Bloodrush
--------------
There weren't many beautiful places on the Planet. The majority of them was tainted by ShinRa and was altered to adjust to the corporation's crimes. However, there was one location that managed to evade ShinRa's corruption. Although a ferocious war broke out in Cosmo Canyon, it occurred an eon ago. Now, the Canyon perched proudly on the plateau, towering over all other civilizations on the continent. The war perished, but the scars and memories would always be present to serve as a reminder that the Canyon would not be standing today had the great warriors of the past not use every ounce of their energy to save their valley of the fallen stars.
Moments ago, AVALANCHE had just witnessed Red XIII's father for the first time. It was evident that the beast had suffered intense pain for its body was heavily impaled with poisonous arrows and pikes, causing the entire form to petrify over time. Although he was no longer among the living, Cloud could feel Seto's spirit. His unmatched rage could only be mollified with his ardent love...the love he had for his kind, his family, and most importantly, his home.
Cloud sincerely hoped that Red would handle the revelation well. He had grown up detesting his father his entire life, but now Bugenhagen had helped him see the truth.
Since it was rather late and traveling in the dark would prove to be a difficult feat to manage even for an accomplished fighter, Cloud granted the elder's request by staying overnight. There were plenty of rooms in the inn, enough for the entire party to rest comfortably.
Cloud knew that a long journey was waiting for him tomorrow but he just couldn't sleep. He gulped down the final content of his drink and set the empty glass on the ligneous table. He left a generous tip for the waiter and gathered his belongings before leaving the inn.
As soon as he stepped out, a gentle cool breeze welcomed him. He stood still for a moment, letting the wind rustle his hair and caress his skin. The night was absolutely gorgeous. The entire sky was layered with white stars...so much to the point that Cloud thought it could even rival the night he shared with Tifa back in Nibelheim. Each of them sparkled like gems with twinkles reflecting off each other, creating small showers of glitter over the Planet.
The Canyon was quiet. Cloud gathered that most of the inhabitants were already asleep since it was past midnight. The only sound came from the burning Cosmo Candle that was never put out. The wood crackled lightly beneath the bright orange flames in an attempt to keep it dancing for a lifetime to come. Cloud took a seat in front of the fire and watched the smoke snake above him, eventually dispersing into the sky. It felt rather empty without the others sitting with him, but that was what he wanted. A few hours ago, the entire party gathered around the fire. None had much to say. All eyes were kept on the mesmerizing bonfire, deep in thought. It was an awkward moment as he went around interrogating each person.
Some comments were irrelevant, like Yuffie's, and others had him thinking, which was why he wanted to be alone at the moment.
He couldn't help but feel that there was something missing in his heart. Barret's comment about Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie had taken a sudden effect on him. They were the original AVALANCHE members and although he was never really close to any of them, they were still a team--they were a family.
He never appreciated all the things they did for him, or how hard they had tried to help him open up.
And now they were gone. Hopefully, they returned to the Planet in peace.
Barret mentioned that they would all head to Cosmo Canyon to celebrate their victory on the day of ShinRa's downfall. What they never knew was that the simple missions of bombing the reactors would eventually lead to a long and arduous journey to save the entire Planet, not just Midgar City.
Cloud had lost many old friends and the new friends he made could never replace them. Sometimes he wished he could go back to the past and change all his actions. There were countless things he could have...he WOULD have done better, but regret never registered until it was too late.
"Hey, can't sleep either?" A soft voice spoke behind him.
"No, I can't..." he confessed.
Tifa lingered around for a moment, unsure of whether to leave or to stay. She found Cloud alone most of the time, isolated from the rest of the party. Perhaps that was what he wanted right now.
"You can stay."
She was surprised that he managed to read her mind. Maybe it was written all over her nervous body language.
Tifa smiled at his offer and took a seat next to him. For the first few minutes she just stared at the bonfire in awe. It was even more spectacular at night with the flames casting off dark shaped shadows on the red canyons. She watched the shadows wave back and forth in their little unique waltz; each succeeding stance was more impressive than the preceding one.
"So what brings you out here in the middle of the night? Is there something wrong?" the leader asked. He turned to his side just in time to catch a glimpse of the iridescent fire reflecting in her eyes. He couldn't help but stare, entranced by her large wine colored pupils as they emitted a hauntingly alluring glow. The amber tint from the fire highlighted all her perfect features, especially her eyes, as they seem to carry on a life of its own.
"I was just thinking what Barret said earlier. I wish they were all here right now..." She hugged her knees and leaned closer to the fire. The heat made her feel safe; it made her feel secure with the warmth she had always wanted, but never obtained. It felt more like a home than Nibelheim...well, the new Nibelheim anyway.
Tifa had always been fascinated with bonfires. She felt like a moth with the flames tantalizing her with each passing second. They had the ability to soothe her, but they also made her remember all sorts of things. She could still smell the putrid scent of blood mingled with machine oil that covered the steel elevation of the Sector 7 pillar. She could still see her wounded comrades as they wished her and Cloud luck with their last dying breath. She could still hear the roaring chopper flying above the pillar, sending showers of ammunition and soldiers to annihilate any walking civilians who tried to defend the tower. Most importantly, she could still feel the hot tears burning her eyes as the indescribable grief consumed her. Never had she felt so helpless in her life. Watching her friends suffer was one of the hardest things she had to witness, but not being able to save them moments before their death was THE hardest thing she had to endure.
Sometimes, the most beautiful things on the Planet required no monetary value, but came with a heavy price to pay.
"I was thinking the same thing," Cloud admitted. "Why is it that we never cherish what we have until they're gone?" He finally pulled his gaze away from her and locked it on the bonfire when she turned around. The flames were a breathtaking sight, but it couldn't compare to watching them in Tifa's eyes.
