* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
You tried to run so that no one could desert you,
Always looking for the perfect place to hide.
You built up walls so that no one could ever hurt you,
But the loneliness made you cry.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Blue mako eyes slowly opened, as the bright sunlight wreaked through the cracks of the broken down church. He laid there for a while, his thoughts a blank, for nothing seemed to cross his mind at that very moment. His whole body felt numb, he didn't at all seem to recall how long he had spent there, at that exact spot. Maybe for a reason he had become accustomed to, maybe not.
Cloud Strife slowly closed his eyes once more, as everything around him became quiet as it had always been. All but the slight chirping of the birds that pecked at the church's wrecked rooftops. His gloved hands found way to his forehead, as he ran them through his thick blonde spikes like the parting of sharp razor blades. He laid still, for what seemed an eternity, but in reality, a mer second.
Cloud wearily sat up, as his hands sat at his sides, in a huge puddle of organic wild flowers. Their scent surrounded the old church, like it always had, but perhaps much stronger. The young man gently rubbed the back of his neck, as the vision of his surroundings became a sudden blur. He hesitated for a moment, as he gazed down at a bottle of liquor at the foot of the flower bed.
There, he came to recall what had happened, not that he had forgotten much. 'Oh man,' he thought, reluctantly, feeling the rush run through his head. He slowly leaned back down, as he felt the flowers beneath his body cushion underneath him. Cloud really hoped that he hadn't kill them, at the least, harm them in any particular way. After all, it was really all he had as a shelter of remembrance of her.
Cloud licked his bottom lip, as the scent of the flowers embraced his cold body. He felt her presence there, he knew she was here, as crazy as it sounded. No one, but Cloud would believe this. Everyone hadn't paid much attention to how he was bearing since the last two years had passed. And why should they?
Everyone had moved on with their lives, but only he was still stuck in the past. Their past, her past...and his. Cloud let out a sigh, as his eyes closed for the final time that day and he dosed off into another facade of his memories.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He leaned his hands against the tiled wall of the shower, as the cold water covered every inch of his body. He wearily looked up into the water, as it began to stream down his face. A knock sounded at the door, as the young man quickly turned off the running water. He immediately pushed open the glass door, as he peeked a head outside.
"Who is it?" his voice echoed through the dim room, as he wiped his face.
"It's me," Tifa Lockhart uttered from the other side of the door. Cloud grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Tifa sighed, as she leaned against the brim of the bathroom doorway.
The door quickly was pulled open, when she nearly fell in, but caught her balance. Her ruby brown eyes adjusted onto Cloud, when she found herself blushing at the sudden position. The man stared back at her, his blue eyes opened with concern. Tifa quickly turned away, as she began to walk out towards the hallway, heading for the stairs, forgeting the reason for her coming. "Sorry," she uttered in embarassment.
She stopped abruptly, as her back remained facing him, "Cloud?"
The young blonde's eyes slowly gazed upward, as one hand held onto the knob, "What is it?" There was a slight hesitation with Tifa's presence, as she took in a deep breath.
Her long hair swayed as she turned around to face him, "Are you all right?" His eyebrows rose, as he let her question seep in. It had been awhile since she had ever questioned such a thing.
"I'm good," he reassured, willingly. A slight smile formed on Tifa's rosy red lips, but only by force.
"Yeah," she uttered, as she turned down the hallway and continued walking off. Sure, he said he was all right, who wouldn't? The thought always hovered over her. He was often around, if only dropping by for a quick visit. He had pretty much held a stable lifestyle of a mercenary. It made Tifa question if that was really what he wanted and how long it would last.
She always found herself worrying about the man, he was her friend, and although, he never knew it, her savior. She slowly stepped down the stairs onto the first floor of the 7th Heaven. Her eyes scurried about the empty room, that had grew in size ever since the past two years. She had saved up enough money to open up a new location in Neo-Midgar, the bar and a nice amount of rental rooms just above the 1st floor.
