DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are wholly the properties of Square Enix. This story is not written for profit.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Critics of this relationship often point out how incompatible two people are when they constantly struggle to communicate with each other. This story is an attempt to figure out how they might work through such struggles. Hope you enjoy!

Healing of the Heart

Written by daBOSSz

Chapter 1

From the outside, it looked like a typical weekend family outing: Cloud and Tifa sat on a blanket in a grassy field while Marlene and Denzel played nearby. The two adults were sharing the blanket with the picnic basket they had brought, and four used paper plates surrounded the corners of the basket. They adorned smiles as they watched the children exert their energy into their own creative games.

A few days had passed since he had been cured of Geostigma, and Cloud wanted to make good on his vow to be present in the lives of his family again. He had asked Tifa to close the bar for a day, rescheduled his deliveries, prepared a picnic lunch, and brought his family to this grassy area just outside of Edge for a relaxing day together. On the surface, all seemed to be going well: no one had objected, and everyone had been in the best of spirits since he informed them of his plans.

However, it didn't need to be said that all was not yet fully well. Having left his family for quite some time, Cloud knew that it would take more than just a picnic to mend the fences he had broken. Although he had convinced himself at the time that it was the right decision to make, the fallout that resulted from his absence was significant, and he could only hope that his family remained patient enough for him to convince them that he truly planned on never leaving again.

Complicating matters was the realization that each person would need to have their trust rebuilt individually. Marlene and Denzel were warming up to him quickly, and while Cloud knew they had not fully dismissed the possibility of him leaving a second time, it would only be a matter of time before he would become a permanent fixture in their lives once more. They were the first to jump at the idea of this picnic, and they'd already been pleading with him practically every evening to help plan his routes just as they did prior to his departure.

Of course, the biggest challenge would be convincing Tifa. Cloud did not doubt that she was happy to have him back home, but physically being home did not mean being they were emotionally close on the same level they had been before Geostigma drove them apart. His decision to leave had strained so much of what they had built up during and after their pursuit of Sephiroth, and although he had every desire of being close to her again, he knew Tifa well enough to understand that she would not simply let him in.

If he had to draw on some encouragement, at least the few days since he had returned home had been nothing but positive. The mood at the church on the day he was cured had carried over into Seventh Heaven that evening with the entire family gathered to share drinks and laughs. His delivery service was back in business thanks in large part to his connections spreading the news, and he had settled back into his old routine in no time at all. He would make sure to call Tifa to notify her of when he would return every day and offer to pick up anything she needed on his way home, and he was always greeted with three warm smiles upon entering Seventh Heaven in the evening. He had yet to start taking jobs that would require him to spend nights away from Seventh Heaven, fully understanding that such deliveries would need to be eased back into his schedule when the time became right.

As encouraging as the first few days had been though, they did deprive him of one major desire: time with Tifa. He needed to talk to her, to open up communication lines with her that consisted of more than just greetings and small talk, but the opportunity had not yet presented itself due to their schedules always appearing to be in conflict. Even with his early returns from his deliveries, he felt it was essential to spend time with Marlene and Denzel first before they went to bed, and once the children were settled in, he would have to sort through all the logistics of his future deliveries while she would be wrapping up her work at the bar. This would take him longer than it used to, having been away from the routine for a while, so by the time he would be finished with everything, both he and Tifa would be too exhausted to stay awake. Even if one of them was not, they were respectful enough of the other's weariness to not request time for any deep conversations.

Today, however, was different. Today was a day off to enjoy with his family, and Cloud did not want to let it slip by without at least taking a step in the right direction.

"Do you know what they're playing?" Cloud asked, not taking his eyes off the children as they chased each other around the field.

"No clue," said Tifa. "It's doesn't look like any game I know."

"Hmm," he mumbled in response.

It was at this moment that an undesired realization kicked in as Cloud found himself yet again stuck and seemingly unable to guide the conversation to where he wanted it to go, and all progress was hampered before he could even begin. Sadly, this wasn't a new phenomenon; these moments tended to pop up whenever he tried to open up to Tifa, hindering any advancements he would make with her.

Five-year-old Cloud clutched his mother's neck while she stood at their fence holding him and conversing with the woman who lived next door. He did not understand anything the adults were talking about, but his mother was not someone who would leave him inside the house alone without supervision, so he would wait patiently for the conversation to end before they went back inside.

"Mama?" a voice called from behind the woman, and Cloud's attention immediately flew in that direction. Out came Tifa in a frilly pink dress with her big, red eyes looking curiously at her mother and neighbors.

Cloud didn't know why, but his eyes froze on her, incapable of looking away. He had seen Tifa before—she and her family lived next door after all—but had she always been this pretty? He felt a tingling sensation in his heart that he could not explain. It was not bad; it was just…funny?

"Hi, sweetie!" Tifa's mother beamed. "I'll be right there, okay? I just need to talk with Mrs. Strife."

"Okay!" Tifa said cheerfully.

The little girl was about to head back inside her home when Claudia's voice caught her attention.

"Tifa, honey, would you like to come over and play with Cloud?" Claudia asked both the girl and her mother.

"Yeah!" Tifa exclaimed, looking at her mother for permission.

"Of course, sweetie," came her response. "I'll call you home. Don't leave Cloud's yard, okay?"

"Okay, Mama!" Tifa said nodding.

