XXXIX.

Cloud practically burst through the door and stomped over to the sink behind the empty bar in the main room, the whole establishment still getting some finishing touches done before it opened to the public. He let go of Tifa's hand only to turn the water on in the sink and start scrubbing his greased hands. His eyes burned with fury.

"Cloud, what was that?" Tifa asked."

"I said all I needed to say out there. Nothing else to say."

"Cloud...I think...I think you should do it."

He paused scrubbing his hands for a second in thought, then resumed to angrily get that last bit of grease out from under his nails. "No. I will not. I don't want anything to do with Shinra anymore...I told everyone that how many times? I don't know what's worse, being a Sephiroth clone or a Shinra clone!"

"But Cloud...Think of all you can do for all those hurting people out there..."

Cloud's initial anger cooled a bit now that he was alone with Tifa, but the words he spoke were still packed with hate. "What can a failed experiment that couldn't even pass the first couple of training tests in the Shinra military possibly do running the whole thing?"

"Cloud, remember what Barret said?" She started to do an impression of Barret that would almost be funny if Cloud wasn't so riled. She lowered her eyebrows down all the way, stuck her bottom lip out and crossed her arms as she lowered her voice unnaturally. "...'ain't what I'm talkin' bout' ! Ain't how many times you knocked down, it's how often you git up!'..."

"Well...there's nothing a tyrant can do for anyone. And I know nothing about politics. I'm too young." He splashed his face, turned off the water, and grabbed a clean towel from behind the bar.

"Those are not excuses! Cloud Strife, what Bill said is right! You've forever been mentioning how you'd love to rebuild Gongaga...you'd love to rebuild Midgar...you'd love to modify the plate so the slums saw daylight...and for the other two excuses, do you think Shinra or his son really cared about politics? And Rufus wasn't that much older than you are now when he came into power!"

His girl was right. On all counts. As he was drying his face and hands he realized that. He laid the damp towel on the bar and leaned on it with a hand on his hip. He kept his eyes on the towel as if he was talking to it. He nervously bit his lip in thought. "Fine." he whispered. "As long...as long as you're there with me." He shyly flicked his eyes toward Tifa for a moment. Now what was everyone getting him into?

She stepped closer to him to put her hands on his chest. "I'll be there every step of the way. Someone has to make sure you behave!"

That made him snicker. Just a bit.

He encircled her with his arms an held her closer. "You know...I was just an escort guard in the military?..."

"Yes."

He sighed as he reminisced. "You wouldn't believe the thrill that went through me the first time I saw my reflection...and...saw my eyes..."

"Oh?"

He sighed again with a hum and his chin on her shoulder. "Mmmmmmmm. Yeah. After they infused some of the boys with Mako...we were knocked out for a long time from it...Imagine. Me, a lowly escort guard, looking into the mirror of the men's room one night after I awakened ...and saw SOLDIER eyes staring back at me...I could tell everyone I was in SOLDIER and they'd believe it. It made it almost worth it. Almost."

She gave a soft laugh. "All you needed was a chance, Cloud. That's all." Suddenly her body seemed to stiffen in his arms. "While we're into true confessions, Cloud...at the crater..I didn't tell you..."

"I know about it. All of it."

She looked truly puzzled. "About Aeris?"

"Yeah. Vincent told me. He thought you had told me already."

"She said you're a...Did you ever?..."

"I never touched her."

Tifa shifted her weight like that wasn't enough.

Cloud took hold of her hands and held the over his heart. "Tifa, I know I've told a lot of tall tales before...I don't need to tell any more...this isn't one of them. I never touched her."

She had to believe it. He was gazing right into her eyes this time.

"The Shinra tower...she mentioned a date...did you ever go on one?"

"Yes..."

"Well?"

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "She shoved me out the door! It was a disaster. We were made to play a part in this really cheesy little theatre number because we were the 200th couple or something. She smacked me! I remember how it hurt... God, that was nasty..." He rubbed his cheek as he remembered it.

Tifa almost giggled. "She smacked you?"

"Yeah." He twisted his mouth and put a hand on his hip. "I kinda got cocky with her and screwed up the lines I was supposed to say. She got all huffy and smacked me upside my head. Almost knocked me out!"

"Ha! That sounds like the Cloud Strife I know!"

"YOUR Cloud Strife, y'know..."

"Five more months...two more weeks, and fifteen hours left!" she hinted.

"Well, what about right now?"

"Right now...you're all mine, too. Rrar." They kissed each other for a few minutes. Aeris was right...he is a great kisser, she thought.

They stopped to catch their breaths.

"Let's go out to the welcoming party for you to accept your new position, Prez." Tifa suggested.

"Yeah."