Chapter 30: The Second Vote

March 12, 0008

Things were rather quiet at the Strife household the day after the election. Tifa didn't speak to the press to make a statement. Jack Balen did, of course, saying on how there was a fraud at the polls in just about every town that Tifa won.

Cloud was spotted in the town square around noon, but he was avoiding eye-contact with everyone. He knew anyone could potentially be the press. Fortunately, he made it to his front door without anyone bothering him.

He opened the door, and stepped into the foyer, shutting and locking it behind him. Looking to the right, he could see Tifa sitting on the sofa in the parlor, wearing her usual blue tee and jeans. She seemed to be taking the situation well. Still, she was quiet.

Upon noticing Cloud, she smiled and signaled for him to sit down.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he complied.

"I'm actually worried about you," she answered.

"Me?" he asked, perplexed.

Tifa nodded.

Even in the midst of an election, Cloud came first for her.

"You seemed upset last night," she said. "Right when I said I wanted to show my boobs off for you."

"I was just tired," Cloud lied.

In response, Tifa took his hand in both of hers.

"Don't lie to me," she reprimanded. "I think I know what it is. She said something similar about her butt, didn't she?"

"Yeah," Cloud sheepishly admitted. "Sorry."

Tifa stood up, and lifted Cloud to his feet.

"I'm the one who should be sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to reopen old wounds."

"Don't worry about it," he insisted. "It's in the past. I'm with you now. We saw a lot of tragedy and heartbreak, but I don't regret the outcome."

Tifa then smiled.

"Give me a hug," she commanded.

Cloud wrapped his arms around her waist as she held him tightly.

She then took a look around the parlor with her hands still on his shoulders.

"You know," she continued, "I proposed to you in this room. If I do end up winning this thing, we'll have to leave it behind."

Cloud realized she had a point, but he had one as well.

"Remember when we first said we loved each other?"

Tifa smiled.

"I'll never forget that night on the Highwind," she said.

"We don't live on the Highwind, do we?" he asked. "We barely even go on that thing anymore."

"True," Tifa admitted.

"But it served its purpose," Cloud continued. "Regardless of whatever happens to the Highwind, nobody can ever take away the fact that we admitted our love for each other after bottling it up since we were teenagers."

Tifa was silent. There had been something she had wanted to tell him, but never got around to it. Now was a good time.

"It was actually a lot longer than that," she admitted. "I started to have feelings for you when I was twelve."

"Twelve?" he asked.

He was understandably surprised.

Tifa nodded, slightly blushing.

"I already had those feelings when I stayed over that night."

She was, of course, referring to a night when she snuck over to his house when she was twelve, to escape a fight between her parents. She ended up accidentally falling asleep next to him.

"When was this?" Cloud naturally asked.

"Two weeks before I stayed the night over," Tifa began, "I had this dream where we were jumping on the bed."

"That's all?" he asked skeptically.

That did sound somewhat childish.

"Not quite," she replied. "We had taken off our clothes, and were having a pillow fight in our underwear."

That made more sense.

"Why in our underwear?" Cloud asked.

"I don't know," Tifa admitted. "I think it was just one of those weird, random dreams. But I remember I woke up smiling. And I was always wanting that dream to come back. I mean, every night for a while, I was really, really wishing for it to come back. I felt so vulnerable and close to you at the same time. And it also seemed wrong and right. Wrong because we weren't married. Right because...I think that's when I knew…you could turn into more than just a friend."

Cloud was silent; he did not see that coming. I'm sure he had naughty fantasies as much as the next teenage boy, but I doubt he'd admit it.

Then, Tifa buried her head in Cloud's shoulder, and began to laugh.

"I can't believe I just shared that with you!"

"No worries," he assured her.

She then raised her head, and looked at him in the eyes.

"No matter what happens," she said, "I'll always love you."

And they kissed.

MEANWHILE…

That night, Yuffie turned up in Gongaga, where she fooled that town with The Yuffie Show as well. Then, like last time, she vanished into the middle of nowhere. Also like last time, the whole town wanted her ass on a platter.

She resurfaced in Costa del Sol on the fourteenth, where she fooled the beach folk as well. This time, she actually hid in the ocean for hours, using but a straw to breathe. Then, she disappeared into the wilderness yet again.

"She's going to get herself killed if she doesn't stop," I remember saying to Tobin.

March 15, 0008

Three days later, the Lower House met at the Nibelheim Playhouse; it was the only venue that could hold so many people, as the legislative building wasn't built yet. They all sat in the audience seats, as if they were seeing The Yuffie Show. And you know what? They might as well have been.

The event was televised, and Tobin and I were watching from home. We were in our pajamas again, as it was nine in the morning and didn't feel like getting dressed yet, though I kept the vodka in the cupboard, so we didn't have a repeat of last time.

"How many members of the Lower House are there?" Tobin asked.

"Exactly 132," I replied. "Not counting the speaker. But he doesn't usually vote unless a tie needs to be broken."

There were no speeches or opening ceremonies; they merely got to it. They voted from their cell phones, using an app that only members of the Lower House could download. Why they even needed to meet was beyond me.

Tobin and I clasped our hands as the members began voting.

The voting fluctuated. One moment Tifa was ahead. Then Jack Balen was. Then Tifa again. Then Jack.

Finally, the votes stopped, and the final tally was in.

It was 66-66.

"It's tied," Tobin said in a shaky voice. "What the hell is with all the suspense? And what the hell happens now?"

"The speaker has to cast a vote," I informed him.

"And who does he support?" Tobin asked.

"I haven't the foggiest," I replied. "But we won't get that vote for four days."

"Four days?!" Tobin exclaimed.

"He's having surgery right now," I explained. "He'll be back in four days."

"So what are we supposed to be doing in the meantime?" Tobin asked.

I realized that fretting over the suspense would get us nowhere.

"Well," I said as I stood up and stretched. "I suppose I need to shower."

"Can I join you?" Tobin requested.

I reached my hand behind to him.

"Follow me, babe," I said lovingly.

I then helped him up, and walked him to the shower, never letting go of his hand as I did.