They Live!!!
By: GQ and Zhak
Chapter Nine: Two Years Later…
Two years with President ShinRa has been very hard for the people in the slums and those who are not cronies of the ShinRa. His "evil" had extended all throughout the Planet Gaia, putting each country into turmoil. The last area that he had sent his troops into was Wutai… and its citizens said that his attack in Wutai is on good-timing; just when it's out of its recession and slowly developing into a rich country again through its remaining natural resources.
President ShinRa's target in Wutai is the Water source; wanting to affiliate with the water company there. He wouldn't really go there, so he just asked for a representative to go to Midgar and have a meeting with him regarding the affiliation.
The only contact he had there were the Kisaragis; specifically Lord Godo.
Because of this, Lord Godo was forced to go to Midgar again, but he took his daughter and her bodyguard with him again. Yuffie was having second thoughts in returning to that place again, but since "his father said so", she could not really disobey.
"Where's Yuffie?" Lord Godo asked Zack before proceeding to the elevator of the hotel. He was already scheduled to go to ShinRa HQ.
"I think she's in her room." Zack replied.
"Aren't you supposed to be there guarding her?" Lord Godo asked.
"She told me she is going to dress up so I stepped out of there first. She might get mad." Zack replied rather sheepishly.
"Well… just wait for her outside. Knock if she takes too long," he said, pushing Zack towards Yuffie's room. "I'll wait for you two in the lobby."
Before Zack could say anything, Lord Godo had already gotten in the elevator and closed the elevator doors. "O-kaaay…" he said to himself, walking towards Yuffie's room. He knocked at the door. "Yuffie?"
No answer.
He frowned. "Yuffie?" he called out again.
Nothing.
Zack frowned even more. "Answer, will you? I'll open the door myself if you won't talk!
Still, no answer.
"Ah, man… I hope she's at least decent…" he grumbled to himself as he took the key-card to the room from his pocket and pushed it through the key-card hole. The door clicked and Zack opened the door. "Yuffie? I opened the door!" he called out.
He froze in his tracks at what he saw. "Uh-oh…"
There wasn't any Yuffie in the room. Only an open window from the 11th floor. And a note on the bed.
"Sorry. Had to go somewhere important. Tell daddy not to worry—Yuffie" It even had a doodle of herself giving the peace sign near the signature.
Zack grit his teeth in frustration. "Yuffie?! How the heck did you go down from the 11th floor, jump?" he said, then sighed. "Oh no… if Lord Godo finds out, he'll kill me… I have to find her by myself…" he thought to himself in horror.
"Think, Zack, think… if you were Yuffie, what would be the first place you'd go to in Midgar?"
a) a restaurant
b) a mall?
c) ShinRa HQ
d) Any possible place where Cloud and the others could be
Zack tried to narrow down the choices: Yuffie couldn't be in a restaurant… it would be senseless since she could eat in the Hotel for free (room service or otherwise) and if she went to ShinRa HQ, she'd get more food. She couldn't have went to a mall since, well, she didn't seem like she's in a mall-hoppy mood today. She couldn't have went to ShinRa HQ by herself because Lord Godo was going to go to the same place and it would be a waste of time, not to mention tiring, to walk there by herself…
Unless, of course, it was another one of those AVALANCHE things…
"So, ShinRa HQ or wherever Cloud is..." he thought to himself.
Speaking of Cloud… he checked his watch for the date. "August 19? Hey, it's his birthday today… THAT'S IT!"
He now knows where she is…
"Hey, Reno." Tseng called out.
Reno dully faced his boss. "… Yeah?" he slurred.
"Snap out of it," he snapped.
"Can't. It's boring here without her," Reno answered as he put his legs on the little coffee table, one of the few pieces of furniture in the Turk lounge. "I can't make fun of anyone anymore. You two are boring. Scarlet makes me sick. Reeve is a dork, but not the kind you make fun of…"
Rude, who was getting coffee from a vending machine, gave Reno a look.
Reno sighed. "No, I don't have to admit anything, Rude," he retaliated irritably.
"He's right, Reno. Admit it, you miss Elena because you like her," Tseng said, smiling at him teasingly.
