Disclaimer: The story is all mine and though I wish (quite frequently) that the FFVII characters were mine too, they're not… :P

If Only You Knew

Chapter Ten: Goodbye Cloud Strife

Few hours later, Cloud's History class ended. He ran out of the room as fast as he could before Tifa or anyone else could reach him. The thirty minute break seemed so much longer to Cloud who cautiously looked around every corner to make sure he wouldn't bump into one of them. But little did he know that in his next class, Science, he would meet yet another challenge in the form of the mischievous Zack and the school sweetheart, Aerith.

"Yo Cloud! Buddy! What's going on?" Zack moved away from the lab table and walked over to Cloud who had just entered the room. He raised a hand up for a high five and asked, "I heard th-?? Cloud?"

The silent blond had just walked past him, hadn't even muttered a timid "hello" to him. Zack arched an eyebrow at Aerith and let his hand fall back down to his side. Aerith stepped up and tapped Cloud lightly on the shoulder, hoping to catch his attention. It didn't work. Cloud didn't even give the remotest acknowledgement that he had felt something. Grimly, Aerith walked over to her desk and pouted, resting her chin between her palms.

"What's eating him?" Zack questioned, following the girl as he casts covert glances at Cloud who had proceeded with opening his plastic-covered textbook. Aerith shrugged. She had no clue either.

"Let's get this lecture over with first." She suggested, eying the professor who had just entered with a scattered look on his face and a bundle of papers in his arms. "And then we'll talk."

"Ahem. Class, we have a long lesson ahead of us. We are going to talk about Cytokinesis and its effects on…." The professor droned on as Zack sat down next to a disgruntled Aerith and started mocking the teacher every time he turned around. Aerith glared at him and pinched his arm whenever he pulled a disgusted face as the professor continued unsuspectingly.

Two hours later, the bell rang to signal the end of classes and the beginning of lunch.

"Thank God that's over…" Zack yawned, stretching his arms high up in the air. He got off his stool and kicked his legs. "I think my butt's asleep."

Aerith rolled her eyes as she got up as well. "That's great Zack but we have more important things to worry about. Cloud," She turned to where he had been sitting and sighed, "Cloud's already gone. Lovely…."

"Isn't it?" Zack replied, packing up his things and already heading for the door. Aerith followed suit and walked beside the tall male.

"I wonder, why is he avoiding us?" They started to head outside to meet the rest of the group for lunch.

"Maybe it's because you stopped taking your breath mints?" Zack suggested, earning himself a series of pinches on his forearm. "Ow! Ow! Okay, I'm just kidding! Stop the infernal pinching will you?!" He swatted away her hand and moved away to put a bit of distance in between them as they hurried on. "Cut your nails every once in a while…." He muttered.

"You're the one who should be doing that!" Aerith grumbled with a sour face. Taken back, Zack blinks and pauses.

"…I should be cutting my nails?" asked the confused man.

"No! I meant you should be taking breath mints!!" Aerith snapped sharply, irritated at the thickness of his skull. This morning was not going smoothly for her at all. Thankfully, she spotted Tifa and the rest near the large willow tree located at the center of the collegiate courtyard.

"Ouch…" Zack feigned a hurt expression as Aerith sniffed prettily and looked away, calling, "Hey Teef! Over here!"

Tifa gave a small wave in return but anyone could see that her mind was far off in the distance. Her mind was still gallingly weighed down with the fact that Cloud was now evading her. Vincent and Yuffie were off to the side, arguing about some stupid thing that had come up in their conversation. "Hey Aerith, how's it going?"

By Tifa's tone, Aerith knew that she was asking about the situation with Cloud. "Not good. What happened anyways? He was ignoring me and Zack in science just now."

That's odd…Cloud even ignored Aerith? Tifa thought silently, a frown settling on her lips. I would've thought that Aerith at lest would have spoken with him...

"There were….difficulties after you guys left our class this morning…" Tifa cringed at the word "difficulties" and didn't say anything more than that. Aerith was too polite to press for more information.

Noticing the dampened mood, Zack decided to step forward and hung an arm around Tifa's shoulder, much to the brunette's annoyance. He leaned against her and confidently announced, "Ah you guys, I'm sure he'll be fine. Don't worry! Why tomorrow, I bet he'll even come over to use and say sorry!"

The Next Day…

I'm not going to say sorry! Cloud thought vehemently as he paced in his dorm room. Never!

An image of Aerith's saddened face popped into his mind and a wave of unexpected guilt washed over the man.

"No no no….stop thinking about her!" He stared at himself in the tall mirror and grimaced. This was no time to think about girls; he had to get dressed for class. He quickly put on his clothes and was out of his room under five minutes. Looking around, it looked like no one was up yet. Cloud could even hear snoring coming from the direction of Zack's room.

