A/N: Same day as last chapter, people! And a (bit) longer chapter than normal.
Phoenix: Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you're enjoying it! I don't think I know that game, but the Blue Dragon exists in FFVII, so it was fair game, and it would be strong enough to require the intervention of someone like Genesis. :D
New Paths
It was mid-morning by the time Cloud was even ready to leave his room—though, at least he wasn't expected in Scarlet's workroom that day—and had planned to do some more research into some of the engineering things he wanted to do. Instead, he'd diverted to the lobby to go into the city and see if he could find a bookstore to buy some books not in the library. As he was about to leave, he saw Tifa with—Zack! He stood still in stunned shock for a minute as he watched the two carry a bunch of bags through the lobby, mind trying to process what he was seeing.
Sensing his distress, the Summon-Zack commented into his mind, :See, that's why you can't call me Zack. I'm Fenrir now, because he's Zack.: For the first time, Cloud actually began to separate out the Zack he'd once known from the one he was meeting now—two years before he'd met him for the first time the last time through. Now, his friend-made-Summon was becoming Fenrir so Zack could still just be himself. And somehow, a part of him was very, very relieved by that. He'd honestly thought it would be a lot more of an awkward feeling than he currently had.
"By the way, Tifa—I didn't know Turks hired children...You're what, twelve?" Zack was just commenting to a cheerful Tifa.
"Oh, that's because I'm their chef, not an 'official' Turk who goes out on missions," she answered, grinning. "And I'm eleven, twelve in spring. Even then, Shinra doesn't usually take anyone under age fourteen, but some of us are just too good to pass up."
"Really? Wow. Good job, then!" Zack replied with a grin of his own.
"Tifa?" Cloud called as they were passing him, so they both paused to face him in surprise. "What are you doing?"
"Another Turk child?" Zack blinked. "Are you a chef, too?"
It was Tifa who giggled and answered, "He's their engineer!"
"Their what now?" the older, black haired teen blinked in surprise.
"I make, repair, and redesign their weapons," Cloud answered, suddenly feeling annoyed, but not sure why.
"Really?" Zack grinned, facing the blond again. "That's impressive! If my hands weren't so full, I'd thump you on the shoulder at least, but I can't right now. I have to get all these upstairs before the banana runs out."
"...What?" Cloud asked blankly.
"Want to join us?" Zack grinned, but it was somehow predatory—wolfish, even—that time.
"But—" the blond began in alarm.
"No buts!" Zack announced happily, shoving an armful of bags at the younger boy. "Come on! You'll get to see the most adorable thing in the world!" Since so many bags had just been shoved into his hands, he really felt like he wouldn't have a choice—and sure enough, when Cloud didn't immediately follow him and Tifa, Zack doubled back, came up behind him, and pushed him in the direction of the elevator.
That was just such a Zack thing to do that Fenrir laughed into his mind as he surrendered to the inevitable and ended up in the elevator with Tifa and Zack. It was only in the elevator that Cloud and Zack officially exchanged names, but then the black haired Third led the way to one of the apartments on the SOLDIER Firsts' floors, leading the way inside.
"I'm back!" he called cheerfully. "And I brought friends! And fruit! Lots of fruit! That's why I needed help from friends!"
Fenrir and Tifa laughed at that while Cloud just looked bewildered. In the meantime, someone inside cracked up laughing while someone else called back, "Great, because it's hungry again and I'm out of banana. Hurry up and get me something I can mush up easily."
Zack led the way into the main room, where Cloud and Tifa could see a Third (:Kunzel!: Fenrir filled in 'tail-wagging' happily) sitting on the coffee table, his hand on a Coerl kitten's chest to—apparently keep it from jumping forward onto its focus. Sephiroth and Genesis sat on the couch, a downy chick curled in a towel on the red haired man's belly (and apparently it was the kitten's focus), its mouth open as it repeatedly chirped demandingly. Unfortunately, Cloud also froze up at seeing Sephiroth, though what kept him from panicking was the fact that he was sitting in a relaxed pose, gently running one finger over the chick's soft, downy head and back.
"What kind of chick is that?" Tifa asked curiously.
"A Firebird," Genesis answered, sounding tired. "Zack, fruit? Like, raspberry or something soft?"
"Puree!" Tifa announced, dove at the bags, grabbed several fruits, and ran into the kitchen. "Have you got an eyedropper handy?" she called over her shoulder as she pulled out the blender, found some knives (which she glared at in disgust), then set to work cutting and throwing fruit and fruit slices into the blender. Fenrir laughed again, and Cloud just stayed mostly blank and frozen.
