Story Title: After the Rain
Rating: K
Genre: Romance and Drama
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters appearing in this fanfiction.
A/N: Sorry that I've been lagging lately. I was on writer's block for a while. I managed to break out of though… barley! Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapters and please continue reading!

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Chapter 6
Can be salvaged just a little

"Remind me again… what are we doing here?" Cloud asked aloud. Tifa, who was standing beside him, looked confused herself. She took the piece of paper that Cloud was holding from him and read:

"Hey! Wake up sleepy head! Meet me here at 9 o'clock tonight! (Don't forget to bring Tifa along!)" - Zack

Below the note was a vaguely drawn map. It had been a couple of days since Cloud had run out in the night searching for Tifa. When he received Zack's note (from his mom) he quickly called Tifa and told her the news. An hour later, they met up and headed for the designated area on foot since it was nearby. And now, after deciphering the strange map, they reached the map's target.

"Is this really the place?" Tifa consulted the map just in case. Zack had simply written in large letters, HERE, on the note with an arrow pointing to it. It seemed the area they had been trying to find was simply the school. Cloud rubbed his head in frustration. Why did Zack call him and Tifa out so late? There were plenty of other times Zack could've pulled a prank on them, but on a weekend and at night? What's he up to? As Cloud quietly consulted those questions, Tifa studied the map again using the dim light they had. Suddenly, a figure from the darkness emerged between the gates of the school. It was Zack's head.

"Hey there…" said his head, smiling eerily.

Tifa put her hands to her mouth in shock as Cloud restrained his reflexes from smacking Zack's head. Controlling his voice so as not to appear shaken, Cloud demanded, "What are you doing?" He must've looked funny because Zack burst into uncontrollable laughter, unable to speak. Tifa approached, looking relieved.

"You had me scared there." She said.

"Sorry about that, Tifa." Zack smiled kindly. Then he returned to Cloud with a grin. Cloud was glaring at him. Zack laughed. "Don't be embarrassed! We all get scared one day or another." Seconds later, another figure emerged from the darkness behind Tifa. Tifa immediately whipped around, ready to lay the smack on the surprise attack. But it was only Aerith. She looked a bit scared herself, for Tifa's fists were only millimeters from her face.

"A-Aerith?" Tifa exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!"

"T-That's okay. I didn't mean to scare you." Aerith laughed nervously. "It's a good thing you didn't hit me though."

"Whoa, Tifa's got reflexes." Zack whistled. "That was dangerous though."

Cloud simply stared, at a loss for words. After everyone calmed down about their sudden scare, Zack turned to Tifa and Cloud and yelled, "You two are late by the way! I expected you two here fifteen minutes ago!"

"If that's what you expected then you should've been more considerate of the ones looking at this map!" Cloud shoved the map in Zack's face. Tifa got in between them and said, "Uh, let's not talk about that, shall we?"

"I can't believe I came here for this…" muttered Cloud.

"So, why did you call us out so late?" Tifa asked Zack.

Zack grinned. "We're going hiking!"

"You mean… hiking up in the mountains?" Tifa asked to confirm.

"Of course! Where else do people take hikes?" Zack answered cheerfully.

"I don't mind the idea…" Cloud muttered. "But we could've gone earlier."

"But if we went earlier, we won't be able to see the sunrise." Aerith jumped in.

"There's always the sunset…"

"Oh, stop moping!" Aerith pouted.

"We're going to have to catch the train to get to the mountain before it leaves, so let's hurry!" Ushered Zack. In a group they walked to the train station. It was so dark that they had to be careful when walking. Overall the path was well lit. Aerith and Tifa walked ahead as Cloud and Zack walked a few feet behind.

"I heard about what happened that day you skipped out on school." Zack said suddenly.

"…Did you?"

"Yeah. Her dad called Aerith, and Aerith called me. We both went looking for her." Zack looked admirably at Cloud. "And you found her first. I wasn't surprised."

Cloud's gaze was fixed upon Tifa. He stared at her sadly. "I couldn't do anything for her though. She was crying so much."

"At least you were with her." Zack consoled.

"…How come you and Aerith acted like you both didn't know?"

"We didn't want to worry Tifa, so we decided to act ignorant. And we also decided on a whim to do something fun so she could forget about everything for a while."

"And hiking is fun?"

"Yeah!"

"…As long as it's for Tifa…"

When they reached the train station, Zack paid for each of them and they boarded. Their cart was empty except for a few passengers here and there, but tonight Cloud didn't feel alone. He was among friends—a thought that felt so much more than anything. They each took a seat across from each other so they could chat face to face. Zack kept shooting flirtatious smiles across the table to Aerith. When she looked away he turned his tricks over to Tifa, who smiled uncomfortably. Only when Cloud kicked his leg did Zack stop and stay quiet.

"For a clear night, there aren't that many stars." Said Tifa when she looked out the window.

