This is my version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Square-Enix owns everything but MY story. Most of this is based on the trailers and what not (I've started writing this before the movie came out so if there's any discrepancies to what you'll be seeing on screen, don't flame me about it). Enjoy the chapter and please review if you haven't done so before.
A Pledge to FreeCorpKnightI will read this chapter all the way through.
I will post a review if I have the time and if you are reading this, you most certainly have time.
I will give constructive criticism when necessary and avoid flaming the author for no reason.
I will not pester the author through junk email or nudges on messenger if he is busy.
I will not sue the author for using anything affiliated with Final Fantasy VII.
I will not sue the author for making a Cloud/Tifa pairing.
I will not sue the author for making Vincent Valentine cooler than Reno of the Turks.
I will not sue the author because I'm jealous of him and his awesome writing skills.
I will not sue the author for fun.
I will not sue the author.
If I violate any of the rules above, I will buy the author a year's supply of candy, his choice.
ONE MORE THING! If you have any clue about how to put asterisks and other symbol stuff up, PLEASE TELL ME! Every time I upload the document, they disappear... Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Oh, and if you have any complaints about the layout or format of the chapters, do tell. That's all.
--- Midgar: Final Heaven ---
THUMP!
Tifa paused for a moment, looking at the door. Something had hit it. 'Probably some passerby bumping into it accidentally…' She thought before opening the fridge and getting out the ingredients for dinner. Yet, that sound was nagging her mind, warning her of something. Something bad… She shook her head, dispelling such worrisome thoughts.
Thump…
A second and less forceful sound followed. This time, it seemed to be lower, as if something was landed near the foot of her door. 'What could it be? A package for Cloud?' Tifa wondered as she approached the front of the bar.
She opened the wooden door slowly, expecting a box for her friend to deliver. Instead, she found someone covered in blood, a victim of some sort of attack. Blue eyes met her gaze, showing relief before closing shut. He fell unconscious. Tifa immediately grabbed his arm and tried to lift the stranger onto his feet. Despite his small frame, his body seemed heavy and proved difficult to move for the slim barmaid. Eventually, she managed to drag the person to a nearby table. Grunting, she threw the body onto it none too gently. 'There may be some advantages in treating unconscious patients,' She thought. 'They'll never know how bad you treat them…'
Tifa glanced at him, accessing the wounds and guessing of their cause. 'Was this man attacked by a gang? Some bandits? No… They're claw marks so he must be attacked by a beast, but in Midgar? There're no monsters here. We made sure of that…'
Wrenching her eyes away, she sprinted into the kitchen to find her medical supplies. Tifa kept them downstairs just in case patrons got sick or if a child got injured. In addition to the first aid kit, she got a bowl of warm water and a towel. Once she returned to his side, she began to wipe the blood away. Most of the wounds were located at the arms and legs so she didn't have to touch his body. Because of that, she was relieved. 'Who would want to undress a stranger?'
Tifa soon discovered that most of his wounds had stopped bleeding, surely a good sign. The blood caking his limbs disguised his true state, making him look far more ragged and abused. In fact, the only serious wound she found was the large gash on his leg. 'That may take a while to heal…' She said, judging by the size and deepness of it.
Just when she reached over his body, a dull glint caught her eye. It came from the man's shoulder. Quickly wiping the blood away, she gasped. It was a wolf earring and there was only one person she knew who wore it. She looked at her patients face. 'Blond hair? Blue eyes? Why didn't I think of this before? This… This is Cloud!' Just when she identified him, a small group came into the bar. This was the first time in days that Final Heaven received customers. Usually, Tifa would be ecstatic but the situation had changed. She didn't care about them. All they would do is take her attention away from Cloud and she did not like that. Not one bit.
"GET OUT!" Tifa screamed at them and immediately pushed them out the door.
"Hey! What's the big deal here babe? We just want some drinks…" One of them complained, trying to get back in. Her eyes twitched at the crude comment.
"I said… GET OUT!" She punched the one who spoke and slammed the door, locking it shut behind her.
Ignoring their curses, Tifa ran back to her friend. "Oh Cloud… What happened to you?" She cried. "What won't you tell me?"
