Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)
Author's Note: Chapter Eleven...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)
Chapter Eleven: Instinctive Discoveries and Successful Investigations
The young woman's facial muscles gave a gentle twitch, as the brightened rays shining through the tiny crack between the ruby red fabric folds covering the window, finally began to take affect upon her senses, with her mind and body now processing nature's silent call.
She sighed lightly as her legs stretched out upon the cushioned surface, their toned shape forced to rise further, due to the obstruction from an unknown block of material, and soon they were lain atop, whilst her arms groped around for a non-existent duvet, which had previously unhindered her sleep, though now with the stir of conciousness, it became suddenly imperative.
Her eye lids flickered ever so slightly before opening to an unfocused gaze, her vision taking that little bit longer to adjust to her surrounding than a common blink, as her pupils had been covered for so long, they were now somewhat unprepared for the task required of them.
There was more than a hint of surprise in her crimson tinted gaze, when the young woman finally forced herself to take note of her surroundings; as instead of finding herself within the warm confines of her soft, slightly worn bed, she was seemingly sprawled out upon the dusty red sofa which was housed within her living room.
Her brow furrowed immediately, though as she raised herself from the now pressured sprung surface, the brunette came face to face with the damning evidence for her rather impromptu, and also elongated 'nap'; an opened book lay parted upon one of her legs, its spine in direct balance with her thigh, with the thin, crisp pages of as yet, unread fiction, splayed out with an almost delicate perfection, the smooth, fragility of their folds somewhat held against her skin within the slightest rustle.
It wasn't that the contents hadn't been particularly riveting, quite the contrary in fact, but, as usual, Tifa had seemingly made the decision to begin book's discovery rather late into the evening, and after working in the bar for most of the night and then giving it a good once over, she had rather physically and mentally exhausted herself, though in this light headed state she had misjudged her energy levels.
She gave a sigh of somewhat self-disappointment, though with the slightest edge of familiar understanding, before carefully lifting the weighty item by its hardened, smooth, printed coloured cover and bringing it to close with a gentle thud of controlled paper and ink, and proceeding to reach out and slide it onto the coffee table's glossy surface.
The next few minutes were spent aimlessly drifting her gaze about the room, in an almost dreamlike state of tedious disinterest, the thought of actually using any of her still resting muscles to launch herself from the ever so comfortable seat was a somewhat disillusioned desire, with her body seemingly very much willing to comply with her mind's non-existent demands.
Though this idle behaviour was brought to a rather unimpressed stop, as her slightly unfocused eyes narrowed, when their line of sight passed by the wall clock, which hung just above the stairway door, which itself was not fully closed, but rather 'a to', its wooden shape only motioning with the tiniest of swings, as the air both pushed and pulled in gentle succession.
As Tifa raised herself, she couldn't withhold the groan of tired non-compliance that quickly proceeded to rumble from her slightly parted lips, and although her brow was furrowed, the rest of her features seemed somewhat satisfied in the knowledge that although she did have to get up, she could at least take the process slightly slower than usual, as, for once, her schedule wasn't unreasonably busy.
She strolled across the corridor's pale, wooden board floor and after a short nip across the softly textured carpet of her bedroom, the young woman soon found herself within the comfortably sized confines of the en suite, where she quickly proceeded to slip of her pyjamas and step carefully into the bathtub, above which hung the shower head, whose mechanics were soon activated, allowing the small, pin prick holes upon the rounded plate, to produce a gush of pleasantly warm water, with a firm, yet not to powerful pressure.
Whilst underneath the pounding droplets, the young woman's thoughts began to wander, as the thinning steam and sensory aroma of shower products began to clear off the remaining dregs of heavy dream-orientated unawareness, bringing refreshing clarity to both her body and mind.
It had barely been one week since she had last seen, or in fact heard anything from the red headed Turk, and whilst elongated absences were common when concerning him, it was also rather uncommon for him to disappear without leaving a single message to at least explain or inform her of his plans.
Of course she understood that, with him being a Turk, sometimes it may not be possible for him to do so, especially if the mission was one of a rather sudden urgency, or indeed one of absolute secrecy, though still with this factor in mind, the young brunette couldn't halt the growing vines of suspicious unease which threaded though her insides like an invisible, yet painfully affecting weed.
The previous day she had in fact tried, as a somewhat last ditch attempt, to get a smidgen of news from Reno's fellow Turk's, though after a rather short phone call, all she had received as a lot of tense silence from the bald and a series of brush off's from the raven haired superior, although he did sound somewhat regretful about it, along with telling her to 'calm down' and 'just relax', which had of course, only infuriated her further.
