Chapter 2

I feel like shit when my alarm goes off the next morning. I don't think I slept more than twenty minutes. Zack is still passed out on my couch, I don't bother waking him. He'll figure out what happened when he wakes up and call me. I take a quick shower and manage to make a really bad cup of coffee before I actually leave the apartment. Jesus my head hurts. Even my bike's engine makes it pound.

I get to work late. I'm almost never late.

"Woah," Biggs almost takes a step back when he sees me. "Cloud you look horrible. You want to go home? I'll cover for you."

"I'm fine." I say. What's the point I'll feel just as bad there as I will here.

He gives me a funny look then shrugs. "Alright, you've got eight packages."

"Where to?" I ask yawning. God I wish I had gotten more sleep last night. Being violently sick can really take it out of you.

"East side of town mostly." He hands the delivery slips to me. "One out to Kalm."

I curse internally. Kalm can take two hours each way depending on traffic. I just hope there is no construction. I leaf through the papers checking names to see if there's anyone I've delivered to before. Trepe, Baldesion, Dincht, Wallace, Highwind, Cole, Gabbiani, and Liore. Damn not that Highwind guy again.

I suffer through the first three deliveries without really caring. I feel like a car ran over me.

It's not until I pull up to the fourth delivery that I actually wake up. It's a place called the 7th Heaven. My fuzzy brain screams at me but I don't pay it much attention until I knock on the door.

She opens it. I mean the cute bartender from last night. I put two and two together. This is the club I was at.

She looks much different now. Changed from what I saw in the flashing lights last night. Her hair reaches almost to her knees and is dark brown, dark enough to be almost black. She's wearing a black miniskirt with suspenders and a white tank top. Wow, I mean WOW. She's even cuter in the light. A look of surprise flashes across her heart shaped face but disappears as instantly as it came.

"Well, well, well," She gives me a little smirk and leans on the door frame. "Delivery boy, I didn't expect you to miss me this much."

This is where things get weird for me. I'm a little shocked and almost embarrassed by her comment. Yeah I wanted to see her again but it's not like I planned this.

I stare, then almost woodenly answer her. "I got a package for Wallace."

"That's my boss. Come on in. I'll go get him." She turns and waves me into the place before disappearing up a staircase next to the bar.

I stand frozen in the middle of the dance floor. It's weird to see this place in the daylight. The walls are no longer backlit and the windows leave light streaming in. All the tables and chairs have been stacked in a corner like a pile of broken scaffolding. The room looks almost forlorn in its empty state.

"He'll be down in a minute." She reappears on the stairs after a minute and walks straight over to me raising an eyebrow. "You look like shit."

"I didn't get much sleep." I make the excuse and look away refusing to meet her eyes.

I can feel her staring at me for a minute then fast as a snake she whips her arm out and grabs my chin bringing my eyes to meet hers. Her eyes are ruby red, I couldn't tell last night.

"You've got Mako in you." She lets go of my chin and puts her hands on her hips. "No wonder you look so bad. You should have told me."

Honestly I'm too shocked to answer her. I hide behind my bland face.

"I can make you something that will help." She grabs my arm and drags me to the bar before I can protest.

She sets to work immediately. Making some concoction of what looks like a raw egg and some kind of juice. I sit down mostly because I have no idea what else to do. I've lost control over the situation, if I ever had any.

"Drink up." She plunks a truly gross looking drink onto the bar in front of me.

I stare at it dubiously but she's watching me intently. I drink the damn thing. It tastes horrible. I mean really horrible. Like worst thing you've ever had in your life. I manage to drain the glass without gagging but only just.

"Feel better?" She raises her eyebrow at me again.

I grimace. "After that anything is better."

She laughs a little. "Maybe I should call that drink the Death of a Delivery Boy instead of the Cosmo Comet."

I smile a little at her joke.

"You smiled." She stares at me grinning. "I was beginning to think you were made of stone."

I just shrug. It's a common assumption. I was quiet even before I went to war but now people have a tendency to think I'm emotionless. I've never been good at showing stuff like that.

"What's this about a delivery?" A large black man comes down the stairs.

"Barret, Delivery Boy here has a package for you." She points at me.

I stand up and hand him the box.

He doesn't wait just cradles it in one arm and rips it open. I catch sight of something pink and fluffy.

