A/N: Okay, finally got Chapter 5 out! It took awhile only because I got really busy with school and work... my apologies! Wow, please keep reviewing... you guys buoy me up! Oh, just a warning, this chapter is really long so yeah... It was 4 pages in Word with a small font! Hehe hope you enjoy... Cloud's first full day of taking care of Tifa!
Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again: All characters, places, and past events (unless otherwise noted) belong to Square Enix.
To My Reviewers:
kaosu: Thanks! Please keep reading... I hope you continue enjoying it!
peepil: Thank you as well... I will continue updating as long as I keep my muse!
Syneiam: Tons of thanks!
beebee: Yeah, sorry I did! Haha don't worry I think it'll make her stronger in the end, neh?
ChErRyBlOsSoMs-FlOwErOfDeAtH: oO I think I got your name right... sorry if I didn't lol :) Well, Cloud is slowly emerging from his cloud of stupidity ;)
Kiome-Yasha: Thank you so much! Yah, CloTis are awesome aren't they? They make such a perfect couple! I wasn't a big fan of Aerith ever lol.
Stephanie: Yes... like most men he is rather dense. Oh well, what can you do but love them:)
MysticDragonEyes: Thank you for reviewing every chapter! I really hope I continue to give you good content so you continue enjoying the story and feeling their emotions. This chapter is just establishing a few things... but I will have some very cute and tenderly raw emotions coming up in the next chapters.
macalaniaprincess: Yes, well, she is awake but there is quite a loooong road ahead for these two! Let's hope there aren't too many bumps along the way
Megan: Yay another who feels their emotions! I'm so happy I am getting such a positive response... I will continue, don't worry! So many plans for the two unsuspecting lovebirds... nyeh hehe :8)
Ben: Thank you for reviewing... update is here! YAY!
lady-nephthys: Here he goes, starting out! I think he does a pretty good job at first, don't you? Granted, he's only getting started!
Please keep reading and reviewing, everyone! Thank you all so very much! Now on with Chapter 5!
The helicopter ride back to Costa del Sol was much different than the previous one. Denzel was able to appreciate being in a helicopter and took notice of the world flying by beneath and around them. Tifa rested with her eyes closed and Cloud sat absorbed in his thoughts. Suddenly, Denzel exclaimed, capturing their attention.
"Dolphins! Look!" he said excitedly, pointing at the aquatic mammals jumping out of the water. His eyes were huge with amazement, and Cloud leaned over to look as well.
"Oh wow, that is amazing!" he exclaimed, surprising Tifa at his childlike appreciation of the creatures. Denzel went into a lengthy discussion on them with Cloud, and Tifa just gazed at him without being noticed. She felt like she was seeing a whole different side of Cloud that no one ever got to see, and it made her want to melt inside. She then sighed, but due to the noisiness of the chopper she went unheard. The rest of the journey was filled with the chatter between Denzel and Cloud, and when they landed Tifa was thoroughly beginning to enjoy seeing them so easy together way too much. She tried to step outside of the copter herself, but her legs were too weak to support her weight and she would have completely embarrassed herself if it weren't for Cloud swiftly whisking her into his arms and carrying her towards the town. Denzel carried the small bag of medicine as he followed behind, and Tifa tried hard to hide her slight discomfort at not being able to walk on her own. It felt too good to be in the arms of the man she still loved, and she really wished she could have walked to save herself the springing up of unwanted feelings and sensations.
She directed Cloud to her house and was taken to her bedroom. As he tried to place Tifa on the bed, she began struggling.
"No Cloud, I don't want to lay in bed all day long! It's still daylight outside… I can be relaxing on the couch instead of lying in here. I will not let you force me into sleeping when it's so nice out and still not even dark yet," she demanded, her eyes glinting. Cloud saw her determination and quickly gave up, taking her to the living room and placing her gently on the couch. He made sure she was comfortable before getting himself acquainted with her home. It looked small on the outside but it really wasn't. It had a full size kitchen, dining area, two bedrooms, a living area, everything one would need when living as a single parent. After his self-given tour, Cloud returned to the living room to find that Tifa was making sure Denzel was getting caught up on his homework. Just as he was advancing into the room and preparing to sit next to her, a knock resounded. He paused a moment, having never been one to answer the door much in the past, but finally moved to open it. There on the other side stood a young man with a handsome, rich appearance about him. He had neatly cut and combed black hair, startling green eyes, and a lean physique. Immediately Cloud was on guard against the stranger.
"H-hello… erm, I've come to see Tifa and Denzel," the man said, sounding slightly nervous but overall pretty confident. Cloud's mind began whirling; who was this man and why was he sounding so familiar with Tifa and her son?
"Okay. Who might you be? Tif's a little tired right now from the journey and I won't let you see her unless you have important business," he said, crossing his arms.
