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It was in her eyes. It was something in her chocolate-covered cherry eyes that made all of his fears, all of his anxiety, all of his pain and any other emotion that could overwhelm him just melt away with one gaze from her lovingly optimistic eyes. She was everything to him, had always had been, he just needed to realize that.

Of course he had left her for several months after they had defeated Meteor and the planet was saved. He had needed to find himself to realize that what he really needed had been right there in front of him the entire time.

Fate was funny in mystical ways. It had brought them together and then placed a roadblock in their path, a test of what their love could survive. Something to decide whether his love for her could fade. The light had wavered, yes, and perhaps if Aeris would not have died things would have turned out differently but, as fate would have it, she did and thusly Cloud had passed his test.

He had realized what he needed during his journey of discovery, during a battle that had left him wounded. To get there he had ridden chocobo, bored out of his skull because he had no one to talk to, no one to let him know that everything would be alright. He fought this monster and discovered what was missing from his life. With the planet saved and him alone, he had no one and nothing to protect. He had failed as a bodyguard, failed as a leader and most importantly; failed as a friend. He wanted someone to protect, someone to need him when a battle got tough, someone who would protect him in those rare instances that he would be injured and left vulnerable. He wanted that someone to stand over him as he lay hurt, and kill that monster in his name, someone tough enough to look after him, yet weak enough to need him to hold her up.

He remembered Tifa. How she had fought for him and with him during their quest. How she had been there for him when Aeris died and how her cheerful optimism had helped him through the toughest of times.

Then he returned to her. He discontinued his journey and promptly returned to the home in Kalm where she had settled. He had stayed with her for a while after the Highwind had dropped them off. Neither one wanted to reside in the villa purchased at Costa Del Sol because it reminded them too much of hard times. Everyone else had returned to their respective homes. So Cloud and Tifa purchased a cottage at Kalm and turned the bottom floor into a new bar. Cloud tried to help as best he could but it was clear to everyone who frequented the bar that Tifa held the place together. Cloud stayed in the background, most useful for ordering supplies and helping pay the bills with his job of teaching sword techniques to eager learners.

It was late in the afternoon when he finally reached the front door of the Eighth Heaven Bar. He removed his key from his pants pocket, shrugged his shoulders and took a deep breath before slowly turning the knob to enter as quietly as possible. He wanted to surprise her but in his months of absence had forgotten about the bells hanging in the doorway to alert a customer's entrance. His spiky hair and muscular silhouette through the window probably didn't help as well.

The lights were on and the bar was booming this Saturday night. Tifa stood in her customary spot behind the bar, pretending to laugh with the bar patrons as they joked and wiping the inside of a glass with a damp rag. There was no doubt that she was one of the most gorgeous women that the patrons had ever seen, whether in a magazine or in real life. Heads turned when she walked by, and Cloud could see that even now the customer's, some he recognized as locals from back in the days that he used to help out around the bar, would whisper about her behind her back, telling dirty jokes or making degrading comments. As much as he wanted to, Cloud knew that he could not start a fight with them over it, though he had wanted to many times.

Tifa turned at the sound of the chimes and, upon seeing who had entered, dropped the glass, the broken shards scattered about the floor just as easily as the shards of her life up until this point. Everyone in the bar turned to look at her with gaping mouths wide open. A cigarette fell from a patron's mouth into a conveniently placed ashtray as he looked at her, astonished. Cloud could see her face turn red as she kneeled down to pick up the pieces. A few patrons bent over to help her and took the tray from her, one placing a hand on her shoulder to ask if she was all right. After receiving a reassuring nod from Tifa, he went back to his table.

Cloud stood poised in the doorway, wanting to run to her, to embrace her and feel her soft skin pressed against his own. He wanted to kiss her, and not stop until all his saliva was dried up. Instead he just stood there, motionless, not sure what to do or how to tell her about his epiphany. And now a feeling of guilt washed over him as he let slip a four-letter word that was not so pleasing. Embarrassing her in front of her patrons had to be one of the worst things he could have done to her, maybe not as terrible as disappearing and leaving behind a devastating note, but still pretty bad. He thought how bad it was that he finally realizes that he always loved her and the first thing he does once he finds her is humiliate her.

