Hey guys, here's the new chapter! I apologize for the four month disappearance. Also, I'd like to make a request. Yesterday, December 14, a man armed with some handguns went into an elementary school in Connecticut and killed 26 people, 6 adults and 20 children. Please, despite whatever religion you are or if you are atheist, please pray for the families that lost their little angels. Thank you. On a happier note, I discovered a new band called Imagine Dragons. You should check them out, they're awesome! :D

*EDIT* I would also like to thank TykkiMikk and Irish-Brigid for giving me some input about the story even though the update was posted mere hours ago. TykkiMikk, thank you for suggesting I lengthen out the story, I totally agree the chapters need some more length. And Brigid, you caught THE MOST EMBARRASSING GRAMMAR SLIP UP I'VE EVER POSTED. Even though I found it before your comment, I appreciate the heads up. :D 3

The morning mountain air was crisp with a little bite to it, causing Cloud to give a shiver beneath his jacket and readjusted the straps on his knapsack as he trudged down one of the few streets in Nibelheim. Next to him, trotting along with a cheerful energetic bounce in his step was Zack. The two were making their way down the road towards a large low building. Cloud gave off a disgruntled aura at the sight of the building while Zack continued on next to him, oblivious to his friend's demeanor.

"Are you ready for Ms. Rigs' class?" asked Zack.

"No. I don't think she knows how to teach," muttered Cloud. Zack looked at him curiously.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well," Cloud started, "she's not really from around here, we all know that. She tries to teach the local history, but she doesn't really know it, and then she expects us to cough up everything she told us onto paper even though we know it's not true. If any of us try and correct her, she goes into these fits. I don't want to deal with that… Besides, everyone knows the local history ten times better than she does. I could even teach the class better than she does!"

Zack smiled at the Cloud's last comment. "I'd like to see that. Boy, would that be entertaining!" He gave a loud laugh as he jumped over a puddle in the muddy road. "You'd probably freeze up the second you made it to the front of the room! And even if you didn't, I bet your voice would squeak when you realized that one of the girls watching you is pretty little Ti— oof!"

Zack doubled over from the swift punch in the gut from a red faced Cloud. He stopped in the middle of the road and wheezed for a few seconds before straightening up and jogging back up to Cloud who had continued towards their school. Zack's long legs easily caught up with Cloud's shorter ones. The older boy wasn't done yet.

"Oh? Did I hit a nerve?" he teased. Cloud did not reply. The black haired boy gave his blonde friend a friendly nudge with his elbow. "Come on, you know I'm just messing with you, man."

Cloud glanced at him from the corner of his eye, a faint twitch of the corner of his mouth and an easy look told Zack he was forgiven. The two continued down the road for a ways. They had almost reached the building when Zack spoke up again.

"But, dude, I gotta ask. Why don't you make a move?"

Cloud once again did not reply and instead quickened his pace with a small frown, pulling ahead of Zack and walking up the school entrance stairs before walking through some double doors. By the time Zack made it into the building, Cloud was disappearing around the corner of one of the hallways that broke off from the main corridor. The blonde turned and quietly called "See you later, Zack."

Zack watched him fully disappear around the corner before shrugging and heading to his first class of the day.

Cloud walked through the doorway to his first class of the day. Out of all the desks in the room, only a few were occupied with students quietly chatting before the school day started. He walked to the row of desks closest to the clouded windows and chose a seat behind the front row, dropping his knapsack next to the desk. He plopped down into the seat with a huff, leaning back and letting his long legs stick out and one of his long arms hang over the metal bar holding the chair to the desk as he waited for class to start. He glanced at the clock above the blackboard at the front of the room.

Ten minutes before class starts… he thought to himself. He turned his head to look through the dirty windows. A tree stood outside the window. The leaves were different hues of reds, oranges, and yellows; the light streaming through the leaves left the colors reflected on the tile floor of the classroom.

Before long, the rest of the class started to leak into the room and take their seats. A flash of dark brown hair in his peripheral caught Cloud's attention. He snuck a glance to his right to see the familiar face of the girl from the market as she sat down at the front of the room in the center aisle. He watched as she pulled out a notebook from her own school bag and started to write down the date in the corner of a blank page. They had shared this class for the whole year, and Cloud hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her. Something about her had drawn his attention and kept it on her. Cloud's quiet and introverted personality had prevented him from approaching her. Feeling his gaze, she turned around, making eye contact. Cloud quickly broke the connection and busied himself with meticulously pulling a notebook out of his bag.

"Hey, Tifa!" a voice called out from the doorway. The girl turned towards the source of the sound with a smile. Two other girls approached and they all started to chat. Cloud listened from his seat, not feeling remorseful at eavesdropping.

"Are you excited for the trip?" one of the new girls exclaimed, flicking her blonde hair behind her shoulder. Tifa delicately frowned.

"What trip, Eleanor?" she asked. The other girl with light brown hair stepped forward.

