They Live!!!
By GQ and Zhak
Three: On the First Day Together…
First Day back in ShinRa HQ:
Rufus just sat still on his bed, stroking the thick black fur of Dark Nation who was lying beside him and purring happily. He continued to stare into empty space, not moving and not saying anything.
President ShinRa stared unbelievably at his son. "It's 9 in the morning. You should've gotten up at 7 and I'm expecting that at this time, you'd be in your office already." He told him.
But Rufus still maintained his blank stare.
Scarlet, Heidegger, Reeve and Palmer exchanged worried glances with one another. They have not seen Rufus act like that before. He had refused to come down from breakfast, was not able to sleep last night, and had not said a word for the past 12 hours.
President ShinRa crossed his arms, "Aren't you happy to be back in your good ol' home away from the dirty slums?" he asked with a stiff tone, trying to sound patient.
Rufus finally turned to him with an arrogant look on his face. "The slums wouldn't be called slums if you fix it." He told him before he got out of bed. He was wearing silk white pajamas. "Piss off." he commanded.
The four executives walked out of the room, but President ShinRa remained in the room.
Rufus went over to the window to look outside. "I said, piss off." he muttered.
"We need to talk," President ShinRa told him.
"What for?" Rufus asked.
"About the way you're acting! You're my Vice President and you're my only son! I can't believe you hung out with Sephiroth and that Aerith Gainsborough! And since you're back here in my care, you're going to work and perform your duties just like before, understood?" President ShinRa said angrily.
Rufus just shrugged. "Oh… just when I was getting used to becoming President, you come crawling back to your position." He turned around to face his father with a mocking smile on his face, "While you're supposed to be in the home for the aged." He mocked.
President ShinRa just frowned at him before he turned away, heading for the door. "You will have lunch with me today. We have guests here." He told him.
"Who?" Rufus asked as he flipped his hair.
"Don Corneo." President ShinRa replied before stepping out of the room.
Rufus just remained standing there, staring at the door. He felt so angry but he doesn't know how to let it all out. He was filled with so much of mixed emotions. "I have to find a way to contact Sephiroth…" he thought silently before proceeding to the bathroom.
First Day of Training:
Since Wutai's in the other side of the Planet, the time zone's probably different from Midgar… lagging for some hours. Say it's 9:00 in the morning in Midgar (when we started this chapter) and then it's six hours late in Wutai… so that makes it 3:00 in the morning.
"Miss Kisaragi?" Zack gently tapped Yuffie's shoulder.
Yuffie just covered the blanket over her head and turned away from him.
Zack frowned, making a face. "Miss Kisaragi, it's time to wake up!" he told her.
"It's 3 in the morning, Zack…" she muttered sleepily.
"I know we're both sleepy and stuff… but your father said that…"
"My father said that what?" she demanded, cutting him off.
"…that you should be in the training grounds by 4? We'll start by jogging around the area." Zack explained.
"No. I'm still sleepy. Who cares what Old Man says?" she asked sleepily while suppressing a yawn.
Zack shook his head. "But if I don't do my job well, he might get mad at me… and you!" he told her.
"So what? I'm used to Old Man getting mad at me." She told him.
"Well I'm not used to your Old Man getting mad at me." He told her.
She grunted and slowly sat up on her tatami. "Ugh… I think I'm gonna be sick…" she muttered miserably.
He just stared at her. "C'mon, I'm just doing my job here as your trainer and bodyguard. If it were my choice, I'd let you sleep again because I want to sleep too." he told her softly, cautious about his surroundings (in case the walls have ears and Lord Godo would hear that).
"Well then, let's get it over with." She muttered before she got up. Zack watched her as she moved towards a closet; she was wearing her green nightshirt and green slippers, and when she opened the closet, he saw much more of the color green. He blinked and smiled. "I see you like the color green?" he asked.
"Hmm… yeah." She muttered sleepily before turning back to him. "Excuse me, I have to get dressed." She said. She was not in the mood to yell at him or scold him or something, so she just appeared so dull and lifeless.
He blushed slightly. "Oh… sorry, ma'am." He said before he rose up and went over to the door connecting his room with hers.
She grunted, "Please, stop calling me ma'am. I'm like, seven years younger than you are and… y'know. I feel rather uncomfortable. You can call me by my first name." she instructed.
He turned back to her. "Oh… alright… Miss Yuffie." He said.
"No, stupid! Just Yuffie!" she snapped, feeling somewhat annoyed.
He nodded with a sheepish smile on his face. "Oh… alright. Yuffie." He repeated before proceeding back to his own room and shut the door.
Yuffie made a disgusted face as she shook her head in annoyance. "Old Man's gonna pay for doing this to me…" she snarled as she grabbed a random piece of clothing and instantly got dressed.
Back at the ShinRa HQ at around 1 pm:
"Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk!"
"Gyahahahahahaha!"
"Tralala!"
"Har har har har har har har har!!!"
Rufus remained poker-faced all throughout lunch… and he's listening disgustedly at the laughter of the executives plus Don Corneo and his Old Man's laughter too. Nobody even noticed that he hardly touched his food… in fact, he never even tasted it. He just sat still and played with it using his fork and steak knife, slicing the meat and the peas, further mashing the potatoes and spreading the gravy all throughout the whole plate, giving the laughing "hyenas" the impression that he's eating them. Reeve, Scarlet and the Turks were the only ones who noticed that he was not eating his food but just kept quiet about it.
