Chapter 10

I suddenly came to as the feeling returned to my body, my every sense once again back on alert. The light shone bright at my still tightly shut eyelids, yet I took my time before I even thought about opening them. I was still feeling very unwell and I also a bit uncertain about what had really happened. Somewhere far away, a bird was singing.

A silent sob made me come to my senses, and I slowly opened my eyes. The light was almost painful to me, which made me wonder how long I really had been out. I let my eyes wander to the bedside, where an unexpected sight awaited me. Tifa was sitting in a chair by the bedside, resting her upper body on my mattress with her head on her arms. Seeing her immediately warmed me up from the inside out, and was slowly but certain erasing the numbness from my muscles, as well as returning my memories.

I wanted to reach out to touch her, yet I didn't know if I had the strength to do it. I tried anyway, but stopped as I noticed to my surprise that my arm was bare; the metal claw I usually had on no longer there. The rest of my body was also only lightly dressed; my upper body seemed to be bare, while my lower body sported a pair of light pants under the covers . It surprised me a bit seeing my own body out in the open and not covered in all the get-up I usually sported. Even my bandana was missing and my hair lay in soft strands around my face, as if it was happy to have its freedom back for a moment.

Despite I wasn't quite used to it; I had to admit it actually didn't feel too bad. If that was simply because of my current condition however, I did not know for sure. I took quite a beating during the fight and I could only guess what I would get to see if I lifted the covers to inspect the damage. I decided that just the thought of it was enough for me for now.

I turned my attention back over at Tifa, who hadn't moved an inch since I last watched her. I reached out towards her cheek and it felt like an eternity before I finally felt her warm skin towards my own. Had it not been for her, I would probably not have seen any point in trying to make it back.

She didn't react at first, but simply let out another silent sob in her sleep. It pulled my heartstrings more than I would admit, seeing her so sad. It was easy to tell that she had been crying.

Suddenly, her eyes sprung open and darted over to mine. She seemed to be somewhat in shock.

"Vincent…" she breathed. "You're awake…"

"Missed me?" I said while smiling slightly, voice a bit hoarse. It seemed like it had been a while since it was used. Tifa smiled slightly before putting her hand on top of the one I had on her cheek, eyes becoming teary once more.

"Stupid, being able to crack a joke at a time like this…" she said with a small laugh. She closed her eyes as she hugged my hand to her cheek, my heart skipping a beat at the sensation. Even now, she was so beautiful.

"You should be grateful. It's thanks to this idiot that you're alive right now"

She got up from her chair and sat down on the bedside, holding my hand in her own.

"Does that mean you remember everything?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, think so… It's all gradually coming back to me, but I can't remember anything about being brought here or…"

I looked around, suddenly aware that I didn't find anything familiar with the room I was in.

"Uh… Where are we anyway?"

She smiled contently, gently squeezing on my hand. "You don't recognize it? Then again, I'm the only person who is allowed in here anyway, so…"

She picked up a photograph from the nearby bedside table. Her gaze became extremely content, before she looked back over at me and turned the picture over so I could see it. I raised my head slightly to be able to see better. The photo was of our entire group in Edge after the incident with Sephiroth's resurrection and the Geostigma, which back then seemed like a moment where there actually would be some lasting peace around these parts. Tifa smiled, seemingly to herself.

"I always thought it was so nice that you actually wanted to take a picture with the rest of us…"

She looked back over at me. "We're in Edge at my bar. This is my room"

I felt my heartbeat quickening slightly. Tifa never let anyone into her room in the past so it was a surprise she had invited me in here. I almost felt privileged, as it seemed to be the best room in the building.

"How long have I been here?"

"Two days" Tifa replied, smiling slightly to herself.

"We had a doctor examine you right away, yet there weren't much he could do. He said that your will to live would in the end prove if you managed to pull out of it, but the chances were slim…"

She suddenly became a bit gloomy and I reached out my hand again to touch her arm, wanting to reassure her.

"Hey, I'm fine now. There is no reason to worry anymore."

