Forgiveness - Ch.5

Tifa had been hit by the explosion which caused her to come out flying in the air.

Cloud was petrified after realizing the damage he had caused. His throat became dry. He widened his eyes when he saw her beautiful body covered in blood. At that instant, he felt that something burst into his chest and had trouble breathing.

He dropped his sword on the floor and made haste to where Tifa lay and quickly took her in his arms.

"Tifa! Tifa!" He called desperately but she didn't answer. Frustrated, he began to shake her in order to wake her but still, no answer. Cloud was about to lose it when he heard a slight gasp coming from her.

"...Cloud..." she said weakly.

"Tifa!"

"Cloud..." she coughed. "I'm so sorry..." her voice was soothing.

"Shh, don't talk. Everything is going to be okay..." he cupped her cheek in his hand.

"Cloud... I..." she coughed more blood.

"Stay with me Tifa.."  

"I... love... you..." her voice trailed off. His eyes widened, filled with tears. And with her last breath, she died.

"Tifa? Tifa! ...No, please! Don't leave me. Please wake up! Please!" He lifted her up and buried his face in her neck, devastated and began mourning bitterly and shouts her name to the sky.

He had, once again, lost a loved one and cursed himself for letting this happened. Life was meaningless without her. He will no longer see her smile, or hear her laughter, or tell her how much he loved her.

She was gone and there was nothing he could do to bring her back.  

Cloud rose from his bed abruptly; panting and sweating and his heart beating fast. He recovered from his shock and realizing he was still in his bedroom. Without thinking twice, he rose from his bed and ran to Tifa's room to look for her.

"Tifa?" he said as he opened the door of her bedroom. He looked around and saw no sign of her. Quickly he hastened downstairs in search for her in the bar and then in the kitchen, he even went outside but there was no sign of her anywhere.

Was she really gone?

Overwhelmed, Cloud sat on the steps of the bar’s entrance with his hands over his face. A tear ran down his cheek as he pronounced her name with a sigh.

"Tifa..." he quietly sobbed.

"Cloud?" a familiar voice sounded from afar. Cloud raised his head and his eyes opened when he saw her beautiful figure standing in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked bewildered.

Cloud was speechless. His mind was in blank and wasn't sure whether if this was just another dream or his mind was playing tricks. After hearing no response from him, Tifa stepped closer toward him, placing one hand on his forehead to make sure that he didn't have any fever.

"Are you alright?" she asked worried.

Still no reaction from him.

"What's wrong?" she raised an eyebrow. "You look like you've seen a ghost." She teased. He shook his head and finally said something.

"Where were you?" he asked confused.

"I was at the back throwing the garbage and then I heard you calling me so I-"

Cloud stood up and pulled her into his arms. Tifa was taken by surprise and her eyes widened after feeling his strong arms around her. Cloud buried his face in her neck as he tightened the hug.

"Cloud... you're hurting me..." she said.

He pulled away from her and looked at her worried.

"I'm sorry!" he said suddenly.

Tifa giggled a bit and smiled at him "It’s okay." Cloud was lost in her brown eyes for a moment as she started to blush.

"What were you doing here anyway?" She tried to break the awkward moment.

"Looking for you." he said simply.

"But I've been here all the time." she said confused.

Cloud narrowed his eyes and smiles tenderly at her. He took her hands in his and placed them on his face to feel her warmth, rubbing them as Tifa observed him carefully. He looked so vulnerable and she felt the urge to take him into her arms to comfort him.

"Cloud?" she said softly. "Is everything alright?"

Cloud opened his eyes and looked into hers. His eyes had a strange glow in them that made her think he was about to cry. They say that when a man is in love you can see it in his eyes; but right now, his eyes were full of sadness.

"I'm sorry Tifa."

"For what?" she asked confused.

"For everything." He paused. "For not being here for you whenever you needed me." His voice trailed off.

"It's alright. I can understand that you were on deliveries..." she tried to make him feel less tense.

"That's no excuse for my behavior." He drifted into her eyes.

"So... you're not mad at me?" she asked softly.

"No Teef. I would never be mad at you. I can't." He took her hands again and began to draw circles with his thumbs. "Not after all you've done for me." He lowered his head. "I really don't deserve you..." His voice trailed off once again.

Tifa narrowed her eyes and smiled tenderly and she grabbed his face to gain his attention.

"Isn't that up to me to decide?" she smiled.

Cloud searched for her eyes and Tifa intertwined their hands as she spoke her heart.

"Cloud..." Her voice was soothing. "No matter how far away you are... I will always be right here waiting for you..." she cupped his cheek in her hand. "...because I love you."

Cloud's eyes widened after hearing those words. Her eyes were fixed on his gorgeous blue ones and she loved the way he was looking at her.  

"You... love me?" he said confused and Tifa smiled at his puzzled look.

"I've always loved you Cloud... and I always will." She smiled tenderly.

"...Tifa..." Cloud took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. Overwhelmed, she also wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him close and never let go; enjoying her moment with Cloud and so was he.

After the long kiss, they pulled away to catch some breath and Cloud embraced her to whisper in her ear the words she had always wanted to hear from him.

"I love you too, Tifa Lockhart." He said softly.

Tifa smiled and began to weep in his chest. He searched for her lips and once again, sealed their love with a tender kiss.  

That night, they made love to each other for the first time.