The Next Test
Cloud laid flat on his back with his hands covering his nose. It has to be broken. He glanced over at the girl he was staring at before he got knocked to the ground, and saw she was trying her best to not laugh, but was failing miserably. He groaned in humiliation and tried to sit up, only to be overcome by dizziness.
Zack came into view, laughing above him, with his hand stretched out, offering it to Cloud, who accepted and with help sat up slowly.
"Watch were you're going next time, dummy!" Zack warned, still laughing at the teen. "You ok?" he asked as the blood steadily flowed from Cloud's nose, soaking his uniform and dripping in a few places on the ground.
Glaring up at Zack, Cloud saw his hand once again extended to aid him back on his feet. Feeling a bit angry at his own clumsiness, he looked down at his blood-soaked hands and realized something was off.
The gloves! These were black. He could have sworn he had on brown ones only moments ago, and there was a lot more blood then there should have been from one little broken nose. He noticed it was no longer on him, but around him and in his hair with perhaps a bit on his face. He could be sure, the rain was washing it way. Rain? When did it start raining? It was then, he noted Zack wasn't standing over him, but was laying beside him. This is where all the extra blood had come from. Zack's hand was still outstretched toward Cloud, only now holding a sword for him to take.
Completely in shock and unsure of how to react to his new surroundings, he grabbed it as Zack's eyes closes and a smile played across his lips. In Cloud's mind Zack's voice echoed "You are my living legacy."
With a start, Cloud jerked up in his bed, sweating and panting heavily. Looking around at the familiar room, he thought to himself, trying to steady his nerves. 'It was only a dream.'
...-o-...
Liesl sat on Tifa's bed with her legs crossed, rummaging through her overnight bag for an outfit to wear tonight, as Tifa sat behind her brushing her hair.
"SO what are we going to do with all of this hair?" Tifa teased, seeming to be more excited than Liesl. "Oh! And can I fix your make-up? You're gonna shave your legs, right? And-"
"Whoa there, Nelly! Slow your roll. This is just the first date, let's not get all carried away. Beside, I never wear make-up, AND it's summer. Highly inappropriate for a gal to allow her unsightly body hair to grow. I shave as soon as those bad boys start to show." Liesl remark, making sure to cut off Tifa, before she could give her an unwanted make over.
"You're gonna at least dress nice and fix your hair, right?"
"Yes! Relax it's only 6:00. We agreed to go out at 7:00. I got plenty of time to shower, get dressed, and fix my hair before Cloud gets here."
"I should probably go call him to be sure he's going to be here on time." Tifa nagged walking out of the bedroom. "He better shower too! I bet he's not even going to change his clothes!"
Liesl shook her head smiling and headed into the bathroom.
...-o-...
Freshly showered, Cloud dressed in his usual attire of black on black... with more black. After a grand total of 10 minutes he was ready, or at least he thought. Cid, Barret, and Marlene, who had been waiting for him in his living room, seemed to think otherwise.
"THAT'S what you're gonna wear?" sneered Marlene, scrunching her nose in disapproval.
"Um...Yeah. What's wrong with it?" Cloud worried, as Cid and Barret groaned in unison at his cluelessness.
Marlene took him by the hand and guided him towards his bedroom, "We got a lot of work to do." she sighed.
As soon as she was through the bedroom door, she released his hand and headed to the closet in search of a new outfit. Cloud sat on his bed and waited patiently while Marlene combed through his shirts.
Seeming to pull one at random, she turned and inquired "How about this one?" holding out a sky blue shirt for him to see.
Slightly amused, he hung his head in defeat, "Out of all my shirts... you pick THAT one... Today of all days."
"You don't like it?" asked Marlene, looking a little hurt.
"It's not that. I just... Why did you pick that one?"
"I don't know. I like blue and this one's a pretty blue and I like this black marks... they kinda look like a train map or something. Why?"
"It's just, that shirt didn't always belong to me. I'd actually forgotten I had it."
"What do you mean?"
"Well you see, a long time ago... when I was in a town called Gongaga... I saw Liesl there. I didn't actually talk to her or anything. I got hurt, and got blood all over my shirt. So, I ended up going to her house and her brother let me borrow that shirt while mine was being washed... and I forgot to give it back."
"Well in that case, you have to wear it'" Marlene urged in delight "It's a good sign."
"You think so?"
"Uh-huh! It means your dates gonna go well."
Seeing Marlene look so excited, Cloud just couldn't resist "Alright, I'll wear it."
"Cloud?" One more thing..."
"Yeah?"
"Lose the half shirt thing, ok?"
"It's not a shirt! It's called a duster."
"It's a skirt. And no gloves or weapons. It's a date, not a battle." Marlene giggled, leaving the room so Cloud could change.
...-o-...
