Splintered Dreams

Chapter Eleven

"Bride to Bee"

In what could only be described as the tackiest room she'd ever seen, complete with gold threaded throw pillows, risqué artwork and smoldering incense, Tifa waited. Lounged against the back of an overly plush sofa, she adjusted her position a bit, and let her gaze drift over the two other women in the room; the doorway; the single window; and the two security guards, in what she hoped appeared to be idle curiosity.

As her eyes skimmed, she mentally cataloged. The skinnier guard, the one with thinning red hair and goatee—Kotch was his name—had one sidearm and a set of brass knuckles dangling from his belt. He snapped his gum rapidly between his front teeth as his own eyes drifted and stayed on low cut dresses and exposed skin. His leer was revolting, but not so much as his blown kisses and licked lips. Tifa looked away. Ok, breathe. You can do this.

She took a moment, then lifted her head and studied the other, beefier guard—Scotch. He also had a sidearm, but not the knuckles and apparently not the interest. His eyes never darted below their eye line. Dark hair that held a hint of curl was slicked back with enough gel to create a hardened style—a gelmet, she thought, as her fingers plucked randomly at the fabric of the pillow

These two were apparently Corneo's right hand men, and the only ones allowed to escort the prospective brides. Tifa had heard the other men call them sir on their way up to the "pen"—as Scotch had called the room they now occupied.

On that walk she had counted seven other armed security men. Two by the main door, one at the foot of the stairs, one at the top, and three lining the upper hallway rail, overlooking the main foyer.

Tifa made the safe assumption that the back of the mansion was just as heavily guarded. There were several rooms and doorways that she hadn't had the opportunity to see, and chances were those were secured as well. It would appear that Don Corneo had a small army of men at his disposal. How well trained they were was still an unaccounted variable.

"Everything looks so expensive."

The whisper cut into her thoughts and Tifa blinked. The woman on her right leaning toward her conspiratorially. Tight blond ringlets were clipped back behind pierced ears and light blue eyes were narrowed in scrutiny. "I wonder how much it's all worth?"

"And I wonder how much of it's stolen," Tifa muttered. When the other woman raised a carefully arched brow, Tifa feigned a yawn.

"Don't get too tired, sweetie. The Don likes 'em frisky," Kotch spoke from the door with a quick snap of gum between his teeth. He waggled his brows and blew her another kiss.

Tifa inclined her head, brought her lashes coyly down. "No worries there."

His grin spread, his eyes appreciating.

She shuddered; swallowed a gag.

After a few more minutes passed, she leaned against the arm of the couch, gave the men an impatient smile. "How much longer until we see the Don?" she asked.

"Soon enough," Scotch answered brusquely. "You just wait."

Tifa sat back with a huff.

"I don't know about you, but I'm so nervous I could throw up." With curly copper hair and a smattering of freckles, the girl across from Tifa spoke from behind her thumbnail. She bit into it, wide eyes scanning the room like a caged animal.

Her open agitation reflected Tifa's inner tension. Crossing her legs, Tifa sat up. "What's your name?"

The question caused the other girl to blink. "Me? I'm Rachael."

"Hi, Rachael. I'm Tifa."

"Hi."

"And I'm Shelly." The blond cut in, drawing a questioning glance from Tifa. Seeing it, the other woman shrugged carelessly. "I thought we were introducing ourselves. It's good to know your competition." Her gaze was cool, cynical, calculating. "So to speak."

"Uh-huh." Tifa ticked of Corneo's requirements in her head. She'd wager a case of Cactuar Juice that Shelly didn't meet any of them. Satisfied with her internal cattiness, Tifa turned back to Rachael. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen." Nervous fingers twisted hair around trembling fingers. "Next month."

A small furrow formed across the bridge of Tifa's nose. She knew from experience that life in the slums was hard no matter what the age—the filth and the violence and the poverty were inescapable—but that didn't prevent the dull ache in her chest as she thought of what would bring a sixteen year old girl to sacrifice herself to a pervert.

In her youth—had Barret not entered her life—would she have been forced to make such a sacrifice? Could she have? She didn't think so. She was having a hard enough time now. She refused to let Marlene's future hold such vile options. Shin-Ra was responsible for ruining so much for so many, and they were going to make it right.

