Fear and Courage Chapter 14
It was a heart-warming sight. The team were back together again, after two years, opening their carefully wrapped gifts from one another. Thank you's were exchanged and hugs and kisses were given. (Not boys to boys though.) Everyone ate Christmas dinner, which had been made by Cloud and Tifa, and
now, were all sat in the living room bloated from the delicious meal.
"Ooo! I so can't wait until New Year's Eve! Everyone celebrating together
like this." Yuffie exclaimed, which caused Tifa to sigh deeply.
Marlene broke the deafening silence between them all. "Thank you for the
doll Aunty Tifa." She giggled lightly, "Your welcome, honey." Cloud had always loved the way
Tifa laughed. It was so light and so feminine.
Marlene ran to the couch where Tifa was sitting and pounced on her. Marli, being the clumsy little girl she was, pounced right on Tifa's endowments,
causing her to scream out in agony and fall to the floor on her knees. Marlene ran towards her father, scared as to what she may have done to her
"Aunt."
"Teef, are you okay?" Yuffie bent down to her level, with a worried look on her face. "What the *£%& happened?" Cid exclaimed. Marlene on the verge of
tears asked, "Aunty Tifa, what did I do? I didn't mean to hurt you..."
"No, honey," Tifa gasped. "It's not your fault, believe me.
Cloud didn't want to see his love hurt, he couldn't bear it. He wanted to
put a stop to this suffering. "What could be wrong with her?" he mused.
"Is it still hurting you, Tifa?" Vincent asked, showing concern for the
young woman. "No, Vincent. It's not" she replied. "So, uh." Barret started. "You know what it is that's hurting you and why?" "Oh yeah! That's why you wanted us all here, right? To tell us somethin'?"
Cid recalled the PHS conversation.
*Flashback*
"Hello? Whaddya want?" "Hey Cid, it's Tifa. Sorry I haven't called for so long. Listen, I wanna get the guys together. Need to tell you all something. You know where Cloud
lives now?" "Yeah sure do. He's gone back to Costa del Sol to his villa. Lucky son of a
!*#£%!"
"Great, so could you get us all down there, do you think?"
"Yeah course Tifa. When?"
"Well, tomorrow hopefully. It is Christmas Eve tomorrow after all." "Right, make sure Yuffie takes some goddamn pills will ya? Her puking all
over the joint ain't gonna help no one."
"Thanks Cid, I owe you big time."
"Yeah, whatever."
*End of Flashback*
"So, what is it that you wanted to tell us all, Tifa?" Nanaki asked as he sat in front of her. "Has somethin' bad happened, Tee?" Cait Sith jumped next to her. Cloud smiled softly. All the animals were sat around her. She reminded him of Snow White. His smile turned straight into a frown, then a
heartbreaking expression was etched on his face, when he saw tears
streaming down her face.
He just wanted to hold her in his arms, kiss her and tell her everything would be all right. But would it though? What was this that was making her
cry?
"Well, everyone," Tifa stood up and turned to look at everyone, then to Yuffie. "Yuffie, you know like you said you couldn't wait until New Year's Eve, because we'd all be celebrating together again? Well," she paused to let out a sigh. Barret urged her to go on. "Everyone will be there, except...
for me." Another tear rolled down her silky cheek.
"What?" Cid shouted. "I don't understand, whaddya mean, everyone will be there except for you? Where are ya goin'?" Barret yelled. Anger was building up inside him, and
he was about to explode.
"Please, Barret. Don't be angry. What I'm trying to say is..." Tifa sighed
again.
"Please tell us, Teef." Cloud begged her with his facial expressions to
reveal the truth.
"I...I won't be here. Guys... I'm dying."
This didn't seem real to them. Just as she thought.
"Dyin'?" Barret whispered.
"How... how is this possible?" Vincent asked. Yuffie gasped in horror and
tears welled up in her dark eyes. "Please, Tifa-chan. Tell me you're
lying." She whimpered. Tifa's eyes fell to the floor. Yuffie screamed,
"Tell me!"
Tifa yelled back, "How could I stand here and lie about something like this? I can't tell you I'm lying because I'm not. Where Marlene jumped and
hit, is where I have a tumour. It's huge and it contains Jenova cells." They all gasped and whispered among themselves things like 'how could this
happen' and 'oh my God.'
Cloud didn't say a word. He stared at her, with a grave look. "Dr Mason said I had a week to live. That was on the day before Christmas Eve. It will continue to grow bigger until it explodes and when it does..."
"So you have 5 days to live Aunty Tifa?" Marlene asked.
"Yes, honey. 5 days."
The young blonde was stood on his own as the others murmured and muttered.
Tifa looked at him and another tear slipped down her cheek. And she
whispered. "I'm sorry."
