He had moved in with Tifa about three months after the defeat of Sephiroth. When the members of AVALANCHE went their separate ways afterwards, each had taken home a considerable amount of money, collected over their travels. They divided their total earnings almost equally, and Reeve took a little less than everyone else, since he was the only one with a high-paying job. Cloud made out the best out of all of them, since he was viewed as the "hero", a title he really didn't have any interest in.
Tifa and Cloud were pretty much the only two with nowhere to go after that, so they went to Kalm together to stay at the inn until they could find houses. Tifa had plans of buying a small house there and starting another 7th Heaven, but had come just a few thousand gil short of the asking price. Cloud eagerly paid the difference, despite her protests, and since then, Tifa's 2nd 7th Heaven had been a gold mine.
Cloud didn't stay in Kalm, however. He was glad everything was turning out well, but there were matters that still weighed heavily on his heart. Tifa had offered him a home with her, but there were things he felt needed to be done before he could have peace of mind. After bidding a fond goodbye to Tifa, he had set out for the Ancient City, where he spent the next two months repairing a few things, and built a small memorial for Aeris near the lake that was her resting place. While this was somewhat satisfying to him, spending so much time in that place left him very depressed. He traveled to Wutai after that, where he bought some raw materials and added a few materia slots to his Ultima Weapon. Yuffie spent some time with him, and not long after, Tifa got a call from the young ninja. Apparently, Cloud was not in good shape. He was depressed, and had lost a considerable amount of weight. Tifa called Cid, who didn't live far from Wutai, to convince Cloud come and stay with her in Kalm.
Cloud was not in Wutai when Cid arrived though. He had left town the previous day, intending to go to Nibelheim, collect what he wanted of Hojo's lab records, and destroy the rest, so that the world may never know another Sephiroth. But there was no sign of Cloud in Nibelheim, or any evidence that he had been there. Cid went looking for him, and by blind luck, had found him, severely injured by monsters, a few miles from the town. After recovering in a hospital in Rocket Town, Tifa had all but ordered Cloud to come and live with her in Kalm. Weary from traveling, fighting, and poor health, Cloud agreed, and within about a month, he was feeling better, with no intention of leaving Tifa's cozy home, great food, or continual loyalty and support, anytime soon.
Cloud smiled to himself. He had done little to deserve the wonderful friends he had, but wasn't going to question it, only enjoy it. Tifa had always been good to him, and it was her friendship that pulled him through some of his darkest hours.
Cloud and Tifa chatted over heir food, the way they always did, but something seemed to be bothering Tifa this morning. She seemed to be avoiding eye contact, and hadn't really touched her food. Cloud took notice of this, and asked her what was wrong.
Tifa lowered her eyes. "I'm just…worried a little."
"Why? About what?" Cloud asked.
"You haven't had that dream in a few months now. It surprised me."
Cloud rubbed his head. He hated to make her worry. "It's nothing Tifa," he said, swallowing a mouthful of bacon, "I doubt if I'll ever be rid of that dream."
Cloud kept the truth about his dream to himself.
Tifa placed her hand on his. "Cloud, you've got to stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault."
Yes it was.
Cloud patted Tifa's hand. "Teef, I don't wanna have that debate now. Whether it was or it wasn't, it happened right in front of me, and now I have to live with that. The memory will never go away. You understand, right?"
Tifa smiled weakly. "Yeah, I do. Just don't beat yourself up, OK?"
Cloud nodded and finished his food. Tifa took their plates away, and he stood up and stretched. "By the way, how come Cid's not picking us up in the Highwind? It'd be much faster."
"It's grounded for awhile. He's doing some work on it."
"Ah."
Cloud walked out of the kitchen, and out into the main room of 7th Heaven. Everything was squeaky clean, and ready to greet the soon-to-come horde of customers looking for breakfast. Tifa had four people working for her, and they would be here soon to open up. Tifa usually insisted on doing most of the work herself, but everyone needs a vacation now and then, so Tifa was leaving 7th Heaven in their hands while she was away. Cloud didn't trust her employees as much as she did, but he figured if it was OK with her, it was OK with him.
Cloud sighed and glanced at the clock. It was seven in the morning. Madeline, Tifa's second most trusted assistant (next to Cloud, who she always called her "1st Officer") would be here any minute. 7th Heaven always opened promptly at 8:30 for breakfast.
