Chapter 4: SOLDIER

Location: Midgar 'SOLDIER base'

Time: 8:00 pm Saturday

His POV:

Around me were at least a dozen men aged from nineteen to perhaps their late thirties. Each of which were silent and staring around with lifeless, cold dark eyes. Each one had left their hometown at one stage to join the alliance 'SOLDIER'.

Each one had a secret…a past life of pain that they would never share with anyone here. We kept to ourselves…only to speak to each other when something was afoot or to share important information regarding our latest assignment.

They were all either squatting on the ground sharpening their blades with a look of vengeance and hatred apparent in their eyes, or they were leaning against a wall staring off into nothingness, letting their minds slip into a world of oblivion, hoping that they would soon be cured of their painful memories.

Waiting, was what we were doing now. Waiting for our leader to make an appearance.

As for me…I was standing tall, wearing a vague expression of loathing and want. I wanted to hate things. I needed to feel it running through my veins to keep going. Feeling sympathy or regret for the things I had done, or for the things that I would do, would not allow me to keep fighting. If I was to remain here, I had to look and act like a silent killing machine.

I wore a black outfit; black gloves, boots…and you get the idea. Most of the other men wore the same. Our leader however wore red, just to be different.

I hated my hair. It had to be blonde didn't it? Everyone else had dark brown or black hair, making them seem more serious.

My eyes…they were blue. Everyone else had dark eyes. I had however…over the years made my eyes into the hard cold orbs they now were. They had turned an icy blue…the once happy life I may have had was gone and had long been replaced by my new lonely one.

"All right then." Came a calm cool voice from ahead.

I saw Vincent…our leader; standing there not even waiting for us to stand up and listen. We remained where we were, whether we were on the floor or against a wall.

Respect was highly valued in our group, but at times like these we really just couldn't give a stuff about anything, other than the task at hand.

"We have a lead…" He continued, as he looked around at the cold faces.

No one said a word…they just waited to be told what to do.

"A man by the name of 'Rude' has a connection with our enemy. He was last seen leaving a bar…Seventh Heaven. That's where we'll start. Ask the people there if they know anything about him." He stipulated before leaving.

"You know what to do if the situation gets out of control. Just try not to kill anyone if you don't have to". He finished simply, before leaving the room and not even bothering to close the door.

I glanced around at the men who had started to move and give each other nods and small comments about where they would situate their bodies for the night.

To my knowledge so far…I was to go to Seventh Heaven. I knew why as well. I was deemed to be the most fearsome and exceptional one of them all. That's what I had been told by Vincent last year anyway. I had been here now for two years and the others had been here longer then myself. I was the newcomer and although they didn't say anything, their eyes showed everything I needed to know.

I had been at that bar last night and I had expected to see 'someone' there…but I only saw what appeared to be new people running the business.

This made it easier for me to go there now…but it also made me wonder…where had she gone?

Men had started to leave the room now and I was the last to leave. Wherever this 'Rude' was…he had better watch out. If I got my hands on the man…he would receive no mercy from me.

Location: Seventh Heaven

Time: 8:45 pm Saturday

Tifa's POV:

It was surprisingly quiet tonight. For once, everyone seemed to be quite sober. I stood dressed in a black, sleeveless tank top, zipped up the middle. I had a white top underneath so that it would help cover up most of my waist.

I wore black cargo's that sat just above my knees and black and white sneakers.

Usually I didn't dress up too much…actually…the last I remember dressing up was at my nineteenth birthday. I wore a simple black dress, (which sat just above my knees) and black heels. I even wore my hair up in a bun, with tiny tresses dangling on each side.

I think I even wore make-up. I was told that I was beautiful that night…

Anyway, getting back to reality.

Yuffie had once again gone out with Reno and it made it easier to think tonight without her voice constantly in my ear.

I even got a chance to sit down myself. Even if it was only for fifteen minutes.

Cid was here as per-usual (sober though)…but Barret wasn't here. I thought that maybe he had begun to sort himself out, by restraining himself from coming here again.

The bar door suddenly flung open and a gust of cool wind blew through. I immediately felt cold and began to rub my upper arms as I waited to see who was there. But no one came.

So I decided to shut it, so as to not get any complaints.

I left the counter and walked over to the door calmly, passing people as I went. When I arrived at my destination, I stood at the doorframe and leant on the side gently, letting my head poke out into the street. For a minute I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my left eye…but as I turned, there was nothing there. Just an empty footpath. I shrugged, thinking that I was probably just tired. I shouldn't be though. I practically slept all night last night and all day today.

I moved back inside and reached back for the door and closed it quietly. However just as I began to head back towards the bench, I heard the door open once more.

Startled, I turned to see who or what it was.

It was then that I felt my stomach churn and my mind began to swirl in haziness. The person who stood there was…it couldn't be. No this person looked different. His hair was far more spiky making him seem so dangerous, and his attire was not something he would have worn. But then again, it had been two years.

