Author's Note: Voila! Chapter Two, although technically it could be Three. Meh.
Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter Two - A Very Loyal Partner
It was a few days later. Raining.
Tifa wasn't completely back to full health; in fact, she wouldn't admit it, but she was getting worse. She couldn't stand for too long without getting dizzy, she was taking extra Tylenol just to get though the day, and she hadn't eaten for fear of throwing up. But she didn't want Cloud to worry; the kids were exceptionally capable, and helped her take care of things at Seventh Heaven.
Aside from her illness, things were almost like they used to be. Granted, Cloud was still not the most sociable person, but he certainly spoke more than he used to, or at least more as he did before he acquired Geostigma. He wasn't as tense or uncomfortable as he usually was, and he seemed to enjoy human company much more than he used to.
Perhaps he just needed to let go of his guilt; that was Tifa's theory.
Cloud had reluctantly left her for a few days for a delivery - Tifa had insisted that 'she didn't want life to be interrupted on her account'.
Tifa was washing dishes at the moment. Suddenly, she felt a rush of water in her mouth and a terrible wave of nausea. She dropped the plate she was cleaning. It smashed on the floor, but she didn't care; she had to fight to keep from vomiting.
She held her stomach and rested her head on the cupboard door as she waited for the feeling to pass. She saw little spots dancing in front of her eyes, and before she knew what was happening, Denzel was kneeling beside her, asking her is she was alright and Marlene was on the phone with Cloud.
"Cloud... it's Tifa, she's... no, I don't think so, she just... fell over! Please hurry back home!"
Her vision blurred, and she heard two voices, one male, the other female...
"It's alright, Tifa..."
"Just go to sleep..."
And then black.
"Sshh... I think she's waking up!"
Waking up?
"Huh?" Tifa asked woozily. She opened her eyes; bright fluorescent lights dazzled her eyes. She blinked several times, and saw three faces staring down at her; Marlene, Denzel, and Cloud.
She realized she was in a hospital bed, wearing a white-and-blue hospital gown, an IV drip in her wrist. Marlene and Denzel sat on the bed, both scrutinizing her face nervously. Cloud stood at her side.
Now she remembered; chills, nausea, passing out...
"Tifa! You're alright!" The kids sprang forward and hugged her, but Cloud hung back.
After a second of staring, Cloud burst out, "You are so stubborn! Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"That you were getting worse!"
"Oh..."
Cloud folded his arms. "Yeah, oh."
"I'm sorry," she replied sheepishly. She stared at the sheets; she hated Cloud being mad at her.
"You were dehydrated, Miss Lockhart. You've been here for two days, because you weren't drinking enough water. Don't do that again." His voice cracked. He was still trying to look angry, but she could tell from his knit brow and pale face that he had been worried about her.
After a moment, he held his index and thumb close together and added teasingly, "I was this close to calling Barret to come over here and talk some sense into you."
Tifa smiled weakly. At least he was in a good enough mood to joke.
"How did I get here?" she asked Marlene.
The young brunette cocked her head to the side. "Cloud carried you, of course!"
Tifa's gaze turned to Cloud, who smiled as the faintest bit of colour sprang to his cheeks. She knew she didn't need to say it, because they had said all they needed to say in that one look, but she mouthed, "Thank you."
Suddenly, the door to the hospital room opened and in strode - who Tifa expected was - the doctor, carrying a clipboard. He was short, bearded, and his light hair receding. The bespeckled man looked to be about fifty or so.
"Ah, Mrs. Strife, you're awake!" he exclaimed. "Feeling better, are we?"
Tifa blushed. "Um... I'm not Mrs. Strife."
The man blinked and fiddled with his glasses. "This is Room 304, is it not?"
"Um... I guess so." Tifa really had no idea what room, let alone what hospital she was in.
"Yes," Cloud replied hastily.
"Then you are Mrs. -"
"Lockhart," Tifa cut in.
"I'm Dr. Sanchez," he replied warmly. He then turned to Cloud. "Then this must be Mr. Lockhart."
