AUTHORS NOTE: ok ok.. there's some unkindness to Tifa in this chapter.. so don't be offended. Actually, I think Tifas pretty alright personally.. just not the Cloud + Tifa pairing *waves her Aerith flag about*! But I am planning on editing this chapter sometime soon.. going easier on the poor girl ^.^ so yay! and hey.. PLEASE PLEASE R & R!!! Thank you!!

Angel Reborn
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CHAPTER ONE

CLOUD
in
"Sunshine and misery"

~Costa Del Sol - at the 'Bar Del Sol'~
•°•
Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark,
For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart,
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain,
Melodies of life - love's lost refrain.
Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why.
We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye.
And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told?
Let them ring out loud till they unfold.
In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me.
Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name.
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.
Adding up the layers of harmony. And so it goes, on and on.
Melodies of life, To the sky beyond the flying birds - forever and beyond...
~Melodies Of Life - Emiko Shiratori (Princess Garnet.. *^.^ v* ahhh.. lurve this song!!!)~
•°•
Cloud Strife sat at the bar of the Bar Del Sol, pressing his forehead to a cool mug of beer and casting his mako-enhanced eyes down at the fine ingrained scuffwood table he sat at.

'Another day without her..' he thought dismally, sighing at the loss he felt in his heart and shifting to take a gulp of his drink before resuming his former position.

Presently, the door to the club swung open, and a very grease-covered Cid Highwind strode in, spotting Cloud and grinning broadly. Taking a seat next to the mercinary he ordered a beer before settling down to study his friend carefully.

'Still thinking about Aerith, boy-o?' he asked sympathetically, reaching out to pat Cloud on the sholder solemnly.

Cloud responded with another deep heartfelt sigh. 'I really ought to take my own advice.. " Don't let Aeriths memory hold you back".. that's what I told everyone on the Highwind that day, yet I can't even abide by my own words.'

Cid shook his head at Clouds unkempt appearance. 'When was the last time you had a shave? beards really aren't your thing.' He jokingly tugged at the scraggly tuft of hair that had been left to grow from Clouds chin but gave up when he got no response, leaning back in his chair. 'Don't let you get yourself down over something that can't be changed.'

Hearing these words, Cloud glared up at Cid with unintentional anger and frowned at his friend. 'Cid, It's not as easy at it's made to sound.. I NEED her.' He pushed his chair out to signal the end of the conversation, shuffling out of the bar and into the warm sunshine outside.

Costa Del Sol was a holidayers dream. Nothing but sand, sun, surf and partying, day in and day out. But Cloud hadn't bothered to take the time and enjoy it since his victory over Sephiroth. A part of him just felt as if it was missing, a BIG part.. an important part. No amount of lazing on the beach could replace it, and no amount of grooving to summer tunes or scoffing down seafood could take away the feeling of complete loss that eveloped him. The sun shone down on Cloud, but he didn't even feel it.

Heading for the entrance to the town, he pulled Ultima Weapon out of it's sheath against his back and swung it infront of him as he walked. Passeres by moved to the edge of the cobbled road and stared at Cloud strangely.

'HEY, WATCH IT!,' a person shouted.

'You're gunna end up injuring someone!!,' another cried angrily.

'What's your PROBLEM, jerk?!'

'GET OFF THE ROAD!'

Once out on the grasslands surrounding the holiday town, Cloud reached into his item pouch, flipping a small compartment open and retrieving some materia from it. He made sure to equip his Enemy Lure magic to Ultima Weapon before heading into battle - he needed to let out alot of frustration and emotion that was building up inside of him, like the waters of a dam that was ready to rupture.

Since the event of Meteor being subdued by Holy, the whole of the world had lost many of the monsters that originally roamed about the place, perhaps from the powers of the magic that had been unleased. In any case, a good fight was alot harder to come by these days and Cloud decided to slot some extra Enemy Lure globes into his weapon just to increase the encounter rate some more.

He wandered around the area abit, looking around him as he did. The revolting smell that the Enemy Lure materia was giving off (monsters supposidly found it appealing) was starting to mingle with the many beers he'd consumed earlier, to create a headache of titanic proportions. Cloud felt as if a mako reactor was exploding in his head, eventually useing Cure 3 and Esuna to ease the pain when it became too severe.

The sound of twin-jet motors reached him as he set off again, and Cloud looked up to see the Highwind banking sharply to land afew meters from where he stood. Tifa Lockheart climbed quickly down the rope ladder suspended from the edge, skipping the last few rungs to run over to Cloud. Yuffie Kisaragi tried to follow suit, but ended up falling off in some sort of drunken swagger - obviously caused by her airsickness - and landing in a heap at the Highwinds base.

'Cloud! What are you doing out here?' Tifa asked in suprise, smiling at the man she adored with curiousity.

'Being mobbed by hoards of screaming fangirls,' he muttered sarcastically - laying down on the grass for a moment to escape the waves of anguish that his headache and Tifas voice where causing.

'Fangirls? what fangir--- oh!' realising it was sarcasm, she tried to hide the blush covering her cheeks, wrinkling her nose instead at the fetid stench reaching her nostrils. 'Is that Enemy Lure?.. you actually expect to find monsters still around after Holy??'

Cloud shrugged and turned his head away from her. '..Worth a try.'

