They Live!
By: GQ and Zhak
Chapter Six: Masquerade Ball
Some days later…
Zack and Yuffie just returned from the training grounds. Yuffie seemed hyper, jumping around and punching the air. "Hooyah! I can catch flies with my bare hands now! Heeheeheehee!!! I'm dah bomb!!! Heeheeheehee!" she cheered happily.
Zack just felt embarrassed for the two of them as he made a move to close the front gate, but stopped when he heard someone say, "Hey, man! Wait a sec!" Zack turned around again and peeked outside, seeing a messenger running his way. "Here! Can ya give it to the man? Lord Godo?"
Zack nodded as he received the red-and-white intricately designed invitation, with the ShinRa logo on its flap. "Whoa. Hot stuff," he thought to himself as he made his way to the Pagoda where Lord Godo was seated, drinking tea and watching his daughter jumping around him while laughing gaily. "Lord Godo, it's an invitation of some sort," Zack said, handing the invitation to his master.
Lord Godo curiously took the invitation from his grasp and flipped it open. "Greetings from Midgar! You and your family are cordially invited to be a part of my one and only son's 22nd Birthday Party on the 23rd of December of this wonderful year. It is a masquerade ball that will start at 18:00 up to midnight at the Second Floor Ballroom of the ShinRa Building. On that day, a very important announcement will be made, which could be considered as one of the most important parts of my son's life. We hope to see you there! Signed, President ShinRa."
Yuffie froze. "What?" she asked.
Zack felt somewhat overwhelmed but he did not say anything.
Lord Godo felt glad. "Great! A party! We'll attend! Although it's ShinRa-related…" he said.
"Dad, I thought you're against that family?!" Yuffie asked in disbelief.
"Well… these are desperate measures to get their favor so that they could help in the economic situation of our country." He replied.
"As if that would get them on our side. I despise those bigtime apes like the ShinRas!!!" Yuffie snapped angrily.
"It could also mean that we're still part of the most important people in the Planet… that's why we're being invited." Lord Godo said with a smile on his face, ignoring what Yuffie had just mentioned.
"Important because they're gonna get on your good side and make you sell Wutai to them!" she snapped.
"No we're not. We're just being sociable. We don't want to argue with Midgarians after what they have done to us here in Wutai. It's like building friendships!" he said.
"Dad, it's Rufus's Masquerade Ball to celebrate his 22nd Birthday and not Wutai-Midgar National Friendship Day!!!" she snapped.
"What is wrong with you, daughter? And who is Rufus?" he asked.
"President ShinRa's son." Yuffie said simply.
Silence.
"Oh… yes. I remember now. He died already, right?" he asked.
Yuffie and Zack exchanged looks before she just decided to walk out. Zack followed after her. She went straight to the pond in their garden and just stared dumbfoundedly at it. "Are you alright?" he asked her.
"How the hell do we tell dad about the dead coming back to life without scaring him?" she asked miserably.
"Well… you are not scared of me, are you? I mean… I was one of those who…" he began, but stopped when she faced him again with a happy smile on her face, "Oh cool!!! If we're going to Midgar, I'll get to see my friends again!!!" she cheered happily.
He blinked, "Oh… I never knew your friends belonged to the upper class," he said with a calm smile on his face.
"No they don't. We can ditch dad and the party and then go straight to Sector 7! What do you say?" she asked excitedly.
"I'd say no." he replied.
She frowned at him, "Why not?" she demanded.
"Because that would be wrong and rude for your dad! I'm sure your father would like to introduce you to the President and to the President's son. I'm sure you and Rufus could make such very good friends!" Zack pointed out.
She stared unbelievably at him, "I thought you worked at ShinRa! You should know who Rufus is! And me? Friends with Rufus? I'll be a monkey's uncle!" she said sarcastically before turning away.
"Well I never really got to meet Rufus face to face, but I heard rumors going around…" he said.
"Rumors are only rumors, Zack." She muttered.
"Rufus was a nice person…" he told her.
"Was a nice person. You used the past tense of is. It means that he was nice in the past! HAH!" she pointed out.
"But I met him when we were still spirits… he seemed… distant. Just like Sephiroth. And they're always together… and they're always with Aerith too… and when they're with Aerith, I get… sorta jealous because I can't be with her… and it's like they're shielding her away from something… I can't tell what, but it's… it's like they're protecting her from me!" he told her.
She just laughed at him. "That's so ridiculous!" she pointed out before sitting down on the grassy ground. "Aerith hanging out with two of the most annoying enemies in this Planet? I don't think so. That girl's the nicest one I've ever known. There's no way she could be friends with some bad-ass guys like Rufus and Sephiroth." She pointed out.
"Achoo!" Aerith sneezed all of a sudden, together with Sephiroth.
All eyes turned to them.
"You alright?" Cloud asked her.
"I'm fine," Sephiroth replied before sniffing. Cloud stared blankly at him, "I was asking Aerith." He said. Sephiroth just smiled mockingly at him, "Oh and I thought we're in good terms already. Mwahahaha." He told him.
"Not in that kind of good terms." Cloud muttered.
"Alright, enough ya foo's. I don't like arguments in the dinner table." Barret snapped at them.
Sephiroth just glared at Cloud, while the other guy glared back at him. Aerith rubbed her nose and then sniffed. "I think someone's talking about me…" she said with a slight chuckle because she found the situation quite funny.
"Me too," Sephiroth said before turning to Barret, "Hey man. Maybe you could give us a number from one to twenty-six?" he asked.
"What foh?" Barret asked in confusion.
"The letter from the alphabet that corresponds to the number that you are going to pick randomly is the first letter of the person who is thinking or talking about the person who sneezed or accidentally bit his tongue or just choked on something. Get it?" Aerith asked.
"Don't tell me Sephiroth still believes in that superstition?" Barret asked, turning to Sephiroth. Sephiroth just shrugged. "Just for fun. Who knows, it could be right." He told him.
Barret thought for a while before saying, "25?"
Sephiroth frowned slightly. "Y?" he asked.
"Yuffie?" Aerith asked.
Silence.
"Why would she even bring up the topic about me to someone?" Aerith asked in wonder.
