Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used and abused.
AN: Hmmm, haven't updated in donkey's years. Sorry to anyone who is actually interested, but studying is hard. Anyway, it appears this story is turning into a somewhat BL thing. So, if you are really offended by this, please tune out and don't report me! However, I have to say there is a bit (perhaps a big bit) of CloTi action so that may satisfy those that prefer the other way. Please, read and review, don't report me!
Chapter Warning: Nothing offensive!
Chapter 3: His Reasons and His Wants.
Tifa paced across the empty bar, glancing to the rest of her friends scattered around the room. Vincent, as per usual, was half hidden in a corner. Nanaki was sprawled across an old rug. Cait Sith leaned his, or her, furry body against a stool. Yuffie sat on a bar stool playing with her oversized shuriken while Cid and Barrett were digging into her merchandise. Running a bar with alcoholic friends was a really bad idea.
"Tifa?" Yuffie called out with a small voice. Though the girl could trade insult with style, she was still shy around people who she actually liked. Tifa stopped her pacing and looked at the Wutai heiress.
"I need to get the children back to Wutai. The parents are waiting for them." She fiddled with her armlet and dipped her head. Hoping Tifa wouldn't take this as an abandonment. Tifa walked over to the stool and put her hand around the young girl's shoulders.
"Go, Yuffie. The children needs to see their parents." She smiled encouragingly and watched the girl look up in relief. The self-proclaimed ninja hopped off the stool yelled at Cid.
"Hey old man!" Cid looked up, gnashing his cigarette between his teeth. "Yeah, you with the cancer stick. Give me a ride back to Wutai!"
"WHAT? Why you little $&(&$#)&!" But he stood up and slammed back the rest of his drink.
"I'll be back once I drop of the other brat." Cid waved a hand and strode out the door, followed by the Wutai children and Yuffie. A string of profanity could still be heard even after they disappeared from view.
"Well. I'm gonna go to bed. I can't handle this much more." Barrett announced from behind the bar. Tifa considered his words and agreed with him for once. She thought about bed arrangement in her head and decided to put Barrett up in her room, she would share with Marlene and Denzel. Nanaki was looking comfortable on the floor and Cait Sith was a robot. That leaves Vincent.
As though on cue, Vincent emerged from the corner and headed towards the door.
"I will be back in the morning." He muttered without looking back.
"You know the phone seller is closed at this time of the night!" Barrett called out after him, sounding mighty proud of his joke.
"Hmm, guess someone still has a carrot stuck up their ass." The large man said to himself over the rim of his glass.
After Marlene and Denzel were herded off to bed, Barrett looked at Tifa. She had never seen the big man looking so serious as he did now. Tifa braced herself. If Barrett got serious, then the situation was probably really, really bad.
"You know psycho kid can't stay here right?" He stared at her.
"I know. But Barrett, Cloud needs this."
"Yeah. I know. I'm always gonna be there for his blonde spiky ass but why does it have to be the psycho kid?" Tifa threw her arms up in frustration. She didn't know either but she can wait. She knew it was stupid but she could wait for Cloud as long as he needed but Barrett was not known for his patience.
"Cloud has his own reasons. I… I don't know either but we have to trust him like we always did. He just needs to do something for himself." Yeah, he needs this and I need to support him. Tifa convinced herself, but wandered briefly if she was merely saying that because there was something here that she didn't want to admit.
"We'll see. But if the psycho kid from upstairs tries anything, I'll be the first to fry his JENOVA ass!" Barrett left and disappeared into Tifa's room. She heard the strain of bed springs and sighed. We'll see. I hope you're wrong Barrett.
"Yo psycho kid! Get your puny, girly ass down here!" Came a roar. Kadaj emerged, dressed in what he had called the 'Niisan look', which basically considered of a sleeveless knit shirt from Niisan's own extensive collection, black pants and his own combat boots.
It's been a week since he had first arrived in 7th Heaven. Half of it was spent in bed nursing his various cuts and bruises and the other half was spent looking normal. They had dressed him in normal clothes but nothing could be done about the hair and his eyes. Customers always stared at him and Kadaj hadn't figured out why they stared. One could be the fact that he looked like the kid who wanted to destroy the planet and the other reason could be because they hadn't figured out if he was a boy or a girl.
