When Cloud left the room I leaned against the door trying to take in what had just happened. Would we have kissed if Aeris hadn't interrupted? Did this mean Cloud was in love with me?

"Tifa come on Cloud won't start till you're here!" The angry voice of Aeris screeched as she banged the door. I rolled my eyes and got dressed. I quickly brushed my hair and tied it back and made my way back to the room where there others were waiting. I had promised to help Cloud tell his story and I planned to keep that promise. I came back in the room and everyone turned to look at me.

"Sorry I took so long." I said blushing slightly.

"It's fine Tifa.." Red said to me. I smiled as I went back to where I had been standing before. There was a silence for some time and Aeris broke it.

"Tifa... Were you waiting outside then?" She asked,
"...Yes." I whispered. I remembered getting so angry with the soldier for not letting me in. I had glared at him and sulked all the time we were outside together. He never spoke to me he just stood there and though I couldn't see through his helmet... I felt like he was watching me. It was un nerving in a way.

"We returned to Nibelheim." Cloud started "Sephiroth confined himself to the Inn. He didn't even try to talk to me." he said sadly. I closed my eyes. This was it. I had to confront these memories no matter how painful.
"Then all of a sudden he just disappeared, right?" I said.
"We found him inside the biggest building in Nibelheim." Cloud said. I could remember the old building well. The older boys used to make up scary stories about the place. Some said a woman named Mariana had once lived there. Abandoned by her lover she sat alone in her wedding dress waiting for him to come back to her... but he never did. They used to say her ghost haunted the mansion and some claimed they had even seen her pale face looking out one of the windows. I had always imagined a Vampire lived there. In reality it had been abandoned for years but my father told me people from Shinra had once lived there.

"The villagers used to call it the Shinra mansion." I said.
"Long ago, people from Shinra used to live in that mansion..." Cloud said. As Cloud continued with his story I listened with fascination to how Sephiroth descended into madness but then when he started talking of the destruction of our hometown my tears started to fall. The next part of the story was the hardest part of all... the death of my father...

"Papa..."

I knew my dad had gone after Sephiroth... he was so brave.

"Sephiroth!?"

I was the one who found him...

"Did Sephiroth do this to you?"

There was blood everywhere...

"Sephiroth... SOLDIER... Mako Reactor... Shinra..."

all over him... all over the floor...

"I hate them all!"

As I tore my eyes away from my father I saw it.... the murder weapon... the masamune. It lay there it's cold steel stained with my fathers blood and the blood of the other dwellers of the village... my village. My safe perfect little world was destroyed, the man who had protected me all my life dead.

The masamune glistened as if it was mocking me. Grief was pushed aside and replaced with rage and the need for vengeance. I picked the sword up, I was amazed at how light is was. I wasn't thinking my legs just moved as if someone else was controlling them. I moved quickly but I was as quiet as possible. I knew I didn't stand a chance if we were to fight one on one, the only chance I has was surprise. Then I saw him there, his back to me, his long silver hair shining and I knew I had my chance.

"Mother, I'm here to see you. Please, open this door."

Who was he talking to? The room was empty... just him and I.

"How could you do that to Papa and all the townspeople?"

I screamed at the top of my voice and not waiting for an answer I ran at him. He turned round looking a little surprised but not the least bit worried. His gloved hands had closed over mine before I realised what was happening. My chance had gone. We struggled for the sword. His strength was terrifying but I kept hold. I tried to get his hands of mine but I knew I was fighting a losing battle. I felt a tear run down my cheek the moment I lost my grip on the sword and felt it slip put of my hands. He held it high and looked me in the eyes smiling. He didn't say a word as he brought the sword down and at that moment I truly believed I was going to die... The next few seconds where a blur as I fell down the stairs...

I bit my lip as I tried to remember what happened after that. For the first time Cloud's memory fitted perfectly with mine. My hero had saved me. When I had come round in the hospital I had assumed I was dreaming.

