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Premonitions: Uncut	By : Hippo_and_Friends_with_Benefits Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 3901 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, and I am not making any money of of this writing.

Chapter List
- 47
- 48
- 49
Chapter 48: Second Date
Cloud stood alone on the bridge. His first date with Tifa had gone well, but he was still remotely uneasy. True, the timeline had changed, but the ghosts were still there.
One of those was the fact that Tifa had gotten married to someone else. Even though that had now been erased from history, it had not been erased from his heart. He wondered how Bo would be doing in new timeline, and whether Tifa might even choose him instead.
Of course, he wanted her to be happy, but...
He turned around to see someone he knew: Cait Sith.
"Penny for your thoughts," asked the cat.
"It's nothing," Cloud replied.
"Bull to the shit," Cait Sith retorted. "Date with Tifa didn't go so well?"
"For from it," Cloud replied, realizing that the feline would not leave him alone. "Just thinking about what's to come, that's all."
"My fortune telling might not be perfect," said the cat, "but I can't see anything coming in between you two."
"There's Bo," Cloud replied.
"Who?" He scratched his head with his gloved hand.
"Tifa's husband," Cloud specified.
"She's married?!" Cait Sith exclaimed. "I didn't see any ring!"
"She was," Cloud said. "In the original timeline. By the time Bestla started killing us, they were trying to have a kid."
"This wouldn't be the notorious Bo Lockheart, would it?"
Cloud nodded. "You know him?"
"He's done business with us before. They wouldn't have had a kid. He had the lowest sperm count I've ever seen."
"You actually keep that on file?" Cloud asked.
"Anyone who does business with us needs a full physical and a psych evaluation. Just in case."
"I wonder how he's doing," Cloud said.
"He isn't," Cait Sith replied. "He was killed when Bestla dropped the orb on Junon."
Cloud felt some relief, even though he knew deep down that schadenfreude was a poor emotion.
Back at his cabin, Cloud found something on his door.
It was a note from Tifa.
It read:
Dear Cloud,
I had such wonderful time with you yesterday. It was so amazing to do what we had been dreaming of for years. Cloud, you mean the world to me. When I'm with you, I feel at home. It doesn't matter where we are, you're home to me. When I saw you at the station and realized that you had come back into my life, my heart skipped a beat. I was wary when I joined AVALANCHE, but when you came along, I felt as if I could do anything.
You make me ten times the woman that I was. I love you to the moon and back.
Love, Tifa
P.S.
Gold Saucer has reopened. Want to go there tonight?
LATER...
The tram pulled to a stop. Cloud an Tifa quietly stepped off. Even if the end of the world was pending, the music and atmosphere of the resort drowned it out.
The first person they saw was Dio. He was still in his red speedo, going about his park.
"Hey guys!" he greeted.
"Hey, Dio!" Tifa replied. "Glad you're open again!"
"It's the least I could do," Dio said.
"I heard this place almost closed down permanently," added Cloud.
"I thought about it," Dio replied, "but there was only one conclusion. I believed that because of the way things are, there's a need for a place like this."
"I agree," Cloud replied.
"Enjoy yourselves," said Dio as he turned and walked away.
As he did so, his butt crack was clearly visible, causing both Cloud and Tifa to laugh hysterically once he was gone.
"Yet another reason to say no to crack," Cloud laughed.
Tifa began to laugh even harder. "You really crack me up, Cloud. Get it?"
It took them a good two minutes to calm down and finally catch their breath.
"So where to?" asked Cloud, finally returning his breathing to normal.
"Let's go on the gondola again!" Tifa replied.
They made their way to the gondola, holding hands the entire time.
Then, before they were able to get on, Tifa did something unexpected. She walked over to the railing and leaned over, gazing at the park below. Something was obviously on her mind.
"Choud?" asked Tifa. "Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?" he asked as he leaned over the barrier himself.
"Does it ever get old?" she asked.
"What?"
"When I tell you how happy I am that we're together?"
"Not at all," Cloud replied. "I love hearing it, actually."
"I just can't stop saying it," she continued. "Nobody's ever been given the second chance we've gotten."
She looked up into the air, and a tear escaped her eye.
"Tifa?"
"I never told you how I was feeling on my wedding day."
Tifa closed her eyes.
FLASHBACK...
Tifa Lockheart stood gazing at her image in the mirror. Her wedding dress was a beautiful white. Her shoulders were covered; she felt that, at the age of twenty-seven, she should be a little more modest.
