Disclaimer: Aerith, Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, Barret, and co. are all (c) SquareEnix. Reilena is (c) Vinja Ryou - that would be me. Anything else would be uncivilized.
A/N: Just so's you all know, this takes place at the beginning of FFVII now - so it's five years later. Reilena's two years younger than Aerith, which would make her 20 years old. Just clearing things up. Creative liberties are loved by me, so if you don't like it, it's my imagination's fault.
"Thanks for walking with me," Reilena said, hugging her sister tightly. Aerith laughed, hugging Reilena in return, and then stepped back, letting her sister tie her waitress's apron behind her back. "I swear, I think I would lose my head if it wasn't for you."
"Just be glad I was home to even wake you," Aerith replied, patting Reilena's shoulder just as another young woman approached them. The same age and height as Reilena, her brunette hair streamed down her back, tied at the very end with a haphazard band. An apron matching Reilena's adorned her waist, and she grinned, clapping Reilena on the shoulder.
"For a moment Rei I thought you were gonna leave me here to deal with the afternoon rush alone!" she said jovially. Reilena smiled back, patting the woman's hand.
"No worries, Tifa - thank Aerith for being around." Nodding, Tifa Lockeheart smiled in Aerith's direction; the older girl waved politely before speaking to her sister.
"Rei, I'm just going to be at the flower kiosk all day. Don't bother heading back home - she's not feeling too well," she said, an eyebrow raised for emphasis, and Reilena nodded. If their adoptive mother wasn't 'feeling well,' it usually meant she had fallen off the wagon temporarily, and wasn't one to be around.
"No worries, Aerith - we're gonna be busy tonight. Rei's probably gonna help me close, alright?" Tifa replied.
"Perfect." Aerith patted Reilena's cheek gently, and then slipped her flower basket over her arm. "I'll see you tonight then." Reilena nodded.
"Yep. See ya!" she called; she was already following Tifa back to the bar, and Aerith shook her head with a smile, leaving through the front door. The smile left her lips as she walked down the alley; she worried about Reilena, about her working at the bar with Tifa. Not that she had anything against Tifa - she and Reilena had been close friends since Tifa moved to the slums of Midgar - but the way Reilena had been acting as of late had Aerith wondering exactly what was going on in her sister's life.
It started after that formal five years ago, Aerith thought, pausing at a Materia fountain. That much I remember. She'd talked with Reilena about the events there - she'd been in a slight daze from everything, and irritable toward both Zak and Cloud after they'd tried interrogating her on what had happened when she'd left the main room. When Aerith and Reilena had returned home, Aerith had asked the two men what the big deal was…
"She simply found someone to spend time with there, and he liked her as well. What's so wrong with that?" Aerith asked, folding her arms impatiently. Zak and Cloud looked at each other uneasily for a moment; finally Zak stepped forward while Cloud leaned against the light post in front of Aerith and Reilena's house, keeping his stoic gaze on the ground before him.
"Look, Aerith," Zak began, running a hand through his slightly disheveled black hair. "It's not that. We're happy for Rei - really, we are" - Cloud nodded silently - "but that's not the problem. It's who she was with." Aerith raised an eyebrow suspiciously, glancing over her shoulder toward Cloud for a moment.
"What was so wrong with that young man? He seemed nice enough…" she trailed off when Cloud pushed himself off of the light post and strode toward the couple. Zak stood aside and Cloud took a breath, flicking his blonde bangs out of his hair before continuing.
"The man Reilena was with - he looked like one of the SOLDIERs," he said; Aerith began to speak when Cloud held up a hand, and she waited. "The catch is, that man isn't one of the most social people in the world - keeps to himself, doesn't talk to others, that kinda guy." Her eyes widened, Aerith glanced over at Zak; he nodded solemnly, and she turned back to Cloud.
"Well, does he have a name? Rei didn't mention one at all," Aerith replied. Cloud laughed under his breath.
"Wouldn't be surprised if he never introduced himself - he would probably be trying to keep a low profile, at least, which is why we were all shocked to see him at the formal," Cloud continued. "As far as anyone knows, he has no past either; Shinra's kept a tight lid on this guy." Impatient, Aerith folded her arms, glaring down at Cloud.
