Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Search is Over ❯ Cake, Music and an Old Friend ( Chapter 6 )

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

A/N: Cid swears like a sailor in this chapter. I tried to make his curses as bad as I could make them. The faint of heart should just skip his dialogue.

Chapter 6: Cake, music and an old friend

 

Cloud pulled on the reigns to stop his chocobo Locus. His eyes traveled up towards the empty space where the once towering rocket stood as the centerpiece to the mechanic's haven, Rocket Town. He wondered if Cid would start working on building another one after getting married.

 

Cloud shuddered as he recounted the discomfort of space travel. He only went up in space once, but it was an experience he'd rather not repeat. Reeve shared the opposite sentiment as he expressed an interest in reinstating the space program. Reeve's main interest in the program revolved around building rockets in space that could destroy another potential Meteor, similar to what President Rufus tried to do with Cid's old rocket. The program could also aide in destroying another potential calamity from the skies. Nanaki had not yet figured out where Jenova came from, but all he knew was that the creature wasn't from this planet.

 

He took a deep breath to try and wipe away the forlorn expression planted on his face. Cloud had left Cosmo Canyon in the morning after spending the night talking over various plans with Nanaki. He had hoped that they could keep the information regarding Sephiroth and Jenova a secret until after Cid and Shera's wedding. Cloud always hated being the harbinger of bad news.

 

Shaking his head to reawaken his senses, Cloud lightly kicked Locus in the side to urge him forward towards Cid and Shera's house. As he got closer to the small house, he could see the familiar shape of Cid tinkering with the Tiny Bronco outside. Cloud dismounted Locus and made a conscious effort to walk up noisily to Cid, but the man was so engrossed in a part of the plane's engine that he didn't even notice Cloud's footsteps.

 

“Hey Cid!” Cloud called out to his friend, hoping to get his attention.

 

“Not now fuck-face! I'm busy!” Cid cursed without even glancing up to see who broke his concentration.

 

“I see that some things will never change once you're a married man,” Cloud laughed. “So are you just going to sit there and work on your plane or are you going to greet an old friend?”

 

“Old friend?” Cid said while raising his head. Once he saw Cloud standing there the pilot's face brightened with a toothy grin. “Cloud! What the hell? I didn't know you were coming today? I thought you were supposed to be here tomorrow or some shit like that.”

 

“I decided to cut my visit with Nanaki a little short,” Cloud said awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.

 

“Well, shit! I'll be god fucking damned. But come on inside so I can get Shera to make you some tea,” Cid laughed while he patted Cloud on the back.

 

“But how's it going with the wedding plans?”

 

“Ah, hell! It's a fucking whore of a nightmare,” Cid said while flicking his cigarette butt on the grass and grinding it into the ground with his boot.

 

“What could be so bad about it?”

 

“Shera always asks me these girly questions, like what sort of flowers and food we should have. Hell if I know the answer to those. Then I have to get fitted for that tight ass ugly looking monkey suit. Never thought anyone could make clothes so fucking uncomfortable to wear. No wonder so many men are bachelors. But I'd give my left nut to be able to go back in time and just elope.”

 

“Is it really that bad? My impression from Shera was that you seemed pretty . . . agreeable with everything,” Cloud said trying not to laugh from Cid's last comment.

 

“You fucking straight it's that bad! Women, I tell ya. They always try to pretty you up and all that girly crap. Makes me want to vomit up my ass. Sometimes I wish you didn't have to deal with them. But there are those times, those few times where it's really nice and it makes up for everything else,” Cid sighed as he tried to say the last sentence under his breath.

 

“Did I hear you correctly Cid? Was that a sensitive side of you that just spoke?” Cloud stood slightly shocked.

 

“You damn fucking straight you saw that. But don't you dare tell anyone else or I'm going to tie up your cock to my spear and throw it all the way up your ass until it comes out of your mouth!” Cid yelled defensively while turning beet-red in the face.

 

“Trust me, my lips are sealed,” Cloud said with a smile.

 

“They better be,” Cid warned. “But come on inside for some tea.”

 

Cloud and Cid walked into the house to be greeted with the sweet smells of cake and Shera's herbal tea.

 

“Oh Cid, Cloud, you came in just in time! Which one of these cakes should we have for our wedding cake?” Shera asked while holding two plates in front of the two men.

