***Author's note: Okay so it's been a long time since I've had the chance to update. Please don't shoot me *runs and hides* I've had a crazy couple of weeks and whenever I wrote, I wasn't happy with what I was writing so I took a little break and I think it has paid off. Now WARNING: this chapter contains mature content, if you are uncomfortable with adult themes then please skip this chapter and wait until the next one is finished. My lovely co-author will be writing chapter VIII so stay tuned for that!

Also this is my first ever attempt at a lemon so please let me know how I did!

Disclaimer...I own nothing except the storyline

ENJOY

As they sped through the grasslands leading to Lydia, Tifa clung close to Cloud, feeling his muscles contract and shift with every turn of his bike. Her eyes drifted to his wrist, shifting the throttle, where he bore the symbol of his village. She found herself strangely, drawn closer to him, despite now having knowledge of Cloud's past. Somehow, it made her want to protect him, even if that meant protection from himself. She could only hope that Zangan would at least listen to his story and Gaia-willing, offer help.

Cloud could feel Tifa shifting from behind him, a brief chill crawling his back when he felt her head rest on his back. But even the feel of her so close to him couldn't distract his thoughts. It seemed as though his world had come tumbling down unto him. For the first time in his life, a realization hit him, he had no sense of self..of who he was. So many years of training and constant warfare had drowned any need for anything else. In a way, he could forgive his father for subjecting him to the injections, but the one sin he will never forgive, is knowing what Ajax did to his mother. Was she willing? Was she coaxed into it? Was she forced? Did she know that the injections would lead to her death? Cloud grimaced and his hold on the throttle became tighter as he revved the bike faster. He could feel Tifa pulling back from the sudden speed and shivered as her arms enveloped his waist tighter; clinging to him. His thoughts shifted back to the woman clinging to his form. Just the mere thought of having to tell Tifa of his father's scheme to pit her against her father and her own village caused his stomach to twist into knots. How could he tell her...should he even tell her? The one person who had ever shown an interest in who he really was...the one person who seemed to actually care for his well-being. He didn't deserve that kind of reverence from her.

Streaks of bright red and orange were painting the sky as they neared Lydia. Cloud understood fully that he still needed to keep himself scarce in the village. To them, he was their enemy..a virus which must be purged immediately. He trusted Tifa as she led them through the village, staying clear of main roads which would most likely be crowded with people. As they neared her house, he slowed his motorcycle to a stop and released the kickstand, dismounting before reaching for Tifa to help her off. He held onto her waist after placing her on her feet and searched her eyes. He saw fear, with a small touch of assurance behind it. He felt as though he were being selfish..asking Tifa to risk her reputation among her people as well as risking a complete loss of trust between her and the only family she'd ever known.

Tifa could sense the questioning in his eyes and offered him a smirk accompanied by a slight nod of reassurance. She had no idea what to expect. All she knew, was that she and Cloud needed to find a way to make things right. To allow the truth of the war to spill over both villages. Tifa briefly allowed her eyes to drift passed Cloud into the distance, trying to repress the thoughts of what was to come.

She finally pulled away, grabbing Cloud's hand and pulling him behind her. She took a deep breath as she approached the door and grasped the doorknob with a trembling and slightly perspiring palm. She carefully twisted the handled and the door quietly creaked as she opened it, peering one eye into the house, careful to keep Cloud behind her and unseen.

"Papa..?" she called quietly into the house, only to be met with the same heavy silence. She turned her head to face Cloud and motioned with her head to follow her inside.

Carefully they wandered through her house, searching for any sign of Zangan. Tifa released a heavy sigh of relief.

"I guess he isn't here."

Cloud ran a hand over his face and then back through his spikes before turning to face Tifa.

"Great..so now what do we do?"

Tifa shrugged and flashed him a skeptical look. " I guess we just wait."

Cloud remained silent as he continued to scan the house with his eyes. The silence broken by the sound of his stomach rumbling. When was the last time either one of them had eaten anything? Yesterday morning perhaps..and even that was barely enough to satisfy any hunger at all.

