Car Wash
by Chiharu Tanaka
A/n: I know this looks bad. I haven't updated in a gazillion years. But thanks to a wonderful reviewer and searching through my hard disk later, lo and behold, I found the chapters that I already wrote for this fanfic, until chapter 5, at least. So I decided to post them all up, although it's still not finished yet. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: The meaning of disclaimer is disclaiming something; knowing, believing, and saying that it isn't yours. Therefore, I disclaim FF7. Happy?
Chapter 3: The Red Ferrari
A few days later…
Cloud stared in awe as a shiny new red Ferrari came to the car wash. "Expensive cars really love it here…I wonder if it's Rufus ShinRa again…" he growled, still angered at Rufus who kissed Aerith's hand a few days ago. The car parked in front of the office, and out came Reno, and a man with long black hair and crimson eyes.
"Hey, Teef! Reno's here!" yelled Cloud. Waiting for Tifa to come, he observed the tall stranger. He was really fair, and his black hair seemed as if it came out of a Pantene commercial. "Weird…" he muttered.
"Yo~ Teef! Whassup?" said Reno, patting Tifa's head.
"Hi, Reno. That's some car you brought today…is that black-haired guy your boss?" she asked, pointing to the tall man. Reno smirked.
"Nah, that's Vincent Valentine. He's tagging along with me today," he said. Tifa eyed Reno curiously.
"Who are you two working for anyway? You never told me! You brought a BMW a week ago, now you brought a beautiful Ferrari convertible? Tell me, Reno!" she screeched, nagging him.
"Jeez, Tifa…you never asked who I worked for. Now that you did, I'll tell you. Vincent and I work for Rufus ShinRa, the Prez of ShinRa Electric Company. Happy now?" said Reno, ticked off a little. Tifa gasped and covered her mouth.
'No wonder he came here on Tuesday…' she thought. Vincent walked over to them.
"Good morning, miss…" Tifa smiled at him.
"Tifa Lockheart. Don't wear it out, Mr. Valentine," she said, poking his chest with her index finger.
"Okay, Miss Lockheart…I'll just sit inside…" he replied, before going inside.
After Vincent went in, talked business with Aerith and opened a magazine, Tifa asked Reno, "So, what do you work as?" Reno smirked.
"Well, I'm a Turk. Sorta like a bodyguard. They're 4 of us." Tifa nodded.
"And Vincent…?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, Vin's the personal assistant. He's got a big pay, walking around with Rufus all day. I think he's like Rufus's brother or something…he understands Rufus well…" replied Reno.
Tifa placed her hand on her chin. "Then…what's he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be at the office?" she asked Reno curiously. Reno laughed.
"That's the funny part. He's here because one of Rufus's executives is stalking him."
Tifa raised an eyebrow, curiously wondering which of the executives turned gay. "I know all five of them…which one's stalking him?" Tifa asked, clueless. Reno snickered.
"It's Sephiroth." Tifa burst out in laughter.
"Se…Sephiroth?" she said in between giggles. Reno laughed with her.
"Yeah, old Seph always had his eye on Vin…I always noticed that, haha," said Reno, laughing.
"Hey, Teef, time to clean the Ferrari!" said Cloud, in a somewhat excited tone.
"Okay, be right there, Cloud," she called back. "Reno, oh my GAWD, I can't believe Sephiroth, the best looking among the executives…and most macho too! He's GAY?" she screeched before laughing again.
"Okay, okay, relax, and go clean Prez Rufus' car already," Reno said, shooing her away.
Tifa ran to Cloud, still giggling. Reno sighed a little, before going inside. 'Seriously, Prez Rufus digs Tifa…' he thought. As he stepped in and sat beside Vincent, he noticed that Vincent was glaring at him. "What?" asked Reno nervously.
"Don't try to hide it from me, Reno…you told Tifa about Sephiroth didn't you?" said Vincent, obviously annoyed and VERY angry.
"Relax, Vin…it's gonna be soon when Seph proposes to you in front of the media…" said Reno, smirking. Vincent gritted his teeth and punched Reno on the arm...with the new 'claw' weapon prototype on his left arm.
Tifa laughed when she heard Reno's scream of pain. 'Vincent must've found out…' she thought.
"Kyah~ Rufus dah-ling!" said a voice.
Rufus winced in disgust. Scarlet walked up to him and hugged him. He pushed her off. "What do you want now, Scarlet?" he asked, annoyed.
Scarlet always wore very…revealing attire, usually in red, and always wore heavy make up on her face. Why, the amount of make-up she uses is enough to astound a Kabuki actor! Rufus snorted, thinking, 'She should remove that make-up…at least she'll look decent…'
"Why don't we have lunch together today? Or are you busy? Maybe a nice dinner should do instead. Kyah~" she said, her hands tugging Rufus's arm.
He simply said, "I'm busy, I won't be eating lunch. And I'm tired, so I'd prefer to eat alone at dinnertime." Scarlet's tears welled up in her eyes. She took a hanky and started crying crocodile tears.
