Chapter 2 – A Glance Into The Past

Tifa looked at the sudden intruder with an angry frown. "Where the hell have you been Barett?

Barett stood at the doorway knowing no real explanation will keep him out of trouble. "It was Marlene again. You know how teenage girls can be, have to be all dolled up for school and stuff. So by the time I drove her to school I was already lat..."

"Okay, okay Barett. Just put your stuff in the back and come out here."

Barrett's eyes bulged in surprise. Tifa usually went off her head at him for hours and make him do all the shitty jobs. With a sigh of relief, Barett did what he was told and went to the back to put away his coat and keys.

Turning her attention back to the old man, she gave a slight smile. "I'm sorry about that."

"No don't be. Besides I should be on my way. I have things to do and places to be. So anyway, how much do I owe you?"

"Ummmm... around 20 gil, but don't worry, it's on the house."

The old man chuckled slightly to himself. He couldn't believe the kindness of a woman who he met only hours before.

The old man dug into his pocket to reveal his wallet. He took 20 gil out and left it on the counter. "Thanks Tifa, but if you were this nice to every stranger that walked through the door, you wouldn't be doing any business at all."

And with that, he turned around and proceeded towards the door.

Tifa suddenly remembered that she didn't even ask the old man his name. "Hey! I didn't get your name."

The old man suddenly stopped and turned around. He smiled at Tifa and stood at door for a brief moment before answering. "It's not important Tifa because I highly doubt we will meet again. But I would like to thank you for everything. You have made me realise things that I should have realised a long time ago. Thank you once again. Goodbye Tifa."

The old man turned around again and went outside. He stopped and looked around the surroundings and felt that something felt different. How did someone make him realise things so quickly? With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and took in this new feeling.

Meanwhile Barett was slowly making his way to face Tifa at the front. He knew Tifa to well to know that he did get off too easy before. He walked up to Tifa and stood behind her and began to think. 'One, two, three, four, five... here it comes.'

Tifa spun around and began her chewing out on Barett. "How many times have we had this talk Barett? You know when we agreed to be partners with this bar, I expect you to approach it in a professional way. Like today, first you come late, then you come rushing into the bar like a drunken hooligan, then you scare away my customers and then you...

Hearing the arguing from inside the bar, the old man went near the window and peered inside. He saw Barett standing next to Tifa with his head down and what seemed like receiving an earful. The old man smirked as he wouldn't want to be in Barett's position at all. The old man thought of his old friends and the fun they had when they were younger. 'You have good friends Tifa. I think it's time for me to see my own. Thank you and goodbye.' With his final thought he turned around and began walking down the main road in Midgar. He still didn't think he had anything to look for in life, yet maybe with his remaining years on the planet, he may as well try to make the most of it. And just like that, he was now a man on a mission and his first stop would be Junon. And just as he told Tifa, the man never returned to Midgar ever again.

Later that evening...

There was an hour left until the bar closed and Tifa was feeling exhausted. It was a particularly busy night for a week day and it was dragging every minute that went by. She looked into the kitchen and saw the glasses piled up. She rolled her eyes and growled to herself. This really wasn't the night she intended to have.

Barett noticed her exhaustion and quickly walked to her side. "Go home Tifa, I'll finish and close up the bar."

Tifa turned to argue but realised that she really was exhausted and she really did need some sleep. She turned around and went to the store room to gather her things. She came back to the bar and noticed that Barett now was starting to clean up. "Barett, are you sure I should go?"

Barett stopped wiping down a table and gave Tifa a smile. "Please, go home and get some rest. Seriously, I'll be ok."

Tifa as she is, felt guilty for leaving Barett. Yet her body and mind ached to catch up on much needed rest. Tifa reluctantly made her way to the door but before leaving she was stopped by a shout from Barett. "If you wanna come over for dinner, come in about an hour. Marlene should let you in, if I'm not home by then."

Tifa wasn't in the mood of eating. "Thanks Barett but I think I'll go straight to bed."

Barett nodded and replied, "Ok, have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Barett."

