Fanfiction: Dusk To Dawn, Prologue [FFVIIAC]
Title: Dusk To Dawn
Chapter: Prologue: Dusk
Genres: Angst/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: ??/Cloud Strife/Tifa Lockhart, Reno, Rude, Aerith Gainsborough & Zack
Spoilers/Warnings: Some parts of Advent Children. Shounen-ai content.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels and sequels belong to Square-Enix.
Summary: [Post AC] [Part II of the Between Worlds series] She didn't like being kept in the dark. Especially when the words "Cloud Strife" and "incessant brooding" were in the same sentence.
There was definitely something bothering Cloud. She was dead sure about it. Being his friend for such a long time and now his girlfriend, it made her able to pick up on his subtle mood changes relatively easily. Although, truth be told, the change hadn't been quite so subtle in comparison to the other times.
Tifa had first noticed Cloud's mood dropping two weeks ago. It wasn't much at first, but he had started going out on deliveries and then stayed out much longer than it required to make said delivery and returning to the bar. The times he stayed out soon became longer with each day, making Tifa suspect that he wanted to stay away for some reason. Furthermore, she had also seen him awake at night, staring at the stars above, as if deep in thought.
As if he was brooding.
The first time it had happened, he was still in the bedroom, sitting on the inner window ledge with one leg bent and the other dangling off the ledge. She had thought it was just a one time thing and had merely turned over and went back to sleep. Perhaps he just couldn't sleep for the night. Insomnia could strike anyone at any time anyway. It was nothing really unusual.
However, two nights later, when she awoke to use the bathroom and found him missing from his bed, she felt a little worried. A quick search had her finding Cloud sitting outside on the ground, gazing at the stars once again.
She had been contemplating about joining him in stargazing when a lone, glistening tear streaked down his cheek, halting her actions to make her presence known to the blond. Cloud didn't seem to notice the tear for he continued to gaze at the night sky. Tifa was shocked to say the least.
Cloud never cried. He hadn't shed a single tear for eons. Not since many years ago, when they were both still children living in Nibelheim. And even then, it was still a very rare occurrence. It made her wonder if there were times that Cloud had cried, but there was nobody around to comfort him...
Then there was that incident with Reno five days ago that still left a strange taste in her mouth whenever she thought about it.
She had been talking with Cloud about general matters before starting to steer the conversation towards trying to find out if there was anything wrong with him. It was at that moment when Cloud's cell phone rang so untimely.
"Hello, Cloud speaking."
His voice sounded perfectly neutral, like how it always was - cool and calm. However, Tifa could've sworn that she saw a look of relief flit across the blond's visage briefly as he turned away to take the call.
"Yo, Cloud-" the unmistakable voice of a certain redhead filtered through from Cloud's cell phone, but it was cut off quite abruptly.
"How in the world did you get my cell phone number?" Cloud demanded. "It's meant for my friends only."
The remainder of the conversation was lost to Tifa as Cloud hurriedly exited the room to continue what appeared to be a heated conversation with Reno.
Then as soon as the call ended and he had reappeared, Cloud had told her that ShinRa wanted him to deliver something for them and left hurriedly. Other than the glaringly obvious fact that ShinRa had a number of capable individuals (the Turks) who could handle any sort of delivery the company required especially now that the company had already been rapidly restored to its former glory minus the evil scheming, the fact that Cloud had then disappeared for the remainder of the day and only reappeared back at Seventh Heaven the next morning told Tifa that he staunchly wanted to avoid the topic of himself in any further conversation. A quick check with Reno afterwards had also proved her suspicions to be relatively spot on.
Not that it was easy getting the information out of the redhead in the first place.
After polite asking had amounted to nothing, she had had to take drastic measures. First threatening bodily over the phone, then looking him up to continue to threaten said physical harm and finally, out of sheer exasperation at the situation coupled with her growing worry for Cloud, cried in front of him and Rude (though Tifa would like to say that she had only been acting, it wasn't totally the case) before Reno had grudgingly gave in although it was not without some choice input from his partner too.
