Title: The Delivery Service
Rated: M (Violence, language, possible sexual situations)
Pairing: Definite Cloud x Tifa. Just might take some time.
Summary: "What are you, exactly?"
Cloud Strife looked down at the man, his crew standing behind him. He extended a hand, helping the wounded one up.
"We're a delivery service."
A/N: OH! Only one more chapter after this. Hoping you all are still here, and that I didn't deter you with my previous and badly written chapters. Can you tell I have great confidence in myself? Hopefully you like this chapter too.
Chapter Twenty-One: A Confrontation
Vincent was still in the office when Reeve walked through the door. Without talking, Vincent pointed at the files laying on the desk, and Reeve nodded. The leader of the World Regeneration Organization walked towards the desk, looked down at the papers on it, and sighed.
"Yuffie Kisaragi was my employee. I was well within my right to send her on any mission I requested her to do." Reeve started. Vincent stayed back and listened. "Sal Padilla was growing in power way too quickly. Plus, with the influx of the drug trade in Edge City, it all seem to suspicious. I sent her to investigate."
Vincent watched as Reeve sat down at the desk. The man pulled a report towards him, a report covered in Yuffie's handwriting.
"Yuffie found that Padilla did not come into his money legally. Through much brute force, he managed to acquire his start up by offering 'protection' to local businesses. After that, he peddled in herb and weaponry. Sold shoddy equipment for cheap, too. There even was a rumor- "Reeve said, pointing at a paragraph on the paper. "That he was what Yuffie called a 'sugar baby' for an older lady, who had some wealth. She mysteriously died in her sleep one night and left her entire fortune to Padilla."
Reeve pulled another file to him.
"We had a security breach a while ago. Someone stole some rather old, and sensitive, information from our science lab. It was only a small part of a whole report, but it was disconcerting none the less." Reeve held up the file. "SOLDIER. The part missing was a semi-decent report of how MAKO was injected into the body. Not surprisingly, there was a rise in the drug game, featuring a new contender."
"X-MAK." Vincent supplied, speaking for the first time.
Reeve nodded. He picked up a few photos, featuring the aftermath of some X-MAK users. "A highly addictive substance, mistaken by the media and many citizens as a narcotic."
"It is not. It just manipulates the mind."
"Makes the user believe that they could do anything. That they seem to be above being mere mortals. The reports you see on television… people jumping off roofs, thinking they could fly… people believing they could stop a moving car with their strength… well, they were only the tame stories that WRO wished to released." Reeve looked at a red file folder, and sighed. He grabbed the file and opened it up, showing Vincent the gruesome contents.
"Damn." Vincent said, taking the file into his own hands.
Reeve closed his eyes, and sent a silent prayer to the deceased, hoping that they found peace.
"One man thought that his entire family was a pack of Cuahls. He ripped them apart."
Vincent read the report. "His daughters were only five years old."
"Twins. According to their grandmother, they wanted moogle dolls for their upcoming birthday." Reeve fought back tears. "There was a woman who thought she was a God. She thought she was trapped on the planet and had to rid the world of the unclean vermin. She murdered fourteen people while simply walking down a street… the police force killed her on sight."
"That must have been hard to cover up."
"It's easy to do when there are no witnesses left." Reeve replied. The two men were silent for a moment.
"Yuffie was seeing if this Padilla was the one who was manufacturing the drug." Vincent said. "The man is growing in power. All the citizens of Edge look upon him as a savior now."
"He is providing work, providing hope." Reeve said. "He was very good at hiding his evil deeds. Had many indentured servants, people who owed him… well, a lot. If he thought they were useful, he kept them."
"Do you believe that this Renaldo character was a henchman of his?" Vincent asked, placing the folder back on the desktop. The contents were beginning to make him sick to his stomach.
"I know he was. In Yuffie's last report, she stated that Padilla had dispatched of his former lackey, execution style."
"And how did she know this?"
Reeve looked down at his lap. "She used her ties with Wutai to invite him over to her father's home. It was all very official, and while he was visiting, they started to get along."
"She was dating him." Vincent said, feeling disdain in his words.
