"It's going to rain tonight" Tifa murmured to herself, throwing one look outside through the steamed up window.
The sun was still up, but the dark blue and grey clouds rolling in from the east would cover the burning orb pretty soon. Rain meant more customers, more customers meant more work, and that always would result in earning more money and having little to no time for herself, her affairs…. Dark hair danced around her shoulders, as she shook her head, not allowing herself to dwell on that for more than a nanosecond. There were things that needed to be taken care of here right now, washing dishes after dinner, and then preparing the bar…
She collected the dirty dishes and silverware, smiling lightly to herself as she heard Marlene happily skipping on the stairs. At least the kids were upbeat as usual, not even once complaining…
"Zack's not coming down?" Denzel's voice was surprisingly flat, too flat for a healthy eight year old boy, who just was filled with a nutritious dinner and was about to wreck some havoc alongside his sister.
Her foster son was standing in the door, one leg in the kitchen, one in the bar. Ruffled hair falling into his eyes, desperately calling out for a cut, as one lean hand would come up and push the wavy fringe away every five minutes. He was about to follow Marlene upstairs, when he remembered the fact that the older man was nowhere to be seen since early morning.
The knives and forks danced on the solid surface of the plate, as the usually steady hands that held them shook lightly.
"Did you have a fight?" the boy kept asking, tilting his head to one side, as his guardian moved around the kitchen in stubborn silence, cleaning up after the dinner "After mor…"
"No Denzel, we didn't" the answer came too quickly for the little boy to even start believing it was true "It's only that I haven't spoken to him. I've been rather busy"
"He's been in Uncle Val's room all day"
Tifa placed the dishes and glasses in the sink, the untouched food on the table catching her attention. Despite the absolute daze her emotions and thought were in, something akin to guilt surfaced. All day… it were just two small, little words that had a huge impact on her, as she realized that indeed, for the whole day, ever since those early grayish hours of dawn, Zack hadn't shown himself around the kitchen or the bar area.
"Would you mind telling him to come down?" she threw a small, comforting smile at the boy "I've got to clean up here and get the bar ready, it's opening time soon" steam rose from the sink, foam started to bubble up
"Alright!" Denzel grinned wide, and he was gone from her sight.
She listened to his steps on one set of stairs, then on the second one, leading to the small attic space Vincent always occupied. She needed to work on those dishes, and fast, it was already late and the bar should open soon…
The day somehow flew by, too much happening all at once, first Cloud with his worry filled dazzling eyes, then Zack with his outburst that shook her small world, then the kids up in a flash, then Aerith's call to 'say hi!' that lasted for two whole hours and left Tifa unable to actually recall what was the flower girl talking about anyway, then Marlene brought in that stray dog she was so fond of...
The hot water hitting her hands made her wince lightly at first, before the skin there got used to the high temperature, fingers curling round a plate and a rag. The fresh lemony scent of the gel reached her nose, a fragrance she was familiar with, a fragrance she found relaxing, soothing, normal. Lather, scrub, rinse, repeat, place the plate away, take another one….
Her mind drifted, as her hands worked, usually bright eyes losing some of their shine and taking on an earthy hue.
… I'm in love with you…
Should she see it coming…? Maybe on that very first day she should have thought about the real strength behind his smiles and the light in his eyes, and the destruction they would bring. Maybe this… maybe that, maybe something completely different.
Those were five little words that were burned out in the back of her mind, repeated in a small, but persistent voice over and over again. If she were to close her eyes, she could see his, looking directly into her, past every shield, wall or chasm she ever had. Feel the softest brush of lips against lips. And worst of all, feel that specific, little bubble suddenly rise deep inside of her.
The gods were her witnesses, as only they could know how much it took to ignore that bubble, clamp it down, burry it deep down inside and erase it later on, and pretend it never appeared in the first place. But the skin on her chin still tingled, as if his strong fingers never lost their grip, and her writs still burned, and it got harder and harder with each passing moment, with each soft flutter of tired lids.
I love you.
Tifa never asked for it. Never wanted it. So what if she dreamt of lips pressed against hers, of strong arms wrapping around her frame, of words whispered right against her ear… Dreams were dreams, they stayed in her head, never becoming reality and dying when the grey dawn rose…
It was the sudden, sharp glint in her own hands between the steam and suds that caught her attention, breaking through the swirling thoughts and raging emotions, through the cloud of daze that was wrapped securely around her mind. Her hands were all red and wrinkled from the hot water, fingers still curled around the smooth crystal clear cylinder of a glass. The remains of light falling through the window were caught by the sharp crack on the glass, a crack that began right beneath her thumb.
