Our Destiny, Chapter 2
CLOUDS POV:
Cloud felt as though he had been sitting there for hours simply weeping. He was usually never this emotional, in public at least. However, this had touched a sensitive spot with him that had been bothering him for a long time. His hard and rough exterior began to fade away and he hated it. Feeling vulnerable was one of his worse fears but there was no one around to see it for the time being. That's was…until he heard a soft knock on his door. He immediately froze and listened wondering who was at his door this time of the night. "Did someone hear me?" Cloud thought to himself. The thought made him sick to his stomach but he answered anyway.
His bare feet hit the cold wooden floor of the room and he began to make his way silently toward the door with a feeling of dread. With a sigh he opened the door and there stood before him Tifa. When he saw her he knew he had been heard and she was here to check up on him. Just what he had feared.
"Cloud? Are you alright?" she said in a gentle voice full of concern.
"I- im not sure." He said being honest. There was no point in hiding now. She had caught him in the act and besides…she was his best friend he didn't want to lie to her anymore about how this stuff affected him.
Cloud watched her expression for a moment and it was a little hard for him to read. He wasn't really sure what she was thinking at the moment. Her face was concerned no doubt but there was something else there that he wasn't sure he was reading right…it almost seemed like longing. She was desperate for something but he didn't know what. He had been so lost in thought that he didn't hear what she said to him. Shaking his head clear he looked back at her and said "Wait…what?"
"I asked if I could come in. The hallway is a bit cold." She asked with a smile as she wrapped her tiny nightgown around her tighter.
Nodding Cloud stepped to the side and let her in then closed the door behind her. He watched as she made her way to his bed and took a seat and gave him a look that said she wanted him to join her. Walking over to her he took a seat and cupped his hands together awkwardly. They sat there in silence for the longest time just getting used to each others presence before Tifa finally spoke.
"You were thinking about here again, weren't you?" she asked looking over at him.
Nodding he said "You could say that. I…had a dream. Or a vision? Im not totally sure what is was exactly."
He began to explain everything from the dream that he could remember to Tifa. He told her what Aerith said and how she had come to ease his feelings. He told her of the darkness he wandered in and then the blinding light that brought him back. Cloud felt his emotions bubbling up again as he began to spill out everything that his heart had been carrying since Sephiroths death. After he was finished relief soon flooded over him and a wave of calm hit him. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Tifa was defiantly a good listener. Even after pouring everything out she still remained here with him. Unmoved by how weak he was at the moment and how vulnerable he looked. She held a protective gaze over him as if she would do anything to make the feelings of hurt go away. This took him off guard a bit. Before he could say anything else she began to speak once again.
"Im glad she is giving you some closure. You needed it. I've been so worried for you and there was nothing I could do to help you. I felt just as desperate as you did. Your….my friend. I care for you and I want you to be happy." She said as if she was struggling with the words.
"I care about you too Tifa. You're a good friend. You did everything you could but…I needed this. I know its weird but…I did. Don't blame yourself for this." he said reaching his hand out and putting his hand on her leg in a comforting manner.
As he was reassuring her he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was right now. The moonlight from his window was hitting her pale skin at just the right angle to make it almost seem like it was glowing. Her raven hair was pulled back from her face revealing her stunning features and the warmth of her dark shaded eyes. Cloud practically had to force his eyes to look away so she wouldn't notice. It left him breathless. He had never looked at Tifa in this way before…and now he began wondering why he hadn't. He was distracted mostly while they traveled together and focused on the mission at hand and his own thoughts. Suddenly he realized his hand had been on her leg far too long and he moved it away slowly and set it back in his lap.
TIFAS POV:
Listening to Clouds story was heartbreaking. She hadn't even realized how far his issues ran and she had never even considered that he could be worse off than he seemed. Cloud was very good at hiding his emotions, he always had been since they were kids. He wanted to show everyone he was the though guy and all he wanted was a good fight but Tifa knew better but she never got the chance to investigate her opinion further. This had actually been one of the few times Cloud talked to her about anything serious other than there plans for attack at Sephiroth or something about his delivery service. She immediately began feeling guilt over not being able to help him sooner and expressed her concerns to him. His response made her breath stop slightly as she felt his hand rest on her leg. Tifa immediately felt a blush come to her face but she tried her best to hide it. It was a comforting feeling and she didn't want it to go away by her making him think he did something wrong. For the time being she resisted the urge she had to rest her hands on top on his in fear of making him uncomfortable. The feeling however didn't last as long as she liked and to her disappointment he moved his hand away and rested it back on his lap.
Sighing softly she nodded and said "I'm just glad your okay. You have been bottling this up way too much. You know, I'm always here for you right? Ill never leave you. Ill be here whenever you need me."
"I know." Cloud said simply.
"Good. Then you should...talk to me more. Let me do my part and help you feel better, in return I will do the same for you agreed?" She asked with a soft smile.
Cloud chuckled a little at this and it was a sound that pleased Tifas ears. "That sounds like a good deal to me." Cloud responded looking over at her with a gaze of appreciation. Tifa felt a burst of happiness over this. She had finally broken through to him and finally he wasn't going to hide anything from her anymore. Even if it meant that she would have to listen him speak of Aerith for hours it was worth it. She could put her jealously aside to spend more time with him and help him. Tifa had always thought that cloud needed her for support but now she could see the truth. She needed him. Suddenly Tifa herd a yawn come from her throat and she felt herself become very tired. She had been so attentive to Cloud she hadn't even realized the time.
"You should get some sleep. Ill be alright now. I promise." Cloud said.
Looking over at a clock Tifa laughed a little and the nodded "Yea your right...but you need some sleep to. Don't stay up to late okay? If you need me again please come wake me back up." she asked.
Cloud agreed then stood up from his bed and held out his hand to help her up. Tifa accepted and pulled herself up and began to walk toward the door. Before she could move any further though Cloud stepped in front of her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Tifas heart began to race but she wrapped her arms around him in return the buried her face in his chest. His scent lingered around her nose sending chills up her spine. Cloud had a very masculine scent mixed with the smell of nature. In her opinion he never needed cologne because he always smelled wonderful to her. Tifa felt like she could just melt into his arms right now but knowing she couldn't without giving herself away made her frown slightly. The embrace only lasted a few seconds before cloud pulled away and looked down at her with a smile.
"Thank you Tifa. Sweet dreams tonight." He said softly.
Tifa returned his smile and nodded "Sweet dreams Cloud."
After gazing at each other for a moment Tifa pulled herself away from the gaze then headed out the door. Before she closed the door behind her she turned and looked at Cloud one last time then headed to bed.
