Cloud and Tifa
"Forgiveness"
Written by Strifegirl

Pairing: Cloud/Tifa

Summary: Lately, Cloud's relationship with Tifa has been somewhat difficult since Cloud has been gone more than usual and because of this, Tifa was beginning to feel lonely and depressed around the bar; and that's when she met Noctis.

Type: One-Shot/Crossover

Status: In Progress

Timeline: Set a year after Advent Children.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII. Square-enix owns Final Fantasy and its characters. There is no copyright infringement intended.

"Forgiveness"

That afternoon, Cloud returns early from his deliveries. Tifa, who was still tending the bar, saw him enter through the front door. Although she was surprised to see him, she came to greet him happily.

"You're early. How did it go with the deliveries?"

"Good." he replied as he put some boxes on the floor. Tifa raised an eyebrow after hearing his cold respond.

"Um… do you want me to fix you something?" she asked him.

"No thanks. I'm fine." Cloud said nothing more and simply retired to his room to rest, leaving Tifa a little bit confused. Cloud was a man of few words, but there was something about his tone of voice that made her think that something was wrong. Tifa simply ignored the awkward moment and return to work. She had too much work to do to care about what happened to him.

A few hours later, Cloud came downstairs as usual to work in the bar. He always sat at the same bar stool that was across the galley, just to keep an eye on things in case some of the drunken tries to do something. Tifa smiled in relief when she saw him sitting at the bar stool, even though she was still feeling a little uneasy for their little chat earlier. Somehow, he seemed upset about something and while he was in there, his eyes were fixed on her; as if he was studying her every move. She didn't understand the reason for his behavior but she didn't complain either.

Closing time was approaching and she began to walk the customers out of the bar. But just when she thought that they wouldn't be any customers, another guy entered the bar. Cloud saw him enter and immediately put himself on alert. He was different from the other regulars who came to the bar. Tifa treated him like any other customer; however, Cloud could see there was something else there. He was very confident when he talked to her and Tifa seems to respond the same way; as if he already knew her. Cloud didn't take his eyes off of her while he was in there. There was something about this guy and the way he looked at her that made him feel jealous.

Tifa, on the other hand, starts to feel uncomfortable when she realized that Cloud was looking at her. She tried to avoid eye contact but his gaze was like a needle piercing into her very soul. He knew her very well. Too well, to realize her nervousness when something wasn't right. Obviously, she was hiding something but she didn't want him to find out of what it was.

The truth is… there's been a rumor that Tifa has been seeing someone while Cloud is out doing deliveries. He overheard a conversation between Tifa and the Ninja girl named Yuffie about a handsome young man who comes every night to drink at the bar. She described him as a tall, dark bluish hair guy with spikes like Cloud's. Despite his appearance, he was very polite among all the other drunken guys who came to the bar. He always stays with her to keep her company until she closes the bar. No wonder why he got her attention.

Lately, Cloud and Tifa's relationship has been somewhat difficult since Cloud has been gone more than usual and some nights he did not return. And because of this, Tifa was beginning to feel lonely and depressed around the bar; she needs some attention from time to time and that's when she met this guy. Unlike his relationship with Cloud, this guy was always there for her, trying to make her feel better after the long hours of work. Somehow, he managed to get closer to her, to the point that she began to feel attracted to him as well.

Meanwhile, the guy felt that he was being watched and he turned slightly to look around. He saw a pair of blue eyes with blonde spikes staring at him. He was sitting right across the galley on one of the bar stools. Their eyes met for a moment and he felt some hostility coming from his gaze. At first he was somewhat confused, but then he realized that he was indeed watching him. He then broke eye contact upon hearing Tifa calling his name.

Noctis. That was the name she said. A name worthy of an opponent, Cloud thought.

Noctis was a very wealthy man. He is the successor of the Caelum family. However, he was isolated due to the city's resistance. In order to protect himself against invading heretics, he had to hide himself into the city as a common citizen. And that's how he met Tifa. However, he was no fool. He knew that the reason that the blonde guy was staring at her was because of her and he realized that he was out of place and had no choice but to leave the bar to avoid her problems.

"Excuse Tifa, but I must go now." He said.

"But… Why? You just got here…" she asked bewildered.

"I know but…" He turned his head slightly. "…there's something that caught my attention and I need to leave for now." He explained.

"I see. Well… I guess I'll see you in other time." She gave him a warm smiled.

