A/N: (This is a revised version of my first story-fic. I love this one too much to leave it the way it was.)
If some flower sounds strange, or the meaning is not the one you know, please, cut me some slack. I have done research for this in Spanish, and translated the names with the Internet, so maybe some aren't accurate, but I have done the best I could, I don't want flames about that. But constructive reviews or messages would be deeply appreciated.
LadyTeefStrife: "Koudelka, do you mind? *sing-song* I'll give you Sacnoth if you do it"
Koudelka: "This is humiliating, working for a novice. I'm sure they don't even know me."
LadyTeefStrife: "But I know you. So, you want Sacnoth or not?"
Koudelka: "Disclaimer: LadyTeefStrife doesn't own anything, not even me. Happy? Give me the sword now." *LadyTeefStife gives Koudelka Sacnoth and Koudelka get's her horse*
LadyTeefStrife: "You're sure you don't wanna stay? *evil grin*
*Koudelka sits at LadyTeefStrife's side*
Music: Cloud's theme / Tifa's theme (original versions)
"Talk"
'Tifa's thoughts'
"Phone, dreams"
" 'someone' talks"
To: The reviewers of the one-shot version
Title: Day 1
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'Sunshine...'
Tifa woke to sunlight. Strange... She always woke at eight to make breakfast. She looked at her alarm clock. 9:23 am.
"WHAT!!"
'The kids! And the bar! and Cloud!, and..' And… Her cell phone interrupted her thoughts. She kept staring at it, as if the phone had just turned into a JENOVA spawn. After the shock subsided, she answered it.
"Did I wake you?" Cloud's voice sounded from the other end.
"... Cloud? What...-" she was interrupted again.
"-Sorry. I won't be able to come home for two weeks. I sent the kids to school. And the bar is ready to open at ten as always."
"... Cloud... What..." After a few seconds to let the information sink in, she started to speak again. "Two weeks? But Cloud...-"
"-Don't worry Teef."
'Don't worry? How do I do that?' Tifa sighed. "Okay. Lots of deliveries then?"
"No."
"Then?"
"Don't worry."
"... Okay... I think..."
"Bye"
"... Bye." The other end of the line went dead. Just then, the bar's doorbell rang.
"Interrupted again? Is this a joke?" Getting a robe and the cell phone, she exited her room, to go answer the door.
"Miss Lockhart?" The voice didn't sound familiar, it was feminine, 'maybe a package? no, that would be a delivery, and she said my last name, not Cloud's.' She opened the door, and the first thing she saw, was a flower, not any flower, a Lilac. 'Her' flower. After staring at the flower for some time, the girl spoke.
"Are you Miss Lockhart?" The girl looked like she was 17 or 18 years old, with a dark blue dress and jacket, reddish hair reached down to barely touch her neck and blue-grey eyes peered back at Tifa.
"Yeah, that's me. Is there something you needed?"
"Oh, someone paid me to bring you this." The woman said giving the flower and a note to Tifa.
"... Someone? Who?"
"He didn't say, he just brought these to my mother's shop and told us to bring it here to Miss Lockhart. He left us a note with instructions and a lot of gil, and then he just left."
"You saw him?"
The girl nodded. "Yeah, he was blond, with spiky hair, and... Blue eyes, I think."
'Cloud? Why a flower? Why 'Her' flower?' Tifa kept thinking about it until the girl waved her hand in front of Tifa's face.
"Are you okay? You seem a little off..." The girl asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Tifa smiled at the girl. "Thank you for the flower."
"No problem." The girl returned the smile. "It's my job after all." With that, the girl departed at a brisk pace and Tifa was left standing in her doorway with the flower in one hand and the note in the other.
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After putting the flower in a vase with water, she opened the note.
Lilac: Youth / First Love
'The meaning of the flower?' Tifa kept reading the note until the door of the bar opened and the first regulars started to order food and drink.
"Coming!" Tifa left the note beside the vase with the lilac.
Day 1 - Lilac