Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or the characters. All I own is the plot and a few characters. I simply wish I could own more than a few figurines of FF.
Author's Notes: I'm so worn out! That darn shadow play kept me busy fixing most of the puppets and not being able to eat lunch... Who could resist having a bad day then writing? And after watching an animé that kept me shouting weird stuff I couldn't help but run to my PC. FATIGUE!
=-*-= Chapter 4: Concern =-*-=
Riyuji let out a heavy gasp as he and Zell propped Cloud onto the berth in the clinic. "Man, he's kinda heavy!" He then wondered if Cloud would be okay. "So, will he be okay?"
The new nurse, Yuna, reassured Riyuji that everything would be fine. "Do not worry about a thing. I can handle this." She gave him a pat on the back, which sort of surprised Riyuji for a moment.
The boy waved a hand across her face. "Wait, me? Worried? Not really, maybe just a little, but it's kinda been bad luck for him. It is his first day here after all. New kid, new ground rules. I guess you catch my drift." He chuckled a bit and gave a cheeky smirk to the school nurse.
Yuna returned it with a smile. "I feel the same way actually. I'm new here to after all."
Zell spoke up after being silent for a while. "We actually noticed. We're some of the frequent visitors of the clinic. Being an acciden-" He wasn't able to continue after finding a black glove covering his mouth.
Riyuji grinned sheepishly not wanting Zell to continue. "We're here often due to..." He stopped to think for a good excuse to cover up his previous movement. "Well, we kinda get into to fights sometimes. That's all."
Yuna's expression changed into a frown. She did have troublemakers in the previous school she worked in. She would usually end up scolding or lecturing them about keeping out of trouble so they wouldn't end up with a broken rib or whatever fights could lead to. "You shouldn't be doing that. Fights sometimes end you up in a much worse condition that I might not be able to handle." She was waving a finger at the two teenagers before her. 'There I go again,' she thought. Little did she know that it was all a fib.
Riyuji bit his bottom lip. Adding a little more pressure to it as he tried to consider another excuse. He could finally taste the metallic flavor of blood from his slightly torn lip that jarred him back to reality. "I guess we'll both try to keep out of fights from now on."
"That's what they all say," quirked Yuna. "Go back to your classes now. You might end up late."
Zell gave a small, sarcastic salute. "Yes, ma'am!"
Yuna sniggered slightly. "It's Yuna."
Zell nodded. "Well, see ya Miss Yuna," he said jokingly before closing the door of the clinic.
The two boys walked to their lockers in silence. After a while Riyuji tried to strike a conversation. "That was kinda eerie."
Zell looked more dumb-founded than he usually does. "Eerie? In what way?"
"The way she..." Riyuji paused for a while. "Well, she talks. It's so low and not to mention it seems like she talks in a three-words-per-minute dialogue."
Zell agreed and gave him a nod for an answer. "I wouldn't be that exaggerated but I know what you mean. Why didn't you want me to say accident prone?" he then inquired.
Riyuji sighed. "It's too damn embarrassing, dude."
There was another moment of silence then they both couldn't keep a straight face and had to laugh due to the way Yuna had spoken to them.
~*~
Tifa entered Principal Loire's office to see Sephiroth already sitting there, with his right leg resting over the other and chewing on a piece of gum. She stared at the principal who motioned her to take the other seat; hesitantly she strode over and sat down. She was still worried about the blow in the head that Cloud took from her ex-boyfriend. Unexpectedly it hit her.
She gasped slightly. "Oh my gosh, am I falling for Cloud? No way! That's not possible... I just met him." She pushed the thought away as Principal Loire spoke up.
"So how did this all begin?" He was drumming his fingers on his desk impatiently. "I want every detail," he added.
Sephiroth bring too proud of himself simply spat at the principal. "Actually it's none of your business, sir." He raised both of his feet on the principal's table and leaned intently on the chair's backrest.
Tifa wondered how this guy could be so rude at times. Just because his mom also worked for the school as the Home Economics teacher, it didn't mean he was the ruler of the school or something. She decided to tell her side of the story. "Well, sir. Sephiroth just confronted me and when Cloud stood up for me Seph decided to hurt him a bit. I actually pity the new kid. He hasn't even made it through the first day and now look at him."
Her hand was balled into a fist and she had it before her chest. Her heart raced at both the thought of being in the office and when she thought of Cloud. 'Poor Cloud.'
The principal had both his hands clasped before his mouth. "Sephiroth would you like to tell your side of the story?"
