Cloud was seated in a cramped break room at the WRO headquarters, the neon glow of the vending machine and a fake potted plant his only company. At least it was better than sitting in the downstairs lobby, where instead of being surrounded by adoring fans like he had been the previous day, he was given fearful glances and concerned, hushed whispers. Unsure of which was worse, he had politely asked the front desk clerk to take him somewhere 'quieter' to wait. His body was still and outwardly calm, but his mind felt as though it were a pacing tiger, waiting impatiently to pounce on its prey. His mood was something bitter and distasteful, and every thought that seeped its way into his mind dripped like a toxin down the palette of his consciousness.

It had been a hell of a day. A hell of a morning in only a few hours time. Cloud's chest was clenched tightly, his breaths tiny and constricted. His heart was wrapped up tensely in thin, taught wire, and everything was seemingly binding the strings ever tighter. Going to the church - a stupid idea, in hindsight, for he had only confirmed that the visions he had seen of his friends just two months prior were nothing more than mere delusions concocted by his sick, Geostigma-plagued mind - caused the strings to pull tighter. Fighting a mysterious, overpowered monster that could have hurt, if not killed, Tifa... Tighter again. Trent... Someone he didn't like, didn't trust, who made him want to spit at the ground. Someone who leered at Tifa like she was his to look at, even though Tifa was never Cloud's to look at, either... The strings pulled taught and broke, causing the swordsman to exhale sharply in surprise to a loud vibration coming from his pocket.

A text message?

'Hey'. A message from Tifa herself, and that was all that was written. Quickly, Cloud responded, afraid that something else had gone wrong in the short time he had been away from home. She wrote back soon after Cloud had asked if everything was okay.

'Yeah, it's just really slow today. The kids seem bored... Marlene is a little sad... Nothing to do around here when it's like this.'

Cloud exhaled slowly through his nose, incredibly thankful that Tifa was only texting him to talk, and not to share any more bad news.

Just to talk... The thought floated through his mind like a butterfly through Midgar's desolate ruins. A small flicker of hope. Of happiness.

'Same for me,' he responded. 'I'm waiting to see Reeve now. He's got someone else in his office.'

He allowed the heel of his foot to make three swift taps on the tile floor, an openly outward expression of the anxiety that was plaguing his entire body. He wanted to say more, but he didn't know what to write. He never was good at talking, let alone carrying a conversation through text messages when his mind was moving a million miles an hour. He scratched at the back of his neck, desperate to find something substantial to say to the woman he wanted to tell everything to.

Poor kids, he thought, rereading Tifa's message. Things have been tough for them...

Really, things had been tough for everyone. Denzel and Marlene deserved better than 'tough', though. They deserved a lot better.

'Maybe you could play a game with Marlene and Denzel?' he slowly typed out. 'It'll at least keep them entertained...'

He shook his head, disappointed in himself. What a lame suggestion... Of course Tifa had already thought to distract the kids with games or other tasks to cheer them up. Cloud supposed that he just wasn't very good at this... Whatever this was. Small talk? Texting? It all just fell into the category of 'failure' for him, something that seemed to pile higher and higher all the time.

So when Tifa responded as if she hadn't thought of the idea, Cloud was surprised, and maybe a bit relieved. She had asked him what sort of game they should play; Cloud wasn't sure. He'd spent most of his time as a child playing alone.

'Go Fish is always a winner,' he finally responded. He sighed, leaning his head back against the wall and feeling his face lightly heat up.

Idiot.

The wait was growing agonizing, as the receptionist still hadn't come to receive Cloud, and Tifa had quit responding for some time. Maybe she had taken his suggestion. A vision of Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene, all seated around a table and playing cards happily, entered Cloud's mind. He let the daydream settle and linger in his tired consciousness; it made him feel warm and cozy inside, much warmer than the cold, empty waiting room that he was sitting in.

His phone finally buzzed again, and he felt his stomach tremble nervously. Unsure of exactly why, he read Tifa's response and felt his stomach flip over completely, his face heating up red-hot as his mouth quirked upward.

'You just keep surprising me again and again.'

Cloud sat there, dumbfounded. It was such a simple thing to say, but the implications seemed... almost flirtatious? No way, he decided. Maybe, Tifa really did think he was an idiot. Cloud chuckled to himself quietly, running a hand through his golden spikes. He was surprised at his own reaction, but he felt his spirits lift substantially. Something about her was magical, enough so that she could make him laugh with a single sentence, make him smile with a single message, make him revert to a shy teenager in an instant. He wasn't sure if she knew that she had that power over him. And if she did know... Well, there was just no way that she did.

'I hope that's a good thing.' He typed back, his face blushing as red as could be now, his shoulders hunching into himself and his hands cradling his phone like a fragile infant. Her response was enough to make him finally break out into a full smile.

'I'm glad', he said. And he was. He was so, so very glad.

Time continued to slowly tick by, and Tifa had stopped writing for a little while. Cloud sighed. There was still no sign of the receptionist, and he was beginning to grow impatient again. He had a lot of errands to run today, and he wanted to get home as quickly as he could. His face dropped when he remembered the reason why he was here in the first place, and he stood up, pacing the tiny break room slowly. His phone buzzed once more, and Cloud opened the message immediately, eager to eat up every word that Tifa typed. What she had written this time, though, gave Cloud a confusing mixture of feelings: happy. Scared. Ecstatic. Aloof.

Barret and Cid were coming home. Coming to see them. Coming too soon for Cloud to be ready. Maybe, not coming soon enough. He silently chastised himself for feeling the way that he did.

My friends...

He wasn't ready to see them. And yet, somehow, he was. He didn't know why, but he missed Barret and Cid's loud, often passionately-angry conversations and banter. But still... He couldn't admit it to them. He couldn't even really admit it to himself. He was probably still better off alone, in the end.

He frowned. 'That's great. Can't wait to see them', he replied half-truthfully. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed once more, letting out a long and exhausted sigh. He wondered if he could ever tell Tifa how he really felt. How he was afraid and confused and didn't really know how to even spend time with the people that they called 'friends'. How he missed them, more than he had previously realized, and how he wished they were closer to each other. How he wished he were closer to Denzel and Marlene... How he wished he were closer to her. So much closer.

Shut up, he scolded himself. Stupid thoughts. Nothing to bother Tifa about - that was for sure. She had enough to worry about without him adding his own problems into the mix.

Closer to her...

"Mr. Strife?" Cloud's heart jumped, but his body was motionless. He turned his head to see the petite receptionist standing in the break room's doorway. She was smiling politely, though it looked forced. "Mr. Tuesti is ready to see you now."

"Thanks." He said flatly, still recovering from the heavy weight of his thoughts.

She nodded her head and disappeared from the doorway, and Cloud made to follow her to the elevator. She pressed the button to the top floor, and then to the first, and forced another polite smile in Cloud's direction. It felt awkward. For a few moments, Cloud was silent, until he couldn't take the uncomfortable pressure of the tiny, claustrophobic elevator any longer.

"Uhh... Sorry, by the way..."

"Hm?" The woman looked at him with mild confusion. Cloud scratched at the back of his neck nervously.

"I, uhh... Didn't mean to come off so harsh to everyone. When I was here yesterday. I'm just not used to all of that attention... Didn't really know how to handle myself." Cloud was a bit taken aback by his own honesty, but he felt a little better for apologizing.

The woman's face finally lit up into a genuine smile. "It's alright. I've heard enough about you to know that you're not really a jerk. Despite some of the things Yuffie might say."

"...Yeah." After hearing from the receptionist the previous day, he didn't want to imagine what else the little ninja girl might have told everyone.

"It must be pretty hard," the woman commented. "Being a celebrity, you know," she added.

A celebrity...? Yeah, that was pretty much the last thing Cloud ever wanted to be. But, at this point, he supposed that he was, whether he liked it or not. The woman in the jewelry shop had noticed him, though she hadn't recognized how she knew him. But all those people in the lobby knew very well of whom he was, and they admired him. Maybe. Or they were afraid of him. He wasn't sure which.

"...I'm not a fan of it," he responded after a moment. "It's definitely gonna take some getting used to."

The woman nodded and clasped her hands in front of her shyly, clearing her throat. "Tifa sure is one lucky girl," she said suddenly, her words wistful.

"Huh?" Cloud blinked, his cheeks tinting a pale shade of red once again.

"Oh!... It's nothing!" The receptionist placed her hand over her mouth, as if she regretted speaking. After a few silence-filled seconds, the 'ding' of the elevator caused the woman to jump. Cloud's heart skipped a beat from surprise as well, but outwardly, his muscles were still stiff-straight.

"Um... Thanks," he mumbled, exiting the elevator doorway.

"My pleasure!" the woman called after him.

The doors closed and Cloud was left standing at the end of the hall and feeling a bit stupid. 'Tifa sure is one lucky girl...' The words trailed after him as he strode down the long, narrow hallway. Tifa... She was definitely lucky; hell, she always had luck on her side, it seemed. But... She wasn't lucky because of him. Far from it. He caused her more problems than anyone else. And yet... She remained at his side and dealt with those problems as they came, surprising Cloud each and every time she didn't kick him to the curb or just take the kids and leave. If anyone was lucky, he guessed, it was him.

The swordsman took a moment to gather his composure before approaching Reeve's office door. His fist had only knocked on the wooden door twice before it swung open and a smiling Reeve greeted him. Cloud shook his hand, as customary, and stepped inside, only to feel his eyes narrow dangerously towards the other, unexpected guest that was sitting in Reeve Tuesti's office.

"...Rufus," he said through unknowingly-gritted teeth.

"Cloud. So good to see you." The man stood, and moved to shake Cloud's hand. He obliged, though his eyes were deadlocked on the other man's threateningly. "You look... well," he politely lied, ignoring Cloud's expression. "Reeve and I were just finishing up, but I figured I'd stick around a moment longer to speak with you."

"I'm not interested in whatever you have to say."

The man looked taken aback for a brief moment, before chuckling quietly and shaking his head. "Cloud, I understand your distrust in me. And, frankly, I understand why you wouldn't even like me. But, you might want to hear me out this time. I've got some information on Deepground."

Cloud's eyes flashed a hint of interest, losing some of their steely gaze. "Deepground?"

"We believe that's the 'underground' faction of SOLDIERs that have been attacking you and Miss Lockhart."

Reeve had moved to his desk, taking his seat silently. "Please, Cloud," he said, peering at the blonde over his folded hands. "Listen to him."

He obliged, taking the leather chair opposite of Reeve's desk and looking squarely into Rufus's eyes. "Start talking."

With a nod, the former President of Shinra, Inc. began to speak. "I've been keeping a pretty low profile lately, ever since the incident two months ago. Playing the role of observer, watching and waiting to see if anything else would come from the Geostigma crisis. So of course, I've had my eyes and ears everywhere." He gestured with a grand sweep of his hand to emphasize his point. "I started receiving reports of unusual activity in Midgar a few weeks ago, but every person who reported information had very little detail to give. They would just say that they saw a strange monster, or a shifty-looking person making rounds around the city, before disappearing completely. When asked to follow these individuals, they..." He closed his eyes, and for a moment, he looked weary enough for Cloud to almost feel a tinge of sympathy for him. Almost.

"When they follow them," he continued,"...they don't come back. And we don't know where they go, either. All of their devices and phones go haywire, even cameras and microphones. It's like they try to follow them into their lair and they just disappear off the map completely."

"Wait..." Cloud furrowed his brows, thinking about each attack he and Tifa had dealt with over the past few days. The SOLDIERs who had attacked him, the man who had attacked Tifa, and the behemoth they had fought together... Were they all connected to this single organization called 'Deepground?'

"Reeve..." His eyes flashed to the man sitting across from him. "You know, don't you?"

Slowly, the head of the WRO nodded. "Yes. I know that you and Tifa were attacked on several occasions since we last talked. Rufus has been supplying me with all of the intel he receives."

Cloud gritted his teeth. Why hadn't Reeve told him about this information in the first place?!

He took in a slow, deep breath, regaining his cool composure and refraining from addressing that problem for the moment. "What else do we know about the organization?" he asked.

"Well," Rufus continued, "not very much, to be honest. All we know is that they are stationed somewhere in Midgar. Somewhere underground, hence the name. We've yet to find them, and we're losing men in the process of looking."

"You're the former president of Shinra, and you don't know where any underground facilities are in Midgar?" he questioned, skeptical.

Rufus shook his head solemnly. "I only know what little information my father told me, and what any archives may hold. There's no known information on underground SOLDIER facilities in the city."

Cloud felt his brows furrow tighter, confused and angered by the lack of information he was receiving. "Do you at least know what Deepground is?" he asked, his voice lightly tinged with derision.

"Yes... That, I do know..." The former company president lowered his head, his eyes downcast. "Though I don't know much, I do know the basic purpose of the Deepground facility. It was originally created as a medical lab for wounded SOLDIERs, but like everything else Shinra, Inc. has done, it was turned into something far worse. It was converted into an experimental lab, designed with the intention of creating stronger, better, and unwaveringly loyal SOLDIERs. What came out of it... Who knows. Monsters. SOLDIERs that were turned into monsters... Perhaps even regular men with the minds of monsters. From the looks of it, it seems like Deepground produces all three."

Cloud's eyes were narrowed, his fists clenching tightly, his mind deep in thought. "Maybe I should do some looking around Midgar," he suggested. "I can handle whatever comes out of the woodworks."

"That would be pointless, Cloud," Reeve interjected. "I've already sent teams of people to scout the entire city, and they've found nothing. No entrances, no traces of evidence from experimentation... Nothing."

"But they're not looking for your scouts, Reeve. They're looking for me."

"And that's all the more reason that you need to lay low and stay away from Midgar for a while."

Cloud was beginning to feel irritated. "I'm not worried about getting hurt. It'll be better to lure them out and attack when they're out of their base. I can pick them off slowly and find a way inside."

"No, Cloud!" Reeve slammed his fist on the desk abruptly. Cloud stared at him intensely, surprised by the action. "Don't you understand what sort of danger that will put everyone in?"

He shook his head, finally angry. "No, I don't understand. We're already in danger. I don't care about myself, but Tifa's been attacked. On her own. And I'm assuming it was because someone was looking for me."

Reeve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Cloud... Strong as you are, we don't need you running around the city and making a big fuss right now. Have you noticed that you've been followed every time you've come into the city?"

"...Yeah," Cloud admitted after a few moments.

"And so far," Reeve continued, "we've collected almost no information. We don't know who's in charge, we don't know whatthey want to do with you, and we don't even know how they learned about who you are. We don't know how they're sending out SOLDIERs and monsters, we don't know how they're communicating, and we don't know how people are disappearing. Sending you in would not only be a likely deathtrap, even for you, but it would be stupid. You should know better than anyone that you don't go charging into a trap blindly... You need to form a plan."

"I know that, but people are getting hurt-"

"Cloud." Reeve held up his hand, silently asking the swordsman to stop speaking. He begrudgingly obliged. "We are working on it as quickly as he can," he said calmly. "Yuffie has hardly been sleeping, searching for summon materia as well as signs of unusual activity outside of Midgar. I have entire teams of people working covertly to search for and gather intel. Rufus is doing the same thing," he said, gesturing to the frowning man sitting off to his side. "We have people searching old books obtained from the wreckage of the Shinra libraries, and they are compiling information on a private online database as we speak. We're doing everything we can, Cloud. But you," he said pointedly, looking at Cloud with a serious, level gaze. "Right now, Cloud, I need you to just... be patient. Wait. And be prepared to come as soon as we call on you. Until then..." He trailed off, his eyes begging Cloud to understand. But he didn't.

"...I'd like to speak with you privately for a moment, Reeve." He wasn't looking at either of the men anymore. His eyes were planted firmly on the ground.

"Of course," Rufus spoke, standing abruptly from his chair and clearing his throat. "Reeve, it's been very good talking with you," he said as he shook the WRO president's hand, whom stood from his chair as well. "Cloud," Rufus turned his attention to him, extending his hand again. Cloud stood and took it firmly. "It was good to see you as well. I'll be keeping in touch with both of you." With a final nod, he turned and left, leaving a chilling silence to settle throughout Reeve's modest office.

After moments far too long, Cloud finally looked into Reeve's eyes, feeling upset and confused. "Why are you asking me to stay out of this? Are you trying to protect me?"

Reeve sighed, shaking his head. "Not quite, but also... Yes, I guess." He folded his hands behind him, and began to pace. "What I said was true; it really would be irrational to send you in blindly to try and take down something that we know almost nothing about. But... I know that you would probably be more than capable of handling it, anyway." He paused in his steps, looking out the window. "I just want you to... Take a break, Cloud." He turned back, looking the blonde in the eyes. "Take some time to grow your business. Spend time with your family. Spend some time worrying about yourself for a little while. You've done enough for now. When we need you, we'll call. But until then... I think it's time you took care of some of your own things, don't you think?"

Cloud was silent. He didn't know what to think.