Tifa then proceeded to walk out of the bar and went home.

Barett began thinking when Tifa left the bar. He didn't plan on part-owning a bar after his fight for the planet with Avalanche. His life began straight after Sephiroth's defeat, where he took Marlene back to Corel where he helped rebuild the crumbled city. His role in saving the planet and rebuilding the city earned him the respect of townspeople, as well as what he sees as his greatest achievement, the mayor of Corel. This was a very happy time in his life, as he had his little girl by his side and patched old relationships with the townspeople.

Then, a year after from returning to his hometown, he decided to visit Tifa. He knew Tifa had moved from Nibelheim to Midgar, but for what reason, he did not know. When meeting up with Tifa, he was in shock with the state of his best friend. Tifa was a wreck and seemed to the lack the heart of the cheerful girl he once knew. She looked awfully thin, pale and didn't say hardly anything to him. Barett knew this had to be a Cloud related issue as his friend was extremely close to having a nervous breakdown. Finally asking her what had happened, Tifa broke down crying as she explained what had happened. Barett was furious, he wanted to kill his friend, the spiky haired jerk. Even telling Tifa that he would leave to find him and wring his little neck, but Tifa dismissed Barett's proposal through sobs saying that it wouldn't solve anything. After a few days with Tifa, he realised that it wasn't safe to leave Tifa on her own. As many as they come, Barett was faced with another dilemma in his life. Shall he remain in Corel or should he move to Midgar to help his best friend get back on her feet?

His initial reaction was to have Tifa move to Corel, but Tifa didn't want to saying that Midgar was the next closest thing to home. After hearing Tifa's response Barett had no choice in his view but to move to Midgar. It was a quick decision but he knew he couldn't leave Tifa on her own. Barett didn't see Tifa as his best friend, but as another daughter. Marlene and Tifa were his little girls and he wanted nothing more than to see them happy, even if it did mean leaving Corel. To Barett, family meant more to him than any town ever would.

Without Tifa knowing, he came back to Corel, resigned from his position as mayor, packed his things and left for Midgar. The townspeople were sad as well as angry to see him leave, but in the end were grateful for everything he had done for them and would welcome him back if he ever chose to return. Barett did say he would return one day in the future, but for now, he had personal matters that needed to be sorted out. When arriving back to Midgar, as Barett expected, Tifa was shocked to find that he had come back to live their. She felt guilty for making him come but at the same time she was glad to have a friend close by to talk to. Barett bought a house close by to Tifa and constantly checked up on her to see if she was okay.

After a month, Tifa came up with the idea of opening up a bar and for Barett to become a partner, which he agreed as a great idea. Time went by and to Barett's relief, Tifa was becoming herself again. Sometimes he did see her depressed at times but at least it wasn't as bad as she was when he first visited her. Barett was also glad to see that Marlene had settled into the change and was doing well at school. Tifa's appearance constantly around her has filled the many aspects of mothering that has been missing in Marlene's life. Especially now that she is in her early teens, Barett would rather Tifa handle some issues that may need a female's point of view. Barett was glad that both his little girls were doing well and couldn't be happier that he made the move to Midgar.

With that as his final thought, Barett snapped back into reality and proceeded with his cleaning duties.

Later that night...

Tifa had just finished a quick meal she had prepared for herself and was now going to bed. She really was feeling the exhaustion taking over her body and very much needed some sleep to revitalise herself. She put the plate in the kitchen sink and went to her bedroom. She changed into her pyjamas and jumped into bed. Closing her eyes, she felt her head going in circles and knew it was a sign of overworking herself at the bar. Going deeper into her sleep, she again began thinking of Cloud. Ever since her talk with the old man, it had become a nightly event to think about him even though she wished she wouldn't. It wasn't as if she didn't think of Cloud from time to time, but it was coming far too frequent now. 'No, not tonight,' she thought and began her deep slumber.

