songerein | [closed] when the night has come. and the land is dark.

[Sora is not sure when his dreams started to fill with warm ocean breezes and hot sand. He's not sure when he started to think about the smell of freshly growing wildflowers across the shoreline or the sound of singing seagulls. But when he opens his eyes to dreams of islands and home he can't really help how it makes his heart ache. How he almost wishes this wasn't just a dream.

He stirs and sits up from where he finds himself spread out like a starfish on the sand. Blinking and squinting through the bright rays of a tropical sun.]

Whoa. It's been a while since I've dreamt of home.

[But there's something different about this place too. Like there might be something changed but he can't quite place his finger on it yet. In the distance, he swears he can see someone familiar walking away... A long time ago. Just like Riku walked away.]

Wait! Cloud?

[What was Cloud doing in his dream? He hops to his feet and almost runs after him only to stop and frown.]

No... Cloud never came to Destiny Islands.

[He glances over his shoulder when he realizes he might not be alone in this dream.]

Right, Tifa?

[How she found herself in this place, she has no idea. One moment, she was leaning her head down on the pillow after another long, long day, and the next, she's blinking her eyes open in this strange new place. She expected that she would be plagued with nightmares in the weeks to come—that she'd seen nothing but lindwurms, or the black wolf in that cave, but for the first time in days, she thinks she may have found that escape.

Or at least a respite. A breather...

A voice calls out from behind her, and she spins on the spot to find—]

Sora?

[She hadn't heard anything before his question, so it's a bit lost on her as she lets her gaze drift from him to their surroundings. To the water that stretches out beyond whatever her mind can comprehend in the moment, and to the white and that's beneath them.

He may notice she looks a little different than what he's used to. She's not that put-together woman that he's met, but rather, one that looks tired and exhausted. Black bags line her eyes, and they look heavy. Her posture and her movements are stiff as she turns to face him.]

... What's going on?

I'm not sure.

[Sora replies with a bit of an easy shrug almost like he doesn't think anything that's happening is a big deal. He's dreamed of home so many times that he's lost count. All of the dreams blurring together into a swirl of sandy days that all look the same and feel just as far away.

He looks at her and a small frown does tug his lips. He can see that she looks tired even if they're dreaming. She's always been a bright person so he wonders what's got her looking so worn.]

Maybe we both needed a nice dream?

[Sora looks off towards the collection of palm trees again. He swears he saw a figure walk into them. Curiosity tugs his thoughts.]

Um, Tifa... Can I ask you something?

Edited 2022-09-16 16:24 (UTC)

Yeah... maybe...

[A nice dream is certainly a nice change for her...

Her voice is as distant as the look in her eyes as she watches the horizon, following Sora's gaze. She doesn't know what was there, but... it's like there's something drawing her attention to that one particular place.

Tifa's brows arch at him, and she tries to smile.]

Of course...? What is it?

[Sora feels a little uneasy asking the question but he has been wondering for a little while. He thinks about home so much that he wonders if that's why he's thinking about it now...]

... Do you miss Cloud?

[The dream seems to shift slightly when Sora says that. A small warm breeze swishes around them. Mountains crop up in the distance and the waves in the ocean grow louder.]

It's been a long time since I've seen him.

[The name makes her heart both leap and drop all at the same time, and she hardly notices the shift in the dreamscape. The waves would have sounded louder in her head anyway, as if trying to drown out the question, hide away the memories she's kept locked away in her heart since coming here for just a little longer, but it's too late. His question pulls them all to the forefront of her consciousness.

Tifa looks out to face the water, and if Sora looks, he'll see a distant smile on her face. It's one that's both fond and sad... Her answer doesn't come right away. In fact, there's a long stretch of silence that's filled by the crashing of the waves as they lap at the shore.]

Sometimes.

[But she's tried so hard not to think about him that it feels so much longer than it actually has been.]

I sometimes wonder what he might be doing right now. [A small, breathy laugh.] I like to think the real me is keeping him out of trouble.

[He knows it must be a hard question for her to think about. It's hard for Sora to think about too but sometimes he wonders how the people he's made bonds with are doing when they're so far away dreaming or not. He thinks about Auron and Yuffie. Cid too. But most of all he wonders about Leon. And Cloud.

