A/N: Rated M for language and sexual content. Should also remind everyone that Square Enix owns these characters and all things Final Fantasy VII.

I told myself I wouldn't respond to any more reviews but it was nice to have a bunch of positive ones for a change. I'm glad people still enjoy this story. Special shout out to "from a cloti fan" for absolutely nailing what I was going for while writing Reno for this story.

Also, because I'm playing (and loving) the remake, I'm going to start incorporating bits from it when discussing past incidents, but I'm not going to ret-con anything if it's different from what I've already written. Just some possible minor changes to how I write about the past going forward.

Chapter 39:

Tifa certainly didn't think she had fallen asleep right after Cloud left. She remembered thinking she was tired enough to immediately pass out, but instead she tossed and turned for a while. She was certainly exhausted from the past few days – first the Forgotten Capital, then Cloud coming home and trying to take care of him, then the biggest battle of their lives and surviving the Northern Crater as it collapsed, drinking and serving as hostess, her fight with Reno, her fight with Cloud. As she flipped from side to side, she remembered opening her eyes during each shift and memorizing the part of her bedroom she could see.

Yet now, the loud, familiar buzz of her PHS jolted her from a short nap as it shifted on her nightstand. As she struggled to focus, she started to remember bits and pieces of an odd dream she had: She was living with Cloud in her childhood home in Nibelheim, but for some reason was friends with and interested in some celebrity she hadn't thought about in months. It was strange and made no sense.

Her room was darker than when Cloud left, but still had light enough for her to see everything without needing to turn on a light. She felt sick from lack of sleep. Her head ached and her whole body felt unpleasantly warm inside. She rolled over and reached for her phone with a groan, silently cursing whoever sent her a message right now. All she wanted to do was sleep and forget about this day. If it was a member of AVALANCHE asking how she was doing, she was prepared to not answer even though she couldn't just ignore the message now that she was awake and knew it existed. And she didn't really want it to be from Cloud or Reno either, fearful that they would continue their fight with her.

She brought her phone closer to her face, blinking and focusing her eyes as the light from it temporarily blinded her and made her headache worse. This message better be worth it.

When her eyes had focused, she felt her heart drop and butterflies return to her stomach.

"1 text message from Reno."

She was worried he had sent her more of his thoughts on why Cloud didn't love her or say something petty just to hurt her. She could just close her phone and leave it for tomorrow, but she knew if she tried that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep and would worry herself over what it said. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before clicking open the message.

Tifa

I'm sorry for my behavior and the stupid things I said today. I was wrong, cruel, and a total asshole. You mean the world to me and I never want to hurt you. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

Tifa blinked a few times to make sure she was reading this correctly. Reno usually just sent short, flirtatious texts. She never would have expected him to send something like this. She would have thought that if he even were to apologize, he would do it with some grand gesture like Nibelweiss flowers or something she loved that she didn't even remember telling him about. But never an apologetic text.

She closed her phone and realized she was smiling. At least Reno didn't hate her. She didn't want to text him back since he might be in the same position as her between awake and asleep. She flipped her phone closed and returned it to its place on her nightstand, figuring she could text him when she woke up the next day. Any more discussions between them would have to wait until they both caught up on their sleep.

She curled back into her usual sleeping position and fell asleep without much trouble.

Later…

This time Tifa was startled awake by a familiar voice, pressure on the edge of the bed near her legs, and a gentle shake of her shoulder.

She felt sicker this time, as she was fully aware she had fallen asleep after she read the text from Reno. Her insides felt hot, yet she could feel the coolness of the room on her skin. She also noticed that it was nearly night, as everything in her room – including the man sitting on her bed – was a mere silhouette against what little light remained at dusk. Of course, the men in her life were easy to spot by their silhouettes, and she instantly recognized Cloud as he nudged her awake.

He had come back, just like he promised this time.

"Tifa," he said once she pushed herself up onto her elbows.

"Cloud?" she said, still trying to get her bearings.

"I told you I'd come back," he responded, a lightness in his voice she hadn't heard in a while.

"You did," she said with a smile.

"Tifa, I've been thinking," Cloud said, his tone now serious. It made Tifa's heart drop as she feared he was about to leave her for good because of Reno. "It was selfish of me to assume you'd be waiting to take me back like nothing had happened. I want you back, but I have to do it properly."

"What do you mean?"

"Tifa," he began, reaching out to take her hands as she sat up completely, "I got a hotel room."

Tifa gasped. Was he moving out?