"I knew it! You have someone else! You're just like your father…" she said in between sobs. Rufus slammed his hand on the desk.
"I. AM. NOT. LIKE. MY. FATHER." Scarlet just stood there, looking innocently helpless, when she was actually grinning, knowing she could use his late father against him. "I'm not like that bloody bastard, so shut up and get out of my office," he snarled.
Scarlet faked more tears as she pointed an accusing finger at him, "As if! You have other women! I knew it! And I was so stupid to trust you…kyah~" She cried and left the office with Rufus rolling his eyes sarcastically.
"To bloody hell with that bitch…" he cursed.
"Oh dear, are you alright, Mr. Reno?" asked Aerith, rushing to Reno. Vincent snorted.
"He deserved that." Reno just smirked.
"Yeah, since Sephiroth designed and made that claw thing…" Vincent gritted his teeth again and…
BAM.
"OOOOOOOOOUUUCCCCCCHHHH~~~#$^%*!" screamed Reno, wincing in pain. His bruise on the right arm became bigger when Vincent punched it again.
Aerith, feeling worried, said, "Oh dear, let me get the first aid kit…" then left to the locker room.
Reno held his right forearm. "Damn you, Valentine…" he growled in pain.
Vincent sarcastically remarked, "Maybe I should thank Sephiroth for forcing me to wear this…" Reno just snickered.
Outside, Cloud snickered loudly. "Ahh, so the great and mighty Sephiroth has a thing for men like Vincent…" They both heard Reno's scream and laughed again.
Tifa asked Cloud, "I wonder if he deserved that…" Cloud just nodded. They laughed again.
Cloud then changed the subject by saying, "Hey Teef…there's this new carnival downtown…you wanna come with me and Aerith?" asked Cloud, proud of himself that he had just asked Aerith out before Reno came. Tifa giggled.
"Nah, maybe I'll go with Zack and Yuffie. I wouldn't wanna spoil the lovebirds' fun, now do I?" she asked Cloud teasingly. Cloud just blushed. "When are you going anyway?" asked Tifa.
Cloud replied, "Well, today's Friday, so I'm taking her tonight…" with a blush on his face.
Tifa smiled, while deep down inside she was sighing. 'I would want to go out to the carnival with the guy I like…at least Vincent's got an admirer that I think he admires…' she thought before dipping the sponge in a pail.
"Seriously Prez…why are you asking me to go there and make Tifa wash ALL of your cars for you?" asked Reno, handing Rufus his car keys with his left arm. His right arm had a sling on it.
"Shut up, Reno. What's with the sling?" Rufus asked. Reno sighed.
"If I tell you, Sephiroth's future wife would punch me with that claw of his!" he remarked.
Vincent, who was standing behind Reno, said, "I heard that," in a low, dangerous tone.
Reno gulped nervously and said, "Gotta run," before running towards the employee carpark. Vincent just snorted. Rufus smirked.
"Future wife? Are you going to invite me, lad?" asked Rufus, patting Vincent's back.
"I'd rather be dead…" he muttered.
Sephiroth, who was heading towards the carpark himself, spotted Vincent standing beside Rufus. He instantly ran towards Vincent. "Vinneh! There you are~~" Vincent winced.
Rufus spoke to him and said, "Looks like someone got infected by Scarlet's disease…" Vincent sighed, before feeling Sephiroth wrap an arm around him. Rufus just chuckled. "I'll be in my Ferrari, if you need me…" he said, before leaving poor Vincent in the clutches of the homosexual executive.
Tifa looked behind her, as she thought she heard someone screaming for help. 'Must be my scatterbrain,' she thought, before grabbing her knapsack and walking out of the locker room.
She spotted Aerith and Cloud walking outside. She sighed. 'Going to the carnival. Hmph.' She was jealous that Cloud took Aerith out, while she was left all alone by herself. 'Cloud and Aerith will get married, and I'll be a cranky old lady with 27 cats,' she thought, sighing. She read her watch, and it said: 5:15 p.m.
Tifa walked out the car wash and headed for the subway. "Which I have to pass the carnival…great…" she muttered miserably. As she was walking by, a car was following her. Watching her every move. As a warm summer wind blew by, she shuddered uneasily. Through her peripheral vision, she saw the car. 'Some bastard is following me…I'd better run,' she thought before running. As she ran, the car followed her.
"Damn!" she cursed. She made a quick turn into a dark, narrow alley. As she ran, she realized doing so was a big mistake. A high wall blocked her way. She was at a dead end.
The car skidded at the enterance of the dead end alley, and a few professional gangsters jumped out of the car. They had knives and beaters with them. Tifa gulped, now really afraid. She silently prayed to God to send help. Nothing happened. The gangsters were coming closer. "C'mon, lil' lady…we just want to play with you. We won't hurt you…" she heard one say. She realized the only way out was to fight. She readied herself into a fighting position.
