Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII is property of Square-Enix. I write this for my own enjoyment, and intend no infrigement or profit.
Hero of the Day
"And it feels right this time
On this crash course we're in the big time
Pay no mind to the distant thunder
Beauty fills his head with wonder, boy."
- Metallica, "No Leaf Clover"
Part VIII
Tifa's mind swam back to consciousness slowly, the ocean current choppy and rough. The tumultuous storm that surrounded her sluggishly began to take form of a worn, faded blue shirt; the ominous rumbling of thunder in the distance quieting to the sound of a rhythmic heartbeat and ragged breathing. The first thing she truly was aware of was how warm she was, a strange heat permeating through her cold, aching bones.
Without warning, her back burst into flames.
The second thing she was aware of was the pain.
She gasped, her well-toned muscles tensing from the unwanted sensation. She felt her carrier's comforting grasp loosen suddenly from her movement, the warmth being replaced by a chilled wind as her body reeled downward, spiraling toward the ground…
Her chestnut eyes flew open, wide and bloodshot. Milliseconds passed; bright, fearsome light pounding into her unprotected eyes, and she quickly clenched them tightly shut, to no avail. Stray wisps of the morning sunlight seeped through her eyelids, causing her to burrow herself closer to the one carrying her.
The arms coiled firmly around her shoulders and legs tightened slightly, as if sensing her discomfort and trying to calm her. Belatedly, she noted that it was Cloud holding her in his grasp, and she twisted her head away from his curious blue eyes, letting the long strands of brown hair cover the blush that now burned her cheeks. She was being carried around like some helpless child, and to make matters worse, she just shifted closer and reinforced her weak visage. And to Cloud, of all people. How embarrassing.
The martial artist felt him lurch to a halt, shifting her tentatively in his arms. "Can you walk?" he asked simply, his soft tenor vibrating through his chest.
Cautiously, she flexed her muscles, wincing when a quick rush of pain shot down her back. Slowly, her stiff legs began to respond, and haltingly, she nodded. "Yeah, I can," she answered, her eyes narrowed to slits as the harsh light showered her pallid face.
The blond's face remained blank as he stared down at her. "Good; you're heavy."
Her eyes shot up to his, shocked.
His thin lips stretched into a sly smirk, winking.
She punched him in the chest, her face contorting in exaggerated displeasure. Much to her dismay, his confident face crumpled in pain for a split-second. She bit her lip lightly, feeling like a complete heel as she purposefully lost herself in the warm oranges and yellows of the morning horizon. Despite her sudden aversion to his presence, he twisted her around in his grasp and suspended her in the air, patiently waiting for her to stand up.
Sheepishly, the brunette carefully placed her feet on the ground, balancing her weight to make sure that she wouldn't fall flat on her face if she'd miscalculated her strength. Luckily, her legs held with only a minor groan of annoyance, and she hopped twice to make certain she was capable of movement.
Confidently, she turned, catching sight of Cloud watching her intently, his gaze centered upon her scratched and dirt-covered face. "It takes a lot to knock you down, doesn't it," he stated calmly.
She shrugged impishly, returning his gaze. "You know me; stubborn to the last, right?" He said nothing, only stared at her, a contemplative look on her face that somehow unnerved and endeared to her at the same time. His Mako-tinted eyes washed over her form, appreciating and simultaneously scrutinizing her. Awkwardly, she cleared her throat, her gaze darting towards the safety of the morning horizon again. "How long before we reach Kalm?"
"We're already there."
She spun on the heel of her thick combat boots, coming face to face with none other than Rude. The tall man was impassive as always, his face completely devoid of emotion or conscience as he glared coldly at her. "What are you doing here?" the brunette breathed, slightly dizzy from her jarring movement.
Ignoring her question, the Turk continued unabated. "It's just over the horizon. I'd gone and checked while you, Strife, and the pilot were resting."
"I got a name, ya know," Cid muttered indignantly, crossing his strangely bare arms.
Her brows knitting, she absent-mindedly glanced down at herself, realizing for the first time that his trademark blue coat was hanging limply off her shoulders. Smiling up at the grumpy pilot, she shrugged the coarse material off her bruised and tender skin, dangling it from her torn leather glove.
His hard look softened, a ghost of a smile curling on his dirt-smeared features. "Nah, you keep it," he said softly, shaking his head.
