Tifa is drying her wet body from the excessive amount of water on her figure. She had to quickly take a shower after her 'date' with Genesis. She could feel the perverted man undress her from head to toe. At least he picked out great restaurants to take her whenever they went out, but even that isn't enough for Tifa to continue the cat and mouse game she started weeks ago much longer. She quickly throws on a red tracksuit and begins jotting down notes from her recordings. Her plan is to gather as much evidence as she could and present it to Cloud within the next few days. She has a red folder containing Genesis's personal file, mainly on his wife's 'suicide'. The records were sealed but hacking into the computer system was simple. Hacking is a skill that she worked diligently on when she tracked down Harold's whereabouts years ago. She never mentioned that fact to Sephiroth. She didn't want to him worry anymore than he had already done.
Hacking into Nibelheim's police system was easy but she was careful. It took some doing, considering her old laptop is severely dated, but she managed to get in, grab Genesis's file, and log out before anyone could suspect something. She made sure to use an internet connection in Rocket Town and disposed the old laptop into the river before returning to Nibelheim. She isn't sure how police procedures work, but she wants to keeps her tracks covered as much as possible. Sephiroth's right; she did watch too many crime TV shows, but what she did is illegal and she has to cover her ass. The only person in the force she could trust is Cloud. Though he would scold her, she knew he would overlook her deceit and continue her findings the legit way so when the time come to arrest Genesis, it would be legal. There's a soft knock on her bedroom door.
"Come in." Tifa calls out. She continues to jot notes down as the person walks into her bedroom. She finishes up her sentence and glances up. A tall silver-haired man stands at the door with bright emerald eyes. His smile makes his facial features look so angelic. Sephiroth brought his hands from around his back and presents a red velvet cupcake and a german chocolate cupcake.
"It's been a long time, friend." Though he is older, his voice sounds the same to Tifa. Deep and slick, just as she remembered.
"Sephiroth!"
Tifa hops off of the bed and hugs her childhood friend. Sephiroth chuckles into her shoulder as he saves the cupcakes from falling onto the floor.
"Let me take a good look at you." Tifa breaks away from the embrace and studies Sephiroth. Sephiroth always loved staying comfortable. He sports an all black tracksuit with white shoes. His silver hair always flowed flawlessly against the wind or even he's walking. It is slightly longer than last time she has seen him. His emerald eyes still stood out from any crowd.
"Now that you're done checking me out, here." Sephiroth hands the german chocolate cupcake to Tifa. She smiles gleefully and happily takes the treat. Sephiroth holds up his cupcake. "A toast to old friends." They both laugh at Sephiroth's silliness and clash their cupcakes together before taking a huge bite.
"I'm so happy to see you after all these years. Please, have a seat."
Tifa motions for Sephiroth to follow her to her bed and sit. The pair happily sits across from each while finishing off their pastries.
"It's good to be back. I came by earlier and had a drink with Russell."
"Oh that's good that you got some quality time with Papa. He also missed you dearly."
"Yeah I know. Life just got in the way, you know?"
Tifa nods sadly. "Yes I'm aware." Silence falls between the two friends for a brief moment before Tifa speaks again. "I still wouldn't change a thing about what happened that night."
Sephiroth stares into Tifa's eyes briefly before responding. "Neither would I."
"I'm forever in debt to you." Tifa reaches out and places her empty hand onto Sephiroth's empty hand. He gives it a light squeeze. Shaking his head he replies, "No you don't. Lorraine was my second mother. I not only did it for you, I did it for the other daughters who were hurting because of that monster."
Tifa nods and finishes the rest of her cupcake in silence. When they were finished, Tifa tosses the paper remains inside the trash bin that's on the other side of her bed.
"So, what have you been up to lately?" Tifa asks as she set aside her laptop and notes.
"I graduated from the University of Junon a year early. Investing money and owning real estate is my entire life."
"The look on Papa's face when you were able to do his taxes when you were fifteen was priceless." Tifa laughs at the memory and so did Sephiroth. "He called you 'Seph the Wiz' from that day on."
"I should ask him if he wants me to at least make a yearly visit to do his taxes. I'm sure he would love that." Sephiroth muses. "What about you?"
