Beyond Seven
By: General Quistis (generalquistis@yahoo.com) and Xu (zhakeena@yahoo.com)
Disclaimer: Oh, ya know… it goes a little somethin' like this… we don't own anything but the story plot and our sanities… duh… whatever… -_-
Authors' Notes: This is part of our plan to sow the seeds of the Rufus/Tifa shipping um… whatever! So there!
Chapter Five
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Tifa dressed up in the blue dress she wore when she had to go to Don Corneo's mansion. Though the dress gave her bad memories, she wore it anyway, because she had nothing else as elegant. Dark Nation looked up at her curiously.
"Oh, yeah, kitty… I guess you don't know about my job, huh?" The cat shook her head.
"I work at the bar. I'm a bartender and singer there… I work until midnight, you know? And sometimes it gets too tiring, and…" She stopped when she realized that she's talking to a cat. "Oh, sorry, I guess I've been blabbing mindlessly at you, huh? I guess it's been a long time that I've been alone…" She shook her head. "Okay, I'm ready! Wanna walk me over there? I'm sure my boss will let you in…" Dark Nation happily hopped near her.
They walked their usual way, including the path wherein they had to pass the ShinRa Mansion. Surprisingly, nothing and nobody stalked them.
"Hmm… I guess they gave up…" muttered Tifa. She walked a few more steps, then she and Dark Nation reached the bar.
The boss greeted Tifa, then looked at the big cat.
"Oh, you brought your pet?" he asked.
"Oh, she's not my pet, I was just taking care of her." she replied.
"Who owns the big panther, your boyfriend?" the boss joked.
Before Tifa could answer, Dark Nation nodded her head with a purr.
Tifa eyed the panther anxiously. "Uh, Kitty, are you sure you can understand us?" Dark Nation nodded, as if to say, "Yeah! Why? Do you suspect something evil from li'l old meeeeee?"
Tifa rolled her eyes and then headed for the dressing room. Dark Nation followed her, making the others stare at them as they passed by.
***
Rufus looked out the same window he found the shooting star. He was growing tenser by the minute; being in this house without Dark Nation, he thought, was an insult to his mother.
"… She gave her to me. I can't accept that she's lost…" he closed his eyes. Then, he heard somebody behind him. Or, at least, heard something behind him.
He turned around, expecting another former employee, but to his surprise, he saw…
"… Dark Nation?"
The big panther-like thing ran to him and purred happily. Rufus embraced his pet. "Goodness, where the hell have you been? I've been looking all over for you!" he told her.
With that, the panther-like animal squirmed away from him and ran out of the room. Rufus frowned. "Wait! Where are you going?" he called out as he ran after her.
Dark Nation rushed down the stairs and out the door. Rufus stopped in his tracks and observed the panther-like animal as if she's saying, "Follow me!" Rufus frowned and followed her as she got out of the gates.
The big animal led the way to the bar a few blocks away from the ShinRa Mansion. Before Rufus could enter, he noticed that Dark Nation had disappeared in a dark hallway. Rufus went after her but he stopped when he found that the area was too dark to explore where she went, so he just decided to just go inside the bar. "Why the hell would she want me to go here?" he thought silently as the guard-on-duty greeted him. "Oh… good evening… sir,"
Rufus wondered if the guard was able to identify him. "I hope not… unless I'd like some Turks lurking around my path…" he thought miserably as he made his way to the vacant table before the stage. He sat down comfortably as the waiter approached him. "Yes, sir? What would you like to have to have?" the waiter asked.
"Red wine." Rufus replied.
With that, the waiter left.
It was already 9 in the evening and he still wondered where Dark Nation was.
Then the audience began to applaud which surprised Rufus. He ignored the applause as he focused on the pianist performing on-stage. He looked down to the ground as he listened to the tune playing. He recalled his own mother teaching him how to play the piano, but he shook out the memory because he knew that it would just make him long for his mother and give him the urge to cry… and crying has been a big no-no for him.
He looked up at the stage again. He saw somebody walking up there. The audience applauded louder.
As the performer went nearer to the center, Rufus wore a surprised face when he recognized who it was.
Tifa did not bother to eye her audience carefully as she got the microphone and smiled. "Hi, good evening to all of you!" she said over the mic. Almost all of the spectators smiled at her except for the blonde guy seated on one of the front tables who caught her attention. Her eyes grew wide upon seeing him. "What the…" she thought in alarm.
Rufus caught a good glimpse of her staring back at him. The two were in awe upon seeing each other. Rufus was about to say something to her but her boss called her attention, "Tifa, what are you doing? The audience would like to hear your lovely voice again!"
Tifa suddenly didn't know what to sing or the words from the songs from the playlist, so she just said, "Uh… any requests?" she asked.
No one answered.
Rufus spoke up, "How about that song that you were singing last night?" he asked.
"Wh…what song?" she asked.
He smiled slyly as he flipped his hair. "I think it was the last song you performed last night," he said.
Tifa nodded. "O…okay…" she replied before she cued the pianist.
The pianist shrugged. Tifa found out that the pianist was a new one. She frowned slightly and turned to Rufus. "I'm sorry… I think the pianist doesn't know the song…" she began.
Rufus frowned as he went up the stage and went to the pianist. "Let me at it, mister." He said.
The pianist stared up at him, recognizing his face. "P…President Rufus?" the pianist whispered.
"Who do you expect, Cloud Strife? Now get lost," he whispered threateningly. The pianist nodded and got away from the piano.
Tifa watched curiously (and nervously) as Rufus sat down facing the piano and stared at the keys for a while. Finally, he began to play, but Tifa wasn't singing. She was very stunned. So, he started to sing continuously for her.
