Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII with the characters, items, places, etc. are the property of Square Enix, Inc. No infringement is intended.

Author's Note: This is a Cloud and Tifa story, just with a dramatic twist due to his absence. They will be happy later.

Updated Chapter Changes: 4/6/19 & 7/26/20

-. Don't Think Twice .-

Chapter II

Early January, εγλ 0008

"If we're gonna fight Sephiroth, we need more materia!" Yuffie boasted, her fist held high into the air. "I know just where to find it in Wutai."

"Excuse me, princess! You don't lead this crew on my airship. I don't trust yer little ass in Wutai anyway," Cid bellowed back, keeping his hands on the steering wheel of the Highwind.

"Come on old man!" Yuffie stalked up to the crotchety pilot, hands on her hips in an attempt to intimidate him. "You gonna hold on to that grudge forever?"

"I can go with Yuffie. She won't trick us again," Tifa volunteered cheerfully. She had already forgiven the ninja for the earlier heist and she thought the others should too. They were a team after all! "We need to protect the Planet."

"I'll go too. Cid, take us to Wutai!" Cloud ordered with a wave of his hand before he walked out of the deck and into the machinery room. Tifa watched him go as Cid complied with the new direction. The young ninja began to tug on her arm before leaning in to whisper. "Hmm. Looks like you two get a chance to get it on."

"Yuffie!" Tifa shot back in a harsh whisper.

The raven-haired girl snickered about her small tease for a few moments before turning serious. "You know I've been keeping your secret Teef! You and Spiky haven't had any alone time since Icicle Inn. Well, like that...you had plenty one on one," she pulled the barmaid along over the bridge. "We gotta pack!"

Tifa smiled at the bouncy teenager moving her along to the cabin below the bridge. Surprisingly, the living quarters under the machinery room were soundproof with generous space for guests. There were ten rooms in the hallway, five on each side for the crew to sleep. "Come on, it's almost time for your other tranquilizer," Tifa said as she stopped Yuffie outside of her room. "You don't want to get sick before we land."

"Yeah, that would be bad...urk..." Yuffie clutched her mouth while opening her door. "Cutting it too close," the young girl muttered before closing the hatchway.

Tifa opened her room, which was at the end of the hall next to Yuffie's room. She quickly packed as the destination to the western continent was fast approaching with only the basic necessities. Being as Yuffie was the daughter of the leader of Wutai, accommodations would be provided. The materia thief had really annoyed her on the first trip out there, but the spirited youth had been growing on her like a little sister as she came to know her more.

Yuffie was the only one that knew about her and Cloud. The flower girl had guessed too when she had apologized to Tifa about the promised date with Cloud. She had been very thrown off by Aerith near the Mythril Mines for bringing up her relationship with the brooding ex-Soldier. She never worried about her knowing, but the ninja was quite different. Yuffie was loud and somewhat bold in her actions, but to her and Cloud's surprise, she kept it on the down-low about the two lovers.

"Tifa, can I come in?" Cloud asked with a light knock at the door. She opened the door and was greeted with a kiss from the blond, leading her back inside her room against the wall with his hands latching onto her hips. She giggled when she hit the wall.

"Hmm, I've missed you too," Tifa smirked while encircling his neck with her arms, not wanting to let go. They hadn't had too many moments since The Forgotten Capital. Meteor was in the sky, WEAPON was wreaking havoc throughout Gaia, and they were chasing Shinra and the Huge Materia on all sides of the Planet. The sex was amazing, the hot kisses always tingled her lips, but right now she just wanted to hold him and never let go. Cloud, on the other hand, had another idea.

His hand was already in her long tresses, gently tugging to angle her head back and allow him to nibble her earlobe. Tifa's breathing quickened when she felt Cloud's other hand trail up under her shirt, his fingers pinching her nipple when his hand cupped her breast. She arched forward while shivering in pleasure, her pelvic rubbing against his.

"Do you think she set this up?" he asked briefly before continuing his small trail of kisses to her neck. His lips felt like heaven against her skin.

"Perhaps," she lifted his head to look up at her. Cloud's sapphire eyes spoke of lust and she knew exactly what he wanted. Tifa had already felt how hard he was when she had grinded her hips into him just a moment ago. "We need to be quick."

She needed to say no more. His mouth was already covering hers, his free hand gripping her thigh to lift her leg up for better access. She curled it around his waist, pulling his taut body to hers, ready for whatever he was to give.


September 15th, εγλ 0009, 10:47 p.m.

"Tifa, where have you been?! Are you alright? I've tried calling and travel to Edge has been cut off until tomorrow. Are you hurt?" His voice held a hint of annoyance but a better part of it was painted with panic as Tifa listened to her boyfriend on the phone. She hadn't had contact with him since right before Bahamut SIN struck the city with the Remnants.

"I'm alright. Everyone here is safe now." Tifa instantly regretted not contacting him sooner to let him know about her well-being. Her cellphone had been left behind during her trip around Midgar with the children. It was late into the night, but she had needed time to calm down from earlier. Calling her boyfriend while she had been crying wouldn't have helped matters, but now she realized waiting wasn't so good either.

He let out a big sigh of relief. "I panicked when I couldn't get through to your cell. I'm glad you're okay."

There was a pregnant pause, a little anxiety fluttering about her chest as she licked her lips cautiously before speaking again. Her boyfriend was well aware of her estranged husband, but she wasn't ready to have another conflict tonight. Nevertheless, he had a right to know. "Cloud is back."

"Yeah, I saw him on TV," the man replied in a matter-of-fact way. "Does he know yet about us?"

"...Yes," she confirmed quietly. He was always kind and patient with her complicated life, but this was different. They never expected Cloud to return home.