"Yeah, you can count on that." He stood up from his chair. "Thanks again, Tifa." He said goodbye warmly and then headed towards the door while Cloud followed him with his eyes. If looks could kill, he probably would be dead by now. Noctis just ignored him as he walks out and Cloud could feel his blood boiling with anger. He then turned his head towards Tifa who was still tending at the bar. He waited until the bar was closed, so that he could talk to her in private.

An hour later, Tifa closes the bar and locks the door. She leans against the doorway for a while and sighs deeply. She was exhausted from the long day at work and all she wanted to do was to get some rest. Cloud on the other hand, was still sitting on the bar stool looking at her. He was waiting for her to say something but she simply ignored what just happened and went to the counter to clean up. He then got up from the bar stool and approached to the counter as well. Tifa was cleaning the dishes and she felt him staring at her.

"Tifa…" he called her and Tifa turns her head to look at him. His eyes were fixed on hers and she begins to feel nervous as he watched her. She turned her head again to avoid his gaze and she tried to act normal.

"So now you wanna talk?" she said in a sarcastic tone. She was still a little bit upset from his behavior and she simply ignored him. "Well, I'm sorry. I'm kinda busy now, so I'm gonna have to…"

"You think I don't know what's going on?" He interrupted her abruptly. Tifa reacted at this and she turns around to gaze at him.

"What are you talking about?" she asked bewildered.

"You know what I mean…" he points with his gaze to the chair that Noctis was sitting on. Tifa followed his gaze and that's when she realized what he meant. He was talking about Noctis. Her tongue froze in her mouth and she couldn't say anything at that moment. "You really thought that I wouldn't notice?" He said with a serious look. Tifa closed her eyes as she pressed her lips and then turns her eyes to him to explain.

"Is not what it looks like…" she responded.

"Don't lie to me!" He smashed the counter and Tifa startled. "Is it true?" He looked at her. Tifa lowered her head and said nothing in response and Cloud's face turned serious. "Fine..." He turns around and heads back to his bedroom. Tifa was surprised of his reaction and she stayed there for a moment trying to recover from the encounter. She didn't know what else to do, so she went back to the kitchen to wait for him to calm down so she could talk to him.

Meanwhile, Cloud was upstairs in his room trying to calm himself. He was so angry that he began to smash things and throw papers in the air. He smashed one of his fists to the wall and all he wanted to do was to leave that place. Obviously, he wasn't thinking clearly because of his jealousy. He lies down for a while to calm himself and after a few minutes, he finally came to his senses and sat on the edge of his bed. A tear came down from his eyes and he wiped them away as soonest he heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Tifa entered the room and saw him sitting at the edge of his bed. Slowly, she approached him and sat on the other side of the bed facing him. He didn't turn his head while she was in there. Tifa waited patiently and his name slipped from her lips as a sigh.

"…Cloud…" she said softly. His heart crushes at the sound of her voice calling his name. He was so devastated that he just didn't want anything to do with her at that moment. He stood up from his bed and turned his back on Tifa.

"I'm leaving." He said abruptly. Tifa snapped when she heard those words coming from him and immediately reacted.

"Don't go! Please, I beg you…" she paused for a moment and Cloud turned his head slightly. "I know what I did was wrong… but please, don't go away." She lowered her head. Cloud stood there without saying anything and Tifa looked at him with tears in her eyes. "I uh… I'm sorry." Her voice was breaking.

He lowered his head and said nothing in return. He wanted to believe her, but his anger took over and he simply walked away. Tifa couldn't believe what was happening. Her worst nightmare was becoming a reality and she didn't know how to stop him. All she could do now was to stay there and mourn bitterly.

Cloud came downstairs and took his keys from the counter and exited the front door. He was also crying and his sight was all blurry because of the tears; but that didn't stop him and he drove aimlessly in the middle of the night. As he drives fast into the city, all he could think was in her. Her smile, her skin, her hair, her lips, her eyes… those beautiful brown eyes that he always felt so warm and secure. He knew she was heartbroken by all of this; and to think that she was also crying, made him feel worst. He hated when she cried and this time, he was the one who made her cry. He didn't know what else to do. He needed to be alone for a while and the only place he could find some peace and quiet was at the church in the slums. He stopped in front of the church and stood there for a minute until his cell phone rang. He saw the call and didn't answer. The message took over and they left a voice mail.

It was Tifa.

A/N: I got inspired from one of my AMV's :3 There's another chapter for this story o.o so enjoy this part for now and let me know with your reviews if you want me to continue with the story ;3