Chapter Two: To Be or Not to Be
(Disclaimer: I obviously do not own FFVII or any part of it!! This is purely for entertainment. :P Enjoy. Oh by the way, I keep the "Aeris" spelling rather than "Aerith" because I like it better. :P Hey, it's my story! Bai. ^^
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Tifa pulled her long, dark hair into a ponytail. She looked in the mirror and tilted her head in thought. "Hmm." She let a few strands hang in front of her ears, grazing her shoulders. "Better." She tied a big pink ribbon in the back, and released the grip she had on her hair. "Almost perfect," she thought, "But not me. Then again," she thought to herself, "that's what I was going for. To look like someone else..." an image of Aeris flashed through her mind. "Maybe Cloud would love me if I was more like her."
Cloud had been depressed ever since Aeris had been killed by Sephiroth. Even more so, by summoning Holy to stop Meteor, she had saved his life. So why couldn't he have saved hers? Cloud sat on the white sandy beach of Costa de Sol, where he, Tifa, and Barret had decided to spend a vacation. His spikey blond hair blew subtly in the ocean breeze, his deep Mako eyes gazing into the sunset. "Why couldn't I save her?" The thought haunted him every day of his life. He kicked the sand with his scratched-up black leather boot. "I miss you...why did you have to leave me?" Hate for Sephiroth filled his heart. "And you! How dare you take away her precious life! She was as sweet and beautiful as her flowers...and so gentle. My flower girl." His eyes filled with tears, but he tilted his head toward the sky and blinked them away. "Now I'm talking to myself and yelling at dead people," he muttered. "Great."
"Hi, Cloud!" Cloud turned around, startled, to see Tifa standing beside him with a hairstyle nearly identical to Aeris's. His eyes turned hard and cold.
"Your...hair...."
"Like it? It took forever to get this perfect, but I think it works for me. Dontcha' think?" she smiled in a way Aeris would have.
"Is this some idea of a sick joke?!" He yelled, disgusted. "Stop it! Just leave me alone!!" He turned and ran out of sight. Tifa's crimson eyes grew sad and watery.
"Oh Cloud," she said aloud, "I did this for you. Didn't you ever love me? We were so close as kids... You'll never love me, will you?" She sank to her knees, pulling the ribbon out of her hair, letting it blow freely in the wind. "I hate you..." she sobbed.
Cloud ran, his anger wheeling. He had no idea where he was going, but he figured he'd know once he got there. He stopped, finding himself in front of a run-down church where the roof had fallen in in several areas. "The church." He continued into the church slowly. "I can't believe it's still standing." Cloud stopped in the center, where a soft spread of greens and gorgeous delicate blossoms still bloomed. He took a pink flower gently in his hand, making sure he didn't break it off. His Mako blue eyes grew melancholic. He studied the flower hard. Nostalgia. "My flower girl..." The petals on the flower reached out, growing magnificently. He gasped, eyes wide and eyebrows arched in awe. Cloud gently let go of the bloom and watched as it continued to grow. "..." he stood up and walked out of the church, back to the beach.
Tifa's ruby eyes were shadowed by her dark chocolate brown bangs, but her tears still found their way to the sea. She stood in the tide up to her ankles, watching the surf foam. Her white tanktop and short black shorts were damp from the spray, but she didn't notice. "Maybe I'm wasting my time. I'm just a burden on him... I'm not even his friend anymore. We used to be best friends..." Sadness had an iron grip on Tifa's heart and refused to let go. "Maybe I should leave...I don't want to be in his way." Another tear fell.
"Tif--" Cloud started to call out as he approached her, but he hesitated. Was she crying? He'd never seen her cry. He stepped up to her and put his arm around her shoulder. Tifa jumped and gasped, turning her head.
"Oh, Cloud. It's you." she turned back to the sea, head down. Cloud stepped forward.
"Tifa, are you oaky? I've never seen you so upset. Was it because I yelled at you earlier? I'm sorry." he gave her an apologetic look. "...I've never seen you cry..."
Tifa sighed as yet another tear fell into the crystal blue waters. "Cloud?" He turned to her. "The day I find that tear is the day I stop loving you. I know I've never told you, but I have always loved you. But now I know that feeling isn't mutual. I'm sorry I've been such a pain. I'll leave you alone now. Goodbye, Cloud Strife." She walked by him, almost giving him a kiss on the cheek, but decided against it and ran away.
"Tifa!!" Cloud called. But it was too late. She was gone.