The threads of the pillow snapped in her hand. A pair of blond eyebrows quirked at her and she exhaled a slow breath, closed her eyes and steadied herself. She just needed to focus on getting to Corneo, getting the information, and getting back to Zack.

A stealth approach hadn't been an option. The mansion's angle, coupled with its odd position, made sneaking in near impossible. Not that he couldn't have managed it, Zack thought with a roll of his shoulders, but he really wasn't in the mood to sneak around a pimp's house in the middle of the night. So, with a shrug and a whistle, he marched right past the startled front doorman and straight into the marble foyer.

Before the doors even had time to swing shut, his ears twitched with the sound of rounds being chambered. They echoed over marble tile and danced off painful memory. Instantly his body tensed, fingers twitched and he had to forcibly not reach for the sword on his back.

"Don't move."

Zack had already halted, but didn't hold up his hands. With a smirk, he gave the armed men a dismissive glance, crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels.

"What business do you have here?" It was the same voice, coming from the balcony, but Zack couldn't make out a face.

"I'm here for Don Corneo," he answered.

A respectable distance away, another of the armed men spoke, "The Don's entertaining."

"I'm sure he's a laugh riot," Zack dead-panned.

"Women, you fruit. The Don is with women."

"Well, interrupt him," Zack said in the same unruffled, even tone.

The men laughed, gesturing at him and ribbing each other. "Who the fuck are you to be givin' orders. Get the fuck outta here before we decide to use you for our personal bitch."

Zack's lips slid into a smile that held a hint of bite. "You could try," he offered with an arrogant shift of shoulder. The flat of the Buster Sword caught the overhead light, drawing attention to its mammoth expanse. The tension in the room went up about fifteen notches and several of the men exchanged uneasy glances.

Jittery men with itchy trigger fingers were far more dangerous than ice-cold professionals, and Zack got the impression he was definitely dealing with the former. Man, he hated guns.

With his stance still arrogantly casual, despite the number of weapons trained on him, he said, "Now, be good boy and fetch him for me. I wasn't sent all this way to stand here being sniffed at by Corneo's lap-puppies."

None of the guns lowered and no one moved. "Sent by who?"

"By Shin-Ra." The word was still bitter as bile. "I'm SOLDIER; first class." Now why did that make him want to choke?

"You, uh, got some credentials or sumthin'?"

That made his lips quirk further. "Or something." He shifted a bit, leaned into the light and let his eyes answer for him.

Murmurs and more twitching and Zack could see them weighing it out. Sensing the upper hand he started walking, slowly, towards the center of the room. "Now, being a reasonably patient guy, I'll let this little interruption slide, but if someone doesn't take me to Corneo in the next ten seconds I'm going to assume you're hiding him from Shin-Ra, and trust me when I say that Shin-Ra doesn't take kindly to that kind of disrespect."

"Whoa, pal! We didn't know. I mean, fuck, how were we supposed to know you was with ShinRa?" The balcony voice stepped forward, revealing itself to belong to a heavy-set bald man with a goatee. He motioned for the others to lower their guns.

"Well, you know now," Zack stated amicably. He smiled his easy smile and shrugged. "No harm done."

The men seemed relieved and the tension ebbed to a comfortable uncertainty. A few even laughed and several moved toward him, almost in awe.

"A SOLDIER, huh?" A skinny guy to his right asked. "I heard you guys have to have some weird surgery."

Zack nodded once. "Something like that."

"Is it true they cut off your balls so you can't have sex?" another asked.

"That's a new one," Zack muttered. "Uh, no. I have both balls, thanks."

"Obviously. Come marching in here like that." A round of laughter. "Come on. I'll take you upstairs. Mr. Corneo is inspecting some bridal candidates tonight, so he's in his bedroom."

The thought of Tifa in Corneo's bedroom hastened his steps. "Lead the way."

Don Corneo was a rotund man with beady eyes, dimpled cheeks and a ruddy finish. Had he met him in any other setting, Zack would have assumed him to be a jovial sort with a mild temperament and not given him more than a passing glance. But here, in the silk and sheer of his bedroom, with his robe half open and pudgy fingers stroking idly over the arm of his chair, Zack saw the depravity lurking behind the pale gray of Corneo's eyes.

