Here's the next chapter and I'll hope you'll like it. Again thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, they really push me to go forward and it lessens my doubts if I'm doing a good job as a storyteller.

*Warning up ahead, this chapter does contain mature scenes. (And it's my very first time writing it. So I apologize in advanced if its crummy.) *All Final Fantasy characters and settings are owned by Square-Enix.*

Chapter 4: Yearning For Affliction

When he walks in, Asian culture artifacts and tapestries are seen before him. By the back wall, where the paintings hang in display, the young girl along with her customer turns around to see who's coming in. Her surprise face changing into displeasure, seeing who it was.

"What the hell man!" She yells out to him, not caring that the customer is standing right next to her, looking shock at her outburst.

The petite girl promptly walks up to him, forgetting about the customer altogether. Cloud looks down and closes his eyes momentarily and cringes, thinking that he was wrong in his assumption about her.

"You! " She points at him, and then looks at her watch. "You were supposed to be here FOUR AND A HALF hours ago!"

"I know. I'm-"

"GEEZ, can't you tell time?" She cuts him off and continues her rage against him by putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward. "Don't you carry a watch with you, so it could help you?"

"I do, it's just-"

"And why didn't you answer my calls! Do you have a hearing problem NOW? I feel sorry for you-"

He growls at her. In less than three minutes, she had drained all his patience. He doesn't want to keep on listening to her shit. He's hungry, he's exhausted and he wants to go home. He takes the parcel out from under his arm and shoves it at her, interrupting her tirade.

"Here! I'm sorry for the delay Miss Kisa, Kisa... " Damn, he can't remember her name. "Or whatever your name is and have a good afternoon."

He turns around, leaving her with her mouth open. He prop his hand on the door, getting ready to push it when he hears behind him.

"It's Miss KISARAGI! And I don't longer need this!"

He grunts out, feeling the solid force of the package hit the back of his head before falling to the floor. He swiftly turns back, his eyes giving her a deathly glare as he advances on her.

She holds her victory stance, her hands again on her hips and speaks out. "What? You didn't hear me. I don't longer need this package, so take it back." She points to the package, speaking to him with authority.

They stand face to face, sending daggers at each other. Cloud peers down on her and in a lethal voice, he speaks. "I did hear you, you didn't have to-"

"Well good, I seriously thought you had-"

"I wasn't finish! The one who has a hearing problem is you 'm not taking anything back-. "

"NOW you listen to me, Chocobo head!" She points at his chest, touching him. He swiftly brushes her finger off him. "If you would've heard your phone or picked it up." She rolls her eyes upward. "Oh I don't know..." And then sets her glare back at him. "Or LISTEN to your voice mail! You wouldn't have to be here! "

"What?" He rears back, his face showing confusion.

She points at him again. "So you DO have a hearing problem, go get that checked." She crosses her arm, staring angrily at him. "My uncle told me to call you and canceled the delivery, after he waited for you over two hours. He wanted to save you the trip coming here." She said it to him enunciating the key terms as if he was deaf.

Cloud just felt like a bucket of water just went down on him. He came here for nothing, he risk his life and health for nothing. 'And not even going to get paid.' He closes his eyes in grimace.

"Geez, you're a lousy courier."She comments offhandedly.

He flashes his eyes at her. "And you're no better at being a sales person. Don't you have a customer in waiting?"

She turns back to see the customer standing by the cash register, who's looking back at them, entertained with the spectacle she's making. She smiles at him. "I'll be with you in a just a second, sir." She calls out in a sweet voice.

The customer just shyly smiles back and nods. Cloud shakes his head and turns around, he picks up the package off the floor and heads for the door.

"Oh and Chocobo head?"

He pauses at the door, clinching his eyes and quietly growling to himself. He looks back scowling at her.

"That poncho looks ghastly on you, it makes you look like the reaper. " She teases him. "Only you look like the small version of it." She smirks evilly at him.

He rolls his eyes away from her, not rising to her bait and walks out, while muttering to himself.

"Bitch."

It's after sundown, when Cloud is drawing near to Aeris shop. When close to reaching it, he starts to ease up on his speed. From a distance, he notices that she's outside and is waving to a woman in a black raincoat that is walking away, carrying a child. Hearing his motorcycle approaching, Aeris looks back and when she sees that it's him, she runs across the sidewalk to meet him. The bike comes to a halt in front of her and not being able to contain herself, she leaps on him.