It also appeared to Tifa that Reno was somewhat uncomfortable with crying ladies... which she had decided to store away for future reference if need be. Privately, she hoped that she wouldn't have to use that piece of information at all... That incident would be the first and last time she shed a tear in front of Reno, because it could backfire on her too. She was sure the redhead could find a way to turn it against her if he wanted to.
It turned out that what Cloud had told her hadn't been a complete lie. But the delivery that he had been required to make did not need a full day to complete. Instead, Cloud had actually finished the job before mid-afternoon, which was already considered a little faster than what even Rufus Shinra had expected. Then the next time Reno had seen the blond was much later in the evening and inside a pub no less. Reno had then joined Cloud and both of them had drunk the night away. According to Rude this time, he had to get both drunken men back to the apartment he shared with Reno because it was really the most convenient place around. Which sufficiently explained why Cloud had only returned the next morning.
Why she had failed to notice if Cloud had any signs of a hangover (he didn't drink that often and it sounded like both him and Reno were very far gone and spouting nonsense when Rude escorted them back) was still a mystery. But she put that down to the fact that Cloud was quite the master at hiding things and that she hadn¡¯t expected him to go drinking the night before.
Tifa still suspected that there could've been more to Reno's story. However, when she had tried to wheedle more out of the Turk, Reno had firmly insisted that that was that. The redhead actually had a look on his face that seemed threatening. Even Rude hadn't given any input or hint that Reno could be hiding something else from her. However, this just signaled to her that something major was bothering Cloud and he¡¯d probably somehow managed to swear Reno to secrecy about the whole thing... if Cloud had actually told Reno anything in the first place. Tifa's intuition was telling her that Cloud had and it was also hinting to her that it had been Reno's own choice to keep the secret for Cloud.
So what was it?
And why did everyone seem to know something about it?
Okay, so it wasn't really everyone per se, but she hated being kept in the dark like that. Most especially when it concerned Cloud Strife. While Reno and Rude weren't their enemies, she still didn't think that Cloud would confide in them. Cloud was a rather reserved and private person most of the time. Unless the alcohol he had consumed had lowered his guard enough to spill everything out.
Tifa had by now guessed that it was a someone on Cloud's mind and not a something. So she had begun to eliminate the possibilities. Seriously speaking, there weren¡¯t many choices to begin with.
It wasn't Aerith. If it were her, Cloud would disappear off to the church, much like what he had done the last time. Which wasn't too long ago. She had also searched for him in the church before, and whenever she was there, Cloud wasn't present. She also hadn't seen any signs of him being there too. She had also gotten a sign of sorts from Aerith's spirit that Cloud hadn't come by to brood.
It wasn't Zack too. Because Cloud tended to go off to the far outskirts of Edge and stay out there for days on end if it were the deceased SOLDIER. At any rate, the furthest he had gone and stayed out for at least a night was that one time when he ended up crashing at Reno and Rude's apartment after getting drunk.
Therefore, with the duo ruled out, there didn't seem to be anyone else that could make Cloud become so depressed and moody. And there wasn't...
Right?
It was high time for an end to be seen. She'd chain up Cloud if that were how she could corner him long enough to really talk and get the full story out of him. Finally she decided to confront Cloud during the night when he watched the stars. It was possibly one of the only times he let his guard down enough for her to be able to make a move. Admittedly, it was low to exploit him when he was at his most vulnerable, but there was no other choice.
It was yet again a cloudless night. After tucking Denzel and Marlene in, Tifa pretended to be tired and retired to the bedroom. In there, she waited quietly, listening to see when Cloud would leave to sit outside. She had been observing Cloud's behavior, and now he was going outside every night. So the chances of him being out tonight were very high.
