Right Hand of Evil
By generalquistis
oOoOo
It was a typical week day for Tifa Lockheart: wake up at 7, make breakfast for Marlene and Denzel, give Denzel his medication, walk Marlene to the bus stop for school, go to the marketplace and buy some food and supplies for the bar and for the house itself, go back to her house and do some chores, attend to Denzel, serve some food if ever Cid or Barret drops by for lunch, fetch Marlene from the bus stop at 3:15 pm, go back home, fix her some snacks, help her with her homework…
At least she thought it was typical… until the clock struck three in the afternoon and Tifa was getting ready to fetch Marlene from school. The telephone began to ring and it surprised her. Nobody ever calls up at that hour. She answered the call, "Hello?"
"Tifa?" asked a masculine voice after a few moments of silence. But he sounded sick.
"…Cloud?" she asked, feeling perplexed, wondering why he sounded sick.
"Could you… come over here at the Church? I'm… having some problems here and I'm gonna need your help." He said.
"Are you alright?" she asked with a worried look on her face.
But he hung up.
Now she had a problem: "But I have to fetch Marlene! … if I don't get there on time Barret might scold me or something… but then Cloud needs me. Oh alright. I can fetch Marlene first then hurry over to Cloud… but then it could be too late! Oh what to do, what to do…" she was talking to herself when she heard Vincent's voice calling out her name from the doorway. She turned to him with a stunned look on her face. She realized that she had been talking to herself… out loud… enough for Vincent to hear.
"Am I disturbing you?" Vincent asked with a confused look on his face, and his hand was holding onto the door as if ready to leave again.
She smiled coolly at him. "N…no, not at all." She said, although she was flushed. Of course she felt embarrassed. Vincent could think that she still had some of those feelings for Cloud… but she just shrugged it off and approached him, "Oh Vincent, would you be kind enough to fetch Marlene from the bus station a few blocks away from here?" she asked with a pleading look on her face.
Vincent just stared glumly at her. "Why?" he asked.
"Because I have to go to Cloud. He called me up and he sounded like he's sick or something so… I figured I should attend to him…" she said rather hesitantly, wondering what's going on in Vincent's head already.
Vincent studied the look on her face for a few moments and then shrugged. "Alright. What about Denzel?" he asked.
"Oh. He's upstairs. Yuffie is attending to him." Tifa said.
"Yuffie is here? I thought she's in Wutai?" Vincent asked as she and Tifa both stepped out of the house and began to walk down the street.
"She wanted to take a vacation here for while, I don't know why though." Tifa replied before waving goodbye at Vincent and rushed towards the street leading to Sector 6.
In ten minutes, she made it to the ruined Church. She was panting hard because she ran all the way from where she parted ways with Vincent up to her destination. She took a little while to catch her breath before proceeding inside the Church. "Cloud?" she called out as she made her way to where she recalled he had placed his things.
But he was not there.
She frowned slightly, feeling a little dizzy as she neared the area. His things were neatly placed in one part of the area where he usually stays and apart from his usual things (like the gas lamp, cooler and the sleeping bag), she noticed a wooden box with a note on top of it. She approached it and stooped down, reading the note out loud, "For Urgent Delivery" and she turned to the recipient: "Rufus ShinRa. Healin Lodge."
She picked the box up and thought, "Maybe he wants me to deliver this to the Healin Lodge. I wonder if he's feeling well…" she began to look around, wondering where Cloud could be. "Oh well, I don't think he's here. He could be resting someplace else. I don't think he wants to be bothered. Oh well… better deliver this now if it's urgent. I don't want Cloud to be upset if this package doesn't arrive on time in the Healin Lodge." She decided before turning away, proceeding to the exit.
oOoOo
Marlene finally got down from the school bus and she smiled brightly when she saw Vincent Valentine by the waiting shed waiting for her. "Hi, Mister Vincent!" she greeted cheerfully.
He smiled slightly at her. "Hello, Marlene." He said as he offered a hand to her and when she took it, they began to walk hand-in-hand back to Tifa's house. "How was school?" he asked, thinking that he should talk to the child so that she would feel comfortable.
"It was great! I got five stars for a perfect attendance!" she said happily.
"That's splendid." He said with a blank look on his face, although he was trying to sound cheerful for the sake of the little girl.
"Mister Vincent, where's Tifa?" she asked.
"She… went to the Church." he replied rather hesitantly.
She blinked and looked up at him with a slight frown on her face. "What is she going to do there?" she asked.
"I don't know. But she said that…" Vincent began, but Marlene stopped walking with a concerned look on her face, "Did she say that she's going to see Cloud?" she asked.
Vincent blinked. "Well… Yes. Although I deem it impossible for her to see Cloud now…" he began.