The lighting was dim, and the room covered in an alluring shade of red. People sure was living it up these days, she thought, as she sat down on a stool. Her eyes quickly turned towards the entrance, as she noticed Barret prancing in, with little Marlene still on his shoulders. Tifa smiled at the thought of the two. It was true that the years had made Marlene a little older, but the little girl still held on to her childish ways.
"Where is he?" Barret questioned, as he let her down.
Tifa sighed, "He's--" Their eyes turned towards the stairway, as Cloud stepped into the bar, dressed in his usual attire. Not much had changed, after all.
"If I were alone, it wouldn't be a thang!" Barret stated, promptly, making sure he heard him. Cloud's arms crossed over his chest, as his mako eyes gazed back at the big man in the cocky little way it usually did.
"I worked alone," he replied.
Barret's eyes widened, "Don't go thinkin' you so bad now." Cloud sighed, as he shook his head in dismay, a smile crept upon his face.
"It's not my problem," he began, "And you don't have to worry about it. Just give me my part and the job's done. After all, you *are* the one that hired me." Tifa's eyes gaped up at Barret, as he turned to her for a swift second. But reluctantly, giving in, he pulled out a pouch from his pocket and slammed it on a table at his side.
"I don't know why I still bother with your spikey-headed ass," he retorted, as he grabbed onto Marlene's hand and began for the door. Tifa quickly stood up, as her eyes fell on Cloud, who was still standing in the same spot.
"You guys really oughta try to get along," she uttered, as she walked behind the counter. "But I guess some things never change." Cloud sighed, as he scratched his head, a habit he became accustomed to, when he had less to say or do.
"So, how long are you going to be staying here?" Tifa questioned, as she poured some water into a cup. Cloud walked over, as he sat down on a stool on the opposite side of the counter.
"Don't know," he uttered, as he began to play with the pouch of gil in his hands. "I need a break."
Tifa smiled, "Well, I heard that Costa Del Sol is a good vacationing spot. We haven't been there for a while." The young woman paused, as she listened back on what she had just said. 'We,' how often was that word ever used? Was she implying something, she couldn't even tell.
"That's not my thing," Cloud replied, his eyes fixed on the money in his hands. Her eyes gazed at the man before her, that was only seen but never emotionally touched. It hurt her to think that he never could have loved again, perhaps. She didn't know whether it was true and she surely didn't want to try and fail.
Tifa understood, that a part of Cloud was still hanging on to the past. And for that, she couldn't blame him. Everyone missed Aeris. But none of that could have possibly compared to the way he wanted her back. His voice never spoke her name, but she knew it repeated in his lonesome mind, every time silence overwhelmed. It scared her that she couldn't have comfort him the way she had tried two years ago, when everything happened so recently.
He perhaps had no alternative but to confide in Tifa's condolence for him. But now, it was almost as if nothing ever happened. It was almost as if he let it go, almost as if he built walls around his heart, and no one could have ever break through.
Cloud's eyes slowly gazed up, as he noticed Tifa spacing off. "What is it?"
She quickly smiled back to his question, "Oh, nothing." Cloud didn't seem to have cared less what she had been thinking, by the look upon his face. His eyes still adjusted downward, as a slight sigh escaped his lips. Tifa hesitated, as she continued to search for him. For the Cloud she once knew as a child. As two childhood friends...But it seemed he was no longer there. They grew apart through those years, and it seemed to become a pattern.
She smiled, reluctantly, "Mercenary forever, huh?" His eyes gazed up at her sudden question. He shrugged, with a slight smile, as he slowly stood up.
"Just makin' it through the day."
Tifa paused as she began again, "You planning to get away from here?" She couldn't believe the type of questions she began to ask him.
"No one lives in the slums because they want to. It's like a train. It can only go where the tracks take it," Cloud replied. Tifa nodded her head, willingly, as her eyes fell away from the young man that stood before her.
"Yeah," she uttered, as she noticed him heading for the door. Her ruby eyes gazed up, as the sudden close of the door sounded.
"...You know, Cloud...Aeris is gone."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
You built up walls so that no one could ever hurt you,
But the loneliness made you cry.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
**AUTHORS NOTE: How was this chapter? I kinda rushed. I'm getting started on other ideas for this story also. Please R and R.
