Forget Not Yet
by Lady Macbeth
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy Autumn-fields,
And in thinking of the days that are no more.
Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail,
That brings our friends up from the underworld,
Sad as the last which reddens over one
That sinks with all we love below the verge;
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.
Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns
The earliest pipe of half-awakened birds
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.
Dear as remembered kisses after death,
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feigned
On lips that are for others; deep as love,
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret;
O Death in Life, the days that are no more!
-Tears, Idle Tears by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Chapter 2
Pain. That's all that there was…pain. He saw nothing, heard nothing, and knew nothing. The only thing that he could perceive was intense pain that penetrated every fiber of his body. Ever so slowly, he tried to open one eye. Because it was swollen and dry, it would only open a little bit. White light was all that he could see. Everything was pretty much just a big light blur. He tried to bring his hand up to rub his eye, only to discover that it would not respond. Then he tried to move his other limbs. They wouldn't move. /What's going on?/ The only thing he could move was his eyes which now darted from side to side.
This tiny motion seemed to attract the attention of someone, for a large dark blur came and stood over him. "Well I would ask how you are feeling, but where would be the sense in that?" It was definitely a man, but the voice was not familiar. Suddenly another figure stood over him.
"At last! Hello darling, how are you?" When he didn't respond she became furious. "Why don't you answer me? Is it because you're angry we ruined your cute little plan? Jonathan, why won't he speak?" The man, called Jonathan, groaned and turned to face this woman.
"His power of speech has been disabled. Besides, even if I did allow him to speak he would just mumble because he's got mako poisoning." Mako. That word sounded familiar. Suddenly something rushed at him from his memory. Eyes…deep blue eyes…mako eyes. There was hatred in these eyes…pure hatred. Who did these eyes belong to, and why did that person hate him?
/"Mom…Tifa…my town…give it back…"/
What had he done?
/"I had so much respect for you…I admired you./
/Oh Lord please forgive me…what…have…I…done?/
*
Yuffie awoke early as usual. She never got much rest these days…her mind was very preoccupied. Ever since she returned to Wutai she'd been restless. For some reason she could never stop thinking about Cloud. No matter where she went, she always saw his face. Perhaps she was falling in love with him…no that's a stupid idea. How could she fall in love with that spiky haired freak?
She decided to go for a walk. Maybe it was just a crush. Those kinds of things happened all the time…but this felt different. Yuffie had never met someone like Cloud before. What if she did love him? There was no way that Cloud would ever pay any attention to her. She'd acted like such a brat when they were together. To tell the truth Yuffie didn't blame any of the others for never having visited her, or even called her.
Yuffie felt so lonely now. She'd changed so much over the past few months, and now she wanted her friends back. And of course she wanted to see Cloud most of all. Perhaps she could try to prove to him that she'd matured. Maybe there was still a chance.
*
Cloud stepped out of the shower and toweled his hair dry. The thick blond strands fell against his face and blocked his vision. He absent-mindedly tucked both sides behind his ears. The image he saw in the mirror did not look like him at all. The face that stared back at him looked haggard and just completely wasted. Cloud had spent the past few days working with Vincent and Red. He could not -believe- the hours those two kept. He often wondered if they slept at all some nights. A few times he'd fallen asleep while reading something and when he woke up in the morning they were still at it. They'd found nothing new though. Cloud felt that his being there was just a burden on Red and Vincent's quiet lifestyle, so today they were going off to Midgar again to get those blasted files Reeve was whining about. Cloud had not told Tifa yet however. For some reason he didn't want her to go. It was just a gut feeling, but when something important was at stake, he usually trusted his gut.
"Hi Cloud!" Tifa bounded into the room and held out a little red and yellow flower to him. "I found this when I was taking a walk. With all this rocky soil you hardly ever see flowers." He gently took the flower from her, and he got a rather lost and sad expression on his face. The flower reminded him of Aeris. His heart sank as he thought of her beautiful face and kind heart. He still had some feelings for her…and he missed her. If only there was some way he could go back and change what'd happened. If only he'd acted sooner…she might still be alive…but what then? Would he have acted on his love for Aeris? If that'd happened…he might never have felt the way he felt now. He finally had his Tifa. She walked up to him and started to playfully poke his belly button.
"Hey don't! That tickles!" He started to double over, and that only encouraged Tifa to squeeze his sides. Cloud tried to back away, fight her off, and hold onto his bladder all at once. Then she tackled him onto the bed.
"Ah. So the mighty Cloud Strife has a weakness." Tifa stopped tickling him and rested her head on her hand as he gave her a "Who me?" expression. Then she kissed him and rolled off the bed.
"Where're you going?" He asked as he sat up. She looked him up and down and leaned against the doorframe. Cloud walked over to her and leaned against the wall. Then he raised his hand to rub her cheek, but she moved forward into his arms again. Her head rested on his chest and she listened to his heartbeat. Cloud stroked her hair and looked out the window. It was most likely about ten in the morning. They had to get moving soon…but what would he say to Tifa?
