cloudxtifa : COMPLETE~
Fandom: Final Fantasy 7 & Advent's Children
Pairing: Cloud Strife x Tifa Lockheart
Theme set: Alpha
Rating: PG-13
Note: Like [raquia], I'm fond of semi-colons and dashes too. *cough* And ellipses ... ♥~ [I crave comments too, I always seek to be a better writer. And besides, comments are like food for the soul ... my muses. =3]
WARNING: There are teeny spoilers for "On the Way to A Smile" & "Advent Children" here!
#01 - Comfort
It was all she could offer him in the time she'd known him - sure Tifa wanted to do more for Cloud, but it seemed that sometimes there was an invisible barrier between them that couldn't be crossed; and it still didn't mean that she couldn't offer gestures of her affection - though it never went past a comforting smile, a caring murmur of encouragement, or an easy hand that squeezed his shoulder just so.
#02 - Kiss
Tifa's surroundings, which consisted of fireworks piercing the sky with bright flashes of color, were the last thing on her mind because her lips were itching for a kiss - she could feel it in the slow rise of her upper lip whenever Cloud's thigh rubbed against hers.
#03 - Soft
This man who had a warrior's hands - hands which held a sword on almost a constant basis - tenderly swept her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing; and as he cradled her protectively, she couldn't help but thinking dazedly on how soft those battle hardened hands were.
#04 - Pain
Physical pain she could take, that was easy because Zangan had trained her for such - but in matters of the heart, an area where Tifa was easily wounded - heartbreak was the worst pain of all.
#05 - Potatoes
She'd been slicing them for what seemed like hours and so to distract herself, Tifa hummed as she peeled potatoes in preparation for the rest of dinner - dinner that she was cooking dinner for her family ... that was the lone thought while shattered through the tedium of her task.
#06 - Rain
Sometimes rain seemed to signify a heaviness reigning in the soul as well, but this rain was different; it was light and it was refreshing, the type of rain that made Cloud finally feel like he could be cleansed from what plagued him - "Can sins ... be forgiven? ..."
#07 - Chocolate
As she ate she kicked her feet; it was then that Cloud came in from a job and just stood blinking in the doorway, brow raised slightly in question and Tifa - not expecting him - turned suddenly as she heard the door creak, a teeny chocolate smear decorating the corner of her mouth and a guilty light in her eyes, but she merely held up the bitten-on piece of chocolate and asked: "Want some, Cloud?"
#08 - Happiness
Cloud was sitting down, pieces of paper recklessly scattered about on the wooden surface of the table with Denzel on one side, Marlene on the other and both of them teeming with a bottomless barrage of questions - but just off to the side, in a near corner, Tifa watched with a small smile on her face - now this, this was happiness.
#09 - Telephone
It was almost one-sided; no, not almost, it was because Cloud never called back - but that never stopped Tifa from calling.
#10 - Ears
They say when someone is thinking of you, your ears burn - Cloud's ears burned - and often.
#11 - Name
Cloud say her, just laying there amid all the delicate yellow flowers, looking so pale and broken; all the hurt and shock overflowed in his tone as he called out her name: "Tifa!"
#12 - Sensual
Dressed in a low cut midnight blue gown that seemed to fit her every curve, with her eyes painted smoky and rouge colored lips, Tifa was the picture of a man's desire although she didn't feel it - I just want out - but as her beau for the night quickly approached, she forced herself to smile coyly and sweetly; and as she took a second glance at the all-to-eager, over-dressed Kotch salivating in front of her, Tifa instantly wished she hadn't left behind her fighting gloves.
#13 - Death
Aerith's still body was such a contrast to her bubbly and optimistic personality; and the fact that Aerith would never smile, or laugh, or tease her ever again was too much for Tifa; a sob choked in her throat as she staggered away - for no matter how many times she faced Death, each time seemed worse and more taxing then the time before.
#14 - Sex
This place wreaked of it - it even seemed to waft through the thick musk of cigarette smoke - from the men with the wandering eyes to the scantily clad women, it seemed that the Honey Bee Inn was synonymous with sex.
#15 - Touch
Normally it bothered Cloud when people put their hands on him, but when Tifa did, it never failed to help put him at ease.
#16 - Weakness
She was wary, even fearful of the hulking man who burned down her hometown with a flurry of flames - Sephiroth - but in comparison, she was even more wary of him, him with his deepening gaze and those Mako-touched eyes that sucked you in, to the firm lines of his face and his hair that looked like it was spun from a Chocobo's mane - Cloud Strife was her one and only weakness.
#17 - Tears
Tifa cried into her pillow - the loss of her Mother was such a deep scar upon her heart, - her endless sobs careening off the wall-papered walls of her bedroom.
