The church was always Cloud's favorite haunt when he wanted a little solitude from the world, especially after killing any monsters he could find in the area for a small workout before going home. No moving scenery, no bustling bar or kids. Oh, he loved it all. The road, Tifa, the kids and his friends. But sometimes, he needed an hour of silence. Cloud thought that perhaps he was being selfish, but he really needed it lately.
He had taken on more jobs, much to Tifa's chagrin. Cloud told her it was just for a little while, and when the kids go to Corel with Barret soon they could take a trip to Costa del Sol for some personal time. She had smiled weakly at the mention of a vacation and told him she looked forward to it. Tifa obviously thought he was just saving up for a trip for the two of them.
Cloud looked at the little golden ring that sparkled between his gloved fingers, the box in the palm of his other hand. There was a small, light blue diamond set on it. It was rather expensive but after everything she had done for him including putting up with him year after year it was worth it. She would kill him if she ever discovered that some of the jobs he took were actually dangerous monster extermination bounties, he thought to himself.
Not that he couldn't handle it.
He didn't want to add to her stress. It was best she didn't find out. Tifa already seemed more stressed than usual even before he started to take more jobs, getting sick out of the blue or complaining about her head feeling light. Sometimes he would catch her rubbing her abdomen or giving him a faraway look, the same look she gave him after he returned home after defeating Sephiroth.
He turned his head as he heard the door to the church creak open, and he immediately covered the ring with his hand when he saw who it was who came to disturb him: Yuffie. She noticed the uncomfortable look on his face, and she narrowed her eyes and an evil grin grew on her lips. "Of course you'd be here, Spike. Whatcha hidin' in your hand?"
He shoved the ring into the little box and fumbled with his pocket as he tried to jam the thing into it without looking. "Nothin'. Did you get bored loafing around the bar?"
Yuffie huffed as she walked down the aisle, then sat next to Cloud on the pew he occupied. It was right in front of the pool, bubbling five feet away. His eyes followed her the whole time, and he tapped his fingers on his knees. Yuffie looked back at the pool then back at Cloud, her face a little less antagonistic. "Tifa got a little snippy, so I decided to take a walk."
Cloud frowned. "Snippy?" Tifa wasn't the kind to snap at others until she reached a boiling point. Usually.
"Yeah. She gets like that lately."
"I haven't noticed that..."
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "You've been away more. I think I've been around Tifa more than you have the last couple of months."
Cloud grimaced and looked away. Maybe his absence had been taking a larger toll on Tifa than he was aware of. "I'm just tryin' to get some money saved up so she can have a real vacation," he said quietly.
"Did you tell her?"
He looked back and nodded. "Yeah, about a week ago."
Yuffie studied him for a moment, then furrowed her brow gently. "She's worried you're becoming distant again, Spike."
He gave her an incredulous look. "Why would she think that? I told her what it was for!"
The ninja looked at the pool as she reclined on the pew, twiddling her thumbs. "You two are the worst when it comes to communicating, I swear." She looked back at him. "So, what was that shiny thing you had in your hand? Materia?" she asked hopefully.
He blushed furiously. "It's nothin'!" he stammered.
"C'mon! I told ya what Tifa told me," she said with a pout.
Cloud shook his head. "You'd go right to Tifa if I told you."
"No I wouldn't!" she protested.
He smirked as he stood up, picking up and sheathing the Fusion Sword. "Loose lips sink ships, Yuffie. And you got loose lips."
She stood up and crossed her arms. "Well sue me for bein' worried about you two!"
Cloud looked down at the pool and walked towards its edge. "Does it look that bad?" he asked quietly, suddenly serious.
Yuffie followed him and came to his side. She looked at the Buster Sword that stood at the back of the church, then at their reflections in the pool. Cloud had a thoughtful frown on his face. "You're oblivious to the the tension in the bar. I can feel it every time I visit. Even the kids look a little worried." She shifted on her feet. "Tifa said one day that she thought you might leave again," she admitted.
"I wouldn't do that." He let out a harsh sigh as he closed his eyes. "...I've been working extra so I could...buy her a ring," he mumbled.
Yuffie's head snapped up to look at him. "You bought a ring? Cloud, are you gonna marry Tifa?!"
He turned his head and opened his eyes before nodding. "If she'll let me. I wanted to propose at Costa del Sol while the kids visit Barret."
She started to giggle and snort, and Cloud tightened his jaw. "What's so funny?"
