…Blue Eyes…

X.o Fatal Meeting o.X

Cloud clutched his brakes and removed his helmet. The world around him seemed to change from busy and crowded to comfortable and easy when he reached his destination. He parked Fenrir and made his way to the door. He looked around, taking in the peaceful scenery.

The small wooden house seemed to make him at ease as he took in his surrounding. A forest lay nearby and the sound of a creek reached his sensitive ears. The ivy that grew on the side added a nice touch to the quaint building.

He reached out a shaky hand and pushed the doorbell. He could hear it go off inside and winced at the sound of feet approaching the door. The door opened revealing…

"Hey, you're that girl from the bar!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Oh, and you're that guy that interrupted my fight," she replied, hands on hip.

Cloud snorted and said, "I didn't interrupt. I saved your ass. That guy could have seriously hurt you, ya know."

The girl rolled her eyes and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Whatever, but I hope you don't expect to talk that way around him. He's kinda sensitive to things."

Him? Cloud cocked an eyebrow and followed her into the house. Several small children ran around, playing tag while others sat in chairs, watching TV when they passed the living room. She took him up a flight of stairs and down another hallway into a small room.

Cloud's eyes shifted left and right. It was small, maybe the size of a child's room and scarcely furnished. The bare walls seemed to make the room lonelier and scarcer, but the small oak desk and chair seemed to add a little comfort. What really caught his attention was the tiny lump folded under the pale sheets.

The girl made her way over to the bed and pushed the sheets back. Cloud shifted to the side, raising an eyebrow at the brown quills that stuck out from beneath them. She talked to him as if he were just an infant and lifted him by his armpits and sat him down on the ground.

Cloud squatted down to get a better look at the chibi-sized reflection of him. The kid just stood there, looking down. Wait, was he still asleep?

"Sor-Sor, wake up," the girl gently poked and prodded him.

He slowly opened his eyes and let out a screech, falling back. Cloud sighed as the small child began to cry and went over to pick him up.

His face scrunched up in pain as the kid began to struggle and kicked him in the side of the face, yelling, "Tifa! Tifa!"

"I guess he wants you!" Cloud spat, still tasting shoe in his mouth.

"Come here, Sora. It's okay," she reassured the brunet. "Did you have another bad dream?"

The little boy nodded and snuggled closer to her, burying his face in her chest. Tifa motioned toward the door and they made their way downstairs again with Sora in tow. She shushed the boy once more and set him down.

He smiled broadly and ran off to play with a few other kids. She led Cloud into a separate room that looked like an office. A desk sat in the middle of the room adorned with a computer and a file cabinet added to the business look.

"Why am I here?" Cloud asked bluntly.

Tifa looked taken aback, then nodded. "I understand. It's not everyday that you get called up here."

"You didn't answer my question. Why am I here?" he repeated.

Tifa nodded again and headed over to the file cabinet and began rummaging through the drawer. She pulled out a file, but put it back and drew out another. She examined for a few minutes and came back over to him.

He scanned the file and flipped it over. He handed it back to her and shook his head. "He's not mine. I've never…"

"Aerith Gainsborough, seven years ago. He's yours," she said, taking the paper and looking back over it.

"But, what…what happened?"

Tifa sighed and shook her head. "I guess we never really expect these things that happen. No one does. It just kinda happened..."

"Just get to the point, damnit."

Tifa nodded. "She died giving child birth."

Cloud eyes widened as it struck him. "NO! No, it can't be true!" he yelled. "DAMNIT!" His whole body shook as his knees collapsed and gave way. He fell to his knees and trembled, tears streaming down his pale face and matting his blond spikes. (1)

She moved toward him and kneeled down beside him, shushing him. It was really uncomfortable for her, seeing a grown man cry. She helped him back up and handed him a tissue. He just shoved it away and wiped it off of his sleeve.

He staggered about the room, mumbling and cursing. He flinched as he felt a hand upon his shoulder. He turned around, looking into her dark, understanding orbs.

His head dropped and he whispered, "I wish I had been able to do something. I should have done something."

He looked back up at Tifa as she spoke: "There are only so many things that you can do. But sometimes…you can't do anything. But sometimes you can make up for past mistakes. Take him. He's part of her, and part of you."

