Hello again!

Insert big musical intro I'M BACK! Sorry guys, this update sure took its sweet time huh? Well, I'm sorry but my computer had a nasty old virus attacking it, poor thing and I lost all of my writing sobs. Now there is every anti virus thing on my comp so this disaster will not happen again...I hope. Anyway back to the story;

I have had a few comments, I won't say complaints, but almost, about how depressing the last chapter was. Well they were intentional. I wanted the fic to start off on a sad note, very sombre mood, so it made for depressing reading I know, but I wanted that. There will be more, maybe minor but still more, depressing moments even tragedies (yes tragedies!!) in this fic so make sure you grab your tissues in future chapters, because I will write whatever mood feels right. I am the author, trust me, I know what I'm erm...doing...

Well the last chapter & prologue were Tifa based, so lets leave her merry little world and skip along to a certain spiky-headed jerk's one...

When Heart Rules Over Mind

Akao's Warning

Autumn.

The season that lovers always remember. The season of peace where all souls dream of their most precious memories. The season where nature performs her most simplistic and yet, most beautiful display of wondrous colour with her dancing leaves. Autumn is nature's gift to her one and only love, forgotten, save for the whispers of the falling leaves that tells her tragic story to those who care to listen.

The season is beginning, the one time of year that a certain somebody had been dreading ever since he and –she- had parted. He missed her, and as he gazed out at the landscape around him, his whole body ached from being parted for so long from her along with the rest of the world. He had become a recluse. As he sat beneath the same tree he always did every evening as dusk approached, he wondered just how much the world out there had changed in his absence. He was so far away from everything that he felt like time had just stopped.

Suddenly, his deep blue orbs glinted as they witnessed the first golden leaf, swirling gently to its resting place on the earth. Reaching out carefully in front of him, he opened his gloved hand and watched the leaf fall gently into his palm without a single sound. The autumn leaves were finally beginning to fall it would seem, and he closed his fist gently to encase the leaf. Bringing his now clenched fist up, he rested his forehead against it and closed his eyes with a sigh. This was going to be the hardest time since he left her side that he would ever have to go through.

And he knew it.

She had been everything in his life once. All he bothered dragging himself up for in the morning, and the reason he found the energy to pick himself up again and again. She was there, always there when he needed someone to help him through. Though he never said it, he needed help and she silently knew. Every time. She was the one person who always seemed to make him smile, just by looking at him, or saying the simplest, yet most meaningful things. Her voice made his mind at ease, her smile made everything right with the world and everything about her gave him the life to carry on living with.

And without her?

He opened his eyes and looked out at the scenery around him. The land was abandoned, unpopulated and untouched by the modern world. Just the setting he needed. The grassy ledge he was situated atop now, provided him with a viewpoint over the plains below. Fort Condor stood in the near distance as silent and peaceful as when AVALANCHE had aided their final victory all those months ago.

'Has it really been that long?'

He heaved a heavy sigh as he ran his free hand through his wild blonde hair. He missed her, though he wouldn't admit it, not to himself the real reasons why his heart panged so hard every time she filtered to his thoughts – which she often did. She was just a friend he missed deeply, like anyone would when they had been parted from their closest friends for so long.

Then why in that case, was it that only she made him so heartsick and saddened? Not any other member of AVALANCHE entered his thoughts so often. Well, apart from another woman that made his head reel with guilt every time her name sounded in his head. She had been equally as precious to him, and they had parted unwillingly by the cursed interventions of fate. Yes, she had caused him to feel great pain when he left her that day all alone, by herself. She looked so innocent when he last looked at her, so broken, yet just as he would always remember her – strong willed and unfading. But the one he longed for more than anything was not her. The woman he ached for, though deniably, was once within his reach, so close he could have reached out and she would have willingly fallen into his open arms, the way she showed her true friendship and affections proved this to be true.

But he never let her. And now, wherever she is, she is alone. All alone. Just like him. Because he had been too scared to reach out for her, they both had to suffer. Fate was cruel to the one man who earned a happy life more than anyone else. Funny how life deals you out your cards. The most obnoxious low-life in the world Don Corneo got everything he wanted, money, women, grandeurs. And the most innocent, vulnerable Cetra treasure in the whole universe could be thrown away like a useless meddling toy without a second glance.

