Author's Note: Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII because I know most of y'all haven't seen or played the entire compilation.
Byleth, Beth, and Sothis are in the garden nervously looking down at a red portal on the ground by the greenhouse. Cloud had told them that he would meet with the twins in the Gates of Hell. He informed the three that the only way to access it was through a red portal.
"Well, this is the portal Cloud told us about." Byleth says.
"Are you positive that we can trust this human's words? I mean, asking us to go into the "Gates of Hell" is a red flag. He could be tricking us into actually stepping into the Underworld. Who knows if we'll even have a way out once we step in?" Sothis questions.
Beth shrugs. "Well we won't know if we just stand around here. Besides, if it does turn out to be a trap, you'll be able to time travel us out right?"
"I am uncertain how my powers would work in the Underworld. So I cannot give you a straight answer."
"Well there's only one way to find out." Byleth walks into the portal. Beth and Sothis walk into the portal with Byleth and the three are teleported away.
The Gates of Hell
It's a slow business day in the Gates of Hell. Rodin is currently counting this week's revenue. The stack of cash in his hand filled with the Infinite One with joy. Even though he wasn't known for wide smiles, his smirk was all you needed to see to know that he was happy.
Rodin laughs. "Ten thousand dollars. Moving here was the best idea Bayonetta has ever given me. Being a weapon's smith, soul collector, and a bartender ain't no easy feat, but at least I got an employee to take up one of my word loads." He looks at Ren who was wiping down the counter. He takes out three hundred dollars from the stack hands it to Ren. "Here you go kid, this week's pay."
Ren takes the three hundred and puts it in his pocket. "Thanks Rodin. Any jobs you got for me today?"
Rodin puts the rest of the money in his pocket. "Actually I do got one. Need a few Pains and Prides to be collected. I had this idea of making killer yoyos with their buzzsaws. I already made chainsaws for your feet, so I can probably pull it off with spinning gears."
"That actually sounds sick. I'll take this job myself so you won't have to bother the others. It doesn't sound too bad."
"If you get yourself killed out there, I ain't holding myself accountable. Ya dig?" Rodin says coldly.
Ren smirks. "Yeah I know the rules. But you know, my mom is coming after ya if something happens to me."
Byleth, Beth, and Sothis enter the Gates of Hell. The three take a moment to observe the bar. Byleth was confused.
"Is this what the Underworld is supposed to look like?" He whispers to Sothis.
"Pretty dingy for a realm that's supposed to home to the world's most vile creatures." The Goddess replies.
Beth waves happily to Rodin "Hey Rodin! Remember me?"
Rodin smirks. "Of course I do. The teacher from the ball. You bought most of my drinks and then you got wasted and started shaking your ass all over the dance floor. You made me a lot of money that day."
Sothis flies over to Rodin. "Pardon me, but is this the Gates of Hell? I expected ungodly creatures to be here, not this bar."
"This ain't the actual Gates of Hell. It's just the name of my bar. You think going to hell is as simple as walking into some portal?"
Ren raises an eyebrow at Rodin. "It is. You do it almost everyday." He reminded his boss.
"Touche."
"You're just confusing people by naming your bar after something it is not. Why not just name it something else?" Sothis asks.
Rodin points his finger at the Goddess. "Hey, I don't need no loli telling how to run my business! My bar, my rules! Now what are you doing here?"
Byleth and Beth take a seat next to each other at the counter. "Cloud Strife told us to meet him here. We're only here to just talk. We won't cause any trouble." The male professor states.
"You better not." Rodin threatens. He looks over to Ren. "Kid, I'm off to do some business. The bar is in your care while I'm gone. Provide our customers here with some drinks."
Ren salutes to Rodin. "You got it boss."
Rodin creates a portal and leaves the Gates of Hell. Sothis sits down next to Byleth. She was very short, so she couldn't see what was over the counter.
"Leaving a child to handle a bar. How irresponsible can you be?" The Goddess remarks.
Ren turns to Byleth and Beth. "So, what can I get you two?"
The twins look to each other, then to Ren. "Cranberry Cocktail. Put the lemon on the side of the glass." They said.
Ren looks down at Sothis. "What about her?"
Beth looks to Sothis with a grin. "Give her some orange juice or something. Sothis is lightweight. Can't handle her drinks." She teases.
Sothis glares at the female professor. "The absolute audacity of you to treat me like a child! I am not Lysithea!"