President ShinRa gulped down the contents of his glass of red wine and wiped his lips with his table napkin before laughing out loud once more. "Har har har har har! Shall I say, VICTORY!? Har har har har har!" he laughed joyfully.
"Indeed… and I'm so happy to be back here!" Don Corneo cheered happily before he let his right hand travel to Scarlet's left leg (because she was unfortunately sitting beside him). She gasped and instantly stood up, surprising everyone.
President ShinRa stared strangely at her, "Are you alright, Scarlet?" he asked.
She smiled weakly, not wanting to cause any commotion. "Kyah… may I be excused?" she asked sheepishly.
"What for? Lunch is not yet over! We're not leaving until I said so." President ShinRa said with a mean smile on his face. Rufus rolled his eyes.
"President ShinRa is right, my dear. Better obey." Don Corneo muttered to Scarlet with a sly smile on his face. The way he was looking at her was obviously lustful… and she hated it. As she sat down again, she felt so dirty and disgusted at herself. She eyed Reeve and the Turks with a look that told them, "KYAH! HELP ME!!! I DON'T LIKE HIM!"
Reno just fought the urge to snicker. He just raised his wine glass at Scarlet and then took a sip of red wine out of it. Elena just stared sadly at Scarlet with a sorry look on her face. As usual, Rude had no reaction... and Tseng just pretended not to have noticed anything.
Reeve just mouthed, "It's alright." Thinking that Don Corneo wouldn't really go to the extremes while there are still in the dining hall.
Scarlet's frown deepened.
Rufus just stared stiffly at her before shaking his head in disbelief. He bowed down his head and just stared at his food. At that moment, he could not understand himself why he suddenly thought of all the hungry and homeless people in the world… and wondered if Lucrecia and Aerith are safe… and if Sephiroth has eaten anything already. "Bloody hell… I think hanging around Aerith has done something to my conscience…" he thought glumly. He was interrupted when Don Corneo suddenly asked President ShinRa, "So what are your plans for this year?"
President ShinRa smiled evilly before shrugging. "Well… nothing much. But there's going to be a big restoration and reconstruction project to be happening here in Sector 1… and the rebuilding of Mako Reactors will also be implemented." He turned to Hojo. "Thanks to Professor Hojo who has decided to join us here again in ShinRa." He said.
Hojo nodded his head in gratitude with a sly smile on his face. With that, President ShinRa proceeded, "And as for my one and only son, he will be celebrating his birthday on the 23rd of December… and for his birthday party, I would like him to choose his future bride." He announced.
Rufus felt so mortified, "What am I, the Prince at Cinderella?!" he cried out in protest.
"Oooh, I see! He's a Capricorn, eh?" Don Corneo pointed out excitedly. Rufus just rolled his eyes and pounded an angry fist on the table, "I don't give a rat's ass whether I'm Capricorn or Leo or whatever. I don't believe in astrology, you lecherous old man." He insulted airily before flipping his hair.
President ShinRa frowned at his son, "Enough, Rufus." He snapped.
Rufus just started glumly at him, "You are not throwing a birthday party for me." He said with a low and serious tone, as if commanding solemnly. But President ShinRa ignored his statement. "I think it's high time for you get married, Rufus. You're 21, turning 22 and…" he began, but was cut short with Don Corneo's laughter, "Hyuk hyuk hyuk! Your Rufus doesn't seem to be in the mood for parties! Maybe I could just interest him with some of my lovely girls to save time and avoid hassle!" he suggested with a pleased and determined smile on his face.
President ShinRa's face lit up, "That's a great idea! Well then, we could schedule it tonight! Rufus, you're coming with me tonight." He said, turning to Rufus with a pleased smile on his face.
"I'm busy." Rufus replied.
Silence.
"What are you going to do?" President ShinRa asked.
"Work. I have to plan a recruitment strategy for SOLDIER." Rufus replied plainly.
"Gyah, you can leave the work to me, Sir Rufus. After all, they're also under me!" Heidegger presented proudly. "And you are under me." Rufus snapped.
"And you, Rufus, are under me. You are my son and my Vice President. And as long as I am President, you cannot do anything about it." President ShinRa snapped.
Rufus was quiet for a while, feeling so angry and disgusted at the same time, but he does not want to show it to everyone, most especially to his Father. And he thought of something else… he just shook his head and got his glass of water and drank from it, puzzling everyone on what's going on in his mind.
President ShinRa forced a cool smile at his son, "Very well, it's settled." He turned to Don Corneo. "I guess we'll be meeting again tonight. This time, with Rufus." He told him.
Wutai: 11:00 am
"GAWDS!!!!!" Yuffie screamed when she saw how wide the river is and how mossy the stepping stones are. She also saw some crocodiles swimming around.
"I guess this is to test your agility. Your father told me to take you here." Zack told her.
She was already feeling shaky. She was already beginning to feel tired. They jogged for three hours straight, had a quick breakfast, then proceeded back to the training grounds to practice combat and self-defense, then proceeded to that river several miles away from the Kisaragi residence. It took them two hours and thirty minutes to arrive at that place and to make things worse, they just walked.
"Can we just skip this for later?" she asked with a weak smile on her face.
"Nope." Zack told her sternly.
