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The Bet	By : RandiLynne Category: Final Fantasy VII > Het - Male/Female Views: 1386 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
A rush of panic sent adrenaline
flooding through her veins as the light gleamed through the door. That was the
hall light, she knew it. Without much thought, she brought her hands against Reno�s chest and pushed
until he flailed backward onto the sidewalk. She hardly paid any mind to the
wide eyed stare of incredulity he provided her.
Tifa whirled around, sable
crashing harshly against her cheek as she stared wide eyed into the glass
portion of the door. As she suspected, Cloud was soon rounding the corner at
the bottom of the stairs with hesitant steps. She ventured a guess that he�d
heard noise and assumed there was trouble. Although unarmed, he was crouched in
obvious expectancy.
The moment their eyes caught in
a heated stare, Tifa felt as if her whole world had suddenly shifted.
Immediately, Cloud relaxed from his stance, his arms fell limp at his sides
while his jaw tensed. As if cued to react at the worst possible moment, Reno inched up behind her
and draped an arm around her shoulders. The small kiss he plated against her
cheek would have been explainable, but the way he quickly glared at Cloud soon
after made the whole issue much more difficult. A myriad of expressions flashed
across the blonde�s usually plain face. She�d never seen that before.
Helpless to react in any timely
manner, Tifa stood unmoving. In her mind, she was slapping Reno and acting as if the whole thing had
been one great misunderstanding and practical joke. In reality, her feet were
glued to the concrete and her eyes were fastened to Cloud.
Reno chuckled nervously in her ear, but it
struck her odd that he�d be nervous. He�d just accomplished precisely what he
wanted, didn�t he? She watched as Cloud simply turned and retreated up the
stairs, obviously less than amused by the childish antics that Reno had used.
�Wh�� she began, the words were
simply too hard to form. A deep, shaky breath was inhaled as she turned to face
Reno with a
glare. �Why�d you do that?� she finally managed.
�I wanted to help,� he replied,
quite honestly.
�Help?� she blinked once, then
again. She couldn�t believe, nor understand, what he meant. �And you thought
that was helping?� Her brows arched and an ocean of tears swam in her eyes.
Several more blinks became a requirement to fight off the threat.
�Tifa, give me a chance to
explain.�
�And what if I don�t want to?�
she snapped, turning to stare idly into the bar.
�Just listen,� he seemed to be
pleading. That surely let her on to the fact that he was strangely tied to this
situation. She�d never heard such emotion in his voice.
�Fine,� she replied shortly,
still not bothering to look at him.
�Look, I think you�re really
something. Cloud, he�s an ignorant ass. I just can�t believe you don�t
see�what�s right in front of you,� he said, shrugging his shoulders.
�Meaning you?� she finally
looked at him, though her look of surprise unsettled him.
�Meaning he�s never gonna come
around. He�s stuck in the past; it was obvious the night the kids were taken by
Kadaj and his little gang of misfits.�
�So you�re an expert on Cloud
now?� her voice was quite challenging, her eyes matching and even surpassing
that tone.
�Whatever,� he sighed and waved
his hand dismissively. He said his piece, that�s all he could do. She�d never
hear anything if she didn�t want to hear it. This battle was obviously one he
could not win.
Tifa watched as Reno gave her one last
thoughtful glance, before turning and stalking off, pony tail waving. This was
truly a moment of truth, if she�d ever known one. While she felt quite the
desire to run into the house and check on Cloud, she found her heart equally
pulled toward the retreating Turk. However, the thought shocked her so much
that she simply could not make any decision left or right.
To her left, there was a
certain brand of safety that only Cloud could offer. He was predictable,
routine almost. While he wasn�t always around, she at least knew how it would
be. She�d also grown so accustom to loving him that she couldn�t see it any
other way. There was a void in him that she simply couldn�t fill, though.
Honestly, she was tired of having to fight back the tears every time he left to
�clear his thoughts.� The problem was, she never could
resist him when he came back. Perhaps Reno
had given her a means to resist?
Which brought
her to the right. Here was a man who had once destroyed her home and
been her enemy. A man she�d fought on more than one occasion. He was anything
but subtle, and completely unpredictable. There was no security with him and
she truly didn�t know whether he actually had interest in her, or if he was
simply keeping with her to add to his �collection� that he was rumored to have.
But that thought brought more truth. She really had only heard rumors of his
habits. She�d never actually seen him with anyone other than Elena, and if they
managed any kind of romantic or sexual relationship in between all that
bickering, she�d be terribly surprised. For reasons unbeknownst to her, she was
drawn to his vibrant personality. He smiled, laughed, talked and showed
emotion. Things Cloud rarely did. He focused attention on her and though she
hated to admit it, he filled that emptiness Cloud had put on her. There was
also the appeal of a forbidden romance, for that was precisely what had
transpired.