What a joke. Cloud laughed in his mind at the sound and walked over to the grand doorway that lead to the hallway. He reached for the handle to open it but then on a whim, looked downward and saw that one of his shoes was untied. He bent down and tried his best to tie a respectable knot with a functional one and a half arm. As he was tying though, even through his deeply concentrated state, he could hear soft voices coming from the other side of the door. Cloud looked up and then behind him to make sure no one was there. After that, he opened the door just a teeny tiny bit and tried to see who was out there.

I'm not eavesdropping or anything... Cloud thought, trying to reason with his morals. I'm just going to see who it is. I wouldn't want to interrupt anyone's conversation or anything?

And with that, he tried to clear his mind and strained his ears to listen in.

"Are you sure he said to go early today?" A female was talking and Cloud's eyes widened. It was Tifa. She gave a muffled yawn and he heard fabric shifting on the other side. The other person must've nodded their head or something because she then said, "Well then, we better get going. Oh wait. My cell phone's ringing."

An unfamiliar tune rang faintly in the hallway and Cloud could hear Tifa searching her pockets for it. "I'll be right back 'kay? I just have to take this call."

Cloud heard footsteps moving away from his hiding place behind the door. That's one person I don't have to see… He thought but another frown appeared on his face. There was still that other person out there though.

"I'll just have to ignore him." Cloud decided and stood up, hearing his knees give a satisfying crack after staying in that uncomfortable position for a while. He gingerly pushed open the door and walked through, only to be greeted by red irises.

"Eavesdropping, are we?" Vincent acknowledged mockingly, his arms folded. Cloud clenched his fists tightly at his side. Vincent was one of the last people he wanted to meet right now. The fact that they had been friends before only angered him more. Cloud opened his mouth to say something but then at the last moment, decided against it and kept it closed. Turning around, he started to walk away.

"What's this all about, Cloud?" The question brought the blonde male to a stop.

"What's what?" Cloud replied evenly, his back still facing Vincent. He heard the other man walk towards him and wasn't in the least surprised when the black-haired man stationed himself in front of Cloud.

Being difficult hmm? Vincent thought, scowling on the inside while he kept a composed face on the outside. Just looking at Cloud made him want to….No, he couldn't. Not when Tifa was just around the corner. He wouldn't allow himself to become violent. Instead, Vincent cleared his throat and said, "Let me rephrase that: why the hell are you fucking around with us?"

Vincent had said it with his usual polite tone but the look in his eyes was unkind. Cloud's mind was a blank slate at that moment. This was yet another side of Vincent that he had never seen during their younger years spent together. This was a side that he wasn't sure how to handle. He didn't know this Vincent. This resulted in no answer leaving his lips. In its place, Cloud endeavored to sidestep his former friend and head for the door but in vain was his attempt. Vincent had anticipated the move and had moved along with him. Cloud gritted his teeth together and sent a baleful glare.

"Still not answering?" Vincent's eyes narrowed. "Is this how little you think of us? After we extended a hand in friendship to you, this is how you treat us?"

The words stung Cloud and made him take a step back. The way he has said it….it made him feel angry himself. That was not how he felt. That was not what he thought of them. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault….

"It's not my problem." Cloud finally spoke up though his voice turned out more aggressive and arrogant than he had intended. "What you should concern yourself with is that you never even told me who you were, exactly why I'm even standing here and decided to let the 'underprivileged commoner' find out for himself!"

"Listen to yourself, you ass! God, take a minute and just listen to what you're saying to me! To all of us! We have never, NEVER tried to embarrass or make fun of you since we first met! It has never crossed any one of our minds! Hell, what were you thinking yesterday when you said this same shit to Tifa?! Haven't you even grasped the fact that she has been blaming herself the whole time for your actions?! She, out of all of us, tried her best to HELP you, you goddamn bastard!" Vincent let his resentment and fury explode from the tight constraints of his cool composure. No longer stood in front of Cloud the calm, uptight Vincent. Now there was this extremely angry, almost unrecognizable person who was practically shouting in his face. This wasn't Vincent….this was like the reincarnation of the devil!

Cloud couldn't let himself be intimidated (though maybe he was, just a little) but he felt his heart clench for a brief moment in his chest at the mention of Tifa. She was blaming herself?

She should, shouldn't she? She's a part of all of this! Never forget that! With that thought stuck in his mind, Cloud countered Vincent's rant and said, "Who cares about Tif-!!"

