Chapter 14: blood, homework, and questions

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A/N: No, it's not a miracle. Warning: there's way too much dialogue in this chapter.

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There was a slight anticipation building within him as he waited for the door to open-a pain in his chest and the exaggerated beating of his heart. His eyes became suddenly dry when he heard the first footsteps, and they flicked to his shoes when her voice was heard.

"What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

If she didn't know, it was obviously because she was still fighting with her sister. He looked at her irritated face. His gaze drifted behind her shoulder.

"Sorry Miss Crescent. I thought your sister would have told you. I'm picking her up so we can finish our project."

Was it normal to be proud that his voice didn't waver?

Miss Crescent sighed as she moved away from the door, her way of telling him to come in. It felt so different, being invited into this house by her, and not by her sister.

"Shelke is being a brat again. I tried to talk to her yesterday when I got home, but she wouldn't answer me. She's trying to make me mad. Oh, and she's not awake; do you mind waking her up?"

"No, it's fine," he said, already climbing up the stairs. He would bet everything he owned that his face was red.

If he remembered well, Shelke's room was the last on the left, the one at the complete end of the hall. He knocked on the door first, then opened it a little and peeked into the room. It was in even more of a mess than last night.

"Shelke? I'm coming in, okay?"

The lack of answer told him she was still sleeping. He took a step inside, and a strange, sour smell was the first thing he noticed.

"Come on. We gotta work on the presentation. Where's the camera…found it."

It was in the same place he had left it.

"Eh, no more battery left… Should have charged it, Shelke," he added loudly as he removed the cassette.

He took a crumpled brown envelope from his pocket, and put the cassette inside; he opened his backpack and dumped the envelope in it. That girl wouldn't stir, no matter how much noise he made.

"Shelke, wake up," he said, approaching the bed.

Something was weird about the way she was sleeping. It was too uncomfortable.

"Shelke?"

His heart was beating furiously again. It was different this time, somehow more painful. He didn't want to see Shelke's face like he had wanted to see Miss Crescent's face behind the door. Would it even be her?

He drew back the cover. All he could see at first was red; red covering Shelke's body, the bed sheets, the pillow. Without realizing it he touched her shoulder, then her neck, then her face, and then his hands had also become red, and for some reason he start running-running away.

"Miss Crescent! Miss!" He forced himself to shout because that way it would warn her. But she didn't hear him until he reached the base of the stairs. Maybe he hadn't yelled loudly enough.

"Miss Crescent… Lucrecia…"

She finally came out of the kitchen, a puzzled expression in her eyes; they widened at the sight of him.

"What…?"

"Lucrecia…there was… Shelke…she's not breathing…there was blood…and…"

He became aware, as he was talking, that he was panting, and also that he was talking alone. There was a broken mug on the floor, coffee spreading around it, just like-

"Blood. My hands… wash them…"

He nearly ran for the kitchen sink. He wasn't startled when Lucrecia's cry of horror echoed through the house; he only continued to wash his hands, even though they were already clean.

He barely noticed Lucrecia coming downstairs and screaming at him. She was blaming him ("You were the last one to see her!"). Somewhere in his mind it registered that, no, he hadn't been the last one.

"No, yes, I mean… Lucrecia-Miss Crescent, you heard her on the phone… She told me goodbye. She was angry at you…she…"

He sounded calm. His breathing had gone back to normal. He was still leaning against the counter, and the water was still running, all traces of blood washed off.

Lucrecia was sitting at the table, not sobbing; her tears were silent. She looked at him as if he wasn't there.

"I remember…"

She got up, reaching for the phone. "Get out."

"Miss-"

"Just leave." There was no anger in her voice.

He stumbled for the front door (when did his legs become so weak?), and bumped into a wall corner.

He could hear her sobs from the kitchen, and he almost turned around.

He walked away.

—

The school was strangely eerie when it was empty. Or almost empty. There were still a couple of students walking in the hallways, and several others stayed for extracurricular activities. And then there was Reno, of course, who was suspiciously waiting around a corner, constantly shuffling his feet, looking ready to bounce at any moment.

