Existing

By: Ziggy Pasta

SPOILER ALERT: The very beginning of this story contains SPOILERS for the ending of Crisis Core. Then again, if you've beaten Final Fantasy VII, then you know how the ending of Crisis Core turns out, so I guess there really isn't much of a SPOILER.

Author's Note: I went with the Japanese translations of the ending scene from Crisis Core because I thought it was more poetic and well written than the English version. So if it sounds different...then too bad. Hah! There is foul language and alcohol use so only big kids can read.
A/N Update 8-11-09: Yeah, it's offical. This is gonna be a CloudXTifa (Cloti as I hear some people call it, but that sounds so strange...) because let's face it people, that relationship is there no matter how much some of you CloudXTifa haters will it to go away! Hah! It's not going to be very heavy on it though, so don't worry. They won't go all fluffy OOC or anything. But Cloti haters, don't let that discourage you from reading on. This story is waaaaaay more than just that, I promise! Please, enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter One: Feral Wolf

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The blue was finally fading into his eyes, finally clearing from every sense in his body. With every drop of the crying rain that tapped against him, he began to regain movement, as if he were soaking in the emotions of each raindrop that touched him. A gentle reminder of the air around him, the sky above, and the earth below. Each sight his eyes wandered to, the names of them began playing across his mind slowly. The words re-formulating in his muddled memory, trying to create his world again.

Rock...dirt...sword...

Although his vision was still soaked with Mako, he could see the color before him stand out amongst the blue scenery. The word began to drift back into his brain.

Blood...

More than he had ever seen in his entire life. It was mixing with the rain as he watched it trickle over the rocks below him, glittering in the meek sun that peered out from between the gray clouds above.

Clouds...

...Cloud.

His fleeting eyes followed the trail of blood. He jumped slightly then, as the distant sounds of the city nearby finally crawled into his senses. He could hear the bustling life coming from it. The sound of car horns and traffic, the sounds of the inhabitants living out their lives in this saddened rain...

Panting...

His mind began to weakly process the noise that he picked out from everything around him. His heart began to beat heavy in his chest. He could hear that too, and it made him realize that he was alive.

Scooting his arms underneath his frame, he managed to lift himself just enough to begin shuffling over to the noise that jump-started his heart into existing again. He could feel the rocks underneath his elbows scrape against his skin. Pain began to form in his knees as they too scraped along the surface as he crawled, and it was an all too familiar feeling that denounced his former catatonic state he had been suffering through.

Everything around him felt brand new, as if he were reborn into a world he knew nothing about. Several moments of processing his surroundings was exhausting, and seemed to last for a lifetime. Frustration and obstruction began to swarm into his body as he struggled to regain the broken mind of his past. Everything around him was alien. But the form that lay before him was instantly recognizable. Instinct began to take over him, and he knew who this person was. He knew everything about him, and yet nothing of himself. It was an overwhelming sense of familiarity that seemed safe, and secure. It was the instinct that an infant would have when viewing a parent for the first time.

"Zack..." His voice flowed from his throat and he was startled at the noise. It was his first word he had spoken in four years. It seemed foreign to him, confused him, and yet made sense in every way to him.

The man was breathing shallow, as each breath released more blood onto the rocks below from the wounds his body carried. His eyes flickered up on the blonde boy who finally managed to lift himself to a kneeling position. He smiled at him, realizing that he succeeded, as he watched the once inanimate face of his friend become full of life again.

"My part until now..."

The blonde's eyebrows arched slightly, his eyes darting back and forth onto his. He could tell the boy was processing what he was saying with great concentration, and he could only imagine what his world was like at this point. His face looked distraught, as if he did not want to miss a word he was about to say.

"Your part...?"

The rain fell down still, cooling the fibers in his passing body as if relaxing him, urging him to close his eyes and follow. But he couldn't. He couldn't leave this world like this. He had to know that the boy he risked his life for would continue on with strength.

He swallowed hard. "That's right, you are..."

The blonde repeated him, and the man wasn't sure at this point if he could really understand what he was saying, or if he was learning how to live again. "...You are?"

