He Who Cries Wolf
A Final Fantasy VII (AC) Fanfiction
by Caya Strife
Disclaimer: Even after all these years, I unfortunately still don't own Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children, any of its characters nor anything else directly related. All of that is the property of Squarenix, Sony (AC) and others. This story is being written for pure enjoyment and not intended to earn me any profit.
Chapter 1: They Who Worry
"Okay, and you're sure you didn't forget anything?" Tifa asked with a hint of concern wavering in her voice.
Cloud nodded at her with a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, I'm positive, don't worry." He replied while patting the small bag he had fastened to his black Fenrir.
It was still quite early in the morning; so early in fact that it would have probably been more appropriate to refer to it as nighttime. The late summer's air was chilly and caused both young people to shiver involuntarily.
While Tifa drew her dressing gown tighter around her body, Cloud swung himself onto his trusted motorbike, gripping the handle with his left hand, supporting himself on the tank with the other.
"You really think you'll be okay?" he asked once more, his forehead wrinkled with a frown.
After the events involving Kadaj and, more importantly, Geostigma – which had, at that time, infected and taken far too many lives – Cloud had returned to the Seventh Heaven to once again live with Tifa and the children, Marlene and Denzel. It was then that he had decided for himself to devote more time to those people close to him and had thus given up any delivery jobs and routes which would require him to be away from home for several days on end. The children had reacted gratefully; Denzel was in especially high spirits to receive so much attention from his hero. Tifa of course seemed equally grateful and rather content with the way their small family seemed to be developing. So when one day a customer came to the Seventh Heaven requesting a delivery to the remote regions of the Southern Continent – a trip which would certainly require several days – Cloud was about to refuse, when, to his surprise, Tifa told him to take up the offer. She assured him that she would be able to take care of both the bar and the children by herself; told him not to worry about any of them. Still a queasy feeling remained in the pit of his stomach; if this delivery went well, it might easily be the trigger for a change in his current life. A change that might have unpleasant side effects; a change he was not so sure he wanted to make.
"I told you I'll be fine. Don't worry, it'll be okay." She assured him and, after fiddling for a moment pulled something out of the pocket of her dressing gown and held it out to the young man. "But I want you to take this with you."
Cloud looked at her questioningly, then gazed down at her hands and the object she held in them. Quietly, he accepted it into his own, strong grasp. A smirk crept to his lips as he recognized her gift.
"A cell phone?"
Tifa nodded.
"It's the same model as your old one; took me quite a while to find it. They are hard to come by these days." She explained. And with a sheepish smile, she added: "It'll help me feel more comfortable knowing how to reach you. Just in case, you know?"
Again, Cloud smiled at her, thankfully this time, and nodded.
"Thank you. … And this time I'll answer it, I promise."
The young woman chuckled at this addition and shot him a playful look.
"Oh, you better…"
"I promise." Cloud added with a nod and safely stored the small phone in the pocket of his dark attire.
"Well, I should get going now", he started hesitantly and, looking deeply into the raven haired girl's eyes, added: "Take care, Tifa… And if anything should happen, well, you know… Don't hesitate to let me know." He softly patted the rough material covering his new phone.
Tifa nodded, stifling a yawn, thus causing her eyes to water up.
"I will", she promised with a tired smile, "Make sure you get back in one piece; Denzel would never forgive me if anything happened to you."
With a grin, Cloud nodded his head goodbye. As soon as he had assured himself that his provisions were well stored and his swords, entirely for purposes of self defense, all in place, he gripped the handles, put his feet in place and reared up the engine. After one last look back at Tifa standing in the doorframe of the Seventh Heaven's entrance, the young warrior smiled to himself and sped off into the passing night.
Shivering, Tifa quickly stepped back inside and closed the door behind her quietly as to not wake up the children. Walking up to the foot the stairs, she stopped. She knew she should probably go back to sleep, get some rest for the busy workday that lay ahead of her, but despite the tiredness in her body, her mind was wide awake. Once again, she pulled her nightgown closer around her small frame and noiselessly walked over to a barstool and sat down.