"I didn't ask about his past. I asked if he had a name," she said. Both Cloud and Zak nodded.
"Yeah. His name is Sephiroth," Zak said in a low voice. "The best damned SOLDIER Shinra has." He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Guess he's not as much of a hermit as most people thought - and he's taken a liking to your little sister as well."
Speechless, Aerith looked behind herself, toward her house. A light on the second floor turned on - Reilena's room. Her sister was in the house; Aerith made sure she would talk with Reilena that night. Turning back to Cloud and Zak, Aerith smiled. "I'm going to go inside now - I think Reilena and I need to talk." The two young men nodded, and Zak stepped up again, kissing Aerith lightly on the cheek.
"Let me know how it turns out," Zak said, "and tell Reilena Cloud an' I are sorry if we were bothering her too much." Aerith smiled.
"Of course. Good night," she replied. Cloud waved back silently, and Aerith turned, heading up the stairs and into the house…
She sighed, shaking her head as she turned away from the fountain; she'd unknowingly stopped to gaze at the Materia as she thought. I'm probably worrying over nothing…Reilena would've told me if there was something going on, anyhow. Yes, that's it. Aerith smiled, trying to convince herself that there wasn't anything wrong, and strode out of the alley, turning toward the flower kiosk. A small band of children was walking up to the shop, and Aerith waved politely to the kids as she set her basket down.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Tifa's Seventh Heaven, what can I getcha?" Tifa chirped, smiling easily at the large man in the corner. He was alone, but continually glanced toward the entrance as if he were expecting someone. Eventually, he glanced up at the young brunette woman, nodding once.
"Just the usual," he replied in a low voice. Tifa bowed her head once, giving him a thumbs up.
"Right on it, Barret," Tifa replied; she turned to head back to the bar, and raised an eyebrow at Reilena. Her friend was tending the bar just fine, but her facial expression, not to mention her posture, was unusually drawn in. Tifa eased over to Reilena and began filling a mug with Barret's request as she spoke. "Somethin' the matter Rei?"
"Hmm? Oh, no," Reilena answered, setting a shot glass down in front of what appeared to be a homeless woman. Tifa snorted under her breath.
"Don't lie Rei; you can't hide it from me." She patted Reilena's shoulder reassuringly as she glanced toward the back of the bar; Barret was gone. Tifa rolled her eyes, dumping the drink out into the sink. "Dammit Barret, at least give me a sign that you're gonna hold me up," she grumbled under her breath. Just across from where the dark-skinned man had sat though, a couple waved impatiently, and Tifa nodded. "We'll talk on break, okay?" she asked, sidling past Reilena. The sanguine-haired woman nodded tiredly, massaging her forehead with one hand as she turned toward the kitchen to grab an order.
"Yeah, sure." Her head still throbbed, yet Reilena had no idea where the headache had come from. It was just about time for the evening work rush, and she was usually on top of things; she'd never gotten sick at work before! It's just stress, she thought as she walked down the bar; a patron had sat down at the end, and she went to take their order. "What can I get you?" she asked, pasting a smile on her face as she glanced up. The man across from her tilted his head curiously, shrugging after a moment, and then pointed past her, toward the kitchen.
"I just want something to eat. I have to get back to my work quickly," he said in a clipped tone. Reilena didn't move, but stared at the man, her face expressionless; he waved a hand before her eyes, and rolled his own when she shook her head. "Are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh yeah," she replied quickly, blinking rapidly. "S-so you'd like food on the go then?" The man nodded, first pushing his glasses up on his nose before flicking a strand of dark brunet hair from his face. His dark eyes followed Reilena closely, and she shuddered involuntarily.
"That's what I said, Miss," he said in a snobbish tone. Nodding, Reilena pulled her notepad from her apron and wrote down the man's order, all the while ignoring the pounding behind her eyes. She glanced back up with a polite smile as she repeated his order; he nodded impatiently, and Reilena spun on her heel, slapping the sheet with the order onto the spinning dais. The pounding grew worse, and Reilena massaged her forehead as she strode through the kitchen, toward the back door. One of the cooks - a portly, middle-aged man - turned to her, an eyebrow raised curiously.
