Heroes
Chapter Two - Moments
"He's dead...the leader of ShinRa, Inc. is dead..."
Tifa's mouth opened as she took a closer look at what had killed the President. She examined the long sword that jutted out of the back of the large old man.
"Then this sword must be...!"
"Sephiroth's!" Cloud interrupted.
"Sephiroth is alive?" Tifa whispered.
"...Looks like it. Only Sephiroth can use that sword." The ex-SOLDIER replied.
"Who cares who did it? This is the end of ShinRa now!" Barret growled.
"Uh!" Aeris gasped. She tossed her head at a nearby pillar to see a fat man appear from behind it. Red XIII growled. The man struggled to make a run for it but Cloud and Barret moved faster. They caught him and he squealed.
"P-p-p-p-please don't kill me!"
"What happened?" Cloud demanded.
"Se...Sephiroth. Sephiroth came."
"Did you see him? Did you see Sephiroth?"
"Yeah, I saw him! I saw him with my own eyes! And I heard his voice too! Um, he was saying something about not letting us have the promised land."
"Then what?" Tifa asked, moving around the desk to where Cloud and Barret had caught him. "Does that mean that the promised land really exists and Sephiroth's here to save it from ShinRa?"
"So, he's a good guy then?" Barret asked, confused.
"Sephiroth's mission is different!" Cloud answered, shaking his head. They let the large man go, and the low hum of a helicopter approaching reached their ears. The group turned to see it hover outside the office window.
"Rufus!" Barret cursed. "I forgot about him!"
"Who's that?" Tifa asked.
"Vice President Rufus. The President's son."
Cloud stood beside Tifa as she looked out of the window. "I wonder what sort of person he is..." she whispered.
"Come on, guys," Cloud motioned for the door. "Lets go meet him."
The group followed Cloud out onto the balcony and Rufus emerged from the helicopter, talking with Palmer, the fat man. Tifa tilted her head as she took in his neat white suit and blond, perfectly styled hair. His eyes were piercingly blue with a coldness that could freeze a fire. He was completely emotionless, except for the small betrayal of a small smirk that made him look rather pleased with himself.
"So...so Sephiroth was actually here." His voice was deep and had perfect diction. There was a note of gruffness in his voice, most likely indicating fatigue. It was a smooth, silky voice that could get anything it asked for. Tifa found it quite soothing, despite the arrogance that polluted it.
"By the way..." he turned to the group. "Who are you guys?"
Tifa sighed inwardly. Rufus ShinRa is no different from any other jerk who works for ShinRa, Inc. They were raised that way.
Rufus arched a critical eyebrow at the group that stood before him. After each introduction, he didn't think it could get anymore ridiculous. An ex-SOLDIER, a weird animal that Rufus guessed Professor Hojo had once owned, a flower girl, and two AVALANCHE members.
The new president shrugged. "What a crew." He smirked, voice dripping with condescension.
He glanced over at the dark-haired AVALANCHE member, who rolled her eyes and sent a look in the ex-SOLDIER's direction. Rufus flipped his hair.
"Well, I'm Rufus. The President of ShinRa, Inc."
"You only president, 'cause yer old man died!" Barret shook his fist.
"That's right," Rufus turned his back to them and looked at the sky. He knew it was a beautiful night for a reason. It was the night of sweet, sweet revenge. "I'll let you hear my new appointment speech."
Rufus wanted to get a closer look at his enemy. He looked across the balcony, and his eyes rested upon the dark-haired AVALANCHE member again. As he started his speech, he walked over to her, his gait a smooth glide, arms swinging loosely from his sides. He had nothing to hide, nothing to lose.
As he approached her, their eyes met and she held his gaze, as if challenging him. He had to admit, she was very beautiful. He noticed a sadness behind her eyes, but he resigned himself to the belief that that's what a rebel gets for going against the most powerful company in the world.
As he made his way among the group, he memorized their features. He wouldn't let them so close to him next time they met.
"I'll control the world...with fear."
The ex-SOLDIER glared at him, and he smirked.
"He likes to make speeches, just like his father." Rufus turned in the direction of the feminine voice, and once again the dark brunette stared at him. His eyes pierced hers from across the balcony, accepting her challenge.
He didn't know her name yet, but Rufus knew it wouldn't be the last time he saw her face.
Tifa heard crashes and explosions above while Rufus and Cloud fought, and Tifa prayed silently that Cloud would be all right. The low humming sound of the helicopter diminished to silence. She clenched her fists as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs from the president's office.
She saw Cloud, and relief swept over her as he approached.
"Where's Rufus?" she asked, concerned.
"I couldn't finish 'em," Cloud replied, catching his breath. "Looks like this is gonna get complicated."
Tifa followed Cloud to the exit. She hesitated when she reached the door way, and looked back. Why didn't Rufus stay? Why did he let them get away?
"Mr. President, they got out of Midgar. Motorball was completely destroyed."
Rufus flipped his hair as he looked out of the window of his new office. He turned to Reno, the red-headed Turk and waved his hand. "Don't worry about them. Keep on the look out, but its Sephiroth we're after. Dismissed."
Reno looked over at his bald friend, Rude, and both made for the door. Rufus called after them.
"Oh, and Reno, Rude?"
"Yessir?"
"I've heard some good things about you two. I know you won't disappoint me."
They both grinned and walked out. The phone rang and Rufus pushed the speaker button.