"Maybe she's praying for your soul." Sephiroth told her before turning to Tifa, "And you? Give another number. Two of us sneezed." He said.
"What about 26?" Tifa asked mindlessly before taking a sip of water.
"Z?" Lucrecia asked.
Everyone in the room fell silent.
Cloud just smiled slyly at Sephiroth, "Looks like your favorite SOLDIER is thinking about you, huh?" he asked.
Sephiroth just sneered at him.
At the same time that Aerith and Sephiroth sneezed, Rufus just started choking, surprising President ShinRa.
"Are you alright?" President ShinRa asked with a frown on his face, thinking that his son must be eating too fast or carelessly, and he believes that it's a result of lack of manners. And to think he paid for his son's Finishing School tuition fees for four years for nothing…
Rufus got his glass of water and began to drink. Afterwards, he grabbed the napkin from his lap and wiped his lips. And then he burped. He frowned. "Pardon me." He muttered.
"What's the matter with you?" President ShinRa asked.
Rufus did not answer. He just stared at his unfinished food and then pushed the plate away. "I don't like this steak… in fact, I don't like meat." He got up. "I'm going back to my office," he told him.
"Rufus, stay here!" President ShinRa snapped.
Rufus just stared stiffly at his father. "Yes?" he asked.
"Sit down, son. I have something to discuss with you." President ShinRa said.
Rufus thought for a while before sitting down again.
"I'm so curious about your girlfriend, you know… why don't you describe her to me? Y'know, like how she looks like and how long her hair is and…"
"It's none of your concern, really." Rufus said, cutting him off.
"Yes, it is." President ShinRa replied.
"And why?" Rufus asked.
President ShinRa leaned back on his seat, "Because it is important for me to know! I am your father and I care about your reputation, since you are going to become the President when the right time comes! I don't want you to marry someone who looks so low-classed. She has to be glamorous… someone fitting for the name ShinRa!"
Rufus just stared in disgust at his father, "So you're saying that I'm supposed to marry for the sake of my image?" he asked.
"Er…something like that. Just think of your reputation in the future. To be able to attract more attention for your future influence in the hearts and minds of the people, you have to have someone glamorous to be beside you for all your life!" President ShinRa reasoned.
Rufus turned away for a while, bowing down his head in wonder before looking up at his father again with a sarcastic smile on his face, "Oh is that why you married the woman who became my mother because she was beautiful in her youth? Because she was a famous and beautiful woman… and when she cut her hair, you started dating other women because you found it unattractive, huh?" he asked before he got up. "Don't worry, daddy, your future daughter-in-law is the most beautiful woman in the whole Planet… at least for me. I don't need your opinion on her; I'm going to present her to the world on my birthday as what your plan states." He declared sarcastically before walking out of the dining room while thinking, "I could just have him assassinated by Sephiroth… if only the guy's strong enough again." he thought silently. The truth is, all of them who just came back to life are not yet physically and mentally ready to take on too many activities. Based on Hojo's calculations, which he had announced during one of the past meetings of the week, it might take them two up to three years before they could become physically and mentally fit again just like before during their first life.
He finally reached his office where he found the Turks seated on the couch facing his desk. "Oh, you're here?" he asked curiously. The four Turks got up with pleased looks on their faces (except for Rude who's always poker-faced). "The suits and gowns are here, sir." Tseng replied.
Rufus raised his eyebrows at them, "All ready?" he asked in awe.
"Your dressmaker had the sizes." Tseng explained. Rufus smiled slightly and nodded his head in a pleased manner, "Perfect. Where are they? Did you also get some clothes done for Barret, Cloud, Aerith and Lucrecia?" he asked.
"Of course. Based on your orders, sir. But they don't know it." Reno replied.
"We'll just deliver the clothes to them tomorrow morning." Elena said happily.
"You sure nobody saw you?" Rufus asked as he approached his desk and switched on his laptop.
"Well, your father saw us and asked what those boxes are. I told him that it's your new wardrobe for winter this year because you ordered it from a catalog and then had it delivered here." She replied.
"Oh so they're boxed? How are they labeled?" he asked as he sat down.
"With some codes that I'm sure will be understood by them easily." Tseng replied with a pleased look on his face as he pointed at the boxes that were placed just behind Rufus's chair. Rufus spun his seat around and looked at the individual boxes. He read them one by one: "Brown Bear. Fluffy Cloud. Pink Angel. Final Heaven. Silver Angel. Red Vampire…" he frowned and just shrugged. "Quite impressive. But… Silver Angel for Sephiroth?' he asked in awe.
The Turks glanced at one another before Reno answered, "It shouldn't be obvious to your dad, sir." He told him with a silly smile on his face.
Rufus just turned back to them with a serious expression on his face. "Good." He told them. "And their masks?" he asked.
"Already included in the boxes, sir. Mister Wallace's mask is a bear… Mister Strife's got a goblin mask… Miss Gainsborough's got a doll mask; Miss Lockheart's mask will simply cover her eyes… it's attached to a stick so she can hold it. Sephiroth's mask is a one-sided kind and will only cover the left side of his face; while Mister Valentine's mask is the same kind but will cover the right side of his face. Miss Lucrecia's mask is… a monstrous-looking one." Elena explained with an excited look on her face.
Rufus imagined their masks and how it would look like. "Don't you want to look at them, sir?" Tseng chimed in. Rufus shook his head. "I'll just surprise myself when I see them on my birthday." He said simply before he began to continue his work. "Now piss off." he said stiffly.
With that, the Turks left.
On the day of the party…
"Sir Rufus, come out now this instant! Your father is beginning to get impatient!" Scarlet shouted as she kept on knocking impatiently on Rufus's bedroom door.
It was already a quarter before seven in the evening and all the guests have arrived already, but Rufus was still upstairs in his own room.
Inside, he was just standing by the window and looking up at the stars with a weary look on his face. Dark Nation was standing beside his right leg and doing the same thing. "It would be such a peaceful night if that woman isn't shouting, don't you think so, Darky?" he asked softly as he patted her head.
"Meowrrr…" the big panther-like animal replied with a frustrated tone. Rufus glanced at his watch before sighing. "I guess it's time to go." He told her before proceeding to his bed to pick up his mask. It was like a Zorro mask but it was made of white silk. After knotting the ends behind his head, he went over to his dresser to check how he looked. He smiled rather vainly at himself as he flipped his hair, "I look so bloody hot tonight. Heh, heh." He said out loud to please himself. Dark Nation just snorted.