"So... Shin-Ra sent a genuine SOLDIER to protect me?" It was the fourth time that same question had been asked.

"Apparently." Zack kept his eyes on him. He'd been asked his rank, had been asked to show Corneo his eyes, and asked his purpose, but it was obvious that SOLDIER was as much a mystery now as it had ever been, and Corneo didn't have a clue how to deal with one. Which suited Zack just fine.

Corneo pushed himself to his feet. He strolled the room, a smug smile pushing out the rounds of his cheeks. "They surely know how important I am then." He turned to Zack. "And just how long will you be protecting me?"

One broad shoulder lifted. Not long, you fat fuck. "As long as I'm needed."

"Woo-hoo, good, good." Pudgy hands clapped together. "My own personal SOLDIER."

Zack barely refrained from rolling his eyes.

Beside his bed, Corneo pulled a braided rope. A loud chime thundered through the room, reverberating down the halls. "I have plans this evening," he explained. "But by all means, sit. Stay. Make yourself comfortable."

A glance at the satin covered chair behind him made him grimace. "No thanks. I'll stand."

"I like that. I like that," Corneo clapped excitedly, his chin wobbling with it. "Always on alert! So disciplined!"

Ifrit help me. Zack cringed.

The clang of a gong startled Tifa upright. A quick glance at the other two women found their eyes wide.

"That's our cue, ladies," Kotch informed them. He stepped away from his post and waved them to their feet. "Come on, come on, let's go."

Corneo's room was only two doors down on the left, but it was one of the longest walks of Tifa's life. Each step was metal preparation for seducing a man she had never seen before. She flattened her palms over her abdomen, smoothed her dress down. You can do this.

She glanced at the fidgeting girl beside her. If she had no other reason for her actions tonight, then preventing this child from being subjugated to someone else's perversions was enough motivation. She would be the woman Don Corneo chose. She had to be. With that thought she tossed her hair back over her shoulders; stood a bit straighter.

From the corner of her eye she saw Kotch ogle her chest. She cocked her head at him and sent him what she hoped was a smoldering look.

Apparently. He whistled. "Damn, babe. Just damn."

Feeling a bit more confident—if not a little grossed out—Tifa crossed the threshold of Don Corneo's bedroom and was very nearly bowled over by Scotch when she stopped dead. From his leaned position against the back wall, looking right at home and relaxed, Zack grinned at her.

What the hell was he doing there? She blinked rapidly, confusion drawing her brows down to furrow above her nose.

"Well, hello, ladies." Don Corneo rose from his bed, knotted the belt of his robe and made a show of looking all three up and down. "Woo-hoo-hoo, aren't you all little beauties?"

Murmurs of thanks came immediately from the other two, but, still stunned by Zack's presence, it took Tifa a moment before she answered, her eyes still on the shadow of a man in the back. "Oh. Uh, thank you."

An amused smirk tilted sculpted lips and blue eye twinkled.

Perhaps it was the fact that it was well into the forbidden hours of the night, when the good were resting and the wicked were cavorting, in a place known for its immoral temptations that made her thoughts stray in such a manner, but regardless of the reason, Tifa found herself remembering the feel of those lips on hers.

Her face flushed hot and she was forced to and look down. Damn him.

"Nice," Corneo said, lifting her gaze again. "Mmmmhmm..." He stopped in front of each of them, cocked his round head back and forth. "Excellent choices. Which one, which one..." A pudgy finger traced over the blond's shoulder. "Soft." He moved in front of Rachael, cupped her cheek, tilted her face. "Young." Another nod of approval. Then he was in front of Tifa. His eyes dipped and lingered on the swell of her breasts. "They real?" he asked with a lick of his lips.

Tifa forced herself to school her features into a soft smile and half-lowered lashes. "Of course," she murmured quietly.

His hand reached up to fondle. Tifa bit back a yelp and closed her hands to keep from slapping him.

"Good, good! Very nice."

Over the top of Don Corneo's bent head Tifa caught Zack's eye and the seething fury banked there surprised her.

