A/N: Hello. Here's the 21st chapter. The events here will take place three years after what had happened in Chapter 20.

Chapter 21

3 years later…

"Francis, hurry up!" Tifa called out to her son who was inside the bathroom. "We will visit Daddy's grave."

"Wait, Mom! I'm looking for my- hey, I found it!" The four-year-old kid with black, spiky hair and blue eyes came out, smiling and holding his plastic sword. "Sorry for the wait, Mom."

Tifa clutched her son's hand and they went out of the palace, using the limousine. When they reached the cemetery, she placed a bouquet of flowers in Noctis' grave. It had been five years since he died and Tifa still never got tired of visiting him and giving him flowers. The sadness was still alive in her but she no longer cried for him. She turned her small hope to her son, who was the only reason why she wanted to be alive and to enjoy the life she had now.

Francis gazed at his father's grave. "When will Daddy wake up?" he asked his mother.

Tifa felt a pang at her son's question. She had explained to him many times that his father was dead but he still could not understand or did not care much about the concept of death. For Francis, his father was only sleeping under the ground.

"He will never wake up," she told him. Francis became more confused. She held him closer to her. "You will understand when you grow up."

"Can I dig the grave, Mom? Maybe I can wake him up," Francis suggested.

"No. Do not bother your father."

She clutched her son's hand again and led him to another grave a few meters away from Noctis' where King Caelum was finally buried. He died four months ago because of his old age and heart ailments. The past three years had been difficult for him. He struggled to fight his various illnesses and the pains of his operations but fate still took his life away. The residents of the kingdom mourned for the loss of their beloved king.

Tifa placed another bouquet of flowers in the king's tomb. Thanks for being a father to me. I will always be thankful to you, she silently told the king.

"Grandpa is asleep as well," her son pointed out. "Mom, why did he sleep, too?"

"He was sick," Tifa answered.

"Of what? When I had fever, I don't sleep for a very long time like him and Dad."

Tifa did not respond to her son's query. They came back to the vast grounds of the Caelums. A press conference was being held inside the Coliseum. Squall, the new king, after four months of avoiding the media, finally agreed to be interviewed. He was being asked how he was coping for his father's death and what his plans were as the king of Sapphire. He was not smiling as usual but he responded politely to each question.

"Mom, I thought Uncle Squall is always mute. It's surprising he learned how to talk now," Francis said, watching Squall in the big TV screen outside Sapphire Towers.

Tifa laughed at her son's comment. "Of course, he always knows how to talk. He just doesn't want to do it most of the time."

"Can I approach and play with him, Mom? I think he is sad often. Maybe playing with him would make him happy. He loves me. He likes playing Daddy's role to me."

She hugged her son. "You're so sweet, dear. But he is busy now. You could play with him later."

A bodyguard came near them. "Miss Lockhart, King Caelum asked if you could join in the press conference. The reporters wanted to ask you some questions about the change of the leadership in this kingdom."

Just like Squall, Tifa had avoided the media so she could peacefully mourn for her almost father-in-law's death. I guess it's time to speak now…

She nodded. "Fine. I'll be there." She and her son followed the guard inside the Coliseum. There was a rectangular table in the podium where several microphones were laid. Squall sat behind the table, still answering the reporters' inquiries. His girlfriend, Rinoa, was seated beside him.

"Are you and Miss Heartilly have plans on getting married?" a reporter asked Squall.

"Not yet. Father just died. We want to grieve first. I am not yet on the stage of acceptance," he replied. "But I will get there soon. After that, we will see what life has to offer for me and my girlfriend."

His eyes glimpsed Tifa and said, "The table is now yours, Tifa." He turned to the reporters. "Miss Lockhart is now ready to answer your questions." He and Rinoa stood up and came near Tifa.

"Good luck. I know you can handle it," Rinoa told her with a smile. "Patience is the key in dealing with their insensitivity."

Tifa smiled back at her. "Thank you." The two of them had met two years ago when Squall introduced them to one another. She liked her immediately and they became friends.

"Please carry me!" Francis told his uncle. "I want to play with you!"

Squall smiled at the child. "No problem." He lifted the kid and nodded to Tifa. "Rinoa and I will take care of him. We'll go back to the palace now."

Tifa patiently replied to the reporters.

"If Prince Noctis did not die, he would have been a king now. You could have been our queen too. How do you feel about it?" a writer from a tabloid asked her.

