A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. If you do not like sex scenes, please skip them. Standard disclaimer applies.

Updated 6/27/2020: The scene with Cloud and Tifa has more smut. Also, there's an entirely new ending to this chapter. Nibelheim scenes have been moved to the next chapter.

Chapter 11:

Flashback…

"What are you going to do, Tifa?"

The brunette fighter turned to face Cloud on the bridge of the Highwind. She had been looking out the front window after everyone else left, her heart torn as she remembered she was all alone in the world except for AVALANCHE. She had no family, no other friends to return to – they had all been killed by Shinra.

"Did you forget?" she asked the blond swordsman, who looked at her with sympathetic but woeful eyes. "I'm… all alone. I don't have anywhere to go."

Cloud took a step toward her and nodded. Without saying a word, he reached out to take her hand, which she tepidly accepted. He led her out of the Highwind and onto the deck, to the rope ladder that hung over the railing, and motioned for her to climb down. Tifa dutifully complied, unsure where Cloud was taking her. It didn't matter, she had followed him this far; she would follow him anywhere. God, she was a sap.

She hopped down from the last rung of the ladder and started walking away from the airship. They were on a field on the Eastern Continent. The nearest town was hundreds of miles away. There were no people, no roads, no anything around. Tifa felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness creep up on her for a moment. It smothered the air around her like a thick fog, leaving her lungs feeling heavy. All around the ground looked like death; sand and rocks stretched for miles, with very little elevation save a small mound where they now stood as the Highwind hovered above. Patches of grass tried to survive, scattered along the plains, failing to root and unable to sustain any life.

She heard Cloud's footsteps behind her and at once the fog seemed to dissipate.

"Everyone's gone…" she said without turning around.

"Yeah, we don't have anywhere or anyone to go home to," Cloud responded, the weight of his words obvious between them.

Tifa couldn't see him, but he was standing a few feet behind her on a rocky outcrop. He was staring off into the distance, thinking about his own singular existence. Tifa lowered her head.

"You're right…" she raised her head again and brushed her hair behind her ear. "But… I'm sure someday… they'll come back, don't you think?"

Cloud folded his arms across his chest and brought one hand to rest on his chin.

"Hmm… I wonder…" his gaze fell to the ground and he shook his head. "Everyone has an irreplaceable something they're holding on to…" Cloud quickly changed topic, "but this time, our opponent…"

An uncomfortable silence fell between them, neither moving. Tifa still had her back to Cloud, so he didn't see her swallow at the mention of their "opponent." Sephiroth had already caused so much grief in her young life. Twenty years old, and one man had destroyed her town, killed her father, scarred her for life, killed her best friend, and had summoned a meteor to destroy the planet. To say she was scared was an understatement. She was terrified, but determined to turn her fear and rage into something useful.

She nodded her head and looked across the plains. The sky was a murky golden color as the sun set behind them, leaving the sky above a velvety navy blue. A few white clouds dotted the scene, but neither Cloud nor Tifa were paying attention.

"Hmm… But that's all right, if no one comes back," she said. She paused for a moment, nervous to continue. "As long as I'm with you… As long as you're by my side… I won't give up even if I'm scared."

There it was. It was the closest she had ever come to expressing her feelings for him. Her heart beat loudly as she waited to see how he would respond. Would he agree with her? Shut her down? Say nothing?

Cloud dropped his hands to his sides and shifted to look at her back.

"…Tifa…"

She was in it now, might as well keep going. Tifa reached her left arm behind her back to grip her right elbow. She took a deep breath.

"No matter how close we are… We were far apart… before this," she said. "But when we were in the Lifestream surrounded by all those screams of anguish, I thought I heard your voice…"

She released her arm and slumped her shoulders, lowering her head and closing her eyes. A soft smile graced her lips even as she remembered the horrors she had experienced in Mideel. Inside the Lifestream, she could see everyone she had known who had died, all seemingly trapped in their final moments. Her father was holding his hands up in a weak defense, his eyes wide with the fearful anticipation of Sephiroth's sword. It was like he was frozen in time, forever forced to live out that exact moment. It was the same for Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. Tifa's eyes began to tear up and she choked back a sob.

"You probably don't remember this…" she said, her eyes still closed as she fought back the tears. "But deep in my heart I heard you calling my name… Or at least I thought I did…"

This might be her only chance to tell Cloud how she felt before her death. She was just going to be honest and say what was in her heart. Of course, that was easier said than done, as her words seemed to be tiptoeing around what she really wanted to say.

Cloud's eyes were still fixated on her back as she spoke. When she trailed off the last time, he turned away from her again. He hadn't wanted to remember his time in the Lifestream, or what was going through his head when he was suffering from Mako poisoning. He brought his fist to rest on his forehead, supporting his elbow with his other hand.

"Yeah… At that time, I heard you calling me," he said, thinking back. "You were calling me back from the stream of consciousness in the Lifestream."

He again let his arms fall to his sides. His eyes focused on a point far away from either of them, his expression one of resolve.