She put her spare hand on her hip, cocking her head slightly at him. "Cid, it's your coat. Besides, you have to be cold."
He scoffed, shaking his head. "Teef, yer wearin' a halter top and a goddamn miniskirt. And it's April." His smile widening slightly, he clapped a hand to her shoulder. "Trust me, I don't need it that much."
Ignoring the sudden jolt down her spine, her ruby lip twisted in thought for a moment as she appraised him. "You're starting to look better," she commented, nodding her head in approval.
His smoky blue eyes danced with mischief. "Thanks, doc."
She grinned broadly. "My pleasure." Seconds later, she shoved the jacket in his face, her expression expectant. "Now, will you take the coat? It's heavy, and my arm's getting tired."
The smile fell away, but his eyes still held a good-natured glint, luckily enough for her. "I ain't takin' the goddamn coat, Teef. That's final."
Tifa sighed wearily, hating to resort to her final trick. With a silent groan of resignation, she stuck out her lower lip, giving him her best impression of puppy-dog eyes she could manage.
He snarled deeply, clenching his blood-caked fist in frustration. She knew he could never resist her puppy-dog eyes routine. Damn that woman. "Fine," he growled, swiping the fabric from her fingers in a brusque motion. "Just stop givin' me that look - I hate that damn look."
Instantly, she obeyed, her lips stretching in to a perky smile. "I know," she chuckled, waggling her eyebrows as she turned away, standing resolutely next to Cloud. Seeing the pilot's scowl, she quickly continued, "But if it makes you feel any better, I don't like using it. I feel like such a tool."
He harrumphed, slipping his arms through the torn cloth and adjusting the collar around his neck. "You feel like a tool?"
Cloud exhaled deeply, gaining her attention. With mounting concern, her chestnut eyes danced over his slumped form, his expression looking haggard beyond his years. Not acknowledging her, he spared a moment to bring his thickly gloved fingers to the back of his neck, massaging the tense muscles gingerly. "We'd better start heading over there. We've all had plenty of rest."
His gaze met hers, and she immediately looked away, feeling as if she'd done something wrong. Silently nodding her assent, she fell into stride on his left as he set the pace, reminiscing upon the recent events. What was Rude doing here? And why weren't Reno and Elena there, either?
Her eyes flickering over her shoulder, the fighter swiftly took stock of the Turk's appearance. He looked tired. No, he looked old. Her lips pursed in thought. She never knew or cared to know his age, but he was definitely older than she suspected. The curiosity in her begged to find out, but she quelled the rogue voice instantly. It was rude to ask. She paused, and sniggered to herself tiredly. Rude. Ha.
Her finely sculpted eyebrows dove downward, her face twisting imperceptibly. Speaking of questions, what exactly happened to that giant dog -?
"Cloud!"
Her head snapped up sharply, her reverie cut off. Eyes wide as saucers, she gaped about the scenery, trying to place the location of the voice among the tall grass. Why had someone whispered Cloud's name? Somewhere, she noted that Kalm was well within sight; the cobble-stoned entrance only a few hundred yards away.
Cid stopped by her side, frowning in confusion. "Teef? You okay?"
She waited for several seconds, and when no sounds other than that of the chirping grasshoppers, she convinced herself that she was only hearing things. She nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I'm fine. I just thought I heard -"
"Psst! Cloud!" the voice whispered again.
Her body on full alert, her eyes shot about the sea of green, straining her ears for the source of the voice, unaware that everyone else was doing the same. Carefully, the brunette recounted the disembodied voice, ticking off its qualities. It sounded very feminine, having a high and squeaky quality to it that she doubted almost any man could ever imitate. Her large eyes narrowed. It almost sounded like -
"Hey, Spike!"
She heard Cloud snort disdainfully at the nickname, before turning his head slowly to the right, his lips pressed into a thin line. Following his gaze, she saw a small huddled form hardly an arm's length away from her, barely noticeable among the endless meadow. "…Yuffie?" he asked, his voice betraying only the slightest hint of surprise.
Suddenly, a waif of a girl leapt from the grassland, her right arm snapping outward and seizing his hand, forcibly dragging him down into the tall green blades that surrounded them. "Get down!" she hissed quietly, a bare hand emerging from the prairie that had swallowed the rest of her form, motioning hurriedly for everyone to drop.
