A/N's - It's been a rough few weeks for me so I wanted to write something with some anger to it. I'm not very proud that I've left out a lot of description and dove head strong for the dialog this time. So it's not something I'd say I'd write normally. But I needed to vent a little and this came to me out of right field. So tell me if i should send it to the showers or write about Cloud's reactions. I welcome flames, but please leave crude remarks at the door.
Possible spoilers - well if you think everyone dies in the end of the game that is….Nah I didn't think you did but anyways….
Disclaimer - Nope, don't own em' but I'd be one happy camper if I did. Only own the idea of this one shot ((might be posted in two parts)). Err, and that may or may not pan out to be a good thing.
On with the ficcie!
The moment of anxiety had finally ended as the celebration erupted from the massive airship's crew. The planet was safe & now the seven hero's could finally take a much needed vacation. As the Highwind finds ground, the young ninja was one of the first to exit the ships deck.
"Land!" Yuffie cries out as her heavy feet thundered down the ramp with arms spread wide. Pushing off the metal slate, the dark haired warrior dove for the fresh clumped soil face first. From the observation deck, Barret winces a bit watching the teenaged girl hit the ground full force. "Damn thads gotta hurt.." he breathes. Looking over one shoulder, his dark eyes meet the Mako blue hero's. A curt nod exchanged, Barret turns his attention back to the door where Tifa emerges.
Smiling sweetly back at Barret, Tifa finds a space next to Cloud. She waits patiently wondering what was in store for them now. They'd been through so much together and now that the planet had been saved it was once again time to start over. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him. To cry…to laugh and rejoice. Cloud stood looking quietly out at the horizon lost deep within his thoughts as her voice breaks into his consciousness.
" what are you thinking of?"
Blinking for what felt the first time in ages, Cloud takes in the sweet air of victory. He pauses before answering . This was a moment he never thought would have come given the past few months. But now…
"Cloud?" Tifa's brow knit in concern as her dark eyes sought out acknowledgement.
"Hmm?" his lips still pressed together, Cloud's gaze falters slightly looking back at the dark haired woman. Tifa shoots him a half hearted smirk as her right arm finds its way around his waist. Lifting his arm up, Cloud slips his left arm back around Tifa's slender form.
"It's so beautiful."
Tifa rests against Cloud's form. "What is?"
"Everything… it's so…" Cloud was at a loss of words.
Tifa smiles deeply by this. "Yes it is. We did it. Our planet.."
"No, Aeris saved us all"
The mention of the deceased woman sent Tifa a step back. Cloud looks back suddenly feeling Tifa's embrace slip away. Quirking a blonde brow, Cloud's questioning gaze studies the brunette. Tifa pulls her arms tightly around her waist as she keeps her eyes averted to a distant patch of forest.
"Hey.." Cloud says finally as he bends his left arm, he playfully nudges the back of Tifa's upper right arm. She remained still which was a tell tale sign he'd somehow ticked her off.
"You going to talk to me or are you just going to stand there and pout?"
Tifa turns giving Cloud a warning glance but finds something else to stare at instead of the spiky haired man. "I wasn't pouting.." she states
"Really?" Cloud comes up behind her testing Tifa's patience "then what was your lower lip doing stuck out …" a hand comes up from out of no where and a pair of fingers lightly assault Tifa' lower lip tugging it gently. Her brows furrow as she slaps at Strife's hand. Cloud's laughs at the young woman's fruitless attempts to push him away.
"What's wrong Teef?" his fingers finding their way to her ribs.
"Stop…" Tifa gasps and squirms under Cloud's hold. He continues poking gently till Tifa had quite enough. A closed fist right handed punch catches Strife square in his chest which quickly brought the his advances to an end. Cloud looks back at the woman wide eyed as he lets out a short cough
"What the hell Teef?" Strife spats.
"I told you to stop? Tifa snaps back as she turns her back to him brushing off the ruffles in her mid drift. Cloud shakes his head and mumbles just enough that Tifa could hear his every word. She sighs looking up at the sky for some condolence. There was none.
"Geeze… can't even play with you anymore.." Cloud continues to speak when Tifa decides to face him again. Cloud swallows giving her a hurt look but she wasn't falling for it.
"What?" he asks finally
"What" Tifa repeats
Cloud's brows knit in frustration , "I asked you first. What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing" she replies shortly
"What did I do to piss you off then?"
Tifa shoots Cloud a look of utter annoyance and replies "I'm not pissed."
"Yes you are"
"no…" Tifa laughs shortly, " .. No I'm not pissed."
"Teef.. I know when you're pissed at me…"
"Oh?" Tifa arches a high brow. "So you're an expert on how I'm feeling now?"
"I never said…"
"Tell me something…" Tifa's brows drawn, she watches Strife blatantly. "what are you going to do now that everything is over…now that Aeris has saved us all?"
