Chapter 37: Surprise

Tifa woke from her doze. She'd fallen asleep in Cloud's arms again. It seemed to be the extent of their time here. Waking in each others arms, sleeping again. From time to time one of them would get up to walk around the cell, to stretch their bodies out – but they always returned to the waiting arms of the other one. Tifa thought Cloud was doing it more for her sake than his – but it didn't matter as long as she got to be in his arms.

They'd done an inventory of each other's wounds. Cloud's were worse. Of course. The gash on his arm was clotted shut and not weeping red anymore but it was an ugly line and the skin around it was hot to the touch and angry looking. Aerith could have made that go away…

The bullet holes in him had been dug out, one in his shoulder, the other in the meat of his thigh. A horrifying sloppy job that was even more horrifying when she finally realized he'd dug the bullets out himself while she'd been unconscious.

Both of their faces were swollen and bruised, though Tifa's looked worse. Her ribs were bruised but not broken, and Cloud's fingers as he'd prodded them careful had both tickled and sent a bizarre liquid heat washing out through her skin. Her fingers were a little swollen. She had a burn mark on her side. Spotting that burn mark was the only time Cloud had made a noise as he'd examined her, holding up the hem of her shirt as his eyes concentrated on her skin. It had been a word she'd only heard twice before in her life even running a bar and living in the slums.

Her arm bothered her more than the burn though. It was still numb and swollen and the fingers on that hand were tender and hurt when they moved. She didn't think it was broken, Cloud said it wasn't, but he agreed it might have a fracture in it. For some reason dying wasn't a worry but it bothered her that her arm might not be useful if she needed it.

She'd also left nail marks in Cloud's skin. They'd taken her gloves along with the rest of their materia and apparently during the times she'd been digging her nails into things in her dreams, it had been Cloud she'd been unconsciously marking. The first time she discovered the marks, she stumbled over her apologies until he'd told her, with a barely there shift of his lips and an affectionately dry tone in his voice, that it was hardly the worse that had been done to him. Catching glimpses of the marks from time to time – she'd left them on his upper arm at some point and there was the beginning trail of them on the back of his neck disappearing under the collar of his shirt – she felt guilty. And strangely pleased and proud of herself, which made no sense.

So they'd reassured themselves about the other one, snuggled together, dozed on and off. Cloud had eaten but Tifa couldn't bring herself to and Cloud didn't try to force her when the food came. Once or twice she'd woken cold and found him up and examining their room but he'd come back to her when she'd whispered his name. When she woke this time though, Cloud was still asleep, sitting up with his back against the wall and she was curled against his chest, his legs on either side of her. It was hard for her to concentrate on anything for too long and so she lay there for a long time, looking at the light above the door before she realized it wasn't the right color.

Tifa blinked.

The whole time she'd been here, the light above the door had been red.

Now it was green.

She might not be the most technologically educated – but that seemed to indicate something. What it indicated didn't make sense though.

"Cloud," she whispered his name without moving and he woke, arms shifting around her as his impossible blue eyes blinked open. It took her a long moment to debate whether she should mention what she saw because maybe she was finally starting to hallucinate and see what she wanted to instead of what was really there. Before she could frame her words however, she felt him tense and raised her eyes without moving her head to see he'd spotted the light above the door too. His eyes narrowed down in suspicion and then he slowly unwound himself and rose. Tifa watched him, drawing her knees under her as he motioned her to stay put. She felt weak and drained and yet – unexpectedly – she found she was still capable of caring what happened. Cloud moved to the door –

and it opened for him. Tifa pulled herself weakly to her feet but she stayed where she was. Cloud peered around the side of the door and then gave her a look. She returned it with a nod and waited while he disappeared out into the hallway. Tifa felt tension rising slow and groggy in her chest and was surprised by the emotion. Surprised to be feeling anything other than the sorrow and need she'd been soaked in. Winding her arms around herself, she frowned and watched the open door.

