***********************************************************************************************
Days of Our Past, Remembering Sector 7 & Nibleheim
The day Sector 7 plate fell, it took the lives of friends and family. The once bustling sector was now a graveyard of twisted metal and broken dreams. Among the rubble, a group of survivors searched for any signs of life, their hearts heavy with grief and loss. Many of the people were had been friends for years., their bond unbreakable, but now they were torn apart by tragedy. As they dug through the debris, memories of happier times flooded their minds. Laughter echoed through the streets, now silent and still. The weight of their sorrow was almost unbearable, but they vowed to honor the memory of their fallen friends by rebuilding what was lost and creating a new future from the ashes of the past. In the days that followed, they worked tirelessly to restore Sector 7 to its former glory. Everyone's determination and resilience inspired others to join them, and soon the desolate sector was alive with hope and promise. Through they would never forget the friends they lost that faithful day, they found solace in the knowing that their legacy would live on in the hearts of those who refused to let their sacrifice be in vain. A young woman and her friends came face to face to that very deep nightmare. Two years later, trying to put the past behind her, Tifa looked blankly ahead at the wall. "Tifa, are you okay?" A small high-pitched voice asked with concern. Yuffie looked at Tifa with worried eyes while leaning back into the chair. Tifa continued to look at the wall, forced a smile, nodding as she brushed off the question, but deep down, she knew she was far from okay. A long-life friend she has been so connected with since before Sector 7 destruction, wasn't around. Of course, she has Yuffie and the others but just that one person in particular always made her feel at ease. He was so easy to talk to.
Running a business alone and looking after two kids was enough work to keep her busy. The memories of her past haunted her every waking moment, a constant reminder of the pain and heartache she had endured. As the days passed, Tifa found herself struggling to keep up the facade of being okay. She was always strong minded and well put together, even for Marlene and Denzel. She had to remain strong, in hopes of not being able to let them see her feeling broken inside. The weight of her past was becoming too heavy to bear, and she knew she needed to confront it head-on. Tifa sighed, thinking to herself that Cloud wasn't home. Mostly spending his days and nights at the church is what has been said around town. To Tifa, he's running again, away from the family he created, away from the ones that cared for him the most. Isolating himself and letting guilt wash over him. Still blaming himself for Aerith's death. In the midst of all the problems in the world, people started to become sick with a disease called Geostigma. Tifa couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration and sadness for Cloud and to know how he retreats further into himself. She knew that he was struggling with his own demons, haunted by the memories of Aerith's death and feeling responsible for not being able to save her. But she also knew that he needed to face his past and move forward, for the sake of their family and for himself.
Yuffie sighed and took a moment to look up at the ceiling. "Maybe you should talk to Cloud." Tifa pulled out an old photo from the kitchen drawer. A picture of Seventh Heaven bar in Sector 7. "Maybe, but I'm sure he's busy. I called him early this morning, no answer. In the meantime, I'll call and talk to Rufus. I heard he was in Healen, so I'll call and try to get him to find a way to reason with me on this situation. He started all of this. I know it's been 2 years since the plate fell onto Sector 7, but this was done intentionally. I remember back when me, Cloud and Aerith were a part of the Shinra Troops competition, he was willing to let us off the hook but did he really? I need answers." Tifa slammed her palm onto the counter, voice shaky. 'Dammit!" Yuffie shook her head, frustration evident in her voice. "I know. He's such a cocky bastard. You think he'll listen? Shinra is someone who doesn't listen to reason. He's too focused on his own power and control to care about the consequences of his actions, but we can't just sit back and do nothing. I still want revenge for what he did to my friend." Yuffie clenched her fists, determination in her eyes. "Hey, didn't he at some point put a stop his stupid shenanigans? I mean after all, there's no way he's still causing all this mishap with this new disease going around." Tifa put the picture away and looks at Yuffie with a stern expression. "I don't know, and I'm sure he's aware of the stigma. Nothing gets past him unnoticed." Tifa took a seat on the couch leaning back, looking up at the ceiling, she speaks softly. "Denzel has the stigma. I have no way to help, but to comfort him. Marlene has been doing an excellent job helping me at caring for him while I've been working." Tifa felt tired and exhausted from being on her feet. Yuffie yawned and stretched, relaxing herself. "Hopefully, Cloud will come home. I mean he can't avoid you guys forever." Yuffie states. Tifa nods. "You're right, he can't. I'll call him again in a little while. for now, I need to relax." Yuffie agrees and decided to take her leave. Before deciding to take a nap, she stops at the end of the stairway of Marlene and Denzel's room to peek in on how they are doing. Both kids were asleep. Tifa smiles and then goes into the bedroom and lies down. Drifting off to sleep.