"After all, I promised," he continued. "That if anything were to ever happen to you, I would come to help."

Tifa opened her eyes again and looked straight forward again.

"Cloud…? Do you think the stars can hear us?" she asked. She bent her knee to reposition her body so that she was looking slightly to her left, talking to Cloud over her shoulder. "Do you think they see how hard we're fighting for them?"

Cloud leaned back to look up at the darkening sky.

"I dunno… But… Whether they are or not, we still have to do what we can. And believe in ourselves…" he said, moving his gaze back to that focal point in the distance. "Someday we'll find the answer. Right, Tifa?"

She didn't respond. She didn't know the answer. She thought she had been searching for some kind of answers her entire life and she still hadn't found them.

"That's what I learned from you when I was in the Lifestream," Cloud concluded, keeping his eyes on the back of Tifa's head, hoping she would turn around to give him a sign that she understood. He needed her particular brand of comfort.

He learned that from her? Tifa was surprised how much she had gotten through to him. She nodded her head again and flattened her lips, determined to remain strong for him.

"Yeah… that's right…" she said.

It wasn't exactly what Cloud hoped she would say. He once again turned away from her, feeling his own heart beginning to beat faster than usual. What was this? He hadn't felt this way since Aerith had been alive, or when he was a kid with a crush on Tifa. He, too, realized this might be his only chance to tell her what had been on his mind all these years. He sensed her in his consciousness in the Lifestream, sensed that she had learned his deepest childhood secret, but he couldn't be sure that wasn't all just some dream.

"Hey Tifa… I…" he stammered, turning his attention to his feet and burying his hands in his pockets. "There are a lot of things I wanted to talk to you about."

He shook his head slowly. There was so much he wanted to tell her. Years of pent up emotions and secrets – both painful and embarrassing. The kind of secrets one would write in a diary without any intention for another's eyes to see. Feelings locked deep inside one's heart.

"But now that we're together like this, I don't know what I really wanted to say…"

Curse his nerves. "I guess nothing's changed at all… Kind of makes you want to laugh…"

He had grown up, but apparently not when it came to romance. He had stammered through their "date" – if you could call it that – at the Gold Saucer all those months ago and had struggled to respond to Tifa or Aerith's flirtations throughout their adventures. He was so thick-headed he didn't even pick up on most of them.

He let out a few "hehs" to lighten the mood, so terrified that Tifa would reject him.

Instead, she shook her head – which wasn't a good sign, he thought – before lifting her shoulders and taking a slow, deep breath. This was it. Whatever she said next would be the defining moment of their relationship, Cloud thought. He couldn't bring himself to look at her for fear that his nervousness would make him look weak.

"Cloud… Words aren't the only thing that tell people what you're thinking…" she said after a pause.

When Cloud didn't immediately respond, Tifa ran her fingers through her hair anxiously. She then heard his footsteps shifting on the ground behind her and she felt his eyes on her back. She didn't know how he would take that. Would he take some kind of action? If so, what? She continued to stare forward, so afraid that if she turned around he would be gone, or looking at her like she was crazy. She had put it out there, inviting him to show her how he really felt. Waiting for his response was now agonizing as each second passed.

She could feel her heart beating in her chest, echoing across the plains to tell everyone of her deepest feelings. His silence was its own response. She lowered her head and tried to smile to herself. At least she had her answer. She could fight Sephiroth knowing that even if she were to die, she tried. She nodded slightly to herself, trying to accept that she had done the right thing and that Cloud simply didn't share her feelings. It was closure, at least, but she could already feel hot tears forming in the corners of her eyes, threatening to slide down her cheeks and reveal her broken heart.

Just as one made its way down the soft skin of her face, she felt two gloved hands on her arms. A shiver ran down her spine. She wiped the tear away as he turned her to face him, his head cocked to one side. He was smiling at her, but his eyes were heavy with sorrow when he saw that she was crying. He placed a hand on the side of her face and wiped away another tear with his thumb.

She let out a short laugh to mask her sob. She thought he was just going to walk away, but here he was, holding her, easing her fears. It all became funny to her, how she had worked herself into a mess thinking she had been rejected instead of giving him just a few seconds to respond. They had been sidestepping their feelings for one another for nearly a decade, couldn't she have waited just one more minute?

His eyes brightened when she laughed. He so wanted to see her smile. He knew that when she had that faraway look in her eyes, she was thinking about all the pain she had experienced in her life. He had always wanted to comfort her, but he had been lost in his own psychosis and grief that he didn't even know how. He couldn't help himself; how could he help someone else?

He wished he could say something to ease her pain, but her last words stuck in his mind. He had to show her how he felt about her. He thought words were hard to come by, but now he found himself trembling as he convinced himself to do what he had wanted to do since he was a teenager.

Cloud moved the hand that was already cupping the side of Tifa's face to bring his index finger under her chin. Her eyes looked up at him graciously, expectantly, nervously, her irises seeming to quiver as she searched his face for confirmation about what was to happen. Cloud's index finger raised her chin as he lowered his lips to hers.

