Chapter Two

After dinner, in which Cloud entertained his tenants about his life in the International Criminal Police Organization, he finished dinner and decided to take a bath.

Cloud reclined on a large rock as he allowed the hot springs to work their magic on him. His hair was wet above his head and his eyeglasses were nearby, resting on a folded washcloth.

He started to doze off when he heard the other boys' voices coming from the changing room. Minutes later, Sasuke, Jiro, Kyo, Kurama, Alex, and Riku enter the hot springs. They saw that the American man was there and joined him in the bath. He wasn't Sakura after all. On top of that, he wasn't a lecherous female in Kyo's eyes.

Sasuke noticed Cloud's eyeglasses resting nearby. "You got bad eyesight?"

"Something like that," Cloud replied mildly. "I can see fine, but whenever I try to read something, the words are blurry."

"Me too," Sasuke said as he sighed, allowing the waters to engulf his body.

"My Mama is also a martial artist," Alex said with pride in his voice. "She also teaches Archaeology at Okayama University."

"Your mother?" Cloud's eyebrows wrinkled. "Is your mother's name Professor Asamiya? I know her. Aside from being a martial artist, I sometimes teach a class on criminology there."

Sasuke blinked. "YOU work at Okayama University? I'm trying to go there, once I pass the entrance exams that is."

"As I've said, it's part-time. I teach a class there three times a month." He allows himself a small grin. "Guess it pays off to be an ex-Interpol agent. Tifa, however, is content with the school and the bar."

"How did you two meet?" Riku asked.

"At a martial arts tournament, five years ago. I was with the International Criminal Police Organization at the time and I was going after the tournament's host, a man by the name of Sephiroth." Cloud paused for a moment. "He killed my mother."

The gathered silence showed that he had their complete attention, so Cloud continued with his story.

"In order to fight him, I had to go through the best fighters in the world, until there was one more left. I thought that he would fall like all the others. But I was wrong. Even going through a six-foot-eight wrestler from Australia, she still defeated me and later on, went on to defeat Sephiroth." A sardonic grin crept across his face. "I should have been happy. Instead, I was mad at Tifa for defeating Sephiroth. Then a year later, she and her friend were in Washington DC…"

Cloud had sent her a challenge through Alice Tsukagami, telling Tifa to meet her in front of an abandoned building that overlooked the city. When he arrived at the designated location, Tifa was already there. And she was alone, still in her usual fighting attire, looking over the city of Washington DC.

"I like the view here," Tifa said as she turned around, facing her opponent. "Very serene and peaceful." She tucked her thumbs into her belt. "But you didn't come here to admire the scenery. You came for a fight, right?"

"Enough talk!" Cloud spat out. "Get ready!!"

"I fought her again," Cloud continued. "And like before, I let my anger get the best of me."

"Haou Shoukou Ken!!"

[WHAM!]

The impact of the massive chi energy slammed into Cloud, sending him flying into the side of a tree, knocking the wind out of him.

"Why are you holding back?" Tifa asked.

Cloud glared at her. "I'm NOT holding back! I'll get you yet!!"

Tifa shook her head. "You're hurt, Detective Strife. This match is over." After looking into his eyes, she asked him, "What have I done to you? Why are you so mad at me?"

Holding his side, Cloud managed to get to his knees. "You…you took my chance of getting revenge for my mother!!"

Tifa frowned. "How did I do that?"

"Sephiroth. HE KILLED MY MOTHER!!"

"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss," Tifa said with genuine sympathy. "You may be good, but you weren't ready to fight him."

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?! I COULD HAVE BEATEN HIM!!"

"How can you beat him when I alone am too much for you?" Tifa retorted. "He would have killed you and your mother's death would have gone unavenged."

"SHUT UP!!" Cloud screamed as he lunged at Tifa, fist raised. Tifa calmly sidestepped the blow. She then parried several of his blows before tossing him to the ground.

Cloud looked at her with nothing but hatred in his eyes. "I HATE YOU!!!"

Tifa looked at the man and shook her head. "I pity you, Detective Strife. Hatred and pride can take you so far that it consumes you. Believe me, I know firsthand what it can do because it almost destroyed me."

Cloud's next comment died on his tongue as he noticed the sadness in her voice.

"As I've said, you're not ready because you let your rage control you," Tifa continued. "Let go of your hatred, Detective. Let go of your hate, your anger, and your rage. Once those are gone, then you will be unstoppable."