His face was tilted towards the floor and he stood tall and muscular in a firm stance, his fists clenched on either side. His eyes had dark shadows hiding away the colour of them. But as he looked up, he stared right at me and flashed me an icy blue stare.

All I could do was gape and try to tell myself it wasn't real.

Then his lips moved slowly as he whispered, "I'll always stay with you."

Location: Seventh Heaven

Time: 9:00 pm Saturday

Tifa's POV:

"Hey what's up with you? You okay?" came a loud voice.

"Huh?" I questioned quickly; looking up to see who it was.

It was Cid looking at me with concern as he said, "You kinda went bye-bye for a minute there. I thought I was gonna have to serve myself."

I looked over to the door suddenly to make sure a certain blonde wasn't standing there.

Nothing was there…so I turned back to Cid once more.

"Um…okay what do you want?" I asked, not completely focusing on anything at the moment. I felt so tired and a little nervous. Maybe I was scared.

"Uh…usual I guess." He answered.

I nodded absentmindedly and began to pour him a drink, however I didn't take notice of what drink I was serving him exactly.

"Hey hey hey…not that one. What's up with you tonight?" He practically shouted.

"What…?" I asked, focusing my attention fully on what I was doing.

"Oh damn…I'm sorry." I apologised, as I began to pour another one for him.

He reached over the bar and grabbed onto my hand and said, "Don't worry bout' it. Why don't you let Yuffie take over again?…she was real good last night." He offered.

I glanced at him and moved my hand out of his as I inquired, "What exactly did go on here last night anyway?"

He suddenly shifted in his chair and said, "What makes you think that anything went on?"

"Don't tell me that those men I saw coming in were just passing tourists." I stated questioningly, as I flipped a few strands of hair over my shoulder.

He picked up his drink, took a few gulps, slammed it back down, sending a few droplets all over the counter and wiped his mouth with the back of his forearm all in one go.

"Ahem…what tourists?" He asked, as I noticed that he was purposely trying to avoid my questions, as he tried to make himself seem even more drunk then he was.

I took away his drink, tipped it into the sink behind me and threatened, "Your little plan isn't going to work. Tell me what went on here or I'll ban you from the bar for a month."

His eyes widened and all he could do was gape in shock, as if I had just told him that I was taking away his air supply for the same amount of time.

"You can't." He dared to argue.

"Oh I can and I will. Now all I need to know is the answer to that one simple question and then I'll leave you alone."

"This is called customer harassment you know? Besides I was too drunk to remember anything last night."

It was then that my face fell. He was right. He had been drunk.

But still he could have remembered something couldn't he?

"Come on. You must have seen something. What did Yuffie do when she saw them?"

"Who?"

I rolled my eyes and repeated, "Those 'SOLDIER' guys."

"Oh them." He stated.

"Yeah…them." Knowing that he was playing dumb with me.

"Hmm…well I think I remember her yelling at some guy and then closing the bar real early. I stayed here though…until about eleven and then I managed to crawl out a window." He explained.

"Was that so hard to say now?" I sighed, relieved that I had gotten some info.

"Hmph…get me a drink now." He ordered.

Well now I knew that Yuffie knew more then she was telling me…thanks to Cid. But I wasn't sure how I'd get anything out of her.

Location: Seventh Heaven

Time: 2:00 am Sunday

Tifa's POV:

The bar was closed now. It was just me and the smell of liquor. I swear you could get drunk by just smelling the stuff.

Suddenly the door was being scratched at and a disgruntled Yuffie came bursting through the bar…not even bothering to acknowledge me until I said, "Hello Yuffie."

She stopped at the stairs and turned to face me with irritation written all over her face.

"Do guys always have to be such jerks?" she blurted out, as she folded her arms and leant against the doorframe of the stairs.

I looked at her blankly as if to say, 'how should I know?'

She however didn't seem to be wanting an answer from me. She was talking to herself more so it seemed.

So I left her there until I heard her huff, "I'm going upstairs for a bath. Don't wait up."

With that she bolted upstairs and moments later I heard a door slam.

Seems like her and Reno had a 'minor' disagreement.

Moments later I heard knocking at the door. I knew exactly who it would be too. It was Reno coming after Yuffie.

Not that she'd come down to see him after that little tantrum. He must have kissed her in public again or something. She hated that…she said it made her look too girly.

"Reno you know she won't come downstairs. She's not in a good mood. You should come back tomorrow." I sung out, as I got closer to the door.

He didn't reply. I guess he was just upset.

Once I placed my hand on the knob I said, "You know," I began as I opened the door, "I did tell you…" I trailed off as soon as I saw who was standing there.