He had looked so innocent and tender. So bewildered and staggered all at the same time. He was every emotion that a human could possibly be all at once. He was a blank canvas of purity and corruption. And he wanted to be near the last human he would ever touch. To ever hold, ever smile, and to ever love.

He reached up and slid his arm to the back of the boy's head. His fingers intertwining with his soft blonde hair. He gripped him firmly, reminding himself that after all that had happened, he was able to keep his promise to this boy. He protected him, and was giving him life again.

The boy suddenly found himself against the trembling chest of a dying man. The warm feeling of his blood pressed against his face, and the smell of gunpowder mixing with the rain against his skin conjured up memories of blurred nothingness that flashed in his head. He could not wrap his brain around the images in his mind at that moment, however, as the man began to speak softly.

"Live."

The boy's head began to rise and fall with each labored breath of the man's, as he continued to press him against his chest, holding him there with the depleting strength of his final moments.

"You're...the evidence that I lived." The man's hand slipped off the boy's head and landed against the earth, as if it were trying to drag him down and absorb him.

The sound of the rain came back to the boy's ears as he slowly lifted his head. His eyes scanned up the man's chest, viewing each and every bullet wound he wore, as blood continued to seep through. The boy blinked gently, as a warm substance rolled down across his right eye. His hair dripping with cool rain and warm blood. It caused the boy to shiver briefly.

His arm outstretched to the side, the man began to grasp the handle of his Buster sword, the all too familiar words of his friend Angeal repeating in his head. "My pride and dreams..." he spoke, raising his weapon slowly between them. He offered the sword to the boy, and with a firm voice he offered his life.

"Have them all."

The blonde stared down at the heavy sword, the cold feeling of the hilt burning into his hands. He hesitated.

The man raised his hand up and shoved the sword close to the boy's body, forcing him to grip it tight in fear of dropping it, and as the boy looked up at the man, his lips parted slightly, his eyes wavering against the other's. He moved his mouth slowly, formulating the words his friend spoke in his mind. He carefully repeated him.

"...I'm the evidence that you lived..."

And with those final words, the man smiled wide, comfortable knowing that his friend was going to be living his life for the both of them, and he closed his eyes for the last time.

Cloud gasped, the breath in his lungs being choked out through his tightening throat. His eyes widened, the realization of Zack's death finally flowing over him.

He screamed.

~*~*~

He was screaming still.

Quickly sitting up, Cloud let the final remnants of his scream taper off into the quiet church in which he slept. He was panting hard, and wiped what he thought was sweat off of his damp face. He realized then that it was raining.

He looked up at the gray sky through the large hole in the ceiling of the church and stared at it in confusion as the last of his dream finally followed his scream through the air. His mind reeling with thoughts of his past began to jumble inside of him as he stood.

Dreaming of the past. I was pathetic. He thought to himself, stepping gingerly off of the flowers he once lay upon.

Not that he meant to, but somehow between the time he fell asleep on the hard wood floor nearby, to this moment, he managed to make the term "bed of flowers" quite literal, and Aerith would have been standing there, scolding him if only she knew.

He ran a hand through his damp hair, shaking off the last of the raindrops that clung to the blonde strands that draped across his eyes. His hand paused at the right side of his face and he swallowed hard, the feeling of the warm blood from years ago still lingering against his skin.

An intake of cool air into his lungs, he quickly let it out in a heavy sigh as he gathered a few of his belongings and headed to the doors of the church. The sound of his boots echoed in the open space, with the occasional crunch of debris below his feet. He paused at the towering doors, his hand reaching up to the long wooden handles. Once elegant and divine in its design, they now stood weathered and worn from time and neglect.

"Have them all, huh?" He glanced back to the middle of the church as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and released a warm ray of light upon the flowers. "I don't even have any of my own." Cloud threw open the large door and stepped out into the remains of Midgar.

~*~*~

Tifa had tossed the last of the dish towels into a small hamper underneath the bar counter with a heavy sigh. The sound of the rain and the dripping of the faucet nearby were the only audible sounds in the bar. It was an eerie silence that gave her the feeling that something was wrong. She hated that feeling as she knew it was only for one person alone. Cloud. She tried to dumb down the growing anxiety in her stomach and gathered her thoughts to reassure herself.

