((A/N: YAY! I got good reviews! Course, it was mainly just because this is the CloTi version, but still...thanks all the same. Happy Reading...oh, and CHEPPERS!!!Oh, and lots of swearing this chapter.))
Tifa's eyelids slowly fluttered open. She looked around for a second, not immediately recalling where she was. She could feel something wrapped around her. Cloud's arms. Tifa smiled, turning around and kissing him lightly on the forehead.
Cloud opened his glowing mako eyes and blinked a few times, stifiling a yawn.
"Mornin' Tif." He smiled, sitting up in bed. Tifa stood up and stretched her arms out. She looked around for a moment, taking in the look of Cloud's room. Cloud and Cid were the only two that had their own rooms. Cid, of course, arranged that with these circumstances in mind.
He didn't want anyone bustin' in on his personal space, and said Cloud needed privacy too. When translated from Cid-Speak, that means Cid figures that he and Cloud will have girls in their rooms, and thus do not need roomates.
"Let's grab some breakfast." Cloud suggested, heading out of the room. Tifa giggled a little, following him. All he wore was his pair of jeans and nothing else. She could imagine Yuffie's response....
'Ew! Ya big sicko! Put on some clothes! damn....' But Yuffie wasn't in the kitchen.
Almost nobody was in there. Vincent sat at the table sipping coffee, and Nanaki was curled up on the floor sleeping.
"Morning Vincent. Where is everyone?" Cloud asked, rummaging through the cupboards for some cereal. Vincent continued o sip his hot drink.
"Aeris never came back. They're looking for her. Except for Yuffie, that is. She's asleep." Vincent said with his trademark emotionless expression.
"She didn't!?" Tifa asked, looking slightly worried. Cloud stopped going through the cupboards, and looked at Vincent.
"I thought she'd be back by now...something might have happened..." Cloud said, heading towards the ramp off of the Highiwnd. He slipped on his leather boots, and grabbed Ultima Weapon from its spot against the wall.
"Cloud! Wait up!" Tifa called, pulling on her boots.
"No!" Cloud said firmly. He turned to look at her.
"It's too dangerous. If something happened to her, something must have done it...." Cloud explained. Tifa gave him a dissapproving glare.
"So you're saying I can't take care of myself with you guys any more." Tifa said angrily. Cloud shook his head quickly.
"That's not what I meant! It's just...I don't want you to get hurt. If it got Aeris...it's probably really dangerous." Cloud said, trying to convince her to stay behind. Tifa glared at him some more.
"Cloud..."
"You're staying here and that's-"
"-CLOUD!!!" Tifa ran past him towards everyone grouped around Aeris's still body. She came behind Cid.
"What happened!?" She asked quickly.
"Fuckin' headless spook came an' put some fuckin' voodoo curse on her or somethin'!" Cid yelled.
"Jenova?" Cloud asked quietly. Cid nodded.
"Jenova used her magic on Aeris, and she just kinda froze like that. We just layed her down here..." Yuffie explained, a bit more clearly than Cid could.
"Jenova's back, then?" Tifa asked quietly, looking down at Aeris's motionless body.
"This is just great! Things FINALLY start lookin' good, and this fuckin' thing has to come back! Well, forget it! I've had enough, I quit! You can take care of this yourselves!" Cloud shouted, stomping back to the Highwind, tears of frustration hot in his eyes.
He knew just what would happen. Jenova would bring back Sephiroth and it'd all be over...for him at least. He'd nearly gone insane last time, now that he knew his true past and how everything played out, he knew it'd be thousands of times worse once Sephiroth got into his mind.
"Cloud..." Tifa turned just to see him dissappear into the Highwind. She sighed, looking back at Aeris, then back at everyone else.
"He just needs time." Reeve suggested. Tifa sat down and nodded, not exactally sure she believed him though. She knew how hard it was for Cloud last time they were up against Sephiroth. She wasn't sure how he'd be able to go after Jenova and maybe Sephiroth too again.
"He needs more than time...he needs a fuckin' break!" Everyone stared at Tifa. None of them had heard her talk that way before, and it came to a shock that such words were even in her vocabulary.
"She...she's right, y'know!" Yuffie suddenly piped in. For Yuffie to agree with anyone was a rarity, so it was obvious that Tifa had a point.
"Well...it's too late for his break. He shouldn't have taken so damn long!" Cid yelled. Tifa stomped over to him. She obviously wasn't pleased with his comment.
"Y'know....I'm sure you wouldn't be sayin' that if YOU had someone goin' in your head...or if YOU had just regained a past you'd forgotten almost totally, or if YOU-" She stopped yelling, knowing she'd made her point. Cid murmered something that could have been an apology, though it couldn't be proven.
"I'm going to talk to Cloud....I suggest that you all take a litte while before coming back unless you want to deal with me...." Tifa warned, storming up to the Highwind. Yuffie followed behind.
"I need to talk to Vincent...." She explained. Tifa's expression softened slightly and she nodded, continuing onto the Highwind.
((A/N: And I said, LET THERE BE SIDE COUPLES!!!! Anyways, so it will be. Next Chapter will be more about another couple ^_^))