"You're finally here!" She exclaims with joy and hugs him tightly.

The bike starts to tip over, forcing Cloud to hold its weight with one arm, while embracing Aeris with the other. Over Aeris shoulder he looks ahead, watching the woman with her child turn and disappear around the corner, not before noticing her sensual legs, captivating him in the first place. When he feels Aeris rearing back from him, he turns to face her and they share a deep kiss. When they break apart, she embraces him again.

"I missed you so much, Nimbus." He hears the tenderness in her voice.

He gently grips her waist and gives her a small kiss on the side of her neck. "Me too."

They stood that way for a moment, until Cloud's stomach rumbles. Aeris leans back with her arms still around him.

"Somebody's hungry, huh?" She playfully teases.

He shyly smiles at her and she gives him a quick peck and the lips, before releasing her arms from him. His hand drifts away from her waist and grabs a hold of her hand as she steps back onto the sidewalk.

"Let me go in and close up, so we could go home."She gently states to him.

He bows his head and lets her go, watching her go back inside. A few minutes later, he sees the lights go out and she shortly comes out wearing her burgundy coat. Turning her back to him, he hears her keys locking the shop, and then happily returning to him. He scoots forward on his bike, to give her some room. She gets on sitting sideways, since she's wearing her favorite pink shin length dress. When he feels her arms embrace him tightly, he asks her if she's ready. Hearing her telling him yes, he turns on the ignition, revs up the bike for a bit and rides away.

The key inserts into the lock, then the door opens creaking all the way and they walk into darkness. Aeris entering in first carrying his duffel bag, slouching a bit because of the weight but she insisted to help him and Cloud following behind, carrying his buster sword in his hand, close to dragging it. He goes into the corner and sets his sword against the wall, hearing Aeris grunt when she drops the bag onto the couch. He walks away taking off his poncho and she's bending down to turn on the lamp, bathing the living room with light. He hangs the raincoat on the knob of the hallway closet before heading for the bathroom to wash up.

When he exits the bathroom, he hears her moving around in the kitchen and the sound of the microwave heating up and he turns away, going into the bedroom. As he's walking through the door, he already removed his dark gray sweater and is now taking off his long sleeve shirt, going to the hamper and dropping them inside. He bends down to untie his boots, then straightening up to start unbuckling his belt while nudging his boots off, one after the other. He unbutton his jeans and proceeds to take them off, the cuffs soaking wet and cover in mud and dropping them into the hamper.

"Nimbus! The food is ready."Aeris calls out.

"I'll be right there!" He calls back and heads for the closet.

He enters the kitchen wearing dark blue sweat pants and she's already waiting for him at the diner. The wafting smell of roast beef engulf him as he gets near, his stomach rumbles again and his mouth waters in approval of the tasty dish. He makes his way towards her and briefly leans down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." Saying it quietly and walks over to his seat.

The first bite was euphoric for him, it was utter bliss. Driving twelve hours nonstop and only stopping to use the restroom and to drink water and crackers, was his penance and now this is his reward and salvation for making it through. He continues eating quietly, listening to Aeris fills him in on the past three weeks.

Aeris seeing that he's done with his dinner and could now talk, begins asking him questions about his trip and his stay in Kalm. He answers back to her in one worded sentences, not really going into details.

"Nimbus, what took you so long today?" She softly asks, viewing him with affection.

His eyes shift downward in irritation, as if to recall something unpleasant. "...I had a last-minute delivery to drop it off in Sector Six. But it fall through."

Noticing his solemn response and the fatigue on his face. She stupidly asks another question, already knowing the answer. "You must be exhausted?"

He gives her a wan smile and she feels foolish and careless, here she is jabbering her mouth away, when he needs his well deserved rest. "You should go ahead and start your shower, while I finish up here."

"You sure?" He feebly asks.

She smiles at him in reassurance. "Yeah, I'm sure."

He tiredly gets up and takes his dishes to the sink, feeling the need to help her at least in that part. When he crosses the threshold she calls out to him and he turns back.