"Tseng? What have you found?"
"I'm bringing the files to your desktop now sir. I think you'll enjoy what I've found."
"Thank you, Tseng. I need you to keep track of AVALANCHE for me. And, if you want to hire Emma, or Eleanor, or who ever she is-"
"-Elena."
"Elena, then go ahead. She seems like she could be a good asset."
"Will that be all, sir?"
"Yes, thank you Tseng."
"Sir."
Rufus hung up and sat at his computer. He brought up the files Tseng had sent and smirked. He had the history of Cloud Strife, Aeris Gainsborough, Barret Wallace and Tifa Lockheart at his fingertips. Beginning in alphabetical order, he started with Aeris.
Tifa hugged her knees as she sat by the fire in the Kalm Hotel. Aeris was close by, leaning against a clothes chest and Cloud lay on a rug that was between both women. Red XIII was sound asleep in a corner, and Barret was snoring in a bed by the window.
"Tifa."
"Hm?" She looked over at Aeris, who wore a devious smile. She pointed at Cloud, who had fallen asleep on the rug. They both giggled and Aeris went on her knees and crawled past him, next to Tifa. She sat next to the bar maid and sighed.
"That was an interesting story Cloud told."
"...yeah."
"Hmm?" Aeris examined Tifa's face. "Is everything all right?"
"Yeah, its fine." Tifa lied, staring into the fire. She clenched her fists. "No, its not."
Aeris bit her lip, and placed a hand over Tifa's. "You wanna talk about it?"
Tifa licked her lips nervously, debating. She barely knew this flower girl, yet had become a part of her life so quickly. And Cloud trusted her, so why not...?
"It's just...Cloud's version of the story. It just doesn't quite add up. But my memory never did anyone any good, so I guess it must be the truth." She rested her chin on her knees.
"Your memories? What do you mean? Its your memory. What do you mean it never did anyone any good?"
"I don't really wanna talk about it," Tifa sniffed. Aeris pulled her hand away.
"...Okay."
Tifa looked up. Aeris began playing with her hair.
"Aeris?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks for listening, and...just...being my friend."
Aeris smiled broadly. "You're welcome, Tifa. I think you're a very kind person and...it dosn't matter what anyone else says. If you believe something, believe it with all your heart."
Tifa smiled and went back to staring at the fire. She fell asleep not too long after that, only waking up for a few seconds to see Aeris place a blanket over her.
Aeris poked the dying embers one more time only to completely put out the fire. Cloud had taken her fire materia just after they left Midgar, and Aeris wished that he had just let her keep it. Not to be prideful, but she was much better with magic than he was.
Aeris looked longingly at Cloud's armlet and saw a glint of green. She bit her lip nervously, and shivered slightly. She got on her knees and reached out slowly. His arms were folded, and he was curled into a little ball. She had to get her hand in between his arm and his chest to reach the materia.
Aeris held her breath as her hand slipped in and she felt the smooth orb underneath her fingers, grinning excitedly as she released it from the slot.
Cloud's eyes shot open as he grabbed the slender wrist and tightened his grip as he bolted upright. Aeris gasped.
"Cloud!" she whispered, "It's me!"
Cloud rubbed his eyes, still holding on to her hand. "Aeris? What are you doing?"
"Trying to use the fire materia you took from me yesterday to restart the fire."
"You could've told me."
"And wake you up? I didn't want to disturb you," Aeris turned away, shivering. Cloud let go of her hand and moved to the fireplace. It was blazing within seconds. Cloud sat down next to her.
"You're still shivering."
"I'll get warm in a minute." Aeris brought her knees up to her chin and hugged them, staring at the flames. The mercenary examined her as she smiled peacefully, blinking slowly. He gingerly touched her arm and she gasped again as she turned to look at him.
"I was just seeing if you were still cold."
Cloud came to his feet and walked over to the bed. He pulled a blanket off and sat down next to Aeris. He threw the blanket around her and smiled.
"Thank you, Cloud."
"I'm supposed to keep you safe, right?"
Aeris giggled as she snuggled underneath the blanket. "You're very honorable, keeping your word. I still haven't kept my side of the bargain."
Cloud looked at her thoughtfully. "There's plenty of time for that," he whispered.
Rufus had chased the group all the way to the Northern Continent. From the reports from Reeve, it seemed that wherever they were, Sephiroth would be only one step ahead. Chasing them was a smart move, and just recently the report on the death of the Ancient had made Cloud Strife rather upset and angry.
This was the point Rufus decided to step in to the battle field himself. He wanted to make sure the job was done correctly, and the needed that black materia.
A knock at the door of his office interrupted him.
"Come."
"Sir? The highwind is ready for takeoff."
"Thank you, Reno. How is Tseng?"
"He'll live, sir. He's cut up pretty bad, though. Elena's gone off the deep end cuz of it."
Rufus flipped his hair. "I don't want her compromising her job as a Turk, Reno. If she starts showing signs of weakness, I want her out."
"Yes, Mr. President."
"That'll be all."
Ah, I do enjoy a good CloudxAerith moment. Tee hee! I just wanted to add a little Cleris moment, hope thats okay. XD Anyway, I'll be doing alot of jumping in the story, because I want to have as much RuTi as possible. I gotta build it up of course, but I also want Rufus and Tifa to have as much time in this as possible.