Cloud pulled into the garage as quietly as possible, walking his bike up the driveway and into the garage so as not to wake the neighbours. Removing his goggles and checking his watch he winced at the time: 11:45, would Tifa have stayed up and waited? He could see from the dark and lifeless windows that she'd closed the bar. Cloud grabbed the take-out bags and walked into the dark house.

"Tifa?" he called softly, setting the bags down on the table and left his sword on a chair, listening for noises upstairs. He crept up the stairs passing Marlene's empty rooms. Barrett had filled him in on his plan to take the kids before hand so he wasn't alarmed to see the empty beds.

He walked into Denzel's room and turned on the light. Plastered over his bed were pictures he had drawn. Denzel's getting pretty good, Cloud thought as he examined the boy's artwork. He smirked at the two pictures of Tifa and himself Denzel had put up near the doorway. Tifa was grinning up at him but he on the other hand had quite the sullen look on his face. His picture self wasn't even looking up but rather off at something at the side in the distance. Cloud shook his head more at himself then at the picture. Even the kids had noticed how distant and moody he had been right before he'd left them. The geostigma and thoughts of Aerith had plagued him constantly so that they were all he felt and all he thought about. Had he ever apologized for abandoning Tifa and the kids that way?

Cloud ignored the last thought sat on the bed, glanceing at the bedside table before picking up a picture frame that lay on it. It was taken a few months after the geostigma had vanished and Denzel was grinning as wide as he could, holding his bangs out of his face to reveal his forehead, clear of the sickness.

Cloud smiled at the picture and his eyes rested on Tifa as she beamed into the camera. He studied her long, dark, coffee coloured hair and pale skin before looking into her eyes. His smile faded as he looked more intently, was he just imagining the faint traces of sadness in her eyes? She had seemed happy at the time, all hugs and smiles but had he missed something? Cloud felt guilty at the thought, for Tifa had always gone out of her way to make sure he was okay. Even when he had left after he had discovered his geostigma and ignored her phone calls. She never stopped checking up on him. It was Tifa who had called him in the early hours of the night as if she could sense he was awake and lonely. He'd never picked up but he had always felt to guiltily happy to know she was thinking about him. I treated her badly he thought setting the picture back down on the table. I treated her badly and she never got mad or complained, she just kept calling to make sure I was okay. I'd don't deserve her, he told himself as he felt a wave of love for his childhood friend, washing over his limbs and settling into his heart.

Love? He'd always loved Tifa but suddenly he realized that he felt…different about her. He took in every detail of her in the picture thinking hard. When had this change occurred? He had never noticed it until now, or maybe he did but he had always convinced himself they were just friends. A sort of creeping barrage of warmth for Tifa had invaded his entrenched heart over time when he hadn't been looking. Might he actually be…in love with Tifa?

Cloud set the picture down and stretched. This was not the time for such thoughts. It was late and the food was probably cold. Part of him was shaking his head though and he asked himself if he wasn't just avoiding the question.

He stood up and he ambled out of the room treading lightly over the floorboards so that his feet barely made a sound the way Zack had taught him all those years ago.

As he turned the corner to Tifa's room and heard a small sigh. Cloud stopped and stared at the door where he could here rustling and a giggle. Tifa? The door was slightly ajar and gold light poured through the crack spilling onto Clouds feet. He frowned. What was going on? He thought as he walked towards the door and peered through the crack. Was someone there with Tifa?

What he saw made his mouth drop as his lungs constricted and his stomach hit the floor. He wanted to look away but he couldn't he was suddenly glued to the spot as if the yellow light has tied his feet there.

Tifa. His Tifa. Only it wasn't with him. She was kissing a redhead whose face Cloud couldn't see, nearly naked on the bed in her bra and underwear as she pressed her body against his. The man was also shirtless and in his boxers. The redhead's hands disappeared and Cloud hear Tifa gasp. The man whispered something in her ear and she let out another soft gasp. No Cloud thought, desperately trying to look anywhere then the sight before him this wasn't happening, why is this happening, why is this hurting so badly? His mind spun in a thousand painful different directions and he felt a little sick. He tried hard to breathe but it was as if he had forgotten how. As the man turned he caught a glimpse of his face. Rapidly Cloud felt sharp rage slice through his thoughts, drowning out any feelings of reason.

Reno. Reno sleeping with Tifa. His Tifa. Whatever Cloud had taught himself about managing his anger vanished as it settled into his muscles, replacing the original feelings of hurt and shock. He felt himself slipping into his past, becoming his old aggressive self. And his old aggressive self did not like where Reno's hands were. Reno gave an arrogant smile before reaching to undo Tifa's bra and that was too much for Cloud.

He charged into the room, knocking the door open, his blue eyes on fire. His thunderous steps drowned whatever Tifa yelled at him as he crossed the room and in seconds he had Reno pinned against the wall. Wishing he had his sword at that moment his hands closed around Reno's throat. Reno was yelling something but his ears were now drumming with anger and he didn't remotely care what this piece of shit had to say. All he was focused on was Breaking. His. Neck.

He was so focused on this intent that he didn't even feel the hard pressure on his shoulder before he flew through the air and landed with a crash on the bed. The poor thing was unable to take such force so it buckled and gave out, falling to the floor. Cloud shook his head and tried to clear his vision of the little blinking lights that floated there when he heard a voice.

"Cloud, stop!" The voice was pleading with him and he couldn't say no to that voice. Shaking his head he drew himself with effort to his feet. Tifa was standing in front of him arms up, crouching in a ready position to defend the spluttering man behind her. Cloud's anger was fading as fast as it had come now that he had a handle on it and again he felt speechless, all he was able to do was mutter a few incohesive words before he realized Tifa's eyes weren't brown anymore. They were red. And they only went red when she was…

"HOW DARE YOU!"