CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The Search Is On!

Tifa's expression was unreadable as she closed the back of the moving truck, now filled with boxes of Cloud's belongings, including his motorcycle. "Well, that's the last of it," she said, sounding depressed.

Cloud was equally depressed himself. All the while he was driving home, he realized that he was tired. Not so much physically as it was from his whole living situation. With Lightning gone, his boring delivery-boy routine was bound to fall back into place. So after making amends with Tifa, and hearing her promise that nothing all that physical had been going on between her and Barret-a promise that he wasn't entire sure he could believe-he forgave her. How could he not? After all, she was his best friend, and always would be.

But things were different between them now. Although they both tried to fight it, the shift in the atmosphere of their home was too much for them to take. Even Marlene and Deznel were feeling the tension, which he knew wasn't healthy for them. So, Cloud sold his half of the delivery business to Tifa and called his old friend Cid Highwind. He'd be moving all the way to Rocket Town.

As Cloud climbed into the driver's seat, Barret met him at the window. "Uh, Cloud?"

Cloud didn't take his eyes away from the windshield. Judging from the tone in Barret's voice, the man was probably worried about the current status of their friendship. "It's alright, Barret. I forgive you," he reassured him.

Barret relaxed a bit. "Thanks… But that's not that I was gonna ask."

"What, then?"

"Will ya be keeping' in touch with us?"

Cloud nodded. "Cid has great Internet access. I'll e-mail you."

Tifa appeared at Barret's side. "Just e-mail? Are we going to hear from you anytime soon? Will we even see you again?"

At last, Cloud turned to face them. Barret had his good arm wrapped around Tifa's waist. They really did make a nice-looking couple. "We've been through too much together for me to just erase the both of you from my life. We'll always be friends. That's a promise." As he turned the key and revved the truck to life, he shifted his eyes to Barret and said, "Take care of her and kids."

Barret nodded. "That's a promise," he repeated with a smile.

oOo

Five months later…

oOo

The one thing Cloud hated about living with Cid was the manner in which he was woken up every morning.

"Shera!" Cid yelled from downstairs. "Where's our BLEEP-ing breakfast!"

"It's coming, Cid. Eggs need their time to cook properly, you know!"

Cloud groaned as he concealed his head with his blanket. He didn't think Shera deserved to have that kind of language thrown at her all the time. But Cloud knew that Cid loved her… in his own unique way.

Ten minutes later after things had quieted down on the first floor below, Cloud decided it was time to get up. The first thing he did was check his e-mail, and found a delightfully surprising one that made him smile.

…

Hi, Cloud! How are you?

Boy, a lot has changed since you moved away. First of all, Tifa had the business' name changed to "Lockheart's Deliver Service." Red XIII even moved here from Cosmo Canyon to help Dad out with the delivering… Hard to imagine how a big cat could help with that kind of stuff, but it's still pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, I'm writing because Denzel's birthday is coming up, and he really misses you. I think he'd like it a lot if you were here to wish him a happy birthday. That, and I miss you, too.

By the way, do you know where Lightning went? Tifa's been trying to get in contact with her, but she never answers her phone. And Denzel really wants her to be at the party, too.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Marlene.

…

Cloud pressed the reply button and started typing.

…

Hey, Marlene. Nice to hear from you.

I'm glad that everything's going well at home. Yeah, I know Denzel's birthday is coming up, and I'll try to be there-but don't tell him. I don't want him to get his hopes up in case I can't make it. Sorry, I don't know where Lightning went. She never told me where she lives.

I miss you, too. Nice hearing form you,

Cloud.

oOo

Cloud came into the kitchen to find Shera washing Cid's breakfast plates. Cloud was never big on breakfast himself, so he grabbed some orange juice from the refrigerator instead. That, and he didn't want to trouble Shera with more cooking. "Morning. Where's Cid?"

"Outside," she replied. "working on his latest rocket project again."

He noted how Shera seemed a little nervous, more so than usual. Had Cid's yelling really upset her that much this time? Even if it had, he wasn't about to ask. It was none of his business.

"Hey, Cloud?"

Then again, maybe it was.

Shera dried her hands with a towel and turned around, leaning up against the counter. "I hope you're not angry with me for prying, but… this Lightning woman that you worked with…"

The mere mention of her name sent a stinging pang through his heart. "What about her?"

"Well, you mentioned that she worked for the Guardian Corps, right?" That's when Shera reached into the pocket of her apron, took out a piece of paper and handed it to him.

When Cloud unfolded the page, his eyes widened.

It was a picture of Lightning sitting on a couch with her legs crossed, her Gunblade resting on her lap. There was even a small biography, including her age and real name: Claire Farron.

"Where did you find this?" he asked eagerly.

"The Guardian Corps' website," Shera replied. "It has a fairly detailed list of all its best members-and she was one of the few who had made it to the top. Unfortunately, the site's pretty strict when it came to privacy. I couldn't find where she lives or even her home phone number."

"Why were you even looking?" Cloud asked.

"You've been depressed since you moved in with us. And I know it's because you miss her." She shrugged. "I thought that maybe if you could at least give her a call, then you'd feel better… Maybe I never should've showed this to you."

Cloud gazed at the page again. "Thanks, Shera," he said, smiling at her. "Mind if I keep this?"

"Not at all," she replied before returning her attention to the dishes.

A loud explosion came from outside, frightening the two of them. Less than a minute later, Cid came stumbling through the front door, covered in grease and cussing quite loudly. "Cloud!" he yelled. "I need yer help out back! One a' the motors blew up on me!"

"Right away, Captain," Cloud replied with a chuckle. He was being paid to do this, so he wasn't about to complain. That, and he felt like he had just been given a new hope. A new resolve.

It may have been just a picture, but this had been the first time he'd seen Lightning's beautiful face in months. This had brought every memory, every moment, everything about her that he'd tried to forget-although his heart wouldn't allow him to do so. After five months of feeling completely emotionally numb, his rekindled feelings made him feel like he was in love all over again.

"You're on the right track, Cloud… Don't worry. It's not too late to get your priorities straight."

And in his heart, he finally realized exactly what "priorities" Aerith had meant all along: he had set things right with Tifa and Barret, so there was nothing to hold him back now.

No matter how long it took him, he was going to find Lightning.