 

“Uh, let Cloud try some first cause he's our guest, and stuff . . .” Cid said trying to think up an excuse while walking past his fiancée to get some tea.

 

“Oh, that's a good point Cid. Here Cloud, try some of the cake,” Shera placed the cake on the table while sitting the warrior down in the closest chair.

 

Cloud looked at the two pieces of golden cake topped with white fluffy icing. He couldn't for the life of him tell the difference between the two. Cloud looked up and saw Shera's eager eyes staring at him waiting for him to take a bite. Behind Shera was Cid shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Cloud thought it saw him mouth the words `see what I mean,' but wasn't positive about that.

 

Cloud knew that he was trapped and had to oblige to Shera's request. He took a bite out of the first piece of cake and thought it tasted fine. After drinking a sip of tea Shera had graciously placed in front of him, Cloud took a bite of the second piece. He looked down at the cake to make sure that he hadn't taken a bite out of the same piece, but didn't. After confirming that he had indeed taking a bite out of each piece of cake, he stared at the two pieces in deep contemplation.

 

“Well, what do you think? Which one's better?” Shera asked practically on the edge of her seat.

 

“I don't know. They both taste the same to me,” Cloud replied honestly.

 

“Oh, really?” Shera sighed in disappointment.

 

“Scoot over Cloud, you don't know the first thing about cake-tasting. Let an expert do the job,” Cid said arrogantly while stealing a friendly wink at Cloud.

 

Cloud watched as the pilot used his fingers to eat the first piece of cake in one bite, downed the rest of his tea, and then finish the second piece in a mere matter of seconds.

 

“Mmmm, that hit the spot,” Cid said as he pat his belly and licked his lips in satisfaction.

 

“Well, which one was better?” Shera asked gaining more enthusiasm.

 

“Definitely the second one babe,” Cid said while slapping Shera on the ass.

 

“Oh, Cid, you do the sweetest things sometimes. The second one it is!” Shera giggled while giving her fiancé a quick kiss before going to the phone to order the cake.

 

Cloud stood dumbfounded as he saw Shera chatting away with the baker. “I don't think I've ever seen her like that.”

 

“That's because you don't know jack shit about women,” Cid said while lighting a cigarette. “You tell them what they want to hear and they're happy as whore without STDs.”

 

“Cid, sometimes I don't think I'll ever understand how you ever got Shera to say `yes,' but this just shows that you really are one—”

 

“Don't fucking say it,” Cid stopped him as he took a drag out of his cigarette.

 

Cloud shook his head in amusement as he watched Cid give him an evil look. “Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this either. Oh, but before I forget let me get that sheet music to give to the band for the wedding.”

 

Cloud pulled out several sheets of paper from his bag and handed them to Cid. Cid took them with little interest and started to scan the sheets of music Cloud had composed.

 

“What the fuck? `The Search is Over?' What sort of lame-assed title is that?”

 

“Hey, it was the only thing I could think of that fit the song,” Cloud said.

 

“The lyrics you have so far are really corny you know. `I was living for a dream, loving for a moment, taking on the world, that was just my style,' that sounds so gay,” Cid commented as he continued to scan the document.

 

“It really fits with the song once you hear it. Trust me. Plus, I'm still not quite done with the lyrics, but I will be by the wedding,” Cloud said defensively.

 

“What, you got some sort of writer's block or something?”

 

“Well, I just need to ask Tifa for some advice on part of it,” Cloud blushed.

 

“Oh . . . I get it now,” Cid grinned as he finished scanning the score. “I guess you do know some shit about women. Still not quite there, but you're catching on.”

 

“Glad you're giving me some credit,” Cloud smiled.

 

A gentle knock on the door interrupted the pair's jovial conversation.

 

“This better not be one of those fucking salesmen. I'll fucking spear their ass if it is,” Cid mumbled as he opened the door. “What the fuck do you want?”

 

“Nice to see you're as pleasant as ever Cid,” Vincent replied flatly as he stood in the doorway.

 

“Hell, Vincent! You're out in the daylight? Thought you'd burn up or turn into ashes if you were exposed to the sun,” Cid joked.

 

“Vincent! Didn't think I'd see you until the wedding. What brings you here?” Cloud asked.

