-1Okay peeps, this be last chapter for this story…..it's going to be short, cause I want to get this done. There will be one shots and other things….but the sequel to this story is in the works. I'm not promising any updates any time soon do to work.
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True Wolf
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It had been a little over a year since Ritte was taken from home one winter night, she had just turned five. Her parents had decided to add on to the family with her little sister, Corina, who was a ball of trouble. Corina was annoying to Ritte, but that didn't stop her from loving the baby. Cloud and Denzel were upset when they found out that they were still going to be the only men in the house.
True had disappeared for a while after she found her family to be safe. Ritte went to bed with her one night and the next morning True was gone. Cloud had to tell Ritte that it was because True had to go look for something important. Ritte didn't understand the changes that occurred in her father, so she started to grow farther apart from him. Though, she still thought that he was her hero, there was only some things that she could understand. True did come home, but not alone. She came home with two little puppies in tow. One was black and the other was white, but they didn't posses that power that Cloud now had inside of him.
Luke and his mother had moved to Edge, they didn't live to far away from Ritte. It was Luke who became distant after a while. Sometimes he would go out into the streets and stir up trouble. Cloud had offered to teach the boy how to fight and Luke gladly accepted. Within a few weeks everything was back to normal for Luke. He was a lot happier.
It was at this time when Tifa had suggested throwing a party and inviting all the members of AVALANCHE for a reunion. Which probably wouldn't go according to plan.
"Tifa! Why are we doing this again?" Cloud was hauling a couple of boxes in from outside. He set them down and walked over to her, kissing her on the lips.
"Because, the others haven't seen our newest addition yet." She was cooking something that smelled really good. Of course his senses were now increased by a lot. "Ritte and Denzel should be getting home pretty soon." Ritte had started kindergarten this year and Marlene had gone to Barrett's for a couple of weeks. So far, Ritte was having a good time.
"I guess I'll just have to go and wait for them." Cloud walked out the door and stood in the cold. Surprisingly, it hadn't snowed yet this year. It would normally start snowing this time of year, but it hasn't. True came out of nowhere and sat beside Cloud.
"I guess things happen fast. The years tend to go by faster than we think." The wolf spoke. Her semi grown pups, were sleeping in the house.
"A lot faster. I don't know if I'm scared or not." He looked down at the wolf. "I don't know how long I'll live, or better yet, if I'll even die at all."
"It's lonely, watching the ages pass by. Waiting for an eternity to pass is one thing, but living your life to the fullest is another." She looked down at her feet. "I know I won't last much longer, but you, will last longer than anyone." Cloud shifted his weight.
"Maybe." He looked up when he heard laughter and the voices of three kids. It was Ritte, Denzel, and Luke. They looked like they were going to pass out from laughing so much. They walked up to Cloud and stopped. "Well, how was it?" All three of them smiled.
"It was great Daddy!" The boys nodded.
"Well tell me about it when we get inside. Be quiet though, the baby's asleep." They all walked inside.
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True had watched as many things happened over the years, Ritte had grown into a stunning young woman. The only thing was, she was sad most of the time. When she was seven Tifa had gotten sick and never recovered from it. The hardest thing for Ritte was losing her mother, but Cloud was thoughtful, he was still there. He didn't, not once, give up. He took care of Ritte and Corina. True knew that he would live to see many things, but she was getting weak. True was in her last days, she gave up her immortality so that her family could live.
When Ritte was ten, Luke's mother had decided to go live with her sister and she took the boy with her. It was a sad parting, but True just knew some things would come back. When Luke left, he took True's daughter with him. He gave her the name of Honor, while her brother was given the name of Aries. Luke promised he wouldn't ever forget Ritte, and he would keep that promise.
It was on a warm spring day when True went to Cloud and told him that she was ready to go, he felt it was her time as well. Ritte was going to be upset, but Cloud had told her that True had to go, she was not going to last long. It was in the night when True took her last breath and her son inherited the responsibility to look after the family. Aries upheld it with honor.
"Dad, are you there?" Ritte walked into her fathers room. He sat there on the bed, looking at a picture. He hadn't aged a day since True had given him her power. "Dinner is ready. Dad?"
"I'm coming." She turned to leave the room when Corina came in the room. "Ritte, do you remember that time when you were taken?" She turned back around.
"How could I forget. Why?" He sighed and let Corina lean against him. The eight year old was a lot like Tifa. He set the picture down on the nightstand.
"The night after you were taken, when True gave me her power, I died." Ritte looked at him wide eyed. "I don't even remember dieing." Ritte sighed and walked over to Cloud, sitting down next to him opposite of Corina. He put his arm around her shoulder and just sat there with his daughters.