"You've done enough, Cloud," Reeve repeated. "And, from a tactical standpoint, if you lie low, it seems that they don't come out of hiding, and the frequency of the attacks lesson. We're doing everything in our power to figure this out. Just, please..." He clasped his hands together to emphasize his message. "Just give us some time."

Cloud breathed in deeply, trying to keep his cool. Maybe Reeve was right. But Cloud wasn't a "just lie low" type of guy.

"What about my deliveries in Midgar?" he asked, curious about the matter, but not nearly as concerned about it as Reeve might have thought.

"I figured you would ask that..." Reeve smiled, extending his arms outward. "We'd be happy to help with that issue. I have trucks that run through Midgar anyway. We could always load your deliveries with the rest of the cargo and send the gil to you. All free of charge, of course."

Cloud drew in a deep breath, filling up his lungs with the pungent scent of the lilac oil-warmer that was plugged into a random outlet. Much too strong for his taste. He sighed audibly, letting his chest deflate as the air left his lungs.

"You're not really concerned about the deliveries, though. Are you, Cloud?"

He shook his head 'no'. Simply put, he didn't care about deliveries at this point. His business be damned.

"Cloud..." Reeve walked closer to him, leveling his gaze with the swordsman's. "I'm coming to you, not as the Head of the WRO, or as an associate, or even as an ally in battle... I'm coming to you as a friend."

A friend...

"I'm sorry that I kept everything hidden away from you..." the man continued. "It was wrong of me, and it's not my place to keep you, or anyone else, in the dark. I can't tell you what to do. I can only ask that you take care of yourself, and give my words some thought. And if you'll give me that, then I'll be happy." He smiled, a genuine but exhausted expression, the bags under his eyes sagging considerably. Maybe... Maybe Reeve was just as tired as he was.

"I guess... If it would be bad strategy..." Cloud averted his gaze. "I'll stay out of Midgar… for now." Cloud found Reeve's eyes again, noticing the relief wash down his features. "But I can't make any other promises," he warned. Reeve nodded, understanding. Cloud extended his hand in agreement. "...Commander." In comradery. In friendship.

"Heh, 'Commander'..." the older man chuckled. "Still not used to hearing that... Oh, one more thing, Cloud..." Reeve pulled a fancy-looking card from his jacket pocket. It read World Regenesis Organization Gala in cursive letters. Cloud glanced up at the head of the WRO, taking the card from his hands. "We've got some announcements to make, and we've never gotten the chance to celebrate the finding of our organization until now. You, Tifa, and anyone else you'd like to bring are invited... Plus, with everything that has been happening lately... We could use the extra security."

Cloud nodded, stuffing the card in his back pocket. "Alright."

"You know... I know you and Tifa are busy running your own businesses, but... If either of you are ever interested in formally joining the WRO... Well, just give me a call."

Cloud nodded once more. The older man halted him as he made to leave the office. Cloud turned, and Reeve's hand fell from his shoulder slowly. He opened his mouth to speak, before closing it and chuckling quietly. "I heard someone's birthday is coming up soon. Give her my regards, will you?"

The faintest tinge of pink painted his features as Cloud nodded. "Will do." He turned to leave once more, nodding silently again at Reeve's final farewell of "take care".

Cloud was unsure of his feelings. He thought he might have made peace with the fact that Reeve had hidden information from him, and that he was, for some reason, protecting Cloud, but there was little time to mull over their conversation before the swordsman found himself distracted again. The elevator at the end of the long hallway dinged, and he couldn't have been any less surprised by the face that greeted him as the doors slid open.

"Yo."

He stepped in silently, crossing his arms and standing parallel to the red-haired man. There was a moment of uneasy silence before Reno bit the toothpick that he was chewing on in half, apparently hurting himself in the process.

"Gah! Son of a bitch..." he muttered, tossing the broken pick to the floor of the elevator carelessly. "So you gonna do what Reeve asks, or what?" he barked.

Cloud's face was stoic. "That's between me and Reeve."

"Good, so you are."

"Guess so," he replied. "Seems like I don't have much of a choice in the matter." Since everyone seems to think I can't take care of things myself, he thought somewhat bitterly.

"You know, you can't do everything by yourself, Cloud." He popped another toothpick into his mouth casually, ignoring the slight surprise that flashed across the blonde's face. It was just as if he'd read his mind.

Cloud narrowed his eyes, deciding that he didn't like having his mind read by this idiot. His stare burned into the elevator door unflinchingly. "You really like to push my buttons, don't you?"

"Well, duh," Reno drawled stupidly. "But I'm being honest, yo. It still took a small army to take down Sephiroth the first time. You can't stand here and tell me you took care of him without the help of your friends last time, too."

Cloud turned his head away, still stubbornly silent. Whether he liked it or not, Reno was right. He wasn't sure if he would have won without having his friends' support... He wouldn't have beaten Sephiroth, or his Remnants, or even the Geostigma that had attacked his body...

"Hell, be honest with yourself, Cloud. You can barely take care of your own damn self. If it weren't for Tifa and the rest of us picking you up from time to time, you'd just give up. I've seen you do it before."

"Shut up, Reno," he suddenly spat. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't..." He brushed him off. Cloud felt the hairs on the nape of his neck bristle irately. "Here," Reno said, shoving a book in Cloud's direction. "Take this home and read it. It'll tell you everything we know."

Cloud did take it, though his gaze was still paralyzing. Plans and Blueprints for Shinra's Medical Division, it read. Plain text. Plain cover. It was surprisingly... small. Cloud flipped through its pages, noting that it was a bit old and worn, and a large amount of the pages had been ripped out.

"Was like that when we found it. Well, when Rufus found it. Salvaged it from the Shinra HQ library himself. Don't know how he did it in all that rubble..." He mumbled the last part to himself. "You won't find out much, but it'll at least get you up to speed with the rest of us."

Cloud turned his head and nodded once. "Thanks." Reno might be annoying, he thought, but at least he's useful sometimes.

The redhead nodded back. "Try checking out the library here sometime, too. We've got a lot of old books from Shira, and books from other places, as well." He shrugged. "I don't know, you might find something that interests you."

"...Okay."

Reno chuckled to himself, his lips curving into a sly smile as the elevator dinged again, a floor before the ground level. Rude was standing in the hall, arms crossed, waiting.

"See ya at the party, Cloud," he said with a grin, making a careless two-fingered salute as he stepped out of the elevator.

"Wha-?"

"Don't worry, Yuffie only invited the two of us. Can't wait to-" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively - "hang out with you and the birthday girl."

"You're not invited," he said coldly, but the doors were closing and Reno's image was soon replaced by plain, gray steel. Cloud sighed, rubbing his forehead and willing the headache that was forming to go away. Great, I wonder who else Yuffie's invited, he thought. It was already enough of a pain that Tifa had apparently invited her. He shook the irritated thoughts from his head and flipped through the pages of the book again, skimming over the various headings and walking through the opening elevator doors as it 'dinged' without thinking.

He found himself wandering into the library, just as Reno had suggested. Might as well, he supposed. He found a chair in a quiet corner and sat down, reading through part of the book. It discussed the plans for building a medical division for Shinra's elite SOLDIERs, but the pages where the location might have been mentioned were gone. Essentially, every page that seemed to contain critical information was ripped out. Cloud closed the book in frustration, standing up and wandering down the organized aisles of texts. He pulled the invitation Reeve had given him out of his back pocket, looking over it.

May 4th... The day after Tifa's birthday...

That's right... Tifa's birthday... Birthday party... Barret and Cid coming to visit... The kids... So many important things were happening at home, and Cloud could only feel himself being pulled deeper and deeper into the issues that were happening outside. It wasn't like he didn't want to be home, but this Deepground business was going to drive him crazy if he didn't get some real answers, and soon. Not to mention, he was slacking on his deliveries. Slacking severely.

Cloud took notice of the aisle he had wandered into aimlessly: Medical Information. He skimmed over the textbooks, some old and worn, some new and pristine. None of which seemed like they would offer any further information on Deepground. One thick book did catch his interest, though: Detailed Analysis on the Effects of Mako on the Body. He pulled it off of the shelf, but hesitated opening it. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a deep sense of unease, and flipped through its contents anyway.

Mako is essentially poisonous to the body, a random page near the front of the book read. It can cause a multitude of side-effects, including death, if given too concentrated of a dose. However, the benefits for Mako use in SOLDIERs outweigh the risks. Proper exposure to Mako will lend increased strength, speed, and mental processing abilities to a SOLDIER. Ultimately, only the strongest will survive the treatment.

Cloud flipped further through its pages, his eyes falling upon words that made him feel sick to his stomach.

In extreme cases, certain devastating mental health issues can arise. Cases of severe violence, depression, and disassociation have been documented. For the weak-minded, Mako can destroy the brain. Some SOLDIERs have lost the entirety of their long-term memories, while others have experienced complete identity loss and never fully recovered. In these cases, the Mako treatment is deemed a failure.

Closed shut the book, utterly disgusted with it. It was a part of his past that he didn't want to remember. He shook his head, deciding it was time to leave. He had a few deliveries he needed to make; not to mention, he had a few personal errands to run as well. He and Tifa both needed new armor... And Tifa's locket was still empty. He wasn't even sure if he was going to give it to her.

As he was making his way to leave, he saw one last book that caught his eye. One book that, maybe, he felt angry at himself for being interested in. It was stupid. Stupid and unnecessary and utterly shameful. But he picked it up anyway, hiding the cover from the view of any onlookers, and walked out of the WRO without bothering to check it out. Its title was Recovering From Loss: Coping Strategies for Grief and Depression.

He felt dumb, and angry, and ashamed of himself. But, truthfully, he did feel depressed. Depressed and lost and unsure of what to do with himself. And he had promised her that he would try to move on. Try to become happier and healthier. That's what she wanted, right? He'd try anything for her, he supposed. Even if it was reading stupid self-help books that were, more than likely, pseudoscience.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

It was late. Cloud had essentially finished his deliveries - at least the important ones. The rest would have to wait. He had also finished running his own personal errands, some of which had been more... difficult than others. He swallowed thickly, envisioning the photo he had paid to print out, now fitted perfectly inside Tifa's locket. He knew that she and the kids wouldn't be happy that he had come home later than expected, but he hoped that they would understand. He planned to take close to a week off to make up for it. It sounded welcoming, staying home for a while. Driving the long, lonely stretches of road and fighting off random beasts was growing old.

Upon turning into the back alley behind the 7th Heaven, Cloud immediately noticed a dim light radiating out from inside the garage. The large aluminum door was open, and Tifa was perched atop a stool, presumably bottling some beers. Why she was doing so at this hour, though, Cloud wasn't sure. She smiled and waved at him as he pulled up, cut off the ignition, and peeled off his driving goggles.

"Hey, Tifa," he called to her once the roar of Fenrir's engine had ceased. "What are you doing?" He dismounted his bike and walked towards her, grabbing his bags as he did.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied, smiling weakly. "Couldn't even pass out after reading tonight. I figured I might as well make myself useful if I wasn't going to get any rest."

Cloud frowned, breathing out her name in a lightly scolding manner. "...I meant to make it home sooner, but I figured I'd go ahead and get some stuff out of the way instead. I was thinking about taking a few days off."

Tifa's face scrunched up in confusion. "Really? But what about your deliveries?"

"They're all done." Well, most of them, at least, he noted. "I guess you could say I'm taking a vacation."

Tifa's weak smile brightened substantially upon hearing those words. "That's great! You'll get to spend more time with Barret and Cid!" Man, did she look cute when she was happy.

"Yep. Wouldn't want to miss out on the fun," he replied, a tiny smile pulling at his lips as well. "Besides, I can help you and the kids plan for the party."

They made their way inside and Cloud put his things away in their usual places before taking a quick shower. By the time he had returned to the bar area, Tifa was placing a steaming bowl of stew and a cold beer at the booth nearest him. "Told ya I'd have dinner waiting for you when you got home," she chirped, smiling sweetly, and slid into the booth opposite of his place.

"Thanks, Teef," he said, sitting down as well. "Looks amazing, as always."

She hummed her approval and sipped on a tall glass of water, watching Cloud curiously. He took his first bite, relishing in its flavor. Mmmph. Tasted like home.

"Taste okay?" she inquired gently.

"It tastes great. Your cooking is the best. Really." She smiled again, but Cloud could sense the fact that her expression wasn't entirely genuine. They sat in silence for a few moments as Cloud ate, putting off the inevitable conversation about his visit with Reeve. He got the sense that she wasn't ready to talk about it either. Maybe, for a moment, they could just talk about... nothing.

"I picked us up some new armor," he eventually said. As if it were actually important.

"Oh, thank you, Cloud!"

He nodded. "...Are Marlene and Denzel feeling any better?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

Tifa nodded as well. "Much better. Marlene was almost too excited to go to sleep tonight after Barret called. And Denzel..." She trailed off for a moment, the furrow of her brow puckering the slightest bit. "Well, he cheered up once Marlene did, too. But... I think he's been feeling a little down. And maybe a little scared." Tifa sighed. "He told me today... That he knows it didn't rain. He knows you say that when you get into a fight."

Cloud was surprised to hear himself chuckle softly. It wasn't funny, but it was sort of impressive. "Denzel's a smart kid," he replied. "I knew he'd catch on eventually."

"Yeah..." Tifa sighed again. "He wants to talk to us, Cloud. He wants to know what's been going on. I..." She paused, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. Cloud felt compelled to reach out to her, but he opted to take another bite of his stew instead. Tifa would probably scold him if he let it get cold.

"I don't want to keep them in the dark," she continued, "but I don't want to scare them, either. I just... want them to be kids, you know?" She shook her head as Cloud listened intently. "They've been through so much, Denzel especially, and I just want them to be happy. Live without worrying, without problems, at least for a little while longer. They're... so young." Cloud felt his brows furrow together slightly; he shared her sentiment, but he knew that there was nothing he could do to hide the truth from the kids. They were both smart. They'd figure out what was going on sooner rather than later.

"I don't want to scare myself..." She quietly added. Cloud stopped mid-chew and looked at her with intensely blue eyes. She laughed softly, though Cloud knew that she didn't find it funny. "I thought... I guess I thought it'd all be over with once the Geostigma was cured and Sephiroth's remnants were defeated. But it feels like we're always fighting something... Always have been, haven't we?" she asked, her pretty scarlet eyes finding his. He swallowed his last bite of stew down with a gulp, leveling his gaze with hers.

"Yeah..." he agreed. "Life has a way of... giving us a hard time. But..." He reached out then, pushing his bowl aside and taking Tifa's hand in his, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles gently. "Lucky for me... I've got someone like you to fight by my side."

Her cheeks lit up rosy pink, and she breathed out his name a bit nervously, her eyes falling shyly away from his. Feeling some sort of unearned confidence, Cloud added, "Couldn't ask for anyone better." Her eyes finally lit up, her lips curving upwards in just his favorite way. He wanted her smile to be real. Even if the moment was fleeting, he wanted to make her feel happy. Just a little.

The moment was fleeting, though, as all of their little moments were. Their mutual happiness seemed to swell up and dissipate in only a second's time, and then one of them was back to frowning over the difficulties they always had to face. Tifa gently pulled her hands away, choosing to tuck them in her lap as she drew in a deep breath.

"So... What did Reeve say?"

He told her everything he had learned, though the information was thin. "Reno gave me this," he said, pulling the book out of the one bag he had left on the bar. "There's not much here... I haven't finished reading it yet, but I haven't found anything useful in it so far. Everything about Deepground seems to be a mystery to everyone."

Tifa scrunched her eyebrows, flipping through the book's contents absently. "So... Reeve didn't tell you anything because...?" Her question trailed off, and Cloud frowned as he sat back down.

"I guess there really wasn't much to tell me, but... Like I said. He was trying to protect me. And maybe you, too."

Tifa sighed. "I guess I understand... But, all this does is make me feel more worried."

"That's exactly why he kept quiet about it."

She shook her head, closing the book and looking at Cloud with desperate eyes. "What are we going to do?"

"...I don't know. Wait, I guess."

"Wait?"

"What else is there to do? Besides..." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I think we need to focus on other things right now. Like... Having fun together, for once."

"Fun..." she repeated, her eyes somewhat distant.

"...Not something you and I get to have too often."

"Yeah..." Her eyes dropped to her lap, and a thick silence fell between them. "Cloud..." She spoke slowly, as if she were afraid to speak at all. "...What were you looking for in the church today?"

The unexpected question caught him off guard. He sighed, unsure of how long that question had been burning in her mind, and decided that honesty was the best answer. "I was looking for Zack and Aerith."

"Oh, Cloud," she breathed. She looked heartbroken. "It's because you miss them, isn't it?"

Slowly, he shook his head. "It's not even that... I just wanted to know... When I saw them before... If they were real, or if they were just in my head..." He squeezed his empty bottle of beer a little too tightly. "Can't trust anything I see. Or hear. Or taste or smell... Maybe it was just because I was sick..." He looked away, ashamed. "Maybe I'm still crazy."

