The Aethereality of You

Timeline: The timeline of this chapter takes place during and after the events of Advent Children.

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It was days such as this when the gloomy sky sent her thoughts drifting back to the fateful day when she had strayed away in the night. Once upon a dream, she would be back in the alley with his lips against hers in the pouring rain. Sometimes the dream would turn to a nightmare, ending in blood and gore. Those were the nights she woke up sweating with the urge to cry. Just last night, the dream ended as it sometimes did when he gave her the attention she was starving for. The dreams were never in her understanding. He was her enemy. His touch should have enraged her, and any dreams of him should have repulsed her. She awoke with mixed feelings, carrying through her day like a ghost. She was alone in the darkness of the newly rebuilt Seventh Heaven in the destroyed city aptly named Edge. So much had come to change since the Lifestream intervened. She still lived in a bar, but this was not the same Seventh Heaven that had been in the sector seven slums. Cloud lived with her, but he was currently missing, as was the usual for him. Marlene and her orphaned friend Denzel were also living with her, but they were upstairs. Marlene was tending to Denzel’s mysterious malady. Tifa became lost in reverie while she scrubbed the dishes beneath the running faucet, wiping away invisible stains.

The chorus of the telephone cut through the silence and she sighed, waiting as the phone rang incessantly. Whoever it was on the other end, they obviously weren’t going to give up. “He’s not here anymore...” She spoke to no one. With hesitance, she turned the water off and dried her hands. Slowly, she began to ascend the steps. On her way to the phone, she glanced in on Marlene, who was as she expected. She was hovering over Denzel who was mumbling about Cloud. Tifa thought back to the days when she cared for Cloud in such a way, but he was not accepting of such gestures as of late. Not that he ever really was to begin with. She continued into a small office where she picked up the telephone and held it to her ear.

She began with her usual chant, “Hello, Strife Delivery Service! You name it, we’ll deliv..er…” She was caught completely off guard. What began as what she assumed to be a delivery request, turned out to be a very haunting memory. His voice sounded on the other end of the line. That same voice she yearned to hear the night he cornered her. The same voice that chanted to her during battle. Time slowed, her heart raced. She simply could not let him on to the fact that she knew exactly who he was, and that she’d been plagued by his memory. “May I ask who’s calling?” She questioned, nonchalantly as she could.

“Reno, yo. Remember me?” He still spoke with that boyish charm. She laughed lightly, her smile audible in her voice.

“Yeah, I remember you.” ‘How could I forget you?’

“Good. Listen, we need to see Cloud here at Healin. There’s a job for him.” He sounded so calm. She wondered if he had forgotten the alley all together.

“I’ll let him know.” She said cheerily, resisting the urge to question him.

“Thanks, yo.” And he was gone. She held the phone to her ear until the dial tone began to sound. With a click, she returned the phone to the cradle where it rested. She stood in silence; he acted as though he didn’t even know her. Then again, why should she expect anything different? He didn’t really know her at all. He knew her for a fleeting moment beneath the falling rain when passion ignited a longstanding memory. Little did she know, he was wondering if she had forgotten him.

She picked the phone back up and dialed out Cloud’s cell. After four rings, his voicemail picked up. She waited for the beep, “You got a call from Reno, he’s in Healin. Says he’s got work for you. Cloud… how have you been?” She hung up after leaving the short message. She didn’t much feel like dealing with Cloud’s antisocial tendencies at the moment. She simply returned to the bar to wash the dishes in a robotic manner.

Some time later Tifa found herself with Marlene in Aerith’s church. Marlene was desperate to find Cloud, and she rushed in before Tifa. Marlene was kneeling, and looking over the flowers when she noticed various belongings on the wooden planks of the floor.

“Does Cloud live here?” She asked in her girlish tone.

“I guess he does.” Tifa said, inspecting some of the scenery. The two of them approached what appeared to be a small box turned to furniture. Marlene leaned against the box, peering curiously at the items on it.

“What’s this?” She asked, in her high pitch. Tifa simply shook her head. She gave further investigation to the piece of cloth on the box, and Marlene picked it up with her face upward. “It’s just like Denzel. Is Cloud sick?” So many questions.

“Why didn’t he say something?” Tifa wanted to ask him, but she asked the air instead.

“Did he leave because he’s sick?” Marlene was asking too many questions she didn’t have the answers to.

“He just wants to fight alone…” She trailed off, and Marlene stood.

“Fight?” She sounded upset.

