I hung my head low, trailing my eyes back to the doorway.
"Cloud?" A sweet voice called as she stepped into the room.
All emotions of anger and confusion washed away and I forgot all about Sephiroth.
"Tifa! I...I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" I cried out as she walked closer.
I saw a huge gash on her cheek, stitched together, and she was wearing a long sleeved shirt, so I couldn't see her arm. Her eyes were misty as she gazed at me. She looked so beautiful and perfect, despite the scar on her cheek.
"Cloud, what happened to you?" She asked as she stepped nearer. I saw a fear in her eyes I had never seen before.
"N...nothing! I don't know. I'm fine," I smiled back, wishing she would forgive me. "I'm sorry..." I repeated, thinking back to before any of this happened.
"15 minutes Ms. Lockheart," the guard called and waited outside the door.
"Cloud, what's wrong with you? Why'd you do it?" Her voice sounded very sad and lonely, yet her eyes were plainly afraid of me.
"Are you afraid of me now?" I asked timidly, a strange pain spreading from my deep within my chest.
"I don't know how to answer that," she looked away.
"Are you taking me away from here?" I tried to sound hopeful.
"I'm only here to visit, you'll be here... for a while," she stepped closer, sitting down on the chair the guard had brought her.
"But why? This is a place for crazy people and I'm not crazy!" I shouted.
"Cloud, I can never trust you again. I don't even know if I want to be with you anymore after what happened. You could have easily killed me," her soulful brown eyes were teary and stared sadly at me.
"Never trust me again? But I didn't mean to! You don't understand! Please Tifa, I'm sorry, please forgive me! Get me out of here!" I begged, wanting to give her a hug, but the straightjacket prevented me.
"No, Cloud. I felt like it wasn't you with the knife that night. It wasn't you who would want to harm me...but then I can't think of any other excuses for you. And I just can't trust you anymore, I'm sorry," she paused for a long moment, her eyes downcast.
I didn't speak for what felt like a long time and I felt a horrible feeling stretching through my chest and lungs. My eyes watered up unwillingly.
"But...you can't just leave me here! I'm ok! Really, I am! I don't know what was wrong with me before, but I'm fine now! Please, believe me, Tifa," I whispered, fighting the tears welling up. A pain, an aching longing, exploded in my chest. I choked against this new pain. I didn't want her to leave me.
"Why did you visit me if you only wanted to break my heart?" I stared at the floor, my voice choked through a lump swelling in my throat. I couldn't maintain eye contact with her without bursting into tears.
"Oh, that's not it," she comforted me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "I just wanted to see how you were doing here. And I wanted to apologize for Cid punching you in the face so many times. I never wanted him to hurt you..."
I moved my eyes to meet hers and she took her hand off my shoulder. "Why did you do it?" she finally asked, her eyebrows curved back in sorrow.
I didn't have an answer. What was I to say? It was painful to see her so fearful of me.
"I just don't think I can ever look at you the same anymore," she confessed, touching my forehead, brushing her hand up through my hair.
"But I'm still the same person as I was before all this happened! I'm fine! I just..." I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence, not knowing what exactly to say.
"It's just that for a moment, when I first woke up, I thought you were Sephiroth. You resembled him so much for a split second. I thought you were going to kill me. ...My life was to be ended by you, my own best friend, who fought alongside me for what seemed like an eternity," she said this mostly to herself, although I heard it all.
"Tifa... I...I..." I couldn't tell her that I loved her. The words were trapped inside of me.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is goodbye," she sighed and she squeezed her eyes closed, apparently trying to avoid tears. "I'm sorry."
"No! Please! Please don't leave me! I..." I yelled, fearful of never seeing her again. I still couldn't tell her I loved her...
"I'll visit you sometimes, but just for a bit you'll stay here," she promised, but I wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not.
"But... No! We can be happy together! Please don't leave me here! Please!" I shouted, trying with all my strength to get closer to her, but I couldn't budge.
"Ms. Lockhart, time's up," the guard opened the door, motioning for her to leave.
"Goodbye Cloud, I'll see you again," She gave me a quick hug, then rushed from the room, leaving me alone and feeling so very empty.
"Goodbye Tifa... I...love you," I whispered quietly after the door had closed.
The guard sat back down in his chair, reading a newspaper. I had never felt so alone and hollow in my life. My body weight depressed into the chair, feeling so heavy and unmovable. I stared at the floor, not wanting to move, not caring if I lived or died.
"She'll be back," Sephiroth spoke from the shadows of the corner. "I promise, she'll be back." He leaned back into the shadows, vanishing from my sight.
I didn't care to respond. The color drained from the world around me and I felt so desperately alone.
