Kids
By: Riquisel Yutifae
Author's Notes: My apologies to General Quistis for also using the names of her original characters here. I was also inspired by them too, you know? ^^ It's for added amusement for this fic. ^^
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Chapter Two
Cloud was still confused. He did not really know how to react to the current situation, so he just remained seated in one corner of his room and staring into empty space.
It had been a week already ever since the boy arrived at their home, and the boy fainted a week ago… and was still unconscious.
He wished that the boy would awaken already so that he could ask his questions already… several questions regarding the boy's identity and about Aerith. Who knows, he could have the answers.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone knocking on the door of his room. He wearily gazed at the door but did not answer.
"Cloud, are you in there?" Tifa asked.
He just kept quiet.
"Cloud?" Vincent called out.
He just leaned back against the wall and sighed heavily. "If it's about that kid again, keep him away from me." He snapped impatiently.
The two from outside fell silent. Cloud realized that it's really about Sora.
"Cloud, it's dinnertime," Tifa called out.
Cloud clenched his fist. "I'm not hungry." He told them.
"Cloud, could we talk?" Vincent asked.
"What for? That kid is not my son. I have no son! I'm not even married yet!" Cloud snapped miserably.
"Which is why we would like to talk to you," Vincent told him.
Cloud raised an eyebrow, "Okay, if you're thinking that I'm an unmarried father, then you're making a big mistake too!" he stated flatly.
"No, of course not. Can we come in?" Tifa called out.
Cloud just got up and went to the door and opened it for his two friends. The two stepped inside without even looking at him. Cloud shut the door and bolted it before facing the two. Tifa was seated by the window and looking up at the stars in the skies, while Vincent was standing by the bed, staring at Cloud.
"It could be possible that the kid is yours…" Vincent said softly.
"I told you, I'm not…" Cloud began, but Tifa cut him off, "…He could've come from a different time and place." She stated sternly.
"What's your evidence?" Cloud asked.
"Red XIII sniffed him. He could recognize your scent and Aerith's scent in the boy." Vincent pointed out.
"Well then from what time and place did he come from?" Cloud asked.
"I don't know… maybe the future? You know, the way he calls all of us… he calls you daddy and he calls Vincent Mister Valentine and me… never mind." Tifa turned to Cloud. Cloud was staring at her, "He calls you what?" he asked.
"It's disturbing. Never mind. But isn't it a good way of predicting what's in store for all of us? Like you, for example, Aerith is coming back!" she replied with a hopeful look on her face.
The mention of the name made Cloud's heart jump. He turned to Vincent as if wanting to verify why Tifa had mentioned. Vincent just smiled calmly at him. "I think you should try to appreciate Sora even for a little now… after all, he is going to be your son in another place and time." He told him.
Cloud frowned slightly. "You're making it all up," he told them.
"Wha?" Tifa asked in awe.
"You're making it all up. Sora's just an ordinary boy from somewhere and he could be crazy that's why he keeps saying stuff like that. You haven't even asked him about himself yet… about his true self, that is. He's still asleep. Maybe you could wake him up." Cloud pointed out before yawning.
"Cloud, the kid's awake already. He's been awake ever since this morning and we all talked to him already. He told us… things. Several things." Tifa pointed out.
"Several things like what?" he asked.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" she asked with a sweet smile on her face.
"You're just making it all up. If you're sincere, the mention of Aerith's name would make you go nuts." Cloud pointed out.
Tifa twitched. "I thought we already talked about… about my feelings?" she asked rather hesitantly.
Vincent rolled his eyes. "Oh no… not again…" he thought silently before he sat down on the bed and just pretended to be busily reading something that he got from Cloud's bedside table while the two kept on babbling.
Blah blah blah…..
The door opened, just in time when Tifa punched Cloud's face which sent him flying outside the window. Those who witnessed it were Sora and Vincent.
Sora gasped at what he saw.
"You know, I think adults should never argue in front of a kid," Vincent pointed out calmly.
Tifa just flipped her hair and walked away.
Sora rushed to the window and looked outside, "Daddy?" he called out. He looked down and saw Cloud trying to get up and then dusting himself.
"Daddy!" Sora said in relief. To their surprise, he dived out of the window down to Cloud.
Cloud's eyes widened when he saw the boy coming at him. "What the…" he had managed to say before Sora crashed against him in an embrace. "Wheee! Daddy! You're okay!" the boy was cheering happily.
Cloud was stunned at first because of the severe pain he was feeling all over his body, but he realized that the boy was hugging him. He smiled slightly.
Vincent was looking at them from the window upstairs. "You okay?" he called out.
Cloud looked up at him and nodded miserably. "I guess so…" he replied rather glumly.
"I think I really sprained my ankle, Tifa." Cloud said airily.
"Go get some warm water for yourself and soak it until the water stinks." Tifa muttered miserably before gulping down some water and then continued to eat.
"Gee… daddy was right when he said that I should not argue with your kids because you might kill me." Sora pointed out.
Tifa turned to him with a sarcastic smile on her face, "Kids?" she asked.
"Yeah. Two girls and one boy." Sora pointed out while chewing his food.
"You should never talk when there's something in your mouth, Sora," Cloud instructed mindlessly.
