White Desire

Chapter 2

"Tifa...Tifa, wake up." Cloud was gently shaking her back and forth. She'd fallen asleep in the middle of his story, but he didn't mind. She was probably still recovering from shock, so he couldn't hold it against her. And when she muttered and rolled onto her back, he leaned down to plant a kiss against her lips.

Before that could connect though, his female companion had lifted a hand to stop him. Her lips rose into a slight smile. "I heard you the first time. What do you think you're trying to do, Cloud?" She pushed him away and then after a few moments, she came to her feet and brushed herself off. Then she turned to him and slipped her hands behind her back. "Did you sleep all right?" In all honesty, she didn't remember too much from the previous night. She remembered him holding her and then falling asleep, but that was about it. The rest was just a blank hole in her memory.

Cloud began to lead her back downstairs and talked along the way. "I slept much better last night than I have in the last month. I always sleep better when I'm here. You should know that by now." He glanced to her for just a moment, and then shrugged slightly before silencing himself. Barret and Marlene were probably already awake and he didn't want to talk about the previous night in front of them. Even he was aware that there was a time and place for such things.

Tifa was unsure of why he had stopped until she reached the bottom of the stairs. She gave a smile and pointed to Cloud. "I'm sorry I slept in late. It's Cloud's fault. He kept me up with stupid questions last night." Then she brought her hands together and rubbed the palms back and forth. "All right. So let's get this dumb plan started, so it can be done and over with. What's our first action?" Her attention was turned back to her blonde companion.

Of course she wanted to get things over with. Cloud couldn't blame her. She'd seemed so adamant earlier, so he was relieved to see her cracking jokes, and so soon after she had awoken. He pointed to Barret who gave each a nod, carrying Marlene upon one shoulder. As he approached the pinball machine, he beckoned for the other two to follow after him.

The dark-haired female attached a rather small plastic piece to the zipper upon her black crop top. "So he won't know this records video and sound? There won't be any nasty feedback?" She didn't have any doubts about Barret and his skills. She was more concerned about messing something up. After all, she had never done anything of the sort before. It was only natural that she should be a little nervous.

Barret nodded to her with a hearty chuckle. "Yeah. It's small an' it should do da trick. We'z lucky dat we'z got smart people in our league, ya know!" He gestured at Cloud. "All right. Cloud's got da other part of da plan for ya. Go ahead, spiky-haired dumb ass."

Tifa's gaze found Cloud who was holding up a rather classy-looking uniform for her. The blouse buttoned up the front and the skirt did the same upon one side, leaving a loose pleat. Both articles of clothing were of a pleasant maroon colour. "Y-you can't be serious." She received a nod as she looked to his other hand, which held a set of maroon high heels. From the end of his fingertips, he was carrying a pair of wire frames for her eyes. Tifa shook her head and scoffed. "Oh, no. This is not happening. Forget what I said yesterday; I changed my mind."

Marlene climbed off of her father and tugged upon Tifa's skirt with a smile. "At least try it on! I wanna see what you'll look like! And I'll help you too!" She couldn't hide the glee in her voice. Besides, this was going to be fun. She couldn't understand why Tifa was being so reluctant to cooperate. If she had been old enough, she would've taken her place. Marlene had decided at an early age that she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. Without waiting for a response from her companion, she'd quickly led Tifa into the bathroom after taking the articles from Cloud.

Marlene pulled her brush through Tifa's hair with a smile. "You're so pretty, Tifa! Why don't you want to do this?" She watched her face carefully and then began to brush off Tifa's outfit. "You'll do really good. Cloud really loves you, so any other boy should as well, right?" Poor Marlene. She didn't really understand what love was or what she was saying.

Ruddy-hued eyes watched the young girl and a small sigh was given. "It's not really that easy. I'm changing myself to do this job. I wonder how well I'll pull it off. I'm afraid of messing up somewhere." With that kind of thinking, though, Tifa could expect herself to make a mistake. After Marlene had finished brushing her hair, she slipped the wire frames over her ears and her face gave a series of contorted looks. She didn't look like herself at all. Here she was, wearing subtle makeup, wearing feminine clothes, and a pair of glasses to boot. Her glance found Marlene, who seemed to be more than a little pleasantly shocked at the transformation. "I wonder what type of questions I'm supposed to ask him..." Like she didn't have enough to worry about.