She just snorted. "Okay, tell you what, I'll give you all the Materia that I have in exchange for us calling it quits for today. Deal?" she asked sweetly.
"No." Zack told her.
"You really enjoy your job, huh?" she asked miserably.
"Well… working for your dad's been fun. Besides, he's really a nice man. I'm just repaying his kindness. And besides, I need the money to go back home." He told her with a somewhat embarrassed smile on his face.
"Oh? Where do you live?" she asked.
"Gongaga." He replied. She gasped. "GAWDS! That's too far from here!" she said in shock.
"I know… that's why I'm going to use my salary to go back there… and if I could save up some more, I'm giving them to my parents." He replied.
She thought for a while. "Hmm… poor guy. Must be hard living there, huh?" she asked out loud.
"It's the reason why I decided to join SOLDIER and leave home; to help with the expenses." He explained.
"Oh, alright…" Yuffie rushed to him and giggled. "I'll give you all the money I have and you can go home. Deal?" she asked.
Zack stared unbelievably at her. "What is wrong with you? That's so unfair to you and your father… and to myself too!" he told her.
"What's so unfair about that?" she demanded with an annoyed look on her face.
"It's cheating!" he pointed out.
"So?" she asked casually.
He took a deep breath before saying, "Cheating is bad." She laughed at him, "Oh c'mon, Zack! It's just the money you're after, right? So I'm giving you the money and then you can go back to your mommy and daddy who must've been waiting for you for so long already." She told him.
"Not just the money. I've always been taught that money isn't really important, but the self-satisfaction that I could get from helping people." He told her.
"Well you're definitely not helping people here." She sneered.
"I could help you and I'm willing to; but the effort should also come from you!" he told her.
She frowned at him. "Are you giving me a lecture? You sound worse than my dad." She snapped impatiently.
Zack was beginning to get a little impatient because Yuffie was being such a brat. Taking another deep breath, he exhaled sharply and then said stiffly, "Yes, I'm giving you a lecture because you're not following directions. Now go over there and cross the river using those stepping stones. If you slip and fall, then you're slow."
She snorted. "You're selfish, you know that? You want me to cross that river just so that after a hard day's work, you could get your wage at the expense of my life being in danger because of those crocodiles!" she told him with a know-it-all air.
"Well look who's talking? Now do as I say and be a good girl." He told her.
"Will you stop talking to me like I'm a kid?!" she demanded angrily.
"I will if you stop if you prove to me that you're not a kid anymore by crossing that river." He said patiently before sitting on a big rock.
She clenched her fists. "GAWDS!!! You make me sick!" she screamed at his face before walking over to the river bank.
Zack observed her quietly with a slight frown on his face. "This girl is more stubborn than I thought!" he was thinking quietly to himself.
Yuffie stopped by the shore and stared at the water and at the crocodiles. "Ugh… He'll have his day… I swear! One day, he's gonna get it! He's really gonna get it! Ooooh, I can't wait to get my little shurikens to cut through his nasty skin! Hahahahahaha!" she was thinking nastily before deciding to jump onto the first stepping stone. As soon as she landed, she almost slipped, surprising Zack.
"Whoa!!" she cried out before jumping onto the next stepping stone. The crocodiles started snapping their jaws as they approached the stepping stone where she currently had her left foot carefully maintaining her balance. "GAWDS!!! I think they're going to eat me!!!" she cried out in fear.
"They are going to eat you if you don't hurry!" Zack yelled at her. He had to admit, he felt quite worried that she might just easily fall or slip into the water and get injured… or worse, eaten alive by crocodiles. He got up and rushed to the riverbank, but he stopped halfway when Yuffie snapped at him, "STOP! I can do this without your help!" she said with determination. He was surprised when she said that. He just stood still, staring unbelievably at her as she jumped onto the third stepping stone, which was five meters away from the second. The crocodiles instantly followed her and one of them even decided to stay put on the fourth one so that if she jumps onto it, she would easily land in its mouth. Yuffie cringed at the sight of the crocodile. She looked ahead of her and saw several more stepping stones before she could reach the next island. "Oh man!!!" she carefully pulled out her shuriken blades and instantly threw them at the crocodile as she jumped… and threw all the other blades at the incoming crocodiles that just jumped out of the water to lunge at her, their jaws wide open. She shrieked, but she still went on.
Zack watched in disbelief and in awe at her display of agility. He never expected her to be that fast and good at aiming and throwing the shuriken blades at the crocodiles. He also wondered how those crocodiles were able to jump as high as the ones that tried to attack Yuffie.
Finally, after a few more moments, she was able to reach the end and landed safely on the other side of the river. She was panting heavily as she listened to Zack cheer for her, "Great! Good job! That was very good! Woohoo!!!"
She clenched her fists and turned around to look at him from the other side where she came from. "GAWDS!!! I almost died in there! Stop cheering, dammit!!!" she screeched impatiently at him.
Zack just laughed at her. "Well you didn't die, thank the good Lord. So, for your next test…" he purposely trailed off, waiting for her to react to what he said, but she just smiled sarcastically at him. "Don't tell me I have to go back there and do the same thing again?" she thought miserably. She yelled at him, "I CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE! I'M TIRED!!!"
"Well at least try!" he called back at her.
She stomped her foot angrily. "Aw, c'mon, Zack?! My legs are still shaking and I'm gonna run out of shuriken blades!!!" she shouted at him.
