Author's Note: First of all I must apologize for my poor English skills, it's not my mother tongue and therefore I think I'll have a lot of mistakes, especially with grammar, so I'm sorry for that... So I have been meaning to write this story forever, and now I have finally started! I must say I feel quite pleased with myself, and hope at least some of you will enjoy reading my story! ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, they all belong to Square Enix...
Just Another Delivery
The sun warmed his skin and the wind tugged gently at his hair, his glasses protecting his eyes from the sand welling up as he stormed ahead along the road. Cloud sighed and shook his head slightly while hands covered by black gloves tightened the grip of the handlebars. Cloud couldn't help but feel bored. It wasn't as if he didn't like his work, but, some days it just seemed so futile. Cloud felt a distinct lack of action, action that he felt he badly needed.
Cloud could never have imagined himself missing the days when he and the others were saving the world, and he had given himself quite a shock upon realizing this. He had spent a lot of time thinking about it since and now he had come to some sort of an understanding concerning the matter, or so he thought. Back in those days, when his life was still filled with action he had been forced to concentrate on surviving, so he had had no time to think about troublesome things, no time to grief or feel guilt. But now, especially during long distance deliveries, he had all the time in the world to ponder upon such things, and more often than not he found his thoughts drifting of to explore unpleasant memories.
The road took a sharp turn and Cloud was momentarily blinded by the bright sun, however he paid this no mind, and trusting his driving skills he continued at the same speed. A breathtaking landscape took from in front of him, and it would have been truly stunning had Cloud only seen it, but he didn't. The green grassland with small groves every here and there, the water in the rivers glistening as the sun hit its surface, the beauty of nature. A beauty that was lost for Cloud because the only thing he could see was the same landscapes he always saw, and that had since long turned dull and gray in his eyes.
Soon Cloud was able to spot his destination, Rocket Town, but he figured it still was s quite some way to drive before he reached there. As he manoeuvred his bike on the curvy road the sky got darker, a lot of clouds were building up, and Cloud hoped the rain wouldn't break out before he was able to take shelter somewhere, preferably after his delivery. The weather however, suited his mood perfectly, since Cloud also felt gloomy. He hated it, hated it more than anything. Why did he have to be so damn weak, Cloud desperately thought, while ploughing through the landscape. He thought he had forgiven himself, but lately he just did not know what to think anymore. Was he truly forgiven? The question nearly drove him insane! And even worse, Cloud felt he didn't really have anyone to discuss the matter with, no one that'd want to listen to his brooding once again. Or rather, Cloud though, people would probably gladly listen, take Tifa for example, she'd be delighted he entrusted such a thing to her, but Cloud didn't want to bother anyone else with his problems. Problems that never seemed to leave him, infested too deep to ever be cleansed out. Besides, Cloud knew that even though Tifa would listen to his problems without even the smallest of complaints, it would bother her. It would bother her that Cloud still hadn't got over the same old matter, and this in turn would cause her to worry and Cloud didn't want that. He didn't want people to think of him as some despicable man, shoving all of his problems upon the backs of others. Anyway, Tifa had Denzel and Marlene to look after and worry for already, she didn't need one more person to baby. On top of this, even though Tifa would try, she'd never understand him, Cloud reasoned, because she simply didn't know the pain that tormented him. No one did.
The sun had now completely hidden itself behind the thick darkish clouds, and the closer Cloud got to Rocket Town the chillier grew the weather. The earlier pleasant wind now blew coldly upon his face. The blond shuddered and almost thought of stopping for a while, in order to be able to adjust his scarf, which Tifa had got him before this delivery, but he decided against it thinking it was too much trouble. Instead he sped up, and in a matter of minutes he had reached the destination for this delivery, Rocket Town.
Jumping of his bike he warily observed the sky, letting out a heavy sigh, since there were no signs of it clearing up. If possible the wind had only increased in power, and the darkness staring back at him from above seemed even gloomier than before. A mass of heavy clouds, impenetrable even for the strongest of sunbeams. Cloud quickly turned his gaze away, not wanting to see more of the miserable sky, as it only added to his current depressive state of mind, which he indeed wanted to get rid of, but felt incapable of doing so.