“No… I don’t think that he would.” Tifa thought aloud.

Moments later, she suggested they return home, but Marlene ran off as children do when they do not wish to follow the guidance of adults. She refused, she wasn’t going without out Cloud and Tifa did her best to keep a sweet attitude toward the young girl, comforting her in a motherly fashion. Just as she thought she had Marlene convinced, the door swung open. The light penetrated and shone on the wooden planks, shining upon the room and the flowers. Slow steps started, marked by heavy thuds likely from boots similar to Clouds. Marlene ran toward the door in her excitement, but not far enough. Tifa caught her and protectively huddled her away while a strange man marked by silver hair and eerie green eyes approached with a predatory pace. He was spouting off about mother and playing. Tifa tried to ward him off, telling him no one was there, but he wouldn’t be dissuaded. She sent Marlene to safety and a fight ensued.

Tifa had dealt heavy blows to this new enemy. She had finally put him under, or so she thought. Marlene came out of hiding with a shout of her name. Tifa was distracted by the ringing tune that played from beneath the fallen pews of the church. Suddenly, the silver haired man exploded from beneath the rubble. He answered the phone, carrying on an odd conversation while Tifa watched with Marlene hiding behind her. His last words haunted her. ‘I’ll get the girl.’ She wasn’t going to let that happen.

He dealt her a hard couple of blows with his weapon, surging electricity through her and smashing down columns with her body. Tifa lost herself, falling into the bed of flowers with a hard thud and soft whimpers. She felt as though she was absolutely helpless to protect Marlene. Just as she thought this man would finish her, a blue ball of materia thumped against his head. Marlene had thrown it at him. He dropped Tifa hard against the flowers and she struggled. Her last words of consciousness were “Just run!” And she faded out.

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Reno and Rude were out searching, and they came upon the church. Rufus had wanted Cloud to hear him out one more time, especially now that Elena and Tseng had been harmed. Rude urged Reno to enter through the double doors; the decaying wood alone was enough to put him off. They wandered into the fallen church, noticing the destruction of columns and pews throughout the abandoned building. The stench of decay ran deep through the veins of the building. Turquoise hued eyes wandered the scenery until they fell upon a bed of flowers still wildly alive beneath the illumination of the sunlight that cascaded through stained glass. There, amidst the flowers and glowing beneath the light, he saw her. She was lying listless on the ground, her sable hair spread out beneath her head, and from the distance her chest did not appear to be moving the way a breathing person’s should. Panic inflicted terror upon his soul as his mind wrenched with his stomach. He looked to his partner, who was already moving toward the flowers.

“He’s no use to us like this.” Rude grunted, bending down to feel for a pulse on Cloud’s neck. He nodded, and Reno came beside him, carefully moving Tifa’s hair away from her face, pressing two fingers against her neck. Soft pressure allowed him to feel the beat of her heart beneath smooth skin. He sighed and glanced at Rude.

“Which one do you want?” He grinned. Rude moved over to the dark haired girl, and Reno stood back as the bald Turk cradled Tifa until he could pick her up. With Tifa in his arms, he glanced sidelong at Reno, who was struggling like a child trying to pick up Cloud. Finally to his feet, he followed Rude toward the doors they had just entered only moments ago.

Just down the way, Reno released a frustrated breath as a red strand fell in his face for the thousandth time. He readjusted Cloud none too gently as he finally plopped him down on a near standing bench. “He’s fuckin’ heavy, yo… I need a sec.” He growled. Really, he just didn’t feel like carrying the man anymore.

Rude was larger than Reno, and likely just a bit stronger. He walked without words, bringing Tifa toward Reno, who straightened from a hunched position. In seconds, the martial artist was gently transferred to his arms. The taller man went about lifting the unconscious blonde from the bench where he lay. Reno was reminded of the crush Rude held on Tifa, figuring that he had only been so gentle with her because of that little fact, for he was not as kind to Cloud.

When they returned to Seventh Heaven, they climbed the steps with caution as not to bang any body parts against the narrow walls. Pushing past a random door, Rude found the bed closest in the room and lowered his arms, allowing Cloud to thump onto the mattress stomach up.

Reno chuckled, “I told you he was a bitch to carry.” And he gently laid Tifa in the second bed. Allowing the two a little rest, Rude and Reno took positions by the door.