Twenty years. Twenty years she had been the girl next door, and this was their first kiss.

Tifa felt heat spreading throughout her body, pooling in her chest and lower abdomen. Cloud kept one hand on the side of her neck and lowered his other to the small of her back, pulling her closer to him to deepen the kiss. At first she was too stunned to move, but she soon opened her mouth to let his wandering tongue inside. She wrapped her arms around his strong, muscular shoulders and closed her eyes. The last time they were like this was in Aerith's garden, but his tight grip and armor hurt her and she had to pull away, even though she wanted the moment to last. This time, however, Cloud had figured out his own strength.

This was really happening. Cloud Strife was really kissing her, really holding her, really pressing his hips into hers. His hand moved to the back of her head for support, and he gripped her hair as his breathing increased. They stayed like that for some time, each one exploring the other's mouth with their own tongue, struggling through nerves, anticipation, and feelings of inadequacy.

Tifa was shy and inexperienced. She had been kissed before, by her childhood friend Johnny, but she hadn't engaged in any sexual activity – at least not willingly. Spending five years in the slums of Midgar as a nubile teenager had been harsh, but she had escaped relatively unscathed.

Cloud was thinking of his own naivety when it came to sex. He had been an awkward teenager with eyes for only Tifa when he left Nibelheim to join SOLDIER, and his Shinra training left him little time to meet women outside of work. And then the whole Nibelheim incident… He had been too busy chasing Sephiroth to do anything else after that, and now he felt his heart sinking at the realization. He had his dream girl in his arms, and he wasn't sure he would be able to satisfy her. He was no prude, to be sure, he had seen movies and read magazines, so it's not like he didn't know what to do. But watching and doing were two very different things. He started to wonder if Tifa would notice his greenness. Then he wondered if Tifa had been with any other man. He hadn't seen her in five years – any number of things could have happened to her in that time.

No, his Tifa was still the same young girl he had left in Nibelheim all those years ago.

He decided that he would do what he had seen in the movies and what he imagined during late nights at the barracks when he would think of her. He continued to kiss her, with all the passion of a hormonal teenage boy, and let his hands roam her back, settling on her rear end. She moaned when he squeezed her flesh, his hands still outside her clothing. He lingered there for a moment, his boyhood thoughts overwhelming his mind.

She was so soft, so warm, so fit – the perfect woman. And now she was his. He slid his hands to her stomach and unhooked her suspenders, then moved up her sides to the hem of her tank top and started to lift. He felt her tense up and knew – or thought he knew – what it was about. He was about to see those perfect breasts of hers, and no one else had. He was in uncharted territory, and grinned as he thought about all the other men who had flirted with Tifa and who would kill to be in his position right now. She let him remove her shirt but quickly crossed her arms to cover herself.

He stepped back, eager to see what no other man had seen. He licked his lower lip, excited by her display of coyness. She held her arms against her chest tighter as his eyes roamed. She had never seen him look at her that way, he was so… primal. She knew she had nothing to be nervous about in that department, but she also feared letting any man see her like this. Sephiroth's scar never properly healed, leaving her with a disfiguring gash between her breasts. The ends of the scar stretched up to her left shoulder and beneath her right breast. It was always in the back of her mind. Whenever someone would flirt with her – especially when she thought Cloud was flirting with her – she would feel pretty, but the memory of that scar loomed heavy in her subconscious.

What would Cloud think when he saw it? Would he be disgusted? She had worked so hard to make the rest of her body lean and toned – perfect – but that scar was always there, just beneath her clothes, threatening to ruin the moment for anyone who might want to see her breasts.

Cloud reached forward; his knees weak as he tried to get Tifa to remove her arms from covering her chest. She closed her eyes and shook her head, looking distressed.

"Tifa, it's okay," Cloud cooed softly. Tifa was breathing harder and trembling, but she let him take her arms. His hands grazed the length of her arms before taking each of her hands in his, spreading them so he could look at her chest, still hiding behind her bra.

Cloud exhaled with a whistle of approval, which helped Tifa relax – at least a little. He traced the line of her scar with his finger but did not appear turned off by her appearance. It had startled him a little, but he didn't show it. It wasn't that the scar was ugly or that it detracted from her loveliness, it was that it made him remember that day in Nibelheim; the day he was too late to save her from Sephiroth's blade. The first time he broke his promise to her. Looking at it now, he couldn't help but be reminded of his failures, and it showed on his face. Tifa, however, thought that it was her scar that had sunken his features.

"What's wrong?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

Cloud realized what she must have thought and stared deep into her eyes.

"I was thinking about how I failed you in Nibelheim, and about how I never want to do that again," he said, his hands rubbing her shoulders.

Tifa smiled weakly and nodded. She would not let this stop her. Not now, not when she was enjoying how Cloud was looking at her.

"You won't," she said.

