Disclaimer: what disclaimer. You know the rules.
Well I think I've kept the cloti fans waiting long enough time for a little action. You know what that means…. Well maybe not too much it would ruin clouds big surprise.
Any way another multi view is in need here so there's no set character. This'll be fun.
Now when we left yuffie went all klepto on koty. Tifa was busy givin spikes what for and zack was playing peeping tom for those who couldn't catch it. Now without further adieu I give the steam.
Rain:
'Gods above why did I run away.' Cloud thought to himself letting the gentle embrace of the woman whom so affectionately clung to him completely take his attention. 'I swear ill never leave again….. Just don't take her away.' The feeling was like fire welling up in his arms. Heated passion making stable thought almost impossible. Even after all the years he had trained himself to control his emotions this was irrefutably too strong to be contained.
The smell of lavender and cherries pouring from her wet skin. The feel of her hair falling against his arm in a soaked unkempt fashion. All of it was simply overwhelming. It gave him a sense of both power and frailty.
She was aggressive this time. Forcing him to stay in position with powerful arms. She was strong for someone so slender. It was amazing. Like watching a little child solve complex math problems. He found her touch intoxicating. The rough hungry nature of her kisses drove him insane. Like having too much to drink her power dizzied him and brought him proverbially and almost literally to his knees. He was not use to the thought of her actually being a match for his enhanced strength.
With fevered desire he stole them. Accepted the passionate kisses he would not return with the same fire. He felt like he was robbing her. 'So much…… I can't…. Be like this…… why?' however for all of his wandering he had never found someone who captivated him like she did. So he stole them gladly. Unashamed for partaking of her lips. Gratefully moving his marred hands over her hips and back. Pulling her close with such willing nature that one would think that he was controlling her.
All of this time he was unaware that his recently resurrected friend was eyeing his every move. Analyzing and watching all of the moves that the couple made. 'ooooh spike. You've done it now….. I've gota tell the guys about this one……. Wait but why haven't you…. You'd normally brag about this kina thing right……. Well…… maybe they know….. but I think you're up to something……… let's just see.' they were locked together like two pieces of a puzzle that would in no way separate. 'wow he's good ill give'em that…. A girl like tifa could easily get any man she wanted…… and I guess for spiky it's his lucky day.'
She was losing herself, letting all of the emotions and stress from the past few days flow from her heart and straight into his lips. She didn't mind his hands exploring her. The way they ran over her skin warmed her from the chill of the rain. The way she was able to make him hesitate on his own actions was enthralling. Exhilarating her with excitement to the point of releasing small sighs against him. This in turn gave him confidence. She knew by the way he would pull her close he liked the sound. 'now I've got you where I want you….. you're not going anywhere mister strife…. Not till I'm done with you.' She was going to enjoy this. She had never had the opportunity to really give him a piece of her mind, and now she was letting him have it both barrels. With an intensity that seemed to terrify the storm above them she stole him. Robbed him of his strength and gave in return her undying love.
It was truly a game worth playing now. The push and pull patterns she had gone through with him all started to seem worthwhile. Even when he had been gone all of those times. The nights alone and the days unrequited seemed to fade at that exact moment. She poured her soul into it. All of her being and everything she felt.
'wow what a show.' Zack was finding it amusing to watch the scene. The way they fell together like snowflakes on the breeze. Cloud was obviously enjoying himself which seemed strange for the usually acerbic young man. Tifa seemed overly happy for the moment which was to zack rather disturbing being that only moments before she was on the verge of tears. 'oh he's not gona like it if he finds me… and tifa. Well I don't even want to know the consequences…. I'll just leave them to it and I'm gona get back inside.'
Taking the golden opportunity to escape with his life he returned to the inside world of seventh heaven. Inside was the usual. People conversing and Vincent being his usual vampiric self. cid and barret were playing cards. However yuffie seemed a bit under enthused.
"hey….. what's eatin you…?" He had almost forgotten until she looked at him that he had met her before "hey I know you…."
"well I don't know you... are you a creepy stalker."
"you don't remember me…… man you've grown up since I've been gone…"
"what….. who are you……? I don't remember you at all."
"I met you in wutai….. you were only a little girl then…… but I know that face…. Miss wutai's most powerful ninja….." a snide grin broke his expression.
"sorry….. I don't know you…."
"ahh forget it….. anyway….. names zack……. Nice to meet ya…."
"yuffie." She holds out her hand for a business shake only to receive a five in response.
"ah come-on we aint in a business……. We aren't partners we're friends….."
"really I barely know you five minutes and I'm your friend."
"well you and cloud are buds so I guess that gives me a reason to trust you…. Why you don't think so."