"I'm currently finishing up my online courses for my Master's. Thankfully I'll be done after this semester. I'm still working at the community center. They're such good kids there."
Sephiroth could tell she really enjoys her work. For as long as he have known her, Tifa always had a motherly love vibe about her. She always wanted to help people out, even when people didn't want to help themselves out. The needs of others always came before hers. Sephiroth would constantly scold her for not taking proper care of herself from time to time but his protests fell on deaf ears.
"And your side projects?" Sephiroth flicks his eyes at the laptop and notes.
Tifa gnaws her inner cheek before responding. "Yeah, about that…." She trails off, never finishing her sentence.
"That's what I came here to talk to you about." Tifa notices the firmness in Sephiroth's voice. Her anxiety is on a new level, and Sephiroth's facial expression isn't helping her uneasiness. "You're playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Genesis."
"How do you know about Genesis?" Tifa questions.
Sephiroth takes a deep breath before responding. Throughout the years of contacting each other with letters and pictures, Sephiroth never spoke about his killing spree.
"Tifa….do you remember hearing about the attacks at the University of Junon? Or the man in Rocket Town that murdered his wife and two children and the police believed his innocence a few years back?"
Tifa nods and waits for Sephiroth to continue, but he never did. She clasps her hands over her lips at the realization. "That was you?"
Sephiroth nods. "I wasn't acting alone though. I've forged a bond with three other people, whom I consider dear friends. Despite our barbaric ways, we are always there for each other and we all have a common goal."
Most people would scream or shout and tell Sephiroth to leave immediately, but Tifa isn't most people. She nods out of understanding and respect. It is immoral to take a person's life out of malice, but in Sephiroth's case, he does it for people who doesn't have a voice. Society have let these people slip through the cracks long enough. Sephiroth and his other three friends are simply cleaning up the mess. Morbid and inhumane, yes, but there are a lot of people all over the Planet that would actually love to act out their impulses on the person that have caused them pain or harm at some point in their lives. Sephiroth is one of the few that has the balls to act on the urge.
"So the murders in Midgar….that was you and you're friends as well?" Sephiroth nods and Tifa continues. "And Genesis is next on your list?"
Sephiroth nods again. "He's been on our radar for a while now. He was responsible for several attacks on women for quite some time, the recent attack was in Rocket Town, which I'm sure you're aware of."
"Yes. Reeve had reached out to me for help. Genesis has a son named Tyler and he comes to the community center I work at after school." Tifa hesitates for a moment before speaking again. "Cloud has also reached out to me."
Sephiroth's eyes narrows. "And what did his sorry ass want?"
"He wanted my opinions about the murders in Midgar. He's a detective there and he's in Nibelheim working with Reeve to solve the murders."
"Have you told him anything?" Panic starts to sit in Sephiroth.
"No! Nothing important at all!" Tifa quickly eases her childhood friend. "I told him if he thinks that all the murders are all connected then he would have to have evidence, but had I known it was you, I-
"I know. You couldn't have known." Sephiroth cut in. His voice is more settle than it was a few seconds ago. "I need you to pack a bag and come with me. There's some people I want you to meet."
"Your friends?"
"Yes and bring your notes and laptop. We may use your information with the information we've gathered. Genesis has to be taken out soon. He may be on to us."
Tifa nods and begins to tear into her drawers for overnight clothes. Sephiroth excuses himself and walks downstairs and peeks into Russell's room to see his sleeping frame snoring softly with the television still on. He must've of really been tired. He went back to sleep immediately after he let Sephiroth into the home. Satisfied that Russell didn't over hear anything, Sephiroth walks into the living room and sits on the couch to wait for Tifa there. A few minutes later he hears hurried footsteps practically run down the stairs and went into the kitchen. Sephiroth hears Tifa scribbling something on a piece of paper and appears in the living room with two bags in tow.
"I'm ready whenever you are."
Sephiroth grunts and gets up from the couch and follows Tifa outside the house. She tosses her bags in the backseat of Sephiroth's car and gets in the passenger side, with Sephiroth getting into the driver's side. Sephiroth turns the engine on and carefully pulls out of Tifa's driveway.