He frowned as he took a cigarette from his pocket. "No, I don't. I just can't understand why she left ShinRa just 'cause she got caught. I made up a good excuse for her, too… Toss me a lighter, won't ya, Rude." He caught the lighter Rude tossed and burnt the tip of the cigarette.
"You told Vice President Rufus that she was in Sector 7 doing volunteer work," Tseng reminded him, stressing on the volunteer work part.
"So that she wouldn't be anywhere near Sector 5!" Reno reasoned out as he blew out smoke.
"It isn't believable, Reno," Rude said.
"How come?"
"They wouldn't believe that Elena left a party just so she could feed soup to slum children."
Reno frowned. "Yeah, yeah, but it was hard thinking of an excuse, okay? I couldn't tell them that she went back to her apartment in Sector 2 because they checked it out already before they asked me…"
Tseng sighed. "No use arguing about that now, boys. At least we know that she's safe…" he trailed off. They promised not to speak of AVALANCHE within ShinRa HQ's vicinity.
They fell silent. Tseng went back to reading his files. Reno quietly diffused smoke in the room. Rude silently sipped his coffee.
"… It's boring here." Reno complained, breaking the silence again.
Rude gave him a look again.
"Stop that, Rude. I don't like her that way," the redhead said defensively, turning the other way.
Marlene joyfully put icing over the big, blue birthday cake. "Auntie Aerith, is this okay?" she asked as she gestured to her work of art. Aerith smiled, pleased that Marlene is good in culinary arts at such a very young age.
"Oh Marlene, that's the most splendid design you've ever done on a cake!" Tifa remarked as she readied the sugar flowers to be placed on top of the cake.
"Flowers? What if Cloud dislikes those?" Aerith asked her curiously.
"Birthday cakes should have flowers! Heehee." Tifa pointed out with a silly smile on her face.
"But he's a man!" Aerith said.
"A man who loves a flower girl," Tifa said, winking before nudging her best friend with her elbow. Aerith just stared blankly at her but she blushed slightly. She just watched as Marlene and Tifa began to put the flowers on the birthday cake while she prepared the red icing for the glazing of the "Happy Birthday Cloud!" on top of the cake with white sugary icing and pink and purple glazing on the sides. "I hope he likes this cake. It looks rather girly…" she muttered with a weak smile on her face.
"Be thankful Marlene didn't put ribbons. Last year when we celebrated Vincent's birthday in October, she put glazed red ribbons on the sides." Tifa told her.
"Uncle Vincent told me he liked it!" Marlene protested.
"Yes, yes, I know," Tifa said while giggling.
Aerith just bit her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing because she just saw Vincent glaring at them from the living room, looking over the newspaper that he was reading. She just smiled sweetly at Vincent, "Is Cloud around yet?" she asked.
"He's still out there in Sector 1 with Sephiroth and Barret." He replied before he proceeded to read.
"He's out there and then it's his birthday today?" Lucrecia asked. She was seated on the couch opposite Vincent just knitting socks. It was quite unusual for a scientist like her to do such a thing, and everyone else noticed it but just decided not to comment about it. Vincent just told them that it could be her way of diverting her attention from her worries to the finer thing in her life of being a mother to Sephiroth (by knitting him socks and cooking food for him) and making up for all the times that she was away from Vincent.
"How old's the guy anyway?" Elena asked while surfing channels on the TV.
"24." Aerith replied.
"What's he doing out in Sector 1 at this time anyway?" Lucrecia asked.
Vincent glanced at the time and it was three in the afternoon but he did not say anything.
"It's been two years ever since ShinRa got back… and they're already nearing the peak of their victory in world domination. Barret feels we need to do something already about it since everyone else is afraid to fight them because you can easily die just by doing so." Tifa explained with an uncomfortable look on her face.
"Well what about Rufus? Isn't he supposed to help us?" Red XIII asked.
"Haven't really heard much about him lately for the past two years…" Lucrecia said with a confused look on her face.
"Well, I guess it fits the job description of being the Vice President of ShinRa; you don't get to be in the spotlight too much… just like before when he was Vice President for the first time." Aerith told them as she began to put the flowers on the cake.
"He's just in Junon, I guess…" Vincent said, but he stopped talking when someone just barged in and yelled, "HEY EVERYONE!!! I'm back!!! Heeheeheeheehee!"