"Why would I need one?" Genesis asked in surprise.
"A baster, then?" she asked.
"What's that?" the red haired man asked, looking even more puzzled, but Kunzel burst out laughing as Tifa turned to glare at the First for a moment.
:Oh Bahamut, that's funny!: Fenrir said, apparently on permanent 'chuckle' mode. :Has the guy never been in a kitchen before?:
:Shouldn't you know? Didn't you know him before?: Cloud managed to ask in confusion.
:I had only met him a few times, but didn't know much about him,: Fenrir clarified.
"Genesis, call Angeal and ask him to bring his baster with him," Kunzel told the older man in a dry tone.
"Fine..." Genesis agreed, pulling out his PHS and finding Angeal's number so he could auto-dial. At least the chick wasn't inclined to move, Cloud realized, or the man would probably not have been able to keep it close. It didn't take long for the request to be made, then he told the girl, "He'll be here shortly with a baster. Why do I need it?"
"Because young chicks eat regurgitated food that's already largely broken down, and the baster will make it easier, both for the chick to eat it and for you to control how much it gets. That's also why I'm making puree—this is what you're going to suck into the baster, which is basically a big eyedropper, then use the baster to feed the chick," Tifa explained, apparently done with the blender and searching for a dish to put the named puree in. "It mimics the parents' beaks, too."
"...Oh," Genesis blinked. "Why do you know that?"
"Our village had some hunting falcons we would help to take care of," Tifa answered cheerfully. "This is a lot harder with meat. By the way, is it male or female?"
Fenrir sent Cloud a questioning sense, so Cloud told him, :I was never allowed near them, but Tifa and several other children were.: Fenrir just hummed in reply.
"I have no idea, honestly," the red haired man sighed. "Even though I know it's a Firebird chick, I haven't really made a study of how to tell their genders apart."
"I'll look, then, but I almost think it's female," Tifa commented as she finished and headed over with the bowl. Since they were just waiting on the baster, she picked up the chick to examine it more closely—which also annoyed it—then gave it back. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's female. But, like virtually every other bird species, the female will be plainer than the male. I don't know details of what Firebirds look like and only know they exist because one of the Turks told us about having seen one before, so maybe you'd have a better idea?"
"Ooohhhh," Genesis murmured as the chick settled in his lap again. "So likely, the female is just the gold coloring and the male has some plumage in purple, blue, and other colors."
"Probably, if that's what they look like," Tifa agreed.
"Why is there even a Coerl kitten and a Firebird chick here, anyway?" Cloud finally asked, managing to un-freeze when he realized Sephiroth looked fondly amused by the banter and chaos around him. Though, to Cloud, that made no sense—it wasn't the kind of thought or feeling he had ever associated with the silver haired man, not even before he went insane and became the Nightmare...Not that he remembered much from before that day to begin with...
"I inherited the kitten when her family in the Slums was killed," Kunzel answered. "The chick accidentally hatched on Genesis and imprinted. And now we need to get the kitten to not attack the chick, and she's really being resistant to that idea right now."
"...So they're unintentional pets?" Cloud asked slowly.
"Effectively," Genesis agreed.
Angeal got there just then, so Tifa jumped up to hijack the baster, much to his shock and surprise, returned to the couch to grab the bowl of puree, and showed Genesis how to feed the chick, a process they all watched curiously. Thankfully, because Firebirds were quite large, their chicks were also on the larger side, and a baster wasn't an unreasonable feeding tool. Angeal sighed piteously at the loss of his baster, but Genesis happily repeated Tifa's instructions himself once he realized it was easier, faster, and less messy.
Then, everyone had a round of introductions, and the kitten finally huffed and curled up in her bed (Kunzel had moved it to the coffee table), her back to the room, when she realized she really wasn't allowed to attack the chick.
At that point, Kunzel began trying names for her, also trying to cajole her into a better mood, starting with Topaz, which got no response. Similarly, he tried Velvet and Arcana, and Cloud began to wonder what he was expecting by switching out the name all the time. When he tried the fourth name, Sierra, the kitten shifted and tipped its head a little in Kunzel's direction, but the last name, Kaminari, had no further effect. Frankly, Cloud wouldn't have answered to a name that long, either.
"So I guess it's Sierra, then, right?" Kunzel asked the kitten, who turned to look at him curiously, and everyone smiled or chuckled. Kunzel petted her head and back affectionately, and she made a rumbling sound similar to a purr, but as a 'large cat', actual purring wasn't possible.
"Well, that's one down," Genesis offered, having set aside the baster and bowl while the chick slept. "Especially since this one hasn't answered to anything I've thought of yet."