"Then use no weapon!" he called back.
She just stared unbelievably at him. "Oh alright! But you'll have to promise me that once I get back there, we'll head back home so that we can eat lunch!" she called out before preparing to cross, jogging lightly in place.
"Can't do that! We still have so much to do." He told her.
She froze. "WHAT?! But I'm hungry!!!" she wailed.
"We'll eat at thirteen hundred hours…" he told her.
"That's 1 pm!!!" she wailed.
"I know. So hurry! It's only 2 hours before that time arrives!" he told her.
She snorted and clenched her fists angrily. "Hmf! This hedgehog is really a pain in the ass. I wonder if he got kicked out of Soldier because of his stubbornness and arrogance!" she mumbled to herself. Then she stopped and smiled evilly. "Hmm…" she licked her lips before crossing her arms. "Hey, Zack! Why don't you come here?" she called out.
Zack's eyes widened upon hearing that. "What?" he called out.
"Come over here!" she repeated.
He frowned slightly. "No, you come over here instead." He told her.
"Hey, you're my instructor! You're supposed to make sure that your student is fine after a test!" she yelled.
"Well you look fine from here! So come back now!" he called out.
She smiled meanly at him, "Heeheeheehee! Why? Are you scared of crossing?" she teased.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yuffie, come back here now!" he called out, wanting to change the subject. He had to admit, he is not that agile, so he did not really want to go there to her.
But she just shrugged. "I'm not crossing unless you come here to me." She told him.
Silence.
"That's playing dirty. I'm not in the mood to play dirty!" he told her.
"Well I'm in the mood to play dirty so come on!" she told her.
Silence.
"Did you know that if someone is eavesdropping on us, they could've thought that we're talking about something else?" he asked.
"What ever do you mean by that, Zack?" she asked, pretending to be innocent.
"Oh never mind. I might corrupt your childish brain." He told her.
She shrieked at him, "GAWDS!!!!! Don't you ever refer to me as a child, y'hear?!"
He just shrugged at her and smiled coolly. "Okay, I'll stop treating you like a kid if you come back here this instant." He told her.
"You're blackmailing me." She pointed out.
"How would you know if I'm blackmailing you?" he asked.
"Like DUH!!! Isn't it obvious, you hedgehog!" she snapped.
He froze. "What?" he asked.
"HEDGEHOG, HEDGEHOG, HEDGEHOG, HEDGEHOG!!!" she chanted while jumping around in circles and waving her hands in the air like a crazy child.
He cringed and placed his hands on his hips. "Yuffie, I'm warning you! I could lose my patience, y'know?!" he warned.
"Go ahead! You'll lose your job and you'll never ever return to Gongaga ever again! Hahahaha! Or worse, you could get punished by daddeeeee!!!" she chanted happily.
Zack scratched his head. "Man… being with this girl is worse than training in Soldier or getting yelled at by Sephiroth for failing to do 30 squats!" he was thinking in annoyance.
"Oh Aerith! We're so glad to have you back here!" Tifa was saying for the nth time rather excitedly as she rushed to Aerith and embraced her tightly. Everytime she saw Aerith in the house, she would instantly jump to her feet, run to her and give her a happy friendly hug. Aerith felt so stunned whenever she would do that, but deep inside, she was glad to be home with her old friends.
Tifa let go of her and giggled. "So, what would you have for dinner? I can cook for you and Cloud!" she presented.
Aerith blushed slightly. "Uhm… I… that's why I went down here in the kitchen so that I can help you cook dinner for everybody." She said.
"No, you just sit comfortably in the living room or upstairs in Cloud's room while I'm preparing your dinner!" Tifa insisted.
"But… why?" Aerith asked, feeling a little embarrassed.
Tifa giggled before whispering in her ear, "I'm just so glad to see you and Cloud together once again. I can finally have peace of mind that he's going to be happy with you and not with any other girl." She winked at Aerith. Aerith blinked. "You mean there are other women?" she asked in shock.
"No! I mean, it's you that he loves, right? So… so there! Heehee! I can't really elaborate coz I'm so excited, really… and I hope I don't jinx it." She told her.
Aerith smiled gently at her, getting her message. "I see…" she said before embracing Tifa. "Thank you for being here, Teef." She said softly.
Tifa smiled softly, "Sure thing, Aerith. You and Cloud have been the only best friends I've ever had… especially you! Heehee!" she told her.
They were both interrupted when they heard someone coming down the stairs. They both took a peek and smiled welcomingly at Vincent Valentine. "Hey, Vinny!" Tifa greeted.
Vincent instantly smiled back at them, an action that they have never encountered before while talking to him. "You look happy," Aerith pointed out, although she already knows the reason why.
"Well, I… uhm… I do?" he asked, trying to sound casual and fighting his emotions back so that he would not blush in front of the girls.
Tifa giggled. "It's alright, Vincent. We know."
Vincent was stunned, not knowing what else to say.
With that, the two girls rushed to the kitchen, giggling hysterically, leaving Vincent puzzled.
"Vincent?" a voice from behind him called out. He turned to the stairs and saw Lucrecia coming down. He was surprised at her, "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" he asked her.
She smiled gently. "I've never felt better." She told him as she finally reached the first floor, accepting the welcome in his arms. "But I'm worried about Sephiroth. I think he's already worried about me, Aerith and Rufus because we didn't return last night." She told him with a concerned tone.
