Story Title: After the Rain
Rating: K
Genre: Romance and Drama
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters appearing in this fanfiction.
A/N: I'm ba-ack! I bet you guys hated how I (cough/purposely/cough) ended the previous chapter, huh? Sorry. It was too hard to resist. Err, anyhow. Please don't be too mad, I've come back with an update. The drama will continue to play out from now on. Also, I'll probably be able to update at least once a week. Woohoo! I'm not completely gone!

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Chapter 16
So who chose to be unable to do anything?

Cloud couldn't remember the last time he was in the hospital. The first few times were when he was a kid, others were when his mother had become sick. Coming back after so long was nerve racking, especially in the situation they were in. When Cloud found Tifa's father collapsed under the pile of rubble, his mind raced out of control. Mr. Lockheart had regained conscious, but then he suffered a mild heart attack. The doctors had said that as long as he got some rest, everything should be fine. However, it still did not ease the mood.

Tifa had not left her father's side since they had arrived. Aerith and Cloud's mother arrived shortly after they received a call from Zack. They both hurried inside Mr. Lockheart's room with Tifa. Zack sat outside with Cloud.

"Aren't you going to go see him?" Zack asked Cloud.

"…I will." Cloud stared at the palm of his hands.

"Everything will be all right." Zack placed a reassuring hand on Cloud's shoulder. Cloud wasn't sure if he was talking about the health of Tifa's father or something else. Nonetheless, it left Cloud feeling no better than before. Zack stood and entered Mr. Lockheart's room with everyone else. Cloud didn't know how long he waited, but all the while he felt a huge weight of burden and disappointment. He was only brought back to reality when he felt someone tapping his shoulder. He looked up to see Aerith standing in front of him. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't look upset either.

"Don't be too hard on yourself." She said gently. "You should go see him." She turned away with Zack following after her. Cloud's mother also left with them after urging Cloud to talk to Tifa. Once they had disappeared around the hallway, Cloud took a deep breath and stood up. He approached the closed door of Mr. Lockheart's room. Tifa certainly was in there, possibly holding her father's hand… and possibly wanting to be alone. Cloud pressed down on the doorknob. The door creaked slightly as it opened. Stepping in, Cloud could see Tifa sitting in a chair beside her father, holding his hand. She didn't look up to see who had just walked in, nor did she show any interest in knowing who it was at all. Her father was sleeping soundly on his bed, breathing quietly. Yet it seemed he too was grasping tightly onto Tifa's hand.

Without uttering a word, Cloud pulled a chair and took a seat beside Tifa. She glanced in his direction but still said nothing. The silence was becoming too unbearable for Cloud. All he could think of to say was something he wished he never had to.

"Tifa, I'm sorry." He said quietly. Though it was clear that she heard his words, she said nothing. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. I'm sorry."

"Please, don't say anything." Came Tifa's voice, quiet and emotional. "…Don't say anything."

"Tifa…" Cloud didn't know what to do in such a situation. Comfort her? Apologize? Do as she asked? Whatever it was, he didn't know. But one thing was certain. Whether it was against her wishes or not, she was still listening. "Tifa, look at me."

A bit to his surprise, she looked at him. Her eyes were red from crying and her cheeks red. She said, "If we're going to talk, let's talk outside." Cloud obeyed and went outside first. Shortly after, Tifa appeared. She waited for him to talk. Her arm's weren't folded, she wasn't leaning on one leg but both, and she was looking straight into his eyes. Cloud didn't know how to start when she was looking at him with such independence.

"What is it?" she finally asked.

"…I'm sorry." Cloud felt pathetic for apologizing again. But he wanted her to understand.

"Don't say that. Don't apologize. It won't do any good." She told him. "I'm not blaming anyone for what happened. Apologizing to me won't change anything."

"Your eyes say otherwise."

"It's true that I'm upset." Tifa stared at the ground. "But I was taught not to hold grudges. And it seems… that no matter how hard I try to hold one, it will eventually slip out of my grasp. This is but one of those moments when it will someday slip away."

Cloud was taken aback. He asked slowly, "Do you… hate me?"

She returned her sad gaze onto him. "No. That's something that won't happen no matter what happens." Her eyes began to fill with tears again. She brought a hand to her cheeks to wipe them. Turning away, she said, "That's all." Cloud felt his heart beating in desperation. He reached a hand out and gently took hold of her arm.

"Tifa!" he tried to stop her. Though he didn't know what he would say to her at all, he felt that if he let her go it would've been the beginning of a downfall. But Tifa was being less cooperative. She turned to face him with her tear-streaked face and said harshly, "Please! Just… let me be alone!"

