Lean On Me (FF7)

6

~Cloud's POV~

I glance down at RedIIX, who looks ready to doze off. Everyone remains silent, shifting awkwardly. I want to punch through a wall right now. Tifa specifically told me before we left that she wanted me to tell them what I really thought. And now here she is, covering up because she doesn't want to be embarrassed. Normally, I would yell at someone, but I haven't yelled very much in the past year or two, so I would just end up getting a sore throat. Actually, the last time I yelled was when that stupid Midgar Zolam stole my dinner. He's worse than Cid when I comes to food.

"I need to go get a few things from our room, so if anyone wants to come along, now's your chance," Cid announces, standing and walking past the city gates to the Highwind. Just the thought of it makes me queasy, though I'm not alone. It has the same effect on Yuffie.

"I'll come," Red and Vince offer at the same time.

"I'm gonna go talk to Tifa," Barret mutters, sliding down the side of the playground equipment. Cait Sith silently follows the aircraft group. I glance down at Yuffie.

"You need to get anything?"

"No," she sighs. "It's not that they do either, it's just that they want to get out of an awkward situation."

"Yeah," I nod.

"You know, I've always wondered why you don't talk much. I think you set a record today," she jokes, climbing up and sitting in the butt-sized dent beside me where Barret had sat.

"I don't know, I've never talked that much," I admit. "Never had anyone to talk to besides my mother."

"Don't feel too bad," she laughs, shaking her head. "All I had was the bar tender on Wednesdays when I was delivering for my dad."

"That doesn't sound too great," I smile slightly, enjoying her energetic attitude

"What's worse is he always smelled like cat pee," she crinkles her nose.

"That's just gross," I chuckle softly. She nods, a wide grin plastered on her face as she plays with her leg netting. I've noticed she does that a lot. She said it's a security thing, just like the metal brace-like object over the thigh in her left leg, the same leg with the netting. And the arm cover she uses as a shield in battle.

We sit in a comfortable silence while I watch Tifa and Barret, trying to read their lips. It isn't working very well though. Tifa looks more than frustrated and Barret looks like he wants to shoot something with his gun arm. I glance over at my motorcycle and close my eyes. This is the place where me and Aeris saw Tifa being taken away to Don Corneo, acting as a spy. I remember dressing up as a girl and smile slightly. I have all the costume stuff stored in the church... The church. I suddenly have a strong urge to visit the place, even though there's a huge hole in the floor where the life stream broke loose three years ago and healed me, Denzel, and tons of others, of their Geostigma. I open my eyes and jump down the side of the cat slide.

"Where are you going?" Yuffie asks, jumping behind me.

"The Church. Wanna come?"

"Sure!" I chuckle at the enthusiasm in her voice and swing my leg over the side if my bike. Yuffie climbs on behind me, loosely grabbing around my waist. I slide my shades unto my face and start the engine. Tifa looks beyond enraged as she stomps up to my bike.

"Aren't you my ride back?" she asks, trying to stay calm. Whatever Barret said back there has them both seriously mad.

"Yeah?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Is there any more room?"

"If Yuffie scoots up," I glance at the huge gap she tried to put between my butt and her body. Yuffie rolls her eyes and completely closes the gap, allowing Tifa to barely fit. She grips to back of the bike as I zoom off. Yuffie's grip tightens slightly around my abdomen and she squints into the air, looking around us eagerly. Tifa acts as if this is nothing special and leans back a little. We reach Aeris's church and stop outside. I sniff the air, which smells... odd.