"What is it?" She asks craning over his shoulder.

He looks around then in a hushed whisper says. "Marlene's birthday present."

I hold out the delivery slip and pen. "If I could get a signature?"

The big man sighs. "Yeah."

He uses his free hand to put the box down and takes the slip from my hand. It's only then that I realize he's been using the same hand for everything because his other one isn't real. It's a prosthetic limb.

He clumsily writes his name in the box and hands me the slip back. "I better hide this before she wakes up." He tells the bartender and starts back up the stairs.

She smiles after him and turns back to me. I'm putting the slip in my bag. I look back up at her. Our eyes meet again and suddenly it's like my vision is obscured by those ruby red eyes. We stare for a minute before I break the gaze and turn away.

"Thanks for the remedy." I say. "It was nice to see you again."

"I'll walk you out." She smiles and walks with me to the door.

"This place is actually pretty nice." I say after an awkward moment. It's lame but at least it's something to say.

She laughs. "Yeah, last night was one of our crazy nights. You should come by on a Monday."

"A Monday?" I ask.

"It's our slowest night." She remarks as we reach the door. "It's much calmer then."

"I might do that." I shrug and open the door.

"You should." She smiles as I walk out. "I'd like the chance to actually talk to you."

And then she's gone. The door is shut as I turn to look at her. I feel my face creep up into a small smile. She just said she would like to talk to me. Maybe last night wasn't such a disaster after all.

Of course it's not until I'm two blocks away that I realize I still don't know her name.

I do feel better though. Whatever that disgusting concoction was it actually helped. I can't help smiling as I make my way back to the dirty warehouse from yesterday. She wants me to come back. I might actually have a chance of getting a date.

The package for Mr. Highwind is heavy again. Damn, I don't care who calls I'm not answering my phone. I knock on the door.

"What the fuck is it now?" The shout echoes inside and then the door gets flung open. He eyes me warily.

"Delivery Mr. Highwind." I push the box towards him.

"This you're regular route kid?" He squints taking the box from me.

I keep my face straight and nod my head but the 'kid' hits hard. I'm 23 but I look much younger than I am. It's a shock that the cute bartender didn't card me last night. I always get carded.

"Then don't fucking call me Mr. Highwind, you make me sound like some old fart. Use Cid." He signs the paper and shoves it back at me. "That your bike?" He jerks his head at it.

"Yeah," I shrug and put the slip in my bag.

"Can I take a look?" He's still glaring at me.

"Sure."

He puts the box down and stalks over to my bike. "An old Fenrir." He muses poking at the clutch. This guy is weird. "Whadaya got on it?"

I shrug, "Modded fuel intake, high power brakes, just the basics."

He frowns. "Ya race?"

"Use to."

He doesn't say anything for a moment then he whips around and stalks back to the building. "I got a fucking shit load of these things coming." He says lifting the box. "I'll see you around kid." Then the door slams again.

I shake my head. There sure are some crazies in this city.

I don't get the phone call until I'm on my way back from Kalm. I pull over and pick up the phone.

"Hey,"

"Cloud," Zack sounds confused. "Why am I on your couch?"

"You passed out at the club." I tell him checking my map.

"Shit," He groans. "What did I do?"

"You drank."

"Don't remind me. Did you get me back here?"

"Yeah, your keys are on the counter."

He groans again. "I don't think I'm going anywhere soon."

I smirk a little. It may take Zack longer to react than me but he still gets violently sick after drinking. "The pain killers are in the bathroom."

"Fuck it looks like a bloody massacre in here." He must have gone in there. It's dirty, I didn't have time to clean it up this morning but it's nowhere near as bad as he's making it out to be.

"I'll bring back some food." I tell him.

"Thanks man..." He starts but I hear the familiar sound of the phone hitting the bathroom floor and him throwing up.

I hang up and start my bike again. This is another thing that happens most times he drags me out to the bar. I don't know how he manages when I don't go with him.

I stop at the Happy Luck Leviathan on the way home. It's cheap, portable, and the owner, Godo, is one of my few friends.

"Hello," He smiles as I enter. "You want the regular?" I like this place, it's almost authentic. I spent a lot of time in Wutai during the war. It's easy to develop a taste for their strange food.

"Yeah," I wave. "Better give me double; Zack's puking his guts out at my place."

