Disclaimer: I do not own any FF7 character or the game. This is for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: Ok this is the edited version. I'm sorry to anyone who liked the way the story was going…but after seeing AC I want to change things around a little. Also I didn't know how to carry on the story the way it was going. Well, let's see where this will take this fic!
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All I want for Christmas is you
Chapter one: Cold
"Tifa there is no us."
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Ginger eyes gazed out the wind, watching the flurries of blustering snow tackle towards the ground. It was only the first week of December and Midgar was already having crazy blizzards even though this city was not known to be so snow-filled; Tifa just did not understand this phenomenon. "I guess the planet is finally paying us back through all the harm we put her through," Tifa thought sarcastically, still watching the snow flakes fall.
It wasn't that Tifa disliked snow, she loved it, but it just got in the way of business. It stopped customers from coming to the newly built 7th Heaven and got in the way of Cloud's delivering…which he was surprisingly doing right now. "What an idiot…," Tifa laughed inwardly, those gingery eyes staying fixed on that window.
Besides, Tifa wanted to really walk around the revitalized city of Midgar. It surprised her that ShinRa was rebuilding this city…but wasn't picking up from where it left off.
"Rufus told me he wants to restore Gaia but in a different way. He wants the citizens to benefit from it and not suffer like they were before. He's a changed man Tifa…" Clouds words repeated in her head. She had to laugh at this. "Rufus a changed man? Yeah right…" Tifa thought. "Like that arrogant brat would ever change. Err, that son of a…"
A sudden 'beep' jerked her from her window gazing and her pondering. The brunette walked over to the oven and took out the freshly cooked batch of Christmas cookies.
"Marlene! Denzel! The cookies are finished!" Tifa called out to the children. No response. The brunette quirked an eyebrow while looking around the room. "Marlene? Denzel?" She called out again. Again no response. "Where is everyone?" She asked, placing her hands on the curves of her hips.
"This is ridiculous…" Tifa spat, as she pulled out the mobile phone, dialing digits. She paced around, waiting for the ringing to come to a halt with the voice of her friend.
"Hey 'Teef! What's up?" Barret cheerfully responded. Tifa, on the other hand, wasn't so cheerful.
"Where are you?" She asked impatiently.
"Click," Was the only response she receives from the man. This infuriated the young brunette. Tifa began dialing the digits again, maybe thinking that the line was just disconnect. She came to the 4th number before a sudden…
"Tifa!" startled her. Marlene came running through the door all in her winter get-up: mittens, two layers of sweaters, a coat, the whole package. It surprised Tifa how she could even run, less walk in her winter clothing. "Are the cookies done?" The little girl asked, stopping before her to give her a hug.
Tifa let out a big sigh, happy to know that she was home safe. "Yes, they just got out of the oven. Where's-"
Her sentence was interrupted when Denzel and Barret entered into the building. Tifa narrowed her eyes at Barret who was sheepishly grinning.
"Thank you for telling me that you took the kids out especially out in this weather," She sarcastically stated. Barret rolled his eyes.
"C'mon no need to get so damn angry. It's the Christmas season and they are safe. Let's try to be happy ok?" The man replied back to her sarcasm. He had come back to Midgar to visit with his daughter for the month of December. A busy father couldn't always spend time with his only daughter during the Christmas period so he had taken some time off from his job in Corel to visit with her and the rest of the gang.
Tifa rolled her eyes. Denzel came up to Tifa, making her gaze shift down to the little boy.
"Is Cloud home?" Denzel asked.
Tifa nodded. "Yeah he's upstairs. I'll tell him to come down," She stated, heading upstairs to his room.
………….
Cloud was lying down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been a year since the SHM incident, and he still could not forgive himself about her death.
"I never blamed you for anything."
Cloud just couldn't believe that sentence. It was his fault that she died. He had the chance to save and he failed. Even if she was only happy that he came to her, Cloud believed this was false.
"Hey Cloud," A voice broke his train of thoughts. He sat up on the bed and looked over at the doorway.
"Hey Tifa. What's up?" He greeted the brunette.
Tifa smiled at Cloud. "Barret is back with the kids, why don't you come down there and visit with them?"