"Leave the door unlock, so I could also wash up and that way we could go to bed faster." She remarks, while getting ready to get up.

He nods to her and walks away.

He scarcely heard her, when she entered the bathroom, since he had his head under the full blast of the shower. He stood relaxing with one arm in front of him, braced against the tiled wall, supporting his weight. Feeling the force of the warm water dulling the ache on his strain muscles, cleansing away the sweat and grime away from his skin and watching as the murky water goes down the drain. He lifts his head and lets the water fall on his face, loving the feeling it gives. Blocking his ears to only hear the water's vibrations and enclosing him away from here. Taking him away from this wretched world only for a moment, to feel serenity.

He hears her say something but didn't catch it and he reluctantly leans away from the water and brings his hand up to wipe away the droplets off his face, he then raises his voice through the yellow-cream shower curtain. "What is it that you said?"

He hears her giggles. "I said. That we're invited to a birthday party." Also raising her voice.

'A birthday party?... I don't like parties.' He frowns as he picks up the shampoo off the caddy and squeezes it to pour a small portion of the gooey substance on his palm. "And you said no, right?"

"...Well, I couldn't, I was pressure into it."

He pauses on scrubbing his hair, the white suds running down his hands and on his back. "Explain."

And continues washing his hair.

"Well, I unexpectedly had a customer today."

'How do you unexpectedly get a customer, aren't you always expecting them'. He thinks to himself.

"A mother with her daughter stop by today, they took shelter at my shop to keep away from the heavy rain...Nimbus are you listening to me?"

He has his eyes closed as he rinses his hair under the water, with both arms in front, his palms resting against the tiles.

"Uh-huh." He speaks out from under the water.

"The little girl, Marlene, was looking for a birthday present for her mother's friend. And let me tell you Nimbus, she's the cutest little thing but she is feisty..."

There's a pregnant pause and he assumes that she's washing her face. He picks up the conditioner, gets a dab of it and smears it on his hands before running it through his scalp and to the tips of his spikes.

"...She wanted to buy flowers as a birthday present for her but her mother disagreed because her friend doesn't like flowers. Let me tell you, I think it's sad because flowers are wonderful living things. They're beautiful and smell wonderful..."

Cloud rolls his eyes as he's lathering the soap with the sponge. 'Here she goes off again about her flowers.'

"And they give you a sense of peace-"

"You're getting off topic." He calls out, cutting her off.

"Oh yeah, sorry. What was I saying..." She lowers her voice, talking to herself. "Oh yeah! So Marlene's begins to throw tantrums, in wanting to get her way and her mother gets embarrassed by it, in the end she relinquished to allow her to buy the flowers..."

For the next couple of minutes he hears the faint sound of scrubbing through the curtain, as he also scours himself thoroughly with the sponge. Starting from one arm onto the other, then running the sponge to his neck, then his chest and down his abs.

"...So as I was saying! But then Marlene decides to get a bunch of flowers in pink, but her mother disapproved because of being to many and that her friend doesn't like the color. So Marlene wanted to start another tantrum, until I intervene and became the mediator between the two. And offer them a beautiful batch of orange-pink chrysanthemums, in which they agree." She said it cheerfully.

"And what does all that have to do with us going to the party?" He asks in a sarcastic tone.

"Well, everything." She obviously states.

He's finishing cleaning up his privates and is moving downward to his thighs. He hears the slight tap of the toilet seat being settle on the rim, follow by another tap of the seat cover and the low shuffling of her, sitting on it.

"The thing is..." She continues, Cloud hearing her next to him. "I didn't want them to pay for it, I taken a liken to Marlene and Tifa, and so mother and daughter-"

"What did you say?" He asks out loud, quickly raising up, leaving on hold the scrubbing on his shins. He frowns at the curtain, concentrating at the previous words the Aeris just said. 'Did she just say what I think I heard she said?'

"Nimbus..." Hearing annoyance in the tone of her voice. "The reason I'm sitting on the toilet is so I don't have to raise my voice at you and so you could listen to me clearer."

"I'm sorry, I just didn't catch the last part." He's looking through the curtain at her shadow, poised for her to repeat what she just said.

"I said that mother and daughter gang up on me, insisting that I had to take their money after inviting them in and making tea for them. Afterward they invited us and insisted that we should go to the birthday party."