Abruptly, Tifa reached out and grabbed Cloud's free hand tightly, much as he had done to her several times earlier that day. "No, Cloud," she said vehemently. "You're not crazy." She was holding his hand tightly still, like she was terrified to let go. Cloud shook his head again.

"...Never been so sure about that, Teef."

"Cloud..." She opened and closed her mouth like she wanted to say something, but was unsure of how to say it. She closed her eyes tightly for a brief moment, before looking back into Cloud's intensely. "When we fell into the Lifestream together... I saw you... The real you... " She leaned closer, her voice hardly louder than a whisper. "And the real Cloud... The Cloud at your very core, the Cloud who hasn't been subjected to Mako showers, or Jenova cells, or Geostigma... That Cloud isn't crazy. He's just... Cloud."

"...Just Cloud," he repeated quietly. "I like the sound of that."

She nodded, still holding his hand, though she'd relaxed her grip. "Me too."

Cloud sighed quietly, releasing the empty bottle in his hand and finding Tifa's free hand with his own. His thumb skirted gently over her palm; something so simple that had been both terrifying and embarrassing only days ago had started to become so natural. Just as natural as the slow formation of Tifa's soft smile and gentle eyes that were gazing into Cloud's, eliciting a small smile of his own in return.

"So," he breathed, allowing his shoulders to drop and relax, hands still connected to Tifa's. "Big day tomorrow."

"Really big day," Tifa affirmed. Her eyes were searching his, looking for something that Cloud was unsure of. "The other day... You said you were as ready as you would ever be. Is that still true?"

Cloud felt the corner of his mouth quirk up slightly. "Sort of. Now I'm feeling kind of excited, though... Nervous. But excited."

Tifa giggled quietly, shaking her head. "Cloud Strife... The kind of guy who would look into the face of a sixty-foot-tall monster without batting an eye, but gets nervous about seeing his friends." She smiled sweetly at him again, lacing her fingers into his. "You haven't changed a bit."

"I haven't?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Well... Maybe a little bit."

"Maybe."

She giggled again and tilted her head, smiling at him from under thick eyelashes. "Thanks for cheering me up."

Cloud smiled too, and nodded. He quietly relished in the fleeting moment, feeling his chest swell up like a balloon. He had made Tifa smile. In that moment, he was happy.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

Cloud was frustrated. No, he was beyond frustrated; he was growing angry. After reading and re-reading through the small, damaged book Reno had given him, he shut it roughly in irritation. The few notes he was able to scrawl in the margins were of little consequence. He sighed, leaning his head back in his cheap desk chair.

Just one moment of peace would be nice...

He was tired, and he wanted to sleep, but he knew it was useless. What was the point if he was only going to wake himself up in a frenzy? Worse, he would wake everyone else up? He considered setting an alarm every hour or so, but that seemed fruitless too. He wondered if he could just function without sleeping at all. His physical state was already failing - there was no way he would have allowed a monster to knock him off of his bike in the past. His mental state wasn't doing so well either; he was better off than he was two years ago, and he was better off than he was two months ago, too. That was progress, right? Still, he couldn't help but fear falling back into psychosis. Some part of him felt that was all he knew - identity loss, hallucinations, depression, anxiety, violent tendencies and paralyzing fear. Was there really any other part of him left to offer?

Just Cloud, he reminded himself. Don't overthink it.

Right. He sighed again, fighting back exhaustion and hesitantly opening the other book he had taken from the library that day.

Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Five Stages of Grief

Five stages that he had cycled through, completed, and cycled through again. Acceptance was supposed to be the final stage, but had he truly learned to accept his past? Even though he had told Tifa just two months ago that he felt a weight lifting from his shoulders, it was only half-true, and short-lived. The taste of bitter grief was still fresh in his mouth, as if he had licked his salty wounds clean only yesterday. Yes, he'd made peace with himself... for the most part. It was more of a manner of moving forward, rather than moving on. Forward, marching, like the SOLDIER he never was. He sighed. Zack would know what to do.

And Aerith? She had been such a dazzlingly confusing person. An entity, moreso - someone who was always just out of reach, standing just beyond the horizon. Someone who was more ethereal than human, to him. His feelings for her - whatever they had been - he couldn't quite remember. Powerful. They had been powerful.

But the question always came back to settle itself comfortably in his mind, a single question that had made its home there, never moving, never finding its answer. What I felt back then... What I did... How much of it was ever me?

Zack's persona had loved Aerith; oh, he had loved her so much. It was a different sort of love than what Cloud felt towards Tifa, though. It was exciting and confusing and utterly exhilarating, but somehow... misaligned. Incorrect. It was truly as if Zack's spirit had somehow lived through him, loving Aerith for all that she was, and giving Cloud a taste of those heady feelings. But it was never right.

Tifa, however... She was home. Tifa was a calling in the darkness. Tifa was a fond memory. Aerith was something breezy and magical, something that poured through your hands if you tried to hold her. But Tifa? Tifa was the Earth he walked on. Tifa was reality. Not cold or hard reality, but loving, warm, embracing reality. The feeling of warm sunrays on your face. The feeling of bare feet digging into the cool dirt below. She was friendship. She was happiness.

Yeah... She was his happiness. Her, and all the new friends he had made. The children. His comrades. He owed it all to her. Despite... everything he had put her through... She had always been there for him. Picked him up. Brushed him off. Told him to keep fighting. And fought by his side. Yeah, maybe his feelings for Aerith had been powerful back then. But they were never as powerful as his feelings for the little Nibleheim girl he had fallen in love with years ago.

He really just wanted to go hug her. Maybe sneak into her room and crawl into bed beside her. He'd lay on the edge of the bed - give her space. Let her have the blanket and the pillow. He wouldn't touch her at all. Maybe just feel her body heat beside him. Maybe just her presence. It sounded so inviting, but it was his own fault that he couldn't. That ship had sailed years ago.

His heavy head fell down and banged against his desk lightly, once, twice, three times in a row.

Stop. Fucking. Thinking.

Utterly unsure of what to do with himself, he grabbed the self-help book and stowed it in his desk drawer, pausing before closing it.

Didn't I leave some of my maps in here?

He was sure he had, hadn't he? Routes he had taken recently through the Eastern continent? He shook his head, raking his fingers through his hair. He had probably just left them in his bags.

No need to check. You're probably just going crazy again.

He flopped face-down on the bed, too tired to even bother adjusting his blanket.

Probably.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

"Cloud..."

She called out to him. It was a feminine voice, though he wasn't sure whom it belonged to. It was pretty and gentle, floating into his mind like a leaf skimming the surface of a still lake. He turned, unsure of where he was, searching for the source of the voice that was calling his name.

"Cloud, over here..."

He turned his head again to finally lay eyes on the voice's owner, and oh, she was beautiful. Lithe and shapely, her body lay naked in the dewy grass, her hair splayed out beneath her and crowning her face like a halo. An angel, he thought. That's just what she looked like. Her eyes, smoldering coals over a ruby fire, dared even the shyest of men to confess their sweetest secrets to her.

"Thank you." The words were whispered softly, her voice laden with adoration.

Cloud, now lying nude on the ground beside her, shook his head, hair falling messy into his face, shading his eyes from her view. She had seen all of the words that his mouth couldn't speak hiding within those eyes, and he knew that if she were to look again, she would see his very soul, raw and untouched by anyone but her.

"I think I should be the one thanking you," he laughed nervously. She giggled quietly, smiling at him and reaching out to push his blonde spikes out of the way, running her fingers through the rest of his hair as she did.

"No, I mean... Thank you, for staying by my side. Right until the very end."

He shook his head again. "Not until the end. No matter what happens... I'll always be by your side, Tifa."

"Promise?" She extended a slender, battle-calloused finger to his lips, where he kissed the tip of it delicately.

"Promise."

Hazily, dreamily, they helped redress each other, silent save for knowing smiles and gentle kisses, and ended up cuddling against the shelter of a large boulder. The warmth of her skin and the softness of her hair brushing against his skin lullabied Cloud into a trance, though his nervous stomach and anxious heart stopped him from drifting into slumber. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he could hear his enemy's quiet laughter.

"Oh, Cloud," he cooed. "Will you ever learn?" The silver-haired man appeared and waved his hand, leading an army forward and dissolving the peaceful surroundings Cloud had taken refuge in. The voice filled up his mind entirely, taking away everything else in its wake. "This happiness won't last. It never does." Another wave of his hand, and an auburn-haired woman appeared before him, unspeaking, unflinching, almost robotic in her state. "You see, Cloud, I can give, and I can take away." A giant katana then came flying in from the distance, piercing through Aerith's body and causing her to dissipate into nothingness. Cloud stood there, helpless. "Whatever I want. Whatever I desire. I can manipulate it all at my will." An apparition of a black-haired man appeared, in the same state as the woman before him had been in. "Even those that are very powerful are still nothing to me." A thousand gleaming bullets rained down from the heavens, dissolving Zack into nothing more than smoke. Pain seeped into Cloud's body, and he realized that he was feeling their pain, the pain of a sword slicing through his stomach, the pain of being shot by a million rounds of ammunition. "But you know, the most interesting thing is this..." He walked towards Cloud slowly, appearing before him, towering over his smaller form. "You've defeated me twice - no, three times, in a sense. And now, I'm not your biggest threat anymore." He gestured to the thousands of faceless soldiers standing around them; a hulking behemoth appeared behind them, and at the forefront, a tawny-haired man watched curiously. "And yet, you still can't seem to get me out of your head." He chuckled. "At this rate, I may never leave."

Cloud clenched his teeth, feeling the seething hatred towards Sephiroth fill up his chest and radiate all over his body. The hostility he felt forced out the pain and replaced it with a burning desire to murder the man who stood before him. But he couldn't move.

"Do you want to know a secret, Cloud?" The silver-haired devil leaned down and whispered into Cloud's ear, his lips nearly brushing against his skin. "I love getting inside your head. It's so much fun."

Cloud roared with a ferocity unlike any other. His body, previously petrified from fear, or rage, or sadness, or something he didn't know, awakened. His muscles were alight with fire and he tore through the invisible restraints that were tying him down.

"SEPHIROTH!" he yelled, ready to charge

"No! You have to wake up, Cloud!" someone had yelled. A woman.

"Yeah, come on! Wake up!" a male voice added.

Wake up? There was no need to wake up. He was fully aware, in tune with his entire being. He was burning rage. He was wrath, incarnate.

"Wake up!" the woman repeated.

KILL HIM, his mind wailed. MURDER HIM AND DESTROY HIM FOR GOOD!

"Wake up!"

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WAKE UP?! I HAVE TO KILL SEPHIROTH!

"Wake up!"

TEAR THROUGH HIM! RIP HIM TO SHREDS!

"Wake up!"

"Cloud! Wake up!"

"Wake up!"

"WAKE UP!"

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

"Wake up!"

With a start, Cloud involuntarily followed instructions, jolting upright and gripping onto someone's shoulders tightly. His eyes darted left to right, searching for the imagery that had been in his head only moments ago, but his vision faded into Tifa's concerned face. She breathed out a sigh of relief, and Cloud noticed that she had an equally tight grip on his own shoulders.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah..." he breathed. "Yeah, I'm okay..." He released her, heart still pounding relentlessly, and she did the same.

"I'm sorry, I just... I thought it might be a good idea to wake you up before the dream got too bad..." She glanced away, seemingly embarrassed. "I was already up, so I heard you as soon as it started... I hope I wasn't too late..."

"No, it's fine," he assured her. Cloud clutched at his head, feeling the presence of a headache, though it wasn't as strong as it had been the previous few nights. His body was still sweaty and tense, but at least he wasn't hurting too badly. Tifa had helped him. "Have you been up this whole time?" he asked, still pinching at his forehead, eyes closed tightly.

"Yeah... Can't seem to fall asleep tonight. "

Cloud frowned, dropping his hand. The warmth in Tifa's voice was only a thin veil that Cloud could see right through. She was feeling down again. "Too much on your mind?"

"...Yeah," she replied after a moment, her lips giving up her fake and tired smile.

His eyes opened and flashed to her. "Wanna talk about it?"

Tifa looked away, clutching at the relief of the wolf on her ring. "We don't get to talk about this kind of stuff very often," Cloud continued, choosing his words carefully. Tifa remained silent; she probably thought it was unusual for Cloud to suggest talking at all. He didn't know. He didn't know what to say... Never knew what to say... But he was getting sick of staying silent. Something swirled inside of his stomach and he piped up once more, although his words were very quiet. "I'm a good listener."

It was enough to prompt a small, real smile from the brunette, for the briefest moment, before her features settled back into puckered brows and a pouty frown. "It's everything," she breathed out. "You know?"

"...Yeah." He knew.

She rolled her shoulders, seemingly uncomfortable, and sighed. "I'm just... trying so hard right now. I want to be happy, I want Marlene and Denzel to be happy, and I want you to be happy, Cloud." She gulped, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You tell me not to worry, so I try not to, but... I can't ever make my mind shut up. It's just... constant." She shifted again, audibly popping her neck to the right. Cloud's frown deepened.

"I think... I understand," he offered hesitantly. "My mind... it's always racing, too. Always asking questions, and never getting any answers. Is that... How you feel?"

Cloud felt his cheeks heat up lightly. He was awkward. Bad at talking. Bad at expressing his emotions. But for her...

"...Yeah," she uttered softly. "Yeah, it is..." She sighed again, exasperated, and dropped her head into her hands, hiding her face from Cloud's view. "I'm just so stressed out. I have this knot in my stomach that feels like it will never go away." Her words were muffled, back and legs rounded and pulling into herself like a fetus. "I feel like I'm going to explode." She shook her head, still hidden away in the safety of her hands. "I've got to start training again. I'm getting so weak."

Cloud's frown deepened. "You're not getting weak. But training might be a good idea. Maybe for the both of us."

"Yeah. Maybe."

Cloud didn't know what else to say. It was painful to see her like this. So close to her birthday, so close to seeing her friends and Marlene's smiling little face when Barret came home. It just wasn't like her to look so depressed. A fleeting thought crossed his mind: what if he was rubbing off on her? He didn't want that. He wasn't a good person. He wasn't a happy person. Tifa was. Tifa was better than that.

"It hurts..." He spoke slowly.

"Your head?" she asked, still withdrawn into herself.

"...No." His head did hurt, but he didn't care. "It hurts... Seeing you look so sad..." Tifa didn't respond. "If there was something I could do... Somehow... Make you feel better..." Cloud shook his head, feeling the fire in his cheeks begin its familiar wildfire spread down his neck.

Stupid, he berated himself. Can't talk... I'm so bad at these kinds of things...

"I just... like seeing you happy," he bumbled on. "You're always so happy and optimistic. That's the Tifa I know."

She finally lifted her head from her hands, shaking it softly. "I don't... know if that's me anymore, Cloud." Her lips trembled delicately before quietly speaking again. "Lately I'm... I'm not like that."

Cloud's heart fell in his chest. All his fault... This was all his fault. As it usually was. Gods, he hated seeing her like this.

"Tifa..." He spoke slowly again, carefully analyzing every word before it left his mouth. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. "Do you remember what I told you? The last time you were feeling sad?"

"...I don't know."

"I said... If you forget what it feels like, to be happy... That I'd be there to remind you."

Purposeful yet delicate, his hand reached out to caress hers. It was so... easy, now. Practically second-nature, to touch her, to feel the warmth of her skin against his hand. It was wrong and it was selfish; he didn't know if she hated him for touching her now, but in that moment, he couldn't contain himself. Didn't want to.

"I don't really know how to do that, but I want to. More than... anything."

He had said too much. Maybe it was the lack of sleep making him delirious. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was the way Tifa's beautiful, tired, pained expression made him forget all about thinking and remember only the old feelings that had lived in his heart for all these years.

"I swear... I'd do anything..."

For you...

The words hung fragile on his lips; he desired to speak them - two simple words - but he was terrified that they might shatter if he opened his mouth once more. For a moment too long, the room was silent, Tifa and Cloud both looking anywhere but each other, Cloud's larger hand sitting atop hers despite his fear that she might pull away. She didn't.

"Talk to me," she finally whispered. Her words were so quiet, but Cloud heard every detail of her trembling voice. Heard the way she spoke with apprehension, heard the way her throat was tight from restraining herself from crying.

"About what?" he countered, just as quiet, just as fearful.

"I want to know... How you feel..." She pulled her legs up onto the bed, crossing them beneath her and reaching out to intertwine her fingers with Cloud's other hand. His heart drummed loudly beneath his chest.

How I feel...

Terrified. Elated. Desperate. Joyous. Angry. Depressed. Concerned. And absolutely, astoundingly, painfully in love. That's how he felt.

"...Afraid."

Afraid... Yeah. It was enough of an explanation, for now.

"...Always afraid," he continued. "Of these attacks. Afraid for the kids. For you... Afraid of my dreams, of Sephiroth returning again, of something bad happening..." He shook his head, frustrated with himself. "I'm even afraid to see Barret and Cid tomorrow. People that I call my friends."

Terrified. Terrified of everything. 'Savior of the Planet', they say. Some hero I am.

