A/N: I decided to name Cloud's parents on my own accord so they would be easier to identify. Argus is Greek for "vigilant guardian" and Natalie is Latin for "birthday." (I looked them up on the Internet.)
A Lesson in Parenting
"Argus Strife! I can't believe you went and did that!"
"Oh, Natalie, what harm could it do?"
"Oh, well, I can name a thousand things that could happen!"
"You're blowing this out of proportion."
"I'M blowing this out of proportion? You bought a dangerous beast for our son!"
"It's not a dangerous beast. All the kids from the other towns are riding one."
"Oh, and if the kids from the other towns started toting machine guns around, you'd get one for him, too?"
"… Maybe."
"Argus!"
"What?"
Six-year-old Cloud Strife awoke from his midday nap to see his parents arguing over something in the kitchen. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes as he tries to figure out what the heck those two were fighting about… again.
"Oh hi, sweetie," exclaims Natalie as she sweeps her only child into her arms with a big hug. "I'm sorry. Did dad and I wake you up?"
Cloud gives a weak nod, his spiky blonde hair stuck out in all directions. His little white t-shirt was drooping off to one side while his blue shorts scrunch up from being slept on. Natalie smiles as she brushes some of her son's hair out of his deep blue eyes.
"He's just the spitting image of you, isn't he?" she giggles as she picks up the boy and holds him in her arms.
"Heh, maybe just the boy part of him," Argus chuckles as he ran a hand through his long dark-brown hair, which was tied in the back. "The blonde hair and blue eyes; that's all you."
"Oh stop," exclaims Natalie playfully. "Give yourself some credit."
"Hey there, sport," greeted the man as he ruffles his son's hair. "Guess what I got for ya."
"What?" wonders Cloud, his eyes suddenly brightening up.
"Don't you dare let our little boy ride on that… that thing!" berated the woman.
"What is it?" Cloud asks again, getting excited by the surprise.
"You want to see?" Argus goads the boy.
"Argus…" growls Natalie as Cloud nods his head so hard that it looked as if it was about to fall off.
"Well, c'mon. It's waiting for you outside," continued Argus, pointing a thumb towards the door.
Squealing with impatience, Cloud literally leaps out of Natalie's arm and dashes towards the door without bothering to put on his shoes, despite his mother's dissension about the matter at hand. The front door of the small house tears open as Cloud ran outside to see something that made his jaw drop and his eyes aimed upward. Argus comes up from behind, smiling at his son's reaction to the creature before them.
"Kweh!"
"Don't leave your mouth open like that, son," he says as he lifts the boy's jaw closed with one finger. He then puts his hands on his sides with Cloud still looking upwards. "So, what do you want to name your new Chocobo?"
The boy interlocks his fingers behind his head as he thought of a good name for the big yellow bird. He manages to come up with one and grins at his choice.
"Spike!" exclaims Cloud with a jump. "I want to name him Spike!"
"Spike, eh?" chuckles Argus. "All right, Spike it is. Hello, Spike."
"Can I ride him now?" Cloud asks excitedly.
Natalie gives her husband a look, but he merely returns a shrug.
"Sure, why not?" he responds as he lifts his son up onto the Chocobo's saddled back. He turns to his wife who had her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. "Don't worry. I'll watch him."
Grabbing the Chocobo's reins, Argus leads the bird around the town with Cloud literally bursting with joy as he rode on the creature's back. Slowly and steadily, the children came out to watch the "festivities" as their parents watch over them. Nibelheim is a small and quiet town so when something new appears, everyone wants to see it. Everyone, including the strong-hearted Tifa Lockhart, who came strolling out of her house holding her mother's hand.
"Isn't that Cloud Strife?" wonders Mrs. Lockhart, indicating the boy sitting proudly on the Chocobo's back.
The six-year-old girl said nothing as she smiles at the happy boy high atop the big yellow bird.
That night, Cloud sat outside petting the Chocobo as it lay cooing at the boy's touch. The saddle and reins were placed in a neat little pile near the door of his house, taken off later in the day when Cloud wanted to help groom the big bird with his dad. He hears the door open as Argus steps outside to check on his son.
"You like him?" he asks with a smile.
"Nope!" chirps Cloud, grinning from ear to ear. He wraps his little arms around the Chocobo's neck. "I love him."
Argus scratches the back of his head, unsure of how to begin his intended conversation. While Cloud had been playing outside, Natalie nagged him about the repercussions of getting their son a pet.
"What's going to happen when it dies, Argus?" she exclaimed worriedly.
"Chocobos have a lifespan of at least 20 years, Natalie," he assured her. "By the time he dies of old age, Cloud will be old enough to understand the concept of death."
"That's not what I'm worried about," she argued back. "What if it runs off and gets eaten by a monster? How are we going to explain that to Cloud? He's much too young to experience that."
"Then I'll make sure Spike gets tied up whenever we're not watching him."
"And what will you do if Cloud decides to ride off on that thing by himself?"
