Shadowplay

Chapter 1: The summons

It was over. They were mentally and physically bruised in more ways than could be explained, left baring scars too deep to heal and a lifetime ahead of them to face the lingering pain of loss.

They had all gathered in Rocket Town to say their goodbyes and it was proving more difficult than Tifa could have imagined. Something sat heavy in her insides choking off the words. It was not a final goodbye, she knew that, they were connected and would always be together when they could be. But she could not shake the impending feeling of suddenly being alone.

She was leaning on the fence outside the house and looking up at the twisted metal structure ahead. The only thing left of where the rocket had originally been housed. She felt the movement next to her and turned her head to look at Vincent. She had been dreading this moment. Vincent filled her with such a great sense of security.

"You're going?"

He nodded. Glancing in the same direction she had been. The scenery seemed lacking without the grandeur of the once leaning rocket.

"Thank you for freeing me, Tifa."

She shook her head and smiled up at him. "Thank you for coming with us. You didn't have to, but we couldn't have done it without you. I couldn't have…"

"Hm." They stared at one another for a moment before Tifa reached up and hugged him. She shocked herself with how much she was going to miss him. One of his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into him returning the gesture. She loosened her hold and stretched to her toes intending to kiss his cheek. That was when everything changed. He turned slightly, not expecting the touch, and her lips brushed the corner of his mouth.

He froze. She froze. Tifa took a shuddering breath unaware of how the sudden betraying heat made her eyes darken. He moaned and leaned in to kiss her softly. They tested each other's mouths with soft nibbles until want slammed into both of them and the kiss turned hot and desperate. She whimpered a sound of hunger and it broke him free from the spell. Trembling and shocked to the core they stood trying to make sense of the moment. Then he kissed her forehead and walked away leaving her emptier than ever.

…

Six months later…

It was raining. Tifa stood at the window of Seventh Heaven and looked out into the grey street beyond. The rain did nothing to soften the reality of the cold stone and metal that made Edge. If anything it sharpened the edges and dispersed the haze of dust accentuating how utterly helpless the entire town looked. She leant her head against the glass and closed her eyes letting the pane cool her skin.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" She sighed, talking to herself in the quiet moment before the bar opened.

"You need a life that doesn't involve killing people and serving drinks? Oh, and you're talking to yourself."

She opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder to her head barmaid, Leanne stood at the counter wiping the last of the glasses and baring a smirk of amusement.

"Shut up."

Leanne laughed. She, and another girl named Rose, had filled in for Tifa while she ran off with Reeve on business. It helped to have an Avalanche member smooth the way in some avenues. Their names alone had become a sign of hope when recognised, one of the reasons why Tifa stayed in Edge.

The problem was that long months had led into years of travel and movement that no longer allowed her to stay in one place. She had to get out of the bar and help, to go and visit the group often to see how they were, they came to her as well. Seventh Heaven would always be the home of Avalanche.

Cloud was missing most of the time and they were all accustomed to it. Tifa had overcome that heartbreak long ago, possibly when she learnt that he had been intimate with Aeris while she was alive and then later when he came back home smelling of cheap perfume. He had taken lovers in an effort to bury his loss. She supposed she should be grateful he avoided her as an option and after she found out the truth she had been unable to feel the same about him, accepting she would be second fiddle to the ghost of a memory.

"So, you're leaving tonight?" Leanne brought her back to the present.

"Yeah, Reeve said he was sending someone to pick me up. I'm going to Kalm first to meet up with the group and I have no idea what I am up to after that."

"Not that you would tell me."

"Not that I would tell you."

They smiled at one another and both started laughing. Tifa would never burden the girls with any knowledge of what Avalanche went through and what they had been through. It was also too dangerous. The less they knew, the safer they were.

Tifa left Leanne to open up while she went upstairs to change and grab her bag. Since they were travelling late she felt it was best to dress warmer, and if the rain was any indicator she suspected she was going to get wet. She put on fitted leather pants and her most comfortable shoes, a black t-shirt and her zipped vest, then tucked her gloves into her belt.

She kept her bag packed permanently if there was an emergency, so it was only a matter of grabbing it from beneath the bed. She trotted back down the stairs and dumped it in the corner. She saw Rose had arrived. After greeting the girls she sat on the bar going over what need be done while she was away. The doors were open, but no one really came for at least thirty minutes after that anyway.

