Chapter 1: By A Thread
Summary:
Seeking refuge from the snowstorm at the Great Glacier, Tifa tries to come to terms with Cloud's instability, and her own wavering resolve.
Chapter Text
Tifa pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, breathing hot air into her palms. Her number fingers were a reminder of the freezing death they narrowly escaped. While the townspeople of Icicle Inn had warned them plenty about the dangers that lay ahead if they ventured beyond the village, there was only so much they could do before Cloud was practically forcing them down the mountain. Unprepared and underdressed, the raging winds and onslaught of snowfall showed them no mercy.
The prolonged exposure to the elements had done a number on her friends. They lost track of each other in the white abyss while trying to find the supposed cabin and were unintentionally split into two groups. The first, Yuffie, Vincent, Nanaki, and Cait Sith, had found the cabin quickly, no doubt thanks to Nanaki’s nose, but Barret, Cid, Tifa and Cloud had spent several hours aimlessly wandering the snowfields and weathering the storm. When they finally reached the cabin’s front door, it was all they could do not to collapse.
Later, inside the refuge, a modest fire crackled warmly in the hearth. Tifa’s companions sat around it, cold and exhausted. To her left, Nanaki yawned where he lay peacefully on the carpeted floor, his head resting on his bestial paws.
“Here, this’ll warm you up,” Yuffie offered a mug of hot chocolate to Tifa, then Cid, then Barret. She scurried back to the kitchen where Cait was helping her brew more hot drinks. It was almost comical watching him stir such a large spoon with his small stature. Vincent sulked in the corner, his face buried deep inside the collar of his cape.
“Hey Vinny, hot chocolate?” piped Yuffie, holding out the mug carefully, as though feeding a lion.
Vicent opened his eyes, shooting his signature scowl. After a moment, a golden claw extended to grasp the mug before it quickly disappeared into the red cloak.
“Hehe, can’t resist, can you?”
Tifa felt the urge to smile at the two, but found herself unable to lift her lips. Her body felt heavy, and her spirit dark. She had felt this way for a few days, bearing her sorrow and pain alone. The stifling silence of her companions only made things worse, and the one person who might have been able to understand her was, well, for lack of a better word, occupied.
A sluggish feeling arose in Tifa at the thought of Cloud. He disappeared shortly after they arrived, and she figured someone should probably go find him. Tifa decided to bite the bullet. “...Hey, guys, where’s Cloud?”
Cid shrugged and leaned back against the couch. Barret made an annoyed humming sound like I don’t know. Red didn’t move, and the kitchen crew said nothing.
None of them cared.
Tifa sighed tiredly. It hadn’t escaped her how much the group’s trust in Cloud had waned recently. They had been pulling away from him – or rather, he had been pulling away from them ever since-
A sharp pang of grief hit Tifa like a train. It was enough to take her breath away. She tensed, crushing a corner of blanket in her fist.
Ever since…Aerith.
Cloud had become more distant. Uncaring. Uncommunicative. When Tifa tried to bring it up to Barret, he simply said all of those sounded like Cloud on a normal day. But she knew he didn’t believe that. Barret could tell too. They all could.
It was the way he’d get caught talking to the wind. The way he’d vacantly stare across empty landscapes. The way he’d snap at anyone who suggested a moment’s reprieve.
They all noticed, but Cloud’s behavior had made them all so frustrated that they stopped trying to reason. Tifa was the only one who still sought him out…but even she was hanging on by a thread.
When the others proved to be unhelpful, Tifa knew she had to go find Cloud herself. As she stood from her place by the fire, her body begged her to stay down. She chided it for wanting to give up. She couldn’t. Not now, when she was Cloud’s last tether to the others.
Blanket wrapped tight, she made her way through the cabin. It was a modest abode, outfitted to survive the harshest of conditions. Even with the snow piled up in mounds against the windowsills, the inside remained a warm haven.
She came across Holzoff, the owner of the cabin, working at a bench and hammering some snowshoes into place. He was a kind man, with weathered lines streaking his face. He turned to greet her with a smile.
“Ah, hello there ma’am. You lookin for somethin?”
“Oh, sorry. Just one of my friends. The uh, blonde one.”
