Thank you all for reviewing! Clorith, where have you been, girl?
Oh yeah, my DISCLAIMER: I don't own Final Fantasy, honest!
Chapter 2: An Angel's Decision
Tifa walked into the church. She had never been here before, but the cathedral was in decay as all of the planet was. Thick vines decorated the walls so only streams of sunlight filtered in. Someone had cleared away the weeds from the stained glass windows, and they glowed in the afternoon sun. The pews were layered with inches of dust. Marlene scampered along next to Tifa, eying her surroundings. "Is this where Cloud lives?"
"So it seems," Tifa replied.
"Where is he?" She asked.
"He'll be back." Tifa answered, sitting down in pew, Marlene beside her.
Tifa must have dozed off. She opened her eyes to the roar of a motorcycle approaching. Marlene looked at her. "Cloud!" She cried happily, and ran to the door to greet him. Cloud entered a few minutes later, and his jaw almost dropped open in shock. "Marlene?"
"Hi, Cloud!"
"What are you…" He stopped short when he saw Tifa, her arms crossed, looking positively furious. "Hello, Tifa."
Tifa walked to them, and bent down to Marlene. "Grown up talk, kiddo."
"Fine," She said with a roll of her eyes, and scampered to the church doors.
"Stay where I can see you." Tifa told her.
"There's some flowers in the back room, why don't you go see if they need watering?" Cloud asked.
Marlene grinned, and ran off.
"She's gotten so big," Cloud said.
"Don't try that with me," Tifa snapped. "Did you think I was stupid? Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"
"Tifa, what…"
"The hospital, Cloud! A friend works there, she recognized you because Marlene talks about you all the time and…" She let out a small frustrated scream.
Cloud avoided her eyes. "You shouldn't be here, Tifa."
"Why the hell not?" She paused, "Listen to me, now I sound like Barrett! Cloud--- you're hurt, you need help. You can't just go running out of hospitals in the middle of the night!"
Cloud didn't answer her.
Tifa studied him for a moment, and then covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh God… I know what you're doing."
"What am I doing, Tifa?"
Tifa looked around the church. "I can't believe why I didn't see it sooner." She grabbed his face, and forced him to look at her, "I know what you're doing, and I won't let you. You think by dying, you'll be able to see her again."
"What's the use, Tifa? I don't think I can save anyone… not even myself."
Aeris reached out her hand as if to touch Cloud's shoulder, but it was as if there was a glass window blocking her. She had been watching over Cloud since she died, and it caused her so much pain to see how much grief she caused him.
"Aeris,"
She turned as her mother called her. Ifalna was beautiful, even more beautiful than her daughter, but her face held a frown. "Dear, that world is no longer yours."
"He's so sad," Aeris whispered and she turned back to the scene before her. Her cinnamon ribbons of hair that cascaded down her face hid the tears shining in her eyes.
"I know, but there's nothing you can do."
"He really loves me, Mom… that makes me very happy."
Ifalna sighed, "Every day you're watching him more and more."
"He needs me more each day." She sighed, "Would it be so bad…"
Ifalna held up her hand, "Aeris."
"I love him, Mom. If I just went back for a little while…"
"Don't you think that would make things worse? The last thing he needs is to lose you again."
Tears began to trail down Aeris's cheeks. "I'm scared for him. He's hurt, and he won't get any help. I'm scared he'd end his life just to see me…"
"There's no place here for those who take their lives of their own accord." Ifalna whispered.
"I'm going back." Aeris said. "I made up my mind."
"Aeris…"
"I have to." She whispered, resting her hand against the smooth pool blocking her from her beloved.
"If you do, you'll have little or no memory."
"I know the rules." She paused, "He'll help me."
Ifalna sighed, staring at her daughter. "So young, so beautiful… you have been through so much."
Aeris gave a small smile. "I love you, mom."
"Are you certain you want to do this?"
Aeris turned back to Cloud, and her heart felt light. "Yes."
Tifa sighed, she knew getting Cloud to move on would be hard, but this hard? Granted, it was romantic the way he kept her in his heart, yet so sad at the same time. "I know you miss her, we all do. But how long will you punish yourself? It's not your fault, and I care too much about you to watch you go through this. Come home, let me take care of you, you should be in bed."
"No one can help me," He whispered.
Tifa reached out, and touched his arm. "Let me try."
"You should stay away from me, all of you. I can't be trusted. After everything, I'm just a puppet."
Tifa sighed, "Sephiroth has been gone for two years now. Nothing that happened was ever your fault. No one has ever blamed you for anything!"
"I bet she has."
Tifa sighed again, "How could you think that? Didn't you see the way she looked at you? She adored you."
"You don't understand. It was my job to protect her, and I failed! She trusted me!" He jumped to his feet, and slammed his Buster into the floor. The sound echoed throughout the cathedral. "DAMMIT!"
"Cloud---"
He was slumped over, his body resting on the handle of his sword, and he was panting. "Just go, Tifa."
"No way." She walked to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Come home. Marlene misses you… I miss you. Will you please stop--- just stop running from me."
Cloud averted her eyes. He knew Tifa had feelings for him, and he did care about her, but as nothing more than a good friend. He could never give Tifa the love she so desperately wanted from him.
The sound of an approaching motorcycle interrupted them.
"What's that?" Cloud asked.
Tifa looked out the window. "It's Raine."
Before Cloud could ask, the doors to the church opened, and a pretty young woman with long brown hair and dark brown eyes strolled into the church, dressed in riding leathers. A helmet was propped under her arm, and she was grinning… at him. "Well, I guess you're not MIA anymore, are you?" She asked him, and then poked him in the chest with her finger. "How-dare-you-leave-the-hospital-like-that-you-idiot!" She said this all very fast.
Cloud sneered at her, and turned away. He remembered her, she was the nurse from the hospital.
"I'm talking to you!" She said angrily, and forced his face to her.
"Back off!" Cloud yelled.
"Cloud, she's just trying to…" Tifa started.
"I'm tired of everyone trying to help me!" He yelled again, "Maybe I don't want to be helped! Maybe I just don't give a damn anymore!"
"Oh, shut up." Raine said.
Cloud gave her a murderous look.
"Tifa told me what happened to your girlfriend, but how long ago was that? Two years I believe!"
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
"Oh, I don't? Well, maybe you remember someone by the name of Zack?"
Cloud stared at her.
"Yes, that's right, he was my boyfriend, and he died! But look at me, I'm not crying every day over him!"
"Did you watch him die?" Cloud demanded, stepping so close to her she could feet his breath on her face. "were you so close you could reach out a hand to touch him? Did you hear…" He swallowed hard, "Did you hear his last breath?"
"No," She said quietly.
"So who the hell are you to tell me how to feel?" Cloud asked.
"Cloud…" Tifa said.
"You're right," Raine replied with a flip of her long hair over her shoulder. "So fine, go on brooding. Waste away. Whatever."
There was a silence between the three of them.
"Raine---" Tifa started.
Marlene bounded back in, "Nurse Raine!"
"Marlene!" Raine grinned.
The two hugged.
"I heard shouting…" Marlene said, eying the adults; from Cloud's face full of hatred, to Tifa's worry, to Raine's puzzled.
"We should go," Tifa said. "Cloud…"
"Is coming home with you." Raine decided.
Cloud opened his mouth angrily.
"Really?" Marlene's small face lit up. She grinned up at Cloud. "I miss you playing with me!"
Cloud glared at Raine. How dare she do this to him? He looked down at Marlene, so full of hope. He took her small hand. "Yeah, but just for the night." And lead her out of the church.