"Uhhh. Is this a bad time?" Denzel walked in and saw Cloud sitting on the bed with his daughters. "Cause if it is, I could always let the house burn down." Cloud gave a small smile. Denzel being in his early twenties and still living at home, was a great help to the girls and to the older man. Of course Denzel was the 'big brother' to the girls.
"Nah, we're coming." Cloud ushered his girls out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen where Marlene was setting the table. Aries was torturing the now old cat, Nikki, by taking her dish and hiding it. "Aries, stop torturing Nikki." The wolf stopped and put the cats dish down.
"It's seems as though Nikki has finally gotten used to it. She just stopped all the growling and hissing a long time ago." Denzel said as he sat down.
"Yeah, well you need to find a job so you can get out." Marlene laughed and set a plate in front of him. Denzel pouted. "What? I'm only telling the truth." Everyone laughed, save Denzel, who just sat there with red cheeks.
"Very funny Marlene." Denzel pouted. "You win first prize in the insult Denzel contest."
"That's enough you two." Cloud said as he sat down. "Now, I'm hungry." Marlene set a plate in front of him and the girls.
"Dad? What would you say if I had a date with a guy planned for tomorrow night?" Cloud, who was taking a sip of his drink, almost choking on it when Ritte asked the question. Everyone else stopped what they were doing.
"Ritte has a boyfriend! Ritte has a boyfriend!" Corina repeated then shut up when Ritte threaten to throw a fork at her. Cloud was silent. Too silent.
"No." He simply said. "No dating till your sixteen. Understand?"
"It's not fair!" She stood up and slammed her fork down on the table causing everyone to flinch. "Everybody else is happy! I'm not. I'll never be happy!" She ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her room, Aries following her. After hearing the door slam shut, Cloud ran a hand through his hair.
"I can't get through to her anymore. Ever since Tifa died, she just vanished. The happy little girl I once knew, she's gone. I don't know if she'll ever come back." Cloud got up from the table and walked out the door going into the summer night. He walked for a ways and ended up at a familiar spot.
He had ended up at Aeris's church, the healing water was still there, but not as much as there used to be. He sat down in one of the pews and put his face in his hands. For the first time in many years, he cried. He suddenly felt loss and sorrow grasp his heart. He couldn't do anything about it. He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"I knew you would come." Aeris's voice drifted through his thoughts. "It's okay to cry, no matter how strong you are." He didn't dare look up at her.
"I wish I knew what to do." he said in between sobs.
"You will know what to do. When the time comes, you will know." This was a different voice, it was True's voice. "Even though we are gone, we can still guide you, and help you."
"What you must do, is talk to her." Tifa was there with them. It was her voice he was hearing, how he missed her. "I can't stand to see Ritte so unhappy. I know you can't take much more of it yourself."
When he looked up to see them, they weren't there. He was alone. He calmed down enough to get up and walk home. When he did get home everyone was asleep. He quietly walked up the stairs to Corina's room giving her a quick kiss goodnight. He walked to Ritte's room and knowing that she was still awake, knocked on the door.
"Come in." He heard her then turned the knob, letting himself into her room.
"Are you still mad at me?" He sat down on her bed. "I understand if you are." She sat up and put the book she was reading on her nightstand.
"No Daddy, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself." Cloud hadn't heard her call him Daddy in a long time, since Tifa had died. "I know your just doing what is best for me. I understand that, but lately, I feel as if the world is out to get me."
"It's okay to get angry, as long as you let your frustrations out in some form or another, it's good for you." He opened his arms for her and she fell into them. "Before I came home, I went to Aeris's church, for the first time in a long time, I cried." She started to tear up and he just hugged her closer.
"How bad was it, how did you cry?" He kissed the top of her head.
"I cried like a baby." She held on tighter. "I think I should cry like that more often. It got rid of all that stress building up inside." She let go of him and laid back down on her pillow. "Now, it's time to go to bed. You have school tomorrow." He tucked her in and gave her a kiss, for the first time in a long time, things were like they use to be. Aries hopped up on Ritte's bed and licked Cloud on the hand, in return getting his ears tugged.
"Goodnight Daddy." Ritte turned over and went to sleep after turning out her lamp. Cloud turned around and looked at her.
"Goodnight Love."
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FINNALY!!! I'm finished! Yay! That only took me like…..forever. Well, thanks to my wonderful people who loved the story, I shall do a few side stories and then I'll get started with the next installment of the White Wolf Chronicles. Good Grief, I'm falling asleep.
Love
Michiyo
