Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Who's John ShinRa? ❯ Bittersweet Memories ( Chapter 27 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 27: Bittersweet Memories

“Any clues so far as to how the assassin got in or her identity?” Reeve's voice echoed off the intercom.

“We learned that she stole the uniform off of a ShinRa guard whose body was found this morning. Doctor Graham is conducting an autopsy on her body, but so far we've found no forms of identification on her.” Eric read the report as he sat exhausted in a chair.

“The bitch killed at least three of our men before Captain Lynn was able to kill her.” Chris seethed as he kept the ice pack on his head, a wound he got after hitting his head on the conference room table when he fainted.

“Have you both increased the number of guards standing watch?”

“Yes. We're on high alert here and doing constant checks making sure each unit has all their men accounted for,” Eric said.

“The citizens have also started a neighborhood watch around the area trying to curb any reckless violence or suspicious persons walking around the city. There hasn't been much panic spreading around since we've been able to gradually report information to the public about the situation,” Chris added.

“And how's Captain Lynn? Have the doctors been successful in their operation?”

“Last we heard the Doctor had finished taking the bullet out an hour ago. He hasn't woken-up yet to our knowledge, but we're going to check up on him soon.” Eric paused as he stared at Chris who nodded back at him in return. “He really saved us back there Reeve. If it weren't for him, I think both of us would be dead right now.”

“I know. Be sure to give him my thanks when he wakes up. After things have finally settled down, we have to remember to give him one of those Purple Heart medals.”

“We'll do that. Is there anything else pressing we need to address? Chris? Anything from you?”

“Nope, nothing new on the dig. Thomas knows more about the progress of that than I do. Supplies are stable here and we have more and more citizens who are voluntarily leaving the underground city.”

“That's good to hear. Things are still a little chaotic in Junon, but there's nothing new to report. I'll give you a buzz if anything comes up. In the meantime, stick to the usual schedule for meetings.”

“Understood.” Eric acknowledged before ending the telephone conference. He looked over at Chris who was still nursing the bump on his head. “How's your head?”

“Doesn't hurt as much as my pride.” Chris removed the ice-pack and softly touched the tender wound. “I'm never going to live that one down, am I?”

“Not from me you won't. I think I was the only one that saw you faint. The ShinRa soldiers were too busy trying to keep Captain Lynn alive and making sure that the assassin was dead.” Eric chuckled. “Though when your head hit the table, it made a really loud sound. So how is it that you could stand to see men shot up, cut up, their noses punched in and all that other stuff, but you couldn't stand to see a knife sticking out of a woman's chest?”

“I was overwhelmed by the entire situation. That was just the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. Besides, you were just standing there doing nothing.” Chris plopped the ice-pack back on the table.

“I think I was amazed that Captain Lynn somehow found a way to kill the assassin before she killed us. Speaking of which, should we check to see if he's awake now?”

* * *

He felt like he was floating. He couldn't see anything and was quietly wondering if his eyes were even open. The bleak void of darkness disoriented him as the only sounds he could hear were shrill noises that came from everywhere around him like a thick blanket of confusion. Through the murkiness, he could hear something soft and soothing calling out to him. The feather-like touch of someone caressing his face sent pleasing shivers down his spine. Grasping for something, anything, he fought to keep those pleasant sensations as he felt his body gradually grow heavier and heavier. A blinding light flooded his senses as the shrill sounds became clearer thumping and thumping to a steady rhythmic beat. The outline of a woman's angelic face hovered over him as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light.

“Am I dead?”

“No, you're still alive, thank goodness. You really had me scared there.” The nameless voice fussed as her words echoed clearly in his ears. He knew the source of that sweet, honeyed voice anywhere.

“Tina? Where am I?”

“In the hospital. You were shot.”

“Oh,” Mike mused as he felt a tinge of pain in his side. He remembered the woman he was fighting with and silently cursed. “Did I get her?”

“Yeah, you got her. If a knife through the heart doesn't kill someone, I don't know what will. You also saved Mr. Johnson and Mr. Rivers in the process,” Tina laughed. “They're calling you a hero now.”

“And that's a bad thing?” Mike tried to laugh, but stopped after feeling the sting of his wound.

“Just relax. You were lucky she didn't hit you in anyplace vital. Do you have any idea how many organs are in your stomach?” Tina playfully chided. “But seriously, how do you feel?”

Mike grunted as he moved his body and felt the sharp pain in his stomach. “Could be better.” Mike relaxed on the bed as he took in the sight of his fiancée. The thin white material of her nurse's outfit hugged her curves graciously. Silently he wondered what color panties she was wearing, if she was wearing any at all. His mind recessed to its deepest primal urges as he stared at Tina's assets. “But I know something that will make me feel good and probably help the healing process too.”

“Oh, and what's that?” Tina asked innocently, not missing the lecherous grin on Mike's face as he let his eyes roam all over her body. He always liked seeing her in her nurse's uniform and she knew it.

“Nothing much. Just a little . . . healing.” Mike said suggestively as he made some gestures.

“You're in no condition for anything like that. You can't even sit up straight!”

Mike faked a pained expression as he struggled to win Tina's affections. “I take a bullet for the greater good, kill an assassin for you and this is how you treat me after I awaken? I thought the fair maiden was supposed to shower her hero with kisses and throw herself at him or something like that?”

“Well unfortunately, the hero is far too injured for this fair maiden to literally throw herself on top of him like he wishes. However, there is something that the fair maiden can do to ease her hero's pain.” Tina smiled and gave Mike a feral grin, which promptly wiped away the pout on his face.