“That young fella?”
Tifa nodded.
“Hmm, he wandered by a little while ago but I haven’t seen him since. Say, you feelin’ any better?”
“Yeah, I am. Thanks again. If it weren’t for you, I doubt any of us would have made it out of that storm.”
Holzoff chuckled. “It’s no problem ma’am. That’s what I’m here for. Just promise me you lot learned your lesson. Those snowfields are no joke.”
“We did.” As if in confirmation, she heard Barret sneeze pathetically in the other room. “We’ll be more careful next time.”
Holzoff huffed, satisfied. “I’ll let you know if I see your friend. It’s not a large place so he’ll be around here somewhere. Maybe check the bunks?”
Heeding Holzoff’s advice, Tifa followed the main hallway to the back of the cabin where there were rows of beds. Even though he lived alone, Holzoff was able to accommodate a large number of travellers at a time. Tifa frowned when she was met with an empty room, but just as she was turning to leave, a high-pitched whistle caught her ear, blowing louder then quieter then louder again.
She followed the sound to the back of the room where a small door to the outside porch was cracked ever so slightly, wind rushing through. When Tifa investigated closer, she could see the back of Cloud standing outside. She opened the door as loud as she could, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was wearing his regular SOLDIER attire, bare sleeves and all, and his hair tousled in the frigid air. His gaze was fixated on one of the wooden rocking chairs sitting on the porch. Snow covered it generously.
Tifa strained her ears to hear Cloud’s voice—he was speaking, but to whom, Tifa did not know. Over the roaring wind, his speech was too faint to distinguish.
Tifa slowly approached him, trying to make sense of his soft laughter, teasing tone, or gentle whispers. He’s talking to himself again…or maybe he’s talking to the chair…Tifa shook her head, putting up a mental stop sign. No. She would not allow her mind to be filled with thoughts doubting Cloud. He needed her to believe in him.
You’ve saved me before…now it’s my turn.
“Cloud?”
He turned to acknowledge her, face unimpressed as if she had just interrupted something.
“What?”
“...It’s cold. What are you doing out here? Come inside.”
Cloud looked around him as if just registering that he was surrounded by snow. He looked over at the chair again, staring as though asking for its opinion.
Tifa could bear it no longer. She reached to take his hand, alarmed at how cold his fingers were. They were limp in her grasp as she gently pulled him into the cabin, shutting the door behind them. She was tempted to ask what he was doing out there but she bit her tongue.
“You’re freezing,” she said instead, brushing snow off his shoulders. Tiny crystalline snowflakes melted into the flimsy fabric of his shirt, and his eyelashes were dusted white. His lips were an alarming shade of blue.
“I guess.”
“...Will you come warm up by the fire?”
Cloud moved about loosely. Something about it unsettled Tifa. “Sure,” he said.
Ignoring the unease in her stomach. She followed Cloud back to the others. He sat heavy against the couch next to Barret without care. Barret’s eyes stared ahead into the flames, refusing to look Cloud’s way. Cid was asleep.
“There you are, Cloud! Hot chocolate?” Yuffie offered, calling from the small kitchen area.
He didn’t respond. Yuffie made an hmph sound and decided to drink it herself, the gulping sound obvious from where they sat. Tifa couldn’t help but think about how Yuffie used to pester Cloud over and over again until she got what she wanted. It was clear she took great pleasure in annoying the hell out of him. Now though? She just gave up.
They all gave up.
Cloud spoke immediately after, “Alright everyone. We’ve wasted enough time here — let’s move out. Sephiroth is waiting.”
The whole room stood still at Cloud’s poor choice of words. Half of them were still shivering, and yet he had the gall. Tifa held her breath as he continued, “Get your gear in order and prepare to depart in-”
“We are resting here till morning and that’s the end of it, Cloud,” Barret snapped.
Cloud’s face twisted, “Excuse me? Have you forgotten about Sephiroth?”
“Have you forgotten that we almost froze to death out there in that snowstorm? How ‘bout you try and think about anyone but yourself for once?”
“But Sephiroth is-”
“If you say Sephiroth one more goddamn time, I will kick your teeth in!” Barret shouted. There was a warning edge in his voice that Tifa hadn’t heard him use in a long time. It scared her.
