FAR FROM THE TREE CHAPTER 11

-VACATION-

Cloud waited for everyone to clear out, but then he saw his mother headed for the sink with the dirty dishes. He swooped in and scooped them from her hands.

"You did them last time. It's my turn." he smiled.

It was a deal they had made while he was growing up. They would alternate chores. It honestly surprised Cloud that he remembered it really was his turn.

Mrs. Strife reached up and caressed his cheek. "You remembered."

Even so, she still started cleaning up as he did the dishes.

Just as Cloud finished the last dish, a loud crash sounded from the living room accompanied by Denzel's frightened voice yelling, "Marlene!"

Cloud practically flew through the house, looking for the source of the trouble. Cetra help anyone who dared to threaten his family.

Denzel stood over Marlene, who lay on the carpet, a fairly decent gash on the side of her forehead. The little girl was disoriented from whatever trauma had given her the injury. All at once, Tifa and Angel came dashing into the room.

"Oh, Shiva... Denzel, what happened?" Tifa questioned, kneeling down next to Marlene. She placed a hand over the gash, attempting to staunch the bleeding.

Cloud appeared in the doorway, saw Marlene on the floor and knelt beside Tifa. "How bad is it?"

Tifa shook her head. "I don't think it's too bad, but I need to get the bleeding to stop."

He looked up to Denzel, waiting for him to explain.

The boy shook his head, clearly upset. "We were just playing. I was chasing her around, and she tripped on the rug and hit her head on the edge of the table. She didn't get up, and I knew it was bad. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Hey," Cloud told him, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. "It was an accident, but you need to be careful and aware of your surroundings."

Angel knelt on the other side of Marlene.

"Help Marlene..." she breathed, pushing Tifa's hand away from the wound replacing it with her own. Before anyone could say or do anything else, a white, hot light surged from beneath her palm. Once the light dissipated, she removed her hand and the wound was gone.

From behind them, the sound of a gasp could be heard. Mrs. Strife had been standing in the doorway, watching. She stared at Angel with wide eyes, her mouth open in shock. Her eyes shifted to her son and blinked, shaking her head slightly.

"Mom?"

Knowing Marlene was in safe hands he got up to comfort her; it seemed like Angel's actions had startled her. "It's okay, Angel has strong healing abilities..."

Stronger than you'll know, he mentally finished as she appeared frightened.

Mrs. Strife nodded, still somewhat astonished. She opened her mouth several times, obviously wanting to say something, yet no words were spoken. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between Cloud and Angel. Just when it looked like she was calming down, her expression suddenly changed from mild shock to newly intensified worry.

"Her head..." She pointed to Angel again. When he turned back to see, the gash previously on Marlene's forehead appeared on Angel's forehead, rapidly beginning to bleed. The droplets seemed to surprise Angel as she lifted a hand to the newly formed wound. It was clear that this result had not been expected at all. She stared at her hand with pure confusion as the injury continued to bleed.

Startled by the discovery, Cloud whipped out his restore materia, aiming to heal her injury...

A warming glow spread out over Angel's wound as Tifa cast the restore, instead.

The brunette shot a glare at Cloud.

Cloud lowered his materia, while giving Tifa a confused look. What the hell had he done now? Angel seemed fine, and he suddenly felt unwelcome in the room. He turned and headed outside.

Twenty minutes later found Cloud floating in the pool on his back, looking up at the stars. They shone so clearly out here along the coast, similar to the clear nights in his hometown, though the temperature here was comfortable and not frigid. It was nice to get away from all the craziness. So much of it was good, and he still had to fight back the smile whenever the realization returned that his mother was alive... but then came the confusion that was Tifa. Why was she acting so cold about certain things all of the sudden? He moaned out loud at the aggravation it caused.

"Pretty, aren't they?" came a voice from the side of the pool. The flower girl had come out and seated herself on the edge, dangling her bare feet in the water.

His gaze shifted towards Aerith and he offered a small grin. "Yeah, it kinda reminds me of home."

She offered him a kind smile.

"So, what are you doing out here all alone?" she asked.