Cloud again embraced her, his hands roving along her back before gravitating to her bra clasp. He fiddled with it for a moment before it was unhooked. She didn't see the look of achievement on his face as he held her close, proud of himself for getting it unhooked so quickly. Her breasts were pressed firmly against his chest, so her bra did not fall. She held him a little longer, mentally preparing herself for this next step.

She moved away from him, standing in front of him with her hands holding her bra straps on the opposite shoulder. Cloud felt a surge of blood rush to his loins as she slowly let the straps fall from her shoulders. The garment fell to the ground and she stood there, exposed in the dusky sky.

He stepped toward her, again bringing his lips to hers but letting his hands roam her fleshy assets. He squeezed and teased; his hand just barely big enough to cup one of her breasts. She moaned as she felt the touch of a man she desired for the first time, her arms again wrapping around his neck. His lips parted with hers and made their way to her chin, then to her neck, chest, and finally to her breasts. He was bending down to reach her, and she closed her eyes. She ran her fingers through his hair and dared to press his face into her chest, wanting him to continue on – wanting him to keep exploring her body.

When he returned to her lips, she let her hands rest on his chest, feeling his toned pectoral muscles with her fingertips. She moved her hands down to his leather armor and unhooked it from his own suspenders. She then started to work on his belt buckles.

God, he wore too much armor, but she supposed it was necessary for his line of work. He certainly wasn't dressed for lovemaking, that was for sure. He helped her, his lips still pressed into hers, and when all the leather and plates had fallen to the ground at his feet, he removed his shirt, revealing a toned upper body and abdomen - along with his own scar from Sephiroth's blade. Tifa's followed Cloud's lead by tracing the line of his scar with her fingers before her gaze fell to his Adonis Belt, which was visible above the waistband of his pants. The "V" seemed to be openly mocking her, pointing to what she now wanted most but could not yet have.

Cloud pulled her closer, more forceful this time, to feel her breasts against his own powerful chest. He bent his head down to kiss her neck, sucking on the thin skin and nipping as he moved elsewhere. Tifa's head rolled back as her hands explored the muscles of his back.

Cloud kept an arm around her waist and gently lowered her onto the ground. He was struggling to keep from ripping her skirt and his pants off and taking her immediately. No, their first time was going to last, and she was going to love it. While a certain part of his body wanted to do things differently, Cloud was determined to make this night all about Tifa. She had done so much for him, and he had failed her over and over again. He was going to make up for everything tonight, in case tomorrow was their last day on earth.

He laid down next to her and placed the back of his hand on her thigh. He gently caressed her smooth skin before letting his fingers slide up to the hem of her skirt, then to her inner thigh. She shivered, and Cloud couldn't help but smile that it was his touch that was doing this to her. He moved his hand higher, underneath her skirt, grazing the fabric of her panties. They were wet already, and he let out a moan as his abdominal muscles tightened.

Tifa studied his face as he touched her, seeing expressions she had never seen before from him. He looked happy for the first time since she could remember. He wasn't smiling, his eyes were focused, but his whole demeanor was lighter than it had been in a long time – and it was because of her.

She stretched her arms and clasped her fingers behind her head, arching her back as Cloud's fingers moved aside her panties to play with the flesh beneath. He found her most sensitive bud and rubbed it with his thumb before positioning his index finger at her entrance, petting her slick folds. Tifa bit her lower lip as she anticipated Cloud's next move, tantalized by his teasing yet wanting him to continue. When at last his finger finally entered her, she whelped, her thighs tightening as her body reacted against him. Within seconds, Cloud pushed a second finger into her, though the tightness of her walls made it difficult.

Cloud was the only man she had ever loved, and his fingers were now inside her. It was exhilarating. Anything he did would feel amazing to her inexperienced loins, having never known what it was like to be with someone for which she had feelings. Cloud concentrated on his motion for a few minutes while Tifa writhed beneath him in pleasure. His eyes lifted to scan her face, wanting to know just what she was thinking.

"Oh, Cloud…" she said in a sultry, desperate voice.

While she had remained optimistic during their adventure, she couldn't remember the last time she was truly happy. Whenever that was, it certainly couldn't compare to what she was feeling at this exact moment.

Cloud removed his hand from under her skirt and sat up. He unbuckled her belt and gripped the sides of her skirt to remove it. She kicked it off along with her shoes and socks. She crossed her legs as Cloud removed his own pants and footwear, feeling that even though they had come so far – and it was clear where this was going – she was embarrassed to be seen fully naked by a man, even this man.

Cloud hooked his fingers on the sides of her panties and pulled them down as Tifa uncrossed her legs for him. She quickly closed her knees together, fearing that he would find the folds between her legs unattractive. She certainly didn't understand how any man could see them and get turned on.

