Chapter 6
oOoOo
Yuffie slouched on her seat. "Hmf. Tifa's not yet home… I'm really worried about her." She muttered as she stared at her cheese sandwich.
"Yeah… even though Cloud's telling us not to worry." Barret answered as he continued to jot down the things needed to be bought in the market.
Tseng was also jotting down some stuff needed for the bar. "Anyway, here are the stuff you need to buy at the market for Tifa's bar." He tore off the page from the notebook where he had written the list and handed it to Yuffie.
Barret tore off the page from the notepad where he had jotted down the household essentials. "And here's my list. Mostly stuff for cleaning toilets and the floors." He said.
Yuffie held her breath for a moment and got the lists, reading them quickly before putting them inside her pocket. She got up from her seat. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'll just go straight to the market now." She said.
"Do you need anyone to accompany you, Miss Kisaragi? I can send Rude with you." Tseng suggested.
"Nah." She declined as she got out of the kitchen.
While walking towards the bus station, she wondered whether she would see the guy she met some two days ago. She never admitted to anyone that she has been thinking about him ever since they parted that day and the thought of meeting him again was making her excited.
She stood by the bus stop and even when the bus arrived, she did not get in. She hoped he would appear somehow.
When the bus left, she was the only one remaining in the bus stop. She took a deep breath and looked around. "Silly girl. Of course you won't see him anymore. He must've just passed by or something… and besides, he wouldn't have gone after you if it weren't for that stupid blue materia you're not even sure on what it can do…" she was scolding herself quietly as she pulled out the blue materia from her pocket. She has been secretly keeping it with her all the time ever since he handed it back to her.
Just as she was silently scolding herself and looking at the blue materia, a big shadow loomed over her from behind. Her eyes widened and she stifled a smile as she turned around.
It was him.
He was smiling at her. "You're here again." he said casually.
She blushed slightly. "Er… yeah. I have errands to run again in the market…" she answered quite shyly.
He raised his eyebrows at her. "Do you go to the market every two days?" he asked.
"Well… no, not really. I go to the market whenever the people at home tell me to do so." She answered.
"I see. Coz I thought you'd be here yesterday to go to the market again so I went here too." he answered with a slight pout.
She felt her heart skip a beat. "You… were here?" she asked.
"Well to tell you the truth, I was kinda waiting for you," he answered quite sheepishly.
She fell silent as she bowed down her head slightly.
He wondered why she was suddenly quiet. "You okay, Yuffie?" he asked.
She looked up at him again. "Er… yeah, I'm fine!" she said cheerfully.
Zack checked the time on the clock by the traffic light. "The next bus won't be here until after 30 minutes. You want to walk the rest of the way to the market?" he asked.
She smiled slightly. "Sure. No problem with me. I'm used to long walks." She said.
As they began to walk together, they were both silent for a few moments until he decided to speak up to start the conversation. "You don't really look like the kind of person anybody would send to go to the market to do the shopping." He pointed out.
"Oh? And what made you say that?" she asked curiously.
He looked at her face. "Er… I'm not really sure. I guess it's your posture and the way you look." He answered.
She smiled uneasily at him. "You're quite observant." She answered.
"You don't even look like you came from around here." He answered.
"I'm from Wutai." She answered.
"Wutai." He smiled slightly. "Brings back a lot of memories." He answered.
"Why? You've been to my hometown before?" she asked, suddenly interested.
"Yeah. During the war. I was with SOLDIER before." He answered.
Her eyes widened. "What? So you're like, old now?" she asked.
He laughed at what she said, "Hey, I'm not that old! I'm only 26 now." He answered.
She began to do the math in her head. "So you're like, 8 years older than me. You're really old." She joked.
He eyed her and nudged her playfully. "Why are you teasing me?" he asked.
She just giggled. "I'm just kidding. You don't look like your age anyway." He answered.
He chuckled lightly. "I get that a lot from people. My parents say that it's because I'm always smiling." He answered.
She blinked. "Well yeah, you are always smiling, Zack." She answered, realizing that his parents were right. "So, what's there to smile about?" she answered.
He looked up at the skies. "It's a beautiful day." he answered. "And I'm walking with a pretty little girl!" he answered, patting her head playfully.
She shoved his hand away from her head. "Hey, that's not funny! I may be short for my age but I know I'll eventually grow taller before I turn 22!" she told him, feeling insulted.
"Okay, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." He apologized with a sad smile on his face.
She smiled shyly at him before looking away. "It's fine." She answered softly.
He looked straight ahead of them. "So, if you're from Wutai, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Taking a vacation… and helping out a friend manage a home and a business until she returns." She answered glumly.
"Why? Where did she go?" he asked.
"I'm not really sure. She just disappeared one night. I think she ran away because someone dictated to her what to do and she got pissed at him so she's avoiding the issue." She explained.
Zack thought for a while and then stopped walking for a while. Yuffie halted and went back to him. "Something wrong?" she asked curiously.
He was looking towards the direction of the streets leading to Sectors 6 and 7.
"Zack?" she called his attention.
He smiled and looked down at her. "Would you mind accompanying me to the Church in Sector 6? I heard there are nice flowers there. I'd like to pick some." He told her.
