Tseng XXVI: No distractions

When Rufus made an attempt to get out of the car first, Tseng quickly reached for his arm and stopped him. Instead, he directed Zack and the infanterist to get out of the car first with a wave of his hand. As they heeded the request, Rufus turned toward him and raised his eyebrows. "What's wrong? Sephiroth is out there. It should be safe." Tseng's heart was beating a little faster when he looked out the open car door to convince himself that everyone's backs were turned toward them. "I've been thinking, Mr. Vice President." Moving a little closer, he looked deep into Rufus' light blue eyes. "We won't have much time for ourselves in the coming days." He closed his eyes, put his hand behind Rufus' neck, and softly kissed his lips. He felt Rufus slightly open his mouth and return the kiss. Tseng let go and added: "I just wanted to kiss you properly before I have any regrets." Rufus smiled and whispered into Tseng's ear: "That was almost a proper kiss." He moved away and got out of the car without looking back. Tseng closed his eyes for a moment in an attempt to calm himself down.

He finally gave himself a push and got out of the car to join the others. Walking silently beside Rufus, they were flanked by Zack and the infanterist. Behind them, the car drove off and the other two vehicles successively dropped off their passengers. When everyone was gathered, a guard stepped up to them and bowed to the group. Tseng exchanged a few words with the guard, then turned back to his colleagues and began to explain the situation: "As it has been agreed in advance, they prepared eight double rooms for us." He nodded first toward Reeve Tuesti, then at Rufus Shinra. "I hope that you will agree that our VIPs need to remain under guard constantly."

Rufus Shinra rubbed his chin as he listened with mild interest. Tseng had a pretty good idea what he was thinking, but he would have to disappoint the vice president. "The two of you will be protected by one of the SOLDIERs around the clock, and so you will be sharing your rooms with them." Reeve nodded in understanding, while Rufus glanced back and forth between Sephiroth and Zack, perhaps attempting to assess who would be the better choice. Unfortunately for him, the decision had already been made. "Mr. Tuesti will be guarded by Sephiroth during the day and by Zack at night. The Vice president will be accompanied by Zack during the day and by Sephiroth at night."

A quick glance at Sephiroth told him that Rufus was not the only one unhappy with this arrangement, but there was nothing to be done about it. They were trying to make the Wutaians believe that Tuesti was the force to be reckoned with, and sending him out in the company of the Hero of Wutai (as he had been called in the Shinra newspapers) was what would draw a target on his back in the eyes of the public. Since Tseng did not expect any major incidents during the day, he had no problem with having him protected by just Zack and himself. But at night, he would sleep better knowing that Sephiroth was guarding the Vice President. He was glad to see that both Zack and Tuesti had no objections. And both Sephiroth and Rufus must be aware that they did not have any real say in the matter, and so, they did not say anything.

He continued: "The nine infanterists will work in three shifts, taking turns in guarding the VIPs. Two will be with Mr. Tuesti and the third with the Vice President. As for the Turks-" He studied Rufus again as he spoke on. "I will be with the Vice President during the day. Reno and Rude will be otherwise occupied." Tseng was glad that Rufus appeared more pleased at this revelation. "Any questions?"

There were no questions, and so he had the servants show them inside. Their rooms were located close enough to the entrance, to make certain that no one would lose their way. One the way inside, Rufus step

ped up close to him and said into his ear: "I was really hoping we'd share a room." Tseng turned halfway to the Vice President and responded with a low voice: "Let's not get distracted. Besides, you will be much safer with Sephiroth protecting you." While Tseng had undergone his own fair share of combat training, he had never excelled at it, and would be no match for Wutai's elite fighters. The vice president being behind enemy lines without a SOLDIER by his side was completely out of the question. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Sephiroth, who was walking right behind them and observing them with an expression that gave no indication what he was thinking, but Tseng pretended not to notice it. The truth was bound to come out sooner or later, but the more attention he paid to peoples' reactions, the more suspicious it would look.

The rooms were separated from the hallway by the thin wood-and-paper sliding doors typical for Wutai, and similar sliding doors were opening to inner courtyard with a garden, complete with a small pond, beautifully arranged trees and bushes with various colors of foliage, and a few small stone statues. He knew that he should be more appreciative of this display, seeing as there were no trees in Midgar and very little grass and smaller plants, and there simply was no way to experience nature, and the Shinra idea of "decoration" was very technical. But he could not help but feel that a room with doors facing two ways was not secure enough for the vice president to stay in. The only good thing about it was that it would offer two possible escape routes in case of an emergency. But still, it was not a major cause for concern because Sephiroth could fend off as many enemies as necessary, as long as he could keep his wits about him.

The VIPs and their guards settled into their rooms. Reno and Rude would share a third room, and the infanterists quickly settled on how they would occupy their rooms. Left over were Tseng and one the infanterists, who would take the remaining room together. Tseng would have very much preferred to share a room with Rufus, but since that was not possible, he did not really mind who else he would have a room with, as long as it was not Sephiroth. Somehow, the infanterist who had ridden with them on the car earlier was singled out immediately, while the remaining people paired up for their rooms, but, while Tseng noticed this, he was indifferent about it.

He went ahead to his room and the young man followed him reluctantly. Their room was a little smaller than the VIP rooms, but otherwise similar in design and décor. It had been a long time since he last stayed in Wutaian-style accommodations. He had not ever since he moved out from his parents' place, or rather, since he was pronounced dead and could not return home anymore. He had never missed sleeping with only a thin mattress separating him from the dirty floor. But seeing the sleeping arrangements in the Wutai palace now, he realized that the floors being spotless was an essential part of Wutaian living, a part that could not easily be emulated in a shack constructed from scraps found under the plate.

He placed his suitcase on the floor without bothering to unpack or do anything else in the room. The infanterist took off his helmet and gave Tseng a questioning look: "Is it really my shift, Mr. Tseng?" Suddenly, it dawned on Tseng who this boy, whose voice had sounded vaguely familiar, was. The spiky blonde hair, dark blue eyes and lanky build with arms and legs that appeared too long for his small frame, could not be confused with anyone else he had met recently. He had to interrogate his memory for a moment before he was able to remember anything beyond under which circumstances they had met. "Your name is Cloud, right?" The boy nodded. "If the Vice President wants it like that, I have no objections." Cloud saluted. "Yes, Sir!" Tseng turned to the door. "We shouldn't keep him waiting."