With a sigh, she leaned onto the polished material and supported her head with her right hand. Even though Tifa knew she had done the right thing; even though she knew letting him go was the only true choice, she could not help feeling a little anxious. With all she and Cloud had been through, such emotions were certainly understandable.
How could she be certain he would come back to them, and not pick a life of independence over that of responsibility? After all, he had done so before, unexpectedly, without informing any of them of his choice.
Sure, the Cloud she had seen off today was not the same young man who had been infected with Geostigma and fled from those he had been sure must consider him a burden. He had indeed changed; seemed much more at peace with who he had been and who he had become than ever before. He now seemed to embrace responsibility and company instead of avoiding it; he had become more dependable.
Still, no matter how certain she was, how strongly she knew he would return to instead of running from them, the feelings of anxiety and restlessness remained. Her heart was not as readily listening to reason as her mind.
Absentmindedly, she grabbed a rag from the sink and began wiping the tables. Her motions were automatic, her mind still preoccupied with thoughts about the young blond man who constantly seemed to make her life so much more complicated than it already was.
The more minutes passed, the slower her movements became, the heavier the thin rag turned. Finally, she once again sank down on a bar stool, released her grip on the tattered garment and tiredly rested her head on her arms. With a sigh, she exhaustedly closed her eyes and allowed her most deeply hidden and subconscious feelings to take control.
"Maybe she went shopping? Tifa!"
It was now early morning; the children had awoken several minutes ago only to find not only Cloud's but also Tifa's bed empty. Even though they were aware of his plans to leave during the night, they had expected her to be home.
Hurriedly, Marlene and Denzel made their way through the upper floor, checking every room for any signs of the young woman; then eventually ran down the stairs to see if she might already be busying herself in the bar or had possibly left them a note telling of her whereabouts.
Once they had reached the bar, however, the two of them came to a sudden halt; they had found Tifa. Apparently, she had fallen asleep at the bar after she had seen Cloud off, for she was still in her dressing gown.
"She should have gone back to bed after Cloud left", Marlene said with a frown.
Denzel shook his head and spoke quietly.
"I'm sure she couldn't sleep; because then she often comes down here and does some work. I've heard it a lot lately."
The red haired boy walked over to her and softly touched her shoulder.
"Tifa…" he tried and gently shook her "Tifa, wake up, it's morning!"
For a while, there was no reaction in the young woman's body. Yet Denzel kept shaking her, calling her name and eventually her frame stirred and her eyes fluttered open.
"Denzel…?" she muttered, still drowsy after those few hours of sleep. Tifa blinked, taking in her surroundings, and, on finally realizing where she was, sat up with a start.
"What time is it?" she asked confusedly and rubbed her eyes.
Marlene walked up to Denzel and Tifa and curiously looked at the young woman.
"It's almost ten", she replied, "You must have been tired."
"Ten already…" Tifa muttered and stood up from the barstool. Hurriedly, she straightened out her nightgown and ran her slender fingers through her hair.
"I'm sorry for sleeping in. Just give me a few minutes and I will make us breakfast. In the meantime you two can set the table."
The children nodded and watched as the young woman hurried toward the stairs.
"Tifa?" Denzel called.
She stopped and turned her head toward the boy, a questioning look on her face.
"Are you okay?" he continued, sounding rather worried.
She nodded and forced smile.
"Of course I am. Why shouldn't I be?" Thus said, she turned back around and quickly leapt up the stairs.
As Tifa was out of sight, Denzel turned to Marlene, only to see her already looking at him. Something was definitely not okay; even a child could see that. Nevertheless, receiving an answer from the young woman would certainly not be that easy.
He sped up, the cold wind stinging his face like icy needles. It was his second day on the road, and the weather had suddenly decided to turn against him; a couple of hours ago a strong rain had set in, accompanying the distant thunder load enough to be heard over the roaring engine of his Fenrir.
He would have to find some shelter quickly; his dark pants and shirt were already drenched, and he would certainly catch a cold if he had to remain soaked for much longer.
