Chapter 104: Restoration
Zack wasn't the only one that came. She would have been shocked if he was.
Yuffie was the first one that found them and the noise she made when she spotted her brother was ear shattering. Tifa moved just in time to avoid getting sandwiched as the younger girl threw herself into her brother's arms, alternating between hugging him, crying on his shirt and hitting his chest with inventive sounding foreign curse words. Zack was right behind her and since Cloud was busy being accosted he hauled Tifa into his arms for a crushing hug.
"You scared the snot out of me, babe," he told her fiercely. "Don't you ever do that to me again."
She chuckled waterly against him and hugged him back.
"Promise," she agreed. "Next time Cloud goes psycho and decides to kill us all, I'll hang around."
The noise he made was rude and indicated his opinion but by then Yuffie was hauling away from Cloud enough to berate him and Zack stepped forward so he could pull the shorter man into the same crushing embrace he'd used on Tifa only moments ago.
"Shut up and take it," he grunted as Cloud made an abused noise. "You deserve it after scaring us all."
Tifa didn't miss that, for all his protests, Cloud didn't break the bear hug.
"So we are together again."
Tifa looked down to see that Red had arrived and Vincent was right next to him. It seemed they had become an unlikely duo.
"Yeah," she wiped at her eyes and smiled. "Just like old times. Except for the new additions and the ultimate evil and all."
"So do I get a hug too?" Reno asked as he came down the last of the stairs with Leon, Barret and Cid. Barret gave him a glare and then proceeded to jerk Tifa into a hug that threatened to cut off her air supply.
"Tol' you that boy was trouble," he grumbled at her.
"Yeah," she managed a weak laugh as he let go of her enough to let her pull in oxygen. "And now he gets to be trouble for the other team."
"Never said he wouldn't," Barret gave her a crooked smile and seemed to almost absently lean over and smack Cloud on the back of his shoulder almost enough to knock both him and Zack over.
"So – we've got a plan?" Leon asked after giving Tifa a thorough visual search without moving toward her.
"Kill everything?" Zack suggested cheerfully, arm still thrown over Cloud's shoulders in a manner that threatened a headlock at the slightest provocation. He got an elbow in the ribs and Cloud straightened up as Zack grunted and lost his hold.
"There are people inside. A lot of them. They need someone to get them out of the rooms they're locked in – but they need someone to get them safely back to the surface and stashed somewhere too."
Leon nodded.
"I'll cover the 'somewhere'. Cait Sith -"
Tifa had a chance to wonder for just a second before the strange little cell phone with its painted face and tin crown levered itself up to the lip of Leon's jacket pocket. It was now wearing a little red cape around its 'shoulders' as well.
"Oy, oy!" It greeted cheerfully.
"You heard that?" Leon asked and disconcertingly, the little cell phone used a tiny arm to salute.
"I've got it covered, boss. Or I will by the time you get above ground. There are still some Shinra troops and it just happens that I'm the only one still alive in the command structure."
"Really?" Reno's face showed emotion beyond carelessness for the first time and he gave the phone a tight look. "That's – handy, ain't it?"
The little phone's 'face' turned toward him.
"Ain't it just?" it agreed cheerfully. "Dangerous world we live in these days, you know?"
"Getting more so all the time, yo," Reno agreed.
"The big shit is at the end of this?" Cid asked, deciding he didn't care what internal politics were being rewritten in front of him. Cloud gave him a nod. Cid took a drag of the cigarette he'd somehow managed to keep in his mouth this entire time. Even if it was flat and burned out. "Always thought I'd be damning Shinra at the end. Not some kinda weird monster/clone/alien/critter/thing."
Leon looked at Cloud and both men held the eye contact for a long moment. Finally Leon nodded.
"That's your job. We'll take care of the people. You take care of the blight."
For just a second, Cloud's lips relaxed and he seemed to exhale without any visible sign of it.
"Yeah."
"I'm with Cloud," Zack stated in a tone that indicated there wouldn't be any arguing. Tifa nodded.
"Me too."
"We will go at least part of the way with you as well," Red's low voice was calm and Vincent just made eye contact when they looked over at him at Red's inclusion of him as a part of 'we'. They really had made a strange team.
"Reno," Cloud's quiet voice started them all and the red head looked at him. Cloud's eyes were level and calm as they looked back.
"I expect you to kill me if I lose myself at the wrong time."
Even though he'd volunteered for it not so long ago, the Turk seemed taken aback and for a minute – he looked young. Then he shouldered his electromag rod and tapped it against himself.
"You're a cold character, Blondie. Yeah. I'll do ya in."
"Yuffie," Cloud held out his hand. "Give me a gil."
"Wha - ? Me? What makes you think I've got – oh, fine! Here!" Yuffie dug it out of a pocket and handed it to him with a slap. "What do you need it for anyway? Drink machine?"
Cloud tossed the coin to Reno.
"Now, it's just business," he told the man and Reno caught the coin with a bitter smile.
"Just business, yo," he agreed.
"What?! Give me back my coin!" Yuffie demanded as Cloud turned back to Zack and gave a nod. Zack shifted to position himself in front of the door and then he looked back to give his friend a smile. Briefly, his eyes met Tifa's but that one brief look said everything.
"Cheap ass looking sword you got there, Spikey." He reached behind his back and pulled out the Fusion Sword he'd been carrying the entire time for his friend instead. Louder than words, it proclaimed his ultimate faith in Cloud's return to them. "Your sister gave me the Buster. I thought you might want something familiar too."
Cloud looked at his sword and for just a moment Tifa realized how he must look to other people when he looked at her. Then he grinned, a brief, flashing moment that was there and gone, and he turned and slung the twisted red sword down the stairs. His gloved hand closed over the Fusion Sword and he turned it in his hand. His shoulders relaxed.
"All right," he nodded, face settling into the calm mask he had used to wear in battle when life had been easier and random battles were the worse of their worries. "Move out."
"That's more like it," Cid commented. And Zack kicked in the door.