"Hey Teef, me and the guys are gonna go over to Rocket Town today and work on fixing the Tiny Bronco. Would you mind staying here and looking after things?" Cloud almost wanted to slap himself for making up such a stupid story. Apparently Tifa wasn't buying it either. She pulled back, but left her arms around his waist. One of her eyebrows arched and she got one of those very disapproving female looks in her face.
"You're going to go work on the Tiny Bronco? You don't know the first thing about mechanics. Besides, Cid never lets anyone touch his ship. You want to know what I think? I think that you're not telling me something." She watched Cloud start to break a sweat and smiled. It was quite clear that he wanted her to stay here, but she wanted to know why. Of course she didn't think that he was running off with a girl. Tifa just didn't want him to go off and have a good time without her.
"Well…you're right. Man, I was never good at lying! Okay, we're going back to Midgar today. I just have a bad feeling about the whole trip, and I didn't really want you to go. Please stay here Tifa. I'd feel so much better if I knew you were safe here." Cloud wrapped his arms around her waist and pleaded with his eyes. There was no way that he would ever let anything happen to her ever again, and if something did…he would never forgive himself.
"Man Cloud, I wished you just said so. I really would prefer it if you'd just talk straight to me. Oh and of course you know the answer is no way buddy!" She kissed him as he started to protest. For a moment he acted like he was ready to give up, but his stomach started to twist up again, and he parted from her. Cloud knew that something was terribly wrong. He knew that something was going to happen.
Tifa watched him as he sat on the edge of the bed. Although she may not have been showing it, she was really worried as well. It was not too often that something seriously bothered Cloud, and when it happened it was usually something that one should pay attention to. Tifa sat behind him on the bed and started to rub his shoulders. He sighed and relaxed under her hands. Cloud was definitely tense, and her hands began to work away his worries.
Cloud sat there for a few moments, then he turned to look at his one true love. She was still just as perfect as she'd always been. Every day for so many years Cloud had longed to touch her face and hold her in his arms. Now he could. Now he would never wish for anything more.
The expression on Cloud's face finally convinced Tifa to stay. She didn't really want to be separated from him. There was something that she'd not said, and now she knew that she couldn't. Last night she'd had a dream. She'd found herself locked in a cold…dark room…alone. It seemed as though she'd spent hours screaming for someone…anyone to say something to her, but there had only been silence…deep…eternal…silence.
*
"What if someone discovers the spinal implant?" Scarlet asked as she watched Jonathan work. Even if the man annoyed her he was still very good at what he did. He'd recently enabled Sephiroth's power of speech, and for a while the man mumbled gibberish. Then he seemed to say something like, "What have I done?" Jonathan had to force Scarlet to keep herself from going on a tangent just ranting and raving at him. Now he was getting annoyed with her questions again. Part of him kept toying with the idea of grabbing the duct tape and taping her mouth shut.
"They'd have to be pretty darn clever, not to mention fast, to get it. By the time they were able to get to it we'd have caught on to it and killed them." Jonathan adjusted the settings on the little pad on Sephiroth's neck, then he picked up a remote control that was sitting on the table next to him. It was time for the test. Jonathan touched a few of the buttons in a certain sequence, and Sephiroth sat up. Scarlet smiled with approval and grabbed the control.
As she toyed with Sephiroth, Jonathan worked on programming his subject's first destination. Scarlet had hundreds of spies on every continent of the world keeping their eyes on Cloud and his friends. They'd just gotten word that they were leaving and headed here. Jon thought that Scarlet's first reaction would be to have him put his gas in the vents again and send Sephiroth upstairs. This was not however what she did. She didn't want to reveal Sephiroth's presence right away. Instead she asked her spy based in Cosmo Canyon if anyone stayed behind. When she heard who had stayed an evil smirk had appeared on her face, and once again Jonathan's stomach had turned.
In his own mind Jon thought he must have been being punished for something. Scarlet refused to let him leave. She said she needed his help in working the controls, but he knew that wasn't true. He also noticed that the guards were keeping a constant eye on him. This was insanity. He'd planned to stay here just until he was done with getting Sephiroth ready. There was no way he was going to stay a moment longer in Scarlet's presence than was necessary. And he had a plan to get out…tonight.
*
Yuffie's little stroll evolved into a long walk that brought her out of town and far out into the middle of nowhere. Any normal person would have been hopelessly lost, but Yuffie knew right where she was. She wasn't quite sure where she was going however. Her legs and subconscious just carried her wherever they wanted to go. As for her mind, it was totally preoccupied. Thoughts of denial and love raced past. She didn't know if she loved Cloud or if it was just a crush. Girls her age got crushes all of the time and they always went away. Or so she had been told, because she'd never had a crush on anyone. She couldn't come up with any explanation for what she was feeling…except for love. No…no she couldn't be in love with Cloud. That was just impossible. Well…why was it impossible? Was she built so hard that she was incapable of love?
