A gentle breeze wafted the sea air around the winding, mostly deserted streets of Costa del Sol. The place was so peaceful without the usual crowds of tourists, Tifa mused, leaning out of the bedroom window and gazing down into the street below. At this time of year, though the weather was usually still as good as any summer day elsewhere, there were only locals and a few of the more knowledgeable holidaymakers around.
"It's a beautiful day outside."
"......."
"Cloud?"
"Wsst?......zzzzzzzz........."
"Cloud, wake up!" Tifa snapped, turning sharply on her heel. On the bed, Cloud squeezed his eyes shut, groaned, and pulled the covers over his head. Tifa sighed deeply, then walked over and prodded a likely looking lump.
"G'way," Cloud mumbled from beneath the covers, coiling up tighter.
"Don't make me come in there," Tifa said teasingly, leaning over and tickling her husband.
"Ahh! Stop it!" Cloud cried eventually. He peeked his head out cautiously from under the sheets, sleepily blinking his blue eyes. "Okay, okay, I'm up!"
"At last. I thought you were going to stay there all day."
Cloud sat up and yawned. "What time is it?"
"Nearly eleven o'clock," Tifa replied, turning back to the window.
"What?! Why didn't you wake me up?"
"I just did."
Cloud raised a hand and pushed his hair out of his eyes, but all he could manage in reply to his wife's statement was a slightly pathetic "Errrr..... yeah."
"Does it matter? I didn't know you were doing anything today. You should have told me."
"No, no, it's nothing. Just force of habit really, thinking I should be up at the crack of dawn every day," he said sleepily, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and stretching lazily. "I suppose you're gonna make me take a shower too now?"
"Of course," Tifa giggled. "And make sure you wash behind your ears."
"Yes, mother."
Tifa looked over her shoulder as the door clicked shut, and sighed. She had really wanted to tell Cloud as soon as he woke up, but, well, things hadn't worked out that way. It was strange that even after having been married for nearly a year and knowing him for lifetime, she still occasionally felt painfully shy in his company. She could see that sometimes Cloud felt the same way. Perhaps it was just a continuation of old habits from before either knew what the other felt. Walking over and sitting down on the edge of the bed, she told herself she would talk to her husband as soon as he came back. It wasn't that important, but she wanted to tell him before she argued herself out of the idea.
Cloud soon came back, with a towel around his waist and using another to dry his hair. Tifa smiled at him, even as she began to nervously drum her heels against the side of the bed.
"Cloud," she began demurely, "I've been thinking..."
"Aww, man..."
"Cloud!"
"Sorry," Cloud murmured, smiling apologetically. He looked at her hopefully from under his wild blonde hair, and Tifa smiled back in acceptance. She couldn't look him in his big blue eyes and stay angry for long.
"I've been thinking," she continued, Cloud eyeing her curiously as she spoke, "Perhaps, I...we," she corrected herself with a slight blush, "should open a bar. Here, in Costa del Sol. It's the right place for that kind of business, and we can't go on like we have been forever. I know there's a lot of competition, but I did run a bar before, and...well, what do you think? Cloud?"
Cloud had been staring vacantly off into space, but turned and looked at his wife again at her prompt.
"Right now," he said, grinning mischievously, "I'm thinking 'wow. Beautiful and a genius. I'm a lucky guy.'"
"So, you think we should try it?" Tifa said, her voice coming out far more excitedly than she had intended.
"Of course. And we won't need to worry about the competition. Your cocktails'll knock them dead."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah. Wow, I can't believe neither of us thought of this before. It's perfect."
"I'm...glad you think that," Tifa murmured shyly, looking down at her bare feet.
"Hey, what did you think I was going to say?" Cloud said gently.
"I don't know," Tifa sighed, "I guess I'm just too used to you having all the ideas." Without warning, she jumped up and threw her arms around him, nearly catching him off balance. "But I've got a really good feeling about this. A whole new start, where everything will go right."
"That's probably a bit optimistic," Cloud said, returning her embrace, "but yeah. A new start. A real new start. Together. How long have you been thinking about this?"
"I'm not sure," Tifa mused, frowning slightly, "I think it's been at the back of my mind since we moved here. I haven't really got any proper plans, just the idea. But if you think it's a good idea, we can soon change that."
"Let's not rush anything."
"Mmm. Cloud?"
"Yes, honey?"
"Can you let go of me now? My top's getting wet."
"Uh, sorry," Cloud mumbled, backing off and blushing.
"Don't be so embarrassed. We're married now, remember?"
"Yeah. That... still kinda sounds a little weird."
"I'm sure you'll get used to it. And you've got it easy. I've still got to get used to being Mrs. Tifa Strife."
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing. To tell the truth, I often wondered what it would be like," Tifa said. "And I haven't been disappointed."
"That's good to hear."