"...You promised..."

His soft blue eyes looked down at me...

"You promised that you'd come......"

He looked so sad...

"when I was in trouble..."

He carried me in his arms and all I could feel was pain, but I knew I was safe....

"And that's the end of my story." Cloud said quietly.
"Wait a damn minute! That's it? No more?" Barret asked confused.
Cloud moved his hands over his face

"...I don't remember." He said. I bit my lip. I wanted to comfort him but how could I. I was just as distressed and confused as him.
"What happened to Sephiroth?" Aeris asked.

"In terms of skill, I couldn't have killed him." Cloud said and he sounded almost ashamed.

"Official records state Sephiroth is dead. I read it in the newspaper." I said quietly. I had been looking for something about Cloud that day like every other day and there it was. An article declaring the death of Sephiroth. I was happy when I read about his death, I was only sorry he hadn't died at my hands.

"Shinra, Inc. owns the newspapers, so you can't rely on that." Aeris said. There was another silence.
"...I want to know the truth." Cloud said "I want to know what happened. I challenged Sephiroth and lived. Why didn't he kill me?" He asked.
"...I'm alive, too." I said as I moved my hand over the area where he had struck me. Cloud's eyes fell on me and a look of concern crossed his face.

"A lot of this doesn't make sense. What about Jenova? It was in the Shinra building, right?" Aeris asked.
"Shinra shipped it from Nibelheim to Midgar." Cloud answered, his eyes were still fixed on me.
"Did someone carry it out later? It was missing from the Shinra building." Aeris asked.
"Sephiroth?" I said quietly.
"Damn! None of this makes sense! I'm going, going, going, gone! And I'm leavin' the thinkin' to you!" Barret said annoyed. I wanted to do that too... just run away and not think. "Yo, Cloud! Let's get a move on!" Barret shouted as he made his way to the stairs.
"Wait a sec" Cloud said, his eyes were still fixed on me. Maybe he wanted to talk to me. I looked down blushing a little.
"Cloud, what's wrong? You just gonna stand there while Sephiroth heads for the Promised Land? I an't letting Sephiroth or no Shinra get to no Promised Land. If they do, then we're all screwed. Y'know what I'm sayin'?" Barret said annoyed. Cloud looked at him his eyes were shining ice blue.
"Beautiful, just beautiful!" he said his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Jus' leave it to me!" Barret said as he made his way down the stairs. I groaned. Wouldn't those two ever get along?
"Oh brother..." Cloud said. He looked down, his arms were crossed and he looked like he was thinking. I sighed, I wanted to comfort him so much. I loved him so much.... my hero. Or was he? Non of this made any sense.

"Cloud?" I whispered finally. He looked up at me. "How bad was I after Sephiroth stabbed me?" I asked.

"I thought you were a goner. ...I was so sad." he said quietly. We stayed looking at each other for some time. I was about to step forward to wrap my arms around him when I heard a voice.

"I..." We both turned to see Aeris stood there. I had completely forgotten about her.
"The Ancients... Cetra... Jenova... Sephiroth and myself..." She said more to herself than to us. She looked down at the floor absorbed in her own thoughts. We were all silent and it was killing me. I didn't want to think about this. I couldn't understand what was going on.

"Let's go. Barret's waiting." I said quickly. Cloud nodded and Aeris made her way down the stairs looking more than a little distressed. Cloud and I followed.
"What a fascinating story..." I heard Red say as we left. He had not left his spot on the bed the whole time.

I stopped half way down the stairs. I was so confused and scared.

"Tifa?" I heard Cloud say. He was behind me and I felt a strong hand on my back. I turned around to look at him. What I did next surprised me just as much as it did him. I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his hair. I held him so tight and so close. He wrapped his arms around me and held me just as tight. I didn't know what was going on but one thing I was now sure of. My hero had saved me. My lips found their way to his ear.

"Thank you for keeping your promise" I whispered. He responded by holding me even closer.