The younger female pulled herself together and tilted her head to the side. "Daddy said Cloud had a list of questions for you. You are worrying too much, Tifa. You look beautiful and you will do perfectly on this mission. I know you will, so you should know that too." She pulled Tifa out of her chair and began to brush her off some more. Then she made her older companion lean down, so she could adjust the darker hair and glasses, which she hoped wouldn't ruin Tifa's vision too much (but she didn't want her to take them off). "There! You look absolutely wonderful! You have to show Daddy and Cloud now."

Tifa allowed Marlene to guide her back out to the others and was a little surprised when she was greeted by a rather awkward silence. Each step was taken carefully, bringing out one foot and placing it before the other. This was the second time this had happened and she hadn't liked the first time either. She really wasn't comfortable with this, but she'd settle for it. A hand raised and she gave a graceful wave. "Hello guys. I'm up here." Her forefinger gestured to her eyes.

Both males were awestruck by how she looked and Cloud kept examining her to make sure it was the same person. Why can't she wear stuff like this more often? When he'd finally gotten his bearings straight, he nodded and handed to her a black hard-bound book. "Looking good, Tifa. That looks great." Before she could question him, he continued. "In here is a list of questions for you to ask. I left some space for you to actually write in, so it makes you look busy." Then he began to pace back and forth as he had the previous night. "As stated, Barret and Marlene will be here watching and listening. You'll be posing as the lead journalist for the Sector 6 and 7 media group. I'm going to take you to Shin-Ra headquarters where the statement will be held and then I'll return here. I've installed a piece in your glasses that will allow me to submit suggestions or recommendations to you. Typically we would have gone with sound, but we wanted to avoid the possibility of him hearing as well. You are the only one who can use these, assuming no one else has the password. In order to boot up the program, all you need to do is say the password or mouth it. These glasses were fitted to your precise shape and therefore it'll only read the vibrations coming from someone who has a similar figure. What looks like a simple pair of transgression lenses is actually much more complex. Isn't that cool?" He certainly was proud of himself for having such an idea and being able to pull it off.

Tifa nodded slowly as she listened to him. At least she knew she could rely upon him. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as she thought. After all, he would be watching her all of the time and he could help her out of any jam. "You've certainly put a lot of thought into this. You would have made a good SOLDIER with strategies of this sort. Let's go through the overall plan with this once, just to make sure I know exactly what I'm doing." She took a seat at the table by the couch and crossed one leg over the other before she continued. "I'm to be dropped off for this press statement, in which I'm to ask President Shin-Ra questions of similarity and then following the conference I'm going to ask for an exclusive interview with him, right? And then when that's done, it'll be over, right? Nothing else?" When she was received a nod, she smiled. "Let's do it to it then!"

There weren't many words exchanged between the blonde and brunette upon the way. Perhaps that was a good thing, though. Tifa was wound rather tightly and it seemed like Cloud saying the wrong thing was bound to set her off, and he definitely didn't want that to happen.

As they approached the entrance to that ill-fated company, they could hear the anxious chattering of the other media members. This was certainly the right place. Cloud pulled his bike to the side and allowed his companion to get off. He watched her regain her composure and grinned. "You do look really nice, Tifa. Try not to press yourself too hard. You'll do great." And then his tone softened. "I know you're compromising with the person you truly are to do this job and we want you to know we appreciate it. Go get 'em, Tiger Fang." He chuckled at his little nickname for her and then pulled away before speeding off into the distance.

Tifa watched him until he became a speck on the horizon and then her eyebrows furrowed. All of this time and he hadn't given her the password. "Barret, I don't have the password. I have to guess on this, don't I?" She was quiet for a few moments. It could be nearly any word or name. For her sake, she hoped it would have some connection with Rufus and the conference. As she turned to the building, she narrowed her eyes at it. "Shin-Ra..." Her eyelashes fluttered as red print filled the right lens. Well! That was convenient! A few moments passed and she gave her statistics for the safe-keeping of the information she was to receive from the conference.

