White Desire
Chapter 4
Vincent and Cid had sat down at the table, which had earlier been dubbed Tifa's (by Tifa for Tifa, nonetheless). It seemed as though there was another situation that they were hiding from the others, but eventually Cloud would be able to crack it out of them. After all, neither one was as hard as they seemed. When Cloud and Barret joined them, Vincent opened his lap for Marlene, who happily sat upon him and began to braid his long black hair.
Cloud looked between the others at the table and then he turned his sights onto the one who was slowly turning into a female. "Vincent, you look as though something is weighing your mind terribly. Is everything all right?" It was a dumb question, but it was as good a start as any. It was important to make it a point to let others know he cared, whether they wanted him to or not. He leaned forward, propping his chin up with a hand where the elbow rested upon the surface of the table. His glance switched between the two with a glint of curiosity, waiting for some type of explanation.
Cid and Vincent exchanged looks with each other, as the second, the one with the goggles, raised a hand to scratch at the stubble growing upon his chin. And rather than waiting for Vincent to speak up, he did. He was the one who had suggested coming to Edge anyway, so it was really his responsibility to announce why they were there now. "I think we've run into a bit of trouble. I received some kind of distress signal from Yuffie. It sounded as though something bad was happening in Wutai. So I got into the Tiny Bronco and began to head over, but when I got there, everything was in serious lock-down mode. Shin-Ra is doing something there and they forced the citizens to evacuate. Although most were sent to Rocket Town, I couldn't find Yuffie anywhere." He gave a series of odd faces and then ducked his head as he shook it. "And although I ducked into every town along the way, I didn't have any luck. Once I found Vincent, I explained the situation and he suggested that we come here and see if you've heard anything."
It sounded as though the two were reasonably concerned about the current happenings, and that was to be expected. In fact, if they hadn't brought it to Cloud's attention, he would not have been worried either. Barret, on the other hand, nearly went berserk as soon as he heard the name of the company. Of course, that was bound to raise questions as well. What was Shin-Ra possibly doing in Wutai...? And why? There were too many things to speculate upon and without actually going in, they weren't going to get any answers. Cloud had already explained the plan he'd formulated some time before and they had yet to incorporate their information into the situation.
Vincent was quiet for a few moments, trying to think of what to do or say. Then he gently took Marlene off of him before standing up and taking her into his arms again. Marlene was the first female he felt comfortable around since his beloved Lucrecia had passed away. This might have been because she was young and looked up to him, so perhaps he had a type of fondness for her the way an older brother would for a younger sister. As he paced back and forth, he was still quiet, still contemplating. There were a lot of things to think about, and then an idea reached him. Vincent was always the more sensible of the group, so it only seemed natural that he would have the ideas or that he would make the connections. "Cloud, you found out that President Shin-Ra has not yet discovered a replacement energy source for mako. Could it be that he found something in Wutai? And if so, is that why he had the town evacuated?"
It seemed fairly logical, but Cloud thought it would make more sense for Rufus not to cause such a ruckus. It didn't seem the way that he would do things. There had to be something more, something else they were missing, but what? What could Rufus possibly be hiding? And then he remembered the different divisions of Shin-Ra. Unlike the president, his nearly leading lady, Scarlet, was quite the attention-grabber, so perhaps she was in charge of this operation. He lifted his right hand into the air and then nodded slowly. "That very well could be it. However, that would mean he was really telling the truth at the press conference. For some reason I just don't believe him, though. Rufus is just like his old man. He's hiding something from the rest of us and we need to find out what it is."
The blonde stood up and made a dramatic gesture, but before he could continue, Barret broke into the temporary silence. "We'z gotta' go ta Wutai!" Following the groaning sound from Cloud, he chuckled and then stood up. "Dat's right. Wutai. We'z gonna' find out what da hell Shin-Ra's up to and we'z gonna' stop him!" He always liked the idea of running in, kicking ass, and then getting the hell out of the situation. Sadly that wasn't something they often got to do, but that was because everyone else thought too much and didn't act enough.
Cid, who seemed much quieter than usual, finally spoke up, furrowing his eyebrows. He knew that Cloud and the others were already on their own mission and yet, here they were to take on another one at the same time. He wondered if it would be possible for them to do both and be successful without arousing any suspicion. It didn't matter how good they were at defending themselves; it was much more difficult to protect many as opposed to merely one or a few. He watched the others with slight interest. "Cloud, you're already doing this interview with the president, so how are we going to do the Wutai thing?"