Flashback

It was a beautiful day in Nibelheim. The sun entered Tifa's room as a blinding light and woke the sleeping beauty from her slumber. Tifa yawned and stretched realising that it was time to get out of bed. It had now been three months since the defeat of Sephiroth and Tifa and Cloud had decided to live in Nibelheim as it was the only place they could call home. She began her daily routine where she changed into her favourite skirt and tank top, then go next door to get Cloud for breakfast.

As she opened her door, she was shocked to see Cloud sitting on the well, arms stretched behind his back and his legs dangling over the wooden plank. He gave Tifa a cocky grin before laughing to himself.

Tifa could only laugh herself before adding, "Oh my God Cloud, could this be true that you have woken up early all by yourself. Usually I need to drag your spiky head out of bed and listen to all your complaints."

Cloud's grin only became wider. "Who? Me? Nah! You must be thinking of someone else... and besides look at how nice it is today."

Tifa took a step outside the door and couldn't help but agree with Cloud. It hadn't been like this for a while, since it had been cloudy and windy for the past couple of weeks. She walked towards Cloud and took a seat next to her childhood friend.

Tifa looked at Cloud and was still surprised that he was up this early. "So if you woke up so early, why didn't you come and wake me up?"

Cloud turned his head to Tifa with the same cocky grin and said, "Who's to say I didn't?"

Tifa frowned at his last comment because she didn't remember Cloud trying to wake her up. "No you didn't Cloud. I don't remember you waking me up... and what's up with the big grin on your face?

Cloud laughed again to himself before adding, "I just feel happy I guess and I did come inside to wake you up. But when I saw you sleeping, I wouldn't dare wake up sleeping beauty... plus you were drooling all over the pillow... it was pretty gross."

Tifa instantaneously gave Cloud a hard punch in the arm with a big smile on her face. "Shut up Cloud! You're such a fucking liar." Tifa began to think and became paranoid. "I don't drool... do I?"

Cloud continued staring at Tifa and at the same time rubbing his throbbing arm. Boy does this girl know how throw a mean punch. Even though it hurt like hell, his cocky expression never left his face. "Honestly Tifa, no you don't. I'm just kidding around."

'That's a relief' Tifa thought to herself. She then noticed that Cloud slipped down onto the ground and stood in front of her. "But you know Tifa, I did find something that amused me when I went into your bedroom."

Tifa's mind and heart began racing. 'Oh my God, I didn't say anything in my sleep did I?' Tifa pondered and waited eagerly for Cloud's next words.

The words never came except that Cloud reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and revealed an item to Tifa.

Tifa could only look in shock before going very red in the face. For in front of her dangling in Cloud's hands were a pair of her panties she kept in her room. Realising how embarrassing this was, she took a swipe for her panties while yelling, "Cloud you little perve, give that back!"

But before Tifa could reach, he yanked his hand back away from her reach and started to retreat, taking small steps backwards. "Uh, uh, uh. Finders, keepers."

This comment only infuriated Tifa. She slipped off the wooden plank and walked towards Cloud, matching his retreating steps. "Cloud, you didn't find them, you stole them. Now please return them to me or else I'm gonna have to hurt you."

Cloud didn't flinch at Tifa's threats but rather tucked the panties back in the inside pocket of his jacket, then patted it. "Sorry Tifa but they are quite comfortable where they are." Cloud then began laughing hysterically.

Tifa eyes opened up wide at Cloud's refusal to give her clothing back. "You're so dead." With saying that, she ran towards him.

Cloud's reaction was instantaneous when realising that Tifa was after him. He took off down the road and out of Nibelheim. Running into the open field, Cloud quickly realised that this was a bad decision he took. Cloud may have the upper hand in strength when it came fighting... but when it came to agility, Tifa was far more nimble than him. Nevertheless, he continued his marathon run across the field laughing his head off which infuriated Tifa only more. She quickened her pace and was gaining a lot of ground. When finally only a few steps behind him, she took a desperate lunge at the mighty hero and tackled him to the ground. Due to the momentum of the impact, they both rolled over each other for several meters until they finally came to a halt.

