What Happened Miss Tifa? - Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII and I do not make any money with this writing. Characters belonged to Square Enix Inc.
N/A: This chapter with Tifa, Loz, Rude, Vincent Valentine and Cloud.
***A Week Ago before Yazoo's First Kiss****
Tifa washed her face in the small sink and thought to herself that the restroom was very uncomfortable for her clients. She rarely used it but the urgency was bigger than ever.
Lifting her black tank top to clean a stain that had dropped on it, she noticed her breasts: they were rounder than ever. Her once perfect rosy nipples now were darker, swollen and sore at touching it. The thought fast crossed her mind but immediate anguish took place.
"Oh no, not again. "
The acid liquid was burning her throat again, not giving her time to go at the sanitary, obliging the girl to contort herself over the sink and threw up on it. She had not been eating properly in the last weeks, so the liquid scratched her throat, giving a bad taste at her mouth. Tifa closed her eyes as if it would make her sickness go away and after had cleaned herself and the sink; she stared at her face in the mirror. She looked like someone worn out with dark circles around her eyes. "How it could be possible? It looks like pregnancy but I don't have sex in ages. A nun would be luckiest in that than me."
Noises at the shabby door woke her up to reality. The reality was Loz's voice calling her with nonstop little thuds on the door. "How a man looking like Loz could be so childish! At least we have more female clients…"
"In a minute, PLEASE!"
She was lacking patience recently, not only with Loz but also in general. She felt blessed when Barret came and took Marlene and Denzel, on vacation. Just to vary their routine, Cloud was absent, letting her deal with Seventh Heaven, Strife Deliveries, kids, Avalanche…basically, everything that she already has been doing since all her life. Alone. Thinking about herself unable to not being alone, a feeling of sorrow that she never had felt before, hurt her so much that tears uncontrollably spouted out of her eyes. She covered her face with her hands to muffle her whimpers that were becoming loud.
Loz knocked on the door again and she shouted at him to wait, regretting herself soon after for her rudeness.
" Shit, not even time to cry I do have now…" she murmured to herself and abruptly opened the door to find the huge figure of Loz in front of the door.
"I'm sorry to insist. Are you ok Tifa?"
Loz stopped at the door entrance not giving any spaces between them and the small hall of the restroom. He looked at her with sincerely concerned eyes.
"Yes. What happened that you couldn't wait?"
"A certain type of client happens at the bar counter. He said he would wait for you."
The silver-haired man leaned his back in the wall, arms crossed, opening a tiny space to let Tifa get out the bathroom and enter into the saloon. The girl sighed rolling her eyes at Loz, visibly irritated.
"Get out of the way Loz, I can't pass, you're huge my boobs are huge and there's no space!"
Afraid with Tifa's bad mood at him, he left the corridor and paced towards the back of the bar. She was being a real bitch lately, nothing was good, and she complained all the time. Her fury had taste, it could be with him; mostly part of the time, the kids and even Cloud.
"S-sorry Tifa."
She headed to the counter to find Rude, perfectly sat in the bench, hands on the bar counter, well-dressed suit, and his sunglasses.
"Good morning Miss Tifa."
"Good morning Rude. The same? "
"A coffee, please. Thank you."
Behind the bar counter, Tifa nodded and went to fetch the man's coffee. She kind of liked Rude. He was so polite and despite previous troubles between then, he was of great help in bringing back the children to Aerith's church. Ok, they helped Cloud, too, but just because their interests were aligned. She knew perfectly well, why Rude was sitting there.
"Hypocrites, wanting to make us believe that Shinra wants to rebuild the planet, everybody is equals, and the planet gave us a chance, so why don't we give them too? Cloud should have bought this crap, but not me. Rufus Shinra is what he always had been: a rich bastard with interests in nothing more than power."
Cloud said the agreement will be good for everyone, she would not need to be worried about the kids or even the clients, and he would be by her side. They would have access to Shinra in the new board of Eco-Development Ministry. Avalanche, would turn to what she had ever dreamed: from a bunch of eco-terrorists into saviors of the planet for good. Moreover, officially.
Each member of Avalanche voted and in the end, Loz was there, Cloud was rarely around and she was the savior of her little-troubled planet. Alone. Again.
"Everything is in order here?" Rude slow and soft tone brought her back to pay attention to the coffee machine.
"Yes, it is. Just a minute, it's the first coffee of the day; I have to let the machine warm up." She answered back while carefully opened the tap of scorching water.
