Cloud walked into Tifa's new bar (which was still called Tifa's 7th Heaven) in Kalm, narrowly avoiding a drunken man's punch. "Hey Teef!" he called.
She looked up from the glasses, and smiled. "Cloud! You're back already?"
He sat down on a stool in front of her and looked around. Not many people were in the large bar. "Yeah, I felt like I was being followed, so I came back."
"Followed?"
Cloud nodded. "It was strange... But it was probably just paranoia."
"Yeah, maybe," Tifa said doubtfully. "And, RedXIII called on the PHS. He said that Vincent was supposed to visit him yesterday in Cosmo Canyon, but he never showed."
"Well, Vincent probably forgot or didn't feel like it. You know how the guy is," Cloud said cheerfully.
She shook her head. "No, he wouldn't have. RedXIII said Vincent sounded really urgent, but was afraid to say what he was worried about over the PHS."
"Oh. Think it has something to do with Jenova again?"
"No! We killed it, it's dead! It can't be back!" Tifa wailed.
Some people looked up from their drinks. Cloud ducked his head. "Tifa, I know the Jenova's dead. But maybe something happened..."
"Whatever." She checked her watch and raised her voice. "Alright everyone! Time to go!!"
The drunken people mumbled and grumbled, and only a few got up and left. The rest stared stupidly. And one said, "Make us ya whore."
Cloud and Tifa looked at each other for a split second, then jumped over to the few idiots still in the bar. They lifted them up, and threw them out the door. Tifa ran after them and locked the door quickly so they couldn't get back in. "Thanks Cloud."
"Glad to've helped," he answered grinning. "Hey, let's call RedXIII to see if Vincent finally showed up."
"Alright." Tifa dialed the number for Red on her PHS, then yanked it away from her ear. "Ouch! What the-"
From where he was standing, Cloud could hear the fuzzy, staticky sound coming from the phone. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I dialed his number, and..." Tifa frowned. "Do you think... this has anything to do with Vincent?"
"Maybe." Cloud thought for a moment. "Let's go to Cosmo Canyon."
"Now? It's already ten o'clock!"
"So? If we take a gold chocobo, we'll be at Cosmo Canyon by tomorrow morning."
Tifa sat down. "Cloud, you can't decide to go to another continent on a spur-of-the-moment decision like this."
"Why not?"
She sighed. "Let's try to sleep for now okay? We can leave tomorrow morning."
Cloud frowned. "No! Vincent and RedXIII might be in trouble! The sooner we get to Cosmo Canyon, the sooner we can find out what happened to them!"
Tifa still looked unconvinced. "But Cloud... right this second?"
"You can sleep on the way there okay? I promise," Cloud pleaded.
"Alright," she said, defeated. "Let me just get our materia."
"I thought we gave it all to Yuffie."
"Not all of it," she replied, grinning. "I'm not that stupid!"
"Thanks, Teef," Cloud said, mirroring her grin.
"Go get Koiyo ready," she called over her shoulder, hurrying to the upstairs part of the bar.
Cloud walked out to their mini-chocobo stable where his prized gold chocobo Koiyo was sleeping. "Hey, girl wake up," he whispered, poking her neck. She let out a small wark, but didn't wake up. "Koiyo! We have to go to Cosmo Canyon!" he exclaimed. She opened one of her eyes and let out a small 'kweh', as if to say 'Gimme a snack and I might let you ride me halfway across the world'. "Alright, here's a Mimett green." She greedily gulped it down, then looked at Cloud expectantly, like she was saying 'Is that it? You cheapskate'. "I'll give you lots more on the way, okay?" Koiyo warked and leaned down, inviting Cloud to climb on top of her. "Thanks."
He rode her out to the front of 7th Heaven, where Tifa was waiting. She pulled herself up behind him, and handed him some materia. "Here's a Mime, Restore, Bolt and Ice," she said as she handed them to him.
"Can you stick them in my sword?" he asked.
"Sure."
"Then you can sleep most of the way to the canyon."
"Good. I'm exhausted after today's brawls and kicking some drunken ass."
Cloud laughed, and kicked Koiyo to make her trot out of Kalm to Cosmo Canyon.
On the way, they had to pass by Midgar, which had miraculously survived Meteor and was being repopulated. The old Shinra building was heavily damaged and nobody even thought about restoring it. They had enough problems with the rest of the city already. So no one would suspect of something happening in it.
The young girl appeared suddenly in it, right in the center of Hojo's lab. She threw RedXIII down on the floor. "He's one of them," she said in a robotic voice.
Another hissed out of nowhere, with the same flat tones. "How many are left?"
"Only a few. I'm not very sure."
"Let's hurry and get them. I'm rather eager to see what our professor has in store for the world." The young girl smiled thinly at the man's response, and disappeared again. She reappeared in the heart of Kalm, striding towards Tifa's Seventh Heaven.