After a while Yuffie found herself at the summit of the Ninja's Cliffs. They were so happily named because they were a test spot for training ninjas. If any normal person were to jump from them they would surely die. Yuffie however had jumped many times. At first it took great concentration not to hit the rocks below, but after a while it was easy to hit the right spot.
There had however been one accident here. As Yuffie thought back to that day she looked at the bracelet on her wrist. It was given to her by one of her closest friends, if not the closest. His name was Alex. Yuffie thought of all the little pranks that they used to pull on their teachers. Those were some of the best days of her life. Then one day they were practicing duels up here on the cliffs. Alex's partner kicked his legs out from underneath him. They'd been too close to the edge. Yuffie ran to grab Alex's hand, but she wasn't fast enough. She watched him fall and hit the rocks below…that was one month ago, and it seemed like only yesterday.
The night before the accident Alex had wanted to talk to Yuffie alone. These days it was almost impossible to get her alone because of the fame she'd received in helping to save the world. Alex had taken her up on the roof of his house, and he had a gift for her. He said that it was something that his mother had left him when she died. It was ironic (to say the least) that he died after giving her the same gift. It was called the Materia Bracelet. As Yuffie looked at it she saw the glowing materia that had been set in ages ago. It was actually one materia made out of smaller looking ones. As a whole it was called Ouroboros which meant…infinity.
The wind whipped around her body and plastered her blue silk shirt and black pants to her skin. She unbuttoned her shirt so that the cool wind could pass easier. Her tank top was the only thing that protected her skin from the stinging ocean spray that lashed against her. For a half of a second the absurd idea popped into her head that she should just forget it all and jump. No…that would not be happening anytime soon. Suicide was the coward's way out. If Cloud could never love her, then she'd just have to live with it. But then of course Yuffie had never know what it was like to be loved and rejected. Once again that never-ending sense of loneliness overwhelmed her, and she fell to her knees and cried.
*
How could he have done this? He'd killed so many people…he was no longer fit to be called human. Sephiroth now fully remembered what he'd done. He'd burned a whole town to the ground. There'd been so many needless deaths.
Everything had been so much simpler in the war. There he knew whom to kill and he knew why he was killing them. Now he had to live with the fact that he'd killed in cold blood. Cloud he ever become part of the world again? Could the planet itself forgive him?
It was impossible for Sephiroth to make heads or tails of his situation at present. He could perceive nothing except for what was going on inside of his head. Somehow he felt like he was moving, but he thought that maybe he was just dreaming. There was one thing that he was sure of though. Sephiroth now vowed to do everything in his power to make reparations to Cloud…and he vowed to never hurt another innocent person as long as he lived…
*
Tifa watched as the Highwind raced across the sky. Her paranoia had caused her to lock herself in her room. Everything seemed to be setting up for disaster in her mind. She was left alone here in Bugenhagen's observatory. She had no idea what was going to happen to the man she loved with all her heart and soul, and to make things worse, there was a huge storm coming. Tifa usually loved storms, but this time it seemed to create a sense of foreboding.
She opened the window and let the sweet wind rush in. It immediately seemed to calm her. There was just something about the sound of the trees rustling and thunder off in the distance. Tifa looked down and saw a dog shivering while sitting next to the bonfire. The poor thing was out there all alone, and it was scared to death. /Oh I know quite well how that feels./ Tifa thought to herself.
There was no question in her mind, she had to go out and get it. However her paranoia almost prevented her from going out. As she stepped through the door the wind rushed over her. She could smell the approaching rain, and it was intoxicating. At this point she decided to just shuck her nerves out the door and have a good time without the guys. The dog slinked over to her with its tail between its legs and cowered next to her. She knelt next to it and scratched its ears. There had always been a love for dogs in her blood. They were always there for you when no one else was.
Suddenly there was a huge crash of thunder and the dog whimpered. Tifa sat on the ground and let it burrow under her arm to try to find safety. That was one funny thing about dogs. They seem to think that as long as their nose is covered they're safe. Tifa laughed lightly and rubbed its stomach. She decided to stay out here until it began to rain. The feeling of the wind and the thrill of being out before a big storm always made her blood rush a bit faster…and it made her forget and problems at hand.
*
Cloud looked back at Cosmo Canyon and began to wonder if he'd done the right thing. What if he'd misinterpreted his feelings and leaving her there was a bad idea? He watched silently as the storm clouds began to creep towards the place where he'd left his heart…no matter what, it always stayed with Tifa. For a moment Cloud wondered if she was looking at the Highwind, and though they couldn't tell, they were looking right at each other.
Love is a funny thing. It can muddle your thoughts and just make you forget everything except the one you love. At present Cloud was a victim of this exact thing. His mind was firmly set on Tifa's well being, and Cid was screaming at him to get his butt out of the way so that he could see where he was going.
