Chapter 9
Tifa felt a chill go through her as she realized the location that their dinner would take place at; feeling the many men's eyes slide over her greedily until receiving evil glares from Sephiroth as well as his second in command who was acting as her back up guard, so to speak. Well, at least this arrangement is good for one thing, she mentally spat as they continued up the walk way to a dining hall, lined with glowing candles and elegant chandeliers hung over head.
Maybe this won't be so bad.
The General pulled out her chair gallantly, making a show of his chivalry towards his lady; apparently, she was the only guest of the female persuasion at this meeting. Tifa grew tense as the men of the long dining table looked at her questioningly before she motioned for him to say something.
He bent down to her level as she whispered, "Maybe this is not such a good idea." He just looked at her undisturbed and replied, "Nonsense, you look great. It's just that all of these men covet you, don't you see? You are something they want and will never have, and so your presence threatens them."
"I don't think that's the problem, General."
"Relax, Tifa dear, and enjoy the meal. Let me handle these unruly creatures."
General Sephiroth once again turned his gaze onto those that occupied the length of the table, not hiding his distaste for their rude behavior.
"Is there a problem that I should be aware of, gentlemen?"
After a moment of tense silence, he continued. "It's not polite to stare so blatantly at the lady beside me… I must tell you it is ill advised."
Tifa felt his hand land on her shoulder in a display of possessiveness and checked her reflex to pull back, letting him put on the power show if that was what was needed to make it through this night. She involuntarily cringed as a rather ghastly individual a few chairs down decided to speak his mind.
"Is it a good idea for her to be here? Is she trustworthy?"
Was she really that obvious? Tifa breathed deeply, trying to gain her composure and not jeopardize her status here, not this soon.
"Would she be here otherwise? What right do you have at questioning my judgment? Am I not a man of my word?" He spread his hands and implored the room to defy his honesty, to which no one responded.
The man visibly paled under the General's glare as he gave a knowing nod to the others gathered. Finally, the rotund man stuttered, "My apologies, my Lord," before sinking back as far into his chair as he could manage, trying to disappear but failing tremendously. Sephiroth kept his eyes on the mistrusting man before moving on.
"Now then, how about dinner?"
Cloud paced his quarters anxiously, only stopping to glance at the clock on the wall for what had to be the hundredth time in the past half hour before continuing his trek around the room.
How long will they be? It's only a political dinner, or so it seemed; did those take long? What does the General expect to gain from Tifa on this night, anyhow?
"You're making me dizzy."
Cloud paced on, ignoring Zack's comment as his track of mind moved forward, taking his body along for the ride.
Sephiroth would gain power, naturally, by flaunting Tifa, showing that he could keep the rather free-spirited woman under control as it were. It burned Cloud's blood to think that the General was only using Tifa as a trophy.
"I feel like a cat, or maybe like I'm watching a really good tennis match, which is impossible because tennis is just awful. Ping pong is much better; more skills needed."
Was that all he wanted from Tifa? Or did he expect…something more? Physically? Emotionally? Businessly?
"Would you stop it already!" Zack stood and blocked Cloud's path, forcing him to stop mid-pace.
His mind kept moving even if his body could not. She wouldn't do that. Tifa was too dignified to agree to even a remotely romantic relationship with Sephiroth, right? Not after all the time he had spent with her lately, getting to know her and possibly find a place in her life. They had talked for hours and not once had past or present suitors come up, even when he had cleverly hinted that 'some guy is probably missing you right now.' That line was so corny but true if she already had someone in her heart, which she had informed him that she did not at the time being; as in 'I'm still looking for the right guy to come along anytime now.'
"Blue Bell, can you focus please! Dude, I am trying to talk to you here."
"Huh?"
Zack stared curiously at his friend, annoyance turning to sly acknowledgement in a flash. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"
"Who?" Cloud dodged the accusation, not wanting go over the repeating monologue in his head with Zack; not yet, anyway.
"Who?" Zack mocked, good naturedly as always when dealing with Cloud and his ever changing moods. His face brightened, pondering the best way to describe his best friend's lady fair in lush detail.
" Let's see here; about yeh tall, long dark hair, slender hips that move oh so nicely when she walks, legs to die for, a great ra-"
"Zack."
"I'm just saying, she's hot, you know?" Zack was just poking at him but he was choosing one of the more odd ways to do so. He just wanted Cloud to laugh, for him to realize he was putting too much thought into this thing with Tifa and that he should just go for it.
"I know, so can we change the subject, please?" Cloud was losing his calm but was also not focusing as much on his troubling thoughts of before, so Zack's antics accomplished something, even if he wouldn't admit it aloud to his friend.
"But we haven't discussed this one, yet. I mean, you let her give you a nickname for Christ's sake, and not a very masculine one, I might add."
"That was just supposed to stay between me and her; you just so happened to walk in at the inopportune moment, as it were."
"For you, maybe, but I rather enjoyed the scene I walked in on. Have there been anymore incidents like that?"
"Unfortunately, no."
Zack sighed at this disappointing news.
"Did you even tell her your real name, yet?" Zack was eying him warily and Cloud felt exposed. "Not yet…"
Zack was silent for a moment, giving Cloud a false sense of hope that the subject had been dropped since he continued with the ultimate question. "Cloud, you like her, don't you? And don't try to deny it, you like her in some sense, lust bunny or genuine, I am unsure as of yet."
Cloud just arched an eyebrow at this. "Lust bunny… do I even want to know?"
"Look, that doesn't matter. Strife, you're not like most of the SOLDIERs here; you are part of the Elite and a damn good one at that. You will treat Tifa with the respect she deserves which is better than I can say for most of my comrades out there who haven't been laid in years."
"So what are you saying, Zack?"
"You need to make your move soon before someone else does, that's what I'm getting at, Cloud. I intend to lend my services along the way to ensure that you two are together by whatever means I deem necessary. You might not like them, but my methods have not failed yet."
Cloud was about to protest that he didn't need Zack's help but thought better of it as the man continued to make sense.
"I can't stand to see you like this; emotional basket case is not a good look for you, Bell."
Cloud couldn't help cracking a smile before asking, "Could you please not call me that? It's rather…personal."
"You'll earn the privilege of me not calling you Blue Bell once you step up and take initiative; don't let her get away. I haven't seen you this happy about anything since you talked of your home land and that young girl you left to join SOLDIER."
Cloud pondered this statement; the girl's face of his past had been the force that had kept him going during his basic training but now it was barely visible, just a mirage in his mind's eye.
"I know, Zack. I left the girl of my past so long ago…I gave it all up to join SOLDIER and some days it still pains me to think of how I just up and left her. But now it seems I have been given a second chance at the love I lost so long ago. Don't you see why I don't want to mess this up?"
Zack's face softened at this rare and vulnerable side Cloud was expressing to him. The look of doubt and hopelessness in those blue eyes could make even the coldest heart melt, and since Zack had never been cold-hearted, he walked over and embraced his young friend, giving Cloud some comfort that he much needed over this whole situation.
"Don't worry Cloud, it'll be all right."
"How do you know that, Zack?"
"Hey, have I let you down before?" At feeling Cloud chuckle, he added, "I didn't think so."
He released the young man, now somewhat of sounder mind and body compared to his earlier state and enjoyed the calm he saw in his features. Zack would take care of Cloud, for now and always, and right now Tifa was the key.
