Chapter Text
Life is full of surprises. Tifa announcing she was pregnant despite every top mako-biologist saying Cloud is sterile was surprising. Callidora beating the odds and being born happy, healthy and beautiful despite the near certainty of in-utero mako poisoning was a wonderful surprise.
Cloud Lockhart sitting in the principal’s office with his daughter, another child with a black eye and a furious parent was, unfortunately, not surprising.
The kid Cali had punched, a girl about her age with crimson, artificially curled hair, held an ice pack to her face. Tear stains dotted her visage and she still sobbed and hiccuped every few seconds, lip quivering as she kept glancing at Cali and her mother, who sat besides her. His daughter on the other hand, sat next to him with her head down staring intently at her feet. Her hand viciously and thoughtlessly rubbed circles into her thigh in an endless loop. Cloud frowned, recognizing her all too familiar nervous tick.
“Mr. Strife-”
“Lockhart.” Correcting those who refer to him by his previous name came naturally now, after eight years of reminding people. “ It’s because you refuse to change the name of the delivery service.” Tifa would chide him with a laugh. Well, she can kick his ass on this one. Lockhart Delivery Service doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well, now does it?
The principal of Sector 7 Memorial Elementary School adjusted her glasses and sighed. “Right. Mr. Lockhart ,” she made sure to emphasize the name and Cloud was sure she spit as she spoke, “I assume you know why you were called here?”
Cloud leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees, folding his hands and resting his chin on them. “Why my wife was called here,” he corrected her again. His sharp eyesight saw the ends of her lips twitch in annoyance and he smirked into the back of his hands. “But yes, she gave me the rundown.” He glanced towards his daughter’s victim. “It’s not hard to put two and two together, anyway.”
In actuality, Tifa had groaned in agony when she saw her phone light up with the school’s phone number. He had heard her voice shake as she spoke with the administrator on the other end. He had seen the look in her eyes, of fear and agony and anger, as she hung up and threw the phone on the couch so hard they were both certain she had broken it. He had seen the tears well up in her eyes, not of sadness but of anger, as she grabbed the keys to the family’s car.
She had done this so many times. She hadn’t told him what was going on because she knew he knew that Callidora had hurt another student. Again .
In an instant, Cloud volunteered to go take the front of the verbal abuse she was bound to receive from both those who worked at the school and from whatever guardian showed up for the student Cali had hurt. The tears, mostly dissipated by then, had dripped down his wife’s face as she said “No, you don’t have to” but the kiss she gave him had silently pleaded and thanked him at the same time.
“Are you even listening to me!?” The shrill, bird-like shriek of the mother brought him out of the daze he hadn’t even realized he was in. One hand reached over into the seat of her daughter, grasping her hand and the other was pointing directly at Cloud’s head. Seeing as she was sitting right next to her, she was basically screaming in his ear. He recoiled back, making eye contact with the strawberry blonde woman for the first time.
Upon seeing his eyes, she recoiled back as well and sneered at him. “Well that explains everything,” she rolled her eyes. “Your kid is a mako junkie.”
Cloud felt his expression drop and Callidora stiffen next to him. He was revolted, sickened at what this woman had said to him. He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply through his nose. “Come again?” It was a struggle to keep his voice steady, but he purposefully betrayed the anger he felt in his monotone delivery.
“You and your kid.” She leered at him, exchanging a look with the principal. “You mako-heads shouldn’t be allowed to breed. The kids your kind create are nothing but a nuisance and a danger to society.” She motioned past Cloud towards his daughter.
In a fluid motion Cloud was on his feet, in front of the woman. Had the setting been different, he would have lifted her by the collar of her shirt and brought her eyes right to his face. Instead, he opted to place a hand on the wall above where she sat, caging her into her seat. Looming over her, his eyes were on fire as he glared down at her. His free hand was clenched, fingers twitching to grab a sword that was not there. He may have never been in SOLDIER, but this bitch sure didn’t know that and was absolutely going to use that intimidation to his advantage. “You want to talk about my kid like that in front of me again?”
“Mr. Lockhart!” He heard the principal stand behind him. He exchanged another glance with the mother, her eyes wide and afraid and shaking where she sat. Scowling at her, he scoffed and returned to his seat. He noticed that Callidora had stopped making circles on her thighs. “I-I understand that Mrs. Willowbrook’s comments were uncalled for but I won’t allow the use of intimidation in my school!” The principal’s voice was loud and huffy, her face beet red. Cloud grunted in acknowledgement and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. There was a pause as the other adults in the room expected an apology. It did not come.