Yuffie and Cait stared at each other awkwardly, Cid was wide awake now, and even Vincent peered up with alert eyes, watching Cloud cautiously.
The tension was thick, palpable. Tifa looked to each of her friends that she loved so much, and felt helpless as she watched their bonds breaking in real time. She clung to a tiny, minute whisper of hope that said they could come back from this. That she could fix this somehow. The others may be distrustful of Cloud, they may bicker with him, but they still follow him, don’t they? That had to amount to something. That had to be enough to keep them from falling apart, Tifa told herself, and she believed it.
Until Cloud started laughing.
It was under his breath and only lasted a few seconds, but there was no mistaking his eerie chuckle. The atmosphere changed on a dime once again. Tifa’s stomach squeezed with something bordering on despair, disappointment, and fear.
The couch squeaked as Barret abruptly stood and left the room, his fist clenched. On his heels was Nanaki, then Cid, then the others. Tifa was the only one who remained. The distance between her and Cloud was not far, and yet she felt as though they were oceans apart.
For a while she was afraid to speak. Cloud’s hollow gaze into the fire filled her with dread and the faintest hint of laughter was still evident on his face. He was stiff, as though petrified, and Tifa could only take so much before she needed proof he was even still alive.
“...Cloud?”
No response.
“Cloud.”
“She is?” Cloud asked suddenly.
“...What?” Tifa was dumbfounded.
“What?”
Tifa blinked, mouth open. “I…said ‘what’? What were you talking about?”
“What were you talking about?”
Tifa studied his face but came no closer to figuring him out. The words between them were tangled like a thousand loose strings. She regretted speaking up in the first place.
“I just…” she sighed, restarting the conversation, “Cloud…are you ok?”
Cloud flinched, grabbing his temple with a grunt of pain. Tifa jumped slightly, her regret deepening further. Another one of his headaches.
“...Yeah, I’m fine.”
“But you-” Frustration boiled inside of her. She pushed it down with a deep breath. “You say that, but you don’t seem fine.”
Cloud’s hand lingered near his head. Tifa moved to sit closer to him, her voice small and gentle. “Cloud…whatever’s going on, I know we can get through it together. Please, just talk to me. What’s happening to you?”
She placed her hand on his bare bicep, still cold from being outside.
“Remember what I said. It’s my turn to save you. I meant every word. But Cloud…” Tifa choked up, words barely getting through. “I can’t save you if you don’t let me.”
Cloud blinked, looking at her. “...Yeah.”
A glimpse of hope. Tifa’s eyes widened. “So then, you will?”
“What?”
“You’ll let me?”
“Let you what?”
“...Help?”
“What are you talking about?”
She felt herself deflate. “...Huh?”
“What? I said ‘yeah, I’m fine’.”
“You…” He was making no sense. Tifa wanted to wake up and have it all be a dream. She wanted to scream. Cloud was right there. Right there in front of her, and yet he was nowhere to be found. It was cruel. She could see him, touch him, hold him. How was he still slipping through her fingers?
“You…said you’re fine. Right. Sorry. Don’t know what’s wrong with me.” A single tear ran down Tifa’s face, away from where Cloud could see. Perhaps the hope she felt was simply delusion. She left with her head hung low.
Cloud watched her go, then shrugged. “Well, that was weird. What do you make of that?”
A crack of fire sparked from the hearth. Outside, the winds blew ferociously.
Cloud’s eyes sparkled green with mako. “‘Keep our distance’? Ok, if you say so, Aerith.”
Chapter 2: Little Whispers
Summary:
Cloud is TOTALLY fine and nothing is wrong even at all. Nope.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Cloud chuckled. “Yeah, he did look pretty ridiculous. Never thought I’d see Nanaki try to snowboard.”
“It was certainly a very…interesting sight!” Aerith said, elbows on her knees where she sat in the rocking chair. Her eyes twinkled at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. You, on the other hand, were a natural! Are you some secret snowboarding master or something?”
“Heh, it’s just instinct, I guess.”
“Mm-hm. Coulda fooled me,” she sang, then gazed into the distance. “It’s a shame we lost so much time wandering the snowfields. We’ll have to make up for it.”