She wondered what he was going to do with the flowers but she obliged to his request anyway. "Sure. No one's making me hurry back home anyway." Yuffie answered.
They walked towards Sector 6 and upon arriving at the Church, Yuffie looked around, observing the ruins. "This place is really such a big waste." She said sadly.
"Yuffie?"
Yuffie turned towards the altar and saw Tifa standing there.
Yuffie's mouth dropped open. "Tifa!" she ran towards her friend.
Tifa smiled upon seeing her friend again, but she was surprised when her friend suddenly embraced her. "Oh, Tifa! Where the hell have you been? We've been so worried about you!" she pointed out.
Tifa laughed lightheartedly. "I was just here in this church all along and then I'd go to the clinic to see house Elena is." She said.
Yuffie pushed her away. "You could've left a note or something! You had everyone worried especially Rufus!" she pointed out in annoyance.
Tifa was stunned. Her smile faded away. "R…Rufus?" she asked softly.
"Hell yeah! Now Vincent's the one who's guarding him in the hacienda. Did you know that he threw a fit the night you disappeared and he hasn't been eating or sleeping well ever since you left?" Yuffie ranted.
Tifa just stood there, overwhelmed by the information.
"You ran away because you don't want to do anything regarding Rufus, huh?" Yuffie asked.
Tifa just kept quiet, bowing her head and feeling guilty.
Yuffie sighed heavily and smiled again. "Well at least you're safe. Come back home now, will you?" she asked.
Tifa looked at her with a slight smile on her face. "Thanks, Yuffie." She said before turning back to the altar and looking at the flowers that she had placed over it. "What made you come here anyway?" she asked her friend.
Yuffie blinked. "Oh. I was with a friend. He wanted to go here." He answered.
"Oh. Really? Who's he?" Tifa asked.
Yuffie giggled and whispered to her, "He's really cute and he's tall and muscular and he's kind too!"
Tifa made a face. "Ew. I never knew you liked muscular boys." She ranted.
Yuffie grunted. "Don't insult him, he's nice! Lemme introduce you to him," she turned around to look at where she had left him by the entrance but he wasn't there anymore. "Where is he?" she wondered out loud.
Tifa laughed. "Maybe he's shy." She said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I'd better visit Elena now and help Reno in taking care of her. She's getting better, by the way. From there I'll go straight home." She said, patting Yuffie's shoulders before leaving her there.
Yuffie frowned slightly as she turned towards the altar. "Where did he go?" she wondered curiously, hoping that he did not leave her alone there.
"Hey, Yuffie,"
She turned around and saw Zack just standing close to her with flowers in his grasp. She blinked as she blushed slightly. "Z…Zack! Where have you been? I was supposed to introduce you to my friend!" she said with a worried tone.
He handed her the flowers. "I've been picking the best ones for you." He said.
Her eyes widened and she felt her heart sinking. She smiled lovingly at the flowers. No man has ever given her flowers before. She swallowed hard and looked up at him again. She was really blushing this time. "They're lovely. Thank you, Zack." She said softly.
He just smiled cheerfully at her.
oOoOo
"So the Prez has been transported to the said hacienda already?" Reno asked curiously while spoon-feeding some soup to Elena who was seated on her hospital bed.
Tifa just nodded as she remained seated on the visitors' couch by the window.
Elena swallowed her food. "Who's with him then?" she asked.
"Vincent." Tifa answered simply. She seemed to be spacing out and the two Turks easily noticed it.
"Something wrong?" Elena asked.
"Yeah. You've been too quiet this morning." Reno added.
Tifa forced a lively smile at them. "I'm fine!" she answered.
Then she was silent.
Reno smirked. "I think I know why you're acting like that." he said with a singsong voice before turning back to Elena to wink at her. Elena just blinked.
Reno made a glum face at Elena. "She's feeling guilty!" he pointed out.
Elena was silent for a while before getting his point. "Oh!" she exclaimed brightly. "Because she could have been the one with the Prez right now instead of Mister Valentine!" she added.
Tifa frowned at them. "If the two of you are going to talk behind my back, at least wait until I've left." She muttered.
Reno laughed. "Sorry, Miss Lockhart. But we're just speculating on why you're acting like that." he told her with a silly smile on his face.
Tifa just kept quiet, crossing her arms in frustration.
"Really, Miss Lockhart, why did you refuse to take care of the Prez in that new place?" Elena asked.
"Yeah. He isn't that bad. I'm sure it's a great place to bond with him." Reno added.
Tifa just stared blankly at the floor. She felt as if she had been hit by a brick on the head. "Yeah, why did I do that?" she thought silently. She just shrugged and smiled coolly at them. "I was being impulsive I guess." She answered.
"Well then go back now to your house, pack your bags and tell everyone you're going to take care of Rufus." Elena told her.
Tifa's smile faded. "No." she answered simply.
Reno turned back to Elena with a miserable look on his face. "It's hopeless." He muttered.
Elena just pouted.
oOoOo
Vincent left Rufus in the bedroom that Cloud had prepared for him while he went downstairs to clean the kitchen, dining and living room areas.
