FAR FROM THE TREE CHAPTER 19
Authors' Note: Thank you all for the great reviews. For any who are nervous that this story might not get finished, fear not! This story is already finished. What takes time is the editing. We are so happy that our story has helped people through trying times. It's nice to know that you all have enjoyed reading it as much as we have enjoyed writing it!
-SHATTERED-
Tifa began preparation for a meal to feed 40 people, mentally calculating exactly how much of each ingredient she would need. She decided on spaghetti and meatball with garlic bread and a salad, and thankfully, Reeve had gone through the trouble of procuring all the ingredients necessary. Mrs. Strife also joined in, being a fantastic cook and all, though it was a bit awkward, knowing the discussion she would need to have with Cloud later. She was not looking forward to it.
Since there was so much of each ingredient, many of them sat just outside the door in sacks so that it wouldn't crowd the already too small kitchen. Once she had the spaghetti cooking, she made sure Tamra, the owner and operator of the Starlet Pub, was watching the four large pots of boiling spaghetti and walked out to the tables that had been set up outside to accommodate everyone.
Mrs. Strife peeled and prepared the vegetables for the salad with expert precision. Aerith laid out multiple rows of bread after slicing them down the middle. Angel was doing a very good job of mincing the garlic for the bread. Tifa approached her, watching how she did it.
"You're doing really well, Angel," Tifa encouraged her.
"Thank you, Tifa," she replied.
It was then that she noticed how dark the shadows beneath her eyes had become, and her lips were a bit pale.
"Angel, are you feeling all right?" Tifa probed.
"I'm just a little tired," she confessed as she continued to mince the garlic.
"You know, you don't have to do this," Tifa told her, "I can do the garlic, if you like."
"No," Angel protested, "I want to... do this."
"Okay," Tifa conceded, "but you should get to bed early tonight and get some rest."
She looked up at Tifa, smiling so sweetly.
"Okay, Tifa," she agreed.
Tifa turned to look at the rest of the group. Cloud and Marlene were returning from wherever they had gone to talk, and he looked so... happy. Tifa suppressed the rising hope within her, attempting to remain firm. He was going to leave without even talking to Tifa. What kind of future could they have together if Cloud could just disappear in the blink of an eye? She shook her head; she couldn't think about that right now.
In the distance, Tifa saw a shadowed figure approaching the Cosmo Candle, a tattered red cloak trailing behind him.
Not being a fan of crowds, Vincent had arrived later on purpose, though he did have news to report regarding the cave he would often visit. His crimson eyes scanned the crowd, probably looking for Cloud, if Tifa knew Vincent. Unfortunately, Cloud had just ducked into the pub, so, not seeing him anywhere, Vincent strolled up to Angel.
Is every man attracted to this girl?
"Pardon miss, I'm looking for Cloud." he said in that low, gravelly voice.
Angel turned around, a piece of garlic in her hand, and stood up to address whomever was speaking to her. When she first saw the gunman, her eyes grew very wide and she backed away from him. When Tifa saw her reaction, the barmaid was understandably confused.
"Angel? What's wrong?" she asked, looking between her and Vincent. This drew some attention from those standing around the Cosmo Candle. Angel raised a finger and pointed to Vincent.
"Vampire!" she yelled. Looking down at her hand, she saw the garlic there and decided to throw it at Vincent. Of course, it bounced harmlessly off of his forehead. Chuckles from all around them erupted, including from Tifa.
Denzel stopped what he was doing and rushed over to Angel.
"No, Angel," he told her, trying to contain his laughter, "That's Vincent. He's not a vampire."
The boy stifled a chuckle. "Remember, we told you... vampires aren't real."
Vincent just stood there, blinking slowly, trying to process what exactly had just happened before turning to Tifa and the boy.
"Would someone care to fill me in?" Vincent asked in his monotone voice.
"You can have girl talk later," Barret called, raising his normal hand. "We need ya over here for the big plan!"
"You may want to explain it in better detail," Sephiroth scolded.