Outside hospital room 210, two executives were busy talking to the hospital staff wondering why they couldn't visit the injured Captain.

“We won't bother the nurse, we'll just check to see if the Captain is awake and then leave,” Chris tried explaining.

“Well, er, Miss Carter doesn't like to be disturbed whenever she's checking up on a patient.” The young nurse kept on glancing back and forth between the two men and a heart monitor for room 210, which was steadily beeping at a more rapid pace. “I'm sure when Captain Lynn wakes up; one of the nurses or doctors will inform you.”

“So I assume that he's doing well after surgery?” Eric asked.

“Oh yes sir Mr. Rivers. He got out of surgery probably an hour ago and there were no complications.” The nurse replied, trying her best to keep the men distracted from the fast beeping of the heart monitor next to her.

“That's good. How long do you expect him to remain sedated?”

“Well . . . the sedatives usually last about an hour, but it all depends on the patient. Some patients are out for a few hours while others recover a lot quicker and are wide awake in no time.” The beeping of the heart monitor quickened at an almost alarming rate before peaking for a moment and then decrease in speed. The nurse heard the change in the heart monitor, but gave no indication to the two men that she noticed. “I'm sure if you wait a few minutes for the nurse to finish up with her patient, you can see him then.”

“I can wait around if you can,” Chris shrugged.

“Thank you Miss. We'll wait right over here,” Eric smiled.

The young nurse fanned herself after the two men left to sit in the waiting room. The beeping of the heart monitor was gradually lowering to a normal pace as the nurse smirked. Tina owed her big time for helping her pull a stunt like that. The door to room 210 opened as Tina walked out with a triumphant grin on her face. She sauntered over to the nurse's station and scribbled a few notes down on her clipboard as the other nurse cleared her throat.

“So, get laid?”

“That's for me to know and you to never find out.” Tina said, hardly able to contain the smile on her face.

“You got laid.” The nurse elbowed Tina in the side playfully. “Oh, by the way. While you were getting your kicks, Mr. Rivers and Mr. Johnson came by and wanted to see your special patient. They're sitting in the waiting room and I told them that you'd kindly let them know when your patient woke-up. So is he awake or do we need to tell them that he was given more . . . anesthetics.”

“I'm not that good! But he's awake. He may not be entirely coherent for a few minutes, but he's awake.”

“Good, now go and escort Mr. Rivers and Mr. Johnson to see Captain Lynn and try not to seduce the poor patient in front of his guests,” the nurse joked.

Tina stuck her tongue out before laughing and taking her time walking over to the waiting room with a certain glow to her skin.

* * *

The sharp smell of coffee calmed Reeve down as he hung up the phone. He nearly had a nervous breakdown when he heard that there was an attack in Old Midgar. He was already being stretched thin and losing some of his aides was not something he needed. Rubbing his temples, he stared down at the hot cup of coffee and let the aroma soothe his senses. A soft knock at the door interrupted his brief moment of silence. Expecting a sharply dressed businessman or military official, Reeve nearly chocked on his coffee when he saw his wife walk into the room wearing only a pair of jeans and a loose sweatshirt.

“How are things here?” Melissa smiled as she handed him a napkin.

“They're stable, for now at least.” Reeve blushed as he wiped away all the coffee from his suit. “How's Sara?”

“She's playing with Elena and Rude. I think they're teaching her the basics of how to be a Turk.” Melissa laughed. “Is there anything I can do to help around here?”

“I don't think so. A lot of it is very complicated that even I don't understand it all. Mainly military and banking stuff.”

“I feel guilty though watching you work your butt off while I take care of Sara.”

“Sara's important though, right? So don't worry about it,” Reeve said with a warm smile.

“She is.” Melissa's face lit up thinking about their daughter, but that joy had to be short lived. She took a deep breath as she remembered why she same to see her husband. “I want to ask you something. Do you know if we can open up an orphanage here in Junon? I want to help somehow. There are so many children out wandering the streets and the ShinRa daycare is practically overflowing with children. I feel like the Junon streets aren't safe anymore. It's this feeling I have. Like something bad will happen to them if they don't have anyplace to go.”

Reeve studied his wife as he gazed up on her tense shoulders. He had seen this in her before. “Is this the same feeling that made you want to take Sara out of Midgar?”

“Yes,” Melissa said guiltily. “But you know it wasn't without a good reason. And the same goes for wanting to start an orphanage.”

The room was tense as Melissa nervously stood before her husband as he watched her with a contemplative look. She hoped that he understood her reasons for leaving Midgar back then and hoped he understood her reasons now. She could never tell if Reeve was ever bitter for taking Sara from him, partly because she hated herself for doing it. But she knew that staying in Midgar put Sara at risk and Melissa would sacrifice everything to keep her daughter safe and happy.

“I'll talk with the heads around here and see if I can secure a building to suit your needs,” Reeve finally said.

“Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me.” Melissa nearly cried with elation. “I don't want to see the same thing happen to Junon as it did to Midgar five years ago.”

“You mean what happened to all those children?”

Melissa stood quietly as she spoke in a whisper. “Yes.”

“I understand. Just please be careful. I'll make sure that you have Soldiers guarding you and the children. I promise that there won't be a repeat of the events five years ago.”

“I appreciate it.” Melissa smiled as she shyly looked at her husband. “You know that I took Sara with me because I wanted to keep her safe. I wasn't really trying to distance myself from you, but with all the things happening in Midgar and our fights I just had to leave. But I mainly left because of what was happening. I don't know if you knew that, but I thought you ought to know.”

