As promised the second chapter is up quicker with reviews.
--Thank you so much luneress for your review, it truly did make me proofread and post this chapter faster
(By the way, their house is built on a hill, so the kitchen is the ground level for the front and side of the house, but the basement also is the ground level for the back of the house.
The bed rooms and bathroom are all up stairs. So in a sense the house has three levels.)
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Radiant Gardens
Chapter two: I'm sorry flower
"Hey Cid", Tifa called from up stairs, "can you clean the dishes?" it was now around 12:00 in the morning. Breakfast was over and everyone left to go town, and begin their day; leaving their dishes all over the kitchen. Tifa normally didn't mind, she would just clean them before heading out, but today she wanted to find Yuffie and talk with her before she had a chance to talk with Cloud.
"no," cid shouted back, "you do it every morning, why cant you do it today!"
Tifa smiled, as she heard Cid then curse at the computer he was working on. "Dam it, you retarded piece of shit!" Strapping on her other boot, Tifa left her upstairs bed room, and headed down to the kitchen, standing on that level she called down to the basement, "thanks Cid, you're the best"
Then turned and headed out of the side door, to the gardens. From out side the house she could still hear cid yell, "Tifa, you get back here, I'm busy! TIFA! Dam girl."
Chuckling to her self, two new voices came into ear shot.
"Squall." The voice was only a weak whisper.
"Yuffie, its fine you said enough. I under stand." Leon's voice was low and venomous.
"No, you don't under stand at all!" she cried, without tears.
Tifa quickly walked over to where they were standing, with only a line of rose bushes blocking her from their view. Peering though the branches Tifa saw Yuffie crouching next to some of Aerith's flowers only a few steps away from Leon, she had her back to Tifa unknowingly and her side was facing Leon. A small yellow flower was held gently in her hand.
Leon was watching her, spin the flower in her hand; he was perfectly still, like if the slightest movement would break him. Finally he spoke again, "Yuffie, this is just something I need to try."
At this point, the flower Yuffie was holding so gently was squashed in her palm. "why?" she didn't sound mad any more, her tone was low and cheerless.
Leon didn't answer but started to walk away.
Turning all the way around, Yuffie was faced him as she stood up, "wait" she looked up at Leon who stopped in between the arch way leading to the next part of the garden. She looked down at the crushed flower she was holding with the small broken steam, fingering the crushed pedals gingerly, she said "I don't want to see you hurt again." She glanced up seeing him staring at her she quickly lowered her head and stared at the broken flower.
Leon walked over to Yuffie and lifted her chin with his hand, then wrapped her in a hug, "that's my risk, Yuffie."
As quickly as he walked over back to Yuffie he walked away; leaving Yuffie to collapse on the floor, clutching the broken yellow flower. Tifa want to go comfort her, but she knew Yuffie would not want to be seen like this, What ever was going on between her and Leon it was their business, so of course, Tifa was going to figure it out, without either of them knowing.
On the other side of town, Cloud headed over to the fountain. He knew she would be there. From a distance he saw her; she was dancing around throwing the flowers into the water, or around her. As he walked down the hill he could hear her singing. He watched her singing and dancing to her own tune, throwing the flowers so it looked like they were raining from the sky. He walked in to view, but she didn't see him.
"Aerith."
"Oh," she turned, "Hey Cloud!" she threw some flowers at him. He caught one in his hand, and he crushed it in to a fist.
Aerith saw this and her eyes flooded with concern. "Cloud, are you ok?" It was dumb a question, she knew that, but it was the best she could think up.
"Aerith, I--" he voice faded.
"Cloud, I know what this about." She set her basket of flowers down.
"y-you do?"
She nodded and walked over to him, putting her arms around his waist, "but its ok, I'll always be here." She pulled away slightly looking in to his eyes. She thought he was still suffering from Sephiroth darkness. She thought he was afraid he was going to lose his friends because of it. Cloud moved his arms around her, but as soon as he hugged her back he realized what she thought it was about. Not wanting to confused her, he pulled her off on him, "no, it not about that"
"then what is it?"
"Flower…" Cloud stopped, he didn't know how to say it. How could he tell Aerith, the girl he once loved, that he no longer loves her? How could he tell her that he like a girl he can't have. "Flower, it just…" he stopped again.
Aerith was surprised when he called her flower, she hasn't been called that since the last time this town was called Radiate Gardens. Even though it's been years she knew it couldn't be good news he only used to call her flower when something bad happened.
His eyes were alive with deep thought; it was like something was distracting him. A month ago she would have given anything to have his eyes like that again, instead of being empty or full of sorrow. However, looking back now, she realized that when she wished for his eyes to be alive like they are now, she assumed she would be the one, making them alive. But today, through his eyes, she knows she's not one making them seem alive. He's distracted by someone else, some other girl.