"Hey," Tifa called out.

He turned around quickly. "Quiet." He glanced around the corner. "C'mon."

She jogged to meet him. He was definitely planning something.

"What's going on?"

He didn't answer right away. Tifa leaned in to look over his shoulder; there was nothing special to this part of the hallway, only two classrooms and the men's bathroom.

Her eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

He only motioned to stay silent. She could see he was staring at the bathroom door.

"Hide!" Reno suddenly flattened himself against the wall, and Tifa jumped back in surprise. A few seconds later they heard a door open and close. Reno grinned. Then, "A very elaborate prank."

"What?"

"What I did," he whispered. "A prank."

She stared at him.

"Oh, man. You don't know anything 'bout that bathroom, do you?" He didn't wait for her answer. "That's the smokers' hangout. Or used to be anyway. Until a teacher busted them a year or two ago."

"Alright…" She wasn't too sure where this was going.

"Now that teacher is the only one who uses that bathroom. And who's the biggest smoker in Nibelheim?"

Tifa blinked. How would she know?

But the answer was clear when a particularly unholy set of profanities echoed through the hallway and Reno started running, yelling a her to get away, and she stayed rooted on the spot, too taken aback to move.

"You fucking pranked Highwind?" She shouted after him.

She turned around when a door opened brusquely, and only had time to see an irritated teacher she didn't know before taking off after Reno. She stopped near the entrance of the school, only to continue running when she perceived angry footsteps behind her. There was no sign of her friend—and there was no way she would take the blame.

Fumbling with her backpack to get the car keys was no easy task while racing away, and she had just enough time to get into the car before Highwind stormed out of the school, eyes furiously searching for a culprit. Tifa let out a sigh, sliding down her seat until she was barely visible.

Tifa waited until Highwind went back into the school. She knew she shouldn't have talked to Reno. A groan escaped her lips; surely he would have an idea of who was to blame and she didn't doubt she was among the unlucky candidates. And now he would have all night to plot for revenge. She banged her head against the seat. She couldn't wait for tomorrow's class.

"Are you okay?"

Tifa let out a yelp. Sitting to her right, looking a bit perplexed and a bit amused but especially irritated, was Aerith. She had one hand on the door handle.

"How the hell did you get in here?"

Aerith slammed the door shut. "I saw you run. Then I saw the car. And the door was unlocked." Her tone was curt. Tifa shifted nervously in her seat.

"Can you drive me home?" Aerith asked.

"Yeah…where's you car?"

Her friend frowned as she rummaged through her purse. She took out her cell phone and read something on the screen, only to appear even more annoyed.

"You know what I hate?"

Tifa put the keys in the ignition, glancing at Aerith in surprise. "No?"

"It's when people take your stuff. They do whatever they want with it. They don't even tell you they took it. And when you finally find out, it's usually all broken."

"So… Cloud took your car?"

Aerith seemed taken aback. She let out a chuckle.

"I should have known you would think that."

They passed Tifa's street; she slowed down, not knowing where to go from here.

"What? He goes around searching for trouble."

Another chuckle. "Not that much. The two of you just keep seeing the bad side of each other. It's true," she added, seeing the hesitant look Tifa gave her. "Oh, turn right here!"

"Okay. So, I'm driving you home because Cloud wrecked your car?"

"It's the last house on the street." Aerith peered at her phone again. "And no, Zack did. Well, Cloud let him."

Tifa shrugged. "Same thing."

"Yeah… the problem is that it's not really my car. It's Elmyra's. Cloud's going to repair it for sure, but still,"—she sighed heavily—"it's frustrating."

The car stopped in front of a nice, modest house with a giant garden in front. The cold weather hadn't gone easy on all the flowers, but Tifa could only imagine how beautiful it must have looked during summer and spring.

"Wow. Your family must love gardening."

Aerith laughed as she got out of the car, signalling at Tifa to do the same.

"It's mostly just me." Her bad mood had gradually disappeared along the way. It made Tifa more comfortable.

