Sing Me To Sleep, a final fantasy vii fanfic

Disclaimer:I do not own Tifa, Zack, Cloud, Marlene, Denzel, or the song Asleep.

Sing Me to Sleep

"Tifa"

She opened her eyes to see bright sunlight filtering in through the curtains. Outside she could hear children playing and running through the alleys.

"Tifa"

Claret met Azure. She remembered another with eyes like these. Except the ones she remembered were clearer than any blue sky. The ones she looked into at the moment were darker, more conflicted. He had blond, golden hair, not dark raven locks.

"Tifa", he said again, "Good morning." He gave her a small smile. She brushed a stray strand of hair out from his eyes.

"Good morning", she whispered. She closed her eyes. Memories of a man she once knew flashed behind closed eyelids.

No.

She decided years ago that HE, and everything else from the past was to be locked away. These memories were hidden in a box deep inside her being. She knew why it was that they were resurfacing. Marlene hadn't known, but that little phrase unlocked her box a minute too long.

Sing me to sleep.

He loved listening to her voice while he held her in his arm. Her voice was loud and clear and strong. It was in those moments of the night were it was just them. They were in their own world created by their hearts. She remembered what he said to her all too clearly.

I don't want to wake up on my own anymore, Tifa…

Everything came crashing down too soon and too fast. She regretted letting him go, saying those God-awful words,

"Tifa"

"Tifa…"

She looked at Cloud. She took him in and studied his face and she realized with much surprise, that he was not… him. He was himself, Cloud, not… Zack.

She pushed herself up by the elbows and looked towards Cloud.

"I'm going to go make breakfast. Could you go see if the kids are up?" He nodded in response as he watched her get up and head towards the bathroom.

"Hey, Tifa…," she looked at him with a sweet smile and he faltered, "… you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

She looked at him in surprise. How had he known? Was she that easy to read? As if he read her mind he said, "Your eyes, ahem, they give you away." He stared down at the wooden floorboards, his blond hair hiding his face from her view, but she could see his red tinged ears.

Her heart swelled up with love. He didn't deserve this. A large gentle smile took over her face. She took his face between her hands and looked into his stormy blue eyes. She needed him more than she loved him, but that didn't mean she didn't.

"I know," and with that she took him into her arms. He snaked his arms around her waist. They stood for a moment until she pulled away. "Gotta go make breakfast," and she was out of the room before he could protest.

She hummed the exact same tune each time she cooked, Marlene noticed. She nudged Denzel and he responded with an annoyed grunt.

"What?"

"Listen!"

"To what-

"Ooooh," realization dawned on him. It had always been there, that tune. Tifa had always hummed it to them before going to sleep or when they were sick. He would listen to it every day while he sat at the table to finish his work. Every time she washed the dishes, the barely whispered words would come out.

Tifa kept humming; the sudden silence behind her went unnoticed. She was lost in memory, almost feeling the arms that had once circled their arms around her past.

The way he would nuzzle his head into the crook of her neck, the way he would whisper her name, the way he had always managed to make her laugh; and it went on and on, all the memories she had of him.

There were countless times she had gotten angry at him for something stupid he did, but there were so many more times were she would just get lost in his endless blue eyes.

She didn't notice the tears until Marlene and Denzel were at her side. They looked at her with big worried eyes filled with confusion. She reached down to ruffle their heads. "Don't worry, it's just, I'm remembering an old friend of mine. It made me kind of sad, but he wouldn't want that." She laughed as she remembered one of his other crazy antics.

"Once, I fell down, and as hard as I tried I couldn't hold back the tears. I was so angry and when he saw me, he ran. He ran as fast as he could."

Marlene and Denzel looked at her wide eyed. "What an idiot!" Denzel shouted. "If it had been me I would've picked you up and carried you home!" he said fiercely with rose petals of fire spreading across his cheeks.

"Yeah!" piped up Marlene in support. Tifa just laughed. "Oh, he wasn't running from me," she chuckled again, "he ran into town to get me ice cream. He came back so fast with the tub in his hands, but," again she laughed, "he had forgotten the spoons."

"What a chocobo bird!" Marlene exclaimed.

Tifa laughed gently "He was. Now, it's time to go to sleep."

Marlene looked down at her hands and shifted her feet. She bit her lower lip nervously wondering whether she should ask or not. Tifa looked down at the little girl so close to her heart. Then she saw Denzel grab Marlene's hand in his own. He gave her an encouraging nod. Tifa's heart grew three times its size with love.

"Tifa, can you sing us that song you always hum when you wash the dishes… with the words?" she asked hesitantly.

"….Of course."

So Tifa found herself tucking both Denzel and Marlene in their respective bed and the she began:

Sing me to sleep

I'm tired and I

I want to go to bed

Sing me to sleep

And then leave me alone

Don't try to wake me

In the morning

'Cause I will be gone

Don't feel bad for me

I want you to know

Deep in the cell of my heart

I will feel so glad to go

Sing me to sleep

I don't want to wake up

On my own anymore

Sing to me

I don't want to wake up

On my own anymore

Don't feel bad for me

I want you to know

Deep in the cell of my heart

I really want to go

There is another world

There is a better world

Well, there must be

Well

Bye, bye

She remembered singing that song to him. He had loved it.

"It's okay to remember Tifa."

She looked up in surprise and saw Cloud standing in the doorway, his face illuminated by the light of the hall. She looked into his eyes and suddenly she was in a forest, the forest where she first met him.

"Hey Teef!"

Tears sprang back into her eyes. She hadn't cried this much since she last saw him.

"It's okay to cry once in a while, you know? And- oof"

She tackled him with a bear hug.

Without missing a beat, he encircled his arms around her waist. "Heh heh, nice to know I still got it," he winked at her, "that irresistible charm."

She laughed. He looked exactly the same, the criss cross scar, the black spiked up hair, and the same cheeky smile. But then he lost the smile and looked at her all serious.

"Tifa, it's okay. It's okay to remember, to move on. I don't want you to cry anymore." He brought a calloused hand up to caress her cheek and kissed the top of her head.

"I know." She smiled sadly, "but I'll never let you go" she whispered, a tear hanging at the end of her lashes. "Never. I promise."

"I know. I'll be there with you, but you won't see me." He smiled softly.

"I've always known you were there," she murmured.

"Goodbye Tifa…..

"Goodbye Zack"

She turned towards Cloud and he offered her a smile.

"Let's go to bed."

Hope you guys like it ^^