I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update this story! Valk, I found a good ending for this chapter, as promised, so I hope you enjoy it. To those of you who reviewed and offered such great words of encouragement, thank you! I had some trouble with the beginning fight scene here, so if it's not as smooth as it should be, feel free to point it out. I'll stop talking now and let you all get to the chapter!
Warnings: Language and fighting.
………………………………
Coming Undone
………………………………
She stepped out of a the darkness of trees, fire rising a distance away. She was the color of blood and pale skin, eyes reflecting her malevolent nature, and with weapons that had claimed hundreds of innocent lives. Her eyes scanned the fighters before her quickly and her eyebrows rose in amusement as they landed on Tifa. "I knew Weiss made a mistake when he allowed you to go." When Tifa's face tightened in anger, Rosso let out a throaty laugh. "Did you honestly think that there would be anyone who could escape Deepground with their lives?"
"Why did he let me go then?" Tifa asked in a dark tone.
Rosso sighed and idly twirled her long, double-bladed lance. "He said that it would make the anticipation of your recapture all the better," her heavily accented voice purred.
Tifa felt her blood freeze in her veins. "Tell him I rather slit my own throat than go back to him."
"Poor little fool. Weiss was too generous when he did not eviscerate you that first moment you attempted to kill him."
Cloud had heard enough. "How did you find us?" he snarled.
Rosso disregarded him and her eyes slid over to the other two men she had ignored, an evil smile curling at her lips. "Such handsome boys. Weiss is still awaiting your return, Nero."
All eyes snapped to the youngest gunman as his red-gold eyes flashed in anger. "Weiss is dead to me, and he has been for years. I know that we're all eager to get this over with," he said, raising both guns towards the crimson woman.
Tifa blinked in surprise, staring at the man that she had considered a brother for years. He was… related to Weiss? She had always known that Nero wasn't her blood brother—she had been old enough to know that when Vincent had brought him home—but to find out that a monster's blood was running through his veins too… She would need one hell of an explanation, but now was not the time. Her attentions shifted back to Rosso, and Tifa could feel that cold calm coming over her, the one that allowed for her to kill with no remorse.
"Ah, but Weiss' pet did not know this," Rosso said, chuckling in dark amusement. "Yes, Nero is the youngest brother of our Immaculate Emperor. He did his brother's bidding for years; he killed, slaughtered, and gutted at the mere flick of a wrist."
He'd barely been a teenager when he had become a part of their family, Tifa thought distantly. That meant that he'd been killing for his brother from an early age; since before his teen years. She wasn't judging him, she had no right to after all she had done herself, but it was still unexpected. Her eyes drifted to Nero, and feeling her gaze on him, he turned to her. It pained a part of her to see him look away shamefully, but before she could ignore what he had been, Tifa needed to know his true story. "Tifa!" Vincent yelled.
The sound of a blade cutting through air startled her out of her distracted daze and Tifa leaned far back before Rosso could slice her head right off. She was on her feet within seconds and attacking, and so were the other men, but there was little Vincent and Nero could do without risking her getting hit by a bullet. Rosso smiled evilly in anticipation, making her lance expand as she let out a barrage of bullets that had them all scattering to avoid getting hit. Cloud's massive blade cut through the air in blue flames before they erupted, lifting the ground when he slammed the sword forward. His attack raced towards Rosso quickly, but it wasn't enough.
"Long range attacks will do nothing," Tifa said as they watched her dodge the speedy counterattack. "I'll distract her."
Cloud's eyes met Tifa's for a second, and she nodded once before he mirrored her. Tifa raced on quick feet towards the woman, rolling as more bullets flew over her head, a stray burning past her arm. She hissed but ignored the throbbing pain, sweeping her katana towards the other woman's face. Rosso defended before she pushed forward, their blades clashing loudly.
"You have learned much, but not enough," the woman purred, going on the offense, slashing purposely at Tifa's middle.
Tifa grunted when the sharp blade slashed through her shirt and stomach, leaving behind a shallow, red welt. Cloud's blade clanged against Rosso's shoving the woman away from Tifa. The hatred she felt for Rosso was so great in that moment, that Tifa couldn't bring herself to care if Cloud was the one saving her. As he drove the redhead back, Vincent and Nero shot off their guns, both flanking Tifa in order to offer some cover in case Rosso tried to attack again.