Ren chuckles. "Okay. Two cranberry cocktails and an orange juice coming right up!" He goes to start making the drinks.
Beth pats Byleth on the back and smiles. "You're finally drinking brother! I knew I'd get through to you eventually! We even got the same taste in drinks!"
"Well don't get too excited. I won't be joining you in any of your drinking escapades. However, for small occasions such as this I will. I thought I'd give it a try just for today." Byleth states.
"Trust me By, drinking helps ease you after a stressful day." Beth winks.
"Please do not allow your sister to corrupt you. I can't be the only responsible adult here." Sothis says.
Cloud enters into the Gates of Hell. Byleth, Beth, and Sothis turn to see the blond walking up to the counter with his usual moody expression. Cloud takes a seat next to Beth.
"Hey." He waves to the twins and the Goddess.
"Cloud Strife, it's good to meet." Byleth nods. "I'm glad we could have a chance to speak with you. I must ask though, was there a reason why you didn't want to have tea in the garden?"
"I'm not much of a tea person. I also just enjoy the atmosphere of this place more than the garden." Cloud waves to Ren. "Ren!"
Ren comes in with a tray of two cranberry cocktails and a glass of orange juice. "Hey Cloud." The teenage boy hands the Eisner Twins and Sothis their drinks. "Here you go guys."
"Thank you." Byleth and Beth replies. The twins pick up their cocktails and drink it all down in one gulp. They smacked their lips to savor the sweet taste of the cocktail. They smile and nod at each other. "Nice." The twins say.
"Your hospitality is very appreciated, mortal." Sothis says as she takes a sip of her orange juice.
Ren smiles. "You're welcome. Just holler at me if you want anything else." He turns to Cloud. "What'll be today Cloud?"
"The usual Whiskey for me." Cloud answers.
"I got you." Ren grabs the Whiskey bottle and pours it in a glass cup. He places it on the counter for Cloud. "I won't pry into your conversation much. I'll just be cleaning up the place so don't mind me." The teenage boy moves away from the smashers to go and wipe down the tables.
"Drinking something strong this early in the morning? Woke up on the wrong side on the bed?" Beth quips with a smirk.
"Slept like shit last night." Cloud takes a sip of his Whiskey.
"Did your two partners keep you up last night?" Sothis asks with a look of intrigue.
"Yes." Cloud tenses his up when he realizes what he was implying with his response. He turns to see Beth and Sothis looking at him with big grins on this face. Cloud puts his hands up. "H-Hey! That's not the reason why they kept me up!"
Byleth didn't pick up on anything naughty from Cloud's response. He was still wondering what could've kept Cloud up. "Were you three having a Smash battle against each other?" He asks innocently.
"Yeah...Something like that." Cloud looks away shyly and takes another sip of his Whiskey.
Beth cackles. "Sure. So, who has the most endurance out of the three of you? It has to be the tall girl right? She looks like the most experienced out of you three."
"You'd be correct…" Cloud mumbled. He looks back at the three. "Anyways, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Whenever we have our tea times, we start by asking about your occupation. So Cloud, what is it that you do for a living?" Sothis asks.
"Oh. Well, I used to run a delivery service back home in Midgar with my friend Tifa. We started it because there were a large abundance of monsters roaming around the place. Common folk would just get themselves killed if they go out there. I could handle a lot of monsters by myself, so I'm able to deliver things to people with no problems."
"Why were there so many monsters?" Byleth asks.
Cloud looks down at his drink with a somber look. "Meteorfall. A meteor crashed down and damaged the entire planet."
"What?!" Byleth, Beth, and Sothis yell in utter shock.
"A meteor crashed down to your world and you survived?! How is that even possible?! Meteors destroy entire planets. You should be dead right now!" Beth exclaims.
Cloud nods. "Yeah, I should've been. Along with everyone. My friends and I managed to survive."
"That meteor must've still caused a lot of casualties, am I correct?" Byleth asks.
"Yeah." Cloud finishes the rest of his Whiskey. He places his hand on his head. "It took years for Midgar to rebuild. We even built a new city together for everyone to live in. Things have calmed now a little now, but the Meteorfall was the hardest time for us."
Sothis was still confused about the entire situation. "I still do not understand. How is it possible that people even survived that meteor? Was it some divine being that saved you?"
"...Something like that." Cloud looks away from the three. "It's a long story…" He mutters.
