Hey everyone its ya boy back
for another round. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 10.
So here is
chapter 11. Any feedback will be highly appreciated. Thanks again for
everyone R&R. Without any further a due here is Chapter 11.
Chapter 11: Chaos at camp.
The camp was in an upheaval. Cloud and Sephiroth had not returned from their scout yet. And darkness had fallen. Tifa had told the rest of the team what was going on. She had told them that Cloud and Seph had just went to make some rounds, to make sure that nothing was left behind from Jenova. When the rest of the team heard the information they were angry.
People were yelling out there curses at the couple for not taking them along to find what ever they were looking for. Tifa was miserable. She was supposed to be acting as the heart of the team and to give them her support, but right about now she was the one who needed it. She went over to Aeris who was sitting by the stream running through the ghost town. She sat down and shared a smile with her friend.
"Mariah is still unconscious" Aeris said.
"She must have really took a hard hit from that monster" Tifa replied.
"When I checked her I saw the finger prints on her chest. It also looks like she had a broken rib". Aeris stated.
Her eyes brimmed with tears of her disappointment. She was really frustrated with herself for not being able to wake Mariah up.
Tifa noticed her features and put her arm around Aeris' shoulder.
"Its not your fault. She just happened to be in the wrong place. Don't beat your self up for it."
The tears were now streaming freely, and she had to hide her face. She didn't want anyone to see her cry.
"I know Tifa. She finally said. But I feel so useless. I feel so distant when the team goes into battle. All I can do is run when the enemy comes close and heal from a distance. I cant do anything right. You guys will be better off without me." With that she broke into another fit of sobs.
Tifa couldn't believe what she was hearing. Tifa thought that Aeris was one of the most important people in the group. If not to the group then she was one of the most important people to Tifa.
"Aeris don't talk like that. That's nonsense. The group wouldn't be the same with out you. You have so much life and energy. I try to be like you but I can't fit your shoes. Aeris I look up to you. You're so optimistic and you always look for the good in every situation. And just because you don't battle as hard as you want to, doesn't mean that you're not strong. All your strengths and powers come from your ability to cast magic as well as you do. My spells cannot even compare to yours. Plus you are like a sister to me. If you don't feel important here to anyone else. Just now that you are to me.
Aeris felt like a weight had been lifted of from her heart.
She turned to Tifa and gave her a hug that had Tifa thinking it was Barret who was there hugging her and not Aeris.
"Tifa I love you so much. I don't know what I would do without you."
Tifa just smiled.
When Aeris had washed her face in the stream to freshen up, she turn to Tifa.
"Cloud and Sephiroth still haven't come back yet?" she asked
"No. She replied feeling the weight of the world return. I just have a gut feeling that something terrible has happened. She turned to Aeris. What if cloud has found something and got wounded during the fight? What if he is out there and he got lost? What if he has a terminal wound? What if he is---, she broke down into tears. What if he is de…dead?"
Aeris reached out to her and smiled. She then let out a little chuckle.
Tifa looked at her as if she was crazy.
"What are you laughing at? This is not a time to be laughing! He might be seriously inju-
"You really love him don't you?"
The question caught her by surprise and her answer was stuttered.
"O…of course I love hi…him. He is like my brother."
Aeris laughed again.
"Tifa did you notice that when you were talking, you did not once ask about Sephiroth. If you didn't realize it, Sephiroth was with him and he didn't go alone."
Tifa realized this and her cheeks reddened.
"Its alright. I have known for a while and it's obvious."
Tifa closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She looked over to Aeris who had a smile on.
"I love him to death Aeris, but he doesn't notice me. I try and try. Time and time again I try to express my true feelings, but when he comes around I cant say how I truly feel. Ever since we were smaller I always had a special connection with Cloud. Sure I had friends. But none of them showed me the kind of love and kindness that he showed me. He was even there for me when my mother died.
New tears fell at the memory of her mom.