The world was cruel. Beyond all meaning and reasoning it was cruel.

Getting to his feet, the lone warrior stood firm on the abandoned, isolated plains of Condor, watching the sunset in the evening sky. Flames of red and gold shot across the late evening sky, illuminating him in a sombre glow. His golden bangs whipped about him as he watched the pinnacle of the sun dying before him. Looking down, he opened his fist, uncoiling his gloved fingers carefully to reveal the delicate fallen leaf, un-touched. Opening his palm fully he allowed the leaf to be plucked by the wind and blown away in the warm air to rest on the earth in some other place. He wondered silently to himself, wherever she was, if she was watching the same sun. And would in turn be thinking of him like he was un-endingly thinking of her.

"Tifa!"

Hearing her name called, Tifa jumped, dropping the light bulb she had held up to the light fixture in the centre of her bar ceiling to the ground. It smashed into pieces and she stumbled off balance almost falling to the ground. "Damnit!" She cried, her arms flailing as she tried to steady herself. In one last attempt to gain balance, she grasped hold of the frosted glass blades of her ceiling fan/light fixture and held on, as the stool she was stood upon stopped wobbling and came to a steady halt.

"What's taking you so...?!" Miguel stopped in his tracks as he entered the bar from where he had been waiting for her in the kitchen. His mouth spread into a wide grin and he burst into laughter at the comical scene before him. Tifa was holding on for dear life to the –ceiling fan? "What in the world are you doing Tifa? You know you aren't allowed to ride on the fans propeller blades. How many times do I have to tell you?" He said with a grin. He walked over to her and placed his hands on her waist. "Want me to help you down beautiful?" He asked with his trademark coy smirk.

Tifa scoffed and brushed his hands away sharply, getting herself down from the stool.

"Ooh! Touchy!" Miguel said backing off with his hands held up in a surrender gesture.

"Don't start Miguel. I was trying to fix the light bulb on the fan, that might I add, I have asked you to do for the past two days. It's a good job we have other lights in here that actually work, or I would have lost customers with no lighting in here." She said frowning at him, to which he nervously smiled and began scratching the back of his neck. "And as for what I may have looked like when you came in here, I was merely holding on to the fan to stop myself falling because of you opening that big, useless mouth of yours, and making me nearly fall and break my neck!"

"Uh Tifa?" Miguel began cautiously.

"What?" She snapped.

"You dropped the light bulb..."

Tifa scowled and threw her hands up in the air in frustration before turning on her heel and walking out of the room before she did something she would regret. Miguel shouted after her. "Aww come on Tifa! You can't leave yet, I haven't told my joke about how many AVALANCHE members it takes to change a light bulb..."

A slamming door was his only reply.

Outside, Tifa rested her back against the now closed front doors to the bar. She closed her eyes as she calmed herself. Another sarcastic comment from Miguel and she would have lashed out at him for sure. And with her strength, she was worried what the outcome would be. She could pack a good punch without even thinking about it. The thought made her smirk, as she could picture the look on Miguel's face as she wiped the smile off it. She knew she never would, and that's what was so amusing.

For all his faults, and annoying he may be, she couldn't help but warm to Miguel. Ever since the first day she had met him, upon arrival at Costa Del Sol eight months ago the two of them had clicked into place as good friends.

His constant cheerful upbeat personality was infectious, and matched her own optimism, making anyone who came into the bar feel welcomed and happy in themselves. The pair got on greatly with their opposite traits, Miguel with his sarcastic comments, and Tifa always saying the right words to match his and put him in his place. They also made a good team in the bar. Miguel would constantly be chatting up the local and tourist women, attracting them in day after day, and a combination of Tifa being a member of AVALANCHE and even more so her unmatchable attractive looks, kept even a larger percentage of men coming into the bar.

They saw it as competition; the levels of women and men in the bar would serve as how well Tifa and Miguel were attracting the customers. But it was all harmless fun, with Tifa hosting a nightly gender teamed competition. With Miguel being the male teams host and Tifa being the females'. The competition consisted of anything from drinking games, to general knowledge, and even arm wrestling between Tifa and Miguel to settle a tiebreak score (which nearly always resulted in Tifa winning).