"I won't ever let anything like that happen to you again." He said quietly. "I won't let you down." He said, his voice was not steady at all and I could feel him shaking slightly. I closed my eyes and held him tighter.

"It's going to be ok," I said "I'm a big girl now... and it's not just us this time. We have our friends with us. We can do this" I said, I knew I had to be strong.

"Excuse me." A timid voice uttered. I turned to see a young woman stood behind us. I suddenly realised Cloud and I were blocking the stairs. I blushed and Cloud started to scratch the back of his head.

"I'm sorry." I said smiling as Cloud and I moved to one side. We were silent for a few moments before I looked up at him. "So where to next oh great leader?" I said. He smiled.

"Wherever Sephiroth is." He answered.

"And he will be sorry when we find him" I said as I cracked my knuckles and grinned. Cloud then took hold of my hand and looked me in the eye.

"I...I don't know what I would do without you..." he said and his cheeks turned a little red, as did mine.

"... we had better get going..." I said as I moved my other hand to my cheek. 'Stop blushing!' I thought to myself. I kept hold of his hand and lead him down the stairs. We made our way to the door and Barret blocked our way.

"Yo, Cloud. Here." He said as he handed Cloud the PHS. Next thing I knew Aeris came and pushed herself between Cloud and I as if I wasn't even there. My dislike for the girl suddenly grew.

"With PHS, I can see you any time!" She said with a wink. Cloud gave a small nod and turned away. "Well, I'll be going." She said in a cheerful voice but she didn't seem to be moving. What the hell was she waiting for, a kiss?! Cloud again nodded and then turned back to Barret.

"Awright then, we're outta here.." Barret said with a grin. He couldn't wait to get down to the fighting. Its what he is best at. We made our way out of the little village of Kalm.

"So where to now?" I asked Cloud.

"I spoke to a few of the villagers and they said they saw Sephiroth pass through here... he can't have got too far." I looked around the empty fields and let out a sigh. This was not going to be easy. We walked for some time looking for any sign of Sephiroth when we came across what looked like a farm.

"What the hell?" Barret said.

"Are they... chocobos?" I asked. I had only really seen them when travellers would ride into Niblehime on them. Of course there were never any in Midgar.

"Lets go see if the farmers know anything," Cloud said. I was glad we had finally come across some form of civilisation. All we had seen in the fields were monsters and grass... lots of it.

"Cloud the chocobos are so cute" I said as I leaned over the fence to get a better look. Cloud smiled.

"Careful Tifa those beaks are a lot more powerful than they look." He said as he stood next to me.

"Common fools! Lets get going!" Barret said in an impatient tone. He clearly didn't appreciate the cuteness of the chocobos like I did. I reached out and stroked one.

"Hello you." I said. It looked at me for a few seconds it's head tilted to the side as if it were trying to decide what to make of me.

"Wark!" was it's reply. I giggled and Cloud laughed as we left the chocobos and made our way to the little cottage. We wandered inside and a elderly looking man greeted us.

"Thinking of crossing the marshes?" He said with a smile. Cloud and I looked at each other.

"Yeah" Cloud said.

"Hmm, then it'll probably be safer for you to get a Chocobo. That way you can zip through the marshes with the Chocobo. It's the only way to avoid being attacked by the Midgar Zolom." He said, his tone menacing. Was he just trying to scare us?
"Midgar Zolom...?" Cloud asked.
"It's a serpent-like creature over 30 feet tall!!" He said as he stood on his toes and extended his right hand above him. It picks up on footsteps that enter the marshes..." He said quietly, "And then, BAM!! It attacks!!!" He shouted and jumped at me causing me to jump. I suddenly decided that I did not like this man. "To avoid that, buy a Chocobo at the Choco Bill and Choco Billy Chocobo Farm." He said in a cheerful tone. "To purchase a Chocobo, please talk to my grandson. He's in the Chocobo stables at the far right end of the farm."He said grinning at us. He hadn't really left us with much choice! Cloud and I looked at each other.