True enough; about twenty minutes later, she heard the bedroom door open and Cloud stepping inside. Probably to check that she was already asleep before moving outside. Tifa made her breathing even to fool Cloud into thinking that she was indeed sound asleep. A few moments later, the bedroom door closed and she soon heard the front door opening and closing quietly. She gave Cloud about fifteen minutes of alone time before quietly leaving the bedroom and going downstairs.
The sight that greeted her was not unlike the last time she had caught him gazing at the stars from the bar. Tifa then realized that when illuminated by a pool of gentle silvery moonlight, Cloud looked vulnerable... and a lot more open. Perhaps it was because of the night's protective cloak and that he thought nobody else was awake to witness this side of him if he shed his shields.
She quietly exited the house and approached Cloud, mindful to be extremely quiet because of Cloud's enhanced senses. When she was close enough, Tifa spoke in a light, casual tone, "The stars are really beautiful, aren't they? It makes me wonder why I haven't noticed them before."
Cloud froze for a split second before he turned around to look up at her. "Tifa... I thought you were asleep already... You said you were tired."
"Oh I don't know... I couldn't really sleep. I thought I heard you coming in too, but when I turned around you were gone. So I came out to find you... You like sitting out here and looking at the stars, don't you?"
Tifa knew that Cloud had gotten the implication of her words when his eyes widened almost imperceptibly before he averted his gaze. It took a few moments later before Cloud replied, voice sounding strangely quieter than ever, to her question, "Yes... yes I do... It's relaxing."
While Cloud was talking to her, Tifa could tell he was trying to run all the same. It appeared that the best way for anything to come out was for her to be direct. To cut straight to the core of everything. So, she did just that.
"Cloud, what's bothering you? And don't even try bluffing your way out of this. I've been watching you for a while already and... something's wrong."
"...Pretty straightforward, eh Tifa...?"
"I realized that if I made some grand speech with a long winding prologue, you'll find someway to escape before I even get to the main point," she pointed out matter-of-factly as she sat down next to the blond. "And you're still trying to buy time to find a way to run from me. So, Cloud... What is it?"
There was a long period of silence, during which Cloud watched the midnight sky and Tifa waited patiently for him to reply. Then he spoke, but with his eyes still looking at the sky above, "I... can't tell you..."
"Why not?"
"I just can't, Tifa. I can't."
"You can. I swear I won't do anything until you've finished speaking. I... I just want to know what's wrong... I don't like seeing you so depressed, especially after I thought things were picking up after the incidents with Kadaj's gang. I'm worried about you Cloud. I want to help you if I can."
"You won't like what you hear."
Tifa was surprised at how resolute Cloud's voice was. He wasn't even giving her the chance to listen to him, to hear what - or who - exactly was affecting him so. He had just laid out the verdict without a trial. There weren't many things that Cloud was so sure of that he would be so stanch about.
"But... you haven't even tried. How do you know?"
"I know."
The steel in the blond's voice and the fact that he didn't trust her with his problems hurt. But Tifa wasn't going to let it get to her... yet, anyway. Maybe he really did have a good reason... something that she couldn't yet come up with. But she was quite sure that Cloud had told Reno. Maybe it wasn't the whole story; maybe it had happened just because he'd been drunk enough to do so... Either way, the point was that he had told Reno, but he simply refused to tell her.
"You told Reno," Tifa stated solemnly. She deliberately left the "but you still won't tell me," hang in the air, knowing that Cloud would hear it all the same.
She knew he did. Cloud fidgeted slightly, uncomfortably like he was trying not to flinch at her accusation, and his heavenward gaze dropped to look at the ground somewhere near where she sat. She could almost feel him fighting the different reactions he had to her statement. It was probably quite horrible for her to hope that what Cloud said in reply would be telling her what was bothering him... because he felt a little guilty.
"Reno... you looked him up..." Calm, neutral... but she could hear a tinge of anxiety.
"I had to. You didn't come back until the next day when you went off to deliver something for ShinRa. And you know very well what direction our conversation would have gone to had Reno not called. I thought that you might've lied about the delivery and used the opportunity to get away or something."