"Only to get close to him. It took a while, but he began to trust her. She would occasionally provide 'secrets' from the WRO, making him believe that she was a spy for him. These secrets were mostly false, or distorted. Just enough to make them believable." Reeve said. "When his former lackey was murdered, Padilla placed Renaldo as his right-hand man. It is surprising that he had lasted as long as he did, most of his servants only worked for him for a few months. Renaldo lasted almost two years."
Vincent came around to stand in front of the desk. Reeve looked up at him.
"Do you believe Cloud killed him?" Vincent asked.
"It is something that Cloud is capable of doing… we have seen him kill many times. But, no, I know that he did not murder Renaldo. We have proof, I just can't let it be in the light yet." Reeve pointed at Vincent. "Do not ask to see it."
Vincent nodded. If Reeve was keeping that information in the dark, then he must have a plan for it.
"What happened to Yuffie?" Vincent asked.
Reeve shook his head. "I do not know. My belief is that she was discovered to have not been truthful to Padilla, and when he found out, he… he killed her. As much as it pains me to say it, I do not think our friend is alive."
Vincent stood still for a few minutes, not talking. It was like he was a statue; he did not move a muscle. Reeve watched his friend stand there. He wondered what was going through the man's mind. Suddenly, Vincent slammed his gauntlet-ed hand on the top of his desk and splintered the wood there. Reeve jumped back, knocking his chair over as he did so.
"What the hell!"
"All this time. All this time I was looking for her. All this time we all were looking for her and you did not even tell us that she was dead."
"At first, I didn't think she was. Please believe me." Reeve apologized, righting himself. "I had hope. But as time went by, I knew there was no reason to believe she was alive. Do not lie to yourself. You thought so too. Everyone has."
Vincent turned away from Reeve to collect himself. The normally calm man was seething in rage; he was unsure of how he was going to act.
"I do not know what happened to you that last night I had contact with Yuffie. You were supposed to have joined her; to be able to have access to Padilla's workings. You were supposed to help her. Where were you? What happened?" Reeve exclaimed, his voice raising with every question. "Why were you not there?" He yelled at his friend's back.
"She did not want me to be there." Vincent calmly replied. Reeve could hear defeat in his voice. "She needed space from me."
"Why?" Reeve asked.
Vincent turned around, keeping his eyes downcast so he did not have to look at Reeve. "Yuffie and I were working together. We had for the past few years, and… and she was the only member of the team I felt comfortable with. I do not understand why."
"You allowed yourself to be intimate with her. Vincent, it is okay to have frien- "
"I loved her. Or, I thought I did. I am still unsure." Vincent interrupted. "The last time I saw her, we were… together."
Reeve looked on in shock. "Oh." In all the time he knew Vincent Valentine, he never would have thought that he could let himself be like that. But, despite his powers, Reeve realized that Vincent was still human, and capable of those feelings.
Vincent continued. "It had been a long time since I had felt like that. To be honest, I never thought I would feel like that again. Before I was Hojo's experiment, I had loved someone. Loved her with my whole being… it did not end well. Since then, I put myself in isolation. For twenty years I was alone. Until a rag-tag team woke me up. I had a chance for revenge. I took it. I never thought that I would find a place in this world for me, afterwards."
"We all care deeply for you, Vincent." Reeve said.
Vincent looked up at Reeve. "That night I had confessed that I had feelings for her. 'I do not hate you', is what I said, when she was yelling at me for not caring. After that, it was a blur. I do not wish to relay that private matter." Reeve nodded. "Afterwards, I… panicked. I am not proud of it. I relayed to her that she was not to tell anyone what had happened. That what had happened was a mistake – I had not planned it. She was hurt."
"That is why you weren't there with her."
Vincent nodded solemnly. "I let her walk into the lion's den alone. Now, she is not here." Vincent turned around again and went to go towards the door. "It was my fault. Another gone because of me, another who deserves to be here. Not I. Nanaki told me once that he could sense a disturbance in the world. I believe it is me he was talking about."
"Or maybe it was the fact that the people of Edge were being hurt." Reeve said, stopping Vincent in his tracks. "Vincent. I am about to do something soon that is… unusual. Unethical. But if it happens, and I believe it will happen soon, then Padilla will be brought down. There will be justice for not only the people of Edge City, but our friend as well."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes. I only need Cloud to stay in prison for a little bit longer. Then, hopefully, everything will end."
