A/N: This is the revised and happily rewritten Just Another Cold Night v. 2.0. Some of the useless parts are cut out and stuff. ^_^ Also, the plot has more direction; I know my old reviewers are probably gone (in case you had yet to notice, this is Daisaku), and I hope to gain new ones. So, in the wise words of yours truly...enjoy the show!
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to Daisaku, AKA CC (Cuppin' Cake). The format of the beginning was inspired by Catalina, the author of "Sink to the Bottom with You"--a very great story, and I encourage you to read it. ^_^
---
Chapter 1: Slipping Through Fingers
"Sorry 'bout the door, Mrs. Highwind--Elena'll pay for the repair costs." Reno
"If you are near to the dark,
I will tell you 'bout the sun
You are here; no escape
From my visions of the world
You will cry, all alone
But it does not mean a thing to me..."
"Aura" Emily Bindiger
---
A lock of chocolate brown hair spilled over a piece of grass, followed by a wall of it as Tifa Lockheart plopped down on the feather moss bed on the canyon overlooking Junon. Absently, she twirled a strand around her slender fingers, braiding it artfully without so much as a second glance. The ocean's perfume calmed her weary nerves, and her legs swung absentmindedly over the bustling city perhaps two or three miles beneath them without worry or anxiety. Her eyes surveyed the scenery with a heavy-lidded gaze, as if exhausted.
Languidly, the martial artist inhaled the salty air; unable to get comfortable with the pasture nipping lightly at her bare midriff. The sun began to lightly kiss the horizon, and for a fleeting moment of weakness, she wondered in disdain if her friends were searching for her, faintly recalling a cargo ship detaching itself from Junon Harbor and moving westward in the direction the sun was ready to set.
//That's selfish,// she scolded herself mentally, shaking her head vigorously to allow such thoughts to seep out through her ears. //They'll understand; they'll know why immediately. And I just...// Tifa inhaled sharply, a ragged breath expelled into the air, the kind of shudder that would come from a weeping soul. Her hands flew to her mouth suddenly, as if she had just emitted some disgusting swear word; her fist pounded into the ground, and subsequentially the dirt crumbled helplessly beneath her strength.
"I need to be alone!" she screamed, projecting her anguished cover-up throughout the city.
Surely enough, a few heads craned upwards at a tiny pair of legs dangling off the cliff face, but Tifa payed them no mind.
A sinister voice in the back of her head squeaked, or perhaps her own thoughts resounded, ferociously berating herself. A ghostly hue took over the delicate woman's skin. //I'm amazed you got this far without turning tail and running back to him....and what would've you done then?... I would've...tried to convince him and myself that his words spoke lies,// the voice answered itself.
---
"Cloud?..."
A whisper carried itself on the placid air; Tifa gently leapt onto one of the crystalline columns leading up to the...well, *that* place. Coincidentially, the same standing place that once brought so much suffering was the only one that bore any light of the outside--a strong, unwavering plume that bolted through and reflected off the diamond-like City of the Ancients. The only source...
Upon the pillar that could barely support her weight, she crouched, gathering her wits and settling for watching Cloud from afar; instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her knees. It was a habit.
Tears, like diamonds, fell from his scarred albeit handsome face, sliding haplessly onto the final "step"--Barret had once called it the Stairway to Heaven, before the marks of blood stained its surface. Gloved fingers lightly brushed against the rusted, obscure red on the column, and then began to rub furiously at the marks. His knees clicked slightly; for a moment, Tifa thought he was just going to leap in the water's flattened surface simply to stare at Aerith's body.
On that day, not so long ago, three things died: Cloud's love, Tifa's hope, and Aerith herself.
Tifa hesitantly approached the hypnotized swordsman and sank into a deep crouch next to him. He didn't spare her so much as a second glance, much less a first. "Cloud?" she asked tentatively, raising one hand to wave it in front of his face. Alas, she thought better of it--wait, was he even acknowledging her presence!? She shook away those thoughts. "D-do you...need anything?" //Like food, or sleep,// she thought with a pang of sadness. "Cloud...if you *do* need anything...I'll be here, alright? Maybe I'll get some food from the cabin..."