The principal sat back down and regained her composure before continuing the meeting. “Anyway, Mr. Lockhart I’m sure you’re aware that this is far from the first time your daughter had physically harmed another student.” The words hurt to hear, but Cloud knew them to be true. He had never been the one to sit in on these conferences, but he knew how often his pride and joy was in trouble at school. Hitting people or getting into fights. Callidora was exactly like him when he was 10 years-old.
The meeting proceeded without much incident, but he noted that the woman- Mrs. Willowbrook, although Cloud cared little enough to commit the name to memory- was very quiet and demure for its remainder. After forcing Cali to apologize, the woman and her daughter hobbled out of the principal’s office. Cloud made it a point to shoot her one more mako enriched glare on her way out.
Cali had then been sent out to wait in the hall as Cloud found himself in a one-on-one meeting with the principal. Yes, he was aware that Callidora was two incidents away from suspension. Yes, he was aware that her grades were slipping and yes, they were working with a tutor to remedy the issue. Yes, of course, they were working with her guidance counselor and therapist to develop coping mechanisms and strategies. No shit he and Tifa were aware of the adverse effects mako has on children. No, they were not considering pulling her and putting her into a school for children with behavioral issues and Cloud was quite frankly appalled the principal had even suggested this.
A round of 20 Questions later, a scheduled appointment with the school’s guidance counselor and a promise to contact Callidora’s teacher to set up a meeting later Cloud was finally able to leave the stuffy and frankly cramped office.
Cali was sitting in a chair in the hallway, scribbling away in a sketchbook she carried with her everywhere. Cloud was able to take a glance of her drawings of dragons and fairies before she flipped it closed and stuffed it into her backpack. He extended his hand and her eyes, the color of pure mako, met his before she grabbed it. They were dull and sad, not the usual fiery viridian Cloud was used to. It broke his heart.
They walked out of the school’s side door, towards the visitor’s parking lot in silence. The former mercenary knew his daughter well; she would talk to him when she was ready. The world can be an overwhelming place for her and it can take a while for her to internalize it. At least, that’s how her therapist explained it to Cloud and Tifa.
The fire in her eyes returned faintly when she saw that her father had driven to her school not in the family car, but on Fenrir. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back, signifying that she was okay to let go and run across the parking lot towards the bike. She reached it well before him, climbing over it and grabbing her helmet, a bright pink monstrosity modeled after a character in a movie she liked. It was perfect for her.
She placed it over her black, chocobo-like hair and smiled a wide smile that was missing a few teeth. She was perfect.
“Move over,” Cloud instructed her, a smile creeping onto his face. He placed his own helmet over his chocobo fluff, which he only ever wore when he rode with Cali, and grinned over his shoulder. Her eyes were ablaze, renewed, and happy. God dammit, he loved her so much.
She wrapped her arms around Cloud’s waist, the mako in her blood giving her a death grip. He revved the engine, causing Callidora to squeal in delight before turning out of the parking lot going much faster than was permitted in a school zone.
The sights and sounds of Edge, which had developed into a proper powerhouse of a city in the 13 years since Meterofall, zoomed by as Cloud and Callidora weaved in and out of traffic. If Tifa knew how recklessly he was driving with her, he’d be sleeping on the couch for at least a week but he didn’t care. The feeling of his child against his back and the sound of her laughter and giggles was worth it.
He smiled knowingly to himself as he sped by the street that Cali knew would lead them to their house and he could only imagine the look of confusion on her face. Her giggles and laughter died down, but Cloud wasn’t concerned. At a red light, he glanced back at her to see her looking at him quizzically, stars shining in her eyes. The light turned green as he winked at her and smiled.
He drove them far out into the wasteland surrounding Edge, farther than he had ever taken her before. The howls and roars of monsters in the distance didn’t phase him as he rode further out into their territory. Callidora was basically half a SOLDIER and her entire family, both by blood and not, had defeated Sephiroth. One of them had killed him twice. She knew how to hold her own.
