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Tragedy Belies the Sacrifice

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Final Fantasy nor do I make any profit from this fanfiction.

Modern Day Alternate Universe Fic

Main Pairings: Cloud x Aerith, Squall x Rinoa, Snow x Serah, Tidus x Yuna, and Zidane x Garnet. Past: Vincent x Lucrecia

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Chapter One: That Fateful Day

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Cloud sighed, he was tired and sweaty, he'd been working at the factory all day. In the middle of New York, the bustling city in the middle of summer with the heat wave going on Cloud stood sweaty and tired from a hard day of work. Ever since he'd left the military after being posted in Iraq for a few years and a tragic accident having him lost his best friend Zack in a bombing, he'd lost his mind for a few years with post traumatic stress disorder; he'd been working in a shop. The shop made and repaired motorcycles, nothing too hard since he had one of his own. He looked around and saw the others he worked with were leaving the shop. Snow gave him a thumbs up for his hard day of work as he closed the shop which he owned.

Cloud was glad he'd met Snow when he'd came to New York, the man had immediately hooked him up with a job. Cloud wiped the sweat from his brow as Squall one of his fellow coworkers walked over. Squall had a thing for leather even in this heat, Cloud was just wearing black gloves, jeans, a blue sleeves shirt, and black boots that hot summer day.

"It seems you've impressed Snow." said Squall lighting up a cigarette.

"It seems so, you ready to head back home?" asked Cloud.

Squall was Cloud's room mate since apartments in New York costed way too much money. Squall nodded of course at Cloud's question. "Yeah but Rinoa's coming over tonight, I hope that's ok." said Squall as he smoked his cigarette.

Cloud shrugged. "Sure thing, how you two been anyway?" asked Cloud.

"Good...in fact I'm thinking about asking her...the question." he said rubbing the back of his head.

Cloud smirked. "Good for you, but don't you think maybe after being together for five years you should at least buy her some flowers or something first?" asked Cloud.

Squall was terrible with gifts, he never knew what to get Rinoa, Cloud had bailed him out so many times by now.

"Fuck that's right, our anniversary is coming up in a few days." said Squall with a groan.

"Do you even have a ring?" asked Cloud.

Squall shook his head and Cloud just sighed. "You're hopeless man." said Cloud.

"I'm hopeless? You hang around Tifa all the time and don't even ask her out." said Squall.

"I don't want to." said Cloud.

Squall sighed. "Why not?" he asked.

"Since when do you ask people lots of personal questions?" asked Cloud annoyed.

'Maybe I've been spending too much time around my dad.' thought Squall as he began inner monologuing.

"If you must know it's because she wants me for something that I'm not." said Cloud.

Squall just looked at him. 'What? What does that mean?' thought Squall to himself.

"Listen it's just...complicated." said Cloud swiftly.

"Yeah sure...whatever." said Squall.

Cloud sighed. "Anyway, do you want me to find you those flowers for Rinoa?" he asked.

"She forgives me whenever I forget stuff..." said Squall.

"Yeah like when you forgot her birthday she didn't even flinch, too bad I'd been out of town that week." said Cloud.

"I feel bad for always forgetting things like that..." said Squall.

Cloud just shook his head. "I think she's just happy that you stay with her." he said.

"Maybe, but yeah sure hose flowers might be a good idea, just NOT the last flower shop you went to. Those things lasted a day and then wilted." said Squall.

Cloud nodded, he could never find any good flower shops in New York, luckily he had one last place to try. He got on his motorcycle and began to drive through New York, Squall went back to their apartment as Cloud drove through the streets looking for the last flower shop in town. When he arrived he sighed looking up, the sun was going down at least so it wouldn't be so hot when he'd leave the shoo luckily. He stepped inside and saw her. Gorgeous, that was the only word that could fit the rare beauty in front of him. Green eyes exotic and rare, they seemed to be staring straight into his soul, those brunet locks of hair tied up in an up ponytail with a pink ribbon. She was wearing a long pink dress, a red vest, bangles, and brown boots. She had to be the most gorgeous woman he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Sir? Can I help you?" she asked leaning in and looking up at him.