With her brows furrowed and corners of her lips threatening to fall, Tifa traced the small rift with her finger, feeling its coarse rim against the shiny line. A heavy sigh later, the glass found its way to the garbage bin, still slick and with foam on its bottom. Loosing herself so much in the maze her mind was… it was not something Tifa did often, not at all. She prided herself as being always keen and observant, not once losing her focus… This however, this situation she found herself in, was something completely different…
The sharp ring of the phone made her jump lightly, it's ringing disturbing the quiet of her kitchen. Wiping her hands dry onto the soft material of her pants, she then reached for the phone, inwardly grateful for the call.
It allowed her to concentrate on something other than her.
With a smile of relief she hear the low, slightly gruff rumble on the other side of the line.
"Barret…"
Zack's chest rose and fell heavily, his breaths coming out in loud gasps through parted lips. Beads of sweat glistened on the hard curves of toned muscles, as his legs bent and straightened, arms moving in a smooth, fluid motion forward and then slowly fell back to his sides. He lost count, lost track of time, his eyes dark and set on the view outside.
The small square bone in his jaw perfectly visible, his teeth clenched as the image of glassy eyes was burned out in his mind. And over and over, he was going through the small scene from early in the morning, and all the meanings that "let me go" could possibly have.
When it came to Tifa…? A million, and not one less.
There was this small discomfort in his thighs, as he continued on with his exercise, his brain processing everything from the very moment he found himself very cold and very much alive, right in front of the rusted and dull Buster Sword. It's been more than few weeks, but it felt so much longer. Few weeks, filled with snow and sun, with rain and the clean scent of wind.
Few weeks. At first he observed the 'normal' life with wide eyes and child-like awe, relishing in the feel of being welcomed in the "Seventh Heaven" with a punch and later on, arms wide open. Then came all of the small things… But not once he even dared to imagine that all of them, all of the fights in the snow, morning wake up calls, sun kissed cheeks, feverish dreams and quiet moments would leave him in this very place he found himself right now. With his mind battling against his heart, perhaps for the very first time in his life.
Another squat, then one more, and over and over again…
He could hear the soft sounds of bottles and glasses coming from downstairs, and he could see pale hands on crystal clear cups if he were to close his eyes.
There was a soft knock on the door and he finally stopped, feeling how the muscles in his legs shook, trembled. His lips twisted in a slightly ironic smile. There were days when he wouldn't even break a sweat while doing squats, and now…
He turned to the opening door, as Denzel stepped inside,
"'sup kid?" it came out as much heavier a breath he wanted, and his brows furrowed with irritation.
Physical exercise combined with his disturbed inner thoughts were getting more to him than he previously thought.
"Well…. I just wanted…. " bright eyes were wide open and literally gleaming as the boy threw him a curious look, noticing the heavy rise and fall of the older man's chest "What were you doing?"
"Squats"
"What?" big, trusty eyes blinked with surprise, as the door closed behind the small back.
"The best way to keep in shape kid! Do squats!" Zack made a few to accentuate his point "Help your muscles grow"
Denzel thought about it for a longer while, a serious light appearing in his eyes, as a small finger tapped his chin slowly. A pose he surely picked up from his guardian.
"I never saw Cloud do them"
Of course Cloud didn't do squats. Because he had Tifa to spar on regular basis, and had Barret to run from as well as monsters on his delivery routes. Because the suddenly turned child idol Strife hadn't spent a couple of years doing nothing, except watering a god damn flower field.
Or maybe Zack was just being bitter all of the sudden.
"But Aerith told us he took a part in a squat competition when he tried to save Tifa!" a wide grin appeared on the child's face "So I guess you are right one way or another"
"See…?"
"Marlene's Pa's coming tonight, staying over for few days…." Denzel rubbed the back of his neck, causing Zack to rise one brow in sudden amusement "It's gonna be crowdy"
That kid sure picked up a lot of habits around this house.
"Oh yeah, cause this place needs just that…" Zack mumbled under his nose "The living cannon from hell"
"You're serious?"