He finally spotted the outcrop he was looking for. Marked by yellow lilies he meticulously maintained, it was his favorite place to sit and be alone. As he slowed to a stop near the hill, he realized he had never even taken Tifa here before.
“Where are we?” He heard Callidora speak for the first time since he arrived at her school. Cloud took his helmet off and shook his golden spikes back into place as he climbed off of Fenrir. Cali climbed off by herself, her purple skort getting stuck on the seat as she struggled to find stable footing on the ground. Her eyes widened as she looked out over the horizon, seeing Edge and the remains of a gutted Midgar from this far away for the first time. Cloud walked over to her and knocked on her helmet, reminding her to take it off. Once she had, she repeated her question, face full of wonder.
Cloud walked towards the flowers and motioned for her to follow. “Come here and I’ll tell you.”
She hurried next to him and her eyes fixated on the flowers, an “ooooooh” escaping from her lips as she quickened her pace. She kneeled down next to them, allowing the aroma to waft over her sensitive olfactory glands.
He sat next to her, happily watching her as she smelled the flowers he had cared for so many years. Satisfied, she rolled back onto the balls of her feet before falling to the dirt and crossing her legs.
“This… is a special place to me.” Cloud explained as his daughter leaned into his shoulder. “I’ve been coming here for a long time.” He looked up at the sky, and memories of past adventures swirled in his head. He had long stopped being sad when he remembered the sad parts and allowed the nostalgia to overcome him.
“Does mommy know about this place?” Cali questioned, picking up a dried piece of grass and rolling it between her fingers. Her eyes were transfixed on the sprawling cityscape miles away from them.
Cloud chuckled. “Yes, but I’ve never taken her here before.”
That got Cali’s attention. She gasped and her voice dripped with enthusiasm. “Really?”
Cloud nodded. “Really.”
“What about Marlene and Denzel?”
“They helped me plant them” he nodded towards the lilies, “but that’s it.”
“So I’m the first person you’ve brought here?”
“Yep.”
Silence fell between the two as they took in the scenery of the wasteland before them. Occasionally, a truck would enter or exit Edge or a fiend, so far away it couldn’t be identified, would would cross its expanse. It was a calm moment with Callidora he rarely was able to experience.
“What happened today?” He finally prodded her. He was positive the details of the situation had been relayed to him, but he went in knowing he wasn’t going to listen unless it came from Callidora’s mouth. She was many things: stubborn and beautiful, impulsive and feisty, proud and strong. She was not a liar, this much Cloud knew.
She crushed the grass she was playing with as she curled her fingers into a fist. Cloud looked down and saw her biting her lip, a habit picked up from her mother. She gave a cursory glance towards her father. “You’re not mad, right?”
Poor, sweet Callidora. She hated when people were even slightly disappointed in her. It tore her to pieces and she would recede into a shell she usually never had. “Of course not,” he told her truthfully, “I just want you to be honest.”
“She was making fun of Jackie.” Cali explained. “Calling her really mean names, saying she’s dumb ‘cuz she can’t talk or walk.” Cloud could feel the intensity emanating from her as she recounted what happened. “And I just got so mad…” Her voice trailed for a moment before she quietly added, “She deserved it.”
I should have known she was defending Jackie, Cloud thought as the image of Callidora’s best friend entered his mind’s eye. She had moved to Edge when Cali was in second grade and his daughter had immediately become smitten with her, determined to become friends.
Hailing from Gongaga, Jackie was mute and has used a wheelchair for her entire life. Callidora had taught herself how to read sign language, just to be able to communicate with her. The two were now so inseparable that Jackie and Cali had been assigned to the same classroom every year, since Cali could act as Jackie’s interpreter. They were two peas in a pod, and it wasn’t the first time Calidora had hurt someone for being mean to her friend.
“Was I a mistake?” She asked out of the blue, eyes now focused on the dirt she sat on. “Maybe it would be better if I wasn’t born.”
The question caught Cloud off guard completely and it took him a second to realize what exactly she was asking. He whipped his gaze downwards towards her, but was greeted only by her black, spiky hair as she looked towards the ground. She was trembling slightly; Cloud was barely able to pick up her small movements. She only ever trembled when her emotions reached a fever pitch and the possibility of her having a mako headache was very real, he realized in a panic.
