Getting Back Up

A large amount of the damage done to the Seventh Heaven couldn't be fixed by a few hours forced labor. And the items looted or destroyed had simply to be replaced. As ShinRa and the W.R.O.'s combined police force gradually got crime back under control, Cloud and Tifa went through their house and decided what needed to be replaced and what wasn't necessary for the time being. Understanding that the pair was in a less-than-stellar position at the moment, Marlene and Denzel kept quiet about any small wishes that they had and focused on getting to know Shelke.

Barret looked around the Seventh Heaven after the Black Bullets left, "Still lots o' damage. I'm here if ya'll need help with anythin'."

Tifa nodded, "Thanks, Barret," she sighed, "I guess I'm going shopping. Do either of you want to come along?"

Cloud nodded, "You go ahead. I'll catch up."

Tifa nodded and went upstairs to get her money before leaving. Once she was out of the house, Cloud turned on Barret, "So why the hell did you punch me?"

"Eh? Oh, uh…sorry?" Barret shifted his feet.

Cloud scowled.

"It's just…Marlene ain't my only girl, Cloud. I look after Tifa, too. An' you two bein' gone for so long alone together…well I was worried that…"

Cloud blushed and smacked a palm to his forehead. He rubbed his face, gave Barret the finger, and sighed, "First of all, we didn't do anything. Second of all, it's none of your damn business. We're not children, Barret. I'm 25 years old, and Tifa's 24."

"You think I don't know that?! I just wasn't thinking! Shit, were givin' me gray hair the whole time you was gone!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow and glanced at Barret's head.

"Not literally! Shut up and go buy shit!" Barret shoved Cloud out of the building and slammed the door.

Cloud glanced back at the closed door and sighed and shook his head before catching up with Tifa. Before he could go more than a few feet, though, he noticed a group of people gathered around a bench. They looked worried. One of the girls saw Cloud and shouted, "Oh my god! Are you okay?! How badly were you wounded in the battle?!"

Cloud blinked in confusion, then looked down at his blood and dirt-stained clothes.

Oops. But why isn't Tifa explaining that we're fine?

He trotted over to the group of people on the bench and pushed them aside. Tifa was sitting asleep on the bench. Cloud almost laughed. She was so full of energy just a few minutes ago. He picked her up and started back to their house, "We're fine," he assured the group, "Our clothes just got dirty in all of the confusion last night. You should keep an eye out for more wounded, though, and help anyone who needs it. Watch your backs, though. There're lots of criminals hanging around that have formed gangs."

"Gangs?! Are they the ones who ransacked my house?!" a man shouted.

"Probably. Watch your back."

The group looked around before slowly dispersing. Cloud watched them go for a moment before heading back. Tifa was getting heavy. He adjusted her weight and ignored the twinge in his protesting shoulders and arms.

Barret was lounging on the couch when Cloud walked in with Tifa. He jumped to his feet, "What happened?!"

"Fell asleep. I tired her out," Cloud sneered. Barret's face darkened. Cloud took Tifa upstairs, got a change of clothes, and returned a moment later, "I'm going out. Gonna get food and new plates and things. Let Tifa know when she wakes up. Clean something."

"Hmph. Do whatever the hell you want, bastard," Barret sprawled back across the couch, "You look like a punk."

Cloud shrugged and left. So he wore jeans and a t-shirt for a change, what's the big deal?

He strolled around town looking for various items, but everyone else seemed to be down on their luck, too. Cloud noticed people glancing at him like "I know that guy from somewhere…" and smiled. Who would have thought his normal dark clothes were such a staple to his identity? His hair should have been more than enough to let anyone know who he was. If they wanted to know, anyways.

Tifa woke with a start and looked around, startling her healing body into pain and freezing her in her tracks. Slowly she looked around, wondering when she had fallen asleep, and saw a change of clothes sitting on the bedside table. Confused, Tifa raised an eyebrow and looked down at her current attire. She laughed and covered her mouth. That's a lot of blood. Cloud must have brought her back inside and put the clothes next to her when she fell asleep. Tifa smiled. He was so sweet. She looked at the knee-length dress Cloud had picked and giggled at its dark purple color.

Much to her surprise when she arrived on the first floor, Tifa saw Barret wiping down tables as best as was humanly possible. The scratched, chipped, graffitied tables practically reflected Barret's angry face as he furiously scrubbed at what was undeniably a bloodstain.

Tifa poked Barret in the shoulder, "That probably won't come out. Who knows how long it's been there."

Barret grumbled and sat down before shooting Tifa a hard stare, "Cloud didn't do anything inappropriate while you were gone? Nice dress."

Tifa blinked, taken aback, "Pardon? Thanks."

"I said: Spike kept his dirty mitts offa you while you were gone, didn't he?"

"I don't see how this concerns you, but yes he kept his hands off. He didn't do anything inappropriate while we were gone," Tifa put her hands on her hips. Probably better at this moment to leave out Cloud's 'Engineered into his Brain' comment out for the moment, "Is this why you punched him in the truck?"

Barret grumbled, "If he ever does anything you don't like, let me know and I'll beat sense into him."

"More like the stuffing out of him, I'm sure."

"Bingo."

Tifa laughed quietly, "I think I'll be okay, Barret. Do you know where Cloud is?"

"Out buying shit. I'm not too fond of him right now."

"Alright. I'm gonna go find him. Bye, Barret. And don't worry about that stain too much," Tifa teased before pulling out her cell phone and heading out.

Cloud's cell phone rang. He set down the box of dishes he had on a ledge (holding it in place with his free hand) and glanced at the caller id. He answered immediately, "Hello?"

"Hi, Cloud, it's Tifa. Where are you?"

"Near the center of town where that statue of Midgar used to be."

"Alright, wait there. I'm heading over now. I should be there in about 10 minutes. What made you pick this dress, by the way?"

"It was the first one that I grabbed."

"Ah, ok. I thought you would avoid purple dresses."

"Shut up."

Tifa laughed, "Bye, Cloud. See you in a bit."

"Bye."

Cloud hung up and wondered if he would ever escape that stupid dress. He moved the box of dishes to his feet and waited for Tifa.

Tifa trotted to meet Cloud and slowed when she got to the town center. She looked around for Cloud's hair and jogged to meet him.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

"Hi. You look nice. I found some dishes."

"Very to the point of you. Thank you. Where'd you find the dishes?"

"I know a guy. He has wooden dishes. So I got them."

"Who is this guy? You've bought from him before," Tifa opened the box and looked at the dishes.

"I deliver to him so he gives me deals on the stuff he sells, and he has a shop in town. He keeps most of his stock out of the city, though, so he didn't get completely looted."

Tifa inspected a dish, "Well that's smart of him. Maybe we should move."

"You really think this city can survive without us?" Cloud joked.

"Hmph, good point," Tifa laughed as she stood, "Hey…do you think we could get Zell back?"

"Tifa…"

"I know, I know. But we already have Marlene and Denzel and they're safe with us, and we'll be able to keep a few gang bangers out of the neighborhood easily, and-"

"Tifa. You're forgetting the other reason we gave Zell to Edea. He deserves a normal life, remember? He'll become a target if he stays with us. Marlene and Denzel have both been kidnapped under our watch."

"But-"

"No, Tifa. Zell is safe and unknown where he is right now," Cloud finalized.

Tifa stared Cloud down, then sighed and looked away, "Sorry…" she picked at her nails.

"You're fine. Let's look around for more stuff for the house," Cloud picked up the box of dishes with one arm and took Tifa's hand with his other.

Sorry for the long wait :( life has become so busy. As always, please read and enjoy :)