I'm actually very excited for this chapter. =) It took a while to write, but it turned out spectacular.
But before you jump into it, I have some things to say. First off, thanks to my loyal readers for sticking with this. I really do appreciate it! Secondly, I just recently published a new story related to Kingdom Hearts, and I would LOVE it if more people read it. Is this shameless advertising? You bet!
But I'll stop advertising and let you get reading now, so enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Eighteen: An Old Friend
After Tifa had been recaptured by Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo, they took her to a new location. They didn't explain why, only saying that the constant movement makes the game more interesting for them. Tifa thought that it was ridiculous, but of course, her opinion didn't count. Just one day after her attempted escape, they injected her with a large amount of Mako and then they were off to their new location (wherever that was).
Sticky air, warm temperatures, creaky wooden floors…these were the only things that Tifa had that could inform her about her current whereabouts. But that still didn't let her know for sure where she was; obviously there were many places with that kind of weather.
Another thing that would have helped her identify her location was a window in her room. But there were none—it was four walls and a door. There wasn't even a bed in there that she could use, only a few sheets. A surprisingly warm gesture for a group of purely evil men who are bent on unleashing terror upon the world, she mused, the thought not making any smile or hint of amusement appear on her lips.
She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was afraid. If their plan succeeded, then Sephiroth would be able to wreak havoc upon the entire world. Cloud and her other friends could probably stop him, but what then? Would Tifa return as herself, or would she be killed too? There was no way to tell, considering that this had only ever happened on one other occasion, with one other person. Kadaj. And he had returned only to die. Was this her fate too?
A loud bang broke her out of her thoughts, the young woman opening her eyes despite the pitch blackness of the room that she was locked in. What was that?
A scream followed after that, one that sounded both enraged and terrified at the same time.
"Brother!"
Tifa struggled to comprehend what was happening outside of her room, the Mako in her system making her feel incredibly weak and in a daze. She attempted to sit herself up as if to focus her mind, but she fell back down onto her side, lying on the wooden floor uncomfortably.
The door muffled the sounds, but she heard a few more sounds. She had heard them before on so many occasions, but now, they seemed foreign. What…?
A booming sound filled Tifa's ears and a light poured into the room, making Tifa wince. She furrowed her brows and shut her eyes tightly out of instinct, though her mind was now screaming at her to look and see what was happening.
Finally, Tifa complied, opening her eyes just in time to see a figure in black rushing over to her position on the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, Tifa saw that the door had been kicked open. That must have been what triggered the loud "boom" she had heard before.
A hand gently brushed over her long brown hair, bringing it out of her face. She shut her eyes in weakness, recognizing the gentleness behind the gesture. But her mind was too cloudy; she couldn't identify who was with her.
"Tifa," the man murmured, kneeling down beside the person he loved. Desite the fact that Tifa didn't recognize who was with her, she felt reassured that the fact didn't really matter at the time, ant it was alright. The man turned her slightly and put an arm behind her back, gently holding her in his lap. Tifa exhaled a breath, trying to find a way to thank this person for saving her. At the same time, though, she couldn't help but wonder about Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. Where were they?
"Let's get you out of here, hmm?" the unnamed man asked gently, bringing up his free hand to stroke Tifa's hair once again.
"I can't move," she mumbled, weakness in her voice.
"Yes, you can," he responded softly. "C'mon, I'll help you."
Tifa nodded, realizing that she had to at least try to stand. The Mako was having an effect on her, but hopefully it would wear off soon. She wanted to be coherent enough to thank the man who risked his life getting to her, the man who was being so kind and supportive and everything she needed at that moment.
She set her hands on the ground and opened her eyes a crack, seeing the hardwood floor and the man's black pants. She started to push herself up at the same time as the man slid his hands under her arms, lifting her to her feet. Though she felt dizzy at first, she recovered only a few seconds later with the help of her savior. She wrapped an arm over his shoulders and he wrapped his around her lower back, supporting her as they exited the room that had previously been her prison.
In the next room, Tifa couldn't help but get an answer to her question about Kadaj's whereabouts. A startled gasp left her lips as she looked around, seeing Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo all lying dead, scattered across the room. Kadaj and Yazoo had bullets to the head; Loz had one to the heart.
"Look away, Lovely," the man said gently, not wanting Tifa disturbed about what occurred. The brown haired girl nodded faintly, looking straight down at the ground as she walked. Now I know what happened, she thought to herself, wishing she had only been told what had occurred instead of seeing it with her own eyes.
A few steps later, she felt the sun hit her, along with humid, hot air. She took in a breath, enjoying it much more than the stuff, moist air that had been inside the house. I'll never have to go back there, will I? she wondered, her mind just beginning to come out of its fog. Still, the Mako was having an effect on her mind, and she doubt that would disappear too quickly.
"Where are we going?" she managed to say, keeping her head lowered as she looked at the dusty ground.
"Somewhere safe," her rescuer responded softly, continuing to help Tifa walk along the path. He kept his arm around her lower back and her arm around his shoulders, the man holding her wrist so that he could support her. He knew about the affects of Mako poisoning, and he didn't need to be told that the Mako was what was affecting Tifa at that moment.
"Where's that?" Tifa asked, wanting more details. "Where are we now?" She swallowed and shut her eyes, completely relying on the man to guide her on the walkway. She was so tired; she didn't know if she could take another step.
There was a pause in the conversation before he answered her, the man keeping his eyes forward. "We're in Coasta Del Sol," he responded, tone sounding very factual. "I'm taking you to the outskirts. We'll get out of the dust and sand and away from the building we were just at while the Turks take care of the bodies."