"Can it, snake-face! Just cuz Spiky trusts you, don't mean I have ta like ya!"
"Hey," Zack squawked, "He can't control how his eyes are!"
"You wanna be next, porcupine? Keep it up!" Barret shot back at him.
Vincent turned to Tifa then, "Seriously, what is going on?"
"This young lady is Angel," Tifa introduced, trying to contain her own laughter, "Angel, this is our friend, Vincent."
Angel still looked a little unsure, but she trusted Tifa enough to approach the gunman.
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Angel hasn't had much experience in the real world, and a couple nights ago, she saw a vampire movie..." Tifa stopped, knowing it would take a while to explain.
"You... have... something inside you..." Angel said, confused. "Many somethings..."
Vincent blinked, surprise stamped over his features, which was saying something, as it took a lot to break through his stoic expression.
He turned to Tifa then, "I can see what Reeve meant when he mentioned a special woman; I just didn't realize how special."
He turned back to the girl. "My apologies for scaring you, I should have announced myself. Sneaking up from behind... I suppose it was vampire-esque."
Angel smiled at him. "It is okay. I should have remembered. They told me vampires are not real."
There was still quite a bit of snickering going on, but Denzel placed a comforting hand on her arm.
"Don't worry, Angel," Denzel reassured her, "It's okay to make mistakes. Cloud says making mistakes is how we learn."
"And he should know," Vincent added with a slight smirk. "He's a master at it."
"Hey, I'm right here," the blond remarked sourly as he approached them, letting Marlene run in and offer an extra set of hands.
"Nice timing," the gunman replied.
The blond shrugged. "You know me,...listen, I know this is a bad time to bring this up, but after this whole mess is over with, I think, you and I should take Sephiroth to the cave. I know we don't know how to get her safely out of there, but he at least deserves to see her."
Vincent gave him a long, hard gaze, studying him. "You've already promised him, haven't you."
The blond sighed and nodded, and Tifa could have sworn Vincent was rolling his eyes.
"Of course you did."
Cloud nodded over to the group still huddled deep in their plans. "They can fill you in, There's something I need to do."
He wanted for Vincent to head over to the Candle before turning his attention to Tifa. "Can... I talk to you... alone?"
She forced herself to smile cordially even though she knew he could see right through it.
*FFTT*
He led her up the path, trying to find the best spot, that was both far away from the rest of the group and a perfect place for one of the best memories he wanted to share with her. He tried to lead, while keeping her walking next to him. He felt so nervous, but excited at the same time, and he felt such warmth walking next to her, however he carefully kept his expression perfectly neutral. He had to if he hoped to sweep her off her feet.
When they got to the top of the plateau, on a cliff overlooking the sun that was just starting to set, he stopped and turned to her. He wanted to dive right into it, but his heart was fluttering so much, he was afraid he'd stumble and trip over his words. He sensed something was bothering her, so he wanted to help her get through that first.
"Tifa, is there something bothering you?"
She sighed deeply, turning her back on him.
"I remember back when you got the stigma and left without telling anyone anything," she began, then turning to face him, her eyes burning with pain, "It almost destroyed me, you know. Not knowing where you were or if anything bad happened to you... so many nights, I just lay awake... terrified that you had... that you were..."
She stopped, her voice choking up. "You told me you would never do that again... that you would never just leave."
She met his eyes. "Last night, were you even going to tell me you were going to leave?"
And just like that the rug had been pulled from under him. His eyes widened and his expression mirrored the hurt he felt, though it was also laced with guilt. The hand that was in his pocket came back out, but it was empty, now was definitely not the time... not yet.
"Teef, I..." he gave up trying to think of a reason to hide it from her; that had never worked well in the past. "I was tired of seeing people I love get hurt. I fell behind and held everyone else up. If I fall, I don't want anyone else to suffer because I failed."
He tried to calm his fears and prevent that vision from resurfacing. "I figured if I struck out on my own I could find the Harkon base and finish Licer quickly, without anyone else getting hurt."