"Hey Rei, you a'ight?" he called. She waved a hand in the air haphazardly, grabbing the doorknob in her free grasp. With a sigh, she turned to the cook; he bit his tongue at the pained look on his coworker's face.
"Sano, can you tell Tifa that I'll be outside for a few?" Sano nodded, and Reilena sighed, dropping her eyes. "Thank you."
"You sure you're okay? I mean, if ya need it, I'm sure she'll…" he trailed off as Reilena shook her head and trudged outside. The cook sighed to himself, finishing up the spectacled man's order, and walked out of the kitchen to hand it to the patron. He glanced up at the cook with a raised eyebrow.
"Who're you?" he asked. Sano shrugged.
"Your waitress isn't feelin' too well, so I thought I'd come out here an' give you your food myself. Enjoy." Sano set the food down before the man and walked back into the kitchen, suppressing the urge to shudder. Maybe that's why Rei ain't feelin' too hot now, he thought. She had to deal with Hojo out there.
"Rei?" Tifa walked out the back door, glancing about curiously as she wiped her hands on her shorts. "Where you at?"
"Over here." The brunette woman followed Reilena's voice, and found her friend sitting underneath a lamppost, holding her head in her hands as if she were crying; the apron lay beside her. Tifa took in a sharp breath, and then knelt down beside Reilena, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Reilena sighed deeply, her eyes clamped shut.
"What's the matter?" Reilena shook her head slowly.
"Nothing you need to bother yourself with. Go back inside - I'll be there in a few."
"Forget it. I told Sano to call the busboys and have 'em take orders for now, an' Marlene's helping with the dishes." Tifa scooted until she was in front of Reilena, and laid both hands on the young woman's shoulders. "You an' I are on break, and I'm going to sit out here and find out what's been bothering you." She stayed in place, waiting for her friend to look up; finally Reilena lifted her head, and Tifa gazed at her with concern. It looked as if Reilena had been crying. Reilena realized that Tifa had seen her eyes, and quickly wiped at them with the back of her hand, leaning against the lamppost.
"It's nothing. Believe me." Tifa raised an eyebrow, sitting down cross-legged before Reilena.
"That's not true. C'mon, out with it. If you're crying, it's obviously something serious." Reilena nodded hesitantly, and Tifa's face softened; she pushed Reilena's hair away from her eyes gently. "Does it have to do with life at home?"
"No. It's…I don't know what it is." A sigh; Reilena stood up slowly, holding onto the lamppost to steady herself, and eventually leaned against it, her arms folded. "It's my mind - I think I'm going slightly mad." Tifa chuckled, standing up as well.
"Why else are we friends, Rei? You an' I are both mad!" she teased. Reilena glanced up at her, expressionless, and Tifa shrugged. "I'm sorry - I didn't realize you were serious." She walked over to a crate in the alley and sat down, her back leaned against the building behind her. "Alright. What makes you think you're going crazy?" Reilena blew her hair out of her eyes, dropping her gaze to the ground.
"It's these goddamn visions - they tell me things." She looked up at Tifa - her friend regarded her silently, and she continued in a soft voice; Tifa knew about Reilena's visions. "It got even worse when I had to deal with that snotty doctor in there - that's why I left. I've seen him before in the visions…he's insane." Tifa blew out a sigh, tucking a strand of dark brunette hair behind her ear, and regarded Reilena with an arched eyebrow.
"Everyone in Midgar knows that," Tifa replied. "That was Hojo - Shinra's resident psycho scientist." She tilted her head curiously. "What does he have to do with anything though? Hojo gives everyone the heebie-jeebies; what'd he do to make you flip out like you did?"
"I said it already - he's been in my visions." Reilena slid back down the post, seating herself on the ground, and gazed over at Tifa as she continued; her arms lay over her knees, palms toward the sky. "I see him - conducting these experiments - but they're not all with chemicals or mixtures like most normal scientists do. Hell, he doesn't even do what most people would consider normal animal testing."
