The Clarity

She silently pulled away from the light of Lightning's room, the carpet muffling her heavy footsteps as she headed to the front door. Vincent took it upon himself to strategize their future tactics however he can, inquiring PSICOM tendencies and city layouts from Serah and Snow. If they were to rid the world of Jenova once and for all, they couldn't afford any mistakes. Together, the three of them conversed back in the living room, and they failed to notice Tifa slip out the front door and into the middle of the dark night.

Was it all useless in the end? Sure, they might be able to pull off this plan and kill Jenova, but that meant a world without Lightning….without any of them for an indefinite amount of centuries. She had heard their stories of two allies that had once woken from crystal stasis, entering a world where they were completely alone. The last time they were crystals, a miracle pulled them out of their sleep, but there was no one to say it could inevitably happen to them this time.

Turning to crystal would mean Cloud would have to sleep alone…and Lightning could be left wandering the land as a cie'th until someone else puts her down. Back on the Planet, Tifa thought that, after the Nibelheim incident, they already knew what it was like to hit rock bottom.

But this was worse. In the end, it wouldn't be because of the fal'Cie that Lightning would turn cie'th. It wouldn't be because of Jenova, either.

It would be their choice to see this through. Their choice to condemn her to a cie'th afterlife.

Could she really let Cloud sentence himself to that fate? After making sure he was happy, even when Tifa's heart was sacrificed? Was there a point into coming all the way here, far from home, just to watch them fail?

Her chest grew heavy. The pulsations on her ankle throbbed unbearably, forcing her to drag her foot as she continued forward, away from the Estheim house. Tifa knew sacrifice was inevitable, but it always surprised her how tremendous the repercussions were. Every step they took came with a price, ones she couldn't stand to pay…

And she was tired of all of it.

As a muffled cry made its way past her clenched teeth, Tifa fell to one knee, one hand covering her face while the other smashed into the ground in a fist. Pale blue streams of light shot from the brand on her ankle, floating around her like ocean waves. As they circled her debilitated form, they flowed into a circular design at her feet, widening with symbols and surging with power. While her ankle felt like it was on fire, tiny geysers streamed up around the perimeter of the design.

"Tifa!"

The familiar voice struck something deep inside, and Tifa managed to break out of her despair long enough to look over her shoulder. Cloud rushed toward her with panic in his eyes, one hand already gripping the sword on his back. Once she managed to rise to her feet, and as realization crept up on her, Tifa took a giant leap back, safely leaving the circle's perimeter just as the geysers began rising higher. Just before they made a sphere above the design, Cloud tumbled through and joined Tifa's side, shaking his hair damp with water.

"You all right?" he asked without taking his eyes off the sphere as it, once perfectly smooth, began to tremble, ripples appearing on the surface.

Tifa fervently nodded. "Yeah," she replied in almost a mutter. Taking a quick glance in his direction, however, showed that he didn't believe it one bit. As she recalled, Cloud's Eidolon appeared just after the nasty spat between Lightning and Vincent back on Pulse, and she was told Vincent met his own Eidolon right after Snow was captured. Surely there was a specific trigger for their appearances…but did Cloud know what it was?

A figure shot out from the top of the sphere, effectively breaking its cohesion so that it fell back to the ground in a large puddle. As it flew through the air, leaving a trail of water particles in its wake, Tifa and Cloud managed to make out a large harp, a small woman perched along its base. Cloud drew his sword, keeping his wary eyes on the strange creature, but as soon as it drew close enough to find distinct features, a dark mist formed in the woman's hand. The harp flew closer to them, almost too fast for them to track and predict where it will go. As Tifa reached into the back of her duster for her gloves, the mist in the Eidolon's hand flew toward Cloud, striking his eyes as his sword cluttered to the ground. He cried out in surprise, and the mist concealed his eyes, no matter how vigorously he shook his head.

"Cloud?!" Tifa dropped to her knees next to him, holding his shoulders to try and keep him upright. She saw his forehead creased as his brought a hand to the dark mist in his eyes.

"It blinded me," he said in frustration. "Your Eidolon's a debilitator."

