(Author's Note: Hello…good bye…here's the next chapter…)
Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or Squaresoft. Dete is mine but Rueh belongs to Rueh…
Chapter 6
The Trouble with Rueh and Dete
-3 Days Later-
The phone rang.
"Hello?" Vincent asked when he answered it.
"Mr. Valentine? This is Elmyra Gainsborough," the other voice said.
"Hello Elmyra. Can I help you?" he said.
"Yes…Aeris never came home tonight after school," she said.
"What? Are you sure? Maybe she stayed here for an after school activity or something," he said.
"She never said anything about it to me if she did," she said.
"I'll check the building for her and ask Red to search the city. If anyone can find her it's him," Vincent said.
"Thank you," Elmyra said and hung up. Vincent hung up and went to find Red unaware of Rueh and Dete.
"Did you hear that?" Dete asked.
"Yeah…Aeris is missing. I'll bet Hojo has her as well as Sephiroth," Rueh said.
"What could we do to help them?"
"I think I know a way…"
****
-3 Days Later-
Dete and Rueh stood outside the Shinra building.
"Where's the lab?" Dete asked looking up to the top of the building.
"Ahhh…I'd say up the stairs," Rueh said.
"You've got to be kidding me. All the way to the 67th and the 68th floor," Dete said looking at a directory on the wall once they were inside.
"I guess we better start walking," Rueh said.
****
"1,413…1,414…1,415…1,4…was that 1,415 or 1,416? Great! Now we have to start all over again!" Rueh said.
"I think not! We can take the elevator from here to the 67th floor," Dete said as they stepped into a hall on the 59th floor. They got in the elevator and rode to the 67th floor.
"Nothing here," Rueh said.
"Let's try the 68th floor," Dete said.
"The stairs will be faster," Rueh said. Dete sighed and they went up the stairs to the 68th floor. There they found Aeris unconscious in a glass cell and Sephiroth under a machine strapped down. Hojo was standing over him. Dete grabbed Rueh's arm to pull her back before Hojo saw her. Rueh looked at her. Dete shook her head.
They looked back…and met Hojo's gaze. He grinned and walked closer to them.
"Well well well…what do we have here?" he asked.
"Run away! Run away!!" Dete and Rueh yelled and ran for the door.
"Get them!" Hojo yelled. A few soldiers began to give chase.
"Stairs or elevator? Stairs or elevator?" Dete thought out loud as they jogged in place.
"Umm…they're coming!" Rueh said.
"Which one? Which one? Left or or right?"
"Left! Go left!" They ran to the left and found themselves running down the stairs. The soldiers were gaining. One grabbed Rueh's right arm. She spun in mid-stride and punched with her left. The soldier let go and tripped over his own feet. He began to fall down the stairs ahead of them. When they reached the first landing they were past him before he could react.
"One down…3 to go," Rueh said. They ran down a few more flights before the 3 soldiers caught up with them. Two tried to grab Rueh and met the same fate at the first one. They were on the second floor when the last soldier tried to catch one of them. He got close enough and grabbed the back of Dete's shirt and then stopped. The breath Dete took was cut short and her shirt collar dug in. She stumbled.
"I think not!" Rueh said and punched him. The last soldier tripped as well. Only as he fell he still had a hold of the back of Dete's shirt. She fell down the stairs as well. It was only about 3 stairs to the next landing. When Dete and the soldier hit she scrambled to her feet as Rueh caught up. The soldier grabbed her foot. She hit Rueh as she tripped and they both fell down the stairs to the floor.
"Have a nice trip?" Rueh asked when they stopped.
"Oh yes…now get off!" Dete said. Rueh got off Dete. Dete stood and they ran from the building.
"Sir! Those 2 girls got away!" a soldier said.
"Oh well. It won't matter. They can't do anything to stop me," Hojo said.
****
Rueh and Dete didn't stop running until they were in sector 5.
"Oh…my…gosh…" Dete said and slid to her knees trying to catch her breath.
"Well…that was…fun…" Rueh said breathing hard as well.
"Speak for yourself."
"Hey…looky here…its Rueh and Dete," a voice sneered.
"What do you want Rufus?" Rueh asked.
"Oh nothing much…just some payback for the paper wads you 2 threw at us," Reno said.
