A/N: Hello again all you wonderful readers out there! I am back with Chapter 6... it's been a week since the last one... :) I have a feeling my chapters are going to stay this length or get longer as we go along, but I don't mind that. It only gives you that much more to read, right? This chapter sets up a few things for later, and just shows them interacting with each other and getting more comfy with the other. The next couple chapters will introduce a few new characters and a new plot twist... hehe. :-) Oh, and I just wanted to say that I'm not sure when chapter 7 will come out because next week is finals week, but I will be working on this a little between studying and moving out of the dorms (for good thank the Lord) so just a heads up! I'll try to update ASAP, but no promises. I will soon have enough free time to go through and read all of your fanfiction as well, which I look forward to doing. So stay tuned! Now, enough babbling, on with the thanks to my reviewers!
Disclaimer: All characters, places, and some past events are ©Square Enix. Thank you very much:)
Thanks:
Syneiam: Glad you liked it! I think Cloud's got a really sweet side hidden, neh? Of course, he wouldn't be very interesting if he was just an emotionless psycho (thinking about the game here) all the time:P
atOmicsquid: I like your metaphors :) Hehe yeah, well, I don't think a big bonk on his head would have worked better for Cloud.
Rend: I plan to make a few twists and turns in the near future, but overall I hope you continue enjoying it!
perfectedhell: Not much of a CloTi fan! Why ever not:P J/k! I wasn't too much of an Aeris fan when I first played the game, but I can see the potential in her now. I guess we all have our faves... but I'm really glad you're enjoying this one! It warms my heart '.'
Kiome-Yasha: Thank you very kindly! I tried to make Genko pretty annoying, but he's going to be even more annoying in the future. Hehe. I actually wasn't hungry when I wrote Chapter 5 but after I wrote about the feast I got hungry too! LoL. I'm glad to hear you're putting it in your favorites!
cLoTiHeArT: He can be, can't he? Hehe... updated just for you the readers!
lady-nephthys: Sankyou, sankyou! Cloud says thank you too, although a little cockily ;) returns the hug Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Santa: big beaming smile Wow, it's great to hear that! I'm so happy you really like it that much... I know the feeling there too. I get caught up reading a lot, and now that I'm writing this, I just want to work on it all the time and see what happens next because I'm not really too sure yet myself! I hope I continue to live up to your opinion that this is a really good fic!
ShadowligerV: I plan on finishing this one... and it will make the first story I've ever actually completed haha I'm so bad. It's all thanks to the support I'm getting that I keep writing!
Mystic Dragon Eyes: Yeah... we see a bunch of sides of Cloud in the game and the movie, but hey, he's still a human who has other emotions besides all those negative ones! Hopefully I can continue developing that other part without losing the game and movie Cloud in the process!
Yukijorou88: Thank you so much! I have online message board and MU roleplaying to thank for the development of my writing skills... without those I probably wouldn't be able to make it to where you actually see what I'm trying to describe very well:-D
Tangymatangtang: Thanks for your review! Haha, don't worry, I will try my hardest not to stop until this fic is finished completely, but we still have a long ways to go... Hope you keep following it!
Thanks so much for your reviews! Alright, now on with the chapter!
The next morning Cloud awoke well before the sun and began readying himself for the day. After taking a shower and other menial morning tasks, he decided Denzel might enjoy a nice breakfast before going to school. He was headed that way when the cell phone he carried in his pocket started to vibrate. Slightly annoyed that someone would call this early, he looked at the screen. The number was unrecognizable so he ignored the call. Hoping they wouldn't call back, the blonde made his way into the kitchen and mulled over what to fix. Finally he decided on a simple breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. The deliciously greasy smells of bacon began to fill the house, giving the sleeping Tifa yummy dreams and waking Denzel up.
He joined Cloud in the kitchen, yawning as he stared at the warrior fixing breakfast. "Gee Cloud I never knew you cooked this much! Supper last night and now breakfast too? Do you do this often?" he inquired, intrigued. Cloud might have a few marbles loose in his head but Denzel still looked up to the fact that he had saved the planet twice now. Cloud smirked at the boy as he started on the toast.
"Actually I haven't cooked an actual meal for at least a couple of months. Are you hungry?" he returned, placing the bread on the remnants of bacon grease in the pan to fry. It only took a few moments before he was adding two more slices and repeating the process.
"Umm yeah I am. I'm gonna go get dressed," Denzel replied, his mouth watering at the delectable meal being fixed. The redheaded youth disappeared into his room as Cloud finished up the meal and began setting it all out on the table. As he was preparing to pour up some strawberry-mango juice that was in the fridge his cell phone began vibrating again. Looking at the caller ID, Cloud saw that it was the same number again and so he just turned off his phone. He really had no desire to talk to someone he didn't know right now, and if they needed something they could leave him a message. Denzel returned dressed and ready for the day, and they sat down and ate. After they were done, Denzel ran off to say bye to Tifa and get his bag. Cloud cleared off part of the table, then went to see the boy off. Denzel seemed excited to see his friends again and waved enthusiastically at Cloud as he headed for the school. Shaking his head, Cloud returned to the kitchen to finish cleaning up and was shocked to find Tifa sitting at the table in her red silk robe. Her eyes were cheerful as she turned to him.
