By: Riyuji
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters. It belongs to Squaresoft! I'm sure that you all know that for you all are not mindless zombies unlike that of my sister. (Grins evilly)
Author's Notes: I don't know why I was thinking about this. in the middle of a long test in school. I wasted twenty minutes of thinking time. I don't care though.
Tifa stared out her window overlooking the well. The same well where Cloud had promised to come to her rescue when she was in trouble. Turning to face the sky she noticed that it seemed to even have the same position of stars as the night of the promise. He fulfilled his promise after all. It even took them both five years to recall that day.
Her arms lay on the window frame as she recalled what had happened for the past few months. A bit after they had defeated Sephiroth, everyone had gone back to their homes except Cloud. She remembered his position in the corner of the room. She remembered his expression and the exact words that came out of his mouth. 'I don't know where to go. There's no where to go.' Those words hit her hard. She simply couldn't grasp the thought of it.
"Where are you now you spiky headed jerk?" She chuckled slightly not really intending to call Cloud a jerk. A sigh escaped from her lips as she felt a drop of rain trickle onto her palm. Thunder began to echo in the sky and the lightning began to strike. She continued to stare for a while until the rain went down hard. She closed the window and decided to prepare herself for bed.
From a distance stood a man in a filthy cloak. The hood of the garment covered his face and a sword hung loosely on his hips. He stared up and caught a glimpse at the dark brown haired female that he had been watching for a while.
"You're mine now Tifa Lockheart," uttered the voice below the robe. A huge grin began to etch on his features as he gave another glance at the pane before trudging through the muddy streets of Nibelheim.
-=-=-=-
Tifa had finished her bath and was about to go to bed. She pulled a loose, white T-shirt over her head and went straight to the room. Before she could even reach for the knob she heard tapping on the door downstairs.
"Who could that be at this time of night?" She went down the stairs and called, "Who is it?" No answer. She thought that the person mustn't have heard her so she tried again.
"Who is it?" Silence overtook everything. The raindrops were heard hitting softly on the ground. Another tap came. It seemed a little eerie to Tifa. "The next thing that will happen is the lights will flicker right?" She tried to humour herself, not wanting to think about the tapping on the door. It was beginning to work until another knock echoed through the room.
Tifa walked slowly to the door and took a peek through the peephole. "Oh my gosh! This isn't. could it?" She opened the door to see a soaked man in a robe. She flung her arms around him and shrieked. "Cloud! Is it really you? Where have you been all this time? What happened? What are you doing here?" She let him go and bombarded the young man with questions.
The mercenary wasn't even given a chance to answer any of the questions. Some even sounded like gibberish to him. He grabbed the girl's wrists and tried to calm her. "Whoa, hold on there Tiff. Just because I arrive on your porch doesn't mean that you should start drooling all over me. You're going to fast. I can't even answer anything you're asking." He stared at the girl and with that gave off a smirk.
He pulled the hood off and shook his head allowing a few sprinkles of water to splatter on the girl. The barmaid chuckled slightly at the gesture. "Cloud! Stop acting like a dog." All she received from him was a raised eyebrow. Giving a momentary glance at him, she noticed that his hair was still spiked although it was drenched. They were a little droopy but the spikes looked as if they were really natural.
He wiped the expression off his face and replied to the questions. "Firstly, yes it is really me. Second." He was cut of when he noticed Tifa poking his side. "What are you doing Tiff?" The girl looked up and her hand slowly rose from her side. She laid her palm on the mercenary's cheek and left it there. She then pulled his cheek abruptly which caused Cloud to wince.
Crystalline tears began to blur her vision. She felt a warm tear slide down her cheek, she moved forward, and sobbed onto her best friend's cloak. "Cloud," she muttered as she tried to choke back the loud sobs she emitted. "It really is you." She felt his arms coil around her as he stroked her long auburn hair with his gloved hand.
"Yeah Tifa. It's me." Those two short sentences made her feel a whole lot better. She no longer needed to live in solitude. No longer needed to hide in a dark, secluded corner. Everything was going to be fine.
Cloud pulled away from her and continued. "Second, I was wandering aimlessly for the past few months. I had nowhere to go, no place to stay in either. I felt," there was a pause. He hesitated. "Unwanted."
Tifa knew exactly what he meant. That's exactly what she felt after he left. 'I know the feeling.'
"Third, I think I just answered that in the last question. Lastly, I had nowhere to go. I decided to see Nibelheim again, but when I saw you, the loneliness faded," he grinned slightly; it appeared to be almost comatose. He wanted to laugh at the sight of his friend after that line, but fatigue was getting the best of him. "Would you mind if I stay for a bit? I promise not to be a burden during my visit."