Sothis was not going to let this Cloud fall silent on this. She was already annoyed at Shulk for being so secretive and ignoring serious subjects. "We have all the time in the world! We've listened to a lot of long stories. I demand you tell us about this one! You should've been wiped out by the meteor, but you survived! I want to know why!" The Goddess spoke in a firm tone while floating off her seat.
Byleth puts his hand front of Sothis. "Sothis please! I know you're still a little bothered with Shulk, but have you forgotten our rule? If a guest is not comfortable about speaking something personal, they don't have to. A tea time is supposed to be a relaxing conversation, not an interrogation."
Sothis sighs. "I remember, but are you not curious about this? This is definitely something worth talking about!"
"I'll admit, I'm a little curious about it myself." Beth says. She turns to Cloud who still wasn't looking at the three. "Hey, you really don't gotta tell us if its too much. Although, we've already heard a lot of bizarre things from a lot of smashers already. Your feelings matter though, so you don't have to say anything if you don't want to." She says
Cloud turns to Beth. Seeing her reassuring smile made him feel a little at ease. Normally, Cloud would have just left if he felt that he was saying too much. He still wasn't much of a talker, but he wasn't as closed off as he used to be.
"Sorry. I just didn't want to bring the mood down with my story. I already get told that I'm not too exciting to be around." Cloud says.
"I can relate to that." Byleth says.
"Cloud, I apologize for my outburst. It was very unbecoming of me." Sothis says.
Cloud shrugs. "It's whatever. I can understand why you reacted the way you did. You're a Goddess right?"
Sothis nods. "That is correct."
"We sort of have those too back in our world. They were called the Ancients. They had a special connection with the planet and a substance known as the Lifestream, the life of the planet himself."
Cloud falls silent as she looks away from the group again. Byleth, Beth, and Sothis sat in anticipation for Cloud to continue talking. They were not going to pry into speaking more if he didn't want to. They were just going to listen unless Cloud said otherwise.
"I had a close friend. Her name was Aerith. She was also an Ancient." Cloud lowers his head. "She was killed. She became part of the planet. Had it not been for her...our world would've been destroyed. She used the Lifestream to destroy the meteor. She saved us all…"
"I see…" Was all Sothis could reply. What more could she have said? The Goddess could see Cloud's hurt and pained expression.
"I'm sorry for your lost Cloud." Byleth says solemnly.
Cloud tightens his grip on his glass cup. "I lost so much. My closest friends. My home. My mother. It was all because of…"
Anger started to flare within the blond. He gripped on his glass cup until it eventually broke in his hands. He was lucky to be wearing gloves so he would cut his hand. Byleth, Beth, and Sothis just sat in silence watching Cloud.
Cloud sighs and shakes his head. "Great, I broke the glass. I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize Cloud." Beth says. "Let it out man."
"If you don't mind me asking. The person who murdered your friend, what has happened to them?" Sothis asks.
"Dead. Only in my memories. Where he belongs." Cloud says coldly.
Ren comes back to the counter with a hand broom. He takes out a small garbage bin from under the counter and sweeps the broken glass into the garbage bin.
"Don't worry about the glass. They can be replaced." Ren says. He leans down on the counter. "I couldn't help but listen in on the conversation. I'm sorry to hear about all of that Cloud."
Cloud shrugs. "It's in the past now. For years I've blamed myself for Aerith's death. For my friend Zack's death. For being too weak to protect people I love. It all left me in a deep depression. Sometimes I even thought that I wasn't worth living anymore…"
Beth places a hand over her chest, feeling her heart ache. "Cloud…"
"It was thanks to Tifa and my other friends that I was able to find hope again. I was able to forgive myself. To move on for myself and everyone I love."
Sothis smiles. "Cloud Strife. I must say that you are one of the strongest individuals I have ever met. We may not know everything, but to hear about your hardships and seeing that you have overcome them. That is pleasing to hear."
Byleth nods. "I agree. You are strong Cloud." He smiles.
Cloud smiles. "I appreciate the compliments."
Beth lightly chuckles. "Are we really talking to the same guy we saw dancing with Sylvain, Sonic, Ren, and that white haired old man back at the ball?" She jokes.
Cloud covers his face in embarrassment. "I was hoping you wouldn't bring that up. Also, that Sylvain kid is an asshole."
"We are fully aware." The Eisner Twins and Sothis nod.
"Well if you wanna talk about my dancing Beth. You were the one shaking your ass while your students cheered you on."
Byleth raises an eyebrow. "What?" He glares at his sister. "Beth. What were you doing with our students?!"