Cloud shrugged to the proposal. "I think I'm going to just lie up here for awhile longer."
Tifa raised an eyebrow at the man. "Are you feeling alright?" Cloud just nodded, seeming very distant. The young woman knew what was going on. "He's thinking about Aerith again…" She thought bitterly.
Tifa walked over to Cloud's bed and sat down on it, smiling sweetly at him. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.
Cloud shook his head, shifting his gaze to the window. "Running away like he always does," Tifa thought. He was never one to approach anything anymore. He seemed to keep a shield up from the world in his self anguish and pitying.
Tifa was getting tired of his attitude. "Cloud, it's been three years. You need to move on," She stated.
Cloud shot a glance at Tifa. He bowed his head staring at the ground, narrowing his eyes. "It's not as simple as you think," He stated in a whisper.
"Cloud you can't keep thinking about the past. We all miss Aerith dearly too, but you have to think about the present, what's going on right now. You have to think about us," Tifa declared, placing her hand on top of Cloud's knuckles. Well this was déjà vu. "Maybe, he will never pull through," she began to think.
Maybe her thoughts were true. Cloud hated to hear that Aerith was dead, which then brought him back to the past again. His feelings became sour toward Tifa for reminding Cloud of her death, even though he was the one who began this whole thing.
"Tifa there is no us," he spat. Ouch, that hit the brunette hard. She could feel tears starting to brim on her bottom lashes. Her realization that Cloud and her could never be were recognized once again.
Cloud noticed the state his good friend was in. He sighed heavily. "Tifa I'm sorry. It's just you have to move past me. I don't love you in that manner."
"Of course…" Tifa stuttered, her breathing starting to become heavy. She knew this, yet hearing it really did break her heart. Tifa stood up, trying to retain her composure.
"I can't this anymore," She began. Cloud kept staring at the ground. "You always run away, Cloud. You're such a hypocrite. You try to tell me that I have to move on, yet you're the one that can't. Cl-Cloud, it's time you get yourself straight. Days you act like you move on and really seem to love me, then there are days like this. I-I can't live in this fairytale of mine that I'm trying to create anymore!" Tifa turned around and sprinted out the room and out the door. Cloud looked up and just stared out the door.
Those words struck the blonde. Hard. He closed his eyes. "Please, forgive me…"
………….
"This blizzard is worst than I imagined…" Tifa growled. The brunette was wondering the empty streets of Midgar. Tears had stained her cheeks and her ginger eyes were irritated.
Tifa began to wonder why she came out here in the first place. She was just running away like Cloud. She smiled bitterly.
"Maybe I'm beginning to pick up his traits. I mean, I was infatuated with him for so long…" She thought. "…and yet, you still are." The young woman let out a tiresome sigh, her feet feeling like blocks when she picked them off the ground. Her skin was burning with the prickling sensation of the frigid air, snow, and wind.
Tifa continued trudging along the snow covered roads. She wasn't really sure where she was going nor did she care. The only think she kept thinking about was that chocobo head. "I miss her too. What gives him the right to only think he's the only one that does?" She spat, hugging her body tightly. Tifa really did miss one of her best friends, and was starting to miss another…
No. She couldn't miss him already. But she did…she really did.
"Damn him. He makes me angry, and all I want to do is run back to him." Tears began flowing down her eyes once more. The liquid on her cheeks burned immensely. Snow pounded her hard with every whip the wind cracked. She began to become dizzy, her world was spinning before her.
Her feet became heavier with each passing step soon causing her to trip. There, she lay still in the snow. Tifa's energy was drained. She couldn't possibly move on anymore. Her eyelids were so weighted down from exhaustion.
Tifa looked up the street, eyes barely open as she saw a light of some sort heading straight towards her. Tifa sighed heavily, allowing her fatigue over her body.
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A/N: So this was the revised version of the original "All I Want for Christmas is You". Please, those of you who had reviewed earlier and liked the older version, tell me what you think of this one. And new readers please review and tell me what you think of this beginning. I kinda like this better cuz the characters seem more in character, but I really don't know about that lol er soo yeah, so for keeping you guys waiting and I hope you enjoy the new story ;;
