The Day That Could Never Be
As much of a parasite as it was to the planet, Midgar City at least had clear skies. Aside from the Mako Reactors giving a comforting teal glow, the sky remained unobtrusive to those living on the top layer. Substantial parts of this skyline had changed in recent days, however, and of Midgar's eight reactors (nine if you were extremely in the know) two of them were now nothing more than smoldering husks of what was until days prior the very representation of this world's infrastructure.
…Not that this was of any concern of the enigmatic force standing at the city's highest point; the very top of the Shin-Ra Company building situated solely at Midgar's center. He was not looking to burned husks or even the still alit Rectors, but rather the city's seventh section. The upper plate of Sector Seven was where it should've been and in its usual state. There was a fair bit of unrest in the city overall especially in the that specific part, but…
"It should be gone." The enigma's words were less enraged and more of an amused confusion. "Perhaps even our dear Whispers couldn't account for this… then they're not as almighty as they assume to be."
In the building below him it was utter chaos, calls going out and coming in on every floor, employees deserting en masse, and in the streets below a gathering crowd of protesters ready to riot at the drop of a hat.
"This particular reality is not what I was searching for," they conclude. "Perhaps the next will yield the timeline I seek."
They were about to depart before taking notice of a helicopter approaching from the horizon. Intrigued and with no shortage of time to spare, the figure remained where they were. There was no danger of the pilots or anyone else on board noticing him; the enigma's only to be seen by a selector few or when being seen is the desirable course of action. A single figure, a blonde dressed in a uniquely styled white trenchcoat, exited the aircraft before signaling for it take off. As the transportation departed and the new arrival entered the highest office in the city, the figure made no move. A few desperate and enraged words (clearly not the arrival's) are heard from inside, then a cool voice, more desperate calls, then the words of a coup… and finally a single gunshot.
"Hmph, typical." With that last observation, the enigma finally vanished… never to be seen in this reality again.
The Next Morning
Cloud Strife gave a lengthy yawn and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he exited his small apartment room in Sector Seven's slums. Heading down the stairs quickly, he was relieved to see that Marle, the owner of Stargazer Heights, wasn't at the bottom waiting for him. If she had been, no doubt she'd have lecture for him about something… that something would likely be Tifa Lockhart no doubt.
There were a few street goers gathered near the apartments; easy enough to see that they were here for a reason. The guys here were no doubt looking for Tifa, hoping to strike up a conversation with the attractive barkeeper on her way to Seventh Heaven. Cloud found the idea distasteful enough, but according to Marle last night there was now a few women gathered as well. These weren't here for Tifa (though he assumed one or two might) but rather for himself. Apparently, his past work and noticeable looks had given him something of a notable fanclub in the slum… reaching the point to where Marle was currently out looking for a guard dog.
"Morning." Cloud's glare was enough to send the onlookers packing as Aerith Gainsborough descended slowly the stairs behind him.
"Morning," he answered back as he dropped his expression before turning to the flower seller. "You're still here?"
"That's rude," she cut harshly with a pout. "Tifa set me up in her room last night, so I guess she stayed at the bar with Marlene. Had her whole place to myself."
"Won't your mom be worried?" Yet another older woman that Cloud was worried would skin him if he stepped too far out of line.
"I found a pay phone and she understood; roads would've been a mess going back last night anyways," she answered matter-of-factly. "So, you're still stuck with me for a bit."
"I know; you both told me last night," Cloud groaned, knowing what he'd be in for if the day permitted it.
"Come on," Aerith told him with a sweet smile. "Let's head to the bar and-" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a third figure descending the stairs and was surprised when she realized who it was. "Tifa?"
"Oh, good morning. Aerith. Cloud," the raven haired brawled said as she got to ground level. She got a small nod from her childhood friend.
"I thought you were staying at the bar," the staff wielder blurted without much social grace.
"I was just upstairs checking up on Marco, I was worried about how much the excitement would've rattled him," she answered truthfully, a sweet and caring outlook as always. "He actually seemed pretty at peace just now is spite of everything. Speaking of which, did you both sleep well?"
"Oh, well yes I did," Aerith answered, seemingly putting the issue to rest. "A nice and clean bed is all I need."
"Glad to hear," Tifa asked before turning to Cloud and discreetly trying to give him a message through her eyes. "And you?"
Cloud wasn't the best at picking up signals.
"Next to you? Who wouldn't?"
…Actually, if his cocky smirk was anything to go off of, he was doing this on purpose.
"C-Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed with a rising blush. Trying to salvage the situation, she broke eye contact with both of them. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Lying?" Aerith asked.
"Yup."
"Knew it," she said with an unsurprised smile. "Good for you, Tifa."
"It… it wasn't like that," she dismissed. "I just had a lot I needed to get off my chest."
Aerith glanced at Cloud this time.
"She's telling the truth."
Last night had been… an event, and that was after the near genocide the entire sector had nearly faced. Once the slums had been brought to a relative calm, a new guard was set to protect the pillar, and the mass hysteria had died down, an exhausted Cloud had returned to his room only to be followed shortly after by Tifa. The two had been in silence for a few moments before she had broken into tears. The stress of nearly losing her home and the people she loved a second time was too much for her and she'd gone to Cloud for comfort. While he wasn't the best prepared for this sort of thing by a long shot, he stayed up with her half the night as she recounted everything, all of her thoughts and inner demons…
"…So how was he?" Aerith's blunt question got a further rise out of Tifa and caused Cloud to nearly chock on the air he breathed.
"We just said it wasn't like that," Tifa hissed, keeping her voice low so no one else could hear.
"I know, but you both were still together," the flower seller reminded. "What's he like in bed?"
Cloud was staying even quieter than usual.
"He's… quite the cuddler," Tifa answered, much to Cloud's surprise. "I mean… I don't think he let me go once until he woke up." She smiled. "It was… nice."
"So, is she lying again?" Aerith asked with a blinding smile, like she wasn't enjoying watching the merc squirm a bit. Cloud's silence only continued as he headed off for the bar.
Meanwhile -Seventh Heaven-
"Anything new?" Barret Wallace asked as he headed down to the bar's main floor. Ever the father, he'd eaten his breakfast upstairs with his daughter while things remained… tense around the city. He knew that there was work to be done, but without all of the right info even his hotheadedness had to take a moment on standby.
"President Shinra was just found dead in his office," Biggs said, staring intently on the bar's small corner TV. "They're claiming it was suicide, but I think we all know better than that; they wanted to cut off what was visibly rotten."
"If that's what they were tryin' to do, they'd have to cut off the whole damn company twice over!" The man with a machine gun for an arm had a very… specific view of Shinra and his company.
"Not like everyone back there was an evil mastermind," Jessie reminded. "Both SOLDIER and their general security forces threatened a mass desertion when they heard the news; if they hadn't there's a chance Shin-Ra would've gone through with their plan anyways. Still… to think they even considered dropping an entire section as an option."
"Makes you wonder what their next move is… or what we're supposed to do about it," Wedge said, sitting at one of the side tables after finishing his own hearty breakfast.
"Once Tifa shows up, we'll get the meeting started and plan things out. But if Shin-Ra is going to cause this much harm to themselves? I say we let them do just that." As if on cue, the door opened revealing the bartender, Cloud (who Barret decided to let in to current events for the time being), and… "Who's she?"
"This is Aerith," Tifa explained as she shut the door