WOW once again I was greeted with an overwhelming number of reviews. I'm so glad that ppl are loving the story and that I'm doing a good job keeping everyone in character. As for Axel being Reno's nobody, yes they look alike but are unrelated. There's a site with info on everything and this same site where I found out about the chakrams, explains how you can find out the nobody's real names like the way Roxas came from Sora. Thanks Chelsea for reminding me and feel free to ask about the website where I got my info from. Yeah so sorry Wicked Lady, maybe Reno just had a brother no one knew about Lol. Hmm interesting thought…anyway glad everyone is pleased with the story. Also if you see any mistakes please feel free to let me know. It'll only help me further improve my writing instead of repeating mistakes.
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Chapter 6
Hours had passed and Tifa had hardly noticed. She didn't really care. The orange appearing through the dark clouds announced the beginning of a new day. The damp morning dew began to rise in the air and the birds were emerging from their hiding places.
She yawned and stretched her arms out, arching her back before slumping back against Axel's firm chest. She rested her head beneath his chin as she sat between his two arching legs straddling her. One of his arms rested on his knee and the other hung around her waist. She closed her eyes and exhaled lazily.
"Tired?" Axel asked the brunette tucked beneath his chin.
Tifa nodded and shifted her body sideways. Her fingers hung on his sleeve as she curled up inside his embrace. Her head sliding heavily against him and as much as he didn't want her to leave, he knew it was time for her to go.
"You should get some sleep," he spoke into her hair. The sweet smell of her hair filled his nostrils. He inhaled it, trying to decipher between its scents of strawberries and champagne. It smelled drunkenly pleasant and maybe that was her intention when she washed her hair with whatever she used. It was an innocent aroma, yet secretly seductive and he smiled at the thought of it. Still she had not answered him. "Tifa" he called onto her again.
Tifa shook her head groggily in protest. Axel smirked and shook his arm to shake her body hanging off of his. Her eyes jolted open for a second and re-closed before she let herself fall back onto him.
"You should grab a bite to eat too"
"But I'm not hungry" she mumbled and almost on cue a vague rumble escaped her stomach and it vibrated against Axel's arm. Tifa's face grew a bright red as she cupped her face with one hand to hide her embarrassment. "You see, I told you" her muffled voice spoke through her fingers.
Axel sighed. He nudged the top of her head with his chin. Finally she lifted her head from him and looked at him with her shoulders slumped and heavy eyelids. He arched an eyebrow at her, urging her to take his advice and stop being stubborn, although he liked this stubbornness. Still she was human and she couldn't avoid sleep and food forever. Axel also didn't like staying in one place for too long. It was safer that way.
"Ok fine" she got up abruptly and brushed herself off. She ran her fingers through the top of her hair to bring the frizzes down and Axel got up behind her. It seemed she was using the bit of energy left in her to pout about getting up against her will. She clenched her fists and without turning to face him she mumbled, "I'm going now. Bye"
She stomped away and Axel stood staring at her with his arms crossed and calm. He shook his head at her and rolled his eyes. She was so fascinating, the way her moods changed and the way they affected his own moods. Once he realized that she jumped off the ledge and was gone, his jaw dropped in surprise. He scratched the back of his neck regretfully.
So that's it? She just left just like that?
He sighed, not approving of the way they parted and began opening the realm of darkness. Just as he was about to step into the warping ebony entrance, a hand roughly spun him around by his shoulder. He almost lost his balance and before he could say anything, a pair of soft familiar lips pressed against his. He felt his skin rise and the heat spread to his face. It was a new feeling that his body was growing accustomed to and he didn't object to it.
Tifa lingered there for a moment and enjoyed catching him off guard. Then she pulled away with an innocent smile before jumping off the ledge again. Axel watched her below with his widened eyes and she gave him a wink before turning to leave for good.
Axel's smile returned. He shook his head at what just happened but he couldn't deny that he was glad it happened.
Women…they're so complicated…
With those last pleasant thoughts, he disappeared into the realm.
Tifa continued to stretch and yawn as she dragged her feet down the deserted streets. Her intestines felt as if they were tying knots around her empty stomach. Her head nodded and tempted to fall as she made her way towards her destination. It was early in the morning and only the shopkeepers were waking up to open their stores. She lazily pushed the door open into an Inn where her room was booked. It was a hidden building standing inside a narrow street before Merlin's house and before the Market Place. She barely gave the Innkeeper a glance although the woman seemed to approach her about something. She ignored her, deciding that she'd find out what she wanted later.
She trudged up the green-carpeted stairs to the second floor, her head hanging lazily. She pulled a strap from her pocket and as she lifted her head up so that she could tie her hair, her body froze. Her tired eyes awakened and widened with surprise. She dropped her arms back down and approached the figure looming by her door.
