making up
authors note: mush alert at the chapters' end
i had to add teh yuff's because i like writing for her char too. i'm figuring out how to work vincent in this fic... ::ponders::
Faded-Justice: i wanted you to know. the "craving absolution" one-shot i did, i'm think i'm going to continuing that when i'm done with this, if i can find the right plot for it. (that way you can get all the Vincent appearences you want and i'll get to feed my fangirl addiction.)
Sabriel41: - thanks for the input hun. when you reviewed chapter two & told me how - "the only thing that seemed awkward was how Marlene smelled 'fondly of yellow flowers' - well, i went back over it and edited it, since you told me about it. hope it makes sense now. P
to all the reviewers: thank you lovelies. you all let me know i'm not crazy for liking this odd pairing. luvluv!
disclaimer: see chapters 2 & 3. i dun wanna keep typing and retyping this thing over and over.
"WHAT?" Yuffie Kisaragi exploded and nearly toppled over her cup of chamomile brewed tea in her animated haste, slate eyes fluttering after Tifa spit out the tale of what happened between her, Cloud and Cid.
She wasn't completely shocked that Tifa and Cid had some type of romantic involvement, not really. For in the midst of their political talks, Barrett had thrown her some none-to-subtle hints about the fistfighter and the pilot. It was a bit unexpected, especially when everyone knew where Tifa's heart lay, with the mishappen boy from Nibelhiem, the tow headed little boy who didn't quite belong... Cloud Strife.
After being dropped off at Kalm, Tifa had untethered her gold chocobo from it's stable and ridden it the ninja's her house in Wutai. Tifa couldn't - would not - stay in that bar when it was devoid of customers. It held too many memories for her, and moping over past scenarios wasn't something she really wanted to indulge in at the moment.
So, here she was, sitting at the ornate table in Godo's temple as they had their little "girl-talk." Turns out that Yuffie didn't even have to pry any information out of the bartender at all. She willingly spilled the tale. Tifa told everything from her and Cid's first kiss to the little stunt Cloud pulled earlier today.
Every since Aeris's death, all that time ago, her and Yuffie had developed - at first - a capricious bond which grew and strengthened considerably over time. She was the one person, the only woman she could vent to...
"Teef?" Yuffie questioned a bit after Tifa finished with her retelling.
She looked up, crimson gaze meeting grey. "Yeah?"
Yuffie's grin was devilish. "You've got to get over your blonde fetish."
They both giggled.
Tifa rolled her eyes, rosy cheeks forgotten, and sighed. "Yuff! Seriously."
Her eyes brightened, although the playful smile never left from her lips. "I was kiddin, Lockheart."
"Obviously, Yuffs."
Silence reigned for a long moment until one spoke up.
Tifa simply nodded. "A lot to take in, isn't it?"
"Do you love him?" Yuffie blurted in that blunt way of hers, putting down her tea and nudging the plate of sugar cookies Tifa's way.
That seems to be the question on the table today... Tifa thought, frowned, took a large bite of cookie, pondered. "Cloud? No... I..."
"I wasn't talkin' about Cloud, ya numbskull. I meant Cid. Do you love him?"
Tifa flushed and stuffed the cookie in her mouth. It was something she had denied, the depth of her feelings. She cared for him, yes. Her heart yearned to be with him, yes. She loved being around him, yes, cherished their time together. But love? Love and her didn't get along too well.
"Yuffie..." Tifa faltered and Yuffie snorted.
Her hands folded and she looked up across the table, only to see Yuffie regarding her with this easy maturity that slightly threw her off guard. Yuffie's foot was tapping impatiently, dark eyes.
"You don't know?" The young girl's brow rose. "I saw you two at the dinner, Tif ... you can't tell me that you don't know."
"It's complicated, Yuffie."
"What's complicated about it? Cloud leaves, Cid fills the void, right? I mean, Cloud left you heartbroken, and Cid comforts you. He gives you this passionate kiss that leaves both of you wondering. Then you two are reunited, months later, at the Charity Banquet. Cloud comes into the picture once more and who is there to balance it all out for you? Cid. ... What's complicated? Because you still love Strife?"
