The next day, upon waking up from his disturbed 3-hour slumber, Cloud was pushed out of the room by Tifa.
"I'm dressing up. Sorry Cloud." She said before she shut the door in his face.
He groggily scratched his head before plopping down on the floor of the hallway and decided to sleep there… but he forced himself to wake up again when he recalled that Vincent still has not returned…
Vincent carefully scanned the area in Junon where most of the Soldiers were concentrated. "This is going to be hard…" he thought silently with a deep frown on his face before he jumped into another place where he could hide himself within the shadows of the tall buildings within the area.
Tifa decided that she needs to take a bath so she left her clothes on the bed for a while and rushed to the bathroom to take a warm shower.
Her singing inside the shower eventually disturbed the slumber of Rufus, the bunny rabbit. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling so frustrated. He became annoyed by the singing, but eventually found it to be pleasing to the ears so he just decided to close his eyes and go to sleep again while snuggled close to the warm comforter on the bed. The singing would eventually make him feel relaxed… until he realized that the sound was coming closer and he could hear footsteps approaching the bed. He opened his eyes and they widened in shock as he stiffened.
"Oh, you're awake! Heehee! Good morning, Ruffy!" she greeted cheerfully.
"NO! Why are you wearing that?!?!?" Rufus was saying in rabbit language (which obviously cannot be heard by humans). She was only wearing a bath towel.
She patted his head. "I'm sure you're very hungry?" she asked. The rabbit was just stiff, staring wide-eyed at her. She chuckled. "We'll eat breakfast, don't worry. I'll give you some carrots too. Heehee. But I have to dress up first and then we'll go to the dining area." She said before she dropped the towel on the floor.
Rufus wanted to die.
Tifa had her back to him as she began to get dressed, and when she was done, she turned around to face him again and saw that his nose is bleeding and his ears are so red. Her eyes widened in surprise as she gasped, "Oh my! What's wrong with you?" she asked as she scooped him up in her arms, close to her chest, embracing him tightly as she rushed to the door, "Cloud!" she called out.
Cloud jerked and immediately stood up from the floor where he had fallen asleep. He stared at the rabbit, then at Tifa.
She had this worried look on her face, "I think there's something wrong with my Ruffy… his nose is bleeding!" she said before examining the rabbit herself. "I don't think rabbits are prone to nosebleeds if it's too cold… but…" she began to wipe the blood away from its nose.
Cloud frowned slightly as he eyed the rabbit suspiciously, "What did you do before you saw that his nose is bleeding?" he asked.
"I was in the shower and then I got dressed." She replied innocently.
He stared in awe at her.
"What's wrong?" she asked curiously.
"In front of Rufus… I mean, Ruffy?" Cloud asked in awe.
"He's just a rabbit. He wouldn't understand the concept of nakedness." She told him with a silly smile on her face before examining Ruffy's face. "Awww… please don't get sick. I'll die if you do! … MWAH!" she kissed its forehead. The more it stiffened.
Cloud shook his head in disbelief. "Sorry, Prez… can't do anything about it. She loves ya!" he was thinking silently with a weak smile on his face. "Well… his nose stopped bleeding already. I think he feels better now." He declared as he gently patted the rabbit's head, but it squirmed and tried to bite his hand. Cloud withdrew his hand from the rabbit. "And I think it still hates me…" he said with a glum look on his face.
"Don't be ridiculous, Cloud. Maybe you just surprised him that's why he tried to bite you. You should try touching him gently next time," Tifa said with a wink.
He raised an eyebrow at her, "Oh really now? How are you sure that that's a male rabbit again?" he asked with an innocent tone.
Tifa thought for a while before lifting the rabbit up so that she could take a peek at its reproductive organ. The rabbit began to squirm against her grasp and its ears really turned bright red. "It is a boy, Cloud." She pointed out. "I mean, it's got balls!" she said.
Cloud bit his lower lip to stop himself from snickering.
Tifa checked the rabbit's ears and she gasped. "Oh my goodness! Why are your ears so red, Ruffy?" she asked in worry.
"Just go inside and take care of your bunny while I go check on Barret and the others," Cloud said before he pushed her inside the room again and then shut the door. He thought for a while before he opened the door again and peeked inside, "Oh yeah, and don't go nude in front of Rufus… I mean, Ruffy… he might have another nosebleed!" and then shut the door immediately before Tifa could glare angrily at him. He laughed softly before heading for Barret's quarters. He did not consider knocking; he just barged in. "Alright, who's awake?" he announced.