"I'm perfectly fine. I never dreamed of being a queen. All I wanted was a simple, happy life with Prince Noctis and our son," Tifa said. The cameras were clicking and the reporters were jotting down notes. "Let's just give support to our new king. I believe in King Squall's leadership abilities."

"What about your son? Will he be the one to succeed King Caelum someday or will it be the king's future child?" another writer asked.

"It's too early to think of who would be Squall's successor right now. Let's give chance to him first."

Tifa knew the answer. Her son would never be the king unless Squall chose not to have his own kids. It was impossible. Squall was the silent type but he adored kids too. He told Tifa once that he was planning to propose to Rinoa next year and that he wanted to have children with her. Tifa was sad for the old King Caelum but she was a bit glad that her son was freed from the burden of becoming the next king. She and Francis would become private people in the background.

I want a new life with my son. He and I will have our own little world. Her first thought was to move out of the palace and buy a new house.

After the press conference, she told Squall about her plan in moving to a new house.

"You don't have to," he told her. "You're always welcome to stay here."

"No thanks. This palace is too large. I want a simple house. We will visit here from time to time," she said.

She had seen a two-storey house a few blocks away from the palace. It had three bedrooms and a garage good for two cars. The house was surrounded by a white fence and an attractive garden. It was a perfect home for her and her son. The house was also near a school where her son could study. With her inheritance, Tifa could surely afford it.

She called the real estate agent named Marco who told her the price of the house.

Okay. I'll get the gils I need from the bank…

Tifa had so many plans for her and Francis. She would buy a house for them. She would enroll him in the school where he would start nursery. She had to secure the documents required for the house and the school. She had to buy the needed furniture. She was excited to decorate the house she was interested to live in.

One of the documents needed for her son's enrollment was his birth certificate. She came to the Records Section of the Sapphire Towers one morning and asked for a copy.

The woman, Lucy, who was in charge of the said documents, shook her head. "I'm sorry, Miss Lockhart. Your son's birth certificate is not here."

"What? I gave a copy here a long time ago. For sure, it was already recorded in your computer system."

Lucy was embarrassed. "You remember the small fire that enraged this office a long time ago? One of the documents that got burned was your son's birth certificate. Our computers were damaged, too. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience."

Tifa sighed. "You should have told me about this earlier. What can I do now? I need it. My son will start nursery school in a few months."

"You could go back to the hospital where he was born and ask for an original copy," Lucy said. "When you come back here, I promise to take care of it so you could have unlimited copies of it anytime you request for it."

"I have to go back there? Can't you just send a request by mail or call? It's very far from here."

"Sapphire is an isolated kingdom, Miss Lockhart. The kingdom doesn't interact with nearer kingdoms. I'm sure it doesn't deal with farther towns and cities like Edge. Our mail will only be rejected. You have no choice but to go there."

"I wish I have saved a copy of my own in the palace. Damn."

Oh no. I will go back to Edge, Tifa thought.

She had not been in Edge for the past three years. She had no word from Cloud. He did not call her after she sent him that voicemail and Tifa never tried to keep in touch with him again. She changed her number. She rarely talked to her friends anymore. They had their own lives. When she did call them, she did not ask them about Cloud. But Barrett told her once that he was still living in Edge.

She wondered how Cloud was now. He was already twenty-eight years old. Was he married now? Did he have his own children? Could she and Cloud be friends again?

I doubt. I still think it's best if we stay like this, as strangers…

She was watching television with her son when she saw a commercial involving Prompto. He was still a womanizer and was frequently seen dating more and more ladies. He had been engaged once but his fiancée broke up with him after catching him kissing another woman in the van. Tifa was relieved that he stopped pestering her and shifted his attention to someone else.

She received a call from Ignis.

"Hi, boss. What's up?" Her contract with Ignis had expired months ago but she still continued working in his restaurant.

"I have a favor to ask you," he said. "Well, it's not a favor actually. It's an order."

"What is it?"

"There will be a one-month conference for chefs and bartenders starting next week. I cannot attend. My wife will give birth to our second baby anytime. I want you to attend for me. Attendance is mandatory."

"And where will the venue be held?"

"The place where you came from. Edge," Ignis said.

Tifa wanted to scream. Why did destiny suddenly wanted her to go back to that place? Her first answer to Ignis was no.

"Can't you just find someone else to represent you? I can't stay there for a month. Is it really required to attend it?"

