Chapter Summary: Cloud has returned from Wutai, burdened yet again by the knowledge of Hojo's meddling in the very fabric of his being. He is aware of Tifa's talk with Sephiroth, since the General warned him by text of the encounter. So he stops by Seventh Heaven, intending only to remain a short while. Tifa, however, has other plans. It's time for that long story now...

Chapter 4: The Long Story

With the frosty air of night flowing around him, Cloud entered the dry, desert canyons surrounding the ruins of Midgar and the town of Edge. He still had a good half hour of driving before he reached the barracks he called home for the time being. But it would be good to be back in familiar surroundings, with familiar faces.

Wutai, with its breath-taking beauty and age-old traditions would always welcome him, but the memories made it difficult for him to remain for long. Godo and Yuffie, his adoptive father and younger sister, had tried to make him stay because they wanted more time with him after months of separation.

But between the memories of things past, and the longing for the woman he was so helplessly attracted to, Cloud just couldn't give them more than a week. He had to return, and Godo, at least, seemed to understand. Yuffie was another matter, but that crisis was adverted by inviting her to join him in Edge within the month. Godo had even admitted he might make the journey as well, for he missed his adoptive son and wanted to meet the new and improved -as Cloud referred to him- General Sephiroth.

Neither had spoken of Tifa; Godo hadn't asked and didn't even know her name yet, but he was aware of his son's heartache at being away from her.

It was irritating, how little that man missed.

Impossible as it seemed, between the whistling wind and the ferocious growl of his bike, Fenrir, he heard the tone alerting of a text. Not minding a short break, Cloud pulled the bike to a stop, removed his protective eye goggles and dug out his phone. Flipping it open, he read the words with one eyebrow raised in amazement.

Sephiroth's sense of humor was moving right along, it seemed.

Cornered by Tifa, gave what I could. Best return - quickly. Good luck, 'Dad'.

Blinking, he read the short but terse message a few more times before putting the phone away. Revising his plans to head straight for the barracks, he poured on more speed and swerved away from the ramp leading to the WRO Headquarters. Driving deeper into Edge, he came at last to the street housing the Seventh Heaven Bar.

Shutting down Fenrir, Cloud checked his phone and saw it was just a few minutes after two in the morning.

If he was lucky, Tifa would still be in the bar cleaning up. He could talk to her for a few minutes, maybe try to steal a kiss or two, and then head for the open showers and his cot in the barracks. The shower was a must, he thought, shaking off a small cloud of dust gathered during the ride through the canyons. Normally he would never stop in this bedraggled condition, but he had missed her.

Leaning the great bike onto the kick stand, he moved to the door and knocked. The sensitive hearing afforded by the mako injections allowed him to hear the quiet movements within. Since there weren't any approaching footsteps, he knocked again and called softly, "Tifa? It's Cloud."

The sudden, startled silence was quickly replaced by a pattering headed rapidly towards him. Then the door was flung open. Tifa didn't hesitate; reaching out, she grabbed hold of the sleeveless black cable knit sweater he wore and yanked him inside. Cloud's back hit the wall beside the door even as his arms were suddenly filled by a sweetly curved form and his senses flooded by the vanilla and jasmine scent he now associated with Tifa. Warm arms encircled his neck to pull his head down, and then his mouth was assaulted by a pair of hotly demanding lips.

Time lost meaning. Drifting, surrounded by the warmth of her welcome, Cloud didn't come up for air until his lungs began sternly reminding they needed oxygen - like, right now. Gasping, he flung his head back and rapped it smartly against the wall behind him. Stars marred his vision for a moment, but it was enough to bring him to his senses.

Determinedly holding her at arm's length, Cloud's intense stare made Tifa pull up short.

"I'm sorry," she stuttered out, "but I missed you."

Her ruby brown eyes were glowing with pleasure, her lips deep pink from the intensity of their kiss. At some point his hands had released her hair from the messy ponytail he glimpsed when the door was yanked open so forcefully. Even though he had no memory of doing so, it pleased him to see her hair mussed and tumbling around that beautiful, flushed face.