Barret immediately sat up on the bed, surprised at Cloud's sudden entry. "What the… ya foo'!" he snapped angrily.
Cloud stopped and he totally forgot why he entered Barret's room. He saw that Cait Sith was still resting on the floor by the window.
Barret instantly got up and collared Cloud, "Whazzamattah wit ya?! Can't you see that I lack sleep?!" he demanded impatiently.
Cloud pushed him away. "Hey, keep cool. I'm just wondering where Vincent is." He said before stepping out of the room again. He almost forgot that Vincent had volunteered to go to Junon to get the reverse potion. As soon as he was in the hallway again, he saw Tifa going to the elevator with the rabbit in her arms. She was gently singing, "I love my Ruffy… I love my Ruffy… Oh yes, I do… Heeheeheehee!" she even giggled cheerfully before holding the rabbit up to her face and stared at its blue eyes lovingly. "You're so cute… what if I kiss you right now and you turn into a real person? Will you love me too? Heeheeheehee?" she asked playfully before kissing its forehead.
Cloud saw that the rabbit's ears became very red again and he just pressed his lips together to stop himself from laughing at Rufus's current situation as he approached them. As soon as the elevator door opened, he greeted her, "Hey, Teef."
She turned to him and smiled sweetly. "Hello, Cloud." She said.
Cloud stared curiously at her, trying to read her thoughts through the smile on her face and the look in her eyes as they stepped inside the elevator. He knew that she had liked him ever since childhood… and there would always be a look in her eyes that seemed to reveal to him that secret even if she would never tell him. Frankly speaking, he had liked her too… but had forgotten about it as soon as he left for Soldier. For some reason he could not understand, his mother's words kept on whirling around his thoughts about the girl that he should marry. Someone older than him. And he remembered Aerith. He instantly looked away from Tifa, feeling guilty about the situation. For all he knew, she could be a spirit roaming around and hanging around by his side, observing his behavior and reading his thoughts… and she could have read that he liked Tifa before and get jealous…
"Reading my thoughts?" he thought mindlessly as the door closed. He bowed down his head and shoved his hands inside his pockets rather uncomfortably. "Aerith… if this rabbit can bring you back to me, I swear I'm going to…" he trailed off when he realized that he was thinking out loud… and mumbling it.
"Going to what?" Tifa asked curiously.
Cloud jerked and turned red. "I… nothing…" he said.
She just smiled at him, "It's okay, Cloud. You can tell me everything." She said while stroking the bunny rabbit's fur. Cloud eyed the rabbit and it had a relaxed look on its face, like it's enjoying the way Tifa is stroking its fur.
They reached the lobby and went to the small breakfast lounge. As soon as they were seated and had their orders taken, she spoke up to him, "I… know that you love Aerith, Cloud."
His eyes widened at her.
She bowed down her head for a while, looking at the rabbit on sleeping on her lap, and then turned back to Cloud again with a sweet smile on her face, "Screw the promise. It's time for the two of us to move on. Besides, maybe it was never really meant to be. I mean… you need… someone else. Someone like Aerith. And me? I…" she trailed off when Cloud cut her off, "I'm sorry, Tifa." He told her.
The rabbit opened its eyes and looked up at Tifa.
She smiled and nodded her head. She sighed heavily. "Although I'll always wish that there would be someone like you… or better… who would sweep me off my feet." She admitted while blushing. Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized that the bunny rabbit was staring up at her. She giggled and picked it up, lifting it up to her face and kissing its nose before embracing it lovingly.
Cloud smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Tifa… I'm sure there would be someone more suitable for you. But I'll always be your best friend and don't forget that I'm here just in case that jerk does something bad to you." He told her reassuringly while eyeing the rabbit with a warning look on his face.
She was surprised at what he had just mentioned. She smiled. "Yes, Cloud. Thank you. I guess that's what you have always been… a best friend." Her smile widened as she turned back to the bunny rabbit. "And I think I feel better now… and I like it that way. Right, Ruffy-darling? Heeheeheehee!" she giggled happily and kissed the rabbit's nose again.
