Kids
By: Riquisel Yutifae
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 and Kingdom Hearts belong to their respective owners (if you're in a blur, it's SquareEnix and Disney). I just own the story plot.
Author's note: A weird attempt at humor… or not? I don't know… inspired by a joking session with some friends and cousins. Enjoy! ^^
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One
"Good morning, Cloud!!!"
Cloud just shifted to the other side of the bed, covering his head with the pillow and groaning, pretending not to have heard the voice that he did not became so familiar with at first, but then upon realizing how long he had not been able to hear the voice, he removed the pillow from his head and instantly sat up on his bed and to turned to the direction where he heard the voice.
But there was no one there.
His excited smile faded away. Was it just another dream? He bowed down his head, disappointed at himself and the things going on around him.
The early morning sunshine seeped through the blue curtains of his room in the new AVALANCHE HQ located at the newly-rebuilt Sector 7 in Neo-Midgar. "Maybe it's Tifa or Yuffie playing tricks on my head again…" he thought silently before he yelled, "Get out from under the bed, Tifa or Yuffie or whoever you are pretending to be Aerith!"
Silence.
"I'm not pretending to be Aerith,"
Cloud almost fell out of bed when he realized that someone was lying on the bed beside him…
Aerith.
He still was not used to it… and he could not believe it himself.
"You must've been so used to not having me around anymore, Cloud." She said with a probing tone.
He laughed, feeling so embarrassed as he came back into his senses. "N…no… I just thought that I was still dreaming…" he said sheepishly before he plopped down on the bed again and embraced her tightly. "Good morning, Aerith," he whispered softly against her ear.
She was somewhat surprised at his sudden reaction towards her, but she was smiling gently as she returned his embrace. "It's so nice to be back," she thought silently.
"Hey, you two lovebirds! Rise and shine!" Barret called out from outside their room as he banged repeatedly on the door.
Cloud grumbled and got to his feet, "What?! It's still too early!" he called out.
"Rufus has a parade, remember? Everyone's required to attend!" Barret replied.
"Oh yeah…" Cloud muttered miserably before scratching his head.
Aerith slowly sat up, stretching and yawning sleepily in the process.
"I just don't understand, Aerith… you're back here with us… but… why did you have to take four crazy people with you?" Cloud asked, facing her.
She looked up at him unbelievably.
Cloud frowned slightly. "No offense," he told her.
She smiled sweetly. "The voices told me that I could take four people with me. And since they were the only ones I knew so well in the Lifestream besides my own mommy, I just decided to take them along with me. Isn't that wonderful, Cloud?" she asked happily.
He did not really know how to answer. "Oh… yeah. It's very wonderful…" he said weakly with a silly smile on his face before turning away. "Wonderful… Sephiroth, Rufus, Tseng and Lucrecia. Just nice…" he thought miserably.
There is a downside with each:
Sephiroth could just snap once more no matter how much Aerith would convince everyone that he's not insane… Rufus ShinRa is still the same cold and heartless asshole everyone knew so well and even if he got the whole of Midgar fixed and stopped corruption in the whole city, Cloud would still think that the reputation of ShinRa as "bad" can never be removed from Rufus's name… and face… and reputation itself no matter how many times you laundry it. Tseng's return just completed the Turks again, meaning, more trouble in case something bad happens again because of Sephiroth… and Tseng likes Aerith too. Very bad. Lucrecia is Sephiroth's mother. Who knows, with those two together, they could produce a movie like Psycho, only this time, it's real life.Cloud just shrugged. "At least Aerith is here…" he thought silently.
Or maybe she isn't.
Cloud heard another banging on the door, "Cloud, wake up!"
Tifa.
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Cloud called out impatiently. "What's wrong with them? Why would they even want me to get up early?" he muttered miserably. He froze when he realized that Aerith was just standing in one place, staring at him with a loving look on her face. "In time, Cloud…" she said softly.
He frowned slightly. "Huh?"
She smiled sweetly as tears fell from her eyes. "Wait for me… and I'll wait for you…"
Banging on the door again.
