Yay! Blood, sweat and tears. Here is chapter 25!!
My first fanfic is coming to a close
Chapter 25
Healin was still the same place Tifa remembered. It seemed pretty vacant, seeing as Geostigma was no longer a threat. Cloud didn't even wait for Tifa to dismount Fenrir and follow him. He practically ran up the stairs, considering the speed he was going. Tifa attempted to keep up. Cloud kicked open the door and stomped inside.
"Cloud! What a surprise."
Cloud rushed to Rufus Shinra, who was sitting in a chair by the window, so fast, he was a blur. He seized Shinra by the throat and pinned him against the wall.
"Where… are they, Shinra?!" he growled.
"Who?" Shinra asked innocently. "Please let me go. This isn't very comfortable at all."
"Oi!" Reno and Rude had appeared. Reno rushed forwards to help his boss. Tifa stuck out her foot and Reno tripped and fell. He tried to get up, but Tifa stomped her foot on his back and ground him down again. Reno yelled.
"Hello, Rude," Tifa said in sarcastic politeness.
"Uh… Miss Lockhart…"
"The kids. What did you do with the kids?!"
"The kids…?" Shinra trailed off. "I don't have the kids, Cloud. I don't know what you're talking about. You kept up your end of the bargain and so did we."
"Don't! lie to me, Shinra!" Cloud yelled.
"Did you maybe forget a member or two when you were busy killing?" Shinra asked calmly. Cloud eased his grip and Shinra was standing on his own feet. It would have been hilarious at any other time to Tifa, because Shinra was around six feet, while Cloud was… well, short. And yet Cloud held him by the throat.
"What?" Cloud said blankly.
"You heard me. Are you sure you killed them all?"
Cloud released Shinra, who rubbed his throat.
"Of course I'm--"
"Or were you in too much of a hurry to get back to your family?" Shinra cast a glance at Tifa.
Cloud remained silent.
"Is that leader… he's a SOLDIER, isn't he? Or he was, anyway."
Rufus nodded.
"Yes. That's the reason I needed you, Cloud. You are the SOLDIER amongst the SOLDIERS."
"Enough about me being special. Where can I find him?"
"At the Forgotten City."
Cloud swore.
"Why would those bastards be there?!"
"To tick you off. It seems to be working." Rufus smiled amusedly. "Now, Miss Lockhart, I would very much appreciate it if you took your foot off my employee's head. I doubt he has enough oxygen."
Tifa remembered Reno.
"Oh!" She removed her foot off of his head.
"Look at that," Cloud sneered, "your face finally matches your hair."
"Be quiet!" Shinra snapped at Reno, whose face was a bright shade of red because of his lack of oxygen.
"Rufus, could you watch Tifa while I go find Denzel and Marlene?" Cloud asked, trying to sound a bit friendlier but not really succeeding.
"'Watch Tifa'?! What am I, a baby?!" Tifa demanded.
"Cloud's baby," Reno smirked. Tifa shot him daggers and Reno's smirk fell a bit.
"Cloud, don't you think you've done enough on your own?!" Tifa yelled. Cloud looked at her.
"It's my mess, I don't want you involved."
"It's not your mess, it's their freaking mess!"
"Ouch! That hurt."
"Shut up, Reno!" Tifa and Cloud both yelled.
"We will of course do our share this time." Rufus cast a glance at Reno.
"Look," Tifa said, more calmly this time. "I know you don't want anybody else getting hurt. But look at what happened last time. You almost got yourself killed. You need help. Who knows how many followers he has now?"
"He probably has the same," Shinra commented. Cloud groaned. "Probably Zombies, but Zombies can still do a decent amount of damage."
"Exactly. Cloud? Please?" Tifa said. "Let me help you."
Cloud let his head hang backwards.
"Alright! What do you suggest?"
Tifa smirked.
"I think it's time to call AVALANCHE together one last time."
"Yeah baby!" Reno exclaimed. "Let's go kick some Zombie asses!"
Dontcha love redheads? :3 Review or I won't finish!!