A knock at the back door drew Cloud's attention. That was probably her. Tifa's voice came from the kitchen. "Cloud, could you let her in? I've got dishes in here."
"Sure." he said, walking towards the door. He went down the short hallway leading to the back door, and opened it. He looked down, expecting to see Madeline, who was much shorter than him.
Instead, he saw the waist of an enormous black man. Cloud looked up in surprise, and saw two gigantic arms, folded across a broad chest, and a bearded face, which would've been frightening, if not for the smile.
"'Sup, Spike?" Barret said as he gave Cloud a bear hug that nearly broke all of his ribs.
When he let go, Cloud staggered back a little. "Good to see you Barret, I think." Cloud went to shake Barret's hand, and then noticed that instead of a large machine gun at the end of his right arm, he had a prosthetic hand.
"Hey, where'd this come from?" Cloud asked as he shook the hand.
"This? Reeve had it built for me. Havin' one hand was kinda inconvenient, so Reeve offered t' make this for me. Some people get scared of it, y'know? The gun I mean." Barret said, flexing the robotic hand.
Cloud nodded. Ever since Barret had been elected mayor of Corel, he had to soften his appearance. "I guess when you go around kissing babies all day, you can't take weapons around with you." Cloud joked.
"Shu' up. I still got the gun." Barret said. He held up his right arm, and the hand retracted into the metal casing with a barely audible electric whir. Barret's trademark gatling gun slid out to replace it, and it spun around a few times before sliding back in, allowing the hand to come back out.
Before Cloud could say anything else, Tifa came out from the kitchen, her hands still wet from the dishes, and gave Barret a warm hug. "Barret! It's great to see you!"
"You too, Tifa. How's life, puttin' up with this pain in the ass every day?" he said, glancing at Cloud. Cloud gave him the finger.
Tifa sensed the obscene gesture, and turned to whack Cloud on the arm. "I don't know how I do it, but I do." she said in her usual cheerful manner.
The three moved out of the hallway, which was barely big enough for Barret to walk through, and the two men sat down in the main room of the bar.
Tifa busied herself setting out freshly refilled napkin dispensers, salt and pepper shakers, and other conveniences at each table, chatting with Barret and Cloud at the same time. "How come you're here so early?" she asked, "We weren't expecting you for another three hours, at least."
"Sorry to barge in, but the trip from home didn't take as long as I thought." Barret explained. "I figured I could jes' grab some food when the bar opened."
"Sure. Madeline will be here soon, and I'll get you some breakfast then." Tifa replied.
"Thanks Tifa. Damn, I sure miss your cookin'" Tifa's original bar had been AVALANCHE's hideout in the early days, and Tifa's food kept them all alive for awhile. Barret smiled to himself as he remembered how he used to gorge himself on her cooking. She never seemed to mind making extra helpings just for him. Ah, memories.
As Tifa cleaned up, Barret and Cloud caught up on the events of the past few months. Cloud had last seen Barret just after he had been made the mayor of Corel. Since then, Barret had done wonders for the old town. For the first time, Corel was no longer poor. After Barret and Reeve had personally shut down the last of the Mako reactors, Corel's coal had provided much of the world with power. The income from the sudden rush for coal had been staggering, and Barret had taken matters into his own hands since then. He had rebuilt the town from the ground up, started a school, at which Marlene was doing very well, and made a few deposits on some better mining equipment. Reeve put in his piece as well, and between the two of them, Corel had gone from a dump to a thriving town of happy people.
Barret realized however, that coal had its limitations. Reeve had people hard at work in Shinra Labs trying to find an efficient and safe way to provide power. Mako reactors certainly provided more power than burning coal, and Reeve had assured the world that whatever came out of this new effort, it would be beneficial to the human race, as well as the Planet. To ease everyone's mind, he had put Barret in charge of making sure that nothing like a Mako reactor could ever be produced again. Every blueprint to come out of Shinra Labs landed on Barret's desk, and if he found it to be unsafe for the Planet, the project was trashed.
This was a heavy task for Barret, but he was up to it. Just like he had been determined to bring Shinra down, he was determined to make the future brighter for everyone. While his frightening exterior hadn't changed much, it was obvious to the world that Barret Wallace was not a dangerous terrorist, as he had been called, but a voice of hope.
Just like AVALANCHE.
