Oh My Goodness! Thank you, guys! Wow, just reading your reviews have just brightened my mood! lol Just so you guys know, I have a LOT of dramatic stuff cooking… boiling, whatever! lol Keep in mind that the other part of the genre besides drama is fantasy. . I blabber too much! On with the party! I mean… story! lol
Final Fantasy VII: Breathe
By Healing Spirit
Chapter Two: Tortured Whispers
The thud of heavy footsteps echoed throughout the staircase as the tall figure clambered up the stairs, his coordination disintegrated by the affect of the tremendous bottle of liquor he had drunk. He had a hard time moving up just a few steps, but his mind was as empty as his expression; just what he had intended.
The black wool shirt he sported around his chest did little to stop the river of shivers that ran down his spine and caused a pained groan to escape his lips as he doubled over. His golden hair askew, his steely blue eyes emotionless, his mouth set in a thin line, his muscular body weak and unable to support itself, he swayed on the spot and soon felt his surroundings blur and the wooden stairs rushed up to him.
Up in the room, Tifa heard a faint 'thud' in the staircase and her eyes shot wide open. Lifting herself from the bed for the second time that night, she crossed over the room and turned the corner to the stairs. With a saddened frown, she preceded the heavy task of dragging Cloud up the stairs and into his bed. She felt her muscles tighten at the large weight she was straining to drag. His beautiful head lolled side to side as she went along with her work, blissfully unconscious.
After several minutes of dragging and pulling, she finally reached the bed. With one last amazing feat of strength, his tall body was hoisted up onto the covers. By then, Tifa was panting hard, catching her breathe by leaning both hands onto her knees. Her mind was obscure at the exhaustion and fatigue she had forced onto herself, first by not sleeping, second by the constant worry she possessed for the man sleeping on the bed across from her.
When the cool rush of air into her lungs finally steadied itself, she collapsed onto her bed, battling against the wave of fatigue that consumed her as soon as she relaxed her body. Soon, the wave took over and she was plunged into darkness.
"Aerith…."
What? Where is that voice coming from?
"Aerith…."
There it is again… Who is it?
"Aerith…."
My eyes fluttered open from the bliss of sleep as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. That faint whispering was not from my dreams, it was from…
"Aerith…"
A tortured groan sounded next to me and I realized it was Cloud. As I lay there, listening to his cries, my heart throbbed. I shut my eyes tight to block them out, but they just sounded louder and louder. His wispy breathes flowed into my heart and I realized… He was calling for her.
"Aerith…"
His face was beaded with strings of sweat, his breathe overwrought and shallow, parching his lips. His head constantly turned in silent pain, his fingers twitching. A sudden cloud of dread settled upon me as I realized his terrible trembling at an invisible wind. I should have put a blanket over him, I scolded myself as I rushed to the bathroom down the hall, grabbing a face towel and filling a small basin with cool water. I worked quickly, but kept my noise to a minimum in case I was to wake the kids.
When I got back to the room with the towel and the basin, his voice was reduced to barely audible whispers. When I dunked the towel in the basin and wrung it, his cries continued to go on unanswered. As I wiped his face with the towel, I heard myself answer him.
"It's okay… I'm here… I'm here…."
All the while, he continued to call for her… and I pathetically tried to comfort him. Soon, when I dipped the towel in the basin once more, I heard my own voice squeak, falter and disappear. Something stung my eyes like acid, and my chest tightened agonizingly. My own skin radiated hot, but I forced the wetness behind my eyelids back.
No Tifa… don't… don't cry... don't cry…
The rest was all a blur. As I traced the perfect curves of his face with the cool towel, his cries grew more desperate and forced while I continued my work with rivers of tears running down my face and squeaked out "It's okay"… But when I tried to bring myself to say "I'm here", a large sob chocked my throat. He doesn't want me here. He wants her, and her only. He doesn't care if anyone else cares about him, as long as she is there, that's all that matters. But I furiously wiped the tears from my face and wiped his neck and arms, which also glistened with sweat. All the while, my heart was shattering with each time he breathed her name… and not mine…
Why… why did it have to be me? Why did it have to be me to have fallen so deeply, so madly, in love with him? This pain, it rips me apart so slowly… it tears at my heartstrings, it sucks the strength from my muscles, the oxygen from my lungs… to think that I could have fallen so hard… for this man… for this man who loves another with equal passion… who won't let anyone else near him except her… who won't live without her… who's whole world revolves around her…
And in that world… I don't exist…
Well? lol I'm sorry that this chapter was a bit boring, but I wanted to just portray Tifa's sorrow a bit more with some Cloud interaction lol. I don't know if that made sense though. But anyhoo, please review and don't forget, constructive criticism is always most welcome! Just be nice… lol.
Bai bai, guys! Until the next update!