The clock read 12:15. At 12:30, she would be called into the reception hall to meet her destiny.
At least that was what she was supposed to think. But she was not struck with the same jitters a bride would normally have. She was almost not wanting this day to take place.
The clock read 12:19. She was thinking of the planning that led up to this day. She had bridesmaids, but she knew none of them. They were all Bo's friends' wives. She never bonded with any of them, and one of them even complained how unenthusiastic she seemed. She said Tifa was always giving a "yeah yeah yeah let's get this over with" kind of vibe.
The clock read 12:23. She was thinking of Cloud. How dare he not respond to the invitation! He was really the closest thing to family she had. Why wouldn't he support her on her special day?
The clock read 12:27. Time was running out. In a few minutes, Tifa Lockheart would be no more. He old life would be just a memory. Bo insisted that she leave the past in the past; it was time to move forward with him.
The clock read 12:28. She thought about Cloud again. She had spent the last seven years hoping that he would fall in love with her. No, in a few short minutes, there would be no chance of them ever ending up together. She was hoping he would fall in love with her, but she could not wait forever. Most people would give much less than seven years.
The clock read 12:29. She continued to think about Cloud, and ended up whispering something she did not expect to say .
"Save me," she pleaded. "Save me."
And then, the clock read 12:30.
The door to her dressing room opened, and in came Bo's sister.
"It's time," she said.
Tifa was led upstairs. Bo's father escorted her down the aisle. She looked at the guests from on the left side of the aisle and on the right. She saw Bo's friends. She even saw Rufus Shinra, as he had worked with Bo before. But Cloud was nowhere to be seen.
He had never responded to the invitation, but she had been hoping he would be there anyway. Cloud was Cloud, after all.
Or even better, he would burst in at the last minute and declare his love for her.
Yes, she thought as she reached the altar. Any second now, that door will open. Any second now, he'll come and tell me how he feels. Maybe we can even get married on the spot.
But it did not happen. The vows were duly exchanged. The door remained closed.
...END FLASHBACK
"Why did you do it?" Cloud asked. He had never been given an answer.
"I was twenty-seven," Tifa continued solemnly. "I wasn't getting any younger. I was hoping and praying we would be together, but..."
"...I was too shy," he finished for her as he looked with empathy.
"So was I," she said. She then began to laugh slightly. "Sorry. It's just weird."
"What?"
"How I was twenty-seven. And I'm twenty now."
It was one of those things they would have to get used to.
"But I really should have just said it," Cloud acknowledged, returning to the subject. "I had so many chances. I even was able to say it. To someone."
Tifa looked him in the eyes.
"Who?" she asked.
FLASHBACK...
"What's wrong?" asked Denzel.
"Nothing," Cloud insisted, absorbed into his phone.
"You always say that," Denzel sighed. "Even I know better."
Cloud said nothing. He continued to gaze into his phone.
"Is it because of Tifa's wedding?" he asked. "I'm sure they can squeeze you in somehow."
Cloud still failed to respond.
"You know," began Denzel, "I'm the kid. Shouldn't it be you telling me to get my ass off the phone and pay attention?"
"ALRIGHT!" shouted Cloud as he slammed the phone onto the table.
"Sorry," Denzel said, sheepishly.
"It's not your fault," Cloud sighed. "It is the wedding."
"Like I said," Denzel continued, "I'm sure they can squeeze you in. Tifa really wants you there."
"Right," Cloud sighed.
"I may be fourteen," Denzel began, "but I'm not stupid. There's something else."
Cloud realized he was beaten. Kids were the last people you could hide something from.
"I just don't understand why she has to marry him," he said.
"Don't you want her to be happy?" Denzel asked.
"I do," Cloud replied. "But...something just doesn't feel right."
"Bo's a decent guy," Denzel assured him. "I'm sure he'll take care of her."
"That's not it," Cloud dismissed. "Tifa neither needs nor wants to be taken care of."
Denzel sighed. Then he asked it.
"Do you want to her to marry you instead?"
Cloud grunted. "That's inappropriate of you to ask."
"But you're not denying it, are you?" Denzel pursued.
Cloud was silent. He would still not confirm, but denial would be useless. He knew kids were the best lie detectors.
"If that's how you feel about her," continued Denzel, "why don't you tell her?"
"It's too late," Cloud said sadly. "She gets married tomorrow."
"Give her a call," Denzel suggested.