Rufus just stayed in his bedroom, lying stiffly on the bed with his eyes wide as if his defenses were up while staring at the cobweb-filled ceiling with a horrid look on his face. "This is culture shock." He said out loud in frustration. He could not believe that he was in such a big house, but despite its size, the upkeep was very bad. It was the first big house he has been into where the surroundings were dirty, dusty, moldy, filled with cobwebs, you name any house-related damage, it's there in that big country house. He never said out loud whatever bad thing he has noticed in the house, but it seemed to him that Vincent was feeling obsessive-compulsive towards the house too because his new Turk told him to just stay in one area while he cleaned the whole house to fit his liking.
Rufus wondered why Cloud never bothered to clean the dirty ceiling. He just thought that if someone was to prepare a clean room for him with clean sheets, clean windows and clean everything, the ceiling should have been cleaned too. Besides, he could see a big spider just above him. To Rufus, it felt life-threatening because he imagined that it was thinking of screaming, "It's show time!" and then it will jump down onto his face. He hated disgusting things, and among those things in his list are spiders. Big black ones with thin legs. "Oh well at least it's not a cockroach. It's going to be worse if it's a roach instead of a spider…" he was rambling in his mind as he stared horridly at the spider. But he couldn't take it anymore. "VINCENT!" he yelled out.
He listened as his own voice echoed all over the place. He hasn't explored the whole house yet but he could tell from the outside that it is really big… almost as big as the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim.
In a few moments, Vincent Valentine entered his room wearing loose black trousers, a white loose shirt, a red flowery apron, rubber boots and a red bandanna hiding all of his hair underneath it. His nose and mouth were covered by a flu mask and he was also holding a feather duster. "Yes?" he answered.
Rufus stared at him in surprise. "What the bloody hell are you wearing?" he asked.
"These are my work clothes. I'm doing some major spring cleaning here." Vincent answered as he approached Rufus. "What is it now?" he asked.
"There is a bloody spider up there in that dirty ceiling." Rufus pointed out, eyeing the spider with a disgusted look on his face.
Vincent looked up at the ceiling and just stared blankly at the spider. "It's doing nothing to you." He said.
"Well I feel threatened with that thing! Get rid of it!" Rufus commanded.
"There are far more things worse than that so let it be." Vincent said.
Rufus stared unbelievably at him but then recalled from somewhere that he has been locked up in a coffin for 30 years. "Oh. I'm speaking to the wrong person, aren't I? For sure you're already used to seeing such disgusting big spiders because you're used to old dirty houses such as this one for the reason that you were in the Shinra Mansion for quite a long time." He pointed out with a sarcastic look on his face.
Vincent frowned at him. "Don't suppose that I'm used to dirt and grime and most especially insects!" he told him sternly.
Rufus thought he sounded like a nagging mother. "Oh yeah? Well then what sort of insect are you disgusted with?" he asked.
Vincent's left eyebrow twitched. "Silverfish." He answered.
Silence.
"Just please get rid of the spider." Rufus said, rolling his eyes.
Vincent pulled out his gun. "Alright." He said as he aimed at the spider and shot it.
Rufus cringed upon the sound of the gunshot, but he froze when he realized that the dead spider had fallen upon his chest.
Vincent saw the horrified look on Rufus's face and approached him with caution as he let go of the feather duster. "There, there, I'll remove it, don't worry." He said reassuringly as he picked up the dead spider with his bare hands and carried it with him out of the room. "I'll clean that ceiling later, just relax for now." He told Rufus.
Rufus was left in the room, feeling as if he was in Twilight Zone. "Oh blimey! Why couldn't it be Tifa who's guarding me here?" his mind was screaming as he stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, feeling so sorry for himself.
oOoOo
Tifa finally arrived home and saw Denzel sweeping the floor. "Where's Yuffie? Why are you sweeping the floor?" she asked.
"Because she's not yet home. She went to the market to buy some stuff for cleaning and for your bar. Where have you been these past two days?" he asked with a curious look on his face.
Tifa just swallowed hard and shut the door. "Where's Marlene, is she in school?" she asked.
"Yeah." Denzel answered.
"Who walked her to school?" she asked.
"Mister Rude walked her to school. Mister Tseng's upstairs cleaning the bathroom and Mister Rude is assisting Cloud with the deliveries. Don't worry they'll pick up Marlene later." Denzel answered.
"Barret's out already?" Tifa asked as she walked to the kitchen.
"Yeah. He said he'll be going to Corel to check on some fuel there and refer it to Mister Reeve." He answered.
Tifa checked the fridge and then the cupboards. "Well Yuffie obviously isn't home yet." She muttered before going back to the living room where she left Denzel. She stopped in her tracks when she realized that the 8 year-old boy was staring curiously at her. "Yes, Denzel, is there something wrong?" she asked gently with a slight smile on her face.
"Why do you hate Rufus that much?" he asked.
Tifa's smile faded. "What?" she asked.
"I do think he's a nice man." Denzel said.
Tifa breathed in, not knowing whether she should tell the child or not the truth, but she sensed that he has a mature mind so she approached him and sat down on the sofa near the area that he was sweeping. He stopped doing his chore for a moment to listen to what she has to say: "Rufus is a Shinra." She began.