As though Cloud hadn't done enough thinking. Why did someone always have to bring him down? And just when he thought things were going to get better. That was indeed a problem, however, and he couldn't turn it away. After a few moments of silence, he enfolded his arms over his chest. "We'll have to split into two parties. Three of us will go to Wutai and figure out what to do, and one of us will need to stay here with Tifa and Marlene and ensure that the interview process goes all right." He was a little concerned about leaving Tifa behind, but if that needed to be done, he had to do it. He suddenly grew quiet serious. "Whoever stays here has to make sure Tifa remains optimistic. She's been pretty testy lately. I think she was a little shaken up by going to see him by herself. So if it looks like she needs help, give her some, anything, even if they're just reassuring words."
The others could agree to this. Tifa was their friend, their ally after all, and they needed to stand by her. It was pretty clear that everyone who became friends with the AVALANCHE resistance faction had some sort of dislike or loathing for the Shin-Ra company. That was what they came together over. And in all honesty, the fact that Tifa could so much as walk into that building and not cause a scene showed that she had excellent self-control and discipline. The others in that basement room could not guarantee the same thing about themselves.
Barret was the one who broke the silence this time when he picked up Marlene. "So Cloud, which of us are goin' ta Wutai? You sed only three. I figure we'z needs at least Vincent or Cid, since they heard 'bout this already. I'd like ta go. Shin-Ra's jes' pissin' me off so much and I'z needs ta let go o' dat steam!" Then he pointed to Cloud. "And ya should probably go, since ya know, leader an' all." It was sort of a strange thing to say. At the very beginning, Barret had refused to let anyone else even be thought of as the leader with the exception of himself. And now he was passing that title off to anyone who would take it. He discovered that after he couldn't withstand the pressure of leading everyone, he no longer wanted the responsibility and had since then given it to everyone else. Besides, Cloud was a good leader. He could strategise and he had a good head upon his shoulders.
Vincent nodded in agreement and raised a hand to brush his fingertips through his hair, trying to loosen the braids that Marlene had put in. He was seemingly annoyed, but not enough to the point that it mattered too terribly much. His voice held a stern demeanor, but his facial expression wasn't any different. "I think that I will stay here. I'm not quite ready to face Shin-Ra so soon. Perhaps by the time you guys return, I'll be able handle myself with more grace." It was a very Vincent thing for him to say. According to the others, he was too hard on himself, but he was too stubborn to listen to anyone else. He nodded to the others and then mimicked Cloud by crossing his arms, the left golden claw tightening slightly by the movement. "I'll take care of Marlene and Tifa for you. So if you're leaving soon, you should tell them good-bye."
It really paid off to have allies who were willing to go to such lengths. Although Vincent made it sound like it wasn't a big deal to him, Cloud sort of thought the original party should have been Vincent, Cid, and himself. Vincent was much more collected than Barret. Then again, this would give Barret a chance to calm down and release some of that inner anger. He nodded to Vincent and lifted a hand to lower his shades over his eyes. "That's a good idea, Vincent. We better leave...tomorrow, I suppose. I'm going to go talk to Tifa. She hasn't come down yet. We'll catch up with you later." Without waiting for a response, he gave a short wave to the others and found himself back up at Tifa's bedroom door, which was now closed, although it hadn't been when he'd left.
After Tifa had gotten off the phone with Rufus, she'd been trying to think of what to do. Rufus had gotten her number. He sounded as though he knew something about her that she probably didn't want him to know. And he had asked her to come to the headquarters in three days and not to say anything to anyone else. That meant she couldn't tell Cloud, Barret, or even Marlene. She wasn't comfortable with keeping secrets from anyone, and she found herself in a position that she didn't know how to get through. She sat upon her bed, merely looking at the phone as though she had expected it to ring again. She sort of hoped that it would, because she really wanted the president to call up and cancel his plans. How unlikely. ...What am I supposed to do? I...I can't trust this guy. He's going to do something terrible though, if I don't. I have to have a plan.
When Cloud hadn't heard anything, he pushed the door open and blinked a couple of times as he looked at her. She certainly looked like she had a lot on her mind, and it made him a little nervous. "Tifa, are you okay?" He started to join her, and then when he saw her face, he stayed where he was and leaned against the doorframe. There was something in her eyes, some kind of look that he couldn't read. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, and he wasn't sure if she would say anything to him. His gaze passed over her seemingly pale face, and his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Are you sick? You look so...I don't know, not well."