Cloud's smile was warm and natural, his touch gentle as he brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I missed you, too, Tifa. I wasn't going to stop by until tomorrow, but Sephiroth sent a text that he had spoken to you. I thought it best to check on you." Grimacing, he admitted, "I'm filthy from driving through the canyons."

Something in her gaze had him raising an eyebrow.

Though he was holding her away from him with his hand on her shoulder, Tifa gave the sweater she still gripped a firm tug. "You're not leaving. I've got a shower upstairs, and we have a long story to share. Remember?" Without another word, she released him and headed back to the bar to finish the cleanup. "Go ahead and bring your bags in and head upstairs. I'll be through with this in just a few minutes."

Tempted almost past reason, he still found the will to object to what he knew could be dangerous for their burgeoning relationship, "Tifa, I really shouldn't. The kids..."

"...Aren't here. They're staying the night with Barret Wallace, an old family friend. Now get your things before I lose my patience, Cloud Strife. I took on your father this afternoon, and I'm fully capable of taking on his son this morning." There was absolute steel in the look she gave him.

And who was he to argue with her?

Obediently he returned to Fenrir and gathered up his things from the storage units mounted on the sides. And upstairs, while standing under the pounding spray of the shower -so unlike the stingy trickle at the WRO Headquarters- he had a stern conversation with himself.

Tifa was not the kind of woman who made the type of advances he was used to deflecting. She wasn't attracted to his rank, or the power that rank afforded him. She wasn't curious about the sordid rumors of the stamina and agility given to those of SOLDIER by the mako injections. She didn't care about his legendary status as the former General of Wutai.

No, something about him called to her heart, though what it might be was beyond him. So he needed to exercise care and caution or he could lose her.

And that thought was so painful he flinched.

Cloud wasn't an innocent by any means. Socially inept, introverted and almost cripplingly shy, yes. Most thought he was the silent, taciturn type, given more to gestures than words. In truth, he simply didn't know what to say during routine, everyday conversations. Going from eight to fifteen in a blink had left him confused and lost. From child to man, nearly overnight - he had awakened from his coma to find years had passed, leaving him inhabiting a body he didn't know what to do with, a level of intelligence that was almost frightening, and abilities and reflexes that were as deadly as they were shocking.

Toweling dry, he changed into the only clean clothes he had left in his pack; long and loose silky black pants and a simple white t-shirt. Godo had gifted them in the hopes Cloud would use them as pajamas during his stay. Guilt ate at him for leaving so soon, since Godo hadn't seen him in months. But between decoding the documents and transmitting the reports, there had been little time to visit.

Yuffie had taken to hanging over his shoulders for hours, chattering in his ear as he tried to work. Though the distraction should have aggravated him, it actually helped him deal with the information uncovered. More atrocities, each recorded in careful and exacting detail. Cloud wasn't entirely sure he would have made it through if not for Yuffie's silliness. Nothing to keep you grounded quite like an irritating bratty little sister.

Shiva, he loved her.

Bundling up his filthy clothes, he stuffed them into his laundry bag that bulged at the seams, and then hauled everything back downstairs. Cloud had already made the decision to sleep on the long, padded bench in front of the side window of the bar. Even if he and Tifa could come to terms with his past -and hers, for her nightmare last week indicated she had demons in her life as well- they both needed time to consider the ramifications of a relationship.

Cloud had no delusions; he knew he wasn't prime material for a happy ending. Whatever Hojo intended him to become was still an unknown factor that had to be considered.

Tifa was stocking the small refrigerator under the bar when he came in. When she straightened up and saw him, her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open for the second time in their relationship.

Her reaction made Cloud self-conscious enough he crossed his arms over his chest in a shielding gesture. Godo hadn't realized just how much the constant patrols and monster fights had toned his adoptive son's body, and the t-shirt was a bit on the tight side. Cloud always ordered his clothing a size larger than necessary to hide contours that made him uncomfortable if noticed.

Snapping her admiring gaze elsewhere, Tifa had to take a moment to compose herself.

