Always and Forever
Note: Not only do all these characters rightfully belong to Squaresoft, as
usual, but also this is a direct sequel to "Always", so you might wanna read that story first. Also, if this seems a bit short/rushed/bad, that's because it was one o'clock when I wrote it, soo..yeah. (Oh, yeah, and not
to mention rather short.)
Chapter 1: Dreaming of you
Cloud and Tifa lay blissfully in a hammock in Cloud's backyard, lazily gazing up through the branches shading them from that hot summer afternoon. Tifa was silently dreaming as her head lay on Cloud's chest, her breathing in time with the beating of his heart, while he stroked her long, beautiful, chocolate brown hair. In that warm, hazy summer, the days were long and wonderful, and Cloud would often stay with Tifa on the hammock, only to enjoy simply being with her. Yet in these warm and long days of summer, something in the air would make you remember, remember days past, that maybe, even if you tried not to, your mind would wander on its own. His mind traveled, to a time when he had another girl with him, just like this. The girl, Aeris Gainsborough. His mind traveled further, remembering it clearly, as he slowly closed his eyes. "Cloud?", he'd remember her gently whisper, as she moved her head across his. "What?" "I love you." His mind played that moment in his head over again, as it now seemed all too familiar. But his mind slipped through his memories again, stopping soon after Aeris had died from the newly born Ancient Weapon, to the point of his last visitation of Aeris.
"I love you. This I promise. Always." But he had now fallen asleep in the warm summer heat to the comforting sound of Tifa's gentle breathing. In the deep state of his dreams, his mind kept going through his memories. The memories of seeing Aeris for the last time in his sleep kept showing themselves to him. We now enter their dreams, to see what happened that night, one year ago, that would bring them back together. That one wish they both shared, that one light they found again to each other's hearts.
Cloud awoke from his dream of Aeris, as he could still feel Aeris' last kiss linger on his tongue. The dream had felt so real, that he maybe even thought she was still alive, as the gentle odor of wildflowers hung in the air. But still, he expected to feel devastation flood through him again, yet it never came. He felt deep down that there was someone else to think of. Someone other than a love that was yet never meant to be. He then could vaguely remember the image of Tifa, alone and crying next to her window flashed through his mind, and could only again try and feel what it is like to find love, and then forsake you, leaving you to be cold and alone in its empty shadow. He looked out his window, pale moonlight shining through, but saw no sign of Tifa. He tore away from his window and the sight of her house, and had decided to comfort her any way he possibly could, because he knew what it was like to be lonely. And to know the pain of an aching heart. And that pain was a pain he himself had caused.
Tifa sat propped up against her window, lying with her head snug in a pillow, with a small pool of her tears below her eyes, as she had cried herself to sleep. To ease the pain of a broken heart, an empty soul, and a tired body, that was a task even she herself could find undoable. She shivered, and then stirred as a cold breeze blew through the open window. That night was uncharacteristically cold for those warm summer days, but then the weather was no concern for her. Even for the moonlight casting itself brightly through her window, her eyes were still darkly clouded, even as she looked straight into the immensity of the heavens, shining wondrously as though to help aid her shattered thoughts. She felt that Cloud would return being cold and empty, that she had lost her chance to love, that she could never be with him, as he had again seen Aeris die before him again. That his soul would be lost in the library of the hollow Shinra mansion, that his heart was now and forever incarcerated in the bindings of a book. But little did she know that he had changed, because of her. That he now had the capacity to really care, to truly love. But as she sat there lonely, a light rapping at the door to her bedroom became audible, and broke her from her trance.
"Hi, Tifa.", said Cloud's muffled voice from behind the door. She was absolutely amazed at how he could be talking to her, how he could sound so calm, despite the fact that he lost Aeris again hours before. Yet she still sat there silently, just waiting for him to speak. "I can't blame you for not opening the door. I know that you will probably always hate me for leaving you like that, forgetting you in place of another, and now expecting to only see me trying to find Aeris again. But there's something neither of us had truly realized. I know Aeris won't come back. And I do know how it feels to be alone. That's how it feels now. I can't deny now that I can't say I won't ever feel this way, that I won't ever feel alone, and that is what I am here to say. Please, don't shut me out. I knew someone who said 'To love and be loved. That is the most important thing.' And I do have someone here to love." Tifa still sat there by her window, but there was only silence. She heard footsteps fading away from her door, and realized what Cloud tried to say. And she too does not wish to be alone.
"Cloud! Wait!", he hears her say from behind her door. He walks back to her door and opens it, only to see Tifa looking back at him, her eyes red, and her bed, undone. "I.don't want to be alone." He walks over, and puts his arm around her, trying to comfort her in anyway by warming her cold skin with his embrace.
"I don't believe anybody truly wishes to be.", he says, comfortingly. "I won't leave you. Not again."
"Cloud?" He woke up, and saw Tifa's smiling face look back at him. "You were talking in your sleep. What were you dreaming of?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Come on. What was it?"
"Only dreaming of you."