Tifa was just detailing the order list for the week when she noticed neither of them was paying any attention to her anymore. They were both looking over Tifa's shoulder, mouths agape and eyes wide. Rose spoke first, a whisper of instant obsession.

"I saw him first."

Leanne shook her head. "No way, you're too young. I call it."

Tifa sighed and turned to look over at the doorway to see what poor new victim they had chosen. She instantly met a pair of familiar eyes, those eyes, all fire and heat hidden within shadow and crimson accents, watching her with an intensity that crawled beneath her skin and set her burning. Gaia… he still sent her spinning. She had not seen him in six months.

She suspected he had made an unspoken agreement to stay away from her after their kiss. She swallowed.

"Vincent…" It came out breathy and almost like an invite. His lashes dropped. She swore she saw him shiver. She was unaware of the two women looking between them now. Both of whom were oblivious to the fact that Tifa and Vincent were sharing their last memory together without words.

Tifa felt her breath catch. That one moment, so small and seemingly insignificant before she hugged him goodbye, and that hug that had changed everything.

Tifa licked her lips and forced a smile. "Reeve sent you to get me?" He nodded. Striding towards where she sat on the bar. He leant his elbows on the edge and looked at the other women.

"Leanne and Rose this is Vincent. His gil is no good here, got it?" The girls nodded, both dumbstruck and instantly in lust.

"I'll get you a drink Vincent." She slid off the bar and kicked Rose in the ankle jerking her out of her trance which was thankfully reinforced by the sudden trickle of customers. Leanne followed suit and went about starting the order requests while Rose began serving. Tifa uncorked a bottle of wine so expensive that it made both girls gasp in shock. It was rather an extravagant drink, but Tifa hadn't seen him since that goodbye and she felt it was deserved.

"I haven't seen you in so long." She slid him his glass. The glimmer of amber from beneath his lashes refused to rise to meet her.

"My time has been occupied." He braced his weight against the bar with his gauntlet hand while he drank with the other.

"You couldn't even make our visits? We've met up once a month and you never seem to be available for any of them."

She knew she was testing him and she also knew that Vincent would become irritated if she pushed him too far to talk. He had always been one to converse at his own speed.

"Tifa…" She sighed and waved her hand.

"Never mind. I am going to grab my coat and then we can get going if you like."

He nodded once, visibly relaxing when she let him off the hook to drink in peace. Tifa took the stairs two at a time to her room, grabbing her leather coat off the footboard of her bed and turning around to almost run into a wide-eyed Leanne.

"Gaia!" Tifa put her hand out on Leanne's shoulder and the other clasping the coat on her chest. "You scared me half to death! What's wrong?"

Leanne pointed down the stairs. "Vincent? Vincent Valentine?"

Tifa laughed and nodded. "One and the same."

"Oh Tifa… please tell me he's single and dates and likes women…particularly blond bar maids?" Leanne looked like she was about to expire on the spot.

Tifa couldn't stop giggling. She took her time slipping her arms into her jacket and pulling the zip up while Leanne prattled.

"I assume he's single, no I don't think he dates, yes he likes women, and I really don't know what his tastes are."

"He doesn't date? UGH… He's so beautiful. Did you see those eyes?" Leanne flopped backwards on the bed with her arms spread out dramatically.

"I've seen those eyes many times. Aren't you supposed to be running my bar?"

"His mouth is delicious… I bet his kisses are breathtaking."

"Oh they are." Tifa hadn't meant to say that. It came out breathless and much too needy for her liking.

"WHAT?" Tifa blushed and Leanne's eyes got wider. "There is no way you are leaving me alone with just that."

Tifa groaned. She walked around the room making sure she didn't forget to grab anything. "Remember when you asked me if there had ever been anyone else I was attracted to apart from Cloud, and I said no, but there had been one moment once…"

"With him!?"

"Mhm. Can I go now please?" Tifa raised an eyebrow and Leanne giggled bouncing off the mattress.

"Fine. But I am severely jealous."

"It was a long time ago." Tifa shooed her ahead down the stairs.

"Well in that case you won't mind if I try to catch his attention." The blonde woman bounced down the stairs like a teenager.

Tifa smirked, "Yeah good luck with that. Vincent isn't just some guy you can strike up conversation with about the weather."