Denzel just blinked.
"My point is, I promised to hate Shinra and Sephiroth because of what they did. It's… part of my reason that's why I joined AVALANCHE in the first place. They are anti-Shinra, you know?" she told him.
Denzel pouted.
Tifa eyed him curiously, "Don't tell me you changed your mind about Rufus when he gave you chocolates?" she asked.
Denzel smiled. "Well that really proved that he's a nice guy. Marlene is very fond of him now." He said.
She just kept quiet as he went on, "I even thought that AVALANCHE was the enemy because when my parents died, someone told me that the upper plate fell upon Sector 5 because of that rebel group. But…" he shrugged. "…guess where I am right now. I didn't know what to believe at first but I learned that…" he trailed off when Tseng appeared from the stairs carrying a bucket of dirty water and a mop. He was looking at Tifa was a serious look on his face. "You're too quick to pass on judgment to President Rufus, Miss Lockhart. You don't even know the whole story yet between AVALANCHE and Shinra." He told her with a low tone.
Denzel bowed down his head and moved aside. "Excuse me." He said before leaving the living room to give the two some privacy.
Tseng just stood still for a moment before settling the bucket and the mop on the floor and removed his rubber gloves before walking to Tifa. "Perhaps I could say that AVALANCHE has been fully established to start a revolution—to change the way Rufus's father has been doing things by having him killed so that Rufus can become President and change everything there is to be changed in the system for the betterment of the Planet and the citizens' lives." He told her.
She frowned at him and looked at him in a scrutinizing manner that did not even seem to have intimidated him.
He sat down on the couch opposite the sofa where she was seated. "I was there when it all happened. I was one of those Turks who communicated messages with Elfe and the rest of AVALANCHE… messages from Rufus, who was the Vice President back then. He was only 15 back then but he had a lot of positive hopes for the Planet and for Midgar. And do you know what happened?" he asked.
Tifa just stared at him with a curious gaze. Who was Elfe?
Tseng narrowed his eyes at Tifa. "Rufus's father never found out that his own son was plotting his assassination with AVALANCHE, but he found out that the Turks were working against him." He turned his gaze towards the window and smiled reminiscently as he viewed the clear blue skies outside. "Did you know that there were more Turks before? There were others besides me, Reno and Rude… and Elena as well, even though she was just a student at the Shinra Military Academy back then. But they were all terminated by order of Rufus's father." He frowned. "Rufus tried to stop his father by distracting him, but he was unsuccessful." He continued before turning his gaze back to her again. "Now tell me why did you join such a group that has been basically funded by Rufus himself?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
Her heart skipped a beat as her mouth twisted into a scornful pout. Her eyes widened at Tseng; she could not believe what she had just heard.
Just then, Yuffie entered the house carrying grocery bags and a bouquet of yellow flowers. She stared curiously at Tseng and Tifa and smirked. "Having a heart-to-heart conversation?" she teased, noticing the seriousness on their faces.
The two did not even bother to look at her at first until Tifa got up by will and just ran upstairs.
Tseng then turned to Yuffie and looked at her curiously. "Hello, there, Princess." He greeted with a cheery smile.
She just grinned. "What was that all about?" she asked.
"Nothing. Just telling her some stuff about the President and AVALANCHE." He answered nonchalantly. He eyed the flowers. "Those look familiar." He pointed out.
"I went to the Church. Would you believe I found her there?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
"And you picked out some flowers for the house?" Tseng asked, thinking that it was unusual for a girl such as Yuffie to pick flowers.
Yuffie blushed slightly while trying to stop herself from smiling dreamily. But Tseng was good in reading people's actions and facial expressions. He smiled calmly at her as he spoke to her in Wutaian something that translates to "A boy gave that to you?"
Her eyes widened at him and she answered in their native tongue translating to "What's it to you?"
Tseng shrugged.
Yuffie just grunted. "I knew it. My dad talked to you and asked you to watch over me, huh? Just because you're Wutaian too!" she pointed out in English.
Tseng smiled simply at her. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said, but in Wutaian.
She snarled and started to cuss in Wutaian as she went to the kitchen with the groceries.
Tseng laughed, pleased with himself. What Yuffie suspected was true.
oOoOo
Vincent Valentine moved Rufus Shinra to the living room for a while so that he could further clean the bedroom. While in the living room, Rufus observed what a good job Vincent had done around and within the area. "He didn't even miss a spot. How meticulous." He thought to himself before getting startled by the sound being made by the old grandfather's clock standing by the doorway leading to the hallway to the stairs. He saw that it was already 4 in the afternoon. He frowned. "How time passes." He wondered. And he realized that he hasn't even eaten lunch yet. That was when he felt his stomach rumbling.
Just then, he heard the engine of the Fenrir coming from outside the house.
In a few minutes, he heard the sound of Cloud's boots approaching the living room area.
And then there was Cloud Strife in the same living room as Rufus Shinra, amazed with what Vincent has done to the place. He then turned to Rufus. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in your room?" Cloud asked as he approached Rufus.
