Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ New Love ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

New Love

 

Okay, before we get carried away with the Cleris, remember - there's Cloti in this story too. This chapter explores Cloud and Tifa's relationship more.

 

Chapter 5

 

A beam of sunlight met Cloud's eyes as he blinked awake, and he sat up out of the glare, yawning. Why were the curtains open? He turned to see them drawn, and rolled over to see where Tifa was. He cried out as he hit the carpeted floor, and remembered he had slept on the sofa. He climbed to his feet, and a small note on the table caught his eye. Cloud picked it up, wincing slightly..

 

Sorry for the bed last night, hope you slept well. I'm leaving early, have to meet Zangan and forgot to tell you yesterday. Be home after noon.

 

Tifa

 

Blinking a few more times and putting the note down, he looked over at the clock above the TV. Nine am, Sunday morning, and thanks to the sun he was awake. Now what? Cloud sighed and moved into the bedroom to get changed for the day. Tossing his clothes in the laundry hamper, he pulled open his drawers and grabbed a random T-shirt, not really caring which one, he wasn't going out anywhere today. Tifa usually ran the errands on weekends, she got help from him occasionally but otherwise she preferred to do it herself. Cloud smiled. Tifa had always been adamant about establishing her independence, and even when she asked for help she'd deny needing it. It was just how she was, she had been as long as he had known her back when they were kids.

 

Cloud had been Tifa's neighbor since they were little, but he had never really known her that well for the first few years. When Tifa was seven, her mother died and Tifa had ended up distancing herself from her friends. Cloud had ended up waking up one night listen to Tifa crying in her room. Leaning out to ask her why, they had ended up talking across the alley between their houses. He had walked to school with her the next day, doing her best and try and make her happy instead of crying. It had worked eventually, and Tifa called him her best friend for sticking by her through the grief a few years later when they looked back on the moment.

 

They had been friends through the years, until the first year of sixth grade. Then, something changed. Thinking back, Cloud wasn't really sure which of them changed, or if it was just both of them. Suddenly, the innocent hand-holding while watching a movie, wasn't so innocent. Going to the movies together seemed more mature. Then, of course, there was that day in April…

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Tiny electronic beeps filled the air around the backyard, and Tifa pulled her knees closer to her chest on the patio chair on the large porch behind her house. Beside her, leaning against the wooden support beam of the porch and sitting on the railing, Cloud narrowed his eyes and hammered on the buttons of his Gameboy.

 

“Come on, come on…gotcha, Big Key!”

 

“Cloud,” Tifa started, turning her head to face him.

 

“Yeah?” Cloud asked, jerking the Gameboy left as he stared at the screen.

 

“I want to talk to you for a minute,” Tifa said.

 

“I'm listening,” Cloud kept playing but turned an eye her way for a moment. Tifa took a breath. This was important…

 

“I…I kissed Reno today…” she explained.

 

“Kissed him?” Cloud frowned and growled, lifting his game into the air. “Isn't Reno the guy with the filthy shirt and the red hair?”

 

“Yeah, he walks around with the Walkman all the time,” Tifa said.

 

“So why'd you kiss him?”

 

“I…I wanted to know what it was like. Reno said it's good with the right person, so I guessed he had done it before.”

 

“Was it good?” Cloud lifted an eye from his Gameboy, and watched Tifa scrunch her face up.

 

“Not really…his lips had a really gooey stuff on them, and his nose was pressed up against mine and it hurt.”

 

“Well I guess he wasn't the right person then,” Cloud shrugged, turning back to his Gameboy. Tifa bit her lip and nodded, and the porch went silent again but for the beeps and music of the game.

 

“Cloud…”

 

“Huh?” Cloud didn't up.

 

“Cloud.”

 

“What?” he repeated, annoyed.

 

“Cloud.”

 

“What?!” Cloud looked up at her in frustration, and his eyes went wide as Tifa leaned forward and kissed him. Cloud waited for a few seconds as Tifa held the kiss, then pulled back. Cloud blinked at her as Tifa turned away and blushed.

 

“How…was that?” Cloud asked.

 

“Better,” Tifa replied, turning back and smiling.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

That had just been the beginning. A few small kisses here and there outside of school…then during school…then during dates. Looking back Cloud wasn't really sure when they'd crossed that line, from friends to a couple, but he'd first realized it the night of his high school graduation. That night had been the first time…Cloud smiled slightly and shook himself out of his nostalgic haze, turning back to getting dressed. Pulling on a pair of jeans, he walked out of the bedroom and back into the living room.

 

He had gone to college after high school, picked up a few classes, not really sure what he wanted to do with them though. He had eventually gotten his associate's degree in business and with it, gotten a job at Shin-Ra. Tifa had talked about going with him, but in the end she hadn't. She had chosen to work at her instructor's studio, to be Zangan's assistant as well as his pupil. They had moved in together once Cloud finished getting his degree.

 

Life since then had been fairly stable. Tifa worked out with Zangan making a little money on the side while Cloud did his duties at Shin-Ra. He wasn't entirely sure what Tifa planned to do with her skills, and she had admitted she didn't know either. But she was happy to be doing it, and he in turn…Cloud frowned. He hadn't really thought about it much, actually.

