"Who thought that it was a good idea to teach the Chiati to write letters?" Cloud growled and threw said a letter from said people down on his table.
"You did." Spiral commented. Cloud threw a pillow at Spiral who caught it. He knew that Cloud didn't want to hurt him and that the blond was just having a bad day. Still, Cloud didn't normally throw things. "What happened?"
Cloud let out a strangled yell and Spiral picked up the letter.
" 'Due to our newfound knowledge and neighbors we, the Hearts of the Herds, had decided that it would be in our best interests to have a single Heart over the people that can be easily reached. As such we have declared you to be the Lord of the Chiati. Have fun!' Fun?" Spiral questioned. Cloud buried his head in a pillow and Spiral winced at the angry red skin around the scales on the back of his neck. Shedding really was a menace. Cloud had accidently scratched his skin while trying to get rid of the dead scales. Not a fun experience for anyone.
"So I'm the person who has to do all the paperwork," Cloud groaned into the pillow. Spiral snorted. The Chiati's hatred of paperwork really was legendary. And everyone had saddled Cloud with all of it. And Cloud couldn't really say that this wouldn't help anyone. It would make almost everyone's lives easier. Except for Cloud's.
"We'll help you," Spiral said calmly and Cloud looked up.
"I know, you guys really pamper me." Cloud said blushing lightly.
"You deserve it." Spiral said. They really did try to make Cloud's life easier, but it wasn't easy. Cloud was always in motion and it was rare for the blond to stop and rest. It made them worry about his health. This was one of those rare times when Cloud was staying in one place. "We do worry about you, don't you think that you are pushing yourself to hard?" Spiral asked.
Cloud blinked at Spiral and turned the idea over in his thoughts. Lately he had been pretty busy. After seeing the condition that some of the poor and orphans lived in he had been trying to get a few programs up and running to help with that. He had opened a few orphanages, started a new book on Demon culture, talked and outlined a new program with Reeve to help clean up the underground of Midgard, and was running the intercultural program he had started to help both the Chiati and others learn about the other's cultures. And then there was the mess with the monument that he had just finished. He had talked them down to a life sized statue in an orchard. Maybe he should take a step back and relax a little.
"Where you plotting with Tseng how to kidnap me if I didn't see it?" Cloud asked Spiral who coughed innocently.
"Of course not," Spiral said and Cloud looked behind him to see Tseng looking perfectly normal.
"I'll take the week slow," Cloud said with a slight smile. "If you think that I'm over extending myself feel free to tell me. I do care about your opinions."
"Good," Spiral said feeling relieved. The stress had been making the shedding harder than it needed to be. It had taken awhile for Spiral to learn that like a snake shedding would be more difficult if Cloud was stressed. Cloud also may have been right about the kidnapping comment.
"Is there anything that I need to know?" Cloud asked Tseng. "Or am I okay to take the afternoon off?"
"Your father is coming to visit soon, but I do not know the exact date." Tseng seemed annoyed by that. Cloud found his lip quirk to the side in a half smile. Eyes twinkling with amusement Cloud wondered if Tseng knew that his father was THE Vincent Valentine. Most likely not. He couldn't wait to see Tseng's face.
Tseng knew that look. It never boded well for someone. Someone's mind was going to be spinning soon.
"Is that it?" Cloud asked.
Tseng nodded.
"Then you can take the rest of the afternoon off," Spiral said and Cloud chuckled as he stood up.
"Thanks," He said and ruffled Spiral's hair passing him towards his room. A nice nap sounded good to his body. Spiral looked caught between embarrassment and a soft joy that came from knowing that someone you cared about was not going to run himself into the ground.
Tseng chuckled and Spiral blushed and looked down.
"You know that you like it when he says that to you," Spiral said. Tseng didn't reply.
Cloud smiled broadly, to the surprise of his herd, and ran to hug the man who dismounted from a pretty roan mare. He was slim with black hair, pale skin, and ruby red eyes with human pupils. The oddest thing besides his eyes was the golden gauntlet on his right arm. Tseng observed the man silently before he gasped and grabbed Sephiroth for support as his legs suddenly felt weak.
"Vincent Valentine?" He whispered in shock. Sephiroth also seemed to be in a state of shock, but for an entirely different reason. Tseng the leader of the Turks, the most unflappable person he knew was gaping like a fish and staring at the man. Then his mind connected the dots.
"So this is were you learned it all," Sephiroth commented.
"Vincent taught me a lot, but not everything." Cloud said still hugging Vincent who looked no older than twenty. "I had a lot of teachers."
"You were a very good student so of course you had a lot of teachers," Vincent said with a small smile at his son who wasn't so little anymore. "I swear you absorbed everything like a sponge."
Cloud shrugged. "What brings you here?" He asked Vincent pulling away.
"I just wanted to see you," Vincent said simply. "You are my son in all but blood."
Cloud nodded. "Did you have any trouble on your journey?"
"The most bizarre series of events happened, but not really." Vincent said after a moment.
"Come in and tell me about it," Cloud said and Vincent put his arm around the blond and chuckled.