--------------------------------------------------- So, that was the first chapter. Hope ya' like it and leave a review on your way out. I'll try to post chapter 2 soon, and hopefully by then, the flaming passion of writing will have returned to my body (just in case this story really did suck.).
usual, but also this is a direct sequel to "Always", so you might wanna read that story first. Also, if this seems a bit short/rushed/bad, that's because it was one o'clock when I wrote it, soo..yeah. (Oh, yeah, and not
to mention rather short.)
Chapter 1: Dreaming of you
Cloud and Tifa lay blissfully in a hammock in Cloud's backyard, lazily gazing up through the branches shading them from that hot summer afternoon. Tifa was silently dreaming as her head lay on Cloud's chest, her breathing in time with the beating of his heart, while he stroked her long, beautiful, chocolate brown hair. In that warm, hazy summer, the days were long and wonderful, and Cloud would often stay with Tifa on the hammock, only to enjoy simply being with her. Yet in these warm and long days of summer, something in the air would make you remember, remember days past, that maybe, even if you tried not to, your mind would wander on its own. His mind traveled, to a time when he had another girl with him, just like this. The girl, Aeris Gainsborough. His mind traveled further, remembering it clearly, as he slowly closed his eyes. "Cloud?", he'd remember her gently whisper, as she moved her head across his. "What?" "I love you." His mind played that moment in his head over again, as it now seemed all too familiar. But his mind slipped through his memories again, stopping soon after Aeris had died from the newly born Ancient Weapon, to the point of his last visitation of Aeris.
"I love you. This I promise. Always." But he had now fallen asleep in the warm summer heat to the comforting sound of Tifa's gentle breathing. In the deep state of his dreams, his mind kept going through his memories. The memories of seeing Aeris for the last time in his sleep kept showing themselves to him. We now enter their dreams, to see what happened that night, one year ago, that would bring them back together. That one wish they both shared, that one light they found again to each other's hearts.
Cloud awoke from his dream of Aeris, as he could still feel Aeris' last kiss linger on his tongue. The dream had felt so real, that he maybe even thought she was still alive, as the gentle odor of wildflowers hung in the air. But still, he expected to feel devastation flood through him again, yet it never came. He felt deep down that there was someone else to think of. Someone other than a love that was yet never meant to be. He then could vaguely remember the image of Tifa, alone and crying next to her window flashed through his mind, and could only again try and feel what it is like to find love, and then forsake you, leaving you to be cold and alone in its empty shadow. He looked out his window, pale moonlight shining through, but saw no sign of Tifa. He tore away from his window and the sight of her house, and had decided to comfort her any way he possibly could, because he knew what it was like to be lonely. And to know the pain of an aching heart. And that pain was a pain he himself had caused.
Tifa sat propped up against her window, lying with her head snug in a pillow, with a small pool of her tears below her eyes, as she had cried herself to sleep. To ease the pain of a broken heart, an empty soul, and a tired body, that was a task even she herself could find undoable. She shivered, and then stirred as a cold breeze blew through the open window. That night was uncharacteristically cold for those warm summer days, but then the weather was no concern for her. Even for the moonlight casting itself brightly through her window, her eyes were still darkly clouded, even as she looked straight into the immensity of the heavens, shining wondrously as though to help aid her shattered thoughts. She felt that Cloud would return being cold and empty, that she had lost her chance to love, that she could never be with him, as he had again seen Aeris die before him again. That his soul would be lost in the library of the hollow Shinra mansion, that his heart was now and forever incarcerated in the bindings of a book. But little did she know that he had changed, because of her. That he now had the capacity to really care, to truly love. But as she sat there lonely, a light rapping at the door to her bedroom became audible, and broke her from her trance.
"Hi, Tifa.", said Cloud's muffled voice from behind the door. She was absolutely amazed at how he could be talking to her, how he could sound so calm, despite the fact that he lost Aeris again hours before. Yet she still sat there silently, just waiting for him to speak. "I can't blame you for not opening the door. I know that you will probably always hate me for leaving you like that, forgetting you in place of another, and now expecting to only see me trying to find Aeris again. But there's something neither of us had truly realized. I know Aeris won't come back. And I do know how it feels to be alone. That's how it feels now. I can't deny now that I can't say I won't ever feel this way, that I won't ever feel alone, and that is what I am here to say. Please, don't shut me out. I knew someone who said 'To love and be loved. That is the most important thing.' And I do have someone here to love." Tifa still sat there by her window, but there was only silence. She heard footsteps fading away from her door, and realized what Cloud tried to say. And she too does not wish to be alone.
"Cloud! Wait!", he hears her say from behind her door. He walks back to her door and opens it, only to see Tifa looking back at him, her eyes red, and her bed, undone. "I.don't want to be alone." He walks over, and puts his arm around her, trying to comfort her in anyway by warming her cold skin with his embrace.
"I don't believe anybody truly wishes to be.", he says, comfortingly. "I won't leave you. Not again."
"Cloud?" He woke up, and saw Tifa's smiling face look back at him. "You were talking in your sleep. What were you dreaming of?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Come on. What was it?"
"Only dreaming of you."
--------------------------------------------------- So, that was the first chapter. Hope ya' like it and leave a review on your way out. I'll try to post chapter 2 soon, and hopefully by then, the flaming passion of writing will have returned to my body (just in case this story really did suck.).