AUTHORS NOTE: HEWWO ALL! Heehee.. sorry.. still in crazy chibi mood from writing my upcoming ficcy 'Chibi Guardians'. Think Final Fantasy 10.. think Auron.. chibified! *cheesy* it's great fun!
Anyways.. sorry to all of you for keeping you waiting for ETERNITY.. but i'm sure you'll like this new chappy!! Well.. i HOPE you will! I know i do! *grins*
If you haven't already - please check out my other ficcy 'The Power Of Change' in the FFX section (AuronxRikkuxJecht)! Thanks!
Ok.. confession - this chappy had me both crying and laughing as i was typing it up! I'm so emotional it's embarrassing! lol
Uh - thanks for all who reviewed and missed me! ^.^ Promise I won't keep you waiting for that long again! K?
No time to thank each reviewer individually this time - sorry - but next time I will! For now just enjoy the story!
*chibified hugs* bubai! ^.^
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REMEMBER:
" " = speech
' ' = thoughts
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Angel Reborn
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
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AERITH and TIFA and CLOUD
in
"Aeriths' Crazy Decision"
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~Grasslands - Between Midgar & the Highwind~
•°•
Clouds chocobo ambled along in a lulling gait, almost causing the young mercinary to fall asleep on the spot.

The previous night had been chaos. Tifa had walked in just as he was hugging Aerith - something which he didn't regret- but he did regret that the raven-haired barmaid was now ignoring him completely. Since last night she hadn't said a word - not even to Yuffie when she accidently wiped up a spilliage with Tifas' best black mini-skirt.

Aerith rode behind him on her chocobo Snow, studying Clouds muscular pysique with thoughtful eyes. She hadn't known that Tifa fancied him.. not at all.. and now she was ridden with guilt. If only she could have payed more attention to the signs.. than maybe she could have stayed away from Cloud.. and avoided the situation altogether! The last thing she wanted was to hurt her newest friends.

Yuffie seemed to be the only one who was doing any talking - rattling off a thousand words a minute without even noticing that noone was paying her any heed. "..So I told him he could shove his materia where the sun don't shine! Imagine! Trying to sell me Fire for one-thousand gil! Sure.. it's cheap - but who uses those weak materias anymore anyway?!"

Tifa was last in the procession of chocobos - her head hung as she drifted in an ocean of sorrow. 'How could Cloud do this to me?! I thought that.. I thought..,' her ruby-colored eyes welled up with silent tears that slowly trickled down her cheek, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. 'I thought since Aerith was gone.. that we'de gotten closer.. that he wanted to be with me.. .'

The four friends were stealthily approuching the site of the Highwinds unfortunate crash, each being drawn out of their respective worlds by Cid's gruff shouts to the airships crew.

"Yeh, you lad! Get to your position! We haven't got all day! Hey! You three - are you smoking a cigerette near the fuel tank?! Didn't I tell you to never do something stupid like that?! I don't care if the damn thing's capped - an order's and order - now move it!"

Aerith had never met Cid, and was suprised at his gruff tone - unsure of how she ought to act on meeting him to avoid his 'wrath'.

"Cloud! Boy-o!"

The aging pilot made his way over to his friends with a grin on his unshaven face, pulling the cigar from between his lips as he studied each of his friends in turn. However, when his eyes reached Aerith, Cid openly gawked - his face turning visably paler. 'Geez.. Aerith?!'

Cloud regaurded the pretty Cetra to the side of him with an impish grin, pointing towards Cid with a twinkle in his eye. "Remember this old geezer?".

"Ha! Who woulda thought it! How on earth did you end up back with this rabble?!" Cid asked in awe, taking a minute to realise what Cloud had called him. "GEEZER?! Boy, I may be afew good years older than you - but I could still thrash ya one!"

"Yeah?! How? by putting me over ye ancient knee and whipping me butt with ye olde belt?!" Cloud joked, winking at Aerith as she quietly giggled behind her hand, hoping not to offend the blonde pilot.

"Bah!"

Tifa lingered in the background, listened to their trivial commentry with disinterest and silently moping over how Cloud could act so happy after hurting her so much. She watched Aerith smiling and laughing with mixed feelings.. perhaps sadness.. perhaps a little jealousy.. she wasn't sure. Tifa WAS happy that the Cetra was back with them again - there was no doubt about that, she'd really missed Aerith after her passing - but she'd only been back with Cloud for one day, without even REMEMBERING who he was.. and already it was like old times again!

The group slowly began boarding the Highwind, climbing that unsteady rope ladder up onto the deck. After Cid and Yuffie made their way up, Cloud asked Aerith if she'd like him to follow up close behind her so she wouldn't fall.. but much to Tifas' suprise, and indeed Clouds'.. the pretty Ancient gently turned down the offer - flashing him a warm smile but leaving the mercinary to look a little shocked.. and dissappointed.

Tifa made her way to a small, plushly decorated room after boarding - it was a place she'd loved to relax in after a day of hard fighting during the whole Meteor incident, and now she was hoping it would work just as well to help her forget the sorrow she was feeling!

Reclining on her favourite red-velvet couch - which thankfully hadn't been damaged from the Highwinds rough landing on the previous day - Tifa closed her eyes and thought about her happy childhood memories with Cloud.