With her mind still rippling with these new found ideas of distrust and uncertainly surrounding her friend, Tifa shut off the piece of bathing equipment with a single flick from her now, slightly wrinkled finger tips, before quickly proceeding to exit its reflectively slippery interior and steadying herself upon the towelled softness of the bathmat.
The room itself had become rather heated during her exploits, thus making the air almost thickened and closed in its density, with both moisture and warmth hanging within its mist-like wisps, which in turn seemed somewhat able to force the young brunette to leave the room much sooner than she had indeed intended, her form choosing the instantly more bearable atmosphere of her dry, cooling bedroom to complete the daily ritual which was both ordered and yet able to vary.
It didn't take her long to finish up, after all, she wasn't one to over think her appearance to such a level as some might believe, though it also wouldn't be correct to say she didn't care at all, but rather, as long as it fitted, was clean and somewhat flattering, she was happy.
After hanging up the dampened towel, and putting away the few small items she had used during her preparations, Tifa proceeded to make her way back across the lounge and into the kitchen, now with the order of breakfast being the next, most viable step.
Soon enough the kettle was boiled, and with its hot, almost painfully steaming contents poured within one of her favourite chocobo print mugs, along with a blackberry fruit tea-bag, the young woman placed it upon the table besides the already prepared bowl of frosties, and proceeded to seat herself, before rather rapidly consuming both of their contents.
After a short washing-up session, and a series of small burps caused by her hurried eating, she left the room, and strolled her way effortlessly down the stairway that separated the apartment, from her bar, which she soon entered.
As she made her way over the wooden floorboards, which creaked softly with every pressured step, her crimson-tinted gaze rolled over to the small, durable woollen weave mat neighbouring the bar's entrance, and the grey-white morning paper laying upon it.
Tifa gave a stiffened groan as she bent to pick the article ridden item up, though as her finger tips rubbed against the blackened ink, something seemed to click within her mind's mechanics, and a moment of sudden understanding possibility washed over her.
Her damp, brunette locks whipped around her neck as her head snapped over to the direction of the metallic till which nestled upon the bar top, and before either she could really register this new impulse, she had already hit in the code, and her hands were busy riffling through the various sections of orderly piled notes.
Tifa's eyes widened suddenly before proceeding to narrow as they focused upon the pure, whitened paper nestled in-between a folded five gil note, a payment which she recognised instantly as Reno's; he was the only one whom ever creased his notes in such a way.
As she opened it out to reveal the ink scrawls upon its surface, the young brunette's whole body seemed to react; her brow furrowing in distress, her skin tingling with unease, and her nerves on edge whilst they attempted to cope with the new dose of masked information.
She gave a sigh of frustration, as her insides continued to squirm, ''How could I have been so stupid...''
It was true, she really did feel as though she'd let the red head down for not seeing his message sooner, as he'd obviously expected her to, and as the young woman ran back up to her apartment, she cringed with with both embarrassment and shame.
A few moments later and Tifawassitting back at the kitchen table, with the city's phone book sprawled out in front of her, her fingers busy flicking through the thin pages, whilst her eyes scanned the many numbers and joint addresses and although there was no way to confirm it, her instinct told her that she was doing exactly what Reno had intended.
The clack from Tifa's small, softened heels, was hardly noticeable against the smooth cement-grey paving, along with the reverberating hum which echoed from the various surrounding streets, and yet her own chosen path seemed completely desolate.
Each house was lined up against each other, and every single numbered door seemed so shut off, and very much organized to an almost military perfection; it appeared to be a rather obvious, and yet ideal choice for a Shin-Ra worker to live.
Tifa had often heard that the company picked out their employee's residence, especially if they were of valued importance to the company, and whilst at first the post of 'secretary' might not sound so important, one whom worked directly for the President was, no doubt, held in some respect, if just for the identity of her boss.
As her crimson-tinted gaze passed along each frame, and each dullingly empty window, she seemed to drift off slightly, her mind wandering once more, causing her insides to clamp down for the second time that morning.
Now that she thought back to it, that night in the bar with Reno, when he had, now known to Tifa, handed her the concealed note, he had been acting so uncharacteristically strange, almost somewhat 'aloof'.
She couldn't be completely sure as to why, not as of yet anyway, but there was no denying the fact she was scared, and the brunette knew that technically...at that moment, there was no possible reason or need to feel as such, but then that almost posed the question as to whether she was scared for Reno or herself?
