Chapter 10

President Shinra leans at his office table with hands intertwined in front of him, staring alternately at both Heidegger, head of Public Safety Maintenance department and Reeve Tuesti, head of Urban Development Department. The president lifted his intertwined hands with his elbows still on the table and rested his chin above it while looking expectantly at the two executives with a sinister smile on his face.

"How are the preparations going?" He asked while looking at Heidegger who threw his head back and started laughing. Reeve rolled his eyes discreetly.

"Excellent. Everything's smoothly done. I have assigned the Turks for this assignment." He said with a smirk.

"President, are we really going to do this? Just to destroy a terrorist group with a few members." Reeve asked with a frown.

"Why? You want to back out Reeve?" The president asked as he placed his hands back down the table, staring directly at Reeve.

"...No." Reeve answered back hesitantly. "But I'm been involved the building and running the City so that's wh-"

"There's no need to be emotional over this Tuesti. We don't want to hear your yapping about your personal problems!" Heidegger interjected then laughed, Reeve glared at him.

"The Mayor is against this." Reeve said. Heidegger raised an eyebrow at him.

"The Mayor? He does nothing but sit his fat ass on this building while he stuffed his face with brocolli and creme brulee and you call that a freaking mayor?" Then he laughed again which made Reeve roll his eyes, not hiding it this time and showing it to the world. "Now if you'll excuse me, Sir." Heidegger said before he turned to his heels and walked away with a smug look. Reeve clenched his fists while he followed the man with his eyes, his jaw tightening.

Soon... He thought, imagining how he was going to strangle Heidegger. He pursed his lips when he thought how large Heidegger is and while on the strangling process, he can be easily overpowered, Heidegger will roll him up like a ball to be thrown away from the city forever. He stared ahead in disappointment with eyes unseeing. The president raised his eyebrow at the dazed man in front of him.

"You look tired." The president said which made Reeve snap out of his daze and looked at the man. "You should take a couple of days off, go somewhere." Reeve stared at the President with a blank look before turning around and walking away.

I should probably do that and go to Costa del sol... It's been a while since I saw someone in a bikini. Reeve thought glumly with a sigh. An extra butt cheek action would be nice.

Cloud slowly sat up while he groaned, they had fallen down in Sector 6 sewers and he scrunched his nose in disgust of the horrid smell around him, it reminded it how he smelled when he was wondering homeless in the Midgar slums before he ended up in Seventh heaven. Then he moaned when he realized that his butt was back to its condition when he saw Tifa's panties before and fell.

Fuck. How can Tifa find my ass attractive if it's looking like hamburger meat? He thought, his mind still groggy and when he realized what he thought about, he held his blank look while he mentally beat himself.

"That bastard!" Tifa exclaimed suddenly making him jump. He stood up hastily to go over to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." She answered with a sigh. He stared at her for a while to see if she was really fine, she was dirty in places just like him, all he wanted to do at that moment was give her a warm bubble bath, in a tub filled with rubber chocobos and flower petals, with him in it, butt naked with his bottom back to its normal shape, all tight and sexy. Cloud shook his head to clear it from his perverted fantasies while mentally cursing every fiber of his being then turned to Aeris who was dusting her arms.

"Aerith, you alright?" He asked his 'girlfriend', feeling guilty that he wanted to take a bath with Tifa instead of her, as he approached her. Tifa felt jealous and looked away. Aerith wrapped her arms around him but Cloud hesitantly returned the hug, discreetly looking over at Tifa's direction on his right with a troubled look on his face, but he was relieved that she was looking away.

"I'm alright because you are here with me." Aerith said while she still held unto him. Tifa closed her eyes then sighed silently before turning back around with a bright smile on her face, but when she saw the two hugging, her heart cracked but decided to smile bigger to hide her pain. Cloud immediately let go of Aerith when Tifa turned around.

"I'm glad everyone's alright." She said with that still big smile, then she suddenly furrowed her brows. "Oh man, This is terrible!" She said in a frantic manner as she remembered what the Don told them before, her mood swing would have been funny if it wasn't of the situation.

"Tifa we-" Cloud stopped talking when they heard a loud growling sound which made them look around, looking for the source of the sound.

"Better come out because I'm not a mood today and I want to crush somebody's face! Come at me and I'll show you the feeling of being dead!" Tifa yelled while welcoming the threat with open arms, literally.

Better not get to her bad side. Cloud thought while he looked around. He cursed inwardly when he realized that he had left his buster sword at Aerith's place before the started their 'Drag queen transformation' mission, or that's what Aerith called it anyway which irritated him to his core. But he was relieved that he had materia with him. "Aerith, just stay back alright?" He told his girlfriend who angrily stomped her foot.