"Millionaire say, 'got a big shot deal' and thrown it all away but, but I'm not too sure how I'm supposed to feel or what I'm supposed to say but,"
Though confused, Tifa did the second voice for him as he proceeded "I'm not, not sure, not too sure how it feels to handle everyday… and I miss you love,"
The audience was quiet, listening to their voices combined.
***
Outside, Scarlet and Reno were passing by the bar and they stopped when they heard the singing from inside. "Aw ignore that. Let's proceed to look for Rufus," Scarlet said.
"Can't we just drop in for a while?" Reno asked.
"Oh, whatever," she replied as she opened the door to the bar and they entered. They stopped in their tracks when they saw Rufus and Tifa on-stage.
"What the…" Scarlet had managed to say in awe.
Reno's mouth dropped open as he stared in horror at the two.
Then, from behind them, they heard a familiar voice saying, "Excuse me, I need to pass,"
Reno turned around and saw a spiky-haired blonde guy. "YOU!" he yelled.
Everyone stopped and turned to them. Rufus frowned and slammed his hands on the piano keys, making a horrible sound. Tifa was surprised and she shrieked a little as she dropped the microphone.
Rufus stood up from the piano and went to Tifa. "Where is Dark Nation?" he asked.
Cloud saw Rufus talking to Tifa. His eyes flared dangerously that Reno and Scarlet knew that they had to move away from him.
The ex-SOLDIER stormed through the people, up the stage, and grabbed Rufus by the collar. "YOU! I thought you were dead!!! What the hell are you doing here? Huh?!" he demanded angrily.
Rufus pushed him away from himself. "Get your dirty hands off me, Strife." He snarled. Then, from behind them, Dark Nation pounced from nowhere, but before she could do something to Cloud, he moved away from Rufus. Dark Nation stood before Tifa and Rufus, snarling angrily at Cloud.
"Wha… Kitty, what has gotten into you?!" Tifa managed to say.
Cloud looked at the angry panther, then to Tifa. "Tifa… What on earth is going on in here?! What, after we destroy Sephiroth, I find you with…" He glared at Rufus. "… him? This scummy bastard?!"
Dark Nation just got more agitated. She hissed, and held up a threatening paw.
"Kitty," Tifa said, calling her attention. The panther-like animal stopped and turned to her and began to purr again.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Cloud," Tifa snapped at the spiky-haired man.
"You don't know what I'm talking about? What the…" Cloud was about to say something else but Rufus had cut him off by saying, "Didn't you hear the girl? I don't even have the intention of talking to this girl, however she seems to have taken care of Dark Nation." He snapped as he pushed Cloud away from his path as he walked going to Reno and Scarlet. "Let's go, Dark Nation," he called out.
Dark Nation looked up at Tifa with sad eyes. "Meowrgh…"
Tifa smiled gently and felt tears stinging her eyes. She knelt down and hugged the big panther-like animal. "I'm going to miss you," she said sadly before she let the cat go. Dark Nation snuggled her head close to Tifa's face. "Aww, c'mon, Dark Nation… go to… to Rufus now, he's waiting for you," she said sadly.
Rufus stiffened before he turned back to Tifa and Dark Nation. Then, he noticed that the audience was already beginning to leave the bar.
Tifa turned to look at Rufus then Cloud.
Dark Nation took one last look at Tifa before she turned to Cloud and hissed angrily. Cloud frowned and eyed Dark Nation angrily before the panther headed for Rufus.
Tifa stood up and turned away from them, wiping her tears away.
Before Rufus and Dark Nation could exit, he remembered something…
"Aerith," he whispered, loud enough for Cloud to hear.
Cloud's ears tingled the moment he heard the name. His frown deepened as he called Rufus's attention with a stiff tone, "Did you say something?" he asked.
Rufus stopped in his tracks. "Aerith said that you should wait for her." he told him.
Cloud's eyes grew wide.
Tifa turned back to Rufus.
Reno and Scarlet were in awe. "What's he saying?" Reno whispered to her. She shrugged.
"You should stop kidding around, ShinRa," Cloud began.
"I'm not kidding around, Strife." Rufus said with an annoyed tone as he flipped his hair again and turned to Cloud with a stern look on his face. "In fact, why don't you find out for yourself? I can just kill you so that you can meet her in the Lifestream." He said with a sly smile.
Cloud felt like bursting from anger as he clenched his fists and ran to Rufus, pulling out his big sword (I forgot what it's called, sowee…).
Tifa covered her eyes, afraid to see what he would do to Rufus, but she eventually removed her hands from her own eyes when she heard someone running up the stage and grabbing her from behind, strangling her. "Put down that weapon, Cloud Strife, or else your girlfriend gets it!" Reno snapped, pointing his materia at Tifa's neck.
Tifa was enraged and so she tried to squirm away. "Girlfriend? Who's got a girlfriend? I ain't his girlfriend for cryin' out loud!" she screamed angrily before she did a back kick and it was direct hit in the nuts.
"OW!" Reno screamed in agony, making Scarlet, Cloud and Rufus blink. Dark Nation turned away with a soft whimper.
Reno released Tifa and she faced him, punching his face repeatedly before kicking him to the wall. Then, she kicked his junk, her heels hitting where it really hurt. "Ow, dammit! Watch where you're kicking, lady!" Reno snapped.
Tifa gave him one last blow before she rushed to Cloud. He blinked in awe, "Tifa are you okay?" he asked.
But she gave him an upper cut.
Rufus took a step back. Tifa sneered at everyone. "Now, who's my boyfriend again?" she demanded before she walked out of the bar, leaving everyone completely puzzled.