"...I'm surprised he'd tell you anything..."
"It wasn't easy, but I had to know where you went that day. He was the only clue I had, and I'd have found a way to make him talk despite all the difficulties."
"But he still didn't tell you what you wanted..."
So Cloud was admitting that he had told Reno something. "We wouldn't be having this conversation if he had."
"You might be trying to get it directly from me, just to confirm if it was true..."
"I... Cloud, please just what is it that you can trust Reno with but not me?! I swear that when I tried to ask him past the fact that you both got as drunk as hell and were carried back to his and Rude's apartment by Rude... he actually looked liked he was going to threaten me if I asked any further.¡±
At that, Cloud looked up at her and she could see some surprise in his blue eyes. Was he surprised that she had managed to get so many details out of Reno? Or was it because of the fact that Reno had almost threatened her because Reno was going to keep his secret at all costs?
"He was that serious...?"
"Yes. Which is why I know it has to be something big. You and I both know that Reno isn't one of the most sensitive persons on the Planet."
"...It's because he understands, Tifa..."
I can't quite write HeT without throwing in some shounen-ai anymore... in most fandoms at least. >.< Oh well, what can I do when I have HeT and shounen-ai OTPs that conflict with each other? And that the shounen-ai ones always seem to win out most of the time? My apologies to the readers coming in from the yaoi-oriented communities that there isn't much hint of shounen-ai just yet. But it's coming in the next chapter. Promise.
Anyway, people coming in from certain communities will probably already know the identity of the ??. For the benefit of others who still may not know, perhaps you could refrain from commenting on it until uh... later? Just not in this chapter at least. ^^" Besides, this is going to be a short multi-chaptered story with only three chapters. Four at most. So there. Although, if you look at the cross-posted communities... ^^"
Hope you enjoyed it and that this wasn't too much of a cliffhanger! XD Feel free to comment!
x-posted to:
myprettypuppet
sephyfans
ctlove
acfiction
acyaoi
ffvii_yaoi
Chapter: Prologue: Dusk
Genres: Angst/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: ??/Cloud Strife/Tifa Lockhart, Reno, Rude, Aerith Gainsborough & Zack
Spoilers/Warnings: Some parts of Advent Children. Shounen-ai content.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all related prequels and sequels belong to Square-Enix.
Summary: [Post AC] [Part II of the Between Worlds series] She didn't like being kept in the dark. Especially when the words "Cloud Strife" and "incessant brooding" were in the same sentence.
There was definitely something bothering Cloud. She was dead sure about it. Being his friend for such a long time and now his girlfriend, it made her able to pick up on his subtle mood changes relatively easily. Although, truth be told, the change hadn't been quite so subtle in comparison to the other times.
Tifa had first noticed Cloud's mood dropping two weeks ago. It wasn't much at first, but he had started going out on deliveries and then stayed out much longer than it required to make said delivery and returning to the bar. The times he stayed out soon became longer with each day, making Tifa suspect that he wanted to stay away for some reason. Furthermore, she had also seen him awake at night, staring at the stars above, as if deep in thought.
As if he was brooding.
The first time it had happened, he was still in the bedroom, sitting on the inner window ledge with one leg bent and the other dangling off the ledge. She had thought it was just a one time thing and had merely turned over and went back to sleep. Perhaps he just couldn't sleep for the night. Insomnia could strike anyone at any time anyway. It was nothing really unusual.
However, two nights later, when she awoke to use the bathroom and found him missing from his bed, she felt a little worried. A quick search had her finding Cloud sitting outside on the ground, gazing at the stars once again.
She had been contemplating about joining him in stargazing when a lone, glistening tear streaked down his cheek, halting her actions to make her presence known to the blond. Cloud didn't seem to notice the tear for he continued to gaze at the night sky. Tifa was shocked to say the least.