Tifa quickly got up and flipped Cloud onto his back. She placed one leg on one side of Cloud's chest and one on the other and kneeled down so she had both knees on each of his arms to restrict his movement, as well as hurting him at the same time. Seeing that Cloud was breathing heavily and completely helpless, she reached into his pocket and retrieved her item of clothing. She placed it on her side between her skirt and her hip and brought her attention back to Cloud.

Tifa was baffled at Cloud's actions and his sudden interest in playing harsh jokes on her again. This hadn't happened since the night at the Golden Saucer and she was glad that Cloud was happy and laughing.

Seeing that Cloud was still laughing, Tifa saw this as an opportunity to teach him a lesson. She dug her knees deeper into his arm which resulted in Cloud still laughing but wincing every so often. Seeing that this was not doing enough, she placed a hand on Cloud's inner shoulder and placed a thumb on his collar bone. Cloud realised what she was doing and fear quickly replaced his smug expression knowing full well of Tifa's martial arts knowledge of the human body. "No! Tifa! Please don't!"

Now seeing the fear in Cloud's eyes brought a cocky smirk on Tifa's face. "Well Cloud you should've been a good boy and not taken a personal item that's not yours."

She applied pressure onto Cloud's collar bone and watched as Cloud began wincing and attempting to squirm his way free. Tifa felt victorious and held a huge grin while applying more pressure onto his collar which resulted in Cloud screaming in pain and yelling various swear words to overcome the agonising pain. "Now, now, Cloud, fighting and screaming only makes it worse for you."

Cloud couldn't move and the pain started to become unbearable. Cloud sightly lifted his head off the ground and looked for any way out of the torture. It then suddenly occurred to him of the position he was on the ground. "You know Tifa... owww... I didn't know... owwwww... that you are wearing... ouchhhhh!... pink undies today."

Tifa's eyes went extremely wide in shock before closing her legs together with her kneeling upright and her knees resting on Cloud's chest. "Cloud! You little shit!" She raised her hand to give Cloud a slap across his face.

Realising he had gotten his arms free, Cloud blocked the slap, grabbed her arms and flipped her onto the ground. He lied on top of her and pinned her arms down. Tifa couldn't do nothing but stare into Cloud's face which was inches away from her own and acknowledge defeat.

Cloud also had no where to turn and could only stare back at Tifa. No words were exchanged between the two, which made Tifa a little paranoid in why Cloud was just staring at her. He released his grip on Tifa's arm and brushed away hair that had fallen over her face. Cloud placed his hand on the grass next to her and continued his gaze. Was this the way two friends can act with each other? Tifa was about to question Cloud but was beaten by him unexpectedly saying "Your extremely beautiful you know that Tifa Lockheart?"

Tifa's heart began to race faster. Was Cloud flirting with her? Her face slightly became a little redder as she was extremely embarrassed. But there was no where to turn but to stare into his eyes. Cloud began to lower his face towards Tifa's face very slowly. As he did so, his chest applied pressure to Tifa's breasts which made her unexpectedly a little excited and resulted in her breathing a little quicker.

Tifa couldn't believe this was happening. The man she was completely lost in love with was about to give her a first kiss. She closed her eyes and slightly parted her mouth, waiting in anticipation for his descending lips.

The kiss came but it wasn't as Tifa expected. She felt a light pressure on her nose and opened her eyes in surprise. It was a game they had started since coming to Nibelheim where they would kiss and suck the tip of each other's noses which they both found annoying and thus the point of doing it to each other.

After realising what Cloud was doing, Tifa tried to break free and began struggling under the body of her friend. It was Tifa's turn to scream obscurities at Cloud which she did so while trying to free herself from this playful torture. "Cloud, you ass! Get off me!"

Cloud pretended not to hear her screams for freedom and applied more pressure onto her nose. Tifa became a little more infuriated with his reluctance to comply with her demand and began struggling even more under him. Tifa finally gathered all her energy and pushed him off her.

With Cloud now on her side, he continued his hysterical laugh. This went on until he realised that Tifa was not laughing anymore but she was just staring at the sky. "Tifa?"

