I DIDNT KNOW HOW OLD TO MAKE DENZEL! I JUST PUT HIM AS 12 BUT I'M SURE HE MAY BE A BIT YOUNGER (OR OLDER) IN THE GAME/FILM, BUT THIS HAPPENS AFTER ADVENT CHILDREN SO I GUESS HIS AGE CAN BE WHAT I WANT IN MY STORY.

Chapter 2, Hangover

My head ached a tiny bit; it accompanied the small throbbing of my whole body. All of my muscles ached even ones I didn't know I had. As I moved I noticed that I was stiff and that I had small bruises on my upper arms from the force Cloud had put into the activities of the night before.

The events of the night before had not eluded me. I remembered fully what happened; I wasn't as drunk as Cloud was last night, I had only had 4 or 5 shots of tequila in comparison to his 12 drinks and shots of tequila from the bottle. I sat up and pulled the sheets around me. I knew he would be gone but I didn't expect the note on the pillow beside me.

'I'm sorry' was written in a messy scrawl on some paper that was now on my pillow. I felt a tear run from my eye. 'If what happened can't stop him leaving, what will?' another tear escaped my eye. Before my eyes were flooding like rain clouds. I held a pillow close to my face in hope of stopping the floods coming down like waterfalls. 'He'd left again...' I sighed I couldn't stop thinking it. In my head I heard the continuous chant... 'He left, he left, he left, he left...'

"Tifa?" A small voice asked as Denzel pushed his way into my room. I smiled up at him.

"Hey Denz." I said simply hoping I could stop my tears. I wiped my eyes furiously as the little boy walked over to me. Denzel crawled up next to me on the bed and put a hand to my cheek pulling it off my face to see the wetness from my tears. He soon forgot why he had come into my room to wake me up as he studied his palm before looking up to me.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly. He was just a child and yet, he seemed to be caring for me even though I'm the adult. "Did Cloud leave again?" he asked looking up at me. I smiled tearfully patting his head before I lay back down again falling into the soft pillows. I could still smell Cloud on the pillows and it took everything I had not to reach over and pull one to my face.

"It's nothing Denz." I said making sure the bed sheet covered me. The young boy shook his head violently not believing me. I dried my eyes and put on a brave face noticing he was still in his pyjamas.

"Hey, Denzel, you go get dressed and I make you breakfast, okay?" I spoke with a fake smile and saw Denzel nod before leaving my room. I quickly changed into my normal outfit and trudged down into the kitchen where I was going to make Pancakes. The whole house showed no signs Cloud had ever been in here. Sighing again I turned and took the ingredients out of the fridge. I made blueberry pancakes quickly waiting for Denzel to come downstairs. I used a fan to waft the pancake smell up to Denzel and heard the shower turn of immediately. For the young kid he was in my eyes he sure knew how to take care of himself. He was around ten and he got a cell phone a few days ago for doing odd jobs around town. At the minute I could hear him talking to Marlene as he walked down the stairs to meet me for his food. I smiled remembering the bond between the two,

Marlene, however was a bit older than Denzel, she was twelve now, she needed to be responsible and look after her father so she acted more like a fifteen year old than her normal age.

"Its fine Marlene, come visit anytime, Tifa wouldn't mind she love seeing you" I heard Denzel stop on the stairs. I heard him quieten as he listened to the girl speaking to him I stopped as I listened to his nervous feet shuffling. I could tell Denzel liked Marlene from the way he acted around her or the way he talked to her.

I wish my love life was that simple...

"Ok, I'll call you later. But I gotta go, Tifa is feeling a little sad right now..." I frowned but tried to put on a fake smile for Denzel as he entered the kitchen. He noticed I wasn't exactly happy.

"Cloud did leave didn't he?" Denzel asked staring at the pancakes I placed in front of him and not moving. I quietly nodded sighing.

"I think I did something to make him mad." I confessed remembering last night. "But it wasn't my fault, he's too forceful when he's drunk." I looked up at Denzel to see him poking his pancakes with his fork

"I want him to come back." Denzel told me looking up to me so I could see the tears in his eyes. I tried to make him feel better my putting on my fake smile and sitting next to him.

"Why don't you call him?" I asked already knowing the answer, it was the same reason I didn't call anymore.

"He never picks up." Denzel told me sadly picking at his pancakes until he declared he wasn't hungry.

After that Denzel left the table quickly. He didn't want to sit with my while I was sad like this. He'd snook away to plan a meeting with Marlene later... I didn't blame him, I wouldn't want to be around me today either, I was too depressed to talk and I was too unhappy to smile anymore.

I cleaned up the mess I left from the batter mix. The blueberries stained my hands and I had a sudden urge to lick them of my fingers and lick some of the mix out of the bowl I used to mix the Pancakes. I quickly shook my head to get rid of the thought.

I wouldn't mind much, but... I hated blueberries. I quickly cleaned after that and decided to go and have a shower. I walked up the stairs quickly only hearing the sounds of my heels as I continued up to my room. Denzel had gone out to see Marlene who was at Cid's. He and Shera had a big house that they could share with Barrett, Marlene and the passing Vincent. I would've offered rooms to Vincent and Barrett but I only had one... Cloud's room and I sure as hell wasn't lending that room out to anyone. I didn't let anyone in there lately, I haven't even been in myself. I kept it just the same for when he comes back... if he comes back.

I stood in the bathroom quietly turning the shower on before turning to the sink. I stood and stared. I couldn't help myself; I looked down on a half empty glass of water that sat on the worktop next to my sink. I didn't pour it, Cloud must've. I stood looking at it; my one reminder that last night wasn't a dream. The water never moved but in my head I saw an image of Cloud pulling the glass up to his lips and taking a small swig.

Almost instantly I snapped out of my trance. I'm a grown woman staring at a glass of water somebody left in my bathroom...

No, not somebody, him. He left it.

I shook the thoughts from my head as soon as I realised the water had been running in the shower for a little while and would have warmed up. I carefully stripped my shirt before my shoes and pants came off leaving me only underwear. I glimpsed my body in the mirror. I saw the bruises on my upper arms. Before I could look anymore I shed my underwear and stepped into the hot flow of the shower.

I enjoyed the heat of the water as it flowed down my back. I smiled in pleasure quickly rubbing shampoo into my hair. I started to remember things that happened last night. I remembered his every touch, the feel of his skin against mine, his soft kisses and sweet words. I remembered it all along with the fact he was drunk.

I sighed as I turned off the shower and walked into my own room. I saw the curtains billowing in the wind and sighed looking out to the cloud filled skies. I sighed looking out after pulling on my tank top and cotton shorts. I would just have to wait for Cloud to come back home, hopefully it wouldn't take another 12 months for him to come back to us again...