It had been a long day. A long, rainy day.

Cloud came slogging into the kitchen after he parked Fenrir in the garage. His poor, usually pristine bike was covered in mud; courtesy of a truck driver after dropping off his first package of the day. Cloud was also splashed in the brown muck. His hair drooped in its waterlogged state and his clothes created a puddle after each step. He had remembered to take his boots off out in the garage, not that it would have made much of a difference. He trudged his way up the stairs and immediately turned into the bathroom. He turned on the shower before he stripped off his clothes. He wanted to step into the clean warmth as soon as he dropped the last article with a plop onto the floor.

Cloud gave an audible sigh as the hot water poured over him. He stood there for an uncharacteristic moment before he began the process of shampoo, rinse, repeat. It wasn't long before he was standing in his bedroom in a towel, rifling through the drawers for something comfy. He settled on a pair of black sweatpants and a loose white shirt. He went back to the bathroom to gather his soaked clothes. He figured he might as well just take them to the laundry room.

As he went to the sidestep the puddles on the stairs, he noticed that they were no longer there. Ah, Tifa must be home, he thought. He had meant to clean the puddles up himself, but he would thank her for doing so. One less thing he had to do before relaxing for the night.

After dropping the clothes directly into the washer, he wandered through the house and into the living room. He was about to take his customary spot on the couch, next to Tifa, when he noticed something off. There was something in his spot. Something white, fluffy, and purring. Cloud's eyes narrowed at the offending creature, wondering at its audacity. He watched as Tifa absentmindedly ran her hand through its hair. The creature's tail flicked slightly at the end and its' eyes were closed in bliss. Cloud cleared his throat then and Tifa looked up at him.

"Geez, Cloud, you startled me," she said to him, mildly. She smiled at him then, though she continued petting the creature.

"Hn, what is that?" he said, pointing rather childishly at the creature. It didn't even flinch as Cloud sent negative energy towards it through his eyes. He lowered his hand and looked at Tifa. "It's in my spot."

"'It' is a 'he' and his name is Zeus," Tifa proclaimed. "Marlene found him this afternoon trying to escape the rain under the porch."

"Then what is he doing in here?" Cloud asked with much distaste.

"I'm keeping him here until his owners can be found. He's just a kitten," Tifa explained, scratching behind the creature's ears. He purred louder, if possible. "Maybe six months old at the most." Tifa grabbed the creature and moved him to her lap. "Here, you can still sit down."

Cloud eyed the spot wearily, knowing there were bits of white fur left behind. White fur that would stick to his black pants. He cautiously sat down, but all would not be well. The little ball of fluff opened his eyes at all the movement. Cloud looked down and saw his bright green eyes. Once the creature realized Cloud had sat down, he jumped up to all four paws, arched his back, and hissed for all he was worth.

Leaping out of his seat, Cloud pointed at the creature. White hair, green eyes, and an instant dislike of Cloud? "It's Sephiroth! He's come back to haunt me as this creature." He then proceeded across the room where his sword hung on the wall.

Tifa was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face. Cloud thought the cat was the reincarnation of Sephiroth? Sometimes Cloud's paranoia knew no bounds. "Goodness, Cloud. Put the sword back! You just startled Zeus is all. The cat is not a reincarnation of Sephiroth." The cat had settled back onto Tifa's lap, but growls could be heard from him. His eyes were narrowed at Cloud, daring him to come closer. This was his lap to enjoy.

"That cat is evil."

"The cat is fine."

"He goes."

"He stays."

"I'm the man of the house and I say he goes."

"I bring in the majority of the finances and I say he stays."

Damn, she had him there. Cloud glared at the cat one final time before he stalked out of the living room. He could stay. For now.

He never got to see the smug look on the cat's face as he left.

Zeus – 1. Cloud – 0.