A pang of jealousy for a dead girl, quickly dismissed with thoughts of gentleness. That was who Tifa was. When Sephiroth was defeated, Cloud thought he saw Aerith. And he climbed down. And Tifa followed, like a faithful companion...like a pet.
She would follow him to the ends of the damn Planet.
That was who Tifa was.
"I...I'm not in the mood, Tifa...never have been." The bitterness and loathing in tone startled her slightly, and she backed away, although she wasn't sure who it was directed towards. She nodded, giving in to his need to be left alone for the millionth-some day. Yet continuing to beat on something dead, he continued: "No matter how many times you spoon-feed me...telling stories just to pass time... It. Doesn't matter. To me."
Angered thoughts ran through his mind like wildfire--memories of the Masamune sliding through her chest like scissors through paper; his face; her...smile...
Tifa smiled weakly, only to have the expression returned with a savage glare. "N-no, I could never--I'm not trying to--"
Maybe it was the sun in her eyes, forcing its way through stiffly cold crystals dangling from the ceilings, but within half a second, her vision glazed over thickly. The area seemed to be swimming and blurring, and Tifa stumbled backwards blindly. And yet, not even moving his icy aquamarine gaze towards her: "You know I don't want you here, don't you," Cloud said slowly, a careful, dangerous low tone to his voice. "Why...do you stay...with me!?"
Tifa turned and leapt on the second pillar, and then spun around once again, a wall of brown hair shielding her face from eyes that nearly shot lasers at her. She bit her lip and took a crippled breath, not trusting her voice."B-because I..."
//...really do love you, Cloud...//
"Tifa...I just want to be ALONE...with...with Aerith. G-go home."
//...You're the only one who can make me feel like this.//
She fled; whether she had run backwards or something, she didn't know, until at least her back slammed against some stone wall in the City's endless corridors. Though she had valiantly attempted to swallow the lump in her throat backwards, it escaped in a loud, resonating sob. And soon, many more bubbled up behind that, throat thickly coated with the viscousity of despair.
The next day, she had vanished without a trace.
---
//Well, he got what he wanted.// The harsh phrase repeated itself in Tifa's mind until it sounded more of a lament of sorrow. //How lonely can you get...starving and sleepless...with only the lingering shadow of a ghost to keep you company... God, maybe I should go back.// A small whimpering manifested in her throat, and she rubbed her eyes tediously with her hands, upon which were equipped the Premium Heart. //He used to tell me he had nightmares in that place...used to describe them to me......and then he stopped all of a sudden.// She wiped furiously at her eyes.
The sun sank listlessly into the thin line between sea and sky, and then the ocean swallowed it whole. And as if in sync with the heavens, the ocean seemed to belch out the stars as ebony ravelled itself around this part of the world. With the grace of a gymnast, Tifa leapt to her feet and onto the back of her chocobo Celes. The golden bird sank its knees and proceeded to make a massive, impressive spring off the cliff face and onto the surf and shore, where the waves nipped cooly at its hooked talons.
Westward, across the ocean, to...
To where?
---
Rocket Town: the fine barrier between the Northern Continent and basically anywhere else besides Wutai or Mideel. In Shera's house, a disgruntled Cloud Strife sat quietly, gazing into Shera Highwind's offered teacup pointedly. Her husband had left with the Highwind nearly an hour ago, begrudgingly given the task to retrieve most (actually, all) of the members of AVALANCHE. And so, his wife was left with a stern and intimidating man, yet seemed to pay him no mind; her honey-shaded eyes skimmed a magazine beneath rectangular glasses.
Just as his patience began to wear thin, the sounds of whooshing and pushed air resonated throughout the town, and children shoved their heads out their bedroom windows almost instinctively. A fanfare on Rocket Town's eager ears: the Highwind had returned, and the town Captain as well.
