Tifa's POV


I held in the tears and sat next to Cloud who lay on the bed once we were in Kalm Inn. His face was still cold to the touch and his breathing was rare and shallow. I sat next to him, holding his hand, hoping for the best.

Cid had indeed taken the Highwind to Mideel shortly afterward and Barret sat with me next to Cloud.

"He'll get better Tifa, don't worry," He sighed and put his hand on my shoulder.

I didn't say anything. I couldn't because I knew the moment I spoke about Cloud, I would burst into tears. I just looked into Cloud's pale face. I never wanted to leave his side.

"It's not your fault or anyone's. We'll get a doctor here soon and then we can find out what's wrong with him and how we can fix it..." He trailed off, but I still didn't look at him or say anything.

There was a great depression all around me and Barret's words seemed like far off noise. All I could see in my mind were Cloud's shiny blue eyes and his scarce yet radiant smile.

But when I looked at him now, all I saw was sorrow. He looked dead and if it weren't for the shallow breathing I would have been convinced he was a corpse.

"Cloud..." I breathed his name into the tense air.

I gently lifted my hand up to stroke his cheek and brush through his blond hair. His skin was so soft and his hair was like gold silk. I didn't care what else happened, as long as I could stay here with him...

Time seemed to fade away and the sun got lower and lower in the sky. Suddenly I looked up and noticed that Cid was standing right next to me.

"I found ya a doctor. The one from the clinic in Mideel is here..." Cid announced in a sad voice.

I heard some footsteps and the doctor walked in followed by the nurse.

"By goodness, what happened to this boy? Is he the same one who I treated for severe Mako poisoning?" The doctor wondered out-loud.

"Yeah, he's the one. We were resting here in this Inn and when we woke up he wasn't here. We found him passed out in the middle of the fields, hasn't woken up yet..." Cid cursed under his breath.

The doctor took a seat next to Cloud's bed and checked his heart rate and looked at him for a few moments, but I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on. I couldn't stop looking at Cloud's closed eyes and face.

"Hmm...this boy is malnourished. We'll need to start an IV on him to give him the nutrients and water he needs," the doctor stated as he and the nurse began an IV on him.

My poor Cloud...

"How did he get like this? Do you know what happened?" Cid asked the doctor.

Yuffie walked in, her hands clasped together tightly and her eyes watery. Barrett and Red followed her, each with a solemn look on their face.

"I don't know, doc. We found him passed out cold in the field. We were hoping you could tell us how it happened...?" Cid was looking very concerned for once.

"Is...is Cloud going to be ok?" Yuffie asked in a voice choked with tears.

"He's in a coma, no doubt about it. This is a bizarre case indeed. This poor kid must go through a lot of tough times..." the doctor sighed and shook his head. "I'll need to stay with him longer to try to figure out what's wrong..."

"Oh no! Poor Cloud! How will we fight Sephiroth without him?" Yuffie struggled to say this without crying.

This brought everyone into a dead silence. Sephiroth...

"We still need to fight him. We should've been on our way already," Barret mumbled softly.

"I'm not fighting Sephiroth with Cloud like this..." I whispered slowly.

"What? But Tifa we have to stop Sephiroth. What will happen to the Planet if we don't?" Barrett asked.

"Cloud was our best fighter. No one could ever top his Omnislash and he's the only one who can wield that sword..." I mumbled, feeling the tears rush to my eyes as I thought about him.

"Tifa? What the $&# are you talking about? We're all great fighters here. You alone have the most powerful punch with those fists of yours! Cloud was a damn good fighter, but not the best," Cid commented to me.

"Yeah. We can still take Sephiroth!" Barret managed a weak smile.

"No. I'm not leaving Cloud's side..." I frowned.

"Tifa. I know your upset. We all are, but we have to face Sephiroth. We have to defend the Planet. If we could work together as a team I know we could-" Red began to say.

"Don't give me that whole 'teamwork' crap," I interrupted Red. "Besides, what's the point. Even if we win, Cloud will still be like this..." I sighed.

"How do you know? What if his condition has something to do with Sephiroth?" Barret questioned me.

"I don't care about Sephiroth anymore! I don't care if Meteor hits and everyone dies. I DON'T CARE!" I shouted at them, then took a breath and saw their shocked faces. "Sorry..." I added, realizing I had been yelling.

"What's gotten into you, Tifa?..." Barret stepped back.

"Look outside. Meteor will continue falling and we are the only ones who can fight Sephiroth and possibly stop it. Remember how Aeris prayed to Holy? Our fight is not yet lost, not unless we give up." Red said wisely.

"I don't care about Aeris or Holy either. I can't leave Cloud... I'm sorry, I can't..." I said to them and turned away. "You don't know what it's like. I need him by my side in battle..."

"But Tifa... We need you to fight with us. We all have pain in our lives, but we need to fight for the Planet's sake. I'm scared. I'll admit it, I am. But I also feel protected by the fact that all my friend will be there with me," Red spoke gently.

"Not all our friend will be there. Cloud won't be there. And nothing will change my mind. I'm staying here and there's no way in hell I'm going to fight Sephiroth with Cloud in this condition. And don't even start will all that 'teamwork' garbage and how sticking together will save our lives. We've already lost..." I muttered.

"I've never seen you give up hope like this before," Barret looked at me strangely and his voice sounded very far off to me.

I turned my face and didn't say a word. Tears of anger and sorrow building up.

"What...do we do...?" Yuffie asked, a bit stunned by my words.

"We'll leave. Tifa don't want to cooperate with us," Barret said harshly.

"Where are we going...?" Yuffie asked again.

"We're gonna fight Sephiroth and save the damn Planet. We're gonna win and we're gonna stop him...without Tifa." Barret sounded sad.

"But...what about Cloud...?" Yuffie stared over at Cloud.

"We'll do this without him, I know we can...and I guess, without Tifa too. We can't just stop everything 'cause Cloud's this way... He'd want us to go on and defeat Sephiroth. We need to, it's our duty," Barret said in a noble voice.

"I'm with ya, pal." Cid nodded and lit a cigarette.

"Me, too. I am the brave Seto's son and I must save the Planet and make my Grandpa proud." Red held his head high.

"Yuffie, tell Cait Sith and Vincent we are headin' for the North Crater. Time to settle this..." Barret called to Yuffie, who went off to tell the others.

The doctor was speechless the whole time. I had forgotten he was there.

"Tifa...are you sure you don't want to fight with us?" Barrett leaned close to me, his eyes searching mine.

"Yeah, I'm sure...I'm staying," I said one last time and watched him leave.

Moments later, I heard the far off sound of the Highwind propelling through the sky. For a moment, I regretted my decision and longed to be in the air next to my friends, but when I looked back to Cloud, my decision stayed firm.

"Young lady, you must really love this guy. You were with him all the time while he had Mako poisoning and now your refusing your own friends to stay with him again..." The doc sounded disappointed, like I should have gone with them .

"It doesn't matter," my voice was hollow.

"...Listen, I'll be in the other room unpacking my things for my stay. Call me immediately if anything happens," the doctor explained as he and the nurse left to book a room at the Inn.

I frowned more and looked out the window at Meteor hurtling towards the Planet at a fantastic speed-the air around it was swimming in a dead purple color. But I was content right where I was.

My eyes trailed back down to Cloud and I grasped his hand tighter, letting out a long sigh.

Nothing would ever make me leave his side, nothing...

Unless he left me, unless he died...

I leaned over giving him a little kiss on the lips and whispered, "I'll never leave you, Cloud, unless you leave me."