She hadn't seen him in several days without any contact, but then again that wasn't much out of the ordinary. Before the outbreak of Geostigma, he lived with her and Marlene in the bar they built in Edge. They were like any family one would find on Gaia. Happy, content, sad and regretful all in one. She could tell that most of the time he was pleased with their life together, as they ran the bar and delivery service with passion and gusto. But there was always that side of him that was in pain. Guilt and remorse over Aerith and Zack's death filled his soul and consumed him. He would smile to Tifa at times, but soon she realized it was her that was making him smile in her mind. His spirit was dying slowly.

And then he found Denzel at the church. The poor boy was alone and full of malady over the death of his parents during the Sector 7 crash, and the beginnings of Geostigma. After accepting the boy into their little family, Cloud began to change for the better. Spending more time at home with everyone, trying to make a living. He even began to smile.

But one day, he just...disappeared. Tifa was somehow not that surprised, but it still tore her heart in half. She often stayed up late at night, staring at the moon, wondering various reasons in her mind as to why he would just leave. She knew he loved the children, but he was still uncomfortable around them, like a parent with a newborn. Afraid that if he touched them, they'd break like he himself would. Was it her? She did everything possible to make him happy, in the simple way he would understand, and she felt that she failed.

Since late spring when he left at age thirteen to try and become SOLDIER, he was thrown into a world of nothing but fighting, lies and hatred. He lost a huge portion of his life growing up to Shin-Ra and SOLDIER. Being confined in the Shin-Ra mansion for four years, having who-knows-what done to him and being on the run from Shin-Ra for an entire year poisoned with Mako, not knowing who he was. It was enough to make the strongest person crack. And she knew that all he knew how to do in life was fight, and suffer through the pain of losing people that he loved.

So it was no surprise to her after the incidents with Kadaj and his gang, that Cloud was back to his old dejected self. The normality that settled into his life after the children were cured of Geostigma was too foreign to him. It was too...habitual, and whether he would admit it or not, it was just not a life he could become accustomed to so easily.

Afterward, he became much like a lone wolf, wandering in and out when hungry, or in need of a bath, or needing a tender pat on the back when feeling down. He never had the common courtesy to tell her when he was leaving, nor did he ever think to tell her when he would bother to show up again.

And yet, she knew exactly where he was all the time. The church. It was his little world in that church, possibly since he came crashing down in it several years prior, after the explosion in the Mako Reactor above. That was where he met the woman who changed his and so many other people's lives there. It was quiet, which he loved, and it was safe, which wasn't too bad of a perk either. Often times she'd slip in during the night to make sure he was alright, and found him curled up near Aerith's flowers, with nothing more than his arm for a pillow, and a dull lantern to keep him warm. If he hadn't come back to their bar every-so-often to shower and shave, one would possibly mistake him for a homeless person.

It wasn't like she wanted it like this either. On several occasions she was practically begging him to stay, since he had his own bed to sleep in there. It pained her to see her childhood friend cast her aside so easily with complete disregard of her and especially his own wellbeing. With the emotional state he was often in since Aerith's death, she would try her best to make him happy and comfortable, but always had her feelings and her generosity thrown aside. She knew that it hurt him as well, but once again, he was that lone wolf. And there was nothing she or anyone could do to control him.

But at that moment the front door opened and in stepped the feral pooch, dripping from the rain and looking rather weary.

"We're closed." Tifa pretended not to notice him as he shut the door behind himself quietly. She could hear the familiar sound of his boots as he walked across the floor toward her, and the sound of the various buckles and belts he wore, chiming as he moved. And then there was that all too sweet scent he often smelled of which anyone would think to be perfume if they hadn't known he slept by a hundred flowers each night. He smelled wonderful, and nothing like a homeless person.

"The sign says you're open." His soft voice reached her ears, and even though she knew it was him from the start, it still made her heart jump and her stomach flutter. She was so happy to see him, but like any woman would after not seeing someone she cared about for several days, she played the part.