Vincent looked over his shoulder. "Then you promise to leave Cloud alone. No more assignments for him. No more secrecy. No need for it. Our friend deserves to live his life."
Reeve nodded. "I promise. It is time for him to be happy and free."
Tifa sat at her kitchen table, staring at a bowl of oatmeal. Her stomach was twisting; she knew that if she ate, she would feel better. But she wasn't hungry. She thought that after seeing Cloud, she would be happier- but it was hard to leave him behind.
Barret was behind her, moving around and preparing a bowl of oatmeal for his daughter. Marlene was sitting at the table with Tifa, waiting for her breakfast.
"Papa, she's not eating."
"Tifa." Barret warned.
Tifa looked over to the young child. "Tattletale."
The ten-year-old tutted at her. "You need to eat, Tifa."
"I agree with her."
Tifa sighed and picked up her spoon. She took a bite of her oatmeal and found that she enjoyed the warmth and sweetness of it. Barret had put a little bit of sugar in it. She began eating in earnest, feeling better with each bite. Marlene smiled, and as soon as her father had handed her a bowl, began eating as well. Pretty soon Barret joined them, and the three of them sat in comfortable silence and ate their breakfast.
Tifa felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket and excused herself from the table. She walked away to another room and answered, seeing Reno's name on the screen.
"What's up?" Tifa asked.
"Boss man just called to tell me to be at the prison at one o'clock. Something to do with Strife. Told me to tell you to get ready; he thinks your boy is about to come home."
Tifa felt her heart fill up with joy. She could not stop the smile from forming. "What is Shinra planning to do?"
"I never ask. I just show up, kid." Reno laughed. "Delivery to Juno is done. I'll be in the area in about an hour and will drop off the payment. Can I trouble you for some lunch? A home cooked meal sounds great."
"Yes. Then we will go to the prison."
"Uh… no." Reno replied, and Tifa almost gasped in shock. "Boss told me to come, not you."
"Why?"
"I don't ask. I just show up. He must have his reasons." Reno sounded serious and Tifa knew that it would be a losing battle. "Trust me. Stay home, get ready. Let us do the dirty work."
Tifa sighed. "Alright. I'll see you soon."
As Tifa ended the call, Barret came into the room, shoving his own phone into his pocket. Tifa looked at him, questioning.
"Reeve just called. Told me to get ready, a whole new slot of properties are going to be for sale. Any reason as to why?"
Tifa smiled. "Cloud is coming home."
Cloud was outside in the courtyard, watching a basketball game happening. It was tedious- he had no plans of ever joining, no desire to walk around or talk to anyone, but he was allowed to be outside, so he decided to go. Fresh air was always good, and Cloud was starting to get stir crazy in his bunk.
The six men were running around the court; Cloud watched as the tarnished orange ball was passed back and forth between them. He really was not sure who was on which team.
"Strife. You have a visitor."
Cloud's blue eyes flicked towards the guard. This was one of the ones who tried to be nice- and Cloud could tell that he was getting gruff for it from both the prisoners and staff. He hoped it worked out for him.
"Thank you." Cloud said, standing up.
"No problem." The guard motioned towards the door. "Head to the warden's office."
Cloud paused. "The Warden?"
The guard nodded. "Go, Strife. Don't keep him waiting."
Cloud made his way to the office, calm. It was time. He knew it was time. Time to end this all. Reeve had prepared him for this. Just yesterday, Reeve had come to visit him, telling him the truth- everything. What happened to Yuffie before her disappearance. What he suspected about the drug ring. The leader of the WRO just wanted to confirm who he thought the boss was.
Cloud knew that no matter what, he would leave this hellhole after this meeting.
Once he reached the door, he stopped and took a deep breath. He hoped that this would end well, and that Reeve wasn't letting everything fail.
The warden's office was surprisingly bare. A couple of filing cabinets, a radio on top of one and a small television set on the other. There was a worn desk with the only thing that looked even remotely new in the office- a chair. In the chair, Cloud noted, was a very sharp dressed man. A man who smiled smugly at him and motioned for him to take a seat on the metal folding chair in front of the desk.