He glared at her, "Oh so you think you're better looking, huh?" he asked playfully.
The cat just purred as she rubbed her head against his leg. He smiled softly as he patted her head and stroked her fur gently. "Come on, let's go…" he told her as he led the way to the door.
Scarlet was surprised when the door just opened… and there was Rufus all dressed in a white tuxedo, black shoes and a white mask around his eyes… and his hair not brushed back in its usual manner with gel. "Kyah…" was all she could say.
"Is everybody there already?" he asked.
"Y…yes, sir…" she said, nodding her head.
With that, Rufus went over to the elevators with Dark Nation trailing behind him.
"I'm beginning to feel rather uncomfortable having my left claw hold your hand…" Vincent muttered miserably to Sephiroth.
"Me too. Your claw is too cold, dammit!" Sephiroth replied before he went over to the punch bowl, dragging Vincent with him. Barret's instruction was never to let go of Vincent's left claw and just hold it close to himself while the black shawl is covering it. "What if we need to go to the bathroom?" Vincent asked in worry.
"Then you're coming with me to the men's room." Sephiroth replied as he got himself another glass of punch.
"In this gown?" Vincent asked in disbelief, referring to his vermillion red gown. Tifa, Aerith and Lucrecia spent one hour and thirty minutes just fixing him up: applying the make-up on his face and then fixing his hair. The finished product was rather… surprising. He ended up looking more beautiful and lovelier than the girls. And when they entered the ballroom, all eyes really turned to him and he received a lot of ooohs and aaahs.
As for Sephiroth, he was wearing a black tuxedo. The girls had his hair colored with washable blonde hair dye so that the silver hair would not stand out too much in the crowd, and then tied his hair in a loose ponytail (just like Tifa's).
From a far, Cloud and Aerith were just standing by one of the pillars, watching the crowd of upper class people socializing with one another. At the same time, they were keeping a close eye on Sephiroth and Vincent. "Hey… where's Teef?" Aerith asked. She was wearing a baby pink strapless gown… and it was rather sexy for her that almost all the men were staring, making Cloud feel somewhat annoyed.
Cloud shrugged. "I think she's with Lucrecia." He said.
"What about Barret?" she asked.
"Over there, talking to Yuffie…" Cloud muttered. He sounded a bit annoyed, and Aerith noticed it. Aerith looked around. "Really? Yuffie's here? Where?" she asked.
Cloud gave up, he pointed to Yuffie… and Zack.
Aerith followed the trail of his finger and finally saw Barret and Yuffie… and Zack. She gasped. "What is he doing here?" she asked in shock.
"I don't know… but it appears like he's Yuffie's escort." He replied.
"Really? That's great! He's finally found the right girl for himself! Teehee!" Aerith said happily while giggling. Then, some waltz-like music began to play. "Oh my! Cloud! Let's dance!" she said before dragging him to the dancefloor. "But…" he stammered.
Sephiroth heard the music and rejoiced. "Mwahahahaha! Let's dance, Vinny!!!" he said before dragging Vincent to the dancefloor. "Oh slow down! I might trip…" Vincent struggled to say while trying hard to keep his balance. He's not used to walking in high heels, of course.
Zack had a smiley mask to cover his face… and he's wearing a black suit. He somewhat felt ridiculous with a mask on his face, especially on the account that it was a plain smiley mask, while Yuffie had a hockey mask on. He was persistent to have the hockey mask, but Yuffie was on an I-saw-it-first mode that morning when they were buying, so he ended up with a plain smiley mask. They arrived in Midgar three days earlier because they just traveled by boat. Travel was quicker because Lord Godo refused to make stop-overs, so they ate the stocked food in their boat. Yuffie was usually seasick so she never really ate too much… leaving everything to Zack and to her father. When they arrived in Midgar only on the morning of the day of the event itself, Lord Godo had their things checked-in at the Sector 1 Hotel while she and Zack went straight to the mall to buy the things they need for the ball. Yuffie got herself a light green backless gown (which really made her father throw a fit at first before he finally let her wear it for the event). Lord Godo wanted her to wear a Cheongsam but she refused to. "Dad, this is not a Wutaian party." She reasoned.
When they arrived at the ShinRa Building at exactly 6 in the evening, Yuffie immediately wanted to ditch her father as soon as they could get inside the ballroom, but Zack kept on convincing her not to go and at least be sociable for her father's sake. Yuffie was going to protest against his statement, but thank goodness when she instantly identified Barret coming in. Although she was wondering what he was doing in a place like that, she just rushed over to him, happy to see him, while Zack trailed behind her. Just doing his job… besides, he saw Don Corneo eyeing Yuffie quite maliciously from one corner of the room while with President ShinRa, Heidegger and some other business tycoons.
"We all missed you, actually… but now that you're here, go away! Heheh." Barret joked.
Yuffie frowned at him. "Hmf! That's so sweet of you…" she began before moving closer to Barret, "Honestly, what are you doing here? And I'd suspect that the others are here too?" she whispered.
Barret took a quick glance at Zack, who was wondering about the man behind the bear mask and how he is related to Yuffie. Barret bent down a little and whispered to Yuffie, "Infiltration. Rufus's idea. He's determined to get his father's ass off the Presidential Seat."
"WHAT?!" Yuffie exclaimed.
"SHHH!!!" Barret snapped at her.
She covered her mouth and laughed sheepishly at herself. "Oh… heehee…" she blushed slightly and looked up at Zack whom she could tell was really eyeing her suspiciously behind his smiley mask. Zack just turned away, muttering, "I'm not hearing anything. You can continue your private meeting…" and froze. His eyes widened a bit when he saw a particular couple dancing on the dancefloor.
He just shook his head in disbelief. "Nah… those two can't be Cloud and Aerith… they're not from the upper class anyway…" he thought silently… although he really thought those two were the ones that he had thought of because of… he was not sure. He just had a feeling that those two are Cloud and Aerith.