Cloud dealt with the delivery in no time, and as trustworthy as always Strife Delivery Service had completed yet another flawless job. Cloud silently wondered if he should go and look if Cid was at home, but as he didn't really feel like talking to anyone he swiftly made his way back to his motorbike. Another reason for not staying in Rocket Town any longer, argued Cloud to himself, was that the rain would start pouring down soon, and among many other things rain was something Cloud wasn't the least bit fond of. Thus, he figured, the only option left was outrace the storm, and even though he knew it was a stupid idea to begin with, he thought he at least could give it a shot. Then, in case he did get caught in the storm he reckoned that he could seek shelter somewhere along the road, and so, without even looking back at Rocket Town he left, speeding of into the distance.
Some time later, somewhere out on the road Cloud could feel the first few innocent raindrops hit his already cold skin, making him shuddered slightly. Cloud had no wish to get caught outside in the awaiting rainstorm and making a quick turn with his bike he headed for Nibelheim, which he supposed was the town closest to his present position, and however much he despised the fact that he would have to spend time in Nibelheim he felt even less tempted to continue driving into something that could turn out to be a huge downpour. Getting his clothes soaked was nothing Cloud appreciated, but then again, he wondered, who did? This thought in mind he steadily picked up more speed, hoping to reach the town somewhat faster in order to avoid the worst of the rain.
Seldom had Nimbelheim looked as abandoned as it did when Cloud reached the town, the streets were empty and all doors and windows were tightly shut, no lights to be seen anywhere. The storm had truly taken form faster than Cloud could have had imagined, and he wore no longer, despite his efforts, a single piece of dry clothing. He parked his bike close to the inn, which was a dull house with gray stone walls, nothing anyone would exactly enjoy resting their eyes upon. Just as Cloud was about to enter he caught a glimpse of Shinra Mansion as it stood there on its spot, alone in all its horrific glory. Cloud retreated his hand, that was already about to grab the doorhandle, and took a few steps backwards on the dirt road, muddy from all the raining and covered with a rich number of water puddles which were growing by the second. Because of a sudden notion Cloud started walking towards the mansion instead, leaving the inn behind, thinking, that Vincent would maybe be there, and even if he was not, Cloud was sure he could spend the night there, for free. And if Vincent, contrary to Cloud's believes, would be present, Cloud was sure of that he had no reason to fear not getting some peace and quiet, as Vincent wasn't exactly known to be the talkative kind of guy. Anyways, Tifa and Yuffie and possibly some others might cheer up some if they got to hear some news about their raven haired friend, as he very seldom took any contact with them. Then again, Cloud reasoned, Vincent probably never contacted anyone.
Making his way towards the house Cloud could feel a couple of icing raindrops streaming down along his neck, and further down his back, causing him some icy shivers. His soaked hair lay, as flattened as it could get, all over his face covering up good part of his field of vision, but Cloud had already since long given up any attempts to move the hair away as he had noticed that it always fell back again. Upon entering the yard through the big gate Cloud stopped abruptly, not sure if he actually wanted to spend the night in the big, abandoned house towering up in front of him. Realizing it was actually something resembling fear that held him away from the house Cloud had to let out a small laugh, he was no longer a child, a house shouldn't scare him. Even though many a terrible event had taken place there, the house in itself opposed no danger. Resuming his walking he removed his goggles and ran his hand through his hair in a last desperate attempt to squeeze out some water out of it, this however proved to be in vain. Cloud cursed the damned the weather, mumbling angrily under his breath hoping that someone above might hear him, and stop the godforsaken rain.
In no time Cloud stood face to face with the big wooden door, and after having pondered upon if he should knock or just enter Cloud settled for knocking, figuring that if Vincent was home it would be rather rude of him to enter without at least making his presence known in some way. But barely had Cloud knocked before he regretted this decision, thinking it would have been better to stay at the inn after all, as no one would be bothered by his presence there. Vincent was a loner, and such persons were never happy to be disturbed. But as any attempts to retreat now were out of the question the man steadily stood in the same spot strenuously staring at his feet.
The minutes passed, the door remained tightly shut and no sounds indicating that the raven haired man would be present could be heard, so Cloud drew a sigh of relief and slowly, but steadily, turned away from the house. But only had Cloud taken a few steps in the direction of the town as the door soundlessly slid open.
"Sorry I had you waiting, I was already asleep" said a deep voice apologetically from behind him, freezing Cloud the spot, making him realize it was not only the house itself he found intimidating, but also its inhabitant.