You tried to run so that no one could desert you,
Always looking for the perfect place to hide.
You built up walls so that no one could ever hurt you,
But the loneliness made you cry.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Blue mako eyes slowly opened, as the bright sunlight wreaked through the cracks of the broken down church. He laid there for a while, his thoughts a blank, for nothing seemed to cross his mind at that very moment. His whole body felt numb, he didn't at all seem to recall how long he had spent there, at that exact spot. Maybe for a reason he had become accustomed to, maybe not.
Cloud Strife slowly closed his eyes once more, as everything around him became quiet as it had always been. All but the slight chirping of the birds that pecked at the church's wrecked rooftops. His gloved hands found way to his forehead, as he ran them through his thick blonde spikes like the parting of sharp razor blades. He laid still, for what seemed an eternity, but in reality, a mer second.
Cloud wearily sat up, as his hands sat at his sides, in a huge puddle of organic wild flowers. Their scent surrounded the old church, like it always had, but perhaps much stronger. The young man gently rubbed the back of his neck, as the vision of his surroundings became a sudden blur. He hesitated for a moment, as he gazed down at a bottle of liquor at the foot of the flower bed.
There, he came to recall what had happened, not that he had forgotten much. 'Oh man,' he thought, reluctantly, feeling the rush run through his head. He slowly leaned back down, as he felt the flowers beneath his body cushion underneath him. Cloud really hoped that he hadn't kill them, at the least, harm them in any particular way. After all, it was really all he had as a shelter of remembrance of her.
Cloud licked his bottom lip, as the scent of the flowers embraced his cold body. He felt her presence there, he knew she was here, as crazy as it sounded. No one, but Cloud would believe this. Everyone hadn't paid much attention to how he was bearing since the last two years had passed. And why should they?
Everyone had moved on with their lives, but only he was still stuck in the past. Their past, her past...and his. Cloud let out a sigh, as his eyes closed for the final time that day and he dosed off into another facade of his memories.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He leaned his hands against the tiled wall of the shower, as the cold water covered every inch of his body. He wearily looked up into the water, as it began to stream down his face. A knock sounded at the door, as the young man quickly turned off the running water. He immediately pushed open the glass door, as he peeked a head outside.
"Who is it?" his voice echoed through the dim room, as he wiped his face.
"It's me," Tifa Lockhart uttered from the other side of the door. Cloud grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Tifa sighed, as she leaned against the brim of the bathroom doorway.
The door quickly was pulled open, when she nearly fell in, but caught her balance. Her ruby brown eyes adjusted onto Cloud, when she found herself blushing at the sudden position. The man stared back at her, his blue eyes opened with concern. Tifa quickly turned away, as she began to walk out towards the hallway, heading for the stairs, forgeting the reason for her coming. "Sorry," she uttered in embarassment.
She stopped abruptly, as her back remained facing him, "Cloud?"
The young blonde's eyes slowly gazed upward, as one hand held onto the knob, "What is it?" There was a slight hesitation with Tifa's presence, as she took in a deep breath.
Her long hair swayed as she turned around to face him, "Are you all right?" His eyebrows rose, as he let her question seep in. It had been awhile since she had ever questioned such a thing.
"I'm good," he reassured, willingly. A slight smile formed on Tifa's rosy red lips, but only by force.
"Yeah," she uttered, as she turned down the hallway and continued walking off. Sure, he said he was all right, who wouldn't? The thought always hovered over her. He was often around, if only dropping by for a quick visit. He had pretty much held a stable lifestyle of a mercenary. It made Tifa question if that was really what he wanted and how long it would last.
She always found herself worrying about the man, he was her friend, and although, he never knew it, her savior. She slowly stepped down the stairs onto the first floor of the 7th Heaven. Her eyes scurried about the empty room, that had grew in size ever since the past two years. She had saved up enough money to open up a new location in Neo-Midgar, the bar and a nice amount of rental rooms just above the 1st floor.