Cloud came back and his eyes were narrowed. Watching the passage beyond he held out his hand and Tifa crossed the room to take it, suddenly wishing she'd eaten when he had. Her body felt drained and shaky and weak, which was fine and almost unnoticeable sitting down but distinctly useless feeling when it meant movement. Her fingers slipped into Cloud's hand and she decided she'd pass out before she'd stop moving or give up. For someone that had been accepting and calm about death – she found she had no desire to hasten it. Cloud's chin moved and Tifa followed the gesture with her eyes. Saw the guard lying on the floor at the turn of the passage and at her look, Cloud shook his head.

Not his doing.

Tifa glanced quickly around and saw other doors exactly like theirs. Most of the doors were open and the rooms beyond were empty and unused. Except the door right across from theirs. That door was shut and the light was red. Cloud's free hand lifted and he flashed a key card at her. Taken from the fallen guard? Tifa didn't know who was in the room across from theirs but at the moment, any enemy of Shinra was a friend of hers and she nodded.

Still silent, Cloud gestured her down the hall toward the fallen guard and she let go of his hand and moved to the corner of the passage, back against the wall as she peered around the corner. Another corridor. Another body. She looked back at Cloud and nodded. Then she tried to watch both down the hall and backward too as Cloud stood to the side and swiped the card in the slot next to the door. Its light blinked green and Cloud pocketed the card and caught up with Tifa. Whoever was in the room could make their own escape – at least now they had the chance.

The same chance Tifa and Cloud had for no explanation.

It bothered her – but not enough that she was going to go back to the cell. Cloud took the lead and Tifa followed, muscles stiff from curling in small positions for so long. Behind her she thought she heard a noise and she turned her head to look. She saw nothing down the sterile white hall. Pressing her lips together she concentrated on where they were going. Another turn in the hall took them past rooms that looked like storage now. Cloud searched the name plates on them carefully and finally stopped in front of one to slide the card. The light above the door went green and the door opened when he pushed the panel next to it. Tifa stood in the hallway on guard as he slipped inside and shortly afterward, he was back out, a familiar looking oversized sword with a red handle over his shoulder and a much more content look at the edges of his aqua colored eyes. He also handed her back her fighting gloves and she felt herself relax a little at them as well. The materia was gone from the slots in them but she slid them on all the same and suddenly felt more like herself than she had since she'd woken up in the cell. For just a breath, Cloud's eyes met hers and there was a soft smile between them. Then he was turning his head to look back the way they'd come at the same time she did, thinking she'd heard something.

Nothing.

Cloud's eyes narrowed but he turned back in the direction they'd been going and moved down the hall. Tifa followed him but she kept an eye back the way they'd come now too.

They came to another intersection and Tifa saw that beyond it the hall branched in several different directions. She was already starting to feel shaky, a mix of tension and the abuse her body had taken before and after the fight. She'd be damned if she'd let herself pass out this close to freedom though.

Freedom - or a trap to give Shinra an excuse to kill them while they were 'escaping'.

Though she couldn't imagine Shinra needing to come up with an excuse. Murdering an entire Sector seemed to make excuses about killing acknowledged terrorists just because they were trying to escape unnecessary. Cloud pulled back just a little.

"I'm going ahead. You stay in the last storage room."

Tifa shook her head. Not about to risk losing the last thing she loved in the world by letting him out of her sight. His lips shifted at their edges but his eyes were sad and he took her chin in his fingers.

"I'll be back. I'm not going to drag you all over the building trying to find the exit in the condition you're in." Whatever he saw on her face had his eyes softening. "Trust me?"

She gave him a glare for the unfair question. Of course she trusted him. It was the rest of the world and fate itself she didn't trust. His eyes met hers.

"I promise."

Her jaw locked and she gave him a look. But she nodded.

"Don't make me come and find you, Cloud Strife," she warned, voice low and a little bit rough with disuse. "Because I will."

Something strange moved in his eyes and he nodded his single, barely there nod.

"I know," he answered. And then he turned and moved forward while Tifa slipped backward to let herself into the storage room he'd indicated. The door slid shut behind her and she palmed the light to find herself in what could only be a large uniform closet. With a 'why not?' shrug, she started sorting through the clothes.