"What do you think?" Corneo asked, suddenly turning toward Zack.

It took a moment for Zack to tear his eyes from Tifa's, but when he did, he made a show of looking over all three women, then with a wink replied, "I've always found blonds to be more fun."

Tifa shot him an icy look. Was he purposely trying to sabotage her?

Corneo chuckled, low and lewd. "Hoo hoo, I've known many to be. Very well, then. This one," he pulled the blond forward, "is yours." He nudged her toward Zack, then turned to Kotch. "You and Scotch can share this one."And off Rachael went. His eyes traveled back over Tifa. "And this little beauty is mine."

"What?" Zack straightened away from the wall.

Tifa's eyes widened and her head snapped to the left. No. That wasn't how it was supposed to work. The other two were supposed to be sent on their merry ways, not passed out like party favors!

"Come on, sweetness." Kotch grinned at Rachael. "We'll take real good care of you."

"Oh...Okay..." Rachael's voice was so it trembled. With her head bowed, she allowed herself to be led toward the door.

No! Tifa's hands closed into fists at her side. She lifted her head, caught Zack's eye again. The simmering rage was back, and she could see his mind spinning. Neither one wanted that girl to leave the room, to be used like some toy to be passed around.

Logically, they couldn't risk it. There was just too much was at stake.

Tifa sent an apologetic look across the room. She couldn't let them take that girl. Zack nodded once. Of course he would understand, she thought.

Just before the door closed Kotch's leering voice filtered back in. "This'll be fun."

With blurring reflexes, Zack grabbed Shelly by her wrist, yanked her behind him—much to her gasping delight—and reached for his sword.

Tifa pivoted on her heel and caught the door before it could close. "Hey!"

Both men and Rachael turned toward her.

Kotch barely had time to blink before his nose cracked and blood sprayed his dark shirt. "Ow! What the fuck!" He danced back against the railing, screaming.

"Come on!" Tifa grabbed Rachael and shoved her back inside the bedroom.

"Bitch!" Before she could get herself safely inside, a large hand fisted into her hair, yanking her back around. A thick hand slapped her. Hard.

"Asshole," she countered, stars in her eyes. Reflexively, she slammed the heel of her stiletto into Scotch's shin. He yowled and jerked back, taking a fair amount of dark strands with him.

Tifa hissed in pain, but managed to get back enough to lift her leg and kick him away from her. She allowed the momentum to toss her back inside the room. She slammed the door shut and slid the bolt into place just as a solid thunk caused the wood to jump beneath her hands. Angry fists pounded from the opposite side, but the latch held.

When she glanced over her shoulder to check on Zack, she almost smiled at the scene behind her.

Pinned against his own headboard, with the Buster Sword angled beneath his quivering chins, Corneo was pleading with Zack for mercy while Rachael and Shelly were practically wading in a puddle of drool.

"You okay?" Zack tilted his head toward her, his eyes narrowed on the red welt throbbing on her cheek.

"Fine." She rubbed her scalp as she hurried over to the other girls. "Here." She lifted a golden statue of two women—doing Gods only knew what—and shoved it into Rachael's hands. The piece of erotic art would fetch more in Wall Market than Tifa was likely to see in two months at the bar. "Take this."

"But, I—"

"Move. Come on." Tifa pulled at their arms, nudged them toward the window. She flung it open with flourish and motioned them through. "Climb down."

"I am not climbing down that!" Shelly shook her head, backed away.

"You will." Tifa snagged her wrist. "Or I'll toss you out." She glanced uneasily as the door shuddered again. They only had a few minutes before Corneo's men busted through, or found a key. "Now, out!" She shoved Shelly through the opening, but held onto her until she was certain the other woman was sure footed. Rachael followed with a confused, "Thank you."

Tifa waited for only another moment, then she turned back to the bed.

"Who are you people?" Corneo whined.

"Shut up, we're asking the questions now." Tifa approached him in long, angry strides. "What is it you know about AVALANCHE? Talk! If you don't tell us..."

Zack placed his foot on the edge of the mattress, leaned in and said with a wicked smile, "I'll chop them off."

