Author's Notes: I am sooooo sorry for not updating; I've had sooo much
school work believe me.
Fear and Courage Chapter 12
The evening came, and he found himself alone. "When the time comes..." He
repeated over and over. "When the time comes? I don't understand!" His voice had increased dramatically in volume. "When will that be? Days away? Years from now? Arrggh! I can't take this anymore!" Sighing deeply, he sat
down on his bed.
Spending Christmas on his own. That was something that nobody enjoys. He reached over to his bedside table and picked up a silver photo frame, with
a picture of him, and his love. Tifa.
They sat there smiling. He had his right arm around her shoulders, and she had hold of his right hand. It was taken right outside on the beach. The waves slightly touching Tifa's toes, and the sand covering his. "She looks
so beautiful. Why did I let her go?"
Back on the airship, Yuffie was pacing back and forth. The tablets seemed
to be working. "Argggghhhh! I can't take this! I wanna open them now!"
"Yuffie," Barret snapped. "Quit yer whinin' we're here now!" Cid had parked up neatly and the stepladders had been thrown off the side
of the ship.
"I'm goin' first," Yuffie declared. "Cuz no one's lookin' up my skirt!" She climbed over the edge and continued down the rope ladder. The rest climbed
after her. Vincent approached the ladder but stopped when he saw Tifa
looking down at the floor.
"Aren't you coming?" Vincent asked. Tifa looked up and replied, "Yes,
Vincent. I'll be down in a minute." Vincent nodded his head and climbed
down the ladder.
"Why am I so scared?" Tifa questioned herself soundlessly. "I wanted this, this is why I am here, to tell him how I feel. To tell him what's going to happen to me. Now go down and tell him!" She nodded at no one and continued
to slowly approach the ladder.
Barret knocked on the door. "He's probably not in. let's go." "Hold it Barret, something's makin' a noise." Cid stopped him with his arm.
Two bolts unlocked and he opened the door.
He stood in shock staring at his old companions and they did the same in
return. "Oh my God! Cloud it's really you! I love your hair, you had it
cut, it..." Cid put a hand over Yuffie's mouth to muffle the sound.
"Hey Spike!" Barret yelled and put his real arm around Cloud, nearly
breaking his spine. He couldn't breathe. "Let him go, Daddy he's going
purple!" Marlene screamed. "Oh." Barret backed off, seeing Cloud's plum-coloured cheeks returning to
his original cinnamon ones. (Living in Costa del Sol for two years will
give you that kind of a tan.) "Sorry."
"It's ok, come in." He gestured and they all entered his refurbished villa.
Everyone admired his new villa, and Marlene ran up to Cloud. "Merry Christmas Uncle Cloud!" and hugged him, which reminded everyone else to say Merry Christmas. "Thanks, Marlene, Merry Christmas to you too. And
you guys."
He looked around to see that there was one person missing. He raised a
perfect eyebrow. "Where's..." "Tifa you lookin' for, by any chance?" Yuffie winked and nudged his arm.
"She'll be in here any minute."
"Here, Cloud, help me with all this, will ya?" Barret had hold of the present bag and the food, including the turkey. Cloud took the food and put
it in the kitchen and started preparing the vegetables.
The door had been left partly open so Tifa could slip in. She looked around
and saw how everything has changed. It looked fantastic. Marlene ran quickly to her and Tifa picked her up and they both admired the pictures Cloud had hung up on his wall. They were amazing. "Someone had put so much effort into these." One of them was called 'Spanish Rose,' but she didn't
know who it was by.
"See these, Marlene. Aren't they pretty?" Tifa was quietly asking the little girl. She nodded in response to the question. No one could disagree
with the two of them.
Barret was in the kitchen with Cloud, and turned to notice Tifa had already entered, holding his daughter. He spoke up. "Everyone's changed, haven't
they?"
"You think?" Cloud was surprised to hear this. "Yeah, I mean, Yuffie's still immature, but not as bad as she used to be."
Cloud looked at Yuffie and saw her reading the newspaper, and saw where
Barret was coming from.
"She's been studying for college and ninja exams. Can you believe that? Studying?" Cloud chuckled listening to Barret. "Yuffie's entitled to change
her tune." Cloud answered.
"Studying? Wow." He mused.
He ignored this and continued. "Shera's pregnant, did you know that?" "Pregnant?" Cloud raised an eyebrow again. This was a habit of his. Tifa
always thought he looked cute when he did that. "Yeah, pregnant. Can't
believe it myself."
"Vincent's been here and there. He went to see Lucrecia and then he went back to Nibelheim. Nanaki's been studying the things that Bugenhagen used
to study, y'know, 'bout the Planet and such? And Cait Sith's jus' been
workin' at the Gold Saucer."
"What about you, Barret?" He was going to ask about Tifa, but thought
better of it. "He'd laugh and tell me something I don't want to hear. I
hope she hasn't moved on." "Me? Oh me an' Marlene have been helping out in North Corel. Tidyin' up and
stuff. Nuttin special."
"Tifa's lives in a new town near Nibelheim called Setown. They named it after Nanaki's dad, Seto and stuck a W and an N on the end of it. An' it's pronounced 'Sea-town' because it's right near the sea. She's bought the Inn in Kalm, y'know?" Cloud took interest in the conversation from the moment
he said Tifa.
"Doesn't she look different?" Barret asked Cloud and pointed where Tifa and Marlene were admiring the paintings. He almost didn't recognise her since she had had her hair cut short. He couldn't believe she was here, and he
remembered what Aeris had said.
He whispered, loud enough for Barret to hear.
