Chapter 3 – Birth of a Dream
Lonely nights, shattered dreams
Nights interwoven with yarns of solitary
Dreams festooned with its unfinished stories
Concerned Mako blue eyes looked down at me as I slowly cracked open my heavy eyelids to let the light in. Momentarily stunned, I blinked as I remembered the same kind of eyes that I had looked into just before.
The color was different however. I knitted my brow attempting to piece together who I had seen.
"Tifa?" Cloud bent over to push my hair away from my face. He seemed overtly worried.
"Hmm?" I tried to speak but just could not muster the strength.
It was a strain on my body.
"You have been unconscious for 3 days. Are you feeling better?" Cloud informed me, still gazing down at me trying to apprehend the confusion in my eyes.
"3 DAYS?" I managed to croak.
WHAT?
I, Tifa Lockheart, passed out for 3 WHOLE DAYS? Feeling like a weakling, I winced as I struggled to sit up and felt the beginnings of a miniature tornado starting to grow in my head.
"Tifa!" Cloud chides and helps me up. I am glad he did not endeavor to push me back into the bed. He knows I hate it when I had to stay at home to recover from injuries. I used to rattle his ears off whenever he came over to offer his companionship when I was ordered by my parents to rest after my fights with the other kids on the streets.
Such a rebellious little brat I was. I thought with fondness as I reminiscenced how my mother used to reprimand me for getting involved with yet another tussle.
"Where are the others?" I looked around in bewilderment at my bed-room surroundings. Squirting to look outside the window, I could make out that it was late evening for the moon was just beginning to make its ascent into the skies.
"7th Heaven." Cloud relents.
"Oh." The next moment saw my eyes sparkling with an inherent mischief and I was up and out even before Cloud could react.
A green light burst on me and healed the little wounds and scratches on my body as I ran across the hall way, glad to be vindicated of being seen as a weakling in my room.
I hear Cloud stashing away his materia and trailing me out of the room.
My child-hood friend is a nice guy. I grinned.
"Hey everyone! How could you all start the party without me?" I complained like a child who had just been left out once I had burst into my bar.
"TIFA!" Yuffie practically pouches on me.
"Glad to see you are ok, I was #$#$ scared when I saw ya falling like that!" Barret gave me a light punch in the right arm.
Cid lit up his cigarette. "I told you the girl will be alright! She's a tough one!" There was pride in his voice, although it does make me wonder if it was because he had been right or that he was proud of me.
Cloud entered the bar just then and gave Vincent, who was at one of the bar stools a nod.
Beaming brightly, I proceeded to resume my rightful place at the bar.
"Drinks on the house tonight!" That declaration set off hoots of cheering.
Barret and Cid called for beer whilst Yuffie wanted to try some strange concoction of cocktails. Accommodating to her every request to mix almost every flavor of fruit and wine I had, she was soon found gagging on her own creation.
Vincent settled for an orange juice and Cloud wanted nothing.
Soon, I had two very melancholy men sitting before me at the high bar table. Barret, Cid and Yuffie were playing cards at another table. Yuffie kept giggling as she stole card after card from the unsuspecting Barret.
"You still look a little weary." Vincent observed.
"I can't imagine why I could be out cold for this many days." I turned away from the both of them momentarily to retrieve a wine bottle on my bar rack.
His intelligent and wise ruby eyes examined me as he sees though my little plot to act cheery. Thankfully, he says nothing of it for he knew how hard I was trying.
Cloud had his gaze on me all the time. My hazel eyes reflected in his cerulean eyes as I finally stopped avoiding his inquisition. "How did you break that fall, Tifa? I could not make it in time…I almost thought…" He choked back the lump that had formed in his throat.
Alarmed at this question, I vested more energy and attention on Cloud. "Weren't you the one who saved me?" I gasped.
"No." Vincent replied quietly.
Suddenly, I felt faint. Squeezing my eyes shut momentarily, I tried to visualize the pair of eyes I had seen.
"Tifa! Are you really alright?" Cloud stands up, engaging in a rare show of concern. I seldom see him this perplexed over anything.
Crossing his arms, Vincent looked thoughtful. "When we found you, you were already unconscious. Unconscious, but safe."
"Oh." I stated blankly.
Cloud and Vincent looked at each other in silence. It was interesting to see two anti-social people trying to hold a conversation with each other.
Of course there was none.
"$))$&# Why you lil #$$" Barret bellowed once he realized that Yuffie had been sneaking off with his good cards the entire game.
Cid whacked Yuffie across the head with his stack of cards. "Behave, kiddo." He growled.
"Well!" I beamed brightly, glad for the cacophony that waged between the three, "Let's not dwell on it too much shall we? I'm fine now! See?" I did a little twirl to the side to show that I was in tip-top condition and almost upsetting Vincent's glass in the process.
Vincent gave a little nod. I could glimpse his mouth pulled into a little curve. Oh stop it Vincent, I know I know.
Cloud did not seem that convinced but gave a resigned look.
As I looked around the room, at all my teammates, I could not help but feel this tremendous wave of relief wash over me.
Barret, Cid, Yuffie, Vincent...and ..Cloud.
They were the only family I had.
With them, I had the courage and strength to believe that I could overcome anything.
Do you believe that people you meet and get involved with are always somehow related to you in a past life cycle?
Fate is kind.
She arranges for one to meet others so that you will never be lonely. Even if you lost someone dear to you, another comes in to help heal that horrible scar of pain that streaks your life.
Let's see…Barret could be a father. Yuffie..my irritating sister? Cid could be an uncle. Vincent could be a grandfather, with his discerning ways. I grinned.
Cloud?
To this day, that still baffles me.
Our child-hood promise.
I wonder if he remembers.
For I shall never forget.
The birth of a dream.