"Hello, Mr. Strife." Sal Padilla greeted as Cloud sat down. "My name is Sal Padilla."
Cloud nodded. "Yes. I know."
"Smart lad. I heard about your little predicament here and I wish to help you." Padilla said, smiling at Cloud. "From what I hear, it is a pretty open and shut case. Murder, murder weapon known to be one you prefer to use, and no one else in the room with the two of you. No lawyer wants to touch you."
"Yeah. It's like I'm cursed."
"Well, I don't think so." Padilla chuckled. "Despite the circumstances, I do not believe that the hero of Midgar is a killer. So, I am here to offer my assistance."
Cloud looked intrigue. "What would your assistance entail?"
Sal Padilla chuckled again, then stood up and walked to the filing cabinet on his left. He opened it, found a bottle of whiskey, and turned to Cloud. "Wardens always hide the booze in the cabinet."
Cloud did not say anything, just watched as the man pulled two glasses out of the filing cabinet. Padilla rested them on the desktop and poured a finger into each. He offered one glass to Cloud, who did not take it. Sal's eyebrow arched up. He placed the glass on the desk in front of Cloud and leaned up against it. He swirled the glass around and took a sniff of it.
"Wow. That's horrid." Then he downed the rest of the drink.
The man then smiled down at Cloud. "I am a very powerful man, Mr. Strife. I own many businesses, run many charities. I have many, many employees under me- and I do treat them well. At least, until they become a disappointment. I have a need for… an assistant. Kind of like…"
"A secretary? My shorthand is terrible." Cloud quipped.
This caused Sal to laugh out loud. "You are smart, knowing I am about to offer you a job. And, no, not secretarial work. That is too… legitimate. No, I am thinking more along the lines of… Turks."
"A bodyguard?" Cloud asked, then straightened up. It was best to appear interested, but Cloud had to admit… he was a bit curious.
"Generous pay. Your health needs are taken care off. I will even throw in a pension plan, so in case of an accident, your loved ones are taken care of. I heard a rumor there is a pretty barmaid that takes your fancy."
Cloud could feel his blood start boiling at the mention of Tifa. He kept his cool.
"There is a catch, of course. A couple, actually, though I am sure you know that. The first is, if you fail me, I will have no hesitation of letting you go."
"Something tells me you don't offer a severance package." Cloud said, knowing full well that Padilla meant that he would have him killed.
Padilla only continued smiling. "The second is… I expect complete loyalty. You are in prison, Mr. Strife. For a murder, that seems like you did it. After your sentencing, and under these new laws, you will be imprisoned for twenty years to life. If not, you will be put on death row… something Edge hasn't used yet, but from what I hear, they are going to favor lethal injection."
Sal placed his empty glass down next to Cloud's. Cloud had made no move to touch his.
"I can pay your bail… clear your name… get you out of prison. You will work for me around the clock- when I need you, you are there. When I don't need you, you are free to live your life with your lady love. Get married. Have a kid, hell, have ten kids!" Padilla chuckled again. "You will perform any duties I ask, and you will do them with discretion. Not like how you worked for Tuesti."
"You do know a lot." Cloud commended.
Sal flashed one of his now trademark smile at the mercenary. "I make sure I am informed."
Cloud nodded, then stood up. "May I tell you something that I think you may not know?"
"Please do."
Cloud made his way around the desk over to one of the filing cabinets. He reached up to the television.
"There was a little movie made. I'm not sure if you know, but security cameras exist, and it seems like you happen to have known the filmmaker."
Cloud flicked the television on, and it showed the video play on a loop. The video showed Cloud turning around, his back to Renaldo. Renaldo then reached out, plucked one of the many small swords off of Cloud's favorite weapon, and plunge it into his stomach. Then Renaldo fell to the ground, dropping the sword.
"See? That sword has a name. It's Fusion. Not original, I know, but she is my favorite. I designed her with my buddy Cid, and she is six swords in one. It's easy to see where Renaldo pushed the special lever and got one of the short swords out." Cloud watched the video over and over. "It was enough to show the authorities and the head of the World Regeneration Organization that I was innocent in the murder, considering it was a suicide."