"You too huh?" Tifa said, offering him a smile. "Let me see what we have here. I'll meet you in my room."

Eyes cast to the floor, Cloud nodded and proceeded up the steps while Tifa went searching for something to barter out of the kitchen.

In Tifa's bedroom, Cloud attempted to fix his gaze on the décor of the walls and bedding, anything to distract him from the ominous thoughts currently crushing him. As he searched her room curiously, he smirked at how organized Tifa was. Every item on her vanity was meticulously placed according to the item's purpose. Her bed was neatly made with silver throw pillows, standing out from the dark blue bedding. A sheer black netting fluidly and loosely curving through the four posts reaching above the bed. Cloud tilted his head back as he felt the cool breeze moving through the balcony doors. The sky was beginning to grow dark. He inhaled sharply and allowed himself to sit down at the foot of her bed. His gaze shifted curiously to the nightstand next to her bed. He briefly turned to glance back at the door in fear that Tifa could walk in at any moment. But he couldn't suppress the need to know more about her. He carefully pulled the drawer of the nightstand open only to discover and array of paper sprawled across the bed of the drawer. His brows drew together in curiosity as he sorted through some of the paper. It appeared to be sheet music, with tiny pencil scribblings in various areas of the paper. He recalled seeing the piano in the lounge room downstairs and assumed Tifa knew how to play. Placing the papers he gathered back, he sorted deeper through Tifa's belongings and came across a few pictures of Tifa when she was young. There was one of Tifa standing in what appeared to be a training arena with Zangan standing to her left with an arm draped around her shoulder, a look of utter pride on both of their faces. Cloud swallowed hard as he stared at Tifa in the picture, clad in nothing but a tiny white tank top with suspenders draping over her shoulders and hooking down to the sorriest excuse for a skirt he'd ever seen. Her legs seemed to go on for miles in the picture, leading down to delicate ankles and heavy boots on her feet.

"That was taken right after I completed my training tests." A voice came from the doorway.

Wide-eyed, Cloud froze and peered over his shoulder to find Tifa standing there with a tray of various fruits, bread and a few slices of meat.

"Sorry, I was curious." Cloud muttered in an almost pitiful tone. Ashamed that she caught him snooping through her things.

The corners of her lips curled into a sly smile and she chuckled briefly. Sighing as she made her way over to where Cloud was sitting on her bed. She carefully placed the tray on the bed between them and picked up a peach, rubbing it on her shirt before taking a bite.

"I figured some fruit and bread would be alright...not really the best idea to load up on carbohydrates right now." She said while still chewing.

Cloud nodded briefly and picked up a piece of bread, placing a thin slice of meat on top and biting into it like it was the best meal he'd ever had. Being on the look-out constantly, food wasn't exactly plentiful nor was it easy to come by at times.

They ate in silence and every now and again, Tifa would catch Cloud staring at her while she ate. Tifa could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she felt Cloud's eyes scrutinizing her discretely with his eyes. She giggled inwardly as their eyes would meet briefly and he would immediately turn away, hoping she wasn't catching him eying her.

Cloud couldn't help but feel slightly depraved when he discovered himself to be slightly aroused by the way she licked the corners of her lips after taking another bite into the peach. He felt like he didn't deserve to look at her that way and he tried his best to keep a handle on his probing eyes and continued eating.

What he didn't know was that Tifa was eying him in her own special way. She relished at the sight of his unruly blond spikes, moving as the breeze from the balcony spilled into her room. She closed her eyes briefly, with the pleasant image of Cloud atop his motorcycle, that same breeze rushing passed him as he effortlessly rode the enormous motorcycle through various terrains in her mind. He clearly had no idea of how devastatingly alluring he was to her. Everything from the slight freckles on the sides of his nose and cheeks, to his rough, battle-worn hands. And who could resist those enticing eyes. Eyes that held such a gaze that they could break into the very depths of a person's soul.

Tifa felt slightly light headed and placed a hand on her stomach in a feeble attempt to soothe the increasing heat in the pit of her stomach. Cloud must have taken notice as she felt a hand on her shoulder, breaking her away from her fantasy.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, with imploring eyes.