His gaze returned to the stars above, the water lapping calmly against his skin as he floated there, dark swim trunks as his only garments.

"Thinking... Everything okay in there?"

She nodded, slowly kicking her feet back and forth in the water.

"Yeah, now that all the excitement is done. " Aerith informed him, "Marlene is all right. She doesn't even remember falling. Angel is a little confused."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tifa is... well, I think she's a little stressed out. And I helped to explain things to your poor mom."

Cloud closed his eyes, relieved to hear Marlene was alright. "Mom's never really seen materia used before, that I know of. She knows about its raw form, and how it can crystallize naturally, but she never used it. Even when I got hurt as a kid, she treated me the old-fashioned way. In the confusion, I had forgotten that."

He waited a moment before he started up again. "What I'm trying to figure out is Tifa. You said she's stressed, but that's what this vacation was originally for… to relieve it. Lately it seems I walk into a room or I say something, and I get this cold look or stiff shoulder before she storms out. I can't figure out why. If it's something I've done, I don't know what it is..."

Aerith smiled knowingly. "Well, jealousy is a difficult thing to temper, Cloud. It makes people act out of character."

The revelation broke his peaceful trance, and he sunk under the water before standing up, wiping the water from his eyes.

"Jealous? What does she have to be..." He then stopped his original thought as a hopeful realization dawned on him.

"Wait, are you saying she's jealous over me?"

Was he not too late after all?

Aerith watched her friend as the dawning realization washed over him. "Yes. She is jealous. And if I know Tifa, she hates herself for being jealous. Angel is a lovely girl... and you have that connection with her. Of course she's going to be jealous."

She kicked the water, causing droplets of pool water to rain down on him.

"Hey!" Cloud chuckled as he blocked the water with his arms, not that it did him any good since he was already wet. A big fear he had harbored was now gone. Now it was all a matter of timing. After the events with the remnants, he had given it a lot of thought, and he was now sure this was what he wanted. Perhaps Tifa would want it too.

"Just between you and me, Aerith, you know Tifa's the girl I want by my side. I love you, Yuffie, Marlene, and even Angel has become part of the family, but... Tifa's special."

"I know that, Cloud." Aerith told him. "In fact, everyone knows that. It really isn't just between you and me, silly. I think the only one who isn't quite sure about how you feel is Tifa... and that's where the jealousy and insecurity comes in."

So the only two who weren't aware of it were the two it concerned. Cloud wanted to laugh at the irony. "Would you have any advice I can use to win her over?"

Aerith laughed, her voice carrying like the sound of wind chimes. "Yes. I do have some advice. Talk to her. She really appreciates it when you talk to her. Don't assume she already knows what your intentions are."

She gave him a very serious look... well, serious for Aerith. "Now, I know that over the next few days, you are going to start doubting again... because you're you and Tifa is Tifa. I'm telling you right now, Cloud... don't give in to those doubts."

She put her hands on her hips. "Understand?"

Cloud could only stare at her. She knew him so well. "Well I don't know what the future will bring, but I'll keep my spirits up... though it should be easy now that you and Zack are around." He waded to the edge and climbed out, grabbed his towel and started to dry himself off. He looked at her with a solemn expression, but it was a grateful one.

"It's good to have you back, Aerith... though, I think Zack makes a better bodyguard," he finished with a smirk.

*FFTT*

Tifa led Angel into her room, probably a little more roughly than she had meant to do. It became evident when the girl kept her eyes lowered and flinched when Tifa pulled her inside.

Great! Now, I'm being a bitch, and I can't stop myself.

Tifa closed the door... hard, causing Angel to yelp. The brunette stopped for a moment, realizing that this poor girl had been through so much already. She took a deep breath, placed her hands on Angel's shoulders, and tried to meet her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Angel," she said softly, "I'm not upset with you at all."

Angel finally looked up at her, and Tifa felt like such a bully. It made her feel even worse.

"It's me... I'm upset with myself." Tifa tried to explain. Angel looked so confused.

"Why upset?" she asked.

