Alright, I felt like writing a little sequel for September Skies... here it is. R&R Later!
April.
It was strange, really. How everything was lost in one day. One night. -But, truly, it was how it usually went in her life- Tifa stands motionless behind the bar staring brokenly out the front door, -hoping in vain that he'd walk right through them, all the while smiling that gentle smile of his- tears hanging on the edges of her eyelashes.
He was dead. Dead and gone, with no chance of returning. But, there was always a secret hope in her mind that perhaps he'd appear to her. -After all, Aerith had done so many times- She wipes her tears away with the back of her hand and glances up as Denzel walks into the door she's been gazing through solemnly.
Denzel had survived -unlike Cloud, who had been infected for so long without telling anyone-. Miraculously so, and despite her sorrow she smiles at him weakly. "Hey," she says, and she knows her voice sounds small. "What are you up to?" Denzel's eyes meet her own, and she can see the sympathy reaching out to her from his seemingly over-familiar blue eyes -he always has reminded her of someone, she doesn't know who-. He was broken as well and there was nothing she could do. It hurt more than anything. "Nothing," he responds quietly, and her heart clenches. The pain is still in his voice -along with a sincerity that tells her that he's trying to move on-, and the thought that perhaps she should try too launches itself into her mind.
She forces cheer into herself, straightening her spine before walking around the counter to put her hands on his shoulders in a gentle gesture. "Hey, go get Marlene and we'll go out somewhere." The boy regards her for a moment -appearing to search for something-, then -appearing to find what he's looking for- slowly nods his head. "Okay." He agrees, and the pain has lessened. "Marlene!" He calls, making his way up the stairs.
Tifa shakes her head, her mood lifted -talking to the children always had that effect on her-. Eight months later, and she was just now getting the feeling that maybe everything would be okay. She never thought she would, particularly at his funeral -she wonders if he would have even wanted one, he'd probably just say "Toss me off a cliff.", and of course, she'd have to say, "Everyone should have a funeral!" and that argument would have been particularly amusing, despite the morbid topic, she knew-. It was a relatively small ceremony, everyone they had met on their journey three and a half years ago showing to pay their respects to the severely misguided hero of their story, plus some of his more frequent customers from his delivery service. He hardly knew how to make friends, but he had plenty.
She never understood how he always felt alone.
Denzel comes rushing back down the stairs a moment later, a smile lighting his face with joy, and Tifa can't help but giggle as she hears Marlene's voice calling -or more literally, screaming- the boy's name, along with a few other words that she clearly learned from Barret. "What did you do?" She asks Denzel, and -shockingly- he smiles impishly. -Oh, what nearly dying will do to some people- Denzel truly enjoyed playing with the poor girl, though he watched over her like a hawk, because as Cloud wasn't there anymore, Denzel was the "man" of the bar -she'd gotten a good laugh out of that one-, true enough, once Marlene got through screaming in horror at whatever he'd done to her, she was laughing right along with him.
"She was sleeping, so I elected to wake her up -he laughs- with a bucket of water." Tifa attempts to throw on her concerned/disappointed look, and can hardly pull it off for two seconds before asking, "Hot or cold?"
"Cold." A drenched Marlene responds. Tifa turns to regard the girl, and promptly stifles her laughter. "Icy cold." The girl continues, her sour expression reflected perfectly in her voice. "I'm not going anywhere," She pauses, seemingly for dramatic effect, "Until he shares my pain."
Tifa's smile -it's easier to smile somehow- widens as she hears this, and when Marlene holds the bucket out to her, she takes it instantly. "We'll go out tomorrow." She walks back around the counter; ignoring the terrified look on Denzel's face she fills the bucket with cold -icy, of course- water. "For now," she hands the full bucket to Marlene, who happily turns back to the boy behind her -who hasn't dared to move-, "We'll shower." Tifa states, just as Marlene dumps the frigid liquid on Denzel's head.
Cloud always felt alone here. Perhaps because the one who made feel him like he belonged was gone, and he couldn't move on from it. Just like her. Only, she would move on. She was lucky, she had help, and she would gladly accept it.
"C'mon Tifa!" Denzel calls as he runs from the bathroom with a small cup, tossing the contents on Marlene, who screams and -of course-, laughs. Filling a larger cup, Tifa steps right into the action. -and is covered in water in a record two seconds-
April. Tifa Lockhart lives, as the joys of her life pour water on her defenseless head while she tries to refill her cup.
End