(Refer to chapter 1 for the disclaimer.)
Chapter Two: Another Day in Paradise
Less than an hour after Cid had confronted Cloud, Tifa had awoken, dressed, and headed for the shoreline. At this early hour, the beach was barren. The coming sunrise would be hers alone to watch, she thought.
As she sat staring out over the sea, she didn't notice Aeris approach and sit down in the sand by her side. Tifa continued gazing at the waves, oblivious to her company, until Aeris spoke.
"I didn't figure you for an early riser." Tifa looked back at her as Aeris spoke. While Tifa had dressed completely before heading out, Aeris obvious wasn't as concerned about her appearance. She had left her hair down and uncombed instead of the usual twist. Her heavy boots, metal bracelets and light jacket were missing from her normal ensemble as well. Sitting there in nothing but a loosely buttoned and sleeveless pink dress, Tifa couldn't help but think it made her look much younger than her twenty two years.
"Honestly, I'm not sure how I even pulled myself out of bed at this hour. What about yourself?" Tifa said, smiling pleasantly.
"All this traveling has worn me down, but normally, when I was back home anyway, I'd always get up to watch the sunrise." Aeris looked to the sky as she spoke. "It just makes me feel good knowing that whatever happened yesterday, today is fresh and full of hope." They both smiled looking out over the water waiting for the light of day.
Tifa had awoken in a depressed state of mind this morning and left her room to be away from the others. Still, Despite her original intent, she was glad Aeris had found her. If anyone could lift her spirits, she could. Tifa often thought the only reason such a vastly different group were even able to function together, was because of her cheery optimism. Not that Tifa would ever admit it to her.
It wasn't because they weren't friends. Far from it. They had actually become best friends in the short amount of time they had known each other. They often gossiped and laughed about anything that caught their minds.
And often what caught their minds was their team leader Cloud. They had both fallen for him and fallen hard.
Tifa had known Cloud since childhood. Sort of. She couldn't remember exactly at what point in her life that she met him. Most likely, she had known him much longer than she had actually noticed him. He hadn't exactly came over to play much when they were younger. And for some reason, one day he left. Her last childhood memory of him was when they met under the stars. He told her he was going to leave to join SOLDIER.
Tifa had made him promise to come back to her. That had happened over seven years ago. Two years later, when delegates from SOLDIER were sent to their town, he didn't come. Nor did he return when the town was burned to the ground. It was only a few months ago, did he finally turn up again.
She had found him nearly collapsed and delirious at the old train station. She took him back to the bar she live and worked out of and nursed him back to health. During that short period, she found out that he quit SOLDIER. Despite still wearing the uniform, he never spoke of what happened during his enlistment except in vague general statements. He also mentioned that these days he was hiring himself out as a mercenary Tifa was desperate to keep him around. With a bit of haggling, she talked Barret into hiring him.
It was on that particular mercenary job that Cloud and Aeris had met for the first time. He had treated her kindly despite the hurry he was in he even bought a flower from her. Initially, she couldn't help but notice similarities between him and her first and only other boyfriend, a man Zack. The second time they met, was when Cloud had crashed through the roof of the old abandoned church she grew flowers in.
As he lay there, she took time to actually look at him. Somehow, even in his damaged unconscious condition, he had the look of someone that had seen much pain and yet was still very naïve about the world. She helped revive him, thankful for her natural healing abilities. They would be further tied together through both accident and coincidence. As time moved on, Aeris grew to the realization that Cloud wasn't much like her old boyfriend at all. While he tended to be more serious, there was also intensity, caring, and resolve in him that Zack had never shown.
The two women's similar feelings were part of the reason why Tifa wouldn't tell Aeris how much she thought the team needed her. While they showed no aversion toward each other normally, neither would give the other the advantage if they could avoid it. They were more than friends. Each viewed the other as almost a sister, but one day Cloud would have to choose between them. Despite how much they may have liked each other, neither wanted to loose him. That's what Tifa had woken up thinking about.
"Tifa, I think we have to talk." Aeris broke the silence between them.
"Sure. You know you can always talk to me." Tifa shook the heavy weight of memory from her. After a slight pause she continued. "I'm sorry. I'm not being very good company, am I?" It wasn't until that point that Tifa noticed the uncharacteristic sadness in her friend. She made a guess about why. "It's about Cloud, isn't it?" Often they would joke about him, their rivalry, or even light-heartily teasing each other in front of him, but never did they come out and discuss him.
"Tifa, I know this may seem strange but asking you this, and if you don't want to talk that would be alright, too."
"You can ask. Come on." I bothered Tifa to see her like this. Aeris was supposed to be the one you could always count on to be happy.
"Do you think he likes me?" The suddenness of the question stopped both of them for a moment. She had touched untread ground. They had never seriously talked about their feeling toward him.
"I'm sorry," Aeris quickly added after seeing the discomfort in her friend.
"Don't be. This was coming. Sooner of later … Yeah. I think he does." Tifa forced herself to say ever word. Still, no comfort showed in the Cetra's features.
"Then why doesn't he ever say anything to me? Has he ever told you he cares?"
Tifa couldn't recall anytime that since he left to join SOLDIER that he said he cared for her. In fact, she couldn't remember him ever mentioning he cared about anyone. Sure he'd shown concern about people, but there was a difference.