"Morning Cloud. Looks like you did a good job with breakfast today," she greeted happily.
"Good morning. Thanks… are you hungry?" he returned, wondering how she was already up and walking. She saw the question in his eyes and smiled.
"Yes I am. Famished, in fact. That medicine is really remarkable, don't you think? I can already use my legs again but I will admit that they're very weak. It took all my energy to get here from my room. But if I work at it I think I'll be able to get stronger," she told him, watching as he began fixing her a plate.
"Yes, that is great to hear. Just remember that I'm here for you if you need anything at all. I'm not going anywhere," he told her sincerely as he sat the plate before her. Tifa stared at him for a moment, wondering where that had come from.
"Thank you, Cloud. You have no idea how much it means to me," she said in a voice barely above a whisper, picking up her utensils and beginning her meal. Cloud nodded, watching her silently for a few seconds before turning to start the dishes. Tifa ate quickly and thanked Cloud as he took her dishes and finished cleaning up. Shifting uncomfortably, she bit her bottom lip a moment before finally speaking. "Do you think you can give me a hand back to my room? I want to get dressed but I'm not sure if my legs will make it there…" she said, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink in embarrassment. Cloud smiled softly at her.
"Of course, it's no problem at all," he returned, helping her stand. Once she was steady on her feet, he held out his arm and she took it, letting him almost lead her to her room. There she thanked him again before he left her to get dressed. When she was ready she made her way to the living room using the walls and whatnot as support, then Cloud met her halfway to help her to the couch. After she was seated, he sat next to her.
"Cloud… would you be willing to assist me in exercising to get back my strength? I want to start today but I wanted to make sure it was alright…" Tifa started. Cloud found the fact that she was so unsure of herself rather endearing.
"Tif… I told you that I would be here to help you, and I meant it. Yes I will help you exercise, anything you want," he responded, looking her in the eyes. Both were caught up in a moment then, and Tifa read something different in his expression as he regarded her. He was looking at her in a different way than before, and she felt warmth running over her body. Suddenly she realized that she was holding her breath and had to look away to inhale. When she returned her gaze to him he was smiling softly at her. Unnerved a bit, she cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry that I sound like I don't believe you, but I just don't want to be more of a burden on you than I already am," she added, to which Cloud only shook his head.
"You're not a burden at all, and don't you ever think that," was his slightly terse reply.
"Well, I think I should just start by walking around the house today," she responded, pushing herself up off the couch. Cloud immediately hopped up and stood waiting to assist her. She took his offered arm and they began slowly walking about the house. Tifa limped at first but soon found her strength and was able to walk without stumbling. However, once they had done about ten rounds throughout the house, she was exhausted and told Cloud so, and once again she collapsed onto the couch.
"Your medicine is really something. I would have thought it would take at least a couple of weeks before you were able to walk again," he remarked as he sat again beside her. Tifa nodded.
"Yes it is…" was her only response before she fell into thoughtful silence. Cloud sensed she had something on her mind so he waited, and finally she spoke again a few minutes later. "You want to know something funny? I actually miss the bar… I mean, it was such a big part of my life for so many years. It's kind of weird not having it anymore. Now, don't get me wrong… I love this town! I always thought I was a city girl but living here showed me that I might be more of a small town girl. I couldn't imagine going back to Midgar to live in all that smog and pollution after being around so much sunshine all the time. I just miss tending the bar and running things… I mean, they have a bar here but it's so small… it wouldn't be the same at all," she told him, opening herself up a little. Cloud was surprised at her confession at first, then after he thought about, the surprise went away.
"Yeah, I can imagine how you would miss it. You did a great job of running the business…" he told her sincerely. She had been good at owning a bar; she knew all the tricks to serving drinks and conversation to her customers as well as hospitality and comfort that kept them coming back day after day.
"Ah well… I guess there's really no use thinking about it. Right now I won't be doing much of anything… I'm really glad I have so much gil saved up still from after we beat Sephiroth the first time," she said, stretching her legs out in front of her. She began pointing and flexing her toes, then finally relaxed again. Looking again at the man she loved, her mind wandered to another topic. "So what's been happening with the delivery service lately? You said business has been slow… any reason why?" Cloud thought on the question before giving his answer.
"I don't really know. I guess I sort of slacked on a few deliveries and now customers aren't really coming in as much. Or maybe they've found business with another service? Although I don't really know of any that are out there besides mine," he responded. Honestly, he hadn't really given it much thought. The service gave him something to do with his time rather than provided any significant income. Cloud never had been one to worry about money, and after they were practically millionaires after saving the world he really had no need to worry. Plus if he needed money he could just go out in a forest and kick a few monster butts.