"I can't believe it myself, either… Sephiroth and Rufus on our side? That's like a dream turning into a reality. But really, it's true! I'd be a damn monkey's uncle if those darn foo's are just playin' wit our minds y'know!?" Barret told Yuffie in a discreet manner
"So it's just you and Sephiroth around this place at present, spying? Where are the others?" she asked softly in a whispery tone.
Barret moved his head from side to side, as if scanning the whole place from where he is. "Vincent is supposed to disguise himself as Tifa's mom. Sephiroth is Vincent's husband and Tifa's dad… Lucrecia will leave the ballroom later on with the help of the Turks to disable some of the security alarms and monitors. Cloud and Aerith are over there dancing…"
"Really?" Yuffie asked happily, suddenly so psyched to see Aerith. She turned to the dancefloor and scanned the place…
"The girl with the doll face dancing with the goblin. Heheh." Barret described with a silly smile on his face.
Yuffie nodded. "I see…" she said, suppressing further reactions so that she could also help in keeping things a secret… but she really couldn't wait until she could talk to Aerith again. "Heehee! I can't wait to talk to get the chance to talk to her again! Heehee!" she said excitedly. Zack turned to her, "Who?" he asked.
"Aerith!" she replied.
"Really? Where is she?" he asked in a whispery tone.
"Over there, dancing with Cloud!" Yuffie pointed out in a cautious manner. Zack turned back to the dancefloor and just stared in a dumbfounded manner at the girl with the doll face mask.
Barret tapped Yuffie's shoulder, "By the way, who's your boyfriend?" he asked.
Yuffie's jaw dropped upon hearing that. She frowned at him and placed her hands on her hips, "GROSSNESS!!! He's not my boyfriend!" She reacted in protest. "His name is Zack and he's been hired by my dad to work as a bodyguard for me because dad's so paranoid that maniacs might try to get his one and only daughter… ugh… remember that incident with the Don?" she pointed out in a calmer manner.
Barret laughed at her, "Oh yeah… you and Elena got kidnapped by that ol' foo'. Heheh. Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your bodyguard?" he asked.
Yuffie turned to Zack, "Hey, Zack," she called out. But he wasn't paying attention. She followed the trail of his gaze through the eye holes of his smiley mask and it led to Aerith. She felt a little stunned at first, and then she felt her heart sinking. She swallowed hard and stomped her foot impatiently, "Zack!?" she called out.
Barret also noticed that the guy was staring somewhere else… and realized that it was Aerith.
Zack still did not react until Yuffie tugged on his sleeve, "Zack," she snapped impatiently. He jerked slightly, as if he had just snapped out of a deep trance. "Y…yeah?" he asked.
Yuffie turned back to Aerith, staring at her with a frown on her face before looking back at him. "Never mind!" she said through clenched teeth and then turned back to Barret. "Anyway, you were saying about the AVALANCHE plan--?" she asked, trying to sound casual, although it was in her face that she was feeling a bit disappointed.
Barret was about to answer her question but they were interrupted when the music stopped playing and President ShinRa's voice just echoed through the speaker system. All eyes turned to the podium where he was standing by the microphone, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the star of tonight's masquerade ball, my one and only son: Rufus!".
Rufus just flipped his hair when everyone turned to look at him. He had just stepped inside the ballroom and already, everybody really paid too much attention to him.
He noticed a lot of the young women in the ballroom who took off their masks just so that they could stare closely at him… and make him notice them staring at him while batting their eyelashes. Rufus just ignored them and took a quick glance at his Old Man before deciding to move around the ballroom.
"Okay… where's Tifa?" Sephiroth whispered to Vincent.
"I don't know… I think she was with Lucrecia but… I don't see Lucrecia anywhere anymore…" Vincent whispered back. From behind them, the girl wearing a black ball gown tapped their shoulders, "Hey,"
The two of them turned around and there was Tifa holding her mask securely to her eyes, not wanting to be recognized too much.
"It's alright if you take that off. You don't look like the usual you anyway," Sephiroth told her.
Tifa put down her mask and giggled. "Hi, dad! Lucrecia just went out for a while to go to the ladies' room." She told him.
Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Oh… I see…" he replied, getting what she had meant by that. Barret approached them with Yuffie and Zack. Sephiroth suddenly sensed something… and he backed off a little, taking Vincent and Tifa with him.
Zack stopped in his tracks, recognizing Tifa. Tifa just stared in awe at him. "Z…Zack?" she asked in shock.
Sephiroth frowned.
Zack forced a smile at her. "H…hi, Tifa!" he greeted rather uneasily.
"Teef!!!" Yuffie cheered happily as she jumped onto Tifa and gave her a tight hug. "Hey… easy there! choke" Tifa struggled to say while trying to push her friend away.
Yuffie moved away. "Oh… sorry. I just missed you!!! Heehee!" she explained happily.
Sephiroth nudged Vincent and Tifa, "Come on," he muttered when Barret gave him the signal.
Tifa swallowed hard before whispering to Yuffie, "Be right back. Got some acting to do," she said before flashing an thumbs-up at Barret.
Barret just nodded his head before he turned and walked away. "Yuffie," he muttered as he passed by her. She nodded and waved at Tifa and Vincent before following after Barret, taking Zack with her.
Sephiroth snorted, "What's that guy doing here with her?!" he snapped in annoyance.
"What's wrong with Zack?" Tifa asked him.
"I thought I had gotten rid of him in the hospital!" Sephiroth explained before giving Tifa a slight push, signaling her to go ahead of them.
While still perplexed, Tifa just decided to walk through the crowds and make her way to Rufus.
Rufus slowly turned his gaze to the woman walking towards him. He removed his mask and flashed a smile at her… a smile that he had intended to do on purpose… the kind that could not be avoided. She looked… different…
She was also smiling at him rather lovingly as she ran to him with open-arms. She finally met him and gave him a tight embrace, making him feel stunned… along with the other guests.
He returned her embrace while carefully staring at the "woman" who was standing beside Sephiroth. He fought the urge to smile further as he told Tifa, "Looking lovely tonight, Miss Lockheart… and the same goes to your mother."
She chuckled lightly as she noticed the other women staring enviously at her. She slowly let go of him. "Rufus, I'd like to introduce you to my parents… Serafin and Victoria." She said with a proud look on her face.