�Reno�� she called out on a soft, unstable
pitch.
Peering into the darkness, she
felt as if she�s spoken his name involuntarily. It simply flowed from her lips,
her tongue helpless to put an end to the syllables. There wasn�t a hint of his
presence. She couldn�t imagine he�d gone very far. A step in the direction he�d
gone brought her practically nose to nose with him, as if he�d been waiting
just beyond the shadows, knowing she�d call out.
�Tifa�� he said her name,
letting the tips of his fingers brush softly through her hair.
�I�� she started, the challenge
of wording her thoughts proving strong. �Please don�t go for good.�
She didn�t need to say much
more. To him, the words meant that she was at least considering the possibility
that he was right about Cloud, a definite improvement over her recent status.
�I wasn�t planning on it.�
The way he spoke suddenly
soothed her. How he managed to say and do the right things even when she was
being so difficult was beyond her. Then again, that could equate to the rumors
being quite true. She scolded herself for the thought and gazed up into his
eyes, �I just need to� think.�
That was an excuse if he�d ever
heard one. Although, he figured that she would say something similar. This was
perfectly fine; as he was confident he could successfully convince her of the
fact that he was far better a choice than Cloud. In stepped his competitive
side. �You got it. Meet me� there, tomorrow at five.� As he spoke, he gestured
toward the small alley beside the corner building.
The spot didn�t seem very
practical, until she realized he was avoiding Cloud. First, he flaunts his
fondness of her� then he hides it? He really was the epitome of unpredictable. Well,
she could at least give him a fair chance. If she was really so dedicated to
Cloud, what could it hurt?
�Okay,� she nodded and brushed
her fingers against his. The shy touch brought a smile to her lips, but he
looked distinctly disappointed. Which was just fine. A
little wink was sent his way, before she retreated into the bar.
After locking the door, Tifa
hastily made her way to the stairs. That very spot seemed to grab hold of her,
and she simply could not climb the steps. It was as if the stairs stretched out
eternally before her. For a moment, she deliberated silently, wondering if she
should really make an effort to speak to Cloud about what had happened. He had
reacted exactly the way she knew him to be. He got confused, he avoided, he ran away. The steps of Cloud�s life in
concern to her. He could face terror and evil, but not emotions.
Before she could snap from her
thoughts, Cloud appeared at the top of the stairs. She finally found the
courage to look up toward him. The mako which tainted his irises seemed to glow
in the dim light, perhaps due to his inner conflict.
�What are you doing?� he asked
calmly.
�I was about to come up,� she
replied. Sure, she always paused for a few moments before ascending the stairs.
�Oh,� he nodded simply.
�Cloud�� she sighed and stepped
over the first hurtle. �I guess that was a pretty curious situation.� Brilliant.
�I guess,� he managed, his eyes
never wavering as she approached.
She considered lying, or making
something up. Anything to keep him from being upset with her, but that wasn�t
like her. She needed to be honest, for her own sanity. When she found the last
step, he backed from the landing to allow her room.
�Can we talk?� she questioned,
watching as he slipped into his room.
�That�s fine,� he answered. She
followed him with a heavy heart, resting on the door jamb as she�d done
earlier.
�I never meant for things to go
that way. In fact, I was annoyed when he showed up in Costa��
There, he interrupted her. �He
was in Costa del Sol?�
�Well, yes�� she confessed,
feeling rather annoyed with the entire situation.
�Go on��
�We talked a lot��
Again he interrupted, �Doesn�t
seem like that�s all you did.�
�Cloud� we sleep in separate
bedrooms. We don�t hug, or kiss. You don�t tell me you love me. What am I
supposed to think? Truth be told, we act as if we�re brother and sister. I care
about you, and I know you care about me� but if we keep kidding ourselves that
it�s more than that, we�d be fools.� Where
did that come from? She really had allowed the words to flow without
hindrance and without forethought.
It was as if her speech had
caused time to slow. Cloud simply stared at her, empty eyed. Suddenly, his
brows creased, nearly meeting over his nose and his
eyes seemed to be glaring. �So that�s how you see it?� After all this, you finally notice?
�Almost a year ago� I told you
to stop running. I asked you if it was a memory, or us. I thought you�d decide
one day soon. Yet, here we are, in the same exact spot.�
�You should stop running, too��
he all but whispered.