Silence.
Aerith, Tifa and Elena screeched excitedly upon seeing Yuffie again after a long time of being apart from her. Vincent and Red XIII cringed at the girly screams while Lucrecia just continued to knit the socks but she had a pleased smile plastered on her face.
The girls hugged one another, squishing Yuffie.
Vincent and Red XIII just watched in amazement. "I thought the door was locked?" Red XIII asked in surprise.
"Silly dog! I picked it! Heeheeheehee!" Yuffie announced.
"Oh Yuffie we're so glad you're back!!! Are you—?" Tifa trailed off when she realized that there was something different about Yuffie.
"What?" Yuffie asked, wondering what was wrong… and everybody was staring curiously at her.
It was her hair. It was longer now… up to her waist.
"What's with the long hair?" Elena asked while thinking if she should grow her hair longer too.
Yuffie giggled sheepishly, "Well I figured it'd look cool on me!" she told them happily.
"Well yes, it does look cooler on you!" Tifa said. Yuffie also noticed that Tifa's hair is already of the same length as hers. "Oh my GAWD!!! You cut yours?!" she demanded.
"Yeah! You like it? Heehee!" Tifa said rather proudly.
"Hmm… don't really know. Why don't you ask your fianc?" Yuffie teased.
Tifa raised an eyebrow. "What fiancé? I don't even have a boyfriend." She replied.
"I thought you got engaged to Rufus?" Yuffie asked curiously.
Silence.
"Uhm… didn't Barret tell you that it's just acting?" Tifa asked.
Yuffie gasped. "OH MY GAWD!!! And all the while I was telling myself not to hate ShinRa because you're going to be a part of it someday!!!" she exclaimed.
"That's the silliest thing I've ever heard!" Tifa protested.
"So what are you doing here anyway?" Aerith asked, offering Yuffie a seat.
"Oh yes, don't forget to congratulate Mrs. Strife here." Elena told Yuffie while referring to Aerith.
Yuffie's face lit up. "GAWDS!!! You tied the knot already and you didn't even tell me?!" she asked in shock.
"Well we're supposed to send you an invitation but we don't know how to reach you because ShinRa inspects all sorts of airmail going out of Midgar to another country." Aerith replied rather sadly. She was somewhat relieved that Yuffie hasn't been flashing the usual dagger looks on her like what she had done before when Zack was around.
"Yes. Ever since President ShinRa declared Martial Law, things had gone overboard. In fact, we've been under Martial Law for two years now because he says that he won't lift it up until AVALANCHE is caught." Elena explained with a disappointed look on her face.
"That's so unfair! So people are blaming you guys for everything instead of them blaming ShinRa? GAWDS!!!" Yuffie said in annoyance as she seated herself.
"I thought Zack's your bodyguard? Where is he?" Lucrecia asked her.
Yuffie just bit her lower lip and shrugged. "Left him in the hotel. I'd like to come over here without him." She said.
"And what have you been doing for the past 2 years? You also seem to look a little taller," Vincent complemented.
"Why thank you, Mister Valentine! Must be my new boots! Heehee! Although I'm still the same height." She replied before she got up again. "So, where's the birthday celebrant?" she asked.
"The birthday celebrant's out there with Sephiroth and Barret checking out Sector 1 before curfew arrives." Aerith replied.
"Curfew?" Yuffie asked.
"Martial law, remember?" Vincent asked.
"Oh yeah…" she said thoughtfully.
"It's at six in the evening. By six, everyone should be in their homes already. Anyone else out in the streets will definitely be arrested and imprisoned... in Junon." Lucrecia explained.
"Well it's too early. I just went over here to check things greet the birthday celebrant." Yuffie said with a cheerful smile on her face.
"Suddenly you have interest in the birthday celebrant?" Red XIII asked inquiringly.
"Not really… I just missed you guys, that's all… and…" she turned to Aerith and smiled, but before she could say anything else, they were interrupted when Sephiroth arrived.
"I'm home!" he announced with a pleased look on his face.
Aerith and Tifa gasped, puzzling him. "Where's Cloud?" the former asked.
"He's… still with Barret. I went back here because we saw Yuffie's dad go to ShinRa…" Sephiroth trailed off when he noticed Yuffie staring at him. "Oh, she's here." He muttered, but he was not surprised.