They walked up the porch stairs. Aerith was humming a strangely familiar song as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. Tifa followed suit, but came to a stop in the entrance hall. If there was one word to describe the house, it was open. From where she was, Tifa could see some of the kitchen, the living room, part of a bathroom, as well as a bedroom. Stairs leading to the second floor were directly in front of her. It was so different from her house, in more ways than one. The colours were bright, but still tasteful. There were photographs and plants and antique-looking things everywhere without being overbearing. She could feel her heart constrict in her chest, and she realized that it was jealousy; her house would never be that homely.

Aerith had already removed her shoes and was heading for the kitchen. For a second, Tifa could only stare at her and contemplate leaving suddenly. But then she also removed her sneakers, dropped her bag next to Aerith's, and went after her.

"Do you want something to eat? I'm starving."

She was reminded of her measly lunch. "Sure."

"We have cookies." Aerith sat at the table, facing Tifa. The bag of cookies was nearly empty. "Oops."

"It's alright. I'll be eating supper soon, anyway."

They started to eat the remaining butter cookies in silence. Awkwardness hung over their head. Tifa wasn't too sure what to do; it felt like most of her relationships were tense these days.

"So," Aerith began, "about this morning... I'm sorry."

Well, that was bit unexpected.

"For real?"

"What do you mean, 'for real'? Why not?"

Tifa raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "You're usually pretty straightforward. I can't really see you backing out on your words."

Her friend waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, no, I'm not sorry about that. I still mean what I said. I'm sorry about the way I approached the subject. Pulling you into an empty classroom and all that."

"That was your idea? I thought for sure it was Yuffie's."

"Well, it was Yuffie who suggested that we go all ninja on you and kidnap you." Aerith smiled. "I just said we should have a private talk; an empty room seemed better than the hallway."

"Yeah… Look, let's just forget about it. You were worried, I get that—"

"No. We're having this talk."

"What?" Tifa blinked. Hadn't they already talked about this? It didn't matter if it had lasted less than five minutes. She didn't need to be told to embrace the system once more. Aerith went on as if she hadn't spoken.

"At first I wasn't too sure how you were…adjusting, let's say. To be honest, I didn't even think about it. We're so used to this system here, and barely nobody moves here. But then, after this morning…" She started playing with her hair, making little braids here and there. "Then, I remembered that I was a new student, too, once. Elmyra and I moved here when I was in fifth grade. Of course, it's not the same as high school. But I felt very awkward. It took me a while to get used to everything." She got up to throw the empty bag of cookies away. "Anyway, all this rambling to say I sort of understand why you'd feel uneasy around us. It's not like I want to force you into being our friend. I really like you and so does everybody, but you know, if you don't like us…"

For a few seconds, Tifa was at a loss of words. There was no denying that she had not been anticipating this. Everybody she had met here, except for Elliot, Jordan and to a certain degree, Cloud, was so accepting of their strange gang system; the thought itself was still a bit surreal to Tifa, only made worse by the town's adherence to it.

"No, it's not… It's not you guys… I just…" For some reason she couldn't meet Aerith's gaze even if she knew there wouldn't be a hint of blame or anger in them. "It's the whole thing—the gangs. You can't really think I'll get used to them so quickly?"

"But what if we give you time?"

Tifa shrugged. "I guess. Though I'll probably never be comfortable with it."

"And that's okay." Aerith snickered. "Don't look so surprised, Tifa."

"Sorry. I think I keep expecting the worst out of this town. Maybe I wasn't fair to you all. I sorta assumed you wouldn't let me make friends with, you know, ravens."

"For my part, I don't care."

"Yeah… I did meet some of them. They were pretty nice." She swiped a lock of hair behind her ear. Should she mention Vincent? Zack certainly didn't seem to appreciate him much, and saying his name in front Cloud was a big no-no, as she had learned a few days ago.

"Like whom?" Aerith grinned. There was a suspicious knowing glint reflected in her eyes.

"Like Jessie, but I haven't seen her in a while… A girl named Phoebe. And, um, Vincent. Vincent Valentine."