The WRO uniform had hinted at the impressive physique beneath, but she had never expected that. Cloud was slender enough to make some question how in the world he wielded the massive Fusion Sword, which in reality was a combination of six different blades that could be detached at any time for use as auxiliary weapons. Thanks to that wonderful white t-shirt, she now knew how he managed to handle the hefty blade. The man was built like a god, with a lean, toned body most women would kill -without any hesitation- to get their hands on.

And wasn't it so sweet he was self-conscious about it? Most men would be unbearably egotistical about being so beautifully formed.

But Tifa knew first-hand how awful it felt to be leered at, so she kept herself busy so he could settle down. And when she noticed he was making a nest on the long bench by the large picture window with a pillow and blanket from her hall closet, she felt herself fall with a resoundingly hard -splat- right at his feet. Terminal velocity impact, Tifa thought in shock. She had told the man in no uncertain terms he was staying the night with her, and he hadn't assumed...

Well, he hadn't assumed what 99.9% of the male population probably would have.

What defense could protect her from that? Feeling light-headed and a little queasy, Tifa put both hands on the bar for support and tried to concentrate on her breathing. Vaguely she heard Cloud call her name.

Then he was there, arm sliding around her shoulders as he drew her to him, enveloping her in his warmth and that wild storm smell that seemed so uniquely his. It was impossible to resist burrowing in, relishing the strength in his lean form. And yet he held her so gently, so tenderly.

Needing the contact with him, Tifa reached up, hand on the nape of his neck to urge him to bend down. The kiss was the sweetest she had ever known, loving and patient.

Cloud finally released her and took a few steps back. His breathing was as unsteady as hers, and those incredibly blue eyes a bit glassy. One hand rose to rub at the back of his neck, and her heart just rolled right over in her chest at the nervous gesture.

"Tifa?" he finally asked, then blanched as the huskier-than-usual tone of his voice said louder than words how much the kiss had stirred him.

"It's nothing," she told him, knowing it would take time for him to accept what just happened. "I'm finished here. Have you eaten yet? There's plenty to make sandwiches from in the kitchen while I take a shower and change. And I'll take your laundry up and start the washing machine." When he made to protest she waved him off. "Since I'm making you stay, the least I can do is make sure you have clean clothes to wear tomorrow. I'll be down soon."

Giving him one of her sweet smiles, Tifa snatched up the over-full bag and headed upstairs, leaving a very confused Cloud behind her. It made her chuckle, that flabbergasted look on his face.

Men were much easier to deal with if kept off-balance.

While Tifa took her shower, Cloud wandered about the kitchen, sniffing out the makings of a meal. He didn't know where anything was stored, so searching for plates and silverware kept his mind off the ordeal to come. The picture of his life was becoming clearer since decoding the latest reports found in Wutai, but there were still gaps.

He suspected there always would be.

There were a few more pieces to add to the puzzle of Sephiroth as well. And if asked, Cloud would tell him. If he didn't, then it wouldn't hurt him to remain ignorant of the details for a while longer. He believed, strongly, that Sephiroth was beyond danger now. That he was healing, and was slowly becoming the man he never thought possible.

Seph, the General called his alter-ego. The thought tickled Cloud and made him laugh softly into his scrounged macaroni and cheese. The big glass of milk he had poured was already empty.

"Denzel is going to beat you, Cloud. His favorite snack is cold macaroni and cheese," Tifa informed him as she walked into the kitchen, a bottle of wine and two glasses in her hands. As she passed by, Cloud caught the scent of her shampoo and body wash, neither of which held a candle to her own, personal smell of vanilla and jasmine.

"Fix more and I won't be in trouble," was the flippant answer despite the sudden tightness of his throat. He eyed her burden with interest, "Are we getting drunk tonight?"

She laughed as she fished a corkscrew out of the drawer by the stove. "No. I thought we might have a glass or two to relax us. Perhaps it can make the story-telling easier." After wrestling with it a bit, the cork came out with a slight popping sound, and she poured generously into the glasses.

