Chapter 2: A Flying Escape
As the whole of Junon shook as Weapon crashed into the town, Tifa Lockheart was still locked up inside the gas chamber. Chained by her wrists to the metal chair and unable to move, she had no idea what was going on outside. She heard the sirens and the faint sound of gun and cannon fire, but whether Junon was winning or losing, she could not tell. Twisting her body round, Tifa turned to the door, about to shout and demand some answers, but stopped as she heard a hissing sound behind her. She turned back. The hissing came from the large pipes around her. As she realised this, she smelt the bitter, deadly scent of gas.
"Gas!!" Tifa squirmed in her chair, striving to pull her wrists free of the locks that bound her. She could barely move her arms. "Barret, help!!" she called.
Barret's muffled voice came through the metal door. "Hold your breath!" he told her. "Hold on as long as you can!"
Tifa turned her head away from the pipes. Taking a deep, deep breath, taking in as much free oxygen as she could get before the gas consumed it, she held it deep within her lungs. She could feel the gas blowing hotly across her face, surrounding her, choking her. It would not be too long before the whole chamber was filled with the noxious gas. Tifa twisted her head this way and that and kicked out, her lungs already beginning to burn with the need for more air. "Come on!" she shouted, her feet thudding against the bottom of the chair. "I can't hold on forever!"
Outside, Barret continued to pull on the door. His muscles were burning. Sweat caked his arms and face, and the veins on his neck and arms had risen to the surface. He grunted and groaned with the effort, pulling in every ounce of strength he had to pry open the door and rescue Tifa from her horrible fate. He lodged his gun-arm into the gap between the door and the handle and pulled with all his might.
The door refused to open.
Barret sagged and released the door, his muscles unable to pull anymore. The door would not budge, nor was it giving any signs of it ever moving. Barret snarled angrily and found enough energy to give the door a harsh punch with his good hand—an effort that jarred the muscles of his hand and sent painful shivers up his left arm.
"Shi-!" Barret cursed, more at the door than at his pained hand. He turned away from the door and ran to Cait, who was waiting in the middle of the room, watching him with a thoughtful expression on his furry face. Barret gestured at the door to the gas chamber. "The gas room's probably locked from a different room!"
Cait nodded absently, as though he wasn't really listening but making up his mind about something. Sensing that Barret was rapidly growing irate, the cat quickly sat up straight and nodded confidently. "Hmm, we gotta go with a different plan," he said. He turned the Mog around to face the other door—the one leading outside. "Let's get out of this room first," he said.
Barret eyed the cat suspiciously. Despite Cait's apparent helpfulness, the former AVALANCHE leader could not trust him completely just yet. After a split second's careful thought, Barret turned back to the gas chamber and shouted: "Tifa! I'll help you, I promise!" He then turned back to Cait, who was already moving and bouncing away on his Mog toward the other doors with Naruto behind him. Barret hesitated, and then ran after him.
Barret caught up to Cait just as the cat was about to push on the double doors. They swung open with ease. Cait bounded through and paused in the corridor beyond, waiting for Barret to catch up.
The instant Barret passed through the double doors and entered the corridor, the doors suddenly hummed with life and swung shut. Barret spun around in time to hear a loud click that was the doors locking shut. Running back to the doors, Barret took hold of the handles and pulled with all his strength. But these, like the door to the gas chamber, were locked tight and refused to budge even a millimetre.
"No! They locked this too!" Barret cried, glaring at Cait accusingly over his shoulder.
From the other side of the door, the two heard a familiar, cackling laugh.
"Fools!" they heard Scarlet say. "Now you can't save the girl!
Barret stepped away from the door. Clenching his fist tightly, he slammed it hard against the metal. The sound that came from the blow reverberated down the corridor. Above it was the sound of Scarlet's hideous laughter, mocking and revelling in what she deemed her greatest triumph. There was nothing Barret could do to stop the laughter, or to stop Tifa from suffering the torment of her execution.
"Goddammit……!!" the man cursed fiercely. How he longed to break through these doors and wring Scarlet's skinny neck; watching her eyes go dead as he choked the life out of her. Barret could not forgive himself. It should be him locked in the gas chamber, not Tifa! How could he have let this happen to her? How could Cloud have left them like this—in Shinra's grasp without a hope of saving themselves?