Padilla tutted. "Well I did not know a film was made. But I do not know the victim, unfortunately."
"Yeah, well… after the last time I busted in on Renaldo's home, I think security was lax. So, this time around he decided to invest in it. Also, don't lie. It's not nice to lie." Cloud said and reached into his pocket. "Can I read you something?"
"Yes, but answer me a question. If you are innocent, why are you still in prison?" Sal Padilla asked, moving to a semi-defensive stance. He crossed his arms across his chest, letting them hang loosely.
"I was waiting for you." Cloud said, pulling a small piece of paper out of his pocket. "May I read?"
Sal motioned for Cloud to do so.
"This was found in Renaldo's pocket." Cloud said, unfolding the paper with grandness. "See, if I needed glasses, this is where I would whip them out and place them on, very gracefully. So just imagine that." Cloud cleared his throat and began to read.
"Mr. Renaldo-
You fail me again, and I will pull my support. You will have to pay for your blunder.
Do not disappoint me. You are easily replaced. I already have a replacement in mind.
If your next event ends poorly, you will end yourself.
Do what I say. There will be no more warnings.
That being said, I need you to be at the warehouse by 10:00 PM tomorrow night.
The workers there are starting to become lax in the product.
-Padilla"
Sal Padilla was quiet.
"You always sign your name?" Cloud asked. "Or was he supposed to dispose of the note after reading it- rip it up, throw it in the fire?"
"I do not understand what you are trying to get at."
Cloud smiled. "I am interested in your offer, Padilla. Pay sucks with Tuesti. It took him a couple weeks to even convince the authorities that I was innocent and need to leave, and even then, they took their sweet time in letting me go. I actually didn't know I was leaving until this morning."
"Unhappy in your work?"
"I figured, a guy like me… with my credentials… will be able to find work easily, and so, here you are." Cloud pointed at Padilla.
Sal raised his arms. "Here I am. Alright. Thank you for bringing the tape up to my attention… and for getting the note back. If it's not around, no one can connect that buffoon to me, right?"
Cloud smiled. "That's right. Consider it my first act as your new… assistant?"
Padilla smiled. "Sounds beautiful."
"So… while we are alone, and I am taking this offer… tell me something. What does the job entail? What is the warehouse- was it where I was that night? What is in the warehouse?" Cloud asked.
"Whoa, whoa." Sal held up a hand to stop Cloud's constant questioning. "A lot to go over. The job requires you to do what I ask. Whatever I ask. In return, you will have my protection from the law. As you can tell, if you fail me- like Renaldo- you will be taken care of. Renaldo was an idiot, but he was a loyal idiot. He knew he was going to die after he led you straight to the warehouse where I make my product. He took care of himself."
"Product?" Cloud asked, but Padilla said nothing. "X-Mak?"
Sal laughed at that. "Now now now, I was hoping to not divulge all the secrets just yet. You do have to earn some trust first. But, yes. You are going to find out soon enough anyway. Speaking of, I think your first day should be the day after tomorrow. I will be gracious and let you have some time with the lovely Miss Lockhart. Great catch, by the way." Sal whistled in appreciation.
Cloud steeled himself. Every time he mentioned Tifa, Cloud had to fight the urge to deck the man. Instead, he smiled and chuckled. He reached over and turned the television off, ending the constant loop.
"Thank you. I do miss her." Cloud said, trying to sound friendly. "Do you have someone special? You're a good-looking guy. Must have someone."
Sal's smile faltered for a second. It came back quickly, but not with the same bravado as before.
"I… did. It didn't end well." Sal leaned against the desk again. "Just another reason to not disappoint me."
"Wow. Even killed your own girlfriend. And what happened to true love?" Cloud said.
"You've got quite a mouth on you." Sal laughed. "Alright, Strife, I'll be honest with you. You are going to be handling certain situations, after all. I was involved with someone, someone who surprisingly had powerful ties. To… a lot of people, and a lot of different types of people. I thought we were in love, and that I was going to have a whole new world opened up to me."
"What happened?" Cloud asked, sounding genuinely interested.
