A Moment of Truth

By Stormguy71

Once again, it was a bright and sunny day in Kalm. The members of the Avalanche, like as usual, were hanging out in the 7^th Heaven they rebuilt in Kalm. It was just like a normal day, like an other day. Just that something happened...

Inside the 7^th Heaven, the Avalanche were sitting around, talking to each other, like every other folks on Sundays. Barret was bragging about his day, Cid intercepted, Cloud was sipping his drink, Tifa serving the guests, Red XIII and Vincent listened and observed what was going on and Yuffie eyeing on the next target to steal from.

Ah, a perfectly normal day.

Then in came Cait Sith. Cait Sith, the fighter with a mechanical cat standing on top of a robot mog, is usually the most cheerful and optimistic member of the Avalanche. Although he sometimes brought frustration to the other members, he was still the joy maker. His endless prediction with his Tarot Cards never came true, but he still did it and babble silly predictions that made the others laugh or shook their heads. Cait Sith enjoys his role.

But today, Cait Sith seemed a little stranger than usual. He wasn’t the cheerful creature like he was yesterday or the days before. He seemed to be sick or there was something wrong with him. He can’t be sick, he was a machine. Unless...

“Ah!~~--......”

All of a sudden, a shout was heard, followed by a loud buzzing noise. Sparks came out from all over Cait Sith and he tremble and shook violently, and then poof, smoke rose from the Mog and then the mechanical creatures voice faded. The life of the machine was like seeped out of it and it looked like it had a really bad robot fever.

The other members of the Avalanche rushed towards Cait Sith and examined it. The smoke made a weird smell like burnt metal. They quickly opened the circuit cover behind the mog and found sparks buzzing out of it and the smell became worst. Cait Sith had a short circuit. He was way too long not serviced by anyone because nobody knew the structure of this machine.

Cid took a look at the circuits. He scratched his head and shook his head. Even a rocket scientist couldn’t help Cait Sith now. This is a big situation.

Like losing a friend, the others started to have a shocked look on their face. Was Cait Sith dead? Just like that? This couldn’t be happening! Cait Sith is a machine! He cannot die, he needed to be repaired and then brought back to life. But how? Nobody in Kalm or the rest of the world know about how Cait Sith work. It’s impossible to repair Cait Sith!

Then a thought struck everybody’s head. Everyone looked at each other. Cait Sith had an owner. And the owner should know how to repair Cait Sith, no matter how screwed up it’s circuits get. The one and only owner of Cait Sith is nobody other than...

“Reeves!!!”

Reeves that was asleep on the chair suddenly woke up by that shout and his eyes were fully opened as if it was struck by lightning. He looked around and saw a man standing behind him, with a fierce look and his arms crossing. He is in trouble, again.

“Uh, yes?”

Reeves answered while wiping the saliva off the edge of his mouth. Ugh. Gross.

“What are you doing? I pay you to work! Not sleep!”

The man shouted. Reeves just sat on his chair, thinking of a way to reply. He looked around him. He saw people staring at him. He was sleeping in his cubicle, again.

“You and your computer! I bet you stay up all night staring at that thing again! You just couldn’t learn couldn’t you?”

The man shouted again. Reeves said nothing in return but just remained silent.

“If I ever caught you sleeping again, I swear I will fire you!”

The man scolded and walked away. Reeves looked around and the other people gave him a mean stare. He coward back into his cubicle and started finishing his work. He, that was asleep a few minutes ago, was once again ready to battle the countless numbers of files and reports.

This is what a Shinra Top Man became after the fall of Shinra. A loser. A pity loser. He had to beg and not fight back when scolded in order to keep himself from getting fired.

A creak of light was seen from inside of a small apartment. Then, a man walked in, haggard look, tired eyes, loose neck tie. Reeves was back from the job he hated.

Reeves kicked his shoes off the moment he entered his apartment. He had a hard day, with tons and tons of work pouring onto him, and he had to look at that same pile of files tomorrow, and the day after, and then the day after that...

He need a break. A long one.