Tifa stared at her as if she'd gone insane, but none the less lithely dropped to a feline crouch among the field. Rude silently appeared next to her, having done the same.
Cid, however, had no intention of doing anything of the sort.
"I ain't movin'," he huffed defiantly, crossing his arms.
"You're being watched, Cid," Yuffie stated evenly, her voice surprisingly mature for her usually bouncy nature. "I don't want anyone to see you guys here. It could ruin…well, a lot."
He blinked, his brows knitting together in confusion. "Like what?"
"Yuffie," Cloud began, his voice strained vaguely with pain, "get off of me. You're leaning all your weight on my back."
"Tell Cid to get down, and I will," she retorted shrewdly.
"That's extortion," he hissed.
"Hey, it's your back, not mine."
The leader of AVALANCHE growled darkly. Yuffie was going to be in a lot of trouble once all of this was over. "Cid, will you just sit down for a minute?"
He paused, as if trying to word his response. Fearing the gruff blond wouldn't agree, Tifa shifted her weight to face him, her eyes as hard as steel. "Cid," she ordered, her jaw jutting out, "sit down."
He glared back at her for an instant. Then, with a disparaging, "Hmph!" he dropped to the ground. "There," he muttered miserably. "Happy now, brat?"
"Much," she replied happily, chuckling slightly. Her quiet laughter was quickly replaced with a shocked yelp when Cloud unceremoniously tossed her off his throbbing back, her thin and pale limbs flailing a few inches above the curtain of grass that enshrouded them. "You could've at least warned me," she pouted sadly.
"You could've gotten off of me when I asked," he barked in reply, swiftly crawling through the forest of grass and kneeling next to Tifa.
"Hey, you never asked, thank you," Yuffie said, snorting quietly. "Geez, somebody's not a morning person."
Everyone frowned in unison. "Get on with it," the chorus of voices snapped angrily.
A hand flew up over the line of emerald blades in resignation. "Alright, alright…sheesh," she muttered in exasperation. "To get to the point, there's some psycho in town who just put Barret on trial for blowing up a bunch of stuff in Midgar."
Tifa's eyes widened, her thin red lips parting in absolute shock. "No…" she whispered, aghast. Not after all they'd done, not after all the sacrifices…
"Are you serious?" Cloud questioned, his face twisted in disbelief and some other indiscernible emotion.
"There's more," the ninja replied enigmatically. "Apparently, the psycho's got this sort of natural charisma thing, and he can basically charm everybody into following his lead - whether it's right or not." She paused, her strangely heavy voice echoing in the air solemnly. "…That stupid, loud-mouthed jerk…"
"Go on," Tifa interjected, her dark eyes darting about the grass, which shielded her from view of the town.
"Anyway," she backpedaled, her voice flat and devoid of its usual spark, "if Barret's proven guiltywhich, knowing Barret and that big mouth of his, he probably will be…" The teen trailed off, her voice dying into a tiny squeak of resignation.
The brunette's stomach clenched suddenly, her face betraying her dread.
"What is it, kid?" Cid prodded gently, his voice gruff but curious.
The only sound that prevailed through the morning skies was that of a gentle breeze, faintly caressing the dew-covered tips of the meadow. A quick surge of panic flowed through her veins, making her want to leap over the protection of the grass and shake the information out of the injured girl. But, by a scant margin, she held the urge in.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the shinobi spoke. "If he's proven guilty…" she repeated, sounding suddenly ill. "…He'll be put to death."
"This is stupid."
Yuffie fought the frown that tugged at her lips, shooting a glare towards Cid over her sloped shoulder, which was now covered in a worn blue coat that had seen many better days. He was struggling with an oversized hooded jacket, grumbling under his breath heatedly; most likely cursing its very existence. "Hey, it's the best I could swipe on short notice," she rebuffed, the frown breaking the surface and curling her lips down in agitation. "Do you know how hard it is to steal with one arm?"
"I wasn't talkin' about the damn jacket," he snapped, giving the hood a short tug, the heavy cloth flopping in front of his face. "I meant, why the hell are we gettin' dressed up? We're not Robin Hood, goddammit -" Growling, he gripped the green hood in his fist and yanked it back, the defenseless cloth tearing away from the seams with a loud rip. Slightly dazed, he stared at the remnants of the hood hanging from his fingers, blinking once. Finally, he tossed it into the grass, readjusting the neckline of the long coat. "Anyway, why the act? Do these guys even know what we look like?"