"Oh boo-hoo…its paper. It doesn't hurt when it hits you," Rueh said.
"So? This does," Reno said. His fist was clenched and ready to hit Rueh when he froze. Behind him Rufus was about to hit Dete but froze as well.
"Ahhh…what's that?" Elena asked. Rude and Reeve shrugged. Dete and Rueh turned to face the wall behind them. There was a shadow on the wall that looked like some kind of 4 legged animal. The shadow was getting bigger with every step it took. A second shadow appeared. This one was tall and walked on 2 legs. The shadows stopped and there was a low growl as the first prepared to spring. Rufus, Reno, Rude, Reeve, and Elena screamed and ran off.
Reno pushed Dete out of the way as they ran past. Rueh stood still as the shadows disappeared and Red and Vincent appeared. She started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Red asked.
"You 2 scared Rufus and his little gang!" she said still laughing.
"What were they doing to you 2?" Vincent asked as he helped Dete up.
"They wanted payback for throwing paper wads at them," Dete said.
"Well. Aeris' house is close by. You have a few cuts that need to be tended to," Red said looking them over.
"Oh! Speaking of Aeris we know where she and Sephiroth are," Rueh said.
"…how did you know about this? Well…not here. Tell us about it when we get to the house," Vincent said.
****
Once they got to the house Vincent cast a heal spell on the 2 girls.
"Now…what did you see at the Shinra building?" Red asked. Dete told them.
"Hmm…we'll need more information before we do anything. Would you 2 go back?" Vincent asked.
"No way," Dete said.
"Sure!" Rueh said.
Dete glared at her.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"Ha! You said yes!" Rueh said pointing at Dete.
"But you said no before I said yes," Dete said.
"So? That doesn't count," Rueh said. Dete rolled her eyes.
"Well I can't fight so you can go without me," she said.
"So I can and can't fight as well," Rueh said. Vincent and Red looked at her strangely.
"What do you mean you can and can't fight?" Vincent asked.
"I know how…it's just knowing how to fight and actual fighting are 2 different things," Rueh said standing.
"I still am not sure that I understand," he said.
"See Vincent…it's like this…" Rueh trailed off as she grabbed his arm and threw him over her head.
Vincent landed on the floor hard on his back and lay dazed.
"Now during a fight I could never do that," she said.
"Rueh!" Dete yelled.
"What?" Rueh asked with an innocent look. Dete's face was turning red from embracement and anger.
"It's not a good idea to throw the teacher like that," she said.
"Teacher? This is Vincent…he's not a teacher," Rueh said.
"He's Mr. Valentine," Dete said.
"If he's Mr. Valentine…who's Vincent?"
"The same person."
"What? How can they be the same person?" Rueh asked.
"His name is Vincent Valentine," Dete said.
"Oh…whatever," Rueh said and shrugged.
"Where did you learn to fight?" Red asked changing the subject.
"Icicle Village. Why?" Rueh said.
"Don't you live in Midgar?" Red asked.
"She does but about a year ago she moved here from Icicle Village," Dete said.
"I see," Red said.
"I don't understand…if you came from Icicle Village how come you can't fight? The people there are good fighters," Vincent said.
"Yeah well…I make things up as I go. Like have you ever heard of someone jumping on someone else's shoulders, wrapping their feet around the person's head, then flipping backwards and throwing the person?" Rueh asked.
"No I haven't," he said.
"Care to try?"
"No thanks. I'll pass."
"Oh come on!" Rueh pleaded.
"No Rueh," Dete said.
"See I'm too strong for my own good. The people up there know how to use their strength. They were never able to teach me how to during classes. In fact I never went to school till now," Rueh said.
Vincent and Red stared at her.
"Wh…what did you say?" Red asked.
"Well…I went to 12 pre-schools…one each year…" Rueh shrugged.
Vincent and Red just kept staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Never mind," Red said.
"Dete would you go back with her? 2 pairs of eyes are better than one," Vincent said.
"Oh fine…on one condition," Dete said.
"What's that?" Red asked.
"I get to go to Icicle Village and learn how to fight."
Vincent and Red looked at each other.
"Fine. 2 weeks. No more than that," Vincent said.
"All right. Let's go Rueh," Dete said.
****