He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His gaze pierced into the floor in front of him. He knew she was there but didn't bother to look up. He seemed to be in deep thought about something.
"Cloud you- you came back" she struggled to find the words to speak to him. She didn't think she'd see him so soon and after seeing him magically pop up after a night she had just finished having with someone else it felt awkward. She felt goose bumps beginning to crawl on her bare arms and thoughts of guilt intruded her mind.
"Of course I did, I always do," he spoke towards the floor in his usual emotionless tone of voice.
Tifa was speechless. Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her dry mouth. She hadn't expected that after all the time she had spent searching for him that he'd just appear in front of her so easily and so calmly. It was as if fate decided to play a cruel joke on her this morning. As always, fate was never good to her. Something good would happen but eventually the bad would come. Usually the sight of Cloud's face after a mission she feared would be fatal was the good thing and now for the first time, he was the bad in her morning. She shook her head back into reality, knowing she had to do more than just stand there dumbfounded.
"I'm- I'm glad you're okay," it wasn't a lie. It would always matter if he were okay or not. Yet a part of her was wishing that he had let her worry like he always did just so she didn't have to face him so soon. She still had so much to think about and so much to resolve in herself.
Cloud did not respond. He just nodded but kept his solemn gaze to the floor. Tifa's brows arched in suspicion and she approached the door to open it. She unlocked it and stepped in, flicking on a lamp in the process. She hated bright lights when she was half asleep.
Cloud followed and closed the door behind them. He leaned against the wall again. She looked back at him, knowing he was acting strangely. It seemed that every creak beneath her walking feet was louder than usual and the air in the room was too heavy to breath. She knew it was her own nervousness trying to get the best of her.
She sat on a chair next to a small round table where she would usually sit and eat. She offered the chair across from her but he shook his head. She sat back, folding her hands on her lap helplessly.
"Cloud…is there something-" before she could ask he cut her off. His head shot up from the floor to reveal the anger burning in his eyes.
"Why did you follow me through the realm of darkness? It was dangerous. I told you not to follow and you did so anyway" he lashed at her sternly.
It took a moment for her to register his tone of voice with her and she stammered in defense, "I- I wanted to be with you. I didn't know where you were going and I knew you didn't even know yourself! You were just throwing yourself into some unknown warping darkness and what was I supposed to do? Just stand there and hope for the best?"
"I was fine Tifa"
"Well I didn't know that. After all that's what you always do. You come and go as you please and no one ever knows where you're going or if you'll come back. What was I supposed to think?"
"You should have more faith in me," his tone grew louder.
"You should be grateful for me because when I found you, Sephiroth was eating your mind and you almost fed it to him willingly. I'm the one that snapped you out of it. Who knows what would've happened if I hadn't been searching for you in the first place" her voice rose above his.
Cloud stepped forward, "So the entire time you ventured around this world in search of me?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes! I searched every nook and cranny for you and when I found you, you just disappeared again" She slumped back into her chair, turning away from him and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Nothing new…"she mumbled under her breath.
Cloud shook his head in disbelief. An awkward silence hung in the air. Tifa's heart beat ferociously in her chest and she felt the familiar pain returning inside her. She held back the burning in her eyes. He had never fought with her in such a way.
Why did he have to show up now? Why is it that no matter what I do for him, he still brings me this same pain?
Tifa toned down her voice, "Cloud…what's wrong with you?" She looked up at his face for answers, which was turned away from hers. He seemed deep in thought again until he finally turned to face her again.
He opened his mouth to say something but quickly decided not to and turned away again. Tifa got up from her chair and cautiously approached him. She timidly reached out to put her hand on his shoulder as she searched his solemn expression. His body did not react to her touch. She raised her hand to touch his face but was abruptly interrupted when his hand shot up and caught hers.
She gasped from being startled and he released her hand so that she could return it to her side. Her nails dug into her palms. This was her childhood friend, the man she had always loved and had always sworn to protect her. He was the glimmer in her eyes whenever he'd return home after days of missing. He was the smile on her face when she watched him with the kids at the orphanage they had established together. All she ever wanted was to be with him, to love him, to protect him and be his light. Now he was shutting her out as he had done so many times before.
"Why have you betrayed me?" He shouted out at her. She stepped back in shock.
"Wha- what are you-"
Cloud stepped towards her, bringing his face close enough so that she could feel his hot and heavy breathing. "I've seen you Tifa! I've seen you with that nobody!"