Kadaj remembered the first time an old man told him he was a pretty girl and should wear a dress. He was just about to crack the man's head open with the hilt of Souba, the scum doesn't deserve the blade, when Cloud dragged him out of the bar and explained to him the effects of alcohol on human judgement.
Of course the run-ins with Barrett and Cid had increased steadily. The older men seemed to pick fights with him over every little thing from the last of Tifa's baked potatoes to first dibs on Tifa's cake dough. Strange, he thought, every fight was over Tifa's cooking. He stomped down the stairs and wandered what Barrett wanted to pick a fight over now.
As expected, the large man glared from the bottom of the stair case with his hands on his hips. Yep, food fight. He thought miserably. The fights had been fun to start off with but now it was becoming annoying. Kadaj had better things to do, such as looking through Niisan's photo albums, than entertaining big mean grunts who ate enough to feed an army.
"What!" He snapped at the glaring man.
"Where the hell did the last slice of pudding go?"
"How would I know?"
"Because your puny ass probably ate it!"
That's it. I don't care what Niisan says, I'm teaching the giant baboon a lesson! Kadaj hopped down the stairs and stared right at Barrett. He could see a murderous rage brewing behind the dark eyes. Instead of turning on his heels and ignoring the look, Kadaj smirked with contempt in retaliation.
"What are you going to do? Kick my ass?" He fluttered his eye lashes and feigned distress. The smirk quickly dissolved into a snarl. He rested his finger on the hilt of Souba, waiting for the big man to change into his gun arm. A week out of commission and Kadaj had been aching for a fight.
"Stop it! Both of you!" Tifa tore the glaring competition and wedged herself between them. Kadaj had come to understand that Tifa, formerly known as the fighting girl, was nice. Well, listening and doing what she asked obviously made Niisan happy so Kadaj did it. He took a step back and calmed himself. Taking deep breath of air made the red haze fade from his vision.
"Barrett, you should know better! You're three times his age but you're behaving like a delinquent!" Tifa poked a stiff finger in Barrett's large chest. She knew Barrett would never have risked a fight but Kadaj was as unpredictable as they come.
"I'll be upstairs waiting for Niisan." Kadaj didn't wait to be scolded and stomped up the stairs. Why can't Niisan and I live somewhere else! I don't care about anyone else… well, Yazoo and Loz… if they're still alive. But I don't care about the rest of the people here. Why isn't Niisan back yet?
Kadaj stared out the small window and perked up his ears, waiting for the familiar roar of Fenrir turning off the high way. He hasn't completely recovered, especially the stitches he had tore the first night. They would probably leave a scar but it would be okay. Because Niisan has scar too, left by Him. He stretched out on the bed and stared at the blank ceiling. Kadaj closed his eyes after a while and recalled his favourite face before sleep unexpectedly took him.
"I can't do this anymore, Barrett. You can't keep pushing him." Tifa hated pleading but she had to. "Think for Marlene, for Denzel. I don't want them to get hurt!" Barrett looked down at his thick boots and thought for a moment.
"I'm gonna take Marlene and Denzel to North Corel for a while. After this whole thing blows over." Tifa felt a sudden drop in her stomach. She had liked having the kids around, they made her feel as though she still had a family. But it's probably the right thing to do. As long as one side leaves then things will blow over pretty quick.
"When are you leaving?" She fiddled with the apron she was wearing.
"Tomorrow morning. I've talked to Cid, he wants to go back to Rocket Town, we'll drop Nanaki and Cait Sith at the Canyon and me at North Corel." Tifa stood silent.
"Sorry girl. I've got to think for the kids." He looked at her apologetically, and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't be Barrett, it's the right thing to do." Tifa turned away, not wanting the big man to see the tears that were welling in her eyes. Tifa knew she would only be crying out of self-pity. Don't cry. You promised. With the children gone and Cloud spending most of his time with Kadaj, she knew she'd be and feel alone. Pushing the thoughts out of her head, Tifa went back to cooking. Guess this will be the last night.