"I heard bad words!" Barret called out from the front door as he stepped inside. He just arrived home after doing some groceries.
Lucrecia was surprised at him and she hid behind Vincent.
"And what, may I ask are those bad words?" Vincent asked casually.
"Sephiroth and Rufus." Barret replied.
"Oh you don't know what you're saying, Mister Wallace. My son is a changed man, so is Rufus." Lucrecia pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, lady. Look, once evil, always evil. Sooner or later, the two of them could be plotting against world destruction once more!" Barret trailed off and approached her with a threatening look on his face. "Hey, how do we know if you're just a spy from ShinRa—you and Aerith!" he said. "… no, maybe not Aerith… Yer the only ex-ShinRa in here!"
Lucrecia tightened her grip on Vincent's arm with a frown on her face. "If I was a spy, they wouldn't shoot me like what they did last night." She said.
"Stop it, Barret. She's still mentally and physically weak. You can't talk to her just like that." Vincent warned him.
And Barret started laughing at them which made everyone confused, including Tifa and Aerith who were in the kitchen listening. He patted Vincent's shoulder, "Just kidding you, Vincent… and Miss Lucrecia. Sorry if I scared you." He apologized with a kind smile on his face.
Vincent felt relieved that Barret was just joking. Lucrecia smiled sarcastically at Barret. "I think I'm gonna pass out…" she said before walking over to the door.
"Hey, hey, where are you going?" Barret asked her with a concerned tone.
"I'm going to go back to the apartment that we rented to get my son." She told him.
"You're letting Sephiroth stay here?!" Barret asked unbelievably.
"Vincent, we've talked about this last night, right?" she asked, turning to Vincent. Vincent looked at Barret with a reassuring expression on his face, "It's alright, Barret. I…" he began, but Barret cut him off, "Wouldn't it be dangerous?!"
Silence.
"It's not dangerous for me. I can walk and think clearly now. My bullet wounds have healed overnight, thanks to the JENOVA cells in my system. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my son." She told him before opening the door, but Barret stopped her and shut the door again. "No, ma'am. Can't let you do that." Barret told her.
"Why not?" Lucrecia demanded.
"First of all, how could you guarantee that Sephiroth wouldn't do any harm to us just like Rufus? And second, it's dangerous for you to go out at this point in time. There are ShinRa Soldiers roaming around." He pointed out.
All eyes turned to the kitchen doorway upon hearing Aerith speak up, "Rufus was the one who helped me and Lucrecia escape the ShinRa Soldiers and the Turks. When they caught me, it was he who had to exchange his freedom for my freedom."
"But they still went after you," Barret told her.
"But I know in my heart that he did not wish for that to happen. Rufus is a changed man, Barret… and so is Sephiroth. He was the one willing to protect all of us just in case President ShinRa tries to do something bad again! He and Rufus are friends now, and so are we!" Aerith explained.
Barret could see the truth in Aerith's eyes, but he did not say anything more.
Lucrecia could feel herself shaking as she wiped her tears away. It was only then that she realized that she was crying already. "Now please, I need to find Sephiroth before Hojo finds him. I don't want Hojo to do the things that he had done before on my one and only boy…" she said sternly. Vincent bowed down his head. Just the mention of Hojo's name made him feel somewhat angry. He wondered why the people who really made everybody's lives miserable and had remained evil up to that day had to come back along with Lucrecia, Aerith, Sephiroth and Rufus. "Hojo should've just stayed dead…" Vincent muttered before turning back to her, "You just stay here; I'll fetch Sephiroth for you." He told her reassuringly.
The sun was already beginning to set but Yuffie was still on the other side of the river. She was already sitting down on a rock and staring at the direction where Zack was still standing. "Give up?" she asked with a mocking smile on her face.
Zack just stood still. "Yuffie, please! Aren't you hungry? Let's go home!" he told her sternly.
"Nah. I lost my appetite. Just watching you there and realizing that you're a chicken keeps me stuffed. Heehee." She called out.
Silence.
"Come on, Yuffie, this isn't funny anymore!" he told her as patiently as he could.
"Heeheeheehee!" she just giggled.
Zack clenched his fists. She was really stubborn… and he could not really risk losing the only job he has at that moment. Besides, even if he did lose his current job, he'd still be stuck in Wutai and so he'd eventually have to look for another job there; but since the Kisaragis are such influential persons in the country, his reputation for being "a stubborn guardian" or simply "a coward" would spread across the land, and nobody would want "a stubborn guardian" or "a coward", so he'd end up as a bum and suffer and then probably die in Wutai anyway. "IT'S SO UNFAIR!!!" he yelled in vain after thinking of what could happen to him if he does not give into Yuffie's whim. "Oh well, at least just for today. Tomorrow will be different. I'll be hard on her. I'm sure Lord Godo will understand. She's a stubborn brat that needs to be taught a lesson…" he thought to himself with a regretful look on his face before placing his Buster Sword on his back and walked near the shore.
Yuffie's face lit up upon realizing that Zack is ready to jump. "Ooh! This I gotta see!" she said a she crossed her legs and sat up straight.