Aerith sighed in relief. "Thank goodness Cloud's not with you yet! The cake's not yet finished!" she said before turning back to the cake.
"Your dad's in ShinRa? Why?" Tifa asked, turning back to Yuffie.
"President ShinRa wants to talk to him. He's the representative sent by Wutai to talk to the President about the water company affiliation…" Yuffie replied miserably as she crossed her arms.
"So is Zack with you?" Sephiroth asked before taking a seat beside Vincent and grabbed the remote control before he started to surf through the channels.
Yuffie just felt a bit stunned by the question, but did not answer.
Aerith noticed the discomfort in Yuffie's face so she asked, "Are you alright? Where's your bodyguard anyway? Isn't he supposed to be with you?"
Yuffie just laughed weakly. "Heehee! I left without permission because I would like to see you guys without Zack trailing behind me!" she replied.
"Oh that's so sweet, Yuffie!" Aerith said before coming near her and taking her hands in hers. "We really missed you… by the way, where are you staying?" she asked.
"Hotel. Sector 1." Yuffie said simply.
"Why don't you just stay here for a while instead?" Tifa asked.
Yuffie shook her head. "Nah. Dad might get worried." She replied before she uneasily pulled her hands away from Aerith, smiling weakly. "Besides, I don't like Zack coming around here." She said.
"How come?" Elena asked.
Yuffie just ignored the question before taking a quick glance at the clock. "Oopsy… It's time for me to go!" she said before heading for the door.
"But we thought you're staying here for…" Lucrecia began, but trailed off when Yuffie just waved goodbye while saying, "Sayonara!" and rushed outside the door, leaving everyone perplexed.
The moment Yuffie got out, her cheerful smile slowly faded away and she just stared at the ground with a solemn look on her face. She sighed heavily before she decided to walk away rather briskly, avoiding the looks of the people on her like they are wondering who she is. She did not even realize that she was being followed by Elena and Aerith because she was busily thinking of how she would explain to Zack on where she has been.
"I'm outta here," Yuffie muttered to herself as she continued brisk-walking away from the house. She didn't stop until she reached one of the upper sectors, with Elena and Aerith silently trailing behind her.
Her attention was diverted when somebody started yelling her name. She looked up, as well as the other people walking and minding their own businesses. "YUFFIE! YUFFIE!!! Excuse me, sir, sir! Have you seen, uh, a young Wutaian girl about this tall, and…"
Yuffie gritted her teeth so loudly, Elena and Aerith heard it from where they were hiding. "ZACK!!!" she yelled, running towards him.
"Yuffie?! There you are! Where have you been…"
"Argh! Since when were you running around like a deranged idiot like that, yelling out my name! That's so embarrassing!!!" she snapped impatiently at him.
Elena and Aerith gaped at the two. "Man… isn't she grateful that Zack's worried about her?" the former whispered in disbelief.
"That's just the way she is." Aerith replied with a weak smile on her face.
Zack was scratching his head and he still had this concerned look in his eyes as he said, "Well… I… I…I didn't know where Cloud was, since I know it's his birthday today and I thought you'd go there… and… you're out here in the streets alone!"
"So what if I'm out in the streets alone?" Yuffie asked stubbornly, flipping her hair off her shoulder.
"Well, there could be another Don Corneo out there… and…" he said.
"Zack, be realistic! The Don is dead. And come on, I am already well-trained to defend myself thanks to you… Don't tell me we've trained for hours in Wutai for nothing!" she told him.
"But…" he replied.
"But nothing! And you're following me?! GAWDS!!!" she exclaimed.
"She's making a scene already," Elena remarked, noticing the people staring at the two. Aerith giggled, "Well at least they won't see us. You're really good in hiding, huh?" she asked. "Of course! Turk skills!" Elena boasted.
Zack finally had the nerve to say something. "… Uh… I was… worried about you…"
Yuffie blushed. "R-really?" she asked.
Tifa frowned at the two giggling girls who barged in the house. "Elena! Aerith! What did you do out there? You left me here alone to clean up the mess we made at the kitchen, and—…"
Elena bit her lower lip to keep from screaming, but she didn't hold the excitement in for too long. "EEE! OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD! Tifa?! You missed it! YOU MISSED IT!!!" She squealed.