Her jaw dropped and she gasped. Her hand rose to cup her mouth. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and her knees grew weak. She had never expected him to see her with Axel. She knew she'd tell him in time but the part of her that hoped he'd never know was brought into the open. She never wanted to hurt him or make him feel betrayed. She never wanted his impression of her to be tainted and now it was. She quickly regained her firm composure and yelled back in her defense.
"He's not our enemy! He has not done me any harm!"
"Of course not! I've heard about him. He manipulates people. He's manipulating you"
Tifa shook her head, "No, that's not true! He's protected me! He car-"
"No Tifa! Nobodies cannot care! They don't feel! They have no hearts! He knows you're strong and he wants your strong nobody"
Tifa continued to shake her head and back away from him. He approached her and grabbed her arms that were raised in front of her. "Tifa, you're gonna get hurt…he's going to hurt you" his voice was firm with her and calmed down slightly. He tried to pull her resisting body closer to his.
Tifa threw his hands off of her. She leaned forward and yelled, "The only person that's been hurting me is you!" She immediately regretted her words as she watched his eyes widen. The truth had finally escaped her lips unwillingly and it left her feeling naked, unsure of what to do and what to say. She finally allowed her hands to tremble, letting her anger control her. She had already let her true feelings slip so it was best that she let it all out.
"Tifa…" he moved forward with an intention to reach out and touch her again but slowly brought his hand down deciding it wouldn't calm her down.
"You were always so far away from me, after you joined SOLDIER, after you disappeared, after your memories were meddled with. After we defeated Sephiroth and saved the planet from Meteor I thought it would get better" Tifa tried to avoid his eyes as she poured out to him.
She fumbled with her fingers nervously in front of her, using all of her strength to hold in the tears resting on the brims of her eyes. "It did for a while but then you kept thinking about her…thinking about Aerith and taking the blame for her death. You even caught the Geostigma and hid it from me. After we had worked so hard to establish the orphanage together, lived together in the upstairs room, I thought…"
Cloud's expression softened as his hand unwillingly lifted to offer her comfort once again. She backed away, shaking her head as her hair fell over her face to cover her expression. Her lips began to quiver against her will and her eyes glistened with tears he hadn't seen in years…or maybe she had kept them hidden from him.
"The few times I gave myself to you at night, the times I waited for you, cooked your uneaten meals and hoped you'd come back…I thought we could finally live our lives happily. Even after you were cured and Aerith had told you she'd forgiven you, you got better for a while until you saw Sephiroth again. It's like he possesses you. You forgot all about how I felt once again and just went about on your own!" her rising voice began to shriek as she went on. She clenched her sweaty palms into fists at her sides.
She scolded and belittled the blond man in front of her. He stood there motionless, unable to respond. It was true, just like the red headed nobody had said, he was hurting those around him without realizing.
She took a deep wheezing breath before she went on, "I was so happy when I saw you smile that day. When you watched the children be cured of their illness in the church and you had told me that you were home. I had never been so happy to hear those words. I watched as you laughed and smiled like I had never seen before in my entire life and as I watched you, playing with the kids in the healing waters, I thought to myself…maybe we could finally settle down and have some children of our own"
Although she smiled sadly her face was red from anger. Cloud's eyes grew wider at her last comment. He hadn't expected that. He knew she was always waiting for him and always taking care of him but he never thought of the day when she would get tired of it. He had never thought he was worthy of her love, much less worthy of being the father of her children. He had always protected her, always loved her in his own way but he had no idea that his ways had affected her so painfully.
He reached out to touch her again and this time her trembling body did not object. His fingertips brushed the hair from her eyes as she stared to the floor. He saw it. The vulnerability in her eyes, the darkness he had never realized. It pained him to see it, knowing that he was the one that caused it. His fingers stroked the curve of her jaw and just as he was about to lift her chin she threw his hand away. She didn't want to look into his eyes. His eyes were her weakness.
She ran past him and slammed the door open. He heard her stomping down the stairs and the stunned voices of the Inn employees as they watched the sobbing woman run out of the Inn.
Cloud looked upon his palms helplessly. After a moment he dropped them to his sides and walked out of her room, shutting the door behind him. He lifted up his buster sword resting in the hallway corner and put it on his back. Words could not describe the emotions he was feeling but would never show and it was those very things that lead them to where they were now.
Tifa…I'm sorry. It's just that, I always wanted to protect you. I always wanted to keep you from harm and grant you happiness. I apologize for my failure.
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Cloud's really done it now hasn't he? Well I was watching Advent Children again and I was actually feeling sorry for Cloud. I love Cloud. I won't lie. I think I'll make it up to him by writing a CloudxTifa fic that takes place after Advent Children in the FFVII section. I want them to be together too…but not in this story.