She nodded quickly and resumed chewing on the bite of peach that had sat forgotten in her mouth while her thoughts began to wander. In an act of sudden boldness, she lifted the peach to his lips, awaiting him to take a bite. Cloud shyly complied and sank his teeth into the flesh of the sweet fruit. Tifa smiled demurely when she noticed a small stream of peach nectar had managed to dribble down his chin. She chuckled and reached a hand to his face, leaning hers towards his but stopping briefly for a moment as she noticed his breathing hitched. Their faces only inches apart, close enough to inhale each others' breaths. Cloud shuddered as Tifa touched her lips to Cloud's chin, imbibing the forgotten nectar which somehow tasted sweeter coming off of his skin. When she pulled back, they searched each others eyes for a moment. Both wanting the same thing. Cloud dropped his bread carelessly on the floor and reached to cradle Tifa's face in his hands, his lips capturing hers in a searing kiss. He felt his heart race as Tifa responded to his kiss with an unbridled passion.

The peach was released from Tifa's hold and dropped to the nightstand as her arms circled around his neck. Cloud removed his hands from her face and gently enveloped her small waist, tracing her shoulders and sides along the way. They were completely lost in each other. Both desperately clinging to each other as though it was the last moment of their lives.

They continued to kiss hungrily for a few more moments and for he sake of air, Cloud broke away from the kiss, releasing Tifa's lower lip with a gently slurp and began to trail kisses from her jawline to the side of her neck Relishing at the taste of her skin on his lips.

Tifa's hands automatically slid into his hair, gripping the locks tightly and shuddered when Cloud discovered a sweet spot on her neck; one that even she was unaware of until his lips had uncovered it.

Cloud maneuvered her to straddle his lap, his hand resting on her lower back for support. She shut her eyes in pure bliss as she felt his hand come around to rest on her breast. She gasped as she felt his hand squeeze gently and his thumb brush across slightly hardened and sensitive flesh. Trailing kisses back up her neck, Cloud's lips met Tifa's once more in a feverish kiss. His tongue surging past her lips to join hers in a battle which she gladly gave in to.

Completely enveloped in sheer rapture, Tifa pushed Cloud gently by the shoulders so that his back now rested on the bed with her still straddling his legs. His breath hitched slightly at the feel of her hands sliding up his chest to rest on either side of his neck, his eyes closing in delicious bliss. Her touch did amazing things to him, his thoughts filled with nothing but her and the feelings she gave him.

Tifa released his lips with a tug of his bottom lip with her teeth. Cloud gazed into her half-lidded, sparkling burgundy pools, filled with passion and desire. Shyly, he began tracing the outline of her her shirt with one hand, the other resting on her back, moving underneath the shirt to caress her velvet skin. Without breaking their gaze, Tifa kissed him lightly and pushed herself back up to her knees, still straddling him, to pull the shirt over her head, deciding to leave her vest up to him when he was ready.

After letting her shirt fall carelessly to the floor, Tifa reached for Cloud's still gloved hands and brought his fingers up to her lips. She softly ghosted her lips over his finger tips, causing his heart beat to quicken at such a rapid pace that he was almost sure she could hear it. A chill ran up his spine when she tugged on the fingers of the glove with her teeth, gently pulling the leather away from his fingers before using her teeth again to completely shed his hand of the material. Allowing the glove to fall to the bed, she repeated the step with his other hand before placing his now free hands back to her waist.

He relished in the feel of his now bare hands against her smooth, now slightly flushed, skin. He traced his fingers up the length of her arms and cradled her face in his hands once again to pull her down to meet his lips once again in a passionate kiss. He felt his shoulder guard click as it was released from his shoulder and tossed to the floor, making a loud thump at the contact followed by the sound of the belts draped across his chest being released. Noticing that he was holding in his breath, Tifa abruptly pulled away, searching his eyes for a command to stop what she was doing. Her own breaths, heavy and uneven.

They stayed that way for a moment before Cloud reached up to the zipper of his vest resting at his collarbone, to tug it down slowly. Allowing her to push the sides apart and lavish his chest the affectionate kisses. His skin began to prickle as Tifa ran her hands up his smooth chest and back down to his well-defined abdomen.