Barret's angry musings were interrupted when he heard Cait's softly spoken words coming from behind him. "Okay, okay," the cat was saying quietly, so no one on the other side of the door could hear him, "time for Plan B. Let's run to the airport!"
Barret came away from the door and looked at Cait in astonishment. "Why the airport?" he demanded angrily. "An' leave Tifa there?" He jabbed his gun-arm at the locked door, where Scarlet's crowing laughter could still be heard over the siren.
Naruto then filled him in. "Cid and the others should of taken over the Airship by now. They're waiting for us. We'll mauver the airship around to get Tifa. Now let's go!" Without waiting for Barret's consent, Naruto and the cat turned and began to move quickly along the corridor.
Barret watched the cat closely, once again trying to decide if the cat was being sincere or whether there was some sinister, devious side to his suggestion. Cait was the one, after all, who had arranged the kidnap and holding of his adopted daughter, Marlene. Cait was the one who had stolen the Keystone from them all those weeks ago and gave it to the Shinra. He was a spy and a traitor. No matter what the cat did to try to repent what he did, he was still an employee of Shinra and thus an enemy.
An image of Tifa flashed through his mind. In his mind's eye he saw, locked inside the gas chamber and unable to get out. Tifa was coughing and choking, dying so horribly slowly as she was forced to breathe the toxic gas that was consuming her. She was on her knees, clawing at the door with trembling hands. She was crying. Her eyes were red and swollen, bulging out of her head as she clawed for air. Those swollen eyes turned to Barret, pleading desperately for him to save her.
That image was enough to make Barret's mind up. He left the door and began to run down the corridor after Cait and Naruto. His pace picked up with each step until he was charging down the corridor, his boots thudding loudly on the concrete floor. He overtook Cait, leaving him behind as he and Naruto sought to make his way out of this building and reach the airport. He didn't know how the airship was going to help, but if there was a chance that it could save Tifa then it was worth a shot.
The three left the Shinra building and came out on the main road beside the dock. The soldiers that had patrolled the streets had now scattered. The only people still on the road was a cameraman and a young reporter, who braved the gunfire and splashing water to film a report on Weapon's attack. Barret paid no attention to her, though the back of his mind said she looked somewhat familiar.
Barret came to a stop and looked up at the orange-red sky that now covered the Planet. Meteor hung like a huge blemish in the sky, forever a reminder of what was to come. For a moment Barret wondered if there was a way to destroy it—to stop what Sephiroth had created. He shook his head. This was no time to be thinking of that! He had to save Tifa. He turned his head away from the sky and was about to run off, when he noticed that the young reporter was standing right in front of him.
"I know you're in a hurry!" said the girl in a high, equally familiar voice. "But, please if I could have a word……"
Barret raised his fists threateningly. "Shu'up!" he snapped. "I'm in a hurry!"
At his words the girl jumped back in fright, almost dropping her microphone. She quickly caught it and held it close to her chest, glaring at Barret. "Don't make so much noise," she scolded Barret sternly. "……It's me, ME! Yuffie!" Pulling away part of her disguise, she grinned at Barret.
Barret finally recognised the young ninja. "The hell you doin' here!?" he demanded.
Before Yuffie could answer, a loud explosion shook the town. The road shook beneath them, causing Naruto, Barret, Cait and Yuffie to totter and stumble. Cait rolled off the back of his Mog, catching hold of the Mog's back and holding on as the shaking continued. Naruto and Yuffie's ninja skills allowed them to quickly regain their balance, and they both turned to look at the ocean.
More soldiers stopped to look as they saw Weapon begin to rise out of the water. The monstrous form of Weapon rose out of the ocean, water slicking over its blue-purple body as it rose slowly and steadily. Its head rose, small in comparison to the rest of its body, but no one paid any attention to that. A long upturned triangle of flesh or metal shielded the lower half of Weapon's face. Two large yellow eyes with cat-like pupils stared menacingly on Junon. These ominous eyes gazed intently over the town, taking in every sight and locating the vital spots.