"It's just for a little while – at least I hope," he said quickly to assuage her fears. "I just realized that we've both led… non-traditional lives. I mean, we got together while chasing a homicidal maniac around the world and defeating an alien from another planet."

Tifa reached over to turn on the lamp on her nightstand so she could see his expression better. He didn't seem to be leaving her, yet she was nervous and anxious about what he was about to say.

"We've always done things differently because of our circumstances," Cloud continued as Tifa just looked at him, confused. "This time I want to do things the right way and hopefully ease back into a relationship, if you want."

Tifa cocked her head and let her lips part as if she were about to speak, but no words came out. Cloud wanted to kiss her so badly at that moment, but he knew he couldn't.

He had spent the past few hours going over everything he had learned that day about Tifa and Reno.

At first, he was angry and hurt. He was also exhausted, so he went to get coffee instead of burying himself in alcohol – that's what Reno would do. He sat in a nearby coffee shop for a while just thinking and worrying. He found himself thinking about what Reno would do a lot. Was Reno funnier than him? More interesting? Better in bed?

"Oh God," Cloud thought, "he must be."

He worried that even though he wanted to hold Tifa again, he wouldn't be able to look at her or touch her without wondering whether Reno had been better at various acts. He suddenly realized what Tifa must have gone through when Aeris was alive; how she must have compared herself to the Ancient and worried that she wasn't as positive or interesting.

If Tifa was able to overcome that fear, maybe he could, too.

He looked around the coffee shop. There were several people who kept glancing over toward him and whispering amongst themselves, clearly questioning if they were indeed in the same shop as Cloud Strife. He scoffed and ignored them. He was polite if people came up to him wanting to meet him or get an autograph or picture, but he ultimately didn't like the attention.

Then he noticed a young, nervous couple enter the shop. The woman's face was flushed and the man kept asking her if this place was okay and what she wanted to order. Cloud watched as they made only a few timid comments to each other as they waited for their coffee and then sat at a small table near him. They must have been on a first date. As they drank their coffee they began to get more comfortable with each other, and were soon engrossed in conversation. They laughed and discovered things they had in common and were really getting to know each other.

Cloud realized he had never really been on a first date. Even his date with Tifa at the Gold Saucer was more about taking their mind off their journey than anything having to do with starting an actual romance.

It was then the idea hit him. He and Tifa should rekindle their relationship the way most relationships start – with dates and flirting and eagerly waiting to see the person again. He figured that would not only help her to trust him again and remember what they had but would give him time to get through his fears of inadequacy. He'd always had them, for sure, but at least he knew back then that Tifa had no one to compare him to. He certainly tried to give her everything she wanted, and she never seemed unsatisfied or unwilling, but he always had that fear in the back of his mind.

"What are you saying, Cloud?" Tifa asked, snapping him back to the present.

"I want to give you the relationship you've always deserved. I want to prove to you that I'm back for good and that from now on, I'll always be open and honest with you about what I'm going through," he responded.

Tifa smiled. "That sounds wonderful."

"I also want to prove to you that I'm the man you should be with, Tifa," Cloud continued. "So, I'm going to stay in a hotel to give us both space, but I want to take you out on dates – the way relationships are supposed to start."

Tifa's smile widened. Cloud was right, they both needed time and space to find their ways back to each other – or not. She smiled for the prospect of the dates she had never been on before, not for the distance.

"I think that's a good idea," she responded, before a quick laugh escaped her lips. "We never did do the whole 'dating' thing. We ran around the Gold Saucer, then we… under the Highwind… and then we lived together."

Cloud looked at her for a moment, a slight smile across his lips. He had hoped Tifa would have objected to the hotel; he must really have his work cut out for him, but he was glad she had agreed to date him.

"Well, this time let's do it right," he said. Tifa nodded. "So, would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?"

Tifa lit up before her face quickly soured.

"I really want to, but I feel so lousy right now," she said, her eyes shifting away from his. "I don't know how long I'll end up sleeping or how I'll feel when I wake up."

"Yeah, to be honest, I'm exhausted, too," Cloud replied. "Okay, how about this: Eight o'clock tomorrow, but check in when you wake up to let me know how you're feeling. We can always reschedule if we need more rest."

"Sounds good," Tifa said, her smile returning.

"Alright," Cloud said while getting off the bed, "I'm going to grab some of my stuff and head back to the hotel. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow, but if not, feel better."

"You too," Tifa said.