Reeve tried his best to control his emotions as he walked over to Melissa and brought her into a tearful hug. “I know. I know. I'm glad you did it Mel. It hurt that you had to leave with her, but it would have killed me if anything happened to Sara. Promise me that you'll be careful out there.”

“Oh Reeve. I promise. I'll be safe and I'll keep Sara safe. I swear to you I will,” Melissa sobbed into her husband's shoulder.

The couple quietly held each other while whispering consoling words as they stood oblivious to the rest of the world. Their relationship was still quite fragile, but they had come to an understanding that was bringing them closer than they had ever been. Both learned how to fully love each other again and forget the painful past that they may have had. They knew that it was time to look towards the future: together.

* * *

The air at Fort Condor was tense. The residents could feel it, the elders caused it and the children were all quiet, fearing that any wrong they committed would be returned to them in a punishment far worse than anything they could ever conjure. The only ones who couldn't seem to feel the tension were the rag-tag gang of bikers who were either lounging around drinking or sleeping in their own alcohol-induced dreams.

The self-imposed leader of the gang knew that they weren't wanted based on the stares he and his gang got, but he didn't care. He reasoned that when they came, he and his gang were welcomed with open arms because the place was in desperate need of protection. Now after less than a week, it looked like they had worn out their welcome.

“So Boss, what are we supposed to do around here? There ain't nothing fun to do and the beer here stinks,” Shorty asked. “Are we gonna jet sometime?”

Jagger shrugged as he took another swig of beer. “Probably soon. There ain't any pretty girls here and you're right; the beer stinks.”

The bartender at the small pub chose to wisely ignore their rude comments. He didn't want to raise any suspicions that he was serving the Red Riders all the beer that had spoiled last month. The bartender hoped that the gang would leave soon or he would have to start bottling the toilet water and serve that to them.

The gang members were far too lost in their own reveries and mindless stupor that they didn't even notice when the residents of Fort Condor all flooded to the front door in a mixture of excitement and panic. Something was happening outside that captured the attention of all the Condor residents. The only thing that alerted the gang members that something big was going on outside the fort was the long bellowing sound of a horn.

A few gang members fell out of the chairs they were dozing in while others covered their ears, spitting out curses to whoever was making that noise. Jagger rolled his eyes in annoyance as he took his time to stand and walk outside to see what the noise was about. After all, they were freeloading off of Fort Condor because of the pretense that they would help defend the fort. If anything, he had to at least keep up appearances.

Once Jagger finally made his way outside, he saw the fort elders talking animatedly to several soldiers dressed as traditional Wutanese warriors. The soldiers all had swords strapped to their sides and addressed the elders very respectfully as they talked. In the background, Jagger could see hundreds of Wutanese soldiers all standing and waiting orders. It looked like they were getting ready to fight a war.

Before Jagger had any time to process what was going on, one of the more ornately dressed soldiers started walking towards him as the fort elders were staring on in morbid fascination. As the soldier walked closer to Jagger, he noticed that this particular soldier was an older woman who had small streaks of gray running through her hair.

“Are you the leader?” Chekhov asked the mess of a man before her.

Jagger stared confused at the woman as he scratched his head. “Huh?”

“I asked, are you the leader?”

“I guess.”

“Was your group assigned to protect this fort?”

“Yeah, what's it to you?” Jagger stood a bit taller, towering over the smaller woman after hearing the threatening tone of her voice.

“Did you know that my warriors could have taken this fort over ten times by now?”

“You saying that you think you can beat me and the Red Riders?”

“I know I can beat you and your . . . gang.” Chekhov smiled confidently as she watched Jagger's face scrunch up in rage.

“Lady, I'm going to make you wish you was never born,” Jagger seethed.

For the next few minutes Jagger was dealt the beating of his life. Not only was he being physically beaten by a smaller and weaker opponent, but this opponent was an old woman. There were few times when Jagger had ever acknowledged being beaten and all of those times were by men bigger and stronger than he was. Today Jagger was having his pride kicked and punched out of him by the petite woman staring him down. At this point in time, Jagger wanted nothing more than to be able to get in one solid punch to the woman's condescending face. But his hands were pinned securely behind his back by some little kid who was dressed just as ornately as the woman.

“Listen and listen well.” Chekhov stared intently at the broken man in front of her while Shake secured him. “The elders of this fort have requested that we stay and help protect them from any monsters that may attack. Their first thing that they wanted us to do was to get rid of you and your gang, who were currently trying to . . . protect them. My men have already raided the fort and kicked every single one of your men out and we expect you to leave immediately.”

“And what if I don't?” Jagger breathed laboriously, trying his best to defy anything the woman said.

Chekhov lowered her face until she was eye to eye with Jagger as she spoke in a dangerous voice. “Then we'll torch your bikes.”

That was enough to convince Jagger that the woman meant business. A biker gang was nothing without their bikes. Their bikes were like their lifeblood and getting rid of that would make the Red Riders nothing but a bunch of useless thugs on the streets. So Jagger relented and watched through his bruised and bloody eyes how the rest of his gang staggered with equal amounts of bruises towards him.

“Jagger! What's going on! These ninjas came in and beat the shit out of us,” Shorty stumbled towards their fallen leader.

“We're leaving.” Jagger offered no explanations as he limped over to his bike and started the engines.