Yuffie turned away from the docks. Her face was pale. "I'll explain later!" she said, her voice trembling. "Now we gotta get to the airport!" Throwing down her microphone to the ground, she began to strip off her reporter's guise and return to her true form. Barret began to wonder what the ninja had done with her shuriken, when he saw that it was strapped to her leg. Yuffie had disassembled the razor ring when donning her disguise, keeping the pieces close to her body should she have need of them. Now she worked to put the pieces back together even as she followed Naruto, Barret and Cait as they ran down the road toward the airport.
Naruto dug into his pocket and extracted his phone which he had liberated from one of the soldiers in the broadcast room along with all his other effects. He dialled Gaara's number and set the speaker phone on. Gaara answered quickly, as if he had been expecting the call.
"Is it time?" he asked.
"Yeah! Get Cid to warm up the engine cause we're taking off as soon as we get there!"
"Rodger!" the phone went silent, indicating that Gaara had hung up.
The group were just starting to think that they would reach the airport without incident when they ran into a trio of soldiers. The soldiers were trying unsuccessfully to reassemble one of the smaller attack units that had been damaged when Weapon crashed into the town. The machine, called Death Machine, was smoking heavily and was clearly beyond repair.
One of the soldiers looked up as the three companions approached. He recognised them instantly and called to his comrades, who came away from the Death Machine and picked up their rifles. They opened fire upon the three.
The three came to a stop, raising their arms to shield themselves as the bullets flew past them. The soldiers were so nervous as a result of Weapon's assault that they could not aim straight, and as such were unable to hit the three directly. But the bullets whizzed past as such an alarming rate that they were just as dangerous.
The last piece of the razor ring clicked back into place. After spotting a gap in the flurry of bullets, the ninja flung her shuriken away from her. The shuriken zipped through the air in a straight line toward the nearest of the soldiers. It struck the soldier's rifle, jarring it from his hands where it clattered to the floor. The shuriken then twisted around and caught the second soldier in the side of his helmet, stunning him. The weapon then spun and made its way back to Yuffie, who caught it.
"Katon: Goukaku no Jutsu!" called Naruto as he took a deep breath. A huge fireball, while it did not reach them, sure as hell scared them. He stopped the technique for Barret to have his turn. Raising his gun-arm, he took aim not at the soldiers but at the damaged Death Machine that was smoking behind them. He let loose a continuous flood of bullets. The Death Machine shuddered as the bullets struck. When Barret stopped the machine laid still, electricity crackling over its body.
The robot juddered and began to stand. With each movement there came the grate of metal on metal, and sparks flew from its damaged interior. It was so alive with electricity that Yuffie could feel the hair on her neck standing on end. But the soldiers, so preoccupied with rearming their weapons, did not notice as the robot lumbered up behind them.
"Hey, look behind you, bozos!" called Yuffie.
One of the soldiers turned. At the sight of the malfunctioning robot looming over him, he gave a petrified cry and dropped his weapon to the ground. Pushing past his two comrades he fled from it, running past Barret and Cait in the process. The other two soldiers then turned and followed suit, screaming in terror as the broken robot came to a stop, gave another final shudder, and then exploded where it stood.
Barret and his two companions once more raised their arms to shield themselves as hot flames and smouldering robot parts were sent flying through the air. The road became clogged with smoke. The flames were hot against their skin, the smoke choking their every breath. But the wind soon blew the smoke and flames clear and the four ran on, leaping over the charred remains of the Death Machine as they continued on their way.
The rest of the route to the airport was an easy one. None of the soldiers left on the road dared to oppose them. Most of them were too busy doing other things to take any notice of the escapees. Those who did notice were too scared to do anything to stop them. A single look into Barret's angry eyes and Yuffie, Naruto and Cait's fierce expressions were enough to send them fleeing back to their commanders.
They stormed the building that led to the airport. The few soldiers left guarding the building pressed themselves against the walls in fear as the four charged in, weapons drawn, with Barret yelling commands that they had better not interfere. No one did, and the four quickly headed for the airfield.
Cait led the way over to the cargo lift. Motioning for Barret, Naruto and Yuffie to hurry up and get on, he stamped his foot down on the 'On' button. The lift shuddered and began to rise, carrying the three up to the top level where the airships were docked. When the lift finally came to a stop the three jumped off and ran across the platform.