Cloud swallowed uncomfortably. Tifa winced and said, "He's Mr. Strife, and I'm Miss Lockhart."
Dr. Sanchez blinked again, and nodded at Marlene and Denzel, who looked quite perplexed. "These children are yours, though?"
"They're adopted," Cloud mumbled.
Tifa looked down at the sheets again as her face reddened slightly. She had forgotten what most people's reaction was to her patchwork family.
The doctor also noticed her embarrassment, and fussed with his glasses. "Well, then... er, Miss Lockhart. You're almost back to full health; you seem to bounce back from sickness fairly easily. You're fine to go now, but drink plenty of fluids! I must say, though. you gave Mr. Strife here quite a scare!"
Cloud stared at the floor and nodded mutely. Tifa smiled slightly.
"Why, he was here every minute of the time you were asleep!" Dr. Sanchez continued. "A very loyal... partner."
The two adults started; they both stammered, "We're not -"
But the doctor had already left the room, and the kids were eager to get back home.
Once arrived home, however, Tifa was met with more than the comfort and quiet of her bed; the whole of AVALANCHE was waiting for her!
As the family entered and found the group lazing around in various places in the bar, Tifa whispered to Cloud, "I though you were 'this close' to calling Barret. You didn't, did you?"
The swordsman sighed. "Remind me never to leave Marlene alone with my cellphone."
Tifa stifled a giggle, then rushed forward and hugged Barret warmly. The big dark-skinned man smiled, towering over Tifa by at least a foot and a half. He stepped back and eyed her with just a hint of worry.
"Tifa! Mar told me about you in the hospital. But for a sick girl, you look damn pretty!"
He then slapped Cloud on the back. "Hey, Spikey! You'd better take good care o' my girls, huh?"
Cloud didn't understand what he meant by 'girls'; then he realized that Barret meant Tifa, too.
"Yep!" Marlene answered, popping her little head in between everyone. She grabbed her adoptive father's gun arm and hugged it.
"Hey, there's enough of me for everybody!" Barret cried. He mussed his little girl's hair affectionately. Marlene give a little shriek and swatted him away. "Pa-pa," she said exasperatedly, "you're messing up my hair!"
A dark shadow glided around from behind Barret, the tattered blood-red cape billowing mysteriously. A flash of golden, metal claws and long, raven hair; unmistakably the enigmatic Vincent Valentine.
"Tifa," Vincent said in his raspy voice, nodding respectfully.
"Vincent," she replied equally courteously, but not able to keep a happy smile off her face. Looking past him, she saw Yuffie Kisaragi, her head cocked to the side and a wide grin on her face. "Yuffie!"
"Hiya!" The young ninja girl of Wutai waggled her fingers in a greeting. She walked up to Cloud, punched his shoulder - hard - and said, "Hey Cloud, you big pain in the ass, you!" At Cloud's look of surprise, Tifa smiled and squeezed his shoulder.
Turning to Tifa once more, she said, "Guess what! I brought enough materia for everyone!" she squealed excitedly, like they were party favors. She hoisted two big boxes of the brightly-coloured magical orbs onto the bar and flipped the tops open, exposing the spheres of energy inside. Marlene stood on tiptoes to get a better look at the materia. The glow reflected off her face and gave her face a bluish tint.
"Where'd you find all that!" Tifa exclaimed, examining the twin cargo boxes. They were both a dark greyish coffee colour, very beat up, and, through further examination, Tifa could see a faint Shinra Electric Power Company logo, hastily scraped off. She smiled slyly.
"Stole it, most likely," Cid Highwind, the crusty sky-pilot said gruffly, walking forward and eyeing the boxes suspiciously. He prodded one disapprovingly with his gloved finger.
Yuffie put her hands on her hips obstinately, then, as an afterthought, pulled the boxes closer, as if Cid would snatch them if she wasn't careful. "Did not!"
"What will we be needing all this for, Yuffie?" Tifa inquired, scratching at the scuffed Shinra logo with her index fingernail.