 

Sure, Rufus gave him a hard time, but he gave everyone a hard time. The pay was fine, the work wasn't hard, and when it was difficult he didn't mind because he liked a challenge. His relationship with Tifa was fine, his life in general was fine. Then again…it was about three months ago.

 

- - - - - - - - - - -

 

Cloud was sitting on the sofa reading while Tifa leaned against him watching a movie. Cloud wasn't really paying attention but looked up now and then.

 

“Cloud?” Tifa asked softly.

 

“Yeah?” He replied.

 

“Are you happy?”

 

Cloud lowered his book and gave his girlfriend a weird look.

 

“What do you mean?” he replied. “Why would I not be happy?”

 

“I don't know, why would you be?”

 

“I don't know.”

 

“Well…yeah, I'm happy.”

 

“Mm-kay.”

 

Tifa turned back to the movie, and Cloud looked down at her for a few moments. What had she meant by that?”

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

That night hadn't made much sense to him. Sure, things could be better, but they weren't terrible. Cloud was happy enough, he wasn't unhappy. So why had Tifa asked him that? A little irritated with himself for bringing up the memory, Cloud sat down on the sofa and grabbed the TV remote, flipping it on.

 

“Look, the fact is, most of the men out there are just pig-headed perverts, and the rest of them are gay.”

 

Cloud's face scrunched up at the cheering of the crowd on whatever talk show he had turned on, and changed the channel.

 

“We sauté the meat for a little bit, now while we let that cook we move on to the potatoes. Slice them thinly…”

 

Cooking. Well at least it would provide background noise while he checked out the other stations. Cloud called up the search function and flipped through the digital guide.

 

“I wonder what types of shows Aeris watches,” he thought to himself, settling on Discovery Channel and a program about skyscrapers.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“You're leaving your left side open…now you're leaving the right open!”

 

Tifa grimaced and struck the punching bag again, lifting her leg, turning and hitting the side of the bag with three swift kicks. A hand wrapped around her ankle and pulled, and Tifa fell back onto the mat.

 

“And you weren't paying attention to your surroundings,” Zangan lectured, looking down at her with crossed arms.

 

“Well I wasn't expecting you to do that,” Tifa grumbled, getting up.

 

“Poor choice of words! A warrior must be prepared for an assault at any time! You of all my students Tifa, should know how I expect the martial arts to be performed - perfectly or not at all.”

 

“I do, Zangan, I do…” Tifa sighed, bowing. “I just have a lot on my mind is all.”

 

“Weight on the mind does not add weight to strikes. You cannot be distracted Tifa, we leave shortly and you must be ready to perform for the masters at your best.”

 

“I will be, Zangan.”

 

Zangan backed up and extended a hand.

 

“Strike me,” he commanded. Tifa lifted her head.

 

“What?”

 

“Do as I say, and strike me!” Zangan barked.

 

Tifa gave him an odd look, but lunged. Two fists shot forward, and Zangan parried the blows easily. Tifa spun into a kick, and Zangan ducked and grabbed her ankle again, flipping her around and back to the mat. Tifa groaned as she landed on her stomach.

 

“Two months ago you countered the same move easily and knocked me to the ground,” Zangan muttered. “Explain, Tifa.”

 

“I…” Tifa sat up and took a breath. “It's just…Cloud.”

 

“Has he been causing you stress?” Zangan asked carefully.

 

“No, no…at least not on purpose. He's just been getting really distant lately. He's always staring off into space.”

 

“Well, what's changed recently that he would be feeling this way?”

 

“Nothing I can think of…he's got a new secretary, that's about it.”

 

“Is she horrid to him?” Zangan asked. Tifa shook her head.

 

“No, I've met her. She seems sweet and he says they get along well.”

 

“Perhaps they get along too well…” Zangan mused, narrowing his eyes. Tifa looked up at him.

 

“What? No, no! Cloud would never cheat on me!” she cried. “Zangan, you've met Cloud, how can you say that?”

 

“Is it so impossible? I am not saying he's not a good man, but all the same, you can never be sure of these things.”

 

“I am with Cloud,” Tifa said harshly. “He loves me, he wouldn't ever do anything to hurt me.”

 

“At least, not on purpose,” Zangan echoed. “Tifa…you know I am only looking out for your best interests, and if there are problems in your personal life affecting your training, you should alleviate them. Speak to him about your concerns.”

 

“I've tried…he doesn't know what I'm talking about.” Tifa climbed to her feet and sighed. “I've known him his whole life and he doesn't understand that I don't understand him…maybe he's not as complicated as I think.”

 

“Or maybe, more…go home. Spend time with him, and return Monday.” Zangan said.

 

“Zangan-”

 

“This is not up for debate Tifa, nor is it a punishment,” he cut off, turning to enter his office.

 

“Then why does it feel like one?” she muttered as his door closed. Sighing, Tifa walked off the mats and grabbed her purse and shoes from the side bench. Pausing for a moment, she sat down and pulled her cellphone from her purse, dialling.

 

“Hello?” Cloud answered.

 

“Hey. I've um…got a headache, so Zangan's sending me home,” Tifa replied.

 

“Oh, okay. Hope you feel better when you get here.”

 

“I think I will,” Tifa nodded. “Hey…Cloud?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you too. Tifa, everything okay?”

 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Tifa answered truthfully. “I'll see you in a bit.” She waited to hear the click of Cloud's line before she snapped her phone shut.