"And that would be a bad thing how?" The younger Gainsborough dropped her head, replying in a whisper; Tifa raised an eyebrow, leaning toward her friend. "Come again?"
"Hojo - he conducts his experiments on people, too. Living people," Reilena repeated; she shuddered involuntarily, and looked up. Tifa's eyes widened in shock, and Reilena nodded. "I've seen it, Tifa. I've seen his last two human subjects - they're still alive." She lowered her eyes to the ground again, biting her lip amid the silence in the alley.
"I knew it." Shocked, Reilena gazed up - Tifa wore a determined sheen in her eyes, and she punched a fist into her open palm. "I just knew it. Shinra's front for Hojo was too good." She glanced back over at Reilena, and then walked over to her, kneeling before Reilena. "What happened? In your visions, I mean. I need to know." Reilena raised an eyebrow, ignoring her headache and nervous tears for the time being.
"What? You believe me?" she asked incredulously. Tifa nodded solemnly.
"I'll explain in a moment. First Rei, you gotta tell me what happened." Reilena sighed heavily, running a hand through her sanguine hair.
"He had two subjects - as far as I know though, only one remains in Shinra's custody," she began, hesitant at first. "The first vision I had was after that formal I went to with Aerith years ago." Immediately Tifa was stoic - her eyes dropped to the ground for a moment and she took a breath before looking back up at her friend.
"The one where you…" Reilena nodded.
"Where I met possibly the most elusive man in this whole damn city, yes." She closed her eyes, knowing how Tifa felt about him. "I'm not sure if he was one of the experimental subjects, though," Reilena continued quickly. "The one who remains - I don't know his name, only his appearance, but I saw one of Hojo's experiments on him. I think that's why I reacted as I did when Hojo came into the bar." She sighed shakily. "Tifa, it was disgusting, and yet I think he wanted me to see it, a cry for help or something…I don't know." Tifa blew out a breath she'd been holding, and stroked Reilena's hair reassuredly.
"I hate to say this, but you have to tell me what you saw." Nodding, Reilena held her head in her hands; a moment later, she turned her face up to the evening sky, keeping her gaze on the stars as she continued.
"Hojo drugged him somehow - it was a former member of the Turks, one who'd tried to leave the clan - and he drugged him, kept him in the labs for experimentation. The only one I saw…" she stopped for a moment, shutting her eyes again. "The only experiment I saw in its entirety was…Tifa, the doctor cut his arm off, sliced it clean off, and replaced it with this metal one. Claws and everything, and I witnessed it." Dropping her eyes, Reilena took her left arm and held it before her, and then made a slicing motion just above her elbow. "Hojo cut his arm off about here, and replaced it with a gold-coloured prosthetic arm; instead of a regular hand though, there were claws on the fingers. I don't know exactly what it does - if Hojo just did it out of sheer curiosity or if it's supposed to have some sort of power - but it was the most inhumane thing I've ever seen, and done to a helpless person solely because he tried to leave the Turks." Wiping her eyes, Reilena met Tifa's gaze - Tifa's face was a mixture of disgust and determination, and she took Reilena's hand in hers, patting it calmly.
"Do you know anything else?" Reilena shook her head.
"All I've seen now are the aftermaths of random experimentation done on the ex-Turk; sometimes I see him when he's alone, and it's heartbreaking - he just stares at the arm, the claws, sometimes he doesn't do anything, other times he seems as if he's talking to himself, trying to stay sane after dealing with Hojo's experiments on him. One time though…" Reilena stopped, and Tifa arched an eyebrow, patting Reilena's shoulder.
"One time what, Rei?" She shook her head, raking her hair away from her face.
"One time - I swear, I've never seen this man before in my life, I don't know him - but he said my name."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mako Reactor One was aflame. Coughing for air, Barret Wallace, Jessie, Wedge, Biggs, and the ex-SOLDIER dashed out of the burning reactor, waving smoke from their faces. Once he had caught his breath, Barret looked over his team with a stoic glance.
