A/N:

Leon and Tifa express their thoughts and try to gain a deeper understanding of each other. Just when they finally reach out to one another, someone finally appears.

What will happen to them now?


"Trust Me"

Chapter 4

He found her at the bailey, quietly standing and waiting against the same stone window. Tifa may have tried to mask her sadness with determined smiles and strong fists, but really, she was just another lonely soul, waiting for her meaning of happiness.

Leon was a bit upset with him because he knew he was the cause of it. For a moment, he actually wondered if Cloud even noticed how much he affected her. It wasn't fair…she didn't deserve that grief of waiting for someone that might not return.

"Oh, hey," she happily greeted as she turned to see Leon behind her. It was amazing how she genuinely smiled, even though her heart was breaking inside. "I was waiting for you."

He seemed to drift off slightly as he intently gazed at her. Perhaps all this thinking was finally getting to him.

"You ok?" she concernedly asked as she tilted her head slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go." She nodded, and they headed towards the Dark Depths to train. It was their way of keeping their minds off their worries while being in the understanding company of each other…


After several strenuous hours of training, she exhaustedly leaned against the wall of the plateau. Leon, fatigued as well, stabbed the ground with his gunblade and supported his weight on the handle. Neither of them spoke, they felt nothing but dampness of their clothing and the pounding of their hearts, and heard nothing but the heavy gasping of air.

Her curious eyes wandered upon the quiet man across from her. "Leon," she said with softness, "you're very strong…"

A little surprised with her comment, rather compliment – if that's what she intended it to be – Leon uncomfortably reddened and remained silent, wondering how to reply to her…honest words.

"Why do you train all the time if you are? There really isn't any need to." It was a simple question, but strangely, it required a lot of thought for an answer.

The simple, 'I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it' answer would have plainly been, 'I don't want to talk about it'; however, life and the complexity of the human mind do not make things simple.

So, why did he train all the time, he wondered. There were so many things that could have been the reason. Its maybe because of this or perhaps that, but deep down, none of the things he considered was what he wished to say.

He realized he was just going around in circles, avoiding the truth – the real reason why he incessantly had the urge to train, and why he was the way he was with all his little idiosyncrasies – because, in the end, they all lead to the same answer…

"We all have our reasons," he responded. "Reasons why we do the things we do and act the way we are. Training helps me forget some of those things…" The slight hesitancy in his voice suggested a hidden truth, something he wasn't ready to confess just yet.

Tifa sighed and slightly slouched in her position. Rather wistfully she said, "You know, you're a lot like Cloud." Leon's brow twitched a bit.

"You give the impression that something is bothering you, but you don't realize that people around you want to help," she continued with slight strain. Pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, she finally took an exasperated breath; obviously it was something she'd been meaning to say in a long time.

"…So you push them away. You avoid them because you're scared, too…but really…you just…" Her voice ached and finishing her sentence was no longer possible. After a deep breath, she changed the subject, "So, now that everything is back to the way it used to be, why do you still want to forget? It should be easier now."

"Things happened. Even if things have changed; we all still have our scars, our regrets… There are things in the past that shouldn't have been…"

She had guessed right; there was something more than just dreams bothering him. His dreams were stemming off something deeper in his mind, something in his conscience.

"Leon, I may not know what happened in the past; but, I know that we can't fully live our lives if we're always dwelling in it. You have everything laid out for you – your life full of new opportunities, you have the town back, you have your friends' support, and everything else." Her last remark was slightly bitter; but he didn't notice it as he frowned with frustration.

"It's not that simple!" he said gradually raising his voice. His frustration was seeping out…Didn't she understand how painful it was? …maybe he didn't explain it to her…

She was taken aback by his abrupt tone, and she shifted slightly. His fists were clenched and his eyes were burning with anger as he stood before her.

"How can I? How can I accept it! Was it fair for them to disappear before my very eyes when I could have done something about it? Was it fair that I am still the one here, when others aren't? There is no justice and everything I tried to do just seems like a slap in the face because in the end…I'm still living with the guilt."

She remained quiet and painfully looked away. His words hurt her… It never seemed to fail whenever someone wanted to help, he'd impulsively push them away. Tifa was right, he was like Cloud, and it sickened him; she didn't need to be reminded of him this way.

Ashamed of his outburst, he held his dejected head in his hands and sighed.

With a disheartened tone, he confessed "…None of it gives me the right to do anything now because I'm a failure… Nothing matters. Even if I continue to train it's pointless because it can't erase…my past."

There was a long pause as both were too discouraged to speak in the hopeless atmosphere. He was losing his way, his trust in him self; he was empty. Inside, he just needed someone to tell him that…'it's ok'; she understood it.

"Listen, Leon…even though you may think I have no right to say this; I want you to know that we all live with our pains and regrets. We can't forget them because…they make us who we are. To forget our past is to forget ourselves. And even though it's painful to live with, you just have to trust in yourself…"

Her voice was calm and soothing, so he listened. "All things happen for a reason we may not understand. We just have to accept it…" Tifa encouraged, though it was difficult. Not only did she try to lighten his mood, she had to deal with her own insecurities welting inside. When she looked at his distraught state, she saw herself…

"If it's any consolation, I'm glad you finally said what was bothering you," she said trying to smiling. He just gave her a skeptical look. "You're learning how to cope with it. That shows you haven't fully given up hope…that you're not a failure…"

"How do you know?" He would have scoffed, but her look of earnestness surprised him to the point that he didn't think he remembered how.

