The Pack

Disclaimer: If I owned all of this… would I really be sitting in front of this computer typing right now? No! I'd probably turn this shit into a movie and make more money than Twilight!

Chapter 15

When Squall left, we all decided it was time to actually get to work. I moved back into the kitchen and took the breads out of the oven. Naminé decided to start on a cheesecake.

"Tidus, can you put the bagels in the front?" I asked.

"Yeah sure!" he said and grabbed the bagels from the cupboard and left the kitchen.

"Do you think we should make a fruit topping for this cheesecake?" Nami asked.

"Ummmm… yeah. I'll make a blueberry one and a strawberry one so that the customers can choose." I said and started to pull the fruits from the fridge.

I smiled when I thought about the delicious cheesecake. These customers better get here quick because… I might just eat the cheesecake before they get here!

I looked to the door of the kitchen and watched as Tidus walked over to the cupboard once again.

'Tidus can you get me the sugar from the cupboard?'

…..

'Tidus, the sugar.'

…

"TIDUS!" I yelled.

The other two in the kitchen jumped at my raised voice.

"What! Where's the fire?" Tidus asked alarmed.

"Did you not here me the first two times? I asked you for the sugar and you ignored me!" I yelped.

"Cloud… you haven't said anything…" Naminé said.

"Sure I did. I said 'Tidus can you get me the su…'" I trailed off when I realized what happened.

I tried to tell him through my thoughts.

"Cloud are you okay?" Naminé asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I yelled. I'm a little tired this morning." I said.

"Yeah… from getting screwed all night!" Tidus joked.

"Tidus! So not funny!" I yelled.

"Yes it is…" Nami mumbled.

"Not you too!" I yelped.

"Well I mean… it's kind of obvious. You're not a virgin anymore!" she said.

"What? How do you know?" I asked.

"Dude, you're kind of glowing and…" Tidus trailed.

"You have a sensual sort of charm that wasn't there before. It's very sexy." Naminé finished.

"That's the second time I've heard that! I have no idea what you guys are talking about!" I said.

"It's something that only other people can see. Sorry, dude." Tidus said.

I just shook my head and took the sugar that Tidus handed to me. Oh well… I guess it's something I'll never understand.

I took a bowl from the cabinet and began to cut up strawberries.

When that was finished I turned to see if I could rinse them.

Tidus was standing at the sink watching us work with a smile on his face.

'Tidus, I need you to move.' I said.

Tidus looked at me specifically. "Do you need something?" he asked.

I frowned. It was almost hard to differentiate whether I was talking or thinking to him. Either way, I still heard my voice in my ears.

I growled in agitation.

"Whoa! Did you hear that? It sounded like a dog! Nami you heard it right?" Tidus said.

"Yeah I heard it… strange." Naminé said before returning to her work at the mixer.

"Tidus, can I use the sink?" I asked.

"Yeah sure, sorry about that. I need to go and see if there's customers anyway." Tidus walked to the door.

I shook my head at myself. I wasn't in the forest anymore. People actually have to hear my voice to understand what I'm saying.

It had been maybe thirty minutes when I finally finished the fruit toppings. The cheesecake still had a while to go so I decided to make some biscuits.

I took out the flour and all the other ingredients. Biscuits were easy to make so once they were in the oven, I moved over to pull out the homemade jams and preservatives.

I took the fruit topping and the jam out to the front and opened the cooled portion of the display window.

I placed them inside and smiled. I love fruits…

I looked up when I felt someone standing over me.

Tidus was looking down at me with a very serious look. "Cloud what the fuck happened to your shoulder?" he asked.

"Huh?" I asked. "What's wrong with my shoulder?"

Tidus grabbed me by the arm and pulled me up. I yelped in surprise.

"Is that you making those dog noises? What is wrong with you! You're acting really weird." Tidus said.

"Nothing is wrong with me!" I yelled back.

"Cloud! What the hell is this on your shoulder? It looks like an animal took a bite outta you!" Tidus yelled.

I looked over to my shoulder. SHIT! I was wearing a sleeveless shirt! That was really stupid of me. I didn't even think about what Tidus and Nami would say.

Obviously, Tidus was not happy.

"It's ummm… a tattoo…" I mumbled.

"Cloud, you are a terrible liar. Just tell me what happened. Do you need to go to the hospital? Do you like… have rabies?" Tidus asked stupidly.

"NO! I don't have rabies! Don't worry about it, Tidus. It's something you wouldn't understand." I said.