Cloud doubted anything could make the telling easier because his body would make short work of the alcohol, thanks to the mako in his system. But he didn't see any harm in having some, either. Pushing away the empty dish he had all but licked clean, he accepted his portion and sipped cautiously. Beer and sake were his usual poisons, but he found the white wine refreshing and just a touch sweet.

Taking a seat, Tifa also sampled her choice and approved. Then she took a deep breath and asked, "Where should we start? General Sephiroth gave me just enough details to whet my appetite then chickened out completely."

Her terminology made him snicker into his glass. Oh, how Sephiroth would bellow over that! "It all started in Mideel." Brows furrowed, Cloud admitted, "Some of this is guess-work, so the information is a bit patchy." He was surprised when she reached over to take his hand. "Yes?" he asked her.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I don't want to force this from you, you know."

The nervousness showing in her eyes actually calmed Cloud.

It was hard, telling the truth. But he wasn't going to lie to her. "No, I don't want to do this." His grip tightened carefully when she tried to pull away. "Listen to me, Tifa. It has to be said. There's no getting around it. I can't let this stand between us - I won't let it stand between us. It's my life and you deserve to know what it entails. There are things that have to be explained before you can understand just what you're taking on." Raising her hand to his lips, he brushed kisses onto her fingertips. "Our relationship will be built on trust. You're too important to me to do otherwise."

"I understand that. I just don't want... It hurts you, hurts so deep down, and I can see it in your eyes. I don't like the thought of causing you pain." The words just tumbled out of her, and her eyes shone with tears she tried desperately not to shed.

"Come here," he pleaded, and pushed out his chair enough she could sit in his lap. "And listen. Just listen, Tifa. That is all I can ask."

When she nodded and laid her head on his shoulder, he started again. "My father, Dr. Strife, was working with Professor Hojo in Mideel. He was replacing Professor Faremis Gast, who had chosen to leave what they called 'Project G' a couple of years before. I've found some of Dad's journals, and he wrote how uneasy Hojo made him, right from the start. At first it was just little things, but then he started seeing the casual cruelty, the indifference practiced, the unethical experiments - some of them on what he believed had been humans. When he found out my mother was pregnant he was terrified of what could happen if he didn't get her out of Hojo's reach. He immediately put in his resignation and made plans to leave Mideel. But he made a mistake. He had mentioned his wife was expecting to a scientist he thought was a friend. Within hours he was taken into custody and imprisoned. Hojo had my mother moved into his laboratory, and the testing began. He had 'practiced' on his own unborn son, Sephiroth, years before and had different intentions for this sample." Cloud paused to curl his lip in derision, eyes angry. "That's how he referred to his test subjects, as his precious samples."

After taking another small sip of wine, Cloud continued, "Somehow my father escaped, rescued mom, and fled. They were on the run for several months before he found what he hoped would be a sanctuary, for mom was far enough along all the traveling was starting to get dangerous for her. There's this little village in the mountains called Nibelheim. He left my mother there. Dad knew he couldn't stay, and could only hope Hojo would continue to follow him as he led them away on a wild goose chase. And he obviously managed it, because Mom and I lived there for eight years before Hojo finally found us. It was just a few days after my eighth birthday, and my friends Zack and Kunsel were visiting. They had family in the village and came whenever they could. They were older than me by three years, but didn't seem to mind me hanging around with them." A mischievous smile lit up his face for just a second, "They were teaching me curse words in the little playground area when we heard the shouting and ran to see what was going on. It was Hojo, though I didn't know anything about him at that time. Over a dozen soldiers were ranged in front of our house, and mom was being held by two guardsmen. Hojo was screaming at her, demanding to know where his sample was. When she wouldn't tell him, he started to hit her. He kept raging that my father wouldn't tell him, either: that he was tortured to death and still wouldn't reveal where he had hidden it."

Tifa was crying silently with her face buried in his shirt.