Cloud just smiled sourly while eyeing the rabbit's reddened ears. "Eheheh… You'd better stop kissing that thing. Don't you know that rabbits are prone to fungus growing on their noses?" he asked.
She blinked. "No. I've never had a bunny before." She replied before she stared at the rabbit's nose. "I don't see anything funny about his nose… except that it's pink." She said.
Cloud gasped. "THAT'S THE FUNGUS!" he exclaimed, enjoying the horrified look on the rabbit's face and also on Tifa's face, and then laughing. "Kidding." He pointed out.
Tifa just kept quiet, staring curiously at him. "What is wrong with you?" she asked in awe.
Cloud just kept on laughing before he got up from his seat. "I think I need some air…" he said before he mindlessly wiped some tears away from his eyes. Tifa noticed that he was already crying… but she did not say anything. The rabbit was looking at him with a curious stare.
"Cloud, are you alright?" she asked with concern.
Cloud stared at the rabbit, ignoring the question. "Gee… your rabbit's ears are red. Here, let me take it out for some air first." He said, grabbing Ruffy from Tifa. She hesitated for a while but slowly let go. As she parted with the rabbit, a lot of thoughts suddenly entered her mind… things from the past… and their present situation. And her smile faded away as she watched Cloud head out to the lobby with the rabbit, leaving her alone there.
She bowed down her head, looking sadly at her hands resting on her lap. "Why do I feel so lonely all of a sudden…" she mumbled softly.
For some reason, the receptionist was still sleeping and snoring soundly, so Cloud took advantage of the situation and let the rabbit go to the PC and type.
WHY THE HELL ARE YOU CRYING?
Cloud just stared at the words on the monitor before replying, "It doesn't matter. Are you sure that you're not tricking me?"
TRICK YOU ABOUT WHAT?
"About Aerith coming back. You said you know how to bring her back!" he replied.
OH THAT. YES, YES, I REMEMBER… THERE'S ANOTHER FORMULA… A REVIVING POTION.
"She has to drink it?"
NO. YOU HAVE TO DRINK IT. HOJO HAS THE FORMULA AND IT'S COMPOSED OF HERBAL LEAVES FOUND IN COSMO CANYON PLUS JENOVA CELLS AND MAKO. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE HE PLACED IT.
He stared unbelievably at him. "Me? But… I'm not dead!" he replied.
I'VE READ IT SOMEWHERE IN HIS FILES THAT IF YOU DRINK IT, YOU WILL BE IN A STATE OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS WHEREIN YOU MIGHT APPEAR DEAD… BUT YOU WILL BE IN ANOTHER CONSCIOUSNESS… LIKE IN THE LIFESTREAM OR IN THE PROMISED LAND… I'M NOT SURE. BUT WHEN YOU REACH IT, YOU MUST FIND HER WITHIN A GIVEN TIME ALLOTMENT OF ABOUT 100 HOURS, AND TAKE HER BACK WITH YOU.
Cloud was about to say something else, but he realized that Barret was approaching them from the elevator. He instantly grabbed the rabbit and began to pat its head like he is petting it before exiting the word processor program. "Hey, Barret." He greeted.
Barret eyed Cloud curiously. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Cloud thought for a while on why his friend asked that question before nodding frantically. "Y…yeah. I am fine. Heheh…" he replied rather uneasily.
Barret just blinked and eyed the rabbit. "Where's Teef?" he asked.
Cloud swallowed hard, "She's having breakfast…"
"And where's Vincent?" Barret asked.
Silence.
Cloud handed the rabbit to Barret, "Here, take him back to Teef. I'll just go upstairs. I don't feel so good." He lied before rushing to the elevator, leaving his friend and the rabbit perplexed.
Hojo had fallen asleep by his PC, not even noticing that someone had intruded his laboratory in Junon.
Vincent scanned the whole area. It still looked the same as it did before… only messier. Frowning and approaching Hojo, he began to think of ways to get Hojo's hand off the mouse, but he could not think of any easy way. "This guy's a light sleeper… one wrong move and he'll wake up… I guess I'll just have to…" he reached for the keyboard and just decided to do the keyboard shortcuts, since the mouse is not accessible for him. He opened the file where Hojo's potions and formulas are listed alphabetically and where he could find it.
He activated FIND and typed carefully Reverse Potion and pressed enter.
The computer began to search.