"I remember Jessie! Is she doing okay?"

Tifa frowned at her dismissal of Vincent. Were they pretending he didn't exist now?

"As far as I know, yeah. Like I said, it's been some time since I last talked to her."

Aerith tapped her chin. "Yes… That's good." She didn't add anything for a whole minute. The sound of a car door closing was heard in the distance. Tifa suddenly became nervous.

"Talk to Zack about Vincent."

"Why?"

"Believe me, you'll want to hear what he has to say." Aerith gave her another smile. It was genuine.

"But—"

"Subject closed!" She clapped her hands at the same time as the front door opened. "C'mon, Tifa. Let's go in my room."

Tifa got out of her seat, feeling confused, until she heard Cloud's voice. Of course the subject would be closed now. She followed Aerith out of the kitchen, and there was Cloud, bickering with a small kid with a messy flop of brown hair; he had to be 12 at most.

"Hey!" Aerith didn't sound friendly anymore. "Where's my car?"

Cloud barely glanced at her. "Zack has it. And it's not even your car."

"Who cares whose car it is? Where is it? Did you repair it yet?"

He gave her an annoyed look. "Obviously not. Just ask Zack. And Denzel, go do your homework. Now."

So that was Denzel. The kid turned towards the stairs, pouting, but stopped when he saw Tifa.

"Who's that?" He pointed a finger at her.

"I'm gonna guess Tifa," Cloud said without even bothering to glimpse in her direction. He gave Denzel a small push to get him moving. "Homework."

"You're a jerk!" Aerith called after him as he climbed up the stairs. "I swear, the two of you have a radar to detect each other's presence," she went on, more calmly this time. "Let's go in my room."

Tifa wasn't too sure how to take Cloud's blatant dismissal of her being there. Perhaps her words about him in Science truly had bothered him.

"Tifa."

She gave a start at the sound of her friend's voice. "Oh, right."

Aerith's room was at the end of the hall. It was relatively small, with a single bed pushed in the far corner and facing the door. There was a desk on the right, next to a closet, and above it photographs covered the light purple wall. Tifa sat at the desk and gave the chair a few spins.

"Who was that kid?"

"Denzel?" Aerith let herself fall on her bed.

Tifa nodded.

"His younger brother. He can be a bit of a trouble maker sometimes."

"What a surprise."

"Yeah, yeah. But I guess it was to be expected…"

This caught Tifa's attention. By the look on Aerith's face it was obviously better not to ask any more questions. Aerith carried on the conversation, switching subjects, but Tifa was only half-listening and her replies were almost nonexistent. Some pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. And although she was still curious, it wasn't all she was feeling; she just wanted to understand. As much was she liked poking fun at Cloud, it was much out of pettiness anymore, but more something she had gotten used to. Their banter, whether serious or playful, had become part of her life in Nibelheim. But it was an habit she was ready to part with.

She jumped a little when Aerith suddenly got up and gave her arm a tap. "Mom just got here. Are you staying for dinner?"

Is it that late already? "Sure."

"Good. Mom will be happy. Let's go say hello."

Elmyra was scolding Denzel in the kitchen, but looked up when they came in. Tifa couldn't find any words to describe the expression that took over her face as she repeatedly glanced between Cloud and Tifa. Still, she quickly covered it with a welcoming smile.

"Does that mean that you two are getting along now?"

What an odd question, Tifa thought. One with no current answer. So she stayed silent.

Cloud stared at her for a second, and sighed when she didn't answer. "I didn't invite her over," he said.

Elmyra was clearly disappointed, and it made Tifa grin. "Don't worry, we won't kill each other."

"That's reassuring. Well, Denzel, go upstairs and do your homework. Now."

"You heard her," Cloud said, ruffling his brother's hair.

As they both passed by Elmyra, she slapped the back of Cloud's head. Tifa was slightly let down when he didn't yelp like a girl again.

"What was that for?" He rubbed the spot where she had hit him.

"Watch what you say. And go keep an eye on Denzel."

"That's what I was doing before, anyway," he mumbled.

