not trusting their own voices.
                    Together, they watched the sunset. Even though they had seen many of them, this one seemed special somehow. Not only because they were alone, but because it seemed like the sun was putting on a final show for the inhabitants of the planet, before its demise. They sky exploded with hot, vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds, which slowly gave way to deep, rich purples and blues. It took their breath away.
                The sun was close to the horizon, when Tifa whispered, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

                "Yeah…it is." He turned to her. But it doesn't compare to you, he thought. Yes, her outward appearance was more then dazzling, but it was her inner strength and determination that amazed him.

                As the sun sank lower and lower in the sky, the wind picked up and blew Tifa's long brow
hair into Cloud. Tifa expected him to brush it away, but he didn't move. She even thought she heard him sigh.

              "Tifa?" It was almost silent, but it immediately caught her attention. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a few seconds, and turned towards Cloud. The bottom rim of the sun touched the horizon when their eyes locked. Shinra, Sephiroth, Meteor, the long journey they had traveled, even their friends ceased to exist. The mountain they sat on, the Highwind that loomed behind them like a giant bird, and the sunset were instantaneously forgotten. As they gazed into each other's eyes, they soon found what they had been looking for in over 7 years. No words had to be spoken, but as their eyes began to water from all the feelings they had pent up inside, Cloud whispered, "I love you, Tifa."

                His SOLDIER shell had cracked and he began to tell Tifa everything. Tifa listened breathlessly for a few moments, not believing what she was hearing, but knowing it to be true. Before he finished, she threw her arms around him and was immediately surprised by the force in which she was held. They started to laugh as they realized how uncomfortable it was to be sitting on the ground. and Tifa allowed Cloud to gently lift her to her feet. Over 7 years of tenderness flowed between them, while in the distance, the sun melted into the sea.