A/N: Now in this chapter, our devish pair, Tifa and Cid, are going to start teaching Red about how Rufus Shinra is suppose to be. Not to mention they get to have a little fun trying to stay alive again. You'll soon see what I mean.
Chapter 4
Back in Hojo's domain, Hojo had been watching every thing in the black orb that was now floating right above the large table. He let out a loud growl of rage. "Those pathetic creatures!" He snarled. Sephiroth was standing in the corner watching with amusement. He found it very amusing seeing his father losing his temper like that over his own failure. "Well, they were your creations." He said. Hojo shot him a look. "Oh, shut up!" He snapped before looking back into the orb. The orb was glowing still but dimly. Hojo growled looking into before taking it into his hands. "He's too far away, isn't he? We need to get closer." He said. Sephiroth rose an eyebrow. "What do you suggest?" He asked. Hojo began to pace. "We must follow them." He said. Sephiroth rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "You know, Hojo. This obsession of killing all the Shinras is really not the healthy." He said.Hojo rolled his own eyes giving him a look. "Oh, shut up. Since when did you ever care about my health!" he growled. Sephiroth snorted. "Good point." He shot back. Hojo gave him a dirty look. "We will pursue them in the morning. But now, the Black Materia must rest." He took the orb and placed it back in it's place in the cabinet.
Back with the travelling group, it was morning. They had made camp for the night. And when the morning came they began travelling down a path that was leading them in the direction of Midgar. "So where are we going?" Yuffie asked. Tifa blew out a sigh. "Well, we need to go to Costa Del Sol first, we might stop by Corel and Gold Saucer on the way." She said. Cid nodded. "We have a lot of work to do though. We have to prepare Red for the audience with the Turks and their leader, Vincent." He said. Red stopped and looked over his shoulder. For some reason that name ringed a bell.
"Vincent and the Turks? Who are they?" He asked. Tifa folded her arms as they walked. "Well, Vincent's Rupert Feine's bodyguard and best friend if I remember right. And the Turks are the ones who decides who gets to see your uncle." She said. Red stared. "Why do we have to see them first? Why can't we just see Rupert Feine?" He asked. Cid and Tifa looked at each other. "Well, that's a little hard to explain. We have to try and convince the Turks that your Rufus Shinra or we can't see Rupert." He said. Red gave a short laugh and shook his head. "Wait, you never said anything about having to prove that I'm a Shinra." He said. Tifa shook her head. "Look, Ruf...Red. That's just the way it is." She said. Cid nodded. "We're just trying to refresh your &#&&ing memory." He said. Red gave him a look.
"Will you please stop that ridiculous swearing! Gods, your as bad as Yuffie!" He exclaimed. Yuffie pouted. "Hey!" She whinned. Red shook his head looking himself over. "This isn't going to work. I don't have any memories of being a rich boy. And I don't even look like one. No one is going to believe that I am Rufus Shinra." He said moving over to the near by stream to sit down. "I'm just not good enough to be that." He said with a sigh. Tifa and Cid looked at each other before both going over to stand at his sides. Yuffie followed. Tifa looked down in the water. "Red, tell me. What do you see in the water?" She asked pointing.
Red looked down at his reflection. He could see how dirty his face was and his hair wasn't that clean. He wore raggy and dirty cloths. Tifa reached up and brushed his long bangs out of his face. She cupped some water into her hand and wiped his face. Red didn't do anything to stop her. "Just look. We clean you up, try and help you remember, and you will be Rufus Shinra, the heir and true leader of Shinra Inc. And you will be with your family again." She said softly. Yuffie smiled down in the water. "Red, you kind of do look like that Rufus Shinra kid." She told her friend. Cid grinned. "Let us begin." Red just continued to stare at the water at the blue eyes that had matched the boy in the portrait's.
"You were born in the summer house by the sea. Your mother's name was Danielle Feine Shinra. She was the sweetest woman you have ever known. Your father was never around because he was always working." Tifa told him as they walked. Red frowned as he looked at a book with pictures of his family. He was staring at the pictures. He was studying pictures of the summer house he was born in. "There was always business parties going on at the houses. The buffets were always marvelous." Cid said lighting a death stick. Red gave him a look for smoking that around him but he looked back at the book.
His eyes caught sight of the Head maid and his nose crinkled with disgust. "Oh, that's Scarlett. She was the bossiest person in the whole house." He said. Cid and Tifa looked at each other. "Did we tell you that?" Cid asked. Red looked at them. "You must have." He said simply. He continued to look at the pictures. Yuffie looked at papers.
They traveled for many days still learning everything. Red was trying to remember how to set a table for a party. "There was a fish fork, salad fork, meat fork and..." He paused trying to remember. Yuffie stared at him with wide eyes. "Exactly how many forks are there?" She asked. Red looked at her with an exasperated look on his face. "There was alot of them. Oh! The desert fork!" He said remembering. Yuffie, Tifa, and Cid laughed.
