《When You and I Collide》25) The Date

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~Snow's POV~

Tifa seems different. She acts too careful around me. She won't talk to me unless in a quiet voice or she won't talk at all. Yuffie is out most of the time because the tension is driving her mad. Not that I'm helping, I just sit here and go over all of my memories with Serah, both happy and sad. And sadly I've come to find that the happiness is there but more like a dream than a reality. The sadness doesn't ache as much. The feeling of having less emotion makes me want to hide in a dark room and just cry. I'm weak, no strength left to fight the world anymore.

But that's still not the reason it hurts. It's not the fact that I won't ever see her again. It's not that our home is gone. It's not even that all our hard work to save the planet and Serah was a complete waste now. It's that I'm causing such a beautiful, perfect person hurt without even having to try. Not that I would try. She's so strong, independent, innocent. Like Serah and then again not. A different taste of the world, a picture at a different angle. Life can look better, or it can look worse, depending on how the painting of living was painted. But I'm no artist, and my canvas is splotched with random colors and marred with burns and cuts. Duct tape doesn't fix everything, it seems. A temporary solution to a permanent problem. Maybe it's time to forget the tape and reach for the super glue.

The door behind me opens silently and I know it can only be one person. Better now than never.

"Tifa," I turn to look at her. She pauses and glances at me, her nervousness obvious.

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"Tifa as in me? Like, me Tifa?" She stutters.

"Who else?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Oh. Right. Did you, um, need something?" I shrug and break away the uncomfortable eye contact.

"I, uh.... I'm sorry." She looks up, surprised.

"For what?"

"Putting you through this."

"You didn't..."

"Is there any way to make it up to you?" I cut her off before she can try to take the blame like always.

"You don't have to make anything up to me," she lays a hand on my shoulder. I look up, a look of defiance on my face. Cmon Snow, don't be such a baby.

"A date maybe then?"

"Besides, I... What?" She blinks at me.

"Does that word not exist here?" I wonder out loud.

"It does," she blushes and looks down.

"It's just that since Reeve hasn't sent us anywhere yet and we don't have anything to do, so I just thought..." I ramble on.

"Sure, why not?" She smiles at me softly. Then get smile fades. "You're sure?" Huh?

"What is that supposed to mean?" I frown.

"Well you know, Serah and all..." She trails off carefully.

"I can't hang onto the past forever," I shake my head. "Tonight at seven then. You'll have to show me around, unless you want to get lost for the evening."

"Alright," she laughs.

"Right. Uh, tonight then," I blink down at my baggy pants.

"Right," she nods, patting my shoulder gently before searching for something in her bag. Oh, right. She obviously didn't come in here for me. She grips something in one fist before sending me one more smile and leaving.

"This is alright.. Right Serah?"

~|~|~|~|~

Tifa laughs when I nearly trip over my own large foot, making me roll my eyes at her, but I can't help smiling at her joy.

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"So what're we doing?"

"Trying not to trip to death," I groan as I bend over to tie my shoelaces.

"I have somewhere," she says once I stand. "Cmon!"

She grabs my hand and pulls me after her as she races through the crowded and dull town of Midgar. We end up just outside the city, on a tall hill. She stops to catch her breath and points out at the horizon.

"Look at the sun set." I tear my gaze from her to looking at the breath taking view as the golden light of the sun reflects off the clouds, the sky fading into blues, oranges, and pinks. After watching the sun slowly move for a couple moments, I look back at her. Her wide eyes absorb the sight with great welcome, her features ignited by the setting of the sun. A light never ceasing even in the night. The warmth of this cruel world. But not the only one.

Suddenly, her brown hair is rosy pink, pulled halfway into a pony tail, her glittering blue eyes full of childish excitement and eagerness. She tears her eyes from the sight and beams up at me, cherubic face lit up with joy that she spreads through everyone she comes I contact with. I blink a few times and Tifa is Tifa again, smiling up at me with her arms cross.

"What's up, Trenchcoat?"

"Uh... The sky?" I say absentmindedly, wondering what on earth just happened. She laughs and shakes her head.

"You looked a million miles away, that's all."

"As far as I know, I'm right here," I give her a cheeky grin and plop down onto my butt. "Besides, I feel like your world isn't even a million miles."

"You'd have to ask Cid that," she sits beside me. "He's the dude with all the calculations dead. He told me he had a 'D' in every class except for math until he was in his last year of college, that's when he got 'F's. Guess they let him graduate cuz they couldn't take it anymore." I chuckle and look down at my boots.

"I don't think I'd like to have been his teacher. To see him as strange as he is now... Can't imagine what he was like back then."

"I can," she sighs. "Probably swore a little less, smoked a little less, thought a little more. Now he's just our crazy old man that isn't ever without a cigarette. I really wish he would quit."

"Don't get so down about it," I bump her shoulder with mine. "He's gonna have to quit for his kids eventually. Besides, why are we even talking about Cid?"

"No idea," she laughs suddenly, standing. "Cmon, I'm getting cold. Race you back to town!" I cough as her fast steps kick a little bit of dirt into my lungs before I chase after her.

"No fair!"

"Plenty fair!" She calls back. She obviously beats me by a good twenty seconds, and acts as if she didn't just sprint a quarter mile. I hunch over my knees and pant relentlessly, trying to catch my breath as she smirks at me.

"Did you want a rematch?"

"No thanks," I wheeze. She giggles and starts walking. I groan and follow her through the city. And despite being out of breath, I decide that super glue isn't such a bad idea after all.

DO

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