She made the first move, running over to him and throwing her arms about his neck, pressing her moist face against his strong chest for comfort. She cried and muttered something unintelligible; something like "you're back" softly into his chest, then pulled away, her cheeks crimson with embarrassment. She bowed her head and waved for him to have a seat at the bar, then tried to return to work as usual, trying with all her might to hide the euphoria that was overwhelming her body.

After the bar had closed and Tifa had cleaned all the tables she walked behind the bar to make Cloud a drink. He had sat on a stool to be close to her but they didn't really talk because she had a lot of customers to deal with. He couldn't even look at her beauty, trying to figure out in his mind what he would say to her and how he would explain his absence. He didn't know how he could convince her how he felt. He had been gone so long, and before that he had been so distant since Aeris died and since he had met her. He didn't know if she would believe him, but the look on her face told him that she had already forgiven him.

He had waited patiently as always for her to finish up for the night but secretly he couldn't wait. After she placed his glass in front of him she leaned over the bar across from him, smiling and propping her hands up on her fists.

"So you decided to come home, huh?" She asked with a grin on her face. She had been waiting for months to say that and had even practiced saying it in front of a mirror to get the cadence just right. Silly, she had thought to herself, but this is how Cloud made her feel and she would do anything for him. "Did you find yourself?" She added as he took a sip from his drink. He nodded and looked at her through the bottom of his glass, her reflection distorted but nonetheless beautiful.

"As a matter of fact I did." He replied, reaching for her hands and clasping them in his own, the feel of her silky skin against his own made his heart flip flop.

He gazed lovingly into her wondrous eyes and smiled, making her blush. She turned her face from his in embarrassment but he brought one hand around the back of her head and pulled her lips to his. She was so surprised by his action that she forgot for a second how to kiss, but regained her knowledge and let her tongue become intertwined with his.

It seemed like hours, though it was only a few minutes, that they remained there, each leaning across the bar to reach the other. So close yet so far away they seemed and she wrapped her arms about his neck while he traced the features of her face with his remaining arm. They kissed feverishly, each one's emotions for the other heating up in the moment.

Cloud couldn't wait any longer. He had known this woman for twenty years, nearly his whole life save one year, and never in that time had they expressed their love for each other physically. Tonight, he thought to himself, would change all that. He pulled himself away from her and jumped over the bar, bringing her to the ground beneath him. They landed with a thud and she gasped in surprise. Never in her life had she expected him to do anything so bold with her. He kissed her more intensely, while bringing one hand to rest about her waist, and then slowly, with nervousness and anxiety in his intentions he began to raise his hand beneath her shirt.

He began to softly kiss her face, then worked down to her neck, nipping softly and kissing hard, something he had wanted to do for a long time. He had wanted to feel his lips against hers, and then against her skin. He brought both his hands down to her waist and began to lift her shirt. She clasped his hands with hers to stay his action.

With the fear of ruining the moment in her heart, she sat up and backed away from him a little. He looked at her, hurt and confused, and asked, "What's wrong?" The girl looked down at her chest, and his gaze easily followed, as he supported himself on his hands, one on each side of her thighs.

"It's…It's Sephiroth's scar…it's ugly." She said sheepishly and looked away from his stare. He sat back with her between his legs and stretched to embrace her.

"Teef, it's not like I haven't seen it before!" He said, trying to comfort her.

He knew how she felt about the scar that ran from her left should to below her right breast. She looked at him, both angered and embarrassed, not remembering that he had seen her breasts on that day. She turned away from him, flustered, and breathed heavily.

"And how did you see it?" She enquired.