He shuddered a sigh, "If anything happened to the kids, or you, or Angel... I don't know if I could handle that guilt."
She shook her head. "Do you ever stop to think how much it hurts? Not knowing... How do I know you're not going to leave in the future?"
She frowned and sighed in frustration. "This kills me inside... because I was stupid enough to think that maybe... you and I... could..."
Her voice broke. "But how could we if I can't trust you to stay?"
It was like Shiva's hand gripped his heart and twisted. Her words hurt more than Sephiroth's blade ever could.
"What do you want me to say, Tifa? I'm doing the best I can to keep everyone safe! If I have to leave to get it done then that's what I'm going to do! It hasn't come to that yet, and if the plan works then it won't!"
He tried to keep his rising anger in check, but it was hard. "This past week has been testing my sanity, and if this keeps up I'm going to break! I thought you and I were on the same page! No one knows me better than you! If you can't see what I'm trying to do then who?!"
"You don't seem to have any trouble confiding in Angel," she shot at him, "You weren't even going to tell me you were leaving! You were just going to leave me to wonder where you had gone! I can't... I can't go through that again!"
She glared at him. "Why is it you always pull away when you need someone the most? When you're ready to break... when your sanity is being tested... that's when you lean on the people you love! You don't push them away!"
She was yelling now, and her frustration was evident. "I can't do it again, Cloud. I won't!"
She pulled a ring from her finger and threw it on the ground. "I'm done."
She turned her back on him and walked away.
He stood there... watching her leave... both his head and his heart were reeling.
Looking down at the ring she threw away, he bent over and picked it up, only to squeeze it in his hand as he fought against the pain pulsing in his chest. She had thrown away the wolf pendant ring he had given to everyone he held close to him. Barret, Denzel, Vincent...they all carried his symbol, because they were his family, and he loved them.
Tifa's, though... hers was special. It was the first one he had given out. The first one who promised to never take it off. Seeing her wear it always reassured him... but... it was here in his hands... without her here... and she hated him. He had screwed up bad this time... so badly, in fact... he didn't know if he could recover from it.
Grabbing the hilt of his sword, he roared with anger and hurt as he drove First Tsurugi deep into the cliff. With his hand still grasping the sword he fell to his knees and leaned his head against the thick hilt. He took slow, deep breaths, trying to fight back the hot, heart-broken tears that flooded his eyes, to which he shut them tight to fight them back further.
It was a while before the warrior dragged himself back to his feet, though it took all of his will power to do it. He stood at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the canyon. He needed time to himself to cool off and heal his wounded heart. He knew he had messed up, and the fear that he had done irrevocable damage to any future with Tifa weighed down his soul.
He felt around in his pocket, his hand brushing against the box he had carried with him since this whole mess began. It had been for nothing. He hadn't minded how they were living until now, and wished he could go back to that, but... after this... he hated doing this to the kids, but he was most likely going to have to move out. His heart just couldn't take it, the thought of living with her and watching her move on and fall in love with someone else…
He lowered his head and let out a shuddered sigh.
"Cl-Cloud…"
Looking up, hope kindled back to life like a dying fire given a gust of wind. Tifa had come looking for him? Maybe they could still clear it up…it hurt, but there was always hope, right? He closed his eyes and turned... "Teef...?"
"Aw, that's a cute nickname you gave her."
Cloud's eyes shot open and fear exploded within at the sight that greeted him. Kane stood there with Tifa in his insane grip, one hand clamped tightly around her throat and the other with his sword poking her in the back. Bruises and cuts were scattered here and there across her skin and…were her arms broken? They were just dangling at her sides, useless to her.
Fear and rage burned like a raging inferno within his heart as his eyes glowed brightly with hatred.
"Let her go," he growled, dangerously.
Kane chuckled. "You know how this works, hero. You want the girl, you must give me something, and what do I want, Strife?"
"Angel... she's not here, moron."
Kane's knowing smirk only grew. "Wrong. I'm not here for Angel... this time. Think boy. Who else is here besides me and this lovely woman?"