Young Tifa sat there in her bedroom filled with her friends. Mama has gone away and Tifa knew that she wasn't coming back. Mama had been everything to her. She pulled her knees up to her chest gave one last sob and tried to stop crying. She was happy to have all he friends around her, but no one could comfort her the way she wanted. She wanted comfort from one person. But that person wasn't here. She looked around and saw all the familiar faces. She closed her eyes and opened them again hoping that next time she could see, he would miraculously be there. She opened up her eyes to her own disappointment. She got up and went to the window. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw him standing there with his spickey blonde hair. He waved to her and she waved back. She turned away for a quick second to wipe away her tears. She was about to open the window when she noticed that the spot where he was standing was now vacant. Nobody was there. Tifa thought for a moment. Did she so badly want to talk to him that she was imagining things now? She stood there, more tears falling from her already red eyes. She had, had her heart broken twice in one day. Her mama was gone and there was no Cloud to talk to and share all her feelings with. She couldn't deal with it anymore. What else or who else would break her spirit and cause her so much pain in this town. She was going to run away. She didn't know where she was going or what she was going to do, but she had to get out. Things were not the same around here and she didn't like the change. Change…she thought. It was a scary thing and she didn't want to confront it or even think about it right now. She rushed passed her friends in her room and ran down the hallway and headed for the steps. They just looked at her and thought she needed some time alone, so they let her go. When she was about to go down the first step, what she saw made her heart stop. All time was frozen as she saw him standing there in his little navy blue shorts and white tank top.
"Where ya going Tifa? Um…can I come with you? The other kids don't like me and"…
He didn't get a chance to finish for Tifa ran to him and threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shirt. Young Cloud was stunned. Why was Tifa crying? He felt so sorry for her.
"Tiff, hey what's wrong? Please don't cry. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Nothing seemed to be working. So he just put his arm around her trembling form and caressed her back until she calmed down.
She looked up at him with red blotchy eyes and gave a weak smile.
"Sure you can come with me Cloud".
"Hey Tifa! Why are you with that looser? Come back here with the rest of us". A little boy named Farley said.
Then a little girl named Giselle came out.
"Eeeew! Tifa come back here before you catch the cooties from cootie Cloudy".
Tifa looked at Cloud and he was trembling. Obviously trying to keep himself from crying or running up the stairs to the bedroom and beating the hell out of them both.
Now the kids were laughing at him. She saw a tear roll down from his eye and dripped off his face. She got really angry and glared at the teasing kids.
"SHUT UP! YOU GUYS ARE THE LOOSERS. CLOUD IS WAY COOLER THAN ANY OF YOU MORONS IN THAT ROOM!"
Now she was breathing heavily. Me and Cloud are going to go hang out, if any of you want to come, you can. But if anybody makes fun of Cloud, I swear I'll kill you".
Farley looked at them with disgust.
"Tifa when your mind is feeling better you can come to my house, we will be over there. Come on everyone Tifa and Cloud are hanging out and I don't want too catch the cooties. So lets go to my house".
As they filed out of the room and walked down the steps Tifa gave each of them a glare.
When Giselle came down she pushed Cloud. He lost his balance and slammed into the wall. Giselle stood there laughing at him. Cloud got so mad that he didn't give a damn anymore.
He threw a punch at her. His fist and her nose connected with a crack and blood started to ooze out. She was shell-shocked, she hadn't expected Cloud to hit her. She was about to go after him again but Tifa stepped forward and smacked her one across the face.
"Get out and don't ever come back!"
Giselle rolled her eyes and walked out the door. When she reached the outside step Tifa ran up behind her and pushed. Giselle went rolling down the steps to end up face flat in a puddle of mud, left behind by the recent rain.
Cloud and Tifa burst out laughing as Giselle went home crying with blood and mud on her face.
"You gave up all your friends to be with me?" Cloud asked lowly.
She looked at him and patted him on the back.
"I never liked Giselle and the rest of those kids cant live a day without me. They will come running back once they get bored." She replied
Cloud gave a smile and they began walking back up the stairs.
"I was going to run away." She said as they walked down the corridor to her room.
"Why?" He asked. "If you are going can I come?"
Tifa laughed.
"Well the reason I was going is because mama is not here anymore and I thought you had left. I didn't have anyone to talk to. So I was going to start a new life. Somewhere else. Even though mama is not coming back. At least I still have you to talk to right?
Cloud nodded his head vigorously to show his agreement.
When they got into the room they sat on the floor facing each other.