"Fighting back, huh?" said an ugly one at the back. "Let's get 'er, boys!" Tifa dodged the cut of the first gangster. She jumped high and landed on the first guy's head. He was knocked unconscious. The second one side-swinged at her with a beater, but she dodged it by bending down and counter-attacked with a fist uppercut on the man's jaw, before giving him a nice somersault. He was knocked backwards, and landed on top of a big closed rubbish bin.
The leader, the ugliest one, yelled, "What're you standing there, get her!" The third guy swinged a sword at her using a stabbing movement. She dodged it by somersaulting over him before giving him a painful side kick to his arm. He flinched. Tifa smiled in confidence, until she heard the sound of a loaded gun.
"Play with us, yeah, little missy? Well, now you're going to suffer," said the leader, holding a gun. The third guy took out his own gun, and the second one aimed the gun at her with his gun as well. 'Shit…' she thought in fear.
All wasn't well for Tifa, until gunshots were heard. She closed her eyes, and then opened them when she realized none of the goons pulled the trigger. 'Then…where did that gunshot come from?' she thought to herself. A gunshot was heard once more in the dark alley, and it hit the leader's left arm. "Argh…" he winced in pain. They all aimed their guns to the one who shooted the leader and shooted a few bullets. Their plan didn't seem to be working, as the shooter hit the leader again. The second guy carried the first one back into the car. "Retreat!" yelled the leader. He went into the car with the third guy. Tifa just stood there while the gangsters sped off like chickens.
"Are you all right?" said a voice. Tifa gasped.
'I know that voice…but…where?' she thought, feeling a little panicky. The alley was dark, so she could barely see the guy who saved her.
"R…Rufus ShinRa? But what are you doing here?" Tifa screeched, finally recognizing the figure before her. He still had his poker-faced expression, eyeing her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, still as emotionless as he always was.
Tifa rubbed her arm nervously. "No…I'm OK. I'm…sorry to cause you any trouble, Mr. President…" she muttered uneasily. Why wouldn't she? The guy had enough authority to throw her to life imprisonment! A cold wind blew through her, and she shivered nervously. She just stood there, waiting for the young President to say something.
"Good."
The short answer made Tifa feel guilty all of a sudden. She realized he was there alone, without any of his Turks. He could have been killed by the gangsters. Tifa just stared at him, pondering on what to do. Rufus just kept silent, before turning his heel towards the other direction. As he reached outside the dark alley, Tifa decided to give it a shot. "W…wait!" she stammered.
Rufus turned to her casually, and flipped his hair. "Yes?" he asked.
Tifa blushed. 'Get a grip, Lockheart! You can't show him what a girly girl you are! Talk!' she thought, then shook her head violently. "Right. I'd like to repay you for saving my life, Mr. President," she said, sounding more firm and attentive.
He chuckled, a smile plastered on his face. "Repay me?" he asked.
"Yes, I know I can't repay you with money, since you're rich already, but I owe you one. You understand, right?" she asked, fiddling with her fingers. Rufus raked his fingers through his hair.
"Well, I think I know how you could repay me," he said, after doing some thinking.
Tifa looked up at the tall man. "Well…what is it? I'd gladly do it, unless you're going to do something bad to me…" she said with anticipation, her speech trailing off.
Rufus smiled. "I won't harm you, don't worry."
Tifa sighed in relief. 'He isn't like his father after all…' she thought. Tifa looked at him, and he was still smiling at her. She smiled. 'He looks much better when he smiles,' she added in her thought, blushing slightly.
"You'll repay me with a date," he abruptly said. Tifa blushed, her mind panicking.
"D…date?" she asked nervously.
Rufus smirked and said, "Well, you said you owe me one and a date seems harmless enough." Tifa nodded.
"Okay. When is it?" she asked.
"Right now. You're coming with me to the carnival," he replied casually.
"Umm…no offesnse, Mr. President, but…aren't you very recognizable in that outfit?" Tifa asked, feeling her fear of him slowly slipping away. He smirked at her again.
"If you care to wait for me, I'll change."
Tifa blushed. "Umm, I don't mind. Where are you going to change?" she asked, knowing that she must've sounded really stupid.
"At my house, of course. Are you following?" he asked, turning to her.
Tifa just stood there for a while. She was still wearing a white t-shirt and a long sleeved red shirt over it, and her blue ¾ jeans. 'Still casual,' she thought. "Okay, I'll follow," she said, giving in. She walked over to the right front door of his car, which she noticed, was the red Ferrari Reno brought that morning. She put her hand out to open the door, but Rufus caught her wrist.
"No, please, let me," he said, then opening the door for her.
"Thank you, Mr. President," she uttered, blush still on her face.
She climbed in and sat down. She was fastening her seatbelt when Rufus climbed in from the other side of the convertible. "By the way, Tifa Lockheart…just call me Rufus," he said, winking at her.
To be continued…
A/n: To be honest, I haven't read this in 6 years...so I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this. Anyway, reviews are very appreciated, as always.