“Huh?”
“It took way too long to find the cabin.”
“Yeah, it was starting to look pretty bleak out there. But I’m glad we found it. Hopefully everyone can get some rest.”
“Hmm. But we have to hurry and get to Sephiroth, don’t we, Cloud?”
“Well yeah, but-” His head whited out. He gasped, clutching his temple. When the pain subsided, Cloud felt like he was forgetting something.
Aerith was looking at him sweetly. “Cloud? We have to hurry and get to Sephiroth, don’t we?”
“Yeah. I’ll round up the others. It’s a shame we lost so much time wandering the snowfields, but we’ll make up for it.”
Aerith beamed. “Yay! The sooner we beat him, the sooner we can leave this all behind us. And then, I’ll take you to a warm, beautiful place with lots of flowers.”
“The church?”
“No silly, somewhere wide and open, with rolling hills, rushing rivers, and boundless life everywhere you look.”
“Sounds like the promised land.”
“Yeah, it does.”
“Is it?”
Aerith giggled, rocking in the chair. “Guess you’ll have to see for yourself,” she said playfully.
Cloud folded his arms casually, but smirked. “Looking forward to it, then.”
“Cloud?” A voice came from behind him. It was Tifa.
“What?”
“...It’s cold. What are you doing out here? Come inside.”
The world sharpened. Cloud felt dizzy as the world filled in around him, his senses flooding.
He was outside, standing on a snow-covered porch. Around him, walls of white powder flurried in every direction. He felt a cold breeze against him—it bit against his face as he realized his nose was cold and runny. A bone-deep chill spread in his shivering limbs. He couldn’t feel his fingers.
“Guess we’ll pick this up later?” Aerith stood and brushed off her skirt.
Tifa pulled him into the cabin, shutting the door behind the three of them.
“You’re freezing,” she said.
“I guess.”
“...Will you come warm up by the fire?”
“Sounds good to me!” Aerith chirped, and bounded towards the main room.
“Sure,” Cloud agreed, and followed after. He sat next to Barret, immediately feeling the warmth of the crackling fire soothe his body. Something about it pulled at his attention. The dancing flames were entrancing, slowly morphing into images of fiery houses, a broken watertower, and a burning Nibelheim. Sephiroth and his wicked grin were at the center of it all. Cloud was reminded of his resolve.
“Alright everyone. We’ve wasted enough time here — let’s move out. Sephiroth is waiting,” he said.
“Yeah, let’s go kick his butt!” cheered Aerith.
“Get your gear in order and prepare to depart in-”
Barret cut him off. “We are resting here till morning and that’s the end of it, Cloud.”
“Excuse me? Have you forgotten about Sephiroth?”
“Have you forgotten that we almost froze to death out there in that snowstorm? How ‘bout you try and think about anyone but yourself for once?”
Cloud registered each of his companions, frowns adorning their faces. “But Sephiroth is-”
“If you say Sephiroth one more goddamn time, I will kick your teeth in!”
Cloud was confused. He turned to Aerith, who stuck a hand on her hip and wagged her finger, gawking back and forth. “If you say Sephiroth one more goddamn time, I will kick your teeth in!” she mocked with a smile, then laughed. “Barret, you’re so serious!”
Cloud couldn’t help but laugh a little too.
“And for all his talk about saving the planet…he doesn’t seem to be in any rush at all! None of them do.”
Cloud pondered this. Aerith was right. Why was he suddenly the only one who cared about their mission? His friends all had sour attitudes and too lofty timeframes. They were so close to Sephiroth now—just up the glacier and they could finally put a stop to him! They knew he had the black materia and could summon meteor any minute, yet they wanted to quit now?
“Cloud, I think Tifa’s talking to you.” Aerith said.
“She is?” Cloud turned to Tifa. She was the only other person in the room. The others must have left. Her face was pale with rosy cheeks.
“...What?” Tifa said.
“What?”
“I…said ‘what’? What were you talking about?”
“What were you talking about?”
Cloud looked to Aerith. She shrugged.
“I just…Cloud…are you ok?” Tifa asked.
Cloud’s mind flashed.
“...Yeah, I’m fine,” he said.
