Chapter 34
"Whaddya mean we can't say anything to Cloud? Are you out of your mind, Vincent?" Yuffie was the first to protest against the caped man's ridiculous idea. If they didn't tell Cloud, it was like lying to their leader. Now, Yuffie was all for the stealing gig, but when it came to something like this, Cloud could have interpreted the turn of events as Rufus Shinra 'stealing' Tifa away from him. Materia and people were two very, very different things. While it was okay to steal some kind of summoning materia or other related items, it was not okay to steal someone's heart. However, if she had been truly comprehending what Vincent had said, she would have remembered that he'd stated Tifa and Rufus 'had a fondness for each other'. That meant it wasn't one-sided. It meant that Rufus had not stolen Tifa at all. Rather, she'd allowed herself to be taken and probably even walked herself halfway there. After all, relationships were a compromise between at least two people, not one doing all the work.
Cid was the next one to start in, "Ya numbskull! Don't you know what the hell you're doin'? God damn it! You fuckin' stupid?" He was more concerned about the prospect of manipulating their leader. They were supposed to be sent to go eavesdrop on Tifa and find out what was going on. Vincent had just solved a lot of their problems, but they weren't exactly the answers that everyone wanted. What they all really wanted to hear was the possibility that Tifa was merely being misled, not that she was actually in alliance with the president of the company. Oh, yes. Sure. At one time even Cid was backing them up (but that was only because they were supporting his cause to go into outer space). Now was a different time, though. He could never support them again. That company just needed to be obliterated. He didn't care what anyone else thought. Rufus was only out for his gain. Even if he was 'fond' of Tifa, it couldn't be for her own good. He was merely using her…right?
When would this madness ever stop? Honestly, Vincent was getting tired of hearing such pessimism. They weren't letting him explain. That was what he got for not continuing. He just had to be kind enough to let them give their two cents worth. Forget doing that again. As far as he was concerned, that wasn't happening again. Before he could break in, however, he was interrupted by Barret, who appeared to be erupting like a volcano once thought to be inactive.
"THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?" If anyone had been asleep before, then they most certainly weren't now. In fact, the others were concerned that Cloud was suddenly going to rush downstairs and ask what was going on. If that happened, then things weren't going to end on a very happy note. They would have to explain everything. Painfully obvious, that wasn't something a single one of them wanted to do (except Barret, perhaps, but that was because he was suffering from irrationality).
Vincent finally stood up, using his right hand to brush himself off. He needed to maintain his composure. He'd been chosen as a leader for a reason. He was calm and collected. That was a requirement. Followers were more likely to place their faith in someone that they knew would handle such situations with the utmost of finesse, of grace. "Please. Quiet yourself for the sake of us and those who are miles from here and can still hear you." That was directed to Barret who reluctantly sat down after being coerced by Yuffie and Cid. Raising his prosthetic arm, he gestured to the others. "Now, allow me to explain."
He began to pace back and forth, wondering where he should begin. The very beginning had already been gone through. In fact, he'd clarified from where it was necessary and had actually completed the story thus far. What was he trying to reassure now? Oh, right. The reasons not to inform Cloud…just yet. "I am most certain that you all have been more than aware of Cloud Strife's behaviour as of late. He seems to be having a most difficult time without Miss Lockhart here. We are to respect that and in an effort not to make things worse, we shall lighten the burden upon him." Then the red-caped man enfolded his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side, as though vague curiosity was passing over him. That wasn't entirely the case, however. He knew how things were going to end if the worst happened. "In the case that he does find out before the appointed time, I will take all responsibility for it…from all three parties." This entire time, they'd only considered that Cloud would be supplying repercussions.