The Red Riders hesitated slightly before following Jagger's lead and getting on their own bikes. The gang ignored the blatant looks of satisfaction from the residents as they watched the group leave. They were getting bored anyway and told themselves that the ninjas wouldn't have beaten them up so easily if they hadn't been suffering from hangovers. The riders thought to themselves that it was a good thing that they were leaving and the residents of Fort Condor couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

Rufus felt like he was a little kid again. The brightly colored lights and animated characters were bringing back memories of his childhood. Gold Saucer: the magical place that every child wants to go to and every adult secretly dreams of. The flashing neon lights were hypnotizing as he followed his friends along the path.

“Oh! Let's go to the Speed Square! I haven't ridden that in a while.” Yuffie asked as she tried to drag Tifa towards one of the round tubes.

“I don't think that's a good idea right now Yuffie. We need to start looking for Dio,” Tifa sighed.

“You're looking for my Dad? He's either at the Battle Arena or Chocobo Square . He has offices in both places.”

Tifa, Yuffie and Rufus all turned their heads in amazement and disbelief staring at the person who just spoke. They probably would have turned their heads either way mainly because the teenager said something that didn't relate to surfing, his board-blade or anything that made a stalk of broccoli look intelligent.

“Did you just say your Dad?” Rufus asked.

“Yeah.” Ace shrugged, wondering why his friends were so surprised with the revelation, despite never telling anyone about his father during their entire trip to Gold Saucer.

“Oh, that's so cool! I didn't know that!” Yuffie turned her energy towards Ace as she latched onto his arm possessively.

“Well, that'll make things easier in trying to get an audience with him,” Tifa mused.

The group made their way towards the Battle Arena first while Yuffie clung onto Ace as if he was a lifeline. While there, Tifa answered a call from her PHS as Ace and Yuffie watched the monitors to see who was fighting. Rufus split his time between watching the battle on the monitor and watching Tifa as she talked on the PHS. From the brief glimpses of the battle and the sounds Yuffie and Ace were making, he could tell that the man inside the battle arena was losing badly. Observing Tifa, Rufus almost thought that she was watching the battle as well as her facial expressions were laced with worry and concern.

Rufus watched Tifa as she wiped stray tears from the corner of her eyes. He would have continued watching her if it weren't for the heavy hissing of the main doors to the battle arena opening up to reveal the battered and bruised warrior exiting. The jeers from his friends and onlookers distracted Rufus as he turned and watched the poor man collapse in a heap in front of his disappointed buddies. During the brief moment, Tifa had already finished her phone call and made her way to the group.

“So who called?” Yuffie asked absently as she paid more attention to the next battle starting up on the monitors.

“Cid.” Tifa answered with a slight waver in her voice. She did her best to hide her distress over the phone call, but Rufus could still see the sadness in her eyes. Whatever the call had been about, it had depressed her.

“So what did Cid have to say?” Rufus asked.

“Oh, nothing much. Did you know that Nanaki found a mate!” Tifa said cheerfully, instantly changing her mood. “Her name's Kaya.”

“Oh really!” Yuffie beamed. “What's she like? Where did he meet her? Is she pretty?”

“I don't know. Cid just said that she's good for him and that they're happy.” Tifa laughed at Yuffie's enthusiasm. “But I'm sure we'll meet her soon and then you can see for yourself.”

“I bet she's really pretty. Red wouldn't go for a girl unless she was pretty.”

Tifa smiled as she listened to Yuffie rant about the many different qualities Kaya had to possess. “So have we found Dio yet?”

Everyone looked at Ace who stared back at them with a blank expression on his face.

“What?”

“So is your Dad here?” Rufus asked the clueless teen.

“Oh, let me check.” Ace said as he looked around the room. “Nope.”

“You're not going to check his office?”

“Don't need to. He never uses it. If he's here, he'll be watching the matches.”

“Right,” Rufus answered skeptically. “I guess there's no point in staying here then.”

The group made their way towards the Chocobo Square as they drank in the sights of the amusement park. Ace and Yuffie were stopping at all the new games and attractions that were added to the park while Rufus watched in amazement. Tifa barely registered the new attractions that the park had added as her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Her attention was centered on the conversation she just had with Cid. Kaya had seen Cloud. Not only that, but Kaya had heard him mourning the loss of his friend, his mother and herself. Memories of the surprise and excitement on Cloud's face when she found him at the train station in Midgar made complete sense now. It explained why he was so protective of her and always watched her work in the bar in Sector 7: he couldn't believe she was alive. If only she had known, then she could have done things differently. There were too many `what ifs' running through her head wondering what could have happened.

Tifa knew that she shouldn't dwell on her past life with Cloud, but he meant so much to her. Thoughts like that were only going to make her yearn for the sweet memories they shared and remind her of the ache in her heart his death brought her. She wished that Cloud were still alive today to help protect her during the crisis after Meteor. But she knew that wishes like that never came true. Her mother never came back to her and neither did her father. Tifa was alone now with just her thoughts and memories of her loved ones keeping some semblance of hope in her heart.

“Oh look! A food cart! I'm starving. Ace, will you treat me to some dumplings?” Yuffie begged her boyfriend.

“Sure babe, anything you want.” Ace smirked as he draped his arm loosely around her shoulders.

Tifa watched as the young couple fed each other dumplings from the familiar looking food cart. The savory smell of the fresh dumplings made her mouth water and she closed her eyes as she thought of the first time she had those delicious dumplings.

* * *

She had done it again. She and Sabina had crossed the finish line before everyone else, winning first place. She wondered if Cloud was cheering her on in the lobby as she quickly led Sabina to the stables. She was in such a rush to meet Cloud she hardly noticed the possessive glare that the famous jockey Joe was giving her as she rushed past him. All of her focus was on getting to Cloud and telling him that she won her race.