They continued on their way. They came to a small town called Corel. They had to get some things before they continued on their way. The town itself was a little run down. It looked like it had been destroyed not too long ago and everyone was trying to rebuild. Red and Yuffie looked around somewhat horrified. "What happened here?" They asked. Tifa sighed as she looked around. "The wars spread out pretty far. Corel got mixed up in it. Because of the death of the Shinra Family..." She paused looking at him. "And the disappearance of you, this town didn't really get that much help that they asked for." She said. Red looked at some of the children of the town who looked a little miserable. "Why didn't my uncle do anything?" He asked. Cid shook his head. "He's not the true heir of the company. Not a Shinra. He doesn't have the authority to do anything with the company." He looked away.
"There's some things he can't do and that's trying to make promises to fix everything up. Only a Shinra can run that business. The company is striving to stay open. Without you, Shinra Inc will fall." He said. Red looked around. "And without Shinra Inc.?" He asked. Tifa shook her head. "Without it, the cities every where will go into chaos. They all support Shinra and Shinra supports them. They'll fall together." She said. Red nodded as he followed them.
They did a little shopping before grabbing a bite to eat. They were eating at an outdoor restraunt. "Hey, Tifa? Cid? Is that you?" Someone called. All four turned around and looked to see who was calling. It was a very pretty looking girl. She wore a pink dress and a red jacket. She had long light brown hair that ran down to her lower back. She also wore a pink bow. Tifa smiled a little. "Hello, Aeris." She said. The girl hurried over. "What are you two doing here?" She asked smiling brightly. Cid shrugged. "Just stopping by." he said. Aeris nodded. She was eyeing Red slyly. "Who are your friends?" She asked. Red glanced at Tifa, who looked just a little annoyed. "This is Red and Yuffie. So what are you doing here?" She asked. Aeris shrugged. "Oh, just taking a break. Tonight Reeve is throwing a huge party at Gold Saucer. All the rides and attractions are going to be half price off. Plus I'm going to star in the show again." She said brightly. Tifa nodded as she looked at her three companions. "That's really good." She said dully. But Aeris didn't seem to hear her. "Oh! You guys should come too!" She said merrily. Tifa and Cid looked at each other. "Well, we were going to Gold Saucer to talk to Reeve. Maybe we can weasel our way in." Cid suggested. Aeris clapped her hands merrily. "Great! I'll tell Reeve that your coming!" She said hurrying away.
Tifa opened her mouth to say something before shutting it and face-palmed. "Crap." She said. Red smirked finding this very amusing. "What? What's with the long face?" He asked. Tifa looked up at him. "Um……" She paused. Cid grinned. "Every time we go to see Reeve at Gold Saucer, Reeve asks her to be in the play." He said. Yuffie's eyes lit up. "Play? What play? I wanna see a Play. Especially if Tifa's in it." She said smiling. Tifa went bright red. "No way. The last time I was in the play, I bruised the knight's ribs for kissing me." She said still turning more redder. Cid laughed. "Haha, tell the truth, Tifa." He looked at Red and Yuffie. "She decked the knight in the chest for touching hers, sending the guy flying across the room. It was an uproar play. Everyone was cheering and wanting to see her kick the dragon's butt next." He said.
Both Red and Yuffie laughed while Tifa continued to blush. "There's also one other problem, Cid." She added. Cid looked at her. "What's that?" he asked. Tifa looked at Red and Yuffie. "Well for one, look at them. They're going to let Red and Yuffie in if they look like that." She said. Red and Yuffie stopped laughing and looked themselves over. "Huh? What about the way we look?" Yuffie asked. Cid eyed them before nodding. "Good point." He said. Red stared. "What's wrong with the way we look, Cid?" he asked. Tifa shook her head. "Well, you look very homeless. We need to get you cleaned up and get you some nice cloths." She said. Red looked himself over again and then at Yuffie, who shrugged.
They a room at the inn and let the two orphans get showered and cleaned up while Tifa went out to find some cloths. She was sneaking into someone's laundry that was hanging outside on a line. She grabbed pants, a shirt, under garments and snatched some shoes that was Red's size. She also snatched a small outfit for Yuffie. Then hurried back to the inn.
Red was still getting dressed while Yuffie examined the dress she was wearing. "Why the hell do I have to wear a dress?" She asked with spite. Tifa looked her over. "You look very cute, Yuffie. Very lady like." She said. Red just came out as soon as she said that and took one look at Yuffie and laughed. Yuffie whimpered. "I look so stupid! I can't wear this!" She whinned. Tifa gave Red a sharp look then looked him over. "At least I don't look like one of those gang members that live in Midgar! Your pants are way too baggy." She shot. Red stopped laughing and looked himself over. "Well, you're the one who wanted to buy the cloths without me trying them on first." He said folding his arms. Tifa glared but didn't say anything. Cid shook his head. "Tifa, you help Yuffie spice herself up while I help Rufus." He said. Tifa nodded as she took Yuffie by the hand and lead her into the other room. Red rolled his eyes.
