aaand - we're back! Firstly thanks to Peeka-chan for squeezink editing in to her schedule. Poor Zack, do you mean to tell me he's lost out to a fuzzy, soulful, dry humored kitty/lion/puppy? He's just going to have to work extra hard at winning you back to his team I suppose. Jianre, here's the chapter (or rather character) you asked about. And yeah, I had fun with Elmyra. Bet she hides trashy romance novels in her bedroom too! zi-ling - chapter 44 is for you since you asked for it while I was up. I'll have to get back to you on the rest ;) Dis - here's my shoulder, cry away. It reminds me of BaratsAndBereta 'MANtage' video over on YouTube - cryin' at Ol' Yeller. I always love the humor you add to your reviews. Yessss, Zack and Cloud - much head screwing over I have planned for the both of them - though thanks for the 'zackishness' - I'm glad he seems in character. demonegg! welcome to the party! and thanks so much for your other reviews too. You give such great detail in the why you like and what you like, its pure meat to my hungry author's soul. And now without furthur ado (tadooo!)

Chapter 42: Red XIII

Cloud came back to the camp having found nothing but Tifa noticed the way the guys took turns walking in front of and behind her as they hiked along. It was protective and sweet and she couldn't bring herself to protest it even though she knew she should. She didn't want to be the obvious weakest member of the party but she was. It didn't make much sense to pretend otherwise – she was dealing with two, for all intents and purposes, SOLDIERs. Mako inhanced, specially trained, years of combat SOLDIERs. She thought even Barrett would have had a hard time pretending to be on equal footing in combat. And they did have combat. Even this far from the reactors there were still monsters. The first few times they fought, Zack would shift to protect Tifa. Until he saw her fight. After that, he followed Cloud's lead and let her handle her own targets. So – if she wasn't equal to them in abilities, Tifa at least felt as if she was able to hold her own and not be a burden.

It was very important to her that she wasn't a burden.

She also made sure she kept up with them when they walked and carried her own gear without help. The first few days she had to work at it but chasing kids and spending all night long zipping between tables with drinks had built her up a bit and by the third day she had found a rhythm that fit with the guys when they walked.

She was starting to enjoy being out in the wilds.

Even if she caught herself thinking of how Marlene and Denzel would have enjoyed this…

Even if she found herself absently stopping to pick flowers because Aerith would have liked to see them…

At noon, they took a break, stopping in the shade of a small stand of trees. Tifa sank down on the grass with a content sound and slipped her pack off her shoulders. Zack shook his canteen.

"Running low on water, man," he commented. Tifa made shooing motions with her hands.

"You two go find some water. I'll make lunch."

Zack dropped his own pack off his shoulders and caught the canteen Tifa tossed him.

"I'll go."

"You'll both go," Tifa shot him a look she had used on Denzel often enough. "I'm tired of being hovered over."

Zack gave her a scowl and she caught the look Cloud flashed her from the corners of his eyes as he bent over to set his own pack down near her. Had they really thought they were being subtle?

"Go away," she told them both and stretched out to give Cloud's leg a light nudge with her boot. "I promise I'll stay put. Go – do whatever it is men do when women aren't around."

"Talk about women?" Zack asked and she threw one of the flowers she'd collected at him.

"Engines," Cloud's voice was so soft they shouldn't have heard it. They both did.

"What?"

Cloud straightened and gave Zack a calm look.

"I'd rather talk about motorcycle engines."

Tifa realized faster than Zack that Cloud was joining their joke and she laughed. The edges of Cloud's lips shifted carefully upward and his eyes moved from Tifa to Zack. Hesitantly, guardedly – offering. Zack, as clueless as he liked to pretend he was, caught it.

"Uh," his eyes blinked wide. "Sure." Then he started to grin and tossed one of the canteens to Cloud. Cloud caught it and Zack's grin got bigger. "Come on, Cloud. We'll go talk about engines and bring back a river for Tifa."

Tifa watched them go with a smile – Cloud hesitant but willing to try, Zack like an overgrown puppy eager to include new friends in his romp.

They looked like they'd walked that way a thousand times before. Tifa pressed her lips together and watched them disappear.

Zack said he'd never known Cloud before. Except they moved too familiarly around each other…

With an exhale she shut her eyes and tipped her head back to enjoy the dappled sun. It was still a little chilly in the mornings and nights but during the day as they were hiking, she warmed up fast enough. Now she let the light breeze cool her face for a while. Needing – needing time to herself. She adored Zack and Cloud and she didn't know what she would do if she didn't know they were going to come back but…

She just needed a little bit of time to herself right now.

