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Hello hello.
I have had interesting comments over the last chapter, over mixed issues. All I can say is I'm really seriously considering thinking over parts of my fic due to some views you lot have had. Thinking of changing Cloud's disease to a fictional one, that one I'm not so keen on. I can see where you're coming from, but I'm not trying to make the fic real as in real-life like ours. No no no. All I'm trying to do is make my fic realistic regarding the emotions of the characters, and events that in fics I personally have read, I found myself reading them and saying to myself "eh? What the hell?" I just want my fic to run smoothly, with events slowly unfolding so that it makes sense along the way without losing the readers interest up until the final shebang or climax as you people call it . So as for Cloud's disease, it is an uncommon one in the UK that people rarely hear of or experience, hence why I put it in here. A fictional one would make sense yeah, and sounds really tempting but I'm stopping myself. Because it would mean – Damnit...it would actually make sense. Hmm...ok I'll change it to a fictional one...maybe? Send me emails to tell me what you think everyone! Anyhoo, thanks for all your comments, keep them coming! I really appreciate them.
P.S If anyone sends me an email put "Hiya Jessie" Or "About you fanfic." In the subject or I probably won't read it because I get soo much spam its unreal. Thanks!
Xx Jessie xX
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Solana Mar was still amongst the backdrop of its cold night setting. The deep sky was an ink wash dotted with stars, with the waves breaking on the surf causing a rhythmic wash over the silence. The sand was cold to walk on and so when the pair finally reached the decking of the entrance, one of them was relieved.
"I think my feet have gone numb." Tifa whispered quietly as she approached the front door.
"Huh?" Cloud whispered back, wondering one, what she was on about, and two, why she was whispering.
She slowly pushed her palm on the door panel and pushed it ajar, peaking inside. A few seconds later she turned back to Cloud with a finger to her lips. "Shhh, come on inside but be quiet, Vincent might be asleep."
Cloud smirked privately to himself in the dark.
Yeah, like that's a possibility.
Carefully Tifa stepped inside holding the door open for Cloud. He followed her in; careful with his footing as the room was almost pitch black, save for the dull silver glow of the moonlight filtering in through the windows.
"So you found her then. Not that hard was it." Vincent spoke up suddenly from the shadows, causing both of them to jump. Cloud suddenly felt nervous. He knew what Vincent's comment implied. Tifa accidentally slammed the door shut as a result of Vincent suddenly appearing. Cloud looked back at her.
"So much for being quiet then."
She frowned at him in the dark and walked over to the bar, flicking on the lights that ran along the back. The wall behind the bar top was now illuminated in light; along with the bar top itself.
Cloud looked over the drinks bottles that were now visible. "Uh...Tifa? You planning a late night drink?"
She shook her head and walked over to a table closest to the bar, motioning for the two of them to sit down like her. They did so, Vincent emerging from the shadows to approach.
"I didn't want to blind you both by switching on all the light in the place, now there's just enough to see where you're walking. Anyway, there's a few things I want to ask you. Both of you."
Vincent shot a glance at Cloud who suddenly became uneasy.
"Tifa I think I can speak for both of us now, would you mind if we kept this until morning? We've been travelling with little rest for four days straight and we're kind of tired." Cloud stated.
Tifa shook her head in response.
"No, I don't want you to explain that yet. What I meant was, I only have one bed here; mine. And now, there's three of us. I have a sofa and a two- seater upstairs though, so all I wanted to ask was, is that ok?" She asked tentatively. She didn't want to mention the fact that she had the key to Cloud's villa here just yet.
Cloud nodded. "I think my life depends on the fact that I give Vincent the sofa..." He said looking over to Vincent who simply shook his head and got to his feet. "The inn will do fine for tonight. I will return to speak with both of you in the morning." He said, walking towards the door. When he reached it he said goodnight to Tifa before leaving.
Tifa looked at the closed door and found a lump in her throat. She and Cloud were now on their own.
"Is the sofa ok for you?" she asked getting to her feet.
Cloud nodded and also stood.
Tifa nodded back and headed off through the bar's kitchen to the back hallway and up the stairs to her apartment with Cloud following close behind.
"so..." Tifa began, as she walked into the apartment. "What do you think?"
Cloud stopped in the doorway and looked around in surprise. He hadn't so much as seen a toaster in over 9 months, and here was a beautifully furnished modern apartment. He'd never seen one look so good.
"Wow Tifa..." Was all he could say. She smiled back and moved to close the door behind him.
"Well then, you had better like the sofa because that's where you'll be for the next day or so no doubt." She stated with a smile. He took a moment to latch onto what she meant and nodded rubbing his stiff neck.