Beth smirks. "I was just having some fun with the Deers that's all." She says in a playful tone. "I was completely wasted at the ball. Hey, Hilda and Dorothea have some pretty fat asses."
"You are a bad influence on our students."
Beth lightly pushes her Byleth. "Ahh, quit being such a stickler. Most of them are young adults. You're like a doting mother."
"And I will continue to be their doting mother until they leave their nest."
Sothis clears her throat to get the twins' attention. "Incase you two forgot, we still have a guest here. You can bicker more later."
Ren laughs. "I can get you guys some more drinks if you'd like." He offers.
"Give me a beer." The Eisner Twins said.
"I'll just take a refill on the Whiskey. I promise I won't break the glass this time." Cloud says.
"Coming right up!" Ren goes to make the drinks.
Sothis turns her attention. "Cloud, I would like to know more of your relationship with the witch and the silver haired one. Byleth is actually in a polyamory himself."
Cloud widens his eyes in surprise. "You too?" He points to the male professor.
Byleth nods. "That is correct." He removes his gloves to show his ring. "I engaged three people during the ball. It was hard for me to choose between them. I loved them all dearly, so I chose to propose to them all. It was one of the happiest days of my life."
"Now don't let this fool you. My brother is far from smooth. It's crazy how he was able to pull it off with zero relationship experience. Can't flirt for shit, but he is always honest. I guess that's his charm despite him being a complete robot most of the time." Beth snarks.
"I see. Trust me, I'm not prince charming either. It's my looks that carry me, and even then I don't think I'm THAT good looking." Cloud says.
Beth raises an eyebrow. She did not believe that statement one bit. "So you're gonna lie and pretend that you're sexy as fuck?"
"Cereza tells me that all time, but I don't acknowledge it much. I'm not too good with compliments." Cloud waves off. "Anyways, about me, Cereza, and Corrin. They were the first friends I made when I first came here to the mansion." He chuckles to himself. "It's crazy to believe that we've been friends for four years. We're usually always together. Doing everything together as a trio. Back then, people referred to us as "The Salt Trio" because we were dominating tournaments."
"Aww how cute. Long time friends turned lovers. That's always cute." Beth smiles. "Have a lot of time to get to know each other personally. Learn each other's dark secrets. Then having it all blossom into a loving romance. It's stuff you usually hear happen in fiction, but it's always nice."
Cloud shrugs. "Yeah. Those two can be a handful. Cereza especially, but I love them both all the same."
Ren comes in with the drinks. He gives the beer bottles to Eisner Twins and gives Cloud his Whiskey. "Enjoy yourselves."
Cloud reaches into his pocket and gives Ren one hundred dollars. He turns to the Eisner Twins as he raises his glass. "It's on the house."
"Hey, you know you didn't have to pay me Cloud. You know you're a special guest here." Ren says.
"Well you work hard. You deserve to get paid for hard work. That's the way I see it."
Ren smiles and rubs the back of his head. "Thanks." He blushes.
"Such a generous person you are, Cloud." Sothis compliments.
"I try." Cloud takes a sip of his Whiskey.
"Cloud." Byleth starts. "I apologize for bringing down the mood again, but I've heard something surrounding your relationship. It was pretty negative."
Cloud places down his drink. He started to tense up. "W-What did you hear exactly?" He asks nervously.
"I was informed by Kamui that you and her used to date, and that you cheated on her with Bayonetta while she was in a relationship with Corrin. I just wanted some confirmation on whether or not it was true."
Ren's eyes widen. "What?! Is that true?! Mommy never brought it up before."
Cloud facepalms and shakes his head. His face now has a regretful expression. "That wasn't supposed to get out." He mumbles under his breath. He sighs. "It's true. That did happen. I slept with Bayonetta when we were both in relationship with other people."
Beth winces. "Yeesh. I remember when Byleth told me that when he was researching for his tea times. I thought it was kinda crazy…"
This made Sothis feel conflicted. "What is the reason for your infidelity? To betray your best friend and your lover. Now you're together with Corrin and Bayonetta? Where does that leave your former lover? Explain yourself!" She demanded.
"I-It was in the heat of the moment. We were in a crazy situation where we met our kids from the future. Cereza and Corrin had a daughter while Kamui and I had a son. Cereza and I got into a really heated argument. She revealed to me that she had feelings for me and I was conflicted about my own feelings. I had feelings for her too and everything just came out."
