CloTi Story

CloTi Story Final

        Cloud sat alone in his room, feeling sorry for himself. Two weeks had passed since Peter announced that he and Tifa were going to get married. Just a few more days and it would be time for their wedding. Tifa had given Cloud an invitation, but when Cloud got home, he just shoved it down the garbage dispenser. The last thing he wanted was to see the woman he loved get married to someone that she didn't even love.
        He hadn't talked to Tifa much since the announcement. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to talk to her. Last week was the last time he spoke with her. Peter told her that he didn't want her to wear her mother's dress to their wedding and she had come to ask him to go dress shopping with her. Cloud said he was busy and shut the door on her. But he wondered. He wondered what her new dress would look like. He wondered what the venue would like. He was curious but he didn't want to go see.
        "So that's it, huh?" Zack's voice rang. "Man. You went through so much and it all just ends here without you getting the girl."
        "Shut up, Zack!" Cloud shouted. "Right now is not a good time for one of your 'pep talks.' Leave me alone."
        "Gee, Cloud. I was just gonna say that having a pity party isn't what you should be doing," Zack said, hurt. "You still have a few days before the wedding. You can still win her. Or are you just going to give up?"
        "Well, what if I want to have a pity party?" Cloud snapped back. "And I do give up and nothing you can say is gonna change my mind. Now get outta my house!"
        Zack looked at him, hurt, and then faded back into the Lifestream. Yumikia stood at Cloud's door. "Zack is right," Yumikia said. "You still have four days. You still have a shot."
        "No. I don't feel like trying anymore," Cloud said softly. "C'mon. Let's leave. Let's go find your memories."
        "No. I'm staying for Tifa's rehearsal dinner and wedding. And I'm going to go to it with or without you. Vincent already agreed to pick me up. Everyone is going to be there, Cloud. Everyone but you, her best friend. Her lifelong friend." And Yumikia left. She went to Seventh Heaven to play with Denzel and Marlene.

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        Tifa and Peter were at the church where Aerith used to grow flowers. Along with them was a decorating crew, helping to get the place ready for their big day. Everyone but Tifa was happy. But she felt like she should be happy. She had a gorgeous engagement ring, a gorgeous new dress, the perfect venue for her wedding, and the perfect wedding crew to make it all come true. Her wedding was going to be fantastic. But something was missing. Cloud was missing. All her friends had promised to be there for her wedding. Even her friends from Nibelheim were coming. But Cloud, her best friend in the whole world and the one that truly loved her, didn't want to be there for her. Even though it would be her last time seeing him. She hadn't told Cloud, or anyone for that matter, that she and Peter were leaving Midgar and Edge behind and moving to a new distant town. It broke her heart, but she had to keep Peter happy if she wanted Cloud and herself to live. She knew that, even though her and Peter would be living in a different town, Peter still had men here that could kill Cloud with just one word from Peter. That being the case, Cloud was still far from safe. 
        She reflected on all the planning that she and Peter had done and wished with all her heart that it was Cloud instead of Peter. Cloud wouldn't have shot down all her ideas in a horribly rude way. Cloud wouldn't have told Tifa to order a sugar-free pound cake instead of her favorite flavor, vanilla, so that she could keep her figure. Cloud would have let her have whatever she wanted for their wedding, including a sugar filled, fattening, delicious, vanilla cake with edible sugar coated red roses and hearts. But no, she was marrying Peter, a man that she detested and despised. So many times during their 'relationship' she just wanted to punch his brains in and knock out his lights permanently. 
        Vincent walked into the church and looked around. "It all looks very nice," he complimented. 
        Peter looked around as well and said, "Thank you. It is nice to see that my work is appreciated." 
        Tifa fumed with anger. She was the one that had done all the planning. She was the one that hired the crew. The only thing he did was shoot down her ideas and give her his definition of a better one, which was not all too great. But she kept her mouth shut and continued watching the crew, making sure that they were putting everything in the right place.  Silence took over the church. The only thing to be heard was the decorators walking around doing what they had to do. Eventually, Tifa broke the silence. "Vincent," she said, "I want to thank you for volunteering to walk me down the aisle. It means a lot to me since my dad is not around anymore."
        "You're very welcome, Tifa. But I wasn't the only one to volunteer, ya know. Cid volunteered too."
        "I know. But you're the only one here right now. I'll thank him when I see him," she said. "But I want you to walk me down. I thought about it a lot and I decided that you should be the one."
        Peter interjected. "But I was gonna have Vincent be my best man. You can't just take him as your escort."
        Vincent walked over to Tifa. "I would much rather give her the way down the aisle than sign your wedding certificate," he asserted. "But ask Reeve. He might do it." Peter grumbled and walked out of the church, leaving Vincent and Tifa to handle the rest of the wedding details. When he was out of earshot, Vincent said, "Ya know, Cloud really wants to kill him. He wants to be the one here with you planning all of this."
        "I know," Tifa said. "But even so, he should still come. I can probably tell you what he did with the invitation. He probably shoved it down the garbage dispenser."
        "If you want, I can talk to him the day before your wedding and see if I can convince him to come. Will that please our bride-to-be?" Tifa nodded. Vincent looked at the decorators. He saw an unappealing decoration mounted on the wall. He walked up to the decorators and pointed it out. "What is this? This clashes with everything else in the place."
        "We thought so too," they said, "but Mr. Dickinson wants it that way."
        "Mr. Dickinson? Who is that?" Vincent asked. He was unfamiliar with that name.
        "Why, the groom, of course!" they answered.
        Vincent looked back at the decoration. "Well, I don't care what the groom wants if it clashes with everything else. My friend's wedding is supposed to be perfect and I intend to make it that way. Take it down." Tifa giggled as she watched Vincent ordering the decorators around, making the place look decent. Vincent looked at her. "What's so funny?" he asked. 
        "You," she answered. "You're going about this like it's your wedding day. Why?"
        Vincent thought. "Well, I guess this wedding is bringing out what would've been the groom inside of me if I had made a move and Lucrecia had married me instead of Hojo." He paused. "Should I stop? Would the groom be upset with all the changes I'm making?"
        Tifa shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'll handle him," she replied. But she wasn't so sure that she could handle him.