Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Jenova's Children ❯ Memoria ( Chapter 5 )

Jenova's Children

By Kawaii and Junsui

 

Chapter 5

Memoria

“Nnn… Vincent… have you been using my shampoo? You smell exactly like my hair… and your face tastes like… cotton…” Yuffie's chocolate brown orbs opened half-lidded as she realized that she was not making out with Vincent… she was making out with her pillow in her sleep. Cursing the headrest to the seventh layer of hell, she abandoned it, groping around for her bag, where she kept her digital watch. 2:37 AM. Damn. Still three-and-a-half more hours before they hit the road again… three-and-a-half more hours until she resumed her journey to home… to Vincent.

Yuffie shuffled uncomfortably under her sheets and frowned sadly to herself. Her body ached for his touch… to feel him hold her to his chest and with one sentence make everything in the world better. But so many things were nagging at the back of her mind, like…

The ninja flopped over into another position, casting her arm over her stomach, slowly realizing that she was fully awake. Why did things have to end up like this? Not only that, but the dilemma with Riku as well. Yuffie's face contorted with sadness; she'd heard Cloud yelling at Riku earlier in the evening. `He doesn't understand…' thought the ninja sadly as she fat up in her futon, wrapping her arms around her legs, `He doesn't even remember what its like to be a teenager.'

Just then, a soft sound met her ears. Yuffie turned around in her futon as she blinked into the darkness where a tiny light burned on, like a beacon of hope. Yuffie stood and wrapped her futon's blanket around her. She followed the tiny aureate light.

Laying in a tiny huddle by the warmth of the light was Riku. So defeated and hopeless, his azure eyes were misted with tears that continued to slide down his cheeks as he trembled violently.

Yuffie felt herself begin to cry as well. Warm tears coruscated within her chocolate brown orbs and slid down her cheeks. No. Riku was nothing like Cloud.

Without words, the short tressed young woman fell down to Riku's side and cradled him to her chest in a very uncharacteristic motherly way. She knew how bad the need to be held to one's chest was. A simple gesture of kindness showed universally parental love and affection; to let them know that it was all going to be okay.

“Its okay…” Yuffie soothed in words she found were the most soothing to herself, “It's going to be okay… I'm here. You're okay.”

No, Riku was nothing like Cloud. For long ago, Cloud had shed this sort of emotion that made him human. Cloud could not break down and cry. Riku could…

Maybe it was time to stop comparing them.

 

 

The next day, Riku followed Yuffie around much like a lost puppy. He would walk in step with the ninja and insist on carrying her things after she barfed up her breakfast. Riku and Cloud did not talk that day. Instead, Riku decided to talk to Yuffie instead.

The young woman was quite pleasant towards him. They chatted casually about neutral things like books and art… things Yuffie wasn't terribly interested in, but kept up conversation for Riku's sake.

Cloud didn't ask Riku to spar.

 

 

The final day of their journey, Riku hung back, carrying Yuffie's things. The brunette-tressed ninja cast a wary glance at Cloud.

“He's hurting.” She uttered softly.

The blonde continued to stare foreword, his dewy blue orbs narrowed and a frown engraved onto his round face, “Good.”

“Cloud!” Yuffie gasped incredulously, her brown eyes wide and serious, “He's hurting, Cloud! There's so much more than just him taking his life…”

“I know.” The blonde muttered softly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, “He's hurting others as well.”

“No, Cloud.” Yuffie huffed angrily. Her expression, for once, was actually serious, “I know you mean well, but there's so much more than black and white. I thought you of all people would know that.” She stopped dead in her tracks, grasping the blonde by his shoulder, “And you haven't forgotten about trying to `atone for your sins' so soon, have you?”

Cloud irately yanked his shoulder from her grasp, spinning around in a flaming fury, “That's completely different!” He yelled. Yuffie recoiled instantly, her brown orbs coruscating with sadness. Cloud bit his lip nervously, “Yuffie, I-“

“No, Cloud. You've said enough.” The ninja bowed her head, shaking it so that dark tresses danced slightly over her dark eyes, “You just don't understand.”