She walked past him. She then stopped and added, "Once you have mastered yourself, come to Japan and find me at the Murakumo Shrine Grounds outside of Kyoto. I will grant you your rematch."

She then left, leaving Cloud to weep bitterly.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Cloud continued, "she was right. She was right about everything. So I devoted myself to my training and followed her advice. Then, about eight months later, I came here to Japan to find her. She was where she said she was going to be, the old Kyokugen Dojo."

Murakumo Shrine Grounds, Japan. Cloud stood in front of his opponent. He was wearing his sleeveless ninja armor while his opponent was dressed in a red high-neck sporty jacket with a single line at the center, a white short-sleeved undershirt, black shorts, white socks, and white sneakers with matching designs. Watching from the sidelines were grandmasters of the Kyokugenryu Karate, Rashard Zangan, Chai Zangan, Tifa's friend Alice Tsukagami, and Tifa's young ward Denzel.

Cloud had arrived on the birthday of Master Zangan. He had to wait until the following day in order to get his match.

The two fighters squared off, giving the other no quarter. Cloud noticed that Tifa's skills had increasingly improved, while Tifa noticed that Cloud had taken her advice to heart, giving her a run for her money.

However, the outcome was something that neither person had expected.

A draw.

Cloud ended up dislocating Tifa's shoulder, injuring his ankle in the process. Seeing that no one was good enough to continue, Zangan and Chai ended the match.

"Turns out that I cracked my ankle," Cloud explained. "To tell you the truth, I really don't care. I was so exhausted, I passed out. When I woke up the next day, Tifa was there."

Groaning to himself, Cloud opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Tifa, seated in a chair, looking out the window. She then turned her attention back to him. "You're finally awake. You sleep like the dead," she said with a lopsided grin.

Cloud noticed that Tifa was in casual clothes: a floral pattern dress with lace, leather boots and a silver pendant with a black leather jacket. Her arm was in a sling. Cloud realized that he was still dressed in his ninja armor, but saw that his bruises and ankle were properly dressed and tended to.

"How long was I out?" he asked, sitting up. He then noticed that his hair was undone.

"A day." She smiles at him again, a complete contrast to the alluring girl that has bested him twice in combat. "I really should thank you, Detective. It's been a while since someone has made me fight with my all."

"Cloud," he replied. "My name is Cloud."

"Cloud," Tifa repeated. "Nice name." Off his surprised look, Tifa continued. "Yes, I'm American as well. I can also speak in Japanese. I also speak in Korean, Chinese, and German." She mentioned his bandaged ankle. "You cracked your ankle in our last match. You need some time to heal." She stood up. "Consider yourself a guest of the Kyokugen Dojo. If you need anything, feel free to ask." She pointed to a pair of crutches nearby. "Those are for you, should you need to get around the place."

Cloud reclined against the rock. "To tell you the truth, I really didn't know why I decided to stay after my ankle healed," he said, smiling. "There was something different about her, aside from the fact that she's American like me. Falling for her was the last thing I had planned, but I did."

Everyone was now interested in the story that Cloud was telling them.

"We got married in a private ceremony in America," Cloud explained. "Afterwards, I settled my affairs in Washington DC and moved here. I suggested to her that we should open a bar and grill and a school for martial arts here and she agreed."

Kyo couldn't take it anymore and quickly departed from the hot springs.

"Sorry about Kyo," Jiro apologized. "His big brother had relinquished his position as the Shihan of the Matsushiro Samurai School to him."

Cloud feigned surprise. "I didn't know that," he said. Having worked numerous undercover cases had allowed him to lie with a straight face. "It must have been hard for him."

'I should get an award for this,' Cloud thought. 'I think I could give Genesis Rhapsodos a run for his money with acting.'

"So how long are you going to be the landlord?" Sasuke asked.

"Two months," Cloud replied, "but my wife is also coming and we will split the responsibilities of running the dorm. I'm also good at construction repairs. I taught her some of it, but I enjoy working with my hands."

'Just what we need,' Sasuke thought darkly. 'Another woman inside the dorm.'

"As I've said," Cloud replied, "she will be here along with Sakura tomorrow." He stood up and stepped out of the hot springs, with Jiro eyeing Cloud's abs with a slightly envious glare. Cloud took his bathrobe and slipped it over his waist. Wrapping a towel around his head, he bid the tenants farewell and left the hot springs.

As soon as he left, Jiro pouted. "No fair. His abs are better than mine."

Sasuke sighed. "I don't know, Jiro. There's something about him that makes me feel uneasy."

In the coming days, Sasuke would find out that he was right.