..x.X.x. Unspoken Emotion .x.X.x..

Cloud couldn't feel happier to be back home. He was transfixed on the inspiring love between himself and Tifa; what they had was practically all too good to be true. They had known each other since childhood and had been inseparable ever since.

However, this time returning home was much different. Tifa seemed somewhat distracted, for lack of any other explanation. He had wondered if maybe something more had happened with the strange attack she had been subjugated to many nights ago, but he knew that she would have told him. She wasn't one to keep secrets; not from him.

He rolled his head lazily to the side to gaze at the sleeping girl beside him. The nightmares must have ceased; she had shown no signs of distress in the last two nights that he'd been home. At that moment a slight blush had crept onto her pale cheeks, displaying all too well that she was dreaming of something rather.. nice, if not sinful.

A faint smiled etched on his masculine lips as he instinctively leaned over to kiss the soft cheek of his love. He watched as she stirred quietly and felt his heart pulse warmly at the flutter of her thick eyelashes.

Her large bright eyes reflected the morning sunlight, making the crimson flecks glow like a flickering flame in the breeze. At first glance they had portrayed the essence of hopefulness, a longing he couldn't quite place.. And though she said nothing unusual, he could see that when she focused, her eyes fell with the slightest hint of disappointment.

It made his heart ache; what was it that she was keeping from him?

The idea instantly erased itself when she smiled. Her lush lips tenderly brushed across his, sending a wondrous warmth throughout his body. Her voice was like music to his ears.

"Morning, Cloud." Her smiled remained painted on her face, her skin glowing like a goddess from the heavens. Cloud smiled softly in return, feeling so utterly lucky to have this beautiful woman for himself. He swore again and again that he'd never take for granted any time with her..

As if to break his trance, she turned away and clambered out of bed, her long chocolate hair swaying in silk strands behind her. Something silver reflected in the morning rays, something keenly unfamiliar. He squinted and took a closer look, straining to see as she walked to the full length mirror across the room.

"Tifa, where did you get that necklace?" He asked softly, confusion apparent in his tone. He didn't quite remembering seeing it around her dainty neck when she went to bed..

As if to reflect his own thoughts, her glance quickly darted to the mirror in front of her. Her fingers immediately reached up and tenderly touched the cold silver, admiring it as if for the first time. It was a small, dainty silver chain adorned with several tiny ebony roses laced around three teardrop shaped diamonds. They glittered with elegance in the faint golden light.

She quickly summed up an answer.

"Oh, I must have forgotten to take this off last night.." She licked lightly at her lips. "I bought it while you were gone. I had some extra money from tips at the bar, so I thought, why not? It's pretty, huh?"

She turned to face Cloud, smiling brightly, showing off the silver necklace casually. Cloud's expression softened a little, but confusion still filled his eyes.

A pang of guilt struck Tifa's heart. This was unbearable; lying so easily to his face like she was. And this necklace.. She didn't even want to think of how, or when he came in to put it around her neck.. She was so deeply involved in her dreams about..

"Vincent.." Her lips formed the name, but never spoke them. She didn't dare to, she didn't even mean to..

"Tifa? Are you alright?" Cloud sat up, placing his feet firmly on the cold, solid floor. "You've.. Been acting kind of off here lately. Actually ever since I got home."

Tifa's eyes turned briefly to the floor in thought, but quickly elevated to look into Cloud's deep icy glare. She smiled lightly and walked to him, sitting on his lap and lacing her arms around him lovingly.

"I know, I'm sorry. I honestly don't know what's wrong with me." She kissed him softly, watching the worry fade away from his face, replaced with that of tenderness. He embraced her back, searching for the feeling that always took over him whenever she hugged him before.

But it wasn't there.

He smiled in return and countered with another tender kiss.

/It's probably just me./ He thought sullenly to himself. /I've been gone longer than usual this time.. I just need a little time to readjust./

With that, the couple stood up and went about themselves to get ready for the day. Tifa took her place again before the mirror and stared at the mysterious necklace, making sure that the clothes she garnished matched it's ebony shades.

Cloud couldn't help but notice from the corner of his eye. Tifa's gaze had flickered to the single window to their room a couple of times, but he quickly dismissed it.

She soon walked out the door and down to the kitchen to make breakfast, stopping to send him a playful wink before she disappeared. Cloud couldn't help but smile, and soon followed her down.

