Chapter 7
Shera Highwind hummed softly to herself as she folded yet another of her beloved 'Captain's' t-shirts, straightening it as she let it drop back into the laundry basket, getting up. Placing it on a curved hip, still humming, she made her way slowly to their bedroom.
It was funny, how that thought still sent a shiver of happiness down her spine at the simple thought of 'their' room. It had taken Cid Highwind a long time to admit he harbored feelings for her, even longer to express how he really felt for her, and a year or two till he finally proposed.
She smiled happily, thinking about the proposal, his face nervous, his blue eyes avoiding hers, though when they meet, they had been crystal clear. It was funny, and the memory left her feeling the tingles of happiness coursing through her veins. Cid had the strangest way of showing his love for someone, usually barking out and cursing at her, though she didn't mind really. She knew he didn't mean it at all, his eyes betraying his affection for her. She grinned again, pushing the door open as she set the basket down, humming as she tucked the comforters on the bed more comfortably around the bed.
Intent on her task, she didn't notice the shadows draping suspiciously all over the house, as if to choke it and silence it before the house could warn its faithful owner we kept it sparkling clean.
Suddenly the piercing doorbell rang, slicing the silence effectively, and Shera looked up, startled from her reverie and task. With a slight shrug, she walked out the door, descending the wooden stairs silently, tucking a few strands of her brown hair behind her ear.
Who could it be? Cid wasn't expected home until late at night, having already called her to inform her so she wouldn't worry, which she did anyway, and she had already dropped off their neighbor's son safely back home, finding it no trouble to care for the boy when she desperately wanted her own. But then again, she wondered if Cid would be the father type.
She giggled slightly at the though, unbolting the door with a slight shake of her head. She just hoped her child wasn't born with a cigarette in their mouth, if she ever convinced Cid they should have 'a little urchin'.
"Yes?" Shera said, peeking her head out the doorway, smiling politely, spying an intimidating looking man with long silver hair, his cat like green eyes flickering over her face with a glance that made her shiver, only making her push her glasses back up the bridge of her nose nervously.
"Shera Highwind?" He asked coolly, his gaze flickering across her appearance, and she blinked, tilting her head to the side. Who was he? He certainly didn't look familiar. Maybe he was one of Cid's co-workers or something of the sort.
"Yes?" She asked again, and a slight smirk curved the man's lips, sending a chill down her spine.
"Good." Was all he said, and with a sudden flick of his wrist, Shera fell forward into the inky darkness that surrounded her, oblivious to the silver haired man gathering her up and turning, his boots thudding against the floor, back to a sleek looking car, but not before tacking a note to the doorway.
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Cid Highwind yawned, stretching his long limbs, glad to be out of this stupid h***hole that was his office. No more little idiots running around whining and crying and pissing all over themselves. Well, until tomorrow anyway. With a somewhat happy grin on his face at the prospect of going home after the long boring hours, Cid picked up his jacket, slipping it over his arms as he strolled out the office, nodding occasionally to people who wished him a good night.
Huh, all he wanted was to prop his aching feet up and sleep. Or a cup of tea. That sounded good too, after a long day of hollering at the people who worked for him. His lips curved up with a slight smirk as he walked out to his car, digging into his pocket for his keys, fumbling for them before sliding into his car, making the boring, not at all scenic drive to his home a few blocks down from his office complex.
He hummed a tune that Shera often did, grinning at the thought of her, an affectionate look over taking him. Shera was the reason he got up every morning, not to go to work. Sure, he loved his job, but sometimes there were some people, who will go unnamed (Reno), that made his life a living h***.
With a slight sigh, he parked his car in the garage, shoving his hands roughly into his pockets and hopping up the front steps, only to pause at the note, and with a yank, brought it closer to his face, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
Then, with a loud growl, he tore it up, quickly searching the whole house but coming up with nothing. F***. Less than two minutes later, he was on the phone, his eyes narrowed.
"Hello?" He blinked, raising an eyebrow. What the h*** was Reno doing over at Valentine's house? His brows knit together in concentration, pushing all questions aside for now. Shera was in danger, and he needed to see if Valentine had found out anything worth interest.