Tifa ran through the crowd and spotted a head of spiky blond hair.

She ran over to him shouting his name in excitement. “Cloud! I won!”

Cloud was standing rooted to the floor with a sour look of anger. He hadn't noticed Tifa shouting his name at the top of her lungs, but saw her as she was making her way towards him. His anger instantly turned into relief and joy as he smiled as his childhood friend. “Hey Tifa, I saw you take the lead on the monitor.”

“I know.” Tifa smiled, but then remembered the angry look on his face just before she walked up to him. “Are you still mad at yourself for losing that last race?”

Cloud was taken-aback that Tifa had noticed his foul mood earlier. He blushed as he slowly nodded his head.

“Don't worry, you were racing against Joe. If he wasn't in the race, you would have definitely won.” Tifa said to try and boost his ego. She didn't notice him tense up at the mention of his rival.

“Come on Tifa let's go celebrate your victory.” Cloud said as he grabbed Tifa's hand and led her to one of the food carts nearby.

They stopped at a small red cart selling various dumplings. Cloud bought a few dumplings and offered some to Tifa who took them graciously. They ate silently as they stole glances at each other through bites of the juicy treats.

“These are so good. I wonder if they're any better if you get them fresh in Wutai?” Tifa mused.

“Yuffie would probably know.” Cloud smiled as he watched Tifa eat. “But I promise you that if we ever go to Wutai, I'll buy you some.”

Tifa blushed as she boldly stared into Cloud's sapphire eyes. “Cloud, do you really mean it? I mean, I'd love for you to and all, but it almost sounds like you're asking me on a date.”

“Yes, I do mean it.” Cloud's face softened before he blushed and scratched the back of his head. “And if you want it to be a date . . . well, we can make it one.”

Tifa felt like leaping into Cloud's arms and screaming `yes' at the top of her lungs. But instead she breathed in deeply as a content sigh escaped her lips and she whispered. “I'd like that.”

A week later, Tifa would get her wish and have her date with Cloud in Wutai. She didn't think that he would remember it at first, especially since they were worried about the eventual fight with Sephiroth. But Tifa was pleasantly shocked when Cloud had shyly come up to her room before they were set to turn in for the evening.

“Um, Tifa?” Cloud asked trying to maintain eye contact.

“Yes, Cloud?”

“I was wondering if . . . you were hungry and . . .” Cloud began to stutter as he nearly lost his resolve. Acting quickly, he grabbed Tifa's hand. “Here, just come with me.”

She didn't object as she let Cloud take her to one of the night markets in Wutai. The small alleyway was crowded with street vendors and late-night shoppers trying to get a nice bargain. Food carts were scattered everywhere about the market as Cloud and Tifa stared with wide eyes at the different exotic foods that Wutai had to offer. There were fried octopus balls, roasted squid, fermented tofu and the main thing they were looking for: dumplings.

Cloud's face lit up when he found the dumpling cart. He paid for the mouth-watering food and handed Tifa her portion as they savored the taste. They were on their date and they both knew it. Tifa couldn't have dreamed of a better evening as the clear night sky was lit up with thousands of twinkling stars. They ate and basked in each other's company as they discovered that the dumplings in Wutai were juicier and sweeter than the ones they got at Gold Saucer. They continued walking away from the night market and closer towards the quieter parts of the city.

As they walked, the couple eventually found themselves on top of a small bridge overlooking the crystalline waters of the river. There was hardly a soul in sight as fireflies danced around them like spots of sunshine peeking out into the night. The pair talked about everything and nothing as they enjoyed each other's company. Their relationship was so simple yet so complex that neither had the knowledge of how to progress it further without shattering it into a thousand tiny pieces. But they both knew that they loved each other and they both could tell that the love was shared; even if no one had openly said it. They locked gazes and unconsciously were inching closer and closer to one another as if their bodies were responding to their inner desires.

Tifa didn't know when Cloud had snuck his hand around her back or when she decided to put her hands around his neck. Those small details didn't bother her because just being in his arms and watching the tender look on his face meant the whole world to her. She was so enraptured with the almost glowing quality of his eyes, she could hardly think when Cloud started to inch his face closer to hers. They both closed their eyes as their lips moved closer towards each other instinctively, yearning for the softness of a kiss.

Just before their lips touched, the cracking sound of a tree branch breaking followed simultaneously by a high pitched scream and splash of a body hitting the water interrupted the couple. Cloud quickly pulled Tifa behind him as he protected her with his sword, ready and drawn. They both were shocked to see a cold and wet ninja by the name of Yuffie Kisaragi smiling weakly at them in the water.

“Yuffie!”

“Hey guys! Fancy seeing you two here. Don't mind me. Just get back to your kissing or whatever it was that you were doing.” Yuffie laughed nervously as she cursed under her breath for forgetting about how old that tree was getting.

Cloud smiled apologetically to Tifa before breaking out into laughter at Yuffie's expense. Tifa laughed along with Cloud, letting the humor of the situation dispel her anger at the teenage girl for interrupting them.

“Tifa.”

The martial artist turned to face Cloud who smiled as he said her name.

“Tifa.”

The sound of Cloud's voice calling her name echoed over and over again until it started to become muffled. The noises of Yuffie splashing in the water faded into a jumbled garble. The lights of the fireflies seemed to get bigger and brighter as the light filled the night sky. Tifa's eyes began to lose focus as Cloud's face blurred. The only thing that she could focus on was the clear blue of his eyes.

