Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy VII ❯ Chapter 1 After Advent Children ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Diary Entry 1
That rain healed us all of stigma that day. I heard her voice too. I was able to see her again. Now every time it rains, I think about her. If only I had protected her from him.... Then she wouldn't have died. I still regret the past....even though I've been forgiven. If only the hands of time could be turned back.....




Cloud looked out the window of the house as rain poured from the sky. He watched the soft pitter patter of the rain and listened to it as it hit the roof of the house. His mind was focused beyond the tiny droplets and whirled into the past. Regret tugged at his heart on this gloomy day.
It had been exactly one year since the day when rain fell and stigma disappeared. It had also been three years since Aeris' untimly death. Sephiroth was gone and so was Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz. Nothing had been heard of them since they evaporated into green light.
The gang had broken up once again. Since Sephiroth was gone, they'd figured they'd go their seprate ways. Barret Walace, gained visiting rights to his daughter and now she lives with him. Vincent Valentine disappeared from the city completly, as if into thin air. Yuffie stays with Cid somewhere in the city, and Tifa shares a place with Cloud. As for Reno and Rude, no one knows what happened to them after the bomb blew up.
Tifa walked into the room and saw what Cloud was doing to pass time. She went to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn't move from his postion, nor did he look at her.
"Oh Cloud, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing this," she said concerned.
"Tifa....I know it's hard for you to understand, but this is something I must do, it helps me remember her," Cloud replied putting his hand on her's.
"Cloud I know you still care for her, but she's gone....you have to move on..." she said her tone soft.
He dropped her hand and stood ripping her grip on his shoudler. His eyes narrowed into angry pools of blue. His face was stone and pale. Without another word to Tifa he stormed out of the room, heart broken and angry.
Tifa sighed shaking her head. "He'll never get over it..." she muttered.
Cloud was sitting in a dark bedroom where there were two beds. His eyes were on the floor. Tifa came in and stood silently in the doorway for a very long time. She felt bad for hurting him and she knew he was hurt by her words. She decided she would try to talk to him to cheer him up, or least to try and understand his pain. Finally she moved from the doorway and sat on the bed next to the one he sat on. More silence. Then she looked up at him with a sad look on her face.
"Cloud, I didn't mean---" she began.
"Yeah you did," he interrupted.
Tifa looked down. "I just wish you'd focus on the present, that's all," she said.
Cloud said nothing.
"Please, don't be like this. Let me help you," Tifa continued soft toned.
"No thanks," he answered.
"Cloud...."
"I'm not interested in help."
"Help me understand, help me help you."
He said nothing to this.
"Please....I want to help you Cloud and I can't if you won't let me," she said teary eyed now.
Cloud raised his eyes and examined her for a moment. Then he stood and shook his head. "This is my problem, and I'll deal with it alone," he told her and left the room.
Tifa dropped her head into her hands and sobbed silently. She couldn't help but feel that Cloud was shutting her out of his life. She had knew him since they were young and they had always shared secrets. Now, however, he seemed to be distant and alone. It seemed that Cloud wanted nothing to do with his past, except for the part he could never bring back.