"It's... I want to... He's just..." Tifa stammered, trying to find the words; ironically, she realized that was probably how Angel felt most of the time.

"Tifa upset with Tifa..." Angel repeated. "Why?"

"Because...I can't control my..." she stopped, looking at this poor girl who had experienced so much hell. "I get so jealous."

"What is jealous?" she asked.

"It's when you want something that someone else has," she tried to explain.

"What Tifa want?" Angel asked.

What do I have to lose?

"Love."

"What is love?" Angel inquired.

"It's a very powerful... feeling. When you want to be with someone all the time... and you would do anything to make that person smile... when you would give your life for that person... you accept that person with all the good and all the bad. When you would give up your own happiness if it meant they would be happy." Tifa told her. "And then when that person feels the same about you."

"Tifa love Cloud?" she asked. It was such a simple question with such a complicated answer.

"Yes..." The more she thought about it, the more certain she became. She loved him so much. If that meant stepping aside so that he could be happy, then she would do that.

"Angel... do you love Cloud?" Tifa questioned. She watched as Angel considered her answer very carefully.

"Yes."

"Of course you do," she replied gently. "Come on. Let's help you get into pajamas."

If Angel made Cloud happy, then Tifa needed to let him be with her... even if it made Tifa completely miserable. After all, that's what love was all about.

*FFTT*

The waves crashed along the shore as the group walked along the beach to their destination. Marlene and Denzel carried buckets with shovels, ready to build sand forts and hunt for shells. Yuffie claimed she was the best at finding the most beautiful ones and offered to help. Zack and Aerith walked together hand in hand while Angel walked furthest from the shore.

Cloud was in the lead, but he constantly glanced over his shoulder where Tifa was walking a few feet behind. He thought about what Aerith had said last night and tried to show Tifa that he wasn't ignoring her. He stretched out his hand behind him.

He didn't expect his mother to take it instead.

Mrs. Strife's eyes slowly took in the sights of Costa del Sol.

"I've never been here, before." she volunteered. Tifa picked up her step to catch up with Cloud, smiling at Mrs. Strife. Anyone except Cloud would think the smile was genuine, however, he could tell it was forced.

"I hope you like it, Mrs. Strife." said Tifa.

Cloud glanced at her and felt his confidence tremble and threaten to fade away. He could tell she was trying to put on a happy face for the others, but he wasn't fooled. So, he figured he'd try to be genuine with her whether she liked it or not.

"Remember the first time we traveled here, Teef? Barret dressed in that sailor suit, and Nanaki tried to look like a human?" He chuckled at the memory. "He didn't look too bad, trying to pass himself off as a scruffy, bearded old sailor, the limp he put into the performance was a nice touch."

Her smile broadened as she remembered. She giggled a little. "You said Barret looked like a bear tried to wear a marshmallow."

She shot him a side glance, bumping his shoulder as they walked. "He was so miffed!"

"Just bein' honest," the blond replied with a chuckle. The kids looked up at their guardians and giggled, Marlene especially, considering they were talking about her dad.

"I'm gonna tell papa you were making fun of him," she threatened in a sweet voice, and Cloud pouted at that.

"You really wouldn't do that, would you Marlene?"

She acted like she was giving it some serious thought. "Well... maybe I won't tell... if you give me a piggyback ride!"

With a pretend exasperated sigh, Cloud rolled his eyes, "Fine, you win."

He knelt down so she could climb up, and he easily lifted her as they continued walking.

"Happy?"

"Very," she chirped.

Arriving at the perfect spot on the beach, everyone began setting up chairs, laying down towels, and placing toys in the sand. Mrs. Strife took a seat, leaning back and closing her eyes in the sun. Tifa began putting sunblock on the kids.

"Angel, come over here, please." Tifa called to her. Immediately, she moved closer to everyone, looking at Tifa questioningly. The brunette held up the bottle of lotion.

"This is sunblock for your skin," she explained, "It will keep you from getting sunburned."

"Sunburned?" Angel asked, raising her voice to be heard over the wind.

