Cloud looks straight ahead of the hallway, but no sign of Tifa could be seen. As he started to get impatient, he notices Lina is looking at him. "What?" he asks a little confused, nothing new of course?

"Nothing, you look cute when you're impatient." She smiled.

They continued walking and Cloud couldn't get that out of his head. As they round the corner Cloud couldn't help, but ask himself why she said that. He tugs on the same black tank top he has been wearing for the day.

"Why do you always pull on your shirts?" Lina asked.

"I dunno. Wait, how? Whatever, obviously I do it enough for you to notice." He pauses the conversation for a train of thought. Then he continues, "I guess it's just that I'm used to my SOLDIER uniform."

"You used to be in soldier?" Lina asked amazed with her eyes wide open.

"You could say that, I think." He watches the floor passing under him.

"No wonder you're so strong!"

"I don't think I'm strong. I couldn't even protect Tifa." He looks at her. "Aeris for that matter too."

"Who's Aeris?"

"Someone I really cared about, well you could say I still care about her." Cloud looked at her. His eyes narrow as he studies her face for a moment. Without drawing a conclusion he decided to drop his questioning thoughts about Lina's face.

"Is she pretty?"

"Yes, she was pretty." Cloud looked ahead. The elevators were coming up soon.

"We have to go down to the first floor. What did you mean by she was?" Lina looked at his blue eyes staring ahead.

"She's dead now."

"Oh." She looks down. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault."

When they reached the elevator, Cloud was reaching to touch the down button, but Lina pressed it first.

"Hah! I beat you to it!" She giggles, and then puts her hands behind her back.

Cloud looked at her with a questioning look. "Huh?"

"You're such a dork!" She covers her mouth with her right hand as she laughs.

He scratches the back of his head. "Ok." The Elevator door opens, and they stepped in. Cloud gets beaten to the button again, as Lina presses the first floor button.

Lina twists her left bang with her left hand. "So!"

Cloud looks at her, "So?"

"Tell me about yourself." Her eyes gaze upon him. Her familiar facial features show an expression that Cloud can't possibly understand.

"Uh, like what?"

"I don't know, what's your favorite food, color, I dunno perhaps what you like to use as you shampoo. Anything would be fine."

"Uh." Cloud passes the rest of the seconds pondering on what to say. As he was finally about to open his mouth, the elevator opens revealing a beautiful young woman.

"CLOUD!!!" the woman tackles Cloud into the ground.

"UGH!" Cloud groans as he was pummeled onto the floor of the elevator.

"Hi Tifa!" Lina said. She blinked her green eyes.

"Huh? Tifa?" Cloud asked.

Tifa stands up from the bear hug she was giving to Cloud. She gazes into his blue eyes. "Hiya!" she salutes him off with too fingers.

"Tifa? Tifa! Your ok?" Cloud managed to speak.

"Of course dummy!" Tifa scratches her nose with her thumb. "It's me remember?"

"Yea." Cloud smiled and pushed himself up.

Lina looked at Tifa, and then her green eyes shifted to Cloud. A sigh escaped from her, as she thought about the connection they have.

I wish I knew them longer than this; Cloud seems like a really good guy, but something about him I just can't understand. I don't know. Something about him, maybe I should ask him. No, I shouldn't bother him.

Lina shook off her thoughts and paid more attention to the interaction between the two close friends.

Cloud looked at Tifa without the slightest idea of what to say.

"Cloud? Speechless as always? Nothing new." Tifa grinned and gestured for them to leave.

The three of them left the hospital.

As the party of three walked through the streets of Junon, Lina had to ask a question that was nagging at her. "Excuse me, Cloud?"

Cloud looks at Lina with a look that acknowledges her question.

"Well, I wanted to ask you, since I have no place to live right now."

"Yes."

"And well basically, the hotel is." Lina looked at Cloud. "Excuse me?"

"The answer is yes." He looked ahead.

"Are you sure Cloud because if it is a bother then don't worry about it."

"No it's not a bother." Cloud thought of the bed of blankets he was going to have to sleep in again. He shook his head at the thought.

"What's wrong Cloud?" Lina asked worried she did something wrong by asking

"Don't worry Lina." Tifa places her hand on Lina's right shoulder. "He's just thinking about the bed he has to sleep in." Looking back at Cloud, Tifa says "I told you we should have bought the bunk bed." Tifa laughs and then smiles to Cloud.

Cloud just nods off the plain fact that Tifa knows him too well.

Later that day, the three of them made it to Cloud and Tifa's house, Cloud and Lina are sitting in the living room, while Tifa is showering.

Lina couldn't help but glance at Cloud every once in awhile. "Cloud?"

"Yeah?" He asks bringing about his blue eyes over to her direction.

Lina becomes nervous and decides to avoid saying anything but, "Nothing, forget about it."

"Uh, ok." Cloud shrugs of Lina's strange behavior because he doesn't notice that something is going on.

"Well, ok. Cloud! Remember when you told me you knew me?"

He looked back at her interested in what she is saying. "Yeah?"

Lina's hands start to shake; she takes a deep breath and lets it out. As she calmed down, she opened her eyes to see Cloud's gaze awaiting her next comment. "Ok. I wanted to ask you how you might recognize my face."

Cloud thought about it for a second, "I don't know to be honest." He looks at her again. "You just have something familiar about you, but you don't look exactly like anyone I know, or even perhaps knew."

"Oh." Said Lina disappointed. Lina started to poke her index fingertips together repeatedly. "Well I have something to tell you."

"What?"

"Well, I don't know why, but." She becomes more nervous and pokes her fingertips faster. "I think I."

"Who's next?" Tifa asks from the frame of the doorway leading to the hallway. She is already dressed in a small white tank top, and grey sweatpants.

"Go ahead Lina, go first." Cloud offered.

"But I don't have any change of clothing."

"Nonsense! You can borrow some of mine." Tifa says sweetly.

"Oh, ok." Lina walks into the bedroom with Tifa.

Cloud remains sitting still in the clothing he's been wearing for more than a day now. After a few tugs on his shirt, Cloud thought about what Lina was saying earlier.

What was that all about? I don't understand. What did me recognizing her have to do anything? Whatever.

"Cloud!" Tifa yelled from the bedroom. "Come here!"

Cloud stood up from his seat, and made his way to and through the hallway. "Yes?" He walked into the bedroom, noticing that Tifa was looking straight at him.

Tifa hand her hands behind her back. She was smiling, and her adorable red eyes were showing more joy than anyone could imagine. "Cloud?"

He looked at her in confusion. As usual Cloud did not understand what was going on in a person's head. "Um, yea?"

She steps forward slowly to him, taking her time to make it to him. "I was talking to the receptionist, when they let me out, and well, she told me something about you."

"What?" His blue eyes followed her as she came closer.

"Nothing really, just something that means the world to me." She stands in front of him, and looks up into his eyes. "She told me on how you stayed the entire night next to me until I woke up." She smiles, and places her index finger pointing softly to his stomach. "She told me how you were worried about me." She slowly moves her finger up his torso. "I was so happy when she told me that, in fact, I'm still happy about that." Her finger makes it to his chin, and she moves it softly along his cheek, doing a circular pattern.

Cloud looks at her softly.

"Thank you for staying with me Cloud." She leans in, and closes her crimson eyes.

Cloud closes his.

And they kissed.