Cloud never cried. He hadn't shed a single tear for eons. Not since many years ago, when they were both still children living in Nibelheim. And even then, it was still a very rare occurrence. It made her wonder if there were times that Cloud had cried, but there was nobody around to comfort him...
Then there was that incident with Reno five days ago that still left a strange taste in her mouth whenever she thought about it.
She had been talking with Cloud about general matters before starting to steer the conversation towards trying to find out if there was anything wrong with him. It was at that moment when Cloud's cell phone rang so untimely.
"Hello, Cloud speaking."
His voice sounded perfectly neutral, like how it always was - cool and calm. However, Tifa could've sworn that she saw a look of relief flit across the blond's visage briefly as he turned away to take the call.
"Yo, Cloud-" the unmistakable voice of a certain redhead filtered through from Cloud's cell phone, but it was cut off quite abruptly.
"How in the world did you get my cell phone number?" Cloud demanded. "It's meant for my friends only."
The remainder of the conversation was lost to Tifa as Cloud hurriedly exited the room to continue what appeared to be a heated conversation with Reno.
Then as soon as the call ended and he had reappeared, Cloud had told her that ShinRa wanted him to deliver something for them and left hurriedly. Other than the glaringly obvious fact that ShinRa had a number of capable individuals (the Turks) who could handle any sort of delivery the company required especially now that the company had already been rapidly restored to its former glory minus the evil scheming, the fact that Cloud had then disappeared for the remainder of the day and only reappeared back at Seventh Heaven the next morning told Tifa that he staunchly wanted to avoid the topic of himself in any further conversation. A quick check with Reno afterwards had also proved her suspicions to be relatively spot on.
Not that it was easy getting the information out of the redhead in the first place.
After polite asking had amounted to nothing, she had had to take drastic measures. First threatening bodily over the phone, then looking him up to continue to threaten said physical harm and finally, out of sheer exasperation at the situation coupled with her growing worry for Cloud, cried in front of him and Rude (though Tifa would like to say that she had only been acting, it wasn't totally the case) before Reno had grudgingly gave in although it was not without some choice input from his partner too.
It also appeared to Tifa that Reno was somewhat uncomfortable with crying ladies... which she had decided to store away for future reference if need be. Privately, she hoped that she wouldn't have to use that piece of information at all... That incident would be the first and last time she shed a tear in front of Reno, because it could backfire on her too. She was sure the redhead could find a way to turn it against her if he wanted to.
It turned out that what Cloud had told her hadn't been a complete lie. But the delivery that he had been required to make did not need a full day to complete. Instead, Cloud had actually finished the job before mid-afternoon, which was already considered a little faster than what even Rufus Shinra had expected. Then the next time Reno had seen the blond was much later in the evening and inside a pub no less. Reno had then joined Cloud and both of them had drunk the night away. According to Rude this time, he had to get both drunken men back to the apartment he shared with Reno because it was really the most convenient place around. Which sufficiently explained why Cloud had only returned the next morning.
Why she had failed to notice if Cloud had any signs of a hangover (he didn't drink that often and it sounded like both him and Reno were very far gone and spouting nonsense when Rude escorted them back) was still a mystery. But she put that down to the fact that Cloud was quite the master at hiding things and that she hadn¡¯t expected him to go drinking the night before.
Tifa still suspected that there could've been more to Reno's story. However, when she had tried to wheedle more out of the Turk, Reno had firmly insisted that that was that. The redhead actually had a look on his face that seemed threatening. Even Rude hadn't given any input or hint that Reno could be hiding something else from her. However, this just signaled to her that something major was bothering Cloud and he¡¯d probably somehow managed to swear Reno to secrecy about the whole thing... if Cloud had actually told Reno anything in the first place. Tifa's intuition was telling her that Cloud had and it was also hinting to her that it had been Reno's own choice to keep the secret for Cloud.
So what was it?
And why did everyone seem to know something about it?