It was the first time Cloud had seen Tifa look so upset. His hands felt weak, and he let her go. Without a second look back, Tifa disappeared into her father's room. He stood outside, disappointment and anger chewing at him for being unable to do anything. There was a strong impulse for him to push the door open and demand to talk to her, but when he stood close enough to the door, he heard Tifa crying silently on the other side.

Such a sound broke his heart.

Dragging his heavy feet behind him, he left the hospital. With no ride home, he walked along the sidewalk without bothering to get a taxi. His thoughts kept him busy the entire walk home that he soon found himself nearing his neighborhood by no time. As he trudged along silently, he noticed Zack and Aerith sitting on the front porch of his house. They appeared to be waiting for someone, apparently him. Aerith waved a friendly hello, and Cloud waved back without much effort. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Welcome home." Zack said with a big smile. His voice lacked the usual enthusiasm, but he still tried to smile even during times like this.

"How are you feeling?" Aerith asked.

"Like dirt." Cloud replied, taking a seat on the porch.

"Don't say that." Aerith frowned. "You did more than you could have. That should be enough."

"It sure doesn't feel like it."

"Tifa just needs some time alone. Besides, it's not like she's never gotten upset at me before."

"Was it over anything this serious?"

"No. But it could be worse." She smiled. Cloud wasn't sure if she was trying to help or was just throwing oil on him. Zack intervened asking, "What are you going to do now?"

"…I haven't thought about it." Then Cloud remembered what Tifa said. Her words echoed painfully in Cloud's mind. "I should leave."

"W-what?" Zack and Aerith screamed.

"Tifa needs to be alone. If I stay here, she'll just be troubled by my presence."

"I don't think that's what she wants." Aerith said. "You shouldn't come to conclusions like this."

"Are you stupid?" Zack was beginning to lose his cool. "It's because it's a time like this that you're needed here! You can't just go back!"

"Zack…" Aerith placed a hand on his shoulder. He calmed a bit, but his burning glare remained on Cloud. Aerith said, "Cloud, you can't leave."

"I don't know what to do anymore." Cloud stood and placed a hand on the knob of the front door. He turned it, and as the door opened he told them, "Let me be alone for a while." Though he heard them protesting he closed the door behind him and headed for his room. His mother quietly opened the door to his room minutes later to check on him. She sat on the bed beside him where he lay.

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?" she said, bringing up a light topic.

"Yeah." Cloud said simply.

"I just got a call from Aerith."

"…Did you?"

"She said that you were leaving again."

Silence. Cloud turned over on his bed so he would be facing the wall. He felt his mother place a gentle hand on his head. It had been so long she rubbed his hair like she did when he was young. He felt horrible that she always had to live with his mistakes. But not once did she ever scold him. Lectures were another thing.

"…If you're going to leave, won't you please tell Tifa first?" his mother said sadly.

"She doesn't want to see me."

"That never stopped you." Her hand lifted away from his head and her weight lifted off the bed. Without saying another word, she left Cloud to ponder his thoughts. It seemed everyone was disappointed in him nowadays. No one was around to comfort him at all. Then again, Aerith and Zack had tried, but he pushed them away. After doing such a thing, they both probably didn't want to talk to him anymore. Especially Zack. He was rather upset.

Staring outside his window across the street, Tifa's house was lifeless and empty. It was a lonely feeling.

"Maybe I should disappear for a while." Cloud thought, even though he knew the circumstances of doing so. He picked up his cell phone to call Zack and inform him. The phone rang for a long time before someone finally answered, "Hello?"

It was Aerith. "Where's Zack?" Cloud asked.

"He's right here." She said simply.

"Why do you have his cell phone?"

"Because he didn't want to answer."

"…I have to tell someone at least." Cloud sighed. "Tell everyone… especially Tifa, that I'm going back."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah."

"You disappoint me." Aerith spoke without any hesitation. "Of all people, I thought you would be the one to give Tifa unconditional support!"

"Sorry… that I didn't meet up to your expectations." Cloud said quietly. "Good-bye."

Before Aerith could protest, he hung up. His phone repeatedly rang, annoying him to the bitter end until he finally turned it off. He bid his mother farewell. With tears in her eyes she saw him off at the station, promising him that she'd always be his mother no matter what happens. With those words in mind, Cloud took off. A pain in his heart, he didn't know how long he was going to stay this time or whether he was coming back at all. When he boarded the train, he checked his cell phone. There were two messages left to him. After great hesitation, he dared listen to them.

"Cloud!" screamed Zack loudly. "You better come back! No matter what, you better come back!"

The second message was from Aerith.

"I'll tell Tifa… I'll tell her everything, so don't worry. Please, just come back!"

End of messages.