A fist punched him in the cheek just then and caused Cloud to stagger unsteadily into a wall. He slumped against it and stared up in disbelief at Vincent whose lifted fist was turning a sore red and seemed throbbing. Vincent couldn't believe it either; he had been working himself into a rage and Cloud……Cloud…He had come a hairsbreadth away to insulting Tifa. Cloud. His name repeated itself in Vincent's mixed up head. He didn't have the right to do that. No one did because Tifa….she… How dare he…

Cloud watched a flash of frustration replace the look of fury that had been occupying Vincent's face. He stood there, leaning against the wall as that same man shook his head and fists as if to rid an inner demon from within. Vincent… He thought, feeling an emotion not unlike to that of compassion.

"Leave her alone Cloud." Vincent's voice, low and distorted, hummed in Cloud's ears. He looked up, shocked at the statement. Who was he talking about? Could it be….Tifa?

"Why? Isn't it obvious I've already been doing that?" Cloud shifted and pushed away from the wall to walk unsteadily back to Vincent. He stared at him with unflinching eyes as Cloud felt his cheek and found that his lip had been cut in the process and was even bleeding a little. He wiped away the blood with his hand carelessly and tasted hot coppery liquid on his tongue.

"Just stay away from her."

"Stay away from who?" Both men froze at the sound of the voice. Tifa had come back. Cloud felt his muscles twitch and even saw something not unlike that of a panicked expression on his face. They had forgotten themselves and had allowed themselves to get carried away, raising their voices as they had continued to converse. Neither of them wanted Tifa to see them like this.

Vincent took a deep breath and answered before Cloud could say anything. "No one in particular. I think it would be best for us to go right now. We might end up being late."

Tifa nodded and slowly passed Cloud but as she passed, Tifa couldn't help but glance up at his face. Her impulsive action was brought about by the small hope that she would catch a glimpse of the person that she had only just met two days ago, the man with the shy smile. The man who possessed a nameless appeal that had made her heart race for some unknown reason. But as she searched his face for that one fleeting second, she saw no remainder of that person. In his place was an indifferent man who looked like he just didn't give a damn. That couldn't be Cloud. This man, though similar in features, had a split lip that dripped blood down his chin and the telltale beginnings of a bruise was starting to appear on his cheek. A soft gasp escaped from Tifa's mouth and she stood there, staring wordlessly at Cloud who found this unnerving. He averted his eyes but almost immediately got caught in the stare of a less than benevolent Vincent who was standing opposite of him still.

"Ahem..." Vincent coughed politely, trying to get Tifa to walk towards the elevator. But she hardly responded, only having eyes for Cloud at that point. Instead, to the surprise of the two others, she reached a hand towards Cloud's face.

"Does it hurt?" She asked softly as her hand lightly stroked the bruised cheek. Tifa was in a dream-like state, completely unaware of her surroundings but deeply engrossed in the person in front of her. Vincent stood there, shocked and strangely, unable to move a single muscle. Cloud had flinched and cursed the tingling feeling that the hand's caress was leaving behind in its trail.

That's just the stinging feeling of the punch, nothing else… He wouldn't allow himself to think of the intimacy as anything more. With that thought, Cloud pushed Tifa's hand away and moved away. For another second, they both just stood there, Tifa's hand still hanging in the air awkwardly. Humiliated, she dropped her hand heavily back to her side and slumped her shoulders. Tifa closed her eyes to will the unexpected stab in her heart away. She swallowed inaudibly and without turning around, she said words that made Cloud stop yet again in his tracks.

"Why won't you talk to me anymore, Cloud? How long are you planning to stay mad at us? I thought," She gave a hollow laugh and then continued, "I thought that we were friends."

Cloud didn't answer, refused to answer but at the same time, he began to feel his throat constricting because of some invisible pressure building up around him.

Tifa took his silence as consent to go on. Her next words made an even bigger impact on Cloud than her last, more than he would ever know. "Was our friendship that shallow that it only takes a couple of words from somebody else to shake your trust in us? Doesn't it make you wonder if we were ever friends at all….Cloud?"

When Tifa spoke his name, Cloud felt a jerking in his chest and begged it to stop. On the outside though, the silence remained.

"Tifa." Vincent called for one last time, eying the emotional girl. She raised her hand and he abruptly fell silent.

"I think the world of my friends and I know that they do the same for me as well. I don't associate myself with people I don't respect. Goodbye Cloud Strife." Tifa turned around and barely sparing a glance his way, she half-ran past Cloud and nearly collided with Vincent whom she pulled along with her towards the end of the corridor. Tifa felt angry and chaotic inside but could hardly show her true feelings in front of Vincent who was watching her so carefully in such a close proximity.