Cloud gently stroked her hair but didn't stop his narrative, "Several of the townspeople were trying to help, only to be knocked unconscious and dragged away by the troopers. The three of us were standing in the shadow of the well -that's in the center of town- so we weren't noticed right away. Others were running in panic and being chased back into their houses. It was total chaos, and I remember being so scared and confused. Zack and Kunsel were kneeling by me, trying to keep me calm. But they weren't that much older than me and were pretty terrified themselves. Kunsel kept looking for his uncle but never saw him. Zack saw his cousin forced back inside his house and told us when we had the chance to run over and get inside. I just wanted so badly to run to mom, but they knew everything would get worse if I did. Somehow, they understood Hojo was talking about me, but they didn't say anything because they knew it would scare me even more."

Cloud paused to take a deep breath before he continued, "And my mother just looked so tired, Tifa, just so exhausted. I think she had suspected for years that my father was dead, but to be told how he died was an even bigger shock than Hojo appearing out of nowhere. There was nothing -no life, no will, no emotion whatsoever- in her eyes when she told the madman raging before her that she wouldn't tell him anything and to get it over with. And they did. Hojo went still all of a sudden, and then nodded. One of the guards holding her pulled his firearm out, put it to her temple and shot her. I was too young to truly understand what they had done. I just remember how the sharp retort of the gun echoed off the cliffs, the way her head jerked to the side, the blood that shot into the air."

There was an almost clinical detachment in his voice now, as though he were analyzing the memory. "The rest of it isn't completely clear. I know I must have screamed, but I can't quite pull it back. I do know I went into an absolute rage, tearing myself out of Kunsel's grip and charging the guards without any plan. Only eight years old, and Zack and Kunsel said I was throwing grown men out of my way like they were rag dolls. To this day they still swear bullets bounced right off me. I vaguely remember seeing everything through this strange and wavering blue haze."

"You experienced a limit break at eight years old?" Tifa asked, staring at him in amazement despite the tears leaking from her eyes.

"So it would seem. I made it to mom, and that's when a trooper got me upside the head with a rifle butt. Zack said the guard hit me so hard they all feared I was dead, and he remembers how the man's hands were shaking when he reached down to check for a pulse. The guard looked so shocked when he realized that I was somehow still alive, though how that terrible blow hadn't killed me or snapped my neck was anyone's guess. It was when Hojo stood cackling over me that Kunsel started screaming for his uncle, and that drew attention to him and Zack. I guess Hojo felt entitled to a bonus after all the excitement because he had them both snatched up."

Turning his head, he pressed a kiss to Tifa's forehead before dipping lower to steal her breath away with a much more potent one on her lips.

Trying for humor, Tifa commented wryly, "You're really good at this kissing, Strife. Makes me wonder how much you've practiced."

Although he didn't laugh, it did make him smile a little. Willing to play along to give them both a moment to settle, Cloud shifted slightly and cuddled her closer as he admitted, "Any chance I get, really. I wasn't all that keen on kissing at first, but I learned the error of that opinion soon enough."

There was a hint of wicked in those impossibly blue eyes that made her lay a hand on his cheek.

"Did you? Well, if I catch you trying to practice on someone else I'll kick your butt." And Tifa was an accomplished martial artist, well able to make good on her threat even if he was SOLDIER.

There was a pause as Cloud considered her words. When she poked him, he jumped and grinned. "Sorry, I was just thinking of the possibilities."

Outraged, Tifa sat up and punched him in the shoulder, "You had better stop imitating Zack Fair right this instant, or I really will kick your..."

Whatever part of his anatomy she intended to threaten remained unnamed as Cloud silenced her with a kiss hot enough to singe her eyebrows.

"Okay, okay," she grumbled on being released. "Truce. But I just want to say you fight really dirty for someone your men swear is such a gentleman." The teasing play had relaxed them both, enough Tifa returned to her own seat and glass of wine. "What happened next?"

"Six years of experimentation that I know nothing of. The blow to the head was traumatic enough to put me in a coma, and there I stayed while Hojo continued his injections and treatments and procedures. He worked on Zack and Kunsel as well, but to a much lesser degree than me because they just didn't respond to the regimens the way he wanted. He experimented with mako and Jenova cells at first." He raised a hand before she could ask, "Jenova was a being they found encased in layers of solidified mako at the Northern Crater. At first they believed her to be an Ancient, a member of a race called the Cetra that once lived on this world. Later she was revealed to be an alien that came to this planet intending to take it over. She infected the Cetra with a genetic virus, wiping out most of the population. How they managed to entomb her in mako is still unknown."

