I'm back with a new chapter. Tried to make it funny this time. And our favorite ninja appears! Cheers for Yuffie!
Princess of the Knight: maybe you can because Cloud is an awesome, professional computer kicker ;) After all, he had the best teacher in the world - me.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

An Ordinary Evening or Isn't it easier just to use that damn dictionary!

"Huh? Yuffie, there's no such word! As if you don't know how it's written!" Aerith stated discontentedly rubbing her wrist slowly.

"Yeah, you stupid brat, read the books more often than once in your lifetime…" Cid added with a smug grin on his face enjoying the sight of that annoying girl being caught.

"Oh, grandpa, you're sooo caring!" Yuffie snapped angrily.

"What the hell did you call me?"

"Come on, that's just a game," Cloud tried to calm them down while staring at his tiles thoughtfully. His gaze fixed on three of them and then shifted for a second on his wife. "So, Yuffie, remove that disgrace from the board and just exchange your tiles."

"What a smart ass we have here!" the notorious girl hissed, shoving her tiles aside.

"Watch your tongue, you, little stinker…"

"Cid, you are charged for the score or what?" Aerith cut him off, placing all her seven tiles on the board, making a new word 'cableway', and smiled proudly. "50 points."

"No way," Cloud spoke quietly. "I was going to use that letter!"

"Too late, darling."

"Fine! Then it's my turn," he looked at Yuffie, who was fumbling about in the bag with tiles for the new ones. "Hey, hurry up. We don't want to play all evening."

The girl stuck out her tongue and quickly grabbed seven tiles. She frowned but then at once her lips broke into a smile. Cloud ignored that and placed three tiles on the board.

"'Cave'," Aerith read and glanced at her husband. "Nice move. Now you blocked that part of the board. It was rather promising. And the letter 'V' gives you decent points."

"Actually, that was my job, but who cares, after all?" Cid pointed out, pretending to be resentful. Everyone just stared at him waiting the man to continue. "Fine, that spiky ass gets… 8 points."

He noted his words and looked at Yuffie.

"So, since our dear host destroyed my plans for that part of the board," with these words she death glared at the blond, "I'll make another move."

Yuffie put her tiles on the board making another word: 'value', using the 'V' Cloud had put earlier.

"The brat receives 4 points. So-so," Cid commented, making another note.

"Who asked for your estimation?" Yuffie remarked gloomily, taking new tiles out of the bag.

The man didn't reply on that but frowned slightly.

"My turn!" Aerith said acting like nothing had happened. She studied her tiles for a while then took only two and placed them on the board. "There. 'Rat'."

"What's wrong? Ran out of luck?" the younger girl asked, trying to hide her grin.

Aerith was silent but watched Cloud intently.

"Where is our food?" he stood up heading to the phone.

"Let's wait a bit more," his wife prevented him from calling that service. "Maybe some problems on the road."

Cloud shrugged.

"But I'm hungry."

"And you're lazy to wash the dishes. Not to mention it was your idea to order food to our house."

Cid and Yuffie watched the couple talking with indifference. They were used to see conversations like that.

"And Yuffie, gimme my materia back!" Cloud demanded. "I saw you."

The young girl sighed and took the orb out of her pocket. When she was about to give it to its owner, she suddenly jumped off the couch, grabbed Cloud by the neck with her left arm and brought the materia up to his hair.

"Nobody move or I'll burn that locks! Fire materia I've got here," she said boastfully eyeing the rest of the company. Cid watched the girl in disbelief, Aerith held that expression too for the first moments but then she laughed loudly.

Cloud started to kick in her grip caring about his hair's safety.

"H-hey, let go of me!" he required angrily.

"Really, Yuffie," Aerith chuckled. "I love that locks, give me more years to admire them."

The girl grinned broadly and nodded, releasing the man.

"Only because Aerith asked me," she said and threw the orb to Cloud. "Take care of it."

Cloud caught the materia and put it into his pocket.

"I think I should get rid of it," he muttered. "Brings too many troubles."

Aerith nodded silently in agreement. Her thoughts quickly shifted to the infamous events in her kitchen.

Suddenly the phone rang. The woman, who was the closest to it, looked at the display.

"It's Zack. Cloud, I think you should take the phone. He calls me seldom."

"Just turn on the loud-speaker."

She did what he had said and Cloud spoke.

"Hey there."

"Hey, pal. I've got some fresh news about that competition thing. You know, that man who repairs motorcycles, the one you hired to change the tyres, said me yesterday that Number 13 is taking part too. Not sure if you know him but…"

Oh yes, Cloud knew him. And that was why he immediately froze when his friend mentioned that guy. He hoped Zack wouldn't start explaining.