It was a heart-warming sight. The team were back together again, after two years, opening their carefully wrapped gifts from one another. Thank you's were exchanged and hugs and kisses were given. (Not boys to boys though.) Everyone ate Christmas dinner, which had been made by Cloud and Tifa, and
now, were all sat in the living room bloated from the delicious meal.
"Ooo! I so can't wait until New Year's Eve! Everyone celebrating together
like this." Yuffie exclaimed, which caused Tifa to sigh deeply.
Marlene broke the deafening silence between them all. "Thank you for the
doll Aunty Tifa." She giggled lightly, "Your welcome, honey." Cloud had always loved the way
Tifa laughed. It was so light and so feminine.
Marlene ran to the couch where Tifa was sitting and pounced on her. Marli, being the clumsy little girl she was, pounced right on Tifa's endowments,
causing her to scream out in agony and fall to the floor on her knees. Marlene ran towards her father, scared as to what she may have done to her
"Aunt."
"Teef, are you okay?" Yuffie bent down to her level, with a worried look on her face. "What the *£%& happened?" Cid exclaimed. Marlene on the verge of
tears asked, "Aunty Tifa, what did I do? I didn't mean to hurt you..."
"No, honey," Tifa gasped. "It's not your fault, believe me.
Cloud didn't want to see his love hurt, he couldn't bear it. He wanted to
put a stop to this suffering. "What could be wrong with her?" he mused.
"Is it still hurting you, Tifa?" Vincent asked, showing concern for the
young woman. "No, Vincent. It's not" she replied. "So, uh." Barret started. "You know what it is that's hurting you and why?" "Oh yeah! That's why you wanted us all here, right? To tell us somethin'?"
Cid recalled the PHS conversation.
*Flashback*
"Hello? Whaddya want?" "Hey Cid, it's Tifa. Sorry I haven't called for so long. Listen, I wanna get the guys together. Need to tell you all something. You know where Cloud
lives now?" "Yeah sure do. He's gone back to Costa del Sol to his villa. Lucky son of a
!*#£%!"
"Great, so could you get us all down there, do you think?"
"Yeah course Tifa. When?"
"Well, tomorrow hopefully. It is Christmas Eve tomorrow after all." "Right, make sure Yuffie takes some goddamn pills will ya? Her puking all
over the joint ain't gonna help no one."
"Thanks Cid, I owe you big time."
"Yeah, whatever."
*End of Flashback*
"So, what is it that you wanted to tell us all, Tifa?" Nanaki asked as he sat in front of her. "Has somethin' bad happened, Tee?" Cait Sith jumped next to her. Cloud smiled softly. All the animals were sat around her. She reminded him of Snow White. His smile turned straight into a frown, then a
heartbreaking expression was etched on his face, when he saw tears
streaming down her face.
He just wanted to hold her in his arms, kiss her and tell her everything would be all right. But would it though? What was this that was making her
cry?
"Well, everyone," Tifa stood up and turned to look at everyone, then to Yuffie. "Yuffie, you know like you said you couldn't wait until New Year's Eve, because we'd all be celebrating together again? Well," she paused to let out a sigh. Barret urged her to go on. "Everyone will be there, except...
for me." Another tear rolled down her silky cheek.
"What?" Cid shouted. "I don't understand, whaddya mean, everyone will be there except for you? Where are ya goin'?" Barret yelled. Anger was building up inside him, and
he was about to explode.
"Please, Barret. Don't be angry. What I'm trying to say is..." Tifa sighed
again.
"Please tell us, Teef." Cloud begged her with his facial expressions to
reveal the truth.
"I...I won't be here. Guys... I'm dying."
This didn't seem real to them. Just as she thought.
"Dyin'?" Barret whispered.
"How... how is this possible?" Vincent asked. Yuffie gasped in horror and
tears welled up in her dark eyes. "Please, Tifa-chan. Tell me you're
lying." She whimpered. Tifa's eyes fell to the floor. Yuffie screamed,
"Tell me!"
Tifa yelled back, "How could I stand here and lie about something like this? I can't tell you I'm lying because I'm not. Where Marlene jumped and
hit, is where I have a tumour. It's huge and it contains Jenova cells." They all gasped and whispered among themselves things like 'how could this
happen' and 'oh my God.'
Cloud didn't say a word. He stared at her, with a grave look. "Dr Mason said I had a week to live. That was on the day before Christmas Eve. It will continue to grow bigger until it explodes and when it does..."
"So you have 5 days to live Aunty Tifa?" Marlene asked.
"Yes, honey. 5 days."
The young blonde was stood on his own as the others murmured and muttered.
Tifa looked at him and another tear slipped down her cheek. And she
whispered. "I'm sorry."