"Honestly, I expected you to come see me, Tifa," Cloud said, crossing his arms as he took in the silhouette of his beautiful childhood friend.
"It's obvious. I mean, your mother found out you're in the sector and you haven't been to see her," Tifa replied, placing her hands on her hips.
"I have to be careful. Our presence already alerted the SOLDIER elite," Cloud said, frowning. "I can't move freely without exposing my location. That's why I have to lay low—if I slip up, Shinra will have me by the neck."
"Is that why you haven't contacted us?" Tifa asked, her brow furrowed.
"Exactly," Cloud replied with a sigh. "I don't know which of our contacts might be double agents for Shinra."
Tifa frowned slightly before letting out a soft sigh. "I understand."
She sat down beside him and gently rested her head on his shoulder. "This brings back so many memories."
Cloud gave a faint smile. "Yeah… though things were easier back then."
"Oh~?" Tifa shot him a flirtatious glance, catching the meaning in his words. "What can I say? I'm a lucky girl."
Cloud shook his head, doing his best to ignore the soft curves of the black-haired girl beside him. "Do you still remember the promise I made you?"
"How could I forget?" she said with a smile. "You promised to protect me—and not only did you do that, you saved my parents too."
"Your master helped a lot," Cloud said, closing his eyes. "If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have been able to save them. Not with Shinra's blockade of Nibelheim..."
Tifa's smile faded into a frown as the memories came flooding back.
The moment Sephiroth disappeared, Shinra moved into the city to erase all traces of the incident. Cloud and Zack stayed behind to buy time, allowing Tifa, her parents, Cloud's mother, and her master to escape.
Tifa still remembered that night vividly—it had terrified her. She knew Cloud and Zack, even as SOLDIERs, couldn't withstand the full force of Shinra's military alone.
"I'm sorry," Tifa whispered, guilt heavy in her voice. "If I had been stronger—"
"Don't say another word. And don't apologize," Cloud interrupted, gently caressing her cheek. "I made my choice. If I had to do it all again, I'd do it a thousand times over… if it meant keeping you safe."
Tifa smiled faintly, though her expression shifted to one of sadness. "But that choice turned you into an S-rank criminal."
"SS," Cloud corrected with a grim look. "We took down a few high-ranking Shinra officers during our last mission. But those bastards are like a Midgar Zolom—you take one down, and another one pops up."
They sat in silence, gazing up at the star-speckled sky.
"I think I should head home. My parents must be worried..." Tifa sighed. "I still can't believe they treat me like some helpless girl, even though I'm stronger than my master now."
"That's just how parents are. No matter how powerful we get, they'll always worry," Cloud said, thinking back to his last visit with his mother. "Give this to your parents, and this one to mine..."
"Okay," Tifa nodded, taking the two letters. Her eyes widened in surprise—and her cheeks flushed—when Cloud kissed her forehead.
"Huh?"
"Don't change, Tifa," Cloud murmured before turning and walking away.
Tifa remained still, stunned, her thoughts racing. Her face burned red like a pair of ripe tomatoes. "That's not fair!"
No matter how much time passed, no matter how much she changed physically, one thing remained constant—Tifa was weak to those kinds of surprise attacks. Especially from Cloud, who rarely showed emotion.
"Seriously… the least you could do is give me a warning. Then I might've done something bolder myself..." Tifa muttered, lightly kicking a rock. Still, it was proof that the special bond they had formed during childhood was still there. "Idiot..."
---
"I thought you'd do something more exciting," Zack said, eyeing his best friend.
"And give you a free show? Not a chance," Cloud replied coolly. "How's the situation?"
"Security between the two sectors is getting tighter," Zack answered with a frown. "The best route for us is through the dumpster. It's mostly unguarded thanks to those mechanized monsters showing up."
"Are you sure it's not being watched by the TURKS or SOLDIER?" Cloud asked seriously. "Shinra wouldn't leave an area unmonitored—not when they know we're in Sector 7."
"I wondered the same thing. But after looking into it, I can confirm SOLDIER is busy moving something from the Nibelheim reactor. And after the little mess we left for the TURKS, their agents are scattered across the continent," Zack said, folding his arms. "Far as I know, only Reno and Tseng are still in Midgar."
"Oh, the leader and his rabid dog," Cloud muttered. "They're manageable, but we need to stay sharp."
"Exactly. Tseng's a slippery snake, and Reno seems to be sniffing around for us," Zack said, shaking his head. "We can't afford to get careless, especially now. This is the most dangerous sector for you."
"That's why we leave for the rendezvous point tomorrow. We can't stay here much longer," Cloud said firmly.
"Understood. You're the boss," Zack replied sarcastically, and both of them laughed.
"How's Aerith doing?" Cloud asked, changing the subject.
"She's fine. I managed to convince Elmyra-san to keep her from selling flowers for a while," Zack sighed, his expression turning grim. "We need to wrap this up soon. I've got a bad feeling Shinra's planning something big involving Aerith, especially with those rumors that Hojo's returning to headquarters."
"That bastard coming back is the last thing we need," Cloud said, staring at his reflection in a nearby window. His blue eyes now shimmered green. "And he's the only Shinra member who knows about Aerith."
"And that's the worst part," Zack said, clenching his fist. "With her being the last Cetra, she's basically the perfect lab rat for their twisted experiments. That's why I'm taking a break, Cloud. I don't want her in danger."
"Go," Cloud said, looking Zack in the eye. "I can handle this mission myself."
"You sure?" Zack asked, concerned. "You're strong, yeah, but we don't know what kind of trap Shinra's setting."
"I survived Sephiroth. I can handle whatever Shinra throws at me," Cloud replied, arms crossed. Of course, he said this partly to calm Zack—he wasn't planning on doing anything reckless.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Our blacksmith said your [Dragoon] is ready for pickup," Zack said with a nod. "You should head over now if you want to make it back in time for the mission."
"Good to know. I've felt naked without my spear," Cloud said with a small laugh. "Though I still wonder if I should've gone with a greatsword like you."
"Don't even think about it. We're already similar enough. I don't need you stealing my identity too," Zack huffed, though both burst into laughter moments later.
After everything they'd been through, they were brothers in all but blood.
"By the way," Cloud said, giving Zack a sideways glance, "Aerith seems a little annoyed with you. Probably because she's still waiting for you to make a move."
"Look, this is serious. I can't just ask her to marry me when we're fugitives," Zack replied with a heavy sigh. "That wouldn't be a life worth offering her."
His face twisted with frustration before he shot Cloud a glare. "And you're one to talk. You haven't even made things official with Tifa-san yet."
Cloud fell silent, then grimaced awkwardly. Zack was right. He had planned to speak with Tifa after this mission, but he had already kept her waiting far too long. Deep down, he feared that if he dragged this out any longer, someone else might come along and take her heart.
And that would be his own painful reality to face.
-
NEW WORLD - FINAL FANTASY VII ( AFTER THIS - DRAGON BALLS ]
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