Tifa couldn't help but admire the site beneath her as she kissed and nipped gently at his flesh, inhaling his unique scent. His chest and shoulders were broad and she took notice to a faint trail of blond hair below his navel disappearing into his trousers. She wanted to devour him where he lay.

As she continued with her kisses, Cloud reached both arms behind her and unzipped her vest, lightly pulling it down her arms. When she was released, he tossed the vest to the side of the bed.

Tifa let out a broken gasp when Cloud held onto her waist and rolled her over so that she was now beneath him. He shrugged his vest off and returned to her lips, now red and slightly swollen from their ministrations. Opening his eyes to meet her gaze, he slide his palm up her smooth stomach to her now bare breast causing Tifa to let out a quiet groan, biting her lip to withhold her moans. He kissed her feverishly, humming in satisfaction as he inhaled her labored breaths and drank her soft moans. He caressed the side of her face, pushing the fringe off her forehead and trailed his hand down her neck, to the swell of her breasts, and passed her stomach to grip the button on her jeans. Seeing no objection in her eyes, he released the button, followed by the zipper. He moved off the bed and grasped the waist of her jeans, tugging them down where Tifa kicked them off along with her boots when they reached her ankles. A sheer pair of white laced, panties serving as the only clothing left on her body.

Tifa sat up to grab Cloud by the waist of his trousers and began to undo them quickly before she lost her nerve. The entire experience being completely new to her and mostly likely him as well. She kissed his chest gently as she tugged his trousers down. When they reached his knees, he took over the task and kicked them aside with his foot.

Tifa could only drink in the site before her, never being this close to a naked man before. The man standing in front of her was pure perfection. She stood up off of the bed, her bare chest pressing against his, causing him to groan at the contact. She traced his jawline with her fingers and trailed her hands down to his chest. She allowed her fingers to ghost over some of the faint battles scares on his chest, paying extra attention to a thin, slanted scar across his left pectoral by covering it with gentle kisses.

Cloud let his head fall back and his hands reached up to tangle his fingers in her hair, inhaling it's clean scent. He tugged her hair back slightly to expose as much of her neck to him as possible where he began to trail hungry kisses up to her jawline, lightly scraping his teeth against her skin, Tifa's hand returning to grasp his blond spikes.

She drew in a sharp breath when she felt Cloud's hand cupping her between her legs, her panties already slightly dampened. The heat in her stomach becoming overwhelming. She drew back one of her arms from around her neck and hooked her thumbs to the sides of her panties, pulling them down past her hip bone and down her long legs.

Cloud released a shuttering breath as he gazed at the beauty before him. She was absolutely flawless, delicate and slender, yet curved and supple in all of the right places.

She allowed him to scrutinize her for a moment before searching his eyes with hers. "Come back to me?" she whispered, slightly unsure of what was to come.

He groaned at her plea and captured her lips in yet another searing kiss. His tongue sweeping past hers and he gently sucked on her tongue when she explored his mouth. Tifa moaned into him at the feeling. Waves of anticipation flooded over her. She'd only known him for a short amount of time. Yet she knew him well enough to know that he would be gentle and undemanding with her. There was something about him that begged for her trust and she gave it to him entirely.

Cloud picked her up gently and sat her back on the edge of the bed, coaxing her legs apart so he could stand between them. She was trembling and he ran his hands down the length of her thighs before reaching up to cradle her face and place sweet, undemanding kisses along her jaw to her lips, sucking on her lower lip gently. The last thing he wanted was for her to become fearful that he would hurt her. He knew he needed to handle her with care.

She let out a hoarse cry when she felt him carefully parting her center to stroke tender, swollen flesh. She reached for him, grasping him close to her. Never in her life had she felt such a pleasant heat, she had no idea of the things she'd feel if they continued.

Cloud watched her as her eyes drifted shut and her lips parted, releasing soft moans. Small beads of perspiration forming on her forehead as she allowed passion's blissful embrace to engulf her entire being. Cloud loved watching Tifa writhe against him in the throes of ecstasy caused by himself, she never looked more beautiful. His arousal became harder to contain. He could feel himself throbbing, begging for release, pressing against her trembling thigh.