Later, after they were all done trying to look nice, the girls came out in their little outfits. Red was trying to fix his shirt. He and Cid had fixed his cloths and now he looked more better. He looked up when Yuffie and Tifa walked in. His eyes lit up seeing Tifa. Like Yuffie, Tifa was wearing a dress. She was wearing a dark blue skirt and top. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. She had blue tear drop earrings hanging on her ears. She looked very nice. Yuffie was wearing the dress from earlier but it looked different. It was a green dress. The skirt went down to her knees and she wore a thin strap top. And her neck was a silky yellow scarf. Red smiled at them along with Cid. "You two look very lovely." He said. Both girls blushed and nodded. "Thank you, Rufus……I mean Red." Tifa said. "Well should we be off?" Cid asked not noticing the looks Tifa and Red were giving each other. It wasn't the normal looks. They were pretty much checking each other out.
They went straight to the Rope Way, taking their things with them so they could check in to the hotel. They rode silently looking out the windows. The cart began to move upward towards the clouds. "So, are you an actress? Since you were always in that play." Yuffie asked. Tifa didn't look at her. If the others had a clear view of her face they would see that she had gone pale and her eyes were a little wide. She swallowed hard then turned with a smile. "Sort of but not really." She lied. Red nodded looking out the window again. Yuffie joined him. Cid looked at her with an unlit death stick hanging on his dry lips. A concerned look on his face. He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "You should tell them that you were. Reeve might say otherwise. You know how he is." Tifa nodded. "Yeah, but if I told them that I could act, sing and dance, they would get suspicious." She whispered back. Cid shook his head. "No, I think that Red might be even impressed with you." He grinned and winked. Tifa turned bright red.
"Oooh! Look!" Yuffie gasped. Tifa and Cid stood and went over to Red and Yuffie's side. Red's eyes were wide with a spark of excitement. They could see Gold Saucer. It was the most amazing place Red and Yuffie had ever seen. There were lights, music, lots and lots of people. It was the most colorful place. Red could see chocobo races, a large rollar coaster, a out door stage. He was so amazed by this but something seemed familiar. "Alright, Rufus Shinra. Here's another test." Cid said sitting back down. Red looked at him. "Huh?" He asked. Cid nodded. "This place, Gold Saucer. Who built it and when was it finished?" He asked. Red looked back at the giant theme park. He bit his lip and squinted his eyes. He didn't remember too well. But then a flash flew across his mind. He smiled. "My father, Augustice Shinra had it built for my sixth birthday. It was finished before my ninth birthday. We went to the grand opening and rode every single ride." he said. Tifa looked at him with awe. She looked at Cid. "Cid." She paused. Cid was grinning proudly but looked at her. "We never told him about Gold Saucer. I almost forgot about that." Tifa whispered. Cid's mouth fell alittle and he looked at Red who was still looking out the window.
Far from the cart, stood two figures on top of the theme park. Both with dark looks on their faces as they looked down at the cart, at the face peering out. Hojo narrowed his eyes. "That boy...has been a thorn. It's time to throw it away." He looked at Sephiroth. "Make sure he does not leave that cart. Alive." He said. Sephiroth looked at him then nodded. "Very well, Hojo." He told him and jumped off the building practically flying towards the cart.
The cart was approaching the station now. It was only five minutes before they would get off the cart. Yuffie leaned againest the side and smiled out. "This is going to be so much fun!" She said. Tifa nodded. "Yes it will be." She promised.
Suddenly there was a small jerk. They all jumped a little and looked around. "What was that?" Red asked. Cid stood and looked out the window. "I don't know. Maybe the ropeway is acting up." Tifa said. Cid looked out the window and around. His eyes found something very interesting. A silver haired man standing on the cords. A sword in his hand. He spotted Cid looking and smirked. He gave him a wave before raising his sword. "()&#!" Cid exclaimed leaping from his seat. "We have got to get off of this thing right now!" He yelled. Everyone jumped to their feet. "What! What's wrong!" Tifa asked with panic. Cid pointed at the window. "It's Sephiroth, Tifa! The bastard is cutting the cords!" He yelled. Tifa's jaw fell. Red and Yuffie looked at each other. "Who's Sephiroth!" They both asked. Tifa shook her head. "No time to explain!" She said hurrying towards the door.