"Let me talk to Valentine." The tone in his voice left no argument, and he heard the soft click and footsteps of Reno. He heard a female voice in the background, probably that girl's, and a slight ruffle of cloth.
"Hello." He heard Vincent's calm voice, and Cid instantly felt his eye start to twitch, though his mouth twitched into a slight smile. If there was one thing to count on, it was Valentine's inability to get angry or lose his cool. Sometimes he wondered what it would take to get a rise out of him, but for the sake of keeping him pleasant, he humored him.
"Valentine, I need to know if you found out anything about Shinra." Cid said briskly, all business, and he heard Vincent pause on the other line, and Cid switched tactics. "Shera's been kidnapped by those d*** Shinra b******s, so tell me anything Valentine. If anything happens to her . . . " He let the sentence hang, his voice heavy with worry, because he didn't want to think about it. But, if anything happened to her, then they might as well shoot a bullet through his skull too.
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Vincent remained passive for a moment, looking down at Tifa, who was humming as she stared out the window, her eyes distant. Shera had been kidnapped by Shinra, and he hadn't gotten one single tidbit about Shinra except the weird fact about Sephiroth hunting in the full moon, and he had a suspicion that Cid wouldn't be the least bit interested about that.
Just the thought of Sephiroth sent another burn in his side, and he winced a bit, drawing Tifa's attention. She blinked and looked at him, moving to come forward, though he shook his head.
"Valentine?" He heard Cid bark impatiently, and he sighed, glancing back at Tifa, who had paused and was now looking at him in concern.
"Hold on." Without any further warning, Vincent turned his piercing gaze to Tifa, who froze, her eyes instantly widening like a deer caught in the headlights. As much as he hated to resort to this tactic with her, he would have too. It meant the difference between a life or death situation. Who knew what Shinra wanted with Shera. "Tell me everything about Shinra. Now." His voice left no questions, just answers, and Tifa flinched, looking up at Reno, whose eyes had suddenly gone cold, his face emotionless as he stared back down at her, as if to condemn her.
She shivered, and Vincent must have noticed for his gaze became a little softer, and he tilted his head to the side to look at her.
"It's for a woman I know. Shera Highwind. They kidnapped her and her husband is frantic." Tifa paused, her eyes flitting back to the window. She should tell anyway, Cloud wouldn't come after her, instead had kidnapped an innocent person. Or maybe it had been someone else, but who? Rufus? Sephiroth? She wasn't so sure. But she knew that the police had been a thorn in Shinra's side for a long time, and even she had heard about Cid Highwind being the head honcho, but she had never heard about his wife, Shera.
"They probably kidnapped her because they want to get rid of Cid Highwind. It's probably a trap, so that the rest of the police force will know not to tangle with Shinra's affairs." Tifa paused, her gaze resting on her clenched hands, and she sighed, shaking her head as she tilted her gaze so it rose to meet Vincent's, his look attentive.
"Do you know where they might hide her? What they might do to her? What do they normally do to people they kidnap?" Reno pressed, and Tifa looked up at him, her eyes all wide, feeling her throat constrict. His questions rang loudly in her mind, and she shut her eyes quickly.
"T-T-They rough them up. Usually they are kept in the dungeon at the bottom part of Shinra, though only high executives can get there." Tifa said reluctantly. One step away from Cloud, one leap away from Shinra, one tiny step toward freedom. But was betraying Cloud worth freedom? She laughed silently to herself. She obviously wasn't worth enough to come after himself, so why bother with him anymore. It was strange, Vincent had been more 'kind' to her than Cloud ever was.
"What kind of high executives?" Reno asked, and Tifa looked up, a smile on her lips as she turned to face Vincent, who looked somewhat pensive, as if he already knew the answer.
"Why, the head honchos and their women of course."
~*Author's Notes*~ Yea, kinda strange chapter. Yup, that's about it. Sorry if this chapter was kinda weird, but I was watching the T.V. during this, so yea. The T.V. is evil! Hehe, well, yes, poor Shera was tangled up in this whole mess. Well, anyway, please read and review, and I would love constructive criticism for this . . . uh . . . chapter.