The ninja picked up the discarded green hood, attempting without success to wrap it around her head like a bandanna. "Better safe than sorry," she retorted, struggling with the knot.
Cid snorted, rolling up the baggy sleeves to his elbow. "This comin' from you."
Her gaze darkened, her jaw muscles going taut. "The first thing a ninja learns is stealth. And, besides, it's not like this is the first time I've played dress up to save one of you guys," she added with a smirk, glancing back to Tifa, who was fighting to pull her sweatshirt over her torso without it touching her skin. She furrowed her brows for a moment before returning her attention to Cid. "So, nya," she said, sticking her tongue out at the grimacing pilot.
He shook his head, grunting contemptuously as the green collar once again sprung up from its hiding place, scraping at the rough skin his neck. "Grow up, brat."
Knowing full well that she was egging him on, she grinned innocently, shoving her unmoving left hand into its residing pocket. "Where's the fun in that?"
Frowning, his eyes flitted up to the makeshift bandanna splayed listlessly on her head, noticing her lack of two useable hands. Without any outward hesitation, he stepped toward her, slapping his hand down on her swollen, numb shoulder, and roughly turning her around. "Hold still," he muttered as his thick fingers spidered over the back of her head, tying the tattered ends into a knot in quick, jarring motions.
As quickly as he'd come to her aid, Cid swiftly distanced himself from her, crossing his arms and shifting his stare to Cloud. "Nice get up, Spike. Ya supposed to be some sort of gangster?"
Cloud harrumphed, adjusting his brown leather fedora to fit atop his spiked hair.
Yuffie blinked, her ebony eyes focused upon Cid for a moment, before deciding to ignore his good deed of the year. Shaking her head, she looked at Cloud, suppressing the urge to giggle. He hardly looked like a gangster. In fact, the dirt-stained gray business suit (that was about four sizes too large, she noticed with some amusement) looked almost clown-like on him, but she'd never tell him that. "Hey, I wasn't concerned about making a fashion statement or anything; I just wanted something for you guys to blend in with."
"If these people already know what we look like," Tifa began, pulling her long thick hair into a haphazard bun, "then what will putting on different clothes do?"
Rude's eyebrow rose, his bright green eyes boring into her. "You of all people should understand the importance of putting up a good front."
The brunette glared warily at him, sighing irritably as she strode next to Cloud. "I'm ready to go."
He nodded, flexing his shoulders experimentally once. "So am I." He pivoted, casting a quarter-glance over his shoulder to Cid. "How about you?"
The pilot chewed on his lip, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Ready as I'll ever be," he huffed with a shrug.
Cloud nodded curtly, facing forward. "Alright then. Let's mosey."
Yuffie smiled wistfully, her eye straying momentarily to Cid as he shook his head in thinly veiled disgust. Briefly, she checked the older man's condition. He would have no problem getting in town; he certainly looked the part of a refugee. His hair was flattened with grime, several locks poking out through the oily substance. His clothes - albeit borrowed - were ragged, barely holding any warmth. Three days worth of stubble was showing through the dirt and blood caked on his bruised and burned skin. And, to top it all off, he looked like he was suffering through a serious bout of nicotine withdrawal.
Her eyes flickered to his side, and discerned that the gaping wound in his side had been sewed shut and covered in clean white gauze. Vaguely, she wondered exactly what happened last night while she was in Kalm. Belatedly, she also wondered how why Rude had decided to come with them. Tifa's short explanation of his arrival hadn't explained all that much. Maybe he just got sick of the company he'd dealt with. If that turned out to be true, she wouldn't blame him. "Hey," she started, walking up next to the silent Turk, "do you need anything to disguise yourself in? I can tell Cid to give you his -"
Rude waved her request away, his face eternally impassive. "Quiet, Kisaragi," he commanded harshly.
She faltered in her step. "What?"
Without acknowledging her stop in movement, he answered, "Don't talk to me."
Pressing her lips into a thin line, she narrowed her eyes at him dangerously as he strode away from her. "Hmph, fine! See if I ever try to help you again, you stupid, miserable, bald little…" she cursed heatedly under her breath, tromping off towards Cloud.