She smiled painfully.

"Oh, but I did Vincent. And not just me either. The entire group is still gathered downstairs, wanting to support you and see to that you recovered safely. We have all been so worried, and no-one can ever remember having seen you that hurt before…"

I scoffed slightly.

"Never underestimate your opponent and think too highly of your allies"

Tifa kept her smile, yet looked a bit disappointed. "You sound so pessimistic, saying something like that. You didn't think I could handle it on my own back then? "

"It's not that... You see, everyone always depended so badly on me, thinking that just because I can't die of aging I can't die at all. But as I've told you before, even I have limits to what I can endure. All life is fragile"

I looked over at her, eyes stern.

"Especially yours"

Tifa opened her mouth slightly, seemingly a bit offended. She still kept her happy expression though.

"Are you calling me a weakling?"

I shook my head, dead serious.

"No. You think I would dare take the chance on finding out afterwards if you made it or not?"

I looked away, suddenly a bit nervous.

"It's simply because you are precious…"

Tifa blushed, her eyes looking away from my direction in embarrassment. They came to rest at the floor, obviously finding it highly interesting at the moment. I didn't blame her.

"That's…"

I lay back down to rest my head on the soft pillow, feeling a bit tired. I was still quite unwell.

"So there you have it. That's why I did what I did, Tifa. A normal human like you might not have survived an attack like that while so weak and injured."

Tifa returned her eyes to me, still with the red shimmer in her cheeks. It didn't hurt her appearance one bit.

"But you knew you could?"

I shook my head. "I didn't really think that much about it then and there to be honest… I just knew I wanted you out of harm's way"

I closed my eyes shut while inhaling slowly. Why was this always so hard?

"I'm sorry if my feelings have made you uneasy…"

She shook her head slightly, before suddenly leaning in and placed her head carefully on my shoulder, hugging me as gently as she managed.

"It's not that I don't like it, Vincent… I've just been so scared all this time… Scared about my own feelings and fearing that I won't be able to move forward in my life…"

I closed my eyes, breathing in slowly to take in her wonderful scent. It was enticing to my senses.

"What do you mean by "all this time"?" I asked, a bit curious. She shifted a bit, trying to hide her face away in my neck. It was a useless attempt however, as I couldn't see her from her current position anyway.

"I don't really know… I've always wanted you to stay close and integrated with us ever since I got to know you. So it always got me down that you seemed to want to be by yourself rather than us all the time… You seemed so lonely, just like I was…"

She sighed.

"Somewhere along the road, I noticed that you sort of… grew on me, and I started to develop feelings I had a hard time understanding myself… I knew I was falling for you, but I was scared to admit it, even to myself…"

I held my breath, emotions swirling around my body like wicked spirits. Listening to her was both painful and delightful at the same time.

"After you nearly died out there in my arms after risking your life to save me, I realized that I don't want to hold my emotions back anymore. I'm sorry I said what I did to you, it wasn't really true…"

She raised her head slightly, looking at me with a saddened gaze.

"I was the one that didn't let myself love you…I'm so sorry"

"Those are not your words to utter, Tifa…" I said sternly, before reaching out and cradled her head with my arm, hugging her as much as I managed. Hearing her words was so unreal to me; I nearly wanted someone to slap my face to make sure I wasn't still unconscious. Tifa seemed slightly taken aback, yet she didn't protest.

"You're not the only one who was scared…" I started, burying my face in her hair.

"The last time I confessed my feelings to the woman I loved, I lost her to somebody else… So it was hard for me to even think about another confession, because I felt like it would chase you away from me. Especially when you had that obvious crush on Cloud for so long"

She smiled slightly into my neck. "I understand Vincent. The past is sometimes hard to let go. But I know I want to move forward now… So therefore, I have a question for you…"

She parted slightly from the hug to be able to look at my face again. Her cheeks became even redder and she hesitated for a minute, apparently searching for the right words. I had a hard time not laughing. She was incredibly cute when she was shy.

"Is it okay if… I move forward together with you…?"

