((The last chapter and this chapter are sucky, but oh well....just deal with it. It's sounding a bit like a soap opera(not that I have any problem with soaps. *huggles Jason from General Hospital, who just happens to be Cloud's voice in Kingdom Hearts*, so I'm upping the adventure.))

"Tifa...Tif, wake up!" Tifa was shaken awake by an urgent looking Cid. She quickly sat up in bed.

"What is it??" She asked, worridly.

"The doctor wanted to see us...he says it's important...fuck, this better not be bad news..." He said under his breath. Tifa felt a familiar fear creep up on her. What if what Yuffie said earlier was true? If they wanted to let Cloud die?

"Okay...um...where do we have to go?" Tifa asked, not really wanting to leave the small area outside Cloud's room.

"Follow me..." Cid said, heading down the hall. He walked into a small room which seemed to be equipped for small meetings. Tifa took a seat the table in the center of the room, in between Shera and Vincent.

"Okay...is that everyone?" The doctor asked, closing the door.

"Yeah." Yuffie said quietly. The look on her face showed that she had the same fear as Tifa. Even if she didn't get along well with Cloud, she didn't want to see him go.

"We got the shipments of the drug in today to treat Mr. Strife's poisoning." He explained. Everyone seemed amazed, Tifa more so. Was Rebecca actually able to help from the lifestream?

"The venom is quite rare, as I said before, so the drug is very experimental. We need to know if you still want him to be put on it. There is a chance that he will experience a reaction to it, but it's also the only way we'll be able to have any chance of saving him..." The doctor explained. Tifa knew what she wanted, and only hoped that the one left with the decission would agree.

"So, what? You want OUR permission?" Barret asked, a little confused by it all.

"Seeing as how the man has no known family to consult on the matter, we're asking you all." The doctor explained. One by one everyone's gaze turned to Tifa.

"Um...I don't know how everyone wants to go about deciding...but I'd say we should try it, if it's the only hope..." She said quietly. Everyone nodded in agreement, and the doctor looked pleased.

"Very well...we'll start him on the antidote right away. Thank you..." And he left the room. Simple as that. Tifa let out a small sigh of relief, as did Yuffie.

"Okay...now comes the tough part." Reeve said. Nobody was sure why, but they listened aptly to him. They figured he had some sort of knowledge on this subject, even though they had no reasoning to back it.

"This ain't over yet...not by a long shot. Cloud may be in trouble here....but the rest of the world is in trouble out of here. I reccomend that a few of us get back to researching Jenova, and getting back to that." Reeve explained. Tifa looked up at him. She wasn't about to leave Cloud's side.

"I'd say that Shera and Tifa could stay here with Cloud, since Shera's not fighting in the most literal terms. And Tifa, of course, wouldn't leave Cloud's side even if the world around this building crumbled." He continued with a slight smile.

"...we know that from experience." Tifa smiled, and she and Shera stood.

"We'll let you know as soon as we find something out..." Tifa nodded, as did Shera.

"Right...and we'll give you a ring if there's any change...well, actually, I'll give you a ring while Tifa stands there in a daze" Shera smiled, and she lead Tifa out of the room, back towards Cloud's room. They stopped at the closed door. Tifa took a peek into the window to see some doctors inside.

"I guess they're starting his medications already..." Tifa said, plopping down on one of the chairs. Shera nodded, sitting down next to her.

"I know you must feel terrible...The Captain ended up in the hospital once just for a broken leg and I was in hysterics..." Shera said quietly. Tifa looked at her. She'd never really been with the rest of the group, not untill recently, so she hadn't really gotten the chance to talk with her too much. This was as good a time as any.

"You really care about Cid, don't you?" Shera nodded.

"That's how I knew about how you felt...I mean, I went through the same thing...just without the whole part where you get the love back..." Shera said. Tifa looked over at her. She knew Cid felt the same way for her...she didn't really believe the whole bit about Cloud, though.

"Don't be that way. You know Cid cares about you...he sacrificed his greatest dream to save you..." Tifa looked at the closed door.

"And as for Cloud and me...after all this he must hate me so much......even more than before........" She said quietly, looking back at the ground. Shera turned to Tifa. She wrapped an arm around her friend.

"Tifa...now it's my turn to give you a mini-lecture..." She paused, to make sure Tifa was paying attention. She looked up at Shera, so she continued.

"...I may not be good with the whole love and romance thing on my part, but I know it when I see it. Cloud loves you...a lot. He's willing to give everything for you...I mean, sure Cid was willing to give up his dream for me, but when Cloud saved you from Sephiroth, he was willing to give up his life!" Tifa sighed. She saw where Shera was going with this, but still wasn't convinced.

"I...I just don't know. Even if he did care about me before...what about now? If Cloud is saved...then what will he think of me? What will he say-" Tifa stopped. Cloud wouldn't say anything. She'd almost forgotten that the doctors said he wouldn't be able to speak.

