Chapter Five: A Trip to Seventh Heaven
Red XIII ran quickly through the woods. He had just seen Aeris' murder on the news last night, and had left for Nibelheim immediately. Little did he know what he would find along the way.
Cait Sith, in shreds. Dragged into the forest and sliced and diced to dozens of pieces, Red had only recognised it from the cat's head, which was the only part that was still mostly intact. A soggy mess of cotton stuffing and material littered the ground. Many animals had trodden over it, and it had rained last night, so the scent of the murderer was lost. So were any footprints that there might have been.
Red ran on. He could not tell how long ago the murderer had been there, but he suspected it was recently enough. He needed to reach Nibelheim. Quickly. Soon the town came into view. Red XIII sprinted to Cloud's house. Panting furiously, he approached the door. He waited a moment to catch his breath, then called:
"Cloud? Are you there?"
He heard voices and footsteps within the house. They seemed hesitant. He tried again.
"It's me, Red XIII!"
Now the footsteps approached, and the door opened. Cloud greeted him.
"Hey Red. Come on in. What brings you here?"
"I saw Aeris on the news," Red told him, entering the house. "I came as soon as I heard. I found something along the way." He proceeded to tell Cloud about his discovery of Cait Sith. Cloud shook his head.
"What do they want?" he questioned himself. "I don't understand. First Aeris, now Cait Sith... and we still don't know about Barret..."
"Barret?" Red asked.
Cloud told him about Vincent's story.
Red XIII shrugged. "I do not know what they want. We will have to stay on guard, though. The body was not too far from here, the murderer could still be close."
Yuffie stood at the door of Cloud's house, took a deep breath, and knocked. She hadn't visited him for a long time, and she wasn't sure he had quite forgiven her for being a pest a while back. She was sorry for it now, but she could not change the past.
The door opened a crack.
"Who is it?" a familiar voice asked.
"It's me," Yuffie proclaimed.
The door opened, and Cloud was there. "Oh, hey Yuffie. Come on in." Yuffie followed Cloud into the house.
"I'm so sorry to hear about Aeris," she told him. "I saw her on the news, and..." she paused, blinking away tears.
"Yeah..." Cloud murmured, his eyes downcast. "They got Cait Sith, and maybe Barret too." He brought Yuffie up to date with the recent events.
"Cait Sith..?" Yuffie asked, horrified. "I was supposed to catch up to him, but..."
"I guess it's a good thing you didn't," said Cloud, "or it could have been you, too."
Yuffie shivered. It was creepy to think that she could have been torn to shreds like that.
They arrived at the living room where Yuffie exchanged greetings with Vincent and Red XIII. She set down her bag in the doorway and sat on the couch, and chatting with Cloud.
"Hey, look," Vincent said suddenly. He indicated the television screen. He was watching the news. It showed a picture of a burning house. A house Yuffie recognised.
"Cid!" Cloud cried, horrified. However, it was not Cid who was in the house when it burned. Yuffie listened to the reporter as all eyes glued themselves to the television.
"The home of thirty-four year old Cid Highwind was burned to the ground late Saturday night," the news reporter began. "His wife, thirty-two year old Shera, whom was rescued and admitted to the hospital, passed away last night with 3rd degree burns and injuries from fallen debris. Cid Highwind was discovered some distance away-"
The scene now switched from the burning house to Cid. There were several gasps of horror around the room. He lay in the middle of a path, surrounded by a pool of blood, his spear pierced through his gut.
"It is suspected," the reporter continued, "that these events are somehow linked to the murder of twenty-four year old Aeris Gainsborough last Friday evening..."
What a horrible way to die, Yuffie thought to herself. Impaled upon your own weapon... Yuffie shivered, suffering a vision of herself with her prized Shuriken stabbed through her back. She got up, turned away from the television, and picked up her bag.
Yuffie came face to face with Tifa, who was carrying around a pile of crackers. Wordlessly, the two girls hugged each other. They had come to know each other well, and Yuffie knew that Tifa felt absolutely horrible right now. Her friends were dropping left and right.
"How are you holding out?" Yuffie inquired as they broke from the embrace.
"I'm trying my best to stay sane," Tifa replied, forcing a smile. It did not last long. Poor girl. Though she may seem to be alright during the day, Yuffie suspected she cried herself to sleep at night. She smiled back comfortingly.
"Come on into the kitchen and have a seat," Tifa invited. Yuffie followed her and sat beside her on the table. Tifa offered her a cracker from her pile. Yuffie accepted it. It was very salty, but good.
"So how are things?" Tifa asked, eating a cracker herself. "We haven't heard from you in quite a while."
"Not too bad, I guess." Yuffie replied. She reached into her pack and took out a bottle of soda. Opening it, she lifted it to her lips.
"Oh, can I please have a drink?" Tifa asked.
Yuffie paused. "Sure, Tif. Here." She handed her friend the bottle, allowing her to have first sip. Yuffie didn't really like sharing, but Tifa was a good friend, and now was really not the time to be greedy.
