Chapter 38

The sun wasn't even all the way up the following morning when Tseng shook Cheryl awake. Having his face be the first thing she saw brought a smile to her lips. However, it didn't last long when memories of the night before filtered in—especially with the blank look on his face. She groaned and put an arm over her eyes as she said, "Do I really have to face them again?"

Despite the tense situation, a tinge of humor could be heard in Tseng's voice as he said, "Would it not be better to get this over with?"

Cheryl lowered her arm slowly and gave her boyfriend a suspicious look. "What has happened?"

There was a slight upturn of Tseng's lips as he shook his head and stood before holding out a hand to help her up. "I have already spoken with the director, and it would seem that he spent the night looking for the documents you mentioned with Vincent. Both are currently downstairs and talking."

She took his offered hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet as she asked, "Does that mean they are not as pissed off as last night?"

Tseng didn't answer immediately and instead pulled her into a tight embrace. That didn't keep her from seeing the troubled look in his eyes before she buried her face in his chest. They stood there in silence for several seconds before he finally answered, "They found some of the documentation you mentioned, but I am still unsure of the director's plans. He has been notably quiet about you in my presence."

His words were less than comforting but not shocking. She pulled back enough to look into his eyes and said, "I'm sorry that I seem to have made your job more difficult than it has to be. I don't know what I could say to him to prove he can still trust you, but I can try."

Pride and a hint of humor passed through his eyes before he shook his head and smirked as he said, "By this point, it might be best if you don't try. Besides, I am reasonably confident you have more than proven yourself. As long as you are safe, there is no need for a confrontation."

Cheryl had no doubt that he had meant those words to be reassuring, but they made her gut writhe uncomfortably as she stepped out of the circle of his arms. A frown was barely kept at bay as she lowered her voice and said, "Despite what I may think of the previous leadership within Shinra, it was never my intention to put you in a position where you might have to choose. Your loyalty to Veld and the other Turks has always impressed me, and I don't want to be the reason it is shaken."

Any trace of humor disappeared from Tseng's expression. He didn't move right away, either. Instead, he watched her eyes for several seconds before he reached out and took her hand. His grip was tight even if his face did not betray what he thought as he finally said, "I see no reason why my loyalty would come under scrutiny, but I have already made my decision as to where my priorities lie. I will take whatever measures necessary to keep you safe—no exceptions."

His words left no room for misinterpretation, yet despite the hint of violence behind them, they caused a swell of warmth to settle in Cheryl's chest. A grin spread across her face that had him lifting a questioning brow, but she didn't give him a chance to ask. Instead, she pulled on his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist when he stepped closer. Her embrace was loose as she smiled up at him and said, "I may not have the training you do or the experience, but I can reassure you that I love you and will do what I can to make sure it never comes to that."

Cheryl wasn't sure if the tick in his jaw was in response to her open declaration or if he was just trying to keep from smiling, but it didn't stop him from leaning down for a swift kiss before he stepped away and straightened his collar and cuffs. Once he was assured they were perfect, he looked back at her and said, "There is no point in continuing this speculation. The others are waiting, and I believe we should join them quickly. I have not heard as much, but I suspect we will be leaving to go back to Midgar later today."

Cheryl didn't need to be an expert in body language to recognize the gesture as his way of ensuring his iron control wasn't cracking, but she didn't bother saying anything. Just seeing it was enough for her to know her words were more than reciprocated. Instead, she took his outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her downstairs to where Veld and Vincent were waiting.

Once they made it downstairs, he led her into the dining room, where Veld and Vincent were sitting at the table in a hushed conversation. As soon as the door opened, their voices halted, and both men looked directly at Cheryl. It might have made her step back if she hadn't been so shocked that Veld wasn't wearing his perpetual frown.

Her shock was enough that there was no resistance from her as Tseng pulled her into the room and gently guided her to a chair. It wasn't until he helped her push the seat in that she finally said what was on her mind. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see your mood improved, but it does beg the question; what has changed?"

A hint of Veld's usual glare appeared at her prodding, but it faded quickly as he sighed and tiredly ran a hand down his face. "We were able to locate a good deal of Professor Crescent's research. I was also able to share the data that was retrieved from Modeoheim with Vincent. Between those things, we have established enough to know you have not been lying."

He paused and pinned her with an unreadable look before he continued, "It is still hard to wrap my head around, but I don't see any point in dragging this out longer."

He then turned his gaze to Tseng as he said, "With that thing gone, there is no point in us staying here. Its absence is also a reason for us to hurry back to Midgar to coordinate a full-scale investigation into Hojo's whereabouts. It is no longer a case of ensuring he didn't abscond with any sensitive data."

"Martial Arts and Gun will remain here to finish going through the library, but we will be leaving within the hour. Be prepared."