"I can't," Cloud replied. "I'll just make an ass of myself"
"How do you know that?" Denzel asked. "You won't know until you call."
Cloud sighed. "We'll see."
Cloud spent the rest of the day thinking about what to do. If he called her, he might become the laughing stock of her life. But if he did not call her, he would never know what might have been.
Finally, early the next morning, he snapped. His heart pounded as he went into his contacts and pressed "Tifa." His hands were shaking to the point he nearly dropped the phone.
It went straight to voicemail.
His heart began to race as he called her again.
It went straight to voicemail.
He then realized the awful truth. It was too late. She had turned her phone off for the day. All he could do was sit and regret his silence.
He realized another awful truth as the hours progressed. It was over. Tifa was married.
All hope of them ending up together was gone.
AND THEN, THE KILLINGS...
In the streets of Junon, Cait Sith hung lifelessly from a tree, next to an equally lifeless Reeve.
...AND...
Vincent sat in a most comfortable chair, dead, with the broken wires that had electrocuted him still in his mouth.
...AND...
Yuffie stood against a post, dead, with her head down and a katana not only impaling her chest but the post she was standing against.
...AND...
Cid lay dead on his back, blood oozing from both his mouth and the gunshot wound to the back of his head.
"Is that the last of them?" asked Nara.
"Not quite," Bestla replied. "Now is where the fun really begins."
...AND...
Both of them climbed down the ladder. When they reached the bottom, they ran to the area under where the catwalk had been. Barret was laying on his back, breathing heavily. Blood was coming from his mouth. Both Cloud and Tifa simultaneously looked at him. He was obviously hurt, and needed help. They could get Bestla later.
"Don't move!" ordered Tifa. "We'll get you out of here!"
"Ambulance," Cloud replied as he pulled a phone from his pocket. "I'm on it."
"T-too damn late!" Barret managed to cough out.
"Don't say that!" ordered Tifa.
"I should have kept running," Barret continued through his labored breathing. "Maybe I deserved it."
"Don't try to talk now," ordered Cloud. "We'll get you home. You're a survivor."
"Not this time," Barret groaned. "That bitch killed Corel's greatest!"
Those were his last words. Barret turned his head slightly, and was still forever.
BACK IN THE PRESENT...
"You really tried to call me on my wedding day?" Tifa asked.
"I did," Cloud replied.
"Sorry I didn't get back to you," she said. "Bo and I had our phones put in a locker, and we left them there until the honeymoon was over."
Cloud looked her in the eye.
"If you had answered, and I told you how I felt, would you have called off the wedding?"
"Yes," Tifa replied. "In a heartbeat."
"It was a hard thing to go through," Cloud said sadly.
"But now we have a second chance," Tifa added. "That future is gone. As if it had never been."
"Except for Bestla," he pointed out.
"Well take care of that," Tifa said. "And then there will be nothing else to worry about, right?"
"Bo," Cloud replied.
"I won't be marrying Bo," she assured him. "Not this time."
And she kissed him.
Cloud, gently and lovingly, placed his hand on her back.
She smiled briefly, but then, her smile faded.
"Cloud," she began, "ever since we were in the Lifestream, I've been wondering something."
"What's that?
"Whatever happened to Zack?" Tifa asked.
"He's not coming back anymore," Cloud replied sadly.
"Why not?" she asked.
Cloud looked down.
"Well..."
FLASHBACK...
Cloud's eyes opened in the Mako tube that he had called home for the past five years. He had an excellent view of the basement of the Shinra Mansion, where the tubes were located. He spend the fast majority of his waking hours studying the details of the room. By the end of the first year, he was familiar with every detail down to the last speck of dust.
The highlight of the day was when a naïve young intern in a gray suit came down to feed them. He would come in politely, serve the food through the small door, and leave within a few minutes.
And that would be that. The highlight of the day.
One particular day, however, it was different. The intern was shorter, wearing glasses, and moving a lot slower, as if he was unsure of what he was doing. Amusingly, he was the first intern who ever spoke.
"Hey!" he shouted. "This is your food."
he place the food tray on a nearby table. Then he did something the proved he was new: he opened up the large door to Zack's tube.
Zack predictably struck down the intern with his fist.
"He's so fired," Zack said as he stepped out of his tube. He then moved to Cloud and freed him. "If he's alive, that is."
LATER ON...
"Yo! Old guy!" called Zack. "We at Midgar yet?"
"Shaddap!" snapped the old man driving the old pick-up truck that was carrying them. "You're lucky I even gave you a ride!"