"Well, first of all, to replace Cloud's materia taken in the whole incident with... oh, what's-his-face, the Sephiroth insect…"
"Kadaj," Vincent answered, unable to keep a hint of exasperation out of his voice.
"Kadaj, yeah, him. And…" She hesitated.
"What?"
"We thought we could go and pay tribute to Aeris at the Forgotten City," Vincent interrupted hollowly.
Tifa felt her throat tighten. "When?" she asked, trying not to cry.
"Tomorrow," Yuffie said, trying to stay cheerful but only looking empty. "Are you two coming?"
"Yes," Cloud said solemnly. He turned to Tifa and squeezed the ends of her fingers. "Tifa?"
"Of course," Tifa replied, discretely chasing her tears away with the back of her hand.
"Can I come?" Marlene asked.
"Me too?" Denzel chimed in.
Tifa nodded, unable to speak.
That night, after Marlene and Denzel were in bed, AVALANCHE gathered together at Seventh Heaven for a late-night game of cards. Since Red XIII and Tifa didn't know how to play poker, and no one had brought chips anyway, Tifa suggested a friendly game of Crazy Eights.
Yuffie held her cards with both hands, mostly covering her face, and shot suspicious glances to the people beside her. The young ninja girl's face was scrunched up in over-dramatic concentration as she contemplated her cards. Vincent's obscenely obvious, impatient finger-drumming had turned into almost a pattern; drum, drum, sigh. Drum, drum, sigh...
Finally, after the suspense was practically killing every player, Yuffie asked, "Got any 5's?"
Vincent didn't attempt to hide his groan. He looked as though he would sooner drop-kick her out the door than explain once more what one must and must not do during a card game. "For the umpteenth time, Yuffie, this isn't Go Fish."
"Oh."
"Nor is it even your turn."
"Oh."
Tifa hid her knowing smile behind her fanned cards. Wouldn't it be funny if they got married? she thought to herself. The contrast was perfect; Vincent's calm, serious demeanor, and Yuffie's hyper-active, capricious outlook on life.
It was fair food for thought.
"In fact, it's Tifa's turn," Vincent continued.
Tifa nodded. She was down to four cards: a 2, a Queen of Clubs, a Jack of Diamonds, and a 7. The face-up card was a 2 of Diamonds.
She placed her Jack down and said to Yuffie, "Sorry; Jack-you-miss-a-turn."
"Awww," Yuffie scowled. Vincent smiled slightly and gingerly laid his card down: a Jack of Clubs. "You miss a turn, Barret."
"Damn you, Valentine," he said good-naturedly. "Red?"
He only had two cards left. He laid down a 4 of Hearts. "Last card," he declared.
"Cait Sith?" Tifa asked, turning her head to the small cat.
"I already told you, I ain't playing," he replied, folding his little arms across his chest stubbornly. "I don't play card games."
Yuffie glanced sideways at him sceptically. "I would have thought that'd be right up your alley, Sith. Being a fortune-telling cat and all."
"Well, that's why I don't play, ain't it? You guys all know I'd win." AVALANCHE rolled their eyes. "I only play when there's sumthing in it for me," he continued, "and since we ain't playin' for anythin' but each others' 'good company', as Tifa keeps reminding us, I'm out."
The barmaid shook her head and smiled. "You don't know what you're missing."
"I know plenty well, sister," he replied in his funny accent, leaning over the table and staring at her. As an afterthought, he added quickly, "and Cloudy-boy's gonna win."
"Sith!" they all cried in exasperation.
"Sorry, but it's true!"
Cloud sighed. "I don't see how. I've got two cards, and neither of them are any good!"
"Anyway, who's next?" interrupted Tifa hastily. "Cid?"
"I got nuthin'," the sky pilot said sourly, leaning back and laying his cards face-down in defeat.
"Well, then, draw a card."
Cid sighed, but obeyed, stared at his card for a moment then said triumphantly, "An 8! Ha! And I change the suit to…" He examined his cards again, then said, "Spades."