"… he's the one who always plays dirty games. Do you remember about that case in Junon? I'm sure those two motorbikes crashed because of him. Be on the alert of that blackguard, okay?"

Cloud could feel his wife stare at him with her eyes widely opened. His own heart started to beat fast.

"Zack, you know what?"

"What?"

"Shut the fuck up."

Eleven-years-old Cloud watched as his friend threw the stone in parallel with the water. It touched the smooth surface of the river four times and then sank. Zack turned his face to Cloud and eyed him carefully.

"I'm leaving today and she makes us waste these precious hours, don't you think so?"

Cloud nodded but completely opposite thoughts were spinning on his mind.

"Maybe she's gotten into a trouble?" he spoke them out loud. "It's so out of character for her to be late."

Zack shook his head and returned to his previous occupation namely cleaning the coast line from the stones. Cloud sighed. His suspicions only grew with any minute. On the one hand his best friend was leaving home for the next three weeks. On the other he wanted to see what surprise Aerith was talking about. But she was late. And it was very strange.

"I wanted to say goodbye," the black-haired boy suddenly said. "But I guess, I don't have enough time for that. I'm not sure if I will return here."

Cloud froze.

"What do you mean?" he found himself able to speak. It wasn't usual for Zack to talk in that sad voice. "How come you don't know?"

"Listen, I just don't know and that's it."

They both fell silent. That silence was eating Cloud from inside. Zack couldn't just leave and never return back! Friends must be together forever. That's what friendship for, after all…

"I'm sorry, Zack," Aerith appeared from nowhere, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. He turned his face away from her. "I don't want you to leave."

"No one wants," Cloud said in a muffled voice, his head bowed down.

"Boys, cheer up, I have a surprise for you," she tried to force a smile.

"Yeah, we know," Cloud replied hurrying her up with his words. "What is it?"

She said nothing but took them both by their hands and started to pull somewhere away from the river, most probably to the town. But they were not sure. Cloud and Zack gave her freedom to lead them sometimes exchanging uncomprehending glances with each other.

When she stopped they were finally able to examine the situation. They were standing near an old tumbledown house. The gates in front of it were damaged and were hanging on the hinges. It seemed they could fall to pieces from one touch.

"So," Cloud gulped, "you want us to enter this house?"

"Exactly," the girl answered with a smirk pushing the boys in front of her in their backs. They obeyed reluctantly.

It was all dark and dampy inside. The walls, colored in dark-grey, had water stains on them. Therefore Cloud could say this building was desolated long time ago. But he was so mistaken…

"This way," Aerith said with confidence making them turn left to enter the small room. Boys gasped at once. There was an old woman in her mid-seventies. Her gray hair was tied in a knot and she wore a long black robe. She was turned with her back to the visitors but they were sure she knew about their presence.

"Um, I'm back," Aerith said with a note of fear in her voice. For the first seconds it seemed that the woman didn't even hear the girl calling her. But then she sighed and said:

"Leave me with the black-haired."

The girl nodded and pulled Cloud out followed by Zack's shocked gaze.

"Aerith, are you sure it's right to leave him with that woman alone?" the blond asked staring at the closed door when there were already in the corridor.

"Absolutely. She is the best fortune-teller in the whole world!"

They stood there for a minute or so and then the door opened and Zack came out. Much to Cloud's astonishment he wore a wide smile on his face.

"Amazing…" the black-haired boy said. Aerith chuckled. "She said to ask you in, Cloud."

The blond shivered but a bit of his fear disappeared when he saw Zack's face. He took a deep breath and walked in. The door closed behind him, making him jump. The woman still stood with her back to Cloud.

"Wait," she said and her voice sounded distant. After some seconds she continued. "Aerith's favorite color is green. Remember that for all your life."

"What?" Cloud asked in disbelief. It couldn't be a fortune for him!

"Her favorite color is green," the woman repeated patiently. "Note it in that spiky head of yours."

The boy nodded though she couldn't see it and quickly left the room. His friends were waiting for him there and Zack still held that smile on his face. Aerith studied Cloud's thoughtful expression.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"No. It's fine," the blond said, turning his face away.

"Guys," Zack began turning their attention to him. "You're the best friends a chap like me can have."

Phew, done. Just wanted to add one thing: I felt bad for Zack when Cloud spoke to him... let's say in that way, so he got a touching (I at least hope so) scene.

Reviews are welcomed!