She watched as Cloud gathered some clothes from the dresser and closet and went into the bathroom to grab some toiletries. When he had everything he needed, he returned to where she was still sitting up on the bed and leaned over to kiss her quickly on the lips.

They lingered a moment longer than he expected, which made him want more, but he felt it safer to wait. He didn't want her to think that he just wanted her back for sex, or that he wouldn't take her on a date if things escalated.

With an internal struggle, he pulled away from her, his hand having found hers and their fingers now entwined as he stepped back toward the door. When their arms were fully outstretched, they let go of each other, and Tifa watched him once again walk out her bedroom door. This time, however, she wasn't afraid that he'd never come back.

The next evening…

Tifa finally woke up all on her own, though she immediately wanted to go back to sleep once her eyes fluttered open. Her room was dark – not as dark as last night when she was talking to Cloud, but dark enough to let her know she had slept almost an entire day. And she felt too sick to get up. She felt hungover even though she hadn't had alcohol since the afternoon before. She felt hot and cold at the same time, and her head was throbbing.

She closed her eyes again hoping to go back to sleep, but she felt so gross she needed to get up to shower and take a potion. That helped quite a bit, but she still knew she was in no shape to go out and put forth her best effort to impress Cloud. He may think he was trying to woo her back, but she also felt as though she needed to prove something to him.

She put on a silk nightie and climbed back into bed, feeling fresher than before. While she wanted to just put her head down and close her eyes, she instead reached for her PHS to call Cloud. Even though she had known him her entire life and they knew everything about each other, she found herself nervous as the phone rang on the other end. Nervous like she was when he first came back into her life years ago in Midgar; nervous like she imagined a teen girl calling her crush. After the third ring, Cloud answered, his voice rough.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hey, Cloud," Tifa said, fearful that he would take her canceling as a sign she wasn't interested anymore. "I really, really want to go on a date with you tonight, but I just woke up and I feel awful. I just need to sleep. I'm so, so sorry."

Cloud chuckled.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I also just woke up and feel about the same. Is this what it's like not to have Jenova cells in your body?"

It was Tifa's turn to laugh.

"Welcome to the real world," she teased.

"Guess I have a lot to learn," Cloud replied. "So, let's plan on a date tomorrow then? I'll let you get back to sleep."

"I'd like that," Tifa said, her smile evident in her voice. She closed her phone and set it back on the nightstand before lying back on her pillow and falling asleep once more.

The next morning…

Reno didn't really know what he was doing. It wasn't his first time in a flower shop, but it was his first time in a flower shop looking for rare, specific flowers for a girl he was trying to apologize to and impress. Usually if he was in such a shop he was buying daisies and white carnations for grave stones or purple hyacinths for the widows of those that had died as a result of his job. Even though he wanted forgiveness, he didn't want to give Tifa the same flowers he gave anonymously to widows.

No, he had a specific flower in mind for her, but he didn't see it in the shop. Not wanting to be seen spending any more time in a flower shop than absolutely necessary, he decided to give up and ask someone for help. He didn't see anyone mulling about the shop, but when he looked past the main counter, he recognized Cloud Strife and groaned.

Reno had slept clear through yesterday after passing out when Freyra left the day before that. He'd woken up a few hours ago and after a lot of deliberation about going back to bed, decided he needed to figure out how to better apologize to Tifa instead, especially since she hadn't texted him back. The flower shops weren't open when he woke up, so he showered and dressed and had a cup of coffee before strolling over shortly after business commenced.

He did a lap around the store for the flowers he wanted but couldn't find them, so he took another, slower, more careful look. Now he was standing near a display case of pre-made bouquets in vases and staring at his rival, who also seemed to have slept an entire day. At least they were on equal footing, Reno thought.

He pretended not to notice Cloud and walked up to the empty counter space next to him. Reno leaned over the counter on one elbow and cleared his throat to get the attention of the woman behind the counter who wasn't helping Cloud. Reno made sure he spoke loud enough for Cloud to hear what he was asking.

"Can you help me find the Nibelweiss?" Reno asked.

Yeah, it would be cliché of him to get her the same flowers now as he had back when she had been shot, but he thought the rarity and memory of her favorite buds would make her smile more than telling her he was sorry with boring old roses, or whatever Cloud was buying.

"I'm sorry, we don't normally carry those flowers. They're really rare," the shopworker said to him. "We can put in a special order for you but they won't be here until tomorrow, unfortunately."

Reno tapped his fingers simultaneously on the counter and glanced over at the flowers Cloud was purchasing, which were sitting on the counter in front of him wrapped in green tissue paper and plastic.