Sephiroth and Vincent faked a smile at Rufus. "It's a pleasure to meet the beloved boyfriend of our one and only daughter." The latter said with a voice in falsetto while offering his right hand to Rufus. Tifa glared unbelievably at Vincent as she still kept a loving smile plastered on her face. "Goodness… he sounds like a woman!" she was thinking silently to herself as she watched Rufus kiss the hand of her "mother".
Sephiroth nodded his head in greeting to Rufus and offered a handshake. "Pleasure to meet you," he said. Rufus shook hands with him while staring into his green eyes behind his mask. Sephiroth could interpret the look in Rufus's eyes… he was mocking him.
With that, Rufus went over to Tifa and took her hand in his. The music began to play again while they walked hand-in-hand to the buffet table where they saw Cloud standing with Aerith and eating some canapés. "Are they ready yet?" Rufus muttered to her.
"Lucrecia's already gone to meet the Turks… Barret and Yuffie followed them… and Zack's with them." Tifa replied.
Rufus froze. "Zack?" he asked.
"Yeah. Zack. Why? You know him?" she asked curiously.
"Do me a favor… never ever mention that name to Cloud," Sephiroth warned her as he and Vincent trailed behind them. Tifa jumped up in surprise, "Dad! You gave me a fright!" she said in shock.
"Why not?" Vincent asked him.
But it was too late for Sephiroth to answer because Cloud already saw them and approached, telling them, "I'm sure I've seen Yuffie somewhere here with Barret and Zack?"
Silence.
He sounded like he was unhappy about something.
Aerith just stood still behind Cloud, smiling behind her mask. The others were not aware, except for her, that President ShinRa is approaching with Scarlet, Heidegger, Hojo, Palmer and Reeve following behind him. She gently tugged on the tail of Cloud's tuxedo, giving him a signal. Cloud looked past Sephiroth and Vincent… and he saw the incoming gang. "Talk to you later. Aerith and I will just go now." He said in a low whisper.
"The 70th floor is unlocked, I made sure of that before I went here. Go." Rufus told him in a discreet manner. With that, Cloud took Aerith's hand and bowed to show respect to Rufus (as part of their act, since President ShinRa is already watching them). "I congratulate you, Rufus," he said out loud with a proud tone.
President ShinRa finally arrived by Rufus's side. "So, son. Meeting some guests, eh?" he asked before turning to Cloud. Cloud jerked slightly, not knowing what to say anymore until Rufus spoke up with confidence, "This is Lord Strife from… Kalm. He owns one of the lands there. He just arrived here this afternoon with his wife, Lady Strife."
President ShinRa flashed a friendly smile at Cloud. Of course, they all knew that he's just trying to be friendly with "Lord Strife" because he owns a land… and maybe it was a big one… which could become a great advantage for President ShinRa's own use. Cloud just nodded his head in greeting. "Pardon me," he said before stepping aside with Aerith and then they both headed over to the punch bowl, leaving them alone.
"Hmm… strange man." President ShinRa muttered glumly before turning to look at Sephiroth and Vincent. He and his executives raised their eyebrows at the two, then at Tifa.
"Father, I'd like you to meet my Tifa." Rufus introduced.
Scarlet uttered a soft, "What?!" but Reeve nudged her.
Tifa smiled pleasantly at President ShinRa, "Oh, your Excellency! How wonderful it is to finally meet you in person!" she said with a pleasant tone as she curtsied. "Now I know where Rufus had inherited his wonderful looks. Heehee!" she said sweetly.
Rufus took that as an insult but he kept cool and just flipped his hair. "Tifa and her family here traveled all the way from Gongaga." He said stiffly.
President ShinRa eyed Tifa from head to toe. "Hmm… quite a lovely lady, huh? And…" he could not help but be a pervert and stare at her chest. "Quite well-endowed too… just like your mother. You got my taste, son. Har har har har har har!" he remarked happily.
Rufus took a sharp intake of breath upon hearing that. Tifa's smile faded away as she moved closer to Rufus, as if seeking refuge in him from a maniac. She clutched his arm rather tightly.
With that President ShinRa turned to look at Sephiroth and Vincent again. "And you are the parents of this very beautiful and charming young lady?" he asked nicely.
"Yes. I'm Serafin. This is my wife Vin… Victoria!" Sephiroth introduced, but not even offering a handshake. Vincent was eyeing Hojo with a blank look on his face… because the man seems to be hitting on her. Hojo flashed him one of his coolest smiles. "Hello," he greeted.
Vincent shuddered. "Bloody hell…" he muttered under his breath.
Lucrecia giggled as she watched from one of the surveillance cameras. "Hey, Elena. Take a look at this!" she said.
Elena walked over to her after double-checking if she had completely knocked the lights out of one of the Soldiers assigned in the surveillance room. "What's up?" she asked.
Lucrecia referred to the monitor connected to one of the cameras in the ballroom. "I think Hojo's got the hots for Vincent. Heheh." She announced.
Elena raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that disturbing?" she asked in confusion and disgust.
"Well at least it lets me know how good of a make-up artist I am too! Heehee!" Lucrecia said before pressing some buttons, disabling some of the cameras and then the alarms.
"You sure know your way around here, huh?" Elena asked.
"Of course. I once worked here in ShinRa several years ago." Lucrecia replied before she was finally done. "There. Let's get going to the laboratory." She told her.
Cloud led the way to the top floor, careful not to wake up the SOLDIERs sleeping on their job. Aerith followed close behind him, holding her rod just in case somebody attempts to attack them all of a sudden. She was also observing the activity of the surveillance cameras that do not seem to be moving anymore. She realized that Lucrecia and Elena must have been successful.
"I think they've finally disabled the security surveillance system." She whispered to him.
"That's good…" Cloud said with a serious look on his face as he finally reached the 70th floor, but when he looked behind him, she was not there anymore. "Aerith?" he thought before rushing down the stairs again.
He felt relieved when he saw her there and just casting sleep on the SOLDIERs. "Can't risk getting caught, Cloud." She told him.
He shook his head in disbelief. "Shall I go ahead?" he asked.
"Do so. I'll keep watch here." She told him reassuringly. "Well, she seems brave enough…" he thought silently to himself before proceeding upstairs again to the office.