"Tifa…" Again, Vincent could only mutter her name as they reached the end of the corridor and stood in front of the doors of the elevator. Right now the elevator was making its way up to their floor so it would only take a few more seconds for it to arrive. Ding, ding, ding. The doors slid open and Tifa slipped inside and leaned against the railing. Giving one more look behind him, Vincent followed her and leaned on the opposite wall with his arms folded. As the door closed and the elevator started moving down, Vincent finally gathered enough resolution to ask his question.

"Tifa, did you really mean what you said back there?" He questioned as nonchalantly as he could.

The dark haired girl shot him a probing look. "I did. I don't want to be around people like that. End of topic. Closed. Finito. "

Vincent shrugged and refused to take that as her answer. He knew her better than that. "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. As long as I believe it, there's no problem." Tifa's eyes sent out a challenge but it was half-heartedly delivered.

"That could be considered as being conceited, don't you think so?"

"No, I'm just being realistic." Tifa replied with a sad smile. Ding, ding, ding. The doors opened. They had arrived at the main floor. "Come on, let's go to practice."

"Tifa! Wait." Vincent grabbed onto her forearm as they both stepped out of the elevator. Tifa looked down and then back up to Vincent who immediately released it from his grasp. "Sorry. It's just….Are you…?"

Tifa smiled again, feeling lighter at heart, if only for just a little while. She could see that he was getting flustered. As she studied his piercing red eyes, his dark lustrous hair and his other lovely well defined features that he possessed, Tifa felt herself flush awkwardly. She remembered the time when she had loved those eyes and that face with all of her mind, body and soul. But that time had come and go so that all that remained was the love that was like that of a younger sister for her older brother. Yet she could see, deep within his eyes…oh those eyes that had once enraptured her very being…that he still yearned for her in a way that she knew she could never again respond to.

"Vincent. You don't need to worry. I'm fine." Tifa reassured him blithely, giving him a crooked thumbs up.

"Are you sure?" Vincent inquired again, still troubled.

"Yes, yes! Stop it already! Friends don't need to worry that much about each other." Tifa stated in an exasperated voice, rolling her eyes at him. She turned away and started to march off into a westward hallway off to the side of the Entrance Hall. "Hurry up! You're the one who said that we might get in trouble!"

"I said that we might be late! How can we get in trouble?! We're the ones who volunteered for the extra practice!" Vincent replied loudly as he strode after her. And then quietly to himself he murmured, "Are ex-boyfriends allowed to worry this much, Tifa?"

Cloud vaguely remembered hearing the "ding" and the opening and closing of the elevator doors that echoed from the end of the corridor. Elusive thoughts fluttered around noisily in his mind. Tifa and Vincent were going down to the Entrance Hall right now. He was just standing outside in front of the boys' dorm room foyer. Blood was dripping from his chin and down onto the once-beautiful, now red stained floor. Yet in that state of utter confusion, Cloud found himself constantly repeating her words. Tifa's words and the sheer effect and power it had swayed his way of thinking with. He had never known that just plain words could have affected him so greatly. What's more is that he had never known that those few simple words could have sucked all the anger and mistrust in him, leaving behind only the dawning of comprehension and remorse for his actions and falling out with his friends who, as Vincent had explained so clearly, had done nothing wrong but extend a friendly hand towards him.

"How could I be so…." Cloud searched his mind for the right word.

Blind, shameful, horrid… They all seemed so appropriate. But there was one word that seemed to combine all of these into one maliciously descriptive word.

"Stupid." That last spoken word echoed in the halls also. At the sound of the echoes, Cloud found himself filled with a new, less negative resolve. A resolve that insisted on him searching out Tifa and Vincent to profusely apologize and (if need be) beg for forgiveness. He glanced at the boys' dorm room door and nodded his head. He would apologize to Zack and everyone else who he had let his anger out on yesterday and try his best to regain their trust and friendship. He wouldn't be influenced by others so easily next time. He dashed towards the elevator and started to violently hit the elevator button, so fast that the blinking lights and the pain of slapping the button was all a messed up aching blur. Cloud waited impatiently for the elevator and when it did, he walked inside and headed down. But, to apologize, he had to find them first. (O.o) This was going to be hard.

A/N: Hello again! WOO! 10th Chapter! I'm so slow!! :( Hopefully over time, my slowness will improve :P
I hope you all enjoy my latest chapter because errrr...I don't think I will be able to post up any more until the beginning of September. Yes, I know. I'm sorry!! But I'm going on vacation and I don't think I will have access to a computer anywhere. But no worries, I will start chapter 11 (continue from what I've already written) and so on during my vacation! R&R Guys! Thanks for all the reviews last time!