"okay…." She felt akwarded by the young man. He seemed to be almost as bubbly as she did sometimes. "anyway so what do you do…? Like ya got a hobby or are you just into flirting with random girls." She batted her eyes innocently as if mocking the man.
"flirting oh no I wouldn't do that." Zack returned the gesture with a creepy smile.
"you shouldn't do that." She laughed.
Outside tifa was slowly but surely gaining strength. The sound of the storm only superseded by the rapid beating of her heart. 'don't give up…. You have to let him see……. Have to let him know…….'
Cloud was all too sure that now he was within territory forbidden to most men. Her legs wrapped him in a fashion both protective and pleading. 'tifa… I can't……. Not yet……. Please I have to wait………. Not like this……….'
He released her "tifa lets not….. let's not go there yet."
"what……. Cloud….. why….." she looked upset. Her emotions swelling up in her endowed her both with great love and great sorrow at the rejection she had just received. "don't you want to?"
"ye……. I mean…… no….. I mean.."
"okay so you don't want me…….. I get it……… but………. Why…… why play with me if you're not going to keep me……" her voice cracked. 'what the hell…….. I gave it my all…… and he still doesn't want me…….. aaahhhhh that's it I've had it..' "I'm going inside now….."
"tifa I didn't."
"no…….. its fine I get it…….. you don't have to tell me three times……. Ill drop it……."
"tifa I……."
"not interested…." She stormed off leaving cloud to himself.
"I love you……. Damit…." He stomped the ground with the swear holding no force back and cracking the concrete below.
She turned back at the noise for a brief moment and then continued on her way back inside.
"I've had enough drama….. I'm outa here……." He said as he ran a hand through his hair.
He found his keys and once again obeyed the call of his beloved mistress. Allowing the rain to pierce his skin as he made love to her. Tracing fenrirs wheels along curves that were envied by even tifa's. Allowing his sorrow to kiss her in ways he could never kiss any other woman. Keeping her within his heart as he took to her skin glossed ebon sheen, with gentle but hungry embrace.
However she was not willing as she once would have been. Her lips were cold. Her hair was harsh. And almost as if she perceived him too eager to take her favors she denied him his pleasures and gave to him pain. Fenrirs wheels buckle and he snaps to the left. The water on the road however does not relent in its course.
The crash is loud. Earshatering metal on stone broke the rhapsody of the falling rain. And a heart wrenching cry was wringed from the blonde's throat.
"tifa……" he was in pain. Not just from the random shard of his beloved bike piercing his stomach, but from the knife which bore tifa's name that penetrated his heart. "tifa I can't….. I can't let you go…….. please.." he choked back the tears and blood as he picked himself from his mistress. "I gota….. tell…. You…….. what I …….. want to….. say……."
His life began to flash before his eyes. Suddenly the weight of his body began to sink him. Pulling him to his knees once again. He had loved the road and now she would have him forever.
"no…. I'm not going…….. I won't leave her again……" suddenly the verse koty had spoken from loveless invaded his mind 'though the morrow is barren of promises nothing shall forestall my return' "tifa………….. I'm comin……. Home……."
Tifa was angry. It was obvious to everyone. She had slammed the door on her way in and even after the hours passed there was nothing that seemed to cool her fires. Yuffie had given up trying to converse with her and zack kept his distance fearing that he too would be burned or slammed as the door and apparently yuffies friendly attempts had been. Vincent noticed as well but said nothing. cid and barret continued to converse but in short tones as shelke sat idly with red sipping delicately on a cup of hot coffee. Koty strangely enough was talking to shera apparently discussing materia and mako with the woman but tifa silently raged on. Marlene was the first to try and lighten the mood.
"tifa come play with us……" the girl hummed as she pulled the woman's arm "Denzel and I want you to. "
"Not now sweetie I don't feel well" the woman was trying to be nice. "go play with yuffie she seems bored."
"don't worry you don't actually have to play…. Just let us talk to you" Denzel was now in the conversation. Tifa had not noticed before but he had grown up and it was obvious. Though he had tried to hide it for marlene's sake he was no longer a child. He was now quite the adult. "come on tifa…."
The two bumbled over to the woman and grabbed her hands unceremoniously and dragged her upstairs.
"wow wonder where they're goin." Zack once again eyed the woman noticing that cloud had not come back within hours of tifa's return.
"don't bother them…….. tifa is in distress and the children are more than capable of handling that." Vincent spoke for the first time in almost four hours with surprising results. "and if you're wondering cloud is probably out riding. He leaves quite often. It's no surprise."
"gotcha." He sounded skeptical.
Koty then rose from his position. 'strife has not returned in over two hours….. this does not bode well. Id best see what the children have planned for tifa.' That in tow he followed shortly after the trio. 'what skeletons do you hide in your closets. I wonder.'