Zack swallowed hard. "If Sephiroth was here or even General Heidegger, they'd be proud of me if I could cross! Yeah, that's something to look forward to!" he thought before he finally jumped. "Besides, the crocodiles must be asleep now since it's been 5 hours…"
Upon landing on the first rock, ALL the crocodiles snapped their jaws in anticipation.
"AH! It's so unfair!!!" Zack yelled in desperation. He knew what the crocs were saying in their own croc language: "Yum! We be havin' hedgehog steak!"
Yuffie giggled almost sadistically as she watched Zack barely land on the slippery rocks that were almost pure green because of the massive amount of moss growing on them. "See how fun it is, Zacky?" she yelled playfully at him with a sweet smile on her face.
"Don't talk to me!" Zack growled as his boots barely avoided a very hungry crocodile's jaws. He jumped from mossy rock to mossy rock, always almost slipping off and falling into the murky green water. "Almost there… don't let them or her get to you…" he thought to himself.
Yuffie laughed and laughed, enjoying Zack's humbling moment. She laughed so hard, that she didn't notice that a crocodile grew tired of attempting to chow on Zack and instead, rose from the water and go after Yuffie herself…
The ninja stopped laughing when it heard a low growl from beside her. "Aah…" her voice was meek now.
Snap. "YAAAAAH! OH GAWDS!" Yuffie, quick as lightning, jumped away from the crocodile and threw several shuriken blades all at once. Five of those instantly hit the crocodile that attempted to harm her, while the rest unintentionally flew over to Zack. "Whoa!!!" he reacted in surprise as he tried to avoid the blades, but he instantly lost his balance and fell into the water, shocking Yuffie. "OH MY GAWD!!!!!" she cried out, suddenly not knowing what to do.
Zack got his Buster Sword and tried his best to ward off the crocodiles whose jaws were already wide open and ready to eat him up as he swam quickly going to the shore, but there were too many of those crocs so at one point, the crocs crowded onto him, making him sink. He let out a cry of despair before completely sinking down.
Yuffie rushed to the water. "GAWDS!!! Zack, you're going to kill us both!!!" she screamed angrily as she dove into the water to rescue him.
"Hmm… such a wonderful night, isn't it, Rufus?" President ShinRa asked happily as they entered the Honeybee Inn. The Turks were there to escort them, but once they reached inside, they spread out across the lobby. "I already had the Don reserve the #$% Room for you." President ShinRa whispered.
"Oh joy." Rufus muttered sarcastically.
"Har har har har! Well then, I'll just go to Don Corneo for a while to tell him that we're already here." President ShinRa headed over to the Group Room with a joyful laugh.
Rufus rolled his eyes and watched in annoyance as his father entered the Group Room. With that, he turned around to face the Turks. "Come here," he summoned.
Tseng, Rude, Reno and Elena exchanged looks for a while before approaching the President.
"So, sir… looks like you're gonna be devirginized tonight, eh? Heheh." Reno teased casually. Rufus just stared warningly at him and he shut up. With that, Rufus began. "I'll make sure you get your next bonuses this coming weekend, plus salary raises for the next six months…"
"Really?! Cool! Thanks, sir! You're really the best!" Elena cheered happily.
"Hush now; don't get too excited, Elena." Rufus told her with a sly smile on his face before he flipped his hair and proceeded, "Now, here's 2,500 Gil… go inside the #$% Room and have a good time there… order all the drinks you want and all the food you want. I'll just be going somewhere else…" he told them as he handed some cash to Tseng worth 2,500 Gil.
Silence.
"You don't have to pay us, sir. We won't tell President ShinRa what you're up to." Tseng reassured.
Rufus was quite surprised at the statement.
"We know you don't like this place and you're not interested in meeting whores. So go now! Scoot! Heheh." Reno said, giving Rufus a slight shove towards the exit door.
Rufus shoved him back, and dusting his sleeve where Reno had touched him to give a push. "Don't touch me." He muttered arrogantly before walking out of the Honeybee Inn.
"Still as touchy as ever, huh?" Reno asked Tseng.
"Yes, yes… but believe me, he is a changed man." Tseng told them.
"What do you mean, sir?" Elena asked curiously. "Yeah. Were you guys in heaven and you met God that's why you're all behaving differently?" Reno chimed in, but she protested, "But if they were in heaven, how come President ShinRa still acts like before during his first life?"
Tseng shook his head. "President ShinRa just hung out with the wrong crowd of dead people, that's what happened while we were dead. I don't really know what happened but we just came back here in this Planet… I think it was a full moon night when we felt like our souls are being sucked into some kind of… life-filled force. The next thing we knew, we were at a hospital in Kalm!" he explained.
"…but what happened? How come Rufus, Aerith that Lucrecia woman aren't with you in the hospital?" Reno asked.
Tseng shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Maybe they escaped while the rest were still sleeping. President ShinRa did not even know if they were also revived. But he's really pleased to be back here." He pointed out before smiling proudly, "Rufus and Sephiroth became very good friends with Aerith, so I guess that's what made him change."
"Gee… so kindness of another person can rub off on Rufus. I thought he was the most insensitive man on this Planet," Elena said while scratching her head with a slight smile on her face.
Tseng turned his gaze to the door of the Group Room, "Listen up, Turks. Sir Rufus needs our help here, so I want…" he turned to Reno with a serious look on his face, "…you and Elena to go inside the #$% Room and occupy it for the meantime." He commanded.
Silence.