"He's cleaning the ceiling this time." Rufus answered glumly. "I'm hungry." He told Cloud.
"You didn't eat or you skipped your meal again?" Cloud inquired.
"Vincent must've forgotten to feed me." Rufus answered.
Cloud just stared at him.
"Well?" Rufus asked, hinting for him to do something like cook or have some food delivered.
Cloud shook his head. "I can't cook." He answered.
Silence.
Vincent finally arrived in the living room. "There! All done! The house is squeaky clean… oh, hello, Cloud. You dropped by!" he said.
Cloud stared unbelievably at Vincent and his getup. "What are you wearing?" he asked.
"Those are his work clothes. Don't insult them." Rufus muttered to him.
Cloud just raised his eyebrows. "You forgot to feed Rufus," he told Vincent.
Vincent looked at Rufus with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Oh. Pardon me. I'll cook some food now." He said before rushing to the kitchen.
Rufus got up from the couch. "I feel much better in this place, but there's no TV." He told Cloud.
"This is a provincial town. Sometimes there's no electricity here. Things got worse when the reactors were destroyed." Cloud explained as he assisted Rufus in walking.
Rufus, however, pushed him away, insisting on walking on his own. "I'm getting bored here." He told Rufus.
"You can do a lot of things in a farm." Cloud said.
"In my condition?" Rufus asked sarcastically.
"Well from now, you can watch the birds, watch the grass grow, exchange stories with Vincent—I'm sure he has a lot to tell you especially about Lucrecia." Cloud said. He seemed to be smiling teasingly at Rufus when he mentioned the last one because he knew how Vincent's love stories bored Rufus to death the first time he heard them.
Rufus just kept a straight face, but his eyes gave away his emotion: he was annoyed.
"Would you like to have some cookies?" Cloud asked as they stopped walking, wanting to divert Rufus's attention from the matter as he brought out a paper bag and handed it to Rufus.
Rufus stared at it for a moment before finally opening it to see what is inside. "Where did these come from?" he asked.
"Found them in the cupboard in Tifa's kitchen. I guess she baked them." Cloud answered.
Rufus sniffed the cookies from inside the bag before handing it back to Rufus. "When did she bake them?" he asked.
"Maybe a couple of weeks ago?" Cloud guessed.
Rufus picked out a piece and began to inspect it closely.
Cloud frowned at him. "Come on, if there were molds in those cookies when I found them, I would've just thrown them away."
Rufus took a bite and cringed. "Too sweet!" he said before putting the cookie back inside the bag.
Cloud blinked. "Maybe that's why it's just stashed in a cookie jar in her cupboard." He said in wonder.
"And nobody wanted to eat it." Rufus said, swallowing the small bite he tried to chew with his dignity. "Don't tell me you never knew how it tasted?" he demanded from Cloud.
"No. Thanks for being my official taste-tester." Cloud answered with a smug look on his face as he and Rufus began to walk again. Still, to his wonder, he saw Rufus fold the flap of the paper bag and then carried it with him as they continued to tour around the house.
"Vincent is such a good housekeeper." Rufus remarked as he looked around. "I'm sure he can make a very good mother." He added as a joke.
Cloud eyed him with a glum look on his face. "If he heard you, he'd hit your head with his metal arm." He explained.
Rufus ignored his remark as they continued to explore the house.
oOoOo
5 days later…
Yuffie had a dreamy look on her face as she entered Tifa's room and placed the bouquet of flowers on the desk. Tifa, on the other hand, was just seated by the desk and staring at the photo on the frame before her. "Why don't you put those flowers someplace else?" she asked Yuffie.
"I'm sharing this room with you while I'm here, so I want these flowers to be here." Yuffie answered.
Tifa turned her attention to Yuffie as the ninja jumped onto the bed and grabbed one of the pillows, hugging it tightly while giggling happily. Tifa cringed. "What's up with you?" she asked.
"Oh… Tifa, I think I'm in-love!" Yuffie answered happily.
Silence.
Tifa looked away, feeling disturbed. Yuffie? In-love? It was unbelievable. Still, she was curious upon who won Yuffie's heart. "And who's he?" she asked. Then looked at Yuffie again with a teasing smile on her face. "Or… is it a she?" she teased.
Yuffie sat up, glaring at her in annoyance. She felt insulted, obviously. "What? Of course not! It's a man! Like, it's the guy whom I was supposed to introduce to you at the Church some days ago! You know what, ever since then, he's been giving me flowers from that Church!" she said haughtily.
Tifa raised her eyebrows at her. "Oh. What's his name?" she asked.
Yuffie was about to say his name, but then she recalled that Tseng has been assigned by her father to spy on her. "That Turk could just be outside the room listening…" she was thinking to herself quietly. She just smiled calmly at Tifa and said, "It's a secret!" and then plopped down on the bed again.
Tifa frowned, feeling betrayed. "You're so unfair! I thought we're best friends now!" she wailed.
"Yeah, so?" Yuffie asked.
"Best friends don't keep secrets from each other!" Tifa answered stubbornly. She was really intrigued on who the guy is that she would say anything just to make Yuffie spill the secret.
"Well you called me a lesbian earlier so I'm not speaking." Yuffie said airily.