There were two other members involved who probably didn't want anyone else to know about the happenings: Tifa and Rufus. While Vincent had great respect for the former, he couldn't say the same about the president. Even though he did not personally work for the blonde-haired idiot, he still held a grudge against the idea that the company had shut down. Much less, the Turks were still in operation. Tactical Unison Recon Killing Service. He didn't pride himself on being a former part of that. It made him think about his father, Grimoire, and Lucrecia, of course. And…that oh-so-loathed Professor Hojo, who had taken absolutely everything away from him. These chain of thoughts made him think of revenge, which was something he wanted to shy from. How could he pull that off when he had people to take care of? Right now, Tifa needed his attention and he wanted to protect her from the shunning of everyone else, Cloud mainly.
"Please think about it some more, from Cloud's perspective. When the Silver-Haired Men appeared, Shin-Ra offered Cloud the position of a bodyguard for Rufus who was tragically hurt in the incident with Meteor. Obviously, he didn't take to that lightly. They were turned down in spite of their efforts to make Gaia into a better place. Imagine how he would feel now if Shin-Ra was once again trying to sink its claws into us, a company that formerly worked for it." Before anyone could begin asking questions again or acting out of line, he lifted that claw again and shook his head. He didn't want to be interrupted anymore. "Yes. It has been made clear. Avalanche formerly had their salaries paid by Shin-Ra. To be more price, they were paid by Rufus, the vice president himself. Tifa uncovered the contract information while she was working and brought it up to me. I had meant to approach Barret concerning it, but I was also aware that if I did, this conversation would have come up much sooner. I have been trying to find a way to prevent such things from getting out of hand." Lifting an eyebrow, a difficult task to accomplish with the bandana, his ruddy-hued eyes looked over his fellow peers, seeking perhaps some kind of judgement.
Yuffie looked around to the others. What could she possibly say? While typically she enjoyed arguing, this was one situation where she couldn't protest. It was exactly as Vincent had said. She understood why he was taking the plans of actions that he had mentioned. It was still a little confusing to her, but she got it for the most part. She was a little angry that he hadn't said anything before. They could have solved a lot of problems had he just busted out with that information. Then again, there was that part of her that loved gossip and always wanted to talk about it. And this time, she had to keep her mouth shut. She hated admitting it, but that might not have been possible at all. She would simply need to work on it. If worst came to, she was pretty sure that Vincent could come up with a way to silence her annoying voice. Finally, she gave a nod and lifted a hand, waving it back and forth, "All right. After lots of contemplation, I've decided that I'm backing Vincent up. He sure seems to have put a lot of thought into this. He's doing it for the right reasons, I believe, so I'm not gonna' rat him out, and the rest of you shouldn't either, or I'll steal whatever it is that you have left!"
Some threat. Cid and Barret exchanged looks, neither one severely concerned about that. Yuffie wasn't very good at doing things like that. At least, not without making herself look like a total fool. Of course, that always entertained the others, so they couldn't exactly complain. After a few moments of silence, the two busted out into hearty laughter. At least she was comic relief. It made the current environment not so tense, which was something Vincent was faintly thankful for. He'd have to give some gratitude to Yuffie later…if she was deserving of it. Even the corners of his lips began to tug into a subtle smile. The look in his eyes, the one that had previously read distress, was now showing some sort of humour. "That was nice, Yuffie. I do hope you will continue to say such things for the rest of us."
She pouted and then enfolded her arms over her chest before sinking down into her chair. If only it would swallow her now. This was so embarrassing. They never took her seriously and most generally that made her angry. At this moment, she was more crossed between anger and being upset. They probably didn't care anyway. She wasn't about to open herself up for more. They'd have plenty of chances for that later on.
"Well, I reckon that Valentine's right. So it's agreed then? We don't tell Cloud anything about this just yet. We are seeing this from the outside, so we don't actually know Tifa and the president's side. Honestly speaking, though, I don't really care about that damn Rufus fellow. Maybe we'll get some clues when we go lookin' after Tifa." Cid turned his attention back over to Vincent who was currently allowing his backside to get acquainted with the wall by the stairs. "Unless we ain't doin' that anymore too?" He received a shake of the head as a response, which meant that they were still going to do what Cloud had asked. Vincent had a plan, however, one that he wasn't going to share until it was absolutely necessary. When he had looked over to Barret, he gave a nod to the sandy-blonde haired man. It was his way of complying, although he really didn't look like he wanted to.