With Tifa being an owner of Seventh Heaven Bar and Co-owner of Strife Delivery Services, she was very adamant about how things went about in her bar and well she always gets stuck with about one or two drunks a night. The following next day, the evening skies started to roll in while the sun was ready to set. Work had to be extremely ongoing for Tifa as she stretched her arms a bit from carrying boxes to the back of the bar. When she returned from the back, keys to the door jingled into the keyhole. Tifa's head snapped in the direction of the front door coming face to face with Cloud. Tifa's heart skipped a beat as she took in his familiar features-the spiky hair, the intense blue eyes, the stoic expression. Cloud took off his sword and placed it in the sword holder and walked over to the bar and sat before her. He took in the smells of alcohol scent through the bar. Tifa places a small smile on her face while taking in all of his beauty and appearance. She walks over to him from behind the bar as he looks up at her with a more serious but calm expression upon his face. "Cloud, it's been a while. I didn't think you would really show. You seem to have been distant these last few months." Cloud looked down trying to come to his senses of everything he missed out on. He looked back up at her and sighs. "Tifa, I needed to get some work done but I'm sure you already knew that. Tifa nods her head in response while walking back behind the bar. "Have you spoken to Reno, he said something about a job for you. Not sure what type of job exactly. He sounded weird." Cloud placed his hand on the side of his cheek and sighed a bit loudly enough for him and Tifa to both hear. "yeah and apparently upon my arrival, when I entered, according to Rufus, he wanted me to help put a stop to Kadaj and his gang and also to help rebuild Shinra. Not something I'm interested in doing. But I do have one question. Who the hell is Kadaj? There was someone I saw up on the hill outside of Midgar while I was out on a drive. Two guys attacked me outside of Midgar, kind of confused at this point. What the hell does he want?" Cloud was a bit frustrated as he sits up straight. Tifa decides to make Cloud one of his favorite drinks, the Cosmo Canyon and hands it to him. He takes the drink and stares at it for a minute before taking the glass to his lips and giving it a nice taste. "Thank you, I needed that." Tifa leaned forward on the bar top counter looking down at her hands. "I heard they were remnants of Sephiroth. Returning to the planet looking for something in particular. I wasn't really sure what, but I know they are considered a threat." Cloud nods in agreement. Tifa stares at Cloud, drinking him in. "Cloud, is something wrong?"
Cloud looked at her with this sly expression. "Hm?" Cloud completely lost. "No Tifa I'm fine." Tifa hesitated a moment, uninsured of how to respond. Tifa became very quiet, and it didn't take Cloud long to notice. He watches her as she goes to take a seat on the bar stool two seats away from him, still remaining quiet. "Tifa? Where are the kids?" Tifa looked at him with a small smile. "They're in the room. Denzel is......" Cloud moved a seat over so that he's seated next to her. "Denzel is feeling a bit under the weather, so I told him to rest for a while. Marlene has been helping me with him." Tifa replied softly. Cloud nodded in understanding, concern evident in his eyes. "I hope he's okay," he said, reaching out to gently squeeze her hand. Tifa squeezed back, grateful for his support. "He'll be fine, just needs some rest." They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Cloud spoke again. "Is everything okay, Tifa?" She looked down. "There's something that's been on my mind a lot these days. I've been feeling overwhelmed lately and I don't know how to handle it." Cloud's expression softened as he listened intently to Tifa's words. Offering her comfort and support. "Tifa, whatever is weighing you down, you don't have to face it alone." Tifa eyes began to water. "That's just the problem Cloud because I have been facing this situation alone. I've been having nightmares from the tragedies we've face along the way. First Nibleheim, then Sector 7. Who knows what's about to happen next." Frustration in her voice. "You're never here, when I need you the most." Cloud felt a wash of guilt come over him. He knew she was right. This entire time he's been away while Tifa was left alone with two kids to care for alone. Everything that they have been through together made Tifa feel as if he didn't care about them anymore. "I'm here now, Tifa." Cloud tries to reassure her. Tifa sniffles. "That day, when we were up against Rufus's Turks, I tried to stop Rude from dropping that plate onto Sector 7. Just like back in Nibleheim I tried to stop Sephiroth after he killed the entire village, after he killed my father. I failed. it's... my fault. I couldn't stop them. Our home was destroyed again." Tifa feeling ashamed. Blaming herself. Cloud looked at Tifa with worried eyes and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Tifa, it's not your fault." Cloud said firmly. "You did everything you could to try and stop them. Shinra is the one responsible for what happened, not you. You can't blame yourself for what happened. We didn't ask for any of this to happen, sometimes there are things in life we can't control." Tifa's eyes filled with gratitude as she looked into Cloud's reassuring gaze. She knew he was right, but the pain of losing their hometown and her 2nd home was still fresh in her heart, as if it just happened yesterday. "Good thing Sephiroth killed the old bastard but that still doesn't change what happened. We have an even bigger issue than just Shinra." Tifa wiped her eyes with a freed hand. "We should call Rufus. He has to come to terms for what his father did." Cloud's hand remained on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "He already has. He apologized. I guess he finally realized his father messed up." Tifa felt a wave of relief. Just hearing that made her feel at ease. Tifa looked at Cloud. "So, what now?" Cloud removes his hand from her shoulder and stands up. "Nothing for now. The Turks are on the move investigating the whereabouts on Kadaj and his gang. In the meantime, I'm going to head out and get answers about Sephiroth." Before Cloud began to walk away, Tifa grabs his hand as he turns to look at her. "Wait, he's dead Cloud. Remember? You killed him. There's no way he's alive. Shouldn't you stay here? You haven't been home in months. Please." Cloud took a deep breath. "I have a feeling that he's here. But yeah sure, I'll stay. I can go tomorrow for answers." Tifa let's go of his hand. "You should probably go check on Denzel. He's been asking about you." Cloud nods. "Yeah" Tifa smiles as he walks off into the direction of Marlene and Denzel's room. At least for now, Tifa wasn't alone. Cloud was finally home for the time being.
A/N: Okay, please tell me how you liked Chapter One. Chapter Two coming soon. I'll keep you all posted :) Please follow Me :)