"Under the laws of our kingdom, it is required. If I do not attend it or find someone who could, I'll pay a large fine and get reprimanded by the new king. Come on, Tifa. It's free. I'll pay for your plane ticket and hotel accommodations. You could take your son there if you don't want to be away from him for so long."

I have no choice. I will still go there for my son's birth certificate.

"Fine. I'll go there. It's weird. Why Edge? It's very far."

"I don't know. The conference should have been in Accordio but it was moved to Edge in the last minute. I could have joined in it if the organizers did not change the venue. I'm sorry, Tifa. You will still get your salary even if you have to leave for a while. I promise."

"What else can I do? Okay. I'll do it."

"Thanks, Tifa."

Tifa put her phone beside her and sat beside her son who was playing blocks in the bed.

"Francis, we will have a vacation in a faraway place," she informed him.

Her son did not look at her but he was listening. "Where?" he asked.

"Edge, the town where I gave birth to you."

Francis frowned. "What about Daddy? He won't be mad at us if we left?"

"No, he won't."

"Okay."

Tifa's thoughts came back to Cloud. What if she ran to him in Edge? How would they react with one another? Would he be happy to see her? Sad? Did he still hate her for leaving him?

Why do I think of him? It's unlikely that I would see him there. Edge is a large town. I know he would be busy delivering random things outside Edge. I won't do many sightseeing there too. The conference will be held five days a week.

"Dude, what happened? I thought you and Cissnei were getting along! I was so surprised the two of you stopped seeing each other!" Reno exclaimed to Cloud.

Cloud made a smirk. "I got turned off. All she talked about was Zack."

He dated Cissnei, a Turk who was also Zack's friend. He bumped into her in Tseng's birthday party months ago. He had been attracted to her and enjoyed her company but he stopped feeling the attraction when she started talking about her times with Zack. He avoided her while his feelings for her were not yet deep.

"Oh. But Zack died more than a decade ago."

"That's right. And she still thinks of him," Cloud said.

Cloud, Reno and Vincent were drinking wine inside Tifa's old bar. They organized a small party just for men, no women around. Barrett could not attend as he was taking care of Marlene. Cid was prohibited by Shera to show up. Rude and Tseng would arrive later.

"Did you ask her if she was still into Zack?" Vincent asked him.

"No. Do I have to? The mere fact that she likes talking about him is a sign that she still likes him," Cloud stated. "Good thing I did not fall in love with her. What I felt was only a little bit of attraction. I managed to save myself from another heartbreak."

Why do I always get attached to ladies who cannot move on from their old flame? Aerith and Cissnei were still attracted to Zack when I met them. Aerith loved telling me that I reminded her of him. Tifa was still hung up for Noct. When can I find a woman who knew how to let go?

Yet Cloud was aware that he had no right to protest. He, himself, took a long time to get over the guilt he had felt for Aerith's death, and he was still not in the process of forgetting Tifa. He still loved her after all these years. Even though he and Cissnei briefly dated, Tifa was still on his mind and heart despite the fact that she crushed his ego years before and lost contact with him.

"You're weak!" Reno chastised him. "Now, Rufus is chasing Cissnei! You already lost to Zack and Noct. Now you want to lose to Rufus, too? Go after her while you still have a chance!"

Cloud shook his head. "If Rufus can handle a girl on the rebound, I cannot. Let Rufus have her." I don't want to get burned by a woman who doesn't move on…

"Be honest, Cloud." Vincent took a glass of wine and drank it. "Is it really because you disliked the fact that Cissnei is still hung up on Zack that's why you stayed away from her or is it because of another woman from your past?"

Reno laughed. "I can name that lady. Her name starts with letter T, right, Strife?"

Okay, fine. I admit I'm still in love with Tifa but I lost hope in getting her love. She had Noct. Now she has Prompto, whoever he is. I am a failure and disappointment for her.

"Let's not talk about that lady. Shall we? I thought we are going to have a boys' night-out. Can't we talk about other topics?"

Vincent poured another wine in his glass. "Admit it. You still like Tifa. Well, five years have passed since her fiancé passed away. Maybe she is able to move on now. You could have your chance. Cid is only one phone call away if you want to use his airship and go to that kingdom."

Cloud scowled at them. "Let's change the topic. Please."

She has moved on from Noct. I'm sure of it. I wonder how she is right now. Did she end up with that Prompto? Did they have their own kids now? Three years have passed but it's still her I want to be with.