"Uh…" Zack realized what slipped his mouth and that the boy heard him pretty damn well "I mean… no, there's…this…Barret and I…"
"Not that" Denzel waved one hand, as if he was the grown-up and Zack was the little boy in need of explanation "I thought it was pretty awesome of you to tell Tifa you love her. " he stretched his arms over his head, grinning widely "I mean how cool is that?"
Rather un-cool, Zack thought wiping his face with a small towel and taking in a deeper breath. He wished he was a child right now… not hiding in the attic, not wanting to face that stubborn woman down…
"I kind of get it now why she always got so upset whenever Cloud took her to your grave"
…stairs, who surely… Wait. Hold it.
"She he what?"
Bright eyes blinked with surprise as Zack raised his head so quickly, something in his neck snapped, making the man frown for a moment. He could do it. Coherent speaking wasn't that hard of a task.
"He took her to my grave?"
"Oh yea…" apparently this was no big news for Denzel, as the boy only shrugged, leaning onto the door "A couple of times. You'll tell me why, right?"
"Why what?"
"Why she'd want to go there of course!"
Adults, Denzel thought with slight irritation, they were so slow.
"You just don't go visiting graves is someone is not important to you, right? So what did you do?"
Zack blinked at the boy, his mind stopped trying to comprehend what Denzel was saying a good five minutes before. Strangely the only thing that seemed like a good answer for that last question was "I died"…. And he doubted that it would satisfy the obviously curious boy.
"Did he ask her to accompany him…?"
"No not really…. She said that it was her burden to carry…"
Denzel stopped abruptly, as Zack choked on the water, coughing like mad, and hitting his chest quickly.
"I don't think those squats did you any good" the boy shook his head when the older man finally took a deep breath "You don't look too healthy"
"They can be deadly" Zack agreed, pulling a shirt over his head "Tifa's downstairs, right?"
"Oh yeah, right! She left some food for you, said to tell you to go down and eat…"
The boy stopped mid-sentence again, as the knob behind his back moved, and someone pushed the door open, revealing a slightly annoyed Marlene.
"I'm waiting!" she stomped her small foot down, knitted brows looking quite amusing on her childish face "I prepared everything and you're here wasting precious time we have!"
"Coming, coming" Denzel poked her arm lightly "Zack said he'll tell me why Tifa went to his grave!"
"Oh hey, wait…"
"Really??" the annoyed look was wiped from the girls face, replaced with glee as she looked at the larger man "So why are you still here?"
"What?" Zack's brows wandered up at the clearly discontent tone of her voice.
"Shouldn't you be kissing Tifa off her fe..ouch! Now why did you do that for??" she whined, rubbing her ribs lightly.
"Don't give him ideas!" Denzel poked her again and ran down the stairs, laughing as his foster sister followed him, one fist raised in a attempt to smack the boy for poking her so hard.
Zack blinked twice, then shook his head as he allowed himself a small smile. Those two kids were way too smart for their age, and way to observant. He just had, basically, received a small love-related scolding from a six year old. And while the children were probably the only source of getting to know anything about Tifa at all, with the bartender unwilling to cooperate on the same level as Zack was, it was rather…. strange to hear that.
To say the least.
"Ya… ok, I guess…" the ex-SOLDIER rubbed his temples lightly, then stretched a few times "Ok Zack, you can do it… you can have a civilized, uninterrupted, emotionless conversation with Tifa and you can explain everything" he said aloud, trying to convince himself of at least one of those things, as the knob was cold and smooth under his hand.
As he stepped off the last step, into the all too familiar hallway, he could hear Marlene already laughing at some strange noises her brother was making and he grinned to himself again. Those two never ran out of ideas how to spend their time together, never bored in their own presence, and almost every time it ended with a bruise, a black eye or a scratched knee.
Feeling somewhat warm inside, Zack moved slowly, making his way down the stairs, wondering in what mood Tifa was… Apparently absolutely nothing went by the rules with her, and while any normal woman would feel at least happy to know someone …anyone!... loved them, she was… she did… Tifa was just plain unbelievable.
Zack halted as he jumped off lightly, his hand already resting on the warm wood of the door, ready to push it open, as her voice reached his ears. It was light and joyful, probably for the first time today, and he could easily picture the easy, wide grin that had to be present on her lips right now as she talked over the phone.
Aside from all the little things that made Zack want to rip his rich hair off, he came to marvel at all those different smiles Tifa had and the thousands of ways her eyes would lit, one for each member of her strange little family and friends. Listening to the quiet voice, and the low way she was laughing right now, he allowed himself a moment of thought. After all, he still had the time. He was not going anywhere, right…?