When Cloud made no response Cid walked up to him and kicked to part of his anatomy that he'd been telling him to move. Cloud spun around and glared at him for a moment, then he realized what'd been going on and he moved out of the way. For just one moment he turned to look back at Cosmo Canyon, he almost couldn't bare to part with her…even for just a little while.
"CLOUD! Should we turn around so you can go back and get your brain?" Cid jammed his thumb in the direction they were leaving and Cloud silently shook his head. Cid could understand that Cloud was feeling mixed up, but this was getting ridiculous. They couldn't very well go off on a mission if their leader wasn't going to have his wits about him. Cid would be quite happy to give Cloud another good kick in the butt and send him back to Cosmo Canyon, and he'd be happy to take charge once again. Of course Cid wasn't too hot on the idea of being the leader the first time they asked him to, but he rather enjoyed it.
"How long till we get there?" Cloud asked as calmly as he could. He didn't really
care how long it would take, but he just wanted to try to keep his mind on the task
at hand. He'd be of no use to his friends if he can't concentrate. Cid shrugged his
shoulders and motioned to the horizon. He then began to talk about how if he went one
way it would be shorter; however, if he went another way it could be even shorter but
risky. After Cloud figured that Cid was done, he went and sat with Red and Vincent.
The silent duo was doing just that...keeping quiet. Cloud often wondered about their
silence. At times it seemed cold, but contemplative.
Vincent motioned for Cloud to sit next to him. Cloud had to admit that at first he'd
had his doubts about Vince, but behind this cold exterior there seemed to be a kind
heart. To many people he didn't even seem to be human, but Cloud knew better. There
was definitely more to this man than net the eye.
*
Storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. This was going to turn out to be a
dark day. Humidity and tension hung in the air, and they were almost tangible. The
only relief was the wind, but even that had a sharp edge on it as it carried spray
up from the sea below. Yuffie stared into the dark swirling waters and removed her
outer shirt. As she released it into the wind it floated down into the waters only
to be quickly torn to shreds on the sharp rocks.
What was happening to her life? She'd lost her believed friends and her best friend
in the space of only two months. There was no doubt that Cloud and the others never
wanted to see her again. Why would they? There was absolutely no reason to ever
contact her again.
Yuffie slowly pulled out her PHS. It'd been something that she'd always kept with
her. When she'd left the group Cloud had told her that if she ever got into trouble
she shouldn't hesitate to call one of them. No one could help her now. Her emotions
were her problem, and she had to deal with them. But she just couldn't handle them.
The only thing that really distracted her from her thoughts was her training, which
was now very close to completion. All of the tests were very helpful for keeping her
mind occupied. But all training had just been too difficult since the accident...
The horrible vision came to her mind again, and Yuffie shook her head as though to
shake those thoughts from her mind. If only she'd been faster. She could have saved
him. Yuffie began to pace across the edge of the cliff. Part of her wanted to slip
and fall down to the rocks below...there was nothing left here...nothing.
Yuffie stopped at the usual jumping place. Her eyes once again descended to the waters
below. It seemed to just be a vast hole that invited her to fall into it forever. The
temptation grew. Suddenly Yuffie heard someone calling her name. Her mind shut the
voice out and she stepped up to the edge and plummeted down to the ocean below.
*
Something seemed to be wrong. Things just weren't right. Tifa felt as though she was
being watched, and the dog seemed to be whimpering for reasons other than the
oncoming storm. The poor animal wanted to run toward the door, but Tifa held onto it
tightly. Somehow she thought of it as a sort of protection. She knew that she couldn't
run back to the observatory. Whatever it was that was watching her would get to her
before she got to the door.
It was no longer paranoia. It was natural senses. All of the hairs on the dog's back
began to stand on end, and Tifa finally let it go. It bolted to the door, and rushed
inside. Tifa slowly stood up and turned around in a circle. To the eyes nothing
seemed to be wrong...but to the other senses...
Suddenly she heard a shuffling of feet, but when she spun around there was no one
there. By now her heart was racing and finally it began to rain. At first it was
large droplets of water, then it was coming down in sheets. Tifa began to back towards
the door as her eyes continued to scan the area. Someone was here. She could now hear
them breathing.
"Whoever's there...show yourself! I know you're there! Show yourself!" She shouted
into the rain and there was suddenly a huge crash of thunder. Tifa stopped dead in her
tracks. He was behind her. She slowly turned around and stood face to face with her
stalker. His face was expressionless, and in the rain...featureless. But Tifa saw the
thick strands of silver hair plastered to his head, and she saw the huge sword gleaming
in his hand. It'd been the same sword that took the life of Tifa's father...and Aeris.
Tifa screamed at the top of her lungs and this demon of the past that was called
Sephiroth lunged at her. The last thing she saw was his sword raised high over his
head ready to come down upon her screaming form in the pouring rain.
by Lady Macbeth
Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy Autumn-fields,
And in thinking of the days that are no more.
Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail,
That brings our friends up from the underworld,
Sad as the last which reddens over one
That sinks with all we love below the verge;
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.
Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns
The earliest pipe of half-awakened birds
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.
Dear as remembered kisses after death,
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feigned
On lips that are for others; deep as love,
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret;
O Death in Life, the days that are no more!
-Tears, Idle Tears by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Chapter 2
Pain. That's all that there was…pain. He saw nothing, heard nothing, and knew nothing. The only thing that he could perceive was intense pain that penetrated every fiber of his body. Ever so slowly, he tried to open one eye. Because it was swollen and dry, it would only open a little bit. White light was all that he could see. Everything was pretty much just a big light blur. He tried to bring his hand up to rub his eye, only to discover that it would not respond. Then he tried to move his other limbs. They wouldn't move. /What's going on?/ The only thing he could move was his eyes which now darted from side to side.
This tiny motion seemed to attract the attention of someone, for a large dark blur came and stood over him. "Well I would ask how you are feeling, but where would be the sense in that?" It was definitely a man, but the voice was not familiar. Suddenly another figure stood over him.
"At last! Hello darling, how are you?" When he didn't respond she became furious. "Why don't you answer me? Is it because you're angry we ruined your cute little plan? Jonathan, why won't he speak?" The man, called Jonathan, groaned and turned to face this woman.
"His power of speech has been disabled. Besides, even if I did allow him to speak he would just mumble because he's got mako poisoning." Mako. That word sounded familiar. Suddenly something rushed at him from his memory. Eyes…deep blue eyes…mako eyes. There was hatred in these eyes…pure hatred. Who did these eyes belong to, and why did that person hate him?
/"Mom…Tifa…my town…give it back…"/
What had he done?
/"I had so much respect for you…I admired you./
/Oh Lord please forgive me…what…have…I…done?/
*
Yuffie awoke early as usual. She never got much rest these days…her mind was very preoccupied. Ever since she returned to Wutai she'd been restless. For some reason she could never stop thinking about Cloud. No matter where she went, she always saw his face. Perhaps she was falling in love with him…no that's a stupid idea. How could she fall in love with that spiky haired freak?
She decided to go for a walk. Maybe it was just a crush. Those kinds of things happened all the time…but this felt different. Yuffie had never met someone like Cloud before. What if she did love him? There was no way that Cloud would ever pay any attention to her. She'd acted like such a brat when they were together. To tell the truth Yuffie didn't blame any of the others for never having visited her, or even called her.
Yuffie felt so lonely now. She'd changed so much over the past few months, and now she wanted her friends back. And of course she wanted to see Cloud most of all. Perhaps she could try to prove to him that she'd matured. Maybe there was still a chance.
*
Cloud stepped out of the shower and toweled his hair dry. The thick blond strands fell against his face and blocked his vision. He absent-mindedly tucked both sides behind his ears. The image he saw in the mirror did not look like him at all. The face that stared back at him looked haggard and just completely wasted. Cloud had spent the past few days working with Vincent and Red. He could not -believe- the hours those two kept. He often wondered if they slept at all some nights. A few times he'd fallen asleep while reading something and when he woke up in the morning they were still at it. They'd found nothing new though. Cloud felt that his being there was just a burden on Red and Vincent's quiet lifestyle, so today they were going off to Midgar again to get those blasted files Reeve was whining about. Cloud had not told Tifa yet however. For some reason he didn't want her to go. It was just a gut feeling, but when something important was at stake, he usually trusted his gut.
"Hi Cloud!" Tifa bounded into the room and held out a little red and yellow flower to him. "I found this when I was taking a walk. With all this rocky soil you hardly ever see flowers." He gently took the flower from her, and he got a rather lost and sad expression on his face. The flower reminded him of Aeris. His heart sank as he thought of her beautiful face and kind heart. He still had some feelings for her…and he missed her. If only there was some way he could go back and change what'd happened. If only he'd acted sooner…she might still be alive…but what then? Would he have acted on his love for Aeris? If that'd happened…he might never have felt the way he felt now. He finally had his Tifa. She walked up to him and started to playfully poke his belly button.
"Hey don't! That tickles!" He started to double over, and that only encouraged Tifa to squeeze his sides. Cloud tried to back away, fight her off, and hold onto his bladder all at once. Then she tackled him onto the bed.
"Ah. So the mighty Cloud Strife has a weakness." Tifa stopped tickling him and rested her head on her hand as he gave her a "Who me?" expression. Then she kissed him and rolled off the bed.
"Where're you going?" He asked as he sat up. She looked him up and down and leaned against the doorframe. Cloud walked over to her and leaned against the wall. Then he raised his hand to rub her cheek, but she moved forward into his arms again. Her head rested on his chest and she listened to his heartbeat. Cloud stroked her hair and looked out the window. It was most likely about ten in the morning. They had to get moving soon…but what would he say to Tifa?