"Alright! Alright!" Cloud snapped, turning his gaze to the door and then back to Aerith…
But she wasn't there anymore.
Cloud felt his heart sink as his eyes widened in shock. His mouth was slightly open and he forgot to breathe. He felt so disturbed as he looked around his surroundings, realizing the it was beginning to get darker and darker…
Until he could not see anything anymore.
"AERITH!!!!!!!" he screamed out her name.
But all he heard as a response was a child's laughter.
"CLOUD!" Tifa called out from outside his bedroom door for the 10th time. She already sounded so annoyed.
Cloud jerked upright, finally awake, his blue eyes wide in confusion and shock. He was gasping for breath even as he looked around the room.
"It was… it was a dream…" he thought silently with a rather disappointed look on his face.
He jerked up in surprise upon hearing Barret calling out from outside, "Ya foo'! What's wrong wit ya?! There's someone at the livin' room fer ya!" and then banged angrily at the door.
Cloud instantly got up. "Who?" he called out.
"Oh, you're awake, thank the heavens!" Tifa said in relief as Cloud opened the door and saw Barret and Tifa standing there before him.
"We've been here for 25 minutes already and you're still asleep after all the ruckus we've caused here. The whole house is awake, even Vincent Valentine who's slumbering in the attic, and then you're still asleep, what's wrong with ya?!" Barret demanded frantically.
Cloud sleepily looked up into Barret's eyes. "I'm sorry, who's here for me again?" he asked, wanting to change the subject. Nagging from Barret and Tifa combined so early in the morning was the last thing that he'd like to hear. Heck, Barret's still in his pajamas.
Barret and Tifa were quiet for a few moments before the latter spoke up, "It's… a young boy. He says he knows you."
Silence.
"A young boy?" Cloud asked.
"I was in the marketplace buying some vegetables and flowers, then I saw him lying on the street on my way home. I thought I'd help him because… I don't know… when I looked into his eyes, I thought I saw Aerith… you and Aerith…together…" Tifa hesitated, bowing down her head. When she told the story to Barret, he thought it was ridiculous, so she thought that it might also sound ridiculous to Cloud. But before she could proceed, Cloud already ran down the stairs going to the living room area.
Upon reaching the first floor, he froze; his eyes wide in awe as he stared at the young boy who had his back to him. His figure was being silhouetted by the sunlight as he stood before the window and was looking outside.
The boy slowly turned around and looked at the blonde man with blue eyes wearing loose blue jogging pants and a loose white shirt.
The boy cheered happily and ran to Cloud, "Daddy!"
Cloud's mouth dropped open in surprise, so did Tifa and Barret…
The boy gave Cloud a tight hug. "Daddy, I'm so glad to see you again!" he cheered happily.
Cloud felt so confused as he stared blankly at the boy who was hugging him. He turned his gaze to Tifa, then to Barret.
Tifa was covering her mouth as if still in a state of shock.
"T…Tifa, are you sure he didn't hit his head when you saw him on the street?" Cloud asked her.
She could not reply. She was also stunned.
The boy looked up at Cloud, "Oh, don't be ridiculous, dad. I didn't hit my head. I was just sleepy and since I had no place to sleep last night, I just lied down on the street." He explained.
Wide-eyed, Cloud turned back to him and pushed him away. "Who are you?" he demanded.
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Wha?"
"Who are you?" Cloud repeated, still feeling confused.
The boy chuckled lightly. "Silly, dad! You're always confused… just like what mom said before. Don't you remember me? I'm Sora!" he introduced rather cheerfully.
"Sora?" Cloud asked.
The boy sighed heavily. "Your son, remember?" he asked.
Silence.
"Okay, Cloud, when did you have children?" Barret demanded.
"I don't remember anything, okay?! Look, maybe this kid belongs to Zack or someone else…" Cloud began.
"No, you're my dad!" Sora chimed in.
"Well then who's your mom?" Cloud snapped.
"Aerith Gainsborough-Strife. Does that ring a bell?" Sora asked.
Silence.
"WHAT ARE YOU?!" Cloud clutched his head in a confused gesture before he ran back upstairs.