"You're late." She responded, picking up a glass and slamming it down on the counter. Her eyes slowly looked up at him and their gaze met. Her face said "What the hell are you doing here?" but her eyes screamed "Where the hell have you been, I've been so worried!"

He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, his eyes flickering down in a sheepish expression. It was a look that was hard to stay mad at, and it was his way of saying that he was sorry. If he had a tail, it'd be between his legs at this point.

She sighed, defeated against a look like that and she reached under the counter and grabbed his usual. Gin and tonic. "You look terrible."

"I'm sorry." He still stood there, knowing that she was no longer angry with him, but he was still afraid to move. Sometimes she scared the living hell out of him.

"Here." She set the glass down on the counter, once filled, and watched as he cautiously sat down, as if he were that hungry dog being offered food from a stranger. "And you're soaking wet. I'm not mopping up after you, you know."

Cloud frowned even more than he already was, which she found almost impossible for him to do since he always looked so distraught.

He took a small sip, and winced a little at the strength. He really must have looked like he needed a drink for her to make it this strong. He wondered if she had even put any tonic in it at all. "Are you trying to get me messed up?"

She smiled with a sly smile that one could mistake for a 'come hither' look. "You just looked thirsty." Her smile widened as he took yet another sip, this time, it was actually more of a gulp....and then gone. She took the glass from him and swapped it with a new one, but filled with whiskey this time. "Reno came by the other day looking for you," she began as she set the shot-glass down in front of him. "He said Rufus has another favor to ask of you."

"No." And the shot was gone.

"That's what I told him."

"Then there's no more need to talk about it."

"Okay, okay!" She shook her head as she began to wash his glass. "You seem especially ornery today. Something you want to talk about?"

Silence.

"Okay, fine." She sighed once more, as she shrugged her shoulders. "I just thought there was something on your mind, is all."

More silence.

She placed the clean glass in the drying rack near the sink, then set her hands down on the counter and let the water drip onto the surface. She scolded herself in her head for not washing the towels the past week as she now had nothing to dry up with. Didn't matter much at this point as Cloud was dripping all over the counter anyway.

"You should change before you catch cold, you know. I can't afford you getting sick, what with the deliveries and all. I can't ride that motorcycle of yours otherwise I'd do them myself since you never seem to be around anymore." She looked at him briefly, to see if she could rile up a reaction from him. Anything other than silence.

But more silence.

She began to get angry. "Cloud, what do you see me as? Aren't we family?" She threw her hands up to her waist, glaring down at him. He had his head cast down to where his hair had fallen into his eyes. She couldn't read his expression. "I can't take this anymore. With each day you're becoming more and more distant with me and I don't know why. I thought we could talk like how we used to when we all became a family when we rebuilt this place. But you must see us as nothing but a place to sleep and eat."

The silence was broken with the sound of the glass in the rack shifting as it dried. It startled her slightly.

But still, more silence from him.

"Fine. I'll be whatever you need me to be. Your cook, your maid, your boss, but God forbid a friend. You got that, Cloud?"

His head was still cast down.

"...Cloud?" She stood for a moment, trying to listen to see if he was even still breathing because he was so silent, so inanimate. "Are...you okay?"

He suddenly stood.

A rush of relief washed over her as he finally moved, but soon turned to confusion over the expression he wore on his face.

Or rather, the lack of an expression.

His face was completely void of any emotion, and his eyes...his eyes were suddenly green, the pupils elongated, almost like a cat's would be. He looked like a doll being controlled by a puppet master as he turned and moved over to the corner of the bar.

Controlled like a doll... She thought to herself and suddenly let out a horrified gasp.

"C-Cloud!" She jumped over the counter swiftly, her face draining of its color, her entire body trembling with fear. She went to grasp his arm but he moved away before she had a chance. She watched as he squatted down next to the wall and reached down beside a bar stool. He stood up, bringing forth an envelope.