She then fell back in-step with Riku, and the remainder of the trip was silent.

 

 

“Edge.” Cloud swept his arm in front of him. They were standing atop a large plateau, the city of Edge sprawled out before them. Riku stepped out from behind Yuffie, brushing past Cloud wordlessly. The wind kicked up, rustling his hair.

“I know.” He breathed.

“What was that, hun?” Yuffie quipped, cutting Cloud off.

“I said, I know. I know this is Edge.” Riku replied softly.

“Huh? How's that? I mean, why couldn't it be some other town?” Yuffie cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“I've… I've never been here before. But somehow… it feels familiar. Like I should recognize this place. Like I forgot it.” He shook his head, laughing to himself. “But that's not possible, is it?” He stalked to the rim of the plateau, keeping his companions from questioning him further. Something rolled over his shoe, and with a frown, he bent to retrieve it. He looked upon the object with wonderment, placing it in the palm of his hand. It was what appeared to be a shriveled flower; dried out by the dusty wastelands and the scalding gaze of the sun. He picked it up and turned it around. There was a soft crunch as he took another step.

Below his feet were several more dried blossoms in shades of white and yellow. Older still were those that were round and purple. Riku brushed the flowers aside with a foot, causing the dust to flare up. Coughing, he recoiled, and then gasped, still choking on the fine dirt. He quickly knelt and swept away more of the earth, exposing what lay beneath.

Cloud frowned from his vantage, examining Riku's curious behavior. A thought came to him, and he scanned the area for what was missing. Irately, he marched forward, only to be intercepted by Yuffie.

“What are you doing?” she asked forcefully. Cloud stared at her coldly.

“You're not his mother, you can't protect him forever.”

“I know I'm not his mother!” the ninja spat, glaring just as ferociously. “I'm just trying to give him some support. Or are you that blind that you can't see he's already broken?!”

“Yuffie.” Cloud shied away with remorse. “You don't understand. Hmn. Healing is long and hard. Believe me. I should know.” Yuffie gaped at him.

“So what, huh? You think that yelling at him is going to make everything better? Well it's not, Cloud. You're the one who doesn't understand, not me.”

“That's bullshit and you know it.” The man growled, pushing past her. Riku looked up and backed away like a cornered cat. Cloud shot him a glance, then turned back to what the teen had uncovered. He groped along the metal until he came to the handle and with a mighty tug, loosed the sword from the ground. He looked at it with mixed emotion, then raised it and planted it in the earth, scattering the flowers that lay there. He swallowed audibly, looking away so that Riku couldn't see his face.

The teen stared at the great Buster Sword in awe. What's a sword doing in the middle of nowhere? I mean, hasn't someone come across it before now? You'd think it would've been stolen, but… He examined it closer now. It is pretty old. It looks like the blade is starting to rust. But what's up with Cloud planting it in the ground like that? Cautiously, his eyes flitted up to see that the blonde man was… crying?

“Cloud?” he gulped. There was no response. “Hey, Cloud.”

“What?” he finally uttered in hushed tones.

“Hey… uh, listen… you… you okay?” the silver tressed teen asked begrudgingly. Cloud didn't care about him, so why should he bother?

“I don't know.” The man chocked out. His chest heaved, and without turning to face him, he sat beside Riku.

“Um… okay?”

“That sword… it's called the Buster Sword.” Cloud stated at random. “It used to belong to my friend, Zack. Zack was a general of sorts in a highly advanced army called `SOLDIER'. I… I had always wanted to be apart of SOLDIER. I felt if I could make it in, that I could finally prove to everyone that I could do something, that I could succeed. That… that I could fit in.” he smiled to himself sadly. “I wasn't really that popular when I was younger. My only friend was Tifa. And I broke her heart when I left for SOLDIER. And that hurt almost more than anything I've had to endure. Almost. I never made it into SOLDIER. I… I failed. Zack was always so kind to me, almost like a big brother, really.