"And without knowing what it really was, Hojo injected it into you?" Tifa found herself swallowing hard, grateful she hadn't tried to eat anything before Cloud started.

"No, by that time he knew the truth. Sephiroth was the first one to receive the injections while still in the womb, and I'm sure he did the same to me before I was born. Dad was imprisoned by that time and we haven't been able to confirm what procedures Hojo performed during mom's term as his lab rat. But when he captured me again, the injections were larger than those he recorded for Sephiroth. And he also infused me with what he called S-cells."

Taking a gulp of wine this time, Cloud reached for the bottle to refill the glass, nodding when Tifa did it for him. "And that's where the story takes a twist. No one knew what those cells were from or what he hoped they would do. It took a lot of research to realize he was injecting me with cells taken from Sephiroth before he was born. And those cells actually had the power to alter my DNA. I stayed in a coma because the only way my body could handle the changes those cells invoked was to shut down all unnecessary functions. If I had ever regained consciousness during that time I would have died shrieking in agony."

Shuddering, Tifa rose to cross over to the back door. Looking out into the night, she guessed, "It happened."

"Yes. It's one of the nightmares Zack still suffers from on occasion. Hojo injected those cells into dozens of captives, but I'm the only one that survived. Zack and Kunsel knew they were on the list somewhere for injections, but thankfully he never got to them. Hojo got careless before he could." Meeting her eyes over the rim of his glass, Cloud smirked. "He underestimated the native population. Fishermen kept reporting a strange humming sound coming from the cliffs. People were going missing without a trace. Screams were heard in the area, sounding like they were from deep underground. The locals started talking of ghosts and shipwrecks and mass graves from ancient times, while others thought the spirits of their ancestors were protesting everything from new traditions to the building of mako reactors."

Tifa couldn't quite hold down the snort as she returned to her chair. "People can come up with the most unlikely of theories, can't they?"

Cloud nodded in agreement. "But the leader of Wutai, Godo Kisaragi, dismissed all the supernatural talk and concentrated on just the facts. His people were disappearing, always from one certain area. So he led a force that discovered a secret lab hidden within a labyrinth of natural tunnels leading from the cliff face. Most of the technicians there were killed during the raid, but he made sure the rest stood trial and were executed for the atrocities found inside. To this day, he will not discuss with me what they saw in there. I know, from the records, that Hojo took hundreds of test subjects into that hell, but Zack, Kunsel and I were the only ones that ever made it out alive. There were a few still breathing when they broke into the lab, but they didn't have any choice but to put them out of their misery. Most were so totally insane they didn't even know what was going on anymore and just screamed whenever they were conscious."

He was surprised when Tifa came to him and framed his face with her hands. The concern in her gaze had his brows furrowed. "What is it?" When she leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips, Cloud felt one of her tears hit his cheek.

"You'll dream of this tonight, won't you? Going back through it all, reliving the horror." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she held him tightly.

"Probably. But I'll have them anyway, so let me finish because the ending isn't quite as bad." Allowing her to slip back into his lap, Cloud rested his cheek against the top of her head. "I remained in a coma all that first year. There were fears I would never recover, but Godo didn't give up. He taught Zack, Kunsel and his daughter Yuffie how to exercise my limbs, how to keep me turned every two hours so I wouldn't develop bed sores. He used acupuncture to rebuild muscles atrophied during my captivity. And he talked to me constantly, night and day. And one day I finally responded. That, of course, was a mistake - Zack started jabbering at me about everything that happened and hasn't stopped talking since."

Tifa's laugh was a bit watery, but it was still a laugh.

Feeling lighter, Cloud continued, "It was so hard at first. I went from being an eight year old kid to a fifteen year old teenager. I've always been short and skinny and uncoordinated, and suddenly I had this strong body that had reactions like nothing I had ever experienced. Tifa, I could run flat out for hours, fight like a demon from hell. I could use any weapon that came into my hands with deadly precision. I could take one look at a map and reproduce it perfectly. I could plot any battle out with tactics and strategies that worked no matter how unconventional they might seem. And I was so lost, so confused. Zack and Kunsel helped whenever possible, but nothing they did could change the fact I was still just an eight year old kid."