Cloud got aggravated listening to the words he didn't want to hear and made a fist, squeezing the sponge in the process, causing the soap to leak out of his hands. With a control voice, not wanting to raise suspicions from her, subtly ask again. "Okay...what are their names again?"

He hears her sight out. "Cloud, really?"

'Just say their names dammit, at least her name.' And in a clip tone he tried again. "Yes. I'm sorry."

"The little girl's name is Marlene and her mother's name is Tifa." states firmly.

For some reason his heart starts jacking up a mile per second and he feels a cold shiver go through him. 'Okay, she said Tifa...Tifa. But there could be many Tifa's. It couldn't be the Tifa I know, my Tifa.' His heart slows down a bit and he resume's washing up but still processing what Aeris just said. 'Calm down, there is nothing to worry about.'

"And let me tell you Nimbus, she is hot she takes good care of herself. To be honest with you, she doesn't look like she gave birth to Marlene."

He stops what he's doing and leans on the wall, wincing when feeling the cold tiles seep through his back and thinks. 'I'm not going to ask her how she looks, that's just asking for trouble. But I am curious...'

"...Okay, so where are they from?" He crosses his arms, staring at the ground. Anticipating her response.

"Well... from what we talk, Marlene was born in Corel and she's from Nibelheim..."

He close his eyes immediately, his brows furrow. 'Shit.'

"Since that's your hometown, I sort of commented that you're from there too."

'Aww shit.' He clenches his teeth and his sides.

"Nimbus, are you almost done? Do you need some company?"

He's afraid to speak, afraid to give himself away and so he clears his throat. "...No, not yet...I'm okay. I'll be done soon."

He hears movement from her and he assumes she's getting up to leave. He lifts his head and rests it against the wall, rigidly unclasping his arms and letting them fall to his sides. 'So that was her, that's who I saw earlier. That was Tifa.' He feels himself go numb and the shivers are back again, that he's literally shaking and his hands are turning into fists. His throat clogs and he feels as if he can't breathe. Soft movements could still be heard from Aeris and he slowly opens his eyes but then quickly focuses on what's in front of him. He sees her shadow already bend down, removing her panties, dropping it on top of the toilet and her hand is now reaching for the curtain. He freezes.

"You know, I could give you a massage to help you sleep better?" She cheerfully banters as she opens the curtain, a mischievous smile on her face. But her smiles falters, seeing him trembling and with a serious look on his face. He sees her hesitate but continues on and steps into the tub, looking at him with concern. "Nimbus, are you okay?"

He nods at her, looking at her warily as she cautiously approaches him. "...I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" She doubtfully asks, scrutinizing him. "Why are you trembling?"

He looks away and constricts his fists, compressing the sponge again. He clears his throat again and looks back at her, trying to sound jovial and offering a weak smile."...how about you give me that massage. "

He turns his back on her and submerges himself into the water, not giving her a chance to respond. He places his palms in front of him against the wall and leans his head down. The water pours on his head, creating a barrier around his face while the rest breaks apart down his chest and on his back. Behind him, he feels that her presence hasn't moved. But after a few moments in silence, he suddenly feels her hands on him, slithering up his back and onto his shoulders and starting to knead them.

He tries not to think about Tifa while she's behind him and he's trying to maintain a cool composure. 'But it's hard because she never strays away from my thoughts.' And he tenses up, the hard blow hits him, when he realizes the bitter truth and it starts to eat him inside. 'I could never be with her now.'

"Sorry, did I squeeze a tendon to hard?" He hears her quietly ask behind him and he tries to relax.

He always had that faint hope, that one day he'll see her again and somehow they will end up being together. 'But she moved on, she gave herself to somebody else.' He feels his eyes are starting to get moist and unconsciously tightens his fists again. 'And she's a mother now, she belongs to someone else.' He silently heaves the harsh air out, making an effort to breathe normally while he sees a few tears drop into the running water, covering the evidence of his anguish. 'She won't ever be mine and it hurts.' It hurt so much that all these galling truths completely shatters his heart and all his pensive thoughts sums up his cruel reality. 'And despite everything I know now, I will always longed for her.'

