The clock's ticking created the only sound in the empty bar as she sat at the first table; her eyes barely open as she struggled to keep herself awake. Cloud didn't tell her to wait for him...she should go to bed. He probably wasn't even going to show up.

In you and I

There's a new land

My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah

Where fears and lies melt away

An engine.

She lifted her head; her eyes scanned the road.

Fenrir?

A truck passed by. She frowned and placed her head back down into her arms, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. What was she doing, still downstairs? The only things tying her where she was sitting was Cloud, and what he had to say when he got home.

If he got home, The barmaid grunted softly, closing her eyes.

Sorry if I'm a little late.

She opened her wine-colored eyes again, quickly searching for a pair of electric-blue orbs in the dim light. There was nobody.

It's fine.

Tifa's vision blurred as tears began to sting them.

...You're here now—that's all that matters.

The flames consumed her heart as they did her town, her family, and her friends. And she didn't see him Not for nearly four years.

I can't protect anyone. Not my family; not my friends. Nobody.

The lock mechanism clicked, and the bells above the door chimed softly as the door was pushed open. Heavy, slow footsteps thudded against the hardwood floor and came closer to her and stopped; just inches away from the table.

Tifa lifted her head. "...Cloud."

The blonde's deep blue eyes glimmered slightly in the moonlight, giving them an eerie glow. "...I'm home."

I'm back.

The woman blinked. "...What did you forget?"

"Huh?"

Tifa rose to her feet and frowned. "You forgot something, right? It's rare that you come home early," She said it nonchalantly, which caught Cloud off-guard.

"I didn't forget anything," Cloud replied cautiously. He could see the anger burning in her auburn eyes. Now she was angry. He looked down to the ground and shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "...I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I should have listened to you when you told me to take some time off."

"Why didn't you?" Tifa's voice fell soft and she sounded as if she were a dog that had been kicked too many times.

Cloud paused. He turned his head until he was looking her directly in the face. "...What's wro--"

"Everything." She nearly shouted, however her voice remained low enough to keep itself from resonating.

The two were silent as the tension began to build between the two of them.

"...I'll take tomorrow off if you'd like," Cloud's own voice was nearly a whisper.

Tifa folded her arms across her chest and drew back, as if she were trying to hide. "Do you know what I would like?"

He slowly nodded.

She clicked her tongue. "...I would like for you to actually care about me—about Marlene and Denzel."

What's left of me?

What's left of me, now?

...Did she actually say that?

Cloud's breath stopped in his throat. "...I-I do care about you and the kids--" The words suddenly struggled to roll from his tongue as his confidence waivered.

"You're still never home; and when you are, you're taking deliveries and mapping out routes," She turned her back away from him, desperately trying to avoid his gaze. Her voice cracked slightly. "...That doesn't seem like you care very much to me."

Cloud placed a hand on her shoulder and spun her back around before she could protest. The blonde moved forward until their faces were only inches apart, and his voice rose barely above a whisper. "You know I care about you," He stopped for a moment. "...I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

The looked him in the eyes. She soon became lost in their sapphire depths and she could see the guilt—the sadness that filled them. "Cloud..."

He kissed her.

Cloud kissed her.

Tifa froze as they stood there, in the middle of the Seventh Heaven.

Cloud pulled away and looked away, a soft blush growing on his cheeks. "...I...shouldn't have done that...I'm sor-"

"No," Tifa quickly grabbed his hand. She slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, however his lingered there; longer than before. Much longer. Tifa slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and relaxed into him, a comfortable silence deafening the room.

The blonde drew back once again, but instead of turning away, he slid his arms around her waist and sighed. Tifa rested her head against his chest; a faint smile spreading across her face.

"I love you, Cloud..."

Cloud's heart skipped a beat. Did she just tell him that? Did she just tell him that she loved him?

Tifa knew that this is where she belonged. In Cloud's arms. They were her sanctuary, where she could go to whenever she needed to escape from the troubles of reality. And even if he was far away from her physically, she was always going to have him with her in her heart. This is where she planned to stay forever.

My fears, my lies

Melt away...

Cloud held her tighter to his body as a small, rare smile tugged upon his face. He closed his eyes and placed his chin atop of her head, his breath slowing and his thoughts stopping. "...I love you, Tifa."

And it was meant to be.

--Sanctuary, Utada Hikaru