He could still feel the envy, the envy that had plagued him for so long. He had been in love with Tifa since he was a kid yet he was not able to be in a relationship with her. He envied Noctis and Prompto, the two men who were able to have their chance with her. He wondered how it would feel like to be in their place. Cloud knew he would be so delighted to feel Tifa's love for him.

But that will always be a fantasy because Tifa and I are not meant to be. We were never an item in the first place and we will never be…

Tifa was finished packing her son's clothes. Francis was already in bed, sleeping. Tifa ordered him to sleep early. Their flight to Edge tomorrow would be at five in the morning.

She thought of her future again. After the conference in Edge, she would come back here in Sapphire. She would buy the house and enroll her son for school. After a year or two, she would build her own bar. She would live an isolated life with her son, no bodyguards and press to run after them.

The she thought of Noctis once more. The sadness still remained in her. The love was still there inside her. But she was wiser and stronger now. She would always love him. He would always have a space in her heart. But Tifa would move on, perhaps try to love another man again…

I won't hold on from someone who had passed away. I will always love Noct but I will let go now. How silly of me to think I would not love again. It was immature of me to stick to a man who would never come back. It took me five long years to realize that I should let go. You will always be loved Noct. You will never be replaced but I have to love someone again. I'm not getting any younger. I promise you the love I feel for that man, whoever he is, will be less than the love I feel for you. I will always love you more…

Tifa stared at her two hands. She used to wear Cloud's Fenrir ring in her right ring finger. She had removed it and threw it away when she stopped loving him. She had no idea where that ring was now. And Cloud never found out that Tifa lost that ring.

Her eyes lingered in her left hand where her engagement ring was placed. She seldom removed it from the time Noctis proposed to her. She wore the ring even when she was asleep, even after the time he died and left her. After five years, the ring was still in her left ring finger.

Before she could change her mind, she slipped the engagement ring off her finger and put it back to the small box in her table.

I'll never wear this ring again. I will move on. I will let go, she repeatedly told herself, still gazing at her now bare left hand.

Tifa was gazing at her old town. Edge was still the same. Nothing much had changed since she left this town three years ago.

She and her son were inside a cab, on the way to a hotel. Their room was in the twelfth floor of the hotel while the conference would be in the first floor, in the large seminar room, to be attended by thousands of chefs and bartenders all over the Planet.

"Sapphire is more attractive than this place," Francis remarked. "Who is the king here, Mom? I will talk to him and tell him to improve this town."

"Don't say that. This is the place where you were born," Tifa criticized him. "Be proud of this place." She got her phone to look for a babysitter for her son.

When they arrived in the hotel room, Francis jumped into the bed. "I want to sleep! Can I, Mom? I'm tired."

"Go ahead." There was a knock on the door. Tifa opened it and allowed the girl in her late teens to enter the room.

"Good morning, Miss Lockhart and Francis," the girl with blond hair greeted them cheerfully.

"Hi, Candy," Tifa greeted back. She looked at her son. "Francis, she is Candy, you're babysitter. She would be the one to take care of you here while I'm downstairs in the conference. Be nice to her."

Francis stood up. "What? I'm not allowed to join you? Mommy, don't leave me!"

"Kids are not allowed there. I'll come back here later in the afternoon. Bye, baby." Tifa kissed her son in the forehead. She was already near the door again when her son cried.

"Mom! Mommy! Don't go!" He started to run towards her but Candy carried him. "Let me go! Let me go! I want my Mommy!" He thrashed wildly.

"I can handle this, Miss Lockhart. Trust me," Candy told her with solemn eyes. She snuggled the young, crying prince.

Tifa described the conference as dragging. She wished she had turned down Ignis' order. The speakers had no sense of humor. They were so serious in talking about food, wine and nutrition. She did not learn something new from them. Unfortunately, she had to endure the eight-hour conference for Ignis. She could not understand why showing up in this kinds of functions were mandatory for bartenders in Sapphire.

At night, she would be in the room with Francis. He was not yet in school but Tifa started teaching him about letters and numbers. She loved reading stories to him and coaching him how to write his own name. She noticed that her son had an artistic side in him. He loved drawing people and animals and using his crayons in his coloring books.

He gave her a piece of paper one night and said, "Mom, look at my drawing. Is it pretty?"

Tifa unfolded the paper and saw three people there. Her son drew a family picture of himself and his parents. The drawing was not too pretty but she adored her son's efforts.