"But you were in a relationship with Kamui? Didn't you love her?" Beth asks.
"I did…" Cloud turns away from the group. "I cared...but I…" He sighs. "Maybe I rushed things a little too fast with her."
"Was it a rocky relationship?" Byleth says.
"Sort of. She really hated the fact that Corrin was dating Cereza. She despised Cereza. Always talking about her with disdain. I didn't appreciate it. Being friends with Cereza for a longer time, I defended her. We didn't really interact or go out all too much. She wasn't interested in those things. She was just so fixated with Corrin and Cereza."
"Well why did it bother her so much?" Ren questions.
Cloud pauses for a moment. He takes a moment to drink his Whiskey. "It was because she was in love with Corrin."
"WHAT?!" Everyone else yelled in shock.
Beth puts her hands up. "Woah! Woah! Woah! Time out! Corrin is her twin brother!"
Cloud nods. "Yup."
"So she was jealous of because she was in love with Corrin?!" Ren asks.
Cloud nods again. "That's right."
Byleth couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Incest...But that's forbidden. It's not right…"
Sothis shakes her head with a disappointed look on her face. "Disgusting."
"I'm all for loving your siblings, but NOT like that. That girl is sick." Beth shudders.
"Kamui…" Cloud sighs. "Kamui isn't mentally stable. She's suffered through a lot. I thought that she would forget about her feelings for Corrin, but that didn't happen." Cloud shakes his head. "That doesn't excuse me for cheating. She had every right to break up with me. I can't go back and change what I did." The blond hangs his head down in shame.
"You do not seem like a malevolent person to do such a thing on purpose. You're regretful of your decision and you accept the mistake you made. While I am not happy with what you did, your acknowledgement is admirable." Sothis comments.
"Yeah Cloud, I don't believe you're a bad person. Everyone makes mistakes." Ren assures.
"Yeah…" Cloud ruffles his hair. "I cared for her but...maybe jumping into a relationship like I did wasn't the best choice. Now here I am in this three way relationship with Cereza and Corrin." He sighs. "Maybe I rushed myself into that too…" He ponders.
"You're confused Cloud." Byleth states. "We understand. You just have to take a moment for yourself and think. If you feel your relationship with Bayonetta and Corrin was too soon, talk to them about it. I'm sure they'll understand. Try patching up with Kamui if you can."
"Tch. Kamui won't even look at me, let alone talk to me. She hates me, and she has every right to." Cloud sighs. He stands up from the barstool. "I really appreciate you coming here to talk with me. It was nice meeting you guys. Sorry I brought everything down. I'm gonna go and...try and figure things out." Cloud begins walking to the portal.
"Hey Cloud." Beth calls. Cloud turns to the female professor. "You're not a bad person. You made a mistake, but don't let it eat away at you. I know this may sound cheesy, but follow what your heart tells you. I'm sure you'll find your answer." Beth says.
Cloud smiles at Beth. "Thank you." He enters the portal and leaves the Gates of Hell.
"We've certainly learned a lot today. I'm sure things will start getting even crazier when we meet Corrin and Kamui." Sothis says.
Byleth nods. "Yes. This was only the beginning." The male professor turned to his sister who had a distressed look on his face. "Are you okay Beth?"
"You think he'll be okay? I know I told him to follow his heart but...I don't know if I put him in even more trouble or not." Beth explains. "I want the guy to be happy."
Byleth places his hand on his sister's shoulder. "I think you were very helpful. Cloud will find his answer. I'm sure of it." He gives his sister a reassuring smile.
Beth smiles back at her brother. "Thanks By. I know I ain't the one to go for comfort like you are, but I try." She grabs her beer bottle and raises it up. "A toast to us brother?" She says.
Byleth raises his beer bottle. "To us."
The Eisner Twins clank their bottles together and begin gulping the entire thing down.
Author's Note: Whew. This was something right? For long time readers of my stories, y'all know how much Cloud, Bayonetta, Corrin, and Kamui have been through together. I was still pretty young when writing those stories and there are somethings I would've liked to changed (and I have for some, you can see that on A03) since I'm a little better with characterization. This was also kinda my way to express my feelings on some choices I made when I paired together Cloud and Kamui.
There's a lot to take away from here. Cloud being very conflicted with his feelings. What will happen? What decision will Cloud make? Oh, you'll find it soon enough. For now, that's it. Next Tea Time will be Ren and Bayonetta (with the Phantom Thieves).
Reviews are always welcomed of course.