Disclaimer: Like I said in my other fanfics, I DO NOT own anything.
A/N: This is probably my second Cloud and Tifa fanfic. Please enjoy and review!! ^^
"Its amazing he recovered….."
Tifa bitterly smiled at the people of the distant town, Mideel. It has been a week since she discovered him here, her childhood friend.
.-+-.
After they had acquired the Highwind, the crew didn't know what would happen next or where to go. They had nothing in mind; they didn't know what to do with the upcoming threat to the Planet. All was restless except for the beautiful brunette who had only one thing in mind.
"Cloud…"
Hearing his name, her teammates looked up. The boisterous leader of Avalanche straightened up and shook a fist at Tifa.
"You still thinkin 'bout 'im?" Barret's thunderous voice boomed within the cockpit that scared the living daylights out of the rookie pilots who were eavesdropping. "Get a &^%# grip, Tifa. Who knows wha' happened to 'im!"
A large mechanical moogle jumped forward with Cait Sith waving his hands up. Barret raised an eyebrow at him.
"Everything appears calm right now at Shinra. So now's the time to look for Cloud. I'm worried about him, too." Everyone averted their gaze at the toy cat. Tifa smiled at Cait Sith and mouthed a 'thank you'. The cat nodded and continued moving forward. "I wonder where Cloud is. Or could he already be…"
"Hmmm…" The red firewolf stood on four legs and began to pace the expanse of the cockpit. He gazed out of the large window of the Highwind, thoughtful. "There appears to be a small island near the Lifestream. They said the Lifestream sometimes suddenly gushes out at the south island."
Tifa's eyes sparkled at the new information that RedXIII gave out. It was to be expected from someone who has studied the Planet and had lived for over 46 years.
"I remember hearing this from Seto when I was a child, but I don't remember much else." RedXIII averted his soulful eyes to the brunette and lowered his head. "I'm sorry…Tifa."
Tifa shook her head and pointed a finger at the southernmost island in the world map. RedXIII narrowed his eyes in order to read the littlest text on the map.
"Mi…deel." He turned to Tifa with his head tilted in question. "Mideel?
"How about we go there?" She nodded, her brown eyes lightened a bit. "It's the only place we haven't gone to right? Maybe, just maybe…"
"Ya out of your friggin minds?"
Everyone turned back...just to suffocate from a screen of tobacco smoke. Mouths coughed, voices grumbled yet no one spoke out of turn to the one who has been the reason of their failing lungs.
"There's no way he coulda end up in Mideel. We left 'im in Northern Crater right?"
Barret patted Cid's shoulder (which the blonde shook off) and grinned.
"Cid's right! If that chocobo butt went any more north then he coulda fallen out in space right? The planet bein flat an all."
The crew stared at the big man with empty faces. After a long awkward moment everyone burst out laughing.
"W-W-W-What y'all laughin at? What's so damn funny, foo's?!"
Caith Sith slapped a mechanical hand on Barret's back, sniggering loudly.
"Has no one ever told you the planet is round, Barret?"
At that moment Barret's face turned crimson red from embarrassment. He grabbed the mechanical cat by the neck; veins were protruding from his face and muscles, a sure sign of anger.
"The planet is flat just like your face when I'm through with you! Aint no #$%*& cat gonna make a fool outta me!!"
As they were busy fooling around, Tifa quickly requested the pilot to set a course for Mideel. When the Highwind took a sharp turn everyone fell on their buttocks. Yuffie, who was slowly recovering from motion sickness, threw up all over the silent Turk.
"S-Sorry…"
Vincent left the room without a word with Yuffie following behind muttering a thousand apologies. The blonde pilot stood up and forcefully grabbed the rookie pilot by the collar.
"Who told you to change our course?? You little #$%!"
"I did…" Tifa whispered. She forced out a smile at everyone but an apparent tear lined her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I am out of my mind."
Cid opened his mouth to argue, but seeing the brunette that way was overwhelming. He slumped to a corner and took out another cigarette.
"Do whatever &%* you want."
Barret shifted his eyes from Tifa to the other members of their group, hoping for some kind of incongruity. When he found none, he shook his fist angrily at them all. Finally, the Avalanche member threw his hands up in the air in defeat gaining some silent laughs from the other onlookers.
"Cloud…I'll find you."
.-+-.
Tifa was so busy preparing the things she'd take for her journey that she hadn't noticed that Vincent had walked in the operation room. She let out a surprised 'oh' when she saw him sulking in the shadows. The brunette smiled at the silent Turk and placed the remaining materia in her armlets.
"Too much hope is the opposite of despair."
Tifa froze as she was about to place the last materia. His voice was cold and hoarse like it held no emotion or feeling.
"An overpowering love may consume you in the end…"
She looked back to ask Vincent what his words meant but he had disappeared. Tifa sat down and pursed her lips. The words that the Turk left echoed in her mind but she didn't know why he had told her these things. Was it a foreboding of the future? She didn't know. All she knew that she was going to look for Cloud…and she is going to find him.