"I'm still not sure that I believe what happened." Vincent said as they walked up to the house. The roan mare shook her mane and settled down to graze. Vincent paused at the doorway and said to Tseng, "You're going to catch flies." Tseng snapped his jaw shut with a click and the two continued inside.
"So what happened?" Cloud asked leaning against Vincent on his favorite couch. Chiati often leaned against each other when sitting in a display of affection between family members. It had taken a long time for the two to get this point and neither wanted to admit out loud how much they had missed the other.
"Well I was hunted down by the Chaos Demons and made their Lord. I tried to point out that I was not a Chaos Demon, but apparently Hojo made me into one and I have the blood and soul of the previous Lord." Vincent replied. "I am told that I need to pick and heir. When I told them that you would be my choice they looked positively ecstatic."
"Why?" Cloud asked Vincent raising an eyebrow.
"You are a force of change. Chaos Demons love changing things up. And they seem to really like Spiral." Vincent admitted. "Then I was informed that you were already a Lord so I had to pick a new one or you need two heirs."
"Heirs?!"
"Yes," Vincent sighed. "As the heir to the Chaos Demons and current Lord of the Chiati you do need an heir to pass the responsibility to."
"I... never thought about it." Cloud said slowly. "Being a Heart is not hereditary."
"The Chiati have agreed that even if your heir is not a Heart they will listen, but that he or she will need to have an advisor that is a Heart." Vincent said. Cloud sighed.
"Let me guess. They have an idea of who I should make my heir." Cloud said.
"They don't really want you to randomly pick and heir," Vincent said with a light smile. "They want you to get married."
"WHAT?!" Cloud leapt to his feet and fell over the table. Not bothering to get up he gaped at his father in mute shock.
"I am 'highly encouraged' to marry, but am under no obligation." Vincent said calmly. Cloud stood and walked back to sit by his father. Leaning against him he breathed in the smell that was pure Vincent and calmed. "I never have understood your attraction to scents." Vincent said softly. "Has anyone noticed that?"
"No, I'm not that obvious." Cloud said quietly. "I think that it's a Demon bloodline thing. And I've suppressed it."
Vincent hummed in acknowledgement. "That is very possible."
"So am I supposed to just get married, have a kid now?" Cloud asked.
"Soon, but I don't think that the Chaos Demons or Chiati will pressure you into a relationship. Both usually have one mate for life." Vincent said. "But they might put women in your path."
"I can live with that as long as it isn't Tifa." Cloud said.
"Tifa? Isn't she the kid you rescued when we passed by Nibelheim years ago?" Vincent asked.
"Yep, and she is an enormous pain." Cloud complained. "She lived in Nibelheim until it was destroyed in the reactor meltdown."
"I remember that."
"After that she joined a group called Avalanche and went anti-ShinRa regardless of the direction that ShinRa had taken. This was a year after the Presidents death. We took care of the group and now their not a problem. Not dead." Cloud added guessing where his father's thoughts had headed. "Part of the new ShinRa. Except for Yuffie. She's the runaway princess from Watari. We sent her back with an escort."
"Did she escape?" Vincent asked.
"Once, but then she saw Sephiroth and I and decided that she was in love." Cloud blushed. Vincent wrapped an arm around Cloud. Even after all this time he found it hard to accept that others found him attractive. The villagers had really done a number on his self image. Luckily it was easier these days. Chiati didn't really care about how they looked, but those six years among non-Chiati had taught Cloud that was important. Sometimes he had bouts of doubt about his image.
"I bet she did." Vincent said amused. "Two very handsome men riding through the woods-"
"Dad!"
"It's true," Vincent said and ruffled Cloud's hair with his left hand. "A lot of women are going to pursue you because of how attractive you are. It will take time to find one that loves you for being you."
"Thanks for that vote of confidence." Cloud sighed.
"You will find her. And if anyone doesn't actually love you your herd will protect you and so will I." Vincent murmured softly into Cloud's ear. Cloud relaxed and a tension he hadn't known he had fled. "Does this Tifa bother you?"
"She sends me love letters and stalks me." Cloud said tiredly. "Once I found her in my room. It was creepy."
"Sounds like it." Vincent said tightening his hold on his son. "You sound exhausted."
"I've spread myself to thin and now that I'm actually taking it easy for a week it seems to have caught up with me," Cloud admitted.
"Do you mind if I stay here with you for awhile?" Vincent asked. They both knew that Cloud would say yes, but that he would ask anyways. Their bond was deep and Vincent hated to see his son this tired.
"I would be very happy to have you stay here," Cloud said falling asleep. Vincent huffed silently in amusement. Some things never changed. Cloud had fallen asleep leaning on him for years. It made Vincent realize how grown up Cloud was. His little boy had grown up and was possibly going to start a family of his own soon. He would be turning twenty-four this week, if Vincent remembered correctly.
"Has it really been eighteen years?" Vincent asked no one softly. After a moment where Cloud showed no sign of waking up Vincent picked up Cloud. He was rather light for his size and Vincent began to worry about Cloud's health.