Tifa blinked, slightly taken aback by Yuffie's analysis.
She grinned and munched on her own cookie. "What can I say? I'm wise!" She boasted, puffing her chest out.
Tifa's smile echoed the shinobi's own before she shrugged. "I ... some part of me will always love Cloud, I already know that. But with me and Cid... it's like... fresh, exciting. He makes me feel like - "
Yuffie's youthful, borderline womanish face crumpled up, she made an odd sound from the back of her throat, holding up her hand. "I didn't ask for details, Tif. This is Cid Highwind we're talking about. I mean, he - "
"If you mention his age in comparison to mine, I'll impale you on your own weapon, Kisaragi." Tifa mumbled evenly.
Her eyes widened and Yuffie's small palms jerked up in the air in a defensive pose. "No way Lockheart, you'd hurt lil' old me?"
Tifa rolled her eyes and finished her tea. "... Stop trying to change the subject. And you can't talk, not about dating someone older then you. What about Vincent?" She inquired sneakily, a grin taking to her face as she teased Yuffie back.
A light, light twinge of a nearly imperceptable blush stained Yuffie's cheeks. "What about Vincent?"
The door slid open to the pagoda. A tall man was standing there, posture straight before he formally bowed.
"Lady Kisaragi?"
Tifa's brow shot up. "Lady?" She mouthed to Yuffie and she shrugged as if she wasn't miffed, and stood up, sighing.
"Chekov? Dammit, don't be so formal with me. How many times have I told you to call me Yuffie?"
Chekov stepped inside, bowed to Tifa. Tifa nodded and reclined, content to watch the two.
"My apologies, Lad - erm... Yuffie. Your cell phone rang. You left it with your Father, remember?"
Tifa could swear she saw a vein ticking in the young girls' neck. "My cell rang earlier? It must be important. Spill it, Chek."
His cheeks reddened slightly from her usage of his nickname, but he quickly recovered. "It was a call from your ambassador, a Mr. Vinc -"
Yuffie flushed even further and nodded, her eyes warning Tifa not to breathe a word. "Oh. I see..."
Tifa was the very picture of innocence, reaching for another cookie, pretending she knew nothing of Yuffie and her crush.
Having delivered his message, Chekov left quickly, leaving the two women alone again.
"Tifa - "
"He's your ambassador?" Tifa asked, a genuine expression of inquisitiveness on her face.
Yuffie folded her arms at Tifa's question, glared. "It's a long story."
Tifa pointed to the chair that the young girl had vacated. "Well, I've time. Do tell."
With an aggreived countenance, Yuffie plopped back down in her seat, and slowly began to talk.
The sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon line, the colors painting the sky with bright stark lines of light amethyst, coral pinks and fiery reds. The trees swayed with sudden hard gusts of air, buffeting the area and sending the autumn leaves scattering. Was that the sound of an airplane ...? I'm imagining things... Tifa shook it off.
This was the scene Tifa took in while Yuffie rebraided her hair. They were standing on the porch to Godo's porch, and Tifa's impromptu visit was coming to a close. The pair had talked, laughed and rekindled their bond in the next few hours. Tifa didn't really want to leave, but she knew she had to. She had to face reality. She had to face the things she wished she could run from.
"There!" Yuffie said proudly and tied the braid's end with one of her own numerous black hair ties. "Good as new."
Tifa smiled gratefully and turned to Yuffie, crushed her into a hug. "Thank you Yuff. Not just for the braid but - "
Yuffie pulled back from the embrace and vehemently shook her head. "I gotcha, Lockheart. Don't need to get all mushy on me now."
Tifa snickered and stepped back. "Fair enough."
Then the skuttling of feet sounded. Both women turned.
"Chekov!" Yuffie cooed happily and her tone instantly made Tifa suspcious. It was that same lulling, nonchalant tone that Yuffie had had ... right before she ripped their whole party off for their Materia. She was going to ask Yuffie about it but Chekov spoke.
"Miss Tifa Lockheart, your ride home is here."