Now sitting up on the ground with her hands behind her back holding her up, Tifa pretended to be angry with Cloud, by putting on a serious face and turning her head away from him.

With no response from Tifa, Cloud began to worry that maybe he indeed angered her and maybe took the joke too far. He got up from the ground and walked over to Tifa. He squatted down next to Tifa who continued to look away. "Tifa, please talk to me."

Again with no response from Tifa, Cloud began to worry since it was not his intention to make Tifa upset. Still looking away, Tifa was trying to hold a straight face. Her hair covered the side of her face which allowed Tifa to hide her expression from Cloud.

Cloud began to think of how to get Tifa to talk to him again. A few minutes past and Cloud still had no idea what to do. Thinking, thinking…. then suddenly he had an idea.

"Hey Tifa! Remember that time when Cid cursed so hard that he forgot he had a cigarette in his mouth and swallowed it. Hehehe… and the doctor told him he couldn't talk or smoke for days. Man was he pissed!"

Tifa held it together the best she could… until she remembered Cid using a dozen nicotine patches at a time and writing on a notepad to communicate. Every time he scribbled something down, everyone pretended they couldn't read what he wrote. Barett was the worst than any of the members of Avalanche. Every time Cid wrote something for Barett, Barett would say he couldn't read it because of Cid's bad literacy skills. "Come on old chimney, give me something I can read. Hang on, I got an idea. Write over your sentences with a crayon and I'll take it to Marlene so she can translate it for me. Okay?" Cid would then become infuriated and start jumping up and down in anger and kick things around the Highwind… as well as kicking the Highwind flight members in the butt.

It was a rare moment in their journey to have a laugh like that. Hell it even made Vincent crack a wide grin.

With all the memories flooding back into her mind, she broke out into a highly contagious laugh which now resulted in Cloud laughing a lot harder. They continued to laugh for a few minutes until they both settled down. "See Tifa, you can't stay angry at me."

Tifa rolled her eyes and waved her hand in front of her face. "Yes Cloud, I can't stay angry at you," Tifa said with a voice of sarcasm.

Cloud smirked at Tifa's response. He got up and held out his hand in front of Tifa. 'Come on, let's go eat breakfast."

Tifa looked up at Cloud with a frowned expression. "Hmph! You would be lucky to get breakfast after pulling a stunt like that on me."

It wasn't a surprise to Cloud that Tifa responded the way she did. Actually he was expecting to get more of an ass whipping but he would take what he gets.

"Actually, as punishment, you have to carry me all the way back to the village. That sounds fair since you made me come all the way out here Cloud," Tifa said.

This was really nothing for Cloud but he thought he could get one last rise out of Tifa before he agreed to comply with her demand. Cloud began groaning and exaggerated the offer Tifa gave him. "Aww man! That's a fair walk for a man to carry a woman and since our journey, we haven't done much training, well you haven't anyway, so you've become a lot more heavier…."

Cloud could see that Tifa's hands were now clenched knowing full well stealing certain items of clothing from a woman, costs a bruising… now teasing a girl's weight issue… expect to be hospitalised. Especially Tifa, Cloud would consider that lucky so he was quick to change his mind in getting a rise out of Tifa.

"…hey, hey… just kidding Tifa! Ummm, yeah sure, sounds like a deal." Nervous as Cloud was now, he quickly scooped Tifa up from the waist and behind her knees, and began walking back to Nibelheim.

After a few minutes, Cloud was relieved to see that Tifa's hands had now relaxed where one hand was behind his back and the other resting on his chest. It was funny to see Tifa like this. He hadn't held her in his arms like this since… since… he cursed at himself mentally to not bring up the event.

Cloud tightened his grip around Tifa and brought her closer to her chest almost in a protective manner. Realising the sudden change, Tifa looked up at Cloud to see if he was okay. "Cloud… are you alright?"

Now Cloud realising what he done, released his grip to the way it was before. "Sorry Tifa, I didn't release how tight I was holding you."