"Yeah...right." Before he could stop himself he yawned – loudly. Tifa looked back at him on the way to the bathroom and giggled before turning back and carrying on.
Cloud walked further into the lounge area, looking round at the warm light orange patterned wallpaper of the walls, along with the deeper orange lower half under the patterned border. He walked around the glass coffee table, to the mantelpiece and looked at himself in the large mirror hung on the wall above it.
"God I look awful..." He said rubbing his face.
Then, his eyes fell on the various pictures sat on the mantel, all framed with different frames and all of them were of his friends. He bent his body slightly, so his face was level to the photos, and he looked over each one carefully. There on the end, on the left was Barrett suffocating a very cheerful looking Tifa in one of his famous bear hugs that everyone got. He smiled to himself and moved on.
The next was Yuffie of all people, smiling drunkenly with a tankard of god knows what in her hand. She was sat in a crowded bar – could that be Tifa's bar by any chance? – with a lopsided paper hat on her head, her arm around an even more drunk looking Cid who was wearing his flight goggles over his eyes, a big grin on his face. The frame read 'Happy New Year!!'
A birthday picture was next by the looks of things, with Marlene grinning happily, her trademark bow in her hair carrying a birthday cake. Tifa was behind Marlene, her arms draped loosely around the young girl in a hug. Cloud thought to himself just how much she reminded him of Mrs. Lockheart like that.
Suddenly Cloud found a lump in his throat.
The largest picture, only slightly larger than the rest, was a photograph of him and Tifa placed at the centre of the mantel. He remembered when it had been taken, that night at gold saucer when they had both been told they were the lucky 100th couple and participated in the play...someone had approached them on stage just as the final curtain had gone down.
"Well that was fun!"
"Yeah...not to mention humiliating." Cloud stated, from where he was sitting on a stray costume box, exercising his foot from the attempt at spinning off of the stage on his tiptoes. Tifa giggled.
"Aw lighten up Cloud! We were just in a play! Remember when we used to pretend we were in our own plays at Nibelheim? You would be the first class SOLDIER and I would be the villain, like Scarlet?"
Cloud snickered at that, then quickly hushed himself. Tifa frowned looking to him closely.
"What is it? What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing Tifa..." cloud replied innocently. "...It's just, you remind me more of that woman everyday."
Tifa's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.
"WHAT?!?!"
Cloud held up his hands in a surrendering gesture.
"Whoa cool it a minute. All I meant was, you 'remind' me of her that's all. Seriously, you're getting pushy these days, what with barging into my room and bossing me -the innocent male victim- around so you can have your wicked way with me. Reminds you of Scarlet doesn't it?" cloud smirked.
Tifa placed her fists on her hips and huffed.
"Oh yeah, having my wicked way with someone these days is taking them round a theme park and putting them centre stage for a night? Sounds like bliss! I don't torture anybody like she does!"
Cloud motioned to his sore feet. "Oh yeah?" He said perking a brow.
Tifa eventually saw the light side of what he was saying and smiled, offering her hand to help him up. "Come on twinkle toes, there's plenty more places around here I want to see tonight." Cloud scoffed taking her hand.
"Twinkle toes huh? We'll see about that - "
"Hey!! Cloud!! Don't do that! giggle Stop that!!"
FLASH
Both Cloud and Tifa blinked in surprise and shielded their eyes.
"What the-?!"
From behind a large camera lens, Esther smiled. "Howdy you two! Cloud, my, my, what a performance!"
"Uh, thanks Esther but...what are you doing here?" Cloud asked rubbing his eyes to get rid of the purple spots dancing around in front of them.
"Well, I stay to watch the show here sometimes, I know one of the actors you see. He played the Knight tonight you see. You see?"
Cloud blinked dumbfounded.
"Uh yeah right...anyway why the photo? You could have warned us before hand."
"Yeah I'm still seeing spots...no wait...I think they've turned into flying chocobos now...oh boy..." Tifa complained rubbing her head with her eyes closed.
Esther beamed with a huge smile.
"But look at you two!! I couldn't resist. It's custom that I take novelty photos of the audience with the actors if they request it you see, makes me a spare bit of cash. And I've designed my own frames too. They sell them in the gift shop just left of the stage, you want this one framed?"
"What one?"
Esther rolled her eyes. "The one I just took Cloud! The photograph! Sheesh...anyhoo...it should be ready in a few hours, make sure you come for it at the gift shop before you leave!" Esther waved before walking backstage to see the cast.
Tifa just blinked a few times before smiling at Cloud.