True he was a Turk, a Turk whom she had both battled and hated, though now things were different, it wasn't as if she'd taken the whole 'forgive and forget' thing literally, but there was definitely something honest about their new relationship. At first of course, she'd opposed the idea of even having him in the same room as her, but, as time went on, she couldn't deny the niggling voice in the back of her head, that told her, that maybe, even he, deserved a second chance.
And that was that, he'd always been funny, somewhat amusing company, and yet he could be adequately serious when needed; though the red head would usually made some crude comment or joke immediately following a straight conversation. With everything in mind, even Tifa couldn't deny that she'd become slightly attached to the young Turk, so now, with the sudden strangeness in his demeanour, and his even more suspicious disappearance, she had been left feeling both uneasy and unsettled.
Her face flicked back to reality as her searching vision came across a door which fitted the one which she sought with both anticipation and apprehension; black lacquered finished upon its once pale wooden surface, forcing it to shine, the pure darkened shade reflecting the white brilliance of the sun's rays.
For some reason as she lifted her hand, fist clenched, knuckles prepared to hit the hardened material with a gentle, yet confidently authoritative force, the young brunette's heart quickened in pace, as if her mind was finally catching up the following, probably revealing conversation she was about to force between her and the known, yet not exactly closely familiar female.
Her skin impacted with its chosen subject, before it quickly retreated back into the confines of her coat pocket, who's silken lining was somewhat pleasantly cold, and yet also shockingly jarring in its drastically different texture.
The soft sound of gentle padding could be heard from inside, before a rather hesitant turning motion of the metallic lock, proceeding which the door slowly drifted open, to reveal the young, mousey haired secretary, whom seemed rather coloured, and able, for someone whom was supposedly meant to be off with some devastating illness.
She didn't raise her gaze at first, but instead seemed intent keeping her eyes locked to the floor, as her head shock lightly in nervous refusal, ''Sorry, I'm not interested in- ''
The young brunette cut her off immediately with a friendly, yet forceful tone, ''Jane.''
Her eyes flickered behind her gold-rimmed glasses, and were soon attempting to hide the clearly visible glints of desperate concealment, within her falsely clueless smile, ''Tifa...what...what are you-''
The young home owner stopped this time of her own accord as the caller stepped forwards, her gaze latched upon her with painstaking determination, ''I need to talk to you...''
Tifa hand trailed across the velvety smooth material which covered the young secretary's sofa, as she sat patiently, her legs tensed together, though not so much out of nerves, but agitation, though this had nothing to do with the room that she had been directed to.
It was plain, no doubt about it, but it also seemed rather homely and comfortable, the simple design structure displaying that the young woman neither had nor wanted the clutter that so many other people seemed to fill their homes with, though that wasn't to say it was completely void of such items, for there were a few photos placed orderly upon the mantelpiece, clearly dusted and polished often, as them glass protectors showed with their brilliant shine and beside them, to the far right, stood a tall, blue-tinted vase, which held a triplet of pink dabbed carnations, with their emerald-veined stalks held within a shallow pool of crystal clear water.
The first thing Jane had done after inviting the young brunette in, and placing her within the living room, was to offer a beverage, which was proceeded with her listing them out with a large, and rather unnecessary quantity, but fortunately Tifa had managed to stop her seemingly half way through with the choice of tea.
Tifa sighed and glanced at her watch, realising just how long her host had been gone for, and either instead of using a kettle, Jane had decided to boil the water in a cup by holding a single lit match underneath, or it was some sort of futile attempt at avoidance.
The young woman's brow furrowed lightly, as she raised herself from the sprung seat, and made her way out of the living room, through the hall and into the kitchen, where she found a rather still Jane, whom was stirring a teabag within the created whirlpool of heated water absent-mindedly, seemingly lost within her own thoughts, as if trying to come up with some strategy for handling her new house guest.
One of Tifa's eyebrows twitched, rather more in amusement than annoyance, and when she revealed her presence there, her voice had a somewhat gentle teasing about its tone, ''You know I'm actually quite partial to stewed tea...''
The mousey haired woman jumped slightly, before swivelling her head around to face the known intruder, though her look of fearful apprehension soon disappeared and was replaced with a soft smile, ''Sorry, I was just...thinking.''
''Hm.'' The brunette nodded, taking the mug from her, enjoying the warming sensation the heated china brought to her palms, before focusing her gaze once more upon the secretary, ''I'd heard you were ill...''