The lighting was dim, and the room covered in an alluring shade of red. People sure was living it up these days, she thought, as she sat down on a stool. Her eyes quickly turned towards the entrance, as she noticed Barret prancing in, with little Marlene still on his shoulders. Tifa smiled at the thought of the two. It was true that the years had made Marlene a little older, but the little girl still held on to her childish ways.
"Where is he?" Barret questioned, as he let her down.
Tifa sighed, "He's--" Their eyes turned towards the stairway, as Cloud stepped into the bar, dressed in his usual attire. Not much had changed, after all.
"If I were alone, it wouldn't be a thang!" Barret stated, promptly, making sure he heard him. Cloud's arms crossed over his chest, as his mako eyes gazed back at the big man in the cocky little way it usually did.
"I worked alone," he replied.
Barret's eyes widened, "Don't go thinkin' you so bad now." Cloud sighed, as he shook his head in dismay, a smile crept upon his face.
"It's not my problem," he began, "And you don't have to worry about it. Just give me my part and the job's done. After all, you *are* the one that hired me." Tifa's eyes gaped up at Barret, as he turned to her for a swift second. But reluctantly, giving in, he pulled out a pouch from his pocket and slammed it on a table at his side.
"I don't know why I still bother with your spikey-headed ass," he retorted, as he grabbed onto Marlene's hand and began for the door. Tifa quickly stood up, as her eyes fell on Cloud, who was still standing in the same spot.
"You guys really oughta try to get along," she uttered, as she walked behind the counter. "But I guess some things never change." Cloud sighed, as he scratched his head, a habit he became accustomed to, when he had less to say or do.
"So, how long are you going to be staying here?" Tifa questioned, as she poured some water into a cup. Cloud walked over, as he sat down on a stool on the opposite side of the counter.
"Don't know," he uttered, as he began to play with the pouch of gil in his hands. "I need a break."
Tifa smiled, "Well, I heard that Costa Del Sol is a good vacationing spot. We haven't been there for a while." The young woman paused, as she listened back on what she had just said. 'We,' how often was that word ever used? Was she implying something, she couldn't even tell.
"That's not my thing," Cloud replied, his eyes fixed on the money in his hands. Her eyes gazed at the man before her, that was only seen but never emotionally touched. It hurt her to think that he never could have loved again, perhaps. She didn't know whether it was true and she surely didn't want to try and fail.
Tifa understood, that a part of Cloud was still hanging on to the past. And for that, she couldn't blame him. Everyone missed Aeris. But none of that could have possibly compared to the way he wanted her back. His voice never spoke her name, but she knew it repeated in his lonesome mind, every time silence overwhelmed. It scared her that she couldn't have comfort him the way she had tried two years ago, when everything happened so recently.
He perhaps had no alternative but to confide in Tifa's condolence for him. But now, it was almost as if nothing ever happened. It was almost as if he let it go, almost as if he built walls around his heart, and no one could have ever break through.
Cloud's eyes slowly gazed up, as he noticed Tifa spacing off. "What is it?"
She quickly smiled back to his question, "Oh, nothing." Cloud didn't seem to have cared less what she had been thinking, by the look upon his face. His eyes still adjusted downward, as a slight sigh escaped his lips. Tifa hesitated, as she continued to search for him. For the Cloud she once knew as a child. As two childhood friends...But it seemed he was no longer there. They grew apart through those years, and it seemed to become a pattern.
She smiled, reluctantly, "Mercenary forever, huh?" His eyes gazed up at her sudden question. He shrugged, with a slight smile, as he slowly stood up.
"Just makin' it through the day."
Tifa paused as she began again, "You planning to get away from here?" She couldn't believe the type of questions she began to ask him.
"No one lives in the slums because they want to. It's like a train. It can only go where the tracks take it," Cloud replied. Tifa nodded her head, willingly, as her eyes fell away from the young man that stood before her.
"Yeah," she uttered, as she noticed him heading for the door. Her ruby eyes gazed up, as the sudden close of the door sounded.
"...You know, Cloud...Aeris is gone."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
You built up walls so that no one could ever hurt you,
But the loneliness made you cry.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
**AUTHORS NOTE: How was this chapter? I kinda rushed. I'm getting started on other ideas for this story also. Please R and R.