AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, first things first. Thank you for all the reviews, seriously they are what keeps me writing. If it weren't for you guys I would of given this thing up a long time ago. Okay this chapter is a bit on the psycho side. No hard partying or anything but kinda hardcore. In fact the person who can get where I got the second scene from gets a little bit of inside info on the plot (I'll give a secret about where its heading). On a side note; if you're a Youtube fan, go and watch Without You and Hero by Mariah Carey from her 1996 concert at the Tokyo Dome. Some of the most powerful and emotionally stirring live performances I've seen. If your not into that sort of music (tear-jerker ballads with huge high notes and octave jumping) you might want to give it a skip. Just thought I'd share it with ya.
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It seemed like an eternity since New Year's Eve, yet it had probably only been a month. Life had pretty much returned to the way it was for Cloud. He still walked to Shinra with Zack, then the two of them would go to class with Aerith. He still gave his mother a kiss before he left and when he came home. He still couldn't understand didly squat in Math. However, one thing was different.
Cloud was now in a relationship, not a frivolous explosion of teenage hormones, a true relationship with a woman he truly felt a connection with and this woman's name was Tifa Lockheart.
Even though rumours of how the notorious Tifa Lockslut had struck again and engaged with another "innocent", and intelligent guy with an amazing amount of potential, Cloud didn't care. He had known for months already that he was in love with her, and he trusted her. That and they had already discussed the nasty rumours that followed Tifa.
At present, they were relaxing on a patch of grass that remained green dispite the winter. Her head rested on his chest, feeling the heavy rise and fall as he inhaled and exhaled. He was reminded of the last time they had laid together like this, at Christmas.
'Do you ever think of the irony of life?' he asked her.
Tifa slowly pushed herself into a sitting position and flipped her hair. 'Depends on what you mean by irony.'
'Stop that,' Cloud said, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Tifa laughed. 'Okay, I don't have a clue where you're going with this, so get to the point!'
'Come here,' Cloud said sofly, taking her face in his hands.
The kiss was light and gentle. Cloud loved how different Tifa was from Jessie, the only other girl he had been with. She didn't play possessive games with him, she didn't feel the need to be around him all the time, she let him have his own space. They had fought, over silly things, but that was normal, but she put up with his shit and he hers. Theirs was a relationship of mutual comfort. Neither pushed the other and they simply contented in each other's company.
As they broke apart, Tifa spoke. 'You still haven't told me what irony you were talking about.'
Cloud smiled. 'It's stupid, forget I said it.'
'But I wanna know,' Tifa said with a coy smile.
Cloud let out a small chuckle. 'I still remember the first time I saw you, you know?'
'Go on,' Tifa said.
'That day on the fields, I was so fucked I couldn't think straight! And then the most beautiful human being I've seen in my life walks past and just looked so sexy with her cigarette. And then the first time we spoke, on a damn horrible rainy day, with Kunsel.'
Cloud could see Tifa was getting confused by what he was saying.
'What I mean is,' he explained quickly. 'Had you told me then how close we would become, I'd probably say you've been smoking your socks. But here we are, and what were the odds that I'd know your grandad, you see what I'm getting at?'
Tifa nodded. 'I know what you mean. Back then, I never thought I'd find someone like you. All I saw was a this awkwardly cute blonde nerd. If we hadn't spoken after that day, I would never know what I'd just missed out on.'
'Awkwardly cute blonde nerd? Is that what you thought about me?' Cloud asked in surprise. 'Is that really what you thought about me?'
Tifa laughed. 'I'm not making fun of you or anything! I'm just telling you what I saw then. Just as well I don't judge a book by it's cover!'
'That has got to be the most tired and over-used cliche known to man!' Cloud groaned.
'I wouldn't lose any sleep over it,' Tifa said dismissively. 'So what was your impression of me when you first saw me?'
'Well, obviously I thought you were hot! But I dunno, you looked kinda...scary!'
'Say what?'
'No, like a sensual sort of scary. Like intimidating in a sexy sorta way,' Cloud tried to explain, but just couldn't find the right words.
'Do you mean I looked intimidating because I was pretty? Or that I looked unapproachable and that turned you on?'
'The first option! Kinda like that Angelina Jolie of sexy,' Cloud replied. 'I mean if Kunsel hadn't introduced us, I would have never have spoken to you.'
Tifa looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. 'I...don't know what to make of that.'
'Maybe it's the boobs,' Cloud suggested brightly, patting one of her breasts.