Sora stopped chewing for a while and then swallowed his food, "Oh, sorry, Daddy," he said sheepishly.
Cloud snapped back into his senses, "Will you stop calling me daddy?" he asked, trying to keep his patience.
"Ahem," Vincent cleared his throat, interrupting Sora's attention from Cloud. The boy turned to look at Vincent, "So you say you're from Midgar but it seems like it's from a different time and place?" he asked.
Sora nodded before slicing his lamb chop with a knife and then ate it. He chewed his food quickly and then swallowed it. "This is really delicious; who cooked this?" he asked cheerfully.
"Tifa cooked it." Yuffie replied.
"Cool! But I never tasted her cooking before from where I came from." He replied with a quite disappointed look on his face.
"How come?" Barret asked.
"No, really, where did you come from?" Cloud asked impatiently, dropping his knife and fork on his plate, making a surprising noise that made everyone jerk up in surprise.
"I'm not sure myself… but I know that this isn't my correct time to be in because Miss Marlene here is still a kid!" Sora replied.
Silence.
"What's it like to be in your time, Mister Sora?" Marlene asked cheerfully.
Sora turned to her excitedly, "It's wonderful! I live in Sector 2, Midgar! Everything's so wonderful there." He began.
"And your parents?" Tifa asked.
"They're the best!" he said proudly.
Cloud stared unbelievably at him. "Aerith… your mother… how did she come back?" he asked.
Sora turned to him curiously. "Come back? What do you mean?" he asked.
"I think he doesn't know what happened to Cloud and Aerith," Barret whispered to Vincent and Tifa.
Cloud just shook his head. "N… never mind." He muttered miserably before he continued to eat.
Sora sighed heavily before turning to Vincent, "I have to go back or else my mom and dad will get worried… and I messed up the past now! You're not supposed to know that I exist until after some more years from now!" he pointed out with a worried look on his face.
"You're right. So now the future must be changing because we know that you exist… it's confusing but…" Vincent began.
"Well then what are we gonna do with you?" Barret asked Sora.
Sora thought for a while before shrugging. "I'm not even sure myself." He said.
"Are you sure you don't remember how you got here?" Tifa asked him curiously.
He shook his head. "Nah. Told ya I was asleep and then when I woke up, I wasn't in my room anymore!" He replied.
"Hmm… can you recall anything that happened before you went to bed?" Vincent asked.
Sora thought for a while before replying solemnly, "Hmm… I was in the ShinRa Building and then Samara asked me to go to the laboratory to meet her and Kairi there. And then when I arrived there, they were making potions… and Dr. Valentine was assisting them. I thought it was a useless potion because Samara made me taste it and it tasted like strawberry juice…so I just left…"
"Doctor Valentine?" Vincent asked curiously, his heart skipping a beat as he heard the name.
Sora proceeded, "…the new Head Scientist of ShinRa's Science Department. She's really nice. Anyway, I met dad in the President's Office because he's talking to the Prez. We went home and had some dinner that mommy cooked and then I played some games for a few hours before I went to bed." He explained.
Silence.
"You drank the potion and it tasted like strawberry juice?" Vincent asked, trying to comprehend what the boy did.
"Yeah." Sora replied coolly before proceeding to eat.
Vincent scratched his head, but he did not say anything more.
Cloud just shrugged. "Maybe someone from your time will start looking for you sooner or later and then they'll come for you here and then take you back where you came from." He pointed out.
"Hopefully." Sora said miserably.
"Who's Samara and who's Kairi?" Barret asked.
"Samara and Kairi are two of my friends, but between you guys and me, Kairi's nicer. I don't know why the hell she hangs out with Samara." Sora replied.
"Why? What's wrong with Samara?" Tifa asked curiously.
"She just… she just kinda creeps me out. You know, that long hair and the way she looks at you? Brrr… It's so weird. And she's so spoiled to her dad." He explained with a silly smile on his face.
"Why, who's her dad?" she asked.
Before Sora could reply, they heard someone knocking on the door.
"Who could that be at this time of the evening?" Yuffie asked out loud.
"Get it, will ya?" Barret asked.
"Yeah, yeah," she replied before she got up and rushed to the front door.
They waited for Yuffie to yell to them on who it was, but they were just surprised when she came back with a confused look on her face.
"Who was it?" Cloud asked.
Yuffie turned to Sora. "It's… it's for you…some guy named Riku…" she said with a weak smile on her face.
Sora's eyes widened as he smiled happily. "Oh yeah!" he got up and rushed to the front door.
"What's wrong, Yuffie? You act like you've seen a ghost." Tifa asked.
Yuffie looked at them with her wide eyes. "I… I thought I saw Sephiroth when I opened the door… a young version of Sephiroth, that is," she said softly.
They heard the front door close and then some footsteps nearing them. They all turned to the doorway of the kitchen leading to the living room and they were surprised to see Sora with a companion: a silver-haired boy with green eyes.
They were all wide-eyed upon seeing the boy.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Riku!" Sora introduced happily.
Cloud's jaw dropped.
Riku smiled cheerfully at them, "Hey, everyone!" he greeted pleasantly.
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to be continued. Feh.