And remembering Tifa's smiles was worth taking a little pause…
Because, for example, there was that slightly teasing, amused grin, the one that pulled one corner of her lips further up than the other, the same one that caused her eyes to crinkle as if in suspicion. That one was for Yuffie only, whenever the Wutaian princess appeared out of the blue and brought chaos with herself, and it was on those occasions when Tifa would never part from the key to the cellar.
The one she just had to have now was for Barret – wide and unabashed, and with those small flakes of respect and fondness that would swirl in the claret eyes, no matter if it was the man's phone call or actual visit. They could have heated arguments, where she would hiss like an angered cat and he would growl as an old dog, but it was all too clear for everyone how much the bulky man meant to her in this crazy world where dead people didn't always stay that way.
Even Vincent had his own smile – a small one, maybe just the tiniest bit shy, but during the nights which he would spend around the bar, it always coaxed a similar one out of him. Then her eyes would squint with joy, ruby orbs gaining a new shine, appreciating the oh so rare move of his lips. Zack never managed to get a full grasp on what foundations exactly did the ex-Turk and the barmaid form their shaky, strange and silent friendship, but it was there and it was probably the subtlest of all relationships Tifa had. But she cherished it and held it close to her heart, like the most precious of things.
The children were always welcomed with a smile that was all warmth and patience, and motherly love she harbored in her vast heart. But if someone would take a closer look, one thing would come out as a surprise - how her eyes darkened with each smile, just the tiniest bit that you could mistake for a shadow cast by long lashes.
Over time, no matter how short it was, Zack learned to recognize it as a profound sorrow, one that was born out of realization that it was just too late. Too late for what however… that he did not know.
When it came to Aerith it was probably the easiest task – the flower girl's sunny personality made it hard for others not to smile back, and Tifa was no different, as her grins were all bright and real, when the older girl would pull her into a sudden hug or plant a hearty kiss on one cheek. After all, Aerith never hid her feelings and acted upon them, bringing small joys to the people around her.
Tifa and Cloud's smiles were the most significant perhaps. Those were the small pulls at the soft corners of her mouth, laced with tenderness that formed over years and the strange love that was hanging between them, every time her childhood friend stepped over the threshold of "Seventh Heaven". Those were the exact same smiles that would be reflected in azure blue eyes, when the blonde's mouth was too stubborn to arch on its own. It took Zack quite a while to understand everything behind those curls of either lips.
Those were the smiles that caused her face to relax, and her voice would came out a little lower, a little more breathless then, and every time Zack heard that pitch he wondered how was it possible for Cloud to just listen to that velvety voice and not feel his stomach twist and turn.
And deep down inside Zack realized very well the want, no, the need to be the one to cause all of that, and so much more…
Because her smiles, the ones that she threw his way were so completely different from all the rest. They were casual and wide, and the straight white of her teeth could be seen from the dulled red of her lips, and sometimes they appeared far too quickly for his liking. But those smiles never erased the cautious light from her eyes, never made her brows draw back and the small lines to vanish. There were times however, when she would forget herself, forget her shields and walls… and like that one time … was it really only yesterday?… she turned to him when they were watching the stars appear, sitting in the moist air on the porch. That was probably the first time she smiled at him like that and he was sure he drowned back then, and how beautiful it was not to breath…
"Uncle Zack?" the clear voice of the little girl startled him, erasing all thought of Tifa and her smiles and eyes and everything out of his mind.
He looked down, seeing the curious look Marlene gave him. She had her head tilted lightly to one side, and Zack had the impression she had been watching for a longer while. Why didn't he hear her coming down…? The tips of his fingertips itched lightly, as he fought with the urge to rub his temples and sigh heavily.
"Hm?"
"You've been standing here for a long while with that silly expression"
"Excuse me?" he kneeled in front of her, one brow raised "Silly?"
"Yups… Denzel looks like it when he wants something bad and Tifa doesn't allow it" she giggled lightly "Like a sweet he knows he can't eat"
He grinned at her and her childish way of actually naming things straight, picking her up swiftly, earning a sweet giggle. With one elbow, he pushed the door open, making much more noise than he intended to and Tifa turned around, the happy grin falling slightly and eyes sharpening the very moment they rested on his frame.
"Your Papa wants to talk to you" she handed the phone to Marlene, as Zack placed the girl down gently, before slipping into his usual seat at the very end of the bar.
