A continuation of the events from the previous chapter. POV is... different, simply cos I felt sure that Leon would eavesdrop...! Apologies if things seem confusing.
Once again, Sora goes for the obvious.
Disclaimer: and I'm only a post-grad archaeologist for that matter!
Certain: free from doubt or reservation; confident; sure.
"You know what we were talking about before, about Tifa not being real…" The sound of Sora's voice from below caught his attention and he paused in his work.
"Yes…?" he could tell Aerith was mildly amused.
"I was thinking… You don't know that for sure. Cloud's been looking for her, hasn't he? Why would he look for her if she was… gone?" A good question. He leant forwards to better hear the conversation.
"Perhaps he keeps looking because he isn't ready to let go?" He just knew Aerith was frowning. He rested his head against the wall, beneath the open window.
"Or perhaps he keeps looking because, somewhere, somehow, she's still alive?" He was more than interested to see where this train of thought was going.
"I mean, your idea that Tifa represents his light makes sense. But that doesn't mean she isn't real." He was blatantly eavesdropping now, with no pretence at work.
"Sora, if Tifa is still alive, why hasn't she come back?" Another sensible question. She had been gone along time.
"I don't know exactly. All I know is what I told Yuffie. I've been to worlds that had been completely destroyed by Heartless, everybody killed. And yet, there they all were, quite alive." This was news to him!
"You mean… people can be reborn?" He could hear Aerith's excitement.
"Yes, I believe that they can." He was trembling.
He felt something cold slide down his cheek and wiped it away impatiently. "Then our friends, our families, they could be reborn too?"
He returned to his work, yet the implications of the conversation weighed on him. "Yes, I'm certain of it."