She let go of him and rushed towards the street leading to Sector 6. "Oh no, she's gonna get scolded by Papa and the others again if she goes there! Come on, Mister Vincent! We have to go there!" she said as she led the way.
Vincent instantly ran after the girl. "Is it that serious, Marlene?" he asked with a confused look on his face. He realized how ignorant he was on the issue because he was away from Tifa and the others for quite a long time ever since the last battle with Kadaj.
"Yes, Mister Vincent. The doctor advised her not to wander off to that Church!" Marlene replied.
Vincent frowned. "I thought she was just joking." He muttered, recalling what Tifa had told him.
However, by the time they arrived at the Church, Tifa was not there anymore.
"Oh no…" Marlene moaned in frustration with a worried look on her face.
"Where do you think she went?" Vincent asked, looking around and scanning the area. Marlene went over to the area where Cloud had left his things. She looked at the sleeping bag, the gas lamp and his other supplies; seemingly untouched for quite a long time already. "His things are still here. I thought Papa picked them up months ago?" she asked.
"Maybe he just forgot…" Vincent said softly before noticing that the flowers had bloomed and had multiplied already. What started as a flowerbed was beginning to spread. "…or he changed his mind." Vincent muttered before patting Marlene's shoulder. "Let's get you home first, then I'll look for Tifa." He told her.
She nodded her head slightly with a sad look on her face; and as they were walking back to Sector 7, she began to cry.
"What's wrong, Marlene?" he asked with a concerned look on his face as they stopped walking. He stooped down so he could face her properly. He was stroking her hair gently with his right hand, in hopes of comforting her. "Why are you crying?" he asked.
She sniffed and embraced him tightly. "I miss Cloud." She revealed sadly.
Vincent's facial expression stiffened slightly as he sighed heavily and just embraced Marlene, not knowing what to say to her anymore.
oOoOo
"Hi, I'm here to deliver a package for the President." Tifa introduced as she arrived at the entrance of the Healin Lodge where Reno was standing by with one of the security guards.
Reno blinked as he stared in awe at her. "Gee… long time no see, Miss Lockheart. I see you've taken over the courier service, huh? But… a courier business with your bar business? Must be a lot of hard work!" he said with a silly smile on his face as he approached her to inspect the package.
Tifa looked at him strangely. "You've got to be kidding me. I can't manage both jobs! Cloud's the one who started his Courier business. I still have my bar and I'm sticking to it and I'm just assisting Cloud because I have the telephone line." She told him, rolling her eyes at the end of the sentence.
Reno frowned, looking at her as if she just said something strange. "I… see." He said weakly as he continued to check the package. "Who is this from?" he asked.
Tifa shrugged. "I have no idea. Cloud just called up and he sounded sick so I went over to the Church to see if he was alright, then when I arrived there, I just saw this package with his things. He wasn't there but I guess he left a message for me, telling me to deliver this here." She said.
Reno raised an eyebrow as he stared at her in disbelief. "He called you?" he asked in confusion.
Tifa blinked. "Why, yes. Cloud calls me sometimes whenever he needs help with something regarding his courier service." She explained.
Reno swallowed hard, staring at her like she was talking crazy. "I'll take it from here." He took the package from her grasp and placed it on top of the guard's table. But Tifa went after him. "You're not going to open it, are you?" she asked.
"I have to double check. It doesn't have a sender's name and the recipient is President Rufus." He said as he began to open the wooden box. "Just doin' my job, Miss Lockheart." He told her.
Tifa just sighed, watching him do his job. "Fine. But doesn't that invade the President's right to privacy?" she asked.
"The Prez is sick. If something inside makes him sicker, Rude and I will suffer the consequences." He said.
She chuckled lightly, "So that's how loyal you men are to the President, huh? Interesting." She said in blunt amazement. "So tell me, how could you be so loyal to a ShinRa, especially to someone like Rufus?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"Well, first of all, he's not really that mean if you get to know him better." Reno told her with a serious look on his face as he was finally able to lift off the lid of the wooden box. He peered inside and he raised his eyebrows upon seeing what was inside.
A thin pink satin ribbon.
Tifa looked inside the box and stared in awe. "What's this doing inside a big box?" she asked in confusion as she picked it up with her right hand and examined it.
Reno just stared at it. "Beats me! Are you sure you don't know who the recipient is?" he asked, feeling suspicious.
She shook her head. "Nah-uh." She put the ribbon back inside the box. "Well it looks harmless. It's just a pink ribbon. Why not give it to Rufus now? Maybe he ordered it or something so that he'll have something to be amazed with." She said with a silly smile on her face. Reno could tell that she was making fun of the situation and Rufus himself. He flashed her a silly grin. "Be thankful he's not around to hear you and I'm not a snitch." He told her before putting back the lid. "Looks kinda like the ribbon you're wearing right there." He told her, looking at the pink ribbon tied around Tifa's left arm.