Straining his eyes to see the street despite the torrents of water, he as well tried to make out anything in the fields that might provide even just a little bit of shelter. And after minutes which seemed much more like countless hours, he finally spotted a small farm some distance from the actual road. He forced his Fenrir onto the muddy ground, spitting off dirt in all directions, the wheels more and more easily losing their grip.
Once he had reached the small house, he pushed his motorbike safely to the house where it was covered by the roof and politely asked the farmer for some cover from the rain and thunderstorm. The old man kindly let him in, brought him a towel to dry himself off and offered a mug of steaming hot fresh tea.
Cloud gladly accepted. Sitting next to the window, he stared out onto the flooded land and let his mind wander. Very soon, his thoughts returned to Midgar, to the Seventh Heaven, the kids and especially Tifa. Even though she had given him the permission to leave, had actually even urged him to go, he still could not help the uneasy feeling in his stomach. Tifa was a strong woman and easily capable of taking care of herself, she had proven so many times. Yet something told him that no matter how convincingly she said she wanted him to go, her feelings were not that ready to let him go.
He slowly brought his hand to his pocket and pulled out the new cell phone Tifa had given him a couple of days before. Deep inside, he kept wishing to hear it ring; wishing that she would call him, even if it was just to tell him that she and the kids were doing fine, that everything was all right.
He checked the display. No missed calls. No new messages.
Maybe he should call her. He checked the time; nine at night.
Right now, she would be busy cooking dinner for all her customers, most likely completing hundreds of tasks at a time as she always did, amazing him whenever he witnessed her go about her daily business.
No, he did not want to cause her additional stress. He would call her tomorrow, he thought while he restored his phone to its safe place inside his deep pocket. He would call her and both of them would feel better.
Tifa wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and returned to the kitchen. Tonight the bar was particularly busy and dozens of different dishes were currently boiling on the stove. Still her gaze wandered over to the phone on the wall.
How she hoped it would just ring; that he would call and tell her that he was fine.
The forecast had reported heavy rains and thunderstorms for the southern regions all through the week, and she could not help but worry if he was well. After all, the terrain was quite in some places and the rains had most likely washed away some of the unpaved roads. What if he had had an accident and nobody found him in those remote areas?
A frown shot to her forehead and her hand sprang to the phone, her fingers to the keys. She had memorized his number and could dial it blindly. Yet should she? She did not want to pressure him and make him turn away once more. She hesitated. Slowly, her index finger moved to the first number.
"Tifa!" she heard Marlene's small voice echoing from the bar.
She spun around, hastily reattached the phone to its base.
"I'll be right there!" she shouted back.
Somehow, she felt as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She sighed and once again glanced over to the phone. Maybe now was not the right time; she had a crowded bar to take care of at the moment. And there was always tomorrow, wasn't it?
A/N: Here it finally is, my latest tribute to my favorite couple of all, Cloud and Tifa. It's been way too long (Destiny's Grasp, was it?) since I've ventured into that territory. I hope you like this little story; what you see now is of course only the first chapter. I expect the finished product to consist of 4-5 chapters (the original plan was 3, but this chapter 1 only covers half of what I originally intended), so you might have to stay tuned for a while.
Remember also that my motivation for writing (and the feeling of obligation) falls and rises with the number of hits and reviews I receive. So if you really like this story, just drop me a few quick lines and let me know; it'd be much appreciated!
And now a word to those who read my InuYasha story "Home Is Where You Are": please don't worry, the story is not on hiatus. I've just had a little difficulty writing it lately, but I'm still working on it. The only reason I put this release before HIWYA's next chapter is that this plot and even the first part of the chapter had been on my hard drive for so long that I felt it was finally time to bring it out to you. As you might know, I'm quite busy with finishing university at the moment, but I should still find some spare time for writing. So no worries, none of the fanfictions I started recently (well, withing the last 3 years') is on hiatus.
So now, please read and review so I know if you like it or not! Thanks a lot in advance.