"Good job in there, team," he began; the crew, save the blonde mercenary, nodded in agreement. "Problem now is that Shinra's gonna be all over this place in a few minutes. Split up, and let's reconvene at the Sector 8 station. Got it?" Again, the three members nodded once, and then split apart, each heading in a different direction. With that finished, Barret glanced over at the ex-SOLDIER, nodded behind himself, and took off up the alleyway. With a sigh, the young man followed, running down the streets, dodging the wreckage, and…
"Oof! Pardon me!" Taken aback, the man leapt back a step, allowing the young woman to regain her footing. She brushed a strand of chocolate-brown hair from her eyes as she glanced over her stand. "There goes my flower kiosk…what am I going to tell Mom?" Looking back up, her face took on a worried visage. "What happened back there?"
What am I supposed to tell her? he thought, scratching his head. "Something big - the reactor's blown. You'd better get out of here," he replied quickly. Eyes widening, the woman grabbed her basket and ran down the left side of the highway. He shook his head, blowing out a sigh. 'Least that's been taken care of. He ran down the opposite way the woman went, and skidded to a halt when a group of soldiers strode up to him. "Damn it!" Spinning on his heel, he came face to face with even more; he knew more would be coming from the other directions, and he growled inwardly.
"That's as far as you'll be going, young man," a soldier said in a clipped tone. The mercenary raised an eyebrow, backing up against the bridge, and smirked.
"That's what you think," he called, falling over the edge. A collective gasp rang out from the soldiers; they ran to the bridge, and shouted in fury when they saw the mercenary on top of a train headed toward the Sector 7 Slums.
"Well, he was a good one," Barret said glumly, adjusting the gaitling gun on his right arm. He glanced around the rest of his team, and blew out a long breath. "Look sharp! We don't know if Shinra's goons are gonna be checkin' this train?"
"There's nothing to worry about, Barret," Jessie replied. She blew her bangs from her eyes as she pulled out a white card from her pocket, waving it in the air with confidence. "I had airtight ID's made for us all. They won't be able to find us." Barret bowed his head; before he could reply, the door on Biggs' side was thrown open, and the blonde mercenary swung into the car. He landed on his feet and glanced up at Barret with an arched eyebrow.
"Almost thought you forgot about me," he said. Barret shook his head.
"Don't need to be makin' no fancy entrances like that, SOLDIER." The mercenary narrowed his eyes, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Look, the name's Cloud, alright? And I'm an EX-SOLDIER. Are you going to be throwing that in my face this entire time?" he shot back. Barret opened his mouth to reply, but thought better of it, and headed for a trapdoor leading to the main cars. He pulled it open with his free left hand, and gestured to the team.
"Change of plans. We'll be getting off at the Sector 7 stop a'ight?" he called. "Meeting up at the usual. Be there." He dropped through the door, followed by Wedge, Biggs, and Jessie. After a moment Cloud shrugged and leapt after Jessie, landing easily in the passenger car.
"Well, that's that," Tifa said, wiping her hands on her apron. Reilena nodded, stacking the last of the chairs up in a corner of the bar; behind the counter, Marlene Wallace sat upon a stool, twirling a strand of hair worriedly. The two young women strode over to the little girl, leaning against the counter to take a breather. The rest of the employees had left at least a half-hour ago, and Tifa offered to close on her own, yet Reilena insisted on staying behind to help out. Now though, she ran a hand through her hair, rubbing her forehead - even after the talk with Tifa, her headache still hadn't completely gone away.
"Tifa, do you think Daddy's okay?" Marlene suddenly asked. Reilena's eyes shot open, an eyebrow raised, as Tifa turned to the little girl with a warm smile.
"Don't worry. I know your daddy - I don't think anything can stop him," she said reassuredly, patting Marlene's head. Marlene nodded; at that moment the front door to the Seventh Heaven swung open, and the trio faced the door in surprise.
"Hey Tifa, how you doin'…Marlene!" Barret called out. A wide grin spread over Marlene's face as she leapt off the stool and ran to the large, dark-skinned man, throwing her arms around him as he lifted her in the air. "How's my little girl?"