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When Tifa first began the process of waking up, she realized that she was in darkness. Upon this recognition, she jolted with a gasp. Cloud was near the window, pale skin glowing beneath the eerie moonlight. She knew she was safe.
“Reno and Rude are out looking.” He said monotonously.

Tifa paused, looking him over for a moment. “You have Geostigma, don’t you?” She watched him sit on the bed opposite her. “You’re going to give up and die, is that it?” Her eyes were harshly upon him. He said nothing, and she turned on the mattress to wrap her arms around her knees. “So it is…” She trailed.

It took Cloud a moment to speak, “There’s no cure.”

“Yeah… but, that’s not stopping Denzel, is it?” She argued. Another shift in positions as she faced him excitedly. “Don’t give up, let’s fight it together! We can help each other, I know we can.” ‘False hope…’ Her excitement faded quickly. “I guess that only works for… real families.”

“Tifa…” He lowered his head, “I’m not fit to help anyone.” He was drowning in the past and she knew it. Though she wanted to be hopeful, she had seen this path before. It was an endless cycle for him. “Not my family, not my friends… nobody.” His eyes studied the floor.

Tifa burst out with a strange cliché saying and Cloud blinked. She repeated the phrase, but before she could explain anything, that familiar voice came from the background.
“I think she wants you to move on, man.” He was raising his chin arrogantly. How he understood exactly what she was trying to convey, she did not know. All she could think about now, was Marlene.

“Did you find them?” She hurriedly asked, hope and worry evident in her voice.

“No, only a witness. Kadaj’s gang took the kids.” Reno informed. It was the only time aside from the phone call that they’d had something resembling a non-confrontational conversation.

The rest of the conversation went without Tifa’s notice. She cared, but she couldn’t listen. If these other men were anything like the one that attacked her, it sickened her to think of what might be happening to Marlene and Denzel. Not to mention all of the innocent lives that were brought along to the Forgotten City.

“Go.” Cloud said, causing a skeptical look from Tifa. He walked, aimlessly. “I have to talk to Rufus.” His voice was so cold as it sunk into Tifa’s ear. She had enough.

“Stop running!” Her voice lifted, “I know. Even if you find the kids, you might not be able to help them. Maybe something will happen that can never unhappen, that scares you, doesn’t it? But you need to think about now. Really take it in.” Her hand hit the bed, Rude and Reno were shifting uncomfortably at the door. Reno was as annoyed with Cloud as was humanly possible. “Look at you; you think you’ve got it so damn hard! Well, you hate being alone so let people in. Sure you might not answer the phone, but I don’t see you throwing it away, either.” A delicate huff flew from her lips.

Reno had never heard her rant that way. It was clear that she was annoyed, and he felt a pang of guilt that he wasn’t doing much to ease the situation. “You go,” He addressed Cloud. “The base is all yours.” He said, slyly. With that, he waited beyond the doors.

“He’s so blind. I can’t believe it.” Reno grumbled.

“No kidding.” Rude spoke quietly.

Cloud burst through the doors and past the two, ignoring the blatant glares he received. His boots thudded harshly against the wooden stairs as he descended with a swift pace. A moment later, the door slammed against the jamb. Fenrir roared just outside and he disappeared into the night with the fading sound of the engine.

Cautiously, Reno peered around the corner at Tifa, who was sitting on the bed with her hands in her lap. She was shaking her head, when she caught sight of red hair. Pools of deep burgundy rose, meeting with his eyes as he stood silently in the dim room, her gaze holding his for fleeting moments. Tears were threatening to spill, but she was not going to break in front of him. She was never going to break over Cloud again, she promised herself. His decision was becoming clear to her. If he was going to choose a memory, so be it. However, accepting this wasn’t as simple as she seemed to think it was in that moment.
His shoes thumped slowly as she felt him draw near, her eyes averted to the floor. The journey ended, and he was before her. When his fingers fell beneath her chin, memories flooded her mind. His touch had not changed, still warm and familiar. Despite the warmth, she jerked her chin away. He shrugged, and turned upon his heels, leaving her too the dark. To the thoughts that crowded her head. The silence was interrupted when the sky rumbled, the thunder echoed through the canyons of her mind. So many emotions and strange feelings, she hadn’t yet found a place for each one. Her indecisive nature would be the death of her; she swore this every time she came upon a difficult decision to be made. When it came to the world around her, she was adept at solving problems. When it came to her own issues, she was useless in any sense of speed.

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The next couple of days proved to be challenging. She watched friends and enemies alike battle evil, and though not in exact harmony, it was the greatest feat she had come to see since the events of the Meteor.