“Tifa.”

* * *

“Tifa.”

Tifa's vision cleared up as she looked into the blue eyes of the man she knew as John Woolfe. “Oh, John! Sorry about that. What was it you were trying to say?”

“Nothing much. I just wanted to give you some dumplings I bought for you.” Rufus handed Tifa her portion as he shot her a concerned look.

“Oh, thanks.” Tifa looked flustered as she accepted the food. All the memories of her date with Cloud were still fresh in her mind as she slowly ate the dumplings. She was reminded of how the dumplings in Wutai were much juicier. Though the dumplings were good, Tifa couldn't bring herself to savor the taste that reminded her of why her heart ached.

Rufus was worried about Tifa as he watched her mechanically walk alongside him.

Since she received that phone call from Cid, Tifa looked lost in the sea of tourists and neon lights. Concern was too light a word to describe the protective feelings Rufus harbored for the woman.

“Hey Yuffie. Is it just me or does Tifa seem a little out of it to you?” Rufus whispered.

“Oh don't worry. She's probably getting distracted by all the flashing lights. Oh Hey! A new race is starting! Sweet!” Yuffie squealed as she bounded off towards the racing monitors leaving Rufus and Ace behind.

“Some help that was.” Rufus sighed as he turned to Ace. “So Ace. Does Tifa seem a little out of it to you?”

“How the hell should I know? She's your girl.” Ace shrugged as he walked over to Yuffie.

Rufus stared at Ace with a pink hue to his cheeks. He had almost forgotten that he and Tifa were posing as a couple for Yuffie's sake. “Yeah, sure. I'll just go and talk to her.”

He found Tifa staring absent-mindedly at one of the monitors. Acting casual, he walked up to her and pretended to also watch the race. “So who's winning?”

“Huh?” Tifa was startled. “Oh, I think the chocobo `Weltall' is winning. The jockey's new. His name's Fei, but he's not bad for a beginner.”

“Racing looks pretty easy. It's probably hard once you're on the track though, right?”

“It is a lot tougher. You have to have a chocobo that had lots of speed, stamina, focus and a jockey who can push the chocobo to maintain that focus. The track is very brightly colored and some chocobos lose because they get distracted by the track.”

“So if Yuffie were a chocobo, she would lose all the time because she would be focusing on the track rather than the race,” Rufus smiled.

Tifa laughed at his joke as she pictured the young ninja all covered with feathers pecking at the holographic flowers on the side of the track. “Yes, that's too true. Yuffie would make a horrible racing chocobo. That's probably why she can never get Maru to win her races because she's also a horrible jockey.”

“I'm glad I could make you smile again. You were looking a little down.” Rufus stared at her with a gentle look in his eyes.

“Thanks, I needed that.” Tifa's face brightened up.

“Hey, what are friends for?” Rufus said before nervously putting his hands in his pockets. “So. Want to talk about it?”

Tifa shook her head as she looked down at the floor. “Maybe some other time. I think I'll be okay now. Thanks for asking.”

Rufus smiled to himself as he saw some of the cheer return to Tifa's face. He was about to make another joke to get her laughing again when a man dressed entirely in black with a black hat walked between them and reached for Tifa's hand to kiss it.

“Why Miss Lockheart! You're looking as ravishing as ever. It's a pleasure seeing you here at Gold Saucer again. Will you be racing?” The man asked with a suave smile.

“Oh, Joe. It's nice to see you too. No, we're here to speak to Dio on business. I don't think I'll have time to race.” Tifa greeted the jockey with noticeable discomfort.

“Oh, that's a shame. I would have loved to see you and Sabina in action. How about Strife, is he here?” Joe asked, not noticing the visible streak of pain across Tifa's face.

“No, I'm sorry. He's not with us anymore.”

“Ah, that's too bad. I guess that means he automatically forfeits the match.” Joe laughed as he put a hand on Tifa's bare shoulder.

“Match? What match?” Tifa turned so Joe's hand fell off of her shoulder.

“You didn't hear? Why the match that Strife agreed to have with me so I could win the right for Teioh to mate with Sabina.”

Tifa stared at Joe with a blank expression on her face as she processed what he had just said. “What.”

“Why, Strife and I made an agreement that Mortius and Teioh would race for the right to Sabina. Since Strife isn't here, I guess I win the right.”

“You are not going to get Sabina.” Tifa said firmly, causing a few people to stare at the ensuing argument; two of whom were Yuffie and Ace.

“You can't refuse him Tifa. He has the right.” A woman in a blue dress said as she walked towards the group. “He issued a formal challenge to Cloud for the right to mate with Sabina and Cloud accepted.”

“Ester, you can't be serious. I'm Sabina's rider. Don't I get a say in who Sabina mates with?”

“Usually you do. But when a formal challenge has been issued, you have to accept the winner of the challenge to the right to your chocobo.”

“Cloud couldn't have accepted something so stupid. When did this happen?”

“Last time you were here, my dear. If you don't believe me, Ester has the agreement saved on one of the security tapes. Ester? Would you please?” Joe looked at Ester expectantly.

Ester nodded as she motioned for everyone to follow her. “Come with me and I'll show you the tape.”

Tifa seethed as she followed Ester and Joe to a monitor behind the betting arena. Joe swaggered toward a comfortable position as close to Tifa as he could get while Rufus glared angrily at him. Yuffie and Ace watched the scene curiously as they had tagged along to see what the argument was about.

Ester found a disc in a drawer and insert it into the monitor as she motioned for everyone to watch.