"Hey Teef, me and the guys are gonna go over to Rocket Town today and work on fixing the Tiny Bronco. Would you mind staying here and looking after things?" Cloud almost wanted to slap himself for making up such a stupid story. Apparently Tifa wasn't buying it either. She pulled back, but left her arms around his waist. One of her eyebrows arched and she got one of those very disapproving female looks in her face.
"You're going to go work on the Tiny Bronco? You don't know the first thing about mechanics. Besides, Cid never lets anyone touch his ship. You want to know what I think? I think that you're not telling me something." She watched Cloud start to break a sweat and smiled. It was quite clear that he wanted her to stay here, but she wanted to know why. Of course she didn't think that he was running off with a girl. Tifa just didn't want him to go off and have a good time without her.
"Well…you're right. Man, I was never good at lying! Okay, we're going back to Midgar today. I just have a bad feeling about the whole trip, and I didn't really want you to go. Please stay here Tifa. I'd feel so much better if I knew you were safe here." Cloud wrapped his arms around her waist and pleaded with his eyes. There was no way that he would ever let anything happen to her ever again, and if something did…he would never forgive himself.
"Man Cloud, I wished you just said so. I really would prefer it if you'd just talk straight to me. Oh and of course you know the answer is no way buddy!" She kissed him as he started to protest. For a moment he acted like he was ready to give up, but his stomach started to twist up again, and he parted from her. Cloud knew that something was terribly wrong. He knew that something was going to happen.
Tifa watched him as he sat on the edge of the bed. Although she may not have been showing it, she was really worried as well. It was not too often that something seriously bothered Cloud, and when it happened it was usually something that one should pay attention to. Tifa sat behind him on the bed and started to rub his shoulders. He sighed and relaxed under her hands. Cloud was definitely tense, and her hands began to work away his worries.
Cloud sat there for a few moments, then he turned to look at his one true love. She was still just as perfect as she'd always been. Every day for so many years Cloud had longed to touch her face and hold her in his arms. Now he could. Now he would never wish for anything more.
The expression on Cloud's face finally convinced Tifa to stay. She didn't really want to be separated from him. There was something that she'd not said, and now she knew that she couldn't. Last night she'd had a dream. She'd found herself locked in a cold…dark room…alone. It seemed as though she'd spent hours screaming for someone…anyone to say something to her, but there had only been silence…deep…eternal…silence.
*
"What if someone discovers the spinal implant?" Scarlet asked as she watched Jonathan work. Even if the man annoyed her he was still very good at what he did. He'd recently enabled Sephiroth's power of speech, and for a while the man mumbled gibberish. Then he seemed to say something like, "What have I done?" Jonathan had to force Scarlet to keep herself from going on a tangent just ranting and raving at him. Now he was getting annoyed with her questions again. Part of him kept toying with the idea of grabbing the duct tape and taping her mouth shut.
"They'd have to be pretty darn clever, not to mention fast, to get it. By the time they were able to get to it we'd have caught on to it and killed them." Jonathan adjusted the settings on the little pad on Sephiroth's neck, then he picked up a remote control that was sitting on the table next to him. It was time for the test. Jonathan touched a few of the buttons in a certain sequence, and Sephiroth sat up. Scarlet smiled with approval and grabbed the control.
As she toyed with Sephiroth, Jonathan worked on programming his subject's first destination. Scarlet had hundreds of spies on every continent of the world keeping their eyes on Cloud and his friends. They'd just gotten word that they were leaving and headed here. Jon thought that Scarlet's first reaction would be to have him put his gas in the vents again and send Sephiroth upstairs. This was not however what she did. She didn't want to reveal Sephiroth's presence right away. Instead she asked her spy based in Cosmo Canyon if anyone stayed behind. When she heard who had stayed an evil smirk had appeared on her face, and once again Jonathan's stomach had turned.
In his own mind Jon thought he must have been being punished for something. Scarlet refused to let him leave. She said she needed his help in working the controls, but he knew that wasn't true. He also noticed that the guards were keeping a constant eye on him. This was insanity. He'd planned to stay here just until he was done with getting Sephiroth ready. There was no way he was going to stay a moment longer in Scarlet's presence than was necessary. And he had a plan to get out…tonight.
*
Yuffie's little stroll evolved into a long walk that brought her out of town and far out into the middle of nowhere. Any normal person would have been hopelessly lost, but Yuffie knew right where she was. She wasn't quite sure where she was going however. Her legs and subconscious just carried her wherever they wanted to go. As for her mind, it was totally preoccupied. Thoughts of denial and love raced past. She didn't know if she loved Cloud or if it was just a crush. Girls her age got crushes all of the time and they always went away. Or so she had been told, because she'd never had a crush on anyone. She couldn't come up with any explanation for what she was feeling…except for love. No…no she couldn't be in love with Cloud. That was just impossible. Well…why was it impossible? Was she built so hard that she was incapable of love?