She let out a sigh of realization, "its ok. I hoped that we would be able to pick up where we left off, after you sorted though you're past." A sad smile crawled on to her lips, "I guess, I always knew that it wouldn't happen. And that I was just kidding my self. Some where deep inside me, I knew that we would both be different, that it wouldn't work. We changed Cloud. I know that. But we didn't change together."
She always could speak what was going through his head, better than he could. It was just a knack she had, she knew how people acted and why, and even how they thought; That's one of the reasons Cloud liked her, she always knew what to say, and how to say it.
Aerith sad smile turned back into a happy one, she could always smile in hard times, even if it was a fake one; it was still a smile. Cloud knew that this smile was a fake, and he wished she wouldn't fake a smile. He didn't want her to pretend to be happy around him. She never used to fake anything around him. Cloud used to be the only one who would see her sad, but that changed now. Here she stands in front of him, faking a smile. Aerith spoke the truth; they have changed. They grew apart.
He couldn't look her in her eyes. If Cloud looked into her eyes the words would never come out, they would be left unsaid, and this chapter of there life would never end. So he avoided her eyes looking up at the clear sky, "I'm sorry flower, but it has to end." Cloud said, as he walked away, he dropping the crumpled flower into the wind.
The flower drifted up in the soft breeze, over to where Aerith caught it gently. Slowly she walked over, to the fountain; dumping the rest of her basket of flowers uncaringly into the water. She watched the flowers float along; as she watched she noticed her own refection in the water. Through the water she noticed two tears falling from her eyes and sliding down her cheek.
Tifa was wondering down the street well away from Cloud and Aerith around the same time. As she walked she got the feeling she was being followed. Turning around full three-sixty she saw no one; so she continued on her way to the out skirts of town. As she was walking she could have sworn she heard footsteps, turning again she peered down the streets, nothing was out of place. "Yuffie?" she called as she shifted her gaze towards the rooftops, nothing. Laughing silently at herself for her own stupidly she continued to walk. She was over reacting, everything is normal again.
"You know, you almost had me the first time."
Tifa turned around, off to the side of her Leon was leaning on the building wall.
"What first time?" she asked.
"First time you turned around," he chuckled, "wow, you're slow." He shook his head disapprovingly. Tifa ignored his insult and got right to the point, "why are you on the far side of town?"
"No reason" he shrugged.
"Why were you following me?" she tried again.
"Don't flatter your self. I wasn't fallowing you." He looked down the street past her. "Just walking"
Tifa looked at him questionably he was hiding something, he was looking for some one, maybe it had to deal with what she over heard this morning. She knew how to get him to talk, she was the only person who could get him to talk with out bugging him to death, and she wasn't going to share her secret. "Ok, well then, I'll be on my way." she smiled friendly at him before turning and walking away, counting the seconds before he called to tell her too wait. One, two, three, she counted, four, five…
"wait." He jogged up to Tifa.
Tifa stopped and smiled knowingly before turning around, "yes?" she questioned.
"Maybe you can help me."
Tifa laughed, "wow, Leon asking for help, that a first." He didn't laugh, like she thought he would. So she stopped, "what'd ya need?"
"Where's Aerith?" he asked avoiding her eyes. Tifa looked up at him, maybe she was right. Maybe this was about this morning. "Why are you looking for her?" she asked making his intention sound dirty.
He looked at her like he couldn't believe it. Tifa was never one to joke like; he was always the one to make normal things sound nasty. "I just am." He wasn't joking, he wasn't in the mood to joke.
Tifa wasn't getting any where if she was going to figure out what going on, she have to play her cards right. "Well, if you can't tell me, I can't help you." She smiled, trying to tease him, but he wasn't taking the bait. So she turned to leave.
After walking a few feet, he called to her, "Tifa!"
"Tell me why you're looking for her?" she called over her shoulder laughing but never stopped walking.
He ran up to her again and turned her so she faced him, "I need to talk to her. Is that so hard to believe?" he said venomously. But Tifa missed his annoyed tone and continued to joke, "You need her…"
"I can see your no help." Leon cut her off, he was getting mad, his hands were turned into fist, so before he did something dumb, he turned away to find Aerith on his own. After he walked a few feet Tifa realized she pushed it too far, taking a few steps forward to make the gap between them not so big she called "I think she went to put her flowers in the fountain, she did leave to long ago; so she'll still be there" Leon didn't thank her, just nodded while he turned to make his way to the fountain.
Tifa walked the opposite direction heading over to the abandoned warehouses. Leon was good for laugh, but only if he would play along and today he wasn't playing at all.
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Hope this chapter was good; sorry for any grammar mistakes I tried to catch them all.
Reads and review please : P