Tifa cried out when she felt two of his fingers slipping gently inside her, still using his thumb to rub the swollen flesh above her opening. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and she clenched her lower lip between her teeth in an attempt to conceal her cries of pleasure. She began to squirm on the edge o the bed and breathed heavily as she anticipated her climax on the brink of release. Cloud's pulsating arousal against her thigh only weakening her resolve to delay her climax. With a slight curl of his fingers, her hips jolted toward him and she reached for him, pulling him toward her to recapture his lips. Finally, her breath hitched slightly and she let out an echoing cry which Cloud swallowed as they continued kissing hungrily.

Pulling back, slightly with their lips still parted. Tifa reached to her thigh to grasp his pulsing shaft. She watched as his eyes rolled back into his head, releasing a deep groan. "Tifa..."

At the sound of her name coming so passionately from his lips, she began to stroke his member, causing him to continue groaning in gratitude. Looking back down at her, he gently removed her hand from his shaft. And picked her up by the waist, pushing her further onto the bed. As he crawled over her to rest between her bent and parted legs, he could only drown in her gaze of pure adoration and trust. She was beautiful, in every way.

"Are you scared?" he asked, his own breath shuddering at the feeling of his engorged tip at her entrance.

Tifa could only smile up at him and shake her head, reaching her arms over his neck. She had no idea how the penetration itself would feel. Would it hurt...or would she bleed? Her thoughts were interrupted at the feel of Cloud's lips on the temple of her forehead. He knew this could be painful for her, but he wanted her to feel completely safe and trust that pleasure would quickly follow.

Their eyes were locked as he gently began to push into her. He stayed their for a moment before withdrawing and then entering again, until he no longer felt an resistance. He could only pray that she was not in searing pain as he saw her wince slightly from the breach. Slowly, he began a steady motion, rocking his hips against her.

The pain was brief and not nearly as bad as she had anticipated. The feeling of him inside of her was so much more full and deeper than before, both of them completely embraced in utter ecstasy. His pace quickened when he felt Tifa's hips reach up to meet with his gentle thrusts. Both of their cries echoing throughout her room.

Tifa had never anticipated their coupling would feel so incredible. She was enveloped in rapture and voiced her pleasure openly as Cloud swallowed them with his kiss as his thrusts increased in both speed and force. Her head whipped back and her eyes slammed shut as she could feel herself on the brim of her release, much more powerful than before. Her arms tightened around his neck and she buried her face on her shoulder when finally she drowned in pure rapacious bliss.

Cloud continued with his thrusts as he felt his own release approaching. He captured her lips again, lazily stroking his tongue over hers when his breath hitched and shuttered, and he groaned her name, releasing himself deep into her. He continued to roll his hips into hers, riding out the last few moments of pleasure before cradling her face, forcing her to look at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly.

Her head still swimming and her thoughts still incredibly fogged, Tifa could only nod as she felt him embrace her tight and place gentle kisses over her face.

They remained quite, their labored breathing, slowly returning to normal the only thing breaking the silence of the room.

Still beneath him, Tifa gazed up at him, peering into those cerulean blue oceans. They held a gentleness she'd never seen until now. She slowly reached up with her hand, still trembling in the aftermath of their coupling, and traced the side of his face, watching his eyes drift shut and him lean into her touch. She smiled sweetly at him, taking in his slightly disheveled appearance. "I'm falling for you Cloud.."

Cloud released a shuttering breath. How could she love him? He wasn't fit to bear her love and he knew she deserved so much more than he had to offer. Yet, in that moment, he could not deny her, enemy or no, this woman was the only person to see him for who he was, to see past his sins and embellish his personal attributes. The only person who wanted him without selfishness, to simply be around him, even if that meant no words were involved. But to love her, would be to put her in even more danger than she already was in. Completely lost in her gaze, he pushed aside his thoughts and told her the one thing in his world he knew to be true. "I'm falling for you too..."