"DO YOU THINK I'M STUPID! SOMETHING I DON'T UNDERSTAND! ARE THE SCARS ON YOUR OTHER SHOULDER SOMETHING I WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND EITHER? Aren't I your friend, Cloud? I'm worried about you!" Tidus lowered his voice.

"What's going on out here?" Naminé asked as she carried to cheesecake to the display window.

"Nami, look at this. And this." Tidus pulled me forward by the arm and pointed to the scars on my shoulders.

"Oh my god! Cloud what happened?" Naminé asked.

"Nothing!" I yelled.

"Cloud… this doesn't look like nothing. Were you attacked or something?" Nami asked.

"No! It's nothing!" I said as my heart was pounding. I felt like a child that had just been caught doing something terrible.

"Cloud, we told you that you shouldn't go running around in that wilderness they call a park. It's obviously dangerous." Tidus said.

"This has nothing to do with that!" I said trying to make up an excuse, a reason, anything!

"Maybe… he's covering up for someone…" Naminé said.

"Cloud? Did Squall do this to you? Is he hurting you?" Tidus asked.

"No! Why are you guys harassing me like this? I'm fine aren't I? I mean… aside from acting a little strange earlier, I haven't changed at all. In fact, I'm happy! So please let this go!" I said, begging them to get off my back.

"I'm sorry Cloud, this isn't something we can just let go. If Squall is hurting you than I need to do a serious reevaluation of his character." Tidus said and Nami nodded.

"Squall hasn't done anything wrong. I-I…" I stopped.

"You what?" Naminé asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"Tell us Cloud!" Tidus yelled.

"Nothing!" I yelped again.

"There's the dog again!" Nami said and looked around.

"No Naminé, Cloud has been making those noises the whole time! That's definitely not normal!"

I winced. I really needed to remember all of the regular noises you would make in these situations. Humans don't growl, or yelp, or whimper… they simply yell, say 'ouch!', or cry.

"You won't understand!" I yelled.

"This again! When did you start keeping secrets from us? It's when you started dating Squall that's when! What happened to bros before hoes!" Tidus yelled.

"Please! Leave Squall out of this! None of this is his fault. I was walking in the forest when it started to storm so I started to run to the house. I tripped and slid into a bear trap. That's it! Squall found me and took care of me. He's kind and gentle. He's never hit me or anything. Please get that idea out of your heads!" I yelled.

"That still doesn't explain the bite mark." Nami pointed.

"I-I… you… I-I c-can't" I struggled to find something to say.

"You can't tell us? What kind of cop out shit is that!" Tidus yelled and grabbed my arms again.

I bit my lip before a yelp could escape. "You're hurting me!" I said trying my hardest not to whine.

"All you have to do is tell us what happened! Just tell us. I promise we won't judge you or Squall! Please! We're worried!" Tidus yelled and Nami nodded.

"… I wanted him to bite me…" I said in the quietest voice I could manage.

"What?" Tidus and Naminé said simultaneously.

"I wanted him to bite me, okay? I wanted to be his and his alone!" I yelled, shaking with fear and anxiety.

"Cloud are you out of your freaking mind? That mark doesn't even look like human teeth! You're boyfriend wears dog-eared hats, you make dog noises, and have doglike bite-marks on your body! Did you join some freakish Dog worshipping cult? Is your boyfriend using you for strange rituals?" Tidus yelled.

"NO! I TOLD YOU THAT YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND! LET ME GO TIDUS! YOUR HURTING ME!" I yelled.

Tidus immediately released his hold after my plea. I rubbed at the red marks on my arm.

"You're right…" Tidus mumbled.

"What?" I asked.

"You were right. I don't understand." He said.

I looked down at my feet.

"I don't understand what happened to my friend. Because the Cloud I knew certainly isn't here anymore." Tidus finished and turned from me.

"TIDUS!" Naminé yelled in surprise.

"We should get back to work. Here's our first customer." Tidus said and plastered on a fake smile.

I moved back into the kitchen and pulled the biscuits from the oven. I turned to find something else to cook.

"Cloud?" Naminé said quietly.

I turned to her. "Yes?"

"Don't take what Tidus said to heart. He's upset because you can't tell him who's hurting you or the real reason behind those scars. You know how he is. He's like a big brother to both of us." Nami said.

I nodded and opened a cabinet… there was salt.

I pulled it out and took out the flour and yeast and baking soda and anything else I could think of.

I grabbed a bowl and filled it with warm water. I poured some ingredients in. When it was dough, I placed it on some wax paper and started to knead it.