She blinked at the envelope, not having noticed it at all since she had been tending to the bar that day. None of her customers had brought anything into the bar except for their thirst, their wallets and emotional baggage. She glanced up at his face which was still dead. It was the same void look he wore at the Northern Crater when he handed the Black Materia over to Sephiroth.

She repeated his name, stronger this time. She stepped forward and reached up, grasping his face in her hands. "Cloud!"

He suddenly blinked, letting out a questionable noise. He opened his mouth to say something, but all he was able to muster was yet another noise.

Finally, her name. "Tifa?"

She stood there silently, her hands still gripping the sides of his face firmly, afraid to let go.

"What...happened?" His eyes glanced down to his hands, which held the envelope. "What's this?"

"You...don't remember anything?"

He looked back up at her, a flash of confusion and anger coursing through his eyes. "Remember what? Don't mess with me."

Her hands fell from the sides of his face as he spoke those words, and it dug right into her soul. "I-I'm....I'm not." She swallowed the lump that grew in her throat. How could he say that to her? She fought back tears of guilt.

But the feeling of tears soon turned to confusion as her mouth dropped open then. Her eyes were fixated on a single red line that appeared on Cloud's face. She watched a small trickle of blood run from his nose. "You're bleeding..."

"What?" Cloud went to reach up to his face, but suddenly found himself sucking in a short breath, as he squeezed his eyes shut. He pressed his hands to the sides of his head as he dropped the envelope. A high pitched screech was reverberating in his mind, but Tifa could hear nothing.

She saw however, Cloud collapse to his knees and black out.

~*~*~

"It happened again," she spoke softly, removing the damp cloth from Cloud's forehead. She glanced back to the burly man standing in the doorway of the children's room, his arms folded across his chest. "Like back when Sephiroth could control him."

Barret stepped in the room and walked to the bed where Cloud slept. He looked down at his friend and scoffed slightly. "Shit, poor fool. Does he ever get a break?"

Tifa whipped around in her chair and shot him a heavy look. "Did you not hear what I said? He was being controlled like how he used to when Sephiroth was around." She threw the cloth into a small bowl of cold water.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya. I just dun wanna believe it." He rubbed the back of his neck with his real hand, letting out an elongated sigh. "So what'd the envelope have inside?" He watched as Cloud shifted in his sleep, his eyes squeezing shut hard, then relaxing.

Tifa paused for a moment, her mind trying to grasp what she was about to say very carefully. She spoke softly, and slowly. "There was a note inside. All it said was 'Live.'" She shook her head as she squeezed the water out of the cloth.

"Whaddya think it means?"

Tifa frowned as Cloud groaned softly in his sleep as she placed the cloth back down on his forehead. "I...have no idea."

"Lemme see it."

~*~*~

It was innocent enough in design. A plain white envelope that the note was tucked into. Nothing suspicious or alarming about it and inside, the actual note was just as boring. Hand written with pen, it practically screamed 'Just minding my own business, nothing to see here.'

Barret flipped it over several times, then shrugged. "I dunno. Just looks like a goddamned note to me."

Tifa grabbed it back from him and tucked it away inside Cloud's desk in his room. She lowered her voice, as Cloud slept across the hall. "Don't tell him about it, okay?"

"I really don't see what the damn deal is, Tifa." His voice was loud and irritated. Typical Barret.

She hushed him, closing the door halfway after glancing across to see if Barret's voice had woken up the blonde. "Will you lower your voice? He cannot know about this, you got it? If you say anything to him I'll tear that other arm off!"

Barret swallowed hard, as a single bead of sweat rolled down his temple. "Y-yes'am." He shifted nervously on his feet. "But don'tcha think you're over reacting? I mean, Sephiroth is gone. Maybe Spikey was just tired. Didn'tcha say he looked like total crap?"

"Yes but-"

He cut her off, "Prolly just was messin' with ya to get ya to stop yellin' at 'im. Now I feel sorry for 'im. Poor fool."

Her fist clenched down at her side, she suddenly had the urge to take her gloves out. But she calmed herself, and decided to spare the man for now. Letting out a soft sigh, her voice then came out in a waver as she spoke. "I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I want to protect him."

