Sorry I missed yesterday! It was Saturday so I went out… I love these reviews. To answer LadyTeefStrife, bed sharing is entirely for the sake of cloti! Thanks for being so nice with the reviews LadyTeefStrife, Kattzia, kitsune13, and fantasydreamer94. You guys make me smile.
-x-
Tifa glanced around her. They were on the plate of Junon Harbor. They had found a way to bribe the ShinRa soldier standing guard at the elevator, but Cloud had already climbed up. So where was he?
She stood in silence beside Aerith. Barret had gone looking for disguises and Red had decided to look around for Cloud.
"Tifa, I know what you're doing." Aerith's voice was quiet but sharp.
"What are you talking about?" she retorted. Tifa felt as though she would faint.
"I'm talking about you and Cloud. Really, Tifa, I'm not blind. The other two might be, but I'm not."
Tifa thought hard about this. "Well, it's not a big deal, Aerith, okay? It's just… we're just friends. Nothing more." She retaliated, feeling hurt. She turned away from Aerith, waiting impatiently for Barret and Red.
"Listen, Tifa, I'm sorry." Aerith placed her hand on Tifa's shoulder. "I won't tell anyone. I guess I just see so much of Zack in Cloud that I got worked up that he was into you."
Tifa turned around and hugged Aerith tightly.
"It's okay," she said taking a deep breath. She delved right into the question that had been burning in her mind since Kalm. "What… happened to Zack?"
Aerith pulled away from Tifa and shook her head.
"I don't know. He told me he was going to Nibelheim… and then I never heard from him again."
Tifa shuddered and Aerith's eyes suddenly got wide.
"Tifa… it wasn't Cloud…" Aerith gripped her friend's hand. Tifa felt relieved that someone else knew. "We can't say anything. It'll shatter his fragile mind."
Tifa nodded furiously and turned around to see Barret storming into the small shed they were hiding in.
"Y'all take these. We've gotta hurry, the ship'll be leavin' soon."
Tifa and Aerith nodded and dressed in silence.
"Red's gonna meet us on the ship. Follow me."
-x-
The boat was crowded with workers and Red, Tifa, Aerith and Barret soon got separated. Tifa was stationed as a lookout. She didn't mind it. She stood on a platform alone, and was rarely bothered. She stared out at the open sea and sighed loudly.
"Where are you, Cloud?" she whispered, hoping he had gotten on the boat. It was impossible to know though. She shook that thought out of her head. He got on the boat.
She heard muffled footsteps on the grated platform behind her and she turned on the spot. She saluted and started to shout. "Nothing to see here, sir!"
"Uh, good." The soldier said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. Tifa recognized that gesture and threw her arms around him.
"You made it!"
"Of course. Do you know where Barret and Red XIII are?" Cloud asked. Tifa shook her head.
"No, we got separated. Did you already see Aerith?"
He nodded. "I heard Rufus and Heidegger are on board." He said casually, leaning against the railing. Tifa nodded and looked back out at the sea.
"Pretty, isn't it?" he said, his voice taking on a mystical tone. Tifa smiled at him. She had always found something about the sea calming to her. Maybe it was the way the waves lazily drifted, with nowhere to go. She was contemplating her love of water when Cloud draped an arm around her shoulder. "I should go find the others now." He said quietly. Tifa nodded. He dropped his arm and turned to leave.
"Cloud? Be safe, okay?" she said, still staring at the light waves.
"I always am, Teef." He said quietly, before leaving.
Tifa stared again at the waves and sighed unhappily. The situation she was in was just unfair. She always had her feelings so she wouldn't show weakness. She couldn't tell Cloud how she really felt, because of her fear of pushing him away. He was always so closed off to the world; she never knew how far to go. So she let him lead her, and she tried to understand where he was coming from.
She was contemplating these facts when the alarm went off.
Tifa jumped off of her platform and ran to the middle of the ship, where the rest of the group was converging.
"You all okay?" Barret was yelling over the turmoil. The group nodded in unison and Cloud took over.
"Okay, you guys follow me. Be prepared for anything."
The five had taken off their disguises and gotten prepared for a fight. They headed down to the engine room.
-x-
Tifa could barely believe it. Sephiroth had been right there. But of course he had run. He ran away and left… something. None of them really knew what it was. Cloud had speculated and they had agreed that it looked like Jenova's arm. Tifa shuddered.
They spent the rest of the boat ride in silence, everyone unsure of exactly what had just happened. Was Sephiroth really there? Tifa shook her head as a voice came over the intercom announcing their arrival at Costa Del Sol.
-x-
The beach was full of pretty women in their bathing suits and it made Tifa oddly self conscious. Tifa was usually very confident but she was caked in dried dirt and blood, covered in scratches, and wearing dirty clothes. Those factors didn't help her self esteem. She had let Aerith drag her down to the beach, mostly to stop her complaining.
Aerith giggled, looking at the girls on the beach. "We should have brought our bathing suits, Tifa."
Tifa shook her head. "Too much baggage." She stated, watching the waves. Tifa felt tranquil and Aerith got bored of her very easily and she trotted off to find Red.
"Hey, Teef," Cloud's voice floated into her ears, soft and calm as the waves. Tifa didn't turn around to face him, but she nodded slightly to show him she knew of his presence. He seemed content to just sit in silence with her, watching the lift and fall of the waves.
"Cloud," she said quietly, somehow knowing he'd hear it. "Do you ever get scared?"
He moved close to her and wrapped her in a quiet embrace. "Of course I do. What are you scared about?"
"I just can't help but think we've gotten in over our heads. And what if something happens? I can't handle losing everyone I care about again." Her eyes started to swell with tears and she cursed her leaky ducts. He hugged her tighter and buried his face in her hair.
"Tifa, please don't cry," he said, so soft she barely heard it. "Even if we're over our heads, what can we do? He destroyed Nibelheim. He hurt everyone we cared about. He needs to know what we went through." His hands wrapped around her waist and he sat down on the sand, pulling her with him. She fell slightly and ended up in his lap. She blushed bright red and made a move to get off. "No," Cloud said, grabbing her hand. "Stay with me."
The sun was starting to set and Tifa couldn't think of anywhere she'd rather be. She leaned into Cloud's chest and laid her head on his shoulder.
"You always make me feel better." She said, pressing her lips into the crook of his neck. He shivered slightly and chuckled.
"That's what I'm here for." He said, wrapping his arms around her whole form, cradling her into him as if he never wanted to let go. "I wish we could just stay like this. Once this is all over, Tifa, I'll buy you your own bar, wherever you want."
Tifa grinned into his neck. "And you'll be there, right?"
He nodded. "Of course. I don't ever want to leave you."
Tifa was very satisfied with this answer and slowly drifted to sleep in Cloud's arms.
-x-
I know this one sucks! I have writers block. So I just blabbed for this whole thing. It was really just filler. I didn't know how to make this part more Cloti… I promise the next one won't suck so much!
-Kay.