She looked to Yuffie, eyes wide and questioning. "Kisaragi... what did you - ?"
"Just go, please? Call it, payback, all right? And know that I called the ride here... I don't want you to make the trek home alone."
She promptly began shoving Tifa off of the porch.
Tifa tried to complain but couldn't - Yuffie's strength as she pushed her was surprising - as she walked down step after step.
She stopped resisting and snickered. "I get the point, Kisaragi. I'm goin', I'm goin."
Yuffie hugged her again and waved.
Tifa began the walk towards Wutai's entrance, wondering what in the hell put that mischevious glint in her friends eyes.
As soon as Tifa was out of sight - and Yuffie hoped out of earshot too - she twirled around and jutted her fist up into the air.
"YES!!" Her chest puffed out aggresively. "Nyuk, nyuk, I'm a genius! If this doesn't get those two to talk a bit more, I don't know what will!"
Chekov just watched wisely, in silence. "Are you sure this is going to work, Lad - Yuffie?"
But Yuffie was too busy gloating, twirling, "nyuk, nyuk"ing and cackling on the porch to hear.
When she finally clued in, Chekov was heading back to the Training Pagoda.
Yuffie flailed, pouted and took off in a jog after him.
"Heeeyyyy!!! Chek, wait up for me!"
Tifa neared Wutai's entrance, looking around, eyes dark with the effort of searching for her ride.
Her boots crunched over the bright specks of fallen leaves over the dusty ground. She tucked her black coat tighter around her, wishing she'd worn her wool pants, because she could taste - and feel - the sharp chilly tang in the air. Tifa lesiurely strolled along, absorbing the scenery. "Man, Wutai is goregous in the fall..." She made mental notes next time to bring a camera.
As she was crossing the bridge over the trickling steam, a smell smacked into her nose.
It was cutting through the dusky autumn wind, the smell sharp and poignant, clouding the air.
The immistakable smell of cigarettes.
Tifa kept walking, fighting the sudden spike in her pulse, the sudden warmth that cascaded through her, all thoughts of cold chased away. She sighed, and made another mental note to pummel Yuffie. The ninja's candid words spun through her mind at that moment when Cid stepped from the lengthening shadows, goggles pulled down low over his eyes.
"And know that I called the ride here... I don't want you to make the trek home alone."
Dammit, Yuffie. She was fidgeting with her hands, fingers falling all over themselves as she began cracking her knuckles.
"Tifa." The way he whispered her name just then, sent a prickling straight to her belly, a tingling started directly in her spine.
"Cid. Yuffie called you?"
The shadows still hid his face partially from her, the sun sinking made it hard for her to make out his form. It was kind of weird, talking to him like this when she couldn't really see him. Maybe this was a figment of her imagination? Maybe she'd conjured him up because she missed him so much? But she knew that he was there, she could see the tip of his cigarette flare up bright orange everytime he inhaled.
"Yeah, the little brat called me up. Said it was important."
Tifa twitched. Hm... "Ahhh. She set us up, do you realize that?"
Cid rose a brow, turned, motioned for her to follow him back to the Airship, he figured they could talk there.
She stopped him with a hand.
"The hell? Tif, it's fucken freezin out here."
"Why do you think Yuffie set us up, Cid? Because she did, you know."
"Hell if I know. Somethan's wrong with that girl."
Tifa sighed, exasperated and Cid pulled up his goggles, eyes narrowed and decided to humor her.
"I don't know. But she's trying stick her nose in somewhere where it don't belong."
"Cid... we never finished our conversation from earlier today."
He threw his cigarette to the ground, crushed it with some finality underneath his heel. "Coulda fooled me. Thought we did."
Tifa huffed and Cid crossed his arms.
"I've been planning with Reeve. We've decided to modify the old Rocket, to save time and crunch on funds so we can funnel that extra money into the Foundation." He rubbed his eyes wearily. "Tifa, I'm damned tired ..."
She hugged him tightly then, looping her arms around him.
"I meant Cid. Do you love him?" Yuffie's whispered words sank into her head once more and she clung tight to him.
... I wish I knew. Does love feel this strong? Because I feel strongly for him...