Barret's face softened, his mouth twinging to the side in the best sympathetic look he could manage. "I know, but this seems pretty harmless to me. Ya know they pumped the kid full of those damn JENOVA cells, right? That shit will mess with your head." He tapped his temple a few times, "Maybe it just never goes away. Maybe something just sparked it up again."

She looked up at him, her mind in distress. Barret was in denial, she knew. But she wanted to believe him. She wanted to grasp onto any bit of evidence that this could have just been a freak instant, and that everything was fine. She didn't want to see her childhood friend go through any more grief. She wanted him to just live his life in peace with her and the children here, as a family. They were all he had, and he was all they had as well.

The conversation stopped then as a noise was heard from the other room. Tifa pushed Barret aside and scrambled for the door. She flung it open to find Cloud standing at the side of the bed, adjusting his collar.

"Hey," Tifa poked out into the hallway, stepping up the small flight of stairs to the children's room, "how're you feeling?"

He didn't look up at her, as he reached down to the side of the bed and grabbed his leather sword holster. He swung it over his shoulder silently. He then reached down and adjusted the bottom of his pant legs over his boots.

She wondered how much of the conversation he may have heard, if anything at all as he seemed rather aggravated about something. But then again, this was his usual behavior at times. She wasn't all that surprised. But after the day's events, she couldn't help but consider how much of it did he actually remember. She suddenly felt a rush of cool air as he walked past her, and she got the scent of flowers in her nose.

"Where are you going?" She went to rush after him, but found herself walking into his back as he stopped short, his head turned to his room across the hall.

His voice came out low, almost a whisper. "What're you doing here?"

A quick scoff and Barret emerged from Cloud's bedroom door, with the envelope in his hands. "Good to see ya too, Spikey."

"Barret!!" Tifa screamed at him and lunged for the envelope. It was suddenly gone.

"Thanks," Cloud replied, stuffing the envelope into his pocket, he turned and headed down the stairs.

Tifa let out an angered scream and punched Barret in the stomach before running after him.

~*~*~

She followed him from Edge, all the way back to Midgar.

And Cloud could move quick, even Tifa had to jog to keep up with his walking stride. It was definitely something he picked up as a Shin-RA infantryman. She found herself slipping slightly in the mud of the slums as he whisked his way toward the Sector 5 church in the rain.

"Please stop!"

And of course he kept on walking.

Tifa's voice began to plead, which she hated doing with him because it never worked. "Cloud, please!!!"

Never say never.

He stopped and turned, watching his friend catch up with him, dripping wet in the rain, her boots and legs were covered in mud from slipping several times. She panted as she finally reached him, brushing a wet strand of hair out of her eyes. She smudged mud across her milky skin as she did this.

"Tifa," he began quietly. He stopped, seeing the tears she had in her eyes. They fell from her long lashes and streaked across the mud on her face. She looked so pitiful.

"Why are you running away again? You don't even know what this is all about. Have you even looked in the envelope? Do you even know what it says?" She was rambling.

Cloud peered at her with strange eyes, as if she were speaking another language. "What're you talking about?"

"The envelope!"

He frowned and reached into his pocket, pulling out a white envelope. He opened it and showed her the contents. "You mean the Gil Barret owed me for repairing his truck last week?"

A large feeling of relief washed over her, but she was definitely going to kill Barret next time she saw him. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to muster forth an explanation for her behavior. "Y-you forgot to pay me for the drinks earlier." Very quick thinking indeed...

"Hey, those are perks that come with the job."

Tifa looked up and could almost see him smiling. She relaxed a little. Often times she longed to see him smile again. To see him just let go of all his emotions into a laugh that was real. A laugh from his soul. She wished he could love, too. That lone wolf in him would stand back from the crowds, staring longingly into the emotions people had, almost envious of their ability to live and just, exist. She could tell he wanted to be close, to just let himself be held and pampered by another human being. She knew he was tired of running away from his family that cared so much for him. But instinct, experience and memories keep a lone wolf from ever trusting anyone.