He surveyed his surroundings before proceeding, but just as he was about to come closer to the desk, he jumped up in surprise when he heard someone say, "Hold it right there!!!"
He stopped in his tracks and felt nervous all of a sudden. He slowly turned around to see who it was… and it was just Reno holding a key.
Reno approached him and handed him the key. "If you're going to look for files, it's in the President's laptop… and the laptop is in one of the secure drawers of that desk. And here's the key." He said.
Cloud stared unbelievably at him. "You are so helpful. Thank you very much." He said as he took the key with a sarcastic smile on his face before heading over to the desk. "So why aren't you downstairs watching Tifa and the rest?" he asked as he searched for the right drawer.
"Rude's doing that. I'm just here to assist you as requested by the Vice President." Reno replied before patting the right drawer, "This is it," he pointed out.
Cloud reached for the key and inserted it carefully in the keyhole.
Reno watched as Cloud was finally able to open the locked drawer and brought out a small laptop and placed it on the table, flipping the top open. Cloud switched it on and waited for the Operating System to load. At the start-up screen, a password was being asked. "Shit…" he muttered.
Reno pushed him aside and started to type the password. "I'm the hottest President." He muttered.
Cloud raised an eyebrow. "That is the password?" he asked in disbelief.
"Unfortunately, yes." Reno replied before pushing the enter button and stepped aside, crossing his arms. "I'm gonna get fired if some snitch catches me here…" he muttered miserably.
"You can always work in Tifa's 7th Heaven. She could use some help there." Cloud said with a slight smile on his face. "Or on second thought… forget what I said. You might consume all the beer there anyway." He said jokingly before he was finally able to browse through the files.
"That's an exaggerated reality! How come you people always perceive that I'm such a drunkard?" Reno demanded in annoyance.
"Because that's what your image projects to us. Anyway, I've heard that the blueprints for the Mako Reactors are also stored here?" Cloud asked.
"Yeah." Reno said.
"You think we can find it here? There are too many blueprints here…" Cloud pointed out.
"Hmm… check out his latest scanned documents and images. Maybe it's all there." Reno replied. While Cloud was programming the computer to search for the files, he was reading one of the documented plans of President ShinRa. "So… this Old Man is going to be putting up new Mako Reactors in Wutai, Gongaga, Nibelheim, Icicle Inn and Costa del Sol…" he said softly.
"Really?" Reno asked in disbelief as he decided to read over his shoulder. His eyes widened. "Whoa… that's gonna be expensive…" he said.
Cloud scrolled down and saw the line: "Wipe out Sectors 4-7 with Hojo's Black Death." His eyes widened upon reading that. "Holy crap…" he muttered before pulling out a CD-RW from one of his secret pockets in his blazer, and then a portable CD Writer. He connected it to the laptop and inserted the CD in the writer.
"What are you going to do?" Reno asked.
"Copying files." Cloud replied.
Finally, the blueprints were found.
"If I were you I'd copy all the latest ones, even those that you think are not really important… even the annual reports and marketing plans for this season. Who knows, it could help." Reno pointed out. Cloud smiled slightly, "That's exactly what I'm going to do." He told him. Reno watched as he continued to work and asked, "Hey, what are you guys going to do aside from that stuff you're doin' right now?"
"I don't know about Barret. He'll send me a text message about the other plans." Cloud said. And just when copying was completed, his mobile phone vibrated (it's in silent mode) in his trouser pocket. "Here goes…" he muttered before pulling out his mobile phone and checked the message. "Gather in Reactor 1 now. We'll start installing the bombs. Blow-up starts 15 minutes before midnight." He read out loud.
Reno clasped his hands together, "This is getting more interesting! But I guess the Turks have to be with President ShinRa so that it won't be obvious that we're on the rebels' side." He told him with a pleased smile on his face.
"Yeah, this is really fun." Cloud said sarcastically before handing his phone to Reno, "Here. Reply to Barret. Tell him I'll be going there with Aerith."
Reno was texting while Cloud was disconnecting the CD Writer from the laptop. With that, he shut down the laptop and returned it back inside the drawer. "Okay, that's it." He said before locking it.
"Cool phone. Where'd you buy it?" Reno asked.
"Somewhere." Cloud replied mindlessly while putting the portable CD Writer in his pocket again before turning to Reno and stared unbelievably at him, "Are you finished with that?" he asked.
"Yeah…" Reno said, his smile widening. "Whoa, you look nasty here!" he pointed out. Cloud's eyes widened and looked over Reno's shoulder, realizing that the redhead Turk was already browsing through the gallery of his camera phone (yes, the one from Advent Children). "Whehehey! What are you and Aerith doing here?" Reno asked with a teasing tone.
Cloud raised an eyebrow. "It's just us eating dinner. Tifa took that picture, okay?" he asked.
"I wonder what your hand is doing…" Reno muttered before switching to another picture. "Whoa, momma! Who's this hot babe?" he asked out loud.
Cloud laughed. "That's Vincent."
Silence.
"No kidding?!" Reno demanded in shock.
"That was taken while the girls were fixing him up for tonight." Cloud said before grabbing his phone from Reno's grasps and placed it inside his pocket again. "Now let's go before Barret gets impatient." He pointed out.
"Ah, c'mon, it's not like he'll eat us alive or anything…" Reno said, reaching for the phone again. Cloud covered the jacket pocket and frowned at him. "Fine… just let me see more pictures after the mission's over!"
"Why do you want to see the pictures so badly?" Cloud asked impatiently.
"Well, you might have taken pictures of a naked A… er, Red XIII." Reno reasoned with a funny smile on his face. Cloud stared blankly at him, "Red XIII is naked." He muttered.
"That's my point! Eheh…" Reno said weakly as they got downstairs. "I meant… a naked… uh…" he trailed off when he saw Aerith just standing by one of a sleeping guard and poking it with her rod. She giggled, "He's sleeping soundly! I thought I was weakened when I returned here but my sleep is still working well… probably better!" she said with an amused look on her face.
"The camera phone I'd like to get my hands on is Rufus's." Cloud told Reno with a wink before turning to Aerith. "C'mon. Barret's waiting." He told her.