Tifa slipped back into the battle, sweeping her blade in an arc, watching as Cloud ducked right on cue and her katana cut across Rosso's collarbone. The woman stepped back and touched her chest, pulling back her hand to stare at the warm liquid now seeping through the material of her glove. "You made me bleed," she drawled.
"Not as much as you made me bleed," Tifa spat, activating her haste materia; she looked up at the tingle of two spells instead of one. She didn't turn her attention to Cloud this time, but she knew he had cast a barrier on her. In the distance, Tifa could hear the airship still hovering above them, shooting into the forest against the other enemies.
Vincent frowned at the distance sound of gunfire and spoke to Nero without taking his eyes from Rosso. "We should clear the surrounding area," he said in a low tone. Nero nodded and they both darted into the trees, avoiding causing any distraction for the others.
Cloud moved forward, slashing and stabbing with his sword as Rosso parried, jumping back on light feet. Tifa watched her movements for a moment before darting forward and coming in on Rosso's left, throwing her attention off. Cloud swung with the blunt side of his sword and struck her shoulder hard. The woman grunted in pain, but stopped defending and began to move forward, lashing out at Cloud and narrowly missing slicing across his throat. Taking advantage of the shirt of attention, Tifa ran her through at her shoulder; Rosso's grunt echoed as she brought a hand up and to Tifa's neck, her gauntlet digging and cutting into Tifa's throat. "What I wouldn't give to rip out your windpipe," the crimson woman purred, ignoring the blade in her shoulder that was still slowly inching in.
"Do it," Tifa hissed. "Afraid of what your master will do to you?"
"You are the one who should be afraid, because Weiss will have you again. I never understood what he saw in you," Rosso sneered.
Tifa's eyes narrowed. "Give him a message from me," she murmured. She activated a weak flare spell—she wasn't looking to kill herself—right into Rosso's face and both flew backwards, Tifa feeling the burn of her spell against her skin. The light was near blinding, and she wasn't able to catch herself when she fell onto the hard ground. She blinked a few times, the spots beginning to fade, and she could hear Cloud's blade clashing loudly again even before her eyesight returned.
Her movements were slow as she sat up, her skin crawling and still burning with the aftereffects of her spell. Shouldn't the barrier had protected her from most of the blast? She couldn't quite figure out why she was beginning to lose strength in her limbs, or why her stomach felt as if it were on fire as she stood. Tifa grunted when Cloud shoved her out of the way and she stumbled to her knees again, her vision swimming. "Tifa, get up!" Cloud yelled.
But she couldn't manage it. Her arms and legs were growing weaker, and it felt as if there were hundreds of needles stabbing into her. "Can't!" she yelled.
Rosso grinned evilly. "It's a gift from Weiss to his beloved pet. If you do not tend to her, her heart will fail and she will finally die," Rosso said, lowering her weapon when Cloud hesitated. "Hesitation will get you killed in a real battle," she said, smirking, the left side of her body red and burned from where Tifa's minor spell had hit her. "I will retreat, but we will meet again, Strife. And the next time we do, I will be willing to risk Weiss' wrath in order to run through this girlfriend of yours as well."
Cloud held out his blade in front of him and trained on the direction Rosso had taken in her retreat. When he was sure that it wasn't some sort of trap, he darted towards Tifa, who was gasping out breaths, fingers clenched into the dirt. "How did she manage to poison you?"
"Stomach," Tifa groaned out.
Cloud lifted her shirt and inspected the wound. Normally it would've been a small scratch, nothing too deep, but Rosso's weapon must have been poisoned because the scratch was swollen and red, spreading over her pale skin. "Come on," Cloud grunted, picking Tifa up and trying to ignore her moan of pain as the positioned he held her in squeezed the skin of her stomach.
Vincent and Nero darted out of the woods and towards Cloud, confused expressions on both their faces. "What happened?" Vincent asked.
"Rosso poisoned her and retreated," said Cloud. "Call Cid and tell him that we need him to land now."