They stood there, letting the rain fall down on them, as if the sky were trying to get their attention. But they ignored it, and suddenly they seemed like they were the only two people in the world.

She took a step forward, her hand going to her chest. "Where are you going then...?"

He stayed quiet, his eyes flickering back and forth on hers. He felt his heart skip a beat as she took one more step closer to him. He wanted to reach up and brush the mud from her face. He wanted to pull her close and shield her from the rain. He just wanted to be near her.

The old feelings flowed back into him at that moment, back from when they were children. How he longed to be close to her like the other kids were in their town. She was popular of course, and he was...well, not. The other kids shunned him oftentimes as he was quiet and shy. They perceived him as a loner, which of course he was, but Cloud hated them immensely anyway, and thought he was better than they were for the childish way they acted at times. During the day he'd be left out as they played, and he sat there, under the water tower in the shade watching as they would chase Tifa around, laughing. But when they were a little bit older, one night when the other children were inside, she snuck out and met him at the water tower.

They talked for hours under the stars, about their future. About how Cloud would join SOLDIER and become as great as Sephiroth. He would inflate himself, talking of the amazing achievements he would accomplish, just to see her smile. Her eyes would light up as he would depict himself battling a Behemoth with a sword bigger than Sephiroth's, and with magic far greater than the hero's. Between all of this, he would glance back at her and see her hanging on every word, her hands gripping her skirt in anticipation of his story. How he loved to see her infatuated with him. How he loved her...

Maybe one touch...won't hurt...

He stepped toward her, the rain trickling down his face. His hair was becoming matted against his skin and his eyes were gentle and innocent. His lips parted slightly, letting a soft breath come from his chest as his heart began to race. He watched as she bit her bottom lip, causing the rain on her face to collect underneath her chin. It dropped down onto the earth and disappeared.

All sound stopped for them at that moment as they uncomfortably shifted toward each other. Their bodies succumbing to their hearts, they found themselves inches away staring into the other's eyes.

Just one...won't hurt...

Cloud began to reach up with his trembling hands. His breath began to quicken as she closed her eyes, tilting her head up slightly for him. She looked so beautiful.

She found herself rising on her feet, her hand going to his chest. Tears fell from the sides of her eyes. She could feel his heart pounding in his body, screaming out at her with untold feelings.

His hands were at her shoulders now, but slowly moved upward toward her face as he leaned forward.

Won't...hurt...

He began to choke her.

~*~*~

His mind failed to grasp any single thought at that moment, and every emotion, every feeling he had ever felt began to swarm into his brain. His entire body felt heavy as everything had turned blue, his vision in his mind being attacked with images of his past.

A silver-haired man in the fire.

His hands continued to wrap themselves around her neck tightly, and he could feel his weight towering over hers. He could feel her scratching at his arms, trying to break free from his grip.

A headless creature behind shattered glass.

He could feel her breath on his hands fading slowly, her face losing its color. Her arms slowly sank to her sides, swinging lifelessly.

A man standing before him, injecting his body with a substance that made his world turn blue.

He dropped to his knees as her body began to become limp, still hanging onto her fragile neck. He could feel his knuckles become numb. His arms trembled with ire.

A black-haired man smiling at him with kind eyes.

His eyes darted uncontrollably at the image now quite clear before him. Tifa lay on the ground below covered in mud, and no longer breathing.

He closed his eyes, hoping to see the black-haired man still smiling at him.

All he saw was Sephiroth.

He felt an immense pain in his head at that moment and could hear the sounds of his psyche fracture.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

...To be continued in Chapter Two: Live

Ending Author's Note: Thank you for reading, my friends! I haven't written anything in about....oh, eight years or so, so it's been quite a while! Comments and critiques are very welcome, as long as they're honest, respectful and open-minded. I have the next few chapters already written, and I'm planning on releasing the next one on Friday, July 17th and possibly the third chapter on the Friday after that. It'll give me time to get ahead. ^_^ So check back in a few more days for Chapter Two! It's going to be very thrilling I promise!! Cloud Strife and all related Final Fantasy VII characters are copyrighted Square Enix.... and this story is copyrighted me. Thank you once again!