Her eyes washed over the lush green field that surrounded them, and lost herself in the calmness and serene beauty of the landscape. Suddenly, as she fought off a wave of fatigue that threatened to send her into oblivion, she realized that she needed to get sleep. Her mind was going a million miles an hour in a hundred different directions with the gas tank on empty. Combined, it all meant nothing but trouble.
"So, what's the plan, Spike?" Cid asked abruptly, silencing Yuffie's quiet tirade.
Cloud's shoulders rolled up in a half-hearted shrug. Without breaking step, he twisted his head to peer at her, his cool blue eyes strangely unsettling. Through will alone, she kept her skin from crawling, averting her eyes to the town looming closer as she shook her head clear of the cobwebs that had formed. Yeah, she needed sleep. "Don't know," he stated bluntly. "I was assuming Yuffie had one."
Her eyes quickly found their way back to Cloud's, as everyone paused to stare at her. Her face fell in a mixture of exhaustion and exasperation. "Actually," she began, a wisp of a smile on her pale face, "I was hoping you guys could think of something." She grated her teeth together, waiting for the inevitable uproar.
Cid snorted loudly, chuckling bitterly to himself. Her eyes fluttered closed. Here it came. "You've gotta be kiddin' me…" Of its own volition, his hand traveled to the side of his head, as if he were trying to remove something from his hair. "Yer tellin' me that ya want us to go into a town that's ready to lynch us on sight, and we don't even got a plan?"
Shaking his head, he dove his hand into his hidden jacket, searching frantically for something inside. With a growl, he finally yanked his hand out and shoved it back into the folds of coarse fabric. "Goddammit, I need a cigarette."
Frighteningly swift, Rude pulled a Shinra-brand cigarette from his back pocket, a lighter quickly following suit, and handed both to the frazzled pilot. With a look of overdue relief, he plucked the object from his slender fingers, lighting up gratefully. "Thanks," he muttered between heavy puffs, eyeing the shinobi critically.
Her face twisted slightly in annoyance, taking a defensive posture. "How was I supposed to know there would be some nutcase waiting there to kill all of us?"
He gave her a sour look, expelling two plumes of smoke from his dirt-encrusted nose. "When yer in charge, ya gotta make contingency plans for when shit starts happenin'."
Yuffie growled, savagely stifling a yawn that tugged at her throat. She was so not in the mood for all this. "Look, I know all about switching gears in mid-stride. I did what I was told, and I adjusted as well as I could. Cut me some slack, already."
As if disinterested, Cloud turned to the both of them, his angular face betraying nothing. "We should get going. We'll figure out what to do when we get there." Without another word, he curtly marched forward through the grass, the blades snapping back and forth as if angered by his presence.
Her lips twisted in a half-hearted sneer, wondering exactly what was bothering him. She knew the guy was a bit of a head-case, and had a serious problem in the approachability department, but this was ridiculous. Shaking her head, the teen gaped at Cid, whom was leisurely puffing on his quickly shrinking cigarette. "You get the feeling this is going to be a bad day?"
He harrumphed, eliciting a thick hack. "Since I've met up with you nutjobs, it's been nothin' but bad days." Stamping the smoldering object in the ground, he started off with his trusty spear in hand, holding it as if it were a walking stick. "Story of my goddamn life."
For a split second, she thought about asking what he meant, but bit her tongue in the end. It was hardly the time to start prying into his past. She could always bug him about it later.
Yawning loudly, she stretched a miniscule amount of the fatigue from her working limbs, and plodded along with the others. Despite the fact that she was heading into mortal danger in a little over three hours, the ninja felt strangely detached. In all honestly, she hadn't even had the time to deal with the battle stress that Sephiroth had given her, much less the stress that Meteor, the crash, her sudden leadership, and Barret's very likely execution added, forcing even more weight down upon her slim shoulders. God, life sucked.
Sluggishly, she glanced up, realizing that she was lagging behind, the others marching a few yards ahead of her. Forcing her legs to do her bidding, she jogged next to Cid, somehow finding slight comfort in his presence. She imagined that was it felt like to have an older brother or father figure that actually cared, even though he was probably one of the worst role models anyone could have ever picked.
As if he'd read her mind, his head pivoted to look down at her petite form, his face twisted in something that looked vaguely similar to concern. "You okay, brat?" he questioned brusquely.
