Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Calamity's Child ❯ Calamity's Child 6 ( Chapter 6 )

Cloud swung his leg back over Fenrir; glad to be heading home. He liked being back at work, but he missed Rune while he was out. At least he was his own boss, and could make sure there was no reason to leave his son overnight. Maybe in the future, when the boy was a bit older, he'd start his deliveries to the other continents again, but for now, he'd stick to Edge and Kalm, and the areas in between. The WRO and Reeve gave him more than enough work to keep him busy anyway.

Tomorrow he'd be going to the WRO headquarters again; he knew Reeve would be happy to see Rune, and Barrett and Cid would be back from the Northern continent, hopefully with some good news. They were the only members of Avalanche - besides Vincent - who hadn't met his son. He had no idea how Cid felt about kids, but he knew that Barrett even with his rough demeanour, turned into a teddy bear around kids. Vincent would just have to be told whenever he resurfaced.

The trip back was quick, and he was greeted by Yuffie and Marlene. Tifa had had to open the bar, so she was downstairs, and Yuffie (with Marlene's eager help) was watching over Rune. Cloud had been very hesitant about leaving the Wutai in charge at first, but she surprisingly made a good babysitter. And Marlene was a great assistant - running around for bottles or diapers when needed.

“Oh, look Rune, is that da-da?” The Wutai was making faces at the child again, and Rune was laughing, apparently as content with her as with his father. Cloud felt a twinge of jealousy, but pushed it down. It's not like he could keep his son all to himself, and it would seem strange for him to be too attached. So he just calmly held his arms out, and Yuffie gently handed Rune over. He squealed happily and reached for the wolf on his pauldron, a favourite grabbing thing currently. The ring was a bit heavy, but his small hands would still try to wrap around it.

“Was he okay for you today?” The boy was starting to get more mobile, and with his increased movement, his nervousness at leaving him behind rose. Thankfully Yuffie had more than enough energy to keep up with him.

“Of course silly! He's always a doll. Poor little guy will cry for you at first, but Marlene and I find ways to distract him easily enough.”

Cloud couldn't see that being too hard - the rooms above the bar had been baby-proofed in his first days back, and between himself and the two women there were toys and baby supplies scattered all over. The first few nights, if he had to get up to tend to Rune, he had found himself sprawled on the floor after tripping over something of his son's. At least it had been in his own room so no one saw him fall.

With Rune safely in hand, he decided to go downstairs for some dinner. Tifa would yell about him bringing the baby into the bar area; but he was hungry, and it wouldn't be that crowded yet. Besides, it would be about time for Rune's dinner, and he could heat up Rune's bottle while Tifa was making his own dinner.

When he entered the bar, however, he almost turned and went back upstairs. Reno and Rude were sitting at the bar; Reno attempting to steal bottles of beer, and Rude pulling him back into his seat by his ponytail. Tifa was ignoring both of them; apparently counting on the bald Turk to keep his partner in line. Cloud would have left, except that he knew it would just make things worse. They were Turks; trained for espionage. It wasn't like he could keep his son hidden from them forever, and if he tried that would get them curious. A curious Turk was never a good thing - he'd actually prefer a curious Yuffie to that.

Both men glanced up and then went back to their drinks. Cloud waited patiently for realization to set in, and he didn't have to wait long before - predictably - Reno spun back around, eyebrows raised.

“Yo, Cloud, where'd the kid come from?” Reno was half out of the chair, looking like he wanted to get closer, but understandably wary about the sword strapped to Cloud's back. Rude was calm, but behind the shades it was impossible to figure out what he was thinking.

“I've decided to take care of him. He doesn't have anyone else.”

Reno scoffed at that, apparently unconcerned about the orphan problem, but that hair was distinctive, and Yuffie had told him about the random help and supplies the kids in Edge were getting. “So what, you thought you'd disappear for a few months and turn back up with some kid to raise? What'd Tifa think about that? She happy playing mom?”

Rude elbowed his partner sharply, but the redhead shrugged it off. Then again, he was probably used to the other man's attempts to shut him up.