Reeves, the once proud top manager of Shinra, had got into this condition after his ‘retrenchment’. Though he had experience in managing a city in a way larger scale, nobody actually believed him. He had to work so had just to prove that he was worth employing. But alas, he was inexperience in doing small, petty things, so he still couldn’t show what he is capable of. He was not fully utilized.

Reeves was now working in the management department in Gold Saucer. After the fall of Shinra, he had nowhere to go and he could only look for a job that could supply him enough money to survive. His job hours were so long until he could only come back home late at night, and he only had his own time from late night to the early morning the next day, then work again.

That gave him no time for social-life. He never had time to browse through the Gold Saucer, no matter how attractive it is. His colleagues all looked at him as if he was a weirdo and never once hang out with him. He was one total loser in when it comes to friends. With his ragged look and his goatee that started to lose it’s glory after days and days of stress and hard work, he was so run down till he couldn’t get a girlfriend. Not even the not-so-wanted ones. His happy hours sucks.

Though he hated his job and his social life, he loved the late-night hours between working time. He will relax on his favorite arm chair, sit in front of his computer, and then command his machine-Cait Sith, and communicate with his friend, those he fought with in order to save the planet. His real world is in Kalm, not in the Gold Saucer.

With the time zone difference, it was day time at Kalm when it was night in the Gold Saucer. When he was away from the computer, he will program Cait Sith what to do, send it on auto run mode, and then he will come back the next night and continue controlling Cait Sith. He could hang out with the Avalanche, and make stupid jokes for them to laugh and smile, he could feel that he was there with them, though they were actually miles apart. He felt he was appreciate there.

Reeves switched on his computer and started the remote control that connected directly to Cait Sith. He will then have a direct picture of what Cait Sith see and he will hear voices out of the speaker. He will then meet his true friends again. Ah, what joy! He hadn’t commanded Cait Sith for two days and he missed everything in that screen in front of him. He will soon enter his world, again...

“Connection to Client Failed. Please try again.”

Reeves was shocked to see this being displayed. He tried to connect again but the same thing popped up. Reeves started to get nervous and tried a few more times. Still nothing. There’s must be something wrong with Cait Sith. He never serviced him for a few years already. Cait Sith may had a short circuit. Cait Sith needs help.

This could only mean one thing. He had to repair him. He have to go to Kalm.

Reeve’s nerves were frozen the moment he thought of that. Going to Kalm. He had to ask for leave for a few days and might be fired the moment he returned. He had to jeopardize his career.

But that didn’t really bother him much. He hated that job. It sucked. He don’t mind being fired. He could go somewhere else and find a better job in a small office.

It was something in Kalm that bothered him. Someone actually.

Tifa.

Reeves was on his way to Kalm. He was now riding a chocobo he rented from Junon and he rode all the way to Kalm. He had to pass through the marsh, cross through mountains and much more. It was challenge for him. He wasn’t actually a very fit person. He is not the fighter like other the members of the Avalanche are.

But he had to repair Cait Sith. He couldn’t bear to lose the sole connection to the world he loved. He already crossed the marsh, being chased by the Midgar Golem, slept on the grass field filled with bugs and more. But now, after he already had visual contact with Kalm, his heart started racing. He had to meet someone. A friend. A very close friend. Tifa.

Tifa. The stunning young bartender of the 7^th Heaven, with her sparkling eyes and her long brown hair, with her always smiling lips and her ever shining face, already took many man’s heart away. Her friendliness, captured the breath of countless admirers and she was still so stunning after all this time. Reeves was one of her admirers.

From the first time Reeves met Tifa through the screen of his computer, he had already fallen for her. Though he had never seen or spoken to her face to face, he felt like he knew her for a long time, through the mechanical creature—Cait Sith. He admired her every move, memorized her every word, dreamed about her every laughter...

She didn’t even knew how Reeves looked like.