Vincent threw up his hands in mock enthusiasm. "Wonderful. Splendid. We have arrived at a conclusion. This is settled then. In the mean time, we should be cautious as to what we say and around whom. I do not believe Edge is going to be a remotely safe place for us anymore. Shin-Ra's cronies are still around and I highly doubt they are going to be any use to us." Imagine that, the Turks wanting to help them out. That was the very last thing Vincent ever wanted to consider possible. If that happened, then it was probably for their own gain, or they'd go straight to Rufus with the information they'd learned.
That wasn't important right now, though. They needed to concentrate on the matter at hand. After all, there was no sense in worrying about things that didn't have a high likelihood of happening. He gave the smallest nod to the others. What was he going to do now? He felt like venturing down to the basement, the darkest part of Tifa's bar and sleeping. These sort of conversations made him tired. He hated having to expend so much energy for things that didn't really require such intricate thought. Perhaps it meant that Vincent was merely getting old. Nah. That couldn't be it. He didn't age. Lucky him.
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It seemed Cloud had had the same idea. While he was supposed to be investigating through Tifa's room, he'd instead laid down to contemplate the way things were going. In the midst of doing so, he'd fallen into a most sweet slumber, the type that he'd not been able to have for a while. He was perfectly calm, perfectly at peace. How he wished that he could have that happen more often. This whole thing had bothered him since it started out with Tifa's interview. What was it that she was keeping from him? That was completely unlike her. Where was she?
--- Cloud Strife…how long has it been since we've met? Are you still aching inside? Have you learned how to forgive yourself yet?
--- …I don't know. I cannot remember how to forgive. Vincent said he'd never tried before. I could understand him. He couldn't forgive himself for letting Lucrecia die. It…it's the same as me. I couldn't forgive myself for not stopping Sephiroth so long ago. I couldn't save you or Zack.
--- Gosh! You're such a silly boy! Things are bigger than just the three of us and yet you're still obsessing over ridiculous things from so long ago. You haven't really changed too much, have you? I'm…sort of happy for that. Still, you must learn. You must awaken that part of you. Have compassion for yourself, Cloud.
--- …I…don't know how to. I need help…but…
--- …But? You are afraid to ask for it? You are afraid of what the others will think of you? You should remember that we're always your friends. We will never judge you. You should have realised that when you remembered who you were.
--- …You're right.
--- Of course I am! I've seen a lot of things. I've felt a lot of things. I know these things. Now…I want you to listen to me. There is someone very dear to you who needs your help. You have to promise me that when the time is right, you will be there to do what's necessary. Protect this person with your life. Support, love, care for, guard this person.
--- …Tifa.
--- Right. She needs you more than ever. Never lose your faith in each other. I wish I could be there to help you both so much. Zack needs me, though. And I need him. And you and Tifa need each other.
--- Don't…don't leave me alone…. I don't want to be alone anymore…Aerith…
Had a loud sound awakened him? No…it didn't seem so. There was something else. Cloud lifted his right hand to his forehead. Was it just a dream? It felt so much more real. How long had it been since he'd dreamt of the pink-clad female? His dreams used to be something more. They used to be about her comforting him. This was the first time she'd really had a message about the future for him. The idea that he could still see her in the depths of his mind even though she was far away from him…made him happy.
Aerith Gainsborough. Yes. He had loved her…hadn't he? Not to the extent of that which he felt for Tifa, but there was a very deep fondness for her. If she wanted him to do something, he most certainly would. She had asked him to protect Tifa for her. Yes. Protect Tifa. He'd wanted to do that. Was he strong enough, though? Could he honestly protect her. The thought of failing made him want to break down. He wouldn't allow that, though. He needed to do everything possible to take care of her. He needed to understand her, support her, everything that Aerith had told him to do.
I wish I could be there to help you both so much.
"…Yeah. I wish you could be here too…"