Her hands skim to the back of his neck and she uses her fingers and thumps to knead the tense muscle there, trying to release the tension he carries. Then she drifts to his upper back, her palms putting pressure on his skin and making circular movements. 'What's wrong with him?' Seeing the way he still hasn't loosen his fists and his muscles are still taut because he still is tense. 'Was it something I said?' She looks away, her forehead creases as she thinks to their past conversations and trying to find a clue in it. She stares back to him.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" She firmly asks, no longer wanting to see him like this.

"...Nothing." And she hears in his voice that its rusty.

He shifts and she sees his hand, hang up the sponge on the caddy. She drops her arms and leans into him, embracing him. The water drenching one side of her body and she feel a sense of déjà-vu again. 'Is it because of her?'

She caresses his stomach, aimlessly moving downward. 'Maybe he's just tired. And it's not really about her.' Her fingers slightly brushing his member and she feels it wakening up. She strokes it a bit and she feels it grow inside her hand. And her worry dampens, feeling the affect she has on him by just touching him.

She smirks and quietly teases him. "Somebody wants to play?"

He shifts again but doesn't reply back to her and she keeps on stroking him, feeling the turgid member standing up on his own. He moves away from the wall, gently lifts her arms away from him and turns around. He looks down between them, his hands smoothing her waist.

"...Aeris." He somberly speaks. "I'm really tired."

She looks down crestfallen, taking his rejection hard and looks away. "...I understand."

She feels his eyes on her now and lifts his hands to stroke her cheek, his fingers drifting down her neck to touch her wet braided ponytail, which is resting in front of her shoulder. Her eyes shift to look at him and he quickly averted them away, looking down again but she catches what they are showing. And she now understands why he doesn't face her, his eyes are red. 'Why is he like this?' Her alarming thought is interrupted when she feels his other hand goes upward, brushing the side of her breast before grasping her face and pulls her to him to give her a profound kiss. He turns them around, forcing her to take a step back into the downpour and she shuts her eyes and gasps out, feeling the water dousing her completely.

"You should untangle your hair." He whispers out to her as his hands caress her everywhere.

She blindly raises her arms and sinks her fingers into the plait to unravel them. While he's kissing her on her neck and her throat, enjoying the feeling it gives her and her body prepares itself for their intimacy. He gives her another kiss under the water and she feels his hands on her hair, helping her to straightening it out. He pulls her out and pushes her into the wall and she cringes feeling the cold of it and contrast to the heat in front of her. She looks into his eyes as she embraces him and she feels something's off when she looks at him. He's staring at her hair, mesmerize by it as his fingers delve into it. His icy stare shifts to her lips, as if he's in a trance and seeing something else. And when he dives in for a kiss, she feels that it wasn't meant for her. He touches her body, firmly pulling on it and she feels like he wants to draw out someone else.

And when he finally takes her, by turning her around, so the side of her face is resting against the cold tile. He helps her lifts her arms in front of her while bringing his hands to touch her hair and which by now looks almost black. Gliding his fingers down its length to the tips, that reaches almost below her waist. And that's when she starts to question herself and her insecurities start to rise up. When his lovemaking is not the same and his sharp thrusts are trying to prove something to her. When he leans into her, feeling his kisses on the nape of her neck and on her hair and gently pulling on it and ultimately this distinct way of him loving her brought her pleasure and it gave her, her climax. 'Just not the way I want it to be.' And that's when it all made sense, when after a few more strokes from him and then enveloping her tightly. 'As if she's going to disappear.' And buries himself to the hilt within her, quietly groaning out his ecstasy, feeling the tremors inside of her. 'That's when I found the last piece of the puzzle, the piece that completes him.'

She feels foolish, moronic and you could say stupid. And she tries very hard not to cry while he's still within her, trying not to break down until she's alone and completely by herself. But she mentally berates herself and asks herself. 'How could I be so daft, in not seeing the hints he was giving me? How could I be so blind to it?' When he's still enthrall, in bringing his lips to give a last kiss farewell to her mane, close to her ear. Still believing it was her and silently choking out her name. Like a heartbroken man calling out to a woman who has moved on, taken away from him and lamenting for her to come back. 'When the answer was there all along and he finally said it to me.'

Whispering out in yearning for her "...Tifa."