Fate

Title: Destiny
Disclaimer: Not mine don't sue.
Pairing: Sephiroth/Cloud
Chapter Title: A Surprise Party
Summary:One year after the game ends..but Fate thinks it ended badly. What does this mean? Well of course Fate has to send the most loveable angel down to explain things to Cloud..on a time limit...and of course the not so perfect beloved angel screws it up a bit...hehehehe..It starts off in Seventh heaven, the bar cloud and tifa owns or something...I've never actually played the game but I'm best friends with two people who have so I think most of my information is correct..if not tell me. Please?

On with the fic....

Honestly the place was really banged up. The bar top had little rings from people drinking without coasters. The wood even had little skid marks from misuse. Some of the tables wobbled and wiggled because one of its legs was shorter than the others. A few of the chairs looked like they would collapse upon sitting on them. Not that any of this stopped the bar's usual customers. These guys would come here looking for a fight and it only got wors after they consumed half of the bar's stock of alcohol.

The whole place was completely unfit to house a seven year old's birthday party, at least in his opinion. Though no one cared about his opinion anymore, Cloud griped to himself. He knew that this wasn't true. He was just still upset because no one like His idea for the party. But then again his idea involved him not being involved in this party the least little bit. Oh no, his plan involved him on his bike several miles away from the rest of the gang.

And he wonders why it didn't work.

All the gang was getting together at this bar. Tifa and Cloud just bought it a few weeks ago. Cloud wanted a place he could find all sorts of jobs so what better place than a bar? Well since they bought the bar only a little while ago Tifa and Cloud did not have time for all the repairs it needed. Everyone most likely expected better but if they were disappointed they didn't show or mention it.

Most of everyone was at the bar. So now they were only waiting on Barrett and little Marlene to get here. This is a surprise birthday party planned for Marlene. It brought everybody together again for however brief a time. Marlene is turning seven years old and she has no clue about the party.

The most surprisin thing for Marlene, Cloud figured, was going to be how everyone showed up.

Even Reno is attending, to Cloud's horror. Cloud understood that the bar was just as much Tifa's as it was his, but come on! She knew that they couldn't get along worth a damn, and yet Tifa deliberately put him in a situation that demands he be civil toward the red headed clown. Life is so unfair.

The rest of our gang of heroes was having a great time. Tifa was working on and off behind the bar alongside Cloud. Yuffie was talking excitedly to Nanaki who didn't look like he was paying attention to her but he did nod his head at the appropriate times. Okay, Who gave Yuffie sugar? Rude seemed to be in the same predicament only with a spastic red headed someone talking his ears off. Cid was pestering Vincent, trying to get him to join in on the conversation. And Vincent was being...well the usual old Vincent.

The vampire really could lighten up. You know, enjoy the fun while it lasted. Savor life and all of that other shit. Though Cloud supposed that was quite hypocritical of him. Especially since Cloud actuall tried to sneak off away from the party multiple times already.

"Okay Marlene, we gotta go in this fucking run down bar for a sec. I'm damn thirsty." Barrett's voice drifted from outside the bar. Cloud rolled his eyes. He gave a sharp look to Tifa as if to say 'See? Told you it was banged up and I'm not the only one to think so' Barrett didn't need to yell. He could have kept it a quiet bellow. Hell, Barrett could have whispered and everyone would have clearly heard him.

Cloud winced. That might have been an exageration. Just a little one though.

Everyone rushed into their positions. Only Cloud was still behind the bar. Barrett walked in followed by Marlene. "Surprise!" Everyone screamed. Well everybody except the customers. The look on Marlene's face was worth all the trouble seeing his friends again, not to mention Reno, was.

"Wow! A surprise party? Thank you!"Marlene shouted hugged her adoptive father. Then she ran up to Tifa and gave her a hug too. Then Marlene stepped away from the hug looking around for Cloud. Her eyes swept around the room and Cloud was safely concealed behind the bar. She didn't look there anyways. He had been needed in the back afterall. He had been in the back tending the bar and taking inventory and all of that shit. Basically he was avoiding people. He didn't like being social.

Marlene pouted because her favorite spikey haired man was absent. Coud sighed. He never could resist that look. Even when it wasn't directed at him. He could just imagine it on her face. He stepped out from behind the bar and walked up to her from behind. "Marlene", was all he said. He wasn't exactly the talkative type afterall.

"Cloud!" she yelled and turned around. As soon as she saw him a big grin made it's way across her gace and she started running to him. All Cloud heard was the thundering of the little girl's footsteps before she nearly tackled him to the ground.

Cloud felt a little bit awkward before he relaxed and loosely wrapped his arms around her tiny form. "Missed you too, Marlene." he said softly. They made a cute picture in Tifa's opinion.

"Well I'll be damned! Don't give me a hug or nothin'. Sheesh." Cid snorted out. Marlen broke away from Cloud and giggled. She ran up to give Cid his hug, but wa rebuffed. "No, I don't want your hug now." Cid smirked out around his cigarrette.

"Aw, Come on Uncle Cid! I was going to hug you next. Honest!" Marlene protested. She kept trying to hug the blonde pilot but kept on getting refused. Sometimes they were verbal refusals and other times he just ignored her or turned the other way.

It was very entertaining to watch. This display had several people smiling. Cloud even thought he saw Vincent's eyes warm up on the pair of trouble makers.

When Marlene finally got her hug her eyes were sparkling with joy and laughter. Of course she had to turn them on Cloud and frown in a cute and absolutely adorable way.

"Cloud, why aren't you having any fun? It's my birthday party? People are supposed to have fun at parties aren't they?" Marlene asked. No, Cloud thought. At parties people get utterly wasted and the only possible thing that could be good about it is that if you drink enough you don't remember the idiotic things you did while intoxicated.

He nodded the affirmative to please her anyway. He was having fun...just not publically.

"Please Cloud?" It was so unfair when Marlene pouted. That little bottom lip quivered and tears filled her eyes just about..ready..to fall. It was so despairing.

"Okay." he said meeting Marlene's eyes. Immediately the tears disappeared and she was smiling. He tried to will away the feeling that he just got suckered into it by a little kid.

Besides he decided to take his own advice that he hadn't exactly given. He decided to enjoy life and have fun. The thought crosses his mind that maybe there was a reason he hadn't given that advice, but in the face of Marlene's happy smile that worry crumbled away.

Tifa's POV

Tifa watched the exchange with a warm feeling in her heart. Now all she had to do was keep the usual customers occupied with their drinks and hop for the best. She was keeping an eye on some creepy customers in the back of the room though. There were two of them

First there was a little one. She couldn't identify if it was a male or female because he or she was wearing a dark cloak that went over the person's face so that all that you can see is shadows adn it drifted down untill it barely brushes the ground.

Tifa might have been intimidated if it weren't for the fact that the person was only as tall as her legs were long. Seriously this person must be a kid. He or she could only be eight years old at most. As it stands...she was only a little bit intimidated.

There was a man though. He had a kind of girly face with rich raven colored hair. The kind of hair that looks like black silk. Tifa had no idea why she was so suspicious of these guys. They didn't look the type to cause trouble like th usuals. The kid was just a child and the man looked way too delicate to be starting any fights. He looked like he would snap in two with just the right pressure.

So why was she so spooked?

It had to do with the man's eyes she guessed. When Tifa caught a look at them before when he came through the door they were filled with so much emotion. She saw guilt, worry, tiredness, and even anger, though it was mostly pointed at himself mostly. And when Tifa looked really deep she saw an inner strength. In that moment she knew that if the time came for a fight he would give a hell of one. And that did nothing to calm her fears.