“Cali.” Cloud’s voice was stern, but he received no response. He reached over with his free hand and grabbed hers, the size of his easily able to grasp both of hers. “Callidora, look at me.” He tried to keep his voice calm and steady, knowing that she would be able to hear even the faintest indication of uncertainty. He wasn’t sure how good he was at fooling her though, as she looked up at him looking like a wounded puppy.
Cloud squeezed her hand so hard that it would have hurt her, had she not had mako flowing through her. “ Never think that you are a mistake.” He pulled Cali onto his lap, cradling her against his chest. “You are not a mistake and I never want you to think that again.” Not once, not through the tears and fights and anger and frustration, had Tifa and Cloud considered her a mistake. Tifa’s pregnancy, according to all then-current understanding of mako, shouldn’t have even been possible . No, Callidora had never been thought to be a mistake- she was a miracle in every sense of the word. “You are the absolute best thing to happen to me and your mother.”
Cali leaned her head against his heart, clearly fighting a losing battle with the tears welling in her eyes. “But all the other kids say I’m weird and that they’re scared of me.” She hiccuped as the tears started to fall freely. “Even the teachers don’t like me. When we talk about mako-biology they all just look at me and-” Her rant was cut off as she dug her head into Cloud's coat and sobbed.
Having never been good at calming Cali down when she becomes emotional, Cloud did the first thing he thought of. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as tight as he possibly could without hurting her and rocked his body back and forth, the same way he would rock her to sleep when she was a toddler. He placed his chin on her head and whispered words of encouragement to her, telling her it was okay and to just let it out. The way she shuddered against him, Cloud’s heart lurched as he realized she had probably been holding all this in for a long, long time.
Callidora was a bright star in their dreary lives. Happy, brave, stubborn, perfectly imperfect. As her father, it was his duty to make sure she could shine as brightly as possible. But as she sat with him, crying against his chest because the mako in her blood made it nearly impossible to be a normal girl, Cloud couldn’t help but feel it was his fault she had dimmed.
“Teachers didn’t like me either.” He had the sudden urge to tell her. She didn’t respond, but he continued anyway. “I would pick fights for no reason. I would bite and spit on kids who looked at me the wrong way. I was a little-” He cut himself off, the word shit on the tip of his tongue. “A little troublemaker,” he finally decided.
“R-really?” Cali sniffled, but didn’t look up as she spoke into his jacket.
Chuckling, Cloud responded in the affirmative. “I was so bad at school I didn’t even bother trying to finish it.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling her that part. Cali was going to finish her schooling. It’s not like there was anything like SOLDIER for her to run away and join. “I probably would have been expelled anyway.”
Callidora finally looked up at him after using his coat to wipe her face, not that he minded. “D-did you ever give anyone a black eye?” The faintest traces of a smile lined her lips and Cloud inwardly sighed in relief that his dumb idea had worked. He smirked back at her and nodded.
“More times than I can count.”
“Didn’t your mommy get mad?”
Cloud sighed, a small whistle escaping his lips. “Mad isn’t a good enough word. She was more like-”
“Furious?” Cali interjected, her smile widener now. Cloud recognized the word as one of her vocabulary words from earlier in the year and praised her usage.
“Yeah, furious is a better word. But ya know what?” He paused, but didn’t allow her to answer. “She still loved me, despite how much of a troublemaker I was.” He leaned down and kissed Callidora’s forehead. “Just like how your mom and I will love you no matter what.” It pained Cloud that Cali would never be able to meet any of her grandparents, but he was glad that talking about his mother no longer hurt him. She would grow up hearing how wonderful her grandmother was, Cloud would make sure of it.
No longer crying, Cali’s smile folded into a frown. “Am I still going to be grounded? Even though you still love me?”
“As your dad, I have no choice but to say yes,” Cloud admitted. “I’ll have a talk with your mother tonight.”
“Okay…” Cali pouted. “I would prefer no dessert over no TV…”
Cloud found himself laughing again. “I’ll tell your mom that when we talk. Alright, my legs are falling asleep, get off.”
Listening to Cloud’s words, Cali slid off his lap and he sat up. Offering her his hand, she accepted and he helped pull her to her feet. Still seeing the sadness in her eyes, he smiled to himself. “Okay before we go home,” he started as he walked a few paces away, “show me how you punched that girl.”
“Daddy, are you going crazy?” Cali asked, stifling a giggle as her eyes widened in surprise.