 

“I was sent by someone to search for you. It's rather urgent that you come along with me Cloud,” Vincent said still standing in the doorway.

 

“Hell, still cold as ever I see. I was going to invite you in for some dinner, but I see you're in one of those bitchy moods so I'll let you go,” Cid said as he walked back to the kitchen table for some more tea.

 

“Who sent you? Where is it that we need to go?” Cloud asked.

 

“I'll explain later, but we'll need to go now if we're going to get there by nightfall,” Vincent said to Cloud.

 

“Ok, that works. Let me get my stuff,” Cloud said while quickly gathering his bag.

 

“Cid, my apologies for the intrusion,” Vincent bowed to Cid before exiting.

 

“Yeah, take your manners and shove it. Just grab Spiky and finish your mission,” Cid said while waving his hand lazily at him.

 

“Cid, sorry I couldn't stay any longer, but I'll try to catch up with you before the wedding. Tell Shera that the cake was wonderful. Oh, and don't worry, I'll keep it a secret,” Cloud said with a wink.

 

“You'd better fuckface!” he said pointing an accusatory finger.

 

Cloud walked out to the stables where he had left Locus earlier only to find that Vincent had already gotten his chocobo ready. Cloud mounted Locus and watched as Vincent mounted his chocobo, Nightshade. The gunslinger gave Cloud a quick nod to indicate that he was ready and he set off on a quick pace off to the East letting Cloud follow.

 

While they were riding, Cloud had tried to talk to Vincent, but the chocobos were going so fast that his voice was carried away with the wind. Vincent also wanted to speak to Cloud about something urgent, but was met with the same problem. Cloud knew that whatever caused Vincent to pull him out of his small trip had to be important.

 

Cloud was slightly relieved that they weren't heading to Cosmo Canyon, which meant Nanaki probably hadn't spotted anything unusual from the Northern Crater. Cloud checked his bearings and realized that they were going at a steady pace towards Bone Village. He tensed a bit as he hoped that Vincent wouldn't start heading in a Northerly direction. He knew that once they started to head up North past Icicle Inn, they were headed to the Northern Crater.

 

A hard lump formed in his throat as he tried to concentrate on other things to ease his worries. Cloud noticed that Vincent was starting to steer Nightshade slightly to the North. It wasn't a drastic shift to the North, but enough to relieve Cloud of his worry of heading to the Northern Crater.

 

Instead, they were heading to Bone Village. What's does Vincent need to show me in Bone Village? He was curious to see what was in Bone Village that warranted Vincent's urgency. Their chocobos finally finished crossing the ocean and touched down on land as they trotted the rest of the way towards the small excavation site.

 

Cloud was about to pull on Locus's reins when he noticed Vincent urging Nightshade forward past Bone Village. Cloud smacked his forehead as he realized that they weren't heading for Bone Village, but to the City of the Ancients. No wonder some people think I'm dense. He blushed, flustered by his poor judgment.

 

Cloud stared in awe at the golden hue the city seemed to emit as the sun slowly started to set along the horizon. They had made it before nightfall just as Vincent had wished. Vincent finally stopped Nightshade at the entrance to the city and dismounted. Cloud followed suit and grabbed his sword to prepare for any sudden attacks from the monsters still lurking around the city.

 

“You probably want some answers,” Vincent said as more a statement than a question.

 

“Yes, I do,” Cloud said expecting a full explanation.

 

“Since we're here already, you'll find out in a few minutes so I'm not going to waste my breath explaining,” Vincent said flatly. “Just follow me.”

 

Cloud shrugged his shoulders and followed Vincent realizing that he wasn't going to get any answers by arguing. He wished he knew why Vincent had brought him here. He started to remember the last time that they were in the City of the Ancients. It was for Aeris's memorial service that they held shortly after they stopped Meteor. It was such a solemn day for everyone. He remembered how depressed everyone looked. Cid didn't smoke once that day. Yuffie had even kept quiet not saying a peep.

 

But Cloud also remembered that Tifa cried that day. He hated to see her cry. He knew that Aeris's death hit her hard. They had become close friends during their short time together. Tifa cared for her so much that Cloud knew she would have tried to risk her life to save Aeris if she had the power to go back in time; these were wishes and desires Cloud had also held. Tifa's nature was always to look out for everyone else and put herself last. His thoughts wandered to how his childhood friend was fairing and whether or not she was safe in the house alone. Cloud made a mental note to call her later to check-up on her.