Even through Rude's always-present sunglasses, Tifa could see his eyes checked at the back of the bar where Loz was working.
"He is doing well. Besides that, he could serve you a cup of coffee too."
"I didn't want to sound prejudiced. We are just concerned about our citizen's safety, especially in yours, Miss Tifa."
"Glad to know that Shinra is concerned about 'me' and not about my new employee. Here your coffee, plain and your extra milk."
Tifa was about to place the tray with her client's order at the counter when suddenly she felt dizzy. She could not put herself standing, her legs failed and she still had time to see the tray flying in the air, Rude jumping out of the bench to catch it and avoid the boiling liquids to fall and burn Tifa.
Faster than an eye blink, Loz ran from the pantry, preventing the girl's head to crash in the ground, startling Rude with the agility. "Mother fucker he still has his speed!"
Carrying Tifa out to one the couches of the saloon, Loz gently laid the fainted girl. Rude was still hanging on the tray while he pathed to the couch to find a still fainted and pale Miss Tifa.
"What have you done to Tifa, Turk?" Loz snared at Rude, his green eyes were threatening, shinning more than before.
"Calm down, she fainted while bringing me a cup of coffee. I do not know why. She was talking with me and seemed perfectly right."
Loz veered his head at Tifa and then at Rude, visibly worried.
"You won't take her out of here."
"And if we need to take her to a hospital?"
Loz stood up of the couch and walked at Rude's direction, causing the other man to step back. The Turk quickly picked up his phone, while Loz did the same.
"Don't move her."
Loz came back to where Tifa was, attentively looking at her, searching for any injury that may have caused her blackout and dialed at his phone, keeping a low almost imperceptive tone of voice.
Rude sat in the next table closed to where they were but with a smart distance.
He called Reno, who called Cisney, who called a doctor that will arrive in minutes. He called Reno again to not come at the bar and track down Cloud, but not say a word for a while. His partner was the best he could ever have but had serious troubles to keep his mouth shut, it would be better if he had something to do. The remnant was protective with Tifa, Cloud was not there neither and Rude started to think who might be the person the remnant would call.
"A doctor is coming."
"A Shinra one?"
"Do you have any best suggestion or another doctor?" He coldly answered back on his soft tone.
Loz grumbled something and returned his attention to Tifa. He was on his knees by her side, whispering "Tifa, please wake up!"
Since the last two years, Rude was paying weekly visits at the Seventh Heaven to check upon Loz Jenova. Ridiculous last name, but Shinra tagged them exactly like that in their official papers.
Perhaps, they wanted to be bonded as a family as anyone else. Rude loved his family, he included his partners as a family too and he would hate if anything bad happened to them.
On the other hand, they could want to recreate Sephiroth somehow, finally having their reunion.
The last researches pointed out, it really did not matter at all that the younger one; the worm form of Sephiroth had died. Less one to worry about, however, Shinra had been watching over the remaining two to prevent this. So far so good and both Loz and Yazoo were considered infected people as the Geostigma ones. Rude was there to observe and report. If necessary, he would interfere, for now, he was just watching a delicate experiment arise or fail.
The reason why he promptly cooperated with Loz. Because he wanted to be there to know why the sweet Miss Tifa was looking so done during the last three weeks.
Now, he was observing a concerned man with Tifa's well-being. Careful, protective and worried Loz. Morning sick fainted Tifa. It could be many things, even a hangover, but it also could be another thing.
An offspring certainly will be at Shinra's best interests.
Carefully and explaining his procedure to Loz, Rude took off from his suit's pocket a small device like a pen.
"Loz I will need to take one drop of Ms. Tifa's blood to run a test without taking her to a hospital. Help me grabbing her arm."
"Test for what?"
Rude adjusted his glasses before answering in a low tone to be discreet.
"Pregnancy."
Loz's eyes widened up and his mouth parted in surprise. He promptly grabbed Tifa's arm and carefully hold it with his hands, staring at her with concern. For Rude, it was just very suspicious and he was already foreseeing his lately report when the collected blood drop, revealed a mako poisoning, not pregnancy at all. Perhaps because of her last mission, the Deepground affair.
Loz kept staring at the pen until it lighted a red light and then at Rude.
"Say it, Turk, what's happening with Tifa?"
"Loz, we have to move her to a hospital, she has more mako in her blood system than she can stand. And my name is Rude not Turk."
"Wait. Someone is coming."