"I'm fine, Daddy," Marlene replied. Barret smiled, setting his daughter on his shoulders, and then turned toward the door.
"C'mon now, ever'body in. Can't risk anything, 'member?" Tifa strode over to the front door, holding it open as she waved the crowd in.
"There's room for everyone, don't worry…I closed the place early tonight," she called, smiling and greeting Wedge, Jessie, and Biggs as they walked in. Just before she could close the door however, a spiky-blonde-haired young man strode in as well, and Tifa's jaw dropped in shock. Barret glanced over his free shoulder at the mercenary, and rolled his eyes.
"I'll get you your payment in a sec," he called, reaching up; he picked Marlene up off his shoulders and handed the little girl off to Reilena - she'd been standing by the bar in silence, and took Marlene with a stoic nod, holding her free hand out as well.
"Hey there…I'm uh…" Barret shook his head, a tense chuckle ringing out as he waved her hand away.
"Reilena Gainsborough. Tifa's told me all about ya, don't worry." Turning to the rest of the crowd, Barret motioned toward the pinball machine in the corner. "C'mon ever'one, meeting downstairs. Now."
Meeting? Downstairs? Reilena thought. She set Marlene down on the countertop, handed the tyke a sucker to keep her occupied, and turned back just in time to see Tifa mouthing "Hang on;" a moment later, the pinball machine descended, carrying the young woman to a basement floor. Her eyes widened in surprise, Reilena turned back toward Marlene. The little girl was busy sweeping the floor, having jumped down from the counter, and Reilena smiled. Might as well help out while I'm here, she thought; with that, Reilena walked behind the counter and began polishing the mugs, listening to Marlene's humming as she let her thoughts wander.
"As I'm sure the citizens of Midgar know, we are on the trail of this AVALANCHE organization, and will put an end to this terrorist sect. Repairs are already in motion at Mako Reactor One, and I will be here, supervising the reconstruction as well as providing help and assistance to those affected by the explosion."
The television screen stayed on the smiling, bearded face of President Shinra a moment longer, and then turned back to the newsman at hand. Clenching both his fist and jaw, Barret stalked over to a punching bag in the opposite corner of the Seventh Heaven basement and smashed it furiously. Biggs, Jessie, Tifa, and Wedge watched him in silence, each keeping their distance from the irate man.
Rolling his eyes, Cloud strode over to Barret and leaned against the wall nearest the punching bag, arms folded casually. "What're you so worried about?" he asked. "Not like President Shinra knows it was you guys - he cares more for his politics and covering his own ass than honestly pursuing AVALANCHE. Besides," he glanced around the hideout with a raised eyebrow, "what did Shinra ever do to you?"
Barret abruptly halted his assault on the punching bag and turned to face Cloud, shoulders heaving and eyes narrowed. "What did Shinra ever do to me?" he asked in a low voice; Cloud nodded once and Barret laughed, his voice full of contempt. "Everything you see here is caused by Shinra! Their damned reactors have destroyed towns, lives, and pushed us commonfolk to the slums below the city! Those piece of shit factories are sucking the life outta this planet - and they don't care. That sleazeball runnin' this city cares about two things - Mako energy and money. Right now he's deep in both, but Mako energy ain't gonna last forever here, an' soon he'll be looking for other places to ravage."
"You've got it all wrong," Cloud replied casually. He pushed himself off the wall and waved an arm nonchalantly in the air. "First off, the mayor runs this city, not Shinra…"
Barret's eyes widened in fury, and he stepped up into Cloud's face, his teeth clenched in absolute anger. "Are you really THAT naïve?" he yelled; a split-second later, he threw his arms up in the air. "Of course you are - the Mako shine in your eyes is enough to show that. Look kid, don't go thinkin' you're all bad jus' 'cause you was in SOLDIER. This is the real world, and I really dun need your help all that badly," he finished, his gun arm pointing toward the exit. Cloud glanced back at the pinball machine, giving a half-hearted shrug as he turned on his heel.