Tifa was quick to respond saying, "No, no, no. It didn't hurt, it just seemed you were a million miles away in space… that's all."

Cloud looked down at Tifa. He replaced his empty expression with bright smile which seemed to make Tifa feel a whole lot better. "Trust me, I'm fine."

Happy with Cloud's response, Tifa snuggled her head closer to Cloud's chest, sensing his heart beat. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the closeness between them. Many girls around the world would die of envy if they saw the world's greatest hero carrying her in his arms. Tifa smiled to herself realising that Cloud was indeed her hero. The hero that would save her whenever she would be in trouble… the very promise she made Cloud say when they were younger.

A few minutes of silence went between the two, which gave Cloud the time to think and be astonished at how far out they ran out of town. He took a quick glance at Tifa and smiled to himself. She appeared to have her eyes closed and be deep in thought with a sheepish grin on her face. If only he could find a way to know what she was thinking about?

Still looking down at Tifa, he noticed how comfortable he was carrying Tifa around. Staring at her face, a cold wave of prickles seemed to surface over his body. He wasn't lying when he told her that she was beautiful… because he had always thought that ever since he was a child.

His eyes then trailed lower towards her chest and again his body was hit with another cold wave. He did feel guilty for looking at Tifa, but he was a man and still held normal human instincts. His mind wondered off into fantasy where he imagined how Tifa would look underneath her clothing.

Suddenly Tifa stirred in his arms with a comfortable sigh. Cloud quickly averted his eyes straight ahead hoping Tifa didn't open her eyes and catch him in the act. Luckily for him, she didn't. His grin went wider in a 'got a good perve and not get caught' sort of way.

Feeling quite cocky again he thought he might be able to stir up Tifa once again. "Hey Tifa!"

Tifa stirred again, almost as much as if she were in bed. She opened her eyes and responded in a quiet response. "Yeah Cloud?"

Cloud looked down at her again with a cocky grin, which Tifa instantaneously knew he was gonna say something totally unnecessary. "I hope your not sleeping down there. This is kinda a new t-shirt and I really don't want it all wet after seeing how you sleep today."

Tifa's eye twitched in anger and then punched him hard on the chest with her free arm. "You're such a fucking ass Cloud. You always say something to ruin a comfortable moment. Plus you said I don't drool. What happened to the old generous and genuine Cloud huh? Now you're just cracking wise ass jokes and not considering anyone's feelings! From time to time it's okay to crack a joke, but lately you're just…."

Cloud looked ahead and started to think to himself. 'Good one Cloud. Look what you started you dick! Now you got Tifa rambling and she's not gonna stop till we get to town which is... Oh God! It's friggin another 10 minutes away.'

Cloud stopped walking and looked down at Tifa who was still talking and waving her hand everywhere making a more dramatic effect. "…back on our journey you hardly said a word. Now look at you. You're treating everything…"

There was no way Cloud could get Tifa to stop. 'You really ate stupid pills for breakfast didn't you Cloud. Tifa's not gonna stop till she's made her point very clear to you.'

These jokes had been enough for Tifa. It was far too many even for Cloud. "…so what tomorrow? You're gonna scare me while I'm sleeping or put salt in my drink or…"

Then suddenly, even surprising himself, he raised Tifa's body so that her face was right in front of him and kissed her.

Tifa's eyes bulged and immediately her heart begun racing. If anything today, or rather for next five years, she was not expecting this. Still bewildered, she continued the kiss the man of her dreams had planted on her.

Five or six seconds past before Cloud realised what he had done. He was certainly surprised at himself for doing something like this. 'What are you doing to your childhood friend Cloud! You're gonna scare the poor girl!'

He slowly broke of the kiss and slowly began receded his head back. But before he could pull his head back fully back, Tifa brought both her arms around Cloud's neck and forcefully pulled him back down till their lips met again.

This time Tifa took the initiative and made a more passionate kiss. She parted his lips with her tongue and placed it inside his mouth, which Cloud willingly accepted. She began exploring his mouth and gently massaged his tongue with her own.