The dream will have clouds that start to filter and fill the skies. It doesn't darken the saturation of the dream but they fill the sky like a colouring book filling in with light blue.]

I wonder about that too. [He smiles a little as he comes to join her near the water. He'll show her around soon.] I know the Cloud you know is a bit different from mine but... He is a really good friend to me.

[He watched out for Sora in a lot of ways. And he'll always miss him.]

He was always hard to keep a track of, though. Even you had a hard time doing it. But I know he was always thinking about his friends, you included.

[It's hard for her to face in many ways, the last memories of him—or lack thereof—always still leaving a bitter taste in her mouth, but time heals all wounds, as they say. If he'd asked her this a year ago, she might not have been up to answer, but Tifa's since moved on, and is quite content with her life right now that talking about him doesn't feel so bad anymore.]

You said he's a little different from the Cloud I know...

[Slowly, she lowers herself to sit on the sand and invites him to join her.]

What was he like?

[Sora moves to sit with her on the sand. Sitting next to her and looking over the water that seems to be moving slower than a real ocean might. But it's pretty all the same.

A fond smile appears on Sora's lips as he thinks about the first time he met Cloud.]

Would you believe it that the first time we met he kicked my butt into the ground?

[It was a weird day for Sora that day.]

He was really hard to read back then. Really edgy and mysterious. But... really cool.

I would, yeah. Though he probably had a pretty good reason for it?

[There's that hint of a teasing sing-song in Tifa's voice somewhere, and when she looks to Sora, the corners of her eyes crinkle with a smile. That definitely sounds like a story he should tell???]

Doesn't sound all that different from the Cloud I know, though. Bit hard to read still. Mysterious. He thinks he's got that hard edge, but I think he's lost some of it since back when I first ran into him.

Thinks he's got a hard edge but he's actually got a soft spot. Right?

[Sora chuckles in response looking just as fond about the guy.]

Back then he was always looking for someone or something. I didn't know what it was back then but a bad guy named Hades tricked Cloud into working for him with the promise of helping him find that thing.

[He shrugs a bit.]

It didn't take Cloud long to figure out he was being tricked to do that guy's dirty work. Then he saved my life when Hades sent a huge three headed dog after us. I knew pretty quickly that he was a really good guy from then on.

Mm-hm.

[Cloud, deep down beneath all of that "edge" is really just a big, huge dork with a giant soft spot on his heart. Although, there have been some things that she's questioned since she met Cloud again, but... she's not going to let those thoughts consume her.

There's something else that Sora tells her instead that has her looking at him with a gentle, fond look in her eyes, her head resting on her knees as she tucks them close to her chest.]

Did Cloud ever find what he was looking for?

You know what? I don't know for sure.

[~~because Kingdom Hearts has some pretty big plot holes when it comes to some of the Final Fantasy characters~~ Because Sora was always watching him chase after this one thing. Always looking like he was missing something. Like he was haunted about it...]

At first, I thought he was looking for someone. But maybe... He was looking for his light.

[His light...

She looks out to the water at that, and she feels her heart do a little thump in her chest. This is a different Cloud than the one she knows, or so Sora says, but it does give her pause to wonder what that might have been... What it was that he'd lost that he was looking for.]

I'm sure he'll find it. He's pretty stubborn once he sets his mind on something.

[And strong-willed, too...

Tifa laughs gently, whimsically, and her chin dips to rest on her knees.]

Just waiting for him to find this place in his dreams.

[Sora feels that same sort of fondness for Cloud too. Hoping for the best for him even if he's so far away. Cloud is hard to understand sometimes but Sora knows that Cloud is a very important friend.]

Yeah, he sure is. I hope he comes here.

[He admits that as easily as ever. He'd do anything to see Cloud again. And everyone else too.]

Hey, Tifa? If you could meet Cloud here in this world what would you say to him? Would you tell him everything about this place or jump right to kicking his butt?

[He jokes but it's a sincere question. He always wondered what she might say to Cloud if they were reunited in this place. Sora knows he would have a lot to say. And probably a lot of hugs to force.]

Me?

[She's... actually never stopped to think about what she would say to Cloud if he ever dropped into Reverein one day. She questions if she'd even still be upset with him over the things he didn't even know he had control over or if she's forgiven him, but Tifa supposes she'd find out in the event he did.]