When both boys had disappeared, Aerith went to hug her mother. "Tifa is staying for dinner, Mom."

"That's fine. We'll be eating spaghetti. It won't take long; I just need to cook the pasta."

"Thanks," Tifa smiled. "I hope you really don't mind."

Elmyra waved her off. "Of course not."

Just as she was about to turn around and leave, the phone rang. Aerith took it and by the way her eyes flashed, Tifa couldn't help but pity Zack.

"Sorry," Aerith said, looking at Tifa, "it'll take a second." She mouthed 'sorry' again and left for her room.

Poor guy. Tifa shook her head, smirking. But the smirk quickly died when Elmyra asked her to please go upstairs and check on Denzel and Cloud.

"Sure…" She answered. There was a very suspicious and unmissable smile etched on the older woman's face. I swear, it's a conspiracy.

There were only three rooms upstairs, but since all the doors were closed it was hard to tell which one was Denzel's. She particularly didn't want to open the doors one by one and end up face-to-face with a grumpy Cloud.

A soft voice came from her right. "Are you looking for Cloud?"

Tifa started. There was a small lounge with a couch, a coffee table, and a television right besides the stairs. Denzel was sitting on the floor and what appeared to be his infamous homework laid scattered on the table. From afar, she could see that it was all blank except for a couple of doodles here and there.

"No," she answered, going to sit next to him. "Elmyra asked me to come check on you two."

At her words, he picked up his pencil and hunched over, as if trying to hide the empty worksheet.

"Don't worry, I won't tell her."

He gave her a doubtful glance, but then sighed. "It's okay. I really should do it anyway. I'll get in trouble again and Elmyra'll be mad at me."

She tilted her head to the side. "Have you been living here for long?"

"Huh. Wait." He started to count on his fingers. "This is going to be the fourth year."

Tifa did some math in her head. So Cloud would have been a freshman. No, that wasn't right. He had failed his sophomore year and had been forced to redo it. She could feel her heart tighten a bit.

"Do you need to check on Cloud?"

Tifa's eyes widened. "What?"

"That's what you said, no?"

"Right." She rubbed the side of her neck. "Denzel, is he mad?"

He stared at her weirdly. "About the homework? No."

She chuckled, some of the tension in her body gone. Of course he would think that. "That's good. I'll check on him if you want."

Denzel nodded, a serious expression overtaking his features. He pointed to the middle door. "That's his room."

"Alright, alright," she said as she got up on her feet.

Tifa opened the door slowly until she could get a good look without having to come in. The room was somewhat similar to Aerith's in size and disposition. The walls were white and one side was covered with posters of all sorts. She looked around for a few more seconds, surprised at how neat and messy Cloud's bedroom was at the same time. There was barely anything covering the floor, but the desk was crumbling under piles of papers, books, and movie cases, although they were all obviously organized in their own specific way. Cloud himself was sleeping, an arm thrown over his eyes. He didn't have a bed per se; instead, he had set down a mattress right next to the door. A small night table was standing in front of the improvised bed, right above Cloud's head.

She stepped out of the room but didn't close the door. "He's sleeping," she whispered.

Denzel didn't bother to keep his voice down. "Wake him up. We're gonna eat."

Great.

Tifa squatted down next to the bed, sighing internally. She poked Cloud's arm.

"What," he grumbled.

"Awesome. You're already awake." She got up at once.

"Tifa…?"

She turned around. He had removed the arm from his face. She could easily tell that he hadn't be sleeping at all.

"What did you…" He paused and sat up. "Forget it. It's nothing."

Her heart started to beat faster. He had heard her and Vincent. She just knew.

"We're, hum, we're eating soon."

"Okay." He stared at her expectantly.

The door closed softly on her way out.

—

Dinner had been an interesting experience. Tifa couldn't help but notice that it was so different from the ones she had everyday. Aerith was doing the dishes and Tifa had insisted on helping her. Cloud was still sitting at the kitchen table, playing around with his phone. The silence was comfortable for once, but Tifa could have used for some distractions from her thoughts. Although the Strife-Gainsborough family had made her feel welcome there was still the nagging sensation that she would not have these kind of dinners again. Not with her father.

