Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own the characters of FFVII…T.T


"Can I open them?"

"Not yet…"

A minute passed and she was growing anxious.

"How about now?"

Soft chuckles came from behind her as she walked forward with her eyes closed. She didn't have a clue where she was going since he picked her up from her studio. He was always full of surprises.

"Just," he paused as he opened a door. "…a little further."

Excitement filled her heart when she stopped walking. There was a feeling inside her that made her heart beat fast.

"Now?"

"Yeah…open them."

A surprised gasp came out from her lips when her eyes opened completely. In front of her was a table with two chairs that stood opposite of each other. Two candles were placed on top, gently lighting the dark spherical room she was in. Petals of different kinds of flowers lay on the ground which gave off an aromatic scent. Her hands flew to her heart as she approached the table. She couldn't believe her eyes as they feasted upon the things that he prepared. Sitting on top of the table were pairs of plates, crystal goblets, spoons and forks. In an ice bucket was a bottle of champagne, and beside it were different kinds of food that looked delicious even in the dark. Overwhelmed, she twirled to smile dearly at the man who had prepared all of these for that night.

"Happy 2nd Anniversary, Tifa."

.-+-.

"Uhhh…"

The sound of sea and seagulls woke him from a deep slumber. With eyes closed, he sniffed the musky scent of the bed that he was lying in. A grin tugged at his lips as he remembered the long and passionate time he shared with his girlfriend as payment for the dinner he prepared that night. Just thinking about it made his insides ache for more. Smiling, he opened his eyes and turned to the other half of the bed to kiss his lovely brunette. But instead of a brown head—which he was anticipating so eagerly—a yellow post-it note was lying on the pillow next to his. He took that piece of paper with a pout as he leaned on his pillows to read it.

Dear Cloud, I'm sorry for leaving early. We have the National Championship today so I have to support my students. I'll make it up to you, ok? Love, Tifa. P.S. I made coffee. :)

He exhaled heavily as he ran a hand through his blonde locks. Looking around, he groaned and finally got up from his bed. Taking a quick shower and change of clothes, he walked towards the kitchen, seeking the coffee maker. He poured himself a hot cup of coffee and positioned himself beside a window that overlooked the sea.

He had bought his new home only a month ago from a friend. It was a small but beautiful chalet that was surrounded with flowers and was situated a little ways off a cliff's edge. The next house was a hundred kilometers away so there weren't so many neighbors to greet him. The first time that he saw that house was in a picture his friend had shown him. After seeing the picture, he took interest and asked for the address. When he got the address, he went to the lot immediately and without any more thinking, he bought everything—even the furniture. He wanted to preserve the beauty of the cottage, but he also added one or two of his own things. Beauty aside, what really reeled him in buying was the peace he felt whenever he was surrounded by the walls of the small house. He felt…comfortable there. It was worth his life's savings.

After finishing his cup of coffee, he took his bike's keys and drove off to the nearest convenience store. There were still some things that were missing in his new house. A month's supply of food, hammer and nails, a new pail, vegetable seed packs and a sack of fertilizer. There was an old well he had found beside a vegetable patch that the previous owner made. The handle of the old pail was already broken so he thought he needed a new one. Since he was buying the new pail, he thought he might as well grow vegetables. The hammer and nails were for fixing the broken fences that surrounded his lot. At the counter, he took out 1500 gil from his wallet to pay for all the items and handed it over to the clerk.

"Thanks, sir. Come again!" The female clerk said, quite merrily.

The blonde walked out of the store, threw the shopping bags inside the secret compartment of his bike, and rode away from the lone convenience store. On the way, he slowed down to stare at the gleaming sea at the left side of the road. He, then, thought himself to be lucky to have bought a house that was close to the calming sound of the waves crashing upon the rocks of the cliff. He averted his eyes to the front as the road seemed familiar to his eyes. As he was about to take a turn from the main road, a blinding light flashed in his eyes. Instinctively, he brought his hands in front of his face—a big no, no to bikers out there. The next thing he knew, he was thrown off his bike and his unprotected head collided with a tree that was unfortunately placed to where he fell. Shimmering stars clouded his vision that gradually fell into darkness.