"It's me in the middle. You and Daddy beside me," he said proudly.

"Thank you for the drawing." Tifa kissed her son in his head.

On her fourth day in Edge, Tifa came out of the hotel with her son when the conference was over. They headed to the hospital and requested for her son's birth certificate. She was assured that she would get it after a week. Then she bought clothes and toys for her son in different stores. Her son loved chasing after dogs and birds so Tifa had to be alert. She would hold his hand tightly so he would not be able to run after those animals.

"Mom, we've been walking for an hour. Can't we rest and eat?" her son whined.

"Later. Mommy still has a few things to buy," she informed him.

"Mom, I want a pet dog or a bird. Can you buy me one, please?"

"No, Francis. Pets are not allowed in the hotel."

Francis grumbled, "When can I have my pet? I want a pet!"

Tifa ignored her son's request for a pet. They went to the market to buy fruits. She was looking at the stall which was selling oranges. She smiled at the vendor and said, "I want to buy some oranges please. My son likes them."

The old vendor smiled back. "Sure, Tifa. Long time, no see." He put several oranges in a plastic bag and gave it to Tifa. Tifa gave him some gils and accepted the fruits.

She was walking towards the next stall selling watermelons when a feeling of anxiety came over her. She looked at her side.

Francis was no longer beside her.

She looked at her surroundings. Where was Francis? She was holding his hand a few moments ago. Why did she let go of him? Her son was nowhere in sight.

"Francis!" she called out. "Francis!"

No little kid with spiky hair came near her. People were beginning to cast curious stares at her. She was becoming loud. But she didn't care. Her son was lost.

"Francis!" she shouted, looking around. She came back the stalls and stores where they came from. She still could not find him.

Oh no! My son is missing! Tifa started to sob.

She kept screaming his name as she ran back to the places they had come. Tears flowed from her eyes. The fear and anxiety made her want to vanish. She was so scared. What had happened to her son? Why did he disappear suddenly? Who took her son away?

People began to glare at him but she ignored them. She had to find her son. Her son was in danger. She had to save him. He needed her.

"Francis," she sobbed. She wanted to slap herself for being so careless. He is only four years old. He is still gullible and vulnerable to strangers.

The sun was beginning to set. She had to find him before night time began. Finding him at night would be more difficult.

She began to ask people about her son. She showed a picture of him to them. No one could give her an affirmative answer. All of them told her that they had not seen their son. They gave him sympathetic looks and told her to seek the help of the police.

No! My life will be over if I didn't locate him. I will be dead. The tears fell on her eyes non-stop. She would never forgive herself if something bad happened to her son. After two hours of searching for him, she still failed. There was no sign of Francis.

"Hey! Stop! You're mine! Don't run away!" Francis shouted at the white bird he had seen in the ground. He fell in love with it and secretly followed it when his mother was not watching him.

The bird was flying away but Francis chased after it.

"Stop!" he shouted again. The bird was leading him to an unfamiliar part of the town. He wanted the bird. When he caught it, he would come back to his mother. He would finally have a pet.

"You're mine! You're mine!" Then he stopped. The bird was no longer within his reach. It flew high up in the sky.

"No!" He scowled. "I thought I would get that bird! No!" He stomped his feet out of annoyance. Then he noticed his surroundings. His mother was gone.

"Mom?" He panicked as he looked at the people around him. He found himself in the park. "Mom! Mommy!"

He cried in an instant. "Mommy…." He sat on a rock and continued crying, feeling so afraid. He cried for an hour. Some people only looked at him. Others whispered while staring at him. No one dared to approach him and ask him what was wrong.

Francis' felt the pain in his chest. He could not accept that he was missing, that his mother disappeared. What would be his life now that he got separated from his mommy? Would he be like the little beggars he saw in the streets, dying of hunger and thirst? Would he land in an orphanage where unwanted and abandoned children usually go? He shuddered, observing his surroundings cautiously with his swollen eyes.

Monsters and kidnappers came to his mind. He imagined them abducting him later on and doing bad things to him. He wished his mother would appear and save him from those evil creatures before it was too late.

He wiped his face using his t-shirt but the tears from his eyes went on.

Suddenly, he heard a male voice. "Hello, little boy. What's wrong? Are you lost?"

Francis looked up and saw a man with blond, spiky hair and blue eyes.

A/N: Of course, the man is Cloud. Please read and review. Thanks! :)