Okay, so it wasn't really everyone per se, but she hated being kept in the dark like that. Most especially when it concerned Cloud Strife. While Reno and Rude weren't their enemies, she still didn't think that Cloud would confide in them. Cloud was a rather reserved and private person most of the time. Unless the alcohol he had consumed had lowered his guard enough to spill everything out.
Tifa had by now guessed that it was a someone on Cloud's mind and not a something. So she had begun to eliminate the possibilities. Seriously speaking, there weren¡¯t many choices to begin with.
It wasn't Aerith. If it were her, Cloud would disappear off to the church, much like what he had done the last time. Which wasn't too long ago. She had also searched for him in the church before, and whenever she was there, Cloud wasn't present. She also hadn't seen any signs of him being there too. She had also gotten a sign of sorts from Aerith's spirit that Cloud hadn't come by to brood.
It wasn't Zack too. Because Cloud tended to go off to the far outskirts of Edge and stay out there for days on end if it were the deceased SOLDIER. At any rate, the furthest he had gone and stayed out for at least a night was that one time when he ended up crashing at Reno and Rude's apartment after getting drunk.
Therefore, with the duo ruled out, there didn't seem to be anyone else that could make Cloud become so depressed and moody. And there wasn't...
Right?
It was high time for an end to be seen. She'd chain up Cloud if that were how she could corner him long enough to really talk and get the full story out of him. Finally she decided to confront Cloud during the night when he watched the stars. It was possibly one of the only times he let his guard down enough for her to be able to make a move. Admittedly, it was low to exploit him when he was at his most vulnerable, but there was no other choice.
It was yet again a cloudless night. After tucking Denzel and Marlene in, Tifa pretended to be tired and retired to the bedroom. In there, she waited quietly, listening to see when Cloud would leave to sit outside. She had been observing Cloud's behavior, and now he was going outside every night. So the chances of him being out tonight were very high.
True enough; about twenty minutes later, she heard the bedroom door open and Cloud stepping inside. Probably to check that she was already asleep before moving outside. Tifa made her breathing even to fool Cloud into thinking that she was indeed sound asleep. A few moments later, the bedroom door closed and she soon heard the front door opening and closing quietly. She gave Cloud about fifteen minutes of alone time before quietly leaving the bedroom and going downstairs.
The sight that greeted her was not unlike the last time she had caught him gazing at the stars from the bar. Tifa then realized that when illuminated by a pool of gentle silvery moonlight, Cloud looked vulnerable... and a lot more open. Perhaps it was because of the night's protective cloak and that he thought nobody else was awake to witness this side of him if he shed his shields.
She quietly exited the house and approached Cloud, mindful to be extremely quiet because of Cloud's enhanced senses. When she was close enough, Tifa spoke in a light, casual tone, "The stars are really beautiful, aren't they? It makes me wonder why I haven't noticed them before."
Cloud froze for a split second before he turned around to look up at her. "Tifa... I thought you were asleep already... You said you were tired."
"Oh I don't know... I couldn't really sleep. I thought I heard you coming in too, but when I turned around you were gone. So I came out to find you... You like sitting out here and looking at the stars, don't you?"
Tifa knew that Cloud had gotten the implication of her words when his eyes widened almost imperceptibly before he averted his gaze. It took a few moments later before Cloud replied, voice sounding strangely quieter than ever, to her question, "Yes... yes I do... It's relaxing."
While Cloud was talking to her, Tifa could tell he was trying to run all the same. It appeared that the best way for anything to come out was for her to be direct. To cut straight to the core of everything. So, she did just that.
"Cloud, what's bothering you? And don't even try bluffing your way out of this. I've been watching you for a while already and... something's wrong."
"...Pretty straightforward, eh Tifa...?"
"I realized that if I made some grand speech with a long winding prologue, you'll find someway to escape before I even get to the main point," she pointed out matter-of-factly as she sat down next to the blond. "And you're still trying to buy time to find a way to run from me. So, Cloud... What is it?"