The door swung open, and Cid rushed in suddenly, wrapping his arms around his wife as if he hadn't seen her in ages. He took a quick whiff of her hair before backing away and allowing Yuffie, Reeve, Barret, and Red XIII to file in. Cloud's eye twitched, yet his grim mood did not allow anything else to be expressed.
"Where is Vincent?" he asked coldly, as if demanding he pop into the door at the sound of his voice. Yet no one came, and Red XIII, the last to come in, nudged the door closed with his charcoal-shaded nose.
"#$%&er had 'business' to attend to." Cid grunted, folding his arms, the lapels of his jacket lowering with his movements. "And now, Mr. Leader, fill these people in on the distress mission, will ya!?" He flailed one forearm in a bit of a threat, but faltered when he realized his antics brought not even a shadow of a smile to Cloud's face. //Shit,// the pilot thought suddenly, eyes dulling. He hadn't been informed of anything either--merely to gather AVALANCHE and meet at Rocket Town. In eager anticipation, the room seemed to fidget, wondering exactly *what the hell* would possess their leader and force a group meeting upon them.
"Tifa is missing." Cloud said shortly, and with the tone he said it in he could've been talking about the hot dog toppings in Costa Del Sol.
Silence followed, each one blinking in disbelief--it hadn't really gotten through their heads the first time, considering Cloud's nonchalant tone and attitude about the optimistic martial artist's disappearance. A pair of round, gray eyes reflected a storm amoung the small party; they flashed, as if it was raining and thundering from the wolf-colored clouds within.
"What!? Why!? Was she kidnapped!? Are you sure!? What the HELL are you talking about, Pokey!? I--I can't--" Yuffie's voice lowered in volume slowly; her throat had become constricted by panic. And then it raised again with her growing despair. "Are you sure!?" she repeated screechingly.
//Her chocobo was missing.// Cloud's mind whispered. He opened his mouth to respond with just that, yet no sound came out...for a moment, anyway.
"She was kidnapped."
The lie that escaped his stiff lips surprised him for a moment--only Red XIII and Reeve appeared to notice his minor flinch as he said so, and Red XIII was the one who doubted Cloud's innocence. The wolf-lion's silent curiosity would prove useful later. AVALANCHE--and Shera--shared a stricken gasp, eyes flitting about the room in a state of distress, silently hoping Tifa would barge in or something with her usual warm smile and melodious laughter.
And then Reeve was the second to speak. "I'm going to call the Turks." he said suddenly, rising to the situation. Red XIII seemed unfazed by the President's decision, yet Barret made a sound in his throat--one that spoke volumes of disapproval. And Cloud flinched again, fleetingly wondering if his lie would get out of hand. "I'll have them research any recent kidnappings, and--"
"I'm not concerned about the *kidnappers*, Reeve. I am more worried about Tifa," Cloud stated imploringly, raising a gloved hand to order Reeve to put the cell phone down. "The kidnappers," he said slowly, as if attempting to convince himself as well, "can be dealt with later."
Suddenly, the door fell off its hinges before Cloud's order could finish itself. Behind the fallen device was the heel of a slick black shoe, which dropped to the floor. And the Turks walked in, as cool and as calm as ever, addressing Shera and Cid with curt nods, pretending that explained the house's broken appendage. Shera's brow creased downwards delicately.
"Crashin' the party, AVALANCHE!" Reno jeered merrily, plopping himself down into a lounge chair. "Sorry 'bout the door, Mrs. Highwind--Elena'll pay for the repair costs. This one's on us."
Elena's deep brown eyes widened in indignation, and she looked just about ready to maul Reno.
"What are you doing here?" Cloud said flatly.
"Their jobs, Cloud. I apologize for any inconvenience." Reeve's face appeared sincerely apologetic, and although Cloud could easily forgive the president of Neo ShinRa...he found it rather difficult to be travelling around with the Turks. Reeve turned to the three navy-suited "bodyguards" and, in a hushed whisper, explained to them the situation. Before Reeve had turned his head, though, Reno stepped forth, tucking his gnarled hand in his pockets.