“No, I'm not expecting her to `play mom' - she just watches him occasionally when I have deliveries.” He was annoyed; it was not the Turks business what happened between himself and Tifa. Still, at least he was focused on that, rather than Rune's parentage. What was the saying? `Don't look a gift chocobo in the mouth?' That certainly applied here. If there was one person, or group, that he didn't want knowing any of the truth, it was Rufus and the Turks. They would find some way to exploit him or his son, and that wasn't something he was willing to tolerate. The pair should consider themselves lucky he didn't kick them out of the bar.

Unfortunately, it was Tifa's bar, and she didn't seem to care they were there. And they had been helpful with evacuating Midgar and helping build Edge. There were also Reeve's hints that the WRO funding came from Rufus. So he would grudgingly deal with them being there and asking intrusive questions.

“Huh. Well, then...I suppose as long as she doesn't have a problem with it, then we don't either. Right Rude?” Cloud couldn't really tell past the shades, but if he had to guess, it looked like Rude was...blushing? Well, at least that explained both their presence and why Tifa hadn't kicked them out.

Thankfully, before he was forced to respond, or worse, make small talk with them (or more accurately, listen to Reno's attempts at conversation) Tifa noticed he had come in. Or she finally decided to rescue him. “Cloud! You're back. I guess you boys are hungry?”

“Sure Teef - what's okay for me to take?”

“Hmm, there are some leftovers from the Costan we had for lunch, or you can grab some of the wings I have for tonight.”

Cloud eagerly went back into the kitchen, sitting Rune into the child seat they had bought for him. He started the water for Rune's meal while he searched for the wings Tifa mentioned. Soon enough they were both fed, and Rune's eyes started to drift closed. Cloud slipped out the back and up the stairs, since the bar was starting to get crowded. He put the boy down, and waited a few minutes, just watching him as he drifted off to sleep. The blond would have loved to linger and just watch Rune, but even if Tifa trusted the Turks in her bar, he wasn't sure he did, so he headed back down.

In the short hour he'd been taking care of Rune the bar had filled up quite a bit. It was much more popular than the original; partially because it was no longer in the slums, part because of Tifa, but mostly because the `heroes' frequented it. Some people wanted to get to know them; others just liked it for the protection it offered. At least most of their customers had gotten used to the fact that he simply didn't talk. He nodded a greeting at a few of the ones he recognized, and slipped behind the bar to get himself a beer.

“While you're back there, feel like grabbing one for me too?” Cloud ignored the redhead and took a few long gulps. He had missed Tifa's brew while he was gone. Not that he could have had any beer due to his condition anyway, but still.

“You're a cruel man Strife. Makin' a man go thirsty. “Cloud wasn't sure, but he thought that there was a hint of a smile on Rude's face. Perhaps that was why the bald man put up with his partner for so long - amusement value.

“Hey sweet cheeks, me'n Rude are dyin' down here, and your ex won't give us anything to drink!”

There was a distinct crack as Cloud gripped his glass too hard, and he glared at the Turk. “Why are you even here?”

“What do you mean, Cloudy? We're just here to have a drink and appreciate the decor.” Reno leered at Tifa, then gave the blond a once over as well. Cloud had to remind himself that they were no longer precisely enemies, and Tifa would probably not appreciate him making a mess of the bar.

“No, seriously, we're just here for a drink. Rude, tell him!” Rude glanced over at him - or at least Cloud thought he had, since the shades were still on - and nodded. The blond realized where the taller man had been looking, and sighed. It was a shame that where one went, the partner followed. If only Rude had been there, he'd be fine with it. Reno was just so...Reno.

“Whatever. Just behave.” Cloud poured himself another drink - in a new glass - and retreated to his normal table. As an afterthought, he poured a glass for Rude as well, leaving Reno to splutter about unfairness and injustice, and other words he was fairly sure weren't normally in a Turk's vocabulary. He would have liked to go back upstairs, but he couldn't bring himself to leave the Turks - or more accurately Reno - alone in the bar with only Tifa working. Not that he doubted Tifa's ability to keep them under control, but she was still only one person, and the place could get very crowded.