She looked up from the glasses, and smiled. "Cloud! You're back already?"
He sat down on a stool in front of her and looked around. Not many people were in the large bar. "Yeah, I felt like I was being followed, so I came back."
"Followed?"
Cloud nodded. "It was strange... But it was probably just paranoia."
"Yeah, maybe," Tifa said doubtfully. "And, RedXIII called on the PHS. He said that Vincent was supposed to visit him yesterday in Cosmo Canyon, but he never showed."
"Well, Vincent probably forgot or didn't feel like it. You know how the guy is," Cloud said cheerfully.
She shook her head. "No, he wouldn't have. RedXIII said Vincent sounded really urgent, but was afraid to say what he was worried about over the PHS."
"Oh. Think it has something to do with Jenova again?"
"No! We killed it, it's dead! It can't be back!" Tifa wailed.
Some people looked up from their drinks. Cloud ducked his head. "Tifa, I know the Jenova's dead. But maybe something happened..."
"Whatever." She checked her watch and raised her voice. "Alright everyone! Time to go!!"
The drunken people mumbled and grumbled, and only a few got up and left. The rest stared stupidly. And one said, "Make us ya whore."
Cloud and Tifa looked at each other for a split second, then jumped over to the few idiots still in the bar. They lifted them up, and threw them out the door. Tifa ran after them and locked the door quickly so they couldn't get back in. "Thanks Cloud."
"Glad to've helped," he answered grinning. "Hey, let's call RedXIII to see if Vincent finally showed up."
"Alright." Tifa dialed the number for Red on her PHS, then yanked it away from her ear. "Ouch! What the-"
From where he was standing, Cloud could hear the fuzzy, staticky sound coming from the phone. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I dialed his number, and..." Tifa frowned. "Do you think... this has anything to do with Vincent?"
"Maybe." Cloud thought for a moment. "Let's go to Cosmo Canyon."
"Now? It's already ten o'clock!"
"So? If we take a gold chocobo, we'll be at Cosmo Canyon by tomorrow morning."
Tifa sat down. "Cloud, you can't decide to go to another continent on a spur-of-the-moment decision like this."
"Why not?"
She sighed. "Let's try to sleep for now okay? We can leave tomorrow morning."
Cloud frowned. "No! Vincent and RedXIII might be in trouble! The sooner we get to Cosmo Canyon, the sooner we can find out what happened to them!"
Tifa still looked unconvinced. "But Cloud... right this second?"
"You can sleep on the way there okay? I promise," Cloud pleaded.
"Alright," she said, defeated. "Let me just get our materia."
"I thought we gave it all to Yuffie."
"Not all of it," she replied, grinning. "I'm not that stupid!"
"Thanks, Teef," Cloud said, mirroring her grin.
"Go get Koiyo ready," she called over her shoulder, hurrying to the upstairs part of the bar.
Cloud walked out to their mini-chocobo stable where his prized gold chocobo Koiyo was sleeping. "Hey, girl wake up," he whispered, poking her neck. She let out a small wark, but didn't wake up. "Koiyo! We have to go to Cosmo Canyon!" he exclaimed. She opened one of her eyes and let out a small 'kweh', as if to say 'Gimme a snack and I might let you ride me halfway across the world'. "Alright, here's a Mimett green." She greedily gulped it down, then looked at Cloud expectantly, like she was saying 'Is that it? You cheapskate'. "I'll give you lots more on the way, okay?" Koiyo warked and leaned down, inviting Cloud to climb on top of her. "Thanks."
He rode her out to the front of 7th Heaven, where Tifa was waiting. She pulled herself up behind him, and handed him some materia. "Here's a Mime, Restore, Bolt and Ice," she said as she handed them to him.
"Can you stick them in my sword?" he asked.
"Sure."
"Then you can sleep most of the way to the canyon."
"Good. I'm exhausted after today's brawls and kicking some drunken ass."
Cloud laughed, and kicked Koiyo to make her trot out of Kalm to Cosmo Canyon.
On the way, they had to pass by Midgar, which had miraculously survived Meteor and was being repopulated. The old Shinra building was heavily damaged and nobody even thought about restoring it. They had enough problems with the rest of the city already. So no one would suspect of something happening in it.
The young girl appeared suddenly in it, right in the center of Hojo's lab. She threw RedXIII down on the floor. "He's one of them," she said in a robotic voice.
Another hissed out of nowhere, with the same flat tones. "How many are left?"
"Only a few. I'm not very sure."
"Let's hurry and get them. I'm rather eager to see what our professor has in store for the world." The young girl smiled thinly at the man's response, and disappeared again. She reappeared in the heart of Kalm, striding towards Tifa's Seventh Heaven.