"So," the flame-haired Turk said softly, the faintest hint of a smirk tracing his face, "you lost her already? Why?"
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to Daisaku, AKA CC (Cuppin' Cake). The format of the beginning was inspired by Catalina, the author of "Sink to the Bottom with You"--a very great story, and I encourage you to read it. ^_^
---
Chapter 1: Slipping Through Fingers
"Sorry 'bout the door, Mrs. Highwind--Elena'll pay for the repair costs." Reno
"If you are near to the dark,
I will tell you 'bout the sun
You are here; no escape
From my visions of the world
You will cry, all alone
But it does not mean a thing to me..."
"Aura" Emily Bindiger
---
A lock of chocolate brown hair spilled over a piece of grass, followed by a wall of it as Tifa Lockheart plopped down on the feather moss bed on the canyon overlooking Junon. Absently, she twirled a strand around her slender fingers, braiding it artfully without so much as a second glance. The ocean's perfume calmed her weary nerves, and her legs swung absentmindedly over the bustling city perhaps two or three miles beneath them without worry or anxiety. Her eyes surveyed the scenery with a heavy-lidded gaze, as if exhausted.
Languidly, the martial artist inhaled the salty air; unable to get comfortable with the pasture nipping lightly at her bare midriff. The sun began to lightly kiss the horizon, and for a fleeting moment of weakness, she wondered in disdain if her friends were searching for her, faintly recalling a cargo ship detaching itself from Junon Harbor and moving westward in the direction the sun was ready to set.
//That's selfish,// she scolded herself mentally, shaking her head vigorously to allow such thoughts to seep out through her ears. //They'll understand; they'll know why immediately. And I just...// Tifa inhaled sharply, a ragged breath expelled into the air, the kind of shudder that would come from a weeping soul. Her hands flew to her mouth suddenly, as if she had just emitted some disgusting swear word; her fist pounded into the ground, and subsequentially the dirt crumbled helplessly beneath her strength.
"I need to be alone!" she screamed, projecting her anguished cover-up throughout the city.
Surely enough, a few heads craned upwards at a tiny pair of legs dangling off the cliff face, but Tifa payed them no mind.
A sinister voice in the back of her head squeaked, or perhaps her own thoughts resounded, ferociously berating herself. A ghostly hue took over the delicate woman's skin. //I'm amazed you got this far without turning tail and running back to him....and what would've you done then?... I would've...tried to convince him and myself that his words spoke lies,// the voice answered itself.
---
"Cloud?..."
A whisper carried itself on the placid air; Tifa gently leapt onto one of the crystalline columns leading up to the...well, *that* place. Coincidentially, the same standing place that once brought so much suffering was the only one that bore any light of the outside--a strong, unwavering plume that bolted through and reflected off the diamond-like City of the Ancients. The only source...
Upon the pillar that could barely support her weight, she crouched, gathering her wits and settling for watching Cloud from afar; instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her knees. It was a habit.
Tears, like diamonds, fell from his scarred albeit handsome face, sliding haplessly onto the final "step"--Barret had once called it the Stairway to Heaven, before the marks of blood stained its surface. Gloved fingers lightly brushed against the rusted, obscure red on the column, and then began to rub furiously at the marks. His knees clicked slightly; for a moment, Tifa thought he was just going to leap in the water's flattened surface simply to stare at Aerith's body.
On that day, not so long ago, three things died: Cloud's love, Tifa's hope, and Aerith herself.
Tifa hesitantly approached the hypnotized swordsman and sank into a deep crouch next to him. He didn't spare her so much as a second glance, much less a first. "Cloud?" she asked tentatively, raising one hand to wave it in front of his face. Alas, she thought better of it--wait, was he even acknowledging her presence!? She shook away those thoughts. "D-do you...need anything?" //Like food, or sleep,// she thought with a pang of sadness. "Cloud...if you *do* need anything...I'll be here, alright? Maybe I'll get some food from the cabin..."