"I'm not goin-"

"Aerith."

"Fine, Let me heal you atleast." She said then Cloud looked at her, he remembered that Aerith had healing powers and she had showed him before. He nodded his head to her in approval which made her smile. Tifa was still looking around then they heard the growl again. The a monster suddenly appeared from around the corner in front of them, it was bluish in color with a brown, furry lower half. It had big eyes and a snout like a pig's, two black horns are on top of it's head, it's mouth is open with a purple tongue rolling out of it. It has a furry tail with claws on the end of it.

What a disastrous looking thing. Cloud thought with a mixture of irritation and pity. Tifa pulled out her red fingerless gloves from her exposed cleavage, momentarily distracting Cloud with wide eyes.

"I'm glad you could make it." Tifa said to the beast with a smirk while she put on her gloves, Cloud smirked as well he nodded his head at Tifa's direction like a pervert watching someone undress from a peephole and approving what he sees.

That's what I'm talking about baby. He thought but he got surprised when Aerith smacked the back of his head while she widen her eyes threateningly at him. "Uhhhh..."

"Cloud!" Tifa yelled at him when the fiend turned around to hit them all with it's clawed tail, Cloud grabbed Aerith then jumped away while Tifa back flipped from it, both of them avoiding the attack. Cloud put Aerith down in a corner and told her to stay there. Then he went back to the beast where Tifa was already dealing powerful blows, she punched it's lower body four times then did a powerful sidekick, her heels digging unto it's flesh, then she jumped up and did an aerial roundhouse kick to it's face that threw it sideways and collided against the wall, pieces of concrete flying everywhere. That's when Cloud outstretched his right arm in front of him where it suddenly glowed red, a fire spell was released from his hand hitting the stunned beast square in the chest which made it growl in pain, but it quickly gained itself and stood up, it turned around to whip it's clawed tail towards them, Cloud managed to roll away but Tifa wasn't lucky and was thrown backwards, a small portion of it's claw ripped the flesh on the side of her waist.

"Tifa!" Cloud yelled trying to ignore the image of Tifa's black panties that was exposed fully when she was thrown back then charged forward towards the beast to stop it from attacking Tifa again, he held his outstretched gloved palm on it's lower body then released another powerful fire spell that threw it backwards. Aerith on the other hand was running towards Tifa who was groaning while she clutched her bloody side. Aerith knelt down to Tifa's height on the ground then placed both her hands in front of her while she closed her eyes, then green light emitted from her and Tifa could visibly see and feel that her wound was closing, she raised her eyebrows in amazement then looked up at the flower girl when she was done.

"Thanks Aerith." She smiled while Aerith smiled back and without another word, she stood up and started to run towards the beast while she did her fierce battle cry, then she punched the beast powerfully so she can send him towards the wall and Cloud and her could corner it, she moved forward again to start dealing with it with a somersault, her feet colliding with it's chin when she back flipped then when she landed again at the ground, she charged forward to punch and kick it's lower body and face while Cloud continued to attack using his materia, Aerith would heal them if both if them we're hit by the thing. They managed to kill it and Cloud immediately went over to Tifa to check her injuries.

"Tifa, are you alright?" He asked her while she looked up at him.

"Yeah... And you?"

"I'm fine." He answered back and without realizing what he was doing, he unconsciously lifted his hand slowly to cup Tifa's cheek, but before he could do so, Aerith cleared her throat which made Cloud and Tifa look at her suddenly, the blonde pulled back his hand and felt guilty for his actions.

Dammit! He was getting tired of this complicated situation. Tifa looked down suddenly.

"Marlene... Barret... Everyone..." She said quietly and Cloud understood that she was already losing hope.

"Tifa, we still have time! We have to get everyone out before the plate falls!" Aerith said to reassure the brunette while trying to forget what Cloud was trying to do earlier. Tifa slowly nodded her head before looking up.

"Let's go then." Cloud told her with a reassuring smile which made her heart hammer like mad, then she returned the smile and before they knew it, Aerith was already ahead of them.

"Let's go now!' She yelled at the two who followed her from behind but before when Aerith went around the corner, Cloud grabbed Tifa's wrist then turned her around and gave her a tight hug that greatly widened her eyes.

Cloud...? Why...? She had noticed how he was acting strange and she was feeling hurt when he was leading her on like that while he has a girlfriend who was also her friend. But maybe she was just being concieted, maybe he was just trying to comfort her.

Then he hastily let her go before running after Aerith, leaving a dumbstruck Tifa behind. She stared ahead in shock, and her eyes teared up when she realized something from that last encounter.

That she was falling inlove with him more deeply than before.