"We take a lot of things for granted...we never know how much we can lose until it's lost."
"I...don't want to lose anymore." The mercenary could've sworn he saw images of his burning town in the fire before him. It was as if his memories were being manifested into something real. He thought the nightmares would fade, but they still haunt him to this day...for the past was something he could never let go of. If he did, he would be nothing, he would be no one.
"But life is cruel...we can be here one day and gone the next. I had no idea that they were all going to die that day..."
She was right. None of them knew that Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse were going to become martyrs on the day the pillar went down. He didn't even get a chance to properly say good-bye to them with so much other problems to handle on the agenda list.
He didn't even need to ask the next question. "Barret must be taking this pretty hard..."
"Yes. He thinks it was his fault...like he abandoned them when he went to fight the Turks." The brunette bowed her head. She hated to admit it, but she felt like there was something she could've done to help them too.
"Hey..." Cloud gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "We...can't blame ourselves. We had no choice but to stop the pillar from collapsing. Although we couldn't stop ShinRa...we tried our best. We were just fortunate enough to escape in time." They escaped, but hundreds of people in Sector 7 died that day. Should he let remorse expend him? He realized that AVALANCHE wasn't much better by setting explosives in the reactors. Innocent people died at their hands too. "Like you said before...we can be here one day and gone the next. Death is inevitable, but at the same time it's unpredictable." He ran his hand down her soft arm, settling it on the face of her palm.
She lifted her head slightly and fastened her fingers around his. "I know we tried our best, but things didn't turn out the way we expected. No body is to be blamed for this...except ShinRa."
"I don't know when, I don't know how...but ShinRa will pay one day."
"I hope so..."
She felt as if she had just concluded their conversation with her last phrase. No words were exchanged within the next few minutes, but myriad thoughts and memories were brought to life by the bonfire.
Neither of them wanted to break the silence. It was not awkward, but welcoming. Listening to the crackling wood brought the two more peace than a single evening rest at an inn ever could. It was like hearing an emotional a Capella piece without the words. Their hearts were tuned enough to interpret the song of the flames, strong enough to withstand the dynamics as they reached the sentient pinnacle of the musical score.
They say that your friends are a reflection of yourself. For one brief moment in another space and another time, Cloud and Tifa saw what they were fighting for in each other. It was registered first in their hearts before their heads, in their souls before their minds. Cloud had never been sure of anything in his life, but he was certain that what he saw in his childhood friend's heart was real. It was the one thing he would easily bet his life on.
A blink brought them back to the crimson canyon. The flames were still furiously flickering in their own little game of 'hide and seek' before their spectators, but the viewers were too preoccupied with something else than to watch the game.
Although they were unsure of what just happened, both were confident that the emotions they had just witnessed was anything but a dream.
They both shared the same motive for joining AVALANCHE. They were fighting to avenge the people who died in Midgar, they were fighting to stop ShinRa, they were fighting for their friends, they were fighting to save the Planet, and they were fighting for each other.
"Tifa...?" He continued to hold her hand tightly while silently wondering how long they had they been staring at each other. It seemed like only seconds but felt like an eternity.
She nodded as a gesture of acknowledging him. Tifa chastised herself inside for not being able to look away from him. She was a trained fighter and if she concentrated enough, she could pull herself out of any battle...but she just couldn't seem to pull herself away from Cloud Strife. It was like falling under a magical trance conjured by an existence that was stronger than any Cetra that graced the Planet.
"I know I said that I don't want to lose anything and anyone anymore...but the truth is that I can't stop it from happening. It's part of life." He scratched his head uncomfortably; unsure of how he wanted to phrase his feelings.
Tifa nodded again. She wasn't sure where he was going with his comment, but she waited patiently for him to continue. He was nervous and she could tell.
"Mmm...why don't I make you another promise?"
"Another one? You sure you're not going to forget it like last time?" She couldn't help but lightly joke even though it did hurt her greatly when he first said he didn't remember.
"Yeah, about that...I'm really sorry. I just momentarily forgot...but I can never truly forget it." His tone was very serious. He meant every word he said.
"So...what kind of promise do you want to make?" Not knowing what he was going to say next both scared and excited her. She was leaning towards the latter, but Cloud Strife can be mercurial at times.
"Tifa, I don't want to lose you. I promise that I'm going to try my best to make sure that we can come back Cosmo Canyon after all this is over to celebrate our victory."
"I..." She was completely speechless. Cloud was indeed a man of surprises. A few hours ago, she was sitting here with AVALANCHE, wondering if it was really the old Cloud with her. Sometimes she felt he was somewhere faraway, somewhere no humans can tread. Was this really the old Cloud making the promise to her?
"Cloud...? You're not going to forget this promise no matter what happens, right?" She closed her eyes, praying that it was her real childhood friend speaking before her even though a part of her still felt that he was trapped away somewhere.
Everything became so much more complicated and she couldn't shove away her fear.
"Tifa...I promise. I'll never forget...no matter what happens..." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, drawing her head against chest. Sometimes he was confused of who he really was. His head would throb as a familiar voice would speak to him and old memories would come flooding back.
But Tifa Lockheart was the one lucid element in his whirlwind of frenzy.
"Thank you, Cloud. Perhaps our future will look bright..."
---------------------------
Author's Notes: Well here's another Clotif fic. I think that there are a lot of scenes in the game where the producers can develop more Cloud/Tifa interaction, but they want to remain neutral in the love triangle so I guess it's up to the writers to use our imagination. D Please let me know what you think of this piece and thank you for reading!