Much to her surprise, the young woman was somewhat amused by the remark, as she chuckled lightly, ''Is that what President Shinra has been telling everybody?'' her smile halted rather abruptly, the eyes behind her lenses fogging slightly, as a weak disappointment came over her, ''Fantastic...when I go back-if I go back...everyone is gunna think I've caught some terrible disease...'' her voice lowered, as she mumbled to herself, ''I never take time off...''
Tifa had been both watching and listening with interest, ''Then I take it this 'recovery vacation' wasn't exactly your choice?''
''Hm...no...it was all rather...unexpected.'' She strained her final word with a hint of sarcasm, whilst the brunette crossed her arms in preparation for her task.
''Well, anyway...however bad this may sound...I didn't come to see you out of concern for your health.''
A knowing smile tugged at Jane's lips, ''Oh, I know.'' she waited until the brunette had finished with her raised brow reaction, before edging closer, ''So...what can I do for you?''
''It's Reno-'' The mousey haired secretary gave a deep grunt of vexation, though Tifa decided to continue nevertheless, ''...he's been acting strangely...and now...he's missing.''
Jane's brow furrowed in thought, before latching her gaze once again with the brunette, ''Do the other Turk's know?''
''Well yes, I called them but...they just brushed me off! But...you don't understand, he wouldn't leave without telling me, or at least leaving me a message...or something! And then there's this-'' Her hand fumbled around within one of her coat's pockets, before quickly producing the whitened, scribble-ridden piece of paper, ''-he handed this to me, well...sort of...he hid it in a five gil note that he paid me with, it was about a week ago now...but I only found it this morning.'' He tone drifted somewhat, as, once again that day, an overwhelming wave of shame and stupidity silently crashed over her.
The mousey haired woman observed her for a moment, before gentle prying the item out from within the tangled grasp of her fingers, and as she read the short garble of words imprinted upon its surface, her features contorted in concern.
Tifa gave a quiet sniff, though tears had not yet been allowed to fall, ''What is it?''
''It's just...the reason for my absence...from Shin-Ra...'' Jane's voice faltered, as the brunette's crimson-tinted gaze widened.
''You think it might be connected?''
She nodded hesitantly, as her mind processed the long conceived, though newly aired knowledge, ''President Shinra...I don't know how he knew...or why it was so important but...our conversation in the bar...he knew about it...he came to my home...he was here when I arrived back...and he knew...'' Jane paused only for a moment, before beginning again, though this time her tone was noticeably more suspicious, ''But it's not just that, he actually knew what we'd said, literally word for word...'' She stopped as she raised the mug's steaming rim to her lips, and before taking a sip, she muttered in angered amusement, ''...he didn't seem to appreciate my...openness...''
Tifa's mind flashed back, as clearly damning images whirling past; Reno's desperate gaze searching her bar, his forceful airing at the thought of her having the apartment done up as well, the concealment of his note, the words upon it, everything strange action over the past weeks...it all seemed so clear now, her lips allowing a knowing smile to play across them; It hadn't been an option for Reno to tell her directly, but he knew she'd be smart enough to figure it out, all she needed was that smidgen of information and guidance.
Jane's gaze was focused directly upon the brunette, her eyes flickering with silent agreement, as Tifa's wanted denial slowly disappeared, as the reality stepped in.
Cameras... She smiled sadly, both amused and unimpressed at her revealing stupidity, ''He's been watching me...''
Jane nodded, before allowing her face to light up suddenly, with a nervous fear, ''But...but if Reno gave you this note...even if he hid it...I can almost guarantee you that the President will know by now... ''
The brunette's own face paled, ''You think he might have done something?''
''I think it's highly possible...''
''Well then...'' Tifa's coat wrapped around her waist as she pulled the tie back up, her mug already lowered back to the kitchen surface, ''I think it's time we did some investigating...''
The mousey haired secretary blinked a few times, with widened, clueless apprehension,''We?''
Just over an hour later, the two women arrived at Reno's flat door, Tifa confidently stood beside its frame, whilst Jane trailed behind, somewhat nervous, and obviously uncomfortable at her new, rather strange surroundings, not to mention the fact she'd been practically dragged out from the house, which technically, under the President's orders, she wasn't suppose to leave, let alone leave to assist with the brunette bartender's escapades.
After knocking for several minutes, the young brunette got out her own set of keys, within which was held a replica cut of Reno's, an item she'd had made after he'd required her to keep watch on his flat whilst he went away on a rather lengthy mission, after all, it wasn't set within the safest of locations, and it was rather easy to check on, with the red head being so low maintenance.