Keeping her eyes focused forward, she nodded, ignoring the painful crack in her neck. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered non-chalantly. "Why?"
He continued to stare at her, skeptical. "Well, yer not tryin' to pick a fight with me. Ain't like ya."
She attempted to scowl, but realized she was using every ounce of strength to continue walking. "I don't 'pick fights', thank you. I push buttons; it's totally different."
His eyebrow arched slightly in thought, returning his gaze to the town ahead. "Yeah, right," he muttered under his breath.
Her sculpted brows knitted together in challenge, clenching her teeth. "You don't believe me?"
"No, I don't." Quickly, he glowered down upon her with stormy blue eyes, radiating the commanding presence that had earned him the rank of Captain. "Looks to me like yer about three steps away from droppin' dead. Now, I'm guessin' that's 'cause ya didn't get any sleep last night."
He continued to glare as she silently berated herself for leaving herself open for a lecture from Ye Mighty Captain. He continued sternly, "Ya can't do a damn thing if ya can't stay awake long enough to get it done."
"I'm doing the best I can, okay?" she retorted lamely, groaning inwardly.
He paused for a moment, his eyes wandering around pensively. "Look, you said the trial ain't startin' for a while, right? When we hit town limits, you should try to find a little corner somewhere and get some rest."
Ignoring the fact that he was right in every single respect, she lifted her head up and glared at him defiantly. "I said I'm fine, old man. Drop it, already."
The pilot scoffed humorlessly, small wrinkles forming where they shouldn't have been as he scowled. "Oh, cut the goddamn hero crap. It ain't gonna get ya anywhere. Bottom line, kid, you need the rest."
Instinctively, she sucked in a deep breath of air, her eyes watering. Mentally, the ninja winced. Yawning was not the way to prove her point. Quickly, she closed her mouth, keeping her gaze averted from Cid. "Well, how am I supposed to know what to do when I wake up?"
"I'll fill ya in, alright?" he answered impatiently, fighting back a yawn of his own.
Yuffie's ebony eyes fell upon the quaint entrance of Kalm town, the old-fashioned rocks painting a deceptive picture of security and wholesomeness. The hundreds of blood-caked, dirt-smeared refugees surrounding the makeshift gallows built in the center of the town square told otherwise. Wearily, she sighed. "You're not going to let me say no, are you?"
He shook his head curtly, running his fingers through his unruly blond locks. "This ain't a matter of choice. It's do or die time," he stated dutifully, the edge in his voice sharp enough to kill. "Ya got three hours." Without another word, he passed by her, striding into the crowded entrance and disappearing.
She rolled her eyes at his theatrics, shaking her head. He certainly wasn't one for optimism, she mused. Holding her breath, the rubber sole of her sneakers thudded upon the dull gray cobblestones, awaiting the certain death she was expecting. When nothing came, she sighed in relief, reveling in the ability to breathe.
Before she'd regained full control of her senses, a hand shot out from behind and clutched her right arm in a grip of iron. "Remember. Three hours," a deep voice growled quietly. "Make good use of it."
Eyes wide, she whirled around, finding herself standing amidst a loud, chaotic mob. Hastily darting down into a nearby alley, she settled into the farthest, darkest corner she could find, her mind on full alert. Whoever that person was, it definitely wasn't Cid, which only made matters worse.
"So much for sneaking in," she muttered miserably, resting her head against the cool stone wall, forcing her energy-depleted body to relax. Giving in to the fatigue, her eyes fluttered shut, melting into the crevice she found herself in. Just a few minutes, and she would be good as new…
"Yuffie, wake up."
She groaned in her throat, shifting her weight. This was an awfully uncomfortable bed.
"Hey, Yuffie!"
She shot up into a semi-defensive kneeling position, her ebony eyes snapping open in shock as she fought to focus her vision. "What the hell?" she mumbled quietly, wracking her brain as to why her left arm wasn't working. "Who's there?"
The blob of color in front of chuckled faintly. "It's me, Yuffie."
Recognizing the honey-laced giggle of Tifa Lockheart, she collapsed back into her corner, the adrenaline drying up in her veins. "What is it?" she whined, slowly banging the back of her head against the chipped plaster wall as her face began to take shape inches from her.