Sofia, Miguel's sister was a treasure in her own right. All of the organisation was down to her. She made sure there were enough drinks in stock, enough food in the kitchens to satisfy demand, amongst other things. Tifa helped with these things of course, being the owner, but when it all got too much for her after a long week, Sofia would always be there to step in. She was the youngest of the trio, but the one who looked out for everyone. She especially looked up to Tifa, admiring her for every trait.

Sofia would occasionally ask Tifa for a training session on combat, which she was more than glad to give. Sofia wanted to be as strong as Tifa, both mentally physically, and most of all in the heart. Tifa treated her as the sister she never had, she reminded Tifa of herself at a younger age, and she felt a bond with her that Sofia shared equally as much. Together, Miguel and Sofia made every day memorable in Tifa's life.

Life at Solana Mar was as carefree and enjoyable as it could be.

Almost.

As Tifa looked up, she saw the sun setting slowly on the horizon. Pushing herself up from the door she was rested against, she walked down her bar's deck, and down the three steps at the front onto the warm soft golden sand. Taking a moment to remove her shoes which she threw on the sand, she walked down the wide breadth of the beach to the glistening water's edge.

She sighed in content as she stepped into the cool water. This time of day was the part she looked forward to the most. After a long day, she would often walk down to her spot in the shallow seawater, and watch the spectacle of the evening star sink beneath the surface of the horizon.

Lifting her head to gaze upwards, she was instantly captivated in awe at the sight of the brilliant fiery sky. The sun was painting the blue canvas above with its deep orange and red streaks, staining the few fluffy clouds with pink tinted edges. It was a magical sight and her usual smile crept onto her features as she gazed at the sunset.

The only missing factor in her life that really would make it complete was him.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm evening breeze blowing across her face. She felt content, and at peace here. But to have his arms encircle her right now would make her heart at peace, which she longed for more than anything.

"Where are you Cloud...?" She whispered to the sun as it was leaving her here standing alone, just like he had done almost a year ago now.

"Please come back to me." She prayed as the shallow waves lapped against the shore carrying her prayer into the air around her. One day it would come true.

One day.

"Mr Cloud?"

A voice brought him to his senses and he turned his head around to see whom it belonged to. He recognised the young boy immediately and got to his feet brushing the loose blades of grass from his pants before turning towards the boy running towards him.

"Mr Cloud, Daddy sent me to come get you, he says that you should go right away, because someone is here to see you."

Cloud's eyes widened. Nobody knew he was here. Nobody in the world apart from the residents of Fort Condor.

"Are you sure Akao?" Cloud asked the young boy who was bent over panting before him. The boy slowly caught his breath back and stood up as tall as he could stretch and energetic as ever, and saluted Cloud – rather clumsily.

"Yep Sir! Daddy told me to come get you right away because a mister walked in asking to see you right now..." Akao shifted his weight nervously, looking around him before he walked up to Cloud and tugged on his sleeve. Cloud bent down to him to listen, as the boy cupped his hand to one side of his mouth and whispered in his ear.

"The mister was scary..." He said in a small quiet voice. Cloud stood back up looking at the boy in utter confusion. Akao's brown eyes were wide and showed he had clearly been frightened by this stranger. His hands began to fidget with his scruffy clothes as he looked up at Cloud, as if a strict parent was telling him off.

Cloud's head reeled.

What was going on? Nobody had been near Fort Condor in years. When AVALANCHE had stumbled upon it last year, the people of Condor were in desperate need of aid, as nobody else had offered to provide it. The village community surrounding the Fort was isolated and completely cut off from the outside world. Untouched by modern technologies, it was like an old town where time had seemed to stand still for years. When Cloud had come here a short while after parting with Tifa on the night of the Northern Crater, the people accepted him with open arms and in turn for his help on saving their Phoenix all that time ago, they offered him confidential hospitality, and swore never to speak a word of his whereabouts.

Not that anyone visited this area anymore for the local people to tell Cloud was here to. That was what was so strange. To have a visitor at Fort Condor was a rarity in itself, but to have them not only ask if Cloud was here out of the blue, but to actually know he was here, and ask for him made an unnerving shiver run down his back.

Wait...

Was Fort Condor in danger? Was something going on again? Was the world under siege or under threat from another Shinra? How much had gone on in the world while he had been kept away from it all here? His head spun and he clasped his hands over his temples to clear it with all his effort.