With that, Tifa trotted around the fence and over to the Strife residence. Claudia set Cloud down, and the two youngsters approached each other.

"Hi, Cloud!" Tifa greeted with excitement.

"Hi, Tifa," Cloud responded more reserved.

"Wanna play hide-n-seek?" she proposed.

"Uh…sure…" he agreed, still somewhat stuck on his own thoughts about her radiance.

"Okay, you hide first," she declared, immediately covering her eyes and starting to count.

Cloud ran off to the other side of his house and hid behind some bushes, believing in his five-year-old mind that there could not possibly be a better hiding spot. His heart was racing, but it was not just from the running, and he still did not understand why. Was it because of Tifa? Did she know some sort of magic that made his heart suddenly beat faster?

"Found you!" her voice interrupted him from his thoughts, and his eyes darted up to meet her smiling face. "Wow, good spot to hide. Okay, my turn!"

Cloud did what he was supposed to, covering his eyes and counting upward as he heard her footsteps grow fainter in the grass. Still though, while he kept saying the numbers, his mind was becoming more and more distracted by his confused thoughts. Why did he unexpectedly find it so difficult to concentrate when playing with Tifa?

"Ready or not, here I come!" he declared almost instinctively upon reaching ten.

He started his search around the outside perimeter of his house, but did not find her. He then went to the trees and bushes behind his yard, but she was not hiding there either. Suddenly, a feeling of concern entered his mind. If she was not hiding in the best spots, where could she have gone? Could it be that something happened to her while he was not looking?

The longer he thought, the more worried he grew. Tifa had come over to his yard to play, and now she was nowhere to be found in his yard. He was responsible for her well-being, so he needed to find her, but he did not know where to look. He had already checked all of the best hiding spots; where else could she have gone to?

He searched around the perimeter and plants again, but had no luck. Now he was close to panicking, and his growing sense of dread had become so overwhelming that he could not even call out her name. Still though, he could not give up. He had to find her!

"Cloud!" Tifa's voice interrupted his thoughts again. "Time's up!"

He turned around from his place near the bushes to see her standing on the other side of his yard. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to her.

"Where were you hiding?" he asked.

"I was right behind your door inside your house," she answered with pride.

He didn't know what came over him, but in a swift motion, he had her enveloped in a hug.

"I'm glad you're okay," he managed to say as he let her go somewhat awkwardly.

"Cloud!" she looked at him with a puzzled expression. "I'm fine, but you didn't find me, so I win this round, right?"

"Yeah, you did," he agreed, not caring about the result as much as her safety. "Did you have fun?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed.

That sent another tingling feeling through his body, one he did not understand either. All he knew was that she had fun playing with him, and that felt satisfying enough for now. Maybe he could ask her to be his friend? Then maybe they could play more often.

"Tifa, sweetie, it's time to come home," her mother called.

"Aww, I wanted to keep playing too," Tifa slightly grumbled. "Okay, Mama! Sorry, Cloud, but I need to go."

Here was his chance to ask if they could be friends or at least if they could play together again, but the words were lodged in his throat. As he found it difficult to say what he wanted, he knew that he had to at least say something before she turned around and walked away, or he would look like a bad kid with no manners.

"Uh…okay," was all he could manage to utter. "Bye, Tifa."

With that, she was off, and he stood there more befuddled than ever by his feelings about what had just transpired.

Cloud sighed softly to himself as he mentally recalled his first conscious memory with Tifa. Little did he know at the time that the events of that day would be a microcosm of his entire relationship with her: he would disappear from her life, she would find him, he would want to speak on a deeper level with her, but hesitation would always seem to stop him.

When it was not a third-party interruption, it would be his own mind, convincing him that it was never the right time to bring up certain topics he had to address with her. Currently, he was experiencing another one of these moments: as they watched Marlene and Denzel play, he wanted to apologize to her for his Geostigma departure, for not being honest and letting her in on his condition from the beginning, for making her worry and causing her such grief, for arriving late and failing to protect her from Loz, and for allowing his guilt to consume him. He wanted to thank her for the fiery and motivating speech he desperately needed to hear to rediscover the fighting spirit that he had all but buried, for believing in him when he had lost all belief in himself, and for welcoming him back into their family without any conditions.

There was so much he wanted—nay, needed—to say, but once again, his mind urged him not to bring it up at a time when they could be interrupted by the children, especially considering how some of the conversations he must have with her could take a significant amount of time to address. Additionally, this was supposed to be a tranquil day off for everyone to enjoy, and he would only sour the mood by launching into topics that, by their very nature, were much more melancholic and serious.

Cloud looked over at Tifa and simply took in some delight in watching her smile while she observed the children play. She noticed his eyes on her and reciprocated his attention, never losing that smile when she did so.

"Thank you for doing this, Cloud," Tifa said softly and sincerely. "This was a very pleasant idea."

"I'm glad you're liking it," Cloud responded.

A comfortable silence found its way in between them as their attention went back to Marlene and Denzel, and Cloud settled on the belief that he had made the right decision. There would indeed be a time to speak more seriously, but not at the moment.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: The idea of the picnic actually comes from audio that plays at the end of the Japanese version of Advent Children. Cloud can be heard speaking with Barret about closing up shop for a day to treat his family to some R&R, so I decided to start my story here.

Anyway, there is more to come. Please feel free to let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!