The silver haired teen continued to chew on his gum, showing not even a bit of respect. "Tch. Pretty girl over here just said the whole story. But that runt should know better than to meddle into someone else's life. It's downright vulgar!"
"Look at yourself in a mirror, why don't you?" retorted Tifa.
Sephiroth turned to the brown haired girl. His green eyes full of fury. "Are you talking to me?" His eyebrow was raised at her.
"You're the only vulgar person in the room so I guess I am talking to you," she replied, her voiced filled with venom.
Sephiroth took a stand and pushed the chair behind him. A "thud" was heard as it hit the carpeted floor. "You dare mess with me? You of all people? Did you ever think I really loved you? In fact, I never did. You're just a hypocritical bitch!"
Tifa's eyes began to fill with crystalline droplets again. As if an arrow pierced her heart, it bled. 'How could Sephiroth do that?' She was in the verge of tears. She stood up and retaliated in their dispute. "You call me hypocritical? You think you're not a hypocrite? In truth, you're more than that. Rude, vile and deceiving are a few other words I might add!" She gave him a slap across the face as tears flowed down her face. Being a girl who took karate and such, she had placed more impact than what Sephiroth had predicted.
Laguna stepped between the two before Sephiroth could retaliate with a punch. He caught the bully's hand in his own. "That's enough! The both of you! I have heard enough. Sephiroth, report for a week detention after classes."
Sephiroth gave him a glare and withdrew his hand back to his side.
"Now back to classes, both of you." He watched as they both exited the room. He stopped Tifa for a moment. Miss Lockheart, go wash up first before going back to class. And could you do me a favor? Would you mind if I assigned you to help the new kid, Cloud, around school?" She nodded to him. After hearing a soft "thank you" from her he hastened her to return to her classroom. "Why does it have to be like this," he said, palm connecting to his forehead.
~*~
Cloud had just woken up. He felt the concussion on his head and moaned inaudibly in agony. It seemed that he took more impact on the wall than he imagined. He hadn't thought that he would end up unconscious.
He scanned his surrounding to notice that he was in the clinic. 'Someone must've brought me here,' he thought as he lay his head back on the pillow.
"I see that you're awake now," came a soft voice. He turned to see the nurse. "You're friends both you here after the fight you had. You'll be okay now," said Yuna softly.
Cloud turned to his side and got of the bed. "You mean I can go back to my classes now?" She nodded to him. He placed on his rubber shoes. In the middle of tying the laces he asked, "Who brought me here?"
"Two boys. One with a tattoo on his face and another with a cap. I didn't get their names though."
"Riyuji and Zell..." he said below his breath. He remembered Tifa as a thought of her flashed in his mind. 'I wonder how she is doing?' He got up and thanked the nurse. "So do I need a slip or something to go?"
"Oh yes." She scribbled something on a paper then asked, "Name please?"
"Cloud Strife." He was handed the slip and he left for his next class. As he turned the corner a sobbing sound caught his ear. He looked behind him to see Tifa by her locker. It seemed that she was the one crying.
He walked up to her and tapped her gently on the shoulder. "Tifa?"
The girl turned to see Cloud. She gasped and tried to wipe some of the tears away from her eyes. "Oh, Cloud! Are you okay? We were all worried about you after you got hit." Her eyes and voice showed full concern for the boy.
"I'm okay," he uttered gently. "You don't need to worry." He turned to her and noticed that she still hasn't stopped crying. "Tifa what's wrong? What's with the tears? Did Sephiroth do something else to you?"
She didn't want to answer him just yet. She remained silent, even when Cloud cupped her chin and forged eye contact with her.
"You can tell me what is wrong Tifa but if you really don't wanna tell me you don't need to. I won't force you to."
She opened her eyes and stared straight into the cerulean eyes of the blonde. She smiled inwardly because of his kindness but her heart was still in pain after what Sephiroth had called her. "C-Clo-Cloud...?" She moved closer to him. "It's just because... Seph... he... he called me a hypocritical bitch!" She collapsed onto him and cried on his chest. "Cloud am I like that? Am I like he says I am?"
Cloud shook his head. "No you aren't Tifa. I may have just met you but even though it's been only a while... it's like we have known each other for so long. You're kind, caring and friendly. Don't believe those words!"
Tifa was still sobbing on his chest. He allowed her to remain there for a while. He heard her mention something to him but through the whimpering he could barely make it out. "Could you please repeat that Tifa?" He heard her the second time she said it. "Thanks Cloud. Thanks..." Cloud placed an arm around her and comforted her. "You're welcome Tifa," he uttered as the sobs of the girl before him echoed throughout the empty hall.