Cloud watches Tifa for a moment letting out a light laugh. "That's why you are ticked? Because of what I said about Aeries? Sheesh Teef, I was only…"
"I don't give a damn about what Aeris said or did… or…" Tifa blurts out but quickly clasps her lips back into a thin line before she spoke too much. Cloud shakes his head slowly looking down at her feet.
"I thought you two were friends…"
"We were friends!" Tifa snaps back at him knitting her arms tighter around her form to keep her hands securely in place. " I'm just sick of hearing about how great Aeris did this and Aeris did that. And now…" Tifa gives a short sarcastic laugh " she's even saved the planet and all of us to! Wow you'd think we had something of another to do with it all seeming we were all there but her to fight Sephiroth!"
"Where the hell is all of this…" Cloud asks but is quickly interrupted.
"It's nothing! Okay? It's nothing, I was just…" Tifa tosses her hands lightly up "I was pms'ing is all."
Cloud watches Tifa for a moment, "Teef why do you hate her so much?"
"Hate her? Who said I hate Aeris?"
"You just said…"
"I just said I'm sick of hearing about her alright? Dammit Cloud just because I don't feel like talking about one of my best friends constantly with you ever since she died doesn't mean I hate her! I loved her Cloud! I loved her like she was the sister I'd never have. I never will have! Gods don't you get it?" Tifa searches Cloud's eyes desperately.
"Get it?" he repeats her question as the look on his face clearly states that he didn't have a clue. Tifa sighs and slowly lets her eyes close with a shake of her head in defeat.
"Forget it… you don't… just forget it."
"Wait a minute, is it that you're jealous…"
"Jealous! Oh ….for the love of Shiva… Cloud" Tifa takes a breath as her hands find both her temples to try and relax some tension building.
"That's it isn't it?" Cloud persists "you're jealous over our relationship."
"Oh would you cut the bullshit…I wasn't jealous over your friendship!"
Cloud smirks as he folds his arms. "You are even denying that we had a relationship."
" I am not! Why would I…"
"Teef, we weren't just friends. I thought you knew."
"What? You think I didn't know? Cloud I don't care if you had a relationship with her."
Strife smirks again "Then why say it like that?"
"Say what like how?"
"Relationship. Obviously you do care."
Tifa looks up at the sky and cries out tugging at her bangs in frustration as Cloud studies her closely. Shaking her head she drops her hands back down to her sides.
"I'm tired of this. As far as I'm concerned it's over. You've had your relationships and I've had mine. It doesn't matter to me anymore. I just want to get off this forsaken thing and go home!"
"Who?"
Tifa grunts in frustration when she hears the single word spoken. "It doesn't matter, it's in the past Cloud….just leave it there."
Cloud presses more. "Come on, who was it? Cid?"
Tifa shoots Cloud a bewildered look. "What? No! Gods no!"
Cloud laughs lightly and continues, "someone in the team?"
Tifa shakes her head no as Cloud becomes more puzzled.
"Then who? Was it someone I knew?"
"Did know.." Tifa says before she could stop herself. She quickly closed her eyes and turns away from Cloud.
"Really? Who was it then? Was he in SOLDIER?"
She didn't want to face him now as she shook her head yes "You could say that" she replies.
"Come on, you got to tell me"
"No,… I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not? Teef, you can't hold out on me. You know I'm going to make you tell me."
"I'm going home." Tifa says finally as she turns to the exit ramp when Strife's hand clamps down around her upper arm preventing her from escape.
"Cloud, please." Tifa turns looking back up into his questioning gaze.
"Come on, it's not like I'm going to get mad or anything."
"Oh I don't know about that…" Tifa replies turning her eyes away to distract herself with.
"You're not leaving until you tell me" Cloud threatens
Tifa sighs and cursing under her breath, she thinks for a moment wondering how she would manage getting herself out of Cloud's grasps and off the ship without telling him.
"Spit it out Lockheart"
"No…"
"Come on…"
"Cloud….." Tifa turns her eyes back on him giving Strife a warning.
"His name Teef, that's all. And I'll let you go I swear"
Shaking her head, Tifa tries to pull back some to have a bit of distance between herself and Cloud but he held on. "It's been so long ago…" she starts and hesitates with each word. " ..I was so young and it's just…why do you even care?"
"What's the big deal? Why can't you say his name?"
"Trust me…" Tifa breathes ducking her eyes from his gaze. "He's not someone you like"
"Was he a Turk or something?" Cloud asks as his mind swims with ideas "It's not Vincent is it?"
"No…." Tifa replies letting the word slip off her tongue as she tries to bite it.
"If it was so long ago and he's not a Turk….and he was in SOLDIER then why would I be mad now?"
"It doesn't matter anymore. It was in the past ….way in my past." Tifa begins to babble out loud "I was young, and he was there in Nibelheim & it just… happened. Gods I can't believe I ever agreed to go with him to his hotel room."
This had Cloud dumbfounded. Tightening his grip a little more, he presses Tifa to spill one more time till she finally gives into his demand and speaks the man's name that she'd kept hidden for so many years.
"Sephiroth"