As soon as she registered what that meant, flowing waves managed to crash down on them and knock them off their knees. They were swept up in their currents, separated by their tremendous force. Tifa managed to keep her mouth closed and her breath held, not daring to swallow up water and drown. The water dragged her a few good feet away from where Cloud washed up, putting distance between them as their clothes grew heavy.

Tifa drew in a lungful of breath just before she caught sight of her Eidolon again, hovering closer to Cloud with a green mist at her fingertips. She had an idea of what was in that mist, her heart sinking with the possibility. Fighting the weight of her soggy clothes, she rose to her feet and stumbled toward them.

The Eidolon looked back over her shoulder, the fingers of her other hand lazily grazing the strings on the harp. Her deep blue eyes seemed to measure Tifa, as if debating whether or not to deal with her. After little hesitation, she flicked her fingers to Tifa's direction, the green mist sinking into Tifa's chest like an infection. A sharp pain pronounced itself throughout her chest, her stomach clenching tightly enough to make her double over. She felt like dry heaving, but it would have done virtually nothing to relieve the pain. Fatigue swept through her like a storm, and she found it difficult to even get up on her feet.

Her breaths turned ragged as the poison burned through her body like fire. Tiredly lifting her head up, Tifa saw the Eidolon continue to drift toward Cloud. A new mist formed at her fingertips; this time, she gently blew at the mist as it floated in the air, eventually making its way to Cloud like an airborne disease. Tifa could practically see the silvery gray particles make contact with Cloud's leg, and almost instantaneously it was encased in stone. Cloud groaned; his attempts to stifle the pain were clear in his voice.

She felt her skin grow colder in an instant, a great shiver running up her spine. As the petrification spread up to the rest of Cloud's body, Tifa realized what it was about the sight that horrified her so much. Tears burned in the back of her eyes, fear taking control of her body to keep her from fighting anymore.

This was the future she was bound to see – Cloud encased, frozen in time indefinitely, possibly forever. She couldn't prevent it. No matter what they did, from the moment they stepped foot onto Pulse, this was what they were sentenced to.

So why did they keep going? What was the point of stopping Jenova when they all knew, somehow, that they couldn't get out of this safely?

Tifa was certain of one thing, in spite of everything. She wasn't going to let anyone accept their fate so easily, not when she was close enough to stop them.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself up to her feet, breaking through the fatigue to focus on her goal before her. Her Eidolon whimsically floated above Cloud, watching his body petrify with wonder like a spectator drawn to a show. Step by dragging step, Tifa drew closer to them as more of Cloud's body turned to stone. It soon reached his torso and the tips of his fingers and effectively held him still.

Satisfied, the Eidolon reared back, swinging the base of its harp like a pendulum. The farther it went and the closer Tifa got, however, she realized it wasn't just preparing to swing like a pendulum, what with its swings growing bigger every time. It was waiting to become a wrecking ball and turn Cloud into nothing but dust. In a matter of steps, she would be just an arm's length away, just as bile was rising to her throat.

'I can't stop now.'

But her heart felt like stopping when she saw the Eidolon rushing toward Cloud, swinging with tremendous force. Without thought, without considering the consequences, she leapt forward to stand before Cloud and face the monster with an outstretched hand.

"Stop!"

The Eidolon skidded to a stop, forcing a gust of wind to whip Tifa's face. Even without physical contact, Tifa fell to her knees, gasping for breaths that wouldn't help her infection. Her vision blurred at the edges, and her skin made her feel coated in ice. Behind her, she could still hear Cloud struggling with his ailments, but even then, he managed to let out brief warnings.

"Tifa…don't…"

Her heart sank, realizing exactly how selfless he was capable of. He had known her his whole life, knew her capabilities, her limits, and her persistence on being strong for herself. And yet, he still jumped between her and the Eidolon, ready to help take on the burden she had called upon herself. Tifa's head grew even heavier at trying to put the pieces together.

Cloud had resigned to give up his chance to save Lightning – to allow himself to turn to crystal while she chose to face the fate of a cie'th. Damning himself to this fate also meant the others were too close to sharing it…so why was he trying hard to make sure they survived as well? Moreover, his and Vincent's experiences with their own Eidolons proved that this challenge was to be done by Tifa herself, so why did he jump in when it wasn't his fight?