At 7 o'clock, as scheduled, Cloud arrived at the bar to pick up Liesl. As he walked through the door, she and Tifa were coming down the stairs. Liesl worn a white loose fitted racerback tank top, with a picture of a hot pink tiger lily. The design was off centered to the right and almost covered the entire front. She paired the top with black denim shorts, the same black and gray running shoes she wore yesterday, this time with hot pink and black polka dotted socks, and a hot pink tank top peeked out from underneath the straps and over the top of the white shirt. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun with a single French braid starting at the right side of her head(where her bangs would be) and curved its was to the left and back ending at the bun.
"Have fun you two!" Tifa sang, walking behind the bar, as Liesl walking on the opposite side to meet Cloud.
"Ready? Liesl ask Cloud, completely ignoring Tifa.
"Yeah." He nodded, walking with her to the door, allowing her to take the lead.
As she walked outside, Cloud notice the back of her tank top was lace, allowing him to see she wasn't wear a pink tank top underneath as he had thought, but instead a pink sports bra, so her back was visible through the lace. 'Where does this girl get these crazy clothes?' he thought.
"Don't run into any poles!" Tifa hollered as Cloud walked through the door, pausing long enough to glare at her.
"Where to?" inquired Liesl, suppressing a smile, having heard Tifa's remark.
"I have an idea." He announced, climbing into his motorcycle, motioning for her to do the same.
...-o-...
Arriving at their destination, as Cloud parked, Liesl took in the ruins around her and tried to make sense of her surroundings.
"Are you lost?" She questioned, studying the church beside her.
"No. This is it." Cloud assured her, unloading a basket from the back of his bike.
"Alright..." She doubted, but was willing to go along with his plan... she hoped he had a plan, otherwise this would prove to be a lousy date.
Entering the church, a few thing struck Liesl as odd. First was the smell of flowers. They seemed to have replaced much of the original flooring that once existed here. Second was the water that occupied the back of the church, along with a very large sword. Which, was another thing that was totally out of place among the ruins.
"Is that what I think it is?" she quipped, pointing at the blade.
Cloud nodded "Zack's Buster sword."
"What is... you know what... Why don't we just enjoy our date?"
In moments, they had set up a picnic and began eating. Liesl set her phone to play her favorite music softly. "OK! I can't take it anymore. Why here?" Liesl asked as curiosity overwhelmed her.
"Well... It's kind of a long story but this place has been kind of my hideout. When I wanted to be alone and get way form everyone and everything, I'd come here. It holds a lot of history. And my past was pretty unhappy."
"And now that you're moving forward looking for happiness... the place that once represented a trouble past, will now represent the start of a bright future?"
"Well... That's the plan anyway."
"Ok so trouble past is probably not such a great topic for a first date." Liesl indicated as Cloud shook his head in agreement
"Well is there anything you would like to share?"
"I didn't pick this shirt."
Liesl giggled "I didn't even know you still had it!"
"You have a sharp memory, don't you?"
"Sometime. How about we play a little game? One called 'If you had to pick?'"
"Um... Ok..."
"It's just as the title implies. I'll start, and you HAVE to answer, and no matter who asks the question, we both answer, deal?"
"Deal."
"If you had to pick, sweet or spice?"
"Depended on my mood."
"Agreed. Although, I do tend to lend toward sweet when I get upset."
"Um... If you had to pick...chocolate or vanilla?"
"White chocolate."
"That exists?!"
"YEAH! I'll hook you up. My grandmother was a HUGH chocoholic, and she would always sneak Zack and I some as kids. That's where I get my sweet tooth." Liesl admitted, smiling at the memory, "I remember this one time, Zack found her chocolate stash and ate a whole bunch of it... He was SO hyper after that. And when he crashed from the sugar high he got REALLY mean! He chased me around the house trying to tackle me and kick me and hit me. And he was yelling he was Ninja Zack!"
Smirking at the story, Cloud asked "Were y'all close?"
"No actually. We really weren't. I mean we didn't hate each other or anything, but it wasn't until after he left and joined up with Shinra that we started to get along better. I mean by then we didn't see each other anymore and we'd write letters to each other. We ended up growing really close, at least until... I think the worst part of losing him wasn't that we were finally close, but that I still have no idea what happen." She reviled with a far away look in her eyes.
"Come on. There's something I wanna show you." Cloud said standing and packing up their picnic.
...-o-...
Cloud had parked them on a cliff, with a small flower bed near the edge, over looking a city of ruins. Climbing of the motorcycle, Liesl walk as close to the end of the precipice as possible without disturbing the yellow blooms. Unable to find a clue in the landscape as to why Cloud had brought them here, she turned and confessed "I don't understand."
Dismounting the bike he explained, "This is the exact spot where Zack died."
Blankly, she stared at the ground beneath her feet in disbelief, and after a long pause she gasped, "It was you!"
Overcome with guilt, Cloud hung his head in shame, waiting for her to yell, to tell him she hated him, demand to never see him again, or even hit him.