"This is Naomi's and Alex's house…." Tifa whispers to herself as Sephiroth pulls into the driveway. Sephiroth pretends not to hear Tifa's comment and turns the car off before opening his door. Tifa follows suit and grabs her bags from the back seat. Sephiroth locks all the doors and sets the alarm when Tifa collected her bags. She nervously trails behind Sephiroth, afraid to face the truth. Sephiroth opens the door, not bothering to knock, and went inside. He turns his body and motions for Tifa to enter. She nervously obliges and steps aside so Sephiroth could close the door behind them.
When she lifts her head, her eyes met crimson eyes. Vincent sighs as he hangs his head slightly. Vincent, Reno, and Yuffie are in the living room, each holding a glass of brandy in their hands. The kitchen is the usual meeting spot whenever Tifa comes over. To see people in the living room is a bit bizarre for the brunette, which only adds to her anxiety. Sephiroth breaks the silence by walking over to the small table that is a few feet from the front door and helps himself to some brandy and pours a nice amount for Tifa. Tifa drops her bags before Sephiroth hands her a glass and walks cautiously behind him when he to walk into the living room area more.
Vincent is sitting on the cream colored sectional that is in the center of the room facing the nicely lit fireplace. Yuffie and Reno are cozy on the matching swivel chair and Sephiroth opts to sit on the ottoman that is a few footsteps away from the sectional. With no where else to sit, Tifa sits next to Vincent, who still has his head low. He couldn't face her.
"Everyone, this is my childhood friend, Tifa." Sephiroth finally speaks. The uncomfortable silence is killing him, but he doesn't blame anyone for feeling uncomfortable. He knew his group is exposed and vulnerable to Tifa, especially Vincent.
"Hey I'm Reno." Reno raises his glass and so did Tifa.
"It's nice to meet you, Reno."
Tifa flicks her eyes to Yuffie then turns her head to Vincent. "We need to come clean about some things, Tifa." Yuffie speaks up as she adjusts her body. Reno gives her a light squeeze of reassurance, which she appreciates deeply, before continuing to speak. "Naomi is my middle name. My first name is Yuffie."
Tifa nods. She already knew why Yuffie withheld from using her first name. She turns her head back to Vincent. "And you?"
Vincent sighs and turns to look into Tifa's eyes. He is surprised to see that her face and eyes are soft for the most part with a tad bit of confusion and concern. He expected her to be angry. She is so understanding. He feels even more like a fool for not coming clean to Tifa sooner, but how could someone out and say to someone 'Hey I'm a killer, and I haven't been using my real name. So, do you wanna hang out some time?' There is no appropriate way to say something like that to anyone.
"Vincent is my first name." He takes a swig of his brandy and shoots a glance away from her wine-colored eyes. He feels like a coward. He couldn't even look the woman whom he is interested in the eyes. She softly uses her fingers and force him to look back into her eyes by pushing his chin upwards.
"It's okay. I'm more understanding than you think."
Vincent nods and gives her a small smile. She returns the gesture and faces everyone else. "So, I….where do we begin?" Tifa questions.
"Depends. How much do you know?" Reno asks.
"I've know about Sephiroth's killing before he left for Junon. He killed my mother's rapist and murderer. Sephiroth tells me that you all met him in Junon."
Reno nods. "That's correct. We all had the same major and shared several classes together. We formed this deadly bound when we killed the campus security guard."
"Yes. I remember hearing about that. I also remember not hearing anything about it after a while. It's like the case just dropped off the face of the Planet."
"More like dropped into the ocean." Yuffie speaks, her voice is laced with venom. "I was almost victim number seven, but I fought him off until the guys showed up. We beat that man to death."
"I can only imagine what was going through your mind at that time." Tifa tries to reassure the petite woman. Yuffie nods and thanks Tifa for her understanding.
"We didn't wake up this way." Reno speaks again. "For me, in short, I was being beaten by my father. He was a drunk, and my mother was scared of him. She died in a car crash when I was twelve. I always envied her because she was no longer here to endure the pain, but I was grateful because she didn't suffer anymore." Reno takes a hard sip before continuing. He never spoke about his past so openly, not even to Sephiroth, Yuffie, or Vincent. His past, like everyone else, is a touchy subject.