Nero was the one to pull out his phone and call while Vincent kept guard, gun in hand. The massive airship moved into the clearing and landed only long enough for all four to step in through the back hangar before it took off.
"Tifa?" Vincent asked her in a quiet voice. "You will be fine. Can you hear me?"
Everything was beginning to blur at the edges, but she could still see glimpses of Cloud's worried eyes, usually so cold and calm, and she could hear her brother's voice like a faint echo. Her focus returned to Cloud, and some distant part of her realized that he was carrying her close, protective. He was worried—about her? The poison was racing through her system, making her body ache and feel an agonizing pain every time she was jostled or squeezed too hard by the blond carrying her.
She was burning up with a fever, and as she kept her gaze on Cloud, his image was superimposed by another, one with a different shade of blue eyes, and hair the color of a moonless Nibelheim night. "Zack," she whispered, barely audible, her hand convulsing against his shirt. She didn't feel Cloud stiffen, but she did feel his arms tighten, making her cry out in pain. His hold eased up, but he didn't apologize, or look away from her bleary gaze.
She was unaware of the fact that they had boarded the Shera, or that Cloud was running with her in his arms. "Put her down here," Reeve instructed Cloud, motioning towards an examining table before he raced out of the room.
Cloud set her down gently, wincing at her groans of pain. When he went to move back to let the medics tend to her, her hand wouldn't release his shirt. He tugged at her fingers and tightened his gloved hand around hers. "I'm here, Tifa."
A woman in a white coat injected her with something that made her entire body slacken, but her breathing was still labored and her face was damp with sweat. "I've never seen a reaction like this," she said quietly. "I'll need to draw blood from her so that I can look into what kind of poison it is."
"We're losing her, and while you research the poison, she may die on us," said a man, injecting Tifa with another solution.
"What about materia?" Cloud asked, reaching for his bracer.
The woman shook her head. "We can't know if the poison has been engineered to resist a cure that way. We may end up hurting her more. I just need a minute," she said, grabbing a needle to draw blood. She raced towards the equipment located on the other side of the room to examine the sample, and Cloud had to stand and watch Tifa as her breathing became labored and her skin grew pasty.
"Stay, damn it," he snarled, gripping her hand tightly. "You can't die before we repay those who have hurt us. This can't be your end, Tifa."
Her eyes opened a sliver, unfocused but more aware than she had been a few minutes before. "Cloud?"
"Hey, you heard me, right?" he muttered, brushing her sweat soaked hair away from her face. "You'll need to live in order to kick some sense into me when I'm being an asshole."
Her lips twitched, but her skin was still too pale and clammy. "I'll—try."
Cloud nodded and stepped back when the doctors returned, one of them holding another syringe. "What is that?"
"The poison she was injected with is not entirely dangerous. It's a common substance that has a specific antidote. It was not administered to kill her immediately, but just to cause pain and discomfort. But if she remains with it in her system for too long, it will stop her heart," said the woman, shaking her head.
The blond watched silently as Tifa's breathing slowed and her eyes closed as the antidote entered her system. "She's going to be okay?" he asked.
The doctor nodded. "She'll be fine in a few hours. She'll need sleep and bed rest."
The door slipped open and Reeve stepped in, a flat machine in his hand. "Cloud, I need you to step outside for a moment."
"Why? What's going on?" Cloud asked, frowning.
"I think I have an idea on how we were tracked. I'll get to you next, but I need to check Tifa first," Reeve said, motioning towards the door.
Cloud forced down his irritation and nodded, moving to step out. He paused and looked back at Tifa who had fallen unconscious once more and he had to resist touching her before walking out. There were so many conflicting thoughts in his mind but through it all he felt that he cared about her. His head was screaming at him to not go there, but his heart was telling him that she was a kindred spirit, and that she need someone to care for her, even if she was unable to care for him in return.
Shaking his head to himself, he made his way down the corridor that led to his room, berating himself for being a fool. Now wasn't the time to open up his heart to anyone. Not when the woman he was beginning to see differently was even more jaded than he was. Maybe a shower would help, and after he was clean, he'd sit with Tifa for a while to think things through.