I'd probably get straight to kicking his butt.

[A joke. Or maybe a half-truth. Either way, there's an amused glint in her eyes.

For real, though?]

... I think I'd tell him... first not to worry about me. That I'm happy here. But I'd also tell him how much I've missed him, and how glad I am to see him. [A beat, and she stretches her legs out in front of her over the sand.] It's silly. Sometimes I sit there and hope he'll make it in time for the wedding, but I doubt it.

[Sora smiles cheekily at first knowing that Sora would probably want to do the same thing. Kick his butt for taking so long in finding them again. But also because he's missed Cloud very much. He knows it must be a little different for Tifa and that's why his smile softens when she continues.]

I think it would be really good for him to hear that.

[Since Cloud worries about other people even if he hides it a lot in his own weird ways. Takes a lot of blame for things he probably shouldn't.]

But, married huh? I didn't know about that, Tifa? What's the scoop?

Not many people do.

[She hasn't exactly told anyone except for those closest to her, and she thinks that Sora could probably count among them. He has known her for quite some time, after all. Longer than she's even aware of.

There's a distantly whimsical look in her eyes, and she kicks her feet a little in the sand.]

Eustace and I are getting married in the winter. In a few months from now. I'm a little nervous, but I think it'll be fun. [She spins to face him with a glimmer of hope.] You'll be there, right?

[Sora's blue eyes light up with joy.]

Will I ever be!! That's so great, Tifa! Congrats to you guys! That's pretty huge!

[Little sparks of warm light crackle like happy little fireworks around Sora's head.]

If you need any help with stuff I can help out too! Give me all the hard work you don't wanna do!

[It's amazing that Tifa is getting married. Sora knows by now that travelling to these other worlds can really change which way your heart leans. Just look at Sora and Vanitas... The most unlikely pair there is.]

[It really does change where the heart goes. She still, in her heart, cares deeply for Cloud and no matter where she is, that part of her—that young, teenage girl who would gaze up at the stars and wish—would always love him. That much is evident simply by the way she talks about him with Sora or the way her whole face lights up when she says Cloud's name.

But things change, people change. They grow, and they shift with the way the waves move like sand. If they didn't, would they really be human?

She smiles, warm and genuine, and instinctively leans a little closer to Sora.]

Well. Have you ever been to a wedding before? This'll be my first one.

[Sora would understand where she's coming from completely. When he was a little younger he used to think that he would be with Riku and Kairi forever. But it's been so long now that he's changed. His heart still holds them both so close and he loves them with everything he can muster and that will never change. But people do grow up. People do fall in love with the people who are in their lives and who make up their experiences. Sora fell in love too.]

Uh, yeah! This will be my third one, I think?

[He blushes a little with a smile on his face.]

I think I'm technically married to Vanitas. And we've gone to a wedding before too.

[...

......

????

If there were a record scratch in her expression, it would be happening right now.]

Wait.

[There's a stretch of silence, and a surge of warmth around them, but there's also the buzz of confusion that flits around Tifa's head like the crackling of static.]

You're married...? [She shakes her head.] To Vanitas?

[What's really funny about this is Sora's kind of used to that sort of reaction to it. For various reasons. Hah.]

Haha! Yeah! I think we've been married for a couple of years now! We're both nineteen so I guess we're really young for that sort of thing.

[Sora tilts his head. Wondering if Tifa and Vanitas have ever talked before. He knows Vanitas can be quite the personality sometimes. Sora and Vanitas are literally polar opposites.]

In the last world we were in? We had a magical bond that bound us together with the vows we promised each other.

[That's... sweet.]

A magical bond, huh?

[Tifa's voice sounds wishful and light. She wonders if there is some sort of magic bond or promise that they all make in these worlds that will continue to draw them back to one another. It happened to Tifa and Eustace, and now, Sora and Vanitas?]

So, you two also found each other in another world, with your memories, I'm guessing...?

Yeah, exactly! We never had a wedding party or anything like that, though.

[Sora and Vanitas have been very lucky when it comes to this sort of thing. They know that too since not everyone gets lucky enough to be swept off to another world and still remember each other...]

We did. When we woke up in this world we really thought we wouldn't remember each other but when I found Vanitas we both realized nothing changed for us. We remembered everything from before. I know we're lucky.

closed to tifa lockhart

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