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Well, chapter 4 was pretty short, so I'll try and make it up to you in this next one. Chapter 5 HO!
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I walked up the stairs to the upper floor of the house, careful to avoid the creaky steps just like I had so long ago. As I neared Tifa's room I noticed that I heard some faint sniffling…was she crying in there? Oh man…she's been crying all this time. Now I never considered myself very good at understanding women's emotions, but this was like a slap in the face. She must be madly in love with me, and when she put herself on the line when she said, "That's why we're good for each other," and when I said nothing in return, that must have killed her. For the first time since I had met Tifa earlier today, I did something I was proud of my self for later: I walked in, without any hesitation.
Tifa was lying on the bed, her backed turned toward me. She was trying to stop her tears, but wasn't doing a very good job. I said nothing as I sat next to her. She still wouldn't look at me. I noticed her hair. It shined in the semi-darkness of the room. It was also then that I noticed that her clothes were on the floor. My first reaction was to bolt out of the room, but I didn't want seem stupid when the reason I was here was to try to convince her to explain dreams to me, which would be no easy task. I put my elbows on my knees and sat there with my back turned toward her, saying nothing. It was she who spoke first.
"Barrett, did Cloud send you to say something to me? That &%. He can face Sephiroth but he can't face me. Not even to say he's sorry." She laughed a little but then went back to crying. Apparently she hadn't noticed it was me sitting next to her and not Barrett. I looked at her. Despite the bed sheets covering he body I could still make out the curves of her body, and I was suddenly insanely attracted to her. I controlled my hands and struggled to say something.
"I'm sorry," is all I got out.
I saw Tifa suddenly stop breathing, as if she had just been punched in the gut. I knew I had to explain myself fast or face the consequences later. "I'm sorry Tifa. I really am. I've never been one to talk. You know that. I've always been one who favored the whole strong and silent thing. But I guess I need to change a little, Tifa. I came in here to talk…I've been doing that a lot lately it seems. Man, I miss the old days when all we had to do was share a few words and then go and kick the crap out of something." I laughed a little, Tifa didn't. "Well, I guess I'll get to the point then. Barrett talked to me about one of your dreams…" "Don't say it Cloud," Tifa turned towards me. I struggled to look only at her face, which was smeared from her mascara and her tears. "That whole marriage thing…it's…it's just a dream that's all," she said. I was taken aback. I had totally forgotten about her other dream. The one where Aerieth shows up and steals me away from her while on the alter. I don't know what came over me just then, but I touched her face with my hand. "That's not what I meant, Tifa." She looked at me with her deep brown eyes. They reflected the light from the room so that I could see everything around me through her eyes, and yet, all I could see at that moment, was the endless well of eternity that lied within them. It frightened me and yet excited me at the exact same time. My hand continued to stroke her cheek slowly, and it was then that I noticed her hand was holding mine. My first impulse was to pull away, that this whole thing was a mistake, but I couldn't move away from her eyes.
"Tifa," I finally managed to say. "Remember when we were kids and I promised you that I'd eventually become a big shot in the military and take you away some day?" Tifa nodded, and she leaned towards me. "Well…I…uh…" She was still covering herself with the bed sheets, but she was close to me, way to close. "I don't think I'm quite ready to do that just yet." Her eyes looked sorrowfully at me, and I could tell she was about to cry again. "Yet, Tifa…I plan to fulfill that promise. I really do. Just not yet…" She lowered her head on my shoulder and balled. I put my arms around her and held her for a long time…
She and I didn't sleep that night. We just held each other for a long time. Finally after probably an hour or so I started to talk to her, this time more to the point of why I had originally came to see her. I wanted her to explain her dream to me, and also to help me find RedXIII, who might be able to decipher our dreams for us. It was then that I recounted my own version of the dream I had had the night before, and also of my run in with RedXIII at Aerieth's church. Perhaps it was a mistake that I told her, but told her I did. After words I was surprised by her reaction to what I was telling her. She said, "I knew you were going there Cloud. I followed you one day, probably a week after the end of the war. I saw you go into the church. It was then I knew that your heart was still stuck on her…that was when I started having the dreams of Aerieth stealing you away from me at the alter. That's when my mood changed, as I'm sure Barrett has told you about." I chuckled. "Yah, he did…" I said.
When it came time for her to tell me the details of her dreams, she told me that she would rather just say it all once in front of RedXIII and myself, instead of have to tell it twice. I understood that. So I let it go.
It was probably two o'clock in the morning when I finally stood up. I hadn't moved from my sitting position since when I went in to talk with her somewhere around ten. I popped my back and groaned as my legs suddenly had blood flowing back into them. Tifa asked, "Where are you going?" "Well," I responded, "I'm going to go find RedXIII. It's already too late at night for me to sleep, and since I'm eager to go find him, I might as well start now." I wanted Tifa to come with me, but I didn't dare ask her. Never mess with a girl and her beauty sleep. But that ended up not mattering at all. "I'm coming with you," she said. I was relieved. I turned my back as I heard her get out of the bed. I waited and heard her put on her clothes. She was putting them on quickly, like she was eager to leave. Eventually she said, "Cloud…" I turned around, but never saw the most painful &%$ slap of my life come across my face. My cheek throbbed and I looked at her puzzled. "That's for coming in my room without permission," Then I saw her lean towards me and kiss me. Her lips were firm but moist, and again, my first reaction was to turn away, but instead I ended up putting my arms around her warm, soft body to enjoy the moment. "And what was that for?" I asked, as she finally pulled away. "For fulfilling your promise," she responded. "But I told you, I haven't done that yet." "Yes you have, Cloud. You just don't know it." We left the room, and quietly moved downstairs. She was curious how I had managed to learn where exactly to step to avoid the creaks. I told her I knew everything. She looked at me fiercely but lovingly. That same feeling of fear and excitement rushed through my veins, and we left the house. My hand reached for hers. It the first thing I had ever done to further any relationship with a girl, ever. She smiled and received it.
That was the craziest and most exciting night of my life. I didn't know it then, but that feeling was going to be cut short very soon…