Tseng saluted before he turned to Cheryl and said, "There is food set out in the kitchen. I will be back to get you before we leave."

She smiled and gave him a quick nod before he left to finish preparations with the rest. Almost as soon as she entered the kitchen door, she noticed that Vincent had followed. All she had to do was raise one brow before he said, "Chaos does not speak to me, but I have been able to garner a few things from him each time he has tried to surface, which has been far more often since yesterday."

Vincent's constant struggle with Chaos was something Cheryl hadn't thought about with everything else going on, but his statement had guilt squirming beneath her skin, whether it was directly her fault or not. "I apologize. It wasn't—"

Before she could finish speaking, Vincent cut her off. "I have seen enough to doubt you caused this purposely. It is not my intention to blame you. Though I do have questions."

His statement was so unexpected that Cheryl didn't bother to try and respond, so he continued, "I have figured out that your soul is not complete. According to the video, you still have many lifetimes to assimilate. Yet, I have the impression that your soul is not singular, either."

A sigh escaped before Cheryl could reel it in. Though she shouldn't have been surprised that Vincent, or rather Chaos, had noticed. "Honestly, I don't know much about what is happening either. However, I can tell you that I don't think what happened to me is typical. All I can say is that I have two lifetimes' worth of experience, but there are many more iterations of my soul that are yet to be combined. I doubt that answers your questions, but it's all I have."

Vincent watched her with sharp eyes for several seconds before he turned and opened the door. He paused before he exited but didn't look at her as he said, "It will be difficult while we travel, but keep your distance. We cannot afford for Chaos to escape, and your presence constantly agitates him."

Cheryl felt a slight sting at Vincent's abrupt departure, but she tried to think of it logically. He had a point. If he could not keep Chaos under control, there was no telling how bad it might get. Instead of worrying about it, she tried to put it from her mind and find something to eat—even if her appetite was all but gone.

The trip back to Midgar had been long and tense. The only reason Cheryl was able to stay sane was Tseng's presence, even if they had less time together since the other two Turks had stayed in Nibelheim. At least Veld's attitude had done a complete 180. He didn't talk to her much, but he also didn't frown at her all the time. She'd take that improvement any day.

It was late afternoon when they finally arrived in Midgar. As guilty as it made her feel, Cheryl was glad she didn't have to join Tseng and Veld when they went to Rufus for a debrief. He had already given her permission to take the rest of the evening off. Unfortunately, that also meant that Tseng wasn't allowed to accompany her back to her apartment, but he did make sure another Turk was available to escort her. It felt weird having a stranger walk her home, but at least the woman was quiet. Something she was thankful for after the stress of the last several weeks.

That quiet was shattered as soon as Cheryl exited the building. She hadn't even made it to the bottom of the stairs before she heard a familiar voice call her name right before she was grabbed in a hug so tight that it lifted her off her feet. Despite not being able to see who had held her, Cheryl instantly recognized her friend's voice as he said, "I was so worried. Everything was crazy after the assassination, but I was told you were transferred. Before I could even check on you, they said you got deployed on a Turk mission."

Cheryl felt a little guilty that she hadn't been able to tell Zack she was leaving, but it wasn't like she had a choice in the matter. She did manage to smile at him when he finally let her go. "Sorry for worrying you, but I'm okay."

Instead of looking reassured, Zack frowned and pulled her a short distance away from the female Turk before he lowered his voice and said, "You know I won't try and tell you what you should do, but did your boyfriend get you into this? Are they trying to recruit you? I mean, I thought that trip last month was a cover for wanting to take a vacation with Tseng but was it really a mission?"

Unease crept down Cheryl's spine as her mind tried to organize what she wanted to say. She didn't want to lie to Zack, but she couldn't tell him the truth. Instead, she managed another smile as she said, "Don't worry about it. He hasn't done anything to jeopardize me, and I trust that he won't. And no, they don't want me as Turk."

The idea of her being a Turk was just ludicrous enough that she laughed before she said, "Could you really see me in that line of work? I'd probably shoot Reno the first time he mouthed off, and we both know that wouldn't take long."

Her last statement seemed to have done the trick, and Zack laughed along with her. The two of them talked for a few more minutes, and he garnered a promise that she would go out with the group in a few days. She still felt guilty when they finally parted, but at least she was glad to see him smiling. There was no telling how much longer he would be able to do so, given the fact they still had a lot to do, but she could appreciate it until then.

Once Zack was gone, Cheryl turned back to the Turk that was waiting and shot her an awkward smile. "Thanks for giving me a few minutes. I haven't seen my friends since before everything got crazy."

The woman, Knives, only lifted one brow as she responded, "Ma'am, I have been given orders to not let you out of my sight unless you are in your apartment or with the Director, the President, or our Second-in-Command. What you do is your business; I'll be here no matter what."