Cloud now catching on, returned Tifa the favour and began massaging her tongue with his own as well as sucking her tongue in a continuous movement. This was a first kiss for both of them, yet everything felt so natural and so… right. They gave each other time to take the lead in the everlasting kiss which included occasional soft moans by Tifa and low grunts from Cloud. The kiss was ever so becoming more and more passionate, which to any bystanders would consider two people trying to devour each other.

Eternity seemed to pass until they both decided to break the kiss for a bigger intake of air. Their lips broke apart with a loud smack which concluded the fact that all good things must come to an end.

Both of them were breathing heavily yet neither spoke a word to each other. Looking at each other brought a bright shade of redness on both of their faces, resulting in Cloud quickly lowering Tifa to the way he was holding her before and Tifa repositioned her hands as she had them before. Tifa buried her head into Cloud's chest trying to hide the immense amount of embarrassment she had. Cloud reacted in taking very shaky first few steps as he looked onwards and walked towards the town.

Another few minutes past and neither said a word to each other since the incident. They both seemed to be in a trance and reflecting on the unforgettable kiss. Yet it was Tifa who seemed to have something on her mind to say to Cloud.

Bringing her face out into the open again, Tifa found herself asking Cloud the thing that seemed to have her thinking deeply. "Cloud?"

He took a look at her and saw that she hadn't looked up at him. He inwardly hoping she wouldn't want to talk about the kiss. "Yeah Tifa?"

This was going to be hard for Tifa. "Can you promise me something?"

Cloud now totally relieved it wasn't anything about the kiss, but at the same time, eagerly wanting to know what she wanted him to promise. "Ummm… it depends on what it is Tifa."

"Well…ummm…" Tifa did not know how to say it to Cloud. With all her might, she encouraged herself to spit it out. This time she looked up at him and said what was on her mind. "Cloud… I want you to promise me…"

Tifa took a deep breath and continued. "I want you to promise me that we will always be friends no matter what happens and that you will always be nearby when I need you."

This was very unexpected for Cloud. He didn't know exactly the right words to say to Tifa, but he was happy that someone such as Tifa wanted someone as himself close by to her and consider him a friend for life.

He looked down holding a happy smile on his face. "I promise Tifa, you can always depend on me."

Tifa extremely happy with Cloud's response, gave him a quick hug before snuggling closer to his body. She could not get the events that happened over the morning, which she concluded as the most happiest day in her life so far. She had her hero carry her back to town, then an unforgettable kiss with him, then a promise that he'll always be there for her. Tifa closed her eyes and began thinking up a dreamy fantasy involving her and her hero.

Cloud on the other hand seemed quite disturbed. Oblivious to Tifa was the fact of Cloud's sudden mood change. With a frown, Cloud was deep in thought. "What's that Cloud? You're up to three promises now and you have failed every single one up till now. What makes you think your gonna be able to hold this one? Your just gonna screw it up somehow and lose someone dear to you, like your… father… your mother… Zack… Aeris… starting to ring any bells Cloud? It would be best if you just save this poor girl from the bad luck you bring and leave her in peace. You're an idiot Cloud… an idiot….

Lightly shaking his head, they continued their journey back to town in silence. The only difference being that Tifa was thinking of pleasurable fantasies, while Cloud was battling mind demons.

End Flashback

With a high gasp, Tifa woke up very suddenly realising that she had been dreaming of her past. Tears began descending off her face and dampening her pillow. These times were the happiest Tifa had ever had and yet it still pained her to think of them. She wished she had never fallen in love with Cloud, but convincing her heart otherwise was futile.

Tears increasing began to fall freely onto her pillow as she wondered what had she done to deserve to feel all this anguish. Tifa closed her eyes and in the smallest of whispers revealed the reason for her sudden outbreak of tears. "Why did you leave me Cloud? Just tell me... why?"

Author's Note: Hmm… I've enjoyed writing this chapter but I really thought it was never gonna end. Next chapter is the return of Cloud. How will Tifa handle it? R & R.