What was that supposed to mean? �Cloud� I�m tired.� She shook her
head and turned away from his bedroom, heading for her own room. She couldn�t
formulate any sort of intelligent thought at that time, and standing there
bickering wasn�t going to accomplish anything. So she simply hid behind the
closed door of her room, staring at the ceiling until she found peace enough to
sleep.
�
When she finally began to
regain consciousness, she heard a knock at her door. Lead laden lids slowly
pulled upward, and she rolled her head against the pillow until she could see
the door. Without hesitation, a little girl burst through with an excited
smile.
�Tifa, get up! It�s almost
noon!� Marlene exclaimed.
Noon? How did I sleep in that late� �Marlene�
what are you so excited about?� she managed to say, voice cracked with waking
haziness.
�Cloud�s making lunch! It�s
gonna be terrible� you have to come
help!� she said, making quite the exaggerated face.
So he didn�t run? �Oh? What�s he making?� Tifa asked, sitting up
from her bed with ruffled hair.
Marlene began to giggle, likely
at the way Tifa�s hair fluffed in the back and tangled round her face. For some
reason, the child�s happy laughter made her join in softly. That was just what
she needed to start her day. Marlene finally let the giggles fade and said,
�He�s making sandwiches and macaroni salad�� A pouty
frown accompanied the word �macaroni.�
�Oh! That can�t be good� we all
know how his macaroni salad turns out,� she replied, laughing just a little.
�Except Cloud�� Marlene shook
her head and grabbed hold of Tifa�s hand, pulling her as if she might be able
to move her from the bed. �Come on!�
�Marlene! Just a minute,� she
reversed the pull the little girl had and yanked her onto the bed with a
squeal. Before Marlene could fidget out of reach, Tifa began to tickle her
sides until she was giggling to the point of being red in the face.
�Tifa!�
Marlene managed in between the fits of giggles.
Finally, Tifa let the girl
escape her punishment for laughing at her hair. �No more giggling at my hair,�
she said playfully.
�But�� Marlene began,
remembering Tifa�s hair as she grinned and attempted not to laugh.
�No buts. Go downstairs, I�ll
be right there,� Tifa assured, watching Marlene bounce out into the hall.
When she recalled the request
that Reno had
made the previous night, her stomach came alive with butterflies. It was
already noon, just five hours and she�d still have so much to do until then.
With a nervous smile, she slipped out of bed and quickly fixed her hair before
shuffling down the stairs.
Cloud was indeed over in the
kitchen making lunch. The sandwiches were looking okay, but she knew she�d have
to help out with the macaroni. That was one thing she knew how to make well,
for some reason. The kids usually wanted it, and would pester Cloud until
finally he made it one day. That never usually happened from then on, but when
it did, Tifa would have to intervene.
She stood next to him,
assisting with stirring the pasta as it boiled. He avoided her eyes, and
promptly went to sit with Denzel once she took over the cooking. Things were
really going to be interesting this evening when she left to meet� Reno. How the tides of
fate had changed.
Once she�d served out the
collaborative lunch, the kids settled into contentment and she began to tidy up
the bar. Things would have to be in order if she was going to dump the whole
thing on Cloud for the night. Oh, and she�d neglected to tell him that she was
planning to do so. Oops. Quite
truthfully, she simply didn�t care at the moment. At the moment, she was more
than annoyed with their hopeless situation and everything he�d ever done.
The chores took well over two
hours, since she�d been gone for her vacation. The course of those hours rolled
by quickly, and Cloud�s avoidance only got worse. He played with the kids,
helped tidy up lunch, but successfully avoided speaking to her. Was silent
treatment back in these days?
It was purely childish, and she
suddenly realized that was exactly what Cloud was. He was still a teenager in
his mind. He never did mature beyond the things that happened to him, and she
used to feel pity for that. In that moment, the feeling
mutated into anger. It was unnecessary to remain that way. Plenty of
people had terrible things happen to them, and they all carried on just fine. Look at Reno! ---there we go with Reno again. She was beginning to feel as
if she were already to far gone.
She�d prove just how well she
could carry on�tonight.
-----------------
A short little chapter�since
I�ve been terribly busy with too many projects, but didn�t want to leave
everyone hanging where the last chapter ended! Hope this one will be as much
enjoyed as the last� and the next will be even better ;) But here lately, I�ve
been drawn to writing a Vincent-Elena (Saviour on FF.net)
and a new VinTi that I�m currently working on (should
be out soon)� Blame it on Dirge. Too many ideas in this head
of mine�and not enough time. Well, please do review if you have any
comments or thoughts! �Til chapter
eight.
- 6
- 7
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The Bet