"You forgot, Tifa? This class is going to be taking a field trip to the mako reactor at the top of Mount Nibel two weeks from now," she explained, quirking a brow at her friend's forgetfulness. Tifa gave a small smile at the expression.

"I remember now, Shera. I've just had a lot on my mind."

Before Shera or Eleanor could reply, a woman in her late forties marched into the room with an air of authority. She looked around the room.

"Class is starting. Get in your seats now," she ordered and continued to the front of the room. Eleanor and Shera moved to their seats as Tifa – and Cloud – turned to the front of the room. The woman grabbed a piece of chalk and started scratching away on the board.

"Now," she started without turning to the class. "Who can tell me the importance of the mako reactor at Mount Nibel's peak?"

Tifa lifted her hand into the air before the rest of class.

"Yes, Ms. Lockhart?" said the teacher without turning.

"The mako reactor at the peak was established by ShinRa in 1979. It brings energy to the entire Nibel region. Um, it's also a source of jobs for several hundred people here in Nibelheim," Tifa finished listing off. The teacher finished writing with a sharp tap on the board and turned towards the class. She gave a short nod.

"Very good, Ms. Lockhart."

Tifa gave a happy grin. A few boys in the back shared exasperated looks and laughed at her quick answer, mimicking the way her hand had shot into the air. She turned slightly and sent them a glare before facing the front again, earning a few more laughs. Cloud gave a small frown at their actions.

The class continued on with few interruptions, although the boys at the back continued with the occasional taunt at Tifa. The bell signaled the end of class and the students started packing up to continue to their next classes. Cloud was just slinging his knapsack across his shoulder when a small commotion by the door caught his attention. Looking up, he spotted the boys from earlier surrounding Tifa. One with bright red hair came up and got in her face, a rude smile on his face. He had to lean down to do it; he was a good foot and a half taller than the girl.

"You think you're so smart, huh, Lockhart? You think that because your father is the mayor," he growled, giving Tifa a hard poke in the shoulder. She jerked back with a glare.

"Stop it, Johnny. I don't think I'm better than any of you," she snapped at him. "It's your own fault that you aren't getting good grades in this class. It's not my fault you always waste your time smoking behind the school and drinking."

"Why you –" Johnny growled and pushed her back. Tifa bumped against the wall, her textbook falling onto the ground from her arms. Johnny took a step forward, but was suddenly blocked from moving towards Tifa. Cloud had moved into the middle of the dispute, standing in front of Tifa to block her from the antagonizing teenage boys. He glared up at Johnny, ignoring the fact that he was so much taller than himself.

"Eh?" said Johnny with mock surprise. "What do you think you're doing, little Cloudy? Protecting your girl?" Cloud didn't answer but instead continued to glare at the redhead. Johnny backed up slightly with a grin and turned to his companions before laughing, "Isn't that cute?"

"Leave her alone," said Cloud, mustering up as much serious tone as he could. "She hasn't done anything to you."

"What would you know about what she has or hasn't done, Strife?" asked Johnny slyly. His friends started to laugh as Cloud turned around and bent to pick up Tifa's dropped textbook. He shoved it into her hands and wrapped a hand around her upper arm. He pulled her from the room with him, keeping himself between her and the other boys as they headed out the door. He ignored the catcalls as he strode down the hall, Tifa jogging to keep up with his long legs. Rounding a corner, he stopped and let go of her arm. As she rubbed the spot he had grabbed her, Cloud turned his back to her and stared out the window, trying to keep his temper in check as his blue eyes blazed. Tifa looked carefully at the boy. She shared a class with him, had seen him at the market, and had gone with her father to his residence when the boy's mother had said her son was missing. Tifa knew his last name was Strife, but she didn't know his first name. Johnny had said "Cloudy". She slowly up crept next to him, quietly watching his angry face as he gazed ahead. He looked so angry she was afraid to speak up, but she summoned enough courage to speak.

"Th-thank you," she whispered. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Man, his face is like a mask, she thought to herself as she made out no change in expression. She tried again.

"Thank you for standing up for me. I thought Johnny was going to hurt me," she murmured. His hard expression softened slightly and he gave a small nod before glancing back out the window. Tifa cleared her throat.

"What… what's your name?" she questioned him. He crossed his arms and look down at the ground. All was quiet for a few moments before he quietly said his name.

"Cloud."

She was surprised at how different his voice was from several minutes before. It was quiet and deep with a hint of rough gravel at the lower tones, nothing like the voice that had shouted out at Johnny and his gang. The warning bell rang out, startling the two of them. Cloud turned to face her. Blue eyes met red eyes. Tifa gave a small smile and turned in the direction of her new class. Before she started to walk away she glanced back at the blonde boy.

"It was nice to meet you, Cloud."

Cloud nodded in reply and watched as she walked down the hall. Once she turned around the corner, he looked back at the window and allowed a tiny smile to grace his lips. He started to head to his next class, thinking to himself.

Zack isn't going to believe this!