He snapped out of his head then and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah sorry, I came here to help pick out some flowers for my friend." he said.

"Oh? Like a girl friend?" she asked with a giggle.

He shook his head. "No my friend Squall, he wants to propose to his girlfriend." he said.

"Ah, so why isn't Squall picking out the flowers himself?" she asked wiggling a finger in a 'that's a no no' way.

Cloud rubbed the back of his head. "Because the last time he did, they had bugs on them and we had to call pest control." said Cloud.

She giggled more, such a beautiful laugh and sound. Cloud wanted to hear it more, hell he wanted to...he really wanted to ask her out, and he had never been that way before, he was normally so shy, hell even now he was shy to make the move.

"Let me guess, you've been to every other flower shop in New York?" she asked.

Cloud looked at her. "Yeah how did you know?" he asked.

"Because this place is on the outskirts of town, only the truly desperate come here. You're lucky though, I grow all these flowers myself, so they'll last you longer then any other place." she said.

Cloud looked around, it was gorgeous, the flowers there had to be the most amazing he'd ever seen, and he wasn't just saying that because she was gorgeous and he had the hots for her. He was astonished by the quality and even went slack jawed a little.

"Y-you grew all of these?" he asked.

Aerith giggled and nodded. "Yep, by the way I'm Aerith." she said extending her hand out to shake his.

He shook her hand and smiled a little. "I'm Cloud." he said.

She of course smiled back at him. "Well Cloud, what do you have in mind for Squall?" she asked.

Cloud looked around and shook his head. "You might know better then I do." he said.

She smiled then and nodded, she moved picking out a bouquet of red roses, she tied them with a big blue bow and packaged them in a box. "The box will make sure they don't get ruined on the way back." she said.

Cloud nodded and then looked around where they were. "You know this is a bad part of town, you sure you don't need a ride home?" he asked.

She giggled a little. "How kind of you to ask, but I'll be alright. I grew up here after all." she said.

Cloud nodded and turned to leave before she put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Cloud?" she asked.

He looked back at her. "Yes?" he asked.

"Would you maybe..like to go out sometime?" she asked, not too shy to ask him out.

He smiled a little. "I'd love to." he said.

She smiled back and he paid for the flowers getting a card with her number on it. "I'll call you." he said.

She nodded and he left with the flowers. As he left she closed up the shop and walked herself home. Cloud returned to the apartment and gave the flowers to Squall. He looked at them astonished.

"Where did you get these, they're the best I've ever seen." he said with a gasp.

"From a girl named Aerith." said Cloud with a sigh, but it was a different kind of sigh.

Rinoa came in then and looked at Cloud. "Oh! You met someone!" she exclaimed.

He blushed. "Wait...how did you know?" he asked.

"That look on your face, it totally said love struck." said Rinoa with a giggle.

"Aerith?" asked Squall.

Cloud rubbed the back of his head. She was amazing...she had the most beautiful eyes." he said with a dreamy sigh.

"Oh man, you got it bad." said Squall.

"It's cute." said Rinoa.

Squall looked to Rinoa and handed her the flowers. "Happy Anniversary Rinoa." said Squall.

She squealed happily and took the flowers smelling them. "Whoever raised these did it with love and kindness, they smell so good!" exclaimed Rinoa.

Rinoa went to put them in a vase while Squall looked to Cloud. "Thanks." he said.

Cloud nodded and went to his room, it was a three room apartment, the kitchen was in the living room space with the bathroom, while Cloud and Squall each had their own rooms. He looked at the card he'd been given and sighed nervously. He wasn't sure when she'd be home or anything either. That was when he heard a knock at the door and went to it, there stood Tifa.

"Hey Cloud." she said with a grin.

She was wearing a white shirt of course that barely covered those massive breasts she had, she was gorgeous as usual, in a skirt, boots, and gloves.

"Hey Tifa." he said as he let her into the apartment.

Tifa went and sat down looking at the flowers. "Whoa." she said.

Cloud looked back at her. "They're for Rinoa." he said.

"Yeah but where did you get these?" she asked.