The airship was docked at the far end of the airport. It was the same airship that Rufus and his company had used to travel to the far northern caves and bring them all back to Junon. The propellers were spinning very quickly, even though it was in standby.
"Hey guys! Up here!"
The four looked toward the airship to see Aeris waving. "C'mon! Get on!" Not needing to be told twice Naruto and Yuffie started climbing the ladder swiftly. Barret and Cait were a little slow but they managed to get to the platform. Aeris smiled warmly before noticing something. "Where's Tifa?"
Barret explained as Naruto ran to the bridge. There in the pilot spot was Cid.
"Cid, Tifa is still trapped in Junon. Can you fly round and see if you can rip open a hole in the side of the building?" said Naruto quickly.
"Can do! Hold on tight and we'll….. What the hell?! What's that!?" Cid said, pointing to the front. Naruto looked as well.
Weapon continued to stare at Junon, glaring at the town through yellow eyes filled with hatred and contempt. The large monster finally chose its target. It lowered the large shield that masked the lower half of its face, revealing a large gaping mouth that was not filled with teeth but large, jagged bits of metallic flesh. Weapon lifted its head clear of the shield, its frightening mouth opened wide, and turned it on Junon.
A glow began to form deep within Weapon's jaws. The light was faint at first but rapidly growing brighter, filling Weapon's entire mouth, glowing like a beacon in the middle of the ocean. The monster narrowed its eyes and drew back its head as the blaze grew brighter still, and becoming so fiercely hot that the air around it began to waver and ripple like the waters it surrounded.
When Weapon was ready it thrust its head forward, and a narrow beam of blue light fired from the monster's open mouth. The blast was so powerful even Weapon struggled to control it; its head shook as it fought to keep the beam under control and on target. The energy beam fell upon the base of Junon's main control tower, cutting a long, jagged gash through the thick metal and leaving a gaping hole in the side of the tower. Thankfully for the town the beam did not burn any further than that, but it left that part of the tower vulnerable to another strike.
Weapon was preparing another strike. Its head tilted as it took aim, stretching its monstrous maw wide. The inside of its mouth began to glow brightly once again, so bright even Weapon had to narrow its eyes to protect it from the light. Weapon drew its body back, preparing for the blow.
Weapon was just about to fire again when the mako cannon suddenly fired and hit the monster right in the middle of its hideous face. The monster was forced backward, smoke and flames engulfing the upper half of its body and shards of broken flesh falling to the water. Its two large fins fell limp at its side as Weapon began to tumble over, sinking headfirst into the safety of the ocean waters. From there it disappeared beneath the surface, either horribly wounded or dead.
"That's made it a lot easier," mumbled Cid as he piloted the airship round Junon. Naruto spotted something and looked closer. "It's Tifa. Cid, mauver the ship to just under the edge of the cannon. I'm going outside."
"You got it! Take care!" called Cid as Naruto ran outside.
Tifa was about halfway down the wall when she heard a shout from above. Looking up, she saw Scarlet standing on the edge of the gash leading into the gas chamber. She was screaming in rage and pointing at Tifa. Two soldiers came out of the chamber behind her and began to scramble over the ridge.
Tifa put her head down and began to climb down faster. She kept her gaze fixed on the wall, determined not to let either the height or the advancing soldiers stop her from making her escape.
Tifa reached the end of the wall, which joined onto the heavy machinery that held the giant mako cannon in place. The fighter leapt the last few feet and landed on the machine, which hummed beneath her feet. She did not stop and began to run away from the wall, scrambling over the rises and falls, jumping over the joints and pipes, heading for the barrel. When she reached the barrel she leapt onto it, almost losing her balance on its smooth surface.
Tifa finally came to a stop at the far end of the cannon's shaft. She realised her mistake instantly. By coming down the cannon's shaft, she had left herself with nowhere else left to run. Behind her was a sure path right back into a Shinra dungeon, or worse, another execution chamber. Ahead of her was the end of the shaft and a long drop into the raging ocean below. Tifa took a step back away from the edge, preparing to turn and attempt to make a break for it, when she heard Scarlet's insufferable voice coming from behind her.
"Our little game of hide and seek ends here."
