Chapter 2:

Several weeks later…

"Where to now, Tifa?" Cid asked, flicking away his burnt-away cigarette.

Tifa had been searching for her old friends – the old companions.  So far, she had received no results whatsoever.  She had hoped that, in finding even one of them, she would forget all about Cloud and the incident at the Lifestream.

But weeks had already past, and she found herself grieving more than ever.  She couldn't stop thinking of him, but she knew she had already made her decision.  There was no more Cloud.  There was no turning back.

And then, the most unlikely word came out – possibly, not even she knew why she said it.  However, plain and simple, she said, "Midgar."

Cid nearly dropped his lighter while he tried to light his next cigarette.  "Are you serious?"

Tifa sighed, letting her eyelids fall.  "Yes…  I am serious."

Cid shrugged.  "Okay.  If that's what you say, we're off!  Midgar is just south of here.  Land is no more than a minute away."

Tifa joined Cid at the helm of the ship, laying herself on the clear counter.  She looked out the window to see the clear water only a hundred or so feet below.  The Highwind sped onward, and they did see land in less than a minute.

"The Midgar Area is straight ahead," Cid announced.

Tifa didn't need to hear it twice.  Not only did she see the land, but the city itself.  Who could mistake the bleak air encasing the filthy city?  No doubt, you would be able to identify it more than two miles away.

Suddenly, her senses perked up.  As they approached the continent, she saw, on the beach, a battered raft.

Curious, Tifa asked, "Cid, what's that raft down there?"

Cid craned his neck forward.  "I dunno.  Do you wanna land and check it out?"

"Yes," came the nearly blank response.

The Highwind was on the ground in less than two minutes.  The ramp unfolded downwards and extended to the ground.  As usual, Cid remained behind as Tifa came down to investigate.

She ambled down to the raft, looking around again and again to see if there was someone injured.  There was nobody, so she allowed herself to search the raft.  No one would mind, so she thought.

Not much searching was needed.  Almost immediately, she found a worn-away, leather-covered book – one she recognized as a common diary design -- and a yellow Materia.  Making sure no one was around she carefully opened the diary.  Whoever wrote in this started late, and not too long ago.  She opened to the entry before the last.

May 3

It's Tifa's birthday, today.  But I've been broke for a while, now, and there aren't many shops out here on the water.  In fact, there aren't any at all.  Besides, where would I find her?  Ever since that fight we had at the Lifestream, my life seemed clearer and more complex at the same time.

Maybe I don't deserve to find the right love for myself.  Maybe I don't deserve to have Tifa as a friend.

And it's not likely she'll ever find this.  Hell, she might not even find me alive.  So, just to get this off my back, I would like to write:

Tifa, I'm sorry.  I screwed up big time.

Not even that sounds right.

Tifa didn't have to think twice about whose diary it was.  This was Cloud's diary.  She smiled at the thought that it even sounded like him.  …May 3rd?  Yes, that was her birthday, and it was only two weeks ago.  She had no celebration; although Cid baking a small cake for her from the limited supplies he had on the Highwind could be the only exception.

She turned to the last entry.  It was rather brief.

May 10

A week had past, and I have made a rough landing on the Midgar Area.  Just great.  Midgar – of all places to land.  It just happened to be Midgar…  But this was where I wanted to land.  Dad is in there, somewhere, and I'll find him.

I have no family left.  I have no friends left.  What have I got to lose if I die trying?  Maybe I'll leave this diary here, for now.  No Aeris.  No Zach.  No Tifa.  Maybe if I die, it'll do them all good – especially Tifa.

This is the end of Cloud Strife.