Author's Notes: I'm so worn out! That darn shadow play kept me busy fixing most of the puppets and not being able to eat lunch... Who could resist having a bad day then writing? And after watching an animé that kept me shouting weird stuff I couldn't help but run to my PC. FATIGUE!
=-*-= Chapter 4: Concern =-*-=
Riyuji let out a heavy gasp as he and Zell propped Cloud onto the berth in the clinic. "Man, he's kinda heavy!" He then wondered if Cloud would be okay. "So, will he be okay?"
The new nurse, Yuna, reassured Riyuji that everything would be fine. "Do not worry about a thing. I can handle this." She gave him a pat on the back, which sort of surprised Riyuji for a moment.
The boy waved a hand across her face. "Wait, me? Worried? Not really, maybe just a little, but it's kinda been bad luck for him. It is his first day here after all. New kid, new ground rules. I guess you catch my drift." He chuckled a bit and gave a cheeky smirk to the school nurse.
Yuna returned it with a smile. "I feel the same way actually. I'm new here to after all."
Zell spoke up after being silent for a while. "We actually noticed. We're some of the frequent visitors of the clinic. Being an acciden-" He wasn't able to continue after finding a black glove covering his mouth.
Riyuji grinned sheepishly not wanting Zell to continue. "We're here often due to..." He stopped to think for a good excuse to cover up his previous movement. "Well, we kinda get into to fights sometimes. That's all."
Yuna's expression changed into a frown. She did have troublemakers in the previous school she worked in. She would usually end up scolding or lecturing them about keeping out of trouble so they wouldn't end up with a broken rib or whatever fights could lead to. "You shouldn't be doing that. Fights sometimes end you up in a much worse condition that I might not be able to handle." She was waving a finger at the two teenagers before her. 'There I go again,' she thought. Little did she know that it was all a fib.
Riyuji bit his bottom lip. Adding a little more pressure to it as he tried to consider another excuse. He could finally taste the metallic flavor of blood from his slightly torn lip that jarred him back to reality. "I guess we'll both try to keep out of fights from now on."
"That's what they all say," quirked Yuna. "Go back to your classes now. You might end up late."
Zell gave a small, sarcastic salute. "Yes, ma'am!"
Yuna sniggered slightly. "It's Yuna."
Zell nodded. "Well, see ya Miss Yuna," he said jokingly before closing the door of the clinic.
The two boys walked to their lockers in silence. After a while Riyuji tried to strike a conversation. "That was kinda eerie."
Zell looked more dumb-founded than he usually does. "Eerie? In what way?"
"The way she..." Riyuji paused for a while. "Well, she talks. It's so low and not to mention it seems like she talks in a three-words-per-minute dialogue."
Zell agreed and gave him a nod for an answer. "I wouldn't be that exaggerated but I know what you mean. Why didn't you want me to say accident prone?" he then inquired.
Riyuji sighed. "It's too damn embarrassing, dude."
There was another moment of silence then they both couldn't keep a straight face and had to laugh due to the way Yuna had spoken to them.
~*~
Tifa entered Principal Loire's office to see Sephiroth already sitting there, with his right leg resting over the other and chewing on a piece of gum. She stared at the principal who motioned her to take the other seat; hesitantly she strode over and sat down. She was still worried about the blow in the head that Cloud took from her ex-boyfriend. Unexpectedly it hit her.
She gasped slightly. "Oh my gosh, am I falling for Cloud? No way! That's not possible... I just met him." She pushed the thought away as Principal Loire spoke up.
"So how did this all begin?" He was drumming his fingers on his desk impatiently. "I want every detail," he added.
Sephiroth bring too proud of himself simply spat at the principal. "Actually it's none of your business, sir." He raised both of his feet on the principal's table and leaned intently on the chair's backrest.
Tifa wondered how this guy could be so rude at times. Just because his mom also worked for the school as the Home Economics teacher, it didn't mean he was the ruler of the school or something. She decided to tell her side of the story. "Well, sir. Sephiroth just confronted me and when Cloud stood up for me Seph decided to hurt him a bit. I actually pity the new kid. He hasn't even made it through the first day and now look at him."
Her hand was balled into a fist and she had it before her chest. Her heart raced at both the thought of being in the office and when she thought of Cloud. 'Poor Cloud.'
The principal had both his hands clasped before his mouth. "Sephiroth would you like to tell your side of the story?"
The silver haired teen continued to chew on his gum, showing not even a bit of respect. "Tch. Pretty girl over here just said the whole story. But that runt should know better than to meddle into someone else's life. It's downright vulgar!"