Cloud's face lit up, then fell slightly. Tifa grinned. "Cloud?"
"Well… um… sorry, Tifa," he blushed. He reluctantly laid down the Queen of Spades, which meant that she had to pick up five cards. "Last card," he said embarrassedly.
"Ha!" Tifa cried in surprise. "Well, well, well! You just might win this after all, Strife," she said shrewdly, winking and drawing her cards from the deck. "It looks quite hopeless for me, now, doesn't it?" she announced cheerfully, laying down her Queen of Clubs.
Barret laughed. "It certainly does! Oh, whose turn?"
"Mine!" Yuffie cried, smacking her 7 down audibly and spreading the rest of the cards all over the table.
"No need for such zeal," Vincent groaned disdainfully, scooping the stray cards up and stacking them with one fluid, graceful motion. He then laid down a 9 of Clubs.
Yuffie poked him hard on the shoulder. "You're no fun, Vinny! Why d'ya gotta be such a wet noodle?"
"I pride myself on being 'no fun'," the mysterious man replied throatily, the shadow of a sardonic smirk on his face. He lazily swept a torn scrap of his crimson cloak away from his arm. "On the issue of being a 'wet noodle', I have no idea what gave you that impression."
Tifa stifled a giggle.
"And don't call me Vinny." Vincent said the word with such distaste you would have thought he had eaten some bad chocobo meat.
Yuffie sighed melodramatically and shoved him affectionately in his chair. "Suit yourself, Valentine." Tifa had to admit, they sometimes bickered like an old married couple.
"My turn now?" Barret asked. Tifa nodded. A 9 of Hearts.
Red XIII couldn't play a card, so he drew one; a Jack of Hearts. "Last card."
It then passed to Cid, who played a 6 of Hearts.
Cloud's jaw dropped as he slowly laid his card: a 2 of Hearts. Still visibly stunned, he cried, "I… I won. You were right, Sith!"
The cat nodded in satisfaction. "Always."
Tifa placed her cards neatly on the table and shuffled the deck. "Another game?"
Cait Sith absentmindedly coughed and said lazily, "Cid'll win."
"Yee-ha!"
"And then me."
"You?!" Yuffie screeched, slamming her hand down and leaning across the table to face Sith. "Since when did you start playing, you cheating mechanical little feline?"
"Since Tifa convinced me that 'time with friends is more important than winning', that's when!"
Tifa rolled her eyes and put the deck back in its case. She stood up and stretched. "I'm going to turn in now, guys. Have you all booked into a hotel?"
Barret shook his head. "We were hopin' we could bunk with you guys."
Tifa thought for a moment, then said, "I think I could set up a few mattresses in the bar. Would that be alright?"
"It would certainly beat the Edge Hotel," Cloud said, a sly grin. Everyone laughed; the run-down Edge Hotel was famous for being… well, somewhat less than hospitable, smelling slightly of burnt cabbage and mould.
Barret yawned. "I think Tifa's right. I'm gonna go give Mar a kiss goodnight."
Tifa watched the big man walk upstairs and disappear. She smiled to herself. She was glad that Barret got to spend some time with his sweet little girl. But then, of course, after tomorrow he would have to leave again to his job in the oil-fields Corel. Marlene would miss him, but Barret promised to call at least twice a day.
And life would go on.
The glowing white trees gleamed in the silent night air as the group walked through the Forgotten City in silence.
Marlene had asked Tifa why everyone was so quiet, and she had softly replied, "Because everyone is sad. When you are visiting someone that's gone, you're usually very sad, and very quiet, to respect their memory."
Marlene had nodded soberly, and taken Tifa's hand. She whispered back, "The silver-haired guys weren't very respectful when they were here."
It was Tifa's turn to nod morosely. "No, they weren't."
Marlene had taken Tifa's hand. "Even if I don't remember her that well… I miss her," she sighed regretfully, leaning her head on Tifa's hip.
"Me too."
"I wish I could have known her," Denzel murmured, walking up to them and taking Tifa's other hand.