They slowed on the stairs, lowering their voices so that they didn't carry into the bar.

"Well a girl can try."

Tifa only smiled and walked across to Vincent changing the topic as she went.

"So I'll be gone about a week I think. I arranged for security while I am gone and they will be in tomorrow. You can decide when you will need them but make sure they are all on duty Friday and Saturday. There is plenty of gil in the safe."

Vincent looked up, his brows drawing together. "A week? What exactly did Reeve tell you?"

Tifa paused. "The minimum. He said about a week."

Vincent twisted the empty glass in his fingers. "Tifa... This will take more than a week."

She did not ask him to expand on that while they were standing in the middle of a rapidly filling bar with the two women listening in.

"I will call you Leanne. See you later Rose!" She waved, snatching her back up from the corner and walking out with Vincent on her heel, figuring that they could talk about it on the way.

They walked through out of Edge in relative silence, dodging the rain by ducking from cover to cover but unable to avoid the thick grey clay that made up the dead earth. She was about to head straight into the rain on the path when Vincent grabbed her elbow and turned her in another direction from the old road to Kalm. She became confused, until she saw the light plane.

"Wow! Cid fixed it!" She ran up to the tiny bronco and smiled. Vincent said nothing as he climbed into the pilot seat. Tifa had the urge to ask where he learnt to fly but she was afraid it would result in more of his ignoring her. They made it to Kalm in record time.

…

"Do you plan on talking to me anytime soon or I am going to guess about your cryptic comment regarding my time away?"

Vincent grunted. He was avoiding looking at her and now she deduced he was actively making an attempt to not be alone with her. Had her kiss been so unwelcome? They reached the inn without Tifa asking another question and she had never been so glad as to see them all.

A squeal of happiness surrounded Shera and Tifa while they hugged and chattered. Tifa embraced Barrett and then Cid. Yuffie and Red were noticeably absent.

"So… is someone going to fill me in?"

They walked into an adjacent sitting room, and just as Tifa went to close the door it stopped, halted by a hand on the other side. She released the handle and smiled.

"Reeve." They embraced instantly. He lifted her off the ground crushing her in his arms. She laughed softly. Reeve was a remarkable man; she had truly come to appreciate him over the months and admire his determination to make Gaia a better place. He was also the one who checked in on her the most often. He had lent her money to rebuild Seventh Heaven and though she had paid him back long ago he always tried to give her more.

"You look amazing."

She smiled. "Flatterer."

Reeve winked and walked into the room closing the door behind him.

"Alright." He gestured for them all to take a seat and sat down at Tifa's side. As he began to speak he addressed her alone. She figured everyone else had probably already heard it all.

"I'm sorry to rush this on you Tifa but we really need someone with your particular skills." She raised an eyebrow and leant back into the plush sofa. One leg tucked beneath the other as she got comfortable for what felt a long story.

"After I left you I decided to take advantage of my somewhat questionable connections to get a foothold in certain areas. We infiltrated political holdings and places of wealth in every place possible to try to weed out what remained of Shinra and any unsavoury elements that may need removing."

Tifa nodded, "Go on."

"One of the major holdings of Shinra supporters has always been in Costa del Sol. It attracts people with plenty of gil to spend and too much time on their hands, which gives whoever holds the power there access to both. There is also no law enforcement there, leaving people to do as they please."

Reeve leant forwards. Tifa noticed the crispness of his suit and how well it fitted to his broad shoulders. It made her smile inwardly. He was ingrained with Turk discipline and it served him well.

"About a month after we set up in Costa del Sol we noticed the death rate caused by drug use had spiked. At first we thought it might be an increase in recreational abuse on account of being reminded of their inevitable mortality, but then we started investigating the bodies of the deceased."

Tifa frowned. "What did you find?"

"Traces of mako poisoning. A mutated form of it combined with a few other substances that give the user unusual strength, euphoria, high levels of aggressiveness, paranoia, and it's completely addictive."

"I don't understand. To what purpose are they producing this?" Tifa glanced at the others and noted they were all lost in thought as well.

"Right now we only have speculation. It could be as simple as the usual reason anyone produces a drug. There is a demand and it sells. What it more interesting is the chemical combinations involved. These components aren't something the average dealer would be able to get their hands on. These are substances typical of Shinra experimentation. What we think, is that it is possible one of their scientists is taking advantage of their experience and trying to gain some power now Shinra electric is history. It is also possible that this is the work of whatever remains of Shinra and could be an effort to fund the dying company into a rebirth."