Sal stared at the floor, quiet for a few moments. "She… turned on me. Made me believe that she loved me and wanted to be with me… and it turned out, she was giving all my secrets to the other side."
"The white hats?" Cloud asked.
"In a sense. I had told her… everything. I was going to propose to her that night." Sal sighed deeply. "Still kind of hurts now to think on it. I had found out she was a traitor, and on top of that, a cheat. A common slut, sleeping with a man named Valentine. And despite my best efforts… the man remains elusive to me. My best tracker can not find him, or anything about him. It was like the man does not exist."
The two men stayed still in the office for a few moments, letting the silence pass between them.
"When I found out I was infuriated. Yuffie and I had a fight… we never fought, not really, before." Sal continued, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Cloud suspected that he didn't know what he was saying and decided to let him talk.
He had said Yuffie's name. Cloud was on alert.
"I don't know what came over me. The next thing I knew, she was fighting for air." Sal shook his head, clearing his mind of his thoughts. "I might have people like you to handle these jobs for me, but I am capable of handling things myself. So, let me reiterate. It is not wise to disappoint me."
Cloud nodded, serious. "I understand. So, basically, I am working now for a murderer, mob boss, drug kingpin, among a bunch of other nasties?"
"I'm also a humanitarian." Sal offered. "Brought a lot of work to Edge."
"Both legal and not." Cloud supplied.
Sal nodded. "Exactly."
"Alright. I have a sense of what I am getting into, now." Cloud said, nodding his head. "Hey. Was that girl Yuffie Kisaragi?"
"Why do you need to know?"
"I just have curiosity. If I am working directly under you, I need to know things. That way I know what to look for, where the line is." Cloud explained. "I don't know if you have noticed, but I am a little smarter than the Renaldo character. A lot stronger as well. If you want me, you have me, for life. I do not go down easily."
"I have heard that." Padilla agreed. "It's going to be nice to have someone competent for a change."
"I also am going to be involved in your life. Your entire life, and I want to make sure that everyone who has contact with you- even personally- is cleared. This way you do not have to worry about another incident." Cloud said, feeling his heart start to beat fast.
"Alright. You got me." Padilla said, sounding a little defeated. "I was referring to Kisaragi. Keep it in your discretion, please. See? I can put trust in you, I hope."
Cloud smiled. It was time. He had him.
"Actually…" Cloud began and walked over to his so-called 'boss'. He began to unbutton the prison uniform. "You can't trust me. See, I've been wearing this wire the whole time and the warden, Reeve Tuesti and your arresting officers have been listening to our entire conversation. They fit me up with it right before I came in here."
Padilla's face went white. For a second, Cloud thought that the man was going to faint. Sal sputtered, sounding like a fish who was out of water.
"This is bullshit. That will never hold up in a court of law."
Cloud laughed. "The court of law is the one who did this little set up… let's see if it doesn't hold up."
Just then, Reeve opened the door and walked in, followed by two officers. He said nothing, just walked over to Cloud with his hand held out. Cloud deposited the note and wire in his open hand and collected the tape from the television. Reeve took that as well, turned to one of the officers, and carefully place them into an evidence box.
"Mr. Sal Padilla, by the power of Edge City Police Department, you are now under arrest. Edge correctional facilities will process you for your crimes of murder, racketeering and the possession and selling of illegal narcotics. You have the right to an attorney, if you can not afford one, one will be assigned to you…" The officers busied themselves in patting down Padilla, handcuffing him and leading him out of the room.
The Warden reached over and shook Reeve's hand. He gave Cloud a quick smile, then left, following the party as they were leaving.
"The trip to processing might just be their shortest one yet." Cloud quipped.
Reeve chuckled. He turned to Cloud and held out his hand, which Cloud took. They shook hands. "I thank you, Cloud, for your help and your patience."
"You will promise not to keep big secrets like this again? Especially if it concerns the family." Cloud said. "And Tifa and I are no longer in your employ."
Reeve had the courtesy to look down in shame. "I wish for us to remain friends. I am not proud that I kept what I know of Yuffie a secret."
"You had your reasons. Luckily for us all, everything worked out. Now…" Cloud stopped, took a deep breath and felt the sudden sadness collect. "We can say goodbye to our friend."