Thankfully, other than being his obnoxious self, and flirting with anything that moved - mostly Tifa - he didn't cause any problems. Rude was actually nice to have around; he was quiet, and polite, and even helped the two clean up after the bar closed. There was also the very entertaining sight of the taller man dragging a pretty drunk Reno out by his ponytail.

Cloud sighed as he sat back down once the clean up was over. “So, how long have the Turks been loitering around here?”

Tifa shrugged. “Not too long after you left. They're really not that bad, actually.”

The blond raised a sceptical eyebrow. “You mean Rude's not that bad. Reno is a walking disaster.”

Laughing, she nodded. “Well, yea, but he's an amusing walking disaster. And he really doesn't cause too much harm. A few broken glasses mostly; and there was one fight, but to be fair, he didn't start it.”

“A fight?” Cloud couldn't stop his protective urges, sitting up in the chair and meeting's Tifa's gaze. “Was everything okay?”

“Yes, worry wart, everything was fine. It wasn't a regular, just someone who had come specifically looking for him - for the `bastard that had dropped the plate.'”

Cloud grimaced. To be fair, that was one of the things he had a hard time forgiving the Turks for. Well, that and kidnapping Aerith, but he knew now that Tseng had done - in his own way - his best to try and protect her.

“I'd never seen him like that before Cloud. After Rude and I had kicked the guy out, he just sat there, with his beer, not drinking and staring into space. When I said something to him, he seemed to bounce back to his normal self, scoffing at the fact that the guy had thought he could lay a hand on a Turk, but...” Tifa trailed off, shaking her head. “Vincent is - was - a Turk, and he has regrets. Perhaps it's not so crazy to think that Reno and the rest might as well?”

“They knew what they were signing up for.” Even as he said it, the words rang hollow. Sure, they had to expect to end up with some innocent blood on their hands - even SOLDIER would have to expect and deal with that, and AVALANCHE had caused their fair share of deaths - but there was a difference between a few civilians killed or murdered and the utter destruction of an entire section of a city. Thousands upon thousands of lives destroyed, simply to motivate the public to hate AVALANCHE.

Tifa seemed to sense his less than sincere sentiment, because she simply gave him a Look. “Perhaps we can try to be a little nicer to him?”

Cloud nodded agreement. He might never like the redhead, but he could make an effort to at least be friendlier. “I'll try Teef. But I think I'm heading upstairs now - it's far too late for this sort of conversation.”

The brunette grinned. “Yes well, days are long when you're a dad. Have a good night Cloud.”

He gave her a quick hug before disappearing back upstairs. With any luck, he'd get a few decent hours of sleep in before Rune woke up.

_________________________________________________________________ ___________________

Dr. Myaki handed the giggling baby back to his father. Cloud took him with a silent sigh of relief. He did trust the doctor - as much as he would trust any doctor anyway -but he knew that there had to be some desire to find out how being the child of two men would affect Rune's development. At least this way, but putting the older man in charge of his son's health, he could fulfil that urge without causing any harm to the boy. The fact that Myaki could now see the sword he had threatened him with the first time they had met might help as well.

“First of all, he is in perfect health. A very happy little boy, too. However, he does appear to be maturing faster than a typical child. I imagine that this is due to the mix of Mako and Jenova cells; if it is alright with you, I'd like to look over the files on Sephiroth's childhood to see if there are any similarities. It could give us a better idea of what to expect. Right now we can assume that he will only experience an accelerated growth rate, but there is no knowing what we could encounter. It could be something that reveals his parentage; I'm assuming you haven't changed your mind on that?”

Cloud nodded, mind whirling. He had to assume that it wouldn't be anything overly dangerous to Rune; after all, Sephiroth had survived to adulthood. The blond wondered if his son would manifest a wing eventually, but pushed the thought aside. He had enough problems without making them up as well.

“Thanks Doctor. I'll ask Reeve to send you copies of anything he has that might help. How obvious is it going to be that he's developing faster than normal?”

“Oh, not very, I'd imagine. The most drastic, I'd imagine, would be the first five years or so, but it won't be so extreme that anyone other than a paediatrician would notice. “

The blond sighed in relief. It would have been hard to explain if Rune suddenly looked like a two year old when he wasn't even one.