Slowly Tifa turned, sighing heavily as she spotted Scarlet walking up the shaft. The woman had her hands on her hips and walked with a definite swagger, hips swaying as she walked up the shaft toward Tifa. Her expression was a smug one, lips pressed together in a thin, wide smile, eyes glazed in the moment of glory. And she had a right to be smug, for Tifa had nowhere else left to run. The two soldiers walked up a few feet behind Scarlet, ready to catch Tifa if she tried to run.
Scarlet stopped in front of Tifa. The woman was so close Tifa could smell her perfume. A nice fragrance, she thought. Shame it was on such an evil witch.
Scarlet flicked her hair out of her eyes. "The execution may have been unsuccessful," she began, her voice smooth and callous, "but your death by falling from here and crashing into the water below might still be pretty exciting."
She stopped when she saw that Tifa was not listening. The younger woman was wiping her boot against the back of her leg, her arms behind her back, not looking at Scarlet, making a show of the fact that she was not paying attention. Scarlet's face twitched. Walking up to Tifa, she slapped her hard across the face. Tifa staggered and nearly lost her balance, holding her cheek in her hand.
"Stuck up to the end!" hissed Scarlet.
Tifa looked down at her hand. Four specks of blood stained her fingers where Scarlet's long, painted nails had cut through the skin. Tifa looked up, eyes blazing.
"Quit slapping me! You old wench!!!"
Tifa stood straight and brought her hand up, striking Scarlet across her face. She did not draw blood, but she slapped hard enough to make Scarlet fall back. Scarlet brought her hand, trembling, to her face. She winced at the soreness of the skin, and her lips turned down into a fierce scowl. Raising her fist she returned the slap.
This time Tifa was ready for her. She did not defend herself but allowed Scarlet's hand to strike her face, making her cheek sting painfully. Tifa did not stagger and kept her balance. The moment Scarlet's hand left her face Tifa caught hold of it with her left hand, tugging Scarlet toward her. With her right hand she then slapped Scarlet repeatedly, literally wiping the smirk from her face. After the third strike Tifa let go and Scarlet fell onto the floor, her hair over her face, her cheek red and sore.
"God! I can't stand it," wailed Scarlet, sobbing. She spent a few moments pushing her hair away from her face, trying to sort it orderly behind her head. After regaining her composure and trying to restore a little of her glamour, she stood up and faced the anxious soldiers behind her. "Take her away," she ordered. As the soldiers came forward, Scarlet turned back to Tifa, the smug smile once more on her face. "Now it's time to pay up. I'll really drop you if you don't settle down!" She laughed.
Tifa grunted as the soldiers came forward. There was no point in her trying to run. She would not make it past Scarlet and the soldiers, and the only other way led to a sure death crashing into the ocean. She was just about to concede defeat and allow the soldiers to arrest her, when she heard a voice speak faintly…
Run…
Surprised, Tifa looked up and around her, wondering where the voice had come from. The voice was strangely familiar. She looked at the soldiers advancing on her. She looked at Scarlet, staring at her through wild eyes and laughing in delight. None of them had spoken, so who…?
Run to the end of the cannon!!!
Tifa obeyed at once, turning away from the soldiers and starting to run rapidly down the shaft toward the end of the cannon. She was running to certain death, of that she was sure of, but even if she did die, she would at least die with the satisfaction that she did not die at Scarlet's hands. The soldiers made no attempt to hurry after her—after all, where could she go?
Then a whirring noise began to sound, faint at first but swiftly growing louder, as though something large and powerful was approaching. Tifa and the soldiers skidded to a stop and looked ahead in complete wonder and surprise as a Shinra airship suddenly rose from beneath the cannon, rising slowly and hovering next to it. Painted in red paint across the side of the airship was the name 'Highwind', along with a picture of a woman dressed in a red bikini and with long, flowing red hair.
Standing on the airship's outer deck was Barret and Naruto. The big man jumped up as he saw Tifa, waving his arms at her and shouting for her to run. Tifa complied, beginning to run for the cannon's edge even as the soldiers and Scarlet continued to stare in amazement.
The airship began to rise. Naruto took hold of the long length of strong rope and threw it over the side of the ship. The rope slid down the side of the ship, falling past the cannon and swaying barely within reach of the cannon.