Shera Highwind hummed softly to herself as she folded yet another of her beloved 'Captain's' t-shirts, straightening it as she let it drop back into the laundry basket, getting up. Placing it on a curved hip, still humming, she made her way slowly to their bedroom.
It was funny, how that thought still sent a shiver of happiness down her spine at the simple thought of 'their' room. It had taken Cid Highwind a long time to admit he harbored feelings for her, even longer to express how he really felt for her, and a year or two till he finally proposed.
She smiled happily, thinking about the proposal, his face nervous, his blue eyes avoiding hers, though when they meet, they had been crystal clear. It was funny, and the memory left her feeling the tingles of happiness coursing through her veins. Cid had the strangest way of showing his love for someone, usually barking out and cursing at her, though she didn't mind really. She knew he didn't mean it at all, his eyes betraying his affection for her. She grinned again, pushing the door open as she set the basket down, humming as she tucked the comforters on the bed more comfortably around the bed.
Intent on her task, she didn't notice the shadows draping suspiciously all over the house, as if to choke it and silence it before the house could warn its faithful owner we kept it sparkling clean.
Suddenly the piercing doorbell rang, slicing the silence effectively, and Shera looked up, startled from her reverie and task. With a slight shrug, she walked out the door, descending the wooden stairs silently, tucking a few strands of her brown hair behind her ear.
Who could it be? Cid wasn't expected home until late at night, having already called her to inform her so she wouldn't worry, which she did anyway, and she had already dropped off their neighbor's son safely back home, finding it no trouble to care for the boy when she desperately wanted her own. But then again, she wondered if Cid would be the father type.
She giggled slightly at the though, unbolting the door with a slight shake of her head. She just hoped her child wasn't born with a cigarette in their mouth, if she ever convinced Cid they should have 'a little urchin'.
"Yes?" Shera said, peeking her head out the doorway, smiling politely, spying an intimidating looking man with long silver hair, his cat like green eyes flickering over her face with a glance that made her shiver, only making her push her glasses back up the bridge of her nose nervously.
"Shera Highwind?" He asked coolly, his gaze flickering across her appearance, and she blinked, tilting her head to the side. Who was he? He certainly didn't look familiar. Maybe he was one of Cid's co-workers or something of the sort.
"Yes?" She asked again, and a slight smirk curved the man's lips, sending a chill down her spine.
"Good." Was all he said, and with a sudden flick of his wrist, Shera fell forward into the inky darkness that surrounded her, oblivious to the silver haired man gathering her up and turning, his boots thudding against the floor, back to a sleek looking car, but not before tacking a note to the doorway.
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Cid Highwind yawned, stretching his long limbs, glad to be out of this stupid h***hole that was his office. No more little idiots running around whining and crying and pissing all over themselves. Well, until tomorrow anyway. With a somewhat happy grin on his face at the prospect of going home after the long boring hours, Cid picked up his jacket, slipping it over his arms as he strolled out the office, nodding occasionally to people who wished him a good night.
Huh, all he wanted was to prop his aching feet up and sleep. Or a cup of tea. That sounded good too, after a long day of hollering at the people who worked for him. His lips curved up with a slight smirk as he walked out to his car, digging into his pocket for his keys, fumbling for them before sliding into his car, making the boring, not at all scenic drive to his home a few blocks down from his office complex.
He hummed a tune that Shera often did, grinning at the thought of her, an affectionate look over taking him. Shera was the reason he got up every morning, not to go to work. Sure, he loved his job, but sometimes there were some people, who will go unnamed (Reno), that made his life a living h***.
With a slight sigh, he parked his car in the garage, shoving his hands roughly into his pockets and hopping up the front steps, only to pause at the note, and with a yank, brought it closer to his face, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
Then, with a loud growl, he tore it up, quickly searching the whole house but coming up with nothing. F***. Less than two minutes later, he was on the phone, his eyes narrowed.
"Hello?" He blinked, raising an eyebrow. What the h*** was Reno doing over at Valentine's house? His brows knit together in concentration, pushing all questions aside for now. Shera was in danger, and he needed to see if Valentine had found out anything worth interest.