Tifa grunted. "Rrrgh. Come on! I didn't say you're a lesbian! I was just joking around!" she said.
"Jokes are half-meant!" Yuffie answered.
Tifa could tell that the girl was just playing with her mind. "Okay, to be fair, if you don't want to say his name, then just describe him to me." She said, crossing her arms and smiling slyly at her.
"And what do I get in return?" Yuffie asked.
Tifa thought for a while before answering, "I'll describe to you the person who I have a crush on."
Yuffie laughed. "That's no fair, I already know who it is!" she pointed out half-heartedly.
Tifa cringed. "And it's not Cloud." She told her.
Silence.
Yuffie sat up and smiled dreamily at her. "Alright." She said before taking a deep breath and then began to describe Zack. "Like what I said earlier, he's tall… maybe around 5'11" or so… and he's got black spiky hair and his eyes are dark blue. His eyes are so mesmerizing and he's always smiling. He's so sweet and romantic too! Like, you know I met him some two day ago when you made me go to the market, and when I didn't go to the market for some days, it turns out that he was waiting for me by the bus stop just to see me again! Teehee!" she went on and on, making Tifa feel amused and dumbfounded at the same time.
"And those flowers! Oh, Tifa, I know they're ordinary flowers from the church but they're special to me because he picked them out himself and gave the bouquet to me! Oh he's so sweet!" Yuffie said dreamily. She was obviously blushing and she knew it, but she did not even care to hide it from Tifa.
Tifa just smiled weakly at her. "That's… sweet." Was all she could comment.
Silence.
Yuffie regained her composure. "And who's the guy you're crushing on?" she asked.
Tifa's eyes widened at her and she blushed slightly.
Yuffie pouted. "Oh no, don't tell me you tricked me!" she wailed in annoyance.
Tifa chuckled lightly. "Well… no! Okay… uh…" she looked up at the ceiling and began to describe him: "He's got blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin…"
Yuffie made a face. "I knew it. It's just Cloud. What else is new?" she asked, rolling her eyes.
Tifa clenched her fists as her gaze darted towards Yuffie. "I told you it's not Cloud!" she pointed out.
"Then what's with the blonde, blue-eyed and fair-skinned description?" Yuffie asked, unconvinced.
"Cloud may have slightly-fair skin, but this guy I like right now has really fair, clear and clean skin. It's like porcelain when you look at it." Tifa told her.
Yuffie thought for a while. "Are you sure that's a guy you're crushing on? How come you say he's got porcelain-like skin tone? Sounds like a woman to me… unless he's an extremely rich guy who faithfully maintains a daily skin-care regimen…" she trailed off. "Damn, I can't think of who it is! Do I know him?" she asked in annoyance.
Tifa just smirked. "What about me? Do I know who your guy is?" she asked.
Yuffie frowned at her. "Nice try. But I don't think you know him." She answered, crossing her arms and looking away.
Tifa rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then you won't know who mine is." She said before she got up and went to her closet to pull out her suitcase plus some clothes.
Yuffie wondered what she was doing.
Tifa began to pack her clothes. "You are going to be in charge of my bar and the household while I'm away." She instructed sternly.
Yuffie just stared at her in awe. "Is it Cid?" she asked curiously, ignoring Tifa's instruction.
Tifa groaned. "Can you just forget about it? It's just a minor issue." She told her in annoyance as she continued to pack her things. "And for crying out loud; Cid's way older than me. I wouldn't go for someone older than me, you know? And besides, he's got Shera!" she said, laughing.
Yuffie snickered. "Just giving it a shot! But is it someone I know?" she asked.
Tifa did not answer.
"Is it the guy from the old meatshop next to the one we usually buy our meat from?" Yuffie chimed in.
Tifa made a disgusted face. "Ugh. No! What the bloody hell are you thinking!" she answered in repulsion.
Yuffie just laughed. "Hell yeah! He fits your description, alright? Nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk…"
Tifa faced her for a while. "Well no. The guy from that old meatshop looks like a rapist that's why Barret tells me not to buy meat from him anymore. He stares at women like he's the world's greatest lecher! And well yeah, he has blonde hair, pale and almost transparent skin and blue eyes, but he's so thin and his hair looks like a broom." She described with a disgusted look on her face.
Yuffie cringed. "Gawds. Talk about grossness… I forgot how ugly that man is." She said.
"Why, didn't you see him today?" Tifa asked.
Yuffie grinned. "Well he didn't stare that long and I didn't mind that he was there because there was someone to protect me today from lechers like him!" she said proudly.
Tifa smiled grimly. "Ooh. Right. Your new boyfriend." She said before turning away to continue packing her things.
"Well he's not yet really my boyfriend. I wonder when he's gonna make a move…" Yuffie wondered.
"Careful. And better introduce him to us first so that we can scrutinize him. Who knows, it could be just someone like the guy from the old meatshop." Tifa teased.
Yuffie frowned. "Hell no!" she answered in protest.
oOoOo
Rufus and Vincent just finished having dinner.
Living together with Vincent had a lot of silent moments between the two of them, and sometimes, no one would even bother to start a conversation.