"M...mister Cloud?" Akao began cautiously, staring up at the great warrior in front of him. His innocent eyes were looking straight up at Cloud.

Cloud nodded slowly, still trying to comprehend it all.

Then suddenly, he grabbed the boy, taking him up into his arms, and hoisted him up as he sprinted down off of the grassy hill, down the steep rocky peninsula that would lead to the plains below and finally, with a last burst of speed, Cloud ran straight for the entrance to Fort Condor. Akao clung to him tightly his fingers digging into the fabric of Cloud's sleeveless black shirt, hanging on as best he could, as the phenomenal speed of the AVALANCHE leader shook his frail body vigorously with every pounding step.

Darting through the entrance, Cloud looked up the rope ladder that led up to the fort above. "Is he waiting for me up there?" He asked Akao, who nodded his head lightly still clinging to him. Cloud acknowledged this and placed him down on the ground. "Go home Akao. Quickly now, go!" He ordered, his voice commanding. At that moment, Akao turned and ran out of the entrance hall and down the slopes at the rear of the Fort down to the village below.

Cloud looked up the rope ladder to the small circular window of dim light high above him. Whoever was up there waiting for him, would soon enough come face to face with the warrior, and as he climbed the rope ladder, his mako infused blue eyes blazed.

He would be ready for him.

The stars were now scattered across the cool, inky black night sky above Costa Del Sol. Tifa was sat down on the steps of her bar's decked front porch, placing her shoes back onto her now wet feet. She had watched the sun until every last ray of colour faded along with it, as she always did every night.

Suddenly, the doors of the bars entrance behind her swung open, banging loudly. Tifa's head whirred round in surprise to see Miguel standing there, looking satisfied with himself. She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath what in the name of...

"Miguel! What the heck are you doing here? I thought you left ages ago." She stated, watching him as he shoved his hands into his jeans front pockets, his thumbs hanging out of them, wearing a silver ring on his right thumb.

"Hey beautiful. I was finishing up in there, seen as its my job to do some work, I figured that I should at least do some occasionally." He smirked coming up to her, and sitting himself down on the steps beside her, with his elbows propped on his knees, and his hands clasped together hanging casually in between his open knees.

"The stock count is checked, the kitchen is cleaned up, food is ready for the next week, the chairs are upturned on the tables, the lights are off, the floor is swept...oh, and that light bulb incident?" He mentioned, turning his gaze to her. "Let's just forget it happened ok? It can be our little secret." He whispered with a smile. Then he yawned and stretched, falling back onto the wooden cladding of the deck.

"I think I've out-done myself." He stated, resting a hand on his stomach as he watched the stars glint overhead. Tifa finished with her shoes and turned her head to look down at him with a smile. "Despite the fact that it's your job, I actually agree with you. Thanks Miguel, I owe you one. I don't think I have the energy to have cleaned up." She smiled at him and he winked up at her in response.

"Don't sweat it. And if you need to relax, you can always come back with me to my place." He grinned mischievously. "I would gladly let you pay off that favour you owe me..." He said with a smirk.

Tifa blushed for a moment and then thumped him hard in the chest. He jolted, gasped for breath, as she winded him without effort. Clutching his chest he sat upright slowly, and grasped the support beam of the decking structure with his right hand to steady himself.

"What..are...you...t...trying to...do?...Kill...me?" He asked, in between rasping breaths.

She scowled at him. "You really are something you know that Miguel?" She said looking at him with her arms folded, fixing him with a glare.

"That's...what they all tell me..." He said, his breath now returned to him but still uneasy.

Tifa just frowned. "Not in that way. I mean, I think I can befriend you Miguel, and then, BAM." She began, slamming her fist into her open palm to illustrate her point. "You just open that mouth and more cheap words tumble out. It's like you have a disease or something."

"Tifa cool it will you? Don't flatter yourself, I was only joking with you woman, sheesh talk about uptight..." Then her words repeated in his head his eyes widened. "A disease?"

"Yeah, the howtoannoythehelloutofwomenwithouteventrying disease." She said quickly in one breath smirking. While he sat there trying to figure out what she had just said, she stood up and headed for the bar entrance, removing her keys from her pocket ready to lock them after her.

Finally Tifa's words clicked into place in Miguel's head and his moth fell open in offence, getting to his feet also. "Hey! It's not my fault you're so touchy all of the time missy." He spat, though without real anger.