"Right...well we'd better get going before I start seeing spots again." She said, pulling Cloud by the arm.
"Ok ok, enough with the pulling already. My arms going to come out of its socket." He stated, rubbing his shoulder.
Tifa paused, standing still and looked back at him.
"You do know I'm getting that framed you know. I want to remember that for –"
"– For one night only, you were known as twinkle toes" Cloud finished, whispering Tifa's past words to himself as he smiled privately. The picture was reflective of the two of them perfectly. Esther must have had a knack of capturing people. There they both were, him and Tifa standing on the stage with the fallen red curtain behind them as a background. He had her in his grasp, tickling her ribs as she protested, her hands pressed on his chest in a feeble attempt to push him off playfully. They were both laughing and looked as if they didn't have a care in the world. For that night, temporarily that is, it had been true.
"Told you I'd get it framed."
Cloud jumped and spun round to face Tifa, who was smiling at him. She walked up to stand beside him.
"We never had time to pick it up, what with Cait deciding to turn on us, but Esther kept it for us, like she said she would. I went back for it." She said simply looking to the photograph with a small smile.
"I can see. You know...I had completely forgotten that was even taken till now." Cloud replied, turning also to the photograph.
"Yeah well, it's an easy thing to forget." Tifa said after a slight pause. Her voice lost its trace of cheerfulness. "Being happy I mean...it's easy to forget we ever were during that journey, but this proves we were. We held each other together. All these other photos were taken after then, long after everyone settled back home but...that one of us, it's the only one I have."
Cloud swallowed the lump in his throat, guilt oozing down with it.
"But anyway, enough about that. I have your fresh blanket here, and the sofa is pretty comfortable trust me. I've fallen asleep on it a few times. Who knew late night shows were so addictive these days?" She said with a smile.
Cloud smiled back, glad to have dodged away from the awkward moment.
After placing the blanket over the sofa, folding the top edge back over slightly, Tifa grabbed one of the light yellow and white checked cushions and moved it over to the end of the sofa as a pillow.
"Well...I guess I'll leave you to it for tonight then, you must be tired. If you need to get up during the night, flick the lamp on, it's just to the side of the sofa next to the telephone – there – on that little table." Cloud nodded following her gaze to the lamp.
With that Tifa walked over to the light switch. "Want me to leave this on a bit?"
Cloud shook his head. "No, I think I'll just get straight to sleep. I'll catch a shower tomorrow though if that's ok with you Teef."
Tifa froze momentarily.
That name...
She smiled widely as she nodded in reply, and flicked the light switch off. The kitchen lights were still on, and so the lounge was barely lit still. She walked over to him and hugged him close to her.
"It's good to have you back Cloud." She whispered burying her head into his chest as she closed her eyes.
Stunned, he took a moment to respond, but gradually, he brought his arms up to embrace her. He inhaled the scent of her hair and then spoke. "It's good to be back...I know I should have come earlier but..." He moved back from her, pulling slightly out of the embrace, but still holding her. "Look Tifa, there's something I have to tell you...it's the reason I couldn't, well, wouldn't come back. You see...I...I'm..."
Tifa looked to him patiently. "Yes? What is it Cloud?"
He looked into her expecting eyes and he stuttered.
He couldn't do it.
"Nothing Teef. It's nothing. Just another guilt trip I'm having I guess." He lied, with his trademark false smile, which even she couldn't identify. She smiled back moving away.
"Don't worry about all that Cloud. You told me remember? That night you left? I know. I know all about what you went through. I understand. Honestly, there's nothing left to hide from me, I know it all." She said smiling reassuringly. With that she turned and walked to the kitchen, flicking off the lights before she walked into her own room, smiling back at Cloud before she clicked her door shut. Cloud sighed as he stood there in the dark.
"If only you knew the half of it Teef..." He slumped down on the sofa, sitting down heavily. Reaching up, he pulled his black sleeveless shirt over his head and discarded it on the carpet floor by his feet. He sighed heavily as he sat back. "Damnit Cloud...why couldn't you just tell her...because you're a coward that's why. You always have been." He shook his head. "Damnit why am I such a loser?"
Some time later, he had his boots and socks dumped beside his shirt and was laying on his back under Tifa's blanket, staring at the ceiling in the dark. It would be another two slow hours before he drifted off to sleep.
knock knock
Cloud blinked his eyes open, then grunted and rolled over.
Knock knock
He blinked his eyes open fully this time and rubbed them as he sat up.
"Who the -?" He stopped to yawn. "- Is that?" He wondered. He was about to shout for Tifa when he saw the small note stuck on the lamp next to him:
Morning Cloud!