By the time she'd finally kicked herself along (after getting a warm welcome from Marlene and Barret), she had arrived on time, just as the conference was beginning. She pushed herself through the crowd until she reached the front, clinging to the hard-bound book she had been given. Even if she didn't ask any questions, she could probably still answer the questions Cloud had written out for her.

A female with the blondest hair she'd seen had taken the stage and it only took a few moments to pass before Tifa knew who the female was. This woman was a treacherous snake who'd caused many problems for AVALANCHE in the past. Just the memories made Tifa's blood boil. However, in her current state, she'd have to let this go. The female raised a hand and gave a rather cocky smile. "Please, hold your unnecessary chatter, if you would. I apologise for the late start of our conference today. We had technical difficulties. As you are all aware, today's conference will allow the citizens of Edge questions on Midgar's rebuilding process and the possibilities of Neo-Midgar. Please allow me to present the CEO of Shin-Ra Electric Company, Mr. Rufus Shin-Ra."

As the room filled with great applause, Tifa rose her hands to cover her ears and muffle the sound. She'd never been too fond of loud noises, so this really wasn't the place for her. The hands lowered when the noise did and her lips parted when a man clad in white had taken the blonde's place. His hair was a lovely blonde with streaks of red tint here and there. She hadn't remembered Rufus looking that way. Even the facial features had seemed different. Then again, she hadn't seen him for about two or three years, not since she was on the rooftop of the headquarters with the others. No way. That can't be him Her tone softened, so the others around her wouldn't hear. "Barret, are you getting this?" Receiving an affirmative reply, she nodded and flipped open her book to look through the questions. At least Cloud had taken the time to put things together for her. She really couldn't be more prepared.

Rufus lifted a hand to silence his audience and then he began to speak. His voice was firm, yet had an air of eloquence, of grace. It was so easy to tell that he was made for this type of job, this type of event. "Rather than answering questions, I will be informing of the progress and future plans. When I am finished, questions shall be directed to Heidigger and Scarlet." He was not fond of dealing with the public. Of course he would give them what they wanted, but there were always strings attached. Ignoring the slight shock of the public, he raised his hand again to sweep back the bangs from his midnight-blue eyes. "Midgar may very well be unsaveable. If it is, we must have an answer to such a hard ship. That answer is Neo-Midgar, the new Midgar, if you will. Currently, sectors four through eight..."

As he had spoken, Tifa made her notes on a blank page. She could go back and fill in the answers for the other questions later. And as the conference came to a close, photographers and journalists were shooed away. Tifa wondered how she was going to be able to get in for the interview. She edged her way around the others, trying to find a way to sneak past Heidigger. Perhaps she would've made it if she hadn't nearly tripped over herself because of those damned heels. In any case, a rather heavy Heidigger stepped in front of her and shook his head.

"Gwa, ha, ha, ha! I'm sorry, but there's no press behind these lines without permission from the president! So just turn your attractive ass around and walk away, so I can smack it." As his sight looked over her, his lips curled into a sneer. She certainly was a looker, wasn't she? She was the type of female he wanted to be with. And rather than to turn her away so quickly, he reached out a hand to take hers. "What's your name, lovely miss?"

This was one of the reasons Tifa didn't want this mission, but she had no choice other than to take it, especially if she wanted something good to come out of all of this trouble. As much as she wanted to deck Heidigger across the face for overstepping his boundaries, she resisted and then put on the sweetest smile she could give. "My name is Tifa Lockhart. I would...appreciate it most greatly if you could get me an interview with the president..." Her voice trailed off as she neared the tubby bearded man. If she got any closer, she was going to vomit all over him and her.

