Yayness… another chapter

Yayness… another chapter. I am afraid I have fallen victim of AIM. I had to literally tear myself away from it to type this. xD BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL.

Chapter 29

"CLOUD!" Tifa screamed. She never knew she could make such a horrible sound. She ran towards him as fast as her legs would let her, yet it seemed to take forever to get to him. She dropped down beside him, grabbing his shoulders.

"Cloud… Cloud… no… please, no…" Tifa whispered this as she turned him around. His eyes were shut tight, his teeth gritted in pain. "Cloud!" Tifa grabbed his face. She wanted to kiss him so badly. "You're alive!"

Cloud moaned in response.

"Let me look at your wounds," Tifa said softly. She tried very hard not to be prudish as she ripped off his shirt, the fabric tearing easily in her hands. Tifa gasped. There were many wounds where he was stabbed straight through the stomach and chest. Small and large, gaping, ragged holes. Too many gaping, ragged holes. Tifa's eyes watered up as she studied his muscled, ruined chest. She didn't want to see his chest like this. She thought she would have seen it under slightly different circumstances, in her best dreams.

"He's not gonna make it." Barret's voice was strangely sad and hopeless. Tifa started. Their friends were standing all around them. Marlene and Denzel stared at Cloud with large eyes and faces of disbelief. Barret pushed them behind him as Tifa spun around to face him.

"NO!" she yelled. "YOU'RE WRONG!"

"Tifa--" Barret grabbed her arm.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She jerked her arm out of his grasp and threw herself at Cloud. "Cloud… Cloud, hang in there…" She forged a smile just for him. He just looked at her, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. "You're gonna be fine…"

"Tifa… Barret's… right…"

"No," Tifa said firmly. "He's wrong and you're going to be alright." The tears were streaming freely now. They fell on his bloody chest. The blood became a bit thinner, mixing with Tifa's tears.
"Tifa, he's dying," Barret said softly as he knelt down beside her. "Best accept it and--" Tifa spun around.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. Her whole face was wet. "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" She covered her eyes with her shaking hands and sobbed out loud a few times. Then, when she looked slightly better, she crawled over to Cloud and took his hand. Her trembling hands looked so small holding his. She took off his glove and pressed his hand against her lips as she sobbed.

Cloud was using all his strength to hang on, Tifa's mind registered. But he would be fine.

"You'll be fine… you're gonna be fine…" she kept whispering.

"Tifa," Cloud said hoarsely. Tifa swallowed.

"I'm here," she said to him. She gave him a watery smile. His eyes were wet. What? Tifa's mind refused to believe that. Maybe there was something in his eye.

"I need for you… to let me go." Tifa froze.

"What?"

"I'm dying, Tifa." Cloud's voice was a mere whisper now.

"No!" Tifa cried. "Stop saying that!"

"We knew this was gonna happen someday," Cloud said softly. "I'm sorry, Teef."

Tifa bent down and leaned her forehead on his uninjured shoulder and cried. Cloud gave her hand a weak squeeze.

"Keep Fenrir… and give it to Denzel… when he's sixteen." Cloud whispered hoarse instructions to her. "And… Tsurugi. Give Marlene… her present. I… bought her a doll… the other day. It's… under the couch."

Tifa suppressed a sob as she firmly squeezed her leaking eyes shut.

"I've got… money… in my sock drawer. Use it all for… you three. I'm sorry… I don't have anything for you."

"That's fine, because you're going to live," Tifa said firmly. "You'll have all the time in the world to buy me something."

Another wave of pain hit him. He yelled and squeezed his eyes shut. When it passed, he blacked out. His heart was faintly beating. It was getting slower with every passing minute.

Rain started to fall. Softly at first, then steadier and thicker. It washed away Cloud's blood, leaving behind gaping holes. Rain again. What? They had been in a drought. The last rain that had fallen was the healing rain from Aerith.

Aerith…

"That's it!" Tifa exclaimed. She heard herself laugh. She spun around to Barret and grabbed his arm. "Barret! Barret, you have to take him to Aerith's church. The water can heal Cloud! You have to!"

"Tifa, the kid's a goner," Barret said. "Moving him anywhere will just speed up the process!"

"Please!" Tifa begged. "Please Barret! I'll never ask you anything again. It'll work! I'm sure it'll work! Aerith wouldn't let him die! The church is a special place! Everyone's there! Zack's there too! They wouldn't let Cloud die! He beat death eight weeks ago, he can do it again! Please, Barret!"

Barret was considering all of this, Tifa could tell.

"She has a point, Barret," Vincent suddenly said.

"And even if he dies, we tried!" Yuffie supplied.

"C'mon, Barret. You're the only one that can carry him. Whaddya say?" Cid said.

Barret still looked indecisive, until Marlene spoke.

"Please, Papa?"

Barret gave a deep grumble.

"Oh, alright. Get the damn truck started, someone."

My story is coming to an end, my friends. :'(

Review and tell me what you think, please?