"Well in case you're curious, I didn't send it. I mean, why would I even send something like that to… Rufus? I don't think he'd deserve anything like that in the first place." She said rather scornfully.
"What did he ever do to you anyway?" Reno asked, staring into her brown eyes with an inquiring look on his face. "I think you should just go home and rest more." He told her.
"What do you mean rest more?" she asked, feeling confused.
"You've been under too much stress lately according to your friends and I'm surprised you're here." He told her.
"What? My friends? Who?" she asked, surprised at what she said.
"Well, the Prez wanted to know how things are going in your world so one time he decided to call and Cid was the one who told us everything that happened to you." Reno told her.
Tifa was speechless for a while before regaining her composure and she frowned at him, crossing her arms. "Well nothing bad happened to me. And why would Rufus even want to find out how things are in my bar?" she asked.
"Well… it's just between the Prez and Cloud. Now if you'll excuse me…" he turned away from her but she caught up with him and grabbed his shoulder, "Wait a moment. Cloud talked to Rufus? Where is he anyway?" she asked.
"The Prez? He's upstairs in his room resting. In a while we'll take him to the treatment room again to change his bandages." Reno explained.
"No, I meant Cloud." Tifa insisted.
Reno was quiet for a while, staring at her. "I think you should go home." He said uneasily.
"No, where is he? I'm looking for him." She said.
"Why are you looking for him?" he asked.
"Because he called up and he sounded sick and I'm so worried about his condition! What if something bad happens to him?" she asked with a worried look on her face.
He was staring at her with wide eyes and he turned away. "You know, before you go, you can pass by the clinic in the next hall and ask for tranquilizers. I think you need it." He told her.
"What do you mean?" she asked as she watched him board the elevator. He just turned back to face her and told her, "I'll take this to the Prez now. Just go home and rest." He instructed before the door closed.
Tifa was dumbfounded. "Why is he telling me to rest?" she thought in annoyance before deciding to just go home.
oOoOo
Rude and Rufus stared at Reno in wonder as he entered with the wooden box and a disturbed look on his face.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Rude told him.
Reno approached them. "Not really. It's Tifa." He said as he placed the box by the floor in front of Rufus and his wheelchair where he was seated. "For you, Prez. She delivered it." He announced.
Rufus raised an eyebrow. "She's in good condition already?" he asked in wonder.
"I don't think so. She was babbling something about Cloud telling her to deliver this to you." Reno told her.
Rufus was quiet for a while, looking at Reno with a frown on his face. "Cloud?" he asked.
"Oh no, not you too?" Reno wailed as he reached for Rufus's forehead and touched it, trying to feel his temperature.
"Quit that!" Rufus pushed his hand off his forehead. "Where is she?" he asked.
"I left her downstairs. Maybe she left already. Oh, but don't worry, Prez. I advised her to go to the clinic and take some tranquilizers. I told her she needed it. Heheh." Reno said before removing the lid for Rufus and showed him the content of the box. "Here you go, Prez." He said.
Rufus raised his eyebrows upon seeing the pink ribbon inside the box. He picked it up with his right hand. "Is this some kind of a bloody joke?" he demanded in confusion. "Go back downstairs and get Tifa." He instructed.
Reno shrugged and just ran off.
Rufus stared at the ribbon, feeling uneasy about the fact that he was holding it and the fact that Tifa mentioned that Cloud told her to deliver the package to him.
A few moments later, Reno returned with a tired look on his face. "She's gone. I thinks he walks fast or she took the bus back to Midgar." He told Rufus.
By 6 in the evening, Rufus was still thinking about the pink ribbon and Cloud. He could not understand the significance of the events and finally, he gave up. He clutched the pink ribbon tightly in his grasp. "Rude, my mobile phone." He instructed rather weakly.
Rude went over to Rufus's bedside table and got the mobile phone and handed it to him. Rufus flipped it and viewed the screen before searching for a contact in his contact list. When he found it, he pressed the dial button and put the mobile phone against his ear.
oOoOo
Yuffie jerked slightly upon hearing the telephone ringing. She took a quick glance on the wall clock hanging on the wall before turning to Vincent who was busily preparing dinner. "Looks like I have to answer it…" she muttered miserably before she got up from the chair in the dining room. She was assisting Marlene with her homework while Vincent was preparing dinner for them and Denzel was watching cartoons in the living room since Yuffie cannot watch him in his room upstairs.
Yuffie did not bother checking the caller I.D. and just answered the call, pressing the speakerphone button because she felt lazy to pick up the receiver. "Yeah?" she greeted bluntly.
"Is Tifa home yet?" asked a man from the other line.
Yuffie frowned slightly. "No. I don't know where she is. I can take a message if you want." She said impatiently.