By the end of the hour, she managed to clean all the wounds and staunch the bleeding from the leg. Bandages covered the red openings but not all of them. She had quickly found out that she didn't have enough so she applied them to only the serious ones. She put the cloth into the bowl and sighed. The water in the bowl was bright red, dyed with the color of his blood. "Cloud…" She cried, collapsing onto the seat next to him. "Cloud…"
Her thoughts were focused on the person lying next to her. She ran her hand in a sea of gold, stroking his soft hair. 'Cloud… Please wake up… Please…' Tifa looked at his face, hoping that her thoughts would bring him back to her. 'Please… I haven't told you yet… Please… Wake up…' Eventually, her thoughts faded as the recent events caught up with her. She felt tired and her eyelids slowly but surely closed. Her last thought before she fell asleep was of Cloud. 'I love you…'
--- Hours later ---
Hours later, Cloud woke up. He found himself aching all over, his body weak as though he had a scuffle with a WEAPON. When he tried to get up, an unfamiliar weight on his chest kept him held him back. 'What the…?'
He stared at the mass of dark chocolate hair in front of him. It gave a moan, protesting the movement. Slowly, he remembered what had happened and the last thing he recalled was Tifa looking down at him in shock. Cloud smiled and caressed her face, slowing waking her up.
"Mmph…" A groan came from the mass of beautiful hair. Chuckling softly, he continued to trace her face, following the curves of her cheek. "Mhmmm… What do you want?"
Suddenly, her body stiffened. Tifa slowly looked up at Cloud and snapped her eyes open. "You're… You're awake?" She blinked, doubting her sight.
"Yup, I'm…" Cloud started say before she jumped onto him, hugging him fiercely. "Tifa… Please… Let… Go… Can't… Breathe…" She let go right afterwards, backing away with a sheepish look on her face. "Sorry…" She said, looking at him cough and wheeze in an attempt to get his breath back.
"Sorry," Tifa apologized again, looking down. Her long hair cascaded down her face, hiding the redness creeping upon it.
"That's alright… You did save me…" Cloud said, worried that his actions had alienated her. "I should be the one apologizing…"
"You're right," She bluntly said.
"And you did… What!" He looked at her, confused by her change in attitude.
"Do you know how I felt when I found you? You were bleeding all over the door!" She shouted at him.
"But…" He tried to explain himself but she kept going.
"I spent the whole afternoon looking after you!" She added.
'This wasn't the way I was planning to spend it…' Cloud thought, not even trying to speak. If he tried, Tifa may use her fists and they hurt. A lot.
"I kicked out a group of customers! The first ones in weeks! All for you! This is all because you wouldn't tell me what's going on!" She finished, crossing her arms.
"You're right Teef… I'm sorry… I… I should leave then…" He tried to get up but was gently pushed back down.
"No… Please don't go… Tell me what's going on. I could help." Her eyes pleaded.
"Teef… It's dangerous…" He answered.
"I don't care if it's dangerous! You're injured right now so I know it's dangerous! If you knew that, then you need help! Look at you right now!" She countered.
"Ok… Fine…" Cloud said, reaching his hand out to cup her face. "I'll tell you…"
"You will?" Tifa asked. Then, her face turned beet red when she noticed his hand holding her face up.
"Yes… But you know what, I think you're blushing." Cloud pointed out the color of her face.
"What!" She immediately clapped both hands over her face, hiding the redness from view.
"Do you want to tell me what's making you do that?" Cloud teased, knowing that this would get her sidetracked. Tifa shook her head.
"Is it because you like me?" He asked the question a bit to bluntly he thought. 'Why did I do that? Damn… That's real smooth. I've put her in a tight spot. Now, she's gonna hate me. I hate me.'
Tifa froze. This was one question that she feared. If she said no, that would mean their friendship was no longer. If she said yes, then she might get carried away by her emotions. Not to mention that he might know about her feelings and she definitely did not want that to happen. Not yet at least. Silence lingered as she contemplated her answer. Cloud fidgeted nervously, wringing his hands constantly.
Yes she finally nodded, thinking that this answer was the better. It was also the truth; she did like him and unless she wanted their friendship to end, this was the way to go. Cloud's heart leapt with joy. "You know… I like you too. Actually, I think it's more than that… Maybe… Ummm… L… Love?"