"Look at yourself in a mirror, why don't you?" retorted Tifa.
Sephiroth turned to the brown haired girl. His green eyes full of fury. "Are you talking to me?" His eyebrow was raised at her.
"You're the only vulgar person in the room so I guess I am talking to you," she replied, her voiced filled with venom.
Sephiroth took a stand and pushed the chair behind him. A "thud" was heard as it hit the carpeted floor. "You dare mess with me? You of all people? Did you ever think I really loved you? In fact, I never did. You're just a hypocritical bitch!"
Tifa's eyes began to fill with crystalline droplets again. As if an arrow pierced her heart, it bled. 'How could Sephiroth do that?' She was in the verge of tears. She stood up and retaliated in their dispute. "You call me hypocritical? You think you're not a hypocrite? In truth, you're more than that. Rude, vile and deceiving are a few other words I might add!" She gave him a slap across the face as tears flowed down her face. Being a girl who took karate and such, she had placed more impact than what Sephiroth had predicted.
Laguna stepped between the two before Sephiroth could retaliate with a punch. He caught the bully's hand in his own. "That's enough! The both of you! I have heard enough. Sephiroth, report for a week detention after classes."
Sephiroth gave him a glare and withdrew his hand back to his side.
"Now back to classes, both of you." He watched as they both exited the room. He stopped Tifa for a moment. Miss Lockheart, go wash up first before going back to class. And could you do me a favor? Would you mind if I assigned you to help the new kid, Cloud, around school?" She nodded to him. After hearing a soft "thank you" from her he hastened her to return to her classroom. "Why does it have to be like this," he said, palm connecting to his forehead.
~*~
Cloud had just woken up. He felt the concussion on his head and moaned inaudibly in agony. It seemed that he took more impact on the wall than he imagined. He hadn't thought that he would end up unconscious.
He scanned his surrounding to notice that he was in the clinic. 'Someone must've brought me here,' he thought as he lay his head back on the pillow.
"I see that you're awake now," came a soft voice. He turned to see the nurse. "You're friends both you here after the fight you had. You'll be okay now," said Yuna softly.
Cloud turned to his side and got of the bed. "You mean I can go back to my classes now?" She nodded to him. He placed on his rubber shoes. In the middle of tying the laces he asked, "Who brought me here?"
"Two boys. One with a tattoo on his face and another with a cap. I didn't get their names though."
"Riyuji and Zell..." he said below his breath. He remembered Tifa as a thought of her flashed in his mind. 'I wonder how she is doing?' He got up and thanked the nurse. "So do I need a slip or something to go?"
"Oh yes." She scribbled something on a paper then asked, "Name please?"
"Cloud Strife." He was handed the slip and he left for his next class. As he turned the corner a sobbing sound caught his ear. He looked behind him to see Tifa by her locker. It seemed that she was the one crying.
He walked up to her and tapped her gently on the shoulder. "Tifa?"
The girl turned to see Cloud. She gasped and tried to wipe some of the tears away from her eyes. "Oh, Cloud! Are you okay? We were all worried about you after you got hit." Her eyes and voice showed full concern for the boy.
"I'm okay," he uttered gently. "You don't need to worry." He turned to her and noticed that she still hasn't stopped crying. "Tifa what's wrong? What's with the tears? Did Sephiroth do something else to you?"
She didn't want to answer him just yet. She remained silent, even when Cloud cupped her chin and forged eye contact with her.
"You can tell me what is wrong Tifa but if you really don't wanna tell me you don't need to. I won't force you to."
She opened her eyes and stared straight into the cerulean eyes of the blonde. She smiled inwardly because of his kindness but her heart was still in pain after what Sephiroth had called her. "C-Clo-Cloud...?" She moved closer to him. "It's just because... Seph... he... he called me a hypocritical bitch!" She collapsed onto him and cried on his chest. "Cloud am I like that? Am I like he says I am?"
Cloud shook his head. "No you aren't Tifa. I may have just met you but even though it's been only a while... it's like we have known each other for so long. You're kind, caring and friendly. Don't believe those words!"
Tifa was still sobbing on his chest. He allowed her to remain there for a while. He heard her mention something to him but through the whimpering he could barely make it out. "Could you please repeat that Tifa?" He heard her the second time she said it. "Thanks Cloud. Thanks..." Cloud placed an arm around her and comforted her. "You're welcome Tifa," he uttered as the sobs of the girl before him echoed throughout the empty hall.