#18 - Speed
It was one thing to be strong, but it was another thing to be quick - it was one of the things that Zangan taught her - above all things; because when you were fast, no - when you were quick, it was the one advantage that you had against your opponent.
#19 - Wind
The wind was rampant and it was loud, filling his ears as he hurtled through the air, through round tunnels of gentle light and subdued voices, down down down down deep until he finally glimpsed his bane - Sephiroth - their eyes met and held in one final, measuring glare as Cloud fell and fell through the rushing wind; sword at the ready.
#20 - Freedom
As the voices pressed at Cloud's fragile mind - the voices which pressedannoyedhammered at his mind and made him doubt who he was - it was the one thing he wished for more than he wished for anything else; he wished for freedom, so bright and so hot that the voices wouldn't linger in the depths of his psyche any longer.
#21 - Life
In a place like Midgar, where conglomerate companies pushed their own agenda, where nearly everyone had it hard and lived in the slums, and where the blood of innocents was shed all to easily, it was easy to lose your place - but after their first mission, after AVALANCHE's first mission, after his first Reactor Mission, and so soon after the loss of Zack on that Midgar plain hilltop - he was grateful to have made it through; so in the dingy but homey Seventh Heaven, Cloud drew breath in his lungs, savored the tang of alcohol in the atmosphere and toasted a shot with the very drunk Biggs.
#22 - Jealousy
Her fist clenched as she watched Aerith and Cloud talking, their voices merrily blending into the hum of conversation; but at the sight of Aerith easily getting Cloud to open up in a way that she never could - her fist clenched just a bit tighter as she fought with her conflicting emotions.
#23 - Hands
As she stripped off her gloves for the night, Tifa looked down at her deceivingly small, fine boned fingers - finding it hard to believe that these same hands fought so ruthlessly at times.
#24 - Taste
It burst over his senses, making his tongue tingle and his mouth water - it had been days since Cloud had a decent meal.
#25 - Devotion
Every day and every night in that cramped Mideel Clinic, Tifa would tirelessly hold Cloud's hand and whisper to him of everything - how she was feeling, how she hoped he would recover, odds and ends of conversation she hoped would catch his ear - in the fervent hope that one day - he might awaken again.
#26 - Forever
He could feel the strength flowing over his skin, beating a path in his blood ripe with Jenova cells; as Kadaj charged at him, an enraged cry slipping from his opponent's lips and he tensed; welcoming the force from the Limit Break as it skeined up his arm, deftly twirling the sword around his head and striking - for was Cloud's swordsman skill, and tales of that skill with a blade to come in future ages - that is what would make him immortal
#27 - Blood
When washing his hands, Cloud wished the blood of his enemies would wash down the drain along with the soap suds.
#28 - Sickness
All Cloud remembered last was receiving shots and getting thrust onto cold, metallic tables with straps and then the sensation of floating in a clear sea of green, bubbling all around him - he didn't even have the strength, or the will to fight; simply being out of the Mako tube seemed to make his induced sick condition even worse - only then would he begin babbling to himself in rushed tones - hoarsely screaming for the glass tubing that was his prison now as well as his sanctuary.
#29 - Melody
It siphoned through the air with a lilting, almost bittersweet tune as Tifa's fingers lazily strummed along the piano keys.
#30 - Star
Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight ... Every night, before she went to bed, it was something she recited; unlike most kids who might recite a prayer or something of the sort before bedtime - this is what Tifa did religiously - and so very night she'd sneak out to the water tower in the freezing evening chill and vehemently murmur the words as her breath clouded over into the air.
#31 - Home
Waist deep in the Healing Waters of the Church along with the children splashing and playing, their laughter echoing in the background; accompanied by his family and close friends was when Cloud finally realized that he was where he needed to be ... tadaima ...
#32 - Confusion
He was deeply lost to sleep, but a softly spoken voice quickly wove through the haze ... "Do you love me?", which made Cloud stir and he awoke with a puzzled look on his face, finding Tifa perched at his bedside - and before he had a chance to reply - she quickly interjected with: "Hey, Cloud. Do you love Marlene?"; making him doubt what he thought he'd heard ... Tifa was switching topics yet again, and it bewildered him.
#33 - Fear
Tifa was half crouched, her hands protectively clutched around Denzel's shoulders when the the beast leapt, deadly claws outstretched, filling the air with it's ferocious cry - for a moment she was afraid, a hint of uncertainty glimmering in her eyes - then she sprang into sudden action, clenching her right fist and lunging forward.
#34 - Lightning/Thunder
The bolt flashed brightly through the darkened mass of storm clouds and shortly afterwards arrived deep rumble of thunder - this was how Aerith found Cloud in his room at the Ghost Hotel - watching the window, unpreturbed by her knock at the door.