Corneo's ruddy complexion went pasty. It took three tries for him to spit out anything. "I was t-told to find the man with-with the gun-arm."

Tifa's shoulders tightened and her mouth thinned. Any threat to Barret was unacceptable. "Told by who?"

Corneo swallowed convulsively. "I-I can't tell you that. They'll k-kill me."

"And just what exactly do you think I'm gonna to do if you don't?" Zack inclined his head.

"Gods, you're serious!" A thin sheen of sweat gleamed on pasty flesh. "It was Heidegger."

"The head of Public Safety Maintenance?" Tifa frowned. That was pretty high up on Shin-Ra's corporate ladder. "What are they up to? Talk, or I'll smash them." She gestured between his pale legs.

Corneo shook his head, blubbered. "N-noooo, please."

"I'd do what the lady says," Zack advised him.

"I'm not fooling around here either, you know. Shin-Ra's trying to crush that small rebel group called AVALANCHE, and they're really going to crush them... literally."

"What do you mean?" Zack demanded, adjusting the blade so that it rested heavily against Corneo's jugular. He was getting real tired of the stall tactics.

"By breaking the support holding up the plate above them."

Appalled, Tifa stepped back. "What?" she gasped. "Break the support? But there are hundreds of people..." She shook her head. No. Not even Shin-Ra was that cruel.

Corneo regarded the Buster Sword warily. "The plate above Sector Seven is going down. Makes ya glad you;re here in Sector Six, huh?"

Tifa felt her heart stop. No. Oh, no! Her hand whipped over to clamp on his arm."Zack!"

No hesitation. He lowered his sword, turned to her. "Let's go."

The moment the sword withdrew, Corneo lunged across his bed and pulled against another dangling rope.

Zack swore and Tifa shrieked as the floor beneath them folded under and they were falling. Loud, obnoxious laughter followed them down and as the slam of the ground knocked the wind from his body, Zack wished he had gut the swine.

Gods, he was sick of falling. That was his first thought the second he regained consciousness. "Tifa!" was his immediate second. He rolled, sloshed water from his eyes, gave a small thank-you to whatever deity had kept him from impaling himself on his sword, and began to crawl toward the limp body laying across from him. "Tifa?" Be okay.

A small groan and her own head lifted, sodden tresses blocking her face. She gave an indelicate sniff and swore. "We're in the damn sewers." She flung her head back, accidentally slapping him in the face with the wet whip-like strands of her hair.

"Ow." He rubbed his eye. "Yeah."

"Gross." Then, recalling everything in a blinding flash. "Barret!" She was on her knees, then feet, scooping her dress from the stank water. Her eyes were wild and filled with unshed tears. "Zack, oh, Gods, Zack, what are we going to do?"

It was the closest to panic Zack had ever seen her. He grabbed her upper arms, hauled her to stand in front of him. "We're going to get there. We're going to stop them." His voice was even, certain. "We will. It'll take a lot to break that pillar. We have time."

"Okay. Okay." She inhaled a trembling breath. "You're right." She wiped her face, shot him a quick, half-hearted smile. "Okay. Thanks. Sorry I flaked." With quick motions, she bent, pulled off her heels and tossed them aside."Let's go."

She was scared, soggy in sewage, and yet she still managed to offer him a smile and apology. It was tinged with fear, and tight with anticipation, but she was trying, and Zack felt a swell of pride. He dredged the Buster Sword up, hooked it on his back. That done, he grabbed her arms again—surprising her—and slanted his mouth over hers. The kiss was quick and hard, and tasted of things both repulsive and intoxicating. "When we get this done, and we're not covered in sewer water, remind me to kiss you again. Properly."

"Let's just get this done first, Heartbreaker," she replied, blushing. "Then I just may kiss you."

"Then let's go!" Zack grabbed her hand and started jogging down the dark, narrow tunnel.

Pulled behind, encouraged by his Zackness, Tifa found herself believing that they would get there in time. They had to.

AN: Thank you so much for your patience with me. I know I said this update would be up sooner, but I just wasn't happy with it. Still not completely, but I think Zack and Tifa wanna get their story rolling. ;) Thank you so much for reading! Enjoy!