"I'm the sort-of mayor of the town, Genko. I wanted to apologize to her for what happened… I feel so responsible," the other man returned, shedding some light on the situation.
"Ah, I gotcha. So you're like the town leader here? Well I'm Cloud Strife, long time friend of Tifa's. You can come in but only for a little while," he returned, shaking the man's hand before letting him in. Genko thanked him before hurrying towards Tifa. She seemed surprised to see him. As soon as Denzel saw the man enter the room, he grabbed up his homework and headed for his room.
"Genko! What brings you here already?" she queried curiously. He took her comment the wrong way and immediately began apologizing.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for everything Tifa! I wish I hadn't sent you after that creature! I heard how close a call it was… how everyone thought you weren't going to make it but you did. I feel like it's all my fault… I should try to get more than just a one person force to defend the town from attacks. Please forgive me!" he gushed quickly. Tifa's eyes widened considerably, then her face softened.
"Oh you silly man, don't worry about it. I volunteered for the job, remember? I enjoy helping out by using my abilities. It keeps me in shape. Besides, if I hadn't been here to protect you then this town would be a disaster area… you saw how huge that thing was!" she said, calming him down.
"But I still feel as if I should have done something…" the mayor returned, sighing sadly.
"Hey, none of that. It's not your fault at all. If you must blame something, blame the monster for attacking us," Tifa returned, getting weary of battling his somewhat selfish insecurities. When she had been getting used to life in the village, the mayor had been one of the males interested in dating her. If she hadn't been so stuck on Cloud, his slight case of annoying selfishness would have most definitely put her off. "I'm a bit tired now… my medicine does that. Could we maybe talk later? I would like to get some rest," she added suggestively. Genko seemed about to go into another spiel of apologizes when Cloud cleared his throat from the kitchen archway, his face set into a scowl. The guest hurried to rise.
"O-of course Tifa. You get your rest! I'll just be going now. Goodnight. Nice meeting you Mr. Strife," Genko said as he headed to the door. Cloud ushered him out and shut the door firmly before turning to look at Tifa. Her eyes clearly spoke of her weariness and she sighed back into the couch cushions.
"Would you like anything before you rest?" he queried, concern etched upon his face. She was touched to see him acting so sweet, and rather caught by surprise. She couldn't really think of a time when he'd been this sweet to her before.
"Um well… yes actually. I would appreciate a cool glass of water with ice. I'm parched," she responded hesitantly, still finding it hard to have someone pretty much wait on her hand and foot. Cloud nodded and strode into the kitchen to fix the drink. As he walked past her, Tifa caught herself watching him, and she noticed that he still had his usual outfit on. Sometimes she wondered if he just never felt like picking out other things to wear and so continually washed and wore the same thing, or if he had twenty of each part of his ensemble in his closet. Truthfully, she had never really had the nerve to snoop through his closet, so she had no idea. When he returned with the drink, he noticed her regarding him oddly.
"Tifa? Is there something on my face?" he asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. She smiled, taking the glass gratefully and draining a quarter of the liquid before answering.
"No… but I was curious. Do you wash your outfit over and over? I've just never seen you wear anything else since after we defeated Sephiroth and Meteor," she commented, surprised at the fact that she was actually asking him something so silly. Her curiosity had just gotten the best of her this time. Cloud was surprised and looked down at his clothes, then shrugged, looking back at her with a small smirk.
"I have two or three duplicates of it at home. I just never really feel like wearing anything else because umm… I never can seem to find clothes I like that fit just right," he admitted, his cheeks reddening slightly. Tifa thought it adorable but didn't dare say so.
"Oh I see. Picky huh?" she asked, giggling. The sound was like heavenly bells in his ears, but Cloud just sort of nodded. "Well there's a seamstress just down the street who creates some of the best outfits I've ever seen for women or men. If you're in the market for new clothes or just want to see what she has to offer, her door is marked with a sign that says 'Fashion By Zerelda'. You can't miss it," she offered. Cloud nodded again, filing that information away as she finished the water. When she sat it down on the table, he moved closer to her.
"So do you want to nap here or in your bed?" he asked, then noticed the automatic defense flaring up in her eyes. He immediately knew what she was thinking. "Hey now, don't worry. You'll be back on your feet in a day or two and then you won't have to feel so helpless. Let me play the nurse to the fullest while I can," he told her, shocking the protest away. Tifa could have sworn she heard a note of teasing in his voice… but Cloud never teased. He was usually so serious or absentminded.
"I know… thank you again for helping me out. It means a lot to me. I guess I will just choose the bedroom because my muscles ache and I think the mattress there will be more beneficial than the cushions on this couch," she finally returned. Her 'nurse' nodded and deftly picked her up as if she were a feather, then carried her to her room. After making sure she was comfortable and needed nothing else, he wished her a good nap and left, closing the door for her privacy. He then washed her glass and began tinkering in the kitchen.
When Tifa awoke some hour and a half later, she blinked in surprise at the wonderful aroma filling her nostrils. Had one of her friends come over to fix supper? Moving up in bed, she wondered what sort of horrible disarray her appearance was in and knew it had to be bad. She had never really considered herself a beauty because her tomboyish tendencies overruled any attraction boys might have had to her in her adolescence, but she didn't find herself ugly or unpleasant by any means. However, at that moment she felt as if she probably looked a fright and cursed her luck at not having the strength to get up and fix it, then chastised herself for fretting. What was the big deal? Cloud had seen her millions of times before; it didn't really make sense to try to impress him. However, she couldn't squash the desire to look her best before him.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the man himself, coming to check on her. He opened her door gently, then peered at her. Noticing that she was awake, Cloud smiled widely.
"Feel better?" he asked, opening the door fully. Tifa only nodded, pulling her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm some of the tangles. Cloud saw what she was doing and offered her the brush she always kept on her dresser. She took it and thanked him as she worked all the tangles loose, her dark brown locks shining with the brushing. Cloud tried not to stare and Tifa pushed away her discomfort at him watching her do an everyday task. When she finished, she handed the object back to him and again noticed the smell. A large grin landed on her face as she asked about it.
"Mind telling me what that heavenly scent is?" Cloud only smiled at her as he replaced the brush on the dresser.
"Supper. Hungry?" he returned, to which she nodded vigorously. Chuckling, he moved to pick her up, and this time she was so eager for the delicious smelling food that she helped hoister herself into his arms. Once she was deposited in a chair at the kitchen table, she looked around for the cook, then noticed the huge supper that had her mouth watering. A grilled chicken sat at the center, barbeque sauce lightly brushed over it, and other entrees surrounding it. Corn that sparkled golden in the light, some sort of greens, macaroni and cheese, and large round rolls with butter gleaming on their tops spoke to Tifa's rumbling stomach like rain to a desert. A reddish liquid sat in a pitcher and three places were sat.
"Wow… where did all this come from? It looks like a gourmet meal!" she exclaimed, inhaling the scents again that were now much stronger since she was so close.
"Actually… I cooked it. After you went to sleep I looked around in here for food because I remember your night time medicine mentioning it should be taken with a full stomach and I figured you'd be starving. I had to go out to the market to get some of the ingredients. The drink is a tea the doctors in Mideel told me about; it is supposed to help speed up the detoxifying process your body is going through. Plus it tastes great! I already tried it," he told her. Tifa just stared at him in shock just as Denzel came in.
"Hi Mom! Hi Cloud! Wow this looks great… you did a good job Cloud!" he said, taking a place near Tifa. She turned her head to him then.
"Where have you been? You knew Cloud was cooking?" she asked, then turned to Cloud. "Where did you learn to cook?" Both males just chuckled at her. Denzel went first.
"I went next door to ask Martin a question about some of my homework, and he started when I left and made sure I got there safely," he told his mother, then looking to Cloud.
"I had to learn to cook while I was out training to be a SOLDIER. Else I would have died from spontaneous combustion at the hands of the disgusting plastic foods they served us," he explained, making a face which Denzel laughed at and even the shocked Tifa giggled. She was just so overwhelmed by all these new revelations about Cloud and realized in a flash that she really only knew some of the layers that made up his character. The rest he kept buried real deep… it really said something that he was actually letting them see more of him.
Cloud finally took his seat and they all three began working on the meal which was as delicious as it smelled. By the time they were all satiated, the chicken was only half gone – plenty for leftovers the next day. Tifa watched Cloud and Denzel do the dishes and put away the chicken and toss the rest, a tingling warmth wrapping itself around her heart. Seeing the two fit so naturally together as a team, like a father and son, really made her longing for Cloud return. She struggled with trying to suppress it and succeeded partially when she was given her medicine and taken back to her bedroom. She was tired again and only desired a full night's rest. Cloud promised to be up early to see Denzel off to school, then wished her a great night before leaving her to her thoughts.
As her eyes closed, Tifa's mind slowly played over the day's events, and she continued relishing the fact that Cloud was slowly opening himself up to her after so many long years of patient waiting. Perhaps they would never be together, but she certainly would enjoy being his closest confidante when he had gone so long without one. A small smile was on her lips as she surrendered to the world of dreams.
Not too long later Cloud was relaxing onto the rather comfortable couch, his eyes drifting closed. He was drained from the day's events, and just as sleep began to overtake him he realized with a start that he had totally forgot to talk to Shera about his wish to get closer to Tifa without putting her off. Oh well, there was all day tomorrow to do that. His mind finally let him slip into blessed sleep, one that would give him more rest than most of the ones he'd had the past few years.