"...Me too," she whispered, breaking his cycle of self-depreciating thoughts. She unlaced her fingers from Cloud's, leaning in closer to absently turn his hands over, examining them. "I'm always worried... Always afraid, too... Afraid of bad things... And good things..." She sighed. "I guess that's normal for people like us, though. Maybe you have to be scared enough to find the strength to be brave... And you're the bravest person I know." Her fingers danced along his skin, sending chills up his arms. "Callouses... So many..." she murmured to herself. Cloud was completely absorbed in her, unsure of what she was doing, but entranced by her gentle touch. Brilliant blue eyes shyly searched her face, traced the curve of her lips; admired how thick, dark lashes shaded her eyes from his view. "So many battles... So much pain..."

Tifa...

It didn't take any thought, only instinct, for him to lean forward and gently press his forehead against her own. "Same as you," he breathed, eyes closed from the world.

He didn't understand... She didn't pull away, but instead, stayed just as she was, still tracing patterns on his worn hands, their foreheads connected and sending warm feelings throughout Cloud's chest. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. She didn't want this... He knew that. But Tifa was kind, and wonderful, and if she would allow him to relish in her innocent touch for a moment longer, he wasn't going to deny that. Not now. Not when he wanted her affection so badly. Needed it.

The only times I've ever felt brave were the times when you needed my help the most. The times I promised I would be there for.

"Tifa..."

A million fleeting thoughts passed through his mind before he threw them away, where they belonged. There was no way. It wouldn't be right to take advantage of her like this, when she was being kind enough to comfort him in this way. It would be wrong to gently kiss her forehead, cup her cheek and trace his lips down to hers. Think of some stupid thing to say like 'I need you' or 'I'm yours'.

Tears began to stain her cheeks. "Seems like we're always trying to be strong for each other..." she said, her breath shaky. "Always trying to... Hold up these walls, to protect each other." She dipped her head down, breaking the connection that Cloud was so desperately trying to hold onto. "I don't want any more walls, Cloud."

"Neither do I," he replied too quickly, too eagerly. He squeezed her hands tightly in his.

"The thing is... I don't know how..." She shuddered, hushing a sob that escaped her quivering lips. Shaking her head, she pulled her hands away from his. "It's stupid."

No...

Gods, no. It's anything but stupid.

He was crumbling apart without her touch to hold him together. His mind was breaking. Or, at least it felt like it was - how could he even tell anymore? He never could in the first place. And she was crying, trembling, trying to hold it in as everything poured out, and she was breaking into pieces, too. Breaking. Letting the facade of sweet smiles and strong words slip away, and he could do nothing to save her. Not this time.

"Please..." he begged, too scared to reach out and wipe her tears away. "Please don't cry, Tifa..." How many times would he have to speak those words?

She broke down completely, her sobs becoming louder and more erratic. "I - can't - stop," she choked out through panicked breaths.

His body broke through the chains that his mind had bound him in, and within a moment's time, she was wrapped up in his arms. Safe, in his arms; protected, as she cried. Her hands found the back of his shirt, and they clung there desperately.

Cloud hated himself. Gods, he hated himself. Here Tifa was, crying in his arms, and he could do nothing but hold her tightly against his chest. He felt sick from seeing her in so much pain, and he felt guilty for wanting to hold her there forever. Hold her when he didn't deserve to. Not after everything he had put her through. He was so useless.

No more walls, she had said. But Cloud didn't know anything about breaking walls down. Besides, how could he? He always had to hold Tifa at an arm's distance for fear of hurting her even more than he already had. He couldn't trust himself not to put her in harm's way, when he was supposed to save her. He couldn't trust himself to not totally lose it again and make her life a living hell. He couldn't even leave her, to keep her safe from the dangers that followed him. He had broken her heart enough times already. And yet, he didn't want to ever leave again. No, he wanted to stay right here and hold her until the sun came up and set again a million times over. She deserved better than his selfish desires.

And yet, he indulged in them, feeling his own eyes water up and spill over. He rested his chin on the top of her head, and whispered things of no importance. 'Shhh's and 'It's okay's, little utterances that meant nothing, but somehow seemed to help. And as her tears began to subside, Cloud continued to hold her tightly, and she held on as well. The softest kiss was placed on the crown of her head - a dangerous move that Cloud berated himself for as soon as he did it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She was breathing slower now, but heavily, as if she carried the weight of the entire planet on her shoulders. In some ways, she did. "For what?" she murmured into the fabric of his shirt.

"...Everything." He closed his eyes tightly, feeling hot tears sting as they fell. "God damn it... Everything."

"Don't apologiz-"

"No, Tifa - I need - I mean..." He pulled away from her, cradling her face in his hands and looking at her with an intensity that would scare anyone else but her. "I need to say something..." Her eyes darted between his own, searching icy blues for answers that he wasn't sure he could give her.

"Say it, then..." she whispered.

"I..." He relaxed his hold on her face, running his hands up into her hair. "I am so sorry for everything I've done to you... For putting you into danger time and time again... For always running away from you... For leaving you and for hurting you... For... This... Just... Everything..." He was at a loss for words, and Tifa grabbed his hands as they dropped away from her face.

"No more walls..." she repeated, her voice quiet. "No more apologies... No more hiding and running away..." She reached out and gently, so gently, wrapped her arms around him this time. "Let's just... be."

Cloud could feel his arms wrapping heavy around her too, holding her to his chest again, his chin resting atop her shoulder. He didn't want it to end. He didn't want it to ever end. "'Be?'" he questioned.

Her only reply was the soft 'mm-hmm' murmured into his shoulder.

But... I can't just let it be... When everything is so wrong... Everything about me is so wrong... And everything about you is so, so right.

They stayed that way for a long time, and somehow, Tifa had pressed her weight down on him enough to let them gently lie down together. Cloud was reminded of his dreams, and the feeling terrified him. He felt terrified, yes, but he was also completely and totally elated. She was allowing this... Wasn't she?

Nevertheless, he didn't dare push it any further. He gulped, feeling his throat tighten. "Tifa... You should get some sleep." Yeah, sleep. She needed it. He needed it. And he needed her here, right where she was... But she didn't need him there. She needed to go.

"Sleep, then," she mumbled, almost carelessly. Her arms slipped down from around his shoulders and fell close to his chest. She didn't look like she wanted to move anywhere.

Cloud's heart skipped a beat, before crashing back down in his chest so painfully hard that he thought his ribcage might crack open.

"Teef-" he protested.

"Sleep, Cloud..." she murmured, already beginning to drift off. Drained. Exhausted.

But...

I'm afraid...

I'm afraid that if I hold you now... That I'll never be able to let you go...

He thought she might have fallen asleep, but the softest words escaped her lips, so small and delicate and fragile. "...I can hear your heartbeat."

Words woven of thin gossamer, so tender in their nature, but holding more importance than damn near anything else Cloud had ever heard. She was close enough to hear the way his heart sounded. The way it beat for her and pulsed life through his veins, lighting him on fire and making him feel something stronger than the perpetual pain he fought through. Something wonderful and healing.

Cloud felt his resolve wearing thin, felt his hands tracing patterns over Tifa's back. "Is this okay?" He repeated the same question he had asked the night before. When she hesitated in responding, her body tensing slightly under Cloud's touch, he pulled away immediately. Ashamed.

"...I don't know what's okay anymore, Cloud," she said quietly. "I feel like I don't know what anything is anymore... But..." She snuggled up closer to him, her face buried in his chest, muffling her words. "I do know that I want to sleep beside you tonight. And I know that you'll let me. So... Sleep."

That was it. He cradled her up tightly, pulling the blanket over the both of them and propping her head up on his arm, his free hand petting her head gently.

Tifa... Sweet, beautiful, wonderful Tifa...

It had been so long since they had slept together like this, the instances few and far between. Last night had been the closest he had had to this moment in years, and now, he was relishing in the feeling of holding her. Of needing her. Of loving her. His heart sang praises of her as he watched her fall asleep, seemingly content in his arms. The longer they lied there together, the lighter the weight became in his chest. He could kiss her right now. He could tell her how he really felt. Tell her he loved her.

It's a bad idea, the logical side of his brain reminded him.

I don't care, his heart rebutted.

Yes you do. Don't be an idiot.

You'll just screw everything up. Like you always do.

Besides, you've played with her heart enough, haven't you? If you really loved her, you'd let her make her own choices.

Cloud sighed, dipping his head down and softly breathing in the scent of her clean hair.

You're right, he told himself.

But... 'No more walls'...

If Tifa really wants that... I could tell her everything... Couldn't I?

What if she rejects you? his mind supplied. You're too scared.

Yeah ...I'm too scared.

Even if this is all I'll ever have... I can't lose this...

This is... everything.

"Tifa..." he whispered. She didn't stir a bit; his words were a million miles away from her.

I love you...

It felt liberating, to think it, to know it, even if he couldn't quite say it. Even when she couldn't hear, wouldn't hear because he wouldn't dare tell her. Loving her was something akin to feeling the first morning sunrays dabble across your skin. Or breathing in the scent of fresh mountain air and smoky campfire. Something wholesome and warm and pure and full of life. Just as she was. Just as she should stay.

If only I could tell you... But it wouldn't be enough.

Something quite the opposite of who he was.

I've never been able to find the right words. They wouldn't do you justice.

The opposite of what he'd ever been.

I just...

What he ever would be.

Can't.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

Sleep well, Tifa...

That was the last, hazy thought that floated through Cloud's mind as he drifted off into exhausted slumber. The night wore long and grew old and tired, but Cloud slept more peacefully than, perhaps, he ever had before. He woke up slowly, heavily, his brain sluggishly turning over like the revving of an engine. The quiet sounds of the nighttime traffic trickled into his mind at first, followed by the most comforting feeling of warmth, of human weight piled against his body. She was...

Still here...

Still here, in his arms, sleeping soundly. Hair, sweeping across her face carelessly. Hands, wrapped up tightly around his arm. She looked so small and fragile against him, despite her muscular physique and a personality that, at times, was even stronger than her body. He carefully turned his neck to glance at the clock. It was getting close to Tifa's usual time to get up.

He couldn't believe it... And he didn't know what it meant. But for once, he didn't really care. He felt rested, and he felt soft and he felt loving. Gently, he brushed the sleeping woman's hair away from her face, admiring her pretty features and watching curiously as she stirred slightly. For the shortest second, a quick rush of adrenaline shot through his veins. Fear.

What if she regrets-

"Mmmph... Cloud?"

In that moment, a handful of memories flashed through his mind. Memories of watching her sleep by the campfire on their journey. Of sharing timid smiles over forcedly-casual meals while they built the new 7th Heaven together. Of watching the stars under the Highwind and hearing her voice, small and fearful and full of something, telling him that she needed a moment, just a moment longer as she slept against his shoulder, thinking she would never have that time again.

Time that she had now. Time that she... maybe... still wanted.

"...Mornin', Teef."

A small smile, a face too close to his. "Morning," she breathed, hair messy and eyes sleepy and utterly beautiful in every way. A slight blush, a look that told him that she was only just realizing where she was. "Did you... sleep okay?" she asked quietly.

Next to you... Who wouldn't?

"Best I've slept in a while," he admitted bravely.

"Hmm," she chuckled lightly. "... Me too."

She breathed in softly, snuggling her face into Cloud's shoulder and pulling her body closer to his. His heart melted and became ablaze simultaneously, and he pulled her in closer, too. Thoughts... Words... Worry and fear... They were all such stupid, trivial things. Stupid and unnecessary, when he could simply have this, have this feeling of her and holding her and loving her and never letting go. When he could give her anything, have his everything, tell her, tell her something, anything-

"Tifa?"

The brunette's eyes fluttered open at the sound of a young girl's voice calling her name. Marlene sounded groggy and slightly confused, and Tifa chuckled quietly to herself. "I'd better go get her," she whispered.

"Wait, Teef-"

"I'll be right back." She smiled sweetly as she unwrapped herself from Cloud's embrace and rose from the bed, padding softly over to the closed door. Cloud couldn't help but sweep his eyes over her entire form: her long, messy hair. Her loose, wrinkled t-shirt. Her lean, shapely legs baring what looked to be very soft pajama bottoms…

Stop it.

He blushed, slightly ashamed of himself. But how could he help it? His vision, his thoughts, his feelings, his everything was focused firmly on her. Focused on the fact that he had spent the night holding her. Focused on the fact that she had gone to sleep crying… And had, for some reason, woken up like she was perfectly fine. Perfectly fine, in his arms. In his arms.

"Marlene", she whispered softly, letting the hallway nightlight seep into Cloud's dark room. He watched the two embrace, noticing the confusion in the little girl's sleepy expression.

"...I can't sleep. I just wanted to see if you were up yet," she said, obviously holding back her thoughts and likely, questions.

"Yes, sweetie. I was just getting up. Why don't you go get dressed, and then you can come help me make breakfast in a little bit?"

"…Okay." The little girl peered into Cloud's room, her expression still confused. "Good morning, Cloud," she said, waving.

"M-Morning," Cloud stammered.

Tifa smiled, kissing Marlene on the forehead before ushering her back towards her room. The brunette turned in the doorway, clasping her hands behind her back and gently pushing the door closed with her foot. She slowly walked towards him, and Cloud sat up, his senses alight.

"So... I guess I should thank you."

Cloud blinked. His mind felt like jelly. "For what?"

"For helping me get through that… freakout last night." She sat beside him on the bed, close enough to where he could feel her body heat. Closer than she would have sat next to him just days ago.

Cloud shook his head, trying to dissolve his hyperawareness of her every move. "I don't really feel like I did anything, Teef."

"You did, though." She cocked her head slightly, her expression soft. "I needed somebody to help me get through that... Calm me down and tell me that things are gonna be okay... And you did just that. So... thank you. I feel much better now."

Cloud frowned. For some reason, he didn't fully believe her.

"You're sure you're okay? You... really mean it?"

She nodded, smiling. "Mm-hmm. Thanks to you." Cloud's frown didn't disappear, and Tifa must have known exactly what he was thinking. "I mean it," she reaffirmed. "I just... Kind of let everything build up and get the best of me. A girl has to cry every once in a while, right?" She laughed lightly. "But everything's okay now. Barret and Cid are coming to see us! It's gonna be a great day. I just know it."

"You're not worried anymore?" he prodded further.

You're not... Going to regret any of this, are you?

Her winning smile faltered slightly. "Well, of course I'm still worried, but..." Her eyes grew distant, looking at something faraway that only she could see. "I don't know, I've just got a good feeling today. Whatever happens, we'll worry about it when it comes. And we'll take care of it together. Right, Cloud?" He still couldn't help but feel that she wasn't being completely genuine with him, despite her asking for no more walls between them. But he couldn't deny her hopeful expression.

"You know it."

She smiled again, squeezing the top of his hand before making her way out of his room. He watched her as she left once more, leaving the door cracked open behind her. After a moment, he could hear her soft voice talking to Marlene, and gently rousing Denzel awake. Cloud sat on the bed silently, his mind humming and melting into something completely empty. Empty of fear, and anxiety, and anger and sadness. All that was left in its wake was a feeling. A feeling he had two years ago, during the night of his life that he thought might be his last. The feeling of being completely and totally entranced by her.

He sat there for a time as he held onto that feeling. His mind, made of putty, swelled and fell like the steady pull of the ocean tides. Somewhere, in the distance, he heard her making normal little noises. Clicking her alarm clock off. Rustling through her dresser. Padding down the hall to the shower and turning on the hot water. Seeing Marlene appear in the doorway came as a slight surprise, then. To say that he was distracted would be an understatement.

"Hey, Marlene."

"Hey, Cloud."

She crawled up onto the bed beside him, and Cloud refocused his attention on her. Good. He needed a distraction.

"Your eye looks better."

"Mm-hmm. It doesn't hurt anymore, but I can still see the bruise…" The little girl resituated herself, pulling her legs underneath her.

"That's good. Are you excited for today?" Cloud asked, genuinely curious.

"Yeah! I'm so excited I couldn't sleep, Cloud! I can't wait to see my Papa…" Her eyes misted over as she looked off into the distance, probably momentarily daydreaming about the reunion they would have later that night. Cloud smiled; she looked happy.

"Yeah. I'm excited too."

"You are?" Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

"…Yeah. I am."

Marlene broke out into a full smile then, and they sat in comfortable silence for a moment, before she asked a question. An innocent question, but a question that made Cloud blush furiously.

"Are you and Tifa together now?"

Cloud thought for a moment, pushing past his embarrassment and trying his best to be honest with the child. "…No, Marlene. If you mean like a couple, then we're not together."

"Why not?"

Cloud absently felt his hand come up to his face, shading his eyes from the little girl's curious gaze. "It's complicated, Marlene… Things aren't so simple when you're an adult."

Marlene looked down at the bed, making a soft little 'hmm' in contemplation. "But it is simple, though," she said after a moment. "You love Tifa and she loves you, too. If you make each other happy, shouldn't you be together?"