"tifa. What's wrong….. did he leave again." Denzel was being intentionally naïve for the sake of the emotionally disturbed barmaid.
"yeah. surprised….."
"don't be like that…….. you know he wouldn't just leave and never come back."
"no I don't…… that's what he wants to do……. I'm not gona stop him anymore. If he rides off a cliff I could care less…… I'm tired of playing tug of war……."
'perhaps what is happening is not tug of war but a lack of tension……' koty's thoughts were tense but he retained his silence. 'wait…. Something's wrong.'
"tifa…. Are you mad at him………" marlene's words though childish were bluntly and quite effectively sharp.
"yeah….." she wasn't going to lie again.
"don't be mad…. Give'em another shot.. he's shy."
"I know."
'shy or stupid……… strife is slightly too headstrong to be cleaver…………. Perhaps that is the reason for tifa's disdain…….' A shocking scream from yuffie following a head cracking slam of the front door against the downstairs wall snapped koty from his thoughts.
"what the hell…." cid was the first to react baring yuffies scream.
"sunuva." Barret.
"oh my" red
"this is bad" shelke
"oh my gosh" shera
"…… no……" Vincent.
"Christ….CLOUD!!!" And zack.
'this doesn't bode well….. she had better not leave that room.' Koty suddenly slams the door shut and bars it from the outside. "tifa I will return when I'm sure you and the children are safe" a clever lie but useful seeing as tifa could only scream in vain at the infuriating situation.
Downstairs was a panic but not by appearance. Zack knelt on the floor next to a large black silhouette. Barret held the sobbing yuffie back turned towards the scene. Vincent stood at the ready a nervous hand clenched into a fist. And the rest of them short of shelke who stood aside of Vincent made a circle around the figure.
"what has happened." Koty's alarmed voice turned dark as his arm began to resonate again with the ominous aura.
"its cloud……. We need some materia………… damit……." Zack was worried. His face portrayed his dismay however at the mention of materia cloud moved in protest.
"….no………." he managed to choke as he looked up. "tifa…… gota…….. tell….. tifa…" he attempted to crawl shoving zack aside.
"whoa… buddy you're messed up pretty bad… don't move……" zack attempted to settle the determined man.
"gota……. Tell her………… I………." he pulled himself from the floor and koty caught him upon his next descent.
"it is her presence you desire…….." koty spoke rhetorically as usual.
Cloud was obviously injured and the large piece of metal erupting from his abdomen was a testament to this fact. 'then my friend I shall retrieve her' his eyes told his promise to the blonde and he allowed cloud to collapse into the embrace of zack and Vincent.
"watch him…… yuffie…..no…… shelke would you mind watching the children they don't need to see this….." he issued a command to the young woman.
"of course…." She seemed confused by his sudden willingness to speak to her "understood."
The two traveled upstairs shelke noticing the vibrant glow of the man's left arm before he turned the knob on the door.
"koty……" tifa's voice was loud and harsh as a slap found its way to his right cheek. "don't ever do that again."
"there is no time for these childish antics……" koty sounded hostile. And it honestly frightened the woman.
"i'll watch the kids." Shelke gave a nod as she ushered them out. "hurry"
"what's going on." She was aiming her anger from the last few hours now directly at koty demanding an answer.
"its cloud……. He needs you……" he looked at the floor "we don't have time."
"well I don't need him tell him to go away."
"you don't seem to understand the severity of this situation." He was now angry and obviously impatient. This noted he lifted the fighter by the back of the shirt and dragged her down the stairs. "you're not requested you are required."
"put me down. Put me down now" she swung fists and feet only to realize that the man was inarguably too strong to down with hand to hand tactics. 'god he's like a brick wall. Oww'
"cloud no wait……. You're in no……." zack was shouting just down the stairs. "no… don't do this……" he sounded terrified.
"put me down." Tifa protested continuing to pummel her captor.
"as you wish" he dropped her with a fierce thud and tifa noticed zack. His hands were covered with blood and his eyes were streaming with tears moments before he ran out the door.
"wait…… what's going on?" she was worried now. Something was definitely amiss.
"it's him…….. he……… he heard you………." Vincent tried to stay emotionless and not pity the man who had to everyone's knowledge been hurt by tifa's words.
"good riddance" she was still angered with him and blew it off as a simple bar fight until yuffie from out of left field slapped her
"that's all you've got to say……….. he saved you…….. he …… he loved……….you…….. and all you're gona say good riddance………. Tifa he could die……" it was shocking news but it struck a nerve.
"die……" she felt the pressure of her heart double as it sank in her chest.
"yeah not too many people live with giant holes in their guts…….. it's a funny thing called mortality……. Now get your ass out there and help him…………. Go" yuffie practically dragged tifa outside to witness clouds struggle.
