Author's Note: Okay, this chapter is fairly short, but I hadn't gotten any ideas and I didn't want people to come chasing after me with torches and pitchforks, so I wrote this hastily.
Catch Me If You Can
- A CloTi Fan Fiction -
Cloud walked around the house, searching for clues.
So far, he'd found a shred of paper with Vincent Valentine's name. The ink was black, so he could tell it was written recently; Marlene had complained that signatures on official school papers and permission forms had to be filled out in black ink - not yellow highlighter or Tifa's favourite sparkly purple pen -, so all the pens in the house were now black.
He had resolved to call Vincent - now that, after much teasing etcetera, the mysterious man had a phone -, but stopped himself. If Vincent knew about Tifa's disappearance, wouldn't he have come forward already? And if he didn't, and Cloud told him, would he tell the other memebers of AVALANCHE?
Cloud ran his hands through his messy blond hair. Detectivework was so complicated!
Detective Cloud Strife... now that sounds damn fine, he thought smugly to himself.
But when he finally came to the last room in the house, the room he dreaded looking through, his smugness was replaced by gloom; he had to search Tifa's room. He entered quietly, as if lay sleeping on the bed and he was afraid to wake her. But the bed hadn't been slept in for several days.
He looked under the bed, where he found nothing but a whole bunch of dust bunnies. Her closet, drawers and bedside table were empty, and the photographs had been taken from the frames. The only things that were still on the table were the lamp, a stack of post-it notes, and her favourite purple pen.
He plucked the pen from its spot. She forgot it, he thought sadly. He fingered it affectionately, thinking of all the times he had watched her write with it, all the times he had shook his head. "Have you ever written with anything else?" he'd ask. She'd just smile and shake her head. "No. Never." And then she'd talk about how she's owned that pen longer than she'd known him. He'd grinned, but hadn't believed her.
He sat down on the bed in despair, when he head a strange creaking noise. He stood up, then sat down again. There it was again!
He gingerly replaced the pen on the table, then lifted the mattress. There was nothing interesting; only the pannels supporting the mattress. He tapped each one, to see if there was anything strange. Nothing out of the ordinary...
Wait.
Was this pannel... hollow?
A few more taps confirmed his suspicions, and Cloud removed the pannel in question to find a small notch on the underside. He dug his nail into it, and popped out a large square of wood. He blinked in confusion. Why would Tifa have a secret hollow pannel under her bed?
He shook the pannel until three objects fell out; a sheaf of paper with a series of numbers on it, a map with purple 'x's on it, and a small black box.
Cloud inspected the paper. Though the digits were not separated by hyphens, the numbers looked like a possible phone number! And the 'x's were in Tifa's sparkly pen... but none of them marked a common place, or even a city!
He turned his attention to the box. There was a receipt taped to the bottom, old and yellowed, but he could still make out the name: Midgar Jewellers, Ms. Tifa Lockhart. He frowned and opened the box: inside sat...
AN ENGAGEMENT RING?!
His jaw dropped. Tifa had bought a ring from Midgar Jewellers? When? He searched the receipt for a date; even more surprising, she had bought it a few months after Meteor! He quickly opened the box, to reveal a simple gold band with the inscription, 'To Cloud Strife, My Hero and One True Love' on the inside. He ran his hands through his hair. How could this be? She had bought this for him?
So many things in the note started to make sense... most of all how she had thought that he loved Aeris, because he left her and the kids shortly after Meteor. How could he have been so blind?
He hung his head sadly. He had to find her, he just had to!
From downstairs, he heard the kids come in from school. He sighed. He had to put up a brave face for them; he had to be their 'mother' in Tifa's stead...
Cloud trudged down the stairs, eyes half-closed. "Hey, Marlene, Denz -"
SMASH!
"You cold, unfeeling jackass!"
Cloud stumbled down the stairs, clutching his nose, which was now gushing blood and which he suspected was broken. He looked up, to see a towering Barret Wallace before him, rubbing his fist in satisfaction. If looks could kill, Barret's death-stare would have demolished several small towns. "Barret!?"
"What in the hell did you do to make Tifa leave, Spikey?!" the man thundered.
"Damn it, Barret -"
"Don't you dare swear in front of my little girl!"
"What about you? You swear like... like Cid! And... wait a second... your little girl?" Cloud echoed incredulously, still holding his bleeding nose. He looked behind Barret, where stood an innocent little brunette six-year-old, arms folded and looking quite triumphant. Denzel was standing next to her, shrugging. "I told you she'd tell Uncle Barret, Cloud."
"Didn't think we'd check the 'Missing Persons' llist, didya, Spiky-ass?"
Shit.
"Tifa is like my own daugther," Barret raged on, picking him by the scruff of the neck and slamming him onto a barstool for further interrogation. "So I want to goddamn hear if she runs away! What did you do?"
"Nothing!" Cloud insisted, though he doubted whatever he said would change Barret's attitude.
The man held up a clenched fist. "Is this nothing?" Cloud feared another pounding, but realized that Barret was holding something, which he dropped on the bar. Tifa's crumpled-up note.
Cloud stared at it, his jaw dropping. "How the hell did you -"
He shot a black look at Marlene. She shook her head. "I didn't do it."
The way she said 'I' made Cloud turn his attention to Denzel, who blushed and said shamefully, "Guilty as charged." Cloud's look of utter fury made Denzel hold his hands up in protest. "Uncle Barret threatened to give me tickle-torture unless I told him about the note!"
Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose - which was still bleeding - and said, "Look, Barret, I don't know why she left -"
"I THINK THIS MAKES IT PRETTY FUCKING CLEAR!"
Cloud turned white and exclaimed in a strangled voice, "Barret!" Tifa hated it when he swore like that, so he clapped his hands over Marlene's ears, but she swatted him away. "I've heard it before, Cloud." She didn't sound impressed.
Oh geez, how was he going to explain Marlene's interesting knowledge of... ahem, colourful language to Tifa when she - Cloud sighed - if he found her?
"Barret, please listen," Cloud pleaded. "I know I've messed up -"
"That's for damn sure!"
Cloud ignored him and continued, "- but I'm trying to find her!"
"Then I'll get the rest of AVALANCHE to help!"
"NO! Don't - this is something I need to do on my own."
Barret didn't look convinced - or placated - but he said, "Just find her, Spike. Because you know that we'll all take turns kicking your ass if you don't." He stormed out.
Well, that wasn't exactly... reassuring, but at least he had Barret's approval.
Author's Note: Let's have a recap (not in order): Cloud gets his nose broken, Tifa has a secret pannel under her bed, Marlene gossips to Barret, Denzel gets threatened with tickle-torture... wow, what a day for poor Cloud! But get ready for the next chapter, 'cause Cloudy-boy gets a nice little bashing from two dead people. Muahahahaha! ... I like torturing Mr. Strife, yes?
Heh heh... Detective Strife.