There was a long period of silence, during which Cloud watched the midnight sky and Tifa waited patiently for him to reply. Then he spoke, but with his eyes still looking at the sky above, "I... can't tell you..."
"Why not?"
"I just can't, Tifa. I can't."
"You can. I swear I won't do anything until you've finished speaking. I... I just want to know what's wrong... I don't like seeing you so depressed, especially after I thought things were picking up after the incidents with Kadaj's gang. I'm worried about you Cloud. I want to help you if I can."
"You won't like what you hear."
Tifa was surprised at how resolute Cloud's voice was. He wasn't even giving her the chance to listen to him, to hear what - or who - exactly was affecting him so. He had just laid out the verdict without a trial. There weren't many things that Cloud was so sure of that he would be so stanch about.
"But... you haven't even tried. How do you know?"
"I know."
The steel in the blond's voice and the fact that he didn't trust her with his problems hurt. But Tifa wasn't going to let it get to her... yet, anyway. Maybe he really did have a good reason... something that she couldn't yet come up with. But she was quite sure that Cloud had told Reno. Maybe it wasn't the whole story; maybe it had happened just because he'd been drunk enough to do so... Either way, the point was that he had told Reno, but he simply refused to tell her.
"You told Reno," Tifa stated solemnly. She deliberately left the "but you still won't tell me," hang in the air, knowing that Cloud would hear it all the same.
She knew he did. Cloud fidgeted slightly, uncomfortably like he was trying not to flinch at her accusation, and his heavenward gaze dropped to look at the ground somewhere near where she sat. She could almost feel him fighting the different reactions he had to her statement. It was probably quite horrible for her to hope that what Cloud said in reply would be telling her what was bothering him... because he felt a little guilty.
"Reno... you looked him up..." Calm, neutral... but she could hear a tinge of anxiety.
"I had to. You didn't come back until the next day when you went off to deliver something for ShinRa. And you know very well what direction our conversation would have gone to had Reno not called. I thought that you might've lied about the delivery and used the opportunity to get away or something."
"...I'm surprised he'd tell you anything..."
"It wasn't easy, but I had to know where you went that day. He was the only clue I had, and I'd have found a way to make him talk despite all the difficulties."
"But he still didn't tell you what you wanted..."
So Cloud was admitting that he had told Reno something. "We wouldn't be having this conversation if he had."
"You might be trying to get it directly from me, just to confirm if it was true..."
"I... Cloud, please just what is it that you can trust Reno with but not me?! I swear that when I tried to ask him past the fact that you both got as drunk as hell and were carried back to his and Rude's apartment by Rude... he actually looked liked he was going to threaten me if I asked any further.¡±
At that, Cloud looked up at her and she could see some surprise in his blue eyes. Was he surprised that she had managed to get so many details out of Reno? Or was it because of the fact that Reno had almost threatened her because Reno was going to keep his secret at all costs?
"He was that serious...?"
"Yes. Which is why I know it has to be something big. You and I both know that Reno isn't one of the most sensitive persons on the Planet."
"...It's because he understands, Tifa..."
I can't quite write HeT without throwing in some shounen-ai anymore... in most fandoms at least. >.< Oh well, what can I do when I have HeT and shounen-ai OTPs that conflict with each other? And that the shounen-ai ones always seem to win out most of the time? My apologies to the readers coming in from the yaoi-oriented communities that there isn't much hint of shounen-ai just yet. But it's coming in the next chapter. Promise.
Anyway, people coming in from certain communities will probably already know the identity of the ??. For the benefit of others who still may not know, perhaps you could refrain from commenting on it until uh... later? Just not in this chapter at least. ^^" Besides, this is going to be a short multi-chaptered story with only three chapters. Four at most. So there. Although, if you look at the cross-posted communities... ^^"
Hope you enjoyed it and that this wasn't too much of a cliffhanger! XD Feel free to comment!
x-posted to:
myprettypuppet
sephyfans
ctlove
acfiction
acyaoi
ffvii_yaoi