“Anyway, if you can get those papers to me in the next couple of weeks, I should have a better idea when you visit next.”

“That sounds great. I'll see you in three months then.” Cloud was strictly following the guideline that Dr. Myaki had given him for checkups; it was unlikely Rune would get sick, but it still made the blond feel better.

Leaving the doctor's office, Cloud secured Rune into the carrier. He had one more stop he wanted to make before returning to Seventh Heaven.

_________________________________________________________________ ____________________

Fenrir pulled up outside of the church in the old sector five slums. Even with most of the city in shambles, the church still stood - even if it was a bit worse for the wear. The holes that he and Zack had made falling into it were gone, simply because most of the roof was gone. Nearly a whole wall was gone, and sunlight shone on the flowers Aerith had once cared for. It seemed unbelievable it was less than two years since she had last been there. Cloud was nervous, though logically he knew that was ridiculous. If Zack and Aerith really were watching over him, then they already knew what had happened, and if they weren't, well, he was just going into an abandoned building and talking to himself. It wouldn't be the craziest thing he'd done.

Sitting Rune - who at eight months was getting quite big - more comfortably on his hip, he pushed open the heavy doors to the church. Immediately the peaceful atmosphere of the church calmed him, and he couldn't help the small smile that came to his face. It was bittersweet to be here; he could almost see Aerith tending to her flowers, with Zack watching over her. Of course, he had never seen the two of them together, but he knew both of them so well that he could easily imagine the scene in his mind. He walked up between the pews, wanting to be as close to the flowers as possible.

Hey little guy! Cloud yelled - he did not shriek - and fell backwards, arms curling around his son protectively. He heard laughter - sounds he hadn't heard in far too long. Aerith's cheerful giggle and Zack's deep chuckles broke the silence in the church.

No, don't worry, you're not losing it. We're really here. Well...sort of. The images he thought were his imagination moved, as his long-dead friends came closer. Zack squatted down in front of where Cloud had fallen, reaching out an incorporeal hand towards Rune. The boy giggled, trying to grab at Zack's finger. Cloud stared in shock; but at least if Rune could see them, that meant he wasn't going insane. Or so he hoped. It still didn't explain why either of them could see the two, however.

Aerith came to `sit' next to him. It's because of the Mako, silly. You have it, and Rune has it from both his fathers.

“You...know?” He looked between the two of them, worry etched on his face, but neither looked like they were disgusted by him; just sad.

Zack was the one who responded; guilt and regret written over his features. Yea, we know. I'm so sorry Cloud; I didn't do a very good job of protecting you, did I?

“Did you know what Hojo had done to me before...before?” Cloud couldn't quite bring himself to say `before you died.' It still seemed surreal to be sitting here talking to the two of them.

Zack nodded, grimacing. Yea, I knew. He tried it on me, too. But apparently the same reason my body rejected the Jenova cells was the same reason my body rejected anything extra he tried to add. I suppose I should be grateful - I think he was working on tentacles at one point. The apparition shuddered slightly before continuing. I just had too much Mako; my body kept healing itself before he could graft anything in. If I didn't already have that much Mako... the second half of the sentence hung between them. So many 'what ifs' that could never be answered.

“Zack...” Cloud shook his head. “You protected me with your life. Literally. I don't...there's no way I could repay that. How can I blame you for something you had no way of controlling?”

Still...he shook his head, dejected. Cloud hated seeing him like that.

You both need to stop blaming yourselves. You did everything you could, right? And at least something good came out of it. Rune is absolutely adorable. Aerith grinned down at the little boy.

Cloud smiled, pleased that Aerith and Zack were both so accepting of his son. It was refreshing to be around people - even if they weren't corporeal - who knew his every secret and still didn't judge him.

So you're going to try and keep his real parents a secret, huh? Do you think that will work? Zack looked like he was simply concerned, but he was also fidgeting nervously, a sure sign that he knew something he wasn't supposed to tell Cloud.