"Tifa?"
school work believe me.
Fear and Courage Chapter 12
The evening came, and he found himself alone. "When the time comes..." He
repeated over and over. "When the time comes? I don't understand!" His voice had increased dramatically in volume. "When will that be? Days away? Years from now? Arrggh! I can't take this anymore!" Sighing deeply, he sat
down on his bed.
Spending Christmas on his own. That was something that nobody enjoys. He reached over to his bedside table and picked up a silver photo frame, with
a picture of him, and his love. Tifa.
They sat there smiling. He had his right arm around her shoulders, and she had hold of his right hand. It was taken right outside on the beach. The waves slightly touching Tifa's toes, and the sand covering his. "She looks
so beautiful. Why did I let her go?"
Back on the airship, Yuffie was pacing back and forth. The tablets seemed
to be working. "Argggghhhh! I can't take this! I wanna open them now!"
"Yuffie," Barret snapped. "Quit yer whinin' we're here now!" Cid had parked up neatly and the stepladders had been thrown off the side
of the ship.
"I'm goin' first," Yuffie declared. "Cuz no one's lookin' up my skirt!" She climbed over the edge and continued down the rope ladder. The rest climbed
after her. Vincent approached the ladder but stopped when he saw Tifa
looking down at the floor.
"Aren't you coming?" Vincent asked. Tifa looked up and replied, "Yes,
Vincent. I'll be down in a minute." Vincent nodded his head and climbed
down the ladder.
"Why am I so scared?" Tifa questioned herself soundlessly. "I wanted this, this is why I am here, to tell him how I feel. To tell him what's going to happen to me. Now go down and tell him!" She nodded at no one and continued
to slowly approach the ladder.
Barret knocked on the door. "He's probably not in. let's go." "Hold it Barret, something's makin' a noise." Cid stopped him with his arm.
Two bolts unlocked and he opened the door.
He stood in shock staring at his old companions and they did the same in
return. "Oh my God! Cloud it's really you! I love your hair, you had it
cut, it..." Cid put a hand over Yuffie's mouth to muffle the sound.
"Hey Spike!" Barret yelled and put his real arm around Cloud, nearly
breaking his spine. He couldn't breathe. "Let him go, Daddy he's going
purple!" Marlene screamed. "Oh." Barret backed off, seeing Cloud's plum-coloured cheeks returning to
his original cinnamon ones. (Living in Costa del Sol for two years will
give you that kind of a tan.) "Sorry."
"It's ok, come in." He gestured and they all entered his refurbished villa.
Everyone admired his new villa, and Marlene ran up to Cloud. "Merry Christmas Uncle Cloud!" and hugged him, which reminded everyone else to say Merry Christmas. "Thanks, Marlene, Merry Christmas to you too. And
you guys."
He looked around to see that there was one person missing. He raised a
perfect eyebrow. "Where's..." "Tifa you lookin' for, by any chance?" Yuffie winked and nudged his arm.
"She'll be in here any minute."
"Here, Cloud, help me with all this, will ya?" Barret had hold of the present bag and the food, including the turkey. Cloud took the food and put
it in the kitchen and started preparing the vegetables.
The door had been left partly open so Tifa could slip in. She looked around
and saw how everything has changed. It looked fantastic. Marlene ran quickly to her and Tifa picked her up and they both admired the pictures Cloud had hung up on his wall. They were amazing. "Someone had put so much effort into these." One of them was called 'Spanish Rose,' but she didn't
know who it was by.
"See these, Marlene. Aren't they pretty?" Tifa was quietly asking the little girl. She nodded in response to the question. No one could disagree
with the two of them.
Barret was in the kitchen with Cloud, and turned to notice Tifa had already entered, holding his daughter. He spoke up. "Everyone's changed, haven't
they?"
"You think?" Cloud was surprised to hear this. "Yeah, I mean, Yuffie's still immature, but not as bad as she used to be."
Cloud looked at Yuffie and saw her reading the newspaper, and saw where
Barret was coming from.
"She's been studying for college and ninja exams. Can you believe that? Studying?" Cloud chuckled listening to Barret. "Yuffie's entitled to change
her tune." Cloud answered.
"Studying? Wow." He mused.
He ignored this and continued. "Shera's pregnant, did you know that?" "Pregnant?" Cloud raised an eyebrow again. This was a habit of his. Tifa
always thought he looked cute when he did that. "Yeah, pregnant. Can't
believe it myself."
"Vincent's been here and there. He went to see Lucrecia and then he went back to Nibelheim. Nanaki's been studying the things that Bugenhagen used
to study, y'know, 'bout the Planet and such? And Cait Sith's jus' been
workin' at the Gold Saucer."
"What about you, Barret?" He was going to ask about Tifa, but thought
better of it. "He'd laugh and tell me something I don't want to hear. I
hope she hasn't moved on." "Me? Oh me an' Marlene have been helping out in North Corel. Tidyin' up and
stuff. Nuttin special."
"Tifa's lives in a new town near Nibelheim called Setown. They named it after Nanaki's dad, Seto and stuck a W and an N on the end of it. An' it's pronounced 'Sea-town' because it's right near the sea. She's bought the Inn in Kalm, y'know?" Cloud took interest in the conversation from the moment
he said Tifa.
"Doesn't she look different?" Barret asked Cloud and pointed where Tifa and Marlene were admiring the paintings. He almost didn't recognise her since she had had her hair cut short. He couldn't believe she was here, and he
remembered what Aeris had said.
He whispered, loud enough for Barret to hear.
"Tifa?"