Cloud started:
I know your mommy is gone but you don't have to worry anymore I'm here for you. My daddy is gone too so we have a lot in common. You don't have to cry any more because when you cry you make me feel like crying too. So please don't cry any more. I will try my best to make sure you don't.
Tifa smiled and replied:
"Cloud I just wanna thank you for being here. I want to say sorry for all the times those kids would make fun of you. I am sorry I just stood there and let them laugh and make fun of you. You are one of the kindest and sweetest and innocent people I know. I want you to be my new best friend."
Cloud was surprised. Very, very surprised.
"So will you be my new best friend Cloud Strife?" she asked.
"I sure will, Tifa Lockheart!" he replied.
They talked long into the night, both enjoying each other's company.
During the days that followed Tifa and Cloud were inseprable. When Tifa had recovered from the accident on the bridge, she reprimanded everyone that dared to blame Cloud. She made all of them apologize, even some of the older and cool kids. Eventually the other kids came to find out that Cloud was a very nice person. They all started to hang out. Cloud was everywhere Tifa was and they had a crowd that always followed them even when they just wanted best friend alone time. Cloud had eventually convinced Tifa to talk to Giselle.
"Hey Giselle" Tifa yelled.
Giselle turned around and saw Tifa. She rolled her eyes and waited on her.
When Tifa caught up to her she just looked at her.
Cloud had to poke Tifa to get her to start.
"I just want to tell you sorry for"….
Giselle slapped her so hard that her vision was blurred.
Tifa got so angry that she jumped on Giselle and they toppled to the ground.
Cloud was angry too, but he didn't do anything. If Giselle was going to be mad at Tifa forever…so be it. Tifa was trying to apologize but Giselle was to stuck up to notice. So he let them fight, well knowing that Tifa would come out the victor.
They rolled on the ground until Tifa was on top of Giselle.
She grabbed Giselle's head and bashed it into the soil of a garden they had rolled into.
She punched Giselle repeatedly in the face until she drew blood. She then got up took Giselle by the hair and dragged her to the street, after that she began to kick her in the stomach. Giselle was crying and she was obviously in a lot of pain. Mr. Jute (the owner of the garden) came out of his house and pulled the two girls of each other. Well he pulled Tifa off of Giselle.
"Stop this nonsense at once" he said.
You both apologize right now.
Tifa spoke first.
"I am so not sorry you little wench"
Mr. Jute just shook his head.
He turned to Giselle.
"I know your father very well. Just say sorry and get it over with. She hesitated. Giselle! He yelled
"OK! She retorted. Tifa…I…am"
Tifa shrugged off Mr. Jute's grip, brought her hand back and let it fly across Giselle's face.
She then rolled her eyes at Mr. Jute flicked her hair back, turned to Cloud and walked away with the rest of the kids. She left behind a stunned Mr. Jute and a still bleeding, crying, and dis-shelved Giselle.
After the fight Giselle was known as Cry-baby Giselle and all the kids laughed whenever they saw her.
Cloud and Tifa enjoyed their relationship up until the day that they made the promise at the well.
"That is when he told me that he would be my knight in shining armor. He told me that when I was in danger he would rescue me. And he has been living up to that promise ever since he came back. Aeris I love him so much. I want him to know how much I love him. I want him to know how I truly feel. I want him to be my husband and I want to spend the rest of my life with him."
She looked at Aeris who was smiling.
Aeris gave a little flick of her head that told Tifa to look behind her.
Tifa's heart stopped. She slowly turned around hoping that whom she thought was there was really there.
She turned around to see a bruised Cloud standing there with his Ultima Weapon in one hand and the other supporting what seemed to be an unconscious Sephiroth that was on his back.
Tifa was up in an instant.
"Cloud! How long have you been standing there!"
"Long enough, he replied laying Sephiroth on the ground.
Tifa I love you…………………………………..
Will you marry me?"………………………………………………..
Well everyone, that is the end of that chapter and I am going to bed. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I will be starting on number 12 tomorrow so watch out for it. I must say that I am glad for the Reviewing. Thanks to all the people who read.
What will Tifa say to Cloud? What will happen to Sephiroth and Mariah?
Watch out for all the answers in Chapter 12. TTNC 1.