'Oh Cloud! Why didn't you just come to the Gold Saucer with Yuffie and me? you could have fought in the battle arena!,' Tifa exclaimed with a giggle.

'The only monsters left there are robotic ones, and they're hardly a challenge.'

Just than Yuffie managed to pick herself up and trudge over, groaning as she rubbed her forehead. 'I swear, that is the absolute LAST time I'm ever gunna go on that airship!!' She took a seat next to Cloud and looked at him with a smirk. 'What's up with YOU? and why do you still have that bum fluff on your chin? it looks soooo stupid!'

Cloud sighed and got to his feet. He rested his blade against his sholder and began to walk off in search of monsters and some real silence, elsewhere.

It wasn't long before he realised that Tifa and Yuffie where following at a distance, chatting back and forth about the new Love-Tester that had been installed in Wonder Square of the Gold Saucer.

'I can't BELIEVE that that stupid machine said i was 'LOVELORN'! Imagine! ME! ME!!!.. IMPOSSIBLE!! I'm perfectly happy with Cloud!'

'Yeh right, you wish!' Cloud thought, smirking to himself and wishing that his childhood friend would stop with the charade.

'Well at least you didn't get 'OOCHI MAMA'!' Yuffie countered, ignoring Tifas giggle. She pulled out a card from the pouch by her waist and stared at it dismally.

'What's that?' Tifa asked, curiousity roused.

'Oh.. just some dumb piece of paper that crappy machine spat out.' Tifa took it from Yuffie and looked at it.

Thank you for taking the Love-Tester experience!
your Love-Tester status is:
OOCHI MAMA!
your ideal Love-Tester match is:
A man who hangs by the bar,
eating pickled olives from a jar,
drives an extremely junkie car,
and wishes that the pokies
weren't so far.
thank you, and please come again, to the Love-Tester!

Cloud sniggered from his place ahead of the two as Tifa read it out aloud.

Yuffie sighed and carried a faraway look in her eyes. 'My ideal man is a total loser'.

'Even so, we MUST find him!' Tifa insisted.

'Do we have to??'

'DEFINATELY! it's your DESTINY!' She pointed out, clutching the card to her chest. 'How romantic!'

'Oh brother..'

'Lets start as soon as we get back to Costa Del Sol!' Tifa was getting really excited, jumping around and grinning madly.

'By the way.. you used the Love-Tester TOO.. where's YOUR card??' Yuffie pressed. Tifa stopped jumping and blushed - handing Yuffie back her card.

'I erm.. lost it.. yeh.. that's it, I LOST it!! Phew.. nice save there Tifa!' Yuffie stared at her strangely and Tifa clapped her hand over her mouth. 'Shouldn't have said that last bit out loud!' She mumbled to herself, embarrassed.

'Ok.. lets see it! It's only fair!' Yuffie demanded, holding her hand out.

'I TOLD you.. I don't HAVE it!' Sounds of paper being scrunched were heard as Tifa slipped her hand into the pouch carried by her side. She casually threw a small piece of crumpled card over her shoulder.

'Oh, THAT wasn't obvious!' Cloud thought sarcastically.

Of course, Yuffie picked it up with a grin as Tifa ran to catch up with Cloud, and hastily stuffed it into a pocket for later.

Just than, Clouds thoughts of Aerith were interrupted by the sound of a low squeal coming from a cove on the beach, nearby.

The handsome mercenary stared in the direction of the cry with suprise 'What the..?'

'Oh BOY!.. That sound! IT'S PIGGLE!!!' Tifa exclaimed, running towards the cove and giggling loudly as she did.

'Piggle?? err.. what's Piggle??' Cloud asked Yuffie with a look of confusion as he absently scratched his tufty beard.

'Piggle is her imaginary friend.. really, don't ask her about him. I made the mistake and I'm STILL regretting it.'

Despite the fact that Tifa was occasionally a bumbling airhead when she was hyper, she was still Clouds childhood friend and trusted confidant so he hurried after her in concern, with Yuffie following close behind.

Tifa had stopped at the mouth of a large cave, and peered into the darkness with some apprehension. 'That's strange.. Piggle hates the dark!.. Why do you suppose..' she trailed off as Cloud pushed past her, snapping an orb of materia into his armor and casting Light into the gloom.

The magic sprung from his hands and shot into the cave, bouncing off the walls and illuminating it's path before coming to rest some meters in. Cloud took the lead and cautiously advanced closer, wondering what could have made the noise. Than it came again, but this time it was alot louder, and caused the three friends to cover their ears tightly.

Cloud was the first to spot the glowing eyes from a place where the Light materia hadn't reached. They were staring with anger at the man who had dared use that infernal magic to disturb it's meal. Cloud's eyes widened and he shouted for his friends to back away, raising his sword as the creature immerged from it's sanctuary, reeking of sea and fish with an intensity that made Yuffie promptly hurl all over the sand at her feet.

'Gross.. oh man.. that smell!!!.. I can't STAND it!!'

Cloud ran forward, Ultima Weapon gleaming purple as he raised it above his head, ready to strike. However, before he could even get close enough to land a blow an amazing force hit him, sending Cloud flying back the way he came with an anguished cry. Everything else happened in a second, the beast was apon him, blood was flowing in his eyes - blurring his vision.

Than there was just darkness.
•°•
©Erica Runge - 16th of November, 2002. All main characters, etc ©Squaresoft and FFVII.