As a loner in his world in the Gold Saucer, it was Tifa through Cait Sith that kept him sane and kept him going. When he expressed his sorrows through Cait Sith indirectly, Tifa would come to Cait Sith and consoled him, and encouraged him. Though they are only images on the monitor and voices from the speaker, Reeves could feel that she was beside him, soothing away his fears and sorrows. To him, Tifa was everything. His dreams, his idol, his companion.

But in the real world, that was not true. To Tifa, Cait Sith was the mechanical creature it was and she didn’t realize that there was someone behind controlling it. Tifa wasn’t aware of Reeves. She didn’t knew about his job, his life or even his interest towards her. She knew nothing about him.

Reeves, now for the first time, have to confront Tifa, and could never freak out, or freak her out. As a man with a job and life that sucks, he felt just like a god damned loser, and having Tifa beside him was a dream too good to be true. All he hoped was not giving her a bad impression.

Before Reeves even notice, his chocobo had already brought him into the town of Kalm. He could see the familiar building just around the corner. It was the building he saw everyday through Cait Sith. His world. The 7^th Heaven.

A young girl came out of the 7^th Heaven and saw Reeves. She looked at him for a while, and she seemed to recognize him. Slowly, she walked towards Reeves.

“Hey, Yuffie.”

Yuffie was shocked to hear this. She didn’t know this man but he knew her name. It was incredible! Was it mind-reading? Or is the man...

“I am Reeves. Nice to meet you.”

Reeves introduced himself to Yuffie and she cried out. The other members of the Avalanche came out and looked at Reeves. Reeves that was now stared by so many people in a sudden, felt uneasy. Those were the friends he met every night and now they looked at him as if he was a stranger.

“The man behind Cait Sith. Well, well. Nice to meet you.”

Cid said and Reeves scratched the back of his head. He smiled a little and got down the chocobo. The others shook hand with him and he greeted them all. Then, he saw her among them. Tifa.

Reeve’s sweat immediately shot out of it’s glands and he was soon sweating heavily. He gave the others the excuse that he was feeling hot after that long ride on the chocobo. But then Tifa shook his hand and smiled at him. His heart was about to stop. He never thought the day would come that he will touch her, see her, in front of him, in person.

Never in his life he had been so close to her. In real life.

Reeves hid his expressions and then continued greeting the others. He occasionally stole glances of Tifa but then quickly turned away when she looked into his direction. He was afraid she will find out.

Reeves needed to end this so he asked for Cait Sith. Cloud led him into the 7^th Heaven and Reeves followed. Before Tifa was out of sight, he took a last look at Tifa, before he proceed with the repairing job.

Never in his life he thought meeting Tifa in person will be that exciting.

Reeves started with the repairing job and soon, there are tool, electronic parts, wires and small screws lying messily on the ground. The others went outside and let him work himself, not wanting to obstruct his work.

Reeves was good at this. He checked and tested each part, and could specifically tell what wrong and immediately came up with the perfect solution. Reeves wipe his sweat after working for a while and he really enjoyed what he was doing. Maybe he should quit his office job. He might as well be a technician, since he was also good in this line. With Cid’s help, they could even build a rocket.

“Need any help?”

Reeves heart thumped the moment he heard these words. The screwdriver fell off from his hand and he took time to recover from that shocked state. He didn’t dare to turn around. He just picked up his screwdriver and continued his work.

“No...no thanks...I can manage this.”

Reeves said something without even thinking in order to clear Tifa suspicious. Tifa didn’t leave but just stood behind him, looking at him repairing Cait Sith. This made Reeves very nervous.

“Am I disturbing you?”

Tifa said when she noticed that Reeves was getting nervous but trying to hid it. Reeves just shook his head as a reply.

“Gee. I wonder how you learn about all these stuff.”

Tifa asked. Reeves that was pretending that he was repairing while he was just screwing and unscrewing the parts without any purpose, searched his brain’s database for an answer.

“I...am a geek in high school.”

Reeves replied as if he wasn’t very proud with that. Tifa giggled and that made Reeves sweat even more.

“So...how are you and Cloud?”