She was wrong, of course, as Cloud sat back on his heels to examine her now naked body. She was perfect, in his eyes. He couldn't have dreamed up a more gorgeous woman than the one who now lay quivering beneath him, her body prepared to become one with his own. He crawled on top of her and leaned in to kiss her, rubbing his boxer briefs against her lower body. He did it to see the look of bliss on her face, mixed with a tinge of bitter anticipation, but also as his own fears had reached his thoughts again. What if he wasn't big enough, or good enough? What if he couldn't satisfy her? He nearly started to panic when she opened her eyes and smiled at him, as if to say, "I'm ready."

He had come this far; there was no turning back now. He would do everything in his power to follow through on his promise and the actions he had taken thus far. He removed his boxer briefs and leaned back over her, pulsing with desire, searching her eyes again to see that she approved.

With her desire confirmed, his hand reached down to his throbbing cock, steadying it at her entrance. He felt like he could already come, but he would hold back with all his might to ensure that she was taken care of tonight. The head of his cock tickled her as he prepared to enter her, unknowingly holding his breath. She twitched at the sensation until he started to slide in and her face grimaced.

"Tight…" Cloud said, more to himself than to her. He looked down to see her legs trembling, then into her eyes to see she looked to be in pain. "Should I stop?" he asked, worried that she would accept his offer.

She scrunched her eyes closed but shook her head with muffled moans. "No, I want this," she said.

Cloud nodded and pushed himself in a little deeper, feeling her walls start to widen every so slightly. Tifa still looked like she was in pain, but she continued to encourage him, her hormones overtaking her pain receptors.

When Cloud finally entered her to the hilt she cried out and he stopped. "Keep going," she said through tears. Cloud was careful, waiting for her walls to relax and her body to ease its tension. He lowered himself to his elbows so he could kiss her as he bucked his hips gently against hers, the feeling unlike anything he had ever imagined. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tried to match his movements, eventually falling into rhythm with him.

Those nights on the road where she longed for him to make a move or join her in her bed all faded away as she reached her climax, scared to release for ruining the moment. Cloud sensed her turmoil and wiped the hair from her face. "Let go," he whispered, his lips ghosting across her ear lobe.

His words danced between her ears with multiple meanings and she wanted to obey. She wanted to come for him, with him. She wanted to forget all her fears about tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and just live in the moment with her hero. She wanted to know he felt the same way about her.

A string of curse words spitting from his lips was her reward as he experienced his own release. He tried to pull out before he came but was too late, a sudden realization and fear striking his heart. It had felt too good; he had wanted her for too long. Her hands found his neck and she kept him in place as he tried to sit back, her quiet smile telling him everything he wanted to know.

Tifa had spent years dreaming of this moment, praying that one day she would be able to make Cloud happy. As he stared down at her with heavy-lidded eyes and the most natural smile she'd ever seen on his face, she knew she had succeeded. Cloud felt like a God, like even if Sephiroth were to kill him tomorrow, he could enter the Lifestream proud.

Cloud woke first in the early breaths of morning. The sun was peeking out above the horizon far to the East, but he didn't notice. Instead his gaze fell to the beautiful creature resting her head on his shoulder, still asleep. They had dressed after their encounter, worried that some monster may find them as they slept, though such a thought didn't seem to cross their minds a few hours earlier.

Cloud slowly scanned her body from head to, well, his eyes stopped roaming once they got to her thighs, which were spread slightly. She had been sore after, making him feel like a real man, and she couldn't close her legs due to the tenderness between. He hated to wake her, but they couldn't stay like this forever, as much as he wanted to…

"… It's almost dawn…" he whispered.

Tifa stirred.

"H… huh?" she asked, her eyes fluttering open for just a moment before closing again.

"Sorry. Did I wake you…?" Cloud asked, receiving no response. "It's almost dawn, Tifa."

She sat up and looked around, as if she needed to remind herself where she was and that the previous night had not been a dream.

"Umm… G, good morning… Cloud," she stammered, realizing that last night was real. Her womanhood ached and she felt dirty all over. She loved it. "Give me a little longer… Just a little bit longer…"

She leaned her head on his shoulder again.

"This day will never come again… So, let me have this moment…" she whispered softly.

Cloud nodded.

"Yeah… okay," he said, leaning his head against hers. "This is probably the last time we'll have together…"

They awoke a couple hours later. The sun was now out, and the sky was a brilliant blue streaked with clouds. Tifa looked up at the Highwind hovering in the distance. She clasped her hands behind her back and smiled. The world looked so different today. The Highwind no longer looked so cold and imposing. The metal had a new sheen to it and the undersides lapped up the sun in golden delight. Even the propellers seemed less frantic.

Cloud was still sitting where they had slept, his arms resting on his knees. Tifa let her hands fall to her sides and shook her head, her back turned to Cloud who was, himself, staring in another direction. She hoped he was going over the night before…

She took a deep breath and sighed. Cloud stood up, still facing away from her.

"We'd better go," he said, even though he didn't want to.

At that moment he wanted to suggest finding a small cabin somewhere and waiting out their remaining days in bed. He definitely hated the idea that last night might be their only night together, but he knew they had a job to do. They couldn't be selfish; they had to try and save the planet.