Tifa gave a large guffaw. 'Shut up! Trust me it's not so easy to lug these girls around all day! Have you got any idea how heavy they are?'
'Well, they are 38 DDs, so I'm assuming it's like carrying around two bags of sand on your chest,' Cloud said, with a thoughtful look.
'Fuck you and you're technical engineering mind!' Tifa said. 'And how do you know what size I am? The one time we had sex I wasn't wearing a bra.'
Cloud flushed at the memory. He had been sober at the time, but he had still exclaimed, 'How the fuck do these things stay up without support?!'.
'Uhm, that time you were still with Vincent and he tossed your bra at me, I kinda looked to see what size.'
'Cloud! You sick, psycho perv!' Tifa exclaimed, hitting him playfully. 'That's sick!'
'Hey, I was dying of curiousity! I knew they were gigantic, but I wanted to know just how big they actually were, and there was no way in hell I was gonna ask you outright!' Cloud protested.
'Cloud why are we even discussing my boobs right now?'
'Well, its your own fault for having those massive chest-rockets!'
'Don't act like you don't enjoy them!'
'Oh, I do,' Cloud assured her, rubbing one appreciatively.
'Y'know, when I was a kid, I'd pray for boobs so big I wouldn't be able to see my toes. I was about fifteen and still flat chested, then they just exploded and didn't stop, and now I'm stuck with these massive jugs!' Tifa said reflectively.
'Wow, God definitely was listening to you!' Cloud said in wonder. 'But I'm sure its in your genes somewhere.'
'That's the weird thing! I have no clue where these came from! I checked all those old family portraits and stuff and none of those women had no boobs!'
They fell into a thoughtful silence, then looked at each other and burst out laughing.
'I cannot believe we just spent the last ten minutes discussing you boobs!' Cloud said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.
'It just shows how comfortable we are around each other,' Tifa said sagely. 'But we are never speaking of this again!
'Amen to that!' Cloud agreed. 'I'm tired of just laying here, let's go somewhere else.'
Tifa gave a shrug of assent and stood up, playfully helping Cloud to his feet and they set off.
They had barely reached the main area of campus, when Kunsel came rushing towards them.
'Yo, Cloud something big is going down!' he said urgently.
'Uhm, now's not really the time Kunsel,' Cloud replied, gazing uneasily at Tifa, who also looked a little irritated.
'Dude! It's Jessie! Look since you two broke up She's gone totally crazy! She's not eating or even coming out of her dorm room!'
That was news to him, he had been unaware Jessie stayed at the dorm room, although he was sure she mentioned it. He had probably zoned out at the time.
'Well what do you expect me to do about it?' Cloud asked.
'I dunno!' Kunsel said in frustration. 'We tried talking to her, but she just blows us off and won't let anyone into her room. Not even Biggs and Wedge!'
Even Tifa looked slightly curious, but her face betrayed little else.
Cloud was still feeling guilty about the break-up. 'Okay, take me to her room.'
XXX
'You sure this is the right place?' Cloud asked Kunsel, after the young man had led him and Tifa to Jessie's dorm room.
Kunsel nodded. 'I kinda forgot to mention it to you, but Jessie's been taking some pill called Rapinol. I think that's why she's gone bonkers! That stuff messes you up!'
Cloud looked at Tifa with a worried expression, if Jessie had been taking pills and acting strangely for the last month, it was all his fault.
'I'll try and speak to her,' Cloud promised moving to the door. 'Stay here,' he said sharply as Tifa made to follow him.
Tifa's face told him nothing.
Cloud braced himself and took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
'Jessie?'
'Fuck off!'
Cloud winced at the harshness in her voice. He hadn't come all this way for nothing, though.
'Look, Jessie. It's me-' he tried
'How the fuck am I supposed to know who "me" is?' Jessie's angry voice demanded.
Cloud flinched again. 'Cloud,' he whispered.
He was met with silence, then she answered. 'Come in, and shut the dooor behind you.'
Cloud took another deep breath, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Immediately a foul odor assaulted his nostrils. He wasn't sure what it was, but goddammit it stank! He fought the urge to cover his nose and blinked his watering eyes, and forced himself to look at Jessie.
If she had looked bad on New Year's, Satan himself would wince at her appearance now. Her face was gaunt and pasty. Her collar-bone stood in stark relied and her eyes were wide and blood-shot. Her hair resembled nothing so much as barbed wires.
'I thought I told you to shut the door,' she whispered dangerously. Cloud hurriedly did as he was told. He could scarcely believe the woman in front of him was the Jessie, she looked like a ghoul.