Aerith echoed her squeals. "Oh my god! Tifa! You missed a LOT!"
Tifa's facial expression brightened instantly. "Oh my god! What? What?"
Sephiroth, who was eating cookies silently next to his mother, cringed. "Oh my god. Girl talk…" he mumbled as he chewed his chocolate chip cookies, imitating the high-pitched squealy voice that the girls were using.
Elena, Aerith and Tifa huddled closely together. Sephiroth heard Elena whisper something, but amidst the giggles and the tension, he couldn't understand a word. He flinched when they squealed even louder. "ARGH! What is it with girls and squealing when they hear a secret?!" he growled.
"OH MY GAWD! Really?! I MISSED IT! Oh my gawd…!!!" Tifa shrieked, her cheeks flushed in excitement.
"Yeah?! You should have come with us, Teef! They were sooooocute! Hee hee!!!" Elena swooned.
"Yeah! Even if she's just this tall and he's this tall, GAWDS they're so hot!!!" Aerith screeched while making hand gestures on Yuffie and Zack's respective heights.
"Why? Who?" Lucrecia asked, setting aside her knitting and ran towards the girls. Even Marlene approached the three girls and asked too.
Sephiroth, Vincent and Red XIII stared curiously at the girls who were huddled together and discussing something in low whispers combined with giggles and soft squeals that they could not even understand. And then Lucrecia and Marlene just joined in the excitement and the giggles and the squealing…
Sephiroth clenched his teeth. "Alright, what's going on?!" He demanded.
The girls fell silent and turned to the boys. "Nothing that would interest you, son." Lucrecia said with a sweet smile on her face. Vincent blinked and got up. "Oh come on, what is it?" he asked as he approached them. Marlene gestured for him to carry her, so he did, and then she started whispering something in his ear.
Vincent's mouth dropped open. "Oh my… is that so?" he asked before looking at Lucrecia, Tifa, Aerith and Marlene in disbelief as if seeking verification.
"Yeah! Isn't that great?!" Aerith replied happily.
Sephiroth stomped his foot and got up from the couch. "Oh come on!!! What is that?" he demanded.
Vincent put down the little girl on the ground. "Oh nothing." He replied before proceeding back to the living room, while the other girls went back to work.
"That's not fair! How come you told Vincent and you wouldn't even tell me?!" Sephiroth demanded in annoyance.
But they just ignored him.
"Hmf." He gave up, going back to the couch to watch TV.
Lord Godo just remained seated on a chair facing the President's desk. He arrived in ShinRa 30 minutes ago and had been offered some coffee and a muffin to eat. He still hasn't spoken to President ShinRa because the President has been on the telephone making phone calls to various business people.
Lord Godo was becoming impatient but he still tried to remain calm.
When he saw President ShinRa put down the receiver, he felt relieved. "Finally…" he thought to himself; but just when President ShinRa was about to speak to him, the telephone rang again. Lord Godo just shook his head in disbelief and bowed down his head, looking at the floor in dismay. President ShinRa instantly pressed the speakerphone button in annoyance. "Who's this, make it quick." He said.
"It's me, father."
Rufus.
President ShinRa's face lit up. "Oh. Hello, sonny boy. How are you doing there in Junon? Got my message and returned my call, huh?" he asked with a pleased tone.
"You should know. I've sent you the report." Rufus replied.
"Anyway, it's very unusual for you to return my calls. There must be something wrong?" President ShinRa asked.
"I've been here for 2 years and I just want you to know that I would like to take a visit there tomorrow evening. I just want to see my fiancée again." Rufus said.
President ShinRa's eye widened. "Oh damn… I almost forgot you had a beautiful fiancée, huh? Is she here in Midgar again? I thought she's in Gongaga?" he asked.
"Well… she's taking a vacation there now, I suppose." Rufus said.
"And when do you plan on marrying her anyway? It's been almost two years ever since you two got engaged!" President ShinRa told him. "Anyway, any news about AVALANCHE?" he continued.
"I'm not even there to investigate; how should I know?" Rufus replied haughtily.
"Well that's one of your tasks, remember?! Now get back to work! I want results immediately. Besides, Hojo's Black Death is nearly complete and when we bomb the lower sectors, I want you to assist me, alright?"