* * *

The screen was littered with static as it gradually cleared up and everyone could see the betting arena. There were people lining up to place their bets in the next race while others bustled around trying to decide whether to gamble their money or not. In the center of the screen was Cloud walking up to one of the monitors as he hung his head dejectedly.

“I lost.”

The blonde shook off his loss and turned his attention to the monitors as he watched the next race. Shortly afterwards, everyone could see Joe strutting up to Cloud as he extended his hand out to him in a greeting.

“Strife, excellent race as usual. You were closer to beating me that time.”

“Closer, but not close enough to win the gold. It's always a pleasure racing you Joe.”

Joe nodded politely as he turned his attention to the racing monitor. “She's a beautiful creature now isn't she? Such strong legs and a bountiful stamina.”

“Yes, Tifa really knows how to train chocobos. Sabina's one of the strongest gold chocobos out there,” Cloud beamed as he watched Tifa widen her lead in her race.

“Yes, Sabina is a beautiful chocobo. Her rider certainly is a wonderful catch as well I might say.”

Cloud looked livid as he grabbed his sword, getting ready to draw it as he glared at Joe. “Don't you ever talk about Tifa like that again or it'll be the last thing you do!”

“My, a bit touchy about that, aren't we? So Tifa is yours then?”

“Tifa is nobody's. She her own person and you should respect that.”

“So you say. But you know? If she were a chocobo, I could easily race for her and have her,” Joe threatened. “It's one of the perks to having a champion chocobo; first pick for potential female mates. I'm sure you read the rules on that when you became a jockey.”

Cloud tightened his grip on the sword as his eyes flashed dangerously.

“But I can just settle for the chocobo. Since no one can beat me, it's only my right to choose Teioh's mate. Sabina is the fastest female chocobo on the circuit so it's only logical that she be the lucky one. Imagine, all that time with Sabina and her rider . . . alone . . . watching our chocobos mate. Certainly sets the mood, doesn't it?”

Cloud whipped out his sword and pointed the tip at Joe's throat as his eyes glowed with anger. “You are not getting near Tifa or Sabina.”

“Killing me will only make you a murderer Strife,” Joe laughed. “The only way you can stop me is if you beat me in a race and become the new champion, which I doubt you can do.” Joe pushed the sword to the side with his right hand.

“I'll win. Me and Mortius won't lose to you.”

“So you agree to the race then? Good. Let's shake on that, shall we? Winner gets mating rights to Sabina and loser, well . . . they just lose. I'll even be fair and let you race me after this Meteor incident has blown off.” Joe smiled a smile laced with venom as he held his hand out.

Cloud grabbed the man's hand and squeezed it as hard as he could as his eyes locked with Joe's in a menacing glare.

Joe blew on his injured hand as he shook it out. “Then it's agreed. Until next time Strife.” Joe smirked before walking back to the stables.

Cloud was left standing in the betting arena fuming. He was still in a sour mood when Tifa ran up to him excitedly with an extra bounce in her step.

“Cloud! I won!”

* * *

Tifa shot Joe a deadly look as her eyes which were mixed with pain and spite. The tension in her body and tightening of her fights indicated to everyone that she was not happy with what she was shown. The video only strengthened the image the rest of the group had of Joe: that he was an ass.

“As you can see, Strife and I clearly set the agreement and he's bound by that. I can understand if Strife is afraid to race me and decided not to come with you all today,” Joe said.

“Why don't you just shut up!” Yuffie screamed. “Cloud isn't here today cause he died saving your sorry ass from Meteor, Sephiroth and Jenova! Now take your agreement and stuff it!”

“Ah, my condolences. When you said he wasn't with you, I didn't realize it was permanent. That was rude of me, I apologize.” Joe said unable to hide the pleasant surprise in his voice as he put his hat over his heart. “But that still doesn't change the fact that the agreement is still valid, even if Strife is deceased.”

“I still won't let you take Sabina. It isn't fair.” Tifa stated firmly before lowering her eyes. “Cloud wouldn't want that,” Tifa whispered.

“I'm sorry Tifa, but the rules are the rules. Joe did make a valid agreement with Cloud and if Cloud can't honor that in a race, then he automatically loses.” Ester said sympathetically as she put a comforting hand on Tifa's shoulder.

“Well that just sucks!” Yuffie punched the air.

“It's the way of life, I'm afraid. You just have to face the facts sometimes,” Joe said with a smile.

“What do the rules say about having someone else race in the match?” Rufus asked Ester, trying to restrain himself from decking Joe in front of the two burly security guards sitting nearby.

“So long as Mortius races against Teioh, it doesn't matter who the jockey is.”

“Well, none of that really matters because as Sabina's rider, Tifa isn't allowed to ride Mortius in this race since she has to get Sabina ready for my Teioh.” Joe said as he studied his nails. “So why don't we skip the formalities and have Sabina brought over to my stables?”

“Not if I can ride Mortius!” Rufus blurted out.

Everyone stared at Rufus as he stood there defiantly. He wasn't going to let Joe get away with taking Sabina and he simply didn't like the guy.

“You? Ride Mortius?” Joe laughed. “What's your name?”

Rufus looked Joe in the eye menacingly. “I'm Rufus Sh--er,” he almost blurted out before swallowing his words. Oh shit! What do I do now?

“Your name is Rufus Sher?”

Rufus paused for a second as he stared back at Joe and then noticed Ace standing nearby. “No, I just said I'm rufus you shithead so I don't need to give you my name.”

“So your name is Rufus?”