The soldiers had noticed Tifa was running now and quickly chased after her, trying to catch up to her before she could reach the rope and escape. Tifa glanced over her shoulder, saw the soldiers catching up to her, and tried her hardest to run faster. As she neared the end of the cannon she stretched her arms out, trying to grab hold of the rope as it swayed just within reach. But by the time she reached the end and jumped off, the rope had swayed out of reach again and she fell.
Tifa fell, her arms stretched up to the sky as she saw the airship rising rapidly away from her. The rope came within reach again and she quickly caught hold, sliding down a good few metres before she was able to get a secure hold. The rope burned through her leather gloves—she could feel the heat in her palms. But she did not let go and held on tight as the rope swayed perilously back and forth. On deck Naruto and Barret gripped the other end of the rope tightly, determined not to let go and let Tifa fall.
Naruto shouted out an order and the ship began to move, flying away from Junon and heading out across the sea and into the horizon, carrying Tifa with it.
"You okay?" asked Barret.
Tifa was sat on deck, catching her breath after her terrifying ordeal. Her hands burned from holding onto the rope, and her cheek stung as a cold wind blew across her face. Her eyes were bleary from the wind—so she told herself—and she could barely make out the forms of Barret, Naruto and Cait as they stood around her.
"My cheek hurts a bit," she admitted, rubbing at her sore cheek. The bleeding had stopped, though she would have a reminder of Scarlet for a few days. Tifa was not too bothered—Scarlet would have marks for a good while longer. Tifa wiped her eyes, and looked up at the two. "Forget about that, what's all this about?"
"We nicked the 'Highwind' so now we can go anywhere we want to," said Naruto. With that he and Cait turned and walked away. Barret waited before following them. Tifa stared as the three disappeared through a door.
Tifa headed for the door leading into the ship. She was just about to take hold of the handle when a loud moaning, groaning sound cut through the roaring of the wind blowing through the propellers that powered the ship. Stepping away from the door Tifa turned and looked about the upper deck, until she spotted the source of the slurred groaning.
It was Yuffie. The young Wutai ninja was slumped heavily against the rails bordering the deck, her head leaning over the side. Her face was pale, with a green tinge to it, and she had one hand clamped tightly over her mouth as she groaned. Remembering the ninja's abhorrence to travel other than by foot, Tifa kept a wide berth and slid through the door and descended down the stairs leading into the ship.
When she walked inside she was hit with choking smell of oil and heavy machinery. The sound of the engines whirring and humming drummed loudly inside her head, making the blood pound. Tifa groaned and put a hand to her head, wishing that the noise would stop. The stench of the oil made her cough and didn't help her already pessimistic mood, but she tried to put all these thoughts aside as she descended the stairs and headed toward one of the bridges. Cait turned the Mog around. "Come on! Everyone is waiting!" The Mog hopped away, going up a set of stairs and disappearing through the door. Barret followed, not noticing Tifa standing at the end of the bridge.
"Everyone? Everyone is here?" said Tifa to herself. For an instant her heart lifted and she tore down the bridge, boots clattering on the metal grating, and leapt up the stairs. She burst onto the deck beyond and skidded to a stop, her heart falling.
Everyone was not there. She looked around and saw all of her friends. She saw Barret and Cait; Barret heading toward his spot at the front of the deck. She saw Vincent standing with Naruto, Gaara, Aeris and Nanaki on the far side of the deck.
She saw Cid, standing proudly at the ship's helm. He was looking over the shoulder of a young man dressed in a Shinra air uniform, criticising him quite harshly about his sloppy piloting skills. Two more Shinra workers were standing at another console near to Tifa. They glanced at her as she walked in. Tifa looked back. They did not look like prisoners.
Cid turned away from the nervous young pilot and spotted Tifa standing near the entrance of the deck, looking around. Putting out his cigarette and putting the half-smoked butt behind his ear, he ran up to Tifa and gestured to the deck. "Welcome to my airship—the Highwind!" Cid announced proudly.
Everyone turned to Tifa as she walked forward slowly toward the centre of the deck. Her head turned this way and that, looking around without enthusiasm. When she finished scanning the deck she turned to the face the spot near to where Barret stood, and her face fell. That was where Cloud should have been standing. Cloud should have been the one to rescue her, to lead the way. Cloud should be standing there now, telling them what they should do, where to go.