Reeves asked even though he knew the answer. As Cait Sith, he had every detail with what happened between the two. At first, they started dating and things went fine. But then, Tifa found out that Cloud was way too unromantic and they weren’t that meant to be for each other. Cloud was still the cold, cocky person and Tifa couldn’t any longer tolerate that attitude. So she dumped him and the relationship ended. She did the right thing. Cloud didn’t even feel a pinch after he was dumped.

“You know. Why ask?”

Tifa said as if she had been offended. Reeves panicked and fumbled with the screwdriver that are in contact with some wires. Then, a buzzing noise was heard and Reeves pulled his screwdriver off Cait Sith, and Cait Sith immediate release sparks like a fireworks display. Reeves disconnected the power supply and Cait Sith returned quiet again.

“Uh...sorry but...I think you better let me do the repairing alone...you see...I can’t be distracted while working...”

Reeves answered and Tifa nodded. She walked towards the door and Reeves looked at her while she leaved. She suddenly turned her head around and Reeves was nearly shocked to death. He bury his head into Cait Sith’s opening, pretending to do some deeper repair. He then hear footsteps fading and he popped his head out of Cait Sith. Reeves looked at the spot where Tifa stood not long ago. He must do something about his feelings for her. He couldn’t bear keeping this forever.

She must know.

Reeves finished repairing Cait Sith after hours of digging, screwing, mending and trial and error. Feeling very proud, with only one touch of a key of his laptop he brought along, Cait Sith was brought to life, jumping around, make jokes, and really impressed the kids nearby. He felt like he had at least accomplished something worth boasting lately.

Reeves then set Cait Sith on auto run, and Cait Sith started entertaining the kids without his control. He then walked into the 7^th Heaven. Everyone thanked him as if he was the repairman, and not the man that was the soul of Cait Sith. Still, he talked to them like he usually talked in the way of Cait Sith and he managed to get a few laughs. He felt like he was just as comfortable as he was in front of the computer.

Then...Tifa came. Reeves heart started racing again. This time, he didn’t dare to steal glances at her. There were so many people around him. He was afraid the others will know about his big secret. Reeves continued telling the others joke and pretended like nothing happened and they laughed together like there was no tomorrow. Soon, the others left one by one. Reeves hope for this to happen. He waited and waited until the last person left, right before closing time. Now, there was only him and Tifa alone.

“So, you don’t need to go back like the others?”

Tifa asked while she tidied up the table in front of Reeves. Reeves kept quiet. In his mind, he was planning on how to tell her. He need to tell her. He must. It’s something he must do.

“Are you alright?”

Tifa said and looked at Reeves straight in his eyes. Reeves avoided that look. He couldn’t look into her eyes. They had suddenly turned so scary, so hard to look at when they were actually as beautiful as always. He started to breath heavily.

“Are you sick?”

Tifa said while looking at Reeve’s back. He was sweating heavily and his shirt was soaked. Reeves still remained silent. Tifa walked towards him and touched his forehead with the back of her palm.

Reeves felt instant pressure right all around his body. Tifa pulled away her hand and stared at Reeves. Reeves kept quiet but then, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Tifa...I...”

Tifa looked at him straight in the eyes. She waited for him to continue.

“I...need you to do me a favor...can you help me... keep an eye on Cait Sith?”

Those word came out from nowhere. Reeves didn’t even know how he said it. It was like his brain, just automatically changed those words into something else. This shouldn’t be happening!

“Why? I thought you are the one controlling Cait Sith.”

Tifa replied with a curious look on her face. Now Reeves have to find another answer.

“Uh...it’s because...time...Oh yah! I don’t have time to control Cait Sith so much and I am worried about the auto run system!”

Reeves blurted out a whole lot of cr%p in one breath. Boy, is he panic.

“I see. My god! It’s getting dark already! I gotta close shop!”

Tifa said and she pushed Reeves out of the bar. Reeves tried to turned around and tell her that he had feelings for her but with every step he walked, he just could say it out. It’s so hard to say those words!

Before he knew it, he was already outside the bar. Tifa smiled at him as a goodbye and closed the doors. Reeves stood outside stupidly. Staring at the door, not knowing what to do.

