Holding On
Chapter IV

I'm roused from my sleep by the sound of a familiar voice saying my name, as well as a hand on my shoulder, shaking me gently. I recognize that the voice belongs to Cloud, though I'm confused as to why he would be waking me up. As I come further into awareness though, I remember that he didn't walk me home after he gave me my birthday present, so that must mean that we fell asleep on the hill together.

When I open my eyes I notice that it's much darker outside now than when I can last remember being awake, and I can barely see the last of the sun disappearing behind the silhouette of the mountains in the distance. I sit up, rubbing my eyes groggily and smoothing out my hair as I try to reorient myself. Cloud seems to be more awake than I am, and he stands up next to me, dusting the grass off of his pants.

"We should go home," he says, looking down at me.

I'm surprised by the urgency in his tone, because it's really not all that late, and I'm sure there will still be enough light for us to see when we make our way back into town. We've gone home much later than this before, quite a few times in fact, though my father wasn't exactly pleased about it. I decide not to question why he's in such a rush though, and take his hand when he offers it down to me to help me up.

As soon as I'm standing beside him though, Cloud starts heading back down the slope of the hill, and I have to jog a little to catch up to him. He doesn't say anything during the whole walk back, though I can't help but feel that he thinks we're on some kind of deadline to get home, for some inexplicable reason. He holds my hand for most of the trip though, interlacing his fingers with mine, and I find that I enjoy it immensely.

He keeps a brisk pace for most of the way back, although as the first of the houses come into view he finally seems to slow down a bit. I start to ask him what this is all about, but he suddenly comes to a stop; effectively puzzling me once again. I turn around to glance back at him, intending to voice my confusion, but the intense look in his eyes makes me forget what I had meant to say.

I stare at him, trying to understand why he's looking at me like he is. "Cloud?" I ask him, studying his strange expression.

He doesn't answer me, but instead he leans in towards me, placing his lips gently on mine before I even know what's going on. I stay still for a moment, stunned into a statue, but I eventually relax into the feeling and my eyes slide closed. I've never been kissed before, and I'm pretty sure that he hasn't done this before either, which only makes this moment all that more special, because we can share it together.

His mouth lingers on mine for what seems like a long time, but could very well have only been a few seconds, as my mind seems to be moving in slow motion. I kiss him back as best as I know how, pushing my lips against his, but I'm still not quite sure what to do with my hands. One of his is holding my cheek, and I somehow feel the need to touch him too, so I reach up and rest my palm against his chest, over his fluttering heart.

I leave my eyes closed for a moment after he pulls back away from me, but when I open them again I notice that he has an uncertain expression on his face, seeming to be fearful that I might not have wanted him to kiss me. I'm unable to stop myself from smiling at him, and it causes him to grin too, looking relieved that I'm not upset with him. He glances away from me after awhile though, staring down at his feet and looking apprehensive again.

"Tifa, I…" he starts, trailing off before meeting my eyes again. "I want to be with you; to be more than just your friend," he says quietly.

It takes me a moment to process that I'm actually hearing him correctly, but when I do I am unable to fight a huge smile from spreading across my face. As I've gotten closer to Cloud over the past few months, I've been vaguely aware that my feelings for him, and not just those of friendship, have been steadily growing. I hadn't even known that he considered us to be friends, and hearing him say that he wants more makes my stomach tingle with delight.

"I'd like that," I tell him.

Cloud beams back at me, though he doesn't say anything else; not that he has to say anything to communicate how happy he is, because I can see it plainly in his eyes. He takes my hand again as we continue walking towards the town, and I'm surprised when I notice that his state of dazed bliss seems to have worn off, and that odd sense of urgency that he had earlier appears to have returned.

He pulls me alongside him quickly, and we take the main road past the houses on the outskirts of town and toward our homes; the several street lamps that are positioned around the town lighting our way. We reach my house within a few minutes, but to my confusion Cloud keeps walking on past it, rather that bringing me up to the door to tell me goodnight like he normally does. Instead, he starts heading over towards his house, which is when I finally speak up.

"Where are we going?" I ask, thoroughly confused.

He only grins at me as an answer, pulling his front door open and guiding me inside the house. I understand what he's up to when we end up in the kitchen, and I see a cake sitting on the big, wooden table in the middle of the room. It looks absolutely delicious, and it's covered in fluffy, white frosting with pink icing on the top that says 'Happy birthday, Tifa'. I stare at it in shock for a moment, before I finally look back at Cloud.

"Did you make this?" I ask him, trying to imagine what he would look like cooking.

He chuckles once, and although it doesn't last for long, I savor the rare sound. I've only heard him laugh a few times, so it's become something special for me to get to hear it.

"No, my mom made it," he admits, and then adds on what seems to be an afterthought. "This is why I was in such a hurry to get here; I wanted to show you before it got too late and you had to go home" he explains.

I smile at him, glad that I finally have an explanation for his unusual behavior today, but even more glad that he thought to do something like this for me. I start to ask him where his mom is, so I can thank her for making me the cake, but just then she comes around the corner and into the kitchen.

"Happy birthday, dear," she says, putting an arm around my shoulder and kissing the top of my head.

"Thank you so much," I say earnestly, directing it towards both of them.

She throws me a quick smile before going over to the cake and beginning to cut it into small pieces. "It was Cloud's idea," she clarifies. "I just made it."

I turn towards Cloud again, smiling at him in thanks, but he glances away from me, looking bashful. When his mother is finished cutting the cake, each of us have a piece, and I find out that it tastes even better than it looked like it would. After awhile I run back to my house quickly to let my father know that I'll be out late, and then I stay over at Cloud's house for the rest of the evening, enjoying being with him and his mother.

Eventually it gets late enough that Cloud's mother suggests that we call it a night, though I'm sorry to see my little party of sorts end, because this was the best birthday I've had in a long time; since my own mother used to bake me a cake every year. She sends me home with a piece of cake for my father when I decline to take the whole thing, and Cloud walks me home like usual, following me all the way up to my front door.

I turn to face him when we're standing underneath the awning above my front door, feeling almost overwhelmed by happiness from the day I've had.

"Thank you," I tell him softly.

He smiles at me, leaning in to place a tender, but slightly hesitant kiss on my forehead. "Goodnight," he whispers.

My eyes follow him for a moment as he starts walking back towards his house, and then I turn to open my front door and slip inside. I set my father's piece of cake on the counter where I know he'll see it in the morning, and then I head upstairs. It's late, so I skip the shower and head straight to bed; making sure to take off my locket and set it on top of my dresser so I won't loose it in my sheets. Thoughts of this incredible day exhaust me, and it doesn't take long until I'm fast asleep. Before my eyes close though, I have time to wonder how life could possibly get better than it is right now.

To be continued…

(A/N) Poor Tifa, she has no idea that this is a tragedy story. ;) And, alas, there are no exploding birthday cakes in this one… XD (see my other oneshot, Sixteen Candles. ;P) I feel like this story moves a bit fast, but I didn't know how to add more events in between the key points. O.o Ah well.

Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! Keep them coming, okay? :D

-punkiemonkie