Tifa dropped her hands and gaped at Cloud. 'Ok… This is weird… First, asking how I feel about him… Now this? Him? Admitting his feelings? For me? Is this because he's injured? If it is, he should get hurt more often!'
'Uh oh… This isn't good," He looked at her face and saw shock, maybe horror? Immediately, he wished that he could take back the statement. However, when Tifa pounced on him, he changed his mind.
"Oh Cloud, you have no idea how much that means to me…" She said, kissing him on the cheek many times.
'Oh… Damn… Is this really happening?' Cloud thought. 'Am I dreaming?'
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to say that?" She asked, finally pulling back.
"No… But do you know how long I wanted to tell you that?" He answered, pulling her back to him. They gazed into each other's eyes, Tifa's fiery red mixed with Cloud's icy blue.
The distance between them slowly disappeared. They looked at each other for a moment, silently asking the other if he/she would allow this. All they saw was love, the answer they were looking for. Then, no longer were Cloud and Tifa separated. Their lips brushed and then locked, feeding off of each other's passion. All they could think about was their feelings and how long they've waited for this moment. Nothing else mattered. It was minutes before either of them broke contact. Their eyes were squeezed shut, the two savoring the kiss.
'Oh… My… Damn… That was good. No… Great! Fantastic! Wonderful! Perfect!' That was all Tifa could think before stealing another kiss. This time, it was much shorter though it held the same emotions. When they separated, they just looked at each other, relishing the time they're spending together.
"Ummm… Cloud, are you feeling better?" Tifa asked, breaking the silence.
Cloud stared at her with a confused look. 'Is that a rhetorical question? What is she thinking about?' Then he answered, "Yes?"
"Good! You can walk yourself upstairs to one of those beds!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands. Cloud looked the other way, obviously not expect the sudden change of topic.
"And you still owe me an explanation…" She added, receiving a groan from her friend.
"And one afternoon… No, two… You owe me one for today and I'm charging for my services. So there! I hope you don't have any plans for the weekend." She finished with a smile. This time, Cloud rolled off the table, falling unceremoniously onto the floor.
"Cloud? Cloud? Are you ok?" Tifa asked, worried that one of his wounds had opened during his crash. He just groaned, more so in irritation than pain. Smiling, she gave him a hand and helped him get upstairs. When they got into one of the empty rooms, they both collapsed on top of it. Tifa was about to get up when he grabbed her hand. "Please… Please stay with me for a bit…" He begged.
'How could she resist him?' She thought before answering. "Ok…" She leaned back, lying next to him. They spent the time looking at each other, each lost in his/her own thoughts. Eventually, their eyes closed and sleep claimed both of them.
As it turned out, it was the most peaceful rest the two of them ever had. Tifa snuggled into his chest and Cloud had his arms wrapped around her slender waist. They were, at last, in peace.
FreeCorpKnight: Woot! Finished with this chapter!
Yuffie Kisagari: You know… If you stop playing GunzOnline, you could churn out more chapters… Maybe two a week!
Reno: Yeah! (tries to get his arm around Yuffie) Get your lazy ass writing!
(Minor fight ensues…)
Reno: (bruised and battered, stares at barrel of a rifle) Ummm… (gulps) Sorry?
Vincent Valentine: (looks at Yuffie)
Yuffie Kisagari: (smirks) Apology accepted!
Vincent Valentine: (removes gun from Reno's face) If I catch you doing that ever again… (death glares Reno)
Reno: (prepares to run) Jeez Vince…
Vincent Valentine: (eyes twitch)
Reno: I didn't know that you liked her that much! Are you two getting married or something? If you are, I'll be the best man! (runs away)
Vincent Valentine: Grrr… (transforms into Chaos and pursues) Rawr!
Yuffie Kisagari: (pops up with Reno's nightstick in hand) I thought I heard someone talking about me…
(Distant roars of rage and pain in the distance…)
Yuffie Kisagari: Must be unimportant if I can't figure it out (shrugs)… Hmmm… I wonder how much this is worth (looks at recently acquired weapon)? Guess there's only one way to find out… (skips down the street looking for a pawn shop)
FreeCorpKnight: (frowns) How come I lose all the attention?