Disclaimer: I don't own FF7.

A/N: Sorry for the delay.I'm going to school on my vaction so I can get out early in the 12th grade. I've been reading more than writing lately and I am finally finish with Jade Empire, which owned my life for the past weeks. This means more writing. More updates or more stories. Enjoy the chapter.R&R my terrible writing.

Chapter 3: The Open Chat

It's been three weeks since Cloud brought the pet to Tifa's bar. It's been three LONG weeks for Cloud. Marlene decided to name the pet Sky. She said it was a fitting name for him. Sky kept Marlene busy; Cloud did not recall a time when Marlene played without the puppy in the past few weeks. It was interesting to see Marlene play with Sky, but Cloud did not want anything to do with the pet. Marlene enjoyed the Sky well enough even though Cloud disliked the puppy as each day passed. He began to wish that he had never brought the puppy home. For some reason, Cloud thinks that the puppy just likes annoying him. Sky always interrupt Cloud when he speak, Sky goes to him and just bark for nothing, and Cloud remember one time when Sky bit him.

Cloud did not know if it was intentional or not, but Cloud was just walking out of the door and Sky just suddenly bit him on the ankle. Tifa and Marlene said that probably was the reason why the puppy bit him was because he wanted Cloud to stay. Whatever was the reason was Cloud was getting annoyed. It was getting on his last nerves. He could not get a moment of peace because of him. He did not have moment to collect his thoughts or to enjoy anything anymore. He felt that the puppy just continue to annoy him with no reason at all.

Cloud sat down on the bar chair and rest his head on the table. Marlene left a few days ago to spend time with Barret, her father. Barret was on quest to find a replacement for Mako energy. When he has free time, he come to visit or Tifa sent Marlene to visit him. But against Cloud dislike, Marlene left Sky with Cloud and Tifa. Cloud had a thought to just kick the puppy out and lie to Marlene what happen to him. Cloud smirk at the thought, but he'll never do it. Tifa will probably not let him get away with it first of all. And he didn't know if he could stand to see Marlene sad face. The guilt would most likely overcome him.

Cloud sighed and moved his head to his side to get more comfortable. Once he got in the right position he began to focus on listening to the environment. It was quiet. He did not want to wonder where the puppy was, but to take this time to relax. He closed his eyes to get a better feel of the rare situation he have at his state over the pass few weeks. After a while he began to hear some footsteps coming towards him. He did not move from his current position but at the same time focus on the figure that was closing in on him. He heard the figure got a chair and sat by him. He still kept his position, but he knew he was going to have to break out of it soon.

The figure did nothing for a few minutes as if enjoying the same rare quite occasion as he was. Cloud wanted it to stay like this for a while. He felt a sudden pleasure in this current circumstance that he wished that it could last the rest of the day. But he could tell the figure would speak soon. Either that or something else would happen that will cause him to him to break the comfortable position. Right now he was like a kid that does not want to go to school in the morning and just want to sleep the day away. He was like a kid who would make an excuse to stay asleep as long as he can.

"Hi Cloud," a familiar soft voice finally said after what seemed like hours.

Cloud did not say anything, but turned his head around to see what lay before him. What he found was a big great brown set of eyes with a familiar yet kind childhood friend who was smiling at him. She laid her head on the bar table similar to him. Her long dark brown hair covered her left eye as she looked at him. They both stayed that way for a while, not saying a word. They let their minds do the talking, and both agreed on the same thing. The moment was prefect. There was nobody around them, no one to interrupt the pleasurable silent. It was just them two. It is their time to enjoy what time they have together right now.

While staring at each other in silent, Cloud was reminded at the history that went on between them. Their history came into mind. Everything from his childhood memories, to his journey to beat Sephiroth and safe the planet days, to where they are at now came to his mind in a flash. Everything that they been through, they did it together. She helped in a lot ways that he couldn't even help himself, when he was down she was there to help him back up. Now here he is, sitting side by side by one of his most trusted comrade enjoying the time of quiet that they have together.

"Hey Tifa," Cloud said finally.

Before he could say anything else a familiar bark was heard. That broke the entire moment of quiet that he enjoyed so much.

"…I don't like him," Cloud said without thinking.

Tifa giggled at Cloud's distinct comment about Sky. "You're the one who brought him here." Tifa said in a little above a whisper as if afraid of anyone going to hear her besides Cloud.

But it was clear to Cloud that she was teasing him. He couldn't say anything; he was just stump by Tifa. Without even knowing, he let out a regretful face that made Tifa giggled again. "I think he likes you."

Cloud gave a bewildered look. "…What do you mean?" Cloud said.

"Y'know," she said. "He always seems to want to be around you."

"…To annoy me," Cloud corrected her.

Tifa smiled thoughtfully. "Cloud…did you ever want a dog when you was a kid?"

Cloud thought for a minute. It's been a while since he ever really considered thinking about his childhood self. He never even bother to even let that cross his mind, but now that it's been asked…Did he ever wanted a dog? Why didn't he have a dog? Cloud then shook his head. "…Not really. It never really crossed my mind to have a dog as a pet when I was a kid, not that much anyway."

"Oh," Tifa said.

Cloud shifted his hair and made a quick thought of what would be a pet to his favor. "…A chocobo," Cloud said, unaware that he was talking out loud. "I should've brought a chocobo home."

Tifa gave out a small and genial smile. "I wouldn't mind that," Tifa said. "It would be so cute to have one here. Taking care of them isn't that hard either. It's fun to ride on them. I'm sure Marlene would think that. Plus your spiky hair reminds me of a yellow Chocobo fur."

Cloud slightly blushed. She said this before, one time doing their journey together. He didn't know what either to take it as a complement or an insult.

"How do you ever keep your hair spiky anyway?" Tifa asked.

Cloud smiled. "If I tell you that, I'm going to have kill you. It's my 'special' secret y'know." Cloud joked.

"Oh really?" Tifa said. "I have to remind myself to never ask you about your 'special' secrets again."

"You better," Cloud said.

"I've always been amazed how your hair looks. The way it just spreads out in different directions," Tifa said. "When we were kids, I've always wondered about that."

Cloud only nodded. "You had big feet when you were a kid," he blurted out.

Tifa was taken back at the sudden remark. She did not know how to react. Slowly, she began to turn change to a bright red color. "What do you mean I had big feet?" Tifa exclaimed.

"You had big feet," Cloud said simply.

"I did not!" Tifa said in a defensive tone.

"Of course you did. You had big feet when you were a kid. It was bigger than mines. Bigger than your friends too." Cloud said.

"…It was the shoes!" Tifa said, in her last resort to defend herself. Cloud smirk at her last defense. "IT was the shoes!" She said after seeing Cloud smirk. "Why are you smirking?" She demanded.

Cloud only shook as his head, but he continued to smirk. She's kind of cute sometimes, he thought.

A/N: That's it for the thrid chapter. What do you thinkI'm sorry this is short but I really can't wait for the next chapter I'm going to do. It's going to be so SWEET!I've read my past chapters (I hate reading my own stuff) and I suck and endings. It always seems like I am rushing at the endings but have a great beginning. I'm going to try and fix thaton the later chapters. I'm also going to have to admit again I usually write more than this. I'm sorry guys. I'll make it up for the future chapters. Review please. Your thoughts are important to me.