Sora attempted to go after him, but Barret stopped him. "Okay, kiddo, what do you want with Cloud?" Barret demanded as he grabbed the boy's sleeve and pulled him to himself.
"Argh! Mister Wallace, let go of me!" Sora wailed as he struggled to break free from Barret's grasp.
"Hey, how'd ya know my name?" Barret asked in awe.
"Barret, let him go, you might hurt him!" Tifa warned sternly as she separated the two.
Sora hid behind Tifa. "Thank you, ma'am." He said.
Tifa smiled weakly at the boy before turning to face Barret again. "Go and check on Cloud. I'll stay here with this boy," she said softly.
Barret frowned and eyed the boy suspiciously. "What if that boy's just one of ShinRa's old experiments gone wild? Better be careful, Teef," he warned.
"I ain't an experiment, Mister Wallace, sir, I'm a person." Sora said with a pout.
Barret just snorted and marched upstairs while yelling, "Cloud Strife, ya foo'! Ya owe me an explanation foh dis!"
Tifa sighed in relief before turning back to Sora with a weak smile on her face. "What's your name again?" she asked gently.
"Sora. And you're Mrs. ShinRa." He replied sweetly.
Silence.
"No. I'm Miss Lockheart." Tifa explained rather weakly with a confused look on her face.
"No, you're Mrs. ShinRa!" he corrected.
She bit her lower lip as she forced a smile at him. "Just call me Tifa, alright?" she asked, trying to keep her patience.
"Okay. Auntie Tifa." Sora said proudly.
Silence.
"Okay, why don't we sit down in the kitchen and talk? I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate, would that be fine with you?" Tifa asked.
"Chocolate? Alright!!!" he said excitedly as he jumped up and down and followed Tifa to the kitchen.
Sora sat down on one of the chairs. "Gee, this place looks rather small than the last time I've seen it." He said out loud while scanning the whole area.
Tifa frowned slightly. "You're in Kalm. We moved here because Midgar's destroyed." She muttered rather miserably before grabbing a mug. "So, what's your name again?" she asked.
"Why do you keep on asking my name if you already know it?" he asked.
"I just want to be sure." She replied.
"Okay, my name is Sora Strife. I'm 14 years old and I'm from Midgar… Sector 2." He replied.
Tifa almost poured some hot water on her own hand upon hearing that. She turned to face the boy with a look of awe on her face, "Sector 2? But… Midgar is destroyed!" she said. What if he's just a ghost?
Sora blinked. "No, it's not. What are you saying?" He replied.
She blinked, feeling more confused. "Okay, never mind… just go on…" she said hesitantly before turning around again and continued to make the hot chocolate for him.
"Anyway, I don't know what really happened because the last thing I remembered, I was sleeping in my bed, and then when I woke up, I was already in a strange place… I am not sure where. I wandered until I reached this place, Kalm, as you've mentioned the name earlier…" he explained.
Tifa turned around to face him again with a confused look on her face. "Are you sure you're not an alien from outer space?" she asked directly.
"I'm not!" Sora said with a ridiculous look on his face.
Tifa looked away and began to put some powdered chocolate in the mug and then stirred rather frantically. Sora watched as she moved, noticing her franticness and the way her gaze seemed to be darting from one place to another. "Why are you nervous? Did something bad happen to your husband again?" he asked.
Tifa placed the mug before him and went over to the cupboard to get some a bag of marshmallows. She got around four pieces and placed it in the mug, letting those float in the chocolate. Sora sniffed the aroma of the hot chocolate and the marshmallows. "Hmm! Cool! Thanks, Auntie Tifa," he told her cheerfully before blowing on the steam and took a sip. He smiled sweetly at Tifa, "It's very delicious, Auntie Tifa! Thank you!" he said.
She smiled weakly before proceeding to cook breakfast, in hopes that the diversion of cooking could make her forget about what the boy was telling her… but she couldn't.
"You want me to help you?" Sora asked.
"No, thank you, Sora, I can manage." Tifa told him.