"Nova and Dixie are not reasonable names, either," Sephiroth commented dryly. "It is uniquely interesting that you were testing female names on it without knowing it was female, though." The comment produced chuckles.
A knock on the door startled everyone, but Cloud stared when Weiss walked in, followed by Argento, neither of them even waiting for someone to answer the door. He supposed that could have been because Weiss and Genesis were already close, so they were just keeping to established patterns, but it still annoyed Cloud. The white haired boy blinked around the room at everyone, then said, "Well, since you and Cloud are both here, is everyone else trustworthy, Genesis?"
"They should be," Genesis agreed, which just made Zack look around in confusion. Weiss and Argento moved over to sit with the others, prompting more introductions for those who didn't yet know everyone, then the red haired man asked, "So, what did you need to talk about?"
"The Wutai War," Weiss replied, and the others all blinked. "The point of fact is that, if we want it to stop any time soon, we might have to heavy-hand it. But Argento also brought up something which makes me think we might actually have to force that outcome." Weiss then looked at the older, Wutain woman and nodded.
"So, what seems to be the problem?" Sephiroth asked her as all eyes moved to her.
"You largely don't pay attention to Wutain politics, whether you're at war with us or not," Argento began. "But I have been, since long before I was taken to Deepground, and as much as I could since then. A disturbing trend has been emerging, namely one of someone with a great deal of power in Wutai systematically eliminating the High Nobles (1)."
"The what?" nearly everyone in the room asked in surprise.
"I thought those were legends?" Kunzel asked slowly.
"How can they be, when those are the half-Summons?" she asked dryly in response, and everyone's eyes widened. "Tseng is only one of those, and one of the very few survivors of an elimination attempt. What makes the High Nobility so different from normal Wutain nobles—traditionally, the Court Nobles—isn't their blood, but the way they interact with others. They're the ones who check the Emperor so he never loses sight of the needs of his people, and who forcibly stop the Court Nobles from abusing the people on their lands. A person like President Shinra could never have existed in Wutai because of the High Nobility—until the last thirty years or so, when they've been being killed off. There are only five families left, when there used to be around three dozen. If it doesn't stop, the same things you're trying to stop will get worse."
"How does heavy-handing the War stop that?" Angeal asked with a puzzled frown.
"By placing us on the same battlefields as those who are killing the High Nobility—Crescent Unit," Argento replied plainly.
A long silence followed before Cloud asked, "How are you so sure it's Crescent Unit?"
"I was a member of Crescent Unit, so I heard word of it. I didn't want to believe it, but having five people come back with Leviathan's Blessing isn't something I can ignore. That they're all Shinra's people, and one of them is a High Noble who won't take back that place in Wutai, says a great deal. Admittedly, not all of Crescent Unit is involved, and there are supporters for it elsewhere in Wutai, too. Some of the Imperial Assassins also follow the killers. That means people in the upper ranks of the Court Nobility are the ones controlling this, and we can't ferret them out without first getting rid of most of their supporters, ending the war, and stationing people there," she explained.
"So what actually happens if all the High Nobles die, then?" Genesis asked with a small frown.
The Wutain woman sighed and said, "It hasn't happened before, but there have been times when old legends make their way back to us. If those legends are true, honor would vanish and our people would become the worst sort of lying, cheating, stealing, torturing, murdering scum. And unfortunately, they have the combat skills to be very, very dangerous if they choose to throw away honor and self-control. Which will happen without the High Nobility, because it was they who were repeatedly teaching us that honor and self-control to begin with. They're so loved by the people because of it, because they make sure the common people aren't being mistreated. Wutains are powerful in general, but the High Nobles are literally more powerful still, even than the Imperial Assassins, because of their Summon blood."
"That entire system was a very deliberate balance intended to maintain the people of Wutai," Cloud said suddenly, and Argento nodded to him. "And that balance is being broken deliberately. Without it, everything will nose-dive. And that won't just stay in Wutai, it'll come here, because they hate us already—they'll be very likely to want to eliminate us as people who are currently in their way, or in the way of their selfish desires. It may really be true we have to eliminate those people and find whoever is leading this purge in the first place if we want to fix things."
"I think we need to get a message to Tseng," Genesis answered, and the others looked at him. "I'm not saying you're wrong, to be clear. But as a survivor, Tseng probably has insight and details we don't. He's still near enough that we can get word back from him in a few days, and in the meantime, we can ask Vincent his thoughts on the matter, too. I'm leaning towards it really being necessary to do as you said and heavy-hand the War, which—can I assume Deepground is volunteering for the task?"