They entered shortly after, and as she surveyed the area, Tifa couldn't help but notice the open curtains, and half empty bottle of whisky upon the coffee table, besides which sat a used tumbler, left untouched since its emptying; everything seemingly frozen in place, though it was the Television set that stood, blaring out with an unbearable hum, which drew her attention the most, an instinctive curiosity which only increased in intensity when her hand was allowing to feel the the blackened top, which was uncomfortably hot to the touch, and as she backed away, she cradled her fingers which, though left unmarked, burned, whilst Jane viewed the performance with a solitary raised eyebrow.
It was then that a rather insistent knock sounded from the young Turk's door, prompting the mousey haired secretary to leave Tifa to her musings, while she moved over to answer it. After lifting the latch away and freeing the space from the parting barrier, she was met with the sight of a what she assumed to be one of Reno's neighbours, their short black hair spiking off in all directions, whilst their clothes, with their age being predicted to be around the thirties, seemed to have been produced and designed for a ten year old, exaggerated by the lashings of displayed flag which hung unpleasantly about their midriff, along with the distinct presence of what looked like a beard, a darkened facial piece which made it rather hard for the poor secretary to tell whether it was a female or male.
The arrival was glaring at Jane with a heated anger, ''I thought I saw someone come in!''
''Erm hello...can I-''
''Listen Miss! Your red headed boyfriend has had that damn TV on non stop for almost a week now and I can't take it any more! It's driving me insane! I don't care if he's a Turk, he'll be a dead Turk if he carries on!''
Tifa came forward, the rant having been heard rather easily from within the living room, and the moment she laid eyes on the caller, her facial concern drifted, being replaced with a familiar ease, ''Oh hey Sarah...''
Jane sighed, inwardly relieved at having the 'woman or man?' debate ended within her mind, and outwardly pleased at now having some sort of back up.
The now known woman's face lightened at the familiar form, ''Tifa! Sorry, didn't see you there!''
The young brunette shook her head dismissively, ''That's ok, but did you say that its, I mean to say, the Television's...been on for a week now?''
''Yeah, about that...why?''
Because it was a week ago that- ''No reason...'' Tifa's eyes darted over to Jane before returning to the neighbour, ''Listen, I'm sorry about the disturbance, and I'll get it off right away!''
''Cheers.'' The woman walked off as the door came to a close, with the young brunette staring at the secretary, both looking at each other with worry, seemingly sharing the added feeling of unnerve at the new, rather silent revelation.
''Jane...I need you to do something for me.''
The mousey haired woman's gaze never faltered, and her tone was equally accepting, ''Yes?''
Tifa took a deep, yet quite breath, ''I need you to stay here for a while.''
''What?'' Jane's brow furrowed, obviously rather unconvinced by the idea
''Could you? I've just got something I need to do...and I think you'll be safer here...plus...if Reno comes back...'' The brunette's feature's dropped with a brief sadness, waving only for a moment, before once again softening, whilst Jane breathed out in a tried sense of defeat, ''Just stay here...please?''
The added plea, and the desperation painfully present within the young brunette seemed to break down all of Jane's defensive reasoning, and soon her head was drawn into a slow nod, ''Ok...but... I'm still not sure I understand what's going on? Why is President Shinra doing this?''
Tifa smirked lightly, her hand curling around the latch, as she pulled the door open once again, ''...I guess I'll have to ask him that.''
A/N= Sorry this took me so long to get out! I've been tied up with lots of things lately, and my best mate just came back from Uni, so I ended up spending most of my weekend with her!
Anyway, onto the chapter...
I thought I'd make this rather Tifa central, seeing as the last two have been rather focused on Reno's pov, or Rufus's...and I also know that I haven't actually written a chapter of late with Tifa and Rufus even sharing a conversation, but not to worry, the next chapter will almost definity have the pair coming face to face...mostly because I've already written a great deal of their confrontation, but anyway...
I also know I've told you I'd have some purely RufusxTifa chapters coming up, and although the pair will be in the next one, that chapter isn't one of the ones I'm talking about...that'll be a little bit (notice the word little there) later...
But yeah...I do believe that just because this fic is a RufusxTifa, it doesn't mean each and every chapter should focus upon them completely...romance, nor interesting plot can develop with just scene upon scene of those two talking...or doing anything else for that matter... but when the time comes, I'll make sure (well to the best of my abilities) that it's veeeerrrryyy satisfying...
Oh, and you're not suppose to know what Reno's note said...XD