"Fine." His voice wasn't hateful, just confused. "What do I have to do?"

"Just fill out these papers and he's all yours."

She handed him a pen and the paper. He filled out the paper, his hand moving grace fully across the paper. When he handed her back the paper, she nodded, taking notice of how each letter came together perfectly.

He nodded. His heart tingled with pain as she led him back outside. He felt a small smile creep up on his lips as he watched Sora run around, tagging the other kids.

Tifa walked over to him and whispered something. His sapphire eyes danced majestically as he cocked his head to the side, making him appear more innocent than before.

He let out a cry as she picked him up and took him over to the tall blond. She placed the tiny child in Cloud's arms, but he continued to cry.

"If you have any problems with him, here's my number," she said, handing a small slip of paper to him. "And here's his stuff." Cloud nodded and took the small backpack and piece of paper, noting that there wasn't much in the small pack.

Cloud flinched as he reached out his tiny, chubby hands toward Tifa, but she only shook her head and watched Cloud carry him off.

Cloud struggled, settling the brunet in front of him. Even though a motorcycle wasn't safe at all for a kid, he felt better with Sora in front of him. Sora only continued to cry as Tifa waved good bye.

Once making sure that Sora wouldn't slip out, he started up the bike and rode away, going slower than usual. Sora cried the whole way there, begging to be taken back, but Cloud knew that he couldn't. The kid was his now.

The little brunet seemed to calm down a bit when they reached Traverse Town. Cloud parked in the apartment parking lot and picked Sora up and headed upstairs. He rummaged through his pocket and held onto the struggling brunet.

When he was finally able to open the door, he stepped in and put the kid down. They locked eyes and stared at each other for a minute. Sora broke the gaze and ran toward the bathroom and slammed the door.

Cloud sighed and headed over to the phone. He took the slip of paper from his jean pocket and dialed the number that was scribbled on it.

One ring…two…three…then he heard the voice answer: "Hello?"

"Tifa…" he answered gruffly.

"Cloud? Problems already?" They had only seen each other less than an hour ago and she hadn't been expecting a phone call this early.

"He…locked himself in the bathroom. What do I do?"

"Just give him ice cream. Sea Salt's his favorite," she replied as if it were the most simplistic thing in the world.

"Sea Salt? Alright…I guess I'll try it."

He perked up as her laugh echoed across the phone. "Cloud, just be patient and give him time. He's just not used to you."

"Yeah." He hung up the phone and went over to the bathroom door. He knocked gently and said, "Sora, I'll be back later, okay?"

His only answer was a whimpered which he took for a yes. He grabbed his keys and locked the front door. The cold wind whipped his bangs around and he hunched his shoulders.

He turned down the block and headed into the small general store and began browsing for ice cream. Once he found the Sea Salt, he paid for it and headed back home.

When he got back to the apartment, he saw that Sora was still locked in the bathroom. At least he hadn't tried to escape. He headed into the kitchen and opened the cabinet producing two bowls and two spoons. He scooped out several generous piles into each bowl and headed back into the bedroom.

He knocked on the door and shuffling could be heard from beyond. He pressed his face up against the door and yelled, "I got ice cream. Ya want some?"

More shuffling could be heard from behind the door and a small voice asked: "What kind?"

Cloud smirked and replied, "Sea Salt."

The door knob jiggled and opened, revealing the teary-eyed brunet. Cloud smiled and handed him a bowl. Sora gladly accepted it and headed into the living room and sat down at the opposite end of the couch of Cloud.

Cloud scooted closer to him and watched as Sora scrunched closer to the arm of the couch. He sighed and turned to face the kid, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Sora looked up at him and whispered, "I just wanna go home."

"Sorry, kiddo, this is your new home."

"I wanna go home! I want Tifa!" He screamed, throwing his bowl down and running back into the bathroom. Cloud sighed and continued eating his ice cream. He knew the kid would have to come out sometime or another or the blond would just have to hold it.

AN: (1) I know it's a little dramatic, but if you learned that your love died after not seeing her for seven years, you would break down and cry.

Hope you liked it and please review. Reviews are my turkey. Also, Merry Thanksgiving.