Nibelweiss.

That bastard. Of course he knew Tifa's favorite flower. He must have ordered them yesterday while Reno was sleeping. Dammit.

Cloud had noticed Reno after he asked about the flowers, snapping his head to look at his rival and wonder just how close emotionally he had gotten to Tifa to know her favorite flower. Reno caught his eye and Cloud immediately snapped back to finish paying for his purchase.

"No, that's okay, flowers are pretty cliché anyway," Reno said to get under Cloud's skin.

He then pushed himself off the counter, placed his hands in his pockets, and sauntered out of the shop. Once outside, he removed a cigarette from its package and placed it between his lips before pulling out his lighter to ignite the tip. He looked both ways before decided to jog across the street to get away from Cloud – and look as nonchalant about it as possible.

The truth was Cloud – despite telling himself he was going to be open and honest with Tifa – hadn't been completely truthful the night before when he told her he had just woken up. While he did need more time to recover now that he was free of the Jenova cells, he still didn't need as much rest some of the other members of AVALANCHE.

He had woken up earlier in the afternoon the day before but didn't want to call Tifa in case she was sick and still sleeping. He instead headed out to the best flower shop in town to buy her favorite flowers for their date later that night. When he entered the shop, he, like Reno, took a lap to find the flowers himself. When he couldn't, he walked around a second time, looking more carefully. He was halfway around when a woman who worked their stopped him to ask if he needed help. He certainly didn't look like a man who knew his way around flowers.

He asked for Nibelweiss and the woman gave the same explanation as she had given to Reno, so Cloud placed a special order. He was kicking himself about not having the desired flowers to present to Tifa on their date that night, and he was actually relieved when she called to say she was still recovering.

Of course, he wanted to see her with or without flowers, but he really wanted their first date to be something special and reminding her of their childhood – and hopefully not Sephiroth's rampage – was something he thought could entice her.

He was going to take her to a nice restaurant, but after Reno said the word "cliché," he began to rethink how lame that idea was. Granted, he was supposed to be doing all the cliché early dating stuff to win her back, but he now worried that wouldn't be enough.

What was Reno planning? Probably something bigger than the flowers. Reno, Cloud thought, probably realized already that any idiot can take a woman to dinner. He must be planning something spectacular. Cloud couldn't let him get an edge.

The blond warrior pulled out his phone and dialed Cid Highwind's number. The pilot picked up after a couple rings, sounding like he had struggled to bring the phone to his ear.

"Hell– fuckin' ay. Hello?" Cid said on the other end.

"Well, hell fuckin' ay to you too, Cid," Cloud responded.

"Sorry man, just workin' on the Highwind. Nearly dropped the Goddamned phone down into the pipes. Whatcha need?"

"I was hoping you could do me a huge favor."

"Whassat?"

"I'd like to take Tifa someplace special today."

"Say no more, just tell me what ya need."

A little later…

Reno was walking back to his apartment after a few errands when he heard the unmistakable sound of the Highwind overhead. He looked up to see the underbelly of the ship temporarily block out the sun as it passed over him toward Southern Edge. He watched as the ship lowered and then hovered just outside the southern entrance to the city.

He was too far away to see anything after that, but he knew Cloud must be taking Tifa somewhere. He waited outside his apartment building to smoke a cigarette and wait to see which direction the ship headed once it took off. But after he had finished one cigarette and pulled out another, he figured he could try to walk toward Seventh Heaven and check things out. If he didn't make it in time, he's still be able to see the Highwind fly away.

The ship was still hovering outside of town when Reno came up a side street onto the main road a few blocks from the bar. He hid around the corner of a building and poked his head around to watch the front door. He finished a third cigarette before the door to Seventh Heaven finally opened and Cid exited, clearly in the middle of some story. He was waving his arms around for emphasis and Reno could see Cloud and Tifa were laughing when they left the building. After Tifa locked up, the three began walking down the sidewalk toward the airship.

Reno felt that hot pit of jealousy in his stomach again as he saw what Tifa was wearing: Her modified outfit with the pleated skirt and thigh-high stockings. Reno sneered. She had bought that outfit to entice him, not Cloud, yet now that chocobo-headed, do-gooding, mopey son-of-a-bitch was getting to enjoy it.

Reno watched until the airship returned to the sky and flew away. South. Southwest. He thought about what towns were in that direction. Cloud could be taking her to Costa del Sol, which would be the obvious thing to do, but Costa was just slightly south, mostly west of Midgar. And Cloud knew Tifa better than to take her to the beach for a date, Reno thought.