"Here, let me show you." Tifa gave her a gentle smile as she started rubbing lotion on Angel's arms. "See? Put it on any skin that the sunlight touches."

Angel looked upwards at the sun, squinting. She took the bottle, a look of determination on her face. She spread the lotion on all the skin she could reach, but she started turning around in an effort to reach her own back. She made a couple of full circles before Tifa stopped her, chuckling a bit.

"Let me get that for you." she offered, rubbing the lotion on her back.

Cloud pulled out some of his own lotion and started applying it, which caught Zack's attention. "Why do you need any? The mako we got takes care of that... doesn't it?"

Cloud shook head. "Maybe for you, you're used to this climate. I always burn. "

Zack chuckled. "That's true. Gongaga is pretty tropical. Guess that means I'm better prepared for tough environments!"

Cloud arched an eyebrow. "Survive one Nibelheim Winter in a snow cave. I dare you."

Zack smirked. "Bring it!"

Their eyes blazed with the unspoken challenge...

Tifa shook her head at the "manly" display, grinning from ear to ear.

Aerith decided to chime in. "I'm sure that both of you are well suited to survive in most harsh environments."

"Oh, let them play, Aerith," Tifa chuckled, "It's almost a rite of passage for men to challenge one another."

"Hmm, yea," Aerith agreed, picking up on Tifa's subtle cues. "It's not like there are any challenges around here for them to take on."

A rather big waved crashed along the shore, and both Cloud and Zack turned to face it. They looked back along the shore and saw large pieces of driftwood scattered around.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" asked Zack.

Cloud didn't say a word; he just pulled out his dagger and headed for the best piece he could find.

Zack pulled out his own and followed suit. Twenty minutes later they had both carved impressive-looking surf boards.

"Who needs an expensive beach-side surf shop when you've got two handy backwater experts?" asked Zack as he admired his work.

"Whoever rides the biggest curl determines who the expert is," Cloud shot back as he took his board and headed out towards the water.

Angel caught sight of the two headed towards the waves and ran after them, a rather shocked and slightly panicked look on her face. Overtaking their speed, she stopped in front of them, holding out her hands in a "stop" gesture.

"No! No! No!" she cried, shaking her head furiously.

They both stopped, Zack almost jabbing Cloud in the back with his board.

"What's wrong?" the blond asked.

"We're not really mad at each other. This is just a friendly challenge. It's... a brother thing," Zack added, to which Cloud smirked.

She shook her head adamantly.

"Water... burn..." she shuddered at the thought.

Zack couldn't help but laugh. "No, no! It's the sun that'll burn, but the lotion Tifa helped you put on will protect you against that."

Cloud saw her fear, though, and closed his eyes, as he sensed something deeper. When he did, he saw a vision of green liquid and felt his skin tingle with a trace of a burning sensation. Then he knew.

"Angel," he said calmly, "That burning liquid they put you in wasn't water. It was mako. Water is soothing, and many people use it for healing. The ocean is no different. The only difference between this and normal water is you can't drink it. It has too much salt."

She seemed confused, tilting her head as he spoke. She bit her bottom lip, turning to look at the water.

Gathering her courage, she walked up to the water line. She reached out to touch it, but as the waves rushed in, she lost her confidence and retreated. Finally, after a slight miscalculation, the water caught up with her. She winced, apparently waiting for the pain... and then opened her eyes, looking down as the sand ran from under her feet. She looked back at the two, her expression almost jubilant. She released a melodious laughter into the air and crouched down, running her fingers through the sand.

Cloud smirked as Zack's smile beamed before raising his board above his head with both hands. "Cowabunga dudes!"

And he took off rushing towards the surf, with Cloud shouting in his wake, "Cheater! Who said you get a head start!?"

"You snooze you lose, Spiky!" the warrior shouted back as he tossed his board in front of him and launched onto it, laying down on the flat of the board and paddling out, Cloud following at his heels.

The kids pulled out their buckets and ran towards Angel. "Help us build a sandcastle," Marlene insisted.

Angel ran towards the kids, falling to her knees in the sand.

