Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ What's Left of Me ❯ Almost like a Family ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: Yeas, another chapter!! I love this story. I think it's my favorite out of all the ones I've written so far. I'll be sad when it ends. But that won't be for a while. Read on!

 

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own this like I have a hole in my head. Duh. The characters are not mine.

 

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Tifa listened to Marlene hum softly as she colored at a nearby table. She looked up from her journal to see Marlene stand and walk toward her, picture in hand.

 

“Look, Tifa,” she said excitedly. She held up her picture. “It's you and me and Cloud.”

 

Tifa smiled. “It's lovely, Marlene,” she said, taking it from her small hands. “Can I keep it?”

 

Marlene nodded ecstatically.

 

“Thank you,” Tifa smiled. She turned, putting it on the bulletin board behind the bar. “I'll put it here so everyone can see it.”

 

Marlene giggled. She went back to her coloring.

 

Tifa watched her a moment more, then sighed. She misses you, Cloud, she thought. She gazed out the window. Where are you? She thought back to several months ago. That was the last time she had seen her friend.

 

She looked down at her journal. Since then she had come to rely on herself. She once thought she needed Cloud, but, she realized, he was never there. How could she depend on him if he was gone? She sighed. There had been a time when he made her heart stop, but now, as she thought about him, he only made her wonder when he was coming to visit Marlene. She knew she missed him, but it was more for Marlene than for herself.

 

She looked up when a sound came from behind her. She turned, seeing Vincent shuffling slowly toward her. She smiled softly when their eyes met. “Do you feel better?” she asked.

 

He nodded, brushing his hair from his crimson eyes. He sat at the bar, noticing it was empty, save for Marlene. “Are you closed today?” he asked, looking at her.

 

She nodded. “The weather was so bad, I thought business would be slow anyway,” she said, smiling. “Besides, I have a visitor. I probably would have been closed regardless of the weather.”

 

Vincent looked away, feeling the beginnings of a little smile tug at his lips. “I'm thinking about going on after a little food,” he said quietly.

 

“Oh,” she said, her voice falling. “I'll get your clothes then.” She turned and walked into the back, coming back with his dry clothes folded neatly. She laid them on the counter. She looked at him, deciding to make the best of their time. “What can I make for you?”

 

Vincent was silent for a moment. “Anything,” he said finally. Marlene caught his eye as she climbed onto a barstool.

 

“Make bacon, Tifa,” she said smiling.

 

Tifa giggled. She looked at Vincent. “Vince?”

 

He nodded. “Bacon it is,” he said. He watched Marlene bounce happily on her stool.

 

“Yeah!” she cheered. She turned to him, smiling brightly. “You're the best, Mr. Vincent.”

 

He nodded, unsure of what to say to her. He watched as she turned to Tifa, who was busy making their food.

 

“Tifa?” Marlene asked, suddenly serious.

 

“Yes,” Tifa said, glancing over her shoulder.

 

“Cloud likes bacon, doesn't he?” Marlene asked, her eyes sad.

 

Tifa turned to look at her as the bacon cooked. She nodded. “He does,” she said.

 

Marlene smiled suddenly. “Then when he comes home we'll make lots of it,” she said, bubbly once more. “Just for him.”

 

Tifa smiled and nodded. “Of course,” she said. She turned back to the pan, but not before catching Vincent's eye.

 

He noticed that she only smiled to cover the uncertainty. He knew she cared about Cloud, and he couldn't help feeling slighted. Cloud was never around, yet he had two people purely devoted to him. He suddenly felt bitter envy. Cloud had it better than he knew, and he took it for granted.

 

Vincent blinked as Tifa set a plate before him.

 

“There you go,” she said, smiling.

 

Vincent nodded, eating slowly. He was in no hurry to leave this place, or the warmth Tifa offered so freely. And yet, he knew he had to. He wasn't ready to bare himself completely, and he felt safe in solitude.

 

He let his eyes follow Tifa as she cleaned and talked to Marlene. She was the only one who really understood him, and he knew, should he need her, she would be there for him. He knew he would miss her when he left.

 

“Hey, Vince?” she said suddenly, drawing him from his thoughts. Her hazel eyes met his crimson gaze.

 

“Yes, Tifa?” he said, seeing the uncertainty and hope in her eyes. He wondered what she would say next.

 

“I'm going to the gym to train tomorrow,” she said slowly, wiping the counter so she could avoid his gaze. “And, I was wondering….would you maybe, you know, want to come with me?” she finished weakly.

 

Vincent watched her a moment, reading her movements. She really wanted him to come. It was in her voice and the way she avoided looking at him. He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, wondering if he really wanted to. He gave a short sigh as he made up his mind. “I'd like that,” he said. He was surprised when her eyes rose to meet his.

 

“Really?” she asked, her hazel depths surprised.

 

He nodded. “It's been a while since I practiced with someone in hand-to-hand combat,” he said, feeling as if that were a lame excuse. He liked seeing her happy, and he was willing to go out of his way this once to see that spark in her hazel eyes.