Cloud laughed dryly. "If only it were that easy." He shook his head empty of the thoughts that threatened to creep in. Good thoughts? Bad? He didn't know anymore. "You should go get dressed, Marlene. We can talk more later. I'm taking the next few days off."

Marlene smiled brightly, jumping off the bed. "Okay, Cloud." She paused in the doorway before leaving, turning back to him. "You know, she's told me."

"Huh?" Cloud uttered stupidly.

"She's told me that she loves you. Just so you know." She smiled again and walked off, leaving Cloud sitting there dumbly on his bed.

Love comes in many forms, Marlene… His brain began making rationalizations as quickly as he could think.

It could mean anything. Maybe she does love me, as a friend. Maybe even as part of this 'family' that we've worked so hard to create together. That, really, she created, and I've never really done my part in… She's just that type of person. She has a lot of love to give.

Me? I've never been any good at it. I'm still not.

Still, just to hear that… Even if it doesn't mean what I'd like it to…

It felt good to know that he was loved. In some way. In any way, by her. Was it really selfish, then, to want more from her? To want to take as much as she would give him? To relish in her little touches and soft smiles and gentle laughter?

Of course it is. Stop thinking you'll have anything more than what you have now.

Her friendship. Her company. It was enough… Wasn't it?

Cloud sighed. He wasn't going to let his thoughts get this best of him today. He decided that he wanted to talk to Denzel. Talking to him would be another good distraction.

He had somehow forgotten, though, that Denzel was intent on learning about the truth of the incident he and Tifa had had the previous day. He knew it as soon as he knocked on the door and walked into the room, listening to Marlene's happy chatter while noting the serious expression on the little boy's face. Cloud's heart sank; he was so wrapped up in his own feelings and his own problems, that Denzel's had totally slipped his mind. He blamed himself for the sad look that was plastered firmly on the child's face.

"Morning, Denzel."

"Good morning, Cloud."

He leaned in the doorway, crossing his arms. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Hm."

Marlene looked between the two of them, and then stuffed the rest of her homework in her backpack. "I'm going to go ahead and get breakfast started," she announced, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and squeezing past Cloud. He lightly patted the top of her head as she walked by.

"…You wanna take a walk with me?" Cloud asked. He was almost afraid that the child would say 'no', because, for some reason, he got the feeling that he was angry at him. Denzel nodded silently, though, and gathered up his things. Cloud left to wait for him in the bar area, and the little boy came downstairs a few minutes later.

"Ready?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah."

They walked in silence for some time. Somewhere, far in the recesses of his mind, Cloud thought it was a little funny. They were a lot alike. Then again, that wasn't really funny at all.

"You… wanted me to tell you. About what happened yesterday." A statement. Not a question. Denzel nodded silently, and Cloud inhaled slowly. "Tifa and I were attacked. A very large type of monster, a behemoth, ran to us from Midgar and tried to hurt us."

"It wasn't a normal monster, was it, Cloud?" Denzel asked, ever-observant. Cloud sighed.

"No. It wasn't. We're not really sure what's going on, and that's the honest truth. But the facts are that there is an organization, that we know almost nothing about, that is targeting me and Tifa. Mostly, me. And I don't know what their intentions are with me."

Denzel was deadly silent as they walked on, passing run-down houses in the alleyways behind the bar.

"We're all in danger again, then."

"No," Cloud said abruptly. "No, they don't want anything to do with you or Marlene. I don't think they even know about you two, and that's how it's going to stay."

"But they want you and Tifa."

"No, Denzel. They just want me." Cloud stopped walking and placed his hand firmly on Denzel's shoulder, stopping the boy in his tracks as well. "Listen to me, Denzel. I'm not going to let anything happen to any of you. You're not going to ever get kidnapped again. I'll never let anyone hurt you or Marlene. Not again."

Denzel looked at the ground, scuffing his shoe across the pavement. "But… What will happen to you?"

Cloud shook his head. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be okay."

Denzel slowly lifted his head back up to look at Cloud, his eyes more hollow than any child's should ever look. "Even with all the fighting? Even with the nightmares?"

Cloud nodded. "I've made it through before, and I'm not going to let anything stop me now. Not when I've come this far. Not when I have you guys to protect."

Denzel backed away from Cloud's touch, and turned to face away from him. "You're going to stay here and protect us? No matter what happens?"

"Denzel…" It hurt. After all he had put Denzel, Marlene, and Tifa through, none of them still fully believed that he was there to stay. How could they trust him, when every other time in the past, he had run away?

"I don't have anyone left to rely on. I'm still just a kid… And… You and Tifa…" He could hear the boy's voice shaking now.

Enough of this...

Swiftly, he came down and scooped the boy up into his arms, giving him a tight hug. "Denzel, no matter what happens, I will never, ever leave you again. I'll keep you safe. Marlene and Tifa, too. I don't care what monsters attack me, and I don't care who tries to bring me down. I'm not running away anymore." He pulled back, looking Denzel level in the eyes. "That's a promise."

The boy sniffed, angrily shaking his head. "I'm sick of feeling scared, Cloud. I feel scared and small and… helpless, most of the time. But, when you're around… I don't feel so scared anymore."

Cloud shook his head, too. "You're anything but helpless, Denzel. You're brave, and you're strong, and you're so smart. Smarter than you realize."

"…You really think so?"

Cloud nodded. "There's nothing to be afraid of anymore, Denzel. And, I won't hide the truth from you anymore. But this is the truth, too: nothing will ever hurt you again. Not while I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."

He released the boy from his arms, opting to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly as they continued along the empty street. "I wanna learn to fight, too," Denzel eventually said. "I know I have nothing to be afraid of, but… I want to learn to defend myself. I don't want to feel helpless anymore."

Cloud thought about it for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "I'll teach you. Not today, but soon. Okay?"

"Okay."

They finished the rest of their walk in relative silence, save for quiet questions from Denzel.

"Should I tell Marlene what's going on?"

"I think it'd be better not to worry her. Don't you?"

"…Yeah. Probably."

"I'll teach her to fight someday, too – when she's a little older. Or maybe Tifa can train her in martial arts. She could train you, as well."

"I want a weapon."

"…Alright. A weapon it is, then." Cloud paused as they rounded the corner to the 7th Heaven. "Denzel…" The boy looked up at him, and for a moment, Cloud saw someone much older than the child who stood before him. Someone with wisdom beyond his years; someone who had felt the pain of despair at an age where he should know nothing of the sort. "We're gonna have a great day together," Cloud reassured him. "All of us."

"I know." Denzel smiled at the blonde, his expression genuine, and Cloud smiled back. Denzel had faced enough turmoil in his young life; Cloud was determined to fill the rest of the child's days with nothing but love, security, and happiness.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

A couple of hours had passed since the kids had left for school, and Cloud was busying himself by wiping down each of the tables in the unseated booths. Tifa walked into the dining area, holding a clipboard and pen in her hands. "So," she started, tapping her pen on the clipboard lightly. "Party planning. So far I've got a list of ingredients that I'll need to make dinner for everyone, some notes on a couple of other random things, and now I'm working on activities. I'm thinking... beer pong?"

Cloud paused in his work, wrinkling his nose up in slight confusion. "Beer pong?"

"Yeah. It's a party, right? Haven't you ever played before?"

He thought for a moment. "I went to a couple of parties when I was in training with Shinra, but I never really..." Socialized. Hell, the only reason he had ever even gone was because Zack had talked him into it. In one instance, Zack had literally dragged him to the party by force. He shook the muddled memories from his head. "...No, I haven't played before."

Tifa laughed. "Well, you'll get a chance to try it, then. We used to play sometimes at our old 7th Heaven… It was fun. And of course I've got cards and poker chips somewhere, and extra board games for the kids... But I feel like I'm forgetting something..."

Cloud cocked his head to the side. "Tifa, are you going all out for yourself, or for everybody else to have fun?"

Her smile widened. "Both."

They continued working together for the rest of the day, making small talk that was more than enjoyable. Cloud couldn't remember the last time they had been able to talk about things that were particularly insubstantial, but he felt himself lightening up, and Tifa was lightening up as well. Every smile of hers felt like a gift, every laugh a blessing. Before long, Cloud was feeling that familiar gravitational pull that she somehow never noticed that she exuded. He couldn't get the feeling of holding her, of watching her sleeping face out of his head. He didn't want to.

They spent a lot of time in close proximity to each other, and Cloud relished in it; usually, it was comfortable, such as when they chopped various vegetables beside each other, chatting easily. At other times, though, Cloud found himself blushing, chastising himself when he remembered that he had no right to cross the line with her. He came dangerously close to pressing those boundaries when he noticed a smudge of flour on the corner of her mouth.

"What is it?" she asked, noticing the bemused expression on his face.

"You managed to keep most of the flour on your apron," he remarked, reaching out and gently wiping the substance away with his thumb. Her widened eyes and blushing cheeks caused him to blush as well, and he cleared his throat, awkwardly excusing himself out of the kitchen for a few moments.

The restaurant filled up for the lunch rush not long after that, and it was enough to keep Cloud from ruminating on his thoughts, both good and bad. Though he wasn't found of interacting with the customers, working was an enjoyable distraction. Tifa let him spend most of his time in the kitchen, away from the hustle and bustle of waiting tables. Once she had gotten all of the orders out, the brunette had stepped into the kitchen for a short break, leaning against the counter and drinking a tall glass of water. "Forgot to show you this," Cloud mentioned as she set her glass down. He pulled out the fancy invitation Reeve had given him yesterday and handed it to her.

"A WRO gala?" she inquired.

Cloud nodded. "Reeve said invite whoever we'd like. Mentioned that he could use the added security."

"Guess we're going, then," Tifa said, before giggling quietly.

"What is it?"

"Formal dress is required." She smiled slyly.

"My clothes are formal enough."

"Not for a black tie affair, they aren't." She quickly washed her glass and made her way back into the bar area, brushing past Cloud as she did. "Can't wait to see Cloud Strife in a tux." Cloud blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, and decided to spend the rest of his afternoon in the safe seclusion of the empty kitchen.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

The day passed easily, and even though Cloud had a nervous knot in his stomach, it was one of the best days he'd had in a long time. The sun faded from the sky quicker than he had anticipated, and the first hints of springtime were creeping in, as the night was comfortably warm and the faraway scent of pollen floated freely through the air. Plants, Cloud mused. Plants and flowers would be nice in the bar. He swatted at a lone mosquito, out a bit early in the season, and vaguely wondered how much time it would take before the grass began to grow in Edge. All Shinra's fault, he reminded himself, remembering a time when he couldn't care less about the state of the Planet. Now, however, the fact that the earth beneath his feet was dead and barren felt important. The bitterness that he felt towards the former company dissipated when he looked at Marlene's smiling little face. She and Denzel had come home a few hours ago, both in high spirits despite having their first day back at school after their suspension. Although Marlene's eye was still a little bit bruised, she didn't seem to care in the slightest. Cloud wished that she had green grass to play bare-footed on, just like he had when he was a child.

"Cloud, how much longer are they gonna take?" Marlene inquired, pure excitement radiating from her form.

"Probably not too much longer." Cloud felt his stomach tremble nervously, nodding politely as a young couple walked up the front porch steps into the bar. He was excited too; still nervous, very much, but excited. Tifa and Denzel were busying themselves inside the bar while Marlene waited outside, looking for any signs of the Shera's large shadow. "Come on, Marlene. Let's go help Tifa and Denzel. It'll make the time pass faster."

"Okay," she said, her eyes still searching the skies eagerly.

The night rush picked up pretty quickly, and before he knew it, Cloud was helping push out orders along with the kids. "Teef," he called, catching her arm as she walked past. "I know it's really busy, but… Is there anything else I can help with?" She gave him a once-over and smiled, and he knew she had picked up on the fact that he still wasn't very comfortable with directly interacting with the customers; that was better suited to the charismatic kids and Tifa's welcoming charm.

"Dish duty?" she asked, the corner of her lip curving up cutely.

"Dish duty sounds great."

The hours passed by like that, and Cloud still found himself having an enjoyable time. He could hear the kids chattering happily as they waited tables, and Tifa came in from time to time to refill drinks and tend to the never-ending cooking.

"I was thinking about actually starting a menu instead of just pushing out house specials every night," Tifa commented, making comfortable small talk. "I think it'd bring a lot more business if I turned this into more of a family restaurant than a bar, you know? Plus I love having the kids around, and the sweet old couples... Much better than all the skeeves I served at the old 7th Heaven."

Cloud made a slight 'hmmph', something between a chuckle and a sound of displeasure.

"What is it?"

Cloud set the last few dirty plates in the sink, his eyes faraway. "I was thinking... plants."

Tifa blinked. "Plants?"

"...Yeah. Plants, in the bar. Bring some fresh air in here... Maybe some... paint, too. I don't know..."

"You wanna renovate the bar?" she asked, paused in her potato-chopping.

"Well, yeah... You were thinking about changing some things up too, right? Since I'm around now... I could help... Get the kids in on it, too."

She smiled. "I'd love that, Cloud."

Night fell not too long after, and as the dinner rush slowed down, Cloud took his seat at the bar, keeping Tifa and the kids company up front. There was still no sign of the Shera, and Marlene was growing more and more restless by the minute. Denzel seemed to be feeding off of her energy, as well. The entire bar felt like it was buzzing; there were even more drunken customers loitering than usual - especially for a Monday night.

One particularly inebriated man had sauntered up to the bar and stayed there for quite a while, his eyes hungrily following Tifa wherever she went. Cloud's terrifying glares weren't enough to scare him off, and that frazzled something deep at his core. "Hey, sweetheart," the man called to her eventually. Tifa immediately donned a smile that Cloud knew was fake. It wasn't quite the same as when she was pretending to be happy around him. It was far less genuine than that, but Tifa's smiles were so sweet that most people fell for them anyway.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice light and chipper.

"Yeah... I'm new to this place. Just got my ass out of Midgar; took me too damn long, too. So, uh, I was wonderin' if you could show me around sometime?" He smiled slyly, and Cloud felt his fists clench atop the bar. "Ya know, I could take ya somewhere real nice in return," he said, winking for good measure.

Tifa held her sweet smile, cocking her head slightly. "I'm afraid I'm not interested. But, if you need help getting to know the town, you could always ask my friend here if he'd show you around." She lightly jerked her head towards Cloud, and the drunken man finally took a long moment to regard the swordsman, his chest deflating as he did so.

"Think I'll pass..." he said after a moment. He finished his drink, paid his tab, and left pretty quickly. Cloud was grateful; if he had tried anything stupid, Tifa would have been angry with the way he would have handled it. It would have ended with unconsciousness and at least a little bit of blood, and not on Cloud's end.

"Yeah, I definitely want a family restaurant," Tifa commented absently. "Haven't been hit on like that in quite a while. Makes me feel... uncomfortable."

Cloud frowned. You get hit on by Trent all the time, he thought. Maybe you just don't notice it because...

He shook his head; if he finished that thought, his previously good mood would be ruined. Tifa blushed, making herself busy with the cash register and the pile of receipts next to it, when the little chime on the door 'dinged' quietly. Somehow, Cloud knew it wasn't Barret or Cid.

Speak of the devil...

"Trent?" Tifa called, uncertainty laced in her voice.

"Hey there, Tifa," he replied. He sounded nervous. "Evenin', Cloud," he added offhandedly, leaning against the bar. Cloud gritted his teeth, nodding in acknowledgement. "I, uh..." Trent looked around the bar for a moment, waving to Marlene and Denzel, who were seated at a table, eating their own dinner. His eyes darted back to the barmaid. "Um, Tifa? Could I... speak with you privately for a moment?"

Cloud's eyes narrowed instantly, and Tifa opened and closed her mouth, her cheeks tingeing rouge. "Uh, yeah. Okay," she said, nodding her head. "Um, come with me." She led him into the kitchen, and he made no further acknowledgement of Cloud's presence as he followed her. The blonde stood up abruptly, deciding that, yeah, his good mood was gone, and it was time for a drink. He looked up as he poured himself a short whiskey behind the bar, and saw that Denzel and Marlene's little faces were staring at him intently; they pretended to be uninterested as soon as he noticed them.

Sitting back down in his seat at the bar, he could hear their conversation, whether he wanted to or not. He considered going to his room, but that would be too obvious. He knew, though, that Tifa was very aware that he could hear their hushed voices through the thick wall.

"I have a birthday present for you, but... It comes with some stipulations."

"What? Trent-"

"Just listen, Tifa. Now... You've been working hard. Very, very hard. And I know that you're stressed out."

Silence.

"So... I got to thinkin', and, well, I thought maybe you need a vacation. A real vacation. So I, uh, got you these tickets. There's three of 'em, one for you and each of the kids-"

Three tickets.

"-and that'll get you a nice boat ride to Costa del Sol for a few days."

"Trent-"

"Now the dates are listed on here, and here's your hotel information, it's already paid for-"

"Trent-"

"But you gotta go on this exact date, or you won't make it. You have to stay for this exact amount of time, or-"

"Trent!" She sighed audibly. "This is... incredibly kind of you, but... I can't accept."