"-he won't be able to say anything because of me..." Tifa said quietly. Shera looked at her. She'd had enough of Tifa's behavior. The way she acted...so helpless and desperate...she just couldn't stand it any more.

"Listen to me, Tifa! Maybe Cloud didn't go because of you. Did you ever think that he went for you? I mean, if he left with nothing but his weakest sword, maybe getting in fights with monsters and letting them kill him wasn't what he had in mind. His note was telling you how to distribute his stuff, right? Well, don't you think that maybe it was a hint? Maybe he was planning on being killed...even if monsters didn't play a part...but he left you notes along the way too. He knew you'd come looking for him, even though the notes warned against it. He knew you'd ignore what he said..." Tifa stared at her. She didn't know what exactally she was getting at.

"You're going in circles..."

"I know...just...nevermind...." Shera said, turning away from Tifa. Tifa looked at the ground. She understood that Shera was saying Cloud left intending to commit suicide, but she didn't understand how it was supposed to make her feel better.

"I'm sorry..." Tifa said quietly. Shera didn't respond. Tifa sighed, and layed down for the night.

"Okay...so we're gonna fight Jenova...but where, exactally do we start...?" Barret asked. Reeve shrugged. None of them had the slightest idea.

"Last time we had some direction at least. But without the only person who really had close contact with Jenova...." Nanaki said quietly.

"This is pointless..." Yuffie said quietly, fiddling with some loose threads on the couch in the Highwind's living area. Heads turned towards her. She noticed the eyes on her and sighed.

"Without Cloud we won't get very far...even less without Tifa and Shera either." Yuffie explained. Cid sighed.

"The kid's right you know. How the fuck are we supposed to do this without Cloud's help!?" He yelled.

"We will have trouble doing this if our hearts and minds are with Cloud..." Nanaki added. Reeve didn't seem pleased with what they were saying.

"We need to get to work against this! You guys want the world to be destroyed!? Just standing here, saying that we'll save the world later is pointless!" Reeve exclaimed. Yuffie still didn't seem convinced.

"We won't be able to do it. Not with Cloud and Tifa unavalible. And I'm not gonna help! Not with Cloud on his deathbed!" She yelled, turning away from Yuffie. Nanaki nodded, and Vincent seemed to agree as well.

"Well, dumbass, looks like you're all on your own." Cid said, joining Yuffie. Reeve sighed, and shook his head.


"how are you feeling, dear?" Rebecca sat at the same table as she did before, looking just the same.

"How do you think I feel? I'm only dying." Cloud spoke, but didn't move his lips. He looked bad. Bandages covering his face and chest, and a brace covering his neck. He didn't take into consideration that he was speaking to his dead mother, without actually speaking.

"You don't be saying things like that! You're not going to die!" She said, seeming angry. Cloud didn't seem to take her very seriously.

"yeah. Whatever." He didn't seem very confident.

"Dammit Cloud! I swear, you'd better not give up. You need to keep going. I...you can't die yet." Cloud hadn't heard his mother snap like that as long as he could remember.

"What the hell am I supposed to do? You know, it doesn't matter anyways. I don't have a thing that's worth hanging on for, anyways." Rebecca seemed even more upset. She suddenly stood, hands on her hips, and a fierce look in her bright blue eyes.

"Cloud Strife! You better stop this right now! You have a whole bunch of friends who are worrying about you right now, not to mention poor Tifa! She loves you, and you're just going to let her be there alone!?" Cloud stood, and stepped back, even though he didn't look like he should be able to.

"You don't know what you're talking about! I went into the mountains, and let this happen FOR TIFA! I can't be in her way like this...she hates me now anyways." He turned away, adding the last part in a lower voice.

"Cloud! You are not going to die, because I won't let you. You care about her...you'll go back to her! You'll keep fighting!" And she was gone. The whole scene was gone, and Cloud was in the same darkness he had been facing since his attack.



Tifa sat in a chair next to Cloud's bed. The doctor's had just let Cloud have visitors. She sighed, holding Cloud's hand tightly in hers. She smoothed back some hair from his face. She smiled, seeing his peacefull expression.

She looked at the ground, tears coming to her eyes. The medications he was on were affective, but he still wouldn't wake up. Tifa's hopes that he would were diminishing with each passing day. Yuffie, and the rest of the group apart from Reeve, who stayed with Aeris, since everyone thought him an asshole at the moment, were outside the room.

Tifa barely left Cloud's side, and just to use the bathroom or eat a quick sandwich. She wasn't looking well, at times, worse than Cloud, at least that's what her friends thought. But she didn't care. She'd stay by Cloud's side untill the end. She only prayed the end wouldn't come like this.

((Finally, and almost normal sized chapter. Cloud's fate is set by me ^^ I'll let everything happen in the next chapter, cause I've had enough of the whole thing. Anyways, another trip to Nibelheim is coming....but nobody's gonna like it. Especially Tifa.))