"Don't tell me what to do. I know what I'm doing." Rufus snapped before hanging up.
President ShinRa frowned, listening to the dial tone and switched off the speakerphone before clearing his throat and turned to Lord Godo. "I'm very sorry for the delay. Anyway, welcome to ShinRa." He said.
Lord Godo just stared blankly at him, "Going to business," he began, wanting to go straight to the point. President ShinRa got up. "Ah, yes. You're the representative from Wutai Water Company, right?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. And…"
"And you will sign this contract over here," President ShinRa said, pulling out something from his desk drawer. Lord Godo still had his mouth open in an attempt to speak. He closed it again and picked up the paper, reading the contract. He pushed the white piece of paper on the desk and towards the man. "Take your time…" he said before turning back to his desk.
"I… I'm sorry, President ShinRa, but what is this all about?" Lord Godo asked in confusion.
"That's the agreement between your country and ShinRa that we can buy your water company." President ShinRa replied before sitting down once again on his big office chair.
"Buy? I thought you're just going to…" Lord Godo began, but the President cut him off with a stern tone louder than his, "…Affiliate? I changed my mind. Besides, you are not competitive enough as a company, so why not sell it to ShinRa? It can benefit your people too. Your country is a third-world one… and you need help."
Lord Godo was stunned. "How could we be competitive if we don't have any competition?" he asked in confusion.
"Let me be frank with you, alright? Your country can never rise from its poverty-stricken condition unless you let my empire take over it." President ShinRa explained.
"I think I'd better consult my people first before I start signing contracts. Good day, sir. I'll just come back here when…" Lord Godo trailed off when President ShinRa got up from his seat and called upon the Turks from the Intercom. "You're not going anywhere unless you agree." He warned.
Lord Godo just frowned but did not say anything. He was thinking, "God… this man is worse than I thought!"
The Turks arrived in a nick of time. President ShinRa just eyed them coldly before turning back to Lord Godo, looking at him from head to toe, "Take this man to one of the prison cells and lock him up there until I instruct you to release him." He commanded.
"Yes sir," Tseng, Reno and Rude all replied in unison.
Lord Godo just turned around to face the Turks, willing to go with them. "Do as your President says. I won't sign that damn contract." He said.
"You have just made a big mistake, old man," President ShinRa told him.
"Well, old man, I don't care what you do to me. Even if I die for my country, I will do so; but I will never ever give any single piece of Wutai to you." Lord Godo replied mockingly.
President ShinRa just smiled slyly at him, "Oh yeah? Even if your daughter's life depended on it?" he asked
Lord Godo stiffened but did not say anything else. He began to worry about his daughter's safety, but at the same time, he could feel that Yuffie could take care of herself and avoid the Turks and SOLDIER. He just bowed down his head and muttered something in Wutaian that only Tseng was able to understand… and it was, "Please… not my daughter."
Tseng tried his hardest to retain his calm, neutral facial expression.
Barret frowned as he looked down from his post in the vent. He just wished that the vent would widen a bit more; he felt as if the sides are closing in on him. Or that it would collapse under his weight. From where he was spying, he could barely hear Tseng saying something undeterminable, probably in Wutaian, to Lord Godo, with the two other Turks behind him.
Tseng nodded. The Turks left Lord Godo inside the prison cell. Rude closed the door behind him.
"Them foo's…!! I thought they were on our side?! Ah well, they better be just playing…" Barret thought to himself irritably as he tried to crawl backwards to get out of there. In the process, he hit his head on the ceiling, making a rather loud and horrible clunking noise. "ACK! $#%..." he wanted to scream, but he bit his lower lip in time.
Lord Godo looked up curiously to where the clunking noise came from, but he just sighed and shook his head and ignored it, dismissing the noise as coming from lurking rats.
Barret continued crawling backwards in the vent until he smelled the glorious reek of the bathroom with the ruined grate, the one where he entered from. "Ah! Finally! Still stinks, though…" he grumbled to himself as he successfully hopped out of the vent, landing one foot on the floor… and the other one in the toilet bowl. "%$#!" he screamed, this time out loud.
Cloud was waiting outside the cubicle. "So, Barret, what did you find out?"