"Sandcastle?" she asked, looking at Marlene.

Denzel smiled as he lifted his bucket. "Yeah, you build a castle or a fort or whatever you want out of sand! But you need water too, or it'll fall and crumble."

"You go get some water, and me and Angel will start the foundation," Marlene instructed as she handed Angel a shovel. "Let's start with the outer wall, then we can dig around that for the moat!"

As the kids and Angel built their sandcastle, Aerith and Tifa watched the ocean as the two guys duked it out on the waves.

"Nothing like a good old-fashioned competition to ease the tensions." Aerith sighed.

"It's good to see Cloud so... happy," Tifa agreed, "I've missed you, Aerith."

"I've missed you, too, Tifa," she replied, "We still need to go shopping, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!" Tifa smiled. "Now we have two pack chocobos... well, a pack chocobo and a pack puppy..." Aerith grinned.

Tifa snickered as she turned her attention back to Cloud and Zack.

Cloud watched Zack surf some smaller waves, but he wasn't getting a feel for those ones. He paddled out a bit farther until he felt the telltale dip before a good wave started to rise. Jumping onto the board he waited as the wave started up and he rode down it. It was a lot like snowboarding, but it was also different and a bit harder. He had enough skill to stay with it and not wipe out.

He finished that wave and Zack nodded, "Not bad, for a northern kid. Now stay back and watch a surfing king!"

He waited, letting a few waves pass under him and hung back.

"Getting bored," Cloud called.

"Pfft, check this!"

The water dipped and rose; Zack's face lit up with excitement as the wave got bigger than he anticipated, and he launched into the ride. This was worth passing all ankle busters as he drove through the bottom turn, driving through the backdoor and headed straight for the barrel that tried to form, but a rock appeared before Zack could clench it, forcing him to bail. As the wave crashed harmlessly against the sandbar, it continued on gently dying out as it reached their friends. Zack broke the surface and swam towards his board before it could get away.

Cloud paddled over to him. "That was impressive, until you wiped out."

"Well, I didn't feel like saying hi to that rock; he didn't seem very friendly."

Cloud rolled his eyes before he huffed. "Alright, warm up time is over."

Zack chuckled. "Good luck finding a better wave than that!"

"Oh, I'm sure I'll find one," the blond replied as he paddled out further. He had studied the wave patterns and watched the one Zack had taken before it formed. He waited for four dips before he felt the bigger one and knew it was coming.

As it sprung up, and Cloud only offered a confident, determined smirk. This wave was all his.

He waited for the wave to build, and then he dove straight down the beast; he caught the bottom turn and aimed right for the barrel, slicing right through it, a truly amazing sight. Water all around him, he could see through it, both above with the shimmering sun to the darker blue of the underwater world below. He came out from the other end of the barrel and found himself riding right into another one; the wave had a twin! Zack was trying to catch this one and Cloud wanted to keep his momentum going.

Suddenly, from behind them, a new voice rung out. "Nice ankle busters! Let me show you how it's done, boys!"

In the commotion, Zack was forced to Eskimo roll, and Cloud was forced to bail to avoid the wave's power.

Yuffie's form on the board was perfection as was the wave carrying her. The lip feathered in the wind for a few moments, before pitching forward to explode in a foaming mass of white-water. It peeled along the crest, controlled and orderly, and she barreled it flawlessly, emerging at the break like a champion.

They floated there, waiting as Yuffie the Ninja princess mastered that wave like she'd been doing it her whole life!

They both exchanged looks, not sure how to call this one.

"Truce?" Zack offered and Cloud nodded. They both had game, but Yuffie had the skill that day. With the defeat fresh in their minds they rode the gentle waves back to shore, leaving Yuffie to boast her victory, though, they wouldn't deny it had been earned.

Cloud struck his board into the sand and reached into the cooler they brought to pull out a bottle of fresh water. "Not bad for my first time on a surfboard, even if Yuffie was better."

"Zack choked on his drink. "THAT WAS YOUR FIRST TIME?!"

Cloud smirked, "Did I stutter?"