She looked away the moment she had completed the sentence, the honesty obviously becoming too much for her to handle. I was filled with such happiness I could barely contain myself, yet something in the back of my mind still told me to take it easy. Easier said than done, however.

"You know… There is one thing you should reflect on before you decide anything…" I started, a bit unsure how to go on. This time it was my turn to look away. It was a slightly sensitive subject for me.

"You're a really great girl and could probably catch the interest of most men out there without too much effort…" I nearly cursed under my breath at the thought, yet this was something that had to be said. I needed to make sure she knew what she was in for. I however, was already at the point of no return.

"I can't offer you a normal life like Cloud or any other regular men could. Since I'm not completely human anymore and I won't age normally like you do and… "

I hesitated, not daring to look at her face.

"Yet, despite me being this way, do you still want to be with me…?"

The sentence was almost impossible to finish and I felt uneasy the very moment I did. Tifa however, put her hand on my cheek, pulling my face back towards herself, forcing me to look at her. To my greatest surprise, her face bore a gentle smile.

"I know you feel that way about yourself, and I accept it with all my heart. You're you Vincent, and I have accepted every part of you ever since we first became friends. Can't you just believe me when I say it is you I want to be with? I'm actually more worried if you'll love me when that time comes, you know…"

I raised a hand to cup her cheek, gently caressing it with my thumb. Although I could understand her concern, the matter seemed utterly ridiculous to me.

"If you are willing, I will face the future alongside you, no matter what awaits us. I do love you after all, because you're you."

She smiled, leaning over towards me hopefully. "Is that your reply then?"

"No, not at all"

I gently leaned in towards her face, resting my forehead against hers. Our lips were only centimeters from touching and even in my current state; I found it hard to restrain myself. Tifa tensed up, yet she didn't pull away. I felt the corner of my mouth pull slightly upwards into a small grin.

"This is"

As our lips touched, every trace of pain seemed to vanish from my body, and every little bit of feelings for her I had locked away welled up all at once, nearly overwhelming me. It was with no regret I now at last could express what I had hid for so long, yet I was slightly surprised by myself and how much I actually had wanted it. Tifa didn't even seem too shocked by my sudden approach and pushed herself even closer to me, wrapping her arms around my body carefully. It was the very first time in countless years that I actually felt content and at ease.

As we parted from the kiss and our eyes met, Tifa immediately blushed and looked down at the sheets, once more shy and timid. I smiled slightly at the sight. Usually, Tifa was so mature and motherly, but apparently she also harbored such innocence. You didn't see me object however, as it simply made her cuter than ever. Tifa noticed my grin and blushed even further.

"Y-You're so bold all of a sudden…" she muttered.

I hugged her head to my chin with one arm, closing my eyes.

"So what? You have no idea how long I've shut all of this in"

She nodded slightly. "I guess…"

I tilted my head slightly to the side, observing her. "Did you hate it?"

Her gaze rose to meet with mine, cheeks still flushed, yet her expression a bit more serious.

"The only thing I hated about it was the part where you stopped…"

This time I couldn't contain myself and laughed my heart out, holding onto her small form at the same time. She watched me in surprise by my reaction, looking a bit startled.

"I'm so sorry" I breathed as the laughter sustained. "Who's the bold one you said?"

She grinned slightly, poking me with a finger in annoyance. "Hey, stop making fun of me!"

I pulled her up further towards me and she placed her face at my neck in response, hugging me gently. I smiled to myself, closing my eyes again as I held her.

"Don't you ever dare leaving me again…" she said silently, clinging onto me. I gently kissed the top of her head while stroking her back gently, unable to comprehend how on earth I could be this lucky. Outside, more birds joined in on the singing.

"Never…"

Author's note: Well, there it is. I couldn't resist making a happy ending for the two ^^ There will be one more chapter before I finish this story however, but just a short one so please stay tuned for the ending!^^ Thanks a lot to all of you guys who have followed the story up untill this point and written your kind reviews for me ^^ I love you all!

CrimsonHeaven