"In the letter... he said he was on the run... he and a friend. I was living in Midgar, working in my own clinic... he asked me to help... his friend was sick and he was looking for a girl... he wanted me to heal his friend and help him track her down... he never showed... and I never heard form him again."
Surprised by Liesl's information, Cloud snapped his head up long to see the steady stream of tears falling from her eyes before hanging he's head lower. Hearing Liesl move closer he braced himself for what he knew was to come.
"That was you, wasn't it? The sick friend, I mean." she demanded.
Cloud simply nodded slowly, still waiting for her to react at predicted.
After what seemed like a life time, he felt a pair of small arms wrap around his waist and squeeze him tightly, but not painfully or uncomfortably.
"Thank you." Liesl whispered as tears shocked through Cloud's borrowed shirt.
Shocked, he drew in a shaky breath "Why are you thanking me?" he mutter looking at her with his head still hung.
"This is such a relief!" she exclaimed finally releasing him to place her hand of her forehead. "All this time I worried...But you survived! And you were there! When Zack didn't show up as planned and I heard about his death I fear the sick friend died, too. Yet here you are and you were with him when he died, weren't you?"
"Yeah." He answered, staring at Liesl in total confusion.
Taking Cloud's bare hands in her own, "All these year, he's been living through you. Thank you!" she smiled.
'You are my living legacy.' Zack's voice rang in Cloud's mind once again, but for the first time he understood what they meant. No longer able to control himself, he pulled Liesl into a tight hug, and for the first time in a long time, he allowed a few tears to trickle down his face, but quickly wiped them away before Liesl could see.
Wiping away the moisture from her eyes as well, she suggested "How about we get back to our date and stop making each other cry? I'm starving."
"Sound good" He agreed, catching the bottle of water Liesl throw him from the nearly forgotten basket strapped to his bike.
Grabbing two sandwiches and a few more bottles, Liesl made her way back to the edge of the cliff, being doubly sure to not damage any of the blossoms, and sat with her feet hanging over, then set her phone to play music softly once more.
By the time they finished eating the sun had set, and Cloud gazed at the stars over the ruined city. Sensing he was lost in his own world, Liesl got a mischievous idea. Standing, she moved behind him and held her beverage above his head, pausing for a moment to be sure she wasn't going to be caught red handed. Convinced he hadn't noticed what she was up to, she poured the entire contents onto the unsuspecting man.
Gasping, Cloud scrambled to he feet and faced Liesl, his formerly spiky hair now clung to his face in pieces here and there, murderously he glared at her.
Laughing hysterically, she joked "Welcome back, little kitty!"
"'Little kitty?' Because I look like a drowned cat?"
Picking up a new bottle she raised it to her lips and nodded. Just as she took her first sip, Cloud grasped the end and squeezed, causing water to gush out all over her. She quickly pulled the bottle away, glaring back with a mouthful.
"Don't you dar-" Cloud's warning was cut off, due to Liesl spewing the liquid directly in his face.
Snatching up a bottle of his own, he threatened "I'd run if I were you."
"Bring it on, little kitty." she dared.
...-o-...
They arrived back at the 7th Heaven still soaked from their battle and paused in the entry hand in hand.
"I had a wonderful time tonight." Liesl stated smiling.
"Me too." Cloud grind, leaning in to kiss her.
Before their lips could meet the door flew open as a feminine voice boomed, "FINALLY! YOU'RE BACK!" dragging Liesl away from her almost kiss and towards Tifa, who sat waiting at the bar, Yuffie continued loudly "YOU HAVE TO TELL US ALL ABOUT THE DATE! WHY ARE YOU ALL WET?"
Watching the females, Cloud joined the group of males, eyeing him anxiously.
"Why are you all wet?" Cid repeated.
"We had a water fight." Cloud explained, still watching Liesl, who was now laughing and relaying the events of the night. Aware of the silence that now filled his side of the room, Cloud looked at the men surrounding him "What? She started it!" He defended childishly, allowing his gaze to drift once more to Liesl, as the right corner of his mouth raised into a crooked smile.
"AH! Spiky! You're in love!" teased Barret.
"I'm definitely in strong like." Cloud admitted.
"I take it you date was successful." Vincent chimed in.
"If I were you, I'd hold on tight to this one." advised Cid.
"Yeah" Cloud responded, more focused on Liesl who looking back at him. Once again unable to control himself, he walked over to her, placing he hands gently on her cheeks and claimed the kiss he had been denied, thanks to Yuffie's interruption.
All around the pair, the room filled with cheering, and for once Cloud sensed a bright future ahead.
Is Cloud correct? Will his relationship with Liesl prove to be a good thing after all? Will they be able to past the test of time, facing problems and obstacles together? Find out in chapter 3 THE IMPOSSIBLE TEST coming soon.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! THANKS FOR READING EVERYONE!
PLEASE let me know what you think of it! Even if you don't like the story.