Tifa turned to him and stretched out her arms in exasperation.

"But, I still…!?" she said. There was still so much she wanted to tell him. Words may not have been the only way for him to express his feelings for her, but she now wanted to hear them more than ever. It was foolish, really, to think that they could sleep together and that she would not be left wondering if it meant they were a couple.

"It's all right, Tifa," Cloud said, turning toward her but remaining in place. "You said so yourself yesterday."

He chuckled.

"At least we don't have to go on alone," he continued.

Tifa calmed down a bit. He was right, even if no one else from AVALANCHE – remember them, Tifa? – came back, she was no longer alone.

"Yes… That's right!" she exclaimed.

Cloud flashed her a wry smile and nodded his head. He felt the same way. He would never be alone again.

"Okay! Let's go!" he said before walking toward the Highwind. Tifa soon joined him, taking his hand in hers.

When they reached the walkway to the bridge, Tifa noticed just how empty the ship felt with no one else in it. Yuffie wasn't in her customary position trying to keep from yacking, and the crew members weren't running around outside the conference room and chocobo stall.

"The airship is too big for just the two of us," Tifa said, hanging her head. "Yeah, it's a little lonely without everyone."

Cloud turned around to face her and took a step toward her.

"Don't worry. It'll be okay," he said before doing some squats. "I'll make a big enough ruckus for everyone."

Tifa smiled. She felt so much more at ease around her hero now, and he seemed to soften in her presence as well. When was the last time he joked around with her like this?

"Besides, I'm the pilot," he added, beating his chest with his fist. "No more flying around casually like before. We won't have time to feel lonely."

Tifa flipped her hair behind her shoulders and moved one leg behind her for her trademark flirtatious stance. She nodded her head at the exact moment the airship shook, as if it were taking off. They each looked around but still saw no one.

"Huh!?" Tifa asked.

"It's moving," Cloud said. Without another word, they both ran to the bridge.

Tifa threw her hands up excitedly when she saw Barret and Cid by the wheel. Cait Sith was just inside the entrance, too.

"Barret! Cid!" Cloud exclaimed, running up to his friends.

Barret looked at each of them nervously, a little heat rising up in his cheeks.

"O, oh… is that okay with you?" he asked them.

They didn't seem to understand, and he didn't want to push the issue. He loved Tifa like his own daughter and always wanted her to be happy. He still had some misgivings about Cloud, but if he made Tifa happy, Barret was happy.

Nanaki bounded up the stairs behind the wheel. Cloud called out his name, elated to see how many people had returned to the Highwind.

"Why didn't you tell me!?" Tifa asked Barret.

She assumed they had gotten back to the ship that morning, perhaps not even noticing her and Cloud on the ground below. Nanaki shook his head.

"But, you know, Cid," the red beast said to the pilot, who had refused to look at Cloud or Tifa.

He suddenly released the wheel and ran over to Nanaki.

"Hey, Nanaki," he said gruffly. "If you butt in now, you never know what they'll say later…"

Tifa blinked a few times as it slowly dawned on her. They had not just boarded the ship this morning.

"… Were you watching?" she asked, as her breath quickened. The most important night of her life, and her friends had all seen.

She turned away from them as her face flushed a deep shade of crimson from embarrassment. She ran to the front of the bridge and collapsed on the floor, holding her head and sobbing. She had never been so mortified in her entire life. She thought over everything she and Cloud had done the night before.

"OH GODS," she thought to herself, praying they couldn't have seen too much from their perch aboard the ship.

If they had… they had seen her in all her glory, completely exposed. They would have seen her do unspeakable things, things only girls in dirty movies would do, things that no one except Cloud was allowed to see.

She could hear Barret and Cid whooping and cheering behind her. She felt shame deep down in her abdomen. She suddenly felt as if she were naked in front of all of them, each of them gawking at her like she was on display. She almost wished Meteor would swiftly end her suffering.

Cloud blushed as well and scratched the back of his head. If they were watching, they surely saw how inexperienced and awkward he was. Barret and Cid were much older and had certainly had their share of sexual encounters. They must have been laughing at him the whole time. And they must have seen Tifa. He didn't want any other man to see her that way, especially now that she was his.

He walked over to where she had collapsed and knelt down beside her, wrapping his muscular arms around her and holding her against him tight. Barret and Cid realized they needed to stop their celebrations and cleared their throats.

Present Day…

Tifa again found herself on the Highwind, leaning against the railing and staring at the ground below. She and Vincent had to fight their way out of Edge to get to the airship. The monsters in and around the city now were no longer simply native to Midgar, with ark dragons, spirals, and even goblins traveling to the new city, as if they were on their own adventure.

Once onboard the Highwind, Cid relayed the difficulty he had getting to Edge. Apparently, the monster population around Rocket Town was venturing into the city regularly and attacking his ship. He had to put an electric fence around it to keep them out. Even getting to the Highwind was difficult these days, as he had to fight off creatures just to get inside the fence.