Zack sighed as he plopped down on the sand. "You acted like you knew what you were doing out there."

The blond shrugged. "Once I realized it felt similar to snowboarding, I let my instincts take over, and my muscle memory did the rest. Oddly enough, leaning into the motion to turn the board felt a lot like controlling Fenrir too."

Zack shook his head as he looked over at the other girls. "So, who won?"

Tifa and Aerith looked at each other and then back at them, saying one word in unison: "Yuffie."

A shout of triumph erupted from behind them.

"That's right! I was bitchin'!" she whooped.

*FFTT*

The rest of the day on the beach was blissfully uneventful. Denzel and Marlene, with Angel's assistance, created the mother of all sandcastles. After that, the two were insistent on teaching Angel how to swim. Cloud and Zack did a little sparring on the beach, which was Zack's idea, citing the unsteady sand as more of a challenge for the two seasoned warriors.

In the late afternoon, they returned to the house, where Mrs. Strife cooked dinner for everyone. Cloud protested a little, not wanting to burden her, but she waved it off, telling him that she loved cooking. Afterwards, Mrs. Strife began baking her cupcakes, with Tifa's help, of course. The kitchen was saturated with the sumptuous smell of Mrs. Strife's baked goods.

Once the cupcakes were done, everyone sat down to watch a scary movie. About 20 minutes in, the movie had to be stopped because Angel didn't quite understand the concept of entertainment. Denzel brilliantly compared it to "pretending" as he and Marlene did to demonstrate greetings. It also didn't help that the movie was about vampires. Once it was done, the kids did their best to explain vampires to Angel.

"They live forever," Denzel explained, "and they're really strong and fast... and pale."

"They drink blood," Marlene added, "and they can make you do stuff."

"Yuck!" Angel exclaimed.

"Yea, it's pretty gross," Denzel agreed, "But, there's a few things that vampires are weak against."

"They don't like garlic," Marlene told Angel, "or healing magic or sunlight."

"But, Angel," Denzel reminded her, "They aren't real. They're only pretend."

Cloud was almost sure they managed to convince her of that... almost.

*FFTT*

The next morning, Tifa watched as Denzel and Marlene pulled Angel outside to play in the yard, and Mrs. Strife sat out in a lounge chair to keep an eye on them. Yuffie had sneaked away to do her own things, which, Tifa assumed, were nefarious in nature. It was just her and Cloud in the house... alone.

It had been such a great time at the beach, yesterday. No unwelcome visitors to darken their doorstep...no strange visions from Angel... no unexplained monsters appearing where they shouldn't. It was like life decided to give everyone a break... just for one day. Tifa wasn't complaining, either. Whatever magic it was had not just revived their friends and family but also Cloud's heart.

Tifa could sense the difference within him. With every sentence... every smile... every laugh. Angel healed his heart... put it back together. He was behaving so differently towards her, now, and she couldn't lie... she loved it. Perhaps, it wasn't just Cloud's lack of communication that stood in their way; maybe Tifa just wasn't sending out the proper...signals. She resolved to rectify that on this day.

She got dressed in an outfit that he had once told her he liked. Dabbing a little strawberry-flavored gloss on her lips, she ran the brush through her hair. She decided to wear some earrings he had given her for her birthday, small silver dolphins that dangled from a stud. She took a breath, giving herself one more look-over in the mirror and headed towards the kitchen.

*FFTT*

Cloud came into the kitchen, stretching his arms, which felt loose and relaxed. Suggesting they come here was probably one of the best ideas he'd had in a while. It had been such a perfect day yesterday and though he'd be sad to leave such a paradise tomorrow morning, he knew they had loose ends to tie up.

That didn't stop him from enjoying the now, however and he smiled whenever he thought how his family had nearly doubled. He headed for the fridge to see if any cupcakes had survived from last night but found none. With a shrug he headed over to the counter and picked himself a banana instead. Tifa caught his eye then and he offered her a smile.

"Mornin'" he said through a mouthful of fruit.

She smiled at him, an honest, genuine smile.