Cid watched her as her face fell, and he tapped his foot in annoyance. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice harsh. "You should be more excited than that!"
Nanaki looked up at him. "Cid……" he said softly. Giving the pilot a gentle nudge with his paw, the hound shook his head. Cid stared, then his eyes opened wide as he realised what the hound was saying. He gave Tifa an apologetic glance and scratched the back of his head, bowing awkwardly.
"Yeah……" said the pilot with a blush.
Tifa was paying no attention to the conversation. She continued to look at that one spot at the front of the deck. She could almost picture him standing there with a hand on his hip, gazing out of the window with that serious look he always wore, like he carried the troubles of the whole planet on his shoulders and no one was allowed to help share the load. After thinking about it all for a long time, he would turn to her and tell her it was going to be all right, saying it as though it was nothing. Even though inside, he was being torn apart by his suspicions of the truth. Tifa sighed. There was nothing she could do about it now. After taking one final look at the deck, she turned her eyes away and looked at Cid. "Not enough crew," she said quietly.
"Well, it takes all kinds," said Cid. He nodded his head toward the three Shinra employees that were piloting the ship.
"……So glad you're all right, Tifa," said Vincent. Tifa gave him a small nod. She then turned to Cait, who was hopping up behind her.
"Tifa, I'll give you information on Shinra," he said. Standing up, he patted his furry chest. "Ask me if there's anything you don't understand."
Tifa was just about to ask him a question about why he was being so helpful when she felt a large paw pat her leg. She looked down to see Nanaki standing next to her. He gazed up at her with his one good eye and asked the question she had been dreading answering. "Do you think we aren't strong enough without Cloud?" he asked. "Do you think we can't save the Planet alone?"
Sighing, Tifa went to the front of the deck. She pressed her hand against the glass wall and peered out at the ocean as it rushed by. They were on an airship owned by the Shinra, flying to who knew where, without a clue what to do. She turned her eyes from the water and looked up at the sky. The skies were darkening to a deeper orange as day headed into night. Even Meteor was beginning to fade now, swallowed up by the darkness of night. But it would return again when the sun rose.
"Meteor is coming," she began, her eyes fixed on the evening sky above, "and Weapon is on the rampage…… At a time like this, I don't know what I'm supposed to do…… No idea at all……" Sighing again, she closed her eyes.
"Get a hold of yourself, Tifa!" said Barret. He turned to the others gathered on the deck—except for Yuffie, who was still on the outer deck praying she didn't lose her lunch. "C'mon, let's think about this! No way we can get offa this train we're on!"
Aeris walked up to Tifa. "You're not the only one to miss him. I'm worried too, really worried."
Tifa didn't answer Aeris. Instead she just continued to convey her feelings. "……If only Cloud were here, everything would be fine," said Tifa softly, just loud enough for the others to hear. "Cloud would… stand that cocky little way he did, and tell us what to do. He'd say 'Everything's under control, Tifa.'" She smiled at the memory.
"What a load of bullshit," said Naruto. Barret nodded. "Yeah! When'd you become such a wimp!"
"……I know," interrupted Tifa, cutting him off. She did not need Barret to remind her that it was because of her everyone believed that the spiky young blond with the glowing mako eyes was the real Cloud Strife. Even then, she was not totally convinced. "That's why I want to make sure. That's why I have to see him again."
"Cheer up, Tifa……" said Nanaki kindly.
"I want you to know I didn't dislike him," said Cid to Tifa, taking his half-smoked cigarette out from behind his ear and popping it in his mouth, holding it firmly between his teeth. "Gotta admit he was a strange dude. Just when you thought he was cool, he'd go and do some damn fool thing." He took out his lighter and lit the cigarette. "And when you thought he was smart, he'd show how stupid he was." He took a deep puff. "Everything about him from his movements to his speech were kinda odd. Knowin' what I do now, I can see why he was that way. Well, as long as you stay alive, you just might see him again someday, so cheer up, sis."
Tifa thought about what he said, and then nodded. "……I'll be able to see him again someday," she said, this time with more confidence.
"Absolutely! Cloud's not gone permanently. Though I think it's time I tell you the rest of my story," said Naruto. Everyone looked at him. Naruto braced himself and started from the start.