A pang of jealousy for a dead girl, quickly dismissed with thoughts of gentleness. That was who Tifa was. When Sephiroth was defeated, Cloud thought he saw Aerith. And he climbed down. And Tifa followed, like a faithful companion...like a pet.
She would follow him to the ends of the damn Planet.
That was who Tifa was.
"I...I'm not in the mood, Tifa...never have been." The bitterness and loathing in tone startled her slightly, and she backed away, although she wasn't sure who it was directed towards. She nodded, giving in to his need to be left alone for the millionth-some day. Yet continuing to beat on something dead, he continued: "No matter how many times you spoon-feed me...telling stories just to pass time... It. Doesn't matter. To me."
Angered thoughts ran through his mind like wildfire--memories of the Masamune sliding through her chest like scissors through paper; his face; her...smile...
Tifa smiled weakly, only to have the expression returned with a savage glare. "N-no, I could never--I'm not trying to--"
Maybe it was the sun in her eyes, forcing its way through stiffly cold crystals dangling from the ceilings, but within half a second, her vision glazed over thickly. The area seemed to be swimming and blurring, and Tifa stumbled backwards blindly. And yet, not even moving his icy aquamarine gaze towards her: "You know I don't want you here, don't you," Cloud said slowly, a careful, dangerous low tone to his voice. "Why...do you stay...with me!?"
Tifa turned and leapt on the second pillar, and then spun around once again, a wall of brown hair shielding her face from eyes that nearly shot lasers at her. She bit her lip and took a crippled breath, not trusting her voice."B-because I..."
//...really do love you, Cloud...//
"Tifa...I just want to be ALONE...with...with Aerith. G-go home."
//...You're the only one who can make me feel like this.//
She fled; whether she had run backwards or something, she didn't know, until at least her back slammed against some stone wall in the City's endless corridors. Though she had valiantly attempted to swallow the lump in her throat backwards, it escaped in a loud, resonating sob. And soon, many more bubbled up behind that, throat thickly coated with the viscousity of despair.
The next day, she had vanished without a trace.
---
//Well, he got what he wanted.// The harsh phrase repeated itself in Tifa's mind until it sounded more of a lament of sorrow. //How lonely can you get...starving and sleepless...with only the lingering shadow of a ghost to keep you company... God, maybe I should go back.// A small whimpering manifested in her throat, and she rubbed her eyes tediously with her hands, upon which were equipped the Premium Heart. //He used to tell me he had nightmares in that place...used to describe them to me......and then he stopped all of a sudden.// She wiped furiously at her eyes.
The sun sank listlessly into the thin line between sea and sky, and then the ocean swallowed it whole. And as if in sync with the heavens, the ocean seemed to belch out the stars as ebony ravelled itself around this part of the world. With the grace of a gymnast, Tifa leapt to her feet and onto the back of her chocobo Celes. The golden bird sank its knees and proceeded to make a massive, impressive spring off the cliff face and onto the surf and shore, where the waves nipped cooly at its hooked talons.
Westward, across the ocean, to...
To where?
---
Rocket Town: the fine barrier between the Northern Continent and basically anywhere else besides Wutai or Mideel. In Shera's house, a disgruntled Cloud Strife sat quietly, gazing into Shera Highwind's offered teacup pointedly. Her husband had left with the Highwind nearly an hour ago, begrudgingly given the task to retrieve most (actually, all) of the members of AVALANCHE. And so, his wife was left with a stern and intimidating man, yet seemed to pay him no mind; her honey-shaded eyes skimmed a magazine beneath rectangular glasses.
Just as his patience began to wear thin, the sounds of whooshing and pushed air resonated throughout the town, and children shoved their heads out their bedroom windows almost instinctively. A fanfare on Rocket Town's eager ears: the Highwind had returned, and the town Captain as well.
The door swung open, and Cid rushed in suddenly, wrapping his arms around his wife as if he hadn't seen her in ages. He took a quick whiff of her hair before backing away and allowing Yuffie, Reeve, Barret, and Red XIII to file in. Cloud's eye twitched, yet his grim mood did not allow anything else to be expressed.
