If all else fails

Disclaimer: I neither own Cloud or Tifa, nor do I own the lyrics to the song If all else fail by Matchbook Romance.

The sweet scent of her perfume bombarded his senses when he entered her room. As he gazed upon her face, he found his conviction slipping, his resolve slipping, that is, until a now familiar jolt of pain renewed it. Clutching his arm, he moved closer towards the sleeping angel.

A subdued silence undisturbed by the sound of her breath
So carefully, brush her hair back from her eyes
In steady sequence, one by one.
She slips away.

Carefully, Cloud slipped a note out of his pocket, and read it over. Not that there was much to read. Even now, his words seemed so inadequate, but they would have to do. He could not let them discover his… condition. Slowly, he placed the note on her bedside table. Doing so, he could not help but notice the peaceful state that she seemed to be in.

So close your eyes and sleep to dream.
I'm by your side.
No words to speak.
We'll set our course and make it through.
No matter how far I go my heart remains with you.

Transfixed, he could not look away. Again, his instincts told him to reach out to her, to tell her how much he needed her, to have her hold him and he himself hold her back. He spent several moments, just watching her slumber on peacefully.

And I'm not sure what I'm looking for.
But it's clear to see the purpose of my existence Is laying here in front of me.

He needed to leave. Now. A moment longer and he knew he could not do it. He got up quickly, nearly upsetting the bedside table. Making sure the note was still there, he left, and as he did so, he set eyes upon the brunette beauty for what he knew to be the last time. He closed the door.

Downstairs, he took some time to compose himself, to gather the strength he would need for the journey ahead. Quietly, he walked to the door and stepped out into the velvet smoothness of the silent night. The moon bathed everything in platinum radiance and the stars twinkled in the night sky. He gazed upon them, as he had done so many years ago…with her.

And if all else fails you can look up at the sky
Because it's the same one that shines above you and I.
And if all else fails you can close your eyes
And I'll be right beside you.
I'll be the one by your side.

How long he stood there, he did not know. In his mind, he was back on that well… with her. He remembered the exact words, the exact expressions on each of their faces. As if to mock him, a shooting star flared through the sky, drawing him from the depths of reminiscence. Shaking himself, he located Fenrir, where he had parked it far enough as to not attract people's notice, 3 people specifically. Before he got on and rode into the night, he gazed once more upon the window of her room. With all his strength, he turned away, and rode away into the darkness, never once looking back.

So close your eyes and sleep to dream.
I'm by your side.
No words to speak.
We'll set our course and make it through.
No matter how far I go
No matter how much this hurts
I wanted you to know,
My heart remains with you.