"cloud don't. don't do this buddy……. She didn't mean it…….. please you're gona get hurt. At least let me get a doctor to patch you up……………. Cloud……. CLOUD!!!!!!!!" zack panicked at the moment of the blonds collapse to the ground.
"cloud…….. oh……no…." her mistake hit her like a ton of bricks. "cloud!" she ran to him. Ran to cradle him. Ran to apologize to him. She ran to save him.
He was limp. Like a recently tenderized slab of meat. His face pale and his breath short. Zack's eyes shot to tifa for answers but even in such distress he seemed kind. He was just as terrified as her.
"no cloud don't move" she was scared to allow him to continue and to her surprise he stopped though whether or not for her desire or a lack of ability remained inconclusive.
"I……. you said…… you didn't……… need me……………." He coughed again blood now staining the ground beneath him.
"I'm sorry……. I was just angry………… I didn't mean it please don't go……….." she was suddenly struck by the words she had said to the children earlier 'If he rides off a cliff I could care less…… I'm tired of playing tug of war…….' "no……….. cloud……… I love you don't go……….."
"I came………….. back for ………… this……………………. It was you tifa…………………… your all the colors I could never be………………………… I do want you but……." He lifted his hands and reached into his pockets as tifa slid next to his body to cradle his head in her lap.
"shhhhh…….. lie still" she tried to keep him from moving as she tossed zack a cura materia "here use this I'm gona try and take that out. Hold still…….. cloud don't move this is gona hurt."
"no…. you don't understand…………. I ………." He tried to get her to listen.
"cloud if we don't hurry…….. wha" she was shocked by a velvet like texture in her hand.
"I…….. wanted……………… to tell….you…… ughnnnn" he winced as he dropped from her hand "that I…………….." he swallowed hard telling tifa with his eyes that he was nervous. "that"
"just say it………………….." it was no use he was losing consciousness. "cloud no……… cloud stay with me………" she quickly grabbed the large chunk of metal and ripped it from his body. "you're gona tell me………. What it is you've wanted to say………… I'm not letting you leave till you do…………… zack do it"
"it's no good it's not strong enough." He screamed now showing an even more panicked face.
"stand aside………….." koty's voice echoed. "I will not abide this a second time. Not like this…….."
Suddenly he took from his hand a simple cure material and a cool green glow emanated from it.
"that's nowhere near gona cut it you dip" zack was frustrated
"stand back." Koty's eyes again gained their dark gloss. And the material began to surge with power. "tifa this is your burden not mine to bear………….. I have the power but it is not mine to control."
She looked into the dark orbs. Jet in color. Even zack's raven locks didn't compare to their darkness. She felt confused until the faint glow of mako that radiated the material was suddenly cast unto her.
"I'm not hurt cloud is don't waste that power" she tried to scold him
"but it's not a waste if it is not my power to use……….. curaigalla……." A strange word struck her ears and then she felt herself being drained.
It was intense. Like being electrocuted but without seizing. Her heart began to race and she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her face felt flushed and her head pounded ceaselessly with her rhythmic pulse. She began then to shake and her sides seemed to tighten to the point that she could barely breathe.
"ughhnnnnn" she placed a hand on her chest. "what's……… happening…………"
"I cannot save him but you can………. I am the conduit………… in words you say you don't need him………… in your heart you would die for him………………… this is the price of life…………"
"so I'm dying…………."
"no……………………." his voice was calm but his mouth did not move. As if he were speaking through telepathy. "you shall both live……… I will make sure of that."
The feeling persisted for several minutes. Turning her to ash with every second of its passing. It wasn't long until she felt that her veins would rupture and her blood would paint circles with clouds in a last ditch effort to be with him. 'please make it stop………. I can't stand knowing ………. He………….'
"he will not die…." Koty's voice echoed in her mind. "and neither will you….."
"what's happening."
"awaken."
She was then violently shaken back to her senses and returned from the brink of oblivion. Almost as if drowning she gasped for air. Her lungs felt fire from the humid air and she looked to behold clouds torso untouched his face now pale but not deathly so. He was fine. Zack however was freaked out.
"I just………. Saw him…………. There's no way……. Even material of high quality can't do that." He stared at koty who oddly enough seemed weary.
The man had no injury nor seemed to even be dirty. But his eyes now shown with affection and pride and a sense of exhaustion that was as palpable as the rain that fell. He crumpled and doubled over.
"what tha…… hey are you alright." Zack tried to lift him
"its okay…….. I like the rain." The man said as he fell onto his back.
'koty what did you just do…..' it wasn't until several painstakingly long minutes later that she discovered the velvet texture in her hand again. 'what's this.' It was a small box.