"Ok. I'll be out tomorrow, all the races were canceled this week. Ester said there was too much chaos so the chocobo races outside Corel got shut down," he rattled on. "I can't wait to see you. I was so worried when I heard about the attack."

Tifa smiled into the phone. "I can't wait to see you either. What time can I expect you?"

"Around lunchtime, I'll be at the Levine Hotel again. I'll call you when I get there, ok? Goodnight Tifa."

"Goodnight," she replied before the call disconnected. She sighed and looked up towards the ceiling of her bedroom. Her complicated love life left her heart feeling heavy, a burden she thought she wouldn't ever have to deal with head-on.


Early January, εγλ 0008

"Halt! Only those from Wutai may enter to compete with the Five Sacred Gods," the imperial guard asserted. Out of the three, he was the only one wearing a red cloak, the other two subordinates blocked them with their halberds from the Pagoda. The intimidating men wore Samurai uniforms of golden armor and emerald clothes beneath of an oriental style.

"We're here with Yuffie," Cloud pointed out, trying to calm the guards. The men looked behind the couple and relaxed when they spotted their princess. Showing respect, they straightened up their weapons and bowed before the young girl.

"Lady Yuffie! Are you here to undertake the trials of Da-Chao?" the original guard asked.

"Stand up guys. I'm here to face them all and claim the Leviathan Materia. Take these two to Mizu Palace, they are my guests," she ordered off. The guards bowed once more, which Yuffie didn't notice as she turned back to face Cloud and Tifa. "I don't like customs, but this time I gotta follow them. I'll be fine, and the palace is nice. You'll be treated like royalty up there," she pointed to the temple further down the path.

Cloud appeared rather reluctant to the change of plans. They were supposed to supervise, and now he and Tifa were being escorted to the royal quarters as guests–without Yuffie. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his arm was crossed over, trying to push off an oncoming headache. He didn't want a repeat of stolen goods from their last visit. "Yuffie–"

"Cloud, I trust her. She'll get the materia for us," Tifa interrupted to reassure him. She pulled his hand to lock into her grip. Their fingers intertwined together, she smiled up at him. "Let's go."

Tifa felt no resistance from Cloud as they followed the other guards. When she initially grabbed his hand she could see a shy smile appear. It was nice being affectionate towards each other in the open, however little it may be. They first kept their relationship a secret to not provoke Barret, who did not want the so-called "ex-SOLDIER" to stay in Tifa's half of the apartment in the bar. Something about "not wanting any funny business" and threatening to dismember Cloud. She told him it wasn't like that, and it was her place. Through sheer stubbornness to help her childhood friend, she was able to secure Cloud's stay.

She had never thought or had planned for a romance to occur, but to her pleasant surprise, it did. There was a definite attraction in the beginning, and the kiss he gave her that night at her bar was very welcomed. The memory of his lips on hers made her mouth tingle a bit, as well as the other memories of them sneaking around. Their relationship was undisclosed to everyone else to not be a distraction from their mission, and for the sake of privacy.

"I hope Yuffie is in no hurry to complete her trials, it's really nice to be alone," Tifa said with a simper.

Cloud began to chuckle at her remark. "That's not gonna be an issue, Teef. I 'borrowed' her Time materia before we got here."

"You stole materia from the materia thief?" Tifa giggled and playfully nudged his side.

He gave Tifa a naughty grin in return. "I had to find some way to forgive her."


September 15th, εγλ 0009, 11:32 p.m.

Even in the city of Edge, she could still see the stars in the night sky. It wasn't comparable to the sparkling firmament above her hometown, but still noticeable enough for her to gaze at during the night. Watching the night sky offered her a sense of security while nestled in the bay window of her bedroom. She had dressed the wooden frame with a plush cushion and pillows upon moving in, making nights like these all the more comforting. Cloud had built the window to be her own little sanctuary.

He was actually home.

His mere presence was a concept that had become completely foreign to her. In the beginning, she waited for his return, somewhat hopeful to hear back after leaving messages for him. Hoping that she didn't push him away from them when she asked for him to work on their marriage. But it seemed she did. As time passed with no communication exchanged she became angry with her husband, but hid her contempt towards him from the children. Dragging them in would just do more harm, so she didn't discuss the topic of the blond with anyone but Yuffie.

Tifa hugged her knees to her chest as she thought back on one of the conversations she had with the ninja. The delivery man's arrival brought a whirlwind of emotions that were colliding inside her chest. An important question was brought up by the young raven-haired girl in the past.

"Do you still love Cloud?" Yuffie had asked.

This was from a few months ago when she was being courted, as she had confided in her friend about her newfound feelings. And again, the answer was still the same to her. She did, but the chasm he built up between them during the course of their marriage was too hard to keep climbing, too hard to keep overcoming. Cloud's departure had effectively broken her trust and subverted the feelings she once held for him. Her stomach was knotting up from thinking that at one point she had almost hated him for walking out, but she hadn't known he had been out there dying alone while trying to save Denzel. How could she think like that about her best friend?

Because he abandoned you when you needed him the most, her thoughts answered back.

She had fallen for the new guy in her life. The man was unexpected when he showed up while her life was in shambles, but he was an element of intimacy and normalcy she never realized existed. As she gravitated towards him, Tifa was met with honesty and commitment with his feelings for her, the complete opposite of what Cloud had demonstrated during their marriage.

Pulling back the covers she settled in between the cool sheets of her bed. She had a life to live too, and he had left.


Author's Note Continued: Chapter updated on 4/6/19; additional thoughts and feelings from Tifa's POV. Chapter updated again on 7/26/20; date/time stamp changes applied, as well as the hint of Tifa's last attempt to fix their marriage before Cloud left.