There was a dead silence in her sleep. Grayness everywhere, alone. Just how she had always felt. Empty. Tifa heard a high pitched scream below her. Looking down she saw she was floating in the air above the Battle Arena, the day Cloud died. She had him in her arms, her loud voice reaching everyone. The brunette was sobbing, and screaming. Not because of the corpse in her arms, the real reason being his words at the end. The aged Tifa looked down at her younger self and a tear came to her eye. Cloud had never been there. He never comforted her. Never made her feel special. Never laughed at her jokes. Never complimented her. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes tightly, trying to get the thoughts out of her mind. Over time, the noises down below stopped. It was replaced by a slow, gentle humming. Tifa opened her eyes and looked around. She was in Kalm's Inn. The group had just escaped from Midgar, and when the party split, Aeris and Tifa came together. Of course, they arrived first, the smaller party being quicker. They had just checked into their room. Looking around the dream setting, the younger Tifa was sitting in a chair near the window, waiting anxiously for Cloud, Barret, and Nanaki to arrive. Aeris was sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms folded across her legs. She was humming a soothing song, one Tifa had heard when she was little. Then, they spoke. Tifa: "They're so slow... taking forever." Aeris: "Don't worry Tifa. They'll be here soon. I can tell." They looked at each other and smiled. Aeris: "In the mean time... would you like me to brush your hair?" Tifa: "Sure. I don't mind." The blonde motioned for her companion to sit on the edge of the bed with her. Aeris pulled out a fine bristled brush from her satchel as Tifa sat down next to her. They both folded their legs, Indian Style, and Aeris began humming again. She held Tifa's long hair in her palm and ran the brush through it with her other hand. Aeris: "I was wondering for awhile now... why don't you ever tell Cloud you like him?" Tifa: "I try constantly... hints everywhere. He just never picks up on them" Aeris: "Oh... nevermind. I thought something different." Tifa: "Hmm? What's that?" She turned around to look at the other girl brushing her hair, but Aeris only smiled. Aeris: "Nothing... It's nothing." Tifa: "Ok... Why don't you tell Cloud you like him?" Aeris: "I'm not really interested in his... type. I do act kind to him, and there are times when I'm interested." Both wondered what the other was thinking, as Aeris combed Tifa's hair more. Straigtening the hair, undoing any knots, brushing out dust and grime. After a little while, Aeris put the brush away and let Tifa's hair fall back into place. She leaned forward and hugged her tightly from behind, and laughed. Aeris: "You look so beautiful now, Tifa!" The comment made Tifa blush, she had not been expecting a compliment like that from Aeris. She liked it though. Tifa: "Thank you, Aeris, for it." Downstairs they could hear heavy footsteps come up the stairs. The two broke apart as Barret burst through the door, frustrated by Cloud's slowness on getting to their destinaton. Barret: "That lil' spiky headed kid took forever with his complaining and whining... sheesh." Behind him padded Nanaki, looking a bit exhausted from the trip. Next to the beast was Cloud, with a bored expression on his face. Then the scene faded away. It was replaced by a garden. Flowers and trees were everywhere around her. Small birds chirped on the branches and the sun glowed warmly, as if smiling at her. In the center of the garden, a bed with white silk sheets sat atop a small uprising, three stairs leading up to it. Laying on the bed, was Aeris.
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