"Hmm, then, I guess that's that." Cloud said as he shrugged his shoulders slightly. We got out of the cottage rather quickly and made our way to the stable.

"What a creepy man," I whispered. Cloud smiled and put his arm around me.

"Don't tell me the brave Tifa Lockheart is afraid of an overgrown snake!" He said with a laugh. I blushed a little and smiled.

"Me? I don't think so! ... but we should still get a chocobo... just in case you and Barret can't handle him of course!" I added quickly. Cloud laughed and playfully pushed me into the stable. The smell inside was not the most pleasant of smells but I guess thats the price you pay when running a farm. Suddenly we were approached by a young man in a cowboy hat.

"Do you want a Chocobo?" He said smiling at us.

"Mmm...... Give me one." Cloud answered. I smiled, Cloud's peoples skills could certainly do with some work but I still loved him.
"You old folks are out of luck!" He said. My eyes widened, I was only twenty and this guy was not much younger than me! My hands instantly went to my cheeks and I started to wonder if travelling had taken it's toll on me.
"Old folks...?" Cloud said sounding annoyed.
"We're all out of Chocobos. I'm taking care of those ones out there for someone else." He said ignoring Cloud's comment. I suddenly didn't like this guy either. "You know, if you really want a Chocobo, you should go out and catch one." He said. He then carefully explained how to catch a Chocobo. 'There has to be something in it for him,' I thought to myself.

"Well then, shall we get down to business?" He said with a grin. "I'll sell you the 'Chocobo Lure' for 2000 gil, right now. You want it?" He said in a cheerful tone. I rolled my eyes. I knew it. "Thanks!" He said as Cloud handed over the money. "It wouldn't hurt to buy some 'Greens' either." He added. I started to wander the stable before I got too annoyed when I was approached by a girl.

"Wasn't it really expensive?" She whispered to me. I nodded and glared at the young man. "But don't be mad at my brother or Grandpa." She said as she put her hand on my arm. "Ever since dad and mom died, it's been like this..." She whispered.

"Oh..." I said suddenly feeling a little guilty. "I'm sorry." I said.

"It's ok... I just wanted you to know why..." She forced a smile and went back to her work.

"Tifa?" I turned to see Cloud standing by the door. "Come on lets get going." he said extending his hand to me. I took his hand and we made our way outside. "Tifa, whats wrong? What did that girl say to you?" He asked looking concerned. He stopped and put his hand under my chin tilting it up a little so I was looking at him.

"She just said her brother and grandfather are only like that because of her parents death." I said. "I just feel a bit guilty for taking such an instant dislike to them." I said looking down. "Cloud's hands moved to my shoulders.

"It's ok Tifa, you weren't to know. And death changes people, we both know that." He said. "Try to cheer up yeah? They'll be fine." He kissed my forehead and I smiled a little. "Damn!" Cloud said suddenly.

"Whats wrong?" I asked.

"I forgot to ask if they has seen Sephiroth." he said as we stopped outside the Old man's cottage.

"Well lets go in and ask him now." I said smiling. We entered the cottage and the old man was sat at the table. He turned to look at us when he heard us enter.

"By the way," He started before we had a chance to ask anything. "There was another person heading towards the Marshes." He said. We all looked at each other. "Without a Chocobo, the Midgar Zolom probably got him. It was a man in a Black Cape." He said. My eyes widened.

"We should be so lucky." I murmured. It was then that the mirror next to me caught my eye. I looked in it and pushed a lose strand of hair behind my ear. Old folks indeed I looked fine... I hoped. A worried look crossed my face, it was then that Cloud came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"You look beautiful." He whispered as his lips brushed against my ear. He then smiled at me in the mirror and moved towards the door. I tried to hide it but a big grin came across my face.

"Thank you for your help." I said to the old man as we left to cottage and I practically bounced out of the door as I was in unusually high spirits.