Chapter Two

"What the hell was that?",Yuffie asked looking at her comrades.

"I have no idea. I think it's a safe bet to say that we shouldn't go back to Edge for a while though.",Red XII said. Cloud looked at his friends and walked over to get a view outside the Shera. He was also wondering who wanted them dead now. He was also thinking about how familiar the soldiers firing at them looked. Finally a revelation hit him.

"I think that they were from Shinra." Reeve took this time to walk over to Cloud and shake his head. While it was true that Rufus and four members of the Turks managed to stay alive.

"I doubt that Rufus sees us as a threat. He's long since given up trying to be President." He took a seat and thought for a moment before adding,"I know where he's staying now if your interested in seeing if he knows anything." Cloud took a seat as well and bowed his head in thought. Who was to say that Rufus would be supportive even if they did go. "Alright. Tell Cid the location. If Rufus knows who shot at us he'll tell us."

A little while later Tifa knocked on Cloud's door and he answered happily. "Do you honestly think that Rufus will tell us anything?"

"I can't be sure Tifa but we have to try."

"Could this have anything to do with Vincent?" Cloud regarded her question for a moment and said,"It's possible." Tifa was going to leave when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Back in Edge, you were going to ask me something. What was it?" Cloud looked suprised that she would have brought it up and smiled.

"Not important." Tifa smiled back and walked out the door.

Tifa walked to her room and sat down on her bed. She had not believed Cloud for single second. If there was one thing Tifa could count on it was Cloud putting his life on hold while they dealt with crisis after crisis. She had sometimes wondered if it would ever stop but she knew better. As long as she had Cloud and her other friends she was sure that they could make it through anything. She also found it funny that Cid and Shera were the only two members of Avalanche who managed to form some kind of life outside their work. She wondered if she would ever find someone to share her life with.

Cloud paced back and forth and had already realized that Tifa hadn't really believed that he was going to ask her nothing. He sat at his desk and fumbled with something inside his jacket pocket. He took out a jewelery box and opened it revealing an engagement ring. Cloud knew that Tifa would definately think that him asking her to marry him was a little sudden seeing as how they had never really ever been on a date. He smiled thinking that them knowing eachother for a long time would be enough for her to say yes. He closed the jewelery box and put it back in his pocket when he was interuppted by another knock at his door. He walked over and opened it revealing Yuffie and Cait Sith on the other side. "What is it?"

Yuffie looked him over and could tell that he was greatly agitated. "We just came to see how you were? Did you have a chance to talk to Tifa?"

Cait Sith just stood next to Yuffie and shook his head. "It was more her idea than mine."

Cloud let them in and sat on his bed. "No. I didn't have a chance what with us being shot at and everything." He looked at Yuffie and could see the disappointment in her eyes. "Why are you so upset?"

"I'm not upset. I just think it's sad that you didn't get a chance to ask Tifa your question."

Cloud regarded her for a moment and shook his head. Whoever had made a point to crash his dinner with Tifa had to have known that the members of Avalanche were gathered in Edge. With that thought Cloud jumped off his bed and started running toward the door. "Yuffie! Get everyone together at once."

Yuffie and Cait Sith stared at eachother and started running after Cloud.

About ten minutes later everyone had gathered. Cloud stood with Cid and smiled. "I think Vincent is alive." Cloud waited for a few minutes while everyone calmed down and then added,"Those uniforms weren't Shinra by design."

"Then who were they?", Tifa asked.

"Surviving members of Deep Ground."

Barret was the first to break the moment of silence and stated,"I thought we got rid of them."

Cloud looked at his friends and knew that their thoughts had all turned to the same thing. "Weiss must still be alive. I think that we should go see Rufus just to be sure he doesn't know anything about Weiss' sudden resurrection."

When everyone except Tifa and Cid left Cloud sat down and motioned Tifa to walk over. She obliged and asked,"What is it?"

"I think that me and you should head to the remnants of Midgar."

"Why?"

"To see if there's anything else Rufus wouldn't want to tell the others."

Cid looked over and grinned. "We'll be the decoy while you get the real goods right?"

Cloud smiled back and said,"Yeah. I know that Rufus has many more skeletons in his closet than what we found last time we visited Midgar. There maybe a file or something that we missed."

Tifa nodded. Cloud couldn't help but feel a chill though. If Weiss was back then he would be looking for Vincent which Cloud knew didn't bode well for his team.