--"Dark skies, full of their tears from the sea:
-- Did the sea and the sky have a fight?
-- Why does the cloud retreat far from the sea to
cry?
-- Perhaps they were in love,
-- But no longer?
-- Maybe the sea struck the cloud,
-- And so the cloud fled to safety?
-- Who knows why clouds cry tears from the sea..
-- Whatever it was, I just thought it was the same
situation,
-- As it was for me."
'I saw a Rain Cloud' - CAZ
||
She looked as if she was having the most wonderful time trying to cook along with Yuffie and Shera. Her eyes sparkled like they did when she went out to that one day in Nibelheim to catch fireflies outside the yard. I gazed at her, watching, amused at the sight of her gleaming face and the white streaks of pancake flour across her left cheek and forehead.
"Eggs come from...?" she started to ask Yuffie as soon as Yuffie brought out a carton.
"Chickens. They look like Chocobos, except smaller," Yuffie's answer seemed to startle Tifa.
"Do you ride chickens?"
Yuffie laughed, while I held a secret smile from within the folds of the band that covered my mouth. It was odd to smile again, and I remembered the days when I used to smile at Lucrecia long ago. The reason wasn't that different between the two. I simply enjoyed Lucrecia's beautiful nature; the same feeling for Tifa, then or now.
Breakfast making continued for another hour, and more of the others who stayed in the house joined me and Cid at the table as we watched the three women bustle around the small kitchen area openly connected with the dining room. One of the three in the kitchen seemed to be standing more than helping around, watching the other two women flip pancakes, crack the eggs to fry, and toss a pan of potato hash.
"How's Tifa doing?" Cloud spoke as he took a seat near the wall I stood against; his eyes to Tifa in the kitchen.
"She's fine, so far. She's trying to help with breakfast," I answered tonelessly. I didn't feel like moping about with my feelings of uncertainty around Cloud, perhaps because I became reassured just this morning. Tifa's act of distress when I hesitated to answer her questions, gave me hope as to who she saw me as. Other than that, his presence annoyed me because I came to conclude to myself that I was jealous of him, and I wasn't about to let that emotion ruin my stoic reputation.
Cloud chuckled, "She doesn't seem too helpful, but she seemed to be enjoying it; Yuffie and Shera too," I could see his eyes gazing at Tifa with a admiring smile. Maybe I wasn't reassured as much as I thought I was this morning; I can feel the annoying flicking in the back of my head once more. I cleared my throat loudly and shifted my hands across my chest in an upset silence. Maybe if I just avoided talking to him, I wouldn't have to feel the annoying pounding of a finger drumming my cranium.
My eyes moved to Shera, who stood in front of the window, leaning to take a view of the outside, "Gray clouds are coming from the ocean. Looks like rain, Cid."
"Rain, huh? It was pretty clear and sunny this morning.." Cid answered his wife from a seat at the table.
Shera turned back to the eggs she was frying on the pan, "Yes, well you know how the winds around here are so unpredictable," she dropped her spatula suddenly on the counter, and brought her hands up around her hips as she eyed Cid with a slight glare, "Are you going to cover your Highwind or what? I don't want to have to hear you whining about how the rain got puddles into your precious deck, and how the winds punctured tiny holes into the balloon itself."
Never knew Shera to be one who was so commanding; neither did I suspect Cid to be so afraid of her. Cid seemed to be dumbfounded, guilty looking, and pouted an answer before standing up and leaving to go outside, grumbling his way out.
A couple of minutes passed until the three ladies presented breakfast on the table. We sat around the table; they laughed and talked while I observed the conversation between Tifa and Cloud. It was simple at first, nice introduction of names, then came reminiscing of the past, favorites, and joyful childhood times. So I have noticed.. jealousy has gripped me in its hold. Tifa seemed to be excited in learning of her childhood past with Cloud, sorrowful at the times she never paid attention to him, and grateful to have had met him in her lifetime once more. This worried me.
What I had suspected would happen looked as if it was now beginning.
Half an hour passed and gray clouds hovered above the homeland. Winds breezed through the windows with its chill, and Shera quickly took note of it, "Ah, the storms here," she stood up and excused herself to close the windows around the kitchen and living room.
As I watched Shera's body speedily close the windows, soft pattering of water droplets reached my ear from the outside. It wasn't long before the soft conversation that the people in front, was obliterated into nothing more than a murmur as rain poured heavily in Rocket Town.
My heart raced suddenly when I heard a sudden shriek, and my eyes moved quickly just in time to see Tifa stand up, eyes bulged and afraid, as she backed up and slammed against the wall behind her.
"No, no, no!" her voice strained to scream as her body slid down to the floor.
The whole table stood up in worry and rushed to her side, asking her the problem, trying to understand the situation. In a state of panic, I pushed my way towards her and asked the others to clear away.
"Tifa?" her palms covered her ears and I reached for her wrists. When I tried to pull her hands back, she viciously tried to keep them over her ears.
"No! I'm going to fall!" she screamed as she shut her eyes tight, "Leave me alone, I'm going to fall!"
I grabbed her shoulders, my left arm clasped her gently, and tried to once again get her attention and to get her to calm down, "Tifa, what's going on?"
"What is she talking about? Falling??" Yuffie asked overhead, looking down at her with tears in her eyes.
I shook my head and turned towards Shera's body as she came by after closing the last window of the living room. My eyes moved then to the windows as gray rain slapped on it harshly.
"I'm.. gonna... fall.." Tifa choked in front of me, still crumpled up tight.
It struck me then. Tifa was hearing the rain. The pelting rain struck a memory of some indignation of falling... It had to be a something that had happened closely before the incident, or right even at the exact time it had happened.
