Chapter Eleven
That night, aboard the Highwind.
"Whoa, Tifa, you're still awake?"
Tifa turned around and caught her breath. "God, he's gorgeous."
"Yeah," she said quickly, "I love looking at the night sky here. It's very relaxing. Especially near Kalm."
"Kalm?"
The Highwind was on the open fields North West of Midgar, about a mile outside of Kalm. It was four-thirty in the morning, and Tifa couldn't sleep. She hadn't been sleeping well these past few nights. All she could think about was this green haired man. She had never felt this way about anyone except Cloud, but the love for this rouge was rivaling that love for Cloud every minute.
"A town about a mile from here," she said, answering his inquiry about Kalm.
"You're gonna be beat tomorrow," he said, pulling his last cigarette out of his pack and lighting it. Noticing that the smoke was his last one, she spoke up.
"If you need anymore cigarettes, I'm sure Cid is still up and wouldn't mind giving you one."
Looking at her strangely, he silently puffed on the cancer stick. "Hm, she defiantly has some feeling toward me. I don't know, boy. It might be too soon. But, she's so much like Julia, it's scary. God, how many times did you want to call her Julia? Get a grip, Spiegel! The woman's dead! You need to move on! But, can you?"
"You ok, Spike?" Tifa asked, shaking him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, just thinking about Julia."
"You talk much about her." She said this, not as an insult, nor out of jealousy. Spike had been talking about her much these past few days, and she sat and listened. She knew he still loved her, and couldn't let her go, or at least, he was having a lot of trouble letting her go.
"Yeah. I know," he sheepishly grinned, "I'm sorry if you're getting tired of listening about her."
Shaking her head vehemently, she quickly said, "Oh no, Spike. I like hearing about her. She sounds like she would have been a great woman. I would like to have met her." She said this in all sincerity. She really wanted to meet Julia. She sounded so-so ordinary. The beautiful kind of ordinary.
"What about her were you thinking?"
After a moment's silence, Spike replied, "I was thinking everything about her," he paused, "And how much like her you are."
Tifa gasped. How much like Julia she was? Was he throwing her a line? Was he serious? She looked into his eyes, searching for an answer to these questions. He looked so sincere, so calm, so much turmoil in his soul.
"Spike, I" she never finished the sentence.
"NO!" a voice came from the door to the deck.
Both Spike and Tifa whirled around, Tifa, shock painted on her face, Spike, calmly smoking his cigarette.
"You stole the leadership of Avalanche from me," Cloud seethed, sword drawn, eyes burning, "You stole my pride when I couldn't protect Aeris. And now, you think you can just steal Tifa from me?!"
Tifa, her face red with anger, shot, "Stole me from you?! Are you insane, Cloud?! You were so busy with Aeris; you didn't see me at all. Now, I leave and you think I'm just gonna drop everything for you?!"
Spike laid a hand on her shoulder, "Calm down, Teef."
"Now you steal my nickname for her!" Cloud continued.
"Cloud, calm down. We have bigger things to worry about," Spike, never losing his calmness, spoke.
"Yeah, Cloud,"
"Listen to reason, Cloud."
"Don't do anything stupid Cloud," a chorus of voices came from behind Cloud as Avalanche and the Turks came from below, woken up by the noise.
"Cloud, you can fight me now, and accomplish nothing but to dwindle our numbers when we fight Sephiroth, or you can wait."
"Coward!" Cloud shouted.
"No, Cloud. Wait until after we're done, then I'll give you the fight you want. I promise."
Sheathing the sword, Cloud hissed, "Fine, bounty hunter. But, soon, you'll regret you're promise." And, with that, Cloud went below deck. After a few moments, the rest of the crew went down with him, leaving Spike and Tifa alone on the deck.
"I'm gonna go to bed, Spike," Tifa, sobered by the turn of events.
Stubbing out the smoke, he put a hand on her shoulder, "Good night, Tifa Lockhart."
"Good night, Spike Spiegel."
Looking out on the horizon, as grey slowly brushed the sky as the sun rose, Spike spoke, "Good night, Julia."
