AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey guys!! How was your Christmas?

I promise you guys I intend to finish this. Slowly but surely. I have actually forgotten my initial storyline so bear with me while I figure it out. In the meantime, this is what I have come up with.

Sorry if it took me some time to write this, but between school and co-curricular activities, I've been pretty swamped! Plus I've been training like crazy because I promised myself I'd beat my race record. LOL.

I hope you all enjoy! Sorry for errors and for the time it took. *Begs for forgiveness.* :)

CHAPTER FOUR

RESOLUTION

Cloud stepped silently into the Church. A small pond of what remained of the Lightstream glimmered serenely among multicolored flowers. The stained glass, borrowing light from the moon, cast more colors on the ground. Keeping himself in the shadows, he stopped and took a deep breath. It was the smell of flowers, purity and calmness. His senses tingled with every breath he took, his mind filled with images of her.

He took one last look around to make sure he was alone and walked silently toward the Lifestream pond. He put his hand into his pocket and drew out a red ribbon. He clutched it tightly in his trembling hands.

"Aerith… Please. Look after them. I… I'm just a coward who can't do anything right. I'm sorry to let you down again," he took a deep breath to steady himself, "Once again I must trouble you… Please watch over them." He let the ribbon fall into the pond and watched as a soft wind carried it to the edge of the Church wall. Entangled among the flowers, the red ribbon seemed to disappear.

He turned his back and walked to the exit, without even a single glance back.

White. All she could see was an expanse of white, with small swirling lights. She tried to move her arm but her body was as numb as her mind. As her eyes focused on the lights lining the ceiling, a sharp feeling of urgency surged through her.

Denzel. Marlene.

"If he wanted to be found, we damn would have found him already," said a gruff but resigned voice.

"Keep your voice down, Cid!" said a familiar high-pitched voice, "He's gotten really good at hiding. Even my ninja abilities aren't much help. I looked all over town and no one's seen him. What about you, Vincent?"

"I checked as much of the Sleeping Forest as I could," a quiet voice stated in a flat tone, "Nothing."

She kept her eyes to the ceiling, counting the lights that seemed to stare down at her like spider eyes. As to who they were, and whom they were speaking of, there was no doubt in her mind.

"Have you tried the church?" she asked in a hoarse voice that did not seem to belong to her. It sounded detached and broken. She turned her head slightly to face the others in her room.

"Tifa! You're awake," the tiny Ninja bounced over to her side.

"How long was I out?" Tifa asked in a flat voice.

"The doctor predicted you would wake up in a week since you lost a lot of blood, but it took you only three days," Yuffie answered with her usual cheerfulness.

"How long has he been gone?"

The room fell silent.

"Two… And a half days…" Yuffie answered almost inaudibly.

Like a fugitive he runs. He didn't even bother to make sure I woke up, Tifa thought, laughing at the last thought as though it was a joke. A tight feeling began to spread across her chest. She knew this feeling well, disappointment. She turned back to look at the ceiling and continued her probe, "The kids?"

Again the silence. That was enough of an answer.

"Well look at you, all business like. You just woke up from a comma. Relax a little, huh?" Cid said, trying to make light of the situation.

"I need to get out of here and find the kids," Tifa said as she tried to push herself up to a sitting position.

"Barrett is following up a lead. We've searched the forest, too. And every place we can think of but this is the first real lead we've got. Let's wait for him to report back, okay?" Yuffie said as she tried to push Tifa back down, "You still need to rest."

Tifa gently but firmly pushed Yuffie's hands away. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, pulling at the tubes attached to her skin, "I appreciate all the effort you've done in trying to find the children, but it's time I take this into my own hands. After all, those kids are more my responsibility that yours," Tifa said with more hostility than she intended.

"There's no need to speak to us like that! We care about them too!" Yuffie answered back hotly as Vincent put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?" Vincent asked.

"The Church is all I can think of," Tifa answered as she got to her feet. Her legs wobbled a little but she refused any assistance her three companions were willing to offer. It took her five full steps before her legs began to work regularly. Eyes downcast, she set her hands to her hips as she told them, "I don't think we'll find him in the Church though. He knows we'll be looking for him there."