As anticipated, the three silver haired men were defeated and peace seemed to be just on the horizon. Life was beginning to resemble a routine once again, with chaos behind serving to add to the history of the Planet. For yet another time, the world was saved. This time, the sacrifice was much less. Of course, that depended on how the situation was viewed.

Tifa grabbed an old coat as she headed toward the door. There were errands to run, the kids would want some sort of celebratory dinner. Maybe not just the kids, maybe the whole group would actually come to Seventh Heaven the night after their victory. She knew that Cid, Yuffie, Vincent and Nanaki were still around. She was out the door when she noticed Barret just outside with Marlene and Denzel, and Tifa watched them for a moment with a soft smile.

“I’m going to head over to the market to get some things for tonight. Can I get you guys anything special?” Tifa broke their playful banter with her sweet question.

Marlene looked up with excited brown eyes, “Ice cream!” She shouted.

“With chocolate sauce to make sundaes!” Denzel added.

“Okay, but you’ll have to eat dinner before you get any of that.” She sounded motherly, with a stern look to be sure the children understood. “What about you, Barret?”

“Nah, I’ll eat whatever ya’ make.” He answered.

Tifa nodded and they all returned to their games as she headed down the road a ways. It was actually nice enough to walk today; perhaps Aerith was behind the pleasant atmosphere. She cast her eyes to the sky with a knowing smile, though her steps did not end. Due to her lack of attention, she found herself tripping over a large crack in the cement, which she reminded herself to thank the destruction for. She wobbled and began to fall forward with a soft groan, bracing herself so she could land against her hands. Her hands never found the ground. Before she could meet the concrete, two arms wrapped her waist and pulled her up. She glanced down at the hands which came together near her navel, and as she regained her footing, she whirled around to thank her savior.

“You should be more careful, Lockhart.” The sarcasm came forth before she could voice a word. She was staring into the brilliance of aquamarine, a warm flush in her cheeks when she realized her nose was inches from his. The corner of his mouth tugged up, forming a lopsided grin.

“I guess so.” She muttered, finally keen to the fact that his arms were still tightly around her. “I think I’ve got my balance now, do you mind?” She gestured toward his arms. He hesitated a couple of seconds, but disentangled from her. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries, yo. It’s been a long couple of days.” His grin grew larger, “Even had some kid stick his palm up my nose.”

She laughed, “You were saving children?” The act seemed uncharacteristic, but then she had underestimated him on more than one occasion.

“Oh, yeah. Couldn’t just let that monster to ‘em.” He was playing it up, arrogantly.

“How sweet.” She smiled and he nodded. “Hey listen, I’m grateful that you brought Cloud and I home… and you really helped fight off the silver haired men, I wanted to thank you.”

“Forget about it. All in a day’s work.” He chuckled. That was far from the truth. Prior to recent times, a day’s work might have involved killing a child or two if they were in the way. In fact, he wondered if she’d forgotten about all the children he’d likely killed when he brought the plate down on sector seven. Hey, if she forgot that small detail, he wasn’t about to remind her.

“No, really. You found Marlene and Denzel and helped get Cloud out there to get them.” She really was grateful for this small bit of help. Though she hadn’t come to fully forgive the red head for all his sins, she temporarily learned to put them aside. “We’re having a celebration later at Seventh Heaven. I’m hoping everyone will turn out. I’d be happy to have you and Rude as guests. You can bring Elena and Tseng if you like, even Rufus. You all helped win this victory, so you deserve some credit, too.” She offered.

He was skeptical of the offer, but Tifa wasn’t the scheming type. He nodded, “Maybe I will.”

“Maybe? I’m cooking!” She tried to tempt him.

“Okay, we’ll be there.”

“Great! See you later, then. I have to get to the market to get some supplies.” She smiled and began to walk away.

“Hey,” He called after her, “I trust that you’ll have plenty of booze, right? Cause… you know me.” His arms gestured out to either side of him and he flashed a suave smile.

“Sure, Reno.” She sighed. It was going to be a long evening.

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So ends chapter two. This was a bit of a filler, to cover a lot of the events leading up to the so called truce between Reno and Tifa. In my opinion, covering such is necessary to create a realistic basis for their involvement. I tried to follow Advent Children as best as I could, with a few twists and more insight to emotion. I do hope this was enjoyable. The next chapter will be quite interesting now that the mood is set. Thanks for reading! And please do review :)