"Fine then. I'll wait for my money upstairs and be on my way," he replied, walking toward the elevator. From the corner of his eye, Cloud saw Tifa motion for him to stay; he shook his head as he stepped up beside the machine and pulled the lever, running a hand through his hair as the elevator rose and stopped at the bar.
The jarring sound of the pinball machine's return caught both Marlene and Reilena's attention; silent, they watched as the blonde-haired young man stepped off, nodding to them both silently as he made his way toward the exit. Reilena watched his retreating back closely, knowing she recognized him somehow, and was snapped out of her thoughts by Marlene's tugging on her apron. She knelt down to the little girl's eye level, seeing the worried look in Marlene's eyes.
"Isn't that man going to help Daddy?" she asked quietly. Reilena sighed, ruffling Marlene's hair.
"I don't know yet…" The elevator/pinball machine rumbled again, and Reilena lifted Marlene into her arms as they both saw Tifa run off the machine. Instinctively Reilena nodded toward the door, and Tifa dashed over, grabbing the man's shoulder. Marlene opened her mouth to call out when Reilena shook her head; the girl stayed quiet, and they watched the couple not too far away in silence.
"Cloud, wait!" Sighing, Cloud turned on his heel and faced Tifa; the young woman threw her hair off of her shoulder as she tried to catch her breath, and then narrowed her eyes at Cloud. "Don't you remember your promise?"
"Promise?" Cloud shook his head, brow furrowed; Tifa sighed impatiently, hands on her hips.
"You don't remember? When we were kids, back home…you promised me that if you ever joined up with SOLDIER and I needed help, that you would come back and protect me." She raised an eyebrow. "You can't tell me you've completely forgotten that, Cloud."
Suddenly, it all came back to him. The starry night in Nibelheim; it was the night before he left for Midgar, and Tifa had asked him to meet her at the dock… "Tifa, we were kids. I'm not even in SOLDIER anymore," Cloud replied. Tifa crossed her arms over her chest, unmoved.
"But you were in SOLDIER. And now, I need you help…we need your help," she retorted. "It's time to make good on your promise."
Cloud rolled his eyes, clapping a hand to his forehead in disbelief. Before he could reply however, a knock rattled out; both he and Tifa turned toward the bar.
"Rei, there's someone at the door," Marlene whispered. Reilena hushed the little girl; a moment later however, another knock rapped out, and she peered over her shoulder. Aerith stood in the doorway, waving to them, and Reilena sighed, setting Marlene back down on the counter. Glancing up, she saw both Tifa and the young man eyeing her closely, and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry about that," she called, "but uh, Tifa? Aerith's waiting out back for me."
"No problem…I'll see you later then," she replied, smiling warmly. Reilena laughed nervously, shoving her apron underneath the counter when she heard Tifa gasp. "Rei! C'mere really quick."
"O-kay…" Confused, Reilena hopped over the bar door and walked up to Tifa and the man; Tifa promptly leaned over, whispering in Reilena's ear. After a moment she stepped back with a grin.
"Tell Aerith I said hello, 'kay?" she said, winking. Reilena nodded, waving to both Tifa and her companion as she headed back toward the rear of the building; before she walked out however, Reilena looked back with a teasing grin.
"I wouldn't try arguing with Tifa there. Just say yes and keep your promise to her," she said. Tifa burst out laughing along with Reilena as the young man glared back at her. Reilena shrugged as she pulled the door open and finally left the bar.
Aerith stood beside the same lamppost Reilena had sat at earlier, and smiled warmly at her little sister. "I see you had a good day today," she said. Reilena waved a hand in the air.
"So-so. Kinda exciting, kinda boring," she replied; a second later, she stopped in front of her older sister, her eyes wide. "I almost forgot! I heard about the explosion at the Mako reactor - are you okay?" Aerith nodded solemnly.
"I'm alright - the shop's going to need more than a few repairs though, so I'm taking tomorrow off. I have to take care of the flowers at church anyhow," she said quietly. Reilena's eyes dropped, and she walked beside her sister silently. "So how about you? What was so exciting at work today?" Aerith asked; immediately Reilena's head shot up.
"Huh?"
