Promises, Promises, Promises

Disclaimer: Don't own it, just the story.

Author's Notes: Alright, I'm done with the footnotes. But I should warn you now that THIS STORY DOES NOT EXACTLY FOLLOW THE EVENTS OF THE GAME. There are some differences but you'll have to find out later! So just enjoy and don't' forget to review!!!!!

Summary: There were many promises he had made to her. However each one became broken. With each broken promise, another came, and another broke. It was a never ending cycle. As Cloud walks among the world, his mind between the living and the dead, the present and the past, he stumbles back to 7th Haven. As Tifa struggles with memories and reality, emotions and tears, she stumbles into deep trouble. This is a story about how Fate pushes two people to the sky. And they both struggle to cling to the clouds.

.:Beginning:.

Tifa flung herself onto her bed, her tears like rivers against her porcelain face. She choked on a sob and her mind traveled back to memories.

Promise me that when I'm in trouble you'll come and save me, Cloud!

But no, instead of saving her, Cloud went off to save Aeris time and time again. Tifa rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling, her tears subsiding. She had never been able to understand why it seemed that everyone loved Aeris more than they loved her. Wasn't she worthy of being loved?

Probably not, Tifa thought bitterly. She wiped the tears away in an angry manner and huffed. She sat up and glared at the door. Cloud hadn't came upstairs to say anything to her.

'Of course not, you dumbass. Cloud's a coward, he runs off when dealt with emotional things.' Tifa thought angrily. 'All he wants is to find a way to save Aeris. He doesn't give a damn about the people who are still alive.'

Tifa stood up and walked to her bathroom. She avoided looking into the mirror and washed her face. Her mind traveled back to her friend. Aeris was pretty and nice, Tifa wasn't. Aeris had powers and all Tifa had was martial arts. Aeris had captured the heart of someone she's loved since childhood.

Those were her insecurities speaking.

She has always been alone until she met Cloud. Her parents had died when she was at a young age and she became an orphan. When Cloud left with SOLIDER, she had been left alone again. When she joined Avalanche, she rejoiced in being able to be close to Cloud. However her happiness soon melted into sadness.

Aeris was in love with Cloud, everyone knew that. However it always seemed that Cloud was split between loving her and Aeris. When Aeris died, it seemed that he finally made his choice, Aeris.

Tifa stared at her reflection finally. She resented the way she looked because in her opinion, she was too ugly for Cloud to love. Since Aeris' death, he had become obsessed with her. Tifa loved him so much that she allowed him to hurt her. She let him in and let him leave her just as quickly. All she hoped for was that one day, he'd be able to return her feelings.

But now…she gave up. She couldn't handle the pain and overwhelming sadness anymore. And although Tifa would never ever tell it to anyone else but herself, Tifa was completely heartbroken.

.:Cloud:.

The snow crushed beneath his boot as he made his way to his motorcycle. As Cloud mounted onto it, he took a longing stare back into 7th Heaven. His Mako eyes memorized the bar as it stood out in the gray day.

His mind wandered back to the beautiful woman who had always waited for him. Cloud reached in to finger the ring. He could picture the woman who had worn it. Her long hair that was a beautiful silk curtain against her and her large ruby eyes that seemed like jewels themselves.

After Aeris had died, he had searched for a way to bring her back. He traveled misleads and leads that seemed to go back into a dead end. He wanted the guilt to go away.

Everyone except Tifa knew that, but Cloud has loved Tifa since the day he met her. Her warm smile and the way she so fiercely defended everything and everyone she loved. She fought for everything she believed in and would do anything to ensure the happiness of her friends.

But he couldn't have her.

Why, you ask? Because Cloud, consumed by guilt, believed that he would never deserve her. She was a doll placed highly above him and no matter how high he reached, he could never touch her. He had blood on his hands that would dirty her beauty. He was so afraid of hurting her. Cloud was also very afraid of failing her. What if her fate was like Aeris? He couldn't handle it, he would kill himself if anything like that happened to her.

He drove off at that moment. Cloud didn't want to think about her anymore. He wanted to run away, cowardly, from the memories that haunted him. He deserved to be alone.

And she deserved someone much better.

Cloud drove off and soon the snow scene melted into a desert. He would stay somewhere, he would find another home and continue to work in his lonely existence to find a way to revive Aeris.

And the entire time in the back of his mind, Cloud knew that home was where Tifa was.

.:Somewhere Dark:.

"In ten days, we'll be able to start to put our plan in action, sir." The voice was deep and loud.

"Good, until then make the proper arrangements. I want this entire thing to go smoothly." The voice was demanding and the voice belonged to a man sitting in a chair high above three men. He had long silver hair, almost white. His eyes were bitter cold and always set into a glare.

He dismissed the men and sat in the dark alone. He had been waiting for this day to come.

"Cloud, you have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy this."

.:End Chapter:.

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