Her father.

She almost dropped the plate she had been in the process of drying. Shit. I'm forgetting something.

"Oh, hey, Tifa, did you get a car?"

"The…car?"

Cloud gesture to the window with head. "Yeah. It's yours, right?" It was as if he had read her thoughts.

Tifa groaned. "I forgot to call my Dad!" She rushed for the entrance hall where she had left her bag and took out her cellphone. She had two missed calls. "Fuck."

She dialed her home number. Her father answered on the second ring. "Hello, Dad?"

"Tifa? Where are you?"

She took a deep breath. "Dad, I'm sorry, I forgot to call you. My friend needed a ride home and then they invited me over for dinner, but I forgot it was your day off and that I had the car." She bit her bottom lip.

"Calm down, Tifa. It's alright."

Her eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Really? You're not mad? I mean, I have your car and all…"

"Yes. I'm glad you're making friends. That's all. Just don't come back too late."

"Right."

"Well…Bye," he coughed his usual awkward cough.

"Dad, next time you have a day off, I'll remember."

She could practically hear his smile through the phone. "That'd be nice. Bye."

"Bye." She ended the call but still stood there a moment. There was no way he couldn't be just a little mad. He had to be disappointed. There was no way.

When she walked back into the kitchen, Cloud was gone. Aerith grabbed Tifa's wrist and dragged her toward her room.

There was big, mischievous grin etched on her face. Tifa didn't like it. At all.

"Tifa, I have some homework to do now." Her smile got bigger, if that was even possible. "Why don't you go talk to my cousin in the meantime?"

"Huh, it's fine, I'll just head home…"

Aerith shook her head. "No, no, no." Her voice got lower. "See, I have to do some work and you're waiting for me."

"Okay…"

"You don't get it, do now?"

"I seriously don't, Aerith. Am I-wait, are you asking me to somehow cover for you?"

"Exactly!"

Tifa was speechless. "I still don't get how it's going to work."

"It's okay, me neither. But Mom usually leaves me alone when I have friends over, so if you stay here and wait for me, she'll just think I'm doing homework. I think."

"That's such a bad plan."

"It's worth a try," Aerith shrugged. "I won't be out for long, anyway. Just the time to let Zack know what I'm really thinking." Her eyes flared up once more.

"I still…don't get it. Why do you have to sneak out, he's your boyfriend."

Aerith rolled her eyes. "Ha! I might as well change my name to Juliet. Mom tolerates him as Cloud's friends, but apparently that doesn't make him a good boyfriend. And she totally noticed that her car is not in the driveway."

So both families didn't seem to approve of each other. Her intuition had been right. About Zack's parents at least.

Tifa crossed her arms. "Let's recap; you sneak out, I tell your mom I'm waiting for you to finish your homework, I go bother Cloud, and then wait for you to come back? And you're sure it's gonna work?"

"Not really. But like I said, it's worth a try."

"One thing, why don't I just hide in your room?"

Aerith shook her head. "I tried that. The lack of voices was very obvious."

"I think the fact that you're doing homework while a friend is over is even more obvious."

The tell-tale sound of an incoming text echoed in the room. Aerith looked at her phone.

"Okay, I leave the rest up to you!"

She climbed on her bed, and just as she was about to go out by the window, she turned around, "I'll be back in 20 minutes!"

Twenty minutes to talk with Cloud. To find out if what she had said in Science had bothered him.

Tifa stayed rooted on the spot as her friend disappeared. "That is the worst plan I've ever heard," she thought aloud.

—

After fulfilling her part of the plan and telling Elmyra that Aerith was busy studying, Tifa ascended the stairs. Cloud looked up as the sound of her footsteps grew louder.

"Hey." His eyes drifted back to the mute TV.

Tifa climbed the last step, but didn't come nearer.

"Aerith said she had to study for a test tomorrow, so..."

He nodded. "OK."

How can they not find that weird?

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

He almost cut her off. "It's fine, Tifa."

She swallowed. "Of course."