I didn't have the heart to wake you, looks like
you needed The sleep, judging by the snoring!
I'm just off for a walk to find Vincent. I'll be back
in time to make us all breakfast.
Tifa x
Cloud frowned. "I don't snore! Do I?" Then the knocking sounded again. He slowly got to his feet and stretched before making his way downstairs.
"You think she'll be up?"
"Dunno."
"I hope so, because I'm not crating this thing all the way down here for no rea – wait what's that?"
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CLOSED
Until further notice due to
Unexpected events.
Sorry for any inconvenience!
Tifa.
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Sofia stared at the sign hung on the front door of the bar dumbfounded. What the hell was going on? Tifa certainly hadn't told her about any of this. It was 8.00am Thursday morning, just another normal day. Or was it a private holiday for Tifa on Thursday October 5th? She doubted it.
"Ah...Miguel? Any ideas?"
Miguel stared at the sign just as confused as Sofia.
"Nope."
Sofia rolled her eyes at the poor response from her brother, and gently rapped on the door.
There was a delay of silence.
She frowned before knocking again, at three intervals. Still no reply.
"Well this is just gre –"
"Shhhh!" Miguel hushed, as he listened more intently. There was a sound coming from the other side of the door. Muffled footsteps – they weren't Tifa's.
Miguel's eyes widened. He pushed his sister back out of the way and stood in front of her just as the latch on the door could be heard sliding off.
The door opened.
Miguel's mouth gawped open.
"Who the hell are you?!" he blurted out.
The unknown figure of a man standing in the doorway suddenly brought his arm up -
Sofia eventually managed to push her brother out of the way and –
Miguel stared open mouthed down at the unconscious man below him.
"Sofia....what did you just do?"
She held up the stainless steel pan in her hand that she had picked out of the box she had carried down here, and smiled sheepishly.
Miguel looked from the pan, to the fallen man, to Sofia.
"Oh Jesus...I think I just figured out who you knocked out."
Sofia looked to the scruffy shock of blonde hair of the fallen man and gulped.
"Tifa's going to kill me."
"Now why would I want – ARGH! SOFIA! MIGUEL! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TWO DO?!" Tifa shouted frozen on the spot at the sight before her. Miguel and Sofia were stood in the open doorway looking down at the unconscious form of Cloud lying on the floor in front of them. Sofia had a pan in her raised hand. Tifa glared at her and Sofia quickly hid the pan behind her back pointing accusingly at Miguel.
He noticed this and his expression turned to one of anger.
"Don't you dare try to pin this on me!"
"Both of you!!" Tifa shouted rushing to Cloud, and kneeling beside him. "Both of you just shut up and help me get him back upstairs." She snapped. Miguel took hold of Cloud's legs as Tifa grasped his underarms. Together they heaved the well-built warrior back upstairs and laid him down on the comfortable burnt orange coloured sofa in the lounge area. Miguel then slumped himself down in the two-seater to the right of the sofa and sighed.
"That was hard wor- hey!" He complained, as Tifa pinched his ear hard and pulled him up.
"Ok ok, get off already!" Tifa let go when she had dragged him over to the kitchen area. He took a seat in one of the smooth wood dining chairs that sat around a thick wooden table that was situated at the right wall of the kitchen next to a large window.
Sofia followed cautiously and took a seat beside her brother. Tifa walked over to the sink, grabbing a clean cloth and placing it under the cold water tap. "So, which one of you wants to go first?" She asked, turning the cold water on, rubbing the cloth wet.
"Well shorty here decided to mash your fella's head in with a pan." Miguel stated. Sofia elbowed him harshly in the ribs, causing him to yelp. "Shut up." She growled. Miguel just glared at his sister annoyed.
"We thought someone was trying to burgle you!" She said defending herself. "I mean, we knocked but you didn't come to the door, nobody did for ages, and even when you sleep in it never takes you that long to come to the door and – "Miguel sat forward, blocking his sister from Tifa's view.
"What she means is, you obviously weren't in, but we heard someone moving in there, didn't sound like your feet, more like a Marlboro or something, way he was dragging his heels..." Miguel began, sticking his thumb back over his shoulder, motioning over at Cloud. "So when the door opened, and this strange guy was there, we took one look at him and before we could stop him he – "
"He attempted to hit me!" Sofia shouted, pushing her brother back in his seat so she could see Tifa, who was now squeezing access water from the wet cloth in her hands. Tifa looked at Sofia strangely. "He what?"