Taking his sword hand, he felt up her backside, and she shuddered.
"Stop it," Cloud shouted, fear growing stronger than his anger.
Kane reached into his pack, pulling out a small pressure injection gun and held it. "Here's the choice you have to make, hero; You will catch this and inject yourself with it. It won't kill you, after all, you know we don't want that. It'll just paralyze you, making you a prisoner in your own body. Think of it as a severe case of mako poisoning."
"And if it drops and breaks?" Cloud asked, trying to think of any way out of this.
"Then I crush her neck. I wonder how long she'll last when her windpipe is caved in?" To prove he wasn't joking he increased the grip around her neck, making her choke.
"All right, stop," Cloud shouted. "Just... throw me the stupid thing."
Kane chuckled. "That's better; remember now. No tricks."
He tossed the gun to him and Cloud caught it. He looked at the bright neon-yellow liquid and tried to fight the panic that overtaking him. He knew what would happen the moment he stuck himself with it, but he'd do anything for...
"And I have your word that you'll let her go..."
Kane nodded, "I will let her go; I promise."
Slowly... his hand rose to his neck as he aimed and prepared to pull the trigger. He locked eyes with Tifa, trying so hard to convey his apology, and it tore him apart to see her so terrified. He hadn't seen her with that look since the day he tried to save her on the bridge.
She tried to speak, but Kane's grip on her throat prevented her from doing anything other than choke... and watch.
Finally, he closed his eyes and squeezed the trigger. He felt the needle pierce his vein, and the ice-cold fluid rush through. It spread out like venom, burning him like acid and he gasped as he struggled for breath. It started taking effect immediately, and his vision began to swim.
"Now..." he gasped as he dropped the empty device. "Let... her... go..."
Kane smiled and nodded. "Very well."
He thrust the sword through her middle, aiming upwards, and she gasped in shock and pain. Time stood still as Tifa stared down at the blade protruding from her stomach, her eyes wide. Releasing his hold on her neck, Kane pushed her forward, and the sound of the squelching as she slid off his sword seared itself into his memory. She fell towards Cloud, and he dashed forward, managing to catch her before his own legs gave out.
Cloud's eyes widened at the horror before him, Tifa laying in his arms... bleeding... gasping for breath... like the vision. "BASTARD!"
Her eyes finally met his, and as she tried to speak, blood began seeping from the corner of her lips. Slowly, he watched as the life drained from her eyes until nothing remained. He could feel the effects of the substance he injected into himself, and his vision dimmed gradually. He raised his eyes to chance one more defiant stare at Kane, hatred and heartbreak blazing as they clouded over.
Kane chuckled coldly as he approached. "What? You told me to let her go, and I did. Sadly, my boss told me not to be seen, so I couldn't let her live. Sorry 'bout that hero."
His soul was shattered, and just like that, the serum claimed him, his will to fight it vanishing with his consciousness.
*FFTT*
Seeing Cloud walking off with Tifa gave Zack an idea. One that had been long overdue. Excusing himself from the group, considering they had most of the plan laid out and would finish the rest once the boy finished drawing the blueprints as Belladonna described them, he headed over and borrowed Aerith for a moment from the kitchen brigade.
He took her into another room and closed the door, trying to be careful not to hit any of the pans or dishes which were kept in here apparently. She folded her arms at his antics. "Now really Zack, what could you possibly have to say to me in a pan closet?"
He chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Well, there's something I've been wanting to tell you, and I think you already know, but...I'm sorry it took me so many years to say it. I wanted to tell you on the beach before we got interrupted."
He walked over to her and the blush he sported only made his mako eyes glow brighter. "Aerith...can you give me another chance to fulfill the rest of your wishes? Back when SOLDIER was still active... the guys would always hound each other for never having a date or falling in love, much less anything more intimate then that. I joked around with them, but I never let on that I... well... mmmph?!"
