May Queen

I went to meet her for a friend, a beloved friend
who knew he couldn't be there, and knew someone should be.

A beautiful early-summer day. Cloud walked down the path from his doorstep, and to the left... toward that oh-so-familiar house of his neighbor, casting an idle glance up at the mansion.

There stood Vincent at the front door, looking more nervous than the swordsman remembered him being even as they descended into the depths of the Northern Crater. That made him smirk a little bit.

The rest of the procession and guests were already present, sitting in folding chairs out in the front lawn. In the background, behind the somewhat jittery Vincent were some blue suitcases by the door. His gaze was directed back to the gunman as he made an obvious attempt to catch his eye.

Cloud smiled broadly at the man, who barely managed a smirk back.

We love eachother, he and I... a brother's love he'd say.
So who else would he send to bring his bride that day?

With a sigh, he stopped one last moment before the door to her house, looking down at himself, and gently smoothing the creases in his navy suit, before reaching for the handle. It opened without him even touching it.

"Ta-da!" came a call, Yuffie and Elena grinning broadly from their bride's maid dresses as they stepped to the side and revealed the woman behind them...

They said she's lovely as the Spring. Imagine my surprise
to find that they were right, and hadn't said the half.

His breath was absolutely taken away as he saw Tifa, her hair lightly curled, framing her blushing face beautifully as she smiled, a larger and truer smile than he'd ever seen on the girl's face in all his lifetime. Delicate jewelry sparkled in the light, streaming down from the broken cloudcover, which gleamed over her glossed lips.

Elegant lace was netted over her arms, and in small white gloves, her hands clutched a bouquet of white baby's breath, and red roses. The body of the dress was a beautiful brocade, with a plain white skirt that spilled out beautifully from beneath it, trailing behind her on the ground.

The careless sunlight in her eyes, and petals in her hair...
I saw how he cloud love her, the May Queen standing there.
And in that moment I understood how he could love her,

Cloud swallowed nervously. Something about that sight had just... touched a place within him, and elicited a feeling he didn't understand.

"Well, what do you think?" excitedly pressed Yuffie.

Cloud's lips curled into a smile, a somewhat strained smile, as he held out an elbow for Tifa to hook her arm around as he walked her up the aisle... her father was dead, so her childhood friend had been the next best thing. "Beautiful." he managed to mutter, as Tifa joyfully twined her arm around his.

"Let's go." she squeaked.

and what they shared would never be for me.

Cloud nodded, and led her up the way, taking his seat in the front row, next to Cid and Yuffie, with Elena on her other side.

The ceremony was everything he imagined the couple could have hoped it would be... absolutely wonderful, and both were in tears by the end... Vincent, as usual, in his silent way... Tifa with her shoulders shaking, and sobs of joy being gasped every next second.

"Speak now, or forever hold your peace." he heard said...

I understood, but yet I've never really conquered
that part inside that wishes it had been me.

As the moment passed, something tightened in his stomach. He'd jumped at that line, and didn't listen as the priest continued... why had his impulse been to just... call out?

"Do you, Vincent Valentine take you, Tifa Lockheart to be your wedded wife?"

Cloud closed his eyes and slowly breathed out.

"I do."

"Do you, Tifa Lockheart take you, Vincent valentine to be your-"

"I do."

He bit his lip... that image throbbed in his mind, flipping back and forth... Tifa and Vincent, Tifa and he... he opened his eyes to see the two embracing before the crowd, and was suddenly aware of everyone around him clapping... going through the motions, he joined in too. But a part of him was up there with the two. Up there instead of Vincent.

And I was staring at the sun for hours the morning after,
trying to burn it from my eyes.

The next day, Cloud awoke with the dark thought of what the two newlyweds might have been doing the whole night since Vincent carried her off into the mansion after the wedding... and to an annoying hammering sound. Looking out the window it was revealed to be someone putting up a sign in front of Tifa's house 'For Sale'.

With a sigh he got up. Oh, how things changed.

Looking out the window again, after he'd finished getting dressed, he saw those very two, Vincent and Tifa walking hand in hand down the road.

He's never been what I can't help but see when he is with her.

Nevertheless, he hurried down the stairs, and opened the door to his house, running out to assail them before they walked past.

"Vincent!" he called out. The man turned his head, and stopped just in time to be met by a somewhat breathless Cloud. Tifa looked up at him confused.

"In... um, in all the... well, chaos after everything yesterday..." he stuttered awkwardly, "I, uh... well, I never got to really congratulate you two." he gave a sad smile.

"Oh, Cloud..." Tifa murmured with a smile. For the moment, he ignored her, extending a hand out to Vincent.

He looked at it silently for a moment, his red eyes constantly flashing up to Cloud's face as he did so, before slowly taking it, and shaking with a smile. "Thank you, Cloud. From you, it means alot to me."

Cloud nodded, then as he slowly let go, looked to Tifa. The two paused for a long time on one another, before she reached up and embraced him. With a grateful sigh, he held her there for a long moment, before eventually letting to.

And so of course, I wished them joy... else, what friend would I be?

"That's, um..." he began nervously again, stepping back, "That's all..."

Vincent nodded, then turned to his wife, giving a smile the likes of which had never graced his lips before, "Well, don't you think we should continue on?" he suggested.

"Of course... we were just going out for a little bit today." Tifa explained, then gave a small wave as they moved on. "Bye, Cloud."

"Yes..." The swordsman whispered to himself as they left, "...bye."

And in that moment I understood how he could love her,
and what they shared would never be for me.
I understood, but yet I've never really conquered
that part inside that wishes it had been me.

---

Author's Ending Note Thingy: So! My two least favorite pairings in the existence of the game here! But I hope I did them justice for you all that like them. There was nothing else but this that I saw when I heard it. Originally, it had been Cloud and Tifa's wedding, but then I realized it made more sense this way. The song was not rewritten at all.