Eventually she opened her eyes, feeling more centered, and pulled the packs over to her so that she could sort through them. They were going to have to find somewhere to get food soon. Tifa's appetite was returning, especially with all the hiking and fighting, but even so, she couldn't believe the amount of food both Zack and Cloud put down with each meal. And that was after having had a growing boy in her house.

'Making lunch' consisted of opening several packs of food and not much else. As far as challenging her culinary talents, it didn't offer much. Of course it also made cleaning up afterward pretty easy too. In the process of sorting through the packs of food they had left, Tifa suddenly turned her head.

Nothing.

She could have sworn she'd heard something though. Turning back to the food, she frowned.

Cloud and Zack had both heard something last night as well. In fact – Tifa had thought she'd felt something following her in the Shinra building too – but she'd just assumed it was Zack. What if it wasn't?

Considering Cloud and Zack had already tried to find whatever was making them edgy, Tifa had to sit and think about what she could do that they hadn't. Other than being an easier target than they were, of course. Setting the food aside, she tucked her feet up under her and rested her hands on her knees. What could she do that Cloud and Zack probably hadn't already - ?

"You can come out now." Wasn't it strange how calm her voice sounded – talking to either an unseen stalker or the wind and the trees? For a very long moment nothing happened and Tifa was just debating whether she should mention whatever was following them couldn't keep following them forever or just pretend she wasn't talking to nothing when the tall grass near where the men had gone rustled. Cautious, Tifa shifted on her heels. Not sure if offering to let whatever it was come out had been the smartest move – but what was the alternative?

The grass, gold and green, parted and a red muzzle pushed through. The muzzle was followed by a furred head with golden eyes and a mane/crest of darker red, like a mohawk. Tifa blinked, not exactly sure what she'd been expecting but pretty sure this hadn't been it. The wolf/lion creature stepped further out of the tall grass, revealing four huge paws and a compact, muscled body was well as a tail that seemed – Tifa thought it had a flame at the end – except – wouldn't that have set the grass on fire? Its ears were flat back against its leonine skull and Tifa saw it seemed to have feathers and beads braided into its mane. It stared at her and she stared at it. And for a long moment, the only thought that would come into her head was –

Denzel's lion.

Then a fly landed on its nose and it shook its entire head and Tifa blinked. Not sure what to do with it now that she'd brought it out into the open.

"Did you – " she paused and apologetically offered with a gesture. "Did you want something to eat?"

Even as the words were out of her mouth she realized it looked carnivorous. And she might be considered dinner.

Hesitant it started forward, its golden eyes still on hers, huge shaggy head low to the ground. Tifa decided that that meant it understood her – and was probably taking her up on her offer of food that wasn't her. Reaching out blindly she pulled up one of the packs of food and, realizing it was vegetable noodle, tried again and found the tuna. The creature was – vaguely cat like, right? Besides, the noodles needed to have hot water added and the tuna could be eaten as it was.

"Will tuna work?" she asked, hoping it really did understand. There was a patterned cuff around one of its ankles, Tifa noticed as she opened the tuna packet. Zack was going to be upset – it was the last of their tuna and he seemed to live off the stuff.

Hence why it was their last pack.

She hit a snag at that point in her non-plan. They usually just ate out of the packet with forks. Given the lack of fingers and thumbs though, that wasn't an option for her impromptu lunch guest.

Her impromptu lunch guest that was getting really close. 'Close' as in 'pouncing distance'.

"Give me a minute," she frowned and then figured out how to rip the pouch down the sides too so that it formed a really bad imitation of a plate. Kind of. If you squinted and turned your head sideways and had no idea what a plate really looked like. Still –

"There," she set it down on the grass nearby and moved a little bit to the side. The red furred creature watched her and she thought he didn't look very scary. Not in his eyes.

And his tail was definitely on fire.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I don't really have anything better to offer."

The wide head swung over to sniff at the tuna and for a second she thought she saw the edge of its mouth twitch. Then it made a rumbling noise deep in its chest – reminding her for just a minute of Cloud and his non-verbal vocalizations – before lowering its nose and starting to eat.

It definitely had large teeth. Large pointy teeth.

It also, Tifa noticed, had a brand on its front haunch. Tifa wasn't an expert on brands but – this one looked new and painful.

"Thirteen," she said it quietly, reading the number the brand labeled the creature and, without looking away from the food it was delicately eating, the gold eye on that side of the huge head, shifted to look at her. Tifa pressed her lips together. It was either responding to her tone and not understanding her words – which meant it was really, really good at reading tone – or it understood what she was saying.

"It doesn't seem right to call you a number. You must have a name."

The golden eye gave her a bemused look but there was no response as the fish politely disappeared. Tifa exhaled and her brows came down a little.