"Cloud?" A sweet voice called as she stepped into the room.
All emotions of anger and confusion washed away and I forgot all about Sephiroth.
"Tifa! I...I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" I cried out as she walked closer.
I saw a huge gash on her cheek, stitched together, and she was wearing a long sleeved shirt, so I couldn't see her arm. Her eyes were misty as she gazed at me. She looked so beautiful and perfect, despite the scar on her cheek.
"Cloud, what happened to you?" She asked as she stepped nearer. I saw a fear in her eyes I had never seen before.
"N...nothing! I don't know. I'm fine," I smiled back, wishing she would forgive me. "I'm sorry..." I repeated, thinking back to before any of this happened.
"15 minutes Ms. Lockheart," the guard called and waited outside the door.
"Cloud, what's wrong with you? Why'd you do it?" Her voice sounded very sad and lonely, yet her eyes were plainly afraid of me.
"Are you afraid of me now?" I asked timidly, a strange pain spreading from my deep within my chest.
"I don't know how to answer that," she looked away.
"Are you taking me away from here?" I tried to sound hopeful.
"I'm only here to visit, you'll be here... for a while," she stepped closer, sitting down on the chair the guard had brought her.
"But why? This is a place for crazy people and I'm not crazy!" I shouted.
"Cloud, I can never trust you again. I don't even know if I want to be with you anymore after what happened. You could have easily killed me," her soulful brown eyes were teary and stared sadly at me.
"Never trust me again? But I didn't mean to! You don't understand! Please Tifa, I'm sorry, please forgive me! Get me out of here!" I begged, wanting to give her a hug, but the straightjacket prevented me.
"No, Cloud. I felt like it wasn't you with the knife that night. It wasn't you who would want to harm me...but then I can't think of any other excuses for you. And I just can't trust you anymore, I'm sorry," she paused for a long moment, her eyes downcast.
I didn't speak for what felt like a long time and I felt a horrible feeling stretching through my chest and lungs. My eyes watered up unwillingly.
"But...you can't just leave me here! I'm ok! Really, I am! I don't know what was wrong with me before, but I'm fine now! Please, believe me, Tifa," I whispered, fighting the tears welling up. A pain, an aching longing, exploded in my chest. I choked against this new pain. I didn't want her to leave me.
"Why did you visit me if you only wanted to break my heart?" I stared at the floor, my voice choked through a lump swelling in my throat. I couldn't maintain eye contact with her without bursting into tears.
"Oh, that's not it," she comforted me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "I just wanted to see how you were doing here. And I wanted to apologize for Cid punching you in the face so many times. I never wanted him to hurt you..."
I moved my eyes to meet hers and she took her hand off my shoulder. "Why did you do it?" she finally asked, her eyebrows curved back in sorrow.
I didn't have an answer. What was I to say? It was painful to see her so fearful of me.
"I just don't think I can ever look at you the same anymore," she confessed, touching my forehead, brushing her hand up through my hair.
"But I'm still the same person as I was before all this happened! I'm fine! I just..." I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence, not knowing what exactly to say.
"It's just that for a moment, when I first woke up, I thought you were Sephiroth. You resembled him so much for a split second. I thought you were going to kill me. ...My life was to be ended by you, my own best friend, who fought alongside me for what seemed like an eternity," she said this mostly to herself, although I heard it all.
"Tifa... I...I..." I couldn't tell her that I loved her. The words were trapped inside of me.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is goodbye," she sighed and she squeezed her eyes closed, apparently trying to avoid tears. "I'm sorry."
"No! Please! Please don't leave me! I..." I yelled, fearful of never seeing her again. I still couldn't tell her I loved her...
"I'll visit you sometimes, but just for a bit you'll stay here," she promised, but I wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not.
"But... No! We can be happy together! Please don't leave me here! Please!" I shouted, trying with all my strength to get closer to her, but I couldn't budge.
"Ms. Lockhart, time's up," the guard opened the door, motioning for her to leave.
"Goodbye Cloud, I'll see you again," She gave me a quick hug, then rushed from the room, leaving me alone and feeling so very empty.
"Goodbye Tifa... I...love you," I whispered quietly after the door had closed.
The guard sat back down in his chair, reading a newspaper. I had never felt so alone and hollow in my life. My body weight depressed into the chair, feeling so heavy and unmovable. I stared at the floor, not wanting to move, not caring if I lived or died.
"She'll be back," Sephiroth spoke from the shadows of the corner. "I promise, she'll be back." He leaned back into the shadows, vanishing from my sight.
I didn't care to respond. The color drained from the world around me and I felt so desperately alone.