"Thanks," Tifa said gratefully. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a good drink. Then she stopped, making a face. Yuffie looked at her questioningly.
"This tastes kinda funny," Tifa told her. "Did you check the expiration date?" She examined the bottle, looking for one.
"Yeah, it should be fine," Yuffie said, confused and slightly insulted. "Here, let me see." Tifa handed her the bottle. The expiration date was weeks away.
Yuffie was about to take a sip of the drink herself, when Tifa began coughing and gasping for breath. Yuffie put the bottle down, startled.
"Tifa!?"
Tifa gasped again, choking violently. Then she fell to the floor, limp.
"TIFA!!!"
Yuffie's cry brought everyone rushing into the room. Cloud ran past her to the girl on the floor.
"Tifa!" he cried.
"What happened?" Vincent asked.
"W-we were just t-talking," Yuffie stuttered. "And T-tifa took a s-sip of my soda, a-and..."
Red XIII approached the bottle and sniffed it. "It is poisoned," he said. "The murderer must have slipped it into your drink when you were not paying attention."
"Poisoned!" Yuffie cried, appalled.
"She's still alive," said Cloud. He was checking Tifa's pulse.
"Let us get her to a hospital," Vincent suggested. "Quickly."
Everyone began piling out the door. Yuffie followed, numbly. She shuddered. If she had taken a drink of that herself...
Tifa woke, feeling disoriented. Her vision was blurry and all she could see was white. Was she in heaven? She could see a blurry figure wandering around. Who was that? She tried to call out to them, but all that came out was a stifled moan. The figure turned towards her, then hurried away.
As her mind and vision began to clear, Tifa realised that she was not in heaven, but in a hospital. The nurse that she had seen before returned with a doctor, who checked her over and said she would be fine and she just needed to rest. But Tifa was confused. What had happened to her? Why was she here?
Slowly, her memory returned. She had taken a sip of Yuffie's soda, and then had passed out. Someone must have tried to poison Yuffie, but Tifa had drunk the soda instead! First Aeris, then Cait Sith, then Cid and Shera, and now almost Yuffie and Tifa herself... Who was responsible for all this?
The door to Tifa's hospital room opened slowly and Yuffie stepped in, looking shaken.
"Hey Tifa," she said softly. "How you feeling?"
"Ok, I guess..." she told her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah..." Yuffie replied. "I'm so sorry Tifa, I don't know how I couldn't have noticed. My bag was beside me the whole time. That damn murderer is awfully sneaky! I hope we catch him and give him what he deserves."
"Yeah," Tifa agreed. "Me too."
Red XIII ran quickly through the woods. He had just seen Aeris' murder on the news last night, and had left for Nibelheim immediately. Little did he know what he would find along the way.
Cait Sith, in shreds. Dragged into the forest and sliced and diced to dozens of pieces, Red had only recognised it from the cat's head, which was the only part that was still mostly intact. A soggy mess of cotton stuffing and material littered the ground. Many animals had trodden over it, and it had rained last night, so the scent of the murderer was lost. So were any footprints that there might have been.
Red ran on. He could not tell how long ago the murderer had been there, but he suspected it was recently enough. He needed to reach Nibelheim. Quickly. Soon the town came into view. Red XIII sprinted to Cloud's house. Panting furiously, he approached the door. He waited a moment to catch his breath, then called:
"Cloud? Are you there?"
He heard voices and footsteps within the house. They seemed hesitant. He tried again.
"It's me, Red XIII!"
Now the footsteps approached, and the door opened. Cloud greeted him.
"Hey Red. Come on in. What brings you here?"
"I saw Aeris on the news," Red told him, entering the house. "I came as soon as I heard. I found something along the way." He proceeded to tell Cloud about his discovery of Cait Sith. Cloud shook his head.
"What do they want?" he questioned himself. "I don't understand. First Aeris, now Cait Sith... and we still don't know about Barret..."
"Barret?" Red asked.
Cloud told him about Vincent's story.
Red XIII shrugged. "I do not know what they want. We will have to stay on guard, though. The body was not too far from here, the murderer could still be close."
Yuffie stood at the door of Cloud's house, took a deep breath, and knocked. She hadn't visited him for a long time, and she wasn't sure he had quite forgiven her for being a pest a while back. She was sorry for it now, but she could not change the past.
The door opened a crack.
"Who is it?" a familiar voice asked.
"It's me," Yuffie proclaimed.
The door opened, and Cloud was there. "Oh, hey Yuffie. Come on in." Yuffie followed Cloud into the house.
"I'm so sorry to hear about Aeris," she told him. "I saw her on the news, and..." she paused, blinking away tears.
"Yeah..." Cloud murmured, his eyes downcast. "They got Cait Sith, and maybe Barret too." He brought Yuffie up to date with the recent events.
"Cait Sith..?" Yuffie asked, horrified. "I was supposed to catch up to him, but..."
"I guess it's a good thing you didn't," said Cloud, "or it could have been you, too."
Yuffie shivered. It was creepy to think that she could have been torn to shreds like that.