As these thoughts swam through her head, she noticed her Eidolon's composure a little late. Her eyes went from feral to respectful, her head dipping low as she and her harp drew closer to the ground before Tifa. Her plucking at the harp strings created a more peaceful tone, and a sigh of relief echoed somewhere in the wind.

Tifa felt the heavy weight lifting off her chest, and the pain throughout her body lessened by the second. She managed to take in deep breaths without worrying that her lungs would fail on her, her head growing lighter. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the stone encasing Cloud's body crumble away with his body's movement, and the dark mist in his eyes had dissipated like the calm after a storm. He fell to his knees, gazing up at Tifa and her Eidolon with wonder.

When Tifa looked back to the creature, her gaze locked with the unwavering blue eyes. Something ran through her body – an indestructible line that tied her to the Eidolon without warning. All at once, she could sense its thoughts, its brief regret on making her and Cloud suffer, and its trust for the l'Cie it was lending power to.

"By the grace of Etro, rise from the ocean's depths. Come forth, bringer of suffering.
A name in blood, a pact of silence. Siren shall rise, her bond eternal and unyielding."

A great sense of calm came over Tifa, and Siren dipped her head low, as if to give a final yield and congratulatory gesture. Her figure shimmered, and her body immediately broke down in streams, hitting the ground as if someone dropped a bucket of water. It flowed away from Tifa and Cloud until evaporating into thin air, and it was only until no trace was left behind did Tifa turn on her heel.

To her relief, Cloud's mako-infused eyes were as clear as before, vaguely glowing in the dark night. His legs were no longer encased in stone, and he steadily rose to his feet, a little wobbly from the experience.

"Are you all right?" Tifa asked as she held his arm to help him up.

A very faint smile graced his face, and Cloud left out a soft chuckle. "Yeah. Not that big a deal."

Tifa almost smiled in return, but the memory of it all left it in a tight line. The realization hadn't escaped her – that it was her, not some sudden external force – who brought Siren upon them, almost keeping Cloud in a frozen stasis sooner than expected. If she had only kept a tighter lid on everything, concealed the fear that threatened to eat her up, would everything have remained calm?

"Are you all right, though?" Cloud inquired, a little all-too-knowingly.

In a hasty attempt, she nodded and put more force into the smile. The look on Cloud's face was clear – he wasn't buying any of it. By the second, her strong front wavered, her brows knitting together as her fingers slightly trembled.

A flurry of emotions stormed inside her – fear and hope, shame and guilt. It was one of the worst times for Cloud to find her, and she was unsure if he wanted to see the thoughts on her mind…or the intentions in her heart. Her gaze wavered, drifting to the side as her hands clenched into tight fists. The sensation on her ankle grew dull, but still had a constant pulsation.

Suddenly, she felt her arm extending away from her. Snapping back to the present, she watched Cloud gently hold her hand in his, trying to catch her gaze with a concerned look on his face. "You can talk to me, you know. I've been worrying about you ever since we got here."

Her heart pounded in her ears, and she tightly gripped Cloud's hand in return. Words reached her throat, but they refused to come out. Her mouth twisted, turning into a grimace that she knew could easily be misinterpreted.

"Lightning told me once…"

At the sound of his calm voice, Tifa looked up. His eyes were distant, his mind thinking back. "Eidolons come to give us hope. They tell us not to give up." His mako eyes then returned to the present, connecting with hers with determination she had never seen in him before. "I won't stop until these brands come off, and neither should you."

"But…I don't want to see you die. Or become a monster; that's so much worse." The harder and further they fought, the closer they would get to becoming cie'th. Their humanity would be stripped away, left to wander until some soldier or l'Cie struck them down permanently. Just the thought brought her to a near terror. Warmth drained from her face, and her lip trembled. To see Cloud be not himself was the worst she could imagine.

His brows drew together, concerned over the obvious fear. "You should be worrying about yourself, Tifa…" Even as he spoke the words, he understood exactly what she was feeling underneath.