Maybe they were going to see that red beast in Cosmo Canyon? Possibly, but that also didn't seem like a good idea to win someone back. Or maybe Tifa just loved that creature. Could Cid be picking them up for his engagement party? No, that seemed like unnecessary work on his part to deliver his own guests, and Rocket Town was northwest.

Reno's eyes snapped wide when he came to a sudden realization.

"No," he mouthed.

In the back of his mind earlier that day he had a memory flash of something Tifa had said a while back.

"What's your favorite place that you've been?"

"What about you?"

"The Gold Saucer."

"Really? Thought you would have said Costa del Sol or maybe even Icicle Inn. Why an amusement park?"

"I'd always wanted to go there as a kid, and the second time I went there I watched the fireworks. It was the prettiest thing I'd seen since the stars in Nibelheim."

Reno had planned to take here to the Gold Saucer when he could get her alone. He had even worked out how to "borrow" the Shinra helicopter again. Now Strife was taking her there and Reno would have to think of something different. How in the hell was Cloud Strife now one step ahead of him at every turn? Back during the Sephiroth days, the Turks were always ahead of AVALANCHE. That was work, but now that Reno actually wanted something for himself personally, he was behind Cloud? It was certainly frustrating to the redhead.

He attempted to scuff the ground with a kick but ended up ramming his toe into the pavement, letting out a howl of pain. He lifted his foot and clutched it in his hand, hopping on his other foot and cursing. This was not his day.

He needed to come up with a new way to impress Tifa since he couldn't copy Cloud. He shoved his hands in his pockets, letting his fourth cigarette dangle from his lip, and headed back to his apartment once his toe stopped throbbing. He was just about at his front door when he figured out what he should be doing. There was something he was sure Tifa had questions about, and Reno decided the best way to win her over was to answer them. He had never seen himself as the domestic type; never thought he'd settle down with a woman, but this absence from Tifa had made him think about some uncomfortable things, which he tried to shake.

He pulled out his PHS and called Rude.

"Hey, buddy," he said, an impish grin on his face. "I need your help."

Meanwhile…

Cloud went straight to Seventh Heaven after he picked up the flowers for Tifa. His heart jumped and heat pooled in his loins when she opened the door wearing a variation of her famous outfit. Cloud couldn't help but look at her legs and work his way up. She was a vision, but still had that tough-as-nails edge. The stockings particularly drove him mad. She smiled, as he didn't hide his amazement very well, and motioned for him to enter the bar. As he did so he presented her the flowers, which made her smile even wider. Cloud was rarely spontaneous.

"For me?"

"Of course."

"Thank you!" Tifa was smiling wider than she expected.

"So, what's up?" she asked once they were inside.

"We're going out," Cloud responded.

"Now?"

"Are you busy?"

"No… how long will we be? What do I need to wear? Where are we going?"

Cloud raised a finger to silence her, a smirk crossing his lips

"It's a surprise. What you're wearing is—" he stepped back to look her up and down once more "—perfect."

Tifa blushed and smiled at him. She hadn't planned on wearing this on their date, but she had also assumed it would be later in the evening instead of now. Cloud had surprised her by knocking on her door and giving her Nibelweiss flowers.

Soon after there was another knock at the door. Tifa gave Cloud a look of confusion, but he smiled back at her with a shrug indicating whoever was at the door was part of the surprise. Tifa hadn't stopped smiling, and quickly opened the door to find Cid staring back at her.

"Cid!" she exclaimed, figuring out that the airship was at least part of Cloud's plan.

The pilot entered the bar with a wave, hugging Tifa and nodding toward Cloud.

"You two working things out?" he asked, looking Cloud and then Tifa. The two blushed, though Cloud was better at hiding it. "Ah, I see. Well, hopefully this helps: Shera said yes!"

Tifa clasped her hands together in front of her chest and did a little enthusiastic hop before running toward Cid and throwing her arms around his neck.

"That's great!" she said.

"Congrats, man," Cloud said, taking a step toward Cid and giving him a pat on the shoulder before returning to his standard pose with his arms folded across his chest.

He was happy for Cid and hoped the engagement news might get Tifa thinking about commitment again. Cloud knew she had wanted that before his headaches started, but he wasn't ready at the time. Even before the vivid nightmares and migraines, he worried what would happen to Tifa if he stuck around. He told himself he was doing it to protect her from whatever came after her because of his presence, but he knew it was more selfish than that – he simply didn't want to give her up until he thought he had to.