"Cloud?" Naminé started.

I looked down at the dough I was rolling around. My eyes started to water.

"Cloud?" Naminé started again.

Suddenly, I pounded my fist into the dough and began to cry. I-It wasn't fair! Why was it so hard to live two separate lives?

"Cloud… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you sad…" Naminé said.

I turned from the dough in front of me and sunk to the floor.

"I was happy… I was so happy this morning… why do I have to feel like I'm the one at fault? I didn't do anything… why do I have to feel like I've done something wrong?" I said while wiping the tears on my face.

Suddenly there was a crash and voices coming from the front.

Nami and I stood suddenly and rushed out of the kitchen.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" I heard Tidus yell.

I looked at all of the shocked customers and turned to see Tidus holding Squall against the wall.

"YOU FREAK! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT BITE ON HIS SHOULDER?" Tidus yelled and I ran over quickly.

"Tidus! Stop! You're causing a scene!" I said and started to pull him off of Squall.

'Thank you for not hurting him…' I thought to Squall.

This kid is lucky he's your friend…

I nodded and managed to pull Tidus off of Squall.

"Tidus… I know you're angry with me… please don't take it out on Squall." I said.

"Why are you defending him?" I yelled.

"Because he hasn't done anything!" I said exasperatedly.

"And why are you here?" Tidus turned to look at Squall.

Squall was silent for a second before speaking. "I had a bad feeling… like something bad was happening so I went to check on Cloud to see if he was alright. He obviously isn't." He said.

Tidus turned and looked at me. I averted my gaze. "We have customers… can we not do this right now?" I asked quietly.

Tidus sighed and moved behind the counter.

"We apologize for the disturbance… if you could please form a line we can quickly get your orders." I said before moving back into the kitchen.

"Cloud… I'll handle the stuff in here. You should try to figure out what to do from here." Naminé said.

I nodded and moved back to the front.

I walked over to the counter and spoke. "Those of you customers who just want to order beverages, please form a line in font of me." I said in a polite voice.

Four customers walked over to me and I took their orders. Two espressos and Two café au laits.

I made their drinks quickly before taking their payments and walking over to the cash register. I placed the money in and gave them correct change before walking from behind the counter.

I think I understand the situation here, but would you like to explain it to me? Squall's voice resonated.

I nodded and walked to the front of the bakery farthest away from the customers.

'I kept forgetting that I wasn't in the forest with you guys. So I tried talking to Tidus through my thoughts on accident. When he did respond I got agitated and so naturally, I growled. Which definitely confused them. I apologized because I kind of felt like an idiot. When I moved to bring stuff to the front, Tidus ended up noticing my mark and the bear trap marks on my shoulder. He got really mad because I wouldn't tell them from where I got the scars. They started drawing all these weird conclusions and blaming you. So I tried to divert them to other conclusions but they wouldn't believe me so I told them that I asked you to bite me and that they wouldn't understand why. Tidus got really mad and decided he had had enough. I got really upset and then you came and you know the rest…' I thought to him in a jumbled rant.

You forgot to tell me about the part where he grabbed you. Squall said.

'What?' I wondered.

There are bruises on your arms and his scent is on them. Why did he hurt you?

'He was frustrated with me and he didn't realize how tightly he was grabbing me. Sometimes he forgets his own strength when he's mad. I forgot about them because I wasn't really all that concerned about them in the first place.' I thought.

Is there anything else?

'I just… I don't like lying to them… but what else am I going to do? I was afraid that they would lose their trust in me if I kept lying to them… I mean it's basic nature… if someone is lying to you, you don't trust them anymore. I didn't think hiding things from them would be this hard…' I thought and wiped a tear that fell from my eye.

Squall put a hand to my face and wiped another tear away with his thumb. Would you feel better if I talked to Xemnas about letting you tell them about us?

'Squall… that's too dangerous…' I thought.

"You trust them right?" he said aloud.

"W-Well yes but-"

"There's no such thing as trusting someone halfway. Do you believe that they'll reveal us if you were to tell them about our people?" Squall said quietly.

"They wouldn't tell. I trust them." I said firmly.

"Then I'll talk to Xemnas. Don't cry anymore." Squall said.

I nodded before wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you." I said with a whimper.

Squall pulled nuzzled my cheek a little before kissing it. "Don't worry okay?" he said.

I nodded and watched him leave.

I sighed. Things are going to get better now.

I walked back into the kitchen with a smile on my face.