He'd always been there for her than, no matter the dangers.. yet, she'd never come to fully appreciate his efforts and company until after he'd left to join Soldier. Over time she began to wonder if she'd ever see him again.. it had been so long since he'd gone, perhaps he'd started a new life and forgotten all about her? Than she'd recieved a letter from him - messy writing explaining that he'd finally be coming back to see her!

Shortly after his anticipated arrival, Tifa could have sworn that something had happened between them - although she was so painfully shy at the time that she'd never tried to pursue it any further.

Until that night.

The night by the Highwind. Stars twinkling merrily in the sky and serenity shrouding the two seated figures on the ground. She'd really poured her heart out that day.. or at least, as much as she could - considering the circumstances.. and although he had comforted her, even wrapping his arms around her once, did she detect a certain distance to his demeanor? The feeling that his heart was somehow detached.. and floating about the lifestream with Aerith? She was sure it hadn't been her imagination.

After last night.. she wasn't sure WHAT to believe.

A quiet knock sounded on the heavy snowood door, causing Tifa to abruptly snap out of the trance she'd resorted to and utter a small sound of admittance - secretly hoping it was Cloud.

It was Aerith.

The delicate Cetra peeked her head around the door, her eyed filling with a soft look of sadness when she noticed the tears running down the younger womans cheeks.

"Tifa, can I.. talk to you, please?" she asked gently, not wanting to push Tifa if she absolutely did not want to speak with her - but adding in some extra words Aerith hoped would help. "I-It's about Cloud."

Tifa nodded sullenly and vacated some space on the couch, wondering what the Cetra could possibly want to say.

"I know you probably don't really want to talk to me right now," she began quietly, taking a seat. "But, it's something you really should know.. ."

'Oh no..,' Tifa thought silently, 'I bet this'll end up being even worse than last night!'

"Well.. the thing is.. I didn't know that you liked Cloud.. in that way," she began, "..nor that Cloud felt that same way about you.. ."

Tifa turned to Aerith in suppressed shock. 'What? Cloud feels the same way about me? Is that.. true? Did he tell her that? Or is she just guessing?'

"So.. I came to say sorry for last night. I truly don't mean to get in between the two of you.. I mean.. I only just met you all - and I don't want to ruin it on only my second day!' She blushed a little and Tifa chuckled, now a happy smile slipping over the barmaids lips. 'So.. I'm really sorry Tifa.'

"It's okay.." she began, but was gently shushed by Aerith, who hadn't finished.

"Wait a second.. that's not all." She took a deep breath and stared down at the floor, unable to meet Tifas' eyes. "I also wanted to tell you that.. that.. I won't get in the way of you and Cloud ever again.. I don't want to hurt anybody.. and.. I don't want to hurt love. Anybodys love. Please believe me." Aeriths' last words came out in barely a whisper. "That's all I came to say.. I'll go now.. ."

The beautiful Cetra made her way towards the door, leaving Tifa in a state of quiet delight.

"Thank you." she smiled, watching Aeriths' retreating back and failing to see the sad expression on her hidden face.

'Oh! This is so great!' Tifa giggled to herself. 'I'm really glad we could work this out! I totally misjudged Aerith.. hmm.. kinda feel bad about that. I'll just have to remember how she really is from now on! My sweet, lovely friend!'

Having closed the door, Aerith lent against it heavily, sucking in a deep breath and trying to re-maintain her happy visage. Even if she didn't feel entirely contented at that very moment, she was doing what was right for her new friends. If she wanted to be excepted and welcomed in the group, she'd have to try harder to find out the important details before she just barged on between a couple.

She felt ashamed too. She'd thrown her arms around Cloud last night without a second thought for how he would feel about it!.. of course, at the time she was just so delighted about the present she didn't have the time to think straight. Sure, she liked him.. probably more than she should considering the little time she'd known him, but it was no reason to just confront him in her nighty like that! A blush rose on her cheeks remembering it all, and she pressed her cool hands against the flaming skin - hoping it would go away.

He'd been so warm.. and strong! The way he'd held her like that.. as if she weighed nothing - it made her feel so secure! And those eyes! Aeriths' heart began to pound like a jackhammer in her chest at the thought of the way he'd looked at her.. but she had to push it back with the fact that he was already taken.

So an inner struggle ensued.

'Blonde spikes.' Swoon.. 'No! Don't think of his hair!'

'How good he looks in blue!.' Heart racing.. 'Quit it!'

'Cheeky grin and perfect teeth.' Wonderful torture.. 'Stop it now!'

'Intense gaze.' Burning cheeks.. 'Arghh! Aerith! Enough already!'

'The single most fantastic personality and body to match!' OVERLOAD.. 'HE'S TAKEN!!!TAKENTAKENTAKEN!'

By the end of it all, Aerith lay in a crumbled mess on the floor - having been beaten up my her own inner turmoil. Okay, so it was a slightly humorous situation!

It was forgotten in an instant when Yuffie ran by the Cetras' sprawled figure, shouting and waving her arms about wildly.

"AERITH! TIFA! SOME HUGE BIRD'S GOT CLOUD IN IT'S CLAWS!! HURRY!! WE'VE GOTTA HELP HIM!"
•°•
©Erica Runge - 7th of March, 2003. All main characters, etc ©Squaresoft and FFVII.