'Now what the fuck do you want?' she demanded.
Cloud gulped. 'I wanted to talk,' he said slowly.
'About what?' she cut across him. 'Was embarassing me in front of the whole world not enough for you? Was cheating on me not insulting enough for your taste? No, here to come rub it in, are you?' she gave a deranged, humourless laugh.
Cloud resisted the urge to correct her assumption of his infedility, he figured it best not to antagonise her further. He fought the voice that was screaming 'she's gone totally bonkers!' in his head. 'Look Jessie, you've been acting strange lately, Kunsel and the others were getting worried-'
'And they thought sending you would help?' Jessie interupted giving another manic laugh. 'The person I least wanted to see is the one they send!'
Cloud noticed for the first time that she had an uneaten plate of chicken on her plate.
'Well, Jessie, I think you'll find Cloud here has an annoyingly well-developed conciounce,' came a voice.
Cloud turned to see Tifa standing in the doorway, a smirk in place. 'You see, you go and fuck yourself up and he decides its his fault,' she continued.
'What the fuck are you doing in here!' Jessie shrieked. 'Get the fuck outta my room!'
'Jeez calm the fuck down,' Tifa replied, calmly striding into the room and closing the door behind her.
'Security!' Jessie shouted.
'Are you sure you want to do that Jessie?' Tifa replied calmly, as Cloud looked panic-striken. 'I'm sure there's shit in here that you definitely don't want them seeing.'
Cloud saw Jessie's eyes dart wildy to the teddy bear she had on the dresser. Jessie gulped and closed her mouth.
Tifa's smirk widened. 'So you're not as stupid as you fucking look, huh Jessie?'
'Shut the fuck up! Get the fuck out of my room!' Jessie screamed at her, but Tifa ignored her.
'So you don't eat either huh?' Tifa said, glancing disdainfully at the chicken.
'What the fuck is this then, you fucking whore?' Jessie yelled.
'Then eat it,' Tifa replied calmly.
'I don't have to do anything in front of you,' Jessie spat.
Cloud looked at the chicken, it did look rather unappetising
"Why don't you eat the stuff at the cafeteria?" He asked, perhaps noticing for the first time.
Jessie scoffed. "You expect me to eat the trash they feed us here? No thanks, I like my own stuff. My dad owns a deli."
"You're bullshitting us Jessie!" Tifa spat. "You always buy food! But that's the fucking point! You buy the food but you don't eat it, you never eat it!" She took a moment to glance around in disgust. "Why does it STINK in here?!"
"If I have to ask you to fucking leave one more time-"
"Are you sure you want us to leave so badly?" Tifa cut in calmly.
"Since you got here, all you've done is insult me and patronise me! Why the fuck wouldn't I want you out of my fucking room?!" Jessie answered angrily.
Whatever answer Jessie was expecting, it definitely wasn't the one she got from Tifa.
"Because I have something you want."
Jessie blanched at the words. She went stiff and her face paled even more.
Tifa, however, was not done talking. "Unless of course, you don't want it. In that case, I think we better leave now Cloud, since she wants us out so badly."
She turned to leave with a malicious smirk on her face. Cloud, still in shock, made to follow her.
Jessie shook, then shouted after them. "Okay fine!" She yelled, looking on the verge of tears. "Assholes!" She said, taking the teddy of the table and pulled its head unceremoniously off. She reached inside it and pulled out a bag of what looked like red sweets.
She practically threw it at Tifa, who grinned and pulled out a packet of green tablets from her bra.
"Here you go," she said, tossing them to Jessie, who immediately pulled one out and took it, not even bothering to drink water.
She gulped and groaned. Tifa used the opportunity to duck near the bottom of the bed.
"What are you doing? No stop!" Jessie shouted, but it was too late.
"Oh my fuck!" Tifa sniggered. "Well, Jessie you're even more fucked up than I thought! Come check this shit out Cloud!" She said gleefully.
Cloud took one look then looked away in disgust, feeling on the verge of losing his lunch.
"Well at least we know why it smells so bad in here," Tifa said. "Well, let's get out of here," she finished, walking out without even a glance at Jessie's horro-striken face.
Cloud took one last glance at the contents under the bed, then followed her.
It was platter after platter of rotting chicken.
XXX
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, first off I don't think Jessie really deserved that, but the next chapter will show why that scene was so important. Its a bit of a shocker that this chapter started off so sweet but ended on such a sour note. I guess we see what a bitch Tifa can be as well. I suppose Cloud needed to see that she isn't perfect and has flaws as well. As always please review!