Cloud thought about what Tifa had said as he got dressed. It seemed pretty sudden, but he trusted his wife and also had a feeling that, whether consciously or not, she had been turning it over in her mind for a long time. He couldn't see anything wrong with the idea. In fact, he quite liked it. With it in mind he could finally imagine a sustainable future here in Costa del Sol. Cloud was really beginning to feel at home in the place. The people were friendly, the atmosphere relaxed, and the weather nearly always fantastic. The constant sun had an added advantage for Cloud as it served to partially disguise the Mako glare in his eyes. Sometimes he wondered how many people there were left with eyes like his, if there were any at all. Between the Reunion and WEAPON attacks, most members of SOLDIER had probably been killed. It was a strange thought.
"I'd better get going. I've got a shift today," Tifa said.
"Today?"
"I'm covering for Annalise. She's off sick."
"Oh. Mind if I come? I haven't got much else to do."
"Sure. But don't expect any free drinks," Tifa replied, glancing at the clock and hurrying out.
"Dammit," said Cloud jokingly, and followed her.
"Well, at least you'll be able to make sure the customers aren't oogling the barmaid," she giggled by way of consolation.
"Marcell's looking for a free bouncer now, is he?"
Tifa put on her demurest tone. "You wouldn't want to leave your new wife alone with all those disreputable types, would you?"
"Come on, Marcell's regulars aren't that bad. But of course, anything for my poor, defenseless little Tifa."
"Oh, you're terrible!"
Cloud smiled. He knew Tifa was perfectly capable of looking after herself in far worse situations than getting dirty talk from drunken Costans.
Even so near midday, without the usual throng of tourists the streets were relatively quiet. Costa del Sol was designed to comfortably take the summer rush of holidaymakers, and without them the town seemed far larger and emptier than it should be. Marcell's bar, Castaway, would be less crowded than normal, but not enough to warrant closing for the winter as some bars did. It was the one most frequented by the locals, having not fallen to overpricing or tourist-pulling gimmicks.
Several of the regulars greeted them as they entered Castaway. Tifa took her place behind the bar, and Cloud took a seat in front of it.
"Cloud! I was hoping you'd drop by."
Cloud turned to the barman.
"Yeah?"
"Someone's been in here asking after you," Marcell said, putting down the glass he'd been cleaning.
"Really? Who?"
"That's the thing - he didn't leave his name. And, well, I dunno, he didn't entirely look the reputable type."
Cloud's brow furrowed, but he gave a mental shrug. By most people's standards, that was a fair description of most of his friends.
"...Now don't get me wrong," Marcell continued, a little hurriedly, "Friends of yours, they're alright once you get to know them. But, well, there was something about this one..."
"What did he look like?" Cloud asked, cutting through Marcell's half suspicious, half apologetic rambling. He wasn't usually like this, but again Cloud could think of several of his old friends who just had that effect on people. Marcell scratched his head thoughtfully.
"Tall, scruffy, red-headed. From the Eastern Continent, by the sound of him. Didn't see his eyes, he was wearing shades."
Cloud's brow furrowed further. The description rang a bell in the back of his mind, an alarm bell, but he couldn't quite place it. Marcell must have noticed his expression, because he leant in closer and lowered his voice.
"You're not in any trouble are you? He said he wanted to talk to you. And with people like that, you know they never just mean 'talk'."
"If anyone's in trouble, it's gonna be him. Did he say where I could find him?"
"Yeah. He told me to tell you that he's staying at the Sundown hotel, room twenty-three, and he wants to see you as soon as possible."
"Right." Cloud said firmly, getting up. "Tell Tifa where I am."
"Don't do anything rash!" Marcell called after him.
Footsteps echoed deep in the tunnels of the abandoned Mythril Mines. JV/101/2 just let her feet take her to where she should be. Every step brought her closer, she could sense it. By now she was probably beneath the mines themselves, in the dark, natural tunnels in the bedrock. The further she got the scarcer and stronger the monsters were, but that was of little consequence. They were no match for her. She had had plenty of opportunities to practice her combat skills on the journey here, and now such techniques were becoming reflex. Anyway, she was stronger, faster and more magically powerful than any human and most monsters. Being a research specimen had been hellish, but being an ex research specimen did have its advantages.
And then at the end of the tunnel, there was light. Not the bright white light of an opening to the surface, she was far too deep for that, but a soft, green glow that eerily picked out the jagged walls of the shaft. JV/101/2 picked up her pace now her goal was in sight, and was soon standing over a small, iridescent pool. She knelt down...
Lifestream...
Knowledge...
The knowledge of the Planet...
Knowledge is power....
Take it...take it all...
Power....
...and brushed her fingertips against the surface.
Everything went green. And then...then she knew. She knew it all.
She stayed there for a long time.
...And thus ends chapter 3. "What happens next?" you cry. Or at least, I hope you do. But I'm not going to tell you! Ha! You'll just have to wait and see. Stay tuned for chapter 4 and more on the goings on at Kielestis Inc. - Anguipes Seraph "Ne me mori facias... Now I understand." - Crow (quote from the future)