managed to speak. Tifa remained silent, listening to him.
"What does she say?" she asked. He turned to her, his eyes bright with unshed tears. It was both a heartbreaking and beautiful sight to her.
"She says that I have to go, that I have to live," he replied. Tifa knew there was more, probably an "I love you" exchanged somewhere but she didn't dare press the matter. She didn't want to break Cloud anymore.
"Well, we should go," she sighed. "For Aeris," she added, locking eyes with him. He stared at her for a moment before the corner of his mouth twitched in a small smile.
"Yeah, for my Aeris,"