"...no..." the word was weak Tifa's throat.
"...and you've know him longer. Honestly, I've always thought he cared more about you. You seem to have a history together." Aeris rested her hand on Tifa shoulder not sure whether for her own support or her friends.
"Well what do you see in him?" Tifa said trying to come to Cloud's defense and maybe change to the subject to a more cheerful one.
"Hope."
Tifa mood lightened a little bit. "I think I know what you mean." She said, smiling at her friend.
Aeris didn't smile back. "Maybe you do, a little bit, but I don't think you can completely." Aeris drew her legs up to her chest practically grasping herself into a ball. "I'm all-alone in this world, the last of my kind. When I die, that's it. No more Cetra. Living in the slums doesn't help much either. It only makes things harder. I try. I really do. I try to make the place better, I put on a little pink dress make myself look all pretty and go out to sell flowers for a single gil. Do you want to know why I do that?"
Tifa didn't answer the question. Aeris didn't expect her to and she continued talking. "Flowers make the world prettier to look at and I sell them because people don't want them for free. I'd like to just be able to hand them to everybody, I'd like to see flowers everywhere, but people wouldn't want them then. They don't understand why anyone would give them something. Not even something as simple and innocent as a flower." she sighed "Yet, everyone who buys one walks away feeling just a little bit better and for a few minutes. The world is a little bit brighter. Then they force themselves back to their old mindsets. They're left wondering why they even bothered. I don't want to live in that world anymore. I don't want to live that way. I want something better, Tifa. Some place better." She paused for a few seconds. "Excuse me, this is hard to say."
"That's okay if you don't want to talk about it." Tifa could feel the pain in her friend and didn't want to hear anymore. It's not fair, she thought isn't anyone allowed to be innocent and at peace anymore. She did not, however, say this, nor did she interrupt Aeris's much needed confession.
"When I saw Cloud, I could tell that he was the same way. He wanted something more. Even the first time I saw him. I think…. Maybe….. we understand each other. At least I hope we do... Maybe I'm just being silly... I didn't really mean to tell you any of this." She paused for a minute. "and don't tell Cloud, okay? He seems troubled enough without me adding to it. You know how he gets. He'd probably just think I was using him. I'm not sure I could convince him I really do ... care." She stopped herself for saying 'really do love him', both women knew what she meant.
"Hey, we're friends right? You got my word. Besides, I'm pretty much in the same boat. The big difference is, you were actually trying to make the world better. I can't even do that. I ran a bar, remember?" Aeris actually smiled and let loose the grip she had on her own legs. "All I've been able to do is hook up with a group and go on commando raids." There was a brief bitter laugh from her "We both want him to take us out of this place to somewhere better."
"Is that I guess that makes him our White Knight, doesn't it?" Aeris asked.
"Would you prefer calling him Prince Charming?"
"You give him too much credit." An image of Cloud dressed in fancy regal regalia shot into their minds. The idea seemed so absurd it caused both young women to laugh. When they stopped laughing, Aeris continued on. Her voice was still troubled but not as bad as it had been previously.
"Seriously, I just want you to know that if something happens to me, I want you to make him happy. And I want you to tell me the same." At this point she leaned in and rested her weight on Tifa. Tifa didn't mind.
"Aeris? Are you alright? What brought this on al of a sudden?"
The flower girl bowed her head. Her flowing hair hid her face.
"I don't know. Sometimes I can talk with the Ancients...and sometimes...every once in a while, I can see things."
"You're scaring me, Aeris. What things? What did you see?"
"Maybe it was just a bad dream. I hope it was. But it didn't seem like a dream. My dreams are always crystal clear and bright. This was foggy, like it hadn't fully cemented itself yet. Maybe it might not happen. Anyway, I saw the group standing somewhere. I don't know where it was but it seemed liked I should know it. They were mourning someone."
"Cloud?" Tifa's heart raced at even the implication that he could be killed. Aeris looked at her as if her own heart would break.
"No. Not Cloud. It was one of us. You or me. I'm sure of that much. I woke myself up before I could learn. I didn't want to know." Aeris paused. She dreaded continuing her story but knew she had to. "I saw the rest of the guys and they were heartbroken. But ... but who ever it was that tried to comfort him, Cloud I mean, was pushed away.," She choked. "but that wasn't the worst. He wasn't crying, Tifa! He wasn't crying for them! … and who ever was left he was just pushing away." Aeris was trembling now. "He doesn't love us, Tifa. Either of us."
Tifa shook her head. "It was just a dream, Aeris. Besides he cares, he just can't say anything. He's the team leader right now. He doesn't have time to follow his heart. He knows that if he chooses one of us, it'll break the other one, and right now, he needs us both to be strong."
"I know you love him. I do too, but do you really believe that, Tifa? Do you think he cares for either of us at all?"
"I want to, but it seems that there's just something wrong with him. No, that's not the word. I don't want to say wrong but it's the only word that I can think of." Tifa sighed. Aeris's curiosity was peaked more than she cared to show.
"Really? Tifa, you've known him longer. What do you mean? What's wrong?"
I don't know. Sometimes ... sometimes he seems like a different person completely. Something's troubling him."
The two women sat in silence, their conversation taken to past the limits they had set. Neither of them wanted to think too much about what they had spoken of.
Coming Next Chapter: Leaving Town