"Well, we're still in the city so the lights are blocking out the stars." Said Aerith. "Once we're higher up the sky will light up more."

"I hope we get there soon." Yawned Cloud.

"Hey now, Cloud, don't be like that." Zack nudged Cloud in his side to keep him from sleeping. "Remember that we're not here for ourselves!"

With Zack to keep everyone busy, they arrived at the hiking trail in no time. The hill was a bit steep in some points, but they were all able to walk up fine. When they passed the halfway point though, Tifa and Aerith had begun appearing a bit tired. Cloud glanced a worried look at Tifa. She was ahead of him, but only because he made sure to stay behind her in case she tripped and fell. He quickly ran to her side and asked, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She smiled, her cheeks red from the blistering wind. "It's just a little more."

Zack had also run to Aerith's side and was walking up the hill backwards in front of her. He spoke to her, concerned. But she kept walking. Cloud walked alongside Tifa for a while, watching as she slowly lost her strength. Ahead of them, Cloud watched as Zack kept trying to persuade Aerith to slow down a bit. She walked faster, as if to purposely get him worried to the point of having a heart attack. But Cloud knew that she was happy that Zack was so worried.

When they were nearly to the top of the hill, Tifa stopped for a second to take a break. Only then did Aerith stop too. After a moment, Cloud reached out his hand to Tifa. She looked up at him, her eyes speaking for her voice. He smiled and said, "C'mon, we're almost there." Tifa blushed as she took his hand quietly. Cloud walked up the hill while firmly but gently holding Tifa's hand. Zack on the other hand had deliberately picked up Aerith and began carrying her up the hill, as she demanded him to let her go.

The moment Cloud stepped foot on the flat surface of the hill, he stopped and said, "Look, Tifa."

Tifa gasped at the sight. Already the warm glow of the sun was setting through the land, and the morning mist was slowly dissolving. They appeared to be standing above the clouds. "It's beautiful." Said Tifa in awe. Cloud smiled. If they were still kids, she'd probably run right to the edge of the ledge and lean out, taking a deep breath of fresh air. But she probably wouldn't be able to run to the edge of the ledge if they were still kids… if he was still holding her hand anyway.

"O-oh, sorry." Cloud smiled, embarrassed. He slowly let go of her hand. "Go ahead."

"Come with me." Tifa urged.

Her invite surprised him, but he automatically knew not to decline. Taking a glance around, he saw Zack and Aerith standing next to each other overlooking the horizon. He wondered what they could be talking about. Tifa leaned her arms on the ledge. It was about waist high to her. Cloud leaned on the ledge beside her.

"Have you ever gone hiking before?" Cloud asked Tifa.

"No, my parents were always busy. Have you?"

"Once. But like today it was Zack's idea."

"When was that?"

"Middle school. He was complaining a lot during the hike though."

"Did you make it?"

"Yeah, after the second time up."

Tifa laughed. "So, I'm assuming Zack tripped and rolled down the hill?"

"Actually, he dropped his bottle of water and ran back down to get it."

Tifa burst into laughter. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing like this but… it sounded like so much fun."

"Well… it was kind of fun." Cloud admitted, mumbling.

"I'm glad."

By the time the sun emerged from the land the mist was gone. Zack called for a round up (as he called it) and gave a quick speech. "I'm glad you call came on this hiking trip. It was fun! Right, Cloud?"—Cloud nodded halfheartedly—"Anyway, it's a great thing that we all made up this hill together."

"Um, if I may say something," Tifa stepped forward. "I just… want to thank everyone for what you've all done. It means more than anything."

"Not at all." Smiled Zack. "Just keep in mind that maybe next time we'll be able to climb up the hill with renewed strength, reaching our destination faster than ever." They walked back down the hill after that. It wasn't as difficult as it was going up, so they quickly reached the bottom. Once they boarded the train, they quickly sat down. But unlike before, they now sat with their partner (as Zack called it). Zack bragged about having the best stamina of the four, but seconds later his head was lolling back and forth as he slept with his head against the cold window. Minutes later, Tifa and Aerith were getting sleepy themselves. Aerith soon fell asleep and the only ones still awake were Cloud and Tifa.

"Sleepy?" Tifa asked, chuckling a bit.

"Yeah." Cloud rubbed his eyes. "It's been a long… night."

"It has."

Cloud looked away for a second, but he felt Tifa's eyes lingering on him. He returned his gaze to her. "What?"

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you for today."

"You're welcome."

They weren't talking long before Tifa fell asleep. Cloud relaxed against his chair, but then Tifa's head suddenly flopped onto his shoulder. He felt stiff for a moment, not daring to move. He looked at her sleeping face. She looked so much at peace when she slept. When he felt comfortable again, he relaxed in his chair. He could feel Tifa's warm breath and the movement of her body when she breathed. Everything about her soon lulled him to sleep.