Chapter Seven

                                    

                                          

    As Cloud approached the bar, he parked his motorcycle in a nearby alley. He didn't want his arrival known yet, his plan was to get the kids out first and then sneak up on this person and Tifa in the cellar. Cloud equipped himself ready for battle and headed down the alley towards the  back of the bar, he paused outside Denzel and Marlene's room scanning the area for a safe exit with the kids. 
                          
   "Perfect!" Cloud said quietly to himself, he could help the kids down the piping a few feet and safely jump to the roof of the kitchen. From there he didn't have much choice other than to lower them down as far as he could, some bin bags below would cushion the small fall. Cloud made his way quietly over the roofs and perched above the kitchen, he felt his hand across the roof panels for a few small pebbles. He threw a first quietly at the kids bedroom window, then a few more hoping to attract their attention. Denzel's face half appeared around the curtain, weary and cautious. Good Cloud thought, Denzel had good sense. Quietly the window crept open and Denzel ushered Cloud closer.
                          
    "Cloud, you're here!"
                          
   "Come on, let's get you two out, who is it Denzel, do you know?" The boy shook his head with worried eyes, Marlene peeking around him. "Marlene, you see this pipe here, I need you to climb down to me ok, think you can do that?" She approached the window and looked down. "Denzel can help you out, I'm right here ok I've got you." With the help of Denzel, Marlene made it safely down to Cloud's waiting arms. 
                          
     "Cloud I'm so glad you're here, please you've got to save Tifa!" She hugged him tight. 
                          
    "Don't worry, everything's going to be alright." Cloud placed her carefully down on the roof as Denzel made his way down. 

                          
    Once they were safely down on the ground Marlene hugged Cloud again and Denzel smiled, he knew exactly where to go.

    "Don't worry, we know where to go and you'll come get us right?" Denzel beamed. Cloud nodded in approval and watched as the kids ran off towards the church. Cloud scanned the area wondering how best to get in, he decided that going up through the kids room was probably his quietest option. As he got through the window he made sure to tread lightly on the floorboards. His heavy boots had a tendency to thud through the place, so Tifa had often complained. Quietly as he could he made his way down towards the cellar, just as Denzel had said the cellar was locked. Ok, Cloud thought to himself. He was ready for this, Tifa was in there probably thinking the worst. Probably thinking he wouldn't be there, that he didn't care. He was done with the crazed, untrue thoughts and he was going to prove it to her. Stepping back from the door, he braced himself. As the door swung and bashed open through Cloud's force, the first sight to greet him was Tifa. She was sat on the cold cellar floor, leaning back against the stone wall, gagged and bound with rope.
                          
   "Tifa!" he gasped, a panicked muffle was her only reply. Cloud spun round as the cellar door was shut behind him, a man in a black cloak whose face he couldn't see stood before him. His brow furrowed as he readied his sword, standing protectively in front of Tifa. "Who are you, what are you doing here?" 
                          
   "Just someone who's trying to help." the voice was distorted. 
                          
   "You call taking my girlfriend hostage helping, give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now?" Cloud heard a soft murmur behind him, it was the first time he'd acknowledged their relationship. He refocused his attention back on the man in question. 
                          
   "I had to make you realise....what it would be like to loose her."
                          
   "The hell!" the man dived for Cloud, he responded in turn and they missed each other. As Cloud looked back over his shoulder and turned, the man grabbed his wrist. "Arghh!" pain shot up his arm as his vision turned white.... The next thing Cloud saw was Tifa, she was standing in the bar. It was after closing. She looked agitated, her hands were balled up by her sides. "Tifa!" he called. She didn't acknowledge him. "Tifa!" he called again. She took a deep sigh and then he heard her. 
                          
   "Should I go up there?" she said but she wasn't talking to Cloud and her lips never moved either. He was hearing her thoughts. "What would he do, would he be mad?" she stood confidently. " Ok, come on." she left the bar and began heading upstairs. Cloud followed her partly wondering where this was going but the other part of him horribly knowing. Tifa stopped outside his bedroom door, she reached for the door handle and he saw her hand tremble. "Come on girl get a grip, do you want this guy or not, don't kid yourself cause you know you've got an itch only he can scratch." she grasped the handle firmly, slowly and quietly opening the door. Cloud swallowed nervously, this was almost too painful to watch. "Oh god, what if he rejects me, please, please just let him want me." As Tifa crept further into the room, Cloud could see himself asleep in the bed. She approached his side and watched him for a moment. "So beautiful, if only you knew what you did to my heart." her hand came to his face, lightly stroking his hair from his eyes. Then she went to the other side of the bed and softly lay down beside him, he watched as her arm went hesitantly around him. She moved closer to him, wrapping herself around him. Softly she kissed his shoulder. "Oh Cloud." this time she said it out loud. He saw himself stir and he almost considered leaving the room, though he doubted he'd be able to. Clearly he'd been sent here with the exact purpose of being forced to watch.
                          
   "Hmm, Tifa, what are you doing here?" he heard himself say. Tifa refused to let him go and in fact held him tighter. 
                          
   "I was lonely." 
                          
   "Just, go get some sleep, you'll feel better in the morning" 
                          
   "Or, you could make me feel better?" 
                          
   "And how would I do that, Tifa, I'm trying to sleep, I have to be up early." Cloud watched as timidly Tifa's hand travelled downward. Startled he quickly flipped over to face her. "What are you doing?!" he gasped, grabbing her hand. 
                          
  "I-I...." she stuttered. "I thought maybe, we...." she lightly tugged at his top. Cloud remembered the sting of temptation, the heat that rose within him at the thought. Yet he still foolishly declined. 
                          
  "You woke me up for that?" 
                          
  " I know you have to be up early but surely you must, have urges too right, you've been working a lot lately, I've missed you." She brushed up closer to him but he pulled away. 
                          
   "Tifa, no, just, go back to bed ok."
                          
   "But, Cloud...." 
                          
   "I said no!" He got up angrily from his bed, striding towards the door. He opened it, then looked at Tifa. Cloud noticed this time the red blush on her cheeks and the tears welling in her eyes. She left the room and Cloud followed her to hers. Tifa threw herself down on her bed, quietly sobbing. 
                          
   "Stupid, I'm so stupid, he doesn't want you, not like that, what does he even want from you?!" she said to herself. "Cloud, cant you feel me, don't you care?" Cloud grit his teeth in anger, he was frustrated with himself. 
                          
   "Why are you doing this?" he asked, looking for the cloaked man. 
                          
  "You've broken this women." the distorted voice spoke. "You act like you don't care but let's see how you would really feel about loosing her. In an instant the scene around him disappeared back to white, then a series of images began to quickly flash by in his mind. All were images, scenarios in which Tifa was dying. Be it being killed or worse even was her killing herself, distraught from Cloud's in actions. Cloud held his head trying to make it stop, he couldn't stand it any longer. Watching the women he loved die so many times, so many ways. it brought him to his knees and he cried out. 
                          
   "Enough, I get it, please, I promised her I'd return a changed man and I have!" Cloud took a deep breath as at last the images stopped, the whiteness fading back to reality. He was back in the cellar, still on his knees, holding his head. He breathed heavy, still panicked from what he'd witnessed as he turned to look at Tifa.....