Chapter Eleven – Together

The car disappeared down the street as she watched it until couldn't be seen anymore. Her hand fell to her side; the fake grin she wore vanished the moment the car had gone. Slowly, sadness seeped into her bloodstream. As of now, Nicholas Reeve was a part of the past, and it was overwhelming to see him depart, but she had insisted on saying goodbye. It was funny how life could change within the blink of the eye, in her case, within twenty four hours. She started off with having everything, and now she had nothing left. It was a blunt thought, but she was merely preparing herself for the events that were to occur soon. Tifa Lockheart knew that life wasn't going to be the same from today; the worse had yet to come.

Unshed tears filled her eyes as the early morning fresh breeze ruffled her hair; her nose was red from the cold chilli atmosphere. The weather suited her mood, the sky was grey only filled with clouds, and no blue sky was visible. When will Cloud leave? She wondered as she blinked her eyes, a crystal tear rolling down her pale cheek. She couldn't understand why she would be so depressed; it wasn't as if she had been expecting Cloud to stay from the very first moment he came. His job here was done, he had helped her remember everything, and now that he knew she was okay, he would travel back to Kalm to continue on with his life.

Rubbing her tear stained right cheek, Tifa gave a sniff and turned back to the door, her eyes were averted to the floor as she attempted to summon enough courage to face Cloud. As her vision grew blurry again from the tears that persisted, she spotted a pair of familiar black boots, and went numb. She had expected him to still be in bed sleeping, and not see her in the sorry state she was in.

Hesitating, she allowed her brown eyes to travel up his legs, pass his flat stomach, up his chest, till her brown eyes locked with his ocean blue ones. Her breath caught in her throat as she blinked, which released another tear drop. Slowly, inch by slow inch, the clear drop slid down her cheek. As it reached her cheekbone, she didn't see it happen, but she felt his warm hand on her right cheek, tenderly wiping that single tear away.

Feeling the warmness of his hand on her cheek made her close her eyes, as she placed her right hand on top of his, her face leaning into his hand more. She missed him… Although they had only been away from one another for a few hours due to sleep, it seemed like eternity as she now stood immobile, overwhelmed in his presence. Tifa felt as if this was the lastmoment she would be sharing with Cloud, and she wanted to make the most out of it, with no regrets.

"Tifa…" Cloud called softly, caressing her cheek with his thumb. She appeared to be so at ease. Her eyes were closed; her hand over his, her face was leaning into his palm. If he couldn't feel her soft grip on his hand, he would have thought she was sleeping.

At the sound of his sweet voice, her eyes fluttered open, as her senses returned to her. She grasped hold of his hand in a more firm grip and brought it down at waist length. She was unable to look him in the eyes, she didn't have enough nerve to bid him goodbye again. The next couple of words caught in her throat as she examined his hand, held in both of hers. Taking in a deep breath, she managed to release her right grip, but her left one remained frozen in place, unable to let him go.

"You can leave now," she whispered gently, and managed enough courage to look him in the face, knowing he would see the pain in them. "Go back to where you belong. I don't want you to feel like you're forced to stay here" she explained, finally able to let go of his right hand. She didn't allow herself to mention anything along the lines of 'goodbye' because she knew she'd break out in tears if she had to say farewell to him again.

Cloud didn't understand what was happening, but he felt her hand slip away from his. Just as their fingertips slid past one another, he caught on fast, and held her left hand in a tight grasp, not wanting to let go. He entwined her fingers with his, and all she could do was observe with wide eyes.

Shaking his head at her, Cloud kept a serious expression. "I belong here…"

Tifa stared at him with doubt, and Cloud sighed at her look of uncertainty.

"Tifa," he began and took in a deep breath.

How was he going to explain? He'd always had problems with conveying his feelings, but somehow, as he opened his mouth to speak, he realised it was all going to be okay.

"I've been through hell and back for you… Now that I have you, I'm not going anywhere." Cloud assured and waited for her reaction.

As those words reached her ears, Tifa was stunned. Is this really Cloud? How can a person change so much within two years? She thought, but shook it all away. It didn't matter… None of the past mattered. All that mattered now was that Cloud was by her side, not only protecting her, but aiding her. His words were true… It not only referred to him, but it applied to her too. Life without Cloud Strife was a living nightmare, and she had experienced a lot before finding him again. Now that he was back, and staying, Tifa realised she had a hell of a long journey ahead of her.

Cloud examined her. An unreadable expression was smeared onto her face, and gradually a smile broke onto her lips. He watched as sheobserved their hands clasped together with keen eyes, and then waited for her brown eyes to return to face him.

"The others?" Came her voice, and there was a bright glow in her eyes.

The corner of Cloud's lips folded upwards as he led her down the porch and into the garage. Fenrir was waiting for them, and Cloud knew when they did return to Kalm, they had a new start ahead of them. This time, their new life style was going to begin in Midgar.

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"So ye finally found her." Barrett yelled at Cloud as he greeted Tifa with open arms. Loud cheering and screaming rang through the atmosphere.

Tifa ran into Barrett's waiting arms and laughed aloud as he lifted her off the ground. He set her back down on her feet as she examined her surroundings. There were so many familiar faces, and the grin on her face grew wider. So this is what it felt like to have a family.

Cloud stood afar, only able to watch. They were in Kalm, but only to retrieve his belongings before they were off again. Watching as Tifa released Yuffie from a hug, he saw her turn back to face him. She waved her arm at him, meaning for him to join her, and a tiny smile broke onto his lips for just a second. He felt touched. Even at a time like this, when it was her moment to enjoy herself and think of nothing, she still managed to make room for him in her life…

Making his way to her, Tifa grabbed his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere without you…" He heard her say as the two of them were greeted by the rest of the joyous gang.

A/N: That was the very last chapter to 'Fatal Memories'. I seriously hope you guys enjoyed it! And look, as I promised, I've finished the story :D But honestly, without the constant support, the the reviews, and EVERYTHING, I wouldn't have been able to do it. So you readers/ reviewers out there deserve some credit for the completion of this fanfiction. Thank you all so much!

So now, I guess you're wondering what happens now? Well, it's definitely not the end of me. So keep a look out for my next project :P I'm absolutely excited about it!

Cheers!