(Disclaimer: I obviously do not own FFVII or any part of it!! This is purely for entertainment. :P Enjoy. Oh by the way, I keep the "Aeris" spelling rather than "Aerith" because I like it better. :P Hey, it's my story! Bai. ^^
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Tifa pulled her long, dark hair into a ponytail. She looked in the mirror and tilted her head in thought. "Hmm." She let a few strands hang in front of her ears, grazing her shoulders. "Better." She tied a big pink ribbon in the back, and released the grip she had on her hair. "Almost perfect," she thought, "But not me. Then again," she thought to herself, "that's what I was going for. To look like someone else..." an image of Aeris flashed through her mind. "Maybe Cloud would love me if I was more like her."
Cloud had been depressed ever since Aeris had been killed by Sephiroth. Even more so, by summoning Holy to stop Meteor, she had saved his life. So why couldn't he have saved hers? Cloud sat on the white sandy beach of Costa de Sol, where he, Tifa, and Barret had decided to spend a vacation. His spikey blond hair blew subtly in the ocean breeze, his deep Mako eyes gazing into the sunset. "Why couldn't I save her?" The thought haunted him every day of his life. He kicked the sand with his scratched-up black leather boot. "I miss you...why did you have to leave me?" Hate for Sephiroth filled his heart. "And you! How dare you take away her precious life! She was as sweet and beautiful as her flowers...and so gentle. My flower girl." His eyes filled with tears, but he tilted his head toward the sky and blinked them away. "Now I'm talking to myself and yelling at dead people," he muttered. "Great."
"Hi, Cloud!" Cloud turned around, startled, to see Tifa standing beside him with a hairstyle nearly identical to Aeris's. His eyes turned hard and cold.
"Your...hair...."
"Like it? It took forever to get this perfect, but I think it works for me. Dontcha' think?" she smiled in a way Aeris would have.
"Is this some idea of a sick joke?!" He yelled, disgusted. "Stop it! Just leave me alone!!" He turned and ran out of sight. Tifa's crimson eyes grew sad and watery.
"Oh Cloud," she said aloud, "I did this for you. Didn't you ever love me? We were so close as kids... You'll never love me, will you?" She sank to her knees, pulling the ribbon out of her hair, letting it blow freely in the wind. "I hate you..." she sobbed.
Cloud ran, his anger wheeling. He had no idea where he was going, but he figured he'd know once he got there. He stopped, finding himself in front of a run-down church where the roof had fallen in in several areas. "The church." He continued into the church slowly. "I can't believe it's still standing." Cloud stopped in the center, where a soft spread of greens and gorgeous delicate blossoms still bloomed. He took a pink flower gently in his hand, making sure he didn't break it off. His Mako blue eyes grew melancholic. He studied the flower hard. Nostalgia. "My flower girl..." The petals on the flower reached out, growing magnificently. He gasped, eyes wide and eyebrows arched in awe. Cloud gently let go of the bloom and watched as it continued to grow. "..." he stood up and walked out of the church, back to the beach.
Tifa's ruby eyes were shadowed by her dark chocolate brown bangs, but her tears still found their way to the sea. She stood in the tide up to her ankles, watching the surf foam. Her white tanktop and short black shorts were damp from the spray, but she didn't notice. "Maybe I'm wasting my time. I'm just a burden on him... I'm not even his friend anymore. We used to be best friends..." Sadness had an iron grip on Tifa's heart and refused to let go. "Maybe I should leave...I don't want to be in his way." Another tear fell.
"Tif--" Cloud started to call out as he approached her, but he hesitated. Was she crying? He'd never seen her cry. He stepped up to her and put his arm around her shoulder. Tifa jumped and gasped, turning her head.
"Oh, Cloud. It's you." she turned back to the sea, head down. Cloud stepped forward.
"Tifa, are you oaky? I've never seen you so upset. Was it because I yelled at you earlier? I'm sorry." he gave her an apologetic look. "...I've never seen you cry..."
Tifa sighed as yet another tear fell into the crystal blue waters. "Cloud?" He turned to her. "The day I find that tear is the day I stop loving you. I know I've never told you, but I have always loved you. But now I know that feeling isn't mutual. I'm sorry I've been such a pain. I'll leave you alone now. Goodbye, Cloud Strife." She walked by him, almost giving him a kiss on the cheek, but decided against it and ran away.
"Tifa!!" Cloud called. But it was too late. She was gone.