He laughed and smiled, then brought his lips to hers briefl, to reassure her, knowing how embarrassed she could get over such matters. She had always been a very conserved girl, though her look made people think otherwise, her perfect figure and large bosom seemed to indicated that she was immoral, but she was in fact the complete opposite.

"Did you forget that I was there that day?" He knew he didn't need to finish saying how he had seen Sephiroth cut her, or how the whole town and seen her chest while trying to save her.

'No', he thought to himself, 'I'll save her the embarrassment.' She turned her face from him again, tears streaming down her cheeks as she remembered that day; the day her father died and she nearly lost her life. Cloud, or rather Zack, had saved her, though now she wished that only Cloud had been there, been the only one to see her bare chest. Though nothing would have made the experience any easier.

She smiled and looked at him as he wiped the tears from her eyes. He hugged her close and whispered softly into her ear, "Everything is alright now, I'm here." She pulled back and smiled wider than ever, for the first time in her life, she was sure that Cloud Strife loved her. She would always have an undermining fear that he still had feelings for Aeris, but she could not let herself get jealous because Aeris was dead, and Cloud was here, with her now. Aeris had been her best friend, and she was not happy for her death, but she knew that letting go of Aeris meant letting Cloud in.

She wrapped her arms around him and met his lips with her, thrusting her tongue lovingly into his mouth while his hands once again began to lift her shirt, this time without stopping.

She moaned in approval and kissed the top of his head feverishly. They remained in that state, on the floor behind the bar for quite sometime, until Cloud, most ungracefully, lost his balance and hit his head against the solid wood frame. Tifa laughed and clutched his head to her chest, stroking his hair and asking if he was fine.

"I think it's time we moved to a bigger space." He said, rubbing the back of his head.

He stood up; hitting his head on the counter as he did so, uttered some obscenities then outstretched an arm for her to take. She obliged and jumped up in excitement for this was the night she had dreamed about for years. She had always waited for an experience like this; unable to find someone she felt she could trust like Cliff. Her friends were always teasing her about it as well, telling her their sexual stories and asking what she was waiting for.

Cloud led her into the upstairs bedroom, clutching her to him and kissing her the whole way up the stairs, twisting and bumping into walls as they went. They slammed through the bedroom door nearly toppling over each other until they reached the bed. Cloud fell on top of Tifa as their flesh met. He began to kiss her more rapidly, working his way down her neck and to her chest. It felt good just to have her in his arms, feeling her warm skin against his own.

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The sun rose into the sky causing a shower of light to flood into the room where Cloud and Tifa slept. He had his right arm wrapped beneath her and resting on her shoulder. Tifa had her right arm stretched across his chest where her head rest. The covers were pulled up loosely to cover her bare skin, while they slipped down to below Cloud's belly. He lay awake with the sun in his eyes as his lady slept beside him. He reflected on the previous night, wanting to relive every euphoric moment. He closed his eyes and began to sweat. He rolled over and kissed her forehead, wrapping his other arm around her and drawing her towards him.

She stirred and blinked her eyes, gazing into his eyes lovingly and stretching her arms above her head. He smiled and rolled on top of her.

"Cloud," she said, "it's 11 a.m. we can't have a repeat of last night or I won't be able to open the bar on time." She mused. He smiled and kissed her softly in response.

"It's Sunday darling," Cloud informed her with a smile.

She kissed him rather ferociously and jumped on top of him. She straddled him and cupped his face in her hands, kissing him over and over, forgetting that she was nude. She realized her disadvantage and quickly pulled the sheet up to her chin. Cloud chuckled and tried to pull the sheet from her.

"It's not like I haven't seen you before, Teef." He mused with a raised eyebrow. She smiled and relaxed, letting the sheet fall to her hips as he wrapped his arms around her waist and began to tickle her.

She laughed out loud and fell to her back bringing her knees to her chin, trying to block his attack. She reached for his waist and began to counter. They rolled in the sheets together for hours until the sun set, then fell asleep in each other's arms again, just as the night before.