Godo laughs a little and turns around to wrap the food for me. I feel a little tugging at my back pocket. That would be Yuffie. I just reach around and grab the hand actively stealing my wallet.

"Hey Yuffie," I sigh and lift the small teenager out of her hiding spot. "I would like to keep my wallet today."

"Hey Cloud." She gives me a smug smile and tosses it at me.

"Yuffie," Godo turns around and starts yelling at his daughter in Wutaian. She starts yelling back. I don't know enough of the language to get every word but I'm pretty sure that it's something about ninjas not being thieves and family honor or something.

I sigh. Godo and Yuffie are actually the last members of the Kisagari family. The royal house of Wutai. They were some third or fourth cousins before the war but when the palace got stormed their entire family was killed. Zack and I got assigned to take them out of country. I think we're the only people who know who they actually are. What this means is Yuffie is the royal princess of Wutai. Somehow she got it into her head that she has to steal the throne back so she's practicing to be a thief as well as a ninja. But they've been in hiding here for three years but that's enough for the west to have an influence on the girl. Godo and her fight all the time. The argument ends with her sticking out her tongue and dashing out the door.

Godo shakes his head. "I am sorry you had to see that my friend."

"No big deal." I wave him off and take the food from him. "Thanks I'll see you later."

Outside Yuffie is sitting on my bike. She gives me an impish grin and dangles my keys in one hand. Damn she's getting better. "Can I get a lift?"

I grab the keys out of her hand. "Not tonight Yuff."

"Why?" She pouts.

"Zack's at my place puking his guts out."

Her eyes light up with mischief. "Have a big night did he?" She's seen what happens to us when we drink. The first time she tried to sneak back to Wutai on the journey here she slipped some vodka in with our drinks thinking we would fall asleep. She was extremely surprised when exactly the opposite happened. There's nothing worse than chasing a hyperactive teenager across a field when you feel like a hot fiery worm has crawled down your throat and is trying to eat you from the inside out.

"At least five drinks." I say shooing her off of my bike.

She winces and jumps off. "Ouch, I can come cheer him up."

"I don't think he'll appreciate that kiddo."

She gives a big sigh and rolls her eyes. "Fine, you're no fun Cloud."

I swing a leg over my bike and adjust my goggles. "See you later Yuffie."

She waves back at me over her shoulder as she walks away. "Yeah, yeah. Dinner's on Thursday."

Zack and I get invited to dinner with her and Godo every week. I try to make it when I can but it always depends on where I take deliveries that day.

By the time I get home Zack is no longer throwing up. He's slumped in one of the chairs in the living room looking like death.

"Hey, I got food." I hold up the bags and grin at him.

"How the hell can you be so chipper?" He groans. "It looks like you had a worse time than I did."

"I got help this morning."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You're enjoying my suffering aren't you?"

"Yeah," I push a carton of noodles over to him. "Eat something."

His face goes distinctly green. "I don't think I'm quite there yet."

"Suit yourself." I start eating.

"You got help with this?" He asks doubtfully.

"Yeah, I got a package for the owner of that place we were last night." I nod and continue eating. "The bartender made some kind of drink that helped."

"Which one?" His eyes light up a little.

"The chick. She's pretty nice."

"She's pretty hot." He grins at me. "How did you manage to talk to her? She completely ignored me."

"You don't remember anything do you?"

"Not after I started drinking with the girls. What happened?"

I relate the story to him. Mostly the part where I got a drink dumped on my head. Then tell him about this morning.

"Aww... My little Cloud is growing up." He reaches out and ruffles his hair.

"Jackass," I call him and wave the food under his nose.

He goes green again and dashes for the bathroom.

Yay, second chapter. I'm allowed to be excited about it.

Kudos to anyone who can name the delivery list. I assure you they are all Final Fantasy characters. I'll post a full list on the next chapter.

Also despite my best intentions I totally forgot to mention something after the last chapter. Whenever I write I listen to songs. I'll base a scene off of one song. It doesn't mean that lyrics have anything to do with what I'm writing but I thought it would be interesting to tell people. The first chapter was Flavor of the Week by De/Vision and this one was Staring at the Sun by TV on the Radio.

Once again reviews are awesome, I love getting them. There's nothing like the warm glow of fellow nerds telling you good things about you're work.

Thank you everyone