Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy...any of them...

Cloud woke up with a low moan, as his alarm clock buzzed in a high pitched squeal. His hand reached over and slamed down on the clock, missing the button. He hits it a few more times until the clock obeys and turns off. He takes advantage of the silence, and rolled over on his other side, thaking a deep breath of relief before being overcome with chill bumps, as though someone were watching him. He opened his eyes slightly, before widening them, screaming, and jumping back as he saw two little faces close to his. He fell off the other side of the bed, hitting his head on the night stand.

"Cloud!" Marlene cries, running around the bed to him.

Cloud shakes his head and looks up at her. She in turn looked down at him with concern, as Denzel runs around the bed as well to join her. Standing up slowly, Cloud massaged the back of his head and took in deep breaths. He looked down at his hand, as he brought it around to see if there was any blood. There was none, to his relief.

He had slept in his clothes that night. He had just gotten in too late to care and had plopped down on his bed and fallen to sleep. He had been held up by a traffic jam at the outskirts of town, and had been forced to a stop for three hours while the wreckage was cleared.

"What are you guys doing up so early?" Cloud asked, glancing at the clock which glowed 6:45 AM.

"We woke up and couldn't get back to sleep." Marlene said, rocking back and forth on her heels and clasping her hands together behind her back.

Denzel nodded. "Tifa told us you had spent the night here, so we came in to see you before you went to make another delivery." He begins to explain, looking up at Cloud, who was staring down at them with a semi-curious expression.

"Does she have another package she needs me to deliver?"

"Yes, but she said you didn't have to deliver it until noon." Cocking her head, Marlene grins happily, because this meant... "You can play with us till then, right?"

Cloud stares down at them for a slight pause before nodding his head ever so slightly. "But later, okay? I'm gonna sleep a little longer." He tells them, making them smile.

"Okay, Cloud." Marlene says, and runs out of the room, followed by Denzel.

Cloud watched them leave, and sighed again. He didn't feel like sleeping anymore. He rubbed the back of his head (it was still throbbing) and went over to his computer. Looking down at the keyboard he noticed that the note he had left himself had been moved.

"That's not right." He muttered to himself, picking it up and looking at it closely. "How'd it get there?" looking around the room as though the walls would give him the answer, he tried to think if he had moved it or not. He was pretty sure he hadn't.

He turned back to look at the blank computer screen, and sits down in front of it. He signs on and goes onto his account. He was planning on checking the data bases to see if anyone had been on that night, but before he could he thought to himself. 'Tifa gets on all the time. She probably saw it and moved it…crap...What if she read what I wrote?'

He bit his lip, and suddenly he shook his head slowly. 'No. Tifa'd probably think it'd be too boring to read anything I wrote.' he thinks, and decides to not look into it. He wanted to trust Tifa; she was one of the few people who tolerated his silence.

Biting his lip again, he turned off the computer and walked out of the room. He passes Tifa's room, and noticed her door is opened. He was going to walk past, but something caught his eye. There were two large books sitting atop a smaller one.

"What in the world…?" Cloud muttered, walking in and picking the two larger books up.

He cocked his head as he saw her diary sitting there. Placing the other two books on the bed, he picked up the diary and fliped it over in his hands. Why would she put two large books over it? He shrugged and was about to put the diary down when he suddenly remembered what he had read in it the day before. His brow furrowed as he remembered what she had said about being terrified of him, and it made him curious as to what else she had written about him.

He listened closely for anyone coming up the steps, or down the hall, and when he was satisfied no one was there he sat down on the bed and opened it to the second entry.

'Dear Diary,

Marlene was telling me about a boy she liked at her school today, and about how Denzel was teasing her about it. She wanted me to make Denzel back off, but I have to admit that it's rather funny and I can't blame him. Apparently the little boy that Marlene is attracted to is a bit like Cloud. He's quiet and a little lonely, but he talks to her. Marlene says he's a nice boy, and that he doesn't want to talk to anybody because he has nothing to say to them. She says that he has lots to say to her though. Denzel said it was true; that he is quiet and that he is a little lonely and that he does talk to Marlene, and only Marlene.

It's not that that bugs me though, it's what Marlene said. She says: "You understand, right Tifa? You like Cloud, right?"

I'm not really sure what I should have told her. I'm not even sure I like Cloud that way anymore. I'm pretty sure I don't, because he's bent on her. Can't really blame him. She was a really sweat girl, and she was nice to everyone. She liked helping out, and she was sweet and gentle. Not like me. I'm kind of… 'tough, and ruff' as Cid said. I like helping people, but I'm not as nice about it. I like yelling and shaking people into seeing stuff, and she used gentle words that I don't think I could say. Anyway, it's not important anymore, although I do think Cloud needs to get a girl. Maybe that girl that owns the flower shop down the street, or that girl who works for her dad at the bank. I'll get Yuffie or Reno to help…no. Not Reno, he's an idiot. Maybe Vincent.

Good night."

"Are you kidding me?" Cloud mutters, his brows furrowed and his mouth opened slightly. "A girl?" he says, shaking his head and closing his books. "That's a little too much information for one night…and why Reno?" he asks himself.

He stands up and puts the three books back where they were. He wasn't sure which entry bugged him more: the first one or the second one. Both were a little disturbing, and seemed a bit judging of him. Why was she so eager to get into his life that way? He kind of wished she would just back off of it all. There was no need for her to get into his love life, not that he had one really.

He walked out of the room, shaking his head, and started down the stairs. He was about to round a corner when he bumps into Tifa who was coming out of the kitchen door with a drink in her hands for the only customer she had at that moment.

"Oh. Sorry Cloud. Didn't see you." She said, smiling up at him.

Tight lipped, Cloud nodded, and watched her walk past. His throat was dry, and he couldn't talk. He was suddenly afraid she'd find out about him reading her diary, and then what? Sweating slightly he hurried into the kitchen and out the back door. He picked up the package and mounted his motorbike: he'd deliver the package a little early.

Just before he turned it on, his cell phone went off. He picked it up and looks at it, seeing Yuffie's name and number flash in blue across the front. Sighing, he fliped it open, knowing she'd be bugging him about it if he didn't answer, and brought the ear piece up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"HEY!" she yells, making him jerk his head back, away from the ear piece.

"Ugh…Yuffie, do you have to yell?" Cloud asks, gingerly bringing the phone back towards his ear.

"Sorry, but you never answer."

"I wonder why…" Cloud muttered sarcastically.

"Meanie. Anyway, so how'd your delivery go last night?"

"How do you know I made a delivery?" Cloud asks quizzically.

"You told me on the web last night. Remember?"

"No."

"Come on. You were on your journal last night!"

"No."

"Yes you were! You talked to me!"

"No I didn't. You're crazy."

"No I'm not!"

"I gotta go Yuffie. Take some medicine, and lie down." Cloud says, smirking ever so slightly.

"Meanie." She repeats herself, as both of them hang up.

Cloud sighed, and shook his head, turning on the motor bike and driving off. Yuffie was obviously going crazy. He was barely at Tifa's yesterday, let alone on the computer…

Puff: Please review.