"And why would he do something like that?"
"I don't know, Argus. You were once his age, too. Haven't you ever wanted to go off and explore the world when you were as young as he is? Just think about it."
Sighing exasperatedly, Argus tries to think of the right words to say to his son as the boy plays with his pet. This parenting stuff is harder than it looks.
He walks over and sits himself beside Cloud, watching as the boy caresses the bird's smooth feathers. Taking a deep breath, he decides to ease into the conversation with something easy.
"Hey, Cloud," he began. "Want to know how old Spike is?"
"Mm-hmm," answers the boy with a nod.
"He's six years old, the same as you," responds Argus.
"Really?" exclaims Cloud, turning his head to look at his father with deep blue eyes. "When's his birthday?"
"Uh…" stuttered Argus. He had asked the Chocobo farmer, Choco Bill, for the age of the Chocobo, but never really wondered about the birth date. Thinking quickly, he decides to make up a date to satisfy his son. "August… 17th."
"Really?" exclaims Cloud with a big smile. "That's 2 days before my birthday!"
"That's right," responds Argus. "Guess that makes you and Spike brothers, huh."
The little boy gives the Chocobo another glomping hug and turns to his father. "Dad… Can I have a little brother, too?"
"What?" exclaimed Argus in surprise. He scratches his head nervously. "Wh-why would you want a little brother, Cloud?"
"I… want someone to protect," Cloud answers truthfully. "Besides, when you're away at work and mom's busy, I get lonely."
Argus didn't know how to respond to his son's words. In all truth, he really wished his job as an engineer didn't force him to have to travel to other towns to do his work. He knew that as an only child, it would only be natural for Cloud to want someone he could play with while he was away. He and Natalie had tried all they could to alleviate their son's loneliness, but all their efforts never seemed to work. Cloud was just too shy and unconfident to make friends at school and it didn't help that he and Natalie couldn't be with him every minute of the day.
"Well," he began. "What about Tifa and the other kids around here? Why don't you go make friends with them? You can have Spike here help you out."
"They don't like me," replies Cloud, hanging his head.
"What?" exclaims Argus. "But you're such a cute little kid. How can anyone resist you?"
"I'm not cute; I'm brave!" the boy argues back.
The man smiles at his son's declaration as he places a hand on the boy's head. "Of course you are. You are the bravest boy around here."
"Mm-hmm!" Cloud nods proudly.
"But you know," began Argus. "Sometimes being brave is not always a good thing. You've got to be smart, too."
"But all the kids make fun of me for being smart in school," retorts Cloud.
"Do you know why?" asks Argus.
"No," answers Cloud.
Argus ruffles his son's hair a bit. "Because they're jealous of you for being so smart."
"Really?"
"Mm-hmm."
Cloud wraps his arms around Spike again as Argus looks on. He knew what he had to do and it was now or never. Putting on a serious face, he calls to his son.
"Cloud," he began. "Have you ever… wanted to run off and explore the world?"
The boy became quiet as he thought about his answer. "Maybe. I thought about it. But I don't want to. Not right now, anyways."
"Why not?" wonders Argus.
"Because I like it here," replies Cloud. "I like being here with you and mom and Tifa and Spike. Besides, I'm too young to go traveling like you. And then there are all those monsters out there."
He turns to look up at his father with curious blue eyes. "Do you get scared of those monsters?"
"Sometimes," replies Argus. "I once saw a monster that was 8 feet tall."
"Wow!"
"Yep!"
Argus grew silent as he tries to think of the right words to say what he really needed to say. "Cloud… You know, Spike here isn't going to be here forever?"
"What do you mean, dad?" asks Cloud, not really sure what his dad was trying to say.
"Well, you know," began Argus. "After a few more years, he'll go back to the Lifestream."
"Why?" asks the boy.
"Well, because… nothing lasts forever in life," stutters Argus. "You, me, mom, and every living thing on the Planet will eventually go back to the Lifestream when we finish living."
"Finish living?" repeated Cloud. "You mean die?"
"Yeah…" sighs the man. He rubs his face nervously, unsure of how to choose his next words. "After living for a few years, things eventually die. It's not anyone's fault, though. That's just the way how life works."
"Oh," exclaims the boy. "So, are you saying that Spike will die soon?"
"No, no!" vociferates Argus. "I meant to say that if he does die, you shouldn't blame yourself or anyone else. It's all simply a part of life. That's why you should do what your heart says, because you never know if someone you know will die. See?"
"Oh," exclaims Cloud. He goes over to hug Spike one more time. "Then, I'll do my best no matter what."
"That's the spirit," encourages Argus as he sweeps Cloud into his arms.
Feeling a bit better and wiser, Cloud hugs his dad back.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to go away, too?"
"Not now. But eventually, I will."
"Are you going to go away before I grow up?"
"Never! I'll always be with you until the day you are confident enough to start your own life."
"Okay," responds Cloud. "…Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."