“I idolized him. I wanted to do something that would make him proud of me. Both Zack and… him.” He muttered darkly. “He… I wanted to prove myself to the most. The best SOLDIER there was to have ever lived… the worst man I have ever known. And I adored him, called him my friend. And he betrayed me, burned down my hometown, cut down all of the villagers, my mother and Tifa's father among them. He later returned to torment me more, and killed someone very precious to me. But back then, it was Zack was the one who found Tifa, he was the one who challenged Sephiroth. Only by some strange twist of fate was I able to `defeat' him. Not without injury of course.” He barked a short laugh, gently massaging a spot on his chest.

“It was Zack who helped me escape Shin-ra after they experimented on us. It was him that protected me when I was too weak to do so myself, and it was him…” Cloud's eyes welled with emotion, trying to dam the flood of tears that begged for release. “It was him who lost his life to save mine. I swore that I'd live out both our lives. In the end, because I had gone through a time were I was catatonic… I thought that it was me who had done all of those things. But it was all in my head. I'm…” he looked to Riku, who looked regretfully back. “I lied to myself. I lived a lie. I chose to live in the past, because the truth hurt to much. I stayed away from everyone else, shut them out, even when they tried to help me. Especially when they tried to help me. And I suffered the worse for it. I… I want to be forgiven, more than anything. I know that I'm not alone anymore, and that Aerith never blamed me, but…” he looked to the sword. “I can't help but feel unworthy.”

“Of what?” Riku whispered, not bearing to look the other man in the face.

“The light.” Cloud answered lachrymally.

“Hmn.” Riku looked up with forgiveness and comprehension. “That's the same with me too. All I had wanted was to get my friend back, because I promised that we'd meet again. But to do that, I had to make sacrifices. I let myself become consumed by whatever it was that it would take to get me back to that time. I tried to protect this girl, Kairi, but at the same time, I had to end up using her to lure Sora back. And in the end…” he gulped. “The darkness had become too close to me, infusing me so that I could no longer see the light. And more than that, I became a Heartless, or at least a partial host to one. And when everything looked like it would turn out okay, we were separated by fate once again. I underwent nearly having amnesia, being made a copy of, then having to fight it, being lied to, and…” he stopped himself short. “I… I… I still hungered for a taste of that darkness. Even though I denied it time and time again, it was still apart of me. It… it still is. Physically, I ended up taking on the appearance of another, of the one who had possessed me before, a guy who called himself `Ansem'. I couldn't face my friends that way, but they found me anyways. And somehow… I was able to become myself again. My eyes -“ he raised his hand to massage them. “I covered them with a silken blindfold, because they `couldn't lie'. Heh, what it really meant though, was that they were turning gold, like `Ansem's'. That's why I didn't want to be found.

“But recently… I don't know anymore. Nothing… nothing ever goes right for me. Just when everything was finally perfect, where I could begin to feel happy, my world changes. Am I not supposed to feel happiness ever again?!” he spat in frustration, hitting the ground with a fist. “The woman who I thought was my mother told me that she had adopted me. I was so angry that she had never told me before, even more so when she all but said I was a freak and that doctors actually quit their jobs because of me. I… I lost control. I'm not sure why or how, but the darkness that I had learned to overcome, to use as a weapon, that I had discarded months ago, it… came back. Only this time it's stronger. It's like I can't see anything, like nothing anyone says matters anymore, and I -“ he looked at Cloud guiltily. “I stopped caring. And it scared me.” he admitted feebly. “It happened right before I came to Hollow Bastion. Kairi and Sora were begging me not to leave but, the darkness… the last thing they remember of me is me yelling at them, all but telling them how worthless they are to me. I don't mean any of that, I'd never have said that, but it's like I can't control what it is that I'm saying sometimes. URGH! I just want these dreams to stop!”

“Dreams?” Cloud inquired, leaning in.

“Yeah, just stupid nightmares is all.” The silver haired teen shrugged him off.