"Rosso and Nero are doing other work, but Azul, Argento, and I would be willing to lead that heavy-handing if you don't want to do it," Weiss answered right away. He then eyed the chick in Genesis' lap and added, "Or if you're not able to."
"Until this little one is a few weeks old, there's no way I have that much free time," Genesis sighed faintly. "At least around then, it'll be able to feed itself as long as food is in its reach."
"That would not prevent us from doing so," Sephiroth put in, motioning towards himself and Angeal, who nodded. "Should that be our final decision, there are many of us who would very much like to see that War end. Too many lives have already been lost in the course of a war which has already gone on for far too long."
"There's that," Cloud agreed with a sigh. "And as much as I hate to admit it, we really should bring this up to Tseng before working out our actual plan. I'm going over there with Tifa tomorrow, so we can ask then."
"That's right, we were going to visit!" Tifa grinned. "That makes it easy, then, and all we have to do after that is talk with Veld about how to get done what we need to get done. He'll know how to get the President on board."
"Fair enough," Argento agreed. "And as Weiss said, I'm also willing to go to war against my own people if it will stop the High Nobles from being murdered by their own people."
"Why are you so sure Tseng won't go back to Wutai as one?" Genesis suddenly asked the woman.
"He won't, because that would make him Emperor after the crimes his family, and all the other High Nobles, have suffered," she replied flatly, and everyone stared at her with wide eyes. "That isn't ideal, nor is it what he wishes to do or he would have done it. That's even more true if he never did so in that entire fourteen years he lived forward in time. If he never took it in all that time, he won't now. His reasons, I don't know, but while he might help us fix this, it won't be by claiming the Throne of Wutai."
"...Okay, we'll find out what he wants to do tomorrow, then," Cloud agreed, feeling tired suddenly. "I have work to do, though, so I really do have to go now."
"Oh, right—I only have a few more things to finish before the cafeteria will be open, too! I have to finish and start cooking for supper!" Tifa grinned, jumping to her feet. "It was nice meeting everyone, and we'll see you tomorrow!"
Cloud rose as well as he gave a wave to the others and echoed Tifa's last few words, then the two left to Genesis' thanks about how to care for the bird. At the elevators, they both also parted ways, Tifa to head up to the Turks' office and Cloud to head down and into the city to find the books in various bookstores to see if there was some new information he could use. It took some hours to check everything and buy a few books (and have lunch)—only for him to check the time and realize it was nearing suppertime.
Tifa would kill him if he wasn't back in time for the 'grand opening' of the Turks' cafeteria, so he headed back to the building.
It was there, right in the lobby, that his gaze was drawn by red, and he turned to look at Scarlet. There was another man he couldn't quite see around the corner to the main floor storage and offices, and the woman looked disturbed. As she began to move away from the corner (Cloud noted how she was holding a small box of parts in one arm), the man around the corner grabbed her arm above the elbow, and she tensed.
Making a sudden decision, Cloud put on a smile and made his way over to her as he called, "Scarlet! I was hoping I'd catch you before you left today! I want to show you something, and I'm sure you'll like it." As he neared the startled and relieved woman, the hand fell away and he added, "Unless you're busy?"
"No, not at all," she answered. "I was going to take some parts up to the lab for morning, but that was all. So, what did you want to show me, or is it a surprise?"
"It's a surprise," he grinned, gently taking her free arm at the elbow and guiding her to the elevator. "Come on."
When they were in the elevator with the door closed, the woman breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you so much." Cloud's only regret then was that he hadn't been able to see the man who had been there, too. "I'll take these to the lab, then go home."
"I actually meant that I had something I wanted to show you, though," he told her. "Yes, it got you away from that guy, but I'm pretty sure if he finds you heading home right away, he'll realize it was a trick and I won't be able to do that again. So, I'm going to make good on it whenever I do that."
The woman blinked and asked, "So what do you want to show me?"
"It's still a surprise until we get there," he answered dryly, and she blinked again. "But, you'll have to trust me, because you can't know exactly where it is unless you're a Turk or all the other Turks agree you can know," Cloud added. "Trusting me to guide you in there without your sight will go a long way towards that."
"...Without my sight?" she asked warily.
Nodding as the elevator opened on the Turks' floor, he agreed, "Only for a couple minutes." There were three other Turks waiting in the hall, watching them in surprise, so he stopped and greeted them with, "Hi, Eonna, Doriss, Viney. Is Tifa ready yet?"
"It looks like we're allowed in now, so we were just debating which of us would pass word to the other returning Turks," Doriss offered. Viney looked annoyed at the words while Eonna looked amused.