Tifa looked at him like she was his lifeline. “So then, you will?”
“What?”
“You’ll let me?”
“Let you what?”
“...Help?”
“What are you talking about?”
“...Huh?”
“What? I said ‘yeah, I’m fine’.”
“You…” Tifa searched Cloud’s face for something he wasn’t sure he had. Even Tifa’s acting weird now…what’s up with everyone? Is being so close to Sephiroth starting to get to them?
“You…said you’re fine. Right. Sorry,” Tifa said. Something about her broken tone suddenly set off his instincts and squeezed his heart. “Don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She left.
Cloud blinked rapidly, as though waking up from a dream. She sounded wounded and hurt, and before he knew what he was doing, he was getting up to go after her, an apology on his lips.
“Cloud!” Aerith called, stopping him in his tracks. “Just let her go, she clearly needs space right now.”
Cloud looked at Aerith then back towards Tifa, letting his outstretched hand fall. It didn’t feel right, leaving Tifa alone when she was so obviously in pain, but Cloud was infamously terrible at reading emotions and Aerith knew Tifa better than anyone else. He’d place his trust in her.” He retreated to the couch.
“Well, that was weird,” he said. “What do you make of that?”
“Maybe she’s just tired?” Aerith suggested. “But she’s right. Something is definitely wrong with her. Let’s keep our distance for now, ok?”
“‘Keep our distance’? Ok, if you say so, Aerith.”
“Trust me, we’re roommates, remember? Tifa tells me everything, and knowing what I know, I think you should leave her alone for a while. I’d hate for her to get even more upset.”
“Wait, what? Why?”
Aerith bit her lip, shaking her head. “No. No, sorry, I’ve said too much. It’s not my right to say.”
“Well it’s about me, right? If there’s something I’m doing wrong, I’d like to know.”
Aerith sighed, waiting for a long pause. “Ok, fine. But you didn’t hear it from me.”
Cloud leaned forward.
“Tifa told me she’s afraid of you. After what happened at the Gongaga reactor, and then at the Cetra temple, she feels like she’s not safe around you anymore. She said just being near you triggers her, making her relive those terrible memories on repeat. I bet that’s why she left just now.”
“She’s…afraid of me?” Cloud felt his face fall.
Aerith nodded solemnly. “I didn’t want to tell you. But she’s just been so distressed these days, I knew it couldn’t go on. I…I have to look out for her. She’s my best friend.”
Cloud looked at his hands, mortified. “But at the reactor…and the temple. It wasn’t me. It was Sephiroth controlling me. I would never hurt-”
“That’s right, Cloud. It was Sephiroth. But Tifa doesn’t understand that. None of them do. Just look at the way Barret keeps blaming you for everything.” Aerith put a hand on his face, turning his attention entirely to her. “They see you as the perpetrator, but I know you’re the victim. All of this is Sephiroth’s doing."
“...Yeah.”
“And when we beat him, you can explain to Tifa that she doesn’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“Why can’t I tell her that now?”
“Cloud, do you really want her to relive those terrible memories? You swinging your sword at her with blood on your face? You pushing her into the mako? You shoving her to the ground before you handed Sephiroth the black materia-?”
“Ok!” Cloud shouts, his brows furrowed in shame. “You’re right. I don’t want to do that to her. We have to kill Sephiroth.”
“Right. Soooo, the promised land. Would you like to go?”
“Now? But, the others…we should wait for them to-”
Aerith frowned. Cloud’s head spiked once again and he gripped it tightly, his vision whiting out. Damn, he’s really been getting a lot of those stupid headaches lately. He shook his head and looked up to see her smiling.
“The promised land,” she said. “Would you like to go?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I would.”
“Then come on, follow me.”
Notes:
Hope you enjoyed Cloud's POV! I encourage you to go back and compare it to Tifa's POV in the first chapter, there might be some hidden details you missed! Let me know what you think! As usual, comments are my fav!!! <3
LibraReader9 on Chapter 2 Wed 08 Oct 2025 07:02AM UTC
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JC_isnt_me on Chapter 2 Fri 10 Oct 2025 05:23AM UTC
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norrune on Chapter 2 Wed 15 Oct 2025 01:49AM UTC
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