It wasn't Reno…not unless he dyed and cut his hair, changed his style of clothing, and his goofy personality all in one night.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else." I explained, as I waited for whoever it was to look at me; tilting my head downwards slightly to get a better look at his face.

Something about him was kinda scary, and so familiar. Maybe he'd been here before. It was then that he stared up at me with two icy blue eyes and I remembered my vision from earlier that night. I had seen this man in my dream. Except the words he spoke were different.

"Are you the owner?" came his chilling voice.

I shivered, not knowing whether it was from the coolness of the night, or the aura that he seemed to bring with him from wherever he had come from.

"Yes." I answered, unsure whether I should be giving him this information.

"Would you mind telling me about this Rude?" he spoke once more as he looked at me with what seemed like…surprise.

"Rude?" I questioned.

He simply nodded and waited for me to continue. He seemed so cold and unemotional. Almost as if he had no soul within him.

"Um…could we do this another time…I was sorta getting ready to close and…" I trailed off as I watched him step forward and place one hand over my mouth.

He stared at me for a moment, moving his icy blue eyes over my face and then said, "We can either do this my way, or the hard way."

The look he gave me was both threatening and once again chilling.

I could very well have kicked his ass right there and then…and that's what I decided to do. I reached up and grabbed onto his wrist, twisting it as I grasped onto his neck and shoved him backwards. I didn't want to have to hurt him…but if he so much as stepped another inch in my direction he'd have it coming for him.

"Keep away from me…I'm not in the mood." I threatened, as I stepped back slowly into the bar and reached back for the door.

However…just as it was almost closed, a black-gloved hand reached through the gap, catching it before I had a chance to lock it. I stood there struggling to close it.

He was strong…he looked well built. He must've been trained or something. That's when it hit me. He must have been one of those 'SOLDIER' guys.

But what did he want with me?

Suddenly he forced the door open sending me stumbling backwards…but my reflexes kicked in and I ended up doing a back flip. I landed on my feet gracefully…thanking the heavens that I managed to keep my balance.

I stood up into a firm…(and what I hoped to be an intimidating stance)…and flipped my hair over my shoulder and watched as he stood there watching me…with what seemed like…a certain 'devilish' smile.

"I want you to leave." I said quietly, as I gave him my best pissed off expression that I could muster.

He didn't seem to pay any attention as he said, "Tell me of this Rude."

Rude…I knew he was a jerk. He constantly came into the bar trying to…hit on me I guess. But then there was something else he seemed to be after as well. He was so foul. Thinking that he was the best thing that ever happened to this place. I guessed a long time ago that he was into illegal dealings and all the rest. Maybe that's why this guy was after him.

"What do you want with Rude?" I asked, not realising that I sounded like I was trying to defend him.

"You know him?" he asked.

"What's it to you?" I queried, as I stared into his eyes curiously, tilting my head to the side.

"You will tell me where he is and what his business is. If you do not follow orders I will have no other choice then to let my nature take its course." He warned in a low tone of voice, as he ran his fingers along a black strap, which ran across his front.

As I took a closer look, I realised that it was attached to a sheath situated on his back, holding a rather large sword from what I could see.

"Your nature…?" I trailed off confused.

He set his hand on his side once more; stared at me one last time and said, "I warned you."

With that he began to walk towards me; his eyes fixed on my body. I didn't know what to do. He had now reached back for his sword and I heard the metal scrape against the sheath as he pulled it out masterfully.

One hand was all he needed to wield it as he swung it about dangerously, as if trying to intimidate me even more then he had.

All I had were my hands, feet and mind. So I decided that if I was to get out of this mess alive…I better start using them.

So as I had been trained to do, I crouched into a low stance, leaning on my left leg bent forward. My other leg was spread out on my side, low to the ground. My left hand was situated in my usual defense form, placed right between my eyes straight out in front of me. My right hand was close to my right hip balled up into a tight fist, hiding away my thumb for extra protection from injury.

I glared at him daringly as I felt the adrenaline I usually felt before a battle flow through my veins like fire. My expression was daring and mischievous as I tilted my head to the side and whispered in a puckish tone, "Ready to play?"

With that he gripped onto his sword more tightly and came at me; full speed. My reflexes reacted to the manoeuvre as I flipped back and landed palm down, in a handstand position on the surface of the counter. Then very quickly I lowered my feet down at the back so that I stood on the bench on all fours and quickly lifted my head to face him.

I glared at him once more and said, "If you smash my bar up in any way I'll make sure you get what you deserve."

He stopped where he was, ran his fingers along his blade and said, "Is that a threat?"

I felt back for something behind the counter…anything that would assist me in this fight.

Once I grabbed onto the handle of a broken broom I tightened my hold on it and replied, "No…that's a promise."

"A promise…you're good at keeping those." He retorted with a hint of remembrance in his tone.

This response made me slightly confused. However just as I was about to come back at him with a query about his statement, I noticed that he was advancing towards me once more.