Aerith leaned in, while he was still talking and kissed him with nothing but pure love and passion. His eyes rolled back as they closed, and he returned the passion while embracing her in his arms.
*FFTT*
Angel watched Cloud and Tifa walk away from the group, and she felt a smile appear on her lips. Now that Cloud knew how Tifa felt about him, he could tell her how he felt. And then Tifa didn't need to feel jealous anymore. Of course, Angel didn't understand why she felt jealous in the first place. Surely, Tifa realized that Cloud loved her.
The barmaid had explained that being jealous was wanting something that someone else had. Angel guessed that Cloud had the love for Tifa, and that was what Tifa wanted. Was that what she meant by feeling jealous? And furthermore, how did one "give" their love to another person? How does one person give another person a feeling?
She shook her head in confusion, finally finishing with the garlic.
"Angel, dear," Mrs. Strife requested, "Could you get the dishes from inside and bring them out here? As many as you can."
"Where are they?" Angel asked.
"In the pan closet." answered Mrs. Strife. "In that building, all the way in the back."
"Yes, Mrs. Strife," Angel agreed, standing from her seat and entering the building.
That was another thing that confused Angel. Some people, when addressing others, either changed the name completely, shorten the name, add to it, or lengthen it. On more than one occasion, Angel had heard Cloud call Tifa "Teef," obviously leaving of the "a" of her name. She often, also, heard Zack call Sephiroth "Seph," but then again, it was such a long name, she could understand the need to shorten it. But then, she heard Sephiroth call Zack "Zachary." She didn't understand that one at all. Mrs. Strife was fond of adding names to the original, words like dear or honey. Mrs. Strife also, sometimes, left out the children's names completely, calling them things like sweetie or darling.
She followed Mrs. Strife's directions, finding the closet at the back of the room, realizing that the number of dishes had never been specified. Angel had simply been directed to bring as many plates as she could. Keeping that in mind, she opened the door and walked about a step inside before abruptly stopping to take in an odd sight.
Zack and Aerith stood in the middle of the small room, arms wrapped around each other in a warm embrace. This wasn't the surprising factor, however; what shocked and somewhat intrigued Angel was that their faces appeared to be stuck together at the lips. At first, they didn't notice Angel, so she spoke up.
"What... are you doing?" Angel asked, unaware of her intrusion into a very intimate moment.
Zack jumped and turned, placing a gentle hand on Aerith's shoulder as they pulled back from one another.
"A-Angel? We were uh... just um... this is perfectly normal... I promise!" he stammered, his cheeks flushing with color.
Angel looked even more confused. "I don't understand."
Aerith looked at Zack, a beautiful shade of pink coloring her light skin.
"Um..." she giggled nervously. "When two people care about one another... um... sometimes, they... um... like to show it by... kissing each other."
"Should I be kissing people I care about?" she questioned.
"Oh, Gaia!" Aerith sighed, looking really uncomfortable.
Zack patted her shoulder. His moment of recovery was enough.
"Not really. A kiss is something you share only with a certain special someone. Well, okay there are two kinds of kisses. ones for super, and I mean SUPER close friends and also family. Those kisses go on the forehead or the cheek. But a kiss between you and that one special someone is reserved only for the lips."
He held Aerith close to him. "Aerith, here, is my special someone."
"Special someone," Angel repeated. "So there are... different... kinds of love?"
Zack smiled. "Sure there are! There's love of family, like how Cloud loves the kids and his mom, and then the bond me an' him share. We're best buds, but I love him like a brother, and then there's true love. It's so powerful, it can make someone feel like they've sprouted wings and can fly!"
"True love," Angel said, "Like Cloud and Tifa?"
Zack smirked and nodded. "Yeah, those two got it bad for each other. Whenever he talks about Tifa... I swear you've never seen him so light-hearted. She totally puts his worries to rest whenever she's around. He's loved her for years; poor guy just doesn't know how to tell her."
Angel pondered this for a moment.
"Zack, Tifa told me she gets jealous," Angel told him, "She said jealous is when you want something someone else has. But Cloud loves her... so why is she jealous?"