Zack. Aerith lay a calming hand on Zack's arm, looking over at where Cloud sat with his son. It's Cloud's choice, and he can tell them when he's ready.

The blond frowned, hating the fact that they were clearly hiding something from him, but he trusted both of them enough to let it be for now. With the irrepressible cheerfulness that she had shown in life, Aerith moved back towards him, clearly wanting to be as close to Rune as she could when she couldn't actually hold him. Anyway, enough talk about depressing topics and secrets. You need to tell us how it's been being a daddy!

Zack came up next to them, flopping down - managing to do it even without a physical body - and wrapping an arm around Aerith's form. Cloud idly wondered if they were able to actually touch each other, or if they just pretended to for the comfort factor. It definitely wasn't something he was about to ask them though.

Cloud kept a close eye on Rune as they talked; the boy was crawling fairly fast now, and there was still a lot of rubble lying around. He kept trying to pull himself up by the pew seats, standing for a few minutes, and then falling back down. Zack couldn't help snickering at the pout on his face each time he fell. Rune looked over at the trio and pulled himself back up. The boy stood there for a moment, unsteadily, then moved slowly towards the end, before finally letting go and taking one step, and then another, towards the grinning brunet. Cloud held his breath as he watched Rune take his first steps, then darted forward as his son stumbled on his third step and fell forward.

Was that his first step? Zack was grinning looking absurdly excited, nearly bouncing in place. He had held out his arms to catch the boy, even though he logically knew he wouldn't have been able to catch him.

Cloud nodded, unable to stop smiling. Rune was already up and trying again.

Aerith giggled. Stubborn, just like his daddy.

The blond snorted, but knew it was true. He was ridiculously happy that this had happened here, with his two best friends, and people who he didn't have to hide just how proud he was of his son's accomplishment.

He left the church feeling better than he had in a long time, even if seeing his friends had been bittersweet. If he could have ignored the fact that two of the three adults were transparent, it would have felt almost normal - like things would have been if Nibelheim had never happened. As he walked towards his bike, he saw a boy standing there. Cloud frowned; it was probably one of the scavenger groups, and while he did feel sorry for them, he didn't particularly want to be missing pieces of his bike. Rune's safety came first after all. But as he watched, the boy swayed on his feet, and the blond barely had time to catch him as he collapsed.

Cloud looked at the boy - he couldn't be older than ten or eleven - and at Rune. With a sigh, he gently lowered the unconscious boy onto the ground, and reached for the PHS that he had dropped. Surprisingly, it was already connected, and he could hear Tifa's worried voice on the other side.

“Tifa?”

`Cloud? What happened? Who was that?'

“I'm...not sure. It's a kid - he needs help, but I can't get all of us back to Seventh Heaven on my own.” Fenrir was big enough, but with the boy unconscious it wouldn't exactly be easy.

Tifa muttered into the phone about him being too soft-hearted for his own good and his `hero-complex' acting up that only his enhanced hearing let him hear. He ignored it; she would have done the same thing. `Are you planning on starting your own orphanage?'

“I'm not...!”

She cut him off before he could finish his denial. “Of course not Cloud. You're going to bring him back here, feed him, and then send him back to try and survive on his own.” The sarcasm was heavy in her voice, and he rolled his eyes. Unfortunately she knew him too well.

“You know, he might still have family. Or someone. Maybe he just got lost or separated from them?”

An inelegant snort was his response. “Riiight. Anyway, I'll come get you. You're at the church, right?”

Cloud was slightly embarrassed at how easy he was to predict, but nodded before he realized Tifa couldn't see that. “Yea.”

`Alright, I'll be there soon. Bye Cloud.'

“Bye Teef.” He hung up the phone, and dug through the compartments of his bike to find one of his spare blankets he had taken to carrying around for Rune, placing it under the boy's head. It was all he had, but they wouldn't be there long, and it was probably the most he'd had since Meteor anyway. Cloud sat down next to the unknown boy to wait for Tifa, leaning against Fenrir, and moving Rune to sit more comfortably in his lap. Cloud smiled ruefully at his son. “Well, looks like you might have just gotten a big brother.”