Heidigger began to chuckle a bit more with that obnoxious horse laugh, and then he hesitated. "Well, if you really want one, I can see what I can do, for a price. How about you and I go out for dinner tonight after your interview with him? I'll take you to the nicest restaurant here on the plates." His eyebrows furrowed together as he watched her face for a reaction. However, before she even got that chance, the blonde from previously knocked him to the side. "Heidigger, stop fooling around!" She turned to Tifa with a sharp look and narrowed her eyes at her. "I'm sorry. No one gets in to talk to President Shin-Ra. And by that, I do mean absolutely no one." And without even another response, she dragged Heidigger away by the ear, muttering to him. "Try not to get your pieces of ass at the president's press conferences."

Well, that didn't work out too well. Tifa slipped a hand behind her back and she watched the other two leave. When she had turned back around, it seemed most of the other journalists had gone and there were only a couple left, but they were on their way out as well. She ducked her head and gave a soft sigh. "I don't think this is going to work. I can't sneak in there, because once Rufus finds out about that, we'll all be in major trouble. We better pull back, regroup, and come up with another plan. I didn't think this was going to work that well."

When Scarlet and Heidigger had rejoined Rufus, the blonde male was quiet for a moment. He'd been watching the entire ordeal from beginning to end and he was faintly curious about it. His lips were held in a manner of distaste and then he turned his gaze onto Scarlet, not exactly the type of person he wanted to be looking at. "...What was that all about?"

She raised a hand to her lips as she began to cackle. "Heidigger tried to let some journalist in to have an interview with you, against your wishes, of course." Scarlet was vindictive. Her goal was always to be at the top of everything and if that meant having to do away with someone, she was more often than not pleased to carry it out herself. She'd tried to overthrow Rufus a couple of times from his position, but without the solid proof, he was unable to put her away for good. And right now, Heidigger was currently irritating her, so she was more than pleased to want to get rid of him as well. If she had her way, then there would be no stupid men in the company of Shin-Ra and any other men would merely be her slaves to relieve her sexual tension.

Without waiting for a response from Heidigger, Rufus raised a hand to pull his fingertips through his bangs. "Clearly. I would appreciate it if you didn't waste my time with information that I already had." It was the typical response from him. He never liked having his time wasted. If he had time, it was meant to do something with, not something for retarded events like idle banter and gossip. He was horribly annoyed by Scarlet and most of the others in his company. He couldn't understand how or why his father had settled for idiotic fools in his midst. The only people he could reasonably stand were the members of his Turks, but even through that group, there were some that he liked more than others. He turned to Heidigger and although he wasn't too interested, there was still that hint of curiosity. "Her name?"

Heidigger coughed as he tried to shake off the anxiety. It wasn't entirely like the president to ask such questions. In fact, Rufus had been acting strange more recently. Perhaps there was something coming up that he had forgotten about. "Tifa Lockhart, Sir." He pointed to Tifa who had been stopped by one of the other journalists. She looked as though she was faintly confused and when the three had neared her, they found that the two journalists were comparing notes. At least the other one was. Tifa looked more like she had no idea what was going on or what was being asked of her.

Rufus arched an eyebrow out of interest. That name sounded familiar to him, and the more he looked at her, the more he thought he knew who she was. It was as though he'd had a dream of her some time ago and it was just now coming back. "I want to talk with her. I'll have an exclusive interview with her." He walked past Scarlet and Heidigger who exchanged glances. What could have possibly sparked his interest in her? He stopped within a few paces of Tifa and pointed at her. "You, young lady, you wanted that interview? Come. Let us."

Tifa's head raised and as her eyes brushed over Rufus and then Scarlet and Heidigger, she blinked a couple of times. It felt strange when he had pointed her out. For some reason, she felt that she had been accused of doing something wrong, although she hadn't. A nod was given to him. "...Yes, Sir. I appreciate this very--"

Rufus shook his head and turned his back to her. "Hush. Words are meaningless unless they are used for more important issues. Heidigger, Scarlet, tend to her needs and bring her to my office as soon as possible. I have a few things I need to take care of." He'd left the other three behind and took the elevator ahead.

And although there was much confusion around the entire table, Scarlet was the only one who felt that she had to do something to take care of this other female, this Tifa Lockhart. She hadn't been able to get Rufus's eyes and to see that one mere...nobody girl could was something she just couldn't accept. If she needed to, Scarlet would spill that blood, and it would be used to dye her next evening gown.