"WHAT?!" Elena screeched.
"Shhhh!!!" Tseng hushed.
"Whehehey!" Reno cheered with a sly smile on his face as he raised one eyebrow, gazing at Elena from head to toe.
"You're not going to do anything! You're just going to sit inside and switch on the television and I know there are erotic channels there, so you switch into one of those so that if President ShinRa decides to listen…" Tseng began.
"Hey, hey, hey… boss, wait a sec." Elena protested, jumping up and down in annoyance before calming down again. She smiled weakly at him, "Why don't we just go in there, switch on the TV, put it in that porn TV station thing you're talking about, and then close the door and stand outside here and make sure that the lights inside are switched off so that President ShinRa won't see anything in case he peeps through that keyhole?" she suggested.
Silence.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Tseng muttered with a look of disbelief on his face.
"Coz you're stupid. Heheh." Reno muttered before snickering. Tseng flashed him a warning look before turning back to Elena. "That's a good idea, Elena. And if President ShinRa asks why the lights are switched off…" he continued.
"We'll just tell him that Rufus prefers to do it in the dark. Heheh." Reno chimed in.
"Yes, yes, that's exactly it. So… go now!" Tseng said, turning to Rude.
"Me?" Rude asked, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
"Yes, you." Tseng said.
With that, Rude proceeded carefully to the #$% Room and did what was planned.
Reno turned to Tseng, "Say, Boss, how'd you know that they have porn stations in this place?" he asked.
Silence.
Elena giggled.
Tseng blushed. "No, I haven't rented a room in here before. I just had to accompany President ShinRa one time… never mind. It was disgusting." He told them.
Reno slouched and he looked dismayed, "Aw shucks. I thought you'd have access to one of the rooms here. Heheh. But actually, I'd rather go for your Plan A… you know, where Elena and I would go in there?" he asked with a hinting tone while naughtily eyeing Elena. She just stuck out her tongue at him and looked away, crossing her arms.
Tseng chuckled lightly, "Now, now, Reno, that's no way to treat a young lady!" he scolded rather jokingly, surprising the two Turks. Tseng used to be such a serious person from way back, but he also seems different at present. Reno just smiled. "Heheh. But didn't Rufus tell us to go inside the #$% room and then we'll order all the drinks we want?" he asked.
"We'll do it during our off… in another place." Tseng told them.
Finally, Rude arrived with an accomplished motion. "I already switched off the lights." He said before he shut the door.
"Cool!" Elena cheered.
They were interrupted when President ShinRa and Don Corneo came out from the Group Room. The former frowned upon realizing that Rufus wasn't there anymore, "Where's my boy?" he demanded.
"He's already inside, Your Excellency." Reno replied with a pleased smile on his face.
President ShinRa's expression brightened upon hearing that. "Oooh. Too excited, huh? Who's the lucky girl and where'd you find her?" he asked happily.
"Is it one of the girls here?" Don Corneo asked excitedly.
"Uhm…" Tseng hesitated, turning to Elena and Reno in confusion, his eyes telling them, "Say something!"
Rude thought for a while before saying, "Uh… no, sir. She's an outsider… some… rich girl from Sector 1."
President ShinRa's eyes widened. "A rich girl?" he asked.
"Daughter of the… uh… rich ambassador from…" Elena began, and Reno continued, "From Gongaga!"
Silence.
"Gongaga?" Don Corneo asked.
"I don't think they'd be rich enough to have an ambassador." President ShinRa told them skeptically.
"Oh… the former ambassador… descended from the former ambassador, that is. Heheh." Reno explained.
"Well then, uh… What's her name?" President ShinRa asked excitedly.
"Uhm…" Tseng began, but couldn't think of any.
"Tifa?" Rude chimed in.
Silence.
Reno couldn't believe Rude said that, but Rude bit his lower lip like he wanted to say, "Hey it was the first name that popped out from my mind!"
"Tifa who? I want to know the surname to prove if she's really rich or not." President ShinRa said sternly.
"…" Rude replied.
"We're not really sure…" Elena began.
"Er… you know… somewhat like… Leonhart, or something like that? We can't remember…" Reno said.
President ShinRa frowned. "Well… after he's done, ask the girl and tell me all important information about her. Understood?"
The Turks saluted. The President smiled. "Now, Corneo, find me a woman for myself…"
The Don laughed. "Of course, Mr. President, right this way…" and they walked off, their boorish laughter echoing throughout the hall. The Turks felt so relieved while they watched the two head over to the office of the manager of the inn.
"That was close!" Tseng pointed out as he wiped his sweaty brow.
Reno nudged Rude, "Why the hell did you have to say Tifa's name?!" he demanded in shock.
"But… it was the first female name that entered my mind!" Rude replied with a panicky tone.
Silence.
"Well at least let's be thankful that President ShinRa was not able to identify the name anymore!" Tseng told them with a weak smile on his face.
Then, President ShinRa returned with a speculating look on his face. "Turks," he called out, making them freeze in sudden fear. "Y…yes, your Excellency?" Tseng asked, trying to sound casual.
President ShinRa was rubbing his chin in speculation. "I was just wondering… you said her name is Tifa, right?" he asked.
"Y…yes, sir." Rude replied.