"Let me talk to Valentine." The tone in his voice left no argument, and he heard the soft click and footsteps of Reno. He heard a female voice in the background, probably that girl's, and a slight ruffle of cloth.
"Hello." He heard Vincent's calm voice, and Cid instantly felt his eye start to twitch, though his mouth twitched into a slight smile. If there was one thing to count on, it was Valentine's inability to get angry or lose his cool. Sometimes he wondered what it would take to get a rise out of him, but for the sake of keeping him pleasant, he humored him.
"Valentine, I need to know if you found out anything about Shinra." Cid said briskly, all business, and he heard Vincent pause on the other line, and Cid switched tactics. "Shera's been kidnapped by those d*** Shinra b******s, so tell me anything Valentine. If anything happens to her . . . " He let the sentence hang, his voice heavy with worry, because he didn't want to think about it. But, if anything happened to her, then they might as well shoot a bullet through his skull too.
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Vincent remained passive for a moment, looking down at Tifa, who was humming as she stared out the window, her eyes distant. Shera had been kidnapped by Shinra, and he hadn't gotten one single tidbit about Shinra except the weird fact about Sephiroth hunting in the full moon, and he had a suspicion that Cid wouldn't be the least bit interested about that.
Just the thought of Sephiroth sent another burn in his side, and he winced a bit, drawing Tifa's attention. She blinked and looked at him, moving to come forward, though he shook his head.
"Valentine?" He heard Cid bark impatiently, and he sighed, glancing back at Tifa, who had paused and was now looking at him in concern.
"Hold on." Without any further warning, Vincent turned his piercing gaze to Tifa, who froze, her eyes instantly widening like a deer caught in the headlights. As much as he hated to resort to this tactic with her, he would have too. It meant the difference between a life or death situation. Who knew what Shinra wanted with Shera. "Tell me everything about Shinra. Now." His voice left no questions, just answers, and Tifa flinched, looking up at Reno, whose eyes had suddenly gone cold, his face emotionless as he stared back down at her, as if to condemn her.
She shivered, and Vincent must have noticed for his gaze became a little softer, and he tilted his head to the side to look at her.
"It's for a woman I know. Shera Highwind. They kidnapped her and her husband is frantic." Tifa paused, her eyes flitting back to the window. She should tell anyway, Cloud wouldn't come after her, instead had kidnapped an innocent person. Or maybe it had been someone else, but who? Rufus? Sephiroth? She wasn't so sure. But she knew that the police had been a thorn in Shinra's side for a long time, and even she had heard about Cid Highwind being the head honcho, but she had never heard about his wife, Shera.
"They probably kidnapped her because they want to get rid of Cid Highwind. It's probably a trap, so that the rest of the police force will know not to tangle with Shinra's affairs." Tifa paused, her gaze resting on her clenched hands, and she sighed, shaking her head as she tilted her gaze so it rose to meet Vincent's, his look attentive.
"Do you know where they might hide her? What they might do to her? What do they normally do to people they kidnap?" Reno pressed, and Tifa looked up at him, her eyes all wide, feeling her throat constrict. His questions rang loudly in her mind, and she shut her eyes quickly.
"T-T-They rough them up. Usually they are kept in the dungeon at the bottom part of Shinra, though only high executives can get there." Tifa said reluctantly. One step away from Cloud, one leap away from Shinra, one tiny step toward freedom. But was betraying Cloud worth freedom? She laughed silently to herself. She obviously wasn't worth enough to come after himself, so why bother with him anymore. It was strange, Vincent had been more 'kind' to her than Cloud ever was.
"What kind of high executives?" Reno asked, and Tifa looked up, a smile on her lips as she turned to face Vincent, who looked somewhat pensive, as if he already knew the answer.
"Why, the head honchos and their women of course."
~*Author's Notes*~ Yea, kinda strange chapter. Yup, that's about it. Sorry if this chapter was kinda weird, but I was watching the T.V. during this, so yea. The T.V. is evil! Hehe, well, yes, poor Shera was tangled up in this whole mess. Well, anyway, please read and review, and I would love constructive criticism for this . . . uh . . . chapter.