As if a second thought, he turned to close the curtain to the window to block it from view. He felt a bit foolish to do so, but he wanted to unveil what it was that was causing this odd tension inside of him.

With one last standing glance, he sighed heavily and made his way downstairs.

.x.x.x.x.

The day ahead had been pretty ordinary. Cloud attempted to stay as close to Tifa as possible, as if to maybe uncover the unknown entity that was bugging her.

He had noticed that night at dinner that she had a large scar on her arm. Tifa had blushed slightly when he inquired about it, having completely forgotten about it.

"One of the customers at the bar got a little too drunk. The guy with the red hair.. Reno, I think. I had to, you know, take care of him and got this as a result." She avoided eye contact with him for a moment, biting her tongue feebly in ignorant regret.

Cloud sighed deeply and laid his head back further into his pillow, feeling the weight of Tifa's head on his chest. He draped one arm protectively around her and felt her gaze peering up at him silently.

When he lowered his own gaze to look at her, she had closed her ruby eyes in attempted sleep. He smiled warmly and tenderly brushed a few stray locks from her face.

Without another word, he closed his eyes as well, and drifted into a deep, inviting sleep. One that would curiously stir him all too soon.

.x.x.x.x.

Peace had surrounded him in the surreal vision of his dream. He felt the warmth of Tifa's body wrapped around him, it's comfort absorbing his mind in the soft darkness. The air was very relaxing, feeling every muscle in his body sigh with lavish solace.

And then a disruption. A disturbing sense a violence began to creep into the vision, the air thickening and grasping at his lungs. Cloud sat up in his dream, struggling for breath while haplessly grasping at his suddenly aching throat. The surrounding air began to get cold very rapidly, sending chills down his spine.

When he opened his eyes in the dream, he found a pair of red ones staring at him from the darkness. They were full of malice and possessive threat.

/Tifa?/ He had called out, hearing the rasp of his voice as the dense air crowded his dying lungs.

Tifa opened her eyes from her sleeping position and looked up at him, but no, they were not the sparkling ruby eyes he had known. They were darker, and... strange. They were the very opposite of his love's. /But then who-/

The eyes in the shadow before him lowered in an offensive stance, an ancient power radiating in a blood red glow. Cloud felt succumbed, as if unwillingly obeying a master's orders.

Unable to move, Cloud could only feel the thick air begin to stir. The chill scraped against his skin like ice, and all he could look at were those leering eyes.

A voice sounded through the dark bitterness. It was deep and strong, tainted with a blackened grace. It beheld a fierce command laced with a hatred that flowed deeply.

"She is mine."

Cloud could only blink, fighting off the fear that kept tugging at his brain. He kept his features as calm as he could manage, but he just couldn't rid himself of the powerless subjugation that had control over him.

"Tifa is mine. I will have her, and you will not stand in my way."

With that last fading statement, the darkness imploding around him sending him swirling ever so quickly back to consciousness. His eyes darted open to the darkness of night, his breathing shallow and his skin sweltering in a glimmer of panicked sweat.

Tifa stirred quietly on top of him, obviously awakened by Cloud's sudden jolt into wakefulness. Her large eyes indolently fluttered open and up at his clammy face.

When she saw his condition, she immediately sat up and cradled his face in her petite hands.

"Cloud, are you ok? What happened?"

He raised a hand to his balmy forehead, only to see how much his fingers were trembling. He had been shaken more than he thought. Who could blame him, though; the dream had felt so incredibly real.

He steadied his voice and masked his concern from Tifa. He would rather figure this for himself over making her even more upset.

"No, I'm alright. Just a.. Bad dream, that's all."

Tifa settled back down against his chest, yet kept her fragile eyes trained on his, smiling reassuringly. "Want to tell me about it?"

Cloud smiled back as best as he could. "It was nothing. Just another one of those lost fights."

Tifa kissed him lightly. "Well, no need to worry about that when you've got me here to protect you, right?"

Her smile was undoubtedly warming, but Cloud felt a sinking in his soul. If his dream had been more than just the mere illusion of a sleeping mind, then someone wanted her.

As Cloud gently smiled back and draped an arm around Tifa's slender shoulders, he silently prayed that he was wrong, that the dream was in fact just a dream.

.x.x.x.x.

[A/N part deux: Oh, it's so TERRIBLE! Poor Cloud, he has no idea what he's up against! Don't you just feel so bad for the guy?? :]