Reno shook his head. "Nah. I got my hands on that phone. It's too boring. The pictures consisted only of seascapes and himself… but at least you get to see him smiling and making ugly faces there. Heh heh." He told Cloud. Cloud was amazed. "Whoa… you should've had those printed and distributed to the Presses!" he pointed out.
"What are you guys talking about anyway?" Aerith asked while they were on their way to the stairs (because taking an elevator could be risky).
"Just camera phones." Reno replied simply with a funny look on his face.
Tseng, Elena and Lucrecia were still in the laboratory; while Barret, Yuffie and Zack were already in Mako Reactor number 1.
"Why's da foo' here wit' us?" Barret asked.
Yuffie sighed impatiently. "Daddy will kill me if he finds out I went anywhere without this guy," she explained. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to bombard shurikens at this guy until he dies if he blabs anything about this incident… hear that, Zacky?" she said, turning to her bodyguard with a mocking, sweet smile.
Zack frowned. "I heard you…" he replied weakly. Yuffie studied the look on his face before she glanced away from him, staring at Barret while he was beginning to install the first bomb. "Why are you so miserable?" she asked frankly.
Zack was just quiet as he looked around his surroundings while thinking "I haven't been here for a long time…"
"Zack!!!" she snapped impatiently. He turned to her with a surprised look on his face but she was not even looking at him. "Sorry… what were you saying, Yuffie?" he asked kind of glumly.
She clenched her fists as she walked over to Barret and decided to help him. "GAWDS!!! Just let go of her!" she snapped impatiently, surprising Barret. "Whoa. Who's the her? Whatcha foo's talkin' 'bout?" he asked curiously.
"I can't!" Zack replied rather helplessly.
"Well then why can't you fight for her? Like steal her away?" she suggested with a mocking tone. He just kept quiet. She laughed. "I don't know about you but…" she trailed off. She just shook her head. "Why do I even bother…" she muttered miserably before pushing Barret aside. "GAWDS!!! You're too slow. I'll rig the wires myself!" she snapped with a shaky tone that he easily noticed. "Whassamatta wit ya?" Barret demanded.
She just ignored him.
"Ah, great. Lover's quarrel during an important mission. Ya foo's betta not mess this #$%%$ mission ya hear?!" Barret yelled over the background noises of the reactor. "If ya do, I'll kill ya both and ya can do yer arguin' at the Lifestream! Besides, this mission's not only planned by AVALANCHE but also Rufus. He's payin' us big time to get this job done without flaws. Y'all know what a perfectionist that brat is," he pointed out.
"I don't get it." Yuffie muttered.
"Like what I said earlier, Rufus and Sephiroth are on our side now." Barret said.
Zack just bowed down his head before walking slightly away from them. "I'll just check if someone's coming…" he said rather miserably.
"What's that guy talking about anyway?" Barret asked Yuffie.
"He said he's checking…" she began, but he cut her off, "No, I mean, the her thing? Whosshe?" he asked.
"Never you mind." Yuffie said miserably.
"C'mon, I won't blab or 'nythin'." He told her.
"I SAID NEVER MIND!!!" she shrieked.
Then there was a "Who goes there?!"
A Soldier.
"You #$%%$!!!!! Why'd you have to shriek?" Barret demanded, getting ready to shoot with his gun arm, but as the SOLDIER emerged from one of the corners, Zack just knocked him off with the handle of his Buster Sword, surprising Barret.
"Whoa!!! What the--?!" Barret demanded.
"Taken care of," Zack said neutrally.
"Buster sword?" Barret asked in awe.
"Long story…" Yuffie muttered miserably.
"It's alright, I'll be the watch." Zack replied before kicking the unconscious SOLDIER away towards one corner.
"Dang, foo!" the older man said. "Some move ya got there! Anyways, Yuffie, ya done over there?"
"If you'll stop blabbing, maybe I can concentrate better and get this over with!"
"Sheesh. Is it that time of the month or sumthin'…" Barret mumbled under his breath.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Yuffie shrieked, her shrill voice echoing throughout the reactor. (Luckily, there weren't any more guards..)
"Nuthin, Yuf. Just concentrate on what yer doin'…"
Zack rubbed the space between his eyes, regretting on insisting to accompany Yuffie in the reactor. "Should have just killed myself…" he thought to himself regretfully. His train of thought ended when he heard footsteps. "More players, huh?" he approached the ladder where the person would go down, raised his sword above his head when the timing was right…
His sword-strike missed. The spiky-haired visitor dodged just in time.
"The hell?!" It was just a tuxedo-clad Cloud, climbing the steps with Aerith and Reno behind him.
Zack's eyes widened. "Cloud," he said blankly.
The blonde frowned. "What are you doing here?" he said, a hint of irritation in his voice.
He lowered his sword. "Doing my job… watching over Yuffie…" he looked away and walked away from them as the three got down from the ladder.
Barret looked up from watching Yuffie do her job. "Hey! You guys finally arrived! But I think Yuffie here could do the job by herself," he said, his arms crossed.
"Yeah, I can see that… but does he have to be here?" Cloud said, pointing at Zack.
"She says so," Barret answered, shrugging.
Aerith sighed as she looked over to Zack. "Hey," she called out. Zack looked up at her questioningly. "Zack… we'll have to talk sometime." He heard her say.
"Ah… sure," Zack replied uneasily. Aerith nodded and turned to Cloud, who was looking at the two of them curiously. "I'll straighten things out, don't worry," she whispered to Cloud. He nodded, but not without casting a doubting glance at Zack.
Reno threw his arms up in the air. "Oh, don't look at me… I'm just the background guy who doesn't know anything! What the hell's with you guys?! You're all so miserable while there's a party upstairs?!" he said in frustration. "The tension in the air's killin' me here!!!"
Barret shook his head. "No use talkin' to these foo's…" he told him.
A click resounded in the whole reactor room. "Done. It'll explode in 3 minutes so we better get our butts out of here…," Yuffie announced, dusting her hands as she stood up. "I'm going back to the ballroom…"
As Zack made a move to follow her, she gave him a glare that stopped him in his tracks. "Don't follow me… dumb$$..." she muttered with contempt before she went ahead of the others.