“What of?” Cloud insisted. Riku didn't reply for a while. The blonde was about to get up when he finally replied. “Sometimes I see myself, and sometimes I don't. But it's almost always the same. There's a man and a woman talking to each other, only when I wake up, I can never remember what it is that they've said, all I know is that they're talking about me. I'm on this… table… and it's like I'm going to get operated on, like in a hospital or something. I guess it makes sense, because when I was only four I was at the hospital for a long time, and I think I remember being well taken care of. I don't know why, but every time I wake up, I'm scared out of my mind and I'm sweating.”

“Hmn.” Cloud thought. “It may mean something, and it may not. But, Riku.” He paused warily. “What I'm trying to say is, I can relate to how you must be feeling. While we've undergone different circumstances, we've both felt the same pain, loss, sadness… fear. We both shut ourselves away and we both refuse help.” He looked into the teen's azure orbs. “I only said what I said because I don't want to see you hurt. Because I relate to you, and I want to try and stop you from making the same mistakes that I did.”

“Ya, only you didn't do this.” Riku scoffed, holding up his wrists.

“Says who?” Cloud whispered. Riku stared at him wide-eyed as Cloud stood to leave.

“Wait! Cloud! Are you saying -?” the blonde turned to him gravely.

“Don't lose sight of your light. I know when you find, all of the pain and memories will come back, but also the good ones too. Don't repeat the mistakes of a failure.” The teen stood and watched him leave, joining Yuffie and exchanging a few terse words.

“Cloud… Cloud!” he shouted, running over to the pair. He glanced quickly at Yuffie, then diverted his eyes. “Cloud… I, uh…”

“I'm sorry too.” Cloud grinned, seeing the other's shocked expression. Riku laughed nervously.

“Ya… and, uh… I don't think you're a failure.” The blonde man stared at him long and hard.

“Thanks… and about your training?” Riku's head shot up, trying to keep from looking too hopeful. “I meant what I said. I really do want to work with you, you have a ton of potentional, more than you know. But I'm not about to give you knowledge that you can use against yourself.” Riku frowned.

“Against… myself?”

“I understand how desperate you may feel at times. When you feel like you just need to escape and run away from it all?” Riku nodded. “Don't let it grow.” Cloud answered cryptically, going over his futon and beginning to pack it away. Yuffie stood behind the teen, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Sooo, did he harass you?”

“No.” Riku replied. “I just think we needed to get to know each other more. To know where it is we're coming from. I just never thought that Cloud had had suicidal thoughts before.” He whispered. “No wonder why he feels the way he does.”

“WHAT?!” Yuffie shrieked, turning Riku to face her. “He has what? Are you shitting me?”

“HAD! I said he had!” Riku protested, waving his hands in front of himself.

“That bastard.” Yuffie huffed, letting go of Riku, who smiled casually.

“Yuffie? Thanks.”

“Huh? For what?” she inquired sweetly.

“Everything. Between you and Cloud… I think I'm gonna be… alright.”

 

 

“What the hell…?!” Exclaimed Cloud, the towhead's dewy cerulean orbs large with shock. Around the Edge, buildings seemed to be smoking from recently subdued fires; not anything dangerous, but smaller ones guaranteed to cause at least several hundred dollars in damage for each individual store. Windows were mercilessly shattered into hundreds of fragments that lay coruscating in the dim sun on the dusty ground; various bullet holes blemished signs against weaponry and other various such signs.

“CLOUD!” A red-faced Tifa jogged up to Cloud. She was still dressed in her black bar-tending outfit and her brunette tresses were matted with sweat, dancing in front of her auburn orbs, which seemed to burn irately, “I- you- they- who- COME ON!” She snatched his lower arm and broke into a run, dragged the confused spiky tressed young man with her.

“Tifa!” Cloud exclaimed, struggling to keep up with said bar tender, “What's going on? Who did this?”

“Take a WILD guess, Cloud!” She snarled in frustration, more at the culprits than Cloud himself.