The memorial service was a lavish event in Wutai. The culture there dictated there be a celebration of life for the death of the person; or, as Cid called it, 'a sucky party where everyone is fucking sad'. Tifa couldn't agree more.
The day Cloud was release from prison, Tifa felt such elation. Barret, Marlene and she were sitting in Tifa and Cloud's home, waiting for his return. Cid and Shera were on their way; Nanaki had expressed his joy over Cloud's triumph over the phone. The lion could not make it to their impromptu homecoming. Tifa was glued to the window, unashamed by how silly she looked. She wanted to see Cloud as he walked through the back gate; the normal route he takes to get into the house.
When Tifa saw Cloud, she quickly left the window and ran to the door, throwing it open and jumping off the small back porch. She landed on the grass and started running towards Cloud, who, in turn, began walking faster towards her, his arms held open to catch her.
After their welcome, they moved into the house. Cloud sat his family down at the table and explained what had happened to their friend, Yuffie. Tifa burst into tears and Marlene went and sat in her lap, offering her comfort while the little girl herself cried. Barret tried to remain strong for the girls, but Cloud could see the tears falling down his cheeks.
After a few days, the Seventh Heaven crew- along with Cid and Shera- boarded Cid's airship and made their way to Wutai. Good Kisaragi, Yuffie's father, was holding a massive memorial service for his daughter. The whole of Wutai was coming together to honor their late princess.
But when Cloud and the rest of them arrived, they only saw a broken man amidst all the color. Food and drink were plentiful, traditional Wutai music played through the streets. Many locals and friends were telling stories about Yuffie, laughing and crying at their memories.
Even Cloud told stories about how annoying he thought she was; the tale of how she stole the entire team's materia and how they chased her through the village earned a lot of laughs.
When the ceremony started, however, everyone went silent. Yuffie's father, her only living relative, was in the front of the crowd, holding a white candle. He bent his head low in prayer, and everyone else followed suit. When the prayer was over, Kisaragi lit the candle, and placed it on a memorial stand. Flowers were released into the air.
Everyone wished Yuffie Kisaragi luck in her next life, and said goodbye to her in this one.
Cid and Shera went home after dropping the Seventh Heaven family, plus Vincent, and settled back into their comfortable life in Rocket Town.
Cid was busy one day, hosing down the small airship after its travels. If you have something you care about, you take care of it; it was one of his life's rules. So, when his wife came outside to be with him, telling him he was about to become a father…
Well, Cid had never cared for anything more in his entire life.
Nanaki had padded around the outskirts of Cosmo Canyon. So, it had begun. The thing he feared the most… that one by one, his family and friends will start dying off and leave him all alone. He sighed, breathing in the cool night air.
Yuffie did not deserve to have her life end like that. But, Nanaki learned, life has a way to be cruel. Yet life was not always cruel… through this tragedy, a lot of innocent people can now be kept safe from the evils of Padilla and his drug.
Nanaki sat down on the top of one hill, looking up into the night sky. Just because someone's life was over, does not mean his is. He still had a lot of life to live yet.
Things always change.
Vincent Valentine had asked politely if he could stay in the extra room at Cloud and Tifa's home for an extended period of time. The couple told him that he could, of course, for as long as he wanted or needed. Tifa confided in Cloud one night that she wished Vincent would just stay, to have a home for once. Cloud told her not to put too much hope into it.
But, for now, the home they all shared was happy. Barret, now newly retired, was home a lot more. His assistant, Drew, was now the President of Wallace Corp. Now Barret began helping a lot of people build their homes; began to learn more about nature and how to preserve it. Marlene was happy that her father was home more.
Cloud and Tifa had settled into a new life, together. The awkwardness that Cloud had feared in being in a relationship with Tifa had not existed- everyone was just happy that they finally were together. It was normal.
Cloud moved into Tifa's room, and had given his old room to Vincent. Vincent kept it pretty bare.
It was interesting. Cloud felt like a lot had happened to him over the last two years, and yet, nothing really happened at all. Looking into the past seemed to always feel like that.
But maybe Cloud should not look into the past anymore.
Maybe, he should start to look to the future.
