The GS date/kiss!
Like with the hug in Remake, if you had told me before the game came out that Cloud and Tifa were going to kiss in Rebirth, I would have called you a liar. It's way too early in their relationship! But like the hug in Remake, I would again have to eat my words, because the way the scene plays out is absolutely perfect for where they are right now.
Usually a kiss is the emphatic conclusion of a romantic arc (especially for a series like Final Fantasy), but not for Cloud and Tifa. Their entire journey together thus far has almost been a story of one step forwards, two steps back. This is the high before we get to the lowest lows of ToTA through the Northern Crater in the next game.
Cloud and Tifa are also pretty much the only couple where a moment as big as their first kiss could be locked behind an optional scene, because their "second" kiss, once real!Cloud returns, will mean just as much, if not more.
Cloud bringing up Zack/Aerith on the Gondola is actually kind of a great thing because it reminds us that this is not the end state of their relationship -- they still have so much further to go. The biggest obstacle in their relationship isn't a third party, it's not even Sephiroth, it's Cloud's mixed up memories. That's why they fight in Kalm, that's why they aren't able to fully clear up their misunderstandings in Junon, that's why Cloud attacks her in Gongaga, and that's why things are still tense when they return to Nibelheim.
But this time when Cloud brings it up, Tifa decides to file it away for the moment, she doesn't want to let it ruin their night. She's being a little selfish for once, allowing herself to get swept away by the romantic nature of their surroundings. Talking about their relationship and their past, while avoiding the parts of their past that makes it such a difficult subject in the first place. For one brief moment, she avoids the giant elephant in the room, and through that, what transpires is probably one of the most unambigously romantic scenes in all of Final Fantasy?
For once, there's no undercurrent of "Are you really you? Were you really there?" in their conversation. It's entirely about the nature of their feelings for each other and whether the other feels the same.
The way the fireworks are perfectly timed to illuminate Tifa's beatific smile before the reverse shot of Cloud, eyes lit up in awe, until the intimacy of their gaze and the implications of her statement force them to look away.
How each of them reacts after Tifa asks if she's getting ahead of herself is such a perfect encapsulation of their characters and their relationship up to this point. Cloud doesn't know who he is, he doesn't even know what's real, but when it comes to his feelings for her? Of that he's sure. And he's not going to fuck it up like he did last time, in the garden when she was looking for comfort and he took a little too long to react. This time, he doesn't hesitate, he won't let her linger for another moment in doubt.
Then there's Tifa who still hesitates even after Cloud extends his hand. The normal boy she fell in love with is sometimes so distant that he once again feels like that unreachable star, but here he is now, offering to pull her closer. She can't believe it's real, and there's still a little part of her who doubts that even he is real, but with that small nod and smile, he reassures her one more time, and finally she takes his hand and allows herself to be swept away.
Anyways, incredible scene, A+, no notes, can still hardly believe my eyes and ears despite rewatching it a very normal number of times, lol
Also smart place to put it narratively because they have absolutely no time to discuss the implications or "define the relationship" (lmao) because everything immediately goes to hell and Cloud pretty much loses his mind from ToTA and on until it's restored in the Lifestream sequence.
I think I'd like to see Tifa initiate their next kiss since their first is Cloud initiating/reassuring her in a moment of vulnerability. Their next would come after the Lifestream, where Cloud is at his most vulnerable, after he's just bared his soul to her, revealing the weakest and most humiliating parts of himself. Do you still love me now that you know that I'm like this? But by then he'll be asking a Tifa who no longer has any doubts. He is the boy she grew up with and fell in love with. And her answer will be an emphatic yes.
So I guess I am coming around to the idea of them kissing after the Lifestream scene, LOL.
But regardless, what an incredible ride this has been. Can't wait for part 3.
I think it'd perfectly fit and indicate that yes, this is a romantic sequence, and yes, HE STILL LOVES HER, this is not a thing of the past! That's why I feel it would be good placed there.