"Hmm..." He folded his arms in thought, "I honestly don't know why she'd be jealous. Then again, I'm a guy, and we're kind of oblivious to the girl side of the aspect sometimes."
He turned to Aerith then, "You have any ideas?"
Aerith nodded. "I sure do. Tifa thinks Cloud might be interested in Angel. She's a very pretty girl, and Cloud is so protective of and open with her."
Angel's mouth fell open. "Tifa is jealous... because of me?... but Cloud does not... Cloud loves Tifa... so much!"
Zack slapped a hand to his forehead. "Aw man! Seriously? She's got nothing to worry about!"
He turned to Angel and smiled at her. "Angel, Cloud thinks of you like a sister. I can tell, he treats you in the same regard as he does Yuffie, only you're not the bratty sister. You're the sweet one he likes to baby... well, that came out wrong, you're not a baby. But he does care for you, and he told you as much. I just can't believe she thought that! We gotta clear that up with her before this explodes out of control, especially if Spiky plans to do what I think he's gonna do."
Both Angel and Aerith looked at Zack, and he explained further. "Whenever they're near each other lately he's been checking something in his pocket. There's only one thing I can think of why a guy does that around a girl he likes, and what's hidden in his pocket has Tifa's name written all over it!"
Angel nodded vehemently. "Yes. Family!" she insisted. "My fami-"
She stopped short, placing a hand over her chest and gasping sharply, her eyes as wide as they could be.
"No..." she whispered, her eyes suddenly swimming with tears. She grunted as if she were in serious pain. And then suddenly, she began screeching the word "No" over and over, crumpling to the floor as she still cradled her hand over her heart. Her screams descended into incoherent sobs, and only one word could be distinguished through her cries: "Tifa."
Zack was kneeling beside her in a flash, trying to calm her down. "Angel! Angel, what's wrong! Calm down, you gotta talk to us!"
Angel simply rocked back and forth, her hand on her chest, sobbing hysterically and muttering the word "Tifa."
Zack looked up and through the doorway, seeing no one nearby. "Aerith, you stay with her, I gotta see if I can track down Spiky. He's the only one whose been able to calm her down."
With that he headed off, looking through every open doorway he went, but stopped when he almost bumped into Sephiroth.
"Zackary, there you are. Denzel has finished the blueprints, and we needed your input. I can't find Strife anywhere..." Sephiroth said.
He noticed the panicked look on his lieutenant, "What's wrong?"
"Seph, it's Angel. She's collapsed and freaking out, and I don't know how to help her! I can't find Cloud and just... come ON!"
He grabbed the general's wrist and pulled him in the direction he had come from. Sephiroth followed and saw the girl laying there, cradled in Aerith's lap, sobbing and muttering Tifa's name over and over.
"What happened?" he asked.
"We were just talking and then she collapsed and has been doing this. She won't talk to us, Seph I'm terrified. Normally this means Harkons are close, but she's never said Tifa's name like this."
Sephiroth knelt down to be level with her.
"Angel... I need you to calm down and tell us what is wrong. Let us help."
He reached out his hand to gently clasp her arm.
As soon as he made contact, she stopped and looked at him. Her eyes watery and pained, she met his gaze and stated in a very flat voice, "She's dead."
"WHAT?!" Zack shouted, taking a step back. "Where the HELL is Cloud!?"
"She's in his arms," Sephiroth replied, his eyes glowing. "I can see what she's seeing. Cloud is there, but something's wrong. His vision is fading, and the sound is so muffled I can't make out anything else."
The vision went black, and Sephiroth let go of the girl's arm.
"Angel, do you know where they are?"
"It is... hard... I cannot... yes... I know where," she struggled to speak through the onslaught of emotions.
"All right, then."
Taking Angel in his arms, Sephiroth stood and turned to Aerith. "You inform the others."
He turned to Zack next. "You keep up."
He took off after that, carrying the girl. "Point me in the direction."