Sofia nodded. "Yeah, he looked like he was gonna hit me! He raised his arm up and – "
"And BAM! He goes down!" Miguel said laughing to himself. "Who'd have thought it? My sister knocking probably the strongest bloke on the planet out! And with something as lame as a pan!" At that, he burst out laughing hard.
Tifa rolled her eyes and walked over to Cloud. "I'm glad you think it's funny Miguel."
He calmed himself and rubbed the tears of laughter from his eyes. "I sure do." Tifa kneeled down to Cloud, patting the sore mark left on his head with the cloth.
"Because he's not going to when he wakes up. He hasn't slept properly for days, and then when he does get to sleep, he's woken up by two foreigners he's never met before, and hit on the head with a pan. Oh yeah, he's gonna have a temper on him all right. And I wouldn't like to be in his way when he wakes up..." She looked over her shoulder with a smirk.
Miguel gulped. "Uh...did you just say temper? Ok well there's the magic word. Sofia, it's nice to know you want to be a domestic dominatrix when you grow up, but can we leave now? Its one thing hitting the guy when he's half dead from lack of sleep, but when he's alert he can kick the crap out of Sephiroth. You're pan wouldn't stand a chance." With that Miguel got to his feet, so did an embarrassed looking Sofia.
"Thanks for letting us meet Mr. Wonderful Tifa, but we better be going now like you say. Wish we'd have paid attention to that sign now..."
Tifa stood up and smiled. "Well I did think it would be obvious. The CLOSED bit in particular."
"Yeah, yeah smart ass." Miguel said smiling back. "Anyway, I didn't get chance, seen as Sofy knocked him out and all, but, I'm chuffed for you Tifa. You're man came back after all then huh? Smart guy." With a last wink, Miguel left, Sofia not far behind him.
"What an asshole." Miguel blurted out angrily as he stomped down Tifa's stairs. Sofia blinked and gawped at her brother.
"Huh?"
Miguel remained quiet until they had both left the bar completely. As soon as he shut the front door he started once again. "Aw come on Sofy, you can't tell me that this guy is anything more than an over-rated moron?"
Sofia just stared at her brother astonished.
Miguel turned back to face the way they were walking, along the beach back to the centre of Costa Del Sol.
"One minute, he's battling all evil like Sephiroth and that other freak Jenova right? Then poof the world is saved and all hail God Jackass." He kicked the sand beneath his feet, sending a small cloud of it into the air. "Well I'm not buying it. All of the others like Tifa did the work. He just takes all the credit because he ran away. It's like when an artist dies, they become famous, and the other ones who strive all their lives to get somewhere get ignored. This world never makes sense to me."
Sofia just stared at her brother. "Miguel...where's all this coming from?"
"And then!" Miguel laughed, ignoring his sister's words. "He just strolls back to Tifa, right into her apartment, right back into her life. He takes his shoes off, kicks his feet firmly under the fucking table no doubt, and that's it. Settled back into the take-advantage-of-Tifa role he does so well." He spat at the floor in anger and carried on walking, frowning bitterly.
"Miguel, what's come over you? You were the one always defending him; I'm the one who is supposed to hate him right? He's here and that makes Tifa happy. I can see that now, can't you?" Sofia began. Miguel stopped and spun round to face his sister accusingly. She backed off slightly.
"No! I was only doing that for her! Not him! Defending him just made her cheer up. Feeding her lines like 'He's not all that bad, I bet he's been trying to find you ever since you two parted' helped perk her up a bit. Otherwise, like when you whined about him, all Tifa would do was go quiet and into 'thinky' mode and get depressed. Now she's just gonna get hooked up on him again, he'll piss off and she'll be even worse off than she started!"
At that, Miguel walked off leaving Sofia stunned.
She had never seen her brother so angry, not ever. She rarely heard him swear at all either. "He must really care about you Tifa..." She said to herself, as she watched Miguel walk away.
"I hope you know what you're doing with this Cloud guy Tifa, I really do. For all our sakes..."
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Yeah!!
Kick some ass Miguel! You kick that sand! Well I can tell you I've been waiting to get this baby out for ages! (The chapter I mean) With Miguel finally going nuts! Woohoo! Erm...ahem...anyway, on a more serious and mature note, this chapter was done in one afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed writing every bit! The photograph moment just popped into my head as I was writing Cloud entering Tifa's apartment, and I'll let you know now, 90% of this whole fic has been and will be written off of the top of my head as I go, hence why chapters take so long. I only know a handful of things I want to happen in the fic, and one was Cloud's disease. The others I have planned from the start and they are just as in your face and surprising as Cloud's disease I promise! So keep reading. I'm off to eat an apple.
Now do your bit people, R & R
Xx Jessie xX
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