That night, aboard the Highwind.
"Whoa, Tifa, you're still awake?"
Tifa turned around and caught her breath. "God, he's gorgeous."
"Yeah," she said quickly, "I love looking at the night sky here. It's very relaxing. Especially near Kalm."
"Kalm?"
The Highwind was on the open fields North West of Midgar, about a mile outside of Kalm. It was four-thirty in the morning, and Tifa couldn't sleep. She hadn't been sleeping well these past few nights. All she could think about was this green haired man. She had never felt this way about anyone except Cloud, but the love for this rouge was rivaling that love for Cloud every minute.
"A town about a mile from here," she said, answering his inquiry about Kalm.
"You're gonna be beat tomorrow," he said, pulling his last cigarette out of his pack and lighting it. Noticing that the smoke was his last one, she spoke up.
"If you need anymore cigarettes, I'm sure Cid is still up and wouldn't mind giving you one."
Looking at her strangely, he silently puffed on the cancer stick. "Hm, she defiantly has some feeling toward me. I don't know, boy. It might be too soon. But, she's so much like Julia, it's scary. God, how many times did you want to call her Julia? Get a grip, Spiegel! The woman's dead! You need to move on! But, can you?"
"You ok, Spike?" Tifa asked, shaking him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, just thinking about Julia."
"You talk much about her." She said this, not as an insult, nor out of jealousy. Spike had been talking about her much these past few days, and she sat and listened. She knew he still loved her, and couldn't let her go, or at least, he was having a lot of trouble letting her go.
"Yeah. I know," he sheepishly grinned, "I'm sorry if you're getting tired of listening about her."
Shaking her head vehemently, she quickly said, "Oh no, Spike. I like hearing about her. She sounds like she would have been a great woman. I would like to have met her." She said this in all sincerity. She really wanted to meet Julia. She sounded so-so ordinary. The beautiful kind of ordinary.
"What about her were you thinking?"
After a moment's silence, Spike replied, "I was thinking everything about her," he paused, "And how much like her you are."
Tifa gasped. How much like Julia she was? Was he throwing her a line? Was he serious? She looked into his eyes, searching for an answer to these questions. He looked so sincere, so calm, so much turmoil in his soul.
"Spike, I" she never finished the sentence.
"NO!" a voice came from the door to the deck.
Both Spike and Tifa whirled around, Tifa, shock painted on her face, Spike, calmly smoking his cigarette.
"You stole the leadership of Avalanche from me," Cloud seethed, sword drawn, eyes burning, "You stole my pride when I couldn't protect Aeris. And now, you think you can just steal Tifa from me?!"
Tifa, her face red with anger, shot, "Stole me from you?! Are you insane, Cloud?! You were so busy with Aeris; you didn't see me at all. Now, I leave and you think I'm just gonna drop everything for you?!"
Spike laid a hand on her shoulder, "Calm down, Teef."
"Now you steal my nickname for her!" Cloud continued.
"Cloud, calm down. We have bigger things to worry about," Spike, never losing his calmness, spoke.
"Yeah, Cloud,"
"Listen to reason, Cloud."
"Don't do anything stupid Cloud," a chorus of voices came from behind Cloud as Avalanche and the Turks came from below, woken up by the noise.
"Cloud, you can fight me now, and accomplish nothing but to dwindle our numbers when we fight Sephiroth, or you can wait."
"Coward!" Cloud shouted.
"No, Cloud. Wait until after we're done, then I'll give you the fight you want. I promise."
Sheathing the sword, Cloud hissed, "Fine, bounty hunter. But, soon, you'll regret you're promise." And, with that, Cloud went below deck. After a few moments, the rest of the crew went down with him, leaving Spike and Tifa alone on the deck.
"I'm gonna go to bed, Spike," Tifa, sobered by the turn of events.
Stubbing out the smoke, he put a hand on her shoulder, "Good night, Tifa Lockhart."
"Good night, Spike Spiegel."
Looking out on the horizon, as grey slowly brushed the sky as the sun rose, Spike spoke, "Good night, Julia."