“You don't mean-?” Moaned Cloud in disbelief, his eyes wide. Tifa curtly nodded in reply, her lips a thin line of impatience and anger, “Oh, Jesus H--- where the hell are they?”

“That's what Vincent and I have been trying to find out for the past FOUR HOURS!” The brunette screamed the later to the heavens in a sheer eruption of anger, her fingernails digging into the tender side of Cloud's upper arm.

“They travel fast.” Commented the towhead lightly, his dewy orbs narrowed slightly in concentration, “Are they separated?”

“To hell if I know!” Tifa threw up her arms in exasperation, releasing Cloud's arm at last.

Meanwhile, Riku and Yuffie stood in the middle of the street, surveying the damage with concerned expressions.

“Damn.” Swore the teen lightly as he flipped over a bullet-encrusted yellow sign advising safe driving with his foot, “Who did this?”

“This isn't his work, now that's for sure…” Scoffed the dark-tressed ninja lightly as she wrapped her arms around herself, “But I'm still getting a bad feeling…”

“Brother!” a voice called. Riku whirled around wildly, seeing nothing. He looked up to a large heap of twisted and burning metal, and what he saw made him gasp. Atop the flaming debris was a young man only a few years older than himself with short, straight silver tresses donned in black leather. A long katana was strapped around his waist in some invisible sort of way, the blade's elaborate sheath resting dangerously against the back of his legs. But the man wasn't looking at Riku. Riku looked over his shoulder to see Cloud had pushed Tifa behind him defensively and had a semi-assembled First Tsurugi brandished before him.

“Kadaj!” Cloud yelled to him angrily. The man just chuckled maliciously.

“It's so good of you to join us, brother!” he said in near glee.

“She didn't bring you back for this!” Cloud's voice grew.

“No.” Kadaj leaned forward slightly, tilting his head so that the firelight caught his eyes and made them flash. “But I am.” In an instant, he had leaped off of the ruble, his sword, Shouba, in his left hand. Riku swore, and ran back a few paces, calling to the darkness deep within himself. In seconds, The Way to the Dawn had materialized in his hand. Bracing himself, he stood stock-still and took a deep breath, tuning into his sense of hearing. Before him Cloud stood similarly, but he was facing his opponent… or at least, he thought he was.

“Riku! You're not strong enough yet! Get out of the way!” Cloud called, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

“Brother.” A silky voice cooed.

“Wanna play?” a deeper one called. Cloud and Tifa spun around in shock.

“Oh, not you too!” Tifa cried, tugging on her leather fighting gloves.

“I gave you a chance.” Cloud growled vehemently. “And you blew it.” A strange smile crossed his face. “Don't hold back.” He charged the two with a yell, Tifa taking on the closest silver haired man, who snorted and pulled out a silver gun smoothly. Riku snapped back to his senses, just in time to hear the pounding of feet on cement closing in on him. He winced, knowing he only had one chance to do this right. Three, two, one… Riku pivoted on his heel, raising the Keyblade before him, throwing off his attacker.

Kadaj recoiled in surprise, and then ducked the blow, sliding to the side and swinging Shouba at Riku's legs. The teen jumped over the swirling blade, turning his body in mid-air to counter the next strike. The two weapons clashed together, their wielder's forcing their weight against them, trying to drive the other off, leaving marginal time to land a finishing blow. With a grunt of effort, Riku used a surge of strength to push away, flipping twice in a T formation and landing a few yards away in a crouch.

Kadaj picked himself off the ground quickly, popping his neck in a quick motion. Riku snarled and jumped up, singing his Keyblade in a series of arcs, uppercuts, and side swings. Kadaj smirked, standing impassive. When Riku came within striking range, Kadaj knelt and vaulted over the Keybearer, slashing at his unprotected back. Riku gasped in shock, falling forward a little. He heard his attacker's delighted chuckle, imagining the double bladed katana swinging down to meet his flesh.