Zack sighed as he sat back down, realizing he was not going to get an answer. He instead turned to his companion.
"What're you gonna do once we get to Midgar?" he asked.
Cloud was silent.
"I know what I'm gonna do," Zack continued. "I got a place I can crash for a while." He paused. "No wait, the mother lives there, too. Guess that's out."
Cloud remained silent.
"Not to mention it's been five years. She probably found another boyfriend. Hell, she's probably married by now. Yep, gotta change my plans!"
Cloud still remained silent. He was still taking in the fact that he was free.
Yet Zack persisted.
"No matter what I do, I need some money first." He then looked at Cloud. "Hey, wanna start a business?"
Cloud shrugged.
"But what could we do?" Zack continued. "Hey, Cloud. Think there's anything I'd be good at?"
Cloud shrugged again.
"Hey old guy!" Zack called to the driver. "What do you think I'd be good at?"
"What're you yappin' about?" snapped the driver. "You're still young ain't ya? Young folks should try everything! You gotta pay your dues while you're young. Go out and look for what you really want."
"Try everything," Zack sighed. "That's easy for him to say."
Then, he got one of those "Eureka!" looks on his face as he stood up.
"Hey!" he said. "Of course!"
Cloud gave Zack a perplexed look as the latter began to do squats.
"I got a lot of brains and skill that other guys don't! That settles it! I'm gonna become a mercenary! Yeah! Thanks pops!"
"Hey!" shouted the driver. "Didn't you even hear a word I said?"
"Listen," Zack replied. "I'm gonna become a mercenary and that's that. Boring stuff, dangerous stuff, anything for money. I'm gonna be rich!"
He stopped doing squats and took a seat. "So, Cloud? What are you gonna do?"
"No, wait," protested the driver. "You got it all wrong."
"Just kidding," said Zack. "I won't leave you hanging like that. We're friends, right?
Mercenaries, Cloud. That's what you an' me are gonna be. Understand, Cloud?"
LATER ON...
Gunfire pierced both of their eardrums as Zack dragged Cloud to the edge of a cliff.
Setting Cloud down, Zack looked at him, as if to say "Wait here."
Cloud could barely remember the situation. He remembered gunshots firing, and Zack running to and fro to check on him.
And then, Zack stopped returning.
Cloud saw, out of the corner of his eye, Zack's standing body shaking in unison with the gunfire. Zack fell onto his wounded back, whereupon the Shinra soldiers pummeled his chest with bullets.
Cloud began to slip in an out of consciousness.
He was able to hear one soldier say "What do you want to do with him?"
He heard another one say "Forget it. Just leave him."
This is, of course, another story.
...END FLASHBACK
"Zack died?" Tifa asked, even though the answer was more than obvious.
Cloud nodded.
"And his parents never found out," she added.
"I suppose I should tell them..." Cloud said.
And then, his mind was somewhere else. His right hand, which hand been just below the nape of Tifa's neck, slowly trailed its way down her back, resting on the exposed skin of her small, stroking it gently.
Tifa felt chills up her spine. No man had ever touched her there. The sensation was certainly welcome. She realized that this came with the territory; now that he was her boyfriend, he would be touching her in way he had not as a friend.
A moment later, she gave in and pressed her lips against Cloud's. As they continued to kiss, she felt his entire palm on her back, putting her on Cloud Nine. And then, for the first time, their tongues met.
"Still want to go on the gondola?" asked Tifa when the kiss was broken.
Cloud nodded before kissing her again.
Needless to say, they snogged the entire ride.
BACK AT THE HIGHWIND...
Cloud and Tifa shared one last kiss, tongue and all, before parting for the night.
But when Cloud entered his cabin, he was caught by surprise.
There seven wrapped gifts around the cabin. All of them had tags that read "To: Cloud, From: Tifa."
He turned to face Tifa, who had been waiting behind him, to see his reaction. He was almost speechless.
"What...?" was all he could utter.
"It's for every birthday I missed," X2 explained. She began to point to each gift. "This one's for your fifteenth birthday. This one's for your sixteenth. Your seventeenth. Your eighteenth. Your nineteenth. Your twentieth." Then she pointed to the one nearest to them. "And this one's for your twenty-first."
Tears began to form in his eyes. "Why?" he asked.
"Because I love you," Tifa replied with a smile as she placed her hand on his cheek. She stroked his face lovingly for a moment before kissing him again.
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Premonitions: Uncut