"I've endured his shit from middle school to the end of high school. I gotten a full scholarship to Junon. For the first time, I felt free. I got a part time job at the cafe on campus. I met Yuffie, Vincent, and Sephiroth. Life was good. I would have nightmares that scared my roommate half to death, and I knew I had to end them. A few hours after the massive freshmen orientation, I traveled back home. My father was so uninterested in me that he didn't even know what college I went to or what I majored in."
Reno pauses for a moment as he takes another sip. Yuffie sees the hurt in the red-haired man's eyes. She softly rubs his back in small circles. She's certainly with Reno's bravery for finally speaking his story. Something this big can tear a body down. Though it isn't the time or place to think about her current standing with her relationship with Reno, she feels closer to him than ever before. Her tender act helps him even his anger and bitterness as he continues his story.
"When I say I traveled, I mean it literally. I had every intention on killing him as I made my way back home. The police in Kalm wasn't any help. Despite my bruises and red eyes from crying, no one helped me. The nightmares….I wanted…." He trails off as he chokes on his words.
Tifa's heart aches for him. She sits back and patiently waits for Reno to compose himself. Yuffie couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes. She tenderly kisses Reno's cheek and he kisses her back as a way of saying thanks. No tears fell from Reno's eyes, but Tifa could tell they are begging to be released in his eyes. They are beginning to redden and became watery.
"I wanted the nightmares to stop. I walked miles and miles on end. Hitching a ride here and there and snuck onto a boat to cut travel time. I had to be back in Junon in a few days for my official first day of school. I was a determined teenager. I wasn't surprised when I found my father slumped onto the kitchen counter passed out drunk when I returned home."
Reno takes another swig from his brandy. "When he realized who I was, he began grilling me, saying my mother's death was my fault, and I was a good for nothing son. I don't remember what else he said, if he said anything at all, because all I could remember was red. Blood was everywhere. I felt so relieved when his body went limp on the kitchen floor. I quickly stepped away from his corpse and watch the blood seep away from his body with the bloody knife in my hands. I left Kalm undetected and went to a local gas station that I went to earlier a few miles away from Kalm. I purposely left my travel bag behind a tree near the restroom area. I cleaned myself up and hurriedly made my way back to Junon. Getting back was easier since I snagged a couple of hundred bucks from my old man from the secret stash under the small table near the entrance."
It feels so damn amazing to tell his story after so many years have passed. Reno has told his friends about killing his father, but never went into details. None of them ever went into details as to why they got to that point in their lives. It was always the short version.
"I'm so sorry Reno." Tifa finally speaks. "It hurts me deeply that everyone ignored you during your time of need. If I would've known, I would've helped you."
Reno couldn't help but laugh a little. "Such a pure-hearted woman. Valentine, you better make amends with her after we finish up here."
Vincent playfully snorts as he glances at Tifa and takes a swig of his drink.
"I was lucky to have great parents." Yuffie speaks up. "The war took them away from me, and I was lonely. I missed them dearly, but Vincent was always there for me." She raises her glass to Vincent in acknowledgment. "He's more like a brother to me than a friend. The war turned a lot of kids into orphans in Wutai and the government couldn't care less in helping people get on their feet after the war. Some people pushed forward, many people faltered. That was the cold, ugly truth."
"A lot of girls turned to prostitution to support themselves. Vincent and I was lucky enough to work at the local fruit markets. We would do inventory and clean the areas up. It wasn't much, but Vincent wouldn't have it any other way."
"Damn right." Vincent utters softly. "It was hard most days, but look at us now."
"Agreed." Yuffie takes another sip of her drink. "One night I was working past my usual time. Vincent had gone home early. He was always a better cook than me and we did such a great job with managing our money that we decided to treat ourselves to some steak. Since we lived in an abandoned house and didn't have access to heat the normal way, it took a bit of time to cook meat because we had to rely on a fire, so I told Vincent to head home to get an early start. While I was walking home, some guy jumped me and tried to rob me. Losing even one dollar was hurtful for me and Vincent. The guy pulled my hair so hard I thought it was going to rip away from my scalp. I kicked that man in the balls and ran as fast as I could."