"How did you get through?" Aching for him, Tifa fought her emotions even though she wanted to sob.

Courage - despite everything, Cloud had the most incredible courage.

"The war. Because of what they found in Hojo's secret lab, Wutai eventually declared war on ShinRa when they kept pushing to build a reactor on the continent. Godo knew exactly what I was capable of by that point, and I was made the General in command of all their forces almost by default. I should have been terrified - a man with the mentality of an eight year old taking on ShinRa's army being led by none other than General Sephiroth. But I knew some of what had been done to him, and I was determined that I would one day look him in the eyes and tell him what I had found. And I could only hope the information would free him, just as it had done me. Because somewhere in all that chaos, I decided I was my own person and whatever Hojo had done be damned. It was my life now and I was going to live it."

The next few minutes were lost as Tifa did her best to tickle his tonsils. In the end she was straddling his legs, darn near wrapped around him completely. Both were left breathless and tousled and aching. And much as Sephiroth had the day before, Cloud determinedly pried her off and put her into her own chair.

"No," he said sternly when she would have risen. "I'm not a saint, Tifa. And I can only resist so much before I succumb to temptation. We aren't ready for anything more, not yet, even though I want you more that I want my next breath. But you're very important to me and I am not screwing this up."

The words were so much in line with what Sephiroth implied earlier that Tifa just had to laugh.

Her reaction caused Cloud's face to assume an almost sulky expression. "Don't tell me, Sephiroth said something to the same effect, right?" And there went that hand to rub at the back of his neck again. "Darn that smart ass know-it-all."

All she could do was nod as she continued to laugh.

Growling out an oath similar to that used by Sephiroth the day before, Cloud sat back down and said, "No matter the circumstances, war makes men of us all. I learned to cope with the insecurities, the self-doubts, and the tendency to second-guess my decisions. Lives rested in my hands. And if the people of Wutai believed I was capable of leading them through this fight, then so be it. I used every instinct I possessed, deployed our forces to defend, set traps and ambushes. I led his forces around in circles, harassed them at all turns. I fooled them, interrupted and confiscated their supply chains, sabotaged their intelligence network by feeding them false information. And for four years I made it work, this guerrilla warfare I waged. If only our supplies hadn't run so low in the end. Because of the blockade, I had no choice but to surrender to save them from starvation. And Zack and Kunsel and I were willing to offer our lives as sacrifices to ShinRa if only Sephiroth would personally take command of our forces. I wanted his word - and I walked into the treaty tent intending to have it. And I faced madness, Tifa. One look was all it took to see I might be too late to save him. The bitterness of his life had all but broken his sanity, and he hung on the verge."

Cloud rose and began to pace back and forth. "I didn't yet know what the S-cells had accomplished. I didn't know that my DNA had been altered by his. I had no clue I was all but his son in a technical sense. I knew only that whatever I said had to be the right thing or he was lost. And I wasn't all that good with words, never have been." Here he stopped as his eyes grew vague and unseeing as he looked into the past. "But I was all he had at that point, the only thing standing between him and complete insanity. So I sent Zack and Kunsel out - no need to risk their lives more than they already were. And I talked to him, laid everything out that I knew. I brought documentation to prove what I was saying and I gave it to him. For hours I talked, and he said nothing. Nothing until I had finally finished my plea for him to take control of the brave men and women under my command. And I told him I would die with pride for them without any regrets."

Swallowing hard, Cloud looked Tifa in the eyes and admitted, "I thought it was over then, for he had pulled his sword, Masamune. For the longest time he just stood there before me, gripping that sword and shaking as though in rage. And I waited for that final blow, but it never came. He eventually reached out to lay a hand on my shoulder and asked me for unconditional surrender."

"But…" Tifa started, and then stopped to let him continue when she saw his expression.