Tifa risked a glance in his direction, forced a smile while her whole insides were doing strange things that reminded her very much of summersaults. Well… He surely looked mighty casual and laidback for someone blurting out love declarations all of the sudden early in the morning!
They both watched Marlene skip away happily, the large receiver pressed her ear as she chattered away, excited with the sheer fact of hearing her father's voice over the line and the fact he was coming over so soon.
Tifa walked behind the bar, well aware that not once did he lose sight of her, not once taking his eyes of her. She frowned lightly at one of the glasses, its surface dull and dusted. The small cloth was soft in her hands as she wiped the cylindrical form with it, wiping all smudges away.
His eyes were burning her skin, causing her breath to hitch and die in her throat.
"There's some food left…"
"We should talk" Zack clearly wasn't the one to beat around the bush, as he interrupted her without as much as a second of hesitation.
"About what?" a flat reply, a careful glance towards him as the towel in her hands kept sliding over the tall glass, absorbing any drop of water that could appear on the smooth surface.
Obviously, she was going to polish through it.
"Us" he saw those usually strong and steady hands shake for the slightest of moments.
After placing the glass away, Tifa grabbed a chilled bottle from the small fridge, casually passing it to him, careful not to even let their fingers brush.
Avoiding physical contact at any cost.
"Funny" one slender shoulder lifted in an slightly arrogant manner, not even sparing him one glance "I haven't noticed there were any 'us' to begin with. You got the wrong girl I'm afraid" she then started wiping the clean, polished wood of the counter.
Zack frowned upon hearing that, the beer blissfully cool as he took a swing from the bottle. This was going to be hard, but he expected nothing less. Not from her at least.
"You never told me about visiting my grave" with satisfaction he saw her hands stop briefly and even brows to knit as the soft corner of her mouth twitched with slight irritation.
"Didn't seem important right now"
"It was MY resting place Tifa, I deserved to know!" the beer in the bottle sloshed as it hit the counter with a little too much force than Zack would have liked it.
"Well then fine, I went to your grave!" she slammed her hand onto the counter, raising her head and looking him straight in the eye "Why would you get worked up over something so..so… meaningless!"
Her chin was slightly pushed forward, in an obviously challenging manner and Zack didn't know what he wanted to do more, shake her shoulders or kiss her stubborn mouth. And so he just kept looking at her, taking in all he already knew by heart, feeling a slight tingle in his fingertips.
"I didn't feel you … not like now at least …" his voice was maybe the slightest bit bitter, but he managed to keep it low when he added "I wish I did".
Tifa shook her head, a long and heavy sigh escaping her lips as she moved from behind the counter, about to place the chairs down, and wipe the tables yet again.
"Tifa…"
"Zack, I'm busy" she sighed, resting her hands on her hips and giving him a stern look "Please go and eat whatever you want, and leave me alone, I really am short on time…"
"Dammit Tifa, you can't ignore me forever!" his steps were loud and quick, and Tifa soon found herself looking up into burning eyes.
A small shiver run down her spine, and her breath was lost somewhere. She inwardly scolded herself and held her ground.
"I need to get the bar ready, Zack"
"Tell me you don't love me and I'll let you go" he demanded "Tell me fell absolutely nothing and I'll back away"
It shouldn't be that hard right? Just little four words, carried on by breath pass her lips. Just a small lie, like the hundreds of others she ever said. It should be as easy as telling that she was fine, that she was happy, that she was not broken…
His hand brushed against the bare skin of her arm and she opened her eyes, not knowing she closed them in the first place
"I don't need you loving me Zack" she turned around, the tips of her hair swatting his hand as she did so.
And without as much as one look she marched out of the bar, quickly closing the door behind her, the need of fresh air and to get away from him too strong not to comply.
Zack bit his cheek, clamping down the urge to just smack himself. Gods, she was driving him nuts. He took a deep breath, counted to ten to calm down and walked out, following her outside, ignoring the chill that prickled his skin the very moment he stepped out the bar. She stood on the muddy pavement, face tilted towards the sky. As always, as every damn time he looked at her, Tifa looked perfect, even with her brows knitted and hands curled into fists and her chest rising and falling a little too quickly.
"Tifa!"
"What?" she turned around angrily, hair swatting her cheek furiously.