President ShinRa thought for a while before walking over the #$% Room. "I want to see…" he began, attempting to open the door, but Elena stepped ahead of him and blocked his way, "Oh no, sir. You wouldn't wanna. They're quite busy right now." She said with a sheepish smile on her face.
"Get out of the way Elena," he commanded sternly. She stepped aside. He grabbed the doorknob and tried to twist it open, but it was locked. He frowned in annoyance.
"You see, sir, your son likes to be private with her." Reno told him.
"So you mean he's met her before?" President ShinRa asked.
"Er… yes, sir." Reno replied.
"When?" the President asked.
Tseng was thinking, "Right after you died. Duh." But decided to just keep quiet. He could recall that AVALANCHE was there when the President died during his first life… and it was the first time that Rufus had met the rebel group… so she was there! When nobody answered, President ShinRa just decided to take a peek through the key hole, but couldn't see a thing. "It's dark." He remarked.
"Oh, maybe he's the type of person who likes to do it in the dark." Reno explained casually as he leaned against the wall.
President ShinRa leaned his head against the door to try to listen for any sound. His eyes widened at what he heard. "Oooh. Aren't they being too fast?" he asked as he moved away with a surprised look on his face.
Reno, Rude and Tseng exchanged looks before rushing to the door and decided to listen. Tseng raised an eyebrow while Reno stopped himself from laughing. Rude just twisted his lips in a scornful manner. The three male Turks faced the President before smiling weakly at him. "Er… looks like you don't know your son very well, huh?" was all Tseng mentioned.
President ShinRa just smiled. "Well, at least I can be proud of him now. He's gonna be just like me! Har har har har har har har har har!" he laughed joyfully before leaving them.
The Turks sighed in relief. "That was really close!!!" Reno exclaimed.
"Good work on choosing the right channel, Rude." Tseng told the bald Turk.
Rude just blushed slightly and nodded in reply.
"So, what do we do here now?" Reno asked.
Tseng just shook his head in dismay. "We'll have to wait until President ShinRa says it's time to go home." He told them.
"But what if Sir Rufus doesn't return here when his dad wants to go home already?" Elena asked in sudden worry.
They all fell silent. They never really asked Rufus whether he'd return or not… and if he doesn't return, they know that they'll really get into trouble.
Tseng swallowed hard. "I'll just send a text message to his mobile phone… I hope he will read it…" he told them with an unsure look on his face.
Yuffie slowly and carefully opened the front door of the Kisaragi residence and carefully dragged in the unconscious and slightly-injured Zack inside. It was already way past midnight when they arrived back home because there was no available transportation and she had a hard time dragging him around with her going back to the village where she lives.
"GAWDS!!! This guy is heavier than I thought! He's worse than 10 anvils combined altogether!" she thought miserably as she headed for the hallway where their rooms are located. When she reached his room, she carefully opened the door and switched on the lights… and she screeched in shock. There was her father standing there with a deep frown on his face, looking so frustrated at something. His arms were crossed and he was looking down at them like they did something bad to disgrace him. Yuffie smiled sheepishly. "Er… Hi, daddy! Eheh…" she said weakly before she bowed down her head.
Lord Godo stared furiously at his daughter and then at Zack. "Where have you two been? Do you know what time it is?" he asked in a low tone.
Yuffie just ignored him as she took Zack to his bed. Lord Godo repeated the question, "Do you know what time it is?" but this time, his voice was louder and it sounded like a growl. She looked up at him with tired but annoyed eyes, "I know what time it is! It's past midnight and I'm sorry. We got into some trouble… and it's all my fault…" she said with a pout on her face before she bowed down her head.
"It's three in the morning, for crying out loud!" Lord Godo yelled angrily.
Yuffie did not answer. She just wiped the dirt off her face and got up. "Call the other servants and tell them to clean him up." She told him.
"What happened to him?" he asked, trying to sound calmer.
"Never mind that. It's my fault." She told him.
"What fault?" he asked.
"I… provoked him… no… talked him into crossing the river after I did so… and…" she trailed off when she noticed Zack slightly move and then winced in pain. His legs were quite bloody and the sight of it is making her nauseous. "Ugh…" she reacted in disgust.
"And you had to drag him back here?" he asked.
"Yeah coz there's no other way. I can't cross the river again with him because he's so heavy so I had to walk from the other side and the path is longer back here so… it took me several hours. And I'm tired right now so could you just tell the other servants to take care of him?" she asked before she decided to walk away.
"Everyone is already asleep. You are responsible for Zack like he is responsible for you… and you let this happen to him?!" Lord Godo asked in disbelief.
"It was an accident!" Yuffie wanted to cry. She was so tired and queasy and dirty and hungry and she wanted to go to sleep already. She was filled with mixed emotions that tears started to well up in her eyes.
"What, are you going to cry?" Lord Godo challenged.
She just sniffed and wiped her tears away. "N…no. I'm not going to cry. I'm just… disgusted!" she said in protest with a weak tone before she swallowed hard and turned back to Zack. She bent down and carefully untied his boots and removed them from his feet.
Lord Godo's expression softened as he observed the shaky hands of his daughter. He shook his head in disbelief. "You still have a lot more to learn about life, dear Yuffie." He was thinking silently before he decided to just help her.
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GQ's Notes: Well, what do you think? Please!!! Please, please, I beg of you… I need your reviews!!! o' Tell me anything and everything you think about this fic. Constructive criticisms are welcome…so please….. =='