#35 - Bonds
While Denzel watched in wonder, relief was welling within Tifa because she was too busy being elated that they were all together again, for even when danger loomed over all their heads in the from of Bahamut, tearing various paths through some of Edge's tallest structures - Tifa firmly believed that it would be all right; no matter how much time had passed, no matter many miles separated them, all her comrades had come through when the time came for it, not to mention the friendships formed a few years earlier were just as strong - it just proved that some bonds just couldn't be broken - and with this thought, a small, pleased smile graced Tifa's face.
#36 - Market
Since it was his job to obtain most of the fruits and vegetables for Seventh Heaven's new wine, here he was, wandering in the local open market trying to decide which vendor looked the best; though it took him a while but once he finally found one, he painstakingly made his way down some aisles and once he wandered over to the vegatables - a puzzled look crossed his face - and it was here when Cloud realized that he had forgotten the names.
#37 - Technology
It wasn't like Cloud to carry a mobile phone, much less make use of one - nevertheless, it was an essential piece of technology, - one that always made him feel connected to the outside world.
#38 - Gift
It was the little gifts left behind for him that didn't make "home" seem so far away - maybe a extra sandwich wrapped in with the tangle of maps that Cloud needed to navigate his deliveries by, or a hastily written "take care" message scribbled in Tifa's easy, sloping handwriting; sometimes it was even Marlene leaving a cheerful greeting on his voice-mail - it might not have seemed like much - but to Cloud, it was more than enough.
#39 - Smile
I wonder if I was mistaken ... This was something that she wondered on more often then not in his absence as she remembered the small, almost carefree smile that Cloud had given her; if asked, she would have shyly admitted it was her most replayed memory of him - it was the kind of smile which eased the burden that closed tight around her heart like a fist - and above all things, it was a smile that reassured her, made her think that everything would be okay between not just the two of them, but with their family, too ... Biting her bottom lip, Tifa wistfully hoped that she would able to see that expression bloom over his face again.
#40 - Innocence
There Marlene stood, head tilted to the side, lips pursed and her deep eyes pleading, the very picture of innocence.
#41 - Completion
As Cloud let those last healing drops of water cascade over Denzel, a firm sense of pride filled him, echoes of finality.
#42 - Clouds
Tifa - from her perch on the Highwind's deck - idly watched them as they wafted by, puffy white and unassuming.
#43 - Sky
The sky stretched out in front of her in a riot of blues, it's vastness seeming to testify to the endless possibilities looming ahead although it didn't feel that way to her; and with a small sigh she turned to Cloud, who was smiling serenely, a demeanor that was somewhat unfamiliar to Tifa and suddenly, her worry over the future melted into slight awe as Cloud spoke, asking; "What?" To which Tifa replied: "Cloud, you're smiling," as if that were the answer to it all.
#44 - Heaven
If this wasn't Heaven - wind in his hair, the motorcycle's thrum between his thighs, freedom to come and go as he wished - Cloud didn't know what was.
#45 - Hell
She was trapped in this darkened, dingy room with her arms tied down, awaiting her fate of the dreaded Gas Chamber; meanwhile, Scarlet was screaming and yelling obscenities in her face as she was being put to her very public "death", - Tifa thought darkly that this is what Hell must be like.
#46 - Sun
After Cloud's final battle with Sephiroth, the warm golden rays of the sun slanted through the darkening clouds, shining down with the surety and promise of peace.
#47 - Moon
The stark white trees of the Forgotten Capital seemed to resonate, almost even glow with the touch of the silvery moon upon them.
#48 - Waves
Costa Del Sol was perfect, the water a pristine blue, it was almost soothing the way the waves crashed on the sand, retreated back, rippled forth and crashed yet again on the stretch of beach where women in bikinis frolicked and men showed off their tanned forms or swam in the ocean; it was gorgeous here, so gorgeous that Tifa found herself mesmerized - that was until she caught sight of a splindley haired scientist lounging not too far from where they were standing - "Hojo," she uttered disgustedly and suddenly, the beach didn't look so appealing.
#49 - Hair
It wasn't that Tifa hated her long hair, it was just that she needed a change and sure, it seemed drastic, but Tifa felt the need to do something drastic after the Meteor incident; even now when her hair slung down at its longest - clearly passing the backs of her thighs - she seemed to need the switch more then ever ... And she repeated the lone phrase, 'I just need a change' all the way to the Salon like a mantra.
#50 - Supernova
Meteor still twirled hotly in the sky - and from the viewpoint on the Highwind, Cloud and Tifa patiently watched it all unfold - a swell of energy burst forth to greet Meteor; suddenly the ethereal green of the Lifestream melded into blinding white, and the resulting explosion after nearly rivaling that of a supernova.