Rude stood from the chair and pulled the device on his suit while Loz gently pulled back her arm over her belly.
"You don't touch her." Loz snored at Rude and ran towards the counter, coming back in seconds with a blanket.
"She will need fluids, medicine to drain the mako." Rude looked at his phone, the doctor should have arrived but there were no messages. He was up to dial again for Cissnei but gasped when he heard a voice behind him.
"Thank you Rude but she will be fine. I have a cure."
Loz sighed in relief when he saw the weird Vincent Valentine entering at the bar. The man locked the entrance, flipping the door's badge to CLOSED, his flaming cape, so ridiculous because it was a red rag, yet cool.
Vincent Valentine watched them since the beginning but he never attacked him nor his brothers. Actually, Kadaj had spoken with the man, several times, though Loz ignored the subject. Vincent Valentine found them after they were back at the planet again and Loz indeed believed the man had saved them. Yazoo had his concerns because the Valentine delivered both to Shinra, and so, his brother always keeps his mood at the bay with Valentine. However, after the sets of their new life, Vincent said on his gloomy whispered voice he would always be there for them. Therefore, the man was being very helpful; at least he and Loz had grown a friendship.
"Mr. Valentine. She needs to go to the hospital. She's poisoned with mako and Shinra's Hospital has the best to help her. "
Vincent just flipped his cape ignoring Rude's speech and placed a healing Materia on Tifa's breasts. It shone for some seconds, making all the group covering their eyes.
"What happened?"
Tifa woke up in a jump, gasping, feeling completely renewed but lost, looking at both men with suspicious eyes and then at her glowing chest.
"You fainted, do you remember? But you are not pregnant Tifa!" Loz shouted, already behind the counter to fix a tea for her.
Ashamed, Tifa downed her head feeling his face hot.
"Tifa are you feeling ok?" Vincent asked, helping her to sit properly at the bench.
"Yes. Thank you and I'm fine."
Rude got closer of her and apologizing made his way out of the bar, but Loz interrupted him on his steps.
"Hey Turk, I mean Rude, you should give back Tifa her exams. That pen-thing you hide on your pocket."
Rude gasped, Loz was not exactly silly after had done plenty of exams inside Shinra's labs. Tifa veered his head at the bald Turk, also Vincent who helped her stood up, her hand opened in front of Rude. He took off the device and handed it to Tifa.
"Thank you Rude."
"You are welcome, Miss Tifa. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. Anyway, get better and always wear protection, in case of…not wanting a pregnancy."
Rude nodded at her and followed to the exit, leaving an ashamed Tifa staring at the device, feeling herself physically better and emotionally worse than before. Be scolded, as an irresponsible and promiscuous woman by Rude was really the top of that sick morning.
"Have you ever seen this Vincent?"
"Yeah, they are carrying it out to everywhere. It measures everything from radiation to…other things with just one drop of blood. In your case mako poisoning but Loz was faster than the device, he recognized it at first sight."
Tifa sat on the table, thoughtful and Loz handed her a cup of tea, with a smile on his face. She had been a pain in the ass lately and regretted of her rudeness with Loz, always so attentive and even kind with her.
"I was noticing your sickness, I'm sorry I didn't want to bribe, but I and Yazoo went through this so many times that I guessed what it could be. Rude wanted to take you to a hospital. He would take you to Shinra and I would not allow this without someone trustful to join you, as Cloud is not here."
"Thank you, Loz and you too Vincent. By the way, how did you get here?"
Vincent sat on the other side the table and Loz went back to the counter.
"Loz called me soon after you fainted."
Tifa chuckled. "I didn't know he had your number. I don't have your number…"
Vincent averted his eyes from Tifa, landing them at the counter, where Loz cleaned the floor with a mop.
"Those boys have no one else looking for them. Neither represents a threat anymore. Just ordinary, lost humans."
Tifa just nodded at Vincent and she agreed with him.
"Yeah...Loz is very helpful and the kids love him. Denzel even bought a white t-shirt and he went to school looking like him. I guess it's because Cloud is never here."
"How are you Tifa, really?"
Tifa sighed and she would open her mouth but that morning was turning out to be something very strange. From nothing, the noise of Cloud's bike called Tifa's ears. Cloud entered the bar, stopping when he saw Vincent and Tifa. "Please not another riot, not again!"
"Vincent? Tifa? What's happening?"
Tifa looked at Vincent who just stared back her not knowing exactly what to say, fearing to be indiscreet. However, they had Loz.