"Tifa... the rain made you fall?" I asked softly, so soft that the others wouldn't be able to hear.
"The rain?" she restated unsurely, "The rain; I slipped; I fell and it hurt," I watched as she mentally replayed the tragedy and tears now soaked her cheeks. Her sobbing didn't stop then, it only intensified as she moved her knees closer to herself, "It hurt..."
I couldn't take how helpless she looked, and quickly stood up, turned around, and took action of the situation. Without any explanation, I commanded the others to close all the drapes and blinds on all the windows, and asked Cid if he could turn the radio on loud. In their frantic state, they did as I asked without question, and within moments the room was dark with only light from the dining room ceiling lamp, and noisy with the blaring of soft slow-rock music.
Tifa looked half relieved as the changes affected her. With my help, she stood up, confused yet still afraid, and I was a little startled as she literally jumped into my arms and her head with her ears still covered, buried into my chest. The panic dissolved, and instead came an almost euphoric feeling.
"What's going on, Vincent?" asked Cloud who stood a distance away, staring skeptically at the Tifa in my arms.
"She's remembering how she fell off the cliff," I answered a little bit low-toned, hoping it wouldn't affect the woman in my arms, "She's reacting to the rain, I believe."
The room nodded in understanding, and Yuffe broke down in the corner. I decided that Tifa would be best off back in the room to rest, and asked Yuffie and Shera if they could fix up the room for her.
During the time, Tifa kept her sobbing on the black cloth on my chest as she mumbled broken sentences. I tried to interpret her meaning, only it made me want to hold her closer to me. But I was afraid as the others' eyes gazed at the both of our figures to actually act on my feeling.
"The sky... he was really angry.. and it was wet.. and I fell down.. and it hurt.. and I called for help," she mumbled on as her body shook in fright, "No one came, Vincent.. where were you?"
"Okay Vincent! The room's ready," Shera called from the hallway, and speedily I moved her down there. Of course she couldn't walk with her face buried on my chest, and so I moved her close to my side, her body underneath my cape, and my right arm around her back to hold onto her right shoulder. She wavered a bit while we walked to the room, and clung tighter to me as we stepped inside.
The room was dark also, a desk lamp lit it dimmer than the living the recent room, and the radio seemed to also be loud and in the same station as the one in the living room was.
I carefully laid her on the bed, hushing her with kind words of positive enthusiasm, and watched as the woman crumpled herself into a heap above on top of her folded sheets and stared blankly at the far wall.
I turned around when I felt a tug from Yuffie; she motioned me over by the door. I followed her, along with Shera.
"So, the rain had something to do with her falling back then, right?" Yuffie asked.
I nodded to her as her expression changed into pity.
"Poor Tifa... I bet that's what she was remembering when she heard the rain," Yuffie's eyes blurred as more tears resurfaced.
I felt Shera's hand over my arm, and I turned to her questionably, "I think you should stay with her here. Maybe you could ask her if she remembers more," I looked at her and was about to shake my head in disagreement when she shook hers and spoke once more, "I'm sure it would be just heartbreaking for you to watch her suffer to re-live it again, but... I think it would be good for her to let it out, and for us to understand."
I had to admit, Shera's words made a point. If I asked her to remember more, we would know more about that day, and maybe more gates would be opened for Tifa. But then again, like Shera had hinted, it would be hard for me to decide. I would never mean to hurt her in any way, and this is one of those ways..
"Vincent, you have a good heart inside," Shera smiled at my kindly; I was confused as to why she brought the words up. She left with Yuffie, leaving me oddly dumbstruck in the room with Tifa.
Perhaps Shera had read me and noticed my attachment to Tifa ever since her case? Nervousness succumbed me when I thought of it, and all I can worry about was, did the others know too?
"I fell.. where were you then, Vincent?"
The soft, dark voice felt as if it was whispered into my ear despite the blaring music of the room, and I turned to Tifa with a look of guilt. She wasn't staring at me for an answer, but blankly, her eyes focused on the wall near me. She was questioning my presence at the time she was hurt, and I really had no answer.
I prepared myself, took a deep breath, and headed to her
bedside.
A/N: Sort of a cliffhanger eh? .... *teehee* Thanks to: Lord Cirenmas -Thanks! ; Firefly - Thanks so much for enjoying it ^_^ Yes.. Vincent is falling in luv~ ; Sunflower-chan - Why sanku! ; Tengokunou Arashi - Well here's the next chapter! Thanks a lot ^_^ ; Crescenta Strata - Oh my, I hope you got your sleep. Goodness knows I would hate to keep people up ^_^ thanks! ; ragnarok500- Wow, *.* magnificent? really? shank'u! ; Lord Belgarion - By far the most inspiring review ever! ^_^ Much thanks to you Lord Belgarion! ; Random V/T Fan - I haven't set up an adjective traps? Hooray! I manage to sometimes... lol.. Thanks! ; Volk Zyta- LoL, well here's more for you~ ty! ; vincent valentine - Thank you! ooh.. love the name by the way ^_^ ; Mrs. Yuy - I hope this is soon enough! Thanks for the nice comments! ; Dynamite- ooh.. the question in every reader's mind... hmm... my answer? ^_^ Read on to find out. lol. Thanks, by the way. ; Senya Starseeker - Another inspiring reviewer! I would love to take a peek at your T/V fic.. ooh, will it be romantic? --Sucker for romance. And yes, write a book if you must, I love long reviews! TY!
Thanks a bunch you guys!! Anyways, next chapter's going to move to 3rd Person Point Of View, so.. no more 'Inside-the-mind-of-Vincent' -_-.... for now ^_^. See ya later!