"But Tifa-"

"I have to stay here and run the bar, and... take care of things. I can't just up and leave, even if everything is paid for and taken care of."

"I'll watch the bar for you. As part of your gift."

A long stretch of silence.

"...No. Thank you, but no."

"Tifa, please... I don't understand."

"It's just... too much. It's expensive and it feels too personal, and I just... I just can't leave here right now, okay?"

"But you have to leave!" His words were hushed, almost fervent in their nature.

"Why?"

"...I can't explain that. You just, really, really need this vacation, okay? Do you understand? You need it."

More silence.

"Look, hold onto this, okay? Don't get rid of it. Don't give it to someone else. Just, please, take the vacation."

"Trent-"

"I'm gonna be leaving here soon. Got some business to tend to. But, please... Take the vacation." With that, he hurriedly made to leave, nearly knocking into Cloud as he did. That didn't sit well with the swordsman, and he stood again, the barstool scraping against the floor roughly. The tall man stopped in his tracks, turned, and regarded Cloud, his eyes cutting into the blonde just as roughly as Cloud's own glare cut into the plumber's. Trent nodded too stiffly, too formally.

I'm onto you...

Tifa had appeared from the kitchen, holding the tickets and paperwork with both hands to her chest. "Happy birthday," Trent said, his eyes slipping away from Cloud's, before quickly disappearing out the front door without another word. Tifa sighed, exasperated, flipping through the paperwork and taking a long moment to stare at the boat tickets.

"He only got us three..." she said, more to herself than out loud.

Cloud sat back down and took a long drink of his whiskey, avoiding looking at the pretty brunette. "What are the dates?" he asked.

Tifa was silent for a moment. "The 5th through the 8th... Two days after my birthday..."

"One day after the WRO Gala."

"Right..." Her voice trailed off with her thoughts. "It must have just been the dates that were available. It's such a nice gift, but..."

"I don't trust it."

She looked at him incredulously. "Cloud..."

"I don't. I don't trust it and I don't trust him. He's up to something."

She crossed her arms, paperwork still in hand. "You know, sometimes people just do nice things for each other for no reason."

"Not that guy."

"Cloud... He's my friend. I trust him."

Cloud downed the rest of his whiskey, setting it down firmly on the bar. "Well, maybe you should be more careful with who you choose to trust." He pushed himself off of his stool, feeling a familiar sense of anger wash over him, and strode up the stairs purposefully. Tifa simply stared at him, her mouth slightly agape.

"Cloud," she called after him again, but he ignored her. He could feel her eyes watching him as he left, could feel Marlene and Denzel's, too, and a certain sense of unease seemed to coat the atmosphere of the lively bar.

Don't know what game he's playing at... But I'm not about to play.

He shut his bedroom door roughly and plopped down in his desk chair, running his hands through his hair, aggravated. There was just something about that guy that gave him a bad gut feeling, and usually, Cloud could trust his gut. He had sounded so desperate for Tifa to accept his gift; what was the point? Was he trying to lead her and the kids into some sort of trap? Or was he just trying to get under Cloud's skin? If that was the case, he was doing a damn good job.

Cloud shook his head, ruminating over Trent's words and actions and tiny, insignificant mannerisms for far too long.

He said that he would be leaving soon... Going away for some 'business'...

Meaning that Cloud would have a hard time finding him, if he wanted to confront him - and that was something that was quickly becoming a solid option in his mind.

Going away while he sends Tifa and the kids on a vacation...

Would he be going close to Costa del Sol? Would he be waiting for them? If so... why?

But he also said he would run the bar while Tifa was gone...

It didn't make any sense. Everything about his interaction with Tifa didn't make any sense, and it was driving him crazy. Besides, he could run the bar for Tifa just fine, if for some reason she did decide she wanted to take a vacation.

Maybe you're scared that she's gonna leave, his mind supplied, pulling him towards darker thoughts. Show you how it feels to be left alone, like you left her. Make you feel the pain you caused her.

Shut up, he warned himself, stupidly, pointlessly trying to block his own thoughts.

Maybe you're overthinking this, like you overthink everything else. Maybe you're just jealous that you didn't get invited to go with the rest of the family. Maybe you're scared that Tifa will take the kids and leave you here all alone. Maybe you're scared that she'll fall in love with-

"Shut up," he scolded himself aloud.

See, there you go again. Talking to yourself and fighting your own thoughts.

And this time, those thoughts weren't anyone else's but his own.

Crazy bastard.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

If nothing else, Cloud could predict Tifa's actions perfectly - at least, he could when he knew how she felt. He had sat in his room for about an hour, tormenting himself with a barrage of toxic thoughts, while Tifa presumably went through the process of being angry at him, calming down, and preparing the perfect lecture to assault him with. Just as he suspected, there were footsteps coming down the hallway, footsteps that echoed clearly above the quiet lull of the customers' chatter, and two soft knocks played at his door. "Come in," he called, gulping down the nauseated feeling that was bubbling up from his stomach.

"Hey, you," she said, pushing open the door. She stood there silently for a moment, and Cloud didn't bother to face her. He couldn't bear to see that angry look on her face right now. "Are you done feeling sorry for yourself?"

"Who said I was feeling sorry for myself," he countered, feeling his own frustration begin to rise again. Frustration that was unfairly aimed at her.

"I did," she said, shutting the door behind herself and plopping down on Cloud's bed. "Every time you get upset, you start feeling sorry for yourself, and you go in circles and you beat yourself up until you practically hate yourself."

Cloud turned in his chair, hiding his face from her view. Damn, she was observant. She could always see right through him, and it left him feeling naked and vulnerable. Cloud didn't like feeling vulnerable - in all his years of fighting, he never allowed anyone or anything to find an opening, a weak point. And yet, somehow, Tifa knew exactly where all of his weak points were.

"How do you know that?" he mused, the question directed more to himself than to her.

He heard her adjust herself on the bed, likely pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them protectively. "Because I know you."

He sighed, and slowly turned his chair towards her, shame apparent on his face. "Of course you do." She did. She knew more about him than he did, sometimes.

She nodded, her brow furrowing seriously. They were both silent for a few moments, until Tifa spoke again, her voice softer this time. "I decided... I'm not going on the vacation. I'm gonna give the tickets back to Trent... If I see him again."

Slight confusion traced the features of Cloud's face. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged her shoulders, her arms still wrapped around herself. "I don't know. He was talking kind of funny. I think..." She made a small sound, perhaps a laugh, even though she didn't seem like she felt that the subject was very funny. "I think I hurt his feelings the other day... And now I wonder if he'll even continue to be my friend any longer."

Cloud cocked his head slightly, letting his curiosity get the best of him. "What happened?"

Tifa sighed, and blushed furiously. "He... asked me out. On a date." Cloud's heart sank immediately; the last traces of frustration left him and were replaced with pure disappointment. He said nothing, his face blank and his composure tight. Tifa didn't need to see how those words stung like a bolt of Ice materia through his chest. She didn't need to see how it made him want to grab her and kiss her and tell her how badly he'd like to take her out on a date right then and there.

Yeah, a date. You know how well that went the last time you tried that.

"I turned him down," she said abruptly.

Cloud gulped, unable to contain the stupid question that bubbled up to the forefront of his mind. "Why?"

She was very quiet, her eyes tracing the floorboards. "...I just. Didn't want to."

"...Oh."

"Yeah."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them, until Tifa finally sighed heavily and unwrapped herself, stretching out her legs near Cloud's own.

"I'm not angry at you, you know."

You should be.

"I know."

"Are you angry at me?" she questioned.

"Gods, no. Why would I ever be mad at you?"

She cocked her head to the side, hesitantly reaching out and pushing a stray tuft of blonde hair away from Cloud's face. "You don't need to feel bad."

I do.

"I shouldn't have acted that way towards you."

"I told you no more apologies."

"I feel like all the apologies in the world would never be enough." The words had tumbled out before he could stop himself, and somehow, he knew that Tifa knew what he meant. He didn't mean apologies just for today.

She smiled, small and delicate, but unwaveringly real. "Come back downstairs with us," she suggested. "We were having such a good day together."

And I went and screwed everything up, Cloud thought sourly. Like always.

"I see that look on your face, and I know what you're thinking," she scolded lightly. "I'm not going to let you sit up here and feel bad the rest of the night. Come on." She tugged on his wrists lightly, standing and pulling him up with her. His frown was etched deeply into his features, and his eyes avoided direct contact with hers; he was too ashamed, sitting alone and brooding again, while Tifa did everything in her power to cheer him up. Even when she felt just as bad as him. Even when she felt worse.

She reached out again and caressed his face lightly, and he closed his eyes, finally giving in to the way her cool fingertips grazed his skin so softly. So gently and so kindly... Touch that was undeserved. When his eyes finally opened, she was looking at him tenderly. "It's okay," she said. "I know this is hard for you. But... Please..." Her eyes glanced away for only a moment before returning to his. "Try for me, alright? Just come back downstairs with me."

Try...

Really, it was all she ever asked of him. He nodded once, slowly and surely. If it would make Tifa happy again... If it would make things right... He would do anything she asked of him. His feelings didn't really matter, anyway. Hers were so, so much more important.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

Despite Cloud's unrelenting negativity, Tifa's optimism was almost contagious at times. Times like now, with her excitement radiating almost as strongly as Marlene's own for seeing Barret and Cid. Even Denzel was running around and joking, acting like a normal, happy kid for once. She had somehow succeeded in cheering Cloud up, simply by being herself. He didn't know how she did it. It was just one of those things she was good at. When she was happy, she was really, really happy, and it spread like sunshine to everyone around her - including him and his gloomy skies. He had even almost forgotten about Trent, and maybe even Deepground, for a fleeting moment.

The clock ticked slowly, and at some point, the kids' bedtime had passed hours ago. Both children had purposefully fought sleep, although Denzel had succumbed more easily to his heavy eyelids, eventually napping at a booth table, but Marlene's excitement had kept her energized to the point of bursting. It was long after the last customers had filtered out and the "open" sign on the front of the window had been switched to "closed" before the loud roar of an SUV announced the arrival of Barret and Cid. They must have landed the Shera in the fields outside of Edge, Cloud mused.

"Papa! PAPA!" Marlene cried, jumping out of her chair and running right out the front door. Tifa didn't try to stop her, but instead, chased after her, her smile radiant.

"Come on, Denzel," Cloud encouraged the boy who had been startled awake, jogging out the door as well. He smiled, rubbing his eyes, and was quickly in tow behind the blonde.

"PAPAAAAA!"

And there they were - the figure of a hulking man emerging from the front seat of the vehicle; a slightly younger, smaller man exiting the passenger side.

"MARLENE!" the large man's voice boomed. "There's my baby girl!"

The reunion was sweet, and Cloud couldn't help but smile softly. Barret picked up Marlene and whirled her around, hugging her and refusing to let her go. Tifa was quickly in his arms as well, as Barret was huge and strong enough to hold up Marlene while allowing the barmaid to hug onto the other half of his body.

"Barret! We missed you so much!" Tifa laughed, absolutely jubilant. "Cid! We missed you too!" She ran to the other man, giving him such a huge hug that it almost knocked him off balance.

"Good to see ya too!" he guffawed.

"Hey Cid," Cloud called, moving purposefully to meet him with a strong handshake and a hearty pat on the back. "Hey, Barret," he turned to the large man, an amused grin on his face. Barret let Marlene slide out of his arm, and he pulled Cloud into a crushing hug before the blonde could refuse, laughing heartily.

"What's up, Spiky! So good to see ya!" He released the swordsman and rubbed his knuckles roughly through the younger man's hair. Cloud shook his head and rubbed at the back of his neck, thoroughly embarrassed. Yep, things were as they always were; Barret had already managed to irritate him. Oddly enough, Cloud sort of missed it.

"Denzel, this is my Papa!" Marlene said to the boy. "You never really got to meet him. And this is Cid! They're best friends with Tifa and Cloud!"

Tifa nodded. "That's right. Why don't we all go in and catch up? I'll make the two of you some dinner."

It took a short time for everyone to be seated at the biggest booth in the corner of the restaurant, two large plates of dumplings resting in front of the weathered men.

"Oh, man have I missed your cookin'," Barret remarked. Tifa giggled, pouring the two men a large glass of Corel wine each.

"So," she started, scooting into the booth next to Cloud. "Fill us in. What's been going on? Have you made any progress on your work?"

"Well… Sort of," Barret replied. "We've found some oil reserves, but they're small and they won't last long. Especially with all the power that Edge and the remains of Midgar need. And in the end, oil is just about as bad as coal. It'll just end up hurting us in the long run."

Cloud and Tifa both frowned. Barret's eyes jumped between the two of them as he popped a dumpling in his mouth, chewing it and swallowing it quickly. "The good news is that the WRO seems to be interested in helping the cause. Reeve was talking my head off about some sort of 'clean energy initiative'. I only listened to half of what he was saying," he laughed. "But it sounded good."

" 'Clean energy initiative?' ", Cloud repeated. "I wonder if that's what the big WRO announcement is?"

Barret shrugged. "Who knows."

"Uh, speaking of which," Cloud piped up again, "have you heard about the WRO Gala?"

"Yep, me and Cid are gonna attend as bodyguards."

The blonde nodded. "So are me and Tifa."

Tifa smiled, turning her attention to the pilot who was too busy scarfing down his meal to talk. "What about you, Cid? How is Shera?"

"Shera's great. More than great, actually. And the wife's not doing too bad either." Cid laughed at his own lame joke, and Tifa rolled her eyes at him.

"Ha-ha, very funny," she teased. Cloud felt a smirk tug at the corner of his lips.

"Really though, everything is going pretty good. Reeve's gonna help me out too, I guess," he supplied. "I haven't discussed too many details with him, and I'm glad I haven't, cause that man talks too god damn much." Barret nodded in agreement, and Cloud frowned.

Wish he would have talked "too much" to me. I can't get a damn word out of him.

"But he said he's gonna allocate some funds to a new space exploration unit. It won't be much at first, but it should be enough to create a small team in my stead."

"In your stead?" Tifa questioned. Cloud wondered, too. Cid wanted nothing more than to explore the universe.

"Well, yeah. It's gonna be kinda hard being in the middle of everything, with Shera being pregnant and all."

"Pregnant!?" Tifa exclaimed, her features lighting up. "Oh Cid, that's so exciting! Congratulations!"

Cloud smiled. "Congrats," he added.

"Thank ya, thank ya. I'm excited, but I'm nervous, too. I'll still be involved in the space program. Hell, I'll basically be running it. Show those little bastards how it's done. But Shera and my kids will be my first priority."

"Kids?" Cloud questioned.

"Twins."

Tifa's hands flew to her mouth, pure excitement radiating from her. Barret and Denzel were smiling, too. "Can we come and see the babies sometime after they're born?" Marlene asked, and Cid turned to the little girl and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Hell yeah! Y'all can all come visit whenever you like. Just give me a ring first. I'm a little cranky when company is unexpected, even if it's close friends." He laughed heartily, pulling a cigarette from his pack and lighting it.

"CID!" Tifa bellowed, standing up and snatching the offending cigarette right from Cid's mouth before dropping it into her own glass of water. The older man simply stared at her in disbelief for a second's time.

"WOMAN, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" he yelled back.

"You know we don't smoke in this bar! And the kids are right here beside you!" she countered.

"What kind of bar lets you drink but don't let you smoke in it?!"

"Mine!"

"Well, why the hell not?!"

"Because I said so! That's why!"

Things were getting loud, fast, but it was sort of amusing. Cloud and Barret made eye contact and for the briefest moment, shared in the humor together. Marlene and Denzel just looked bewildered. They hadn't seen Tifa yell very often, even if it was somewhat in jest.

"Look, if you want to smoke, go out on the front porch," she stated firmly. "Light up in here again and I'll smack the whole pack off of your head!"

"The hell you won't!"

Tifa childishly stuck her tongue out at Cid before grabbing her cigarette-water and their empty plates and heading into the kitchen. Cloud shook his head, trying not to laugh. He knew that she wasn't really mad, but she was serious, as well. Something had really gotten into her since this morning.

Only thing that's changed since last night is-

"God damn it, can't even smoke a cigarette in peace anymore. Come on, Cloud."

"What?"

"Come step outside and smoke this damn cigarette with me."

He blinked. "I don't smoke."

"I know that, dumbass, but since Queen Tifa won't let her old friend smoke in her bar, come outside with me and keep me company."

"Um...Okay. I guess."

Cloud followed the older man out to the front porch and gently shut the door behind him, hearing Barret question Marlene about her eye before it closed. He frowned as Cid pulled a cigarette from the pack he kept tucked in the strap of his goggles and lit it with the slightest hint of irritation, taking a long drag and leaning against the rail of the wooden porch. "That Tifa sure is somethin' else. Sure is nice to see all of ya lookin' so happy, though," he commented. "I was wonderin' what would happen to you kids after everything went down. But it seems like you've made a pretty decent life for yourselves."

Cloud nodded, humming in acknowledgement.