“Did you hear what I just said? I didn't mean that my name was Rufus, but that I was rufus, unlike you. If you must know, my name's John Woolfe. I can't believe you've never heard of rufus before. You know, rufus?” Rufus smirked as he played his little song and dance.

Yuffie and Ace both snickered as Tifa tried her best to stifle a laugh. The martial artist had absolutely no idea what her friend was planning, but it was well worth seeing the confusion on Joe's face. Ester and two security guards watching the conversation joined in the laughter as they relished the entertainment of Joe's humiliation.

“So who are you? John or Rufus?” Joe huffed.

“Ace, this guy is totally unrufus, don't cha think?” Rufus said as he turned to the surfer.

“Yeah, totally,” Ace smiled. “Unlike you dude. You're rufus!”

“Yeah, I am,” Rufus laughed.

“I don't appreciate your inane banter,” Joe seethed. “Are you going to race me or not?”

“Oh, I'll race you. I just thought that someone needed to smack you down a few notches on your ego there. It was starting to get hard to breathe with your hot head taking up all that space,” Rufus crossed his arms in defiance.

“You'll regret those words,” Joe thrust his finger in Rufus's face. “We race tomorrow after the `Weakest Chocobo' bets.”

“I'll be there.” Rufus stared down at the shorter man.

“Ester, make the arrangements.” Joe barked before fuming away towards the stables.

Ester nodded her head towards the veteran racer before speaking in an exasperated voice, “You just got yourself into a race you can't win.”

“Don't worry, I'll beat him,” Rufus said with confidence.

“You don't understand. Joe's never lost a race, ever. Not even Cloud has been able to beat him,” Ester chided.

“We'll worry about that. I just don't want Joe taking Sabina away from me. I can't believe the nerve of that man,” Tifa replied angrily.

“Gawd, I wish Holy would have gotten rid of all the assholes in the world. Let's kick him in the nuts and steal his materia while he's down,” Yuffie said.

“You know it's against the rules to physically injure another racer before a race,” Ester stated. “But at least you have a day to train. You can get started tonight after the `Weakest Chocobo.'”

“When is that and what is that?” Tifa asked curiously.

“It's something new. We just started it a few days ago. The program is about to start so let's go to the monitors and see.” Ester guided the group over to the large monitors.

Several people were running over to the betting arena making last minute bets as the group stood and watched the commotion. Families and the usual chocobo enthusiasts were eagerly awaiting the start of the program. A large group of people were holding placards protesting the program as they held up signs like `Free the Chocobos,' or `Chocobos have feelings too.' Protesters were a rare sight at Gold Saucer, but they were making their presence known today.

“Are there usually protesters during races?” Rufus asked Yuffie.

“Not like that they're not,” Yuffie gaped as she read the signs. “Hey, I didn't know that racing chocobos could make you a murderer. Says who?”

The group passed the protesters as they shuffled through the growing swarm of people. Crowds were forming in front of the many monitors as they watched some handlers line up the chocobos on the track. Tifa looked at the group of chocobos questioningly. Usually chocobos are seen warking excitedly anticipating the race, but these chocobos look frightened and sickly.

“Ester, what sort of race is going on? These chocobos look too timid to be racing chocobos and there're no jockeys.”

“It's all a part of the show. They didn't want any jockeys getting injured in the race. Just watch and you'll see.”

Tifa nodded as she looked back at the screen. She couldn't see how a race of the slowest chocobos could be exciting.

The PA system buzzed and cackled as the main racing announcer opened up the race. “Evening folks and welcome to another installment of the Weakest Chocobo! We have a great line-up for you tonight. First, our usual suspects; returning we have `Dog Food', `Cannon Fodder', `Glue', `Barf' and `You Should Be Shot'. Our newest chocobo in the line-up today is `Din-Din'. The betting arena is closed now so please wait now for the start of the bell.”

“Well those are some . . . interesting names.” Rufus said to no one in particular.

The slew of questions that the group wanted to ask Ester were all hushed as a ferocious roar screeched on the monitors. A bell rang and all six chocobos scrambled off the starting line in a flurry of feathers and fluff. At first, it looked like the chocobos were sincerely trying to race, but soon the audience saw that the chocobos were running not for the competition, but because they were being chased. A familiar purple monster with bat-like wings swooped down upon the tracks. A few gasps were heard from the audience as several children started to cry.

“Don't worry folks, it's all part of the show,” the announcer said reassuringly.

Tifa and Rufus both looked at each other pointedly before looking back at the screen. Chocobos were running frantically as Chaos circled around them in the air as if he was trying to pick which chocobo to eat. One chocobo was running around in circles, too frightened to know where it was going. Another had a near brush with Chaos and stood immobilized in fear as it defecated on the track. Chaos seemed to smirk as it dove for the paralyzed chocobo and grabbed it effortlessly. The poor chocobo didn't even seem to struggle as it lay limp in the monster's arms. The crowd cheered as some people were whooping with glee and others cursing as they tore up their betting stubs.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen. It looks like `Din-Din' is the winner or should I say loser for today's race. Please join us tomorrow night for another race of the Weakest Chocobo!”

Tifa, Yuffie and Rufus all stared at the screen in disbelief over what they just saw. Here they were hoping to ask Dio if he had spotted any sightings of Chaos and they find that Chaos was now one of the main attractions for Gold Saucer.

“Ace, where's your father. We need to talk to him, now!” Tifa demanded. She had never liked Dio and had been tempted in the past to demonstrate her ire for the man. Now it looked like she had a good reason.

(continued…)