Hojo grunted. "Mrrrpgh… She's mine, damn you…" he mumbled in his sleep, making Vincent too nervous that he forgot to breathe as he stared wide-eyed at Hojo.
When Hojo did not move, Vincent turned to the PC again… it was still searching. "Rats…" he thought in annoyance. It must be an old computer that's why it's too slow already.
And to his horror, a computerized voice spoke up upon displaying the result: "Found: One. Reverse Potion. Cabinet 57. Drawer 7. Midgar Laboratory. Would you like to make another search?"
Hojo instantly woke up. "Huh?!" he jerked up, standing in surprise.
Vincent jumped backwards, but his left hand hit some test tubes, making those crash to the ground. Hojo instantly turned around to look at him. Both were surprised.
Hojo gasped in annoyance, "YOU!!!!! You're still alive?! How the hell did you get out of your coffin?!" he demanded angrily.
Vincent was unable to speak. He does not know where to begin… shall he kill him right then and there? Or make him talk and ask questions? Or simply escape? Or answer Hojo's question? Or ask about Lucrecia?
Confused he just decided to run off, but Hojo instantly threw a sleep bomb at him.
Vincent covered his own nose, so he was able to escape… but the fumes were stuck to his cape and to his hair and clothes… all over the exposed areas of his body…
He began to feel drowsy, until he could not go on anymore and just fell backward, staring up at the ceiling. A few moments later, Hojo came into view holding a syringe. "Hello there, Vincent. You were just in my nightmare moments ago… you took Lucrecia from me there. Now, as revenge, here is another nightmare for you." He said with a mocking tone before injecting something into Vincent's bloodstream.
Vincent frowned at him. "No…" he had managed to say before he closed his eyes… but he could not fall asleep. Hojo's other experiments with him must have made him immune to sleep bombs… and he just felt drowsy… But he felt a shrinking feeling…
Forcing himself to open his eyes, he instantly got back to his feet again and rushed away from Hojo. "Hahahahaha! Come back here, you…" Hojo commanded, but Vincent kept on running.
He got out of the laboratory, rushing to the nearest door out and then kept on running until he reached an alley. He was panting heavily. "That was close…" he thought miserably… and he was just surprised when he felt that someone was lifting him up.
"What are you doing in a place like this?" asked a familiar voice.
Vincent stared at the face of the person who just lifted him up. His red eyes widened in shock. "SEPHIROTH?!"
Sephiroth stared curiously at the black bunny rabbit with red eyes and a red bandanna around its head. He smiled slyly at it before he decided to inspect if it is a boy or a girl (you know how to inspect it). He raised an eyebrow. "Whoa. A boy." He mumbled before looking at the bunny rabbit's face.
Vincent wanted to die. "Oh no… oh no… bloody hell… this cannot be… I'm just dreaming… I'll wake up and then I'll be back in my old form again… no… no… no…" he was thinking quietly.
Vincent Valentine has turned into a bunny rabbit.
Sephiroth patted the bunny rabbit's head. "I think I like you. I've always wanted a rabbit for a pet when I was a child, but Hojo wouldn't let me have one." He told him with a weird look on his face that made Vincent want to faint.
"Daddy, can I have a pet? A pet bunny rabbit?" Baby Sephiroth asked Hojo.
"Hahahahah! No! SOLDIER's secret weapon cannot have bunny rabbits!" Hojo had answered Sephiroth. Then he injected more chemicals in his bloodstream.
Snapping out of his traumatized childhood memories, Sephiroth grunted. "I'll show Hojo. I shall destroy Planet! And only I and… and…" he trailed off, realizing that the rabbit has no name yet.
He brought up the rabbit to his face, inspecting its eyes and the red bandanna around its head. "You remind me of someone…" he thought before saying, "Alright, I'll name you Vinny! Anyway…. Only I and Vinny shall survive the destruction! Muahahahahah!"
Vincent wanted to scream. But he wasn't sure if rabbits were able to scream, so he just moved his loose red bandanna over his eyes, and drooped his ears.
With that, Sephiroth walked away with the rabbit in his grasp.
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General Quistis's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Really appreciate it... and thanks for pointing out the correction in the spelling of the title. my Spanish teacher would kick me if she sees the wrong spelling. heheh. ;)
Anyway, chapter 5's coming up...