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It was pouring, and the sky was illuminated periodically only by an angry bolt of lightning from the heavens. Far above the streets of Midgar, the metal control tower for the Sister Ray acted as a temporary battle field that held dire consequences for the participants.
Tifa stepped forward and disappeared. In space, there was a blinding flash of light and an unearthly scream shattered the air between the stars. Just then, an enormous dragon streaked towards the earth. From his mouth came a beam of energy that would shake the foundations of Midgar. Tifa had summoned Bahamut Zero and defeated HoJo of Shinra.
" Hey, great job!" remarked Cloud to Tifa as they all began to climb down the stairs of the tower to join their friends back in the airship.
"Thanks…Cloud," she hesitantly responded as she followed Cloud and Barret down toward the streets of Sector 8. Hmmm…that's strange, she thought to herself, we've fought hundreds of battles, but he never said anything to me before. She smiled to herself.
Tifa loved Cloud, there was no doubt about it. Ever since that night seven years ago at Nibelheim, she knew he was more then a friend to her. She just couldn't get herself to tell him. She chided herself for not telling him at the Gold Saucer. She had him all to herself for the evening and blew it! She had been SO close to telling him. It had almost slipped out when he kissed her hand in the play, but the other actors kept talking and she didn't have time. In the gondola, she had chickened out at the last second. Well, she thought to herself, he could have said something if he cared. That was the problem, she had decided earlier, she didn't know what he felt. He conducted himself as if he was still in SOLDIER and never budged an inch. He kept everything inside, never showing excess feelings toward anything. Even when the very world was at its last breath and everything seemed doomed, he maintained a cool, calm attitude like he really didn't care. But she knew him from childhood and saw through the ruse. Time was getting short. She knew that they were on their way to fight Sephiroth, and it scared her. It was not the actual fighting or fear of death, but the thought that she would never know the truth about her and Cloud. She made up her mind. She had to talk to him. But when?
She didn't have time to think about it because Cloud was up ahead telling everyone to hurry. She ran forward and caught up to him.
"Hey…Cloud?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we talk?"
"Maybe later, I'm busy."
"Oh…ok," Tifa said and fell back in line.
Darn it! Cloud thought to himself as he clenched his fists, why did I say it like that! It always comes out wrong!
Ever since he could remember, Tifa had been special to him. They grew up in the same town, knew the same people and even lived next to each other. But something was wrong. Tifa, although she was always polite, never really paid much attention to him. She was the popular one, and always had friends to play with. Cloud on the other hand was small and weak. Nobody asked him to go exploring in the mountains because they thought he would hold them up. This hurt him badly, and he vowed to change himself. When he heard of SOLDIER and Sephiroth, he immediately knew that was what he would do. He would join SOLDIER and show them all. Then even Tifa would have to notice him. But now he though differently. If fact, joining SOLDIER had only made things worse. He had been separated from the one he loved for seven years, the Mako and Jenova cells in his body allowed Sephiroth
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