They arrived at the living room where Yuffie exchanged greetings with Vincent and Red XIII. She set down her bag in the doorway and sat on the couch, and chatting with Cloud.
"Hey, look," Vincent said suddenly. He indicated the television screen. He was watching the news. It showed a picture of a burning house. A house Yuffie recognised.
"Cid!" Cloud cried, horrified. However, it was not Cid who was in the house when it burned. Yuffie listened to the reporter as all eyes glued themselves to the television.
"The home of thirty-four year old Cid Highwind was burned to the ground late Saturday night," the news reporter began. "His wife, thirty-two year old Shera, whom was rescued and admitted to the hospital, passed away last night with 3rd degree burns and injuries from fallen debris. Cid Highwind was discovered some distance away-"
The scene now switched from the burning house to Cid. There were several gasps of horror around the room. He lay in the middle of a path, surrounded by a pool of blood, his spear pierced through his gut.
"It is suspected," the reporter continued, "that these events are somehow linked to the murder of twenty-four year old Aeris Gainsborough last Friday evening..."
What a horrible way to die, Yuffie thought to herself. Impaled upon your own weapon... Yuffie shivered, suffering a vision of herself with her prized Shuriken stabbed through her back. She got up, turned away from the television, and picked up her bag.
Yuffie came face to face with Tifa, who was carrying around a pile of crackers. Wordlessly, the two girls hugged each other. They had come to know each other well, and Yuffie knew that Tifa felt absolutely horrible right now. Her friends were dropping left and right.
"How are you holding out?" Yuffie inquired as they broke from the embrace.
"I'm trying my best to stay sane," Tifa replied, forcing a smile. It did not last long. Poor girl. Though she may seem to be alright during the day, Yuffie suspected she cried herself to sleep at night. She smiled back comfortingly.
"Come on into the kitchen and have a seat," Tifa invited. Yuffie followed her and sat beside her on the table. Tifa offered her a cracker from her pile. Yuffie accepted it. It was very salty, but good.
"So how are things?" Tifa asked, eating a cracker herself. "We haven't heard from you in quite a while."
"Not too bad, I guess." Yuffie replied. She reached into her pack and took out a bottle of soda. Opening it, she lifted it to her lips.
"Oh, can I please have a drink?" Tifa asked.
Yuffie paused. "Sure, Tif. Here." She handed her friend the bottle, allowing her to have first sip. Yuffie didn't really like sharing, but Tifa was a good friend, and now was really not the time to be greedy.
"Thanks," Tifa said gratefully. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a good drink. Then she stopped, making a face. Yuffie looked at her questioningly.
"This tastes kinda funny," Tifa told her. "Did you check the expiration date?" She examined the bottle, looking for one.
"Yeah, it should be fine," Yuffie said, confused and slightly insulted. "Here, let me see." Tifa handed her the bottle. The expiration date was weeks away.
Yuffie was about to take a sip of the drink herself, when Tifa began coughing and gasping for breath. Yuffie put the bottle down, startled.
"Tifa!?"
Tifa gasped again, choking violently. Then she fell to the floor, limp.
"TIFA!!!"
Yuffie's cry brought everyone rushing into the room. Cloud ran past her to the girl on the floor.
"Tifa!" he cried.
"What happened?" Vincent asked.
"W-we were just t-talking," Yuffie stuttered. "And T-tifa took a s-sip of my soda, a-and..."
Red XIII approached the bottle and sniffed it. "It is poisoned," he said. "The murderer must have slipped it into your drink when you were not paying attention."
"Poisoned!" Yuffie cried, appalled.
"She's still alive," said Cloud. He was checking Tifa's pulse.
"Let us get her to a hospital," Vincent suggested. "Quickly."
Everyone began piling out the door. Yuffie followed, numbly. She shuddered. If she had taken a drink of that herself...
Tifa woke, feeling disoriented. Her vision was blurry and all she could see was white. Was she in heaven? She could see a blurry figure wandering around. Who was that? She tried to call out to them, but all that came out was a stifled moan. The figure turned towards her, then hurried away.
As her mind and vision began to clear, Tifa realised that she was not in heaven, but in a hospital. The nurse that she had seen before returned with a doctor, who checked her over and said she would be fine and she just needed to rest. But Tifa was confused. What had happened to her? Why was she here?
Slowly, her memory returned. She had taken a sip of Yuffie's soda, and then had passed out. Someone must have tried to poison Yuffie, but Tifa had drunk the soda instead! First Aeris, then Cait Sith, then Cid and Shera, and now almost Yuffie and Tifa herself... Who was responsible for all this?
The door to Tifa's hospital room opened slowly and Yuffie stepped in, looking shaken.
"Hey Tifa," she said softly. "How you feeling?"
"Ok, I guess..." she told her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah..." Yuffie replied. "I'm so sorry Tifa, I don't know how I couldn't have noticed. My bag was beside me the whole time. That damn murderer is awfully sneaky! I hope we catch him and give him what he deserves."
"Yeah," Tifa agreed. "Me too."