"What was so exciting at work today?" Aerith repeated; her face fell when she noticed her sister slouch over just a bit, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "It was a premonition…a feeling, wasn't it?" she whispered. Reilena nodded slowly, and Aerith squeezed her shoulder reassuredly. "It'll be alright - whomever that is, he'll get out of there, I know it." She stopped when Reilena shook her head violently.
"That's not the problem, Aerith!" she shot back; striding in front of her sister, she clamped her hands down on Aerith's shoulders and stared her in the eyes, blinking back any tears that might come forth. "The catch is the last time I saw it, he said my name. He said my name, Aerith, and I don't know who he is. Wouldn't that scare you just a little bit?" She waited for Aerith's response; the older Gainsborough dropped her eyes to the ground for a moment, nodding soon after.
"It would - but then again Reilena, you can't forget what we are. We're attuned to this sort of psychic connection - maybe that's all it is." Aerith held her sister's hand, rubbing her fingers lightly. "Maybe…maybe he senses you as well. I mean, think about it Rei," she continued, leading her sister to the garden beside their house. Aerith sat down on a small wooden bench, gesturing for Reilena to follow, and spoke in a low voice. "This could very well mean that there are…well…more out there like us. We might not be alone here. Just keep that in mind," she murmured, patting Reilena's hand. "Since we're on the subject anyhow, what do you know about this man? I mean it," Aerith continued, facing her sister. "Tell me everything you told Tifa." Reilena arched an eyebrow in question.
"How did you know I told Tifa?" Aerith laughed.
"You just told me," she retorted. Reilena rolled her eyes, smiling, and cleared her throat.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cloud groaned, his eyes opening slowly as the jarring clang of the pinball machine shook him awake. He flicked his blonde bangs from his eyes as he sat up on the cot Barret had lent him; since agreeing to help out AVALANCHE, he'd opted to stay in the basement of the Seventh Heaven until the meeting in the morning. Now Cloud covered his mouth, stifling a yawn as Tifa walked over to him, smiling brightly.
"Rise and shine, Cloud!" she said, holding a hand out; when he took it, she helped him to his feet. "Barret and the rest of the group is upstairs waiting for you - you sure slept in late enough!" she teased. Cloud rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, well I was tired," he replied, rolling his shoulders. Tifa nodded, heading for the lift, and moved over so that Cloud could join her. She threw the switch, kicking the machine to life, and sighed.
"By the way, I never did say thank you yesterday for agreeing to stay here and help," she murmured.
"It's nothing," Cloud replied with a shrug. "Besides, Barret's agreed to pay me extra to help bust up Reactor Five as well." Another sigh; Cloud turned to see Tifa gazing upwards, her shoulders slumped a bit.
"Of course - it's for the money. Sorry I forgot." The elevator stopped at the bar, and Tifa shoved the switch over, shutting off the lift. Around the room stood Barret, Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge; Jessie promptly walked up to Cloud and Tifa, handing them both small white ID cards with names and photos. Tifa gave the older woman a curt nod, pocketing her card, while Cloud gazed over the false ID with an arched eyebrow. After a moment, he waved the card in the air, a look of curiosity on his face.
"What are these for?" Jessie glanced over, smiling as she held up her own card.
"IDs. In the case that the Shinra decide to search the train, we'll have these ID cards to throw them off our trail. They've worked for us before, so there's no real worry that yours won't work as well. Besides," she continued, her eyes dropping to the ground shyly, "I spent a little extra time on yours, so it should be airtight." Cloud continued to stare at her, unsure of what to think; Tifa elbowed him good-naturedly.
"Sounds like someone has a little crush on ya," she said. Cloud shook his head, pocketing his card as Barret stood up, gesturing toward the door.
"Jus' so y'alls know what's up for tonight. We're busting into Mako Reactor Five; Cloud, Tifa, and myself will do the actual infiltration. Jessie, we'll need ya to break the codes for us to get in. Wedge, Biggs, you know what to do." The two men nodded knowingly, and Barret turned to Cloud and Tifa. "Ya ready?" Cloud bowed his head; Tifa nodded, raising a fist in certainty, and Barret grinned. "Let's move!"