Tifa was more than happy to let Cloud into her home. She can't turn him down at these conditions with the storm and all. "Come in. Let me take your cloak." He hand clasped the cloth but she felt a tug. She look at Cloud, and saw him shake his head, making her worry. "Cloud, do you realize that you could get sick if you don't take that off?"
He stared into the young girl's burgundy eyes. "I prefer to leave it as it is."
Tifa leaned her forehead on her hand, shaking it slightly. "I'll go get you a towel if you're going to be stubborn about it. I'm in no mood for a meaningless debate at the moment."
Cloud watched as she made her way up the stairs. He stood on a puddle in the middle of the living room. Little splashes were heard as the collected rain fell to the floor. There was a reason behind the fact of why Cloud opposed on taking the robe. 'She need not worry about me right now. I can handle this thing on my own,' he thought.
She came back down with a towel in her hands. She handed it to him. She watched him as he slung it over his shoulders and dried his hair with it. "By the way, you could sleep in the other room tonight. Do you still want anything else? A drink or something?" She was worried about him. After missing him for who-knows-how-many months she wanted to make him as comfortable as possible.
"Well, I could use a glass of water."
Tifa nodded at gestured towards the stairs. "I'm sure you know where you'll be staying. Escort yourself there. I'll bring your water in a while." She walked into the kitchen and leaned on the counter. She waited till the footsteps grew faint till she gave out a sigh and uttered, "Cloud, there's something wrong. I know you are hiding something."
-=-=-=-
In the room Cloud tossed the cloak over a chair that stood by a wall. He continued drying himself till he came across a rip on his shirt. He had gotten injured during a fight on his way to Nibelheim as he crossed the mountains before the village. He ran his gloved hand over it and let out a deep breath. "Careless. I was too reckless that time, wasn't I?" He questioned himself. He removed his shirt to examine the gash thoroughly.
"Cloud?" said a soft voice by the door.
He hadn't heard her enter the room so she caught him off-guard. He turned to see her staring at him. He felt the heat rush to his cheeks. He turned away to face to wall before him.
She too was blushing at the sight. She didn't intend to invade his privacy. "Here's your water. I just came to bring it in." She placed it on the bedside table and stared at him again which made her cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. "I'm sorry to come barging in like that. I didn't really mean to."
"It's okay. Thanks Tifa."
She was about to leave but heard her name being called one more time. She turned to see him looking at her in such a way that made her legs buck below her. "Yes?" she asked the spiky haired friend of hers.
"Thanks for allowing me to stay."
She shook her head to that. "No need. I couldn't say no at a time like this." There was an awkward pause between the two. 'Or to a guy like you,' she added in her thoughts.
She suddenly noticed something. She walked toward the bed the stood in front of Cloud. Looking down she saw the bandage around his abdomen. "Cloud, where did you get this?" she asked as he hand brushed over the bloody spot over the bandage. There seemed to be a cut by his six-pack. "Why didn't you allow me to see this?"
The ex-SOLDIER turned his head. "I just didn't want you to worry about me." He didn't dare to face the girl.
"You should know better. I worry a lot about you Cloud! You are my best friend. I can't leave you alone if you were injured. I'm sure that you wouldn't leave me either if I was in this state." She was about to lecture him but decided to help him out before anything else. He was her top priority at the moment.
Tifa walked out of the room, went straight to the bathroom and looked for her satchel with her first-aid kit. When she had found it, she took hold of it and marched back to the other room. She saw Cloud sitting on the bed, staring at the floor. He looked as if he was deep into thought so she muttered a small 'ahem'. His head sprung up in an instance to find her already before him.
She kneeled down on the floor, brushing her hand down his chest. She felt the mercenary tense beneath her touch.
Cloud watched her every move. His eyes carefully followed her hands and she unwrapped the current binding around him. He got lost in his own thought just looking at his friend. 'It seems so close, yet so far away. It's been like this for some time, hasn't it?' He averted his eyes toward her face. A grin slowly crept up to his lips. How he wanted to kiss those full, luscious lips of hers.
"There. Now all we need is to put the new bandage," she said reluctantly. As she raised her head she caught glance at Cloud who was staring right at her. They seemed to be lost in their own worlds for that momentary period of time. Subconsciously their faces moved closer to each other. Their lips were merely inches apart, drawing nearer as each second passed. The moment came to an end as Cloud flinched to the pain he felt.
Tifa stared at him, her eyes filled with concern. "Cloud, are you all right?" she asked and received a nod from him. She helped him rest onto the bed and turned to gather the first aid kit on the floor. Taking another glance to his wound, she noticed that it had opened and blood was starting to leak out. The crimson liquid dripped slowly staining the white blanket beneath the mercenary.