"Cloud" the crimson eyed man said with the smallest hint of surprise hidden in his voice. The fair haired man slowly turned to face Vincent, and replied in the same manner. At this Vincent turned to head back into the house, leaving the door open so that Cloud would be able to follow. For only the shortest moment Cloud hesitated, but as he already had awoken the older man he decided it'd be better if he entered than walked away. Stepping inside he was greeted by warmth that the house seemed to embrace him with, making his soaked clothes at least a bit more bearable, which in turn improved the blond's mood noticeably.
The interior of the house was possibly even darker and gloomier than the weather outside and it took Cloud's eyes quite a while to adjust to the lack of light. When they did he noticed that nothing much about the house had been changed. It was the same wallpapers, same dusty floor, the only new pieces of furniture Cloud could spot at the moment was an old table and a couple of chairs to go with it. The table would probably have looked brilliant and rich in colour if only it was viewed in daylight, but Cloud seriously doubted that the interior of this house had experienced the warming sunbeams often, if ever, lately. It was in one of these wooden chairs situated at the table that Vincent sat, face as unreadable as ever. Cloud made his way to the opposite side of the stoic man and calmly seated himself there. Nothing was said for the longest of time, and Cloud was surprised to hear that it was Vincent's voice that broke the suffocating silence. Vincent asked for the reasons for Cloud's visit, and the latter muttered something about deliveries and rainstorms. The words that left the lips of the blond were no explanation, but being the man he was Vincent wouldn't ask about the matter more than once, no matter the nature of the answer he had received. Thus the couple once more fell into silence.
Thunder roared outside and Vincent cast his eyes upon the window, wanting to behold the storm in all its terrifying beauty. Cloud watched as the lightning was reflected in the crimson orbs belonging to the man in front of him. While doing so he couldn't help but wonder how the older man always managed to remain so calm, no matter the situation he was always collected, even now, watching the storm, he didn't seem to change his expression even once. Cloud unsuccessfully tried to recall at least one time when the man had been thrown of his inner balance but Vincent never showed a sign of hesitation, not in his actions nor in his words. A flawless behaviour.
Tired of observing the growth of the water puddle beneath him, caused by his yet far from dry clothes, Cloud decided to put an end to the lengthy silence.
"Do you spend a lot of time here?" he asked, eyes directed at the charcoal haired man. As soon as uttered the question seemed to blend with the darkness, the words fading away at the instant they were uttered.
"Sometimes" Vincent replied in a deep voice, gaze still fixed upon the window, his expressionless face leaving Cloud no clue of how to decipher the cryptic answer. Cloud had to smile a little at Vincent's behaviour, to anyone on the outside he'd seem very cold and aloof, and his behaviour would even fool Cloud if he wouldn't know that Vincent always would help his friends out if they needed him. Vincent's temporary aloofness, however, opposed one problem, namely it made striking a conversation so much more complicated. Cloud figured his question concerning Vincent's whereabouts was better ignored, since the older one did not seem too keen to answer, and having nothing else to talk about silence settled in again.
The minutes ticked by and the storm roared as strong as ever outside, showing no sign of growing tired anytime soon. The air in the house was thick and humid and possessed a somewhat stale smell. The pattering of the rain on the roof drowned most other sounds, but if concentrating Cloud could here the soft, rhythmic breathing of the other man. He found the later sound oddly calming to his overstrung mind, and took time to enjoy a peace and quiet he seldom had chance to experience. The atmosphere which Cloud had thought to be tense turned into a quite pleasant silence, Cloud actually felt relaxed.
"Do you ever think of the past?" the words left Cloud's mouth before he even realized it himself, thus startling himself in the process. Crimson eyes were flicked towards Cloud, and Vincent even raised his eyebrows a tad, the latter action, however, was something the blue eyed man didn't notice. Cloud, still rather taken aback by his own actions, would have preferred to leave the question unvoiced and to his own mind alone, but as it now was out in the open he did see no reason to regret his moment of sloppiness.
"Why so suddenly do you ask me such a question?" asked Vincent huskily, skilfully directing the question back to its source. Cloud opened his mouth to answer, but was momentarily lost in the cardinal red orbs piercing his own bluish eyes. He had never really had had the chance to behold Vincent's eyes like this, as the latter seldom was interested enough to even turn his gaze towards whoever spoke to him. Vincent's eyes were special, they were animalistic and raw but yet very soft and kind, somehow they suited their owner, both ambiguous.