"I refused. I reminded him I would only surrender my forces into his hands personally, because it was the only way to keep the men from being tried as war criminals or deserters from ShinRa's forces. And he nodded and called his own Lieutenants into the tent. He introduced me to Angeal and Genesis, and said I was under their command from henceforth, as would be Zack and Kunsel. Sephiroth demanded I write missives to my troops alerting them to the change in command, which Zack and Kunsel would then deliver because no one would question their word no matter what was on the papers. And it was over. Command was transferred, my people would live without facing the retribution of ShinRa, and I was free."

She knew there was so much more he wasn't saying: of the tension and stress, the nail biting suspense. How he could have faced down Sephiroth as he had been then -not the charming, rueful Seph she had spoken with the day before- but a nearly insane madman pushed to the wall.

"He credits you for saving him, you know." Tifa smiled at his surprise. "Yes, he told me. And spoke of Seph, and what he represents. You gave him hope and direction at a time he could see nothing but blackest oblivion."

"He didn't have to listen to me, so he saved himself." Cloud walked round and round the kitchen table, hands clasped behind his back, his head down as he contemplated Tifa's words. The position caused the already tight t-shirt to stretch across his chest in a manner that had Tifa all but drooling. "And his personality is reviving, his humor becoming dry and witty. Suddenly he's not just eating what's put before him but reaching for the servings he likes best. The exploration of his horizons only expand more each day. Did you know," Cloud asked her, "that he likes jazz and blues? And loves science fiction and fantasy books? He reads like there's no tomorrow. And unicorns - the man is mad for unicorns."

A sound suspiciously close to a giggle interrupted Cloud's thought, and he exchanged grins with her. "You repeat that and I'll call you a dirty liar. Otherwise he's likely to take the Masamune to my hide like a switch."

"Seph did say the two of you hadn't gotten around to a real sparring match yet, and he didn't know just what you're capable of as far as fighting humans -as opposed to monsters- goes." Unable to resist, she walked to him and ran a hand up his chest and into the hair at the nape of his neck. "Stop posing, Strife. You're making my mouth water."

Shy he might be, but Cloud wasn't an innocent by anyone's definition. He understood what she was referring to and had the decency to flush at his unintentional maneuver. Letting his arms fall to his sides, he muttered, "Sorry," as he retreated to the other side of the table.

It made Tifa laugh to see his nervousness again. Telling of his history had caused him to forget all his anxieties and uncertainties, allowing her to see how he could have commanded the forces of Wutai for four years without Sephiroth winning any major battles against him.

And here he was, blushing because she made a comment on how attractive his body happened to be. Was there no way to defend against this man's charms?

But it was very late -or very early, depending on point of view- and they both needed some sleep. "We should both get some rest while we can. I've posted that the bar is closed this weekend for cleaning, and that's what I intend for tomorrow. If you're still here when I wake up, I'm putting you to work."

"I don't think either Zack or Kunsel are on duty tomorrow. I can call them if you need some extra help," Cloud offered as he rinsed his dish in the sink and put it into the dishwasher.

Smiling mischievously, Tifa flipped an up-and-down look at Cloud and asked, "Will you wear that t-shirt if they're here?"

Cloud scowled, "Of course not."

"Then they aren't welcome. Good night, Cloud."

Pressing a kiss on him that probably upped his blood pressure, Tifa then headed upstairs to try to get some sleep. Despite the lightness of her words, she wasn't sure the images burned into her brain would let her.

After putting his clothes in the dryer, Tifa stopped by the bathroom long enough to take some aspirin for the headache gathering right between her eyes. But a naughty smile touched her lips as she shut the door to her room.

Hopefully, that last steamy kiss had given Cloud something else to dream about than his horrific past.

Poor Cloud was left to stumble his way to the padded bench, still blushing fiercely. The smoking hot look Tifa had given him before walking out of the kitchen did nothing to ensure restful slumber. As he had stated before, he was no angel and the thoughts that occupied his mind were anything but innocent.

Lying on his back, one hand behind his head, Strife hissed through his teeth, "Darn you, Tifa Lockhart."

And could have sworn his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of her laughter...