……
A feather light brush against her cheek felt like the touch of a cool wind, barely there, yet relaxing. "It isn't your time yet. I know you're not ready to give up. I can feel it, Teef. Live… and make things right. Please, you have to make everything right again."
Tifa woke on a choked gasp, Zack's voice still echoing in her head. "Wh—"
"Don't get up," Cloud said, gently pushing her back down onto the bed.
She stared up at him, from his hand on her shoulder, up his scarred arm, his shoulder, pale neck, sharp chin, and those sky blue eyes. Her cold fingers slid over the skin of the arm he hid from others, smoothing her digits over the scars in a soothing manner. "Where are we?" she asked, voice hoarse and throat dry.
Cloud handed her a cup of water and watched her take small sips before answering. "On the Shera. We're heading to Wutai."
Tifa's eyes grew wide at his words. "Wutai?" she asked, coughing to clear her throat.
He nodded. "We got information out of some of the DG guards that we captured, and it may lead us to a trap, or away from Weiss' true intentions, but we've been told that Wutai is next to be attacked."
This time Tifa forced herself to a sitting position and realized that she was in nothing but a pair of sweats and a hospital gown, opened at the back. There was also a piece of gauze taped to the back of her neck. Cloud attempted to push her back, but despite her weakened state, Tifa avoided his hands and got to her wobbly feet. "I need to talk to Yuffie and my brothers," she said, leaning against a table when she felt faintness surround her.
"Get back into bed and I'll tell them to come here," Cloud snapped, walking out of the room briskly.
His tense shoulders and fisted hands told Tifa that he was angry. She didn't have time to babysit him when there were more pressing matters at hand, but she couldn't bring herself snark or insult him anymore. Flashes of Cloud's face pushed to the front of her memories, showing her his worried features as he carried her in his arms to safety after Rosso had poisoned her. She would thank him later. A knock at her door alerted her to her siblings and Yuffie, who was leaning against Vincent. Her old friend winked at her and then smiled at Cloud.
"I'll be outside," Cloud said gruffly, leaving before Tifa could tell him that it was fine for him to stay.
"What did you do to him?" Yuffie asked with a huff, staring daggers at Tifa. "He's been sitting at your bedside since he brought you back from the fight. Can't you be a little nicer to him?"
"Now is not the time to talk about my manners," Tifa said, though she couldn't deny the pleasant feeling in her chest at the knowledge. "How can we know that we're not heading into a trap in Wutai?"
Vincent led Yuffie to a chair and sat her down. "We don't. But we need to make sure that Lord Godo is protected. He may have the Wusheng with him, but they may not be enough to protect everyone if they're attacked."
"Have you ever seen a ninja do battle?" Yuffie asked him dryly.
"I have," Vincent replied, his gaze straying to Tifa.
"Then you'll know that a group of ninjas are more than capable of defending my father and our people," Yuffie said simply.
"Nevertheless, we must go to Wutai to replenish our weapons and to secure something valuable," Vincent said, voice turning commanding. Yuffie's gaze moved to Tifa and she saw her flinch, but she decided to keep silent. For the moment.
"When will we arrive?" Tifa asked, rubbing at the healed wound on her stomach.
Nero, who had remained quiet since his entrance into her room, spoke next. "By sunrise, in two more hours."
Tifa looked at him and nodded. "That gives us enough time to talk. Don't you think, Nero?" she asked, solemn.
Nero, usually so calm and unaffected, gave her a shame-filled look and nodded. "I suppose now would be the best time to get everything out in the open."
"What Rosso said about you—"
Nero interrupted. "It's all true."
"And you knew?" Tifa asked Vincent, eyes glowing like hot embers.
Vincent nodded once. "He was hurt and starved when I brought him home. I knew who he was even before he admitted it to me. I'd seen pictures of him, but Nero was a different man when he came into our lives, Tifa."
"You've been nothing but protective and a good brother to me," Tifa started, looking at Nero. "But how can we know that you're not the one who has been giving our locations away to Weiss?"