She flung it open and looked around. There was no way of getting out that way. The cart jerked again. Tifa looked over at the cords. Sephiroth was no longer there. But the cords were starting to snap. "Oh no!" She said weakly. Red hurried to her and looked out. His eyes on the snapping cords. Yuffie was panicking. "We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" She cried. Red glanced at her then back at the cords. His eyes squinted then something flashed in his mind. He had seen a black haired man holding onto the similar cords and climbed up it. He spun around. "I have an idea!" He said. The other three looked at him. "What, what is it!" Tifa asked with fear. Red pointed at the cords. "We can climb up on those! I've seen it happen before! They have a good grip on them and we can just climb to the Gold Saucer station." He said. Tifa's eyes widen. "That is your brilliant plan! Are you crazy!" She screamed. Red winced then frowned deeply at her. "Hey! Your the one who pushed us off a speeding train!" He yelled back.
Cid looked up at the cords. "Well let's not just sit here and fall with the cart! He's right, Tifa!" He cried out. He nodded to the ladder. "We can climb onto that!" Red nodded. "I'll go first!" He said. Cid grabbed his shirt. "Oh no you don't! I will! Your life means more than mine! I'm old as it is!" He said climbed out onto the ladder. Tifa covered her mouth with tears filling her eyes. "Be careful, Cid!" She cried. Cid nodded. "Don't worry about me, Teef!" They watched him climbing the ladder, their fingers crossed and hoping. The cart jerked again and Cid almost lost his footing making Tifa and Yuffie scream. Cid held tight to the ladder and kicked for the steps again. "Don't worry! I'm (#& alright!" He yelled. He climbed up the rest and was on top of the cart. "Alright! Come on up!" He yelled. Tifa and Red looked at Yuffie. "Go, Yuffie!" They both said. Yuffie backed away. "No! I can't do this! I'll fall!" She cried out with tears running down her face. Red shook his head and held out his hand. "You won't fall! I promise you!" He said. Yuffie shook her head again. "I-I c-can't, Red. I'm scared!" She whimpered. Tifa smiled reaching out her hand. "So am I, Yuffie. But we have to leave or we'll all die." She said. Yuffie swallowed hard as she looked at their hands. She was shaking terribly.
Slowly she took both of their hands. "I promise you, Yuffie. You won't fall. I won't let you." Red said softly. Tifa nodded. "So do I." She said. Yuffie nodded and threw her arms around Red. "Hold tight onto me, Yuffie!" He told her. He looked at Tifa. "After you." He said. Tifa nodded and climbed out. Cid was holding out his hand out to her as she climbed. She took it and climbed up. Red had Yuffie on his back. She was crying into his back as she held tight but not enough to choke him. Red grabbed a hold of the ladder and climbed up. One of the cords finally snapped and the cart fell a little. Yuffie screamed and tightened her hold. Red held tight to the ladder. Tifa and Cid let out yells and held to the other cord. The other cord was holding though. After a quick second, Red looked up and continued to climbed. Yuffie was crying into his back.
The cart jerked again. The four gasped as they grabbed the cord. The other cord was starting to snap because of the weight. Tifa looked forward. "Well, what now!" She asked. Red grabbed the cord. "Pray that you have a good grip and start crossing!" he said. Tifa sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that." She said. Cid nodded. "Go!" he said. They began to climb across. Yuffie still crying in Red's back holding tight.
There was several people watching with horror written on their faces. Women covered their mouths and would scream when the cords jerked and started to give out. A man pushed through the crowd and gasped seeing them. He was dressed in a blue suit and had black short hair and a goatee. He hurried towards the station waving for some of their men to follow.
Cid had made it first. He climbed up to safety then offered his hand to Red and Yuffie. "Yuffie! Take Cid's hand!" He said. Yuffie shivered but did what she was told. Cid's hand gripped her's tightly and pulled her up with the help of the black haired man. Red turned a little to look at Tifa.
Suddenly the cords gave out and snapped. The cord jerked so hard that Tifa lost her grip. She gasped as she started to fall. "Tifa!" Cid, Yuffie and Red yelled. Red let one hand go of the cord and snatched Tifa's wrist. She gasped as she stopped falling looking up. "Hold on, Tifa! I've got you!" Red yelled. Tifa reached up and held his hand with both of hers. Red pulled her up with a struggle letting her wrap her arms around his neck and he began to climb up. Tifa tightly closed her eyes trying to hold in her fear.
Cid and the black haired man held out their hands to Tifa and took her arms. They carefully pulled her up then Red. The crowds watching broke into applause. Some cheered happily. Red was on his hands and knees breathing a little hard from the small adventure they just had. He looked at Tifa who was being hugged by Cid who looked back. They both smiled at each other. Cid grinned and so did Yuffie. "That was a good call, Red. Good job." The old pilot said. Red sat up straighter and looked over his shoulder. "Well we've got good news and bad news. The good news is we're alive. The bad news our stuff was still in the cart." He said. Tifa and Cid groaned. Everyone laughed.