"I was startin' to think you didn't have a romantic bone in your body!" Yuffie jabbed playfully.
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not that bad, come on."
Yuffie rubbed a tear from her eye. "I guess not, if you're going through all this trouble for her. Well, why not call up Barret and see if he can get the kids a little sooner?"
Cloud shook his head. "I'm done collecting the funds. I should probably take a day off tomorrow and have some family time if they're really that worried." He gave Yuffie a shy smile. "Thanks for telling me."
She smiled back. "Yeah, well. You're like the annoying big brother I gotta keep on an eye on," she said flippantly.
He chuckled. "Thanks." He glanced about and noticed the angle of the sunlight that found its way into the church, then looked back at Yuffie. "It's getting a little late in the afternoon, I'll give you a ride back to the bar."
Yuffie nodded, then turned around with Cloud. They took a step forward only to have an invisible force push them into the pool. Cloud grabbed Yuffie and held her protectively as they hit the surface of the water, cradling her against their unseen attacker. They didn't feel the water around them as they fell in, just a strange sensation as if they were turned upside down and then surfaced again.
As they opened their eyes they felt that might just be what happened. Their feet were on solid ground, familiar white and yellow lilies sprouting between their feet. They weren't even wet! "Um..."
Cloud slowly released Yuffie and looked up as the sound of cicadas hit his ears. It looked sort of like Midgar, but it was so...green. They both looked around them; the church was gone. Yuffie looked back at the pool at their heels. "Where are we? Did we like, jump into some bizarro world?"
"I dunno." It felt like the church. He looked around some more before carefully walking away from the pool, minding his step around the flowers. The air held a slight chill and mugginess to it, a familiar feeling from the summer mornings he would wake in a forest after camping the night before.
There were stones all about them, and he wasn't sure if they were ruins or natural formations, but as he turned around he noticed one mass looked a bit like a wall. Cloud noticed there was something beyond it that didn't look as natural. "I'm gonna look over here."
Yuffie followed him the short distance to the stony mound, and they crouched in front of it as they noticed a stone rectangle with extremely worn lettering on it sat at the base of it. Cloud squinted his eyes as he attempted to read what was left of it.
"C...o...d...S...t...e...86, i...a...e...19, ber...45...Geeze. I can't really get any information off of this."
Yuffie could see even less considering the shade of the area. "This place is boring." She looked up and frowned at the plant incased metal above them. "Hey, if this is like an alternate world, maybe there's something the way of Edge?"
Cloud shrugged before standing up. "Maybe."
Yuffie glanced at the pool. "Or maybe we could get back if we went into the water?" She hummed with her head to the side and arms crossed. "But if it doesn't work we're gonna get soaked..."
"Right. Well, we can try that later. Right now we should probably see if there's anyone around that could help us." He pat Yuffie on the back before walking towards the direction of Edge. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that there wouldn't be a city where it should be.
Travel was difficult, but if there were any monsters around they fortunately stayed away. The forest was thick and trails were hard to find. Yuffie kept slapping at mosquitoes on her arms and occasionally his face, getting her narrowed eyes from her friend. "You don't have to do that!"
"Fine! Have itchy cheeks for all I care!"
He rolled his eyes before pushing through some foliage. "They'd probably die from all the mako in my blood," he half joked. "I'm more worried about where we've ended up..." And if there was a way back home, he thought.
There was another clearing, rubble scattered throughout that was entwined with tree roots. A circle of cracked stone stood in the center with a bit of rounded metal here and there, red with rust. Yuffie delicately touched a piece only for it to crumble.
Cloud stood there with a hand rubbing his chin for a few minutes. He motioned towards his friend to follow him, and they took what looked like a path that led deeper in. The forest had slowly become more muggy as the day wore on, and eventually they would have to set up camp if they didn't find a town to spend the night in.
In his mind this is where Seventh Heaven should be, but all he saw were trees. Cloud couldn't even tell if there were ruins in this area to begin with. "Hm."
"You have no idea where you're going, do ya Spike?"
He shook his head. "This was the area the bar would be at. I was hoping for some sort of clue..." They walked some more, to another clearing. They both looked up towards the canopy. Yuffie pointed towards the north. "That looks like smoke!"
Cloud looked in the direction she was pointing. A small column of white smoke was barely visible above the trees. He guessed it would be from somewhere near the shore, if that hadn't changed as well. He looked towards the ground again and noticed a trail, and pointed at it. "Let's go, Yuffie."