Nero looked as if he were uncomfortable with her question, but Yuffie, having been the master of tactlessness her entire life, jumped right into the conversation. "Reeve made this weird little gizmo thing to scan the ship and other items to make sure that no one can find us. I guess he's taken precautions since it was near impossible for Rosso and DG to have found us so easily in the forest. Everyone was scanned, but when he finally got to you, he scanned your body and retrieved a tracking device. They removed it while you were out," she said bluntly.
Tifa paled at what her old friend was saying. "What?!" she asked, deathly quiet.
"Weiss has been tracking you since you escaped," Nero said dryly. He gave Tifa a look. "No one escapes Weiss unless he allows it."
Tifa rubbed an agitated hand across her face. "He's been following me this entire time. Fuck," she whispered the last word. "I could've gotten us all killed and without knowing it. Why hasn't he captured me and taken me back?" she asked, puzzled and disgusted. "Are we sure that any other tracking devices were removed?"
"I had one, too," Nero said, tense.
Tifa wasn't all too surprised. She was surprised over the fact that Weiss hadn't attacked them sooner. He had probably gotten word that they were working with AVALANCHE by now, and his wrath would be even more powerful. "Tell me your story," Tifa said, not looking at Nero.
Vincent noticed that Yuffie had sagged a little against him, even while she sat, and he hauled her up and turned towards the door instead. "We will go find something to eat," he said, pulling her along.
"But I want to hear the story!" Yuffie half-whined.
"This is something they need to get out in the open. Alone," Vincent said, stern. Yuffie's pout was endearing, but he tore his eyes away and focused on his siblings. Though Tifa was the only one by blood, he still cared for Nero, since he had been privy to the state the younger man had been in. Nero had been almost as broken as Tifa herself when he had left Weiss.
"From the moment Vincent brought you home, I've seen you like a brother," Tifa said, quiet. "I want to trust you, but you need to be completely honest with me."
Nero nodded and took a seat at her bedside. "Weiss and I come from the same mother but different fathers. We were inseparable, and together we joined SOLDIER. There, we were foolish enough to volunteer for a special ShinRa program in which we were experimented on. His father was a scientist who was in charge of the experiments done to us.
"We became twice as strong than we were, but Weiss wanted more. I followed him blindly, never questioning and doing all in my power to please my big brother. I didn't know that he had been harboring thoughts of power and world domination. Weiss waited until he was powerful enough to break away, and that was how the war began." Nero paused and stared down at his hands.
Tifa shifted and one of her hands closed around his in silent support. Despite what she was learning about him, she found that in her heart she would never consider Nero an enemy. "Continue, please."
Nero sighed and stared down at their hands. "After he began to attack ShinRa and the WRO, he allowed himself to undergo various experiments at the hands of Hojo, and despite the fact that I'd served him well for years, he didn't take my wishes into consideration and handed me over to Hojo as well."
"You didn't want to be experimented on," Tifa whispered. "Did Hojo do anything to you?"
Nero shook his dark head, raising his crimson-gold eyes to meet hers. "Aside from overseeing the required mako injections in SOLDIER, he was never able to place a hand, or scalpel, on me. I escaped before he could. I thought about how easy it had been to leave, but I never expected that my own brother had fitted me with a tracking device. I wandered for many days before Vincent found me and took me in.
"I always wondered if he knew who I was, but your brother is a good man. He didn't ask questions, and he treated me like a real member of your family. From that day on, from the moment the both of you showed me kindness without demanding anything in return, I considered you both family," he said, tone light.
Tifa gave him one of her rare, honest smiles and nodded. "You're our brother, Nero. You turned your back on Weiss, you had enough of serving him and you had the courage to walk away. Now you're helping us fight against him and that makes you a great brother to me."
Nero gave her a half-smile. "Thank you, Tifa."
"You're welcome, brother."
Nero gave her a look as he squeezed her hand. "Since you're pretty much convinced that I make a good brother, might I point out that the blond guy has been sitting with you since he brought you in? He was worried, Tifa, and you've been treating him like dirt since you met him."
Tifa sighed and attempted to pull her hand away from his, but Nero's grip didn't budge. "He hasn't exactly been a gentleman. You've seen the way he treats me, too," she said petulantly.