The clacking of her heels echoed throughout the place. "Whoa… hot stuff. Did you do something stupid?" Reno asked Zack with a teasing smile.
Zack sighed. "Shut up," he said before following Yuffie.
"Well… Us Turks should be back at the ballroom before the power goes out… You guys better get Lucrecia before you get out of here," Reno said, raising a hand to them before running up the ladder.
Aerith gasped. "Oh, yes, we have to get Lucrecia before the power goes out! We have to hurry, you guys!"
2 minutes and 50 seconds after the bomb was activated…
Yuffie grumbled as she tried to make her way towards the party. She looked at her watch, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father waving at her. "3 seconds from now…" she thought.
The people at the party gasped as a loud, dull blow erupted from somewhere near. A few seconds later, the lights flickered and all things plugged died.
The emergency lights flashed soon after. "Calm down, people, calm down!" President ShinRa yelled amidst the commotion of panicking elites.
Rufus, Tifa, Sephiroth and Vincent just stayed put in the middle of the ballroom with President ShinRa and being surrounded by the Turks. President ShinRa was already panicking but he was trying to hide it. He just moved away from his son and proceeded to the window with the Turks and the Executives following him. "What is going on in here?! Is there a terrorist attack?!" he yelled impatiently.
Rufus smiled secretly as he looked at Tifa with an admiring look on his face, "It feels so good working with you and AVALANCHE." He said softly.
She just stood still, observing the people as they ran out of the ballroom. "I'm getting nervous… what if your father or one of the executives finds out?" she asked.
"It's gonna be one disgusting mess…" Sephiroth muttered.
Rufus frowned. "I won't let them…" he reassured.
Yuffie tried to avoid the people who were already on a stampede. "Hey, watch it!!!" she yelled angrily when someone bumped against her and then accidentally stomped at her foot.
Then from behind her, somebody just grabbed her and covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming, but she bit her assailant's hand so it removed its hand from her mouth for a while, enough time to give her the chance to shriek.
Tifa and Vincent easily recognized the sound of the shriek… so did Lord Godo.
"Yuffie?" Lord Godo called out in sudden panic upon hearing his daughter scream.
Tifa moved away from Rufus and began to search in the crowd for her friend. Vincent was supposed to follow her but Sephiroth held him still. "Don't. If somebody sees your claw, we're dead." He warned.
Yuffie could not move anymore. She could feel more hands holding her and someone approached her and just blindfolded her while another one continued to cover her mouth. The next thing she felt was she was being dragged someplace else, plus some faint talking, "Where do we take her?"
"The Don's waiting in his limo." Another one said.
Yuffie's eyes widened behind the blindfold as she still continued to struggle. "NO!!! These are the Don's men!!!" she thought in horror.
Meanwhile, Tifa was still trying to find her way through the crowd in search for Yuffie. "Yuffie!!!" she called out.
No answer.
Her voice could easily be drowned by the shrieks and shouting of the crowds…
Then she saw Lord Godo also making his way through the crowd. "Yuffie? Yuffie? Yuffie where are you?" he was calling out loud rather desperately.
Tifa turned around to continue looking on her own, but she bumped against someone. It was Zack. He did not even look down at her, "Sorry, madam," he apologized before leaving her there and went for Lord Godo. He could easily squeeze his way through the crowd. "Sir!" he called out.
She saw Lord Godo's mouth move, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. Zack suddenly looked more worried than usual and he began to frantically look around the ballroom… and then made his way through the crowd again, as if looking for something.
President ShinRa froze when somebody just yelled "AVALANCHE!!!!!!!!!!!"
The more people panicked.
"Shit… busted…" Sephiroth muttered.
Rufus's frown deepened before marching over to his father, "What? AVALANCHE? Where?" he asked innocently. "Are we being attacked?" he demanded from the Turks and the Executives. The Executives felt like shrinking. Rufus collared Heidegger, "You bloody oaf! Why aren't you doing anything?! Move it! Hunt those terrorists down!"
"Whoa," Sephiroth whispered to Vincent. "He's good at this acting stuff." Vincent nodded in response.
"Gyah! Yessir!" Heidegger made a run for it.
"What happened?! How could AVALANCHE go past the security?!" President ShinRa was yelling angrily.
"Hmf! Your surveillance system is such a failure, Old Man." Rufus said plainly as he raked his fingers through his hair while thinking quietly, "The explosion happened just in time before Old Man could announce my engagement to Tifa… Thank goodness…" He crossed his arms and showed a bratty pout to his father, "Hmf. This is very embarrassing to my future in-laws! All because of you and your stupid Executives, I might lose my Tifa!" he pointed out.
President ShinRa ignored Rufus' tantrum and faced Sephiroth and Vincent. "Mrs…" he began, but realized that he doesn't know the surname. He turned back to Reno, "Reno, you mentioned their surname--?"
Reno's eyes slightly widened. He forgot.
Tseng felt like shrinking.
Rufus swallowed hard. "Bloody brilliant…" he was thinking.
"Mr. and Mrs. Sephintine." Sephiroth mentioned.
Rufus and the Turks raised their eyebrows upon hearing that. Vincent wanted to pass out.
"Nice save," Rufus was thinking with a sly smile on his face before approaching his father and said, "Wouldn't it be lovely, father? Tifa Sephintine hyphen, ShinRa."
President ShinRa thought for a while. "Very good. Good enough for your image, son." He whispered. "Anyway, I have to apologize, Mr. and Mrs. Sephintine. Sorry for the commotion, I…" he began apologetically to the "couple" but Sephiroth spoke up with a strange accent, "Gah. It's alright. No harm done." And nudged Vincent, as if telling him to say something. Vincent jerked slightly before nodding his head. "Ohoho! President ShinRa, 'tis nothing. My daughter is such a patient child. She understands. Right, m'dear?" he asked in falsetto, turning to his side, but Tifa wasn't there anymore. "Oh dear… where's she?" he asked.
Just in time, Tifa returned with a worried look on her face. "Oh there you are, Tifa!" Vincent said.
President ShinRa just ignored them and turned to the rest of the executives and the Turks. "Spread out. Make sure the Soldiers are out there searching! And one of you, go to the Reactors! I'm sure those are what AVALANCHE came here for!" he ordered.
"Yes, sir!"