"I have been" sighed Cloud once back to his senses, seeing no point in hiding the truth from the ever calm man who was currently facing him. Furthermore he doubted that Vincent would pass this information any further.
"I have been thinking of it quite often lately, and I… I wouldn't mind doing it all over. Action keeps my mind of other things." Cloud looked warily around in the dark room but Vincent never let his gaze wander away from Cloud. The younger man was oblivious to this and only went on explaining his situation and how he had felt lately. He was scarce in his words, only mentioning the main things, but he had no doubt Vincent got his drift. Even though the black haired man was quiet he wasn't stupid.
The mood around the table was stifled once Cloud had finished his story and neither man said anything for quite a while. The only thing to be heard was the soft, muffled drumming of the raindrops hitting the roof of the immense building. The storm was at last abating.
"I know the pattern of thought your mind is currently following, I used to be the same." stated Vincent calmly, his eyes once more looking out the old, dirty window.
"Used to?" questioned Cloud, eager to know if any solution existed to his problems. The other man nodded absentmindedly but made no sign of giving Cloud the key to his problems. The younger man gestured at the empty room.
"How did you stop thinking of it? I mean, there isn't much to keep you entertained here…" remarked Cloud, still waving his arms at the dusty room. Vincent seemed to pay him no mind; the cloaked man simply rose from his chair in order to move closer to the window he had only moments ago been looking out of. Back turned towards Cloud and eyes steadily fixed at the greyish landscape outside the older mans lips curled up into a small smile, well hidden from Cloud who only could see the silhouette of the red caped man.
"I have found something else to think about" explained the older, red cape fluttering behind him as he soundlessly moved across the room towards the door.
"What?" asked Cloud, even though he knew it to be pointless, as he could see that Vincent clearly indicated it was time for Cloud to leave. As predicted the only answer the younger man got was a look he couldn't quite interpret. Cloud, who didn't want to offend the red eyed man by overstaying, was quick to get out of his seat and moved swiftly towards Vincent, towards the door. At least he felt a little lighter at heart having shared his problems with someone else, and his clothes were if not dry at least dryer than when he came.
Cloud took a deep breath of the fresh night air, he might not like rain but he did like the crispiness that lingered in the air after a storm. The blue eyed man had no doubt he'd enjoy his ride back home.
"It was nice seeing you again" said Cloud, his eyes fixed on the now rainless but still very dark and gloomy sky. Vincent nodded in response, the wind tugging at his long black hair, making him seem more alive than usual. Cloud said his goodbyes to Vincent, turned, and started stepping in the direction of the gate. He still shivered slightly, thanks to his damp clothes, but being used to such small imperfections he chose to ignore it and carry on walking.
"It's you" the dark voice made Cloud stop dead in his track only a few steps away from the gate and would he only have turned around he would have seen a momentary hesitation in Vincent's slightly downcast eyes.
"It's you I think about" the words were spoken softly, in a voice so unlike the one belonging to Vincent. True, the voice was as calm as always but it lacked the assurance with which Vincent usually spoke. It wasn't the usual matter-of-fact voice, but a voice laced with emotion. Cloud, surprised by the sudden confession, quickly spun around to look at Vincent, almost loosing his balance on the slippery grounds when doing so, but the crimson eyed man was nowhere to be seen. The blond shook his head slightly, making his hair dance all around his face, Vincent truly was a mystery. However this mystery had to be solved at some other time, as Cloud realized he was far too tired to think of it now. What had Vincent really meant? Why had Vincent said it? What should his own reaction to all this be? These were all questions to be answered later. So, as there was nothing more to be done, Cloud yawned and lazily pulled on his goggles, and after one last glance upon the seemingly deserted house Cloud took his leave.
The damp grass under the blond's feet soaked his shoes again and thanks to the clouded sky everything seemed as dark as it had before, even the town showed no sign of human activity and lay as deserted as Shinra Mansion. However, as Cloud made his way towards his bike he at least knew one thing for sure, he'd have something new to think about on his drive home, and he allowed a minute smile to pass over his lips.
Author's Note: Yey, the end of chapter 1, finally! It turned out a bit different than I had imagined, but I'm quite pleased anyway... Reviews are very welcome!