"Morning," she replied, almost coming out as a happy sigh. "How did you sleep?"

"For once, great," he replied after swallowing. "You look good."

Aerith's pep talk from the other night came back to him and he tried to focus. You can do this. Start off a nice conversation and then ease into it gently; actually, scratch that, focus solely on her, not yourself. Show her you care!

Tifa brightened a bit, tilting her head at him and stifling a giggle. "I'm having such a great time, Cloud." she said, meeting his eyes. "It was such a great idea to come here."

He folded his arms and leaned against the counter. "Good, I'm glad it worked out for the better, even if we hit a few bumps along the way."

Don't overdo it; she might assume your words might have different meanings.

Ugh, why do women have to overthink everything?

He stopped when he realized he was the one overthinking and shook his head.

"It's too quiet in here." he began. "It's way too easy to get lost in thought, and I don't know about you, but I've done enough thinking lately. Why don't we go for a walk? Just you and me?"

She stared at him for a moment, a pleasantly surprised expression gracing her features.

"That would be wonderful, Cloud." she breathed.

He mentally sighed with relief, so that part was over with. She hadn't refused him. Good. Maybe he could help her see she had no reason to be jealous. He thought about bringing up and explaining what the connection with Angel really was but tossed the idea out of his head when every single survival instinct he had screamed 'instant death' at him. He wasn't so sure about the 'instant death' part, but it'd probably be a safe wager that it'd end whatever happy vacation they were having. He headed over towards the door, glancing over his shoulder with a kind smile before stepping out and holding the door open.

With Cloud Strife, sometimes his actions spoke far louder than words ever did.

The two walked up behind the house. The path along the beach was dotted with palm trees on either side and lined with other tropical foliage which sprouted some of the most exotic looking flowers. The sound of waves crashed along the shore running parallel to the path and seabirds called overhead. Everything here was so lush and green with the crystal blue sky.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" she commented.

For once, it was hard for him not to smile, and he couldn't agree more, but it wasn't just the scenery he found beautiful.

"Yeah, I'm still annoyed that Reeve bought it and then gave it right back to us, but I can let him off the hook this once."

She laughed. "Yea, just this once."

He was nervous but didn't let it show. If he shied away, she might think he was feeling guilty about something or hiding something, which he wasn't, but he couldn't really explain it or put it into words. The connection he had with Angel through the Jenova cells made it so easy for him to open up to her, but when he was with Tifa it was the exact opposite. He didn't want to say something stupid and upset her. He was notoriously bad with communicating his feelings, at least until recently.

Aerith was so easy to confide in, and her words echoed in his head: "Don't doubt yourself."

He wanted to say something, to admit it and get it off his chest; but every time he opened his mouth, the words would get stuck in his throat, and he'd swallow them back down. He felt his hand brush hers as they walked side by side, and he let his impulse take over, taking her hand gently in his. He wanted to convey his feelings to her; if only he could do it through touch and his gaze alone.

He felt his heart flutter as he turned and stopped to face her. They were alone, nothing but the sound of ocean waves crashing along the shore and sea bird calls echoing around them. Taking a flower that was hanging from a low branch, he placed it in her hair. He didn't know much about romance, but that purple flower really made Tifa's ruby red eyes glow. This was it! He would confess what he should have ages ago but was too much of a coward to try.

"Tifa..."

*FFTT*

When he took her hand as they walked, every part of her erupted into song. He initiated contact with her... of his own volition! She hadn't pestered him to talk to her or even tried to touch him. As he stopped and turned to face her, she mirrored his movement, hoping that she didn't appear too needy. She knew how easily he spooked, especially in matters of the heart. But not now. At this very moment, Cloud Strife was hurdling headfirst into emotion city... where she eagerly awaited!

Her breath caught as he placed the flower in her hair, unable to stop herself from leaning into his touch. Was this all they had needed? Just some quiet time away from the world where they could be alone? She wished she had thought of this sooner rather than later. She gazed into those magnificent blue eyes, savoring the sound of his voice when he said her name.

That was when she heard it... the distinct sound of a piece of wood striking something.