Hurricane side shot, contains spoilers for before Chapter Five.

Race the Wind

I ran...

I don't know where Cloud and Vincent are. That's alright, they don't know where I am either. We'll meet up; we always do.

I run and the staccato drumbeats of my footsteps pounds its way through my body. Blood pulses as I concentrate on nothing but the feel of one foot after the other hitting the packed ground. Heel, toe, heel, toe...

The wind whips my hair out behind me. It's strange to have it long, it's a weight a I'm not used to, but I haven't cut it since I joined Cloud and Vincent and now I find I just don't want to. Strange; Vincent's started cutting his.

Heel, toe. Feet slapping on hard earth, soft grass, solid rock. I ran all evening and finally came to a stop in Kalm.

She wasn't there yet.

I considered renting a room, but decided against it. I settled against a tree outside the inn and rested.

She didn't make it there until the next morning.

I sat across form her at the table. She reached for my hand and I drew back. "What is it you want, Tifa?" I asked quietly. "Cloud and Vincent are waiting for me back home."

"What?" Tifa reared back as if I'd slapped her. I sighed to myself quietly.

"Home, Teef. We've got a home. And no, I'm not telling you where it is," I added quickly. She snapped her mouth shut. "And if you ever find it, well, we'll move."

She was quiet for a long moment. Then, "Follow me, I want to have this conversation somewhere private."

So I did. She took me to the cliff outside town. I sat at the edge, watched how it made her nervous, swung my feet out over the open air. Maybe I'd gotten more reckless hanging around Cloud and Vinnie for so long. Maybe I'd gotten more confident. It didn't matter; I knew I wouldn't fall.

Tifa drew in a deep breath. "Ok, I've come to the conclusion that I have never been mad at you about Cloud. I was just hurt by you not telling me, when I asked. I realize now that it's something that's hard to do. Real hard, and I understand that now. I'm sorry I made you feel uncomfortable. I'm sorry, so sorry. Yuffie, I want your friendship back. I want to be able to talk to you, joke with you, tell you my stories, and listen to yours," she finished, pleading.

I was silent a long moment. Finally I turned slowly and looked up at her.

"I tried, Teef. I really did. Tried to understand you, tried to stay your friend, but you weren't having any of it." My eyes bored into hers. "Now, you just expect an 'I'm sorry' to fix things? Moreover, you did not ask if I liked Cloud, you simply assumed, and whether I did or not was none of your concern in the first place. Besides the fact that I'm gay, you idiot, of course I would not have told you if I had liked Cloud. You're a jealous, raving possessive bitch when it comes to Cloud and you always have been. And now, it's too late." I stood up, making sure I still had Tifa's full attention. "Too late for apologies, too late for going back. I'll never really trust you and nothing will ever be the same."

"It isn't too late," she said softly, holding out a hand to me.

I stepped forward and laid my hand in hers, heard her gasp as my palm passed effortlessly through her flesh. She stared at me, eyes wide.

"It is too late." I smiled. "You read Hojo's files. I made Cloud and Vinnie a promise, and this is the only way I can keep it. Unfinished business, you see." I gave her a mocking bow and stepped back, my feet now firmly planted on the open air off the edge of the cliff. "Goodbye, Tifa."

And I started home.

GuardianSaiyoko: Reason this is separated out from the rest of Hurricane? This one is special to me. Very much so.