"Where is Vincent?" he asked coldly, as if demanding he pop into the door at the sound of his voice. Yet no one came, and Red XIII, the last to come in, nudged the door closed with his charcoal-shaded nose.
"#$%&er had 'business' to attend to." Cid grunted, folding his arms, the lapels of his jacket lowering with his movements. "And now, Mr. Leader, fill these people in on the distress mission, will ya!?" He flailed one forearm in a bit of a threat, but faltered when he realized his antics brought not even a shadow of a smile to Cloud's face. //Shit,// the pilot thought suddenly, eyes dulling. He hadn't been informed of anything either--merely to gather AVALANCHE and meet at Rocket Town. In eager anticipation, the room seemed to fidget, wondering exactly *what the hell* would possess their leader and force a group meeting upon them.
"Tifa is missing." Cloud said shortly, and with the tone he said it in he could've been talking about the hot dog toppings in Costa Del Sol.
Silence followed, each one blinking in disbelief--it hadn't really gotten through their heads the first time, considering Cloud's nonchalant tone and attitude about the optimistic martial artist's disappearance. A pair of round, gray eyes reflected a storm amoung the small party; they flashed, as if it was raining and thundering from the wolf-colored clouds within.
"What!? Why!? Was she kidnapped!? Are you sure!? What the HELL are you talking about, Pokey!? I--I can't--" Yuffie's voice lowered in volume slowly; her throat had become constricted by panic. And then it raised again with her growing despair. "Are you sure!?" she repeated screechingly.
//Her chocobo was missing.// Cloud's mind whispered. He opened his mouth to respond with just that, yet no sound came out...for a moment, anyway.
"She was kidnapped."
The lie that escaped his stiff lips surprised him for a moment--only Red XIII and Reeve appeared to notice his minor flinch as he said so, and Red XIII was the one who doubted Cloud's innocence. The wolf-lion's silent curiosity would prove useful later. AVALANCHE--and Shera--shared a stricken gasp, eyes flitting about the room in a state of distress, silently hoping Tifa would barge in or something with her usual warm smile and melodious laughter.
And then Reeve was the second to speak. "I'm going to call the Turks." he said suddenly, rising to the situation. Red XIII seemed unfazed by the President's decision, yet Barret made a sound in his throat--one that spoke volumes of disapproval. And Cloud flinched again, fleetingly wondering if his lie would get out of hand. "I'll have them research any recent kidnappings, and--"
"I'm not concerned about the *kidnappers*, Reeve. I am more worried about Tifa," Cloud stated imploringly, raising a gloved hand to order Reeve to put the cell phone down. "The kidnappers," he said slowly, as if attempting to convince himself as well, "can be dealt with later."
Suddenly, the door fell off its hinges before Cloud's order could finish itself. Behind the fallen device was the heel of a slick black shoe, which dropped to the floor. And the Turks walked in, as cool and as calm as ever, addressing Shera and Cid with curt nods, pretending that explained the house's broken appendage. Shera's brow creased downwards delicately.
"Crashin' the party, AVALANCHE!" Reno jeered merrily, plopping himself down into a lounge chair. "Sorry 'bout the door, Mrs. Highwind--Elena'll pay for the repair costs. This one's on us."
Elena's deep brown eyes widened in indignation, and she looked just about ready to maul Reno.
"What are you doing here?" Cloud said flatly.
"Their jobs, Cloud. I apologize for any inconvenience." Reeve's face appeared sincerely apologetic, and although Cloud could easily forgive the president of Neo ShinRa...he found it rather difficult to be travelling around with the Turks. Reeve turned to the three navy-suited "bodyguards" and, in a hushed whisper, explained to them the situation. Before Reeve had turned his head, though, Reno stepped forth, tucking his gnarled hand in his pockets.
"So," the flame-haired Turk said softly, the faintest hint of a smirk tracing his face, "you lost her already? Why?"