But that evening, Rufus thought he would go crazy if nobody spoke up, so he took the initiative to speak, "Would you like to go see what's outside?" he asked.
Vincent looked at him curiously. "There's nothing out here but country roads, barren land, mountains, and the night sky with the moon and stars." He answered simply.
Rufus was quiet for a moment before saying, "The stars. I'd like to see them." He really wanted to see the city lights of Midgar, though, because the house is situated on a hill, and during the day, whenever he would peek from his bedroom window, he could see remnants of Midgar from where he is and he would reminisce the times when everything in Midgar was still fine. He would also map out a plan in his head regarding the restoration of the big city and would wonder when he could consult with Reeve about it. "… and the city lights." He added honestly.
"What city lights?" Vincent asked rather coldly.
Rufus forgot that there were no city lights anymore for 2 years already. He just kept quiet about it.
Vincent got up from his seat. "Alright, let's go see the stars then." He said. "Right after we do the dishes and clean up." He added.
Rufus got up on his own and began to help Vincent in putting away the dishes to the kitchen. He had noticed the improvement in his own health ever since his second day in that house. "Maybe this is really a good idea instead of staying in the city or the hospital." He wondered quietly as he followed Vincent to the kitchen.
Vincent, on the other hand, aside from noticing the improvement in Rufus's condition, also realized how helpful Rufus has become and that he had stopped acting like a spoiled rich kid. He would tell Cloud about his observations whenever he could by sending him a text message or calling him (because finally he has a mobile phone).
While washing the dishes, Vincent could not help but observe Rufus in a non-discreet manner. Rufus, on the other hand, was oblivious to his companion's constant staring.
Vincent smiled simply. "It's good to see that you're not itching when your skin comes to contact with dishwashing soap." He pointed out, meaning for it to sound like a joke.
Rufus frowned at the remark. "What do you think of me, a useless person?" he asked.
Vincent's smile faded. "No, it was a joke." He pointed out stiffly.
Rufus just kept quiet for a moment before apologizing and explaining, "Pardon my behavior. I just hate it when people think they know me just because of my family name and my socio-economic status."
Vincent nodded, lowering his gaze to the soap suds on his right hand. "I know what you mean." He answered before proceeding to scrub. "And I'm surprised you know how to wash dishes?" he asked.
"I've had Home Economics class ever since third grade up to high school senior year. Somehow I learned a lot of things there." Rufus answered nonchalantly.
Vincent was impressed. "They teach that to rich kids who went to your school?" he asked in awe.
"You'll be surprised how the others turned out." Rufus answered.
Their conversation went on even after they have washed the dishes when they got out of the house, sat on the steps of the front porch and began to stargaze.
"It's pretty dark around here." Rufus muttered.
He was right. There was almost no electricity on some parts of Kalm, including the area where the hacienda is. Inside the house, they had to walk and do things in the dark. Thanks to the Mako exposure they had sometime in their past, they are able to see in the darkness so they were saving too much on fuel for gas lamps and batteries for emergency lamps, flashlights, and also matches for candles.
Vincent turned to Rufus with a curious look on his face. "You look like a ghost. Why do you like to wear white so much?" he asked curiously.
"I'd like to ask you the same question in lieu with my chosen color for clothes—why do you like to wear red?" Rufus answered.
"You first." Vincent told him.
Rufus was quiet for a moment before explaining, "It's complicated."
Vincent frowned slightly. "That's your explanation?" he asked.
"It's my favorite color, alright?" Rufus answered impatiently. Why must Vincent ask too many questions? He thought it was very unusual because he had known Vincent to be such a quiet man with too many secrets. But now Vincent has been open with him on several topics that would concern any of them.
"Red happens to be my favorite color." Vincent answered.
They were silent for a few moments before Rufus took the initiative to speak up. "I really appreciate your company here; you and Cloud…even though he could only drop by in the afternoons."
Vincent just stared straight ahead. He seems to be reflecting on something unknown to Rufus. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked.
"Huh?" Rufus looked at him.
Vincent just stared into nothingness. "You were never the type to be grateful for other people's kindness towards you." He pointed out.
Rufus kept a straight face before turning away. "I just thought I'd express my gratitude to people from now on before it's too late." He answered simply.
"You're not dying, are you?" Vincent asked, turning to him with a curious stare.
Rufus smiled and shook his head. "I'm not. But you'll never know how fate plays with our lives. One moment you're alive, the next minute you're dead. And then everything will be too late." He answered.
Vincent wondered if he just imagined seeing the sadness in Rufus's eyes.
Rufus looked up at the skies. "Years ago, when I was still the Vice President, I made a contract with AVALANCHE, funding them, helping them… so that they could assassinate my father." He began.
Vincent's eyes widened upon hearing that.
Rufus went on with a melancholic tone, "Of course, no one knew but the Turks, Elfe and I. Elfe was the former AVALANCHE leader before Barret. I'd correspond with her and the rest of the members of AVALANCHE through the Turks. But all things must come to an end—my old man found out about the rebellion against him and everything got traced back to the Turks. Would you imagine, eight of them were terminated by order of my old man?"
Vincent just stared at Rufus in disbelief.