"It's time to go," she answered quickly, her gloved hand clamping down on her arm. Without the slightest hint of effort, she hauled the shinobi to her feet, allowing her a few seconds to force feeling back into her tingling, weighted down legs. "We need to get ready." Before she'd quite understood what the brunette meant, she began walking, pulling Yuffie along.
Blearily, she made sense of her surroundings. "But, I thought Cid was -"
"Cid's busy," Tifa replied hurriedly as they neared the mouth of the dingy alley. "He told me to get you."
As she was half-led, half-dragged down the main square of the overcrowded township, the teen's eyes fell upon the quaint entrance of Kalm, her eyes going wide with sudden anxiety. For an instant, she withdrew into herself, her face paling to a deathly white.
Snapping her head to the side, she opened her mouth to speak; unaware that Tifa had been talking to her already. "…You get in position around those guards over there," she stated, nodding in the direction of the burly men guarding Barret's cell. "And when Barret goes on trial, we'll sneak in to rescue Red while Cloud and the rest rush the other guards."
"Wait, Tifa," she stated, as her iron legs finally began to move as she commanded them to. "That won't work."
She released her arm, which now felt bruised, and turned to face her with concern etched upon her flawless tanned skin. "What do you mean?" she asked, glancing around. "It was your idea to wear disguises, right? Nobody knows who we are -"
She shook her head eagerly, her onyx eyes staring pleadingly at hers. "No, it's not going to work. Somebody knows."
Tifa's sculpted brows knitted together in confusion. "Knows? Knows about what?"
"Us!" she exclaimed in reply, throwing her right hand in the air. Sighing, she paused for an instant, recalling the half-forgotten memory. "After Cid left, I walked into the town limits, and some guy stopped me, saying I should make good use of the three hours I have left." She nodded meaningfully, her thin lips twisting into a sour expression. "How could that happen at random? I'm telling you, Teef, we're getting set up."
The martial artist paused, bringing a glove to her lips. "It could've been Cid -"
Yuffie dismissed the thought instantly with a wave of her hand. "No way. I've never heard the old man speak that well." She attempted to shrug, her shoulder protesting the movement. "Besides, it's not his style to be so…covert."
"He was in the military, you know," the brunette retorted, her voice neutral. "He was probably taught how to sneak around."
The teen shook her head vehemently, clenching her jaw muscles to bite back a mixture of fear, annoyance, and fatigue. "Look, just trust me, Teef. Somebody knows that AVALANCHE is here." Her eyes fell to the dusty stones at her feet, hoping against hope her suspicions were false. "And, I think I know who it may have been."
Tifa stared at her curiously, ducking back further into the shadows as a group of people passed by the alley, chattering to each other. "Who?" she asked quietly, flickering her velvet brown eyes over Yuffie's shoulders every few seconds.
Before she'd been able to form any words, a bell chimed loudly, bouncing off the stone walls of the small town and through the chilled morning air. Pivoting, the shinobi faced the bustling town square, people from all walks of forming a loose circle around the rickety wooden platform. "And, these are the people we all saved," Yuffie muttered to herself bitterly.
Tifa elegantly sidestepped her, marching forward to the mouth of the small alley, stopping only to turn and look at her. "Come on, Yuffie," she stated. "We need to get ready."
Her ebony eyes darted to hers, frowning. "But, it's going to backfire."
"You don't know that," she replied tersely, striding next to her and gripping her arm once again. "The others are counting on us to be there."
Yuffie's eyes went wide. "We need to warn them -"
"No time," Tifa said flatly, leading the way discreetly to the wine cellar-turned-cell. "We all have a plan, and we need to stick to it."
"Even if it won't work?" the ninja demanded, frowning. "Cid was right; this is stupid."
"It's the only choice we have, Yuffie," the brunette said tiredly as she let go of Yuffie's arm, ducking around the corner as weapon-clad citizens unlocked the shop's heavy wooden door. "Okay, as soon as everybody's attention is turned to Barret, we'll -"
"Excuse me."
Startled, Yuffie and Tifa whirled around on their rubber soles, instantly finding themselves staring down the barrels of two high-powered rifles. The one who aimed at Yuffie, a handsome man in his mid-thirties, flashed her a wide, toothy grin. "Hello, ladies. Now, if you'll be kind enough to walk over that platform; you're under arrest for treason."
To be continued...