"Don't think I've ever seen you smile so much," he added. "You used to always have this angry look on your face. But with such a pretty lady around, who wouldn't smile?" He laughed to himself, and took another drag off his cigarette. Cloud shuffled uncomfortably, opting to stay silent. "You know, Cloud," Cid continued, "when I first met Shera, I didn't know what I wanted. Hell, I didn't even know I liked her. Sometimes she pissed me off, but other times, I felt like I was fallin' in love with her."

Cloud shook his head, turning to head back inside. "I'm gonna stop you right there, Cid." He knew where Cid was going with this, and he wasn't about to have this conversation with him. But then, he felt a strong hand holding onto his shoulder.

"Now hold on there, chocobo-brains. I ain't finished my cigarette yet and you're gonna stay out here with me 'til I'm done."

Cloud shrugged his hand off, slightly irritated. He crossed his arms, unhappy that his friend thought he could tell him what to do, and unsure of why he was actually following his order. Cid took another casual drag, and he didn't seem to care about Cloud's current demeanor.

"…I made mistakes," he continued. "I didn't treat Shera very well for a long time. After everything that had happened… It took a lot for me to realize how much she had helped me. That she had even saved my life. And even though I might have hated her at one point, my feelings changed. You understand that, don't you?" Cloud nodded silently. "You're a smart kid, Cloud. A smart man, with a good heart and a strong will. I admire that about you."

"...Thanks," the swordsman replied, somewhat awkwardly.

"But you're an idiot."

Cloud blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I said, you're an idiot if you don't tell Tifa how you feel about her, and soon. You don't come across a woman like that every day, and I haven't seen someone as lovesick as you are in ages. And let me tell ya, kid, I've got more than a decade on ya, so I've seen a lot of shit." He puffed his cigarette again, flicking the ash off of the burning end. "And don't act like you're surprised that I can tell," he added, noting the incredulous look on Cloud's face. "It's obvious to everybody, except for her. I swear y'all two were made for each other."

Cloud leaned over the railing next to Cid, dropping his head down. "You don't understand," he said, changing his tone and feeling strangely compelled to open up, just a little bit. "It's... complicated." He stopped talking just as soon as he had begun; that was as open as he could get.

Cid nodded in understanding, taking his final drag and squeezing the ember out of his cigarette onto the ground below the railing. "Everything's complicated, ain't it? I mean, hell, we all could have died two years ago, but that didn't stop us from trying. And whaddaya know, we won. We got what we wanted, didn't we?" Cid stuffed his cigarette butt in his pocket, pushing himself off the wooden rail coolly. "Ain't nothin' in this life simple or easy, Cloud. You of all people should know that. But, sometimes the most complicated things are worth the most effort. Even if it's scary or hard sometimes, ya know?" He looked at Cloud with an air of sincerity and wisdom, and for the shortest moment, Cloud really considered his words. Maybe Cid could tell, because he switched topics in an instant, attempting to clear the air of its sincere tone. "What ain't complicated is this business offer I wanna make with you."

"Business offer?" Cloud repeated, feeling a little dumb. "You haven't said anything about a business offer…"

"Nope, not until now," Cid replied, opening the front door and reentering the bar. "You see, it's pretty simple. I'm going to be spending most of my time at home once Shera has the babies." Cloud nodded, taking his seat at the bar and noting that Barret and the kids had made their way upstairs. Tifa was making noise in the kitchen. "Barret uses my airship to look for oil, but I'm not sure what his future plans are, or how often he'll need to use it. And, well, I'm gonna need a little extra cash to help support my family, while I stay home with them. So I was thinking…" He tapped his fingers on the bar as he thought. "I rent you the Shera to use for your deliveries, for a small fee. Just enough to help me bring in a little extra income. And you can use it to deliver larger cargo, or more cargo, or the same cargo – whatever the hell you want - quicker than you do right now. I know your bike is fast, but my airship is faster."

Cloud thought about it. The offer was interesting.

"We might start delivering raw materials soon, too. Barret's oil, or other things like that. If you make the actual deliveries, we'll split the profit sixty-forty for every product of mine that you deliver. I don't know how Barret wants to split things up, but we can talk with him and figure that out later. That's my proposal, though. It's on the table."

"I'll think about it, Cid."

"Good deal, my man," the older man said as he patted Cloud heartily on the shoulder. "Good deal." He sauntered off towards the tiny, open living room, and plopped down heavily on the couch. "Tell you what… Between piloting the Shera and coming home to a pregnant wife… I'm beat. At least the airship don't nag at me." He chuckled to himself, and Cloud cocked his head to the side, a quizzical expression crossing his face.

"Cid… If you'll be busy at home with your family while I use your airship to make deliveries… Who's gonna pilot it?"

"You, obviously. Who else?"

"…Me?"

"Yeah." He rose up from the couch enough to look at Cloud from over the back of it, shrugging his shoulders. "You're the only person I'd trust to fly it. Of course, I'd have to give you some lessons, first."

"Of course…" Cloud echoed.

Cid flopped back down when Cloud said nothing more, tucking his hands behind his head casually. "You've got plenty of time to think it over."

"Right."

"…Kinda funny," he murmured, chuckling to himself. "This ain't where I'd imagined I'd be, even just a few years ago. Gettin' ready to raise a family… Overseeing a new space program, rather than actually getting into the fray myself… Hell, even seeing a new space program launch at all… Funny how much things change." He quietly chuckled again as Cloud listened intently. "Even funnier thing is… I sort of feel… Scared. After all the shit I've been through – all the monsters I've fought – I feel scared to see those cute little babies' faces, because I've never had anything so small and helpless rely on me before…"

Cloud hummed a soft "hmm" in acknowledgement. It wasn't exactly the same, but he understood a little bit; Marlene and Denzel weren't babies, but they were children. Children that relied on him.

"Don't worry about it, Cid," he reassured him. "I'm sure you'll know what to do when the time comes."

"Ya think so?" The older man's voice was heavier than Cloud expected it to be. More tired and forlorn. It was something unusual for the loud, cocky man.

"No… I don't think so. I know so." The corner of Cloud's mouth quirked up into a slight smirk as he rose from the barstool, making his way towards the kitchen. "If there's anything you're good at, it's being an asshole." Cloud heard a grunt of disapproval from the couch. "But you're probably the nicest asshole I've ever met. And you're gonna love your kids." He shrugged. "What else does it take to raise them?"

What else does it take? he wondered idly.

Cid laughed, the sound fuller and more hearty this time. "I guess you're right… For once."

Cloud chuckled dryly, opting to ignore his own question for the time being, and paused before disappearing through the kitchen doorway. "You'll make a great dad," he commented honestly.

"…Thanks, Cloud."

He nodded, more to himself than anyone else, and found Tifa prepping what looked like tomorrow's dinner. She smiled fondly at him as he walked in, and Cloud's heart skipped a beat.

"Tifa, do you ever take a break from your chores?"

"Sometimes… When I feel like it," she replied, her smile radiant.

Cloud walked behind her and slipped his arms around her, grasping the knife in her right hand and the onion in her left. "You should get some sleep… Finish prep tomorrow."

"I-I'm almost done," she stammered, but slowly relinquished the items from her grip and allowed Cloud to take them into his own.

"I'll help you in the morning. It's late."

They took some time to put the ingredients and dishes away in their proper places, and by the time they had finished, Cid was already beginning to fall asleep. Tifa offered him to sleep in her bed, but he refused. She told him she'd bring him some blankets and a pillow, and his only response was a mumbled 'thanks'.

Cloud followed her up the stairs, intending to carry the bedding back to Cid, despite knowing that Tifa was more than capable of doing so herself. He could hear Barret's deep voice over the sound of furniture scraping across the floor, followed by laughter from both of the children. He smiled.

"What's going on in here?" Tifa inquired, leaning in the doorway and smiling as well.

"Storytime slumber party!" Marlene answered excitedly. The bedside table had been moved out of the way and both children's beds were scooted up beside each other, essentially creating one queen-sized bed.

"Well, this looks fun," she commented. "Can we join?"

"Sure," the large man said, patting the bed on his left side; Marlene and Denzel were sitting in front of him, listening intently.

"I'll grab Cid's blankets," Cloud offered, amusement lacing his voice. He grabbed what he needed from the small hallway closet, but Cid didn't wake when he brought everything to him. He shook his head, leaving the bedding in a pile at his feet, and made his way back upstairs. Tifa was sitting cross-legged beside Barret, mirroring the children as they listened to him tell some sort of story about a moogle family. His facial expressions were lively, as were his gestures, bringing more emphasis to his words. Cloud leaned in the doorway and crossed his arms, thoroughly amused.

"You're not doing the voice right!" Marlene criticized after a moment. "You're supposed to do the fat moogle voice for Papa Moogle!"

Barret caught Cloud's eyes for a moment, and the blonde smirked. "Yeah, Barret. Do the fat moogle voice."

"Everybody wants to hear it," Tifa added playfully.

With a sigh, Barret puffed out his chest, and did his best impression of a fat, adorable, dumb-sounding creature. "I can't fly anymore!" he exclaimed, his throat tight and voice high, as if there really were too much fat constricting his vocal cords. "If I eat another kupo nut, I'm gonna explode!" He emphasized his words by pushing his belly out as far as he could and forcing a couple of double-chins down his neck. The kids burst out laughing, and Tifa giggled quietly. It was actually a pretty good impression.

Cloud and Tifa waited until Barret had finished his silly story, leaving both of the kids giggling wildly. "One more!" Marlene had asked excitedly, but Barret shook his head.

"It's time for you to go to sleep, kiddo. It's way past your bedtime, I'm sure."

"Oh yeah," Tifa agreed, nodding her head. "And you two have school in the morning."

"But Papa…" Marlene protested. "I just want to spend more time with you…"

"Aww, Marlene," Barret cooed, pulling the little girl into a hug. "Don't worry, I'll be here when you get home from school tomorrow. I was actually thinking of staying for a few days… That is, if Cloud and Tifa don't mind?"

"Barret!" Tifa sounded offended. "You know you're welcome here any time you want. No need to ask. Right, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded, though it really wasn't up to him. Through and through, this was still Tifa's bar. Her home.

Barret nodded in return. "Now you get to sleep baby. I'm gonna go have a chat with Tifa and Cloud, and I'll be back up here soon, okay?"

"Okay, Papa," she replied, satisfied with his response. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Marlene." Everyone shared their goodnights, Barret patting Denzel on the head and telling him "Nice to finally meet you, buddy," before leaving down the stairs. Tifa gave each of the children a hug and a kiss, and watched fondly as Cloud hugged both kids, pausing before Denzel before taking his leave.

"What do you think?" he whispered, gesturing to the two men downstairs.

"I like them," Denzel replied, smiling.

"I'm glad."

Cloud turned off the light and cracked the door when he left, sure that both kids would fall asleep nearly instantly. He caught Tifa peering over the couch at Cid's sleeping form, slack-jawed and lose-limbed. "Should I wake him?"

"Ah, let 'im sleep," Barret commented from a nearby table. "He probably needs it. Been driving me nuts with all his worrying about Shera and the twins."

"He's probably just scared to be a new dad, Barret," Tifa replied, shaking a folded blanket out and laying it over Cid in a motherly fashion.

The large man chuckled quietly, "It ain't easy. He's right to be scared." He pulled out a chair far away from the table and sat down in it carefully, scratching at his scraggly beard. "You know…I've really been thinking about joining the WRO... With the new green energy initiative, and the Organization reallocating funding for our cause…" Barret sighed wearily. "It just feels so strange. My whole life, I've blazed my own path. Did things my own way. To think that I'd be signing up with some major organization that was built on funding from Shinra…"

"Wait, what?" Cloud interjected.

Barret shook his head. "Where do you think the WRO is getting all this money from, Cloud? Out of Reeve's ass?" The blonde let out a quiet 'hmmph'.

So that's why Reeve's been working with Rufus…

"Sometimes I think that I'd really like to settle down," Barret continued. "Hell, I'm getting old, I can feel it in my bones. But at the same time... I know I can't stop fighting. I can't stop until the day I die. Or until the Planet is restored back to the way it's supposed to be. Whichever happens first, I guess." Cloud nodded silently. He understood. Though, in the end, he had fought for the Planet too, he'd never felt as strongly as Barret did about its livelihood. Giving a safe and happy place for his friends and family to live, though - that, he understood.

"I think it's a great idea, Barret," Tifa interjected. "...Reeve asked us if we'd like to join, too," she added. "But... to tell you the truth, I don't know how much fight I have left in me."

Barret shook his head again. "Tifa, you've got plenty of fight left in you. You've got more spunk than any kid I know. You're just fighting for something different now. Aren't you?"

Tifa blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You're fighting for what you believe in. You believe in this." He gestured to the entirety of the bar with his mechanical hand. "You believe in this business you've built. This home. You believe in the kids, in little Marlene and in Denzel. Really, you're doing what I should be doing..." Cloud wondered if Barret was right. Maybe he was more insightful than he had always taken him for. "I'd like to spend more time with Marlene," he said wistfully. "But... I can't stop going out there and fighting. Looking for oil, or any other thing to help make the Planet greener. There might be all kinds of alternative energy sources out there that we haven't even thought about, ya know?" He paused, turning his head away from Cloud and Tifa. "Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing the right thing, though. I mean, I've spent most of my life fighting for the good of the Planet, and for the good of its people, but what does that matter when there's a little girl upstairs who calls me 'Papa', and I'm never around to see her?" He shook his head forlornly. "She's growing up so fast. Too fast. If things keep going the way they are, I won't know anything about her anymore. She talks about things I don't understand. She's getting into fights now... And I'm not there to defend her or teach her how to react." Barret abruptly slammed his large fist on the table, causing it to rattle. "I ain't cut out for this parenting shit. Never have been." With that, he rose from his chair, his hulking form turning to leave - where to, Cloud wasn't sure.

"Barret!" Tifa pleaded. "Don't say things like that!"

Cloud stood up too. "Barret, wait." The giant man obliged, standing in place but facing away from the pair. "I'm no better than you are. Hell, I'm worse. A lot worse." He shook his head, his spiky blonde hair following the trail of his movements. "I don't know how to raise kids. And I'm gone almost as much as you are. Only, I don't have a good excuse. But you, you're doing something you believe in. Something important. And..." Cloud paused, searching for what he wanted to say. "Marlene believes in you, too. That's why she never questions why you're gone. She knows you're doing something important. And she knows that you will always come back to her. With me... she can't ever really be sure." Cloud dropped his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking up to stand beside Barret. "You're the good dad," he stated. "I'm not." Cloud felt ashamed to say it, but he felt it was true.

"Cloud..." He could hear Tifa almost whisper his name, just barely audible to a normal person. The sound rang loudly in his ears, but it was soon replaced by the hearty chuckle coming from the older man standing beside him.

"We're both just a couple of big fuckups, aren't we?" He turned back around, making his way towards the stairs. "Guess we got a lot more in common than we thought."

Cloud and Tifa stood in shocked silence for a moment, watching the gunman leave. "Barret, wait!" Tifa finally called. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm going to sleep. And I'm going to go give my daughter a hug."

"Goodnight," Tifa called, her voice less urgent. Barret raised his hand in acknowledgement and disappeared beyond the stairwell. The brunette turned and caught Cloud's eyes, her gaze questioning. Cloud shrugged his shoulders.

"You don't… really think that, do you?" she asked, slowly stepping towards him. "How long will it take for you to believe in yourself the way we believe in you?" She reached out, gingerly grazing her fingertips across Cloud's cheek. "The way I believe in you?"

He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes and relishing in it. "As soon as I feel like I've atoned for all the mistakes I've made," he answered honestly.

She frowned, dragging her fingers downward and cupping Cloud's jawline. "What happened to forgiving yourself?" she whispered softly.

"I have… Mostly."

"I wish I could help you."

Cloud placed his hand on top of hers, pulling it down until they were linked together. "Teef, you've done more than enough. More than you realize." Her frown didn't falter, and Cloud gently tugged her towards the stairwell. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

She followed him upstairs, still linked hand-in-hand with him, but broke the contact when they reached her bedroom door. She clasped her hands in front of her, dipping her head down as if she were ashamed. "Goodnight, Cloud," she said quietly, glancing up at him beneath the cover of her hair.

"Goodnight, Tifa," he managed to murmur, ignoring the sinking realization that she wouldn't be sleeping beside him tonight. Once was enough for him to hold onto and think about as he tried to fall asleep. Once was enough for him to cherish for a lifetime. Still, he found that his bed felt cold and empty without her. He wondered if she would come to talk again. Surely she'd at least come to wake him from his painful dreams. He took solace in knowing that.

After some time, he heard it – the soft knock at his door that he had been desperately hoping for. His stomach flipped at the sound, his heart fluttering childishly in his chest. "Come in," he croaked out, his voice threatening to leave him entirely.

"Hey," she spoke softly, shutting the door behind her and padding over to Cloud's bed. He sat up, making room for her to sit beside him.