Cloud was impressed with Barret's accomplishments. He told him so.
"I'm jes' doin' my part. All part of what AVALANCHE started years back. Fix the world after all Shinra done to it. An' now that Shinra's in Reeve's hands, I can finish it." Barret's tone was filled with pride, something he had never had much of.
"Reeve sure has turned things around." Cloud said. "Hard to believe sometimes. A year ago, he was just another Shinra scumbag to us. Now, he's pretty much the leader of the world, and he's doing a great job."
Barret nodded. "He's a good man. What about you Cloud? Reeve offered you plenty o' positions with Shinra. How come you didn't take none of 'em?"
Cloud shrugged. "It's not my thing. I'm not a leader, or a…"
"You're not a leader? Damn, man, ain't you been payin' attention? If you hadn't been leadin' AVALANCHE, we'd all be dead!"
Cloud shook his head. "It's different. I can lead people in battle, but the world wants to put war behind it. I wouldn't know where to begin if I was in your place."
Barret thought a moment. "Mebbe not, but then, nobody gave me no lessons. I jes' do what I think's right."
Cloud shrugged again. "I did my thing. After it was all over, I made plenty of motivational speeches. I played the 'hero' role."
Barret nodded. Cloud was the one man that the world admired most. When AVALANCHE had beaten Sephiroth, Cloud went on TV around the world, and told everyone the truth. He told them about Shinra, Hojo and Gast, Lucrecia, Sephiroth, Jenova, the Lifestream, Spirit Energy, the Cetra, Ifalna, Aeris, and even himself. He made everyone realize how close this world had come to destroying itself. It was his hope for the future that had spurred everything that was happening now. The world was being rebuilt in the name of peace, and in the spirit of the Cetra.
But Cloud didn't want to be a hero. He just wanted to be Cloud. Even after his struggle with the past, his disappearance, and his struggle with depression, the world looked up to him. But all Cloud wanted to do was live a normal life. Finally, after so much time, he was doing it.
"Guess it don't matter. You inspired everyone, an' that's what they really needed." Barret said. Cloud nodded silently.
About then, Tifa set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Barret. His serious disposition went out the window as he began stuffing his face.
Tifa laughed. "Well, some things never change!" she said.
Cloud laughed to. But hey, when you're 6 foot 4 and about three hundred pounds, you eat a lot.
A knock on the back door drew Tifa's attention. She went to answer it, and Cloud sat back in his chair. He was in a good mood, and seeing Cid and Shera again would certainly raise his spirits.
Tifa came back in the room with Madeline, a short, blond girl about twenty-one. She was cheerful and upbeat, and she and Tifa had become good friends. Cloud liked her, but always kept a careful eye on her. He didn't know why, but he just felt better that way.
"Madeline, I'd like you to meet Barret Wallace. Um…he's pretty hungry." Tifa said, trying not to laugh as she watched Barret try to swallow all the food he had in his mouth.
Madeline didn't try so hard. She cracked up, drawing a glare from Barret, but once he had swallowed his food, he stood up and shook the young lady's hand. "Nice to meetcha." he said.
"Same here. I've heard all about you. I remember reading about AVALANCHE years ago, when you guys got started. I was a big fan." Madeline said as she and Barret shook.
"Good to know." Barret said as he sat down and resumed eating, trying to control his stomach this time.
Cloud laughed to himself. Madeline gave him a look. "What's so funny?" she asked.
"'Big fan.' Like AVALANCHE is a rock band or something."
Madeline slugged him on the arm. "I don't know how you put up with him Tifa."
Tifa laughed. "Not easily. Come on, we've got work to do." she said as she led Madeline to the kitchen, leaving Cloud and Barret in the main room.
Tifa heard Barret and Cloud start chatting again, and Madeline put on her apron and started getting out frying pans, bowls, and other things to prepare breakfast. Tifa closed the door to the kitchen so she and Madeline could get down to their routine "girl talk."
"So what's the deal with you two?" Madeline asked as she began cleaning off a frying pan.
Tifa sighed sadly.
"Tifa, you mean he still has no idea?" Madeline asked, shocked.
Tifa shook her head. "I just can't bring myself to say anything. I get nervous."
"Well then, what about him? You mean to tell me he shows no interest in you at all?"