Tifa waited patiently, nervously, for Cid to finish grousing before she spoke, her voice quiet and her tone meek.

"Um, Cid?" she asked, not able to look in his eyes. "Before you take us to Nibelheim, could we stop somewhere else first?"

Cid's mouth dropped open and he prepared for another tirade. How dare she ask more of him after everything he was already doing! It was then he finally realized Cloud was not with her and that she hadn't mentioned him when she called earlier. Something was wrong. Tifa wasn't one to ask for much from people, so whatever she wanted must be important.

"Where?" he asked, softening. Tifa tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Can we go to The Forgotten Capital? I think Cloud might be there," she said.

Cid watched her expression drop as she spoke. If it had been anyone else, he might have denied their request and given them an earful, but Tifa looked like she needed this. He hadn't seen her need anything since they went to Mideel to find Cloud two years ago.

"How long has he been missing?" Cid asked. Tifa sighed.

"Over four months. I haven't heard from him. He said he was looking for 'forgiveness' so I think he went to The Forgotten Capital," she answered all his potential questions before he could ask them, just like with Vincent.

Cid nodded and headed down below to the bridge, ordering his men to prepare for takeoff.

Tifa sighed as she watched the world whip by below her in a blur. Even though she knew it was futile, she still looked below, searching for Cloud, hoping she would see that he was traveling back to Edge and to her. Of course, she could not have seen him even if they did pass over him, and she felt that same sense of loneliness she experienced when everyone had left the Highwind two years ago, leaving her with just Cloud. To be sure, she had felt that loneliness to some extent ever since Cloud had left. Maybe she should get a dog when she returned.

The only times she felt less lonely was when she and the Turks were fighting monsters. It was almost like old times when she was with them, except that she had fought monsters and the Turks with AVALANCHE. When they drank in her bar, even though they had once been enemies, it provided her with a sense of familiarity that had been missing from her life. Against all odds, they were now her friends.

She still hadn't heard from or seen Reno since his last text. This little excursion, she hoped, would clear her mind of the men in her life. She should have known even back when she was first with Cloud that he was emotionally unavailable, even if it didn't seem like it at the time. His domesticity couldn't last for long. He had Jenova cells in him, and mako. He was a warrior, and he needed to fight. Somehow doing the dishes and changing lightbulbs would just never be enough for him, even if was with Tifa.

And what about Reno?

What ABOUT Reno? She scoffed.

If Cloud wasn't the type to settle down, Reno certainly wasn't either. Reno's idea of conquering may have differed from Cloud's, but they were both goal-oriented fighters in their own right. If Reno had any interest in her, it was purely physical.

Why was he on her mind at all, then?

He had, indeed, planted a seed in her brain, making her question his feelings, making her question her own feelings. The idea that someone like Reno might actually like her gnawed at her brain no matter how many times she told herself it simply wasn't true. She felt her own notions of achievement wash over her. Could she really be so desirable that she would turn even a tomcat like Reno into a hopeless romantic. She scoffed at the thought. She wasn't desirable enough for Cloud, and Cloud wasn't a womanizer.

"I have a theory," she heard Vincent say, suddenly appearing beside her.

Had he been there the whole time?

Tifa continued to stare out at the landscape.

"I think the Lifestream emboldened the monsters, increasing their power, encouraging them to breed," Vincent continued, undeterred by her lack of interest.

"Nanaki had a similar theory," Tifa informed her companion. Neither looked at each other, and their voices matched in tone.

"I just want to see if Hojo ran any experiments on monsters, instead of just humans," Vincent added.

"Well, I'm here to help," Tifa replied.

Even when she tried, she couldn't keep her underlying warmness hidden for long. Just the anticipation of knowing she was on another adventure with AVALANCHE – just one member, but still – was enough to calm her scattered mind.

"We're here," Cid's voice rang over the loudspeakers. "Get the hell off my ship."

Tifa laughed inwardly at Cid's demand. She knew he was half-kidding but appreciated his attempt to lift her spirits. She glanced at Vincent before throwing the rope ladder over the side of the airship and climbing down, the ex-Turk not far behind.

The Highwind was hovering just outside the city. The roar of the engine and the displacement of the dirt below scattered the fiends in the area. On their previous adventure, no monsters had wandered into The Forgotten Capital. Now, however, Tifa noticed that creatures from all over the world were spread out around the fork in the road that led further into the city. A behemoth was fighting a blue dragon near the path toward Aerith's lake while bandersnatches, kimara bugs, malboros and others all appeared together, moving away from the Highwind.

Tifa and Vincent snuck around the two beasts that were fighting and moved into the narrow tunnel beyond the middle path.

Tifa was halfway through when she began to see damage to the walls. Slash marks damaged the architecture and the shells that lined the walls. Tifa ran her hand over one line.

"I don't think a monster did this…" she said.

"The hell?" she heard Cid behind them. She hadn't expected him to join them.

The markings on the wall were singular slashes in haphazard locations. If it had been a beast, there likely would have been parallel slashings from claws or shorter markings from teeth. As it were, none of the creatures they had seen near the fork followed them into the tunnel.