"No, that would not be necessary. I was just checking. You see, she was here this afternoon." The man told her.
Yuffie's eyes widened as her mouth dropped open in shock. "OH MY GAWD! Who are you?" she demanded.
"…she delivered a package for me and she said that Cloud told her to do so." The man told her.
From the kitchen, Vincent could hear everything… and Cid and Barret, who had just arrived home, also heard the conversation between Yuffie and the man.
"Cloud? As in Cloud Strife?" Yuffie demanded in disbelief.
Barret marched over to Yuffie and the phone, "Who are ya, foo'?" he demanded.
"Rufus ShinRa." The man revealed.
They were all dumbfounded.
Yuffie swallowed hard before declaring, "But… that's impossible! Cloud told Tifa that? That's… crazy!"
"Yeah, it is, crazy! The damn guy's dead!" Cid pointed out.
Silence.
"I know." Rufus responded with a serious tone.
Silence.
"What's inside the package?" Barret asked with a worried look on his face.
Rufus was quiet for a while before responding, "It's a pink ribbon." He revealed.
oOoOo
Around nine in the evening, Rufus was asked to lie down on his bed and was instructed to sleep as a nurse injected some tranquilizers into him. He had been stressed out by the absurdity of the events.
Unknown to the nurses, doctors and the Turks, the pink ribbon was still in his grasp. He had become unaware that he was holding it.
Soon, the tranquilizers would take effect and he would be sleeping soundly, but he began to have a bad feeling about falling asleep. When he felt the tranquilizers taking control of his body, he began to fight it, but he was too weak and sick to do so. Giving up, he surrendered a deep sleep with a thought in his mind, "This could all be just a dream. I'll wake up and I can walk again, Cloud is alive and Midgar isn't destroyed… and I'll be in Junon as the vice president again and my Old Man is still alive in Midgar… and I swear, once I wake up from this bad dream, I'll be nice and try to convince Old Man to stop the activity of the reactors and I'll change the world from there…"
But it was not long until he heard the sound of birds chirping from outside in merry morning's sunshine… and the sound of gentle waves crashing against the shore.
Shore?
Rufus ShinRa frowned in confusion as he instantly opened his eyes and gazed up at the ceiling. It looked different. It does not look anything like the ceiling from the Healin Lodge; instead, it looked like the ceiling from his bedroom in Junon.
He could still hear the waves… and he breathed in the scent of the room. It did not smell like hydrochloric acid or anything like a squeaky-clean hospital room. Instead, it smelled like his bedroom in Junon.
He gasped slightly as he sat up… and he was alarmed when he did so because he was able to sit up by himself! … and strangely enough, he could feel his legs. And he turned to his left and gazed at his left hand and arm in disbelief. He has a left hand and a left arm. "What is this? Am I dreaming?" he thought to himself before hearing the sound of a woman yawning beside him to his right.
He turned to his right but there was no one there… until he looked at his right hand.
But to his utmost mortification, he did not have a hand anymore! Instead, it was a woman attached to his wrist… and she was naked. But her hair was covering her breasts and he somewhat thanked the heavens that she was attached on his wrist from her torso and up. But dammit, it's not a hand!
He wanted to scream but he wanted to remain calm at the same time because he had just realized that he had awakened in his old bedroom in Junon and that he was wearing his white long-sleeved pajamas and that he wasn't in the Healin Lodge anymore… and that his right hand has been replaced by a woman.
He pinched himself with his left hand to see if he was dreaming, but he was not. "Bloody hell!" he cried out in mortification.
She slowly opened her eyes upon hearing the noise. They were brown and she stared up at the big man in front of him. She gasped upon recognizing him. "…Rufus ShinRa?" she cried out in shock.
Rufus turned back to his right hand and stared at her with a look of shock. He could not stay calm anymore and he wanted to kill himself upon realizing that he was beginning to lose his sanity. Not knowing what to say or to make out of the situation, he just tried to act cool and collected as he moved his mouth to speak the first thing that popped out from his mind: "…Why are you attached to my wrist, Tifa?"
Tifa Lockheart looked down at herself and saw that she had no legs… and that the area of her abdomen was attached to Rufus's wrist… and that she was naked. She turned beet red as she grabbed the end of the sleeve of his pajama and covered her nakedness with it. "I have no idea!" she exclaimed in mortification as she gazed up at him.
And then she fainted.
"Blimey! I wish I could faint too!" his mind was screaming but he just stiffened and forced her to wake up, "Hey, wake up!" he snapped impatiently.
But she was still unconscious.
oOoOo
Author's Note: Concept inspired by the anime "Midori Days". I haven't actually watched a single episode of that anime but I keep on seeing its trailers everywhere on the cable stations… plus reviews on the TV guide.
To be continued. If you hate this fic, don't react anymore! I know that this is nasty already!