Yuffie takes a moment to compose herself. It's like opening a fresh wound. "I made it home and told Vincent everything. The fire in his eyes….I can never forget how pissed he was when I told him. He rushed out of the door, and I ran after him. I didn't expect to see the man still on the deserted road when we returned. He was standing there holding his crotch while explaining what had happened to his buddy."
Yuffie pauses again to take a sip of her drink. All eyes are on her as she continues her story. "Vincent yelled at the guy, and both of them charged towards us. Vincent knocked one of them out so easily. To this day, I still don't know how he managed to do it so swiftly. I, of course, struggled. Next thing I knew, I was staring down the barrel of a gun and then saw blood..." She trails off looking at Vincent, whom in return, stares back. "You slit that man's throat without hesitation."
"I don't regret it." The tone in his voice and body language supports his statement.
"And I'm glad you don't regret it because neither do I." Yuffie gives him a small smile. "The other man began screaming but was soon silenced by Vincent. I snapped to my senses and got up from the ground and grabbed Vincent's knife and stabbed that man right in the trachea. I don't know what made me do it. Maybe because that guy tried to rob me. I'm sure he would've done more than that if I hadn't escaped the first time. Vincent snatched his blade away from my hand and we got the hell out of there."
"And no one suspected you guys?" Tifa questions.
"Like Yuffie said, Wutai's government couldn't care less about the people who were affected by the war." Vincent spoke in a very unpleasant tone. "No one would expect a couple of street rats. We figured it looked like a typical killing in the slums."
Yuffie frowns at the thought of Wutai's concern when it came to its citizens. "We went on about our lives like nothing happened. As the weeks rolled by, we noticed that more people, girls around our age in particular, were being harassed and not one damn thing was being done about it. So we took matters into our own hands during the night when crime was high. No one ever suspected us. We studied hard while we were in school, got a scholarship to go to Junon, and the rest is history."
Tifa's body overflows with anger, sympathy, and sorrow as Yuffie's and Reno's story sank in. Sympathy, understanding, and light-hearted because they confided in her to tell them a brutal story about their past. The logical part of Tifa's brain tells her to report the four of them, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She sympathizes with these people, and if she isn't such a chicken, she would've participated in killing Harold herself so many years ago.
"Sephiroth, why didn't you try to convince me to go to the police?" She turns her attention to Sephiroth. "When I asked you if you were going to the police, you said of course. I hesitated, and I knew you knew that I hesitated. Killing Harold was never your intention until you saw me that night. Why didn't you try to sway me?"
"Because I knew you truly wanted that man dead." Sephiroth boldly responds. "That's why I brought the knife and told you to go ahead without me. Your dad was mourning the loss of your mother. I couldn't let him mourn the loss of his daughter if you were caught."
Tifa couldn't help but feel forever indebted to her childhood friend. Without a moments hesitation, he always looked out for her. Murder….such a heinous crime, but is it so wrong when the people that were murdered were monsters? Oh sure, they were someone's daughter, mother, niece, son, father, cousin, nephew, but yet and still, these people preyed on the innocent. Places like Rocket Town, Midgar, and Wutai couldn't catch every crook, and neither could the four murderers sitting in the living room, and they are slowly starting to understand that.
"And you?" Tifa asks as she places a hand on Vincent's shoulder.
Reno, Sephiroth, and Yuffie looks at one another and come to a mutual agreement to leave. "I think it's best that we split. Do you mind if we stayed here?" Sephiroth asks as he gets up from the ottoman.
"It's not a problem with me. What about you, Yuffie." Vincent asks.
"Of course I'm fine with it. I'm assuming you'll be staying as well, Tifa?" Yuffie points to the bags at the front door as she stands up from the swivel chair, with Reno following her movements.
"If that's okay with you and Vincent, yes."
"She needs to stay here." Sephiroth chimes in. "She may also have some information on Genesis. We can compare notes tomorrow."
Everyone agrees, and Reno, Yuffie, and Sephiroth retreats upstairs, leaving Vincent and Tifa alone.
"Is it that bad?" Tifa asks as she rests her hand on Vincent's hand. His response isn't immediate. Giving a gentle squeeze, Tifa smiles at him. "Take your time. There's no rush."
Vincent nods and recalls his brutal past.