He was weak. Way too weak to say those words. No wonder he didn’t have a girlfriend. He couldn’t even say those words.

It was that time Reeves saw Cait Sith that was running around the kids. That gave him a brilliant idea. If he couldn’t do it face to face, he have to do it through Cait Sith.

“Reeves?”

Reeves saw Tifa in front of him. They were in the grassland with the leaves scattered all around, with trees seen far, far away.

Tifa was wearing a long silk dress dragging against the grass fields. The wind is blowing her hair in the air, with her walking towards him casually, made a perfect picture of the most beautiful girl in the world.

Reeves was in a Tuxedo, with a blossom of flower in his hand. He walked towards Tifa, and touched her face, and drew his closer and closer towards hers.

“Tifa, I loved you...”

Instantly, he felt a surge of pain in his back. Tifa disappeared and soon he felt into darkness. He forced his eyes to opened and he saw his blanket and pillow above of him, with himself on the hard floor. He just felt down the bed during a really sweet dream.

It was the next day already. It was another day and people started getting up and do their daily work and run their daily routine. Shops were opened, blacksmiths starting to forge, students started going to school, just another day of the busy everyday life. Another day.

“Damn...”

Reeves cursed and massaged his back after that fall off his bed. He mumbled about not finishing the dream, that could at least let him enjoy a little longer. He slowly crawled up and looked at the clock. 9.00am. Tifa should open shop already.

Reeves walked into the bathroom and washed up. After washing up, he glanced across his room and saw something flat lying on top of the table next to his bed. It’s his laptop. He’s going to use it now. No matter what is going to happen.

Tifa was opening the door of her bar when she suddenly saw Cait Sith standing in front of the entrance. Tifa saw Cait Sith standing there straight, looking at her in the eyes.

“Are you the auto run or the Reeves one?”

“Reeves here.”

Cait Sith answered and Tifa smiled. She slightly punched the mog and Cait Sith nearly fall off balance, making a funny noise. Tifa giggled and Cait Sith smiled back.

“There...is something I want to say.”

Cait Sith said and then Tifa walked closer towards Cait Sith. She was waiting for an answer. No reply.

Tifa took a closer look at Cait Sith and waved in front of him. Still nothing. It’s like Cait Sith’s just went dead.

Inside the hotel room where Reeves stay, Reeves was staring at Tifa, through the screen of the laptop. His heart was pumping violently again. Though this was not a person-to-person approach, he still feel the suspense. Personally, he didn’t like it.

Reeves stared at the screen, like he don’t know what to do. He fumbled with the keyboard, as if he didn’t know how to use it. A person with an average typing speed of 110w.p.m and know how to use it even without the letters on it, now had trouble typing just a few easy words.

Just those three words. After that, she will know the whole thing and then everything will be clear. Rejection? Broken friendship? A slap on the face? He don’t know what to think.

Reeves could see that Tifa was a little tired of waiting. She tapped Cait Sith a few times and they she snapped her finger in front of him. Reeves moved Cait Sith a little and then he returned back to blankness again. He gathered all his courage, all his strength, but it was all gone when he saw her face through that screen. He have to do it.

Reeves took a deep breath and type on the keyboard. He couldn’t say it so he had to type it. He finished type it and at the moment his fingers touched the enter key, he drew back. Then, he closed his eyes and forced himself to press it.

Reeves reached for the keyboard but instead he pressed the suspend button. The screen went black and Reeves buried his head in his hands.

“Why? Why can’t I do it?”

Reeves almost cried out at that moment. He felt like he was such a loser.

But he didn’t give up. He gathered his courage all over again, and then reached for the wake up button. This time he didn’t resist. He knew he had to do it or he will regret it for the rest of his life.

With all his might and strength, he pressed the wake up button and the voice activation button. His face buried in his hands, slowly, he mumbled to the laptop softly that was ready to receive voice commands, and then he spoke with his voice trembling.

“I... don’t know why, Tifa.... But I love you.... I really do...”