Tifa tended to the wound for a while before idly wrapped the binding around him. Cloud couldn't believe that the gentle hands of the barmaid could pack such tremendous punches in battle or in training. She seemed to be an angel more than the martial artist that she really was in truth.
The girl tied the ends in a knot before standing up. "Try not to move around so much tonight so the wound won't open again, okay?" Taking the cover from the bed, she took it away to get another from the closet. She placed it on the foot of the bed and looked intently at Cloud. "So do I tuck you in or you can do it yourself?" She chuckled at the bizarre expression that Cloud now had plastered on his face. "I'm kidding Cloud," she walked to the door and whispered a good night to Cloud before leaving.
Cloud stared her until the door fully closed. He couldn't believe that he took advantage over her current situation being in her nightclothes when he had arrived. 'I am so glad she didn't catch me staring at her ass.' He shook his head and muttered beneath his breath, "Good night Tifa. Thanks again." He took the blanket and pulled it high enough to cover most of his body.
Outside the door, the young girl leaned on the door and casually slid downward, letting out a sigh. 'If only it'll remain this way. If not. probably better.'
-=-=-
A few hours had past and the occupants of the house were sleeping soundly. Cloud had instantly fallen asleep after his friend had left. Tifa on the other hand, began to toss and turn uncomfortably on her bed. Her eyes sprang open for the fact that she felt a bit insecure for one reason or another. She got out of bed and walked to the other room. She opened it slightly to check up on the injured Ex-SOLDIER.
She crept in, took a chair placing it by the bed and lean on it. She watched his chest rise and descend slowly as his breathed normally. Her fingers went to his face as she traced his features. He was the most handsome thing alive in Tifa's point of view. She took his arm into hers while she watched him. She leaned on the bed then drifted off to sleep after a few moments past.
-=-=-
Cloud awoke to the chirping of the birds outside the window. He turned his head to only yo come across the face of Tifa leaning on hie two arms. He had just noticed that she had her hand clasped with his. He grinned at the sight and without hesitation, planted a kiss on the girl's forehead. 'You really want to take care of me don't you.'
-=-=-
It had been a week since the reappearance of Cloud. With the help of Tifa he was able to recover easily in the short time span. She took care of him, teased each other senselessly and simply spent time together. It began to seem like old times once more.
Tifa sat at the platform where the well stood. She had her arms clasped around her leg as she gazed up into the sky.
"It's the same star pattern, isn't it? I thought you would still be at the bar," said a voice from behind her. The owner of the voice sat beside the girl and stared at the sky too.
"I close early on Sundays. It's my official rest day." There was a momentary, uncomfortable pause. "Do you still remember the promise, Cloud? You did fulfil it. I think it should be payback time by now," she said with her eyes closed.
The ex-SOLDIER slid a hand through his spiky hair before muttering, "Enlighten me Tiff. Payback for what?" He placed both his arms behind him, resting them on the platform.
She turned her eyes to her companion, while an optimistic smile began to etch itself on her face. "Make me promise something for you. You did your part; this time I want to do something for you."
"I couldn't do that. You've done so much for me already. You took me in from a storm, you tended to my wounds, and you helped me with my problems. I couldn't ask anything more than what I already have," Cloud said as he averted his eyes from Tifa. "I already have my wish. A good friend that will last forever. I already have that friend."
There was an awkward silence before Cloud continued. "A friend who is here right now." He took her hand and place something in them before he closed her palms for her. "That friend is you."
The girl eyed the small box that was in her hands. She looked up to the mercenary's eyes as if asking for permission. He nodded and she opened it to find a locket with her name engraved into it. "Oh my gosh! Cloud, you shouldn't have." Her became teary-eyed as she looked at the piece of jewelry she had received.
"It's the least I could do for everything you have done for me over the week."
She lunged onto him and they both fell backward onto the platform. She gave him a firm embrace as if it was her way of saying thank you.
"I know now. Just promise me that you will always be there for me."
"We'll never go our separate ways again Cloud. I promise."
They stayed by the well for a while before Cloud got up. "I'm going in. I'm starting to get a bit drowsy." He jumped down the platform and made his way their residence. Tifa watched him before deciding to go in with him. She ran up to him and grabbed his hand. His head turned to her but all she did was smile at him. He returned the smile and gripped her hand firmly.
Tifa gave a glance at the well then she shook her head before continuing to walk alongside Cloud.
'We're never going to part anymore Cloud.'
To be continued...
-=-=-
Author's Notes: I had to redo this a bit. It's better now, right? Please review 'kay?. It will boost my inspiration and my coughegocough...