She stole a peek at his face as she sat down on the other end end of the couch. she could tell he was irritated by her nervousness. She would have never thought that something as simple as watching television could be so awkward.

"What are you watching?"

Cloud shrugged. "Dunno. I just turned the TV on."

"Why mute it, thought? I mean," she added quickly, "I don't really see the point."

"I just like it better that way."

He got up on the couch and opened the small window above his head. "Why didn't you go home?" He took out a cigarette.

Tifa didn't give him an answer, watching him light up his cigarette instead. There's something fascinating about voluntarily speeding up your death, she thought.

Just as he was about to take the first drag, he suddenly jumped to his feet again. "Shit." Cloud leaned over the bannister to rapidly look downstairs. He sat back on the couch, a little closer than Tifa felt comfortable.

"Oh yeah. You don't mind right?" He asked, waving his lighter, as if he only now remembered her that she was next to him. She shook her head no.

Tifa hoped that he would have forgotten his previous question. She wasn't even thinking about Aerith's wacky escape plan. In reality, there was really no reason for her not to leave.

But Cloud was looking her way expectantly. "So?"

She crossed her legs and stared at the television. A man was running after a car. Was it supposed to be funny? Romantic? Maybe dramatic.

"I guess..." She paused. What was she supposed to say? "I didn't really feel like it."

She didn't miss his disbelieving expression.

"Alright." He nodded, his attention returning to the TV.

Did she hate his habit of nodding absentmindedly sometimes. She didn't glance at him when he continued.

"I thought that since your dad's home, you would, you know, go back." He nodded again.

Tifa sighed. "What do you want, Cloud?"

At least he didn't have the nerve to look innocent.

"Hey, I just know there's a reason. That's all." His tone was dry, bordering on arrogant. It only annoyed her more.

"You are so..." What? Infuriating? Presumptuous? She couldn't herself to finish her sentence. There was this little voice that told her that perhaps he was making conversation, being friendly. Perhaps he just cared. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back on the couch. What to say, what to say.

In the end, she didn't think she was so worried about what had happened earlier today in Science that she wanted to discuss it. Still, it felt like Cloud's unclear reaction to what he had overheard was nagging her. Tifa had no idea if she had hurt him or if he was indifferent to her comments. More often than not, it appeared to be the later.

Or she could have simply stayed to attempt to force answers out of him. Yes, Tifa decided, that was more like it.

"Can you tell me something?" She brought her knees to her chest, mentally bracing herself for his very likely refusal. She toyed with the scarf around her neck

"Depends," Cloud said. "Will you tell me something in return?" He put out his cigarette in the ashtray laying on the carpeted floor.

"It depends."

He chuckled. It wasn't very happy. "Alright, Lockheart; I'll play your game. Shoot."

Back to Lockheart. He was getting defensive.

"Why do you get away with everything? Not just you. Zack and Reno and all of you guys."

There was a shadow of a smirk on his lips. "Magic."

"Seriously."

"Honestly? Not my story to tell. It's as simple as that."

"You always say that." Tifa rubbed her cheek. "Can't you give me a straight answer for once?"

"Once? Okay. Just choose another question."

"Of course," she mumbled. Cloud laughed. "Why do you hate Vincent? You two were friends before."

Even though he tried not to show it, Tifa could discern the sudden stillness in Cloud's movement, the slight hesitation before he spoke, the way his gaze became icy. She expected this. He lit up a fresh cigarette.

"At the time I thought he did something I couldn't forgive. Now's a bit late to patch up things." He leaned forward a little, and away from her.

"You thought? You mean there is no real misunderstanding?" She regretted not being able to control the surprise in her voice. He gave her a cross look.

"Like I said, something happened."

Tifa was aware she shouldn't push him to reveal anything else about Vincent, and so she merely nodded.

She didn't count on him to continue talking.

"It's a lot more...complicated then it should be. I did something I shouldn't have. And I..." He chuckled humorlessly again. "It just happened. Yeah, it just happened."