"He likes you, Tifa. Don't you think it's time for you to move on?" Nero asked in a whisper.
"I—it's not as easy as you make it seem. I don't have it in me to give what's left of my heart to someone else while Weiss is out there, exterminating people. We don't even know why he does it," Tifa replied.
"Once Weiss has been taken care of, you will need to make amends with one specific person, Tifa. He deserves a family and I'm sure this Cloud fellow will be more than willing to start a family with you."
Tifa scoffed. "I think you're getting ahead of yourself."
"The tension is there, dear sister. Eventually it will explode…"
She ignored Nero's dirty smirk and finally snatched her hand out of his. "Go and tell him to come here, will you?"
"I'll be sure to lock the door and warn the others to not approach the room once he's in here," Nero said as he stood and began to walk away.
"If I had a weapon on me, I would've maimed you right this minute," Tifa muttered.
"I'm your big brother, and as such, I demand respect. Besides, you always threaten to maim me and you never go through with it," Nero said before he was out the door.
Tifa shook her head and smiled slightly to herself, standing up on wobbly feet to get to her bag in search of clean clothing to wear. She felt faintly naked in pair of large sweats and the thin hospital gown. Cloud returned to her room when she was attempting to reach behind her and untie the knot in the middle of her back.
She paused her failed attempts at changing her clothing and motioned towards the chair in front of her, watching him from the corner of her eye, but unable to meet his gaze. Their almost kiss was still present in her mind, and a big part of her mourned the fact that they had been interrupted. Another part of her was thankful because any type of passionate move from either of them would be inviting trouble. "I wanted to thank you for watching over me," she said after the silence had stretched.
Cloud inclined his head. "You're welcome," he replied.
More silence until Tifa forced herself to look up at him. He was staring at the top of her head, his gaze unreadable. "I want us to get along. I don't… I don't hate you," she muttered, staring at his boots to avoid his eyes once more.
She missed Cloud's smirk. "Are you calling a truce?"
She shrugged. "Maybe." Her eyes softened with her next words. "I—I appreciate you wanting to keep Zack's memory alive."
His own eyes filled with old pain as he nodded. "He was like a brother to me. It's only fair that we honor his memory."
Tifa nodded. "We will. But for the moment I think it's important to keep focused on our tasks."
"You're right," Cloud said, quiet. "We need to meet with the others to discuss a way of contacting Lord Godo. Apparently, he's gone into hiding; Reeve and Vincent believe that they have gotten word of the imminent attack. There are countless caves in Wutai and it would take us too long to search each one."
"By the time we get there, Yuffie and I will be strong enough to go for a trek through the forests of Wutai. She and I will find Lord Godo."
"How?" Cloud asked, though his knee-jerk reaction had been to tell her that she couldn't go alone. He seriously needed to stop all of the troublesome thoughts and feelings taking root in his head.
"We will watch a town, one close to the caves, and we'll wait," Tifa said, getting to her feet.
"That doesn't sound like much of a plan," Cloud replied.
"I know it doesn't, but it's the best course to follow. If the Wusheng is as good as it was when I trained with them, they will find us and take us to Godo. But if all of you men go, they will automatically think we're attempting to attack or put Godo in danger. It's best that they only see two women," said Tifa, leaning against the table she was standing near when a wave of vertigo hit her.
Cloud caught her elbow and steadied her, worry forking his eyebrows. "You should rest the time we have left before we arrive in Wutai," he said.
Tifa let out a slow breath and shook her head. "I don't have time to rest. Where are my weapons?" she asked, stepping back so that Cloud would release her. He didn't. "Cloud, I need to get ready," she started in annoyance.
His fingers against her chin surprised her, but Tifa didn't flinch away or pull back. He turned her face to look him in the eyes, and without the added advantage of her boots, he was taller than her, shoulders broad, and hands warm where they were still touching her. "You almost died," he said, voice low.
"It wasn't my intention," Tifa said in a hushed tone, forcing her eyes to stay with his and not dart down to look at his lips.
"You're not fully recovered. Should I get Reeve up here with some kind of sedative to make you rest?" Cloud asked, raising a pale eyebrow.
