"His Role"

By K.T. Selner

"What the hell is this!? You guys are in big trouble!"

That's what Cloud heard when he entered the bar and saw Tifa behind the counter with the kids sitting at the bar stools heads down.

"Can't you guys afford to behave?! You're grounded! And don't dare to ask Cloud to reconsider. He's too soft with you but this is a different matter!" Tifa shouted again, really agitated. She still didn't know that Cloud had arrived and was currently listening silently. "Marlene, I will tell Barret about this!"

"So what happened?" Cloud suddenly talked when he was sure that Tifa isn't going to say anything. Tifa jumped at his voice.

"And what? Are you going to tell me that I'm over reacting and they're kids that's why they badly behave?!" She howled at Cloud with her fuming eyes.

"No… I still don't know what happened." Cloud was talking calmly countering Tifa's heated aura.

"These kids are suspended from school!"

"What? Why? How did you know?" He asked still calm. He looked at the kids "Guys, this is really bad, what did you do?"

"Their teacher called for me to get them. They had a fight with other kids!" She got a knife and started to chop vegetables.

"Oh…" Cloud remembered the days he had been bullied.

"Just 'oh' Cloud? Don't you have anything to say?"

"Well, I would like to hear what really happened from them, and then I'll decide if I'm gonna get mad."

"COME ON!!! THEY ARE ALREADY SUSPENDED!" She stuck the knife on the board forcefully.

Cloud neared to Tifa, got the knife out of her hand and placed far from her making sure nobody's going to be hurt. "Tifa" he said softly.

"WHAT!?"

"Hey" he motioned to her, held her shoulders and quietly said "Calm down, just let me handle this. You already grounded them and I agree with that, so just breathe but I want to hear the story from them."

Tifa sighed deeply and stared at Cloud "I'll fix dinner Teef, while I talk to these two. Just go up and I'll bring food to your room, okay?"

Tifa was about to refuse but Cloud spoke soon enough "Relax… Go on… up!" he pointed at the stairs and Tifa followed the orders but muttering curses and stomping her feet as she goes up the stairs.

Cloud waited until Tifa shut her door with a loud thump as if breaking it before speaking.

"Okay you two…" He started to talk and also making dinner "Tell me what happened."

Marlene and Denzel had their heads down and didn't know how to start. Both can't look at Cloud, so afraid that he would show the same anger that Tifa did… or might be more. Cloud just kept quiet and waited for words.

Denzel had the courage to speak and raised his head to look at Cloud. "Someone teased Marlene" Cloud was surprised to see that Denzel has a bad bruise on his left eye. He didn't bother to ask if it hurts, he just went to the fridge to get ice. He gave it to Denzel already wrapped in a towel and gestured to him to put in his eye.

"About what?" Cloud started the fire on the stove.

"She's a teacher's pet…" Cloud tried not to snort at this but he was sure his lips emitted a small grin. He didn't know that.

"Then?"

"Denzel backed me up…He… He said some words" Marlene suddenly spoke.

"Like?" Cloud looked at both of them and raised an eyebrow "Continue please"

"Son of a bitch" Marlene quickly muffled and closed her eyes quickly waiting for the yelling from Cloud but what was heard was a deep sigh as if soothing himself.

"Okay…That's bad… continue"

"He punched Denzel and then I bit him in his arm and had a wound…" Marlene carried on.

"And?"

"And the teacher saw it."

"How long are you gonna be suspended?" He asked as he mixed stir fry chicken with vegetables that are almost done.

"Two weeks" Denzel answered

"Two weeks?! Quite long but might be very short for my punishment" Cloud said while he get bowls from the cupboard. The kids threw him a very questionable look maybe about the 'short for my punishment' statement.

Cloud finished first putting servings on the bowls before he have a word. "Here's what I say: First of all, you two should never curse anybody, I know you hear it sometimes from us, especially from Cid but it's still bad. Second, you should never bite or hurt somebody physically in any other way." He heard himself saying never hurt physically and that reminded him too about his fights.

"Third, it's nice to know that you stick with each other but be sure when you do that, you do it with your pride and never stoop to their level, usually you can just walk away. Lastly, Tifa grounded you so no T.V., early bedtime, clean your room, no playing outside and the works…right? Practically you have nothing to do…" He chuckled a little then continued "Tifa is really bummed right now, furious, I think and I know she's worried…" The kids were all ears at what he got to say.

"Worried because you both made her think she's not doing her job well as your mother…" Cloud placed the used utensils on the sink and gave each of them a bowl with steaming food in it "So my punishment is… you two… must make Tifa feel a lot better… simple isn't it?" He smiled for a second and back to his straight face.

"But Cloud?" Denzel looked puzzled "How do we do that?"

Cloud evilly smirked. "That's the catch… I won't tell you…Now, eat up before it gets cold, no dessert for you." He got a tray and placed a bowl, a spoon and a glass of water on it. "And wash the dishes after, clean up here, get ready for bed and go to your room to wait for the lights out. No playing." He ordered, picked up the tray and was about to walk up the stairs when Denzel spoke "Cloud?" He didn't turn around "Are you mad?"

"Yes" he answered straight away. He didn't see what were the reactions but he was sure they frowned.

"We're sorry" Marlene said and Cloud just nodded.

"Cloud? Will you go to the school tomorrow to talk to our teacher about our punishment instead of Tifa?"

Cloud breathes in deeply before answering "Denzel, you're not allowed to have requests when you're grounded… but I might consider it…" He replied at once with his low, very staid voice.

*_*

Tifa was on her bed lying when Cloud knocked. "Tifa?"

"Come in" Tifa answered in a very sad voice.

"Here's your food. It's better for you not to see the kids right now." He said and handed Tifa her tray. He got a chair and let himself sit. "You might strangle them."

Tifa chuckled "No, I'm not gonna do that."

"I know…" he said and looked at Tifa who was taking a spoonful of chicken. He noticed her eyes were red and slightly swollen "Hey you okay?"

Tifa nodded and swallowed "Don't worry, I'm fine…"

"I know how you feel" He stood up and sat at the end of the bed and reached for her chin making sure she was looking "Just don't stress yourself out, you might get sick"

Tifa smiled "Thanks… I will not get sick Cloud"

"Good!" He stood up to leave the room "When you're done, let the kids wash your plate and relax or go to bed. I still have to eat and arrange things for deliveries tomorrow. If you need anything, call me…or the kids okay?"

"Yeah, thanks… and Cloud?" He was on the door but spun when he heard his name "Don't give the kids too many orders at one time"

"Why?"

Tifa sniggered "They're kids, not SOLDIER… they might not remember"

"Oh… oh yeah… thanks for the advice… I'll come back later to check on you…" He closed the door and sighed. He was glad that it was now the time they could relax. The kids will not refuse on anything they ask, they're just too afraid to do that.

He smiled at his thoughts.