"…Hojo?" She whispered it.

"It is a possibility."

She looked at Vincent. She could see him tense, the blaze of his unfocused eyes filled with a deep loathing. The room thickened beneath the unsavoury thought.

Tifa exhaled slowly, "What do you need me to do?" The determination rang in her voice to be a part of the plan. If for no other reason than to alleviate Vincent's fear that Hojo was experimenting again.

"We have a club in Costa del Sol. It's well established now and gained enough popularity to gain mention. As hard as we've tried we have been unable to gain the trust of any of the dealers except for some minor players and frankly they know nothing of use. Whoever is in charge is very careful. The deals made are through calls and third-party vendors, no one ever exchanges names."

"But…?"

"But… many of the dead who are showing up are employees of the clubs. Primarily women… pretty women."

Tifa raised an eyebrow. She noticed the way Vincent shifted in his chair opposite them, his expression was disapproving.

"You want me to work in your club?"

Reeve nodded. "You fit the image Tifa, you know how to work a bar and deal with a crowd and unlike other people I could hire with those skills you are more than capable of holding your own when push comes to shove. On top of that you're Avalanche. You've trained in stealth and recon. I don't know anyone better suited."

"Why are the women being killed?"

"My theory is… and this is just a theory…" She nodded. "They found out too much and weren't clever enough to keep certain parties interested. Maybe the dealer got bored with them. Some of them were users and died from the drug."

"What's it called?"

"The club or the drug?"

"Both."

Reeve looked at Vincent so briefly that Tifa would not have noticed had she not been so intensely focused on the both of them.

"The drug is called 'Azure' and the club is called 'Cerberus"

Tifa looked at Vincent. The question on her face was clear.

"Vincent is… the owner, for all intents and purposes. No person has ever seen Vincent pose as the owner so he acts as head of security. You will not be alone Tifa. There will be people watching over you." Reeve took her hands and looked her in the eyes. His sincerity was reassuring.

"I need you to play the part. Try and find out where these girls have gone and who the players are."

Tifa nodded slowly thinking over the possibilities. She was staring into space going over the details of what she would be required to do. Playing the bar girl was easy enough. Sometimes it was better to smile and giggle to get a customer to soften up and be more agreeable, and she knew when to speak and when not to.

"What about everyone else?" She glanced at the group.

"Door Security." Barret pointed at himself.

"Taking care of Marlene." Shera smiled.

"Security." Cid lit a cigarette which got taken off him and stubbed out by Vincent. The two had a staring competition while the others continued to speak. Reeve hid a chuckle.

"I pose as the club manager. Nanaki would have stood out in a club so he stayed in the canyon, but he is trying to find out details through the grapevine. We thought it best not to involve Yuffie at all."

Tifa could understand that. Yuffie was more likely to make things worse with her inability to keep her mouth shut and her knack for getting into trouble.

She moistened her lips and asked her last question.

"Cloud?"

The silence was palpable. None of them seemed to want to talk about the absent warrior. He never answered their calls or bothered to contact them regardless of how many times they tried.

"He was unavailable." Reeve's answer was diplomatic. Tifa merely nodded and dismissed the topic.

"So what do we do now?"

"Now we go to Costa del Sol and get set up. You need to meet everyone and we need to give you a bit of a makeover so you can play the part."

"Alright."

They all took a moment to take in the task ahead of them. The discussion at an end they decided to eat dinner together and get some sleep so they could get moving early the next day. Tifa had just stood up when Reeve took her hand to stall her.

"Thanks Tifa."

She smiled, but it was weary and uncertain. He sensed her uncertainty.

"You can say no and I would understand."

Of course he would. Reeve would never judge her for declining to help, but she would judge herself and feel it was a failing.

"No, I will help. Consider it a thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything."

He smiled and hugged her once more. They walked out arm in arm to join the others.

Here we go. Fanfic #2. Which went through at least 5 rewrites before I got a grasp of what the hell I was doing. I find it much easier to write from my own imagination than try to expand on an already established design.

Anyway this has almost no canon to it, it's completely in my head. Enjoy