After a while Yuffie found herself at the summit of the Ninja's Cliffs. They were so happily named because they were a test spot for training ninjas. If any normal person were to jump from them they would surely die. Yuffie however had jumped many times. At first it took great concentration not to hit the rocks below, but after a while it was easy to hit the right spot.
There had however been one accident here. As Yuffie thought back to that day she looked at the bracelet on her wrist. It was given to her by one of her closest friends, if not the closest. His name was Alex. Yuffie thought of all the little pranks that they used to pull on their teachers. Those were some of the best days of her life. Then one day they were practicing duels up here on the cliffs. Alex's partner kicked his legs out from underneath him. They'd been too close to the edge. Yuffie ran to grab Alex's hand, but she wasn't fast enough. She watched him fall and hit the rocks below…that was one month ago, and it seemed like only yesterday.
The night before the accident Alex had wanted to talk to Yuffie alone. These days it was almost impossible to get her alone because of the fame she'd received in helping to save the world. Alex had taken her up on the roof of his house, and he had a gift for her. He said that it was something that his mother had left him when she died. It was ironic (to say the least) that he died after giving her the same gift. It was called the Materia Bracelet. As Yuffie looked at it she saw the glowing materia that had been set in ages ago. It was actually one materia made out of smaller looking ones. As a whole it was called Ouroboros which meant…infinity.
The wind whipped around her body and plastered her blue silk shirt and black pants to her skin. She unbuttoned her shirt so that the cool wind could pass easier. Her tank top was the only thing that protected her skin from the stinging ocean spray that lashed against her. For a half of a second the absurd idea popped into her head that she should just forget it all and jump. No…that would not be happening anytime soon. Suicide was the coward's way out. If Cloud could never love her, then she'd just have to live with it. But then of course Yuffie had never know what it was like to be loved and rejected. Once again that never-ending sense of loneliness overwhelmed her, and she fell to her knees and cried.
*
How could he have done this? He'd killed so many people…he was no longer fit to be called human. Sephiroth now fully remembered what he'd done. He'd burned a whole town to the ground. There'd been so many needless deaths.
Everything had been so much simpler in the war. There he knew whom to kill and he knew why he was killing them. Now he had to live with the fact that he'd killed in cold blood. Cloud he ever become part of the world again? Could the planet itself forgive him?
It was impossible for Sephiroth to make heads or tails of his situation at present. He could perceive nothing except for what was going on inside of his head. Somehow he felt like he was moving, but he thought that maybe he was just dreaming. There was one thing that he was sure of though. Sephiroth now vowed to do everything in his power to make reparations to Cloud…and he vowed to never hurt another innocent person as long as he lived…
*
Tifa watched as the Highwind raced across the sky. Her paranoia had caused her to lock herself in her room. Everything seemed to be setting up for disaster in her mind. She was left alone here in Bugenhagen's observatory. She had no idea what was going to happen to the man she loved with all her heart and soul, and to make things worse, there was a huge storm coming. Tifa usually loved storms, but this time it seemed to create a sense of foreboding.
She opened the window and let the sweet wind rush in. It immediately seemed to calm her. There was just something about the sound of the trees rustling and thunder off in the distance. Tifa looked down and saw a dog shivering while sitting next to the bonfire. The poor thing was out there all alone, and it was scared to death. /Oh I know quite well how that feels./ Tifa thought to herself.
There was no question in her mind, she had to go out and get it. However her paranoia almost prevented her from going out. As she stepped through the door the wind rushed over her. She could smell the approaching rain, and it was intoxicating. At this point she decided to just shuck her nerves out the door and have a good time without the guys. The dog slinked over to her with its tail between its legs and cowered next to her. She knelt next to it and scratched its ears. There had always been a love for dogs in her blood. They were always there for you when no one else was.
Suddenly there was a huge crash of thunder and the dog whimpered. Tifa sat on the ground and let it burrow under her arm to try to find safety. That was one funny thing about dogs. They seem to think that as long as their nose is covered they're safe. Tifa laughed lightly and rubbed its stomach. She decided to stay out here until it began to rain. The feeling of the wind and the thrill of being out before a big storm always made her blood rush a bit faster…and it made her forget and problems at hand.
*
Cloud looked back at Cosmo Canyon and began to wonder if he'd done the right thing. What if he'd misinterpreted his feelings and leaving her there was a bad idea? He watched silently as the storm clouds began to creep towards the place where he'd left his heart…no matter what, it always stayed with Tifa. For a moment Cloud wondered if she was looking at the Highwind, and though they couldn't tell, they were looking right at each other.
Love is a funny thing. It can muddle your thoughts and just make you forget everything except the one you love. At present Cloud was a victim of this exact thing. His mind was firmly set on Tifa's well being, and Cid was screaming at him to get his butt out of the way so that he could see where he was going.