Yuffie tried to smile as she said, "Well I'm sure he'll be…"

"Fine. I know," Tifa said, her voice emotionless. She looked up at them, a hard glint in her eyes, "That's why I think we should use all our energy to find the children instead. It's pointless to chase a mouse that knows how to hide in nooks and crevices."

"Did you just call Cloud a mouse?" Cid asked, a bit surprised.

"Cloud can take care of himself. It's the children I'm worried about," Tifa answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"So we just stop searching for him?" Yuffie asked her, "I'm just making sure I heard you right."

"At some point he has to realize that people will get tired of chasing after him every time he pulls a stunt like this. It's his choice if he wants to run away from his friends."

"But Tifa…" Yuffie started.

"I'm not telling you to drive him away if he decides to show up on your doorstep. I'm just saying we should make the children our priority," Tifa said in a tone that seemed like a large period to end the conversation.

Silence permeated the room as Yuffie, Cid and Vincent examined the girl standing before them. Her eyes lucid, lips set in a sure, straight line. Something in her expression was different, it seemed as though an epiphany had finally cleared up her muddled mind.

As Tifa watched the three of them, her expression softened and in an instant she was back into her old self. With a smile, she said, "If one of you would be so kind as to get me a change of clothes..."

Vincent nodded, turned round and left the room.

After much persuasion, the doctors had allowed Tifa to leave the hospital earlier than protocol permitted. Yuffie had called Barrett secretly, telling him to try to persuade Tifa to give herself some more rest. But once Tifa talked to Barrett, the latter found much sense in her words.

"It's his daughter against his friend. Marlene would take precedence," Vincent had said.

Cid had left for another round in Sierra, although he knew his airship would immediately give away his purpose, like an alarm, sending Cloud back into hiding.

Tifa wore her garb with a sense of purpose. Barrett had told her to visit them in the warehouse so that they could plan where to search next. There was no point in searching the same places her companions had already searched. She did not want to waste any more time.

She went back to Seventh Heaven to grab some Materia and supplies in preparation for her search and saw that it was in such a disastrous state. Dried blood had settled into the floorboards where just three days ago she lied near death, giving the place an acrid rusty smell. She left in a hurry but decided to pass by the Church before heading to the Warehouse.

The last time she was here had been a happier time. Cloud was out on one of his deliveries, taking Denzel with him for a ride on Fenrir. Marlene, feeling bored, decided she wanted to visit Aerith. Tifa conceded, as she had not visited in a while.

As she made her way down the pews, a feeling of unrest roused within her. She stopped when she reached the pond. She kneeled and ran her fingers on the surface of the water, creating ripples that twinkled in the sunlight.

"Again," she said, "He did it again. You didn't by any chance see him here, did you?" It had become her habit, asking Aerith questions that she knew would remain unanswered. She sighed. As she stood she noticed it.

A red ribbon.

He was here. And it seemed he had said goodbye.

She smiled to herself. Always he speaks to her, but not to me.

She exited the Church almost in a run. She wanted to be out of there, out of the place she felt she had no business being in. It belongs to them.

When she arrived at the Warehouse, she was surprised to see several WRO vehicles and men wearing uniforms walking around, smoking cigarettes, playing cards.

One of the men whistled as another hit his head from behind. One of the guys pointed toward the small door where she was to enter. Rude was the first to greet her. Reno was talking to Barrett but stopped when he saw her.

"Well, well! You look good as new!" Reno said.

"Tifa," Barrett approached her, concern in his eyes, "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"I've never been more sure in my life," she responded. Her voice and her eyes betrayed no doubt.

"That's good then," said a deep voice from behind.

Tifa turned around and was face to face with one of the Turks. Elena was her name. She stood beside a taller Turk who she recalled was called Tseng. But she was sure the voice came from neither one of them.

A tall man stepped forward, his hair combed back to reveal his handsome face. His eyes were intelligent and brooding, his lips were quirked up in a half-smile.

"Rufus Shinra?" Barrett sounded as surprised as Tifa felt.

He smiled at Barrett but his head swiveled slowly, and his eyes rested firmly on Tifa's face. The mischievous half-smile played on his lips, "I have a proposition for you."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh my gosh what is that proposition?! Seriously though I still don't know what it is. LOL.

*Rufus Shinra=hottie* 8D