"Hey, Teef." He watched her silently run her hands over the edge of the bed, feeling her way through the darkness that Cloud could see through clearly. Wordlessly, her hand found its way into Cloud's own, and her head rested delicately against his shoulder as she sat down. Cloud relished in her warm, comfortable touch, stroking her hand with his thumb as their fingers weaved together easily.

She came back…

"Cloud…" she whispered, breaking the silence. Her voice was laden with exhaustion, her lips quivering with hesitation. He waited patiently, giving her time to speak, and she finally let out a heavy sigh. "Today's been a good day, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," he agreed simply. "Yeah, it was a good day. A great day… Best day I've had in a long time…"

Though Cloud couldn't really get a look at her face, he knew that she was smiling softly. He could hear it in her voice. "I'm really happy… So happy that everything worked out for once. With Barret and Cid… Everyone had a good time together…"

"That's right," Cloud replied softly. "Just like you wanted."

She nodded her head. "Just like I wanted…" Her voice sounded faraway – wistful, even – and she resumed her silence. Cloud decided that he was fine with that, sitting in silence with her as she wrapped her arm around his bicep and held herself there loosely.

"Cloud… You know I try my best, right?"

"Of course I do," he replied gently.

"It's just that I haven't had a day like this in what feels like years… And, well, usually, everything feels so hard. But today… Things felt so easy… When I'm with everyone… With the kids and with Barret and the rest of our friends… When I'm with you…" She inhaled sharply, and Cloud drank in every word she spoke. "…Everything doesn't seem so hard anymore… And I can't help but wonder…" She turned her face and looked up at him, her eyes searching his own. "Do you ever think things could stay this way?"

"I really hope so," he admitted. "I haven't felt this happy in so long…"

"…Me too."

She slowly unwrapped herself from Cloud's arm, rolling her neck and stretching her back muscles just like she had the night before. All the stress must have really been getting to her.

"Your neck hurts?" he asked, watching her motions curiously. It was more of a statement than a question.

"A little," she admitted. "My shoulders, neck... Top of my back, too. I think I might have hurt myself a little bit during that fight with the behemoth..." She shook her head. "It's not a big deal. I've dealt with worse pain. Besides, I've decided that I'm going to start training again. That'll help a lot." She smiled up at him, and they shared another moment of comfortable silence together. Cloud eventually spoke again, remembering the conversation he had had with Denzel that morning.

"Denzel… He asked me to train him how to fight... Show him how to defend himself…"

"He's growing up so fast," Tifa replied quietly.

Cloud nodded. "The kid's been through a lot."

"We all have," she murmured. Cloud cocked his head slightly to the side upon seeing Tifa unthinkingly reach up and rub at her neck. She really looked like she was hurting, or at least, she was very uncomfortable.

"Teef…"

"Hm?"

Silently, he moved behind her, his knees pressing gently into the worn mattress. Without a word, Cloud gingerly gathered the silky, brunette hair that fell all over her back, brushing his fingers lightly across the skin on her neck, and pulled it all to one side across her shoulder. Gently. Lovingly. She shivered at his touch, and Cloud felt the familiar flutter in his stomach.

"Teef…" He placed his hands lightly on her shoulders. His mind begged the question, "Would this be okay?" He asked in the form of a gentle squeeze, and quiet, shy words that were forced, but genuine.

"…Let me help." He blushed, fearing her reply, but Tifa responded with a quiet sigh and the slightest relaxation of her shoulders. Wordlessly, she gave Cloud permission to touch her.

So he did. Innocently, gently, slowly, he pressed his thumbs into the sore, powerful muscles that lied beneath Tifa's thin, cotton shirt. Gently, so gently at first, because he didn't want to hurt her, and because he was terrified that Tifa might pull herself away from him at any moment. But she didn't. She never did, no matter how many times Cloud worried that she would. She tilted her head down and leaned back slightly, allowing Cloud better access to her tense neck muscles that felt like little knots beneath her skin. He frowned; she was so tense that it really was causing her physical pain. Feeling that all-too-familiar burn blaze stronger though his cheeks, he pressed a little harder into her shoulders, now freely allowing his fingers to move and letting his thumbs work coaxing circles into the thick muscle tissue. Tifa sighed again, infinitesimally louder this time, and gave in to Cloud's touch, her shoulders fully slumping and relaxing beneath his warm hands.

"Let me know if I'm being too rough," he murmured, his voice lower than he had anticipated.

"No," she breathed. "It feels good."

Something in the way her voice sounded, the way she sighed and the way she leaned back into Cloud's touch set him off. He blushed even harder as he worked his way down her shoulder blades, pressing hard into the tense tissue. She melted under his touch, and a more primitive part of him realized that he could splay his open hands over her entire back, and she would probably allow it. He stopped, though, when he reached her lower back, letting go just before her hips.

"Feeling better?" he asked, he voice tinged with a huskiness that surprised him, and almost made him feel self-conscious.

"Yeah…" her voice was small and shy, but she did seem more relaxed. Cloud slowly wrapped his arms around her, resting his head atop her shoulder. He felt like he might have been pushing his boundaries again, but he didn't want to stop. He wanted to touch her. To hold her. He wanted to feel her breath rise and fall in her chest, feel her turn to putty beneath his touch. He wanted to love her.

Her hands found the top of his, and they stayed that way for a while. "Thank you," she finally said. Something was off, though. She didn't sound the way she had only moments before.

"…I should get back to bed," she whispered, a tinge of sadness tainting her voice.

The blonde gulped, intensely aware of how dry his throat felt. "Okay."

Stay, he wanted to say as he unwrapped himself from her form. I need you here, he thought as she stood up and made her way towards the door. I want to hold you a little while longer.

She paused in the doorway, her figure illuminated by the dim hallway nightlight, as she whispered 'goodnight' to Cloud, and he said it back, never working up the nerve to say what he really wanted to.

I love you…

Just when he thought they might be breaking walls down together.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

"Cloud…"

"Cloud…"

"Cloud!"

"Cloud, look!"

They were speaking to him. Or perhaps, he was speaking to himself. Was he? The muddled mixture of voices echoed and bounced in his head until they finally converged into one, clear sound.

"Right here, look… Look, Cloud…"

His vision was coming to him, and was slowly being filled up by the familiar image of Tifa's bedroom window. It had only been days since he had watched her through the dusty pane of glass… Or had it been years? He wasn't sure.

"She's so pretty," the voice commented. "You really like her a lot, don't you?"

He nodded his head silently.

"Now look: there you go chasing after her. It took you a long time to work up the courage, but there you are. See? Just far enough away where she might not see you if you hide carefully."

But I'm not sure if I want her to see me or not, he mused.

"Cloud!"

This voice was completely different, and it was coming from a pretty young girl in a blue dress.

"Stop trying to hide! I can see you!"

She walked up to him and he stepped out from behind the boulder, ashamed.

"Why did you follow me here? You know I'm not going to stop, right?"

"…I know," he replied. "It's too dangerous to go alone, though. Let me tag along."

"Fine," she snapped coldly. It wasn't like her…

"She's hurting right now, Cloud," the other voice replied. "You can't blame her."

They all blamed you, though, didn't they?

Besides, it's not like you really knew her then, anyway.

"Cloud, look. The sun is setting."

He turned, and there she was, much older now. Set against the blazing evening sky, she looked like the earth was painted just for her to stand on.

"Stunning," the voice commented, adoration flowing through her words. "But I'm not supposed to be here, am I?"

Cloud shook his head, 'no'.

"I understand."

Her kisses were sweet and heady, and her touch was torturously decadent.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," he heard his own voice like a distant call.

"No."

"The airship, at least. Let's go back-"

"No."

She shut him up with lips that whispered nothing of the sins they had committed, but offered sanctity in the pure desire that held him captive under her touch.

"Tifa-"

"Don't tell me you don't want me, Cloud. Because if you tell me that you don't want this… I might break."

"No…" He shook his head. The desperation in her voice was too much for him to handle. "No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea how badly I want this…"

"Right now, then," she reassured him. "Right here, Cloud. We've run out of time… This is our chance… This is our moment…"

He kissed her deeply, passionately, urgently.

"I don't need anything else…" she breathed. "I don't need words… I don't need comfort… All I need is you."

He loved her and she loved him in return, until the hours passed and their time truly had come close to running out. Daybreak was approaching too quickly. Far too quickly.

Their moment was over. Cloud was standing in the church, which was crumbling to pieces before his very eyes. The dilapidated building could have fallen at any moment.

"Ah, you're not looking at it the right way," a chipper, masculine voice commented. "See, you've got your perspective all wrong. You keep looking at all the bad stuff. And… Well, yeah. It's pretty bad."

The two pairs of Mako-blue eyes met, one set serious in its expression, the other holding a sense of amusement.

"Look a little closer, Cloud. You can say you've moved on all you want, and maybe you really have. But your perspective is still stuck. You're not looking at the flowers."

"…Flowers?"

They burst into bloom around him, a veritable garden of Eden that snaked its way through the debris and threatened to swallow it up whole.

A mousy brunette sauntered up beside him, her pink ribbon bouncing lightly with each step.

"It's hard to say everything that needs to be said like this," her feminine voice commented. "And I thought we had already worked everything out in the past… Turns out, there's still a long road to go. But you know, Cloud, there's someone who wants to help you."

"Help me with what?"

"Everything. Of course, I do still feel a little jealous sometimes… But in the end, I can see how much you really love each other. I already told her that she knows what she needs to do. And I think you know what you need to do, too."

"I- What are you talking about?"

"Things are going to get a little hard, okay? But it's nothing you can't handle. Especially if you work together."

"I don't understand!"

"What is there to understand?" She stepped away from him, her body glowing and breaking off into tiny shards of crystal. "You don't need me here anymore, silly. I'll be waiting for both of you, when the time comes."

"Wait!"

She burst and shattered into a million pieces, and they clattered on the ground musically. He was standing atop hard dirt now.

"I wouldn't mind sticking around for a while."

Familiar comfort radiated from his form. The delicate scent of flowers masked by wild musk and earthy metal. A sly smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"…Zack?"

"Yup, the one and only." He stretched his arms up and sighed. "Hey, how long are you gonna be scared of that guy?"

"What guy?"

"Sephiroth. Deepground. Trent. What's it matter? They're really all the same thing, if you think about it." He turned, cocking his head to the side. "Which is scarier: fighting all of them, or telling Tifa how you feel?"

"…You're messing with me."

"No, I'm not. Honest question."

"…She already knows how I feel."

"You really think so? Sure, she went inside your mind in the Lifestream, but is that really enough? Man, you are dense." He shook his head. "Guess I know which is scarier, though."

Cloud frowned. "Zack…"

"Look, I wish I could be around to give you a pep talk whenever you need one, but I can't… Ya know?"

The black-haired man scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, and Cloud mirrored him perfectly.

"So, uh… All you gotta do is tell her, ya know? It doesn't matter what you told her in the past… Or what she saw in you… It's time to tell her now."

"Za-"

"And as far as everything else goes…" He pounded his chest. "You've got the heart of a warrior. The courage of a hero. Nothing can stop you, as long as you don't let it."

He patted Cloud heavily on the shoulder.

"Sorry, but I gotta go. You've got this."

"Zack, wait!"

In a brilliant flash of light, he was gone. In his place, was emptiness. Cloud was surrounded by darkness, but he knew he wasn't alone. His senses alight, he felt his blood run cold as dark figures began to surround him.

"So many games…" A darker voice was laced with laughter that dripped like venom down a serpent's maw. "I grow tired of your games, Cloud. They're becoming less fun and more irritating by the second."

The audiovisual assault began, and Cloud's senses were blinded as the familiar pain began to wrack his body. 'Show yourself!' he might have yelled, but he didn't know. He didn't know anything. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he couldn't feel. His arms, they were slicing at the air wildly, searching for his target but finding nothing.

Out of the sea of white light and deafness, he could faintly heara young boy's voice calling his name.

"Oh, look, the child is here again," the serpent's voice replied, clear as day, though Cloud's senses were still on fire. "Shall I kill him this time? Or should I have you do it?"

"NO!"

"Cloud!" The youthful voice was more urgent now, begging him to listen.

"If I train you well enough, maybe you'll finally listen."

"Cloud!"

"He's right there, Cloud. All you have to do is kill him."

"CLOUD!"

"Come on, just one cut will do the trick. Right through the boy's chest."

"NO!" he wailed, over and over. "NO! NO! NOOOOO!-"

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

He awoke in a frenzy, eyes darting everywhere and lungs breathing heavily. He was clutching onto the sheets, because there was nothing else for him to grab on to. After a delayed moment, his vision finally returned to him, and he was surprised to see Denzel standing before him, rather than Tifa. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you okay?" the boy whispered, concern apparent in his hushed voice.

"Yeah, Denzel… I'm okay," Cloud breathed out, regaining his composure. He'd had worse nights, though this nightmare had come on strong and quick. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," Denzel replied, shaking his head. "Barret's snoring woke me up." The sound drifted into Cloud's mind, then, and he realized that Barret was, indeed, snoring very loudly. "I came in here and saw you were having your nightmares again."

Cloud sighed, scooting over in the bed and making room for the boy. "Well, thank you for waking me up. Here, come lay down."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, come on."

Denzel followed his order and made himself comfortable on Cloud's pillow. The kid was obviously exhausted, because it didn't take long for him to fall back asleep. Cloud relaxed his arm around Denzel's torso, taking comfort in the innocent closeness. This was nice, at least. It bothered him that Tifa hadn't come, though. The more he ruminated on it, the more upset he became. He had messed up somehow. He had messed up bad.

He sighed, feeling Denzel adjust himself restlessly under his arm. Cloud wondered what sort of nightmares he had. He frowned, knowing that they were far worse than simple nightmares about monsters. He wondered if he dreamed of death, of loneliness. Of all the things Cloud wished he could protect him from.

Sleep wasn't going to come. He knew it wasn't, and he laid there for what felt like hours. A muffled noise eventually caught his attention – Marlene getting up for a glass of water, maybe? But no, within seconds, his door was gently being pushed open. Tifa tried her best to keep the door from creaking, and tiptoed over to the bed, smiling down at the image of Cloud and Denzel.

"Teef-" he whispered. She put her finger to her lips in a 'hush' gesture, and walked around to the far side of the bed, pulling the blanket back and settling herself down beside Cloud. He said nothing more, too paralyzed to do so. She made herself comfortable as best she could, snaking her arm over Cloud's shoulder and resting it there.

"I couldn't sleep," she whispered. "Guess I'm not the only one."

Cloud nodded, head still resting on half of his pillow. She didn't have a pillow of her own, but she didn't seem to care. Carefully, he sat up, taking Tifa's hand into his own and finding her gaze.

"I'm glad you came," he admitted, soaking in the wave of relief that washed over him by simply being in her presence. "Switch spots with me."

She didn't object, and followed Cloud's orders, gingerly scooting next to Denzel and resting her head on Cloud's pillow. There, at least she'll be more comfortable now, he thought. He turned away from her, feeling like touching her would be too much, now, but she grabbed his hand and pulled it around her waist, pulling the rest of his body towards her as well. It didn't take long for Cloud to give in, and he cuddled up close to her, pressing much of his body against her own. She didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"'Night, Teef," Cloud whispered, a small smile forming on his lips. Her almost inaudible, sweet 'goodnight' echoed in his mind and lullabied him back to sleep. He felt invincible. She had come back. She had come back and let him hold her as he slept. And Denzel was there, too, making him feel strong, making him feel protective. Nothing could touch him in his dreams as long as he had his little family by his side.

If only he could say the same about the waking world.

•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello guys! I'm alive! I'm not dead! Lol. So first off, I want to apologize for taking so long to complete this chapter. Yeah yeah, we've all heard it before: "life gets in the way". Well, sadly it's true. Pair that with the fact that I am an incredibly slow writer, and it takes 6 months to complete a single chapter. For those of you who have been following and patiently waiting, thank you SO MUCH! I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I hope the length makes up for the wait a little bit. Of course, it's not perfect, as always, but I was excited to FINALLY feel like it was complete enough to post. There's a lot going on here that I'm not comfortable with, yet - I wanted to bring in some new characters and explore their thoughts, feelings, and interactions within the Cloud/Tifa family dynamic. I'm also having some issues with pacing, but I hope that everything is going along smoothly enough for you guys. So, as always, if you have any advice to give, I'd be happy to hear it! Now, as far as next chapter goes, I've decided I'm NOT going to give a release window, so that this 6-month wait/disappointment doesn't happen again. It might take 6 more months, it might take one - I honestly don't know, but I don't want to make any more broken promises. What I can and WILL promise you, though, is that I will eventually complete this fic! I've said it once and I'll say it again. This fic is my baby. It will eventually be a complete story. So don't worry about that :-) One final note, is that I sometimes update the top of my profile (with a date) saying how my progress is going on the current chapter, so if you're curious about progress, you can find some information there! Anyway guys, thank you SO SOOOOO much for all of the support! It makes me so incredibly happy! Much love to you all, and I'll see you next time 3