How to Balance Music and Love

Summary: He was the new kid. Her band needed him. She needed him for another reason.

Ages: Cloud, 17. Yuffie, 15. Vincent, 18. Tifa, 16.

Couples: Cloud x Yuffie, Vincent x Tifa, Reno x Elena.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or most of the songs in the story.

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Chapter 2: An Offer Turned Down

As Cloud was unpacking everything from the Uhaul, he saw a figure running towards the house, correction, running towards him. He thought of only two options to get out of this situation, move out of the way and let the figure run past him, or move out of the way and trip the figure. He chose to just move out of the way and let the figure run past him. When he saw that it was a young girl run past him, he was just confused. Too bad the trailer was behind him, because she ran into that thing face first.

Cloud went over to help her up the moment she fell onto the pavement. "Are you okay?" He asked her helping her up. He noticed she had kind of an Asian look to her and he thought it was a little cute, but she looked only fifteen years old or something. He also noticed she was dressed in a green tank top and tan short shorts with knee socks and a pair of black Hurley sneakers. She really did look cute, but Cloud knew she was young and didn't even think of anything other than that fact. "Sorry about that. It's a reflex."

He noticed the look on her face when she looked up at him. "Don't worry about it." She said to him. He did notice she was looking confusing at his blue glowing eyes. "Why do your eyes glow like that?"

He was asked that question a lot in the past. "My dad worked at a nuclear plant and I would go with him every bring-your-child-to-work day. Guess I inhaled some of the nuclear fumes or something." He was so used to answering that question he would just say that every time someone asked. He decided it was a good time to introduce himself to her. "I'm Cloud Strife."

"Yuffie Kisargi." Was all she said to him. An Asian name, of course. He was right, she is an Asian girl. "I live next door." She said finally. He knew by her saying that she stopped thinking what she was thinking before. "So, do your eyes also glow in the dark or something?"

That was the first time someone asked him that. "I don't know. I haven't looked in a mirror with the lights off before." He answered her. He thought whoever does that is mentally ill or is just seriously bored out of their minds.

"Yeah, who does that?" Yuffie asked him. Good thing she didn't suggest that to him. He would've thought she was crazy or something. "I was also wondering if I could help you and your mom unpack all your stuff."

"That would be helpful. Alright, just be careful with my amps." He warned her.

Little did he know that she also played had amps from Mesa Boogie. "I own Mesa Boogie tube amps also. I'll be careful." Little did she know that she shocked him enough to stop him from moving.

He could help but ask… "You play guitar too?"

"Yeah, but I only do rhythm, because I have slow reflexes and the hand-eye coordination of a bat." She explained. Her little joke made him start laughing by the way she compared herself to a bat. When he stopped she decided to continue. "I play a Washburn Idol through Mesa Boogie Stiletto
ACE stack."

"Not bad." He said to her. "Washburn is okay, but I like my guitar better." He didn't tell her what his guitar was though.

"Okay, how about I help you and you show me your guitar." She said handing him his guitar case. It looked like the case to a single cut model like a Les Paul or something.

"If you can't tell by the case, then alright." He replied to her. It was kind of obvious with the case, but he figured she's seen other guitars with that type of case. He thought that when he took the case from her and then saw two more people coming, a boy around his age and another girl. He didn't know the boy, but he recognized the girl.

"Seriously Yuffie, you shouldn't just run over here on your own." The girl said complaining to Yuffie who was still in the Uhaul.

Cloud decided to surprise the girl and let her know he remembers her. "Take it easy on her, Tifa. She did just get some new neighbors."

Tifa was shocked to know that he remembered her after all those years. "You remember me Cloud?"

"I visit your Myspace page all the time. You have grown up, but you'll always be the kid I remember." He looked over at the guy and thought back to a picture Tifa had on her page with someone that looked like him but with shorter hair. "You must be Vincent." He said to him. She put a caption saying his name and that he was her boyfriend.

"Yes, and you must be Cloud." Vincent held out his left hand to shake it. Cloud gently shook it not wanting to leave an impression that he's a tough guy or a bad ass or anything. He did notice something about Vincent's eyes. They were red. "I wear contacts." Vincent explained to Cloud telling that he was curious about his eyes. "Why do your eyes glow?"

Before Cloud could answer the cliché question, Yuffie answered for him. "He used to go to a nuclear power plant with his dad and he breathed some of the nuclear fumes." She jumped out of the trailer and handed Vincent a box. "And don't ask him if they glow in the dark. He doesn't know."