"And Tseng had to kill his mentor, then-leader of the Turks, Veld. Maybe it was against his will, because I could tell that Tseng is still bothered by what he did." Rufus continued before turning his gaze to Vincent. "When those Turks died, I couldn't help but blame myself for such foolishness. I could have saved them but I failed." He pointed out.
Vincent could clearly see the disappointment in Rufus's face. It was something that he has never seen before in such a poker-faced person such as him. He felt sorry for Rufus, but he could not express it. He just stared.
Rufus looked away. "I never even got the chance to thank those Turks for helping me out… even if it caused them their lives." He muttered.
Vincent just sat still, bowing down his head in sympathy.
"Vincent," Rufus began.
Vincent looked at him.
"Have you ever tried asking for forgiveness from someone?" Rufus asked.
Vincent stared at him for a moment before answering, "You're not the first one to ask me that."
"Oh?" Rufus asked, looking at him.
"Cloud was the first one who asked something like that to me. He said that it's possible to ask for forgiveness and be forgiven." Vincent told him.
Rufus just stared in awe at him. He smiled and looked away. "Heh heh. I should talk to Cloud then." He said with a smug look on his face.
Just then, they saw someone arriving. The person kept on bumping against things along the way because she could not see well.
It was Tifa Lockhart.
Rufus wondered what she was doing there carrying a suitcase.
Vincent got up. "I'd better go inside and get a flashlight for her." He muttered before going inside the house.
Rufus sat still, looking at Tifa with a look of awe on his face. He could hear her muttering words of annoyance whenever she would step on something strange or bump against a fence or a rock. When he stood up from the porch step, she stopped walking. She seemed to eye him curiously. Then he saw her smile. "I thought you were a ghost." He heard her say.
He could not help but smile at her. As she walked towards him, he walked to meet her.
Tifa stopped in her tracks. "Oh don't bother coming for me," she told him with a concerned tone because she was worried that he could trip and fall. "It's dark!" she told him.
"It's alright. I can see." He told her as he finally arrived by her side. "I'll guide you." He decided.
Tifa blushed and her eyes widened when she felt his hand touching her arm. "…you seem better now." She said. "Your… condition, I mean." She stammered.
"I guess it's the fresh country air." He answered, rolling his eyes as he led the way to the house.
"But how come there are no lights?" she asked.
"Since there's no Shinra Electric Power Company anymore, there's no way the existing power in Midgar could reach as far as its outskirts… just like here in Kalm." He explained.
"Hmm… and I thought you're rebuilding Shinra?" she asked, smiling slyly.
"It might take a long time." He answered simply.
He felt her touch his hand that was holding her arm. It made him look at her. He saw her smiling reassuringly at him. "It won't. Because I'm here. I.. Cloud, Vincent and I will be here to support you." He heard her say.
Rufus stopped walking, so did she.
She settled her suitcase on the ground as they stared at each other for a moment. Tifa could not see well; she could only make out his eyes, some of the color of his hair and his body's silhouette, but she could not make out the look on his face. Rufus, on the other hand, could see her clearly. He stared at her face in awe and in that moment, he could not help but think to himself in silence, "Why didn't I realize before how lovely she really is? Oh wait, you haven't been this closer to her before, you idiot." He was scolding himself as he continued to stare at her.
"Something wrong, Rufus?" she asked, interrupting his trance. Her eyes were large and staring curiously at him.
He breathed in. "Why are you suddenly here?" he asked.
She smiled weakly. "Why? Don't you want me here?" she asked, wondering if she picked out the right words.
"Cloud forced you to come here, didn't he?" Rufus demanded.
Tifa smiled calmly at him. "No. This time, he didn't." she answered.
Rufus calmed down.
She moved closer to him. "It was my choice this time." She told him softly.
Rufus felt his heart beating faster as she moved closer and closer to him. "What is she going to do?" his mind was panicking.
Her hand touched his arm as she moved further closer to him and she was looking at his face.
Rufus swallowed hard, wondering if she was going to kiss him. Then he felt as if the world stopped for a moment when he felt her other hand on his forehead.
Silence.
"You feel warm. I think you're coming up with something." She said before moving away and grabbing his arm. "You have to go inside and rest now." She said.
Vincent arrived with a flashlight and an emergency lamp, lighting up the way for the two. "You seem to be in a hurry." He pointed out to Tifa.
"Rufus has a fever. I have to get him to bed." She answered with a panicky tone. "Please take my suitcase inside, Vincent. I have to make sure Rufus is alright." She instructed.
"You have to stay with him. There are only two bedrooms." Vincent told her.
Tifa and Rufus stopped in their tracks. "This is a big house, how come there are only two bedrooms?" the latter asked.
"Two beds, that is. One in my room, one in yours. There are 5 bedrooms in this house but there are only 2 beds available. Yours is the biggest one." Vincent pointed out.
Tifa grunted. "I'll think about that later. We need to get you inside, Rufus." She said before proceeding inside the house after taking a flashlight from Vincent.
Vincent wondered why Rufus was suddenly feverish but just shrugged it off and picked up Tifa's suitcase and decided to take it into Rufus's bedroom.