The visit with Yuffie was like a reality check. She always brought up valid points, always brought up the things that Tifa couldn't catch, even the things she was afraid to look at. Their most recent conversation got Tifa's mind all muddied up and now she was starting to wonder was the ninja right.
What brought all this on? He wrapped his arms around her, testily, wondering what was up.
"I'm sorry."
Cid tensed suddenly, muscles hardening under her fingertips. "The hell? You already - "
"Let me finish, all right Highwind? Please. I have to get this out." Tifa sighed, buried her face into his neck and resumed speaking. "When... when all this started, you and me. Us. I... didn't want to face it. I didn't want to face how I felt, how I was feeling. And then at the Dinner, I realized how much I missed you, how much I'd come to rely on you in the short time we'd spent together. And now that Cloud's back, I realize how much I care about you. I realize how much I need you."
His sigh came out watery, unstable. Why is she doing this? But yet and still he listened, listened to her quiet murmurings against his skin.
"I don't love Cloud. Not like I used to. I'm not in love with him, I want you to be clear on that. But I'd be lying to Cid if I told you that I was completely over him. Because I'm not. But you... I don't want you to be in the dark about this. I want to be honest with how I feel about you. Cid, I like what I feel when I'm with you. For once, I feel good about myself. I feel like myself. I don't have to act like I'm feeling a certain way, I can just be, and you accept me how I am. You have no idea how happy that makes me."
Cid wiped at his nose, shifted his arms around her, his eyes shutting tight. "Tifa, it's been a long day..."
Tifa realized if he stopped her, she'd never get it out. She had to say it, or she would burst, she had to...
"I don't care about the past, the future will come and we'll deal with it. I want now, I want the present... Cid, I want to be with you."
His heart stopped. Or was it Time? The moment seemed frozen, immobilized. Everything seemed clear, more focused. The air around them was sharper, it seemed. His surroundings meant little. The cold which had slipped into his bones, he no longer felt. This was it, this was his world, the warm body he was embracing.
He ran his fingers along the length of her silky braid, relishing in the feel of it. "I ain't good at mushy shit Tif. But... Hell, I want to be with you too." Her bangs tickled his nose slightly, and he inhaled the smell of it, she smell of her. "... It's all I've ever wanted, dammit, every since that night in the bar."
Tifa hauked a low laugh, nipped at his neck. He flushed. "I know Highwind. You knew how you really felt before I did."
Cid snickered, drinking this all in. The feeling hammered at his heart, erased his mind of mostly all thought.
"Hell, that don't matter now. We made up, didn't we Teef?"
She pulled back and looked up into his eyes, eyes which mirrored the color of the spring skies. "That's true." Her hands ran over his coat.
Gazing down at her, he couldn't help but feeling the rush of emotion coursing through his veins.
"Hell or high water... Come what may Tif, we'll face it together."
Then he swiftly bent his head and kissed her. She repsonded to the kiss instantly, her heart pounding.
It wasn't rushed, but a slow, enveloping motion that swept over the both of them. His hands curled around her lower back, pulling her to him. It wasn't something he'd readily admit, but he missed this, this closeness and how he needed it. If he would've voiced it, turns out that Tifa yearned for the very same. He was her anchor. And now that she realized it, she wouldn't have it any other way.
It was hope she tasted on the edge of his tongue. Hope, and the promise of something strong and tangible. Something startingly real.
Heat. It pumped into her blood, sunk into her bones and made her mind swirl. Craning high on her tiptoes, Tifa's arms wrapped around his neck. She tugged him down, closer to her as her body arched up to his. Tifa hummed her approval when Cid's lips slanted over hers just so, his free hand squeezing at the back of her neck in an achingly sweet motion as he took her under. The effects of it left her buzzing. Slowly, Cid sunk her under again, deepening the contact, the kiss leaving them both reeling.
As they relished in their closeness ... time didn't matter.
Nothing else mattered but each other.
... the world could wait.
ending authors note: okies, just for a headups everyone, the next chapter will skip ahead a bit, and there will be a few more character appearances. D