Vincent just stared at her in confusion. He wasn't going to asked in they glow in the dark. "Who would ask something as stupid as that?"

"She did." Cloud said walking passed Yuffie with his guitar case and Mesa Boogie Lone Star combo amp. He wasn't sure what he did, but he was sure that Yuffie was or going to be upset with Vincent.

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After the finished unpacking they were all pretty worn out. Good thing Cloud's mom was nice enough to bring them lemonade to drink. As they laid down in Cloud's new yard sipping their glasses of lemonade, Yuffie decided it was time for Cloud to show them his guitar. "Alright Cloud," said the young girl standing up. "Time to show us you guitar."

Cloud lazily stood up from his spot on the yard sighing. "You seriously need some more patience, but I guess I could show it to you guys, now." He stood up from his spot followed by Tifa and Vincent as he walked towards the house with Yuffie walking next to him.

As they walked through Cloud's new house… Yuffie, Vincent, and Tifa beheld his dining room, kitchen, living room, and were going up the stairs if cloud didn't stop them. "All that's up there is the bathroom, storage loft, and my mom's room." He opened a door next to the stairway. "This is my room."

They all thought he was joking. They were looking at a room that looked like it was a six by five length with a closet and a window. With his amp stack and dresser in there, they were surprised his single person bed fit.

"This is a room?" Yuffie asked. Her bedroom was twice as big. "It's a little… Little."

Cloud didn't take it as an insult at all. "I don't need much room. This is fine with me." He didn't like large areas. It made him feel a little nervous and unprotected. He picked up his case from his closet and put it on his bed. "Ready?" He opened his case in front of both of them.

They were all shocked to see that his guitar was an Ebony colored Gibson Les Paul Custom. "A Gibson?! This thing is so nice!" Yuffie said in shock. She was personally expecting an Epiphone Les Paul or another single cut guitar, but never a Gibson or a Les Paul from the Gibson custom shop.

"Yeah," Cloud said to the three other people in his room. "I used to play a Fender, but after I got this from dad, I've been playing it ever since. I love it." He closed the case back up and out of their sight.

"What happened to Papa Strife anyways?" Tifa asked calling him by the old nickname she gave him when she was little.

"There was an accident at the nuclear plant." Cloud started putting his guitar back in the closet. He was okay talking about this because he was quick to get over something losing someone. "He was killed instantly."

"Wow!" Yuffie said in shock. She knew it was a kind of dark subject, so she decided to change the subject. "Let's talk about something else. So, what music are you into?" She did notice a small CD player at the head of his bed.

"Well, I'm into a lot of Alternative Rock and Post-Grunge. I did play Alternative Rock back in my old band." Cloud replied sitting back on his bed getting ready to unpack a box with some small things he owns.

Yuffie was now sure that he was the one they needed for her band. "Sweet. You see we're forming a Post-Grunge band and we are seriously lacking a good lead guitar and vocals…" She looked at him to make sure she had his full attention. "And I was wondering if you would like to try out for the band."

Cloud then looked down towards his red carpeted floor. "I'm going to have to say no." Tifa, Yuffie, and Vincent stared at him in shock. They thought he would be more than happy to join. "I need to find a job and help my mom around the house. We just moved here." He stood up and looked at them. He knew by looking at them that they were disappointed in him. "Maybe some other time."

Yuffie wasn't going to take that for an answer. She was beyond furious with him. "Whatever! Just stay here and live a dull life! We don't need you!" She stormed out of Cloud's room and his house.

"Yuffie!" Tifa said shocked at her best friend. This was the first time she saw her react like that. She turned her head to her old childhood friend. "I have no idea where that came from."

"This band most be pretty important to her." Vincent said in as much shock as Tifa.

"I could tell." Was all Cloud said staring at his open door. "You guys should talk to her."

Tifa and Vincent made their way to the door. "We'll see you around Cloud." Vincent said looking back at him. "We'll do what we can about Yuffie."

"Yeah, see you around." Cloud said shutting the door behind him. He could tell that the band was important to Yuffie, but the question is, why? Why would a band be so important to someone as young and high spirited as she was? A question he didn't think would have an answer any time soon. He just decided to stop thinking about it and get back to unpacking some of his things.

End of Chapter 2

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Author's Note: I wanted to give Cloud an entirely different guitar in this version. I was going to go with a PRS, but I already have a story with two people playing PRS guitars and didn't want to use them again. So, I remembered trying a Les Paul out in L.A. and really enjoying it. That's why I decided to give him a Les Paul, even though a lot of band stories have Les Paul players.