Tifa smirked. "Even in my weakened state I can hand Reeve his own ass."
"Can you hand me mine?" Cloud challenged, taking a step forward and closing the gap between them.
Tifa's eyes betrayed her and strayed to the curve of his smile, lips smooth, and bottom lip fuller than the top. "Do you want me to try?"
The blond released her abruptly and watched impassively as Tifa swayed, her strength not fully returned. "You were saying?" he asked, grabbing at her forearms to keep her steady.
"You're taking advantage," Tifa said, annoyed.
He chuckled, deep and honest. "Oh, that's not me taking advantage."
"Really?" she asked dryly.
"Yes."
"Then what do you look like when you are taking advantage?" Tifa questioned,
"Do you really want to know?" Cloud asked, inspecting her face, the bags under her eyes, the still pale tinge of her skin. Despite it all, Tifa was a beautiful, tempting woman, and Cloud's common sense seemed to have fallen silent. He watched her as she nodded once, a glitter of challenge in those wine colored eyes. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
"But you didn't—"
Tifa's words were cut off by the warm press of Cloud's lips against hers, coaxing and gentle, at odds with the man she had butted heads with from the beginning. Her body had forgotten what it felt like to be kissed by a man, and it felt like awakening from a long slumber. The kiss remained chaste for the entirety of Tifa's shock, but then her own parted for his assault, and Cloud gladly obliged, his hands sliding down to circle her waist. His tongue was slick and warm, moving as if he had done this millions of times before.
Cloud bit back a groan when her hands moved up and into his hair, her body pushing up flush against his. He took a step, then another, and another, until he felt the cool metal of the ship wall behind Tifa and he pushed her against it. Tifa's breathing was coming in rough exhales, her fingers moving to dig into his shoulders. He was running out of breath quickly, but now that he had gotten a taste of her it was hard to stop sampling from her lips.
She pulled away first, eyes closed and breathing rough, but she didn't shove him away, or attempt to kick his head off of his shoulders. Cloud watched her intently, his hands now at the small of her back, pressing her body against his. "That was a dirty tactic."
"This coming from a mercenary?" he asked, tone light.
Tifa smirked and finally opened her eyes to give him a smug look. "This isn't exactly helpful," she said, her gaze on his lips. "We need to focus on our task."
"I want you to focus on your health first. Will you at least lay down for the next two hours?" Cloud asked her, serious.
Tifa glared at him, but for once, offered no insult or snide comment as Cloud led her back to the bed she had been resting in. "This doesn't make us friends, you know," she whispered as her head fell back against her pillow.
Cloud didn't look even remotely insulted. "I know. We're much too far away from that, but maybe we were meant to help each other cope, to help each other get through this war and to the very end."
Tifa's eyes drooped a little, despite her protests of being fine. "This will complicate things."
"I know." His voice was tinged with amusement.
"And you'll still allow it to happen?" Tifa asked, her eyes closing.
"Maybe we both need for whatever this is to happen." Cloud sighed when his own body betrayed him and his hand moved forward to brush her hair away from her face.
She cracked one eye open to look at him, but then she simply closed it, a long, tired breath escaping her. "Remember that you said I could knock your head off whenever you're being an asshole."
His abrupt laugh was nice to hear because of how honest it sounded. Tifa smirked to herself and wasn't aware that her lips had smoothed out into a smile as sleep began to claim her.
Cloud remained silent until her breathing evened out and she was asleep once more, her dark hair fanning over her pillow. It was then that he noticed that her hand was laying on the wrist where his burn scar was. He knew Tifa was right when she said that they were inviting trouble, but honestly, after that kiss? He couldn't bring himself to care. Maybe later he would, but for now, he had a momentary reprieve from his guilt and his anger.
…
…
…
…
…
…
Ha, so there's another truce now… all we have to wait and see is how long it lasts this time. We're progressing forward, and the next chapter will bring Wutai as well as many, many surprises in store for both Cloud and Tifa. I should go now, since it's two in the morning here and I'm falling asleep. Any errors on this last portion will be taken care of later, oh and I'll post up the songs that inspired this chapter, too. I can't seem to remember them right now. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a good weekend!