"I'm really bad with making up names," Tifa continued, somehow feeling the need to talk to fill the silence. That – and it seemed to really be listening and so she thought – if she was talking then maybe it would stay. And not eat her. It finished the tuna and sat back on its haunches to regard her solemnly. She resisted her OCD habit of picking up the wrapper that was resting between its paws.

Denzel would have named it 'Megatron' or 'Captain Stupendous' or something equally dramatic. Marlene would have named it 'Darcy' or 'Heathcliff' or some obscure character name from whatever book she was currently reading. Tifa, who had literally once named the stray dog outside the bar 'Dog' realized she was going to have to do better than that but wasn't sure exactly what. She rested her chin in her hand for a minute – looking at the creature that was sitting there looking back at her.

"All I can think of is 'Red'," she admitted finally. Which was easily one of the least creative names but beat out Tuna-snatcher and Fuzzy Thing by a hair. Sweetums didn't seem dignified enough – which did make her want to call it that instead but she thought the boys would have too much fun with it when they got back. When they got back…

Her eyes flicked in the direction they'd gone but saw nothing at the moment. The creature seemed intent on staying and it wrapped its tail, definitely somehow on fire at the tip, around its paws.

"I'm Tifa," she introduced herself and it actually bobbed its head. That made her smile suddenly and she felt better. "You do understand. Good. And I'm sorry about the name. My brother and sister would have done better. Are you still hungry?"

The gold eyes rolled over to where the packets of food were and then returned to her and the look in them –

She was laughing and shaking her head.

"Okay. I know it's terrible. But it's all we've got. If I had a kitchen I'd do better. I suppose you were just being polite eating the tuna, weren't you?"

The huge head lowered and the eyes looked up at her from the tops.

"Sorry," she smiled. "But the only other thing I had was uncooked noodles." Again the golden eyes rolled toward the packets and it made her smile.

"You've been following us, haven't you?"

The muzzle lifted and thrust forward, just a little. Like a nod upward instead of the human downward dip. Tifa sat down and crossed her legs in front of her.

"Since the Shinra building?" she guessed and the muzzle swung toward the brand on the side of its shoulder with something close to a snarl. Seeing the teeth displayed was – not reassuring but Tifa thought they weren't for her so much as the –

"Oh. They did that to you?"

The head turned back toward her and the golden eyes rested on her face.

"I'm sorry," and she meant it because the brand still looked raw and painful but also because – no one should have to be reduced to a number. "They're good at hurting people," her voice came out softer and with more emotion than she'd meant it too and she pressed her lips together. The creature stood up and slowly, a paced step at a time, approached her. Tifa sat very still. Pretty sure even if she did try to jump up and make a run for it, the animal could catch her first. Instead she watched his gold eyes and thought – they looked very sad. When it came to a stop in front of her, the red head lowered to her chest level and pushed forward. It stopped just before it came into contact with her. And waited. Tifa couldn't see the golden eyes anymore.

Tentative, she raised her hands and just as carefully she rested them on the sides of the huge head. 'Red' didn't move. Just as carefully as he'd approached her, she lowered her own head so that it rested on top of his. His fur felt rough and funny against her cheek and it smelled a little musky and a little bit like sun-warmed grass. She shut her eyes and exhaled.

"Thanks," she whispered.

By the time the boys came back, Red had settled on the other side of the packs from where Tifa had started a small fire. The noodles were bad enough. When they were made with cold water they were even worse. Red didn't lift his head as the men approached the small camp and neither one of the men looked surprised to see it lying there. It took Tifa a long minute to figure out why as Cloud came over to kneel between her and it and give her the full canteens and Zack went to go stand in front of it, arms folded across his chest, legs stanced as he looked down at the creature.

"You knew?" Tifa turned her head to look at Cloud and he reached up to rub the back of his neck before stopping himself halfway.

"We thought if we left you 'alone', our stalker might show."

"Cloud's idea," Zack exonerated himself quickly.

"We didn't go far," Cloud clarified and Tifa shook her head at him. Actually – glad. It showed her that Cloud trusted her even if he was still being protective. And – it showed that he thought she was getting better. That he was starting to think she was strong enough again to stand on her own. She'd been so helpless before, utterly lost and unable to be anything but a walking, wounded need. Trusting her to handle the situation on her own – it meant he thought she was growing stronger. Healing. And – if he thought it, than maybe it was true.

Tifa had hated being so helpless and needy. So… weak.

"You didn't go far," Tifa gave Cloud a soft smile. Because – you could trust someone's own strength and still have their back.

"He ate my tuna," Zack grumbled from where he was standing and it made Tifa laugh. Light, she reached out and touched Cloud's arm.

"Don't worry," she added insult to injury. "Red got no pleasure out of it."

The creature in question made a grunting noise in its chest