...tendencies. (a story about obsession).

Dead.

Buried. Awash in a sea of azure coffin silks.

6 feet under...water?

"Aeris?"

"Cloud?"

Cloud's blinked, eyes rimmed with the red of sleeplessness and obsession opening to the striking blue of a "fatal error" computer screen. He turned around blearily, wiping sleep from his eyes. Tifa stood before him, robe clutched around her body as she squinted at him. "Jesus Christ, Cloud, it's 4 in the morning. Come to bed already."

Cloud stared blankly at her for a bit, then shook himself out of his trance. He pawed at his face, blearily mumbling. "Right... ok Teef, just gimme a sec while I finish reading these papers..." He fumbled absently through the piles of scattered printouts and books and clipped articles, papers flying off the table like wounded wings as he frantically flipped. "See, this guy here has some theory that if you uh...make some chemical combination involving Phoenix Down and Cure materia, you can restore life, because, see, the materia allows the phoenix down to absorb and-"

His ramblings were stopped short by the soft lips of his lover pressed against his in a gentle kiss. "Cloud, c'mon honey. It's late."

He found his arms slipping around her waist, pulling her pliable body into his lap. He inhaled, savoring the soft aroma of flowers in her hair. Tifa wrapped her arms around his neck, shut her eyes and leaned her head against his strong shoulder. In his arms, she felt safe, she felt serene, she felt--

"So I was thinking that tomorrow I would head on out to the Forbidden City again with some supplies and, you know, give it another shot. I mean, I know that the Cure materia didn't work on its own, and the Phoenix Down didn't work on its own, and they didn't work together in that one other way I tried it, and the potion didn't work, but I just think that the law of averages should say that-"

Tifa stood up. "My GOD, Cloud. Will you just...just...stop it? Law of averages? It's been two years, Cloud. You've been trying two f*cking years...and I, I've had to stand by and watch you do this. No matter how hard you try, Cloud, you are not going to be able to raise the dead, ever." She tried to glare at the man, but his blue eyes so brimming with sorrow dug into her soul. She sighed, dropping to her knees in front of him, clasping his hands in hers. "Look Cloud, Aeris is just dead."

Cloud opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again.

"Aeris died," Tifa continued, " A long, long time ago. Sephiroth killed her, and she's not coming back. Not now, not ever. You can't do anything about that. I know it's hard, honey, but you're just going to have to face it. Understand?" she said, her voice pleading and earnest.

Cloud sat for a long time in silence. "Yeah..." he said. "Yeah, I understand."

Tifa smiled.

"I understand now," he said softly. "You're jealous that I care this much. You've always been jealous of Aeris, of the attention I paid her. But Tifa, it doesn't matter. I made a mistake, and I've got to fix that. I'm sorry you had to go through this Teef, but I'd've done the same if it where you on the bottom of that lake." He pushed on, continuing to speak, though his love's jaw had dropped in an expression of betrayal and shock. "I...I'm leaving now, Tifa. I'm going to the Forbidden City, and...and if you don't want to take me in when I come back, that's fine, too."

She kept staring at him, frozen in place.

He compulsively gathered all the papers, books, and stuffed them messily into a bag with his sword. Still half-asleep, he pulled on his boots, clomping loudly towards the door. "Cloud!" Tifa cried out, muscles suddenly thawing in the desperation. "Wait!"

He stopped and turned around.

"I....I..." Tifa swallowed. "Never mind," she said, no words to convey her thoughts, as she went limp and fell in a chair, hopelessly. He nodded once, and stepped out once more. Seconds later, the door swung open again, and, he came back in. "I...I love you Tifa."

She merely stared vacantly, eyes focused on the space beyond the wall.

"I'll be back...with Aeris," he said, and this time he shut the door behind him for good.

And Tifa cried.

***

Someday, the voices whispered to her, he'd find her and wake her.

Someday soon...

The waves washed over the tomb, sweeping the grave site clean; not a drop of blood polluted the girl's deathbed.

....lake...bed?

TBC.

Sorry if it's a bit boring. It will get freakier and more exciting someday. Someday soon. ~_^ Next chapter, even.

-audrey