"Well… it's so unlikely of me to see you working in the kitchen because I used to see you not doing house work." He told her.
"And why not?" she asked.
"And why are you in this small house? Isn't your husband angry at you for staying here?" he asked.
"?!" she turned to face him again, but she froze when she realized that Vincent was standing by the doorway listening to the conversation.
Vincent was staring unbelievably at Sora with wide red eyes.
Sora turned around and smiled at Vincent. "Oh, hello Mister Valentine." He greeted.
Vincent blinked in awe. "H…hello," he greeted back before approaching the table and sat down on his own chair. He was looking at Tifa.
Tifa just shrugged and continued to cook. "Okay, Sora… enough with the games… who are you, really, and where did you come from?" she demanded sternly.
Sora blinked. "Huh? I'm Sora Strife! I'm from Midgar!" he said.
Vincent was looking at Sora curiously, noticing his very close resemblance to Cloud and Aerith combined. "Are you sure you're from Midgar?" he asked.
Sora turned to him, "Of course, I'm from Midgar, Mister Valentine! I thought you knew!" he replied.
Vincent turned to Tifa before looking back at Sora with a serious look on his face, "But Midgar is destroyed right now." He told him.
"Nah-uh. You can see the tall ShinRa building from here if there's no fog. I just can't see it right now coz it's foggy outside." Sora replied.
Vincent got up and went to the living room to look outside the window. "No, Sora, it's not foggy. It's very sunny." He pointed out.
Sora blinked and got up from the chair to go to Vincent. He looked outside and did not see the ShinRa building. He was stunned. "Wha… what the…" he began.
Vincent grabbed the boy's hand. "Okay, who are you?" he asked sternly.
Sora was confused and suddenly, he was panicking. He moved away from Vincent, pulling his hand away. "I told you guys, I am Sora Strife! Don't you recognize me?!" he demanded.
The more he panicked when he saw Tifa looking curiously at him with a kitchen knife on her grasp, and then he turned to the stairs to see that Yuffie, Barret and Red XIII were all staring suspiciously at him.
Red XIII!
"Maybe he could recognize me!" Sora thought silently before approaching the animal. "Hey, Red! What's up?" he asked nervously.
Red XIII froze.
"Bite him, Red!" Barret commanded.
Red XIII just stared up at Sora, feeling his human hands petting and caressing his fur. The boy embraced him tightly. "Red, tell these people who I am! Please!" he said softly with a sad tone.
Red felt so stunned. The boy smelled so familiar… but he was sure that he hasn't seen him before. He just blurted out in a hoarse whisper, "Aerith…"
Their eyes widened.
"Wh…what?" Yuffie asked in awe.
Red XIII felt so happy as he stared at the boy and then licked his face. "You smell like Aerith." He said happily.
Sora chuckled lightly. "She's my mommy!" he explained.
Red XIII could not understand what Sora had just told him, but the scent of the boy made him understand. "But… how… where is she?" he asked.
"She's in Midgar! Can you help me go back to her?" Sora asked.
"Midgar is destroyed, remember?" Vincent reminded him.
They all fell silent. Now everyone is confused.
"What's going on?" Marlene was descending the steps, causing all of them to turn to her.
Sora's eyes widened. "…?!"
Marlene stared at Sora carefully. "Oh, hello. Are you a visitor?" she asked sleepily.
Sora stared at the little girl. Then at Vincent. Then at Barret, Yuffie… and then Tifa.
They all looked younger… and wearing different clothes…
Finally, Cloud arrived from upstairs. He still looked confused, but this time, he was already wearing his usual clothes.
Sora's eyes widened upon seeing him. "Wh… where's your red cape, dad?" he asked.
Cloud frowned slightly. "What red cape?" he asked curiously.
Sora's mouth dropped open as he felt the world spinning around him. "Is this the Twilight Zone?" he thought out loud as the images became very blurred. He could hear his mother's gentle laughter from somewhere, but he could not determine where. He touched his head with a trembling hand and moved away from Red XIII…
And he fainted.
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to be continued….
Author's note: Oooooh! Weird, huh?