Chapter 10- A Christmas Delayed
The Christmas tree at the 7th Heaven bar was a real one, for the first time. At this time of Tifa's life, she wasn't willing to put up with anything artificial. The gifts sat neatly within their cardboard cages, just waiting to be opened. There was one for everybody, including gifts for the three guests who would be arriving shortly. Tifa did not know who the guests were, since Cid was in charge of the invitations. It goes without saying that the job was then passed down to Shera.
Everyone had arrived: Tifa, Yuffie, Barret, Cid, Shera, even Nanaki and Cait Sith. However, the three surprise guests had not arrived. "Let's just go ahead and open our presents!", Yuffie exclaimed. Since there was no one willing to oppose her, the wish was granted.
The group's traditional way of giving presents was very random. In fact, it was chosen by pulling names from a hat. This year, it was Tifa's responsibility to buy a present for Cait Sith. His gift was a book entitled, 'Mastering The Art Of Handwriting Analysis'. Obviously, Cait was very happy. The gift was from Shera to Nanaki. She had gotten him a small toy, to which Nanaki replied, "It's the thought that counts." Most of the gifts were fairly simple. Cait Sith bought Cid a book about quitting smoking. Oddly enough, Cid kept his cool, and didn't beat him to a bloody pulp. Nanaki had gotten a new attachment for Barret's arm that was compatible with mp3 technology.
Finally, it was Tifa's turn to receive a gift. It was from Barret: a small silver locket. It was very beautiful, and apparently cost a lot. Tifa was admiring it when the first guest walked through the door. Everyone dropped whatever they were doing, and the room fell completely silent. They all just stared, in shock, at Cloud Strife.
Cloud seemed different. His demeanor was much more peaceful and friendly than usual. "If you would like, I can just exchange presents and leave. I mean, if I'm not welcome." "No.", Tifa replied. "You can stay a while. It's been a long time since I've seen you, and I'd like to talk later." Cloud took a seat, and received his gift from Cid. It was a dagger. "'Cause, you know, I thought you might like to train with something a little smaller." During the exchange, Tifa gazed intently at Cloud. It seemed like all of his rage had been removed, but there was only one way to know for sure.
It wasn't long before the second guest arrived: Vincent Valentine. Yuffie instantly ran to him with open arms and asked, "Where have you been?" "We'll talk later." Vince received a gift from Cloud, which happened to be a case for Vince to store his weapons. However, when Yuffie noticed that Vince had not brought a box when he came in, she asked, "Didn't you bring a gift?" "I did." Vincent got down on one knee, and with Yuffie hopping up and down like a little schoolgirl, opened a small box that held a diamond ring. "Yuffie Kisaragi, will you marry me?"
Yuffie cried out with an emphatic "YES!!!" The noise was so loud that no one heard the last guest enter. As Denzel sat down and gave his gift to Shera, Barret asked, "How's college?" "Good. It is kind of tough being a freshman, though." Shera opened her gift. It was a pair of earrings, which she really liked. Denzel's gift was from Yuffie. It was a pocket knife. He looked happy about it, but the room became silent once more when he asked, "Where's Marlene?"