"Do you have a picture of the ring?" Tifa asked, bringing Cloud out of his thoughts. This sounded like progress.

"Of course I got a fuckin' picture, you think I came here empty handed?" Cid groused while taking out his PHS and opening his photos. After a few seconds of scrolling, he offered his phone to Tifa, who took it quickly and held it close with two hands.

"It's beautiful!" she said, looking up at him. There was just a twinge of surprise in her voice. "I didn't think you'd pick something so… beautiful."

"Hey! I'll have you know I've got a refined taste, missy," Cid scolded. "I may be all gears and grease, but I can pick out a pretty rock."

Tifa chuckled and handed the phone to Cloud. "Oh, okay," she said, putting her hands up in mock apology. "I'm sorry I misjudged your rock-picking ways."

Cloud let out a snort at Tifa's antics as he looked at the ring. He didn't understand what made it "beautiful," as Tifa said. It was just a simple gold band with three round diamonds on it, the outer two smaller than the middle. Would Tifa like something like this? He mentally catalogued the image away for another day and handed Cid's phone back to him.

"You two comin' to the engagement party next week, right?" Cid asked, putting his PHS away.

"Yep!" Tifa said, beaming and leaning forward just so slightly.

"Uh, yeah," Cloud agreed, hoping he'd at least be on track to be in a relationship with Tifa again by then.

"Great. Well, probably time to head back to the crew, y'all ready? I'm not coming back if you forgot anything," Cid said.

"Um, I think so," Tifa replied, still having no clue where they were going.

"We're good," Cloud said flatly.

"Then let's get the fuck outta this town." Cid headed to the door and reached for the knob.

"So, how did you ask her?" Tifa said as Cid opened the door. He paused and turned back to her.

"Well, I wanted to surprise her by dropping it in her tea, but the woman took so long I got anxious and told her to hurry up," Cid said, rubbing the back of his head. "She was confused, so she drank the rest of the tea in one gulp... and she started choking on the ring."

"Oh no!" Tifa said, raising her hands to her mouth.

"So, I jumped outta my chair and ran around to give her that maneuver to get the thing outta her throat," Cid said, exiting the bar and continuing out onto the sidewalk, using his hands to emphasize the story. "And I'm behind her like 'Goddamit Shera don't you die on me right now!' and finally she coughed it up and when she saw what it was she started screaming. I thought she was mad or upset but she started saying 'yes, yes, yes' as she was still coughing."

Cloud and Tifa were laughing as they followed him out of the bar. It was such a Cid and Shera story.

They walked out of town and to the Highwind without an issue. In the two days since they had returned from the Northern Crater, crews had been traveling the roads between towns trying to cull some of the monsters that were still overpopulating Gaia. There was still a lot of work to be done, but at least the fiends were staying away from towns and vehicles now.

Cid climbed up the rope ladder to board the airship and immediately headed down below to the bridge while Cloud and Tifa remained on deck. Tifa walked to the railing opposite the rope ladder and gripped it with her hands to lean over and look out across the desert plains surrounding Midgar. It looked so much better now that the fiends had been reduced. She hadn't seen it like this in so long, and she relished the new view and the soft breeze blowing against her skin.

She turned around when she heard Cloud's footsteps behind her and leaned back against the railing.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

"Like I said, it's a surprise," Cloud responded. "Which reminds me…" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black strip of cloth. "I'm going to need you to wear this."

"A blindfold?" Tifa asked. Cloud nodded.

Things were getting interesting. Tifa was liking this side of Cloud. She never would have expected him to surprise her or do something like this for her.

"Wait, can we wait until we're sitting in the conference room? I don't think it'd be very safe to wear a blindfold while standing on the deck of a moving airship."

"Good idea," Cloud said.

They descended into the ship's hull and Tifa took a seat in the conference room. Cloud walked behind her and wrapped the blindfold around her head, covering her eyes.

"Can you see?" he asked.

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Total darkness."

Cloud took a seat across from her and rested his forearms on the table. He watched as Tifa flattened her palms on the surface to steady herself once the ship jolted and prepared to take off. He smiled to himself, imagining how excited she would be once she realized where they were going. He hoped they could recreate their previous date at the Gold Saucer but for the better. This time, he wouldn't be worried about Sephiroth, or Jenova, or Shinra. He wouldn't be thinking about Aeris or what their next move would be. He would be able to enjoy himself and focus on Tifa this time, and give her the night at the Gold Saucer she always wanted.