"Turks?" Tifa murmured, confused. What did the Turks have to do with this?
The rest of the walk was silent, the two of them reaching the outskirts after about twenty minutes. As they got closer to their destination, Tifa fought off the Mako poisoning enough to look around a little. However, she couldn't turn her head to look at the man assisting her, so his identity remained a mystery to her.
"Sit down, Lovely," he murmured, starting to help her sit down by kneeling down himself. They were on a hillside, where a bunch of seat-sized rocks were laying on the ground. Once Tifa was seated, he gently released her wrist and pulled back his own arm, kneeling down in front of her. "Look at me now," he said gently, gazing at the brown haired woman.
Tifa lifted her head, opening her eyes fully to look at the man directly in front of her. She blinked when his face was revealed, her mind clear enough that she finally saw his identity. "Rude?"
"You okay?" Rude asked softly, bringing up a hand to sweet Tifa's bangs out of her eyes. "You went through Hell, didn't you?"
The girl nodded faintly, feeling tears of relief and heartbreak appear in her eyes. "I did," she confessed, biting her lip and diverting her gaze at the same time. She didn't want to speak about that, though, especially not now. She looked back up at Rude, changing the subject a little bit. "How did you know where I was?"
"I've been on vacation here," Rude responded calmly, voice monotone as always. "I was out at night taking a walk, and I saw them bringing you in. And…well, I wasn't just about to let them get away with everything that they were planning. I called for backup, but I knew that you couldn't wait, so I went in on my own."
Wow. Rude was strong enough to kill all three of them by himself and not take a single blow, Tifa thought, eyes showing her awe.
Rude smirked sheepishly, shrugging a little bit. "I surprised them with a smoke bomb and then just shot at them. You probably didn't notice the random bullets in the walls." He laughed slightly, clasping his gloved hands in his lap. "I was nervous."
Tifa laughed, a smile appearing on her lips for the first time in a while. "Rude? Nervous? Wow." He was always calm and composed in her eyes, even after everything that happened.
"Yeah, well…" He brought up a hand and ran it over his smooth head, taking off his sunglasses so that he could look her in the eye. "That's what happens when you're deathly afraid for somebody you love," he said softly, his burning love shining in his eyes.
"Rude," Tifa said gently, shaking her head. "I told you before; I don't love you like that. You're a friend, like a protective big brother. I'm sorry, but we can never be anything else. You know that, don't you?" She hated to have to tell him this, but she really did mean what she told him when she ended their relationship; nothing could ever come out of what they had.
"Tifa!" a new voice shouted, one that was immediately recognizable.
The young woman gasped, jumping to her feet as her face lit up with joy. "Cloud!" she cried, looking down the hill and seeing Cloud, Nanaki, and Reeve running up to meet her. In the far, far distance, she could see Cid's airship. Of course, Cloud was the only thing that mattered now. She smiled widely, taking a step forward but not running down the hill in fear that she would run out of strength and trip and fall.
Cloud and company made it to the top pretty quickly, the blonde's face lit with concern, relief, and joy at the same time. Tifa felt her expression match his (excluding the concern) as they stood facing each other several feet away.
"Cloud," she said, still smiling at the sight of him. He was here with her…it was all over. It was finally over. Nobody was going to hurt her now—the threat was completely gone with Kadaj and his crew out of the way.
She took a step forward but then felt herself being restrained, an arm going over her upper torso and pulling her close to the person behind her. She gasped and turned her head, recognizing the grip around her. "Rude?"
"Rude! What're you doing?" Cloud protested, taking a step forward. He had been leery of trusting the Turk, but Rude had called them here to get Tifa. Why was he doing this? He looked to Tifa and saw her eyes glowing from the Mako, fear in the brown depths of her eyes.
"If I can't have, then you can't either!" Rude shouted, pulled her back a step and closer to his body.
"What're you going to do?" Cloud demanded again, anger coming through in his voice. "You rescued her, and now you're holding her against you. What good is this going to do you?" His irritation and disgust were apparent on the outside, but on the inside, his heart was beating irregularly, fear and disbelief swelling over the person who was being held in front of his very ey es.
Rude pulled out a gun, holding it against Tifa's temple. "Shut up!" he hollered. "And don't you dare come any closer, Strife!" Her life was in his hands now, and though he wouldn't hurt her, the threat was real enough for Cloud to obey and take a step back. "Like I said, if I can't have her, then nobody can!"
Tifa took in a breath, feeling the cool barrel of the gun against her temple. She had felt before, but never as strongly as she did then, looking into Cloud's shining blue eyes. "Cloud?" she cried, fear in her voice.
The Turk pulled her back, into a helicopter that had actually been there the entire time. Tifa hadn't noticed it before due to her Mako poisoning, but she noticed it now with the loud roaring of the chopper. He was taking her away, away from the person she loved more than anything. And he was making him watch it happen, causing him heartbreak. Rude forced her to take a step up into it, though his grip was tight enough to make sure she didn't slip out of his grasp.
She stepped up into the chopper unwillingly, staring at Cloud, who was immobilized because of the gun to her head. Nanaki and Reeve stood there as well, but her eyes stayed on Cloud, and his on hers. "Cloud!" she cried again, though she wasn't sure she could be heard over the roaring helicopter. The machine rose up to the air, lifting off the ground.
Cloud took a step forward, reaching a hand toward the helicopter in panic. "Tifa!" he screamed, all his emotions coming through in his voice. He stood by and watched helplessly as the love of his life and the helicopter carrying her disappeared off into the distance, leaving him with only a broken heart.