"We can't go on like this and you know it"
She tilted her head a bit, and he swore she looked utterly breathtaking like that. With a forced scowl on her face, but with wide open eyes that caught the dying sparkles of the sun, golden rays illuminating the dark tresses into honey-kissed ones.
"And how exactly can't we go on, Zack?"
He hated her faked indifference more than anything. She may have forced her whole body to comply to her wishes, but gods! She couldn't erase any of the feelings that would swirl in her eyes any longer.
"Stop this" he closed the gap between them and he could almost feel her skin beneath his fingertips "Stop lying. You do it every god damn time. Not to me. To yourself"
He didn't know how hard she was breaking inside, how the heavy walls around her heat crumbled with every breath he took. But Tifa still kept her head up, her chin threatening to tremble but she would not back out of this.
He was right after all… they couldn't go like that…
She couldn't go on like that.
"What do you expect of me then Zack? Please, enlighten me" there was a challenging tone in her voice "What do you want?"
Her breath lost somewhere yet again as warm hands cupped her face in a manner she was afraid to recognize, but which could only be described as lovingly. The blue in his eyes gave way to the lilac hue, the green tint bursting into a poisonous flame.
"You" it was the truth in his voice that ripped her apart.
Every deity would be his witness right now, that what he wanted to do most was to kiss that mouth and to erase that pained look from her eyes. To take away the ghost images that would resurface every now and then in the crimson depths, images of what always made her take those two damned steps back…
Zack wanted to see his own reflection clearly, not clouded with pained regret or tinted with despair.
"I can't do it Zack" her shoulders fell down finally and her whole body seemed to sag.
"Yes you can" his thumbs brushed against her cheeks "I'll show you"
She wished he would just let it go. She wished for his hands to leave her face, for his eyes to look away and stop haunting her even when she was wide awake, she wished for his feelings to dissolve and stop and vanish … But most of all she wished she meant it; that she didn't feel the stir of pain at the thought that maybe he would.
"I meant every word I ever said" those blasted hands did move from her face, but the slid down the slender neck to rest at her shoulders.
"No … no, you didn't" there it was again.
Denial and the fleeting shine of panic in her eyes.
"You know better than that, Tifa" his lips were inches away from her forehead "We both do"
"Let it be Zack"
She didn't move away. Maybe her hands were limply hanging from her sides, and the air around her was the one of sudden, pure defeat, but she was here, near him, and she wasn't going anywhere.
"No. I can't… I don't want to…" Zack pulled her closer, resting his chin on top of her hair "I want to be here ,in this very bar we just left. Here, with strange people coming in and out, with both kids, but most of all, I want to be with you, Tifa."
His hands tightened on her shoulders, as he took a deep breath. He knew his words, he knew what he was fighting for right now… now only to voice it all out, one last attempt.
"I would… I would love you for the both of us Tifa. Believe me, I would if it only were possible" his voice was soft and reached deep, and she hated him for being so damn honest with her "But I have to know where I stand… you keep pulling me in, only to push me away in a matter of seconds."
"What…"
"No Tifa. I know what I want… the question is, do you?"
Tifa then raised her head and Zack saw her eyes burning behind the glass of tears, clinging to the lashes but as usual, not one of them spilled. She took one step back, slipping out of his embrace.
He never hated her up to this very moment.
Because her hands were curled into tight fists at her sides, knuckles white as fingers dug into the insides of her palm, and she held her chin up, shaking shoulders drawn back.
Because she was a fighter and intent on putting up a fiery fight against them.
Something inside of him died, and what a slow, painful and agonizing death it was.
Because this time, in this very moment he could hear her heart break as well as his own, hear all that was between them, everything that somehow managed to be built on shaky and uncertain ground, turn to ash that dusted their feet.
She blinked the hot tears away, and looked straight into brilliant blue eyes. She took one deep breath, ignored the sudden void that appeared in the very middle of her being.
Recalled the strained words from this very morning, words that slipped pass her own lips.
…I think… there is something I have to do…
"Then… I want you to leave Zack" her voice hitched at one point, and it seemed to burn its way through her tight throat.
The sun got cold as its last rays still danced on his skin, dark clouds rolling in faster and faster, as nature mocked him for hoping, for daring and trying.
And all Zack could hear now was the world breaking and see the colors fading, as Tifa turned around, going inside the bar.
Author's Note:
Most of all, I apologize for the very late update. The last month has been nothing but hectic and crazy, and I almost had no time to spare for the story.
But alas! 'Tis here! Enjoy!