Cheryl wasn't exactly shocked by the response, but that didn't keep her from looking away uncomfortably. She still wasn't used to having a bodyguard, and she wasn't sure if it would garner the wrong kind of attention or not. Not that her opinion mattered. Plus, she had a hefty dose of respect for the Turks as a whole and could admit to feeling a little easier knowing that she had a person around in case things did go to hell—well, worse than they already had.

The next few days flew by in a hectic blur. Although, there was something just a little off. Cheryl reported to Rufus every morning, and he did spend time with her going over the details of what she knew. However, the trip to Nibelheim was barely mentioned. No one said a word to her about Vincent, Jenova, or Hojo. It wasn't that she was keen to talk about any of it, but not hearing anything put her on edge. She doubted they weren't doing anything about what was turned up. Instead, she felt she was being kept in the dark.

Not even Tseng was forthcoming the few times she was able to talk to him alone. She hated that he hadn't visited her after hours since their return, but with a constant guard on her around the clock, she figured it would only cause issues for him too. At least Reno wasn't of the ones assigned to her. Not that he wouldn't have been, but he had been sent on a mission that no one wanted to talk about. The only good news was that Veld started treating her with respect.

As tense as things were, Cheryl wasn't sure if she was happy or pissed when the situation finally came to a head Friday afternoon. She was in Rufus's office with him, but they were each absorbed in their own tasks. Her head shot up to focus on the stairs as soon as she heard Tseng's voice. "Sir, we have had a break in the investigation."

He didn't add anything, but Rufus looked up and pinned him with that blank look she had come to associate with his intense focus. He didn't even need to say anything before Tseng continued. "I have already informed Directors Veld and Deuscericus to be on alert for your summons. I also believe—"

Cheryl was absolutely sure it was not a conscious action for Tseng, but his gaze flicked to her when he cut off. Although the pause was barely noticeable before he continued, "It may be best to have Miss Valliere present as well."

Rufus lifted one brow as he barely turned to look at Cheryl. Not that she had the capacity to react to the question in his eyes. She was too busy wondering what the hell they could possibly need her help with now that they had as much information as she could give them.

Thankfully her silence didn't seem to bother the President as he turned to Tseng with his response. "Have the two directors meet us in the conference room in fifteen minutes. Miss Valliere and I will be waiting there."

Tseng nodded once curtly before his eyes slid to her once more. Something in them caused a chill to go down her spine and did not help her keep calm in the slightest. Only Rufus's ever-observant gaze kept her from losing it and going after her boyfriend for an explanation.

Once Tseng was gone, Rufus stood and gestured toward the stairs as he said, "Please make sure to bring your notebook." Cheryl didn't even bother rolling her eyes at the unnecessary reminder.

Thankfully the awkward and tense wait did not last long. Both Lazard and Veld arrived a few minutes after Cheryl and Rufus. Tseng was right behind them. Although, Cheryl was shocked to see a tired-looking Reno follow him in. Apparently, Veld was the only one besides Tseng not to be surprised by the man's attendance.

As soon as the doors were closed, Tseng gestured for Reno to approach the group. He wore a sour look as he dropped a folder on the table and slid it toward Veld as he said, "We still don't have a heading for Hojo, but we caught a break. Seems the people he's travelin' with are even more nuts than he is. We followed up on a lead an' found one of the men he was sighted with. He was pretty messed up but alive enough for questionin'. Most of it was crazy ass shit, but you asked for any info. Not sure what good it'll do."

Veld pulled the folder closer as he said, "You're dismissed. We'll let you know if we have any questions."

Reno let out a gusty sigh as he turned to leave. He only paused long enough to shoot Cheryl a grin and wink as he said, "Damn good thing I got back in time for a party."

Cheryl desperately wanted to roll her eyes at his constant jabs but was satisfied that Tseng sent him a reprimanding look. Not that it did any good. Reno was still grinning and whistling an off-beat tune as he walked out.

Thankfully, everyone else was preoccupied with the folder. Once Reno was gone, Veld flipped through the contents before he handed out several packets he pulled from inside. The next several minutes were spent in silence as everyone but Tseng read through the information gathered from the man they captured.

The silence was finally broken by a ragged gasp from Cheryl. She was still covering her mouth with both hands when she looked up to see all four men staring at her with varying degrees of curiosity and condemnation.

Rufus was the first to speak. "Miss Valliere, it would seem there is still information you have yet to share. Would you care to enlighten us on what Black Materia refers to?"

A/N: I know that is an illegal cliffhanger, but I hope it whets your appetite for what is coming. As I said, once I decided I wanted to take this one past the swapping of the two souls, I really got hit with a ton of inspiration. I am excited to get this one going more, or at least as often as I can. I have a feeling this will be the one I finish next. For now, let me know what you think. Thanks for reading, and cheers!