 

“Are you worried?” Vincent said suddenly.

 

“Huh? Oh, me? Yeah, a little bit. I was just thinking, that's all.”

 

“About what?”

 

“Tifa,” Cloud said slightly embarrassed.

 

Vincent stopped walking and raised his eyebrow slightly as he watched Cloud's face redden even more. “You're thinking about Tifa?”

 

“Yeah, I'm thinking about Tifa. I was just worried about her since she's all alone in the house. Hey, remind me to give her a call later,” Cloud said trying to change the subject.

 

“Is it just worry that causes you to think about her?” Vincent asked with peaked interest.

 

Cloud was slightly taken aback by the question and lost his voice for a moment. “Well . . . if she were your childhood friend, wouldn't you?”

 

“You didn't answer my question, Cloud,” Vincent stood his ground.

 

“Geez, you really were a Turk, weren't you?” Cloud said as he rubbed the back of his head.

 

“Yes, but you still haven't answered my question.”

 

Cloud sighed in defeat and swallowed hard before finally speaking, “No, it's not just worry that makes me think about her.”

 

“What is it then?”

 

“Do I have to answer that one?” Cloud pleaded.

 

“Yes,” Vincent replied flatly.

 

“Well, since I know you're not going to budge until I answer, I might as well say it. I really care about Tifa. Well, care doesn't really sound right. I mean, think about her all the time and want to make her happy. It's more like love. Yes, I'm . . . I'm in love with Tifa,” Cloud said feeling as if he had been lifted from his burden of safeguarding a treasure.

 

“Does she know?” Vincent said trying to hide a smile.

 

“I don't know if she does. I've hinted at it a few times,” Cloud said while rubbing the back of his head.

 

“Well, have you told her your feelings?”

 

“No, not yet. I'm not sure how to tell her. She probably thinks I'm still in love with Aeris,” Cloud resigned.

 

“Are you?” Vincent asked calmly.

 

“I will admit, she was extraordinary, I mean, how could you not? But I never knew her like I did Tifa. Tifa and I have been through everything together. We have this history that I can't ignore. She was the one who shaped me into the person I am now. I've loved her from as far back as I can remember, not even Aeris could make me forget that,” Cloud said passionately.

 

“Then tell her that,” Vincent said, content with his friend's answer.

 

“You're right, I should. Thank you,” Cloud said with a glimmer of hope.

 

“There's no need to thank me. It's the least I could do,” the stoic man said.

 

“So why did you start to interrogate me about my feelings for Tifa?” Cloud asked to quench his curiosity.

 

“Because I needed to confirm your true feelings for Tifa and remind you of them before we meet her,” Vincent said as he led Cloud towards the shell-shaped building at the heart of the city.

 

“Her? Are you leading me to where I think you're leading me?” Cloud asked, realizing his surroundings.

 

“Depends. Where do you think I'm leading you?”

 

“To the lake. Where Aeris is buried,” Cloud said sadly.

 

“We pass that. I'm actually taking you to the altar, where she died.”

 

Cloud held his breath as they walked inside the shell-shaped building and exhaled in surprise when the stairway leading to the altar was visible. He followed Vincent quietly as he felt his heart race wildly, mixed of the sudden confession of his love for Tifa and the nervousness of what awaited him at the bottom.

 

Vincent stopped at the platform before the uneven blocks that led to the altar, which shone like a beautiful gazebo in the middle of a quiet lake. Cloud stole a glance at Vincent who only nodded his head towards the altar, indicating that that's where he was to meet her.

 

Cloud carefully climbed the blocks one by one as he concentrated on his balance so he wouldn't fall into the water. He finally jumped off the last block and landed on the altar where a woman dressed in a long flowing white dress was waiting for him. She wore the same beautiful smile that he had remembered and held that ethereal look only an angel such as her could perfect. The white dress made her resemble an angel expect for the lack of wings and a halo, but those details didn't bother Cloud though as he stared at the woman in joy and disbelief.

 

“Aeris?”

 

“Hello, Cloud. I'm back.”

 

(continued…)