When Cloud made no response Cid walked up to him and kicked to part of his anatomy that he'd been telling him to move. Cloud spun around and glared at him for a moment, then he realized what'd been going on and he moved out of the way. For just one moment he turned to look back at Cosmo Canyon, he almost couldn't bare to part with her…even for just a little while.
"CLOUD! Should we turn around so you can go back and get your brain?" Cid jammed his thumb in the direction they were leaving and Cloud silently shook his head. Cid could understand that Cloud was feeling mixed up, but this was getting ridiculous. They couldn't very well go off on a mission if their leader wasn't going to have his wits about him. Cid would be quite happy to give Cloud another good kick in the butt and send him back to Cosmo Canyon, and he'd be happy to take charge once again. Of course Cid wasn't too hot on the idea of being the leader the first time they asked him to, but he rather enjoyed it.
"How long till we get there?" Cloud asked as calmly as he could. He didn't really
care how long it would take, but he just wanted to try to keep his mind on the task
at hand. He'd be of no use to his friends if he can't concentrate. Cid shrugged his
shoulders and motioned to the horizon. He then began to talk about how if he went one
way it would be shorter; however, if he went another way it could be even shorter but
risky. After Cloud figured that Cid was done, he went and sat with Red and Vincent.
The silent duo was doing just that...keeping quiet. Cloud often wondered about their
silence. At times it seemed cold, but contemplative.
Vincent motioned for Cloud to sit next to him. Cloud had to admit that at first he'd
had his doubts about Vince, but behind this cold exterior there seemed to be a kind
heart. To many people he didn't even seem to be human, but Cloud knew better. There
was definitely more to this man than net the eye.
*
Storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. This was going to turn out to be a
dark day. Humidity and tension hung in the air, and they were almost tangible. The
only relief was the wind, but even that had a sharp edge on it as it carried spray
up from the sea below. Yuffie stared into the dark swirling waters and removed her
outer shirt. As she released it into the wind it floated down into the waters only
to be quickly torn to shreds on the sharp rocks.
What was happening to her life? She'd lost her believed friends and her best friend
in the space of only two months. There was no doubt that Cloud and the others never
wanted to see her again. Why would they? There was absolutely no reason to ever
contact her again.
Yuffie slowly pulled out her PHS. It'd been something that she'd always kept with
her. When she'd left the group Cloud had told her that if she ever got into trouble
she shouldn't hesitate to call one of them. No one could help her now. Her emotions
were her problem, and she had to deal with them. But she just couldn't handle them.
The only thing that really distracted her from her thoughts was her training, which
was now very close to completion. All of the tests were very helpful for keeping her
mind occupied. But all training had just been too difficult since the accident...
The horrible vision came to her mind again, and Yuffie shook her head as though to
shake those thoughts from her mind. If only she'd been faster. She could have saved
him. Yuffie began to pace across the edge of the cliff. Part of her wanted to slip
and fall down to the rocks below...there was nothing left here...nothing.
Yuffie stopped at the usual jumping place. Her eyes once again descended to the waters
below. It seemed to just be a vast hole that invited her to fall into it forever. The
temptation grew. Suddenly Yuffie heard someone calling her name. Her mind shut the
voice out and she stepped up to the edge and plummeted down to the ocean below.
*
Something seemed to be wrong. Things just weren't right. Tifa felt as though she was
being watched, and the dog seemed to be whimpering for reasons other than the
oncoming storm. The poor animal wanted to run toward the door, but Tifa held onto it
tightly. Somehow she thought of it as a sort of protection. She knew that she couldn't
run back to the observatory. Whatever it was that was watching her would get to her
before she got to the door.
It was no longer paranoia. It was natural senses. All of the hairs on the dog's back
began to stand on end, and Tifa finally let it go. It bolted to the door, and rushed
inside. Tifa slowly stood up and turned around in a circle. To the eyes nothing
seemed to be wrong...but to the other senses...
Suddenly she heard a shuffling of feet, but when she spun around there was no one
there. By now her heart was racing and finally it began to rain. At first it was
large droplets of water, then it was coming down in sheets. Tifa began to back towards
the door as her eyes continued to scan the area. Someone was here. She could now hear
them breathing.
"Whoever's there...show yourself! I know you're there! Show yourself!" She shouted
into the rain and there was suddenly a huge crash of thunder. Tifa stopped dead in her
tracks. He was behind her. She slowly turned around and stood face to face with her
stalker. His face was expressionless, and in the rain...featureless. But Tifa saw the
thick strands of silver hair plastered to his head, and she saw the huge sword gleaming
in his hand. It'd been the same sword that took the life of Tifa's father...and Aeris.
Tifa screamed at the top of her lungs and this demon of the past that was called
Sephiroth lunged at her. The last thing she saw was his sword raised high over his
head ready to come down upon her screaming form in the pouring rain.