Moments passed, and Tifa's face turned blank. He knew. Once again, the dark regret in her heart slipped through, she realized. Cloud and Lightning made peace with their feelings and wishes, figured out how to work through this crisis that plunged everyone into their fates. Why was she burdening them with what she wanted again?

She wanted Cloud to be happy. If possible, she wanted to be happy with him, living the rest of their days together living in either world. As long as they were together – the childhood friends that would become inseparable. That was how she had imagined things when they stopped Sephiroth the first time and then again after they stopped Kadaj. Then Lightning came, and she saw a better shot for Cloud to be happy…even when it wasn't with her.

With heavy steps, Tifa withdrew her hand from Cloud's and turned around, unable to continue looking at him. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "Of all things, you can't be burdened with me right now. I'm so stupid…"

"You're not," she heard him say. His voice rang with certainty. Tifa looked over her shoulder, noticing his firm stance.

"I understand," Cloud iterated, and in spite of her beliefs, she saw that he truly meant it. "I'm grateful…for how much you care. I was alone back in Nibelheim, and when you should have cared less for me, even when you were grieving for your mom… It's how you are."

Once the flattery lost its effect, Tifa pursed her lips together in a tight line. His words made her feel a little better, but the truth was still clear to her. "But you don't feel the same for me."

Cloud was about to say something, but retracted it. At least he was being honest through and through, instead of leading her with false hopes. As nervous as the conversation was making her, Tifa already began to feel the weight being lifted off her chest, accepting the results as they were.

"I did," he finally said. "For so long, I did care for you in the same way." His eyes grew sadder, more apologetic. "And I'm sorry for making you go through this."

The unease was never resolved in the first place. She was so used to being the close friend who managed to understand him, who kept patient with him no matter what they were going through, that she finally felt like dumping it on him after he managed to move on. Even still, Tifa couldn't find an outlet; her shyness got the best of her and culminated into the fiasco with Siren.

Had she confronted her feelings before they came to Pulse, maybe it would have been easier on her. Maybe her head would have been clearer and she would have understood Lightning better before Snow's abduction. Nonetheless, Tifa already accepted that the past couldn't be changed…

And all she could do was work to make a better future – one that the fal'Cie couldn't stop.

Tifa loved Cloud, and she always will. It was high time she stopped using it as a crutch and used it more as motivation to move toward the right thing.

As she finally relaxed the tension that was most likely plain on her face, she managed to give a smirk in Cloud's direction. She couldn't remember the last time her chest felt so light, and their predicament just became a hundred times more bearable.

"There is a way for you to make it up to me," she offered teasingly. Cloud's expression was a blend of curiosity and surprise. "If we…" Immediately, her words caught her off guard, and Tifa revised it. "Once we get these tattoos off, you have to make yourself happy, no matter what. Got it?"

She could tell how he was searching her face, looking for a fragile sign that she could have been hiding...

But there wasn't one. Not one that could terribly cripple her.

Letting out a deep breath, Tifa shrugged her shoulders and glanced around at the scrap heaps littering the Vile Peaks. "Pulse isn't such a bad place to live in…so long as you stay within the perimeters."

At that, Cloud let out a quiet chuckle…and that was what she was waiting for. The spark of light – of hope – that he can hold on to for the time being. So long as he had some hope, they had a chance of seeing this through.

Once Cloud retrieved his sword and returned it to the holster, he gave a small jerk back to the Academy research center, optimism lighting his eyes in the darkness. Tifa smiled and tugged her gloves off as she walked toward him.

As soon as he turned back around, however, they were greeted by Serah rushing up to them with worry plastered over her face. "Cloud. Tifa." Her voice was strained by her attempt to be in control.

"What is it?" Tifa asked, immediately on the alert for danger.

"Lightning's gone."

Surprise lit her features. When Tifa turned to look at Cloud, however, her mind was a bit flustered to see how unaffected he seemed to be. His face was tight, calculating. He reached out to give Serah's shoulder a gentle squeeze before walking past her, heading toward the center where the others were.

"It's time."