"I know because…you finally shared your feelings and your thoughts with me, and that means a lot. I think you're beginning to trust others and yourself…"

He thought for a moment…Perhaps he was beginning to understand what she meant. The sun, once again, began to set; however, neither of them could see it because the clouds concealed its beauty.

"It's going to rain," he pessimistically stated. Tifa rolled her eyes.

"No," she corrected with a knowing smile, "Don't be so glum. The sun will come out only if you hope for it." Leon looked over to her; she never ceased to amaze him. Her plain words were deeper than; he knew it was her way of hoping that Cloud would return. Noticing his odd stare, she asked, "What? Is something on my face?"

She self-consciously rubbed her cheeks and blew a strand of hair away from her eyes, and Leon just grinned at her awkwardness.

"Nothing. Just thinking…" All was silent as they waited, but then suddenly the clouds darkened and a clap of thunder shattered their tranquility. A bright flash of lightning pierced the sky, breaking the clouds, and it began to rain slightly. Her calm expression changed with the mood and she strained a smile.

"You know, I wish I were as strong as you…" she said sadly before she hugged her knees and buried her head in folded arms. Leon felt her lightly tremble; his heart urged him to comfort her, but he didn't know how. At that moment, it began to rain harder and everything seemed hopeless once again.

"Tifa?" he beseeched. There was no sound but the pattering of the rain, and with a heavy heart he walked over to her. She didn't move when he placed a warm hand on her shoulder or when he tried to gently whisper her name. She just held her knees tighter and continued to quiver.

"What's wrong?" he asked, slightly panicked not knowing what to do. Finally, she lifted her head and he realized she was silently crying. It was then he saw the grief in her heart. Her eyes spoke the truth; her tears were her tale of sadness.

Everything just suddenly felt so overwhelming with uncertainties and fears, and she could do nothing but release her long over-due emotions pent up inside, just like the rain.

"All those things I said about how we're scared…scared of things we're not sure of…I'm scared too…" she said between her sobs. "…It hurts to wait for him…I miss him so much…" Too ashamed to look him into his eyes, she looked away and tried to hold back the tears.

"I wanted to find him…to help him and make sure he'll be ok...but instead I waited here for him…and I don't know why. I thought I could be strong…. but I feel so alone…and sometimes I regret it.…" Burying her head in her hands, she continued to weep.

Inside, her fragile heart was breaking; not even her hopes could prevent the pieces from falling apart; to see Cloud once again was her only hope that pulled her through every day, but it wasn't enough.

As he watched her cry, his throat tightened, as if to hold back his own sorrow. She needed comfort in her desperation, and he was the only one who understood it.

"You chose to wait because…you trust and believe in him," he said as he gently brushed her wet hair from her face. "But you don't have to wait alone…"

Her cries softened and she finally she gazed at him with a look of revelation. The rain streamed down her porcelain face and her swollen lips were slightly parted. He didn't realize it before, she was beautiful…

"I know he'll come back. He has to because…because you're here," he confessed. He would have mentally slapped himself for confessing way too much in one day…perhaps he was beginning to learn after all. He suddenly realized it was the way he truly felt…

Even though the rain poured as if it was crying for her, his simple words gave her confidence to weakly smile. Suddenly, he knew he, too, could hope as well.

He quietly rose from his kneeling stance, and offered her his hand. There was a genuine willingness, sympathy, and compassion in his simple gesture; hesitantly, she reached out to accept it…

Perhaps they were not alone all along…

However, before she grasped it, a light appeared above them and resonated with brilliancy like a falling star from the heavens. Without warning, there was a high pitched sound and the star-lighted form landed several feet before them.

As its intensity faded, a man appeared kneeling on one knee while his hands firmly held his sword at his side; but, as he tried to stand, his balance and strength faltered and he stumbled to the ground. Both of them were astonished at the sight.

"Cloud?" she gasped with widened eyes. As if on impulse, she quickly pulled herself off the ground and ran to the fallen man. "Come on, he needs our help!" she directed to Leon.

Speak of the devil, Cloud really did come back.

Though Leon was glad that Tifa's long-awaited hope was restored, he felt something indescribable in his heart. He watched how Tifa, kneeling by his body, gently supported his back and raised his head, but he didn't feel it. He saw how she cried tears of joy, but he didn't see it. He noticed how she tenderly called out his name to wake him from his sleep, but he didn't hear it.

Leon wondered if Cloud truly saw the person she was inside and appreciated all the things she did for him. He couldn't help but wonder if Cloud felt strange emotions when he was around her, or if Cloud confided in her, or if Cloud just found solace in her presence…

'Does he even care about how she really feels?' Leon thought.

As Leon watched her, it was then he realized how much he actually loved her. To admit such a feeling was painful because her heart belonged to another; the entire time, he knew it, but he fell for her in the end. He couldn't guard his heart even if he wanted to because…his heart, in its desperation, found comfort in her…

The force of the rain diminished, the clouds separated, and the sun's rays finally warmed his face. They were able to see a glimpse of the sunset.

"You were right, Tifa. The sun will come out only if you hope for it…Cloud really did come back," Leon said sadly. He continued to watch the two from a distance until the sun finally disappeared over horizon and all was dark once again.


Aww. Sniff…

Leon finally realizes he loves her, but then Cloud comes back. Dun, dun, dun!

So, was it ok for it to end like that?