Running From You

Ashe-kun

Yo.. it's Ashe & Tsuki again! How ya been? Good i hope. Alright, this is chapter two of the story that we all know and love.. who's title is above. And hopefully you've read the short chapter one.. sorry it's short.. i'll try to make this one longer.

Disclaimer: I WOULD BE A HAPPY HAPPY PERSON IF I OWNED ANYONE IN THIS STORY. unfortunately i dont, so now i am bound to a promise of no borderlining. But hey.. I'D LIKE A CLOUD STRIFE IN MY TRICK OR TREAT BAG!

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Chapter Two: Interruptance

During his sleep, Shinji found himself moving closer and closer to Tifa, until his hand was placed around her waist. She had unconsciously cuddled up to him in her own nightmare-filled state of mind. Dreams of memories raced through Shinji's sleeping mind one after another, all somehow connected to the girl in front of him. Tifa was half-conscious, and through that first layer of drowsy unknowingness, she heard him mutter things under his breath. "No.. no.. don't take her away from me.. You can't do this..." She realized she was not the only one that nightmares visited nightly. She was quick to fall asleep again.

Yet Shinji woke up in the middle of the night to find himself in the position prementioned. He unwrapped his arms from around her, trying hard not to wake Tifa up as he moved to go outside to watch the stars. 'She was right there in front of me...'

The movement of the blanket was enough to wake Tifa up for the second time, yet she was not fully awake until Shinji was at least ten minutes gone. Looking beside her to find the space empty, she buried her face into the pillow to try and conceal her tears. 'My dreams have tricked me again.. This is the second time that he has come and gone.'

Few seconds later, Shinji returned, still thinking that Tifa had not woken up. He replaced his arms around her, and Tifa was not expecting it. She squeaked, jumping to a sitting position to see what had felt so real. Seeing that it was Shinji, she shook her head (more to herself than him), still believing that he was another deceitful dream.

"I'm not falling for it again." she whispered. Shinji looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

Tifa clenched her eyes shut. "I'm not going to believe that you're real again. I'm not that stupid."

Shinji came and sat next her, taking her by the shoulders and looking for something to try and snap her out of it. Kissing her and holding it for a few seconds longer than necessary, he broke away and asked, "would a dream do that?"

Tifa wondered telling him the truth or simply not answer. She chose the first and blushed, "..yes.."

Shinji looked down, but then pinched her forearm. "Did you feel that?"

A couple of seconds later, Tifa winced at her delayed reaction time to injuries. "Eyaa!"

"There, you see?"

Tifa still looked somewhat doubtful, only because her sleeping side was still controlling half of her mind. "Come back to bed," he whispered, pulling her back down. A couple of silent seconds passed, and he admitted, "Maybe I shouldn't have come back.. then you wouldn't have had to worry about me like this."

Tifa shook her head, turning around to let him see her face. Her braid had fallen out as she slept. "If you hadn't come back, I'm not sure how much longer I could have held onto the hope that you would, one day."

Shinji pulled her into a hug and she rested her head against the fabric of his shirt, falling asleep like that.

--xx--

Tifa woke up sometime around seven thirty later that morning. Sunlight filtered in through the cracks in the blinds, and she found Shinji with his arms still around her; his eyes half-opened and she realized he must've been watching her. She didn't want to move and disturb him, but it was he that muttered first, "You're awake..." Tifa nodded and blushed.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked to fill in the silence. It was his turn to nod, which did not make Tifa feel any less silent. "I'm... sorry about last night.." she sat up, stretching her arms above her head. Shinji came and sat beside her. She stood up to look at him to make sure that he was real, and Shinji said, "Don't worry. It's me." and Tifa put her arms around his neck in an embrace once again.

Shinji was the first one to notice the footsteps outside in the hallway and the door slightly opening. Tifa lately released her arms in shock as Cloud stood in the open doorway.

"Ikari..."

"--Cloud, it's not how it looks--" Tifa looked up at him wildly. He shook his head in disgust. "Cloud, please...!"

"I can't believe you, Tifa..." the look on his face was enough to break Aerith's dead heart, and it made Shinji angry enough to speak.

"Cloud. You're still the stuck-up asshole you were two years ago. But it doesn't give you the right to speak to Tifa like that. You have no idea how many days i stayed alive just at the thought that maybe i could see her again.." he quieted down, sitting back down; as he had stood up in defense as Cloud entered the room. "Maybe I should have never came back.."

"Don't say that--!" Tifa cried, but was cut off by Cloud.

"Yeah. You know what? You're right. You should just go back to where you came from."

Tifa couldn't take it anymore, and she brought herself the courage from within to bring a foot up and kick Cloud out of the room, and she shut the door.