"You assume I got them." said Cloud making himself a microwaved burrito.

"You and I both know Squall can't shop." she said.

"True, a girl named Aerith on the outskirts of town, you know the bad neighborhoods." he said.

"There's a flower shop there?" she asked.

Cloud nodded and sat down, he of course began to eat his food when Rinoa came back with Squall and sat down in his lap as they sat at the table.

"Hey Tifa." said Squall non-chalantly.

"Hey Squall, so how're things at the shop?" she asked.

"Same old, how about at the gym?" he asked.

"Snow came in after shutting down the shop, he worked out for a while, said his old gym closed down." said Tifa.

"Well you are the best trainer in town, right?" asked Rinoa.

"Yep, the competition can't handle me." she said with a smirk.

"The bar open tomorrow?" asked Squall.

"Yep." spoke Tifa.

"We might drop by for a drink." said Squall.

"Sure thing, Rinoa you too?" she asked.

"Sure, why not? Cloud you coming?" she asked.

Cloud shook his head. "No I have something else I have to do." he said.

"You mean you have a daaate?" asked Rinoa with a giggle.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah I'm gonna call her." he said.

"Call who?" asked Tifa folding her arms.

"He met a girl, Aerith, he said he likes her." said Rinoa.

"I didn't say anything..." said Cloud.

"Well it was all over your face." said Rinoa with a giggle.

"Good luck." said Squall.

Tifa's eyes had narrowed as she looked away jealously. Cloud sighed and decided to finish his burrito quickly, Rinoa loved to tease, he could see why she was good for Squall though. She brought out the better parts of him. They'd been together since Cloud met Squall. Cloud was only twenty one, he'd came back from Irag at nineteen after only a year in the military after what had happened to Zack and his post traumatic stress disorder. Cloud hadn't always lived in New York, he grew up in a town in Wisconsin actually, Tifa grew up there with him. When he got back from the military he'd been put into a mental hospital for a year before he was released and went to find a fresh start in New York. Luckily for him Tifa lived there running a gym and a bar in town. She knew a bike shop where he could work and introduced him to Squall. Rinoa and Squall had been together before he got there, but he liked Rinoa well enough.

She had met Squall in high school, he remembered the story all too well when she had told him. The two had hit it off, but their town was in the middle of a break down, scandal had hit publicly when it was learned their mayor was a pedophile and molesting young boys. Not only this but Squall's teacher in high school when he was eighteen on his last year, Quistis her name had been broke down because the mayor was her husband and tried to force herself on Squall. Because of that Squall had moved to New York where his father was mayor. He'd always lived in foster care because of his father's political career, though his father had never wanted that he knew.

Squall had moved there and Rinoa had came with him, the two were inseparable as she had healed his wounds of being left behind by his father. Of course his cousin Ellone lived with his father but he lived in the apartment.

Cloud liked living with them, it was nice, though Rinoa wasn't always there. She worked as waitress at one of the top restaurants in town. She was working as a waitress while she went to school for fashion. Squall was of course quite happy that she had her own path but remained with him, and she seemed the same way with Squall.

Cloud sat down on his bed and looked at the phone. He didn't have a high school sweet heart, not like they were. He was nervous in fact, there were many reasons he hadn't dated Tifa. But was he really going to not be too shy about this? He grabbed the phone and dialed her number then...

"Hello?" he heard her voice.

"Um..uhhh hi it's Cloud." he said nervously.

She giggled. "Hi Cloud." she said.

He couldn't breath or think, he was unable to speak and she giggled. "You know, your breath skips when you're nervous. It's ok though, so when do you wanna get together?" she asked.

Cloud closed his eyes and took a breath. "How about tomorrow?" he asked shyly.

"Tomorrow's Friday, anywhere in particular you wanna meet?" she asked.

Cloud smiled a little. "How about I pick you up?" he asked.

She smiled though he couldn't see it. "Sure, see you then, around 7?" she asked.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah see you then." he said.

He then hung up the phone, he was blushing unbeknownst to him, he wasn't sure how this would go but he hoped it would go well.

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Author: Reviews? Please?