Tifa straightened her composure quickly and rose to her feet, slipping her hands behind her back. She had to put her plan into motion, and the first step was not to let anyone know that there was something wrong. And if they thought so, she had to masque it with a similar event. Fortunately for her, she could use the upcoming interview as an excuse...for a time. "I'm fine, Cloud. I'm sorry I took so long up here. I was just doing some thinking and practising for my next interview with President Shin-Ra. If I practise here, I won't get so flustered and I'll maintain a professional level." She nodded as though to reassure herself and gave a broad grin. "But, I'm done now. We can go downstairs and talk to Vincent and Cid about everything. I'm sure they'll have good ideas that we can add to yours." So far, so good.
Her blonde companion shook his head at her. "Actually, while you were up here working so hard, we already talked about it. It's time to fill you in." His gaze looked past her and out the window for a few moments. "Wutai's been locked-down by Shin-Ra and the civilians were evacuated to Rocket Town. Unable to find Yuffie, Cid came here to get our help. However, you're going to be busy with the president and we need at least one person to stay here and help you out along with Marlene." He turned his eyes back to her face and smiled vaguely. "Vincent said he was going to stay here, so Barret, Cid, and I are going to set out for Wutai first thing tomorrow morning. I thought I'd let you know before we left, that way you don't feel as though you're missing something." He saw her lips part and knew there was a protest beginning to show. He shook his head at her and continued. "Normally I'd take you with me, but we need you here because that interview is extremely important. Now, we won't be gone long, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Besides, I'll have my cell phone and you can call me if anything goes wrong or if you absolutely need anything."
She knew he would've taken her with him if he could, but it didn't change that she was a little envious. Then she had a wonderful idea. "Heeeey! Let's dress Vincent up as me! We almost look alike." When Cloud shook his head at her with disapproval, she gave a dejected sigh and pouted. "...That's not fair. I guess I'll let it go, though. Seeing you in a dress will make up for all of this." Little did he know that she had changed the duration to two weeks as opposed to just one. He didn't need to know until the time came. She started to wander past him, and then paused for just a moment. "I guess I'll go downstairs to talk to the others."
Before she could take her leave of him, Cloud had reached out a hand to take her by the wrist and then he pulled her into his arms with a secure embrace. It wasn't often that he held her this way, and he wasn't sure how many more times he would be allowed that freedom. His neck bent and he nestled the tip of his nose into her hair. There was something about her that he could never let go. From the very first time he laid his eyes upon her, he knew she was special in some way. And although she had taken so long to notice him back, he didn't mind. He was holding her now, and if he'd had his way, he wasn't going to let her go. His voice softened and he pulled her against him, demanding some kind of response. "Tifa, you would go so soon with nothing for me? No words, no thoughts, no feelings?"
She didn't know how to react to the attention he was giving her. She always thought she knew how she felt, but being in the situation, she was no longer sure of herself or her thoughts. With a bit of effort, she had pushed herself away from him, and raised a hand to trace her fingertips over her cheeks. "...I-I don't understand what you're talking about, Cloud." She thought she knew, but she wasn't sure she actually wanted to be informed. And as she backed into the other side of the doorframe, she slipped her hands behind her again and tilted her head to the side.
His sea-green eyes peered over her and then he gave a subtle smile. He was slightly disappointed by her reaction, but he had almost expected it. After all, he hadn't said anything to her before about things like this. Rather than letting it get the best of him, he laughed it off and then shook his head, as though it was nothing. "No, no. Never mind. I was just thinking some silly things. Yeah...let's go downstairs and we can talk to the others if you want." He couldn't say all of the things he wanted to say. And why not? Cloud wasn't always there as much as she deserved. How could he even begin to ask her to feel the same way when he couldn't be there for her? Tifa deserved the very best and he felt that he couldn't give her that. Of course, he was basing this off of his perspective alone, and without talking to her about it, he would never truly know what she thought or if she agreed. Perhaps it was because he was afraid, afraid of the answer she'd give him, afraid of the rejection that he'd experienced his entire life so far. Whatever it was, it kept him from speaking of the things upon his mind, and it might have been the proper way to go.
Tifa nodded to him and then watched him for a moment. He looked a little different than what she was used to, so she felt a little strange as she stood there. "...You're acting strange, Cloud." And rather than saying anything more, she reached out a hand to take one of his and then tugged him down the stairs after her to get to the basement. There was still a little time before he left, and she wanted them to all spend it together, like a family. She hoped that would be possible. Even if no one else agreed.