Tifa could see the light that seemed to endlessly shine on Aerith's lake up ahead, her memories pulled back to the day they buried her there. She held her breath as the tunnel opened up to the forest clearing where the lake stood in front of the old shell house that led underground to where Aerith was killed.

Immediately her attention was drawn to a familiar figure lounging at the side of the lake, laying on his side, supporting his head with his fist and looking practically bored. Cloud. He looked better than when Tifa last saw him four months earlier. The purple bags that had formed under his eyes from lack of sleep were gone, and color had returned to his skin and eyes. His expression, too, appeared lighter than before.

Tifa's heart broke. Cloud looked fine, as if getting away from her was all he needed to heal. She stopped walking forward, but the blond swordsman had heard her footsteps and looked up in her direction. Just as Tifa let his name escape her lips he was up and running toward her.

"Tifa!" he said, wrapping her up in his strong arms, nearly crushing her in a hug that could have been given by Barret.

Neither saw Cid pull Vincent back into the narrow passageway to give them privacy.

"Cloud…" she breathed against him, pressing her head into his chest.

Cloud suddenly pulled away when she spoke, as if he had just woken up from a dream and she was not the person he expected to see.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone suddenly dark as he kept her at arm's length.

Tifa staggered at his sudden change, grasping for a response.

"I thought… maybe you were hurt," she said, unable to look him in the eyes.

Cloud rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from her.

"No," he responded shortly.

Tifa was confused. First he hugged her and now he was acting completely different; cold.

"How are the headaches?" she asked.

"Uh, pretty much gone," Cloud responded, his voice devoid of warmth or even the familiarity he had built up with Tifa over their lives together.

Tifa's stomach twisted in her gut as she began to consider the fact that Cloud was never as bad off as she thought and that his leaving her really did have to do with her and not the headaches. Still, she decided to keep pushing.

"So, you found forgiveness? Will you come home?"

Cloud locked eyes with her, almost looking hostile.

"I can't," he admitted.

"Why?"

"Tifa…"

"What, Cloud!? What is it you're not telling me? I've known you my whole life, what could it possibly be that you can't tell me?"

"The nightmares are worse," he said, the anger from his voice dissipating, replaced with defeat. "Being around me is dangerous."

"We've been together the past two years! We've faced all kinds of danger!"

Tifa?

Cloud! You're alive! I thought we'd lost you!

What's going on?

Shh. I'll explain everything later. But now, I'm on my way to see Don Corneo. You should head back to Seventh Heaven, meet up with the gang.

But—

I'll be fine. You've seen how much ass I can kick.

I have…

"Not like this, Tifa," Cloud turned his back to her and folded his arms over his chest.

"But we can get through it together," Tifa pleaded, her eyes welling up with tears, fearful that Cloud was going to say exactly what she didn't want to hear.

During their time together after Meteorfall, she thought she had gotten over her jealousy of Cloud's feelings for Aerith. The flower girl had been Tifa's best friend, but she always struggled with the relationship she shared with Cloud and whether he felt the same. Now, standing at Aerith's lake as Cloud pushed her away, those feelings came roaring back.

"Don't you get it, Tifa? I am the danger!"

"What do you mean?"

Cloud let out an exasperated sigh. He wasn't getting through to her and he knew it. Tifa, his loyal friend, simply refused to give up. He couldn't tell her the truth; she'd never accept it, and he couldn't risk her life.

"Tifa, I'm not coming back," he said, still not looking at her. "This is where I belong now."

Tifa's hands balled into fists at her sides as she struggled to stop the tears from flowing. She wanted to yell at him, to tell him to snap out of it and stop feeling sorry for himself over the past. It wasn't his fault that Aerith or Zack died; he didn't just attract death. She was angry, for sure, but she spoke to him in a calm, measured voice that showed her feelings without raising her voice.

"So, the headaches and the nightmares…"

Cloud took a deep breath. "They weren't the only reasons I left…" he said, lowering his gaze to his feet.

Tifa's lower lip quivered but she steeled her eyes with a look of resolve, masking the hurt and anger behind them.

"I see…" she said, her heart joining her stomach in doing flips.

She watched Cloud's back a moment to see if he would even face her to admit the truth – but he didn't. She nodded her head even though no one was watching and turned to leave Aerith's lake. She stopped at the edge of the passageway and put her hand on the jagged surface, looking over her shoulder at Cloud's still unmoved form.

"You know, you could have told me you didn't love me four months ago…" she said before quickly storming through the passageway toward the Highwind. Vincent and Cid had to quickly get out of her way as she passed to climb up the rope ladder to the airship. The look on her face told them not to ask questions.

The two men looked at each other and then back down the passageway toward the lake before they, too, returned to the airship in silence.

"Tifa..." Cloud said once she was in the passageway, his own heart heavy.

A/N: Yes, Cloud went all "Breaking Bad" in this chapter.