"Okay, then I'm borrowing Eonna to cast and remove Blind from Scarlet so she can join us, too," Cloud answered, gaze not quite a smirk as the other Turks' eyes widened in surprise.
Scarlet's gaze started to harden and become wary, but then the others became thoughtful, and Eonna said, "Well, it isn't as though we said we wouldn't allow guests to eat there, so I guess it's fine if you really want her to join us." She then met the other woman's gaze and asked, "If you're willing to trust us to guide you to the room in question, Scarlet? You won't be Blind while you're in it, though, only on the way in and out."
For a moment, the woman hesitated, then looked down at Cloud for a minute before straightening and agreeing, "I'll give it a try and see how it goes, then."
At her agreement, Eonna smiled and nodded, and Cloud took the woman's hand as Eonna cast Blind on her. Cloud felt her hand tighten on his and begin trembling, so gave a reassuring squeeze back as he began leading her through the halls to the main office—where Lenno sighed and picked up someone's spare Turk jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
At her jolt, Cloud quickly said, "It's just Lenno putting someone's spare jacket around you. If you want, you can wear it properly—no one here cares how you dress."
"That's true," Lenno agreed mildly as Eonna added, "Too true." When Lenno added, "We'd actually prefer you be better covered rather than less," the blond woman's shoulders sagged a bit and relaxed noticeably.
"...All right. Thank you," she managed, and Eonna helped her put her arms in the sleeves properly, then did it up for her, given her Blind state just then.
"Now we'll keep going," Cloud said, smiling—and then he realized just how strange it felt to be helping a woman who had once tried to kill him. Regardless, he led her the rest of the way through to the cafeteria, where Rufus was sitting with Veld and Vincent, and a few other Turks were already there while Tifa worked in the kitchen and was plating food as things finished. Eonna, who had followed close behind them, stepped up beside the woman and cleared the Blind state so she would be able to see where they were—and Scarlet's eyes widened in shock.
"Where is this?" the woman asked in amazement. "Oh, that smells divine!" The words made Veld, Vincent, and Rufus look up at them—and Veld rose quickly to join them at the door.
"That you know it's somewhere on the Turks' floor is enough, don't you think?" Cloud asked her in amusement, then looked up at Veld as he felt the woman stiffen again. "Director?"
Veld was silent for a moment before asking, "What happened?"
"There was a man around the corner who tried to pull her back when she was going to leave," Cloud answered. "So I thought it best to get her out of there, and the best way for him to lose interest and leave would be for her to take a long time to actually head out—by staying here for supper."
The man's lips pursed for a moment, then he said to the woman, "If you'd like to file a complaint, I'll take it and see it's handled."
"No offense meant, but plenty of my complaints have gone un-handled," she told him, and some pain and bitterness came out in her voice. Every Turk in the room heard it, though Cloud was sure not many normal people would have.
"And that was a failing of our system we're now working to correct," the older man told her plainly. "For now, sit and enjoy a meal. Now that we have some of our own staff, and our chef finally has her kitchen to work in, there's nowhere safer to relax than here, and we won't turn you away."
He returned to his seat, and the woman hesitated before following him to that same table, likely not realizing how hard she was clutching at Cloud's hand. He was fine sitting there, taking the place beside Vincent as Scarlet sat next to him—and one seat away from Rufus, though no one was sitting in that seat yet. All the tables were round and had been designed to sit four to six—with several tables that size, there was enough seating for all the Turks and some random guests. It didn't take long for the nervous woman to realize none of the Turks were saying anything about her presence, despite some surprise at seeing her as they came in.
Finally, she looked at Rufus and asked, "So, why are you here, or is that private?"
"I was getting some combat lessons and was asked to stay," Rufus answered. "I hadn't expected it, though this is also the same area of the floor where a shrine to my mother and other past Turks are, so it's not the first time I've been in this general area. They're very determined to keep even me from knowing its exact location, though." He paused, then commented, "You actually look better dressed just like that than you do in the dress alone. Maybe you could even make a fashion statement out of it."
When the woman began giggling with mirth, Cloud smiled again and caught Vincent's and Veld's eye. Both men gave him nods, showing they understood.
It was very likely that they could change her fate, too, just by being there to help her this time.
Notes:
(1) The lore behind the High Nobles is something I made up because it fits background elements I wanted to account for, and also explains what Hojo was going on about in part 1. It's obviously not official Wutain anything, but there's still lore which will come up next chapter to finish filling it in. Once this is done, the lore will be alluded to, but otherwise won't get repeated, so keep in mind the key points of it.