He shook his head, bending his knees, squaring his center of gravity as he took a defensive stance. He beckoned her towards him by bending his fingers in a “bring it on” fashion. “If you’re gonna punch someone, I gotta at least make sure you’re doing it right.” He winked at her. “You are a Lockhart after all.”
She took a few steps forward, the mako in her eyes flaring. The fire that burned within her, her sense of justice, the scar on her cheek and her jet black hair that was so spiky it would put a cactuar to shame really did remind him of Zack sometimes.
She stopped a step away from him and took an offensive position. Cloud towered over her, but he was still prepared for a hard hit- this kid had more mako in her than some 3rd Class SOLDIERs did back in the day.
A spark lit her eye as she swung her fist forward, aiming for Cloud’s face. With reflexes a cat would be jealous of, he was effortlessly able to catch her fist before it made contact. Smugly, he narrowed his eyes. “Nice form but you need to make sure you don’t stare at what your target is.”
“Oh, you mean like this?” Callidora smirked in a way that resembled her mother in every way as she used her other arm to sucker punch Cloud in the ribs. He let go of her hand and crouched forward in pain, sucking his teeth in all while Cali’s laugh filled the air around them.
“That was a cheap shot.” Cloud spit, immensely proud that she was able to fool him the way she did.
“Mommy showed me how to do that.” She beamed, proud of her ability to outsmart him.
“Yeah I know,” he grumbled as he straightened himself out, “she does that to me all the time.” The words had no sooner left his mouth than he took a swing back at her, aiming low towards her stomach. He felt pride in his heart again as Callidora jumped backwards instantly, leaving only air in her wake.
“Oh you wanna fight?” She goaded him as she ran forwards, but he jumped out of the way only allowing her to graze his shoulder. Cali followed this movement by immediately spinning where she stood, landing a kick in the center of Cloud’s back, causing him to stumble forward. She took another fighting stance, but relaxed when her father raised his hands over his head in the form a “T”.
“Time out, time out!” He chuckled. He started to walk back towards Fenrir. “If you’re gonna spar with me, you might need these.” Opening one of the bike’s many storage compartments, he reached in and grabbed Callidora’s hot pink combat gloves. He tossed them to her and proceeded to pull out a bright blue sparring sword made of foam as she put them on.
Putting her hips on her hands, she gave him a look of bewilderment. “You had this planned from the start!”
Closing Fenrir’s storage compartment, Cloud shrugged off his jacket and threw it onto his bike. “I can’t let my choco-girl be sad. That would make me a bad dad.”
Cali clenched her fist, the leather squeaking under her fingers. “Don’t blame me when I kick your butt!” She cackled as she sprang forward, fists reared back and ready to strike.
Unfortunately, Cloud was not used to how thin his sparring sword was compared to the fusion blade and although he used the weapon to guard, Cali’s strike rang true as her fist collided with his cheek. He stumbled backwards, a sharp pain emanating from where she had struck him. “Not bad kiddo!” He called after her as he steadied himself before lunging forward.
Every blow he sent towards her, she was able to dodge or block with no trouble at all. Of course, he wasn’t going all out as he didn’t want to hurt her but he was impressed nonetheless. Her ability to control the mako that flowed in her blood in the way that allowed her to excel in combat had only gotten better throughout the years. Cloud could look at her and confidently compare her to himself a decade ago, when he was in his prime.
Her ability to hone her increased senses was also getting better, although it often caused more problems than made better. A side effect of her learning disability was that she often gets overwhelmed when over stimulated and shuts down. Having an increased capacity for sight, hearing and smell often made her breakdowns worse, as she would find herself unable to regain control of the situation.
Cloud had only seen Cali breakdown a few times, but every time it’s been terrifying.
Her foot landed on his chest as she kicked him backwards. “C’mon daddy, I know you can do better than this!” She teased him. “I’ve seen the way you and mommy train!”
Lunging forward, Cloud slashed the foam weapon downward and managed to hit Cali’s shoulder. His first hit of their sparring session, he realized. “You know I can’t fight you the same way I fight your mom,” he refuted as ducked under a blow aimed for his head. “I’d hurt you.” His eyes, on instinct, focused on the large scar under her left eye. It was barely visible, but he would always blame himself for it and would never allow himself to hurt her again.
