Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Obsession ❯ Discord ( Chapter 9 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

And the winds howled and the ground shook

Lo' and behold! The narrator announced.

Tis' the prelude to chaos!

The group stared dumbfounded at the man in front of them and gaped. The silence stretched throughout the whole establishment of the bar where a confused and angry Cloud Strife stood in the middle of the group currently staring at him as though he were a very peculiar bug. Each one of them holding varied expressions of shock.

After awhile it was Cid who slowly spoke,

“So let me get this straight - You bought a land, built up a house and even bagged a bloody ring for back-up then to top it all off you went for the kill and…proposedto her?”

Cloud's response was tilt his chin up in defiance.

“Well, I'll be damned…I'm fuckin' speechless! No wonder Tifa ran out on you!”

The blonde shot the speaker a glare. He wasn't annoyed at Cid's crude language after all he was used to it - they all were; rather he was disturbed at what the man's words meant.

“I don't see what's so wrong with what I did. I wanted to surprise her that's all. She should've seen it coming.”

“Should've seen it coming? Should've seen it coming?!”

The enraged pilot grasped the front of Cloud's shirt, leaned towards him in a threatening manner and all but spitting in his face a,

“I oughta bash your face in, you stupid idiot. You used a proposal as a friggin' reel to make sure the bait doesn't go off the hook!! How the hell was she supposed to expect it when you can't even sit your ass here for more than two minutes?! Marry me?! Marry me?!You stupid mother fu - ”

“Cid!”

Nostrils flaring at Barret's warning, Cid roughly shoved Cloud away and took five deep breaths to calm his temper. When it looked like his rage simmered down to manageable anger Yuffie, who had been sitting on a stool, hopped off to approach Cid placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and turned troubled brown eyes on Cloud.

“I don't get it. What's so wrong with what Cloud did? He was proposing to Tifa wasn't he? Then why - “

Barret placed a hand to his forehead trying to rub the migraine developing and cut her off with a weary, “Nah, Cid's right on this one.” before glaring at the blonde seated on the floor. Holding out a hand to help him up, Barret frowned and gave an annoyed grunt when Cloud just slapped his hand away and stood. Fisting the limb that Cloud slapped he threw another glare at the blonde and gruffly said,

“Ya better fix that damn attitude spikey. And while you're at it, would you care to tell us what the hell you were thinking?? Proposin' to a woman you barely even know. Hell, I know we've all been together for a long time Cloud, but that right there is exactly what destroys the meaning of marriage.”

Cloud crossed his arms and stared, slowly processing Barret's words before angrily saying a indignant,

“Just what is that supposed to mean?”

And that simple statement ladies and gentlemen, was just the blow needed to break the camel's back as Cid fairly roared a,

“It meansyou stubborn faggit. You're supposed to knowwho you're gonna fuckin' marry! You don't marry because you want her to fill the image of the doting wife for you. You marry because you fuckin' love her or at least you wait to make sure the feeling is reciprocated before you go off buying bloody houses!!”

Alarmed, Yuffie rubbed the panting pilot's back soothingly murmuring a soft, “Sshh…Calm down Cid. Screaming is getting us nowhere.” then glaring at Cloud over her shoulder as she asked a sharp,

“Is this true Cloud?”

And Cloud.

Cloud, honorary hero of Avalanche.

Loved and adored by everyone in Midgard. Found he couldn't hold her stare and had to look away before turning to exit the bar because he…

He just didn't know what to say to that.

A clawed fist descended on the expensive mahogany desk. The accost shaking the papers, laptop and pens it contained as Vincent Valentine, the usually indifferent man leaned forward to hiss a soft,

“Are you sure about this?”

Rufus nodded.

“It's impossible. There must be a mistake. She isn't capable - “

“Oh? You sound so very sure of yourself Valentine. The evidence is right in front of you will you turn a blind eye like that idiot Strife?”

Vincent growled.

This wasn't possible. Tifa would never be able to do this!

Lies!

They were all fucking lies!!

“To hell with this.”

Taking out Cereberus and shooting the television that still rolled the images of two people kissing passionately in the hallway, Vincent turned on his heel dismissing the presence of the glowering Turks and was about to storm out of the office when Rufus' voice, or rather his words, stopped him cold.

“Tell me…Were you expecting the lovely Ms. Lucrecia Crescent capable of committing suicide as well?”

Quickly coming to stand in front of the desk to block the handgun aimed at Rufus, Reno glared at Vincent in warning.

“Don't be stupid buddy. You should know better than to pick a fight when you're outnumbered.”

Vincent cocked the trigger.

“No, you should know better than to pick a fight with me.”

Rufus sighed in exasperation. He stood ignoring Elena's warning cries of “Its dangerous sir!” and walked around the table to stand in the middle of the two. Raising both hands to lower their weapons he berated them with a dry,

“Now now children put away your toys. We aren't here to kill each other merely to discuss. Surely, that isn't too hard?”

When they both put their weapons away with much protest from Reno, to which Rufus responded in kind with a very effective glare, he turned to the brunette and evenly said,

“We aren't jumping to any conclusions Valentine. You forget we know Tifa as well.”

Vincent scoffed.

“What exactly do you know about her Shinra?” he spat the name out like a curse “Her blood type? Names of her dead relatives? Ch. Don't give me that shit. You don't know a thing - “

“I know enough.”

Raking his hair in frustration, Rufus loosened his tie and impatiently cleared any misconceptions Vincent held by saying,

“We brought you here for questions. I have been told you spend more time with her than Strife so you should know. Was there any sign, any indication at all that Lockheart was hiding something? Did any of her behavior seem off to you?”

Dark red-rimmed eyes shifted to stare at the glass vase housing two orchids by the side table. It was perhaps the only thing that seemed out of place in the whole sterile gray office. As much as he didn't want to believe it, he couldn't deny the truth either.

The strained smiles. The lengthened absences. The rapidly shifting moods.

He'd attributed it to being a woman and it's complexities but it couldn't justify everything. Because there were not just one but a lot of things Tifa did that should've alarmed him but at the time he couldn't…couldn't bring himself to confront her of something he had no business of.

Was it normal for a woman to shower for four hours?

He'd had laughed it off at first thinking about women and their ridiculous vanity but now…Now the pieces were starting to fit and it scared - no terrified him.

“Lucreciaisn't Tifa Vincent. All is not over yet. We're here to help not condemn her.”

He stared at the stoic face of Rufus Shinra and gradually came to a decision.

Of course he knew Tifa wasn't Lucrecia, but there were times when even he doubted it. When her eyes turned glassy and unfocused, as though she weren't really there…He would never say it out loud but those were what frightened him the most.

Lips forming a grim line, Vincent nodded.

“Tell me what needs to be done.”

No. He wouldn't stand by this time. He wasn't headstrong like Cloud, all directness and bravado. But he wouldn't stand by the side and watch either. Tifa will come back and she will come back alive after all this.

He would make sure of it.

This is the end of the first installment.

Next up we have Tifa, Yazoo and some new OC characters.

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