"The old coot was jailed by the fat old coot." He answered, trying his best to shake off the toilet water that soaked his left boot. "What I mean is, tha' old Godo foo' didn't make the right decision, so Fat ShinRa jailed 'im. Didn't understand nuthin', cuz the old foo' was talking in Wutaian with Tseng! Dang…" he explained before removing his boot and poured out the water back to the toilet bowl. "So, you found out about anything like in Hojo's laboratory?" he asked.
Cloud looked a little stunned before shaking his head in disagreement. "N…no, but Rufus informed me about something… he just sent me an SMS about it." He explained.
"Whazzit 'bout?" Barret asked curiously as he closed the lid of the toilet bowl and sat down on it, putting on his boot.
"About Black Death. Hojo seems to have another back-up somewhere that Lucrecia had failed to delete… and it's about to be completed." Cloud explained. Barret was shocked. "What?!" he demanded.
"We need to do something or else all the lower sectors are going to be history!" Cloud told him.
Barret got up and stepped out from the cubicle. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go back to Sector 7 and discuss to the others about infiltration tomorrow evening." He said as he led the way to the door, but froze when the door just burst open. Cloud stiffened for a moment but calmed down when he realized that it was only Rude.
Rude just stood still for a moment, looking at them curiously before finally speaking up, "I knew you were in the vent."
Cloud laughed weakly, "Eh… yeah. It's an AVALANCHE thing, I guess…" he said rather dumbly. Barret just frowned at him. "Foo'! Y'mean ta say that I was hidin' for nuttin'?" he demanded.
"It's not important anymore, sir. I'm sure you know that Lord Godo's in prison already?" Rude asked.
"Hell yeah! If you knew I was in the vent, wouldn't say so again…" Barret replied.
"He wants you to tell his daughter to go back to Wutai with… with Zack, I think that's the name…" Rude began.
Silence.
"So she's here too?" Cloud asked.
"Looks like it… but I think they're staying at one of the Hotels near this place. Reno did some research." Rude explained.
"Hmm… thanks for the info. We'll just tell 'er." Barret said before proceeding outside after Rude had stepped aside to let them pass. Cloud made eye contact with Rude, as if saying thanks, but before he could really get out of the bathroom, Rude hesitated to ask a question, "Uhm… Mister Strife, sir?" he began.
Cloud turned back to him, "Yeah?" he asked.
"Uhm… congratulations on… uhm… you and Miss Aerith… I mean… Mrs. Strife… uhm…" Rude said rather sheepishly.
"Oh… thanks." Cloud said plainly.
Rude hesitated for a few more moments before continuing, "…how's Miss Lockheart?" he asked.
Cloud remembered overhearing Rude and Reno's conversation about crushes… and Rude mentioned that he likes Tifa. He just pressed his lips together in an effort to prevent himself from laughing, and then said, "She's fine." And then turned away. Rude just bowed down his head. "Does she have a boyfriend already?" he asked.
"No, but I think she's got a fiancée named Rufus." Cloud said in a joking manner, but Rude took it seriously. Rude just fell silent.
"Hey Cloud, ya foo'! Whatcha doin' there? C'mon! Hurry with it before the others catch us!" Barret snapped at Cloud. Cloud went to him. "Yeah, yeah…" he muttered miserably.
Before Cloud and Barret went back to Sector 7, they stopped by the hotel where Yuffie is staying and informed her about her father's condition. Yuffie really freaked out and attempted to attack ShinRa single-handedly at that moment, but Zack and the others tried to calm her down. It would be very unwise to do that.
Even if Yuffie was still dazed, Barret still instructed her on what to do.
They are to infiltrate the ShinRa building on the next evening to find out when ShinRa will be planting the Black Death in the areas of the lower sectors.
They weren't sure if Yuffie was able to understand everything because she was just gazing blankly into empty space, but Zack told them that it was clear to him about the present situation.
To Cloud's horror, Barret invited Yuffie and Zack to spend the night over at their house so that their safety from SOLDIER could really be assured, but to his relief, Yuffie declined the invitation. She said that Zack is there for her and that they can work together to defend themselves against SOLDIER easily.
With that, Cloud and Barret left to go back to Sector 7 to discuss with the other AVALANCHE members about the mission for the next evening.