Reeves said and then he felt a surge of numbness filling up his body. He slowly peeked through his finger and looked at the monitor. He was ready for everything.

This he wasn’t ready for. There was nobody in front of the screen. He could still see the background, but nobody. Tifa wasn’t there.

Reeves, after all he did just to say those words, felt so stupid and he bumped his head against his laptop. Why?! Why must Tifa leave so soon?

Reeve’s tears were about to jerk out when suddenly he heard the ring of his PHS. He slowly took it out from his pocket and listened to it. A familiar voice was heard. It struck him like a lightning spell zapping right through a helpless target.

“Reeves?”

Tifa’s voice. Reeves panicked again and now he don’t know what to say. He didn’t even know whether she knew about that. What is he going to say?

“There’s something wrong with Cait. It just stopped moving and acted like a dummy.”

Tifa said through the PHS and Reeves heart relieved a lot. She didn’t know yet. Though he was back to square one, he somehow felt more secure and relieved.

“Are you there?”

Tifa voice again. Reeves hummed as a reply.

“What are you trying to say just now?”

Tifa asked. Reeves now felt the same old heart pumping sensation that he felt so many times ago. Now she was the one asking what he was going to say. He has to go through that again? How? How can he do that again?

Reeves voice went dead. He was so stunned that he didn’t know what to do.

“Reeves?”

It was at that time the doorbell was heard. Saved by the bell.

“I will call you back later.”

Reeves said and then he switched off his PHS and went to get for the door. He won’t be going through all that again. He rather not letting Tifa know about it. That’s that.

Reeves opened the door. Reeves got a big shock. Tifa was standing in front of the door. Tifa looked at Reeves. Reeves looked at Tifa. Reeve’s jaws wide opened. Ooo...isn’t that fun!

“Tiff...Tifa?”

Reeves was petrified. He was frozen on his spot when he saw Tifa, stilling holding a PHS in her hand, looking at him with her hands crossed. Reeves couldn’t escape. Reeves really have to say it once and for all. Now.

“I...I...”

Tifa listened carefully. Reeves covered his head and then, hell broke loose.

“I have feelings for you and I wonder whether it is possible to have something between us?!”

Reeves shout in one single breath and couldn’t bear to look at Tifa. He just stood there with that position for a few seconds. Slowly, he put down his hands and stole a glance of Tifa. Tifa was just standing there, with her hands covering her mouth. Then, he heard her giggling.

“You really been through a lot of trouble trying to say that, right?”

Tifa replied with a smile and Reeves looked at her without any idea what she meant. Is that a yes or no?

“I am the first girl you said those words to?”

Tifa asked again with her hands behind her back and Reeves remained silent. Tifa chuckled and Reeves looked away.

“I know you will say this the moment you entered town. I am not stupid.”

Tifa told what she was thinking all the time while Reeves was having trouble thinking how to express his feelings. He felt like a dumb ass.

“So...is it...possible?”

Reeves asked while a trembling tone. Tifa smiled at him and slowly replied.

“Well, I haven’t thought about having a relationship with you yet. But I think we can be friends...”

Reeves was stunned at the moment he heard ‘friends’. That’s all? Friends? Like always?

“...first.”

Tifa gave a pat on Reeve’s shoulder and Reeves was overjoyed. That mean...that mean he had a chance?

“Uh...so...dinner?”

Reeves asked Tifa out with bursting smile on his face. He looked like a teenager that just managed to get is first date. Tifa nodded as a reply. Reeves felt like he was going to jump up and down and then into a whole garden of flowers. He had a chance!

“See you.”

Tifa said and left Reeves in his hotel room. Reeves lay down on his bed, not believing what he just did. It was so hard but now it looked so simple. Those words, those courage needed...

He was so lit up that he didn’t even know what time or where the dinner will take place.

The End

Something from da author!

This story has nothing much to babble about. Not about very emotional love stories and those kind of stuff. It’s just about an ordinary man with an ordinary life with an ordinary love story. That’s the world we all live in, right? (This really bring back memories...)

Happy reading.