Chapter Fourteen – Miracles
The blonde winced in pain as masamune pierced his skin. Even now, as he dreamt, he felt the pain as if it was all happening again. Cloud found himself staring into the merciless eyes of the silver haired enemy.
"Will you give me the happiness of taking that away from you?"
The image of Tifa was seared in his head.
As if he had read Cloud's mind, Sephiroth spoke in his impassive tone. "I will take her away from you."
It took barely a fraction of a second before those words hit Cloud's core, pushing him to his limits.
"Tifa!" He shouted in the dark, sitting up abruptly with beads of sweat on his forehead. The nightmare faded but the echoes of Sephiroth's last sentence remained.
I will take her away from you…
Blueorbs searched for her presence beside him. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he couldn't see the woman he loved in sight. Using his right hand, he began to feel the covers, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him. When his hand touched nothing but the cold bedcovers, Cloud Strife roused from bed, opening the bedroom door silently.
A sudden chill rushed over him, his eyes scanning the dark hallway, his feet discreetly descending the stairs, ashe searched the dark for the brunette in which he now referred to as 'wife'.
Loud snoring from the couch downstairs caught his attention as he flicked on the lights. Barrett, who had been sleeping, sat up with his hands covering his face.
"What's goin' on?" He yawned.
"Tifa's gone." Cloud stated, and exited the door, running for Fenrir.
Barrett blinked for a few moments, comprehending the blonde's words. It took a minute for the sentence to sink in before he sprung to his feet to alert the others. The group was going to search for the missing presence of Tifa.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tifa sat silently on the cold floorboards, her back presented to the entrance of the church, her eyes glistening in the moonlight. She watched as thick clouds covered the velvet sky, preventing her from seeing the full moon one last time.
The walk had almost drained all of her energy, but it was her strong will and determination that strained for her to continue to her destination. Now that she was here, her body went numb from the cold wisp air. Sighing softly, she prepared for her fate.
Thank you… She thought. Thank you for letting me get this far.
Her eyes fixed onto the two rings on her left hand. Both were from Cloud, but it was the white-gold ring with the symbol of a wolf that she cherished more. She was no longer alone; Cloud had finally made her a part of him by marrying her. The two of them had a home now, a home in which they found within each other.
Tifa subconsciously rubbed the rings Cloud had touched. She missed him already, but she didn't want him to see her in the state she was in. She wasn't giving up on herself, but she realized the cursed disease was too strong to fight. Fact was, Tifa Lockheart was losing this fight.
Feeling light headed, she paled a few shades, falling onto the wooden floorboards, her eyes closed…
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The doors creaked ajar to Aeris' church. The sky was dark, no stars or moon in sight as the footsteps of a blue eyed man echoed deeper into the church. He scanned the area for Tifa, wishing he would find her soon.
As if God had heard his request, Cloud found himself staring at the fallen figure of Tifa who was lying on the floor with her back towards him. Breaking into a run, he closed the remaining distance, gathering the brunette in his arms.
"Tifa." He called, his heart barely beating as his eyes widened in fear. He felt her cold neck for a pulse.
Continuing to grope blindly for a pulse, Cloud tensed. Barely a second lapsed before his eyes returned to normal state as he located what he'd been exploring for. Releasing a sigh of relief, he used his hand to tuck away the few stray stands of hair behind her ear. He couldn't lose her. He'd been to hell and back for her, and he wasn't letting her go.
"Tifa," Cloud repeated, studying her peaceful expression.
He couldn't stand the vision because he wasn't prepared to say goodbye. Giving her a slight shake, he prayed that she would respond.
Within those short seconds which appeared to be eternity, Tifa finally opened her eyes, her eyelids heavy. She had heard his voice, following it to bring her back to consciousness. His blue eyes greeted her, as she yielded a soft smile, her fragile hand reaching up to caress his smooth cheek. Her vision began fading again as she blinked to stay focused. With her breath evening out, she whispered his name through parted lips.
Feeling his warm hand placed over hers that was resting on his face, she felt something wet slide down her fingertips.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said blindly, unable to see those beautiful orbs anymore.
A wet droplet fell onto her pale, porcelain cheek. She wasn't sure what it was but it was warm. Tifa couldn't hear Cloud's words as she slowly fell back into the darkness, barely conscious anymore.
In the far distance, she could hear the soft patter of rain as she followed the voice that was calling to her…
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cloud felt her body go limp in his arms. His eyes widened in shock, realization coursing through him. Footsteps reverberated in the church, as the entire clan stepped in. A deafening silence engulfed them all as rain began to fall, the blonde's blood turning cold at the image of Tifa's lifeless form.
"Tifa!" He shouted, framing her face in his hands. He shook her, "Tifa," He repeated, when he got no response.
Fat drops of rain fell onto the figures situated in the centre of the church. Everybody watched in stunned silence at the limp form of Tifa, and a shouting Cloud.
Marlene's eyes gazed up into the sky, it wasn't dark and cloudy. Instead, the stars were shining through the rain, the downpour glowed a bright green at its descent. Her eyes widened as Denzel gave her a nudge. She looked at him for a while as he pointed to Tifa and Cloud. Marlene observed as the 'rain' reached Tifa's skin, it sparkled into a silver colour before disappearing.
Being the last to spot the coloured rain, Cloud watched as it turned silver when it made contact with Tifa's cold skin. He sat there for minutes, staring at the Geostigma Tifa carried, only to find the markings were gone. The blonde was torn between relief and anxiety since the brunette was still cold and breathless. It was now up to her to choose between life or death.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
White blinding light intruded her vision as she heard a familiar feminine tone. Sitting up, Tifa examined her surroundings only to see nothing but white.
Where am I? She asked, as a soft giggle filled the atmosphere. Am I dead? She thought.
No. I wouldn't do that to you.
The brunette's head jerked to her left after hearing the response. Aeris? She queried doubtfully.
Go to him… Came the tone again, pausing for a while. Unless you want to stay? The inquiry was almost like a test to see how much a certain blonde meant to the brunette.
Brown eyes widened at the statement. She didn't have to think before she answered. The response was almost instinctive.
No.
Another soft giggle erupted from the invisible presence; it was just as she'd expected.
Our work here is done. Came a masculine tone as Tifa went light headed again.
Be happy. Tifa heard.
With that final sentence, Cloud's voice rang in Tifa's ears.
A/N: How to start? This chapter took a while, but I'm satisfied with it. I hope you readers were satisfied with this! I was aiming for a feeling of 'Tifa is dead' in the middle of this chapter, but then I had to make events around (for my sake).
- smiles- I've been threatened about killing off Tifa, but honestly, as a one hundred percent CloTi fan, you would think that I'd have a heart to make them end up happy together after such a long journey. With that said, I'll be off!
Review when you can, and it's not the end just yet. :D