As she listened to him, Tifa couldn't help but repeat to herself over and over again that Cloud Strife was opening up to her. She almost wanted to speak the thought aloud to make it real.

"You know, um, Vincent... he still cares about what happens to you," she said softly.

He stayed silent.

Then, finally, "That's nice to know."

Her heart clenched. "You don't really care, do you?"

Cloud let out a heavy sigh.

"What do you want me to say, Lockheart? I used to. But now it's over and done with."

There was a long pause, and they both pretended to watch the television.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you that." Tifa tucked a lock of hair behind her left ear. Strangely, she didn't feel nervous.

He only shrugged.

"Cloud..." He turned towards her, but she didn't glance at him. "I didn't go home because I wanted to talk to you. I didn't know what about. I thought it might be about what you heard this afternoon. But then, not really. I figured we could just...talk. Like be geeks and talk about the weather and whatnot. But I had nothing to say. And then we started talking about this fucking town."

It took a moment for him to say anything back, and when he did he patted her head and said, "It's okay," and she did not know if he was being nice or something else.

When Cloud put out his second smoke, she realized how late it was getting. Aerith would be getting back soon. But she felt bolder now, and she still had a question for him.

"Mind if I ask you another thing? I'll leave after that." She smiled. "Promise."

He ran a hand through his hair, making it messier. "I guess."

"Did your-" She started, sort of reluctant to go on. You can do it, she told herself. "Did your mother really commit suicide?"

She held her breath in anticipation of his reaction. He was completely emotionless.

"Yes."

Don't push your luck, Tifa.

"Why?"

Cloud turned the television's sound back on.

—

A/N: Alright. Where do I start? It's been a (really, really) long time. But this isn't abandoned! I'm not making any promises about my updating schedule because, let's be honest, I won't stick to it anyway. I told myself I should write the next chapter before posting this one to make sure I wouldn't disappear again, but I figured you guys had waited long enough ;)

As for why I was gone for so long, that's my business. I'm just happy to be back. I did put a link to my LJ back recently, and I plan on using it to post updates on the chapters and snippets from time to time. Maybe some original work, too.

thank you for your patience. it means a lot to me:

ClotiNotCleris, cloudlover2989, Marisa, Sheiky, SugarHoney91, demonegg, vLuna, darkangel8694, MyfinalfantasyVII, cerberus angel, BlueWings92, pangpond, BananaPeaceMonkeyKarmi, HeloEyes, Germina., Synchypn0tic17, TorigaOkami, 8Tifa8, tara, …, anna, ken08002, YAY4FINALFANTASY, preciouslittle, xPhiieebeex-ayannaaki, J Luc Pitard, midnight vinyls, & BoozeWeedGold!

FAQ!

Q: How old are Cloud and Tifa?

A: Tifa is 17 and Cloud is 19. For reference, Zack is 18, Aerith is 16, Reno and Vincent are 17, Yuffie is 15 (Jordan is 17 and Elliot, 18). I know their age differences are different from the game. No need to tell me.

Q: Where did you get the idea to name the groups the wolves and the ravens?

A: That's a good one. At first the groups didn't even have animal names to them; after trying different combinations, I thought these would work the best. I thought of the wolves because it's a symbol used heavily in AC. I couldn't find a good name for the other group for a while. But since I'm a huge mythology nerd, I thought back to the Norse pantheon with the wolf Fenrir and Odin's ravens, Huginn and Muninn. It sort of clicked in my head. Yeah.

Q: What's so special about the elite and what separates them from the regular wolves?

A: I can't really reveal that now. Let's just say, the elite did some things to gain that status. It's not just something that was given to them; they acquired it.

Q: What kinds of secrets are Aerith and Zack hiding?

A: Some are petty and nearly meaningless, some are heavy and important. It's not just them who are hiding something.

Q: Is someone going to hurt TIfa?

A: Maybe. Who knows (well, except for me)?

Q: Where does the rape/suicide/murder that used to be mentioned at the beginning of the chapters come in?

A: Soon. Very soon. The story will finally take off in the next chapters. If the chapter is more graphic than usual, I will let people know at the beginning.