Tifa sighed again as she pulled out the menus and checked them for errors. "No. I mean, it's not like he's totally distant or anything. We're best friends, and he's wonderful to me. He's opened himself up to me lately like he never has before. But I don't think he realizes that to me…he's more than a friend."
Madeline shook her head in disbelief. "God, sometimes I just wanna whack him in the head and tell him to wake up. He lives with a beautiful, sexy woman who's crazy about him, and he doesn't even notice."
Tifa blushed. "Well, it's not like I've thrown myself at him or anything, but I do try to show him…in little ways I mean…how I feel."
"Tifa, that's not enough. You can wait for him to open his eyes, which may take forever at this rate, or you could do something about. You said he had a crush on you, right?"
Tifa nodded. "Yes, but that was almost eight years ago. He's changed. I've changed. We were just kids."
Madeline finished cleaning the kitchen utensils, and went to work on the serving plates. "It doesn't matter. If the feeling is still there for you, it's probably still there for him."
"Not since…" Tifa's voice trailed off, and her face fell.
Madeline knew what she was thinking. She and Tifa had become very close in the short time they had known each other, and she had heard about this before. "Tifa, do you really think he felt that strongly for her? They knew each other a few months. He's known you for eight years."
"I know, but ever since I met her, I just knew that there was something special between them. I could tell by the way she looked at him when his back was turned. And the way he looked at her."
"Whether that's true or not, Tifa, it doesn't matter. She's…gone."
Tifa felt a sharp pain in her heart, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away, turning her back so Madeline wouldn't notice. "I know. And that's one thing that makes it so hard." Tifa took a breath. "I wanted to hate her so much at first. I wanted to be jealous. I wanted to tell her flat out to stay away from Cloud. But…I couldn't. Not because of guilt, but because of…her. It didn't take long before I was sitting awake at night, talking to her for hours. Telling her my feelings, my secrets, and listening to hers. I realized that I couldn't hate her, and by then…I didn't even want to anymore. Whether she came between me and Cloud or not, I loved her like a sister. I still do."
Madeline could tell that Tifa needed a hug, and gave her one. "Thanks." Tifa whispered.
"Tifa, regardless of how he felt about her, or how you felt about her, she's gone now. It's time to move on. What's stopping you?"
Tifa pulled out of the embrace and lowered her eyes. "He had the dream again."
Madeline's eyes went wide.
"Screamed at the top of his lungs at about three in the morning."
Madeline was shocked. It had been awhile since Tifa had last mentioned him having "that dream".
"I don't think his guilt will ever go away. He misses her…we all do."
"But Tifa, it wasn't his fault."
"I know. I try to tell him that day in and day out, but he can't let go. And I understand. He said it this morning, it's something he'll always have to live with."
"Tifa, he needs you. You can help him let go of his guilt. He needs you to love him…much more than he realizes."
"I know…but…" Tifa was cut off by a loud yell from outside. She whirled around in surprise, and then quickly went to see what was going on.
Once in the main room, she saw her 18-year-old waiter Patrick standing there, his face dead white, looking at Barret.
"What's happening?" Madeline asked as she came out behind Tifa.
"Yo, man, the hell's wrong wit' you?" Barret asked as he stood up.
Tifa walked over to Patrick, an unusually high-strung kid, and said, "Patrick, this is Barret Wallace. I've told you about him, right?"
Patrick gulped as some of the color returned to his face. "I-I'm sorry. All I s-saw was this big guy with a machine gun, and I though…oh, man, I'm an idiot. I'm sorry."
Barret groaned as Cloud laughed at him.
"Put your damn gun away, Rambo!" Cloud laughed. Barret gave Cloud a nasty look as the gun slid back into it's housing, the hand sliding out to replace it.
"Um, hi." Patrick said.
Madeline slapped Patrick on the back. "You've gotta relax, kid."
Patrick smiled weakly, and extended his hand. Barret shook it, and Patrick winced a little from the vice-like grip.
"Good to meetcha." Barret said, eyeing the nervous kid, whose hand he was practically crushing.
"Um, yeah. Same here." Patrick replied. Barret let go of his hand, and he gave Cloud a "hello" look before going into the back room to get ready for work. Madeline then excused herself into the kitchen, and Tifa looked at Barret and giggled before she returned to work as well.
"Damn, man. You'd think I was some kinda roughneck or sumthin'."
Cloud burst out laughing.
Author's note:
A little history before we move on. Hope ya liked it