He heard the swish of the blade and did the only thing he could think of - he fell to the ground and flipped over, barring any further advances with The Way to the Dawn. Kadaj grinned cruelly, straddling the younger man. “It's time for you… to die!” Kadaj sadistically hissed, slicing down with Shouba. Riku's eyes widened, and he blocked the blow, wrenching his eyes shut. He could feel the sweat drip down his face as he anticipated the searing pain, but… there was only the dull clink of metal. Opening his azure eyes, he found himself staring at the very tip of two long sheets of metal, his own Keyblade wedged in between, sparing him.

Kadaj cocked his head, tresses swishing as he moved. “Hmn. You might as well tell me your name, seeing as I'm about to kill you.”

“Riku.” Was the growled response. Kadaj's cat-like eyes widened and his grip on Shouba loosened. Ignoring the strange reaction, the teen beneath him twisted his weapons handle so the head tore the katana away, casting it aside. Kadaj recovered quickly, leaping back and shaking his hand, little droplets of crimson cascading freely where the Keyblade had grazed him. Riku rolled over, bringing his weapon to him in a fluid motion, standing ready.

Both Kadaj and Riku's eyes flickered from each other to the discarded Shouba apprehensively. Riku snorted, ignoring the throbbing pain in his back, catching the other man's attention. Letting the tip of The Way to the Dawn drag along the pavement, Riku charged Kadaj, aiming just before his target as he ran to his weapon. Sparks flew from the Keyblade as it's wielder thrust it upward, catching Kadaj's shoulder. He howled in shock, a hand to his burning eyes. Taking a hold of the opportunity, Riku struck him down, the cold metal of The Way to the Dawn pressed against Kadaj's throat. The man glared up at him, and Riku felt a twinge of fear. He had never killed another human being before. Sure, there was Organization XIII, but they were Nobodies in the end. Not human, like him. But this hesitation was his mistake.

The older man slid between his legs, taking a second break for the weapon. With a growl of desperation, he lunged for it, grasping at it's handle, and then -

“Having fun, Riku?” Cloud asked nonchalantly, booting Kadaj sharply in the side and stepping on his chest firmly, the First Tsurugi pressed against his jaw. A little trickle of blood ran down Kadaj's neck as he struggled to get free. Riku approached wearily, panting heavily.

“Y-yeah.” He choked out. “So… you're Kadaj, right?” he asked the man below Cloud's foot. Kadaj grunted as he tried to wriggle away again, pushing the blade deeper. Crying out in pain, he settled for glaring at the two men above him.

“Hmn. What's it to you… Riku?” he inquired icily. Cloud looked to the teen sharply.

“You told him your name?”

“Y-yeah. Was that a bad thing?” Riku asked nervously.

“Not unless you don't mind having a psychopath as a murderous stalker.” Cloud rolled his eyes. He bent over and grabbed Kadaj roughly by the arm, jerking him up. “Come on, you.” He growled menacingly.

“I don't have to go anywhere.” Kadaj snarled in reply, yanking back his arm irately.

“To hell you do!” Cloud gave up, grabbing the older teen's leather collar and lifting him up like a pup, “And how the hell do you expect to pay for all this damage, huh?”

Kadaj shrugged nonchalantly, “Not my problem.” Cloud tugged at Kadaj's collar, issuing a cry of pain from the elder teen as the leather cut into his neck wound. Riku started, taking a step foreword as Cloud held Kadaj an inch from his face and snarled:

“You're just like a child, aren't you?” His dewy blue eyes were narrowed in sheer disgust. He let Kadaj go as the silver tressed youth landed in a cat-like way on the ground, running his gloved hands through his silky tresses as Cloud started off. Kadaj stared at Riku with blue-green orbs, his expression unreadable. “Come on.” Cloud growled firmly when he realized Kadaj wasn't following.

Riku stared after them, his azure eyes wide, “Wait! What's going on?” He inquired suddenly, shaking his head to himself.

“We're going home.” Announced the towhead. Riku looked at Kadaj, who was sulkily following Cloud along.

`With him?!” Riku gaped at the elder teen before him, “He just tried to kill me!”