With her hand on the door, stepping halfway into the bar, she turned.

"Goodnight Miguel. Tell Sofia I said thanks for helping out with the kitchen today, we are all ready for another week in business starting tomorrow thanks to her help." At that she turned back and walked into the bar.

"And what about me? I helped! I did all that work for you just now and even cut myself with the glass from that light bulb you smashed woman!" He said, holding out his left hand, which had the nasty remains of a clean cut running down the centre of his palm.

Tifa, holding the door ajar almost ready to lock it shut, paused. This wasn't the time to be cocky.

She opened the door and walked over to him, taking hold of his injured palm in her hands, inspecting it. "Why didn't you mention this before?" She asked, prodding the edge of the wound carefully.

"Ah! Tsch..." He cringed. "I would have done, but you were too busy trying to knock the crap out of me." He said, accusing her with his eyes.

She looked at him, guilt clearly sinking in. "You better come back inside Miguel, I need to clean this up."

He just shook his head lightly pulling his hand away from her. "It's all right Tifa, I can handle it. I'm a big boy now." He said with a brave smile, though he was clearly in pain.

"Well at least wait here until I fetch my restore material, it will make the wound heal up quicker –"She was silenced by his finger pressing lightly against her lips. "Shut up Tifa, for once." He said looking at her. The moment was awkward and as Tifa stood there in silence Miguel leaned closer to her...

"Umm, well I uh, better be getting to bed then. Monday morning tomorrow, means a whole new day of customers." She said, her words causing Miguel to back off once more to a standing position. If he felt disappointed, he hid it well behind his smile.

"Sure Tifa. In that case, I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep tight now, don't let that Cloud dude get into that head of yours and mess it up tonight. I don't want you going weird on me tomorrow, I don't want to make it a habit of doing all the work." He said as he walked backwards away from her towards the edge of the decking. When he reached the stairs he turned around and jumped down all three, landing softly on the sand. He smiled at her one last time before walking down the beach towards the resort.

Tifa walked into her bar hastily and locked the door as if her life depended on it. She then collapsed against the door, leaning on it with a deep sigh, her heart racing in her chest. What had gotten into Miguel? He wasn't going to do what she thought he was, was he? "Kiss you? Are you stupid Tifa? Don't be a fool." She reassured herself. Surely it was just Miguel being Miguel. He was always trying something with women, she wasn't any different.

But has he ever tried to kiss anyone like that before? He wasn't joking when he looked at her in that moment...if he was serious, this was a problem. A huge one. There was only one person in her heart and he was irreplaceable.

What a mess. Maybe it was just her head playing tricks on her, making her think all sorts. She just pushed herself off of the wall and walked through the now dark bar, through to the back hallway and trudged up the stairs. She really needed to rest before she went completely mad.

Switching the light off as she stepped out of the bathroom sometime later ready for bed, Tifa yawned looking to her window. The sky was just as she had always remembered. Despite the many years that had passed since, Tifa would always remember the promise she kept between herself and Cloud at that night in Nibelheim on the well. A small smile crept onto her features as she pictured him back then, so young, and so innocent.

As she eventually climbed into bed, the last thought that lingered in her mind before she fell into slumber, was the hope that wherever he was, Cloud was safe and as content with his situation as she was here at Solana Mar.

The light was approaching. Slowly but surely it was approaching. Just a bit further...Cloud thought to himself as he pulled himself up the ladder with his hands and feet working together.

Eventually, the ladder came to a stop.

Pulling himself up and out of the ladder shaft, Cloud instinctively unsheathed his sword in one fluid motion, ready to greet the one who awaited him.

His eyes widened in shock.

There straight ahead of him was the one man he thought would never venture back into his life again.

"Hello Cloud."

Authors Notes: Well, there you have it. Did you all get confused over who Cloud is pining over? I wanted you to hehe any guesses folks? Well this was an extra long one to treat you all for my slackness in not updating. Seriously though, coursework right now is really tying me down, so updates may be a little stretched from now on until the exams in June pass. In that chapter things were getting a little more fast pace at long last. This thing is kicking off of the ground and is going somewhere, oh yes it is! But hey, I'll still keep churning this stuff out if you want me to! RnR please you wonderful people!

Xx Jessie xX