Tifa smiled wistfully and squeezed both the children's hands. "You would have liked her."
Cloud walked further ahead of them, his head slightly bowed, so that she couldn't see his expression.
"Wait a minute, kids," Tifa told them. She jogged up to Cloud and gently touched his arm. "You okay?" she asked gently. "You… holding up?" He nodded, looking up briefly.
"It wasn't your fault, you know," she said. Once again, she wished she could take it back. She didn't know what was wrong with her! Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut?
Cloud didn't seem to notice and continued looking at the ground. He replied quietly, "I know… I just miss her sometimes, you know? I wish she were here…" He looked at Tifa. "You?"
"Me?" Tifa was surprised. Did he even have to ask? "All the time."
Tifa reached for Cloud's hand. She squeezed it, hoped but didn't expect it to squeeze back.
Sadly, she realized that he didn't. She kept holding on.
Yuffie handed a box of materia gently to Tifa, who passed it to Cloud. He waded a few feet into the water, only knee deep, then opened the box. He emptied it, then the other. AVALANCHE each kept one orb, one small token of remembrance, a last candle in the wind...
Tifa held hers tightly, cradled against her chest. It was blue, glowing, its glossy surface smooth and seamless. It gave off a small amount of warmth.
Tifa looked at those around her. They had all grieved, naturally, but most of AVALANCHE's expressions were unreadable; Yuffie chased tears away with the back of her hand, Barret's eyes were shut as he murmured something softly, Red XIII and Cid were staring at the ground uneasily and Vincent's face was blank. Marlene and Denzel looked solemn, hand in hand. Tifa closed her eyes to hide her own tears.
They all wanted to be strong.
She was surprised to hear Cloud's slow, soft voice ring out in the silence. "We are gathered here today to honour the memory of those who could not be here." She turned her head over to him. His arms were extended, his light green materia sphere in both hands. Tifa imitated him, and the rest of AVALANCHE followed suit.
To her own surprise, she began to speak as well. "To honour the memory of those who gave their lives, so that we and countless others might live."
"Aeris Gainsborough," Cloud said.
"Zack Fair."
"Dyne and Eleanor."
"Biggs and Wedge."
"Jessie."
"And others who shall not be forgotten," Vincent added quietly. He bowed his head.
Tifa couldn't hold her own tears back and let out a little sob. She suddenly felt as if she was under a spotlight. She wiped her tears in frustration. She hated crying in front of people; always had.
She closed her eyes and tried to shut it all out. It had been two years and a little bit, but it felt as if it were only yesterday.
For a moment, Tifa felt the strangest thing; it was as if she were getting lighter, slipping away from her body. She felt a small, warm hand brush a tear gently away from her face. A young woman's gentle, comforting voice floated into her head. She knew it was Aeris. "Don't cry."
"It's alright," said a male voice. Zack.
She felt herself falling back, coming back into her heavy existence.
"It's alright, Tifa," a low, soft voice murmured in her ear.
Cloud's hand was suddenly on her shoulder, like it had been the last time they had visited Aeris. She could barely contain all the emotions and memories dredged up inside of her, and put her hand on his. His hand slid down around her shoulders reassuringly, and Tifa felt safe.
That night, Cloud and Tifa sat in the bar, alone.
Tifa broke the silence. "Thanks."
"For what?"
"For being there with me today."
Cloud smiled. "Don't mention it."
"And... you really were... worried about me?"
Cloud laughed. "Do you have to ask? I was worried sick!"
After a moment, the blond added quietly, "I guess Dr. Sanchez was right."
"About what?"
He smiled. "I am your loyal partner."
Author's Note: So, how do you like it so far? This was kind of a long chapter... oh well, no matter. I added some stuff. Originally it was just the part about them paying homage to Aeris, but I decided to make a bit longer, and to add the part about Cloud being Tifa's 'loyal partner'. It was just a way to make their sad visit to the Forgotten City more... I don't know, happy? Cute? Fluffy?
It was actually something my friend Bryan said to me the other day... :3
Anyway, please review! Peace!