“We'll make sure he won't try that again.” Said the blonde softly, and there was no more discussion as they returned to the bar. Tifa was irately scrubbing the counters with a look of sheer malice on her face as she did. Loz and Yazoo were sitting quietly before her, each gripping a drink, their expressions slightly defeated. Riku had never been more confused. Here were these three people whom had just tried to kill them; and they were inviting them into their home as if they were a couple of misbehaved children.

“Have you seen Yuffie?” Cloud inquired as he sat down at the bar, dragging Kadaj with him. Tifa picked up a drink and began to wipe it with a fresh rag, though it glass was perfectly clean she scrubbed so hard that Riku saw several cracks appear in the glass.

“She ran off during the battle. Probably went home.” Said the brunette in a voice much calmer than how angry she appeared.

Cloud rolled his dewy cerulean eyes, “Probably wanted to surprise him…”

Tifa snorted in reply and looked up to Riku with her auburn orbs. She narrowed them in confusion, “Have we met?”

“Uh…” Riku began, slightly lost for words as his eyes darted around the room.

“This is Riku. I met him in Hallow Bastion.” Cloud explained curtly as Tifa seized the teen up and nodded, her expression finally relaxed; in fact, she gave him a small smile.

“Its nice to meet you, Riku-kun.” She beamed politely, “My name is Tifa- Tifa Lockheart.”

Cloud fidgeted uncomfortably and Riku smirked lightly to himself… he had a feeling that Cloud wanted that last name to be “Strife”.

“Its nice to meet you, Lockheart-San.” The teen bowed appropriately, silver tresses falling over his azure orbs. Kadaj snorted, muttering something about “suck-up”. Tifa shot Kadaj a look before returning her attention to Riku.

“Tifa's fine. Just Tifa.” She corrected, still smiling, “Would you like anything to drink, Riku-kun?”

“Uhh…” The teen scratched at the back of his head nervously. This was obviously a bar, and he obviously wasn't the legal drinking age. Tifa looked to him with her soft auburn eyes, “Can I have some ice water, please?”

“Coming right up!” Tifa smiled, going to fetch a non-broken glass, “Oh, and Cloud, what do you want for dinner?”

“Beer.” Cloud replied, rubbing the bridge of his nose with her thumb and index finger, Tifa sighed, exasperated.

“Cloud. Beer isn't a food.” She retorted lightly.

“Yeah it is… its made of bread. It's a food.” He grumbled in exhaustion.

“Seriously, Cloud.” The brunette sighed as she poured Riku a glass of water, “What do you want for dinner?”

“… beer.”

“Cloud!” Tifa slammed down the glass, turning to him, “Beer-is-not-a-food!”

“Yes it is.” He replied with a soft sigh, “Its one of the four major food groups.”

“And what are those?” Tifa crossed her arms over her chest, scowling.

“Beer… pretzels.” Cloud stopped, narrowing his eyes in concentration, “More beer… more pretzels.”

Tifa growled out in exasperation, throwing up her arms in a defeated way as Cloud smirked at Riku. The teen shyly grinned back before taking a seat next to Cloud.

After a while, Riku felt the hairs on the small of his neck stand up and glanced over to Kadaj, whom was looking at him with blue-green orbs narrowed in concentration and confusion. As soon as Kadaj realized that he was starting, he snorted and looked away quickly. Riku frowned and turned foreword, picking up his glass of water, which was leaking out of a crack Tifa had put on it when she'd slammed it down. Once more, he looked up after he got that familiarly uneasy sensation.

Kadaj was staring at him again.

“See something you like?” Cloud's voice came from nowhere. Riku jumped and looked away quickly just as Kadaj blanched.

“NO! You are depraved, Nii-san!” Snapped the elder teen, throwing out his arm, “I was just wondering…” Kadaj stood up and stormed over to Riku, grabbing the younger teen by his collar and standing him up. He turned to face Cloud so that both he and Riku were facing the towhead, “Why he looks like one of us!”

 

End Chapter 5