“Laaaaaame!” Cali jeered, jumping backward and dodging a modified Focus Thrust technique. She responded by landing a one-two punch to Cloud’s abdomen and he couldn’t help but notice how good she was at finding his weak points and vulnerabilities.
He could almost feel the mako in his blood invigorate him as his daughter continued to taunt him with every successful hit on her end and every unsuccessful blow on his end. Figuring it was time to reassure his dominance over this small, ten year-old child, Cloud once again took a defensive position right as Callidora took another swing at him. Mimicking the first attack of their fight, he grabbed her fist once again. He saw her eyes flicker in excitement, but before she could punch him the ribs again, Cloud kneed her in the stomach. She hunched forward in pain as her father landed the final blow, thrusting his sword forward into her torso and knocking her backwards to the ground.
He stepped forward towards Cali’s still body, knowing she wasn’t actually hurt. He stood over her and pointed the tip of his fake sword at her throat. “Who’s lame now?” He smirked.
But his demeanor changed immediately when he saw the fear in her eyes. He lowered his weapon, and his voice trembled as he spoke. “Are you okay? D-did I hurt you?”
“The flowers.” She breathed, rolling over in the dirt so she was on her stomach. Cloud was confused for just a moment, before he realized her head had landed at the edge of the flowerbed. “We can’t hurt the flowers.”
Cloud’s heart sank. “What are you talking about?” He asked, although he knew exactly what was to come.
“We can’t hurt the flowers!” Callidora repeated, her voice raised. She glanced over her shoulder to her dad. “It would make Aerith sad!”
In an instant, Cloud was back in the church in Sector 5. Lilies cushioned his fall, Aerith’s sweet voice rousing him. Her scolding him to be mindful of the flowers as he fought Reno off echoed in his ears.
Of course, Callidora had never met Aerith. People barely talked about Aerith around her and besides Cali’s middle name being the same as the flower girl’s, there wasn’t much around them to remind everyone of her. But ever since she could talk, Cali had been able to hold conversations about the woman, talking about things she couldn’t have possibly known.
“Children of mako have the Planet’s wisdom flowing through them,” Red had explained when Cali was about three years-old. “They gain the Planet’s knowledge through dreams and visions, but they are rarely able to discern the details.” He had glanced towards Cali, who had been playing with a stuffed toy. “For her to know Aerith by name is unusual, to say the least.”
“Aerith… Aerith isn’t here, Cali.” Cloud stammered. Her dreams of their friend were rare, but it was always chilling when they happened. “She won’t be sad about the flowers.”
“Yes she will!” The words were almost screamed at Cloud as she stood up. She stomped her foot, paying careful attention to not step on a lily. “She’ll be mad at you and me and mommy if we hurt her flowers!”
“Cali…” He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, before pulling her into a hug. “Aerith has been dead for a long time. She won’t be sad about the flowers.”
Pulling away from his embrace, Callidora’s face was red with frustration. “I know she’s dead!” She yelled. “But she’s watching from the Lifestream and I see her when I sleep and she talks to me and!.. And…” Her voice died down and she panted, her shoulders bobbing up and down as she breathed. “I don’t understand. Why am I the only one who dreams about her?” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears again.
“I don’t know.” Cloud mumbled, empathizing with his daughter’s plight of visions of things she didn’t understand. Of course, he knew it was because of the increased amount of mako in her bloodstream but how would he be able to tell her that? She knew that the thing that made dad strong also made her strong, but she didn’t know how or why. And god, he was not the right person to explain it. He could barely explain it to himself most of the time.
“You’re lying.” She whispered, causing Cloud’s heart to drop.
He gingerly took her hand, hating that she was able to see right through him. “C’mon, Cali let’s go home.” Without looking at him, she wordlessly nodded and walked back to Fenrir with her head hung. Riding high off the adrenaline of their fight just minutes before, she had now crashed down. She had receded back into her shell, and as much as he wanted to help, Cloud knew there was no bringing her out of it until she was ready.
As they put their things away, she kept glancing back at the lilies with a sense of longing in her eyes and in that moment, Cloud made up his mind. They needed to tell her everything. About mako, about Aerith, about Sephiroth.
He shot Tifa a text message, explaining the situation before speeding off back towards civilization, the roar of Fenrir’s engine fading into the breeze of the wasteland.