She found a white blouse in her size and then debated whether she should change into it or not. It was Shinra even if it wasn't an obvious Shinra uniform shirt and at the moment there was something niggling at the back of her mind that thought burning the shirt would be more appropriate than actually letting it be on her skin. Logically, however, it would make sense to try to blend in with everyone else that was working here. That and she'd been in her current clothes for who knew how long and they were dirty and bloody and sweaty.

All she really wanted was a hot shower.

Washing her hair sounded like heaven.

There was a soft tap at the door and she turned with the blouse still in her hands as it slid open. No one knocked on storage doors before they came in so she knew it was Cloud. Which was just as well because her emotions were starting to wake up inside her and the turmoil was so great she thought she just might strangle anyone else.

Except it wasn't Cloud.

Despite her intent to go down fighting, Tifa froze. Because she recognized the man in the doorway.

Her savior from the exploding mako reactor.

It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Then she remembered, savior or no, he was Shinra. And there was no way he was going to mistake her, in her ragged clothes and bruised face, for anything other than what she was. Her eyes narrowed in a snap and she dropped into a fighting stance. Save her life or not, she was either going to kick his butt or go down kicking and screaming. Or at least kicking. Given the fact he was a SOLDIER, she figured it would be the latter but hopefully she'd make enough noise going down to warn Cloud. The dark haired man held up his hands quickly however and stepped into the room so that the door could shut behind him. His spiked hair moved as he shook his head vigorously.

"I'm not here for that."

Tifa gave him a look and he grinned suddenly at it.

"Really. I'm not."

"So you're just here to pick up a clean shirt too?" Tifa didn't even try to sound like she believed him and he looked around the room to notice what was there. He shook his head again and gave her a crooked smile.

"I'm kind of here to rescue you."

Tifa digested the fact. Gave him a very obvious once over from the trademark SOLDIER shoulder guards to the Shinra issue boots. Looked back up to meet his eyes.

"No thanks," she told him calmly and he laughed and –

and rubbed the back of his head in a familiar gesture that made her heart flip over.

"You're not making this easy." He rubbed at his chin, having no idea how he'd scattered her thoughts. Plenty of people probably rubbed the backs of their heads but –

it had been exactly the same gesture Cloud used when he was confused or embarrassed. Exactly.

"How about this?" he suggested cheerfully. "I get you out of here and you go on a date with me?" He smiled as she stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. Which she assumed he had. "That should be motivation enough for me to get you out of here and be trust worthy, right?"

This wasn't going at all the way Tifa had thought a conversation with her next Shinra employee would go and she glared at him.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I think I've just turned in my resignation," his voice was suddenly serious. "And I think on my way out the door I'm going to take some office supplies with me. Or a prisoner or two that shouldn't be in prison." His eyes were suddenly almost violet and surprisingly hard and dangerous looking. "I saw what they did to Sector Seven. I can't keep my honor and be a part of that. When I saw the picture of the 'terrorist' they were going to blame it on – I knew I had to help you on my way out the door."

"You unlocked the cell door?"

He smiled suddenly and the hard eyes were gone as if they'd never been. His shrug had the large sword resting between his shoulder blades shifting.

"Sure. You're cute."

Tifa's eyebrows went upward to disappear into her bangs. Definitely not the conversation she'd imagined with the next Shinra employee she ran across. And then the door slid open. Cloud stepped into the small room and his eyes focused on the dark haired man. Tifa had expected a quick reaction from him and she hadn't been wrong. What she got however wasn't what she'd expected.

Cloud's eyes went wide and something so vulnerable and stricken swept through their blue that it felt like a physical blow to Tifa's chest. For a second his face was young and wounded and innocent. And then a fury she'd never imagined he had inside him swept across his features and his eyes blazed blue fire. Used to seeing him fight in silence, Tifa was shocked to see his lips curl back from his teeth in a snarl as he went for his sword.

"Son of a bitch!"