So without hesitation I pulled up the pole, (which acted more as a staff now) and struck it against the bench, fully aware that I could lose my balance at any moment when I begun to ensue my next move.

I flew off the table and was airborne for a few seconds and then slowly I descended towards the floor, holding the staff out in front of me. I was so relieved when it met up with the ground without losing its grip. As I came down I twirled a little around the pole with my feet outstretched on the sides.

I finally came to a standstill on the floor once more in a low stance with my staff shot straight out towards him ominously.

Then I heard him say, "You're skilled at defending and avoiding the fight…yes. But how are you at physical attack?"

"I try to steer clear of people such as yourself. I wouldn't want to touch the skin of someone who has clearly murdered lives before." I responded with disgust, as I looked him up and down with loathing.

"Well if they had of done as they were told I wouldn't have had to." He countered as he thrust aside his sword and motioned for me to do the same.

"What?" I asked as I wondered why he had made this move.

"Fight me one on one. I wanna see if I can beat you." Came his answer as he stared at me with an errant look about his eyes.

I considered his proposal for a moment, feeling my mind drift back to my dream of remembrance from two nights ago…those words were so familiar…and then slowly I rose to my full height and dropped my hand with the pole in it to my side. Then little by little I raised my hand far out on the left side of my body. I gazed at him suspiciously and then released my grasp on it. Moments later I heard the clatter of it, as wood met up with the floorboards. It rolled around off to the side and then there was silence as we watched each other intently.

"You do realise that I'm going to kick your ass." I stated as if it was the most obvious thing to occur.

His head lowered to the ground as he said, "Against me…your strength is nominal."

That really got on my nerves right there. He was so damn smug.

Then slowly we began to move around in a circular motion, each contemplating when we should make our next move. Each gazing over each other's bodies trying to find a weak spot.

"At the end you'll be nothing more then dust." He stated; trying to persuade me to just give up there and then.

"That may be so…but at least I'll die defending myself…not intentionally murdering an innocent life." I spat back out at him.

"Fine…then die now." he whispered.

It was then that he came forward in an over-confident walk; glaring at me as if he would be the last thing that I'd ever see.

However I didn't run this time…I stood my ground and waited for him to get close enough so that I could make my next move.

He was getting closer and right then without wavering I dropped low to the floor and swept my feet over the ground in front of me in an attempt to knock him off his feet. However he jumped and my legs went straight through air.

Now it was his turn to make a move. I felt him grab onto my left arm and pull me up to face him. I was so close to him now that I could feel his cold steady breaths upon my face.

"You think I'd fall for that one?" he asked.

I looked straight into his eyes and answered, "No…" I began to raise my right hand slowly, "I didn't…" I rested it right above his chest and began to slide my right leg around to the back of his knees, "but I saved this one especially for you…" I smiled at him, as I pushed against his torso with all of my strength and watched as he fell backwards over my bent leg.

However, it didn't go according to plan as he grasped onto my leg, pulling me forward and sending me off my feet, causing me to land hard on my back onto the ground, allowing him to use me as an entity of support as he flung his body up to a standing position once more.

He stood beside me for a moment; just staring at me and then said, "Ready to give up?"

I breathed in long deep breaths quickly. I felt my chest rising and falling. My zipper had somehow come undone a little at the front. It was now open all the way to the middle of my chest. Thankfully I had that singlet top on underneath.

I lay there, knowing that if I wasn't moving he wouldn't attack. I had to think of something quick. Suddenly an idea popped into my head. I knew that it probably wouldn't help much, but I had to give it a try.

I rolled off to the right, keeping in mind that I had to keep my distance from him at the moment.

Except now I could hear footsteps behind me and I wasn't too surprised when I felt him lunge at me. I had come to rest on my stomach and I could feel him resting on my back.

Heavy breathing was heard coming from his lips.

"Do you give up now?" he repeated once more.

I couldn't find the energy to answer him. His body was crushing mine into the floor. I couldn't move my chest to breathe properly. I was inhaling dust and I couldn't even cough.

"Get…off." I wheezed; feeling his hands grip onto my arms forcefully.

"You're dust now…" I heard him whisper into my ear as I felt my body suddenly lose consciousness from lack of air.

You're wrong…I was dust long ago.

A/N: Hmm…well isn't he a gentlemen? Yeah well…although he's been trained to be an arrogant death machine he's still got a feeling of empathy for Tifa. If you hadn't noticed…a few of the things he said to Tifa were from her dream about him at the beginning of the second chapter.

Thanks to Aurum Potestas Est, and Initial Dreamer for the great reviews. You can read it now Yuffie…Yey! And thanks Initial Dreamer for the great review…I'm glad you like my style of writing.

P.S. Okay so review…Hehehe!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters and everything associated with this story all belong to Square Enix.

Yunie Tidus