"Hey Cloud. She fainted and I called Vincent. The bald Turk was here and ran a test, she was poisoned but is no more and she's not pregnant too."
"Hey, Loz…Wow!" Cloud veered his head at Loz and then back to Tifa, pulling a hand on his waist and staring at her with reprehensive eyes.
"It was just mako poisoning from the Deepground's fight. I'm fine now Cloud."
Cloud sat in the table too, coupling her face with both hands and glaring at her.
"Tifa you need to wear protection, safe sex is the best sex!"
"Fuck off Cloud!" Tifa gasped and shoved Cloud's hands out of her, angrily pacing towards the stair and vanishing to her room.
"My God what did I say?" Cloud rolled his eyes and veered his head at Vincent, who promptly stood up and paced towards the counter, where Loz serenely was drying some dishes, he really did not want to take part in the subject.
"I just dropped by to catch some things and I'll be here tonight. I guess."
Cloud climbed up the stairs, calling for Tifa. After some seconds, Vincent and Loz listened to the door slamming, probably at Cloud's face. They looked at each other.
"Coffee?"
"Make something stronger Loz."
Loz glimpsed at the clock but went to fix a morning cocktail with fruits and sparkling wine. Vincent gasped at seeing the fresh appealing drink with an amazing reddened color from the fruits mixed with the wine. He tasted it.
"This is fancy and wow, delicious. Goes perfectly with roast chicken."
Loz smiled; proud with himself in had made a good drink.
"Do you have plans for tonight Mr. Valentine?"
Vincent shook his head while sipping his cocktail.
"Would you like to have dinner with us, only me and Yazoo? I'll buy chicken. Yazoo is finally out of his surveillance from Shinra and I guess it'll be good, make a celebration."
"Oh, good for Yazoo. Thanks, Loz, but are you sure your brother won't mind?"
Loz flashed his full teeth smile and completed Vincent's empty glass.
"He likes to eat. Especially if it is not frozen food. Yazoo desperately needs to interact, or he will be like an eremite. Somehow, the weekly visits at Shinra pushed him into it."
"Is he going well on his job at Shinra's garage?"
"Yeah, I guess, though he didn't make any friends there."
Vincent tilted his head at him, looking at his glass and then drinking the beverage.
"Loz, I guess I want to drink a bottle from this. Could you make some more of this tonight?"
"Sure!"
Loz always thought funny the man's expression when he was drinking, closing his eyes and wetting his lips.
"Ok, I'll cook the chicken, then."
A bottle of that exquisite cocktail was enough to convince him. He was friend with Loz and liked the man, though his brother only with good booze to endure his aloof mood. He really did not consider the middle brother a bad person; however, Yazoo was a pain in the ass for Vincent's taste.
"I'll check upon Tifa and bring over a sandwich."
Vincent nodded at him and stayed at the counter while Loz fixed a sandwich and followed to Tifa's room. Cloud was still in his office, he seemed busy on the phone and not even paid attention to him. Loz knocked on the door, a little bit unsure if his good action would cause him the sandwich's dish flying against his head, as Tifa had shooed off even Cloud. He knocked twice with no answer.
"I brought you a sandwich and a melon juice. You should eat to get better. I-I'll leaves it in the door."
Before Loz, put the plate in the floor, Tifa abruptly opened the door causing the man to flinch. She had puffy red eyes. She looked so small and tired. Loz gave her a jaded grin, giving her the plate and a glass of juicy.
"I hope you are feeling better."
Tifa took the plate and the glass putting it the bedside table while Loz was standing in front of the door, not knowing if he should run down the stairs or wait. She came back to the door.
"Thanks, Loz."
It was impossible for Loz not to notice the girl was crying again. He and his brother had been in that awful emotional state in the hospital. Probably Mr. Valentine used on her the same type of Materia. Poor Tifa, she will be feeling like shit for at least two days. He nodded at her but who knows why he felt compelled to give her support.
"You're welcome and I can handle the bar if you want to take the day for rest."
Tifa nodded his head, averting her eyes in shame and putting her hand on her mouth to stifle a whimpered moan. Getting closer and forgetting the boundaries between employee and boss, Loz held her, pulling the girl's head on her chest. Tifa collapsed in tears.
They stayed some minutes like that until Tifa broke the embrace, regaining back her self-control with deep breathing. Loz just nodded at her with eyes of such understanding that she wanted to cry again, but reasonable opted to thank him again and close the door.