"Oh, well I guess there's really no way of knowing for sure right now. Maybe you'll get more business soon," Tifa said in response. They continued chatting lightly about miscellaneous things and before they knew it lunch time had arrived. Neither were very hungry after the large breakfast so they just relaxed; Tifa took a nap and Cloud remembered that he needed to call Shera so he moved to the kitchen. However, when he opened his phone he saw the two missed calls and that he had a new message. Curiosity got the better of him and so he dialed into the voice mail service. After going through the password entry and selecting 'hear new message' he listened intently.
"Hello Mr. Strife. This is Vigorio Lucenzi, and I have a delivery I need taken care of. Perhaps you would be interested? I am the assistant manager of a company called Nineteen And One. We produce a new line of products that are directed towards the younger generations such as clothing, accessories, jewelry, makeup, and other things like that. Recently we upgraded from our small base on the Northern Continent to a larger upscale factory, and now stores have decided to sell our merchandise. We need someone reliable to make the first large delivery across the entire planet to major stores in every major city and town. I have heard of your abilities and am quite impressed. There will be good money and other various rewards for you upon completion of the delivery. If you agree to help out, please call me back at 964-236-3214. We hope to hear from you soon."
After saving the message, Cloud stared at his phone silently. A huge delivery like that would bring in plenty of good business for the service, and as much as he saw it as a project to keep him from being bored, he felt a certain obligation to keep it going and maybe even make it grow. However, he had a major problem: he wasn't about to leave Tifa. He had a few guys who had helped out a little in the past, but none of them possessed enough of his trust or respect to be given charge of this job. Suddenly, Reeve flashed into his mind. When Cloud had lost his last phone in the Forgotten City after the battle with Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo, he had went out and purchased a new one with Vincent who was wanting to seem more 'cool' after Marlene's comment on his lack of a phone. Not long after getting it going again, Reeve had given him a call, saying that he had tried before and wanted to help with the service. Cloud had told him that business was really slow but that he would let him know if something changed. Reeve may have been a spy of Shinra but in the end he had saved them, and so Cloud was now willing to give him the responsibility of getting this job done.
After placing the call to Reeve, who was very enthused and positive about the idea, Cloud had to make a few more calls to the guys that had helped out before. Finally it was all settled that they would come and meet him in a few days, and so he was free to give Vigorio a call back. The secretary put him through to the man who sounded very pleased and they arranged the first meeting. Vigorio was more than agreeable to coming to Costa del Sol to meet with Cloud after he told him his situation, and so they set the meeting for the next day. Finally, after so many phone calls that his ears were ringing, Cloud hung up and replaced his phone in his pocket. Shera could wait another day or two he decided. When he returned to the living room Tifa was awake again and watching a news channel on the television. She smiled up at him as he resumed his seat next to her.
"Getting more business?" she inquired innocently, her expression guileless. Then at his suspicious look she giggled. "Sorry, I overheard snippets of your conversations," she told him with a slight shrug. It was a good thing he hadn't called Shera after all. He definitely wouldn't want the cat out of the bag before he was ready.
"Yeah… a new company wants a huge shipment done. Reeve wanted to help me out so I gave him control over this and called a few of the guys to help him. The man who called me from the company is coming tomorrow to meet with me over the delivery," he said, his voice as calm and monotone as usual. Tifa was excited for him, however.
"That's great Cloud! Imagine how much business you'll get once you pull this off without a hitch! You could become real big… global even!" she said, her faith in his abilities quite apparent in her eyes. Slightly shaken over that expression, Cloud coughed.
"Yes well if it's pulled off without a hitch. You never know when something terribly wrong could happen," he told her, ever the same old bubble buster.
"Oh you're always so pessimistic! You're a great person, your friends love you, you've been forgiven, and you're going to do this job with such finesse that this company will want you for every delivery they need!" she exclaimed happily. Cloud just shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"We'll see if you're right," was his only response. Tifa felt like slapping him upside his head, but restrained herself.
"Which I will be. Ha, let's make a bet. If I am right, then you have to take me out to a really nice fancy dinner somewhere in Midgar! And if I am wrong… then you get to decide what I will do for you," she told him, sticking out her hand. He eyed the hand, then looked squarely at her.
"Alright, it's a deal," he responded, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. He held onto it a moment longer than necessary and as she brought her hand back to her lap, Tifa couldn't shake the tingling sensation. She had thought she was getting over him, but now she saw that she was only deluding herself. If anything, she was now even worse for him. Look at him, being so sweet and everything! How could she not fall deeper? With an inward sigh, Tifa realized that she was slowly getting closer and closer to that point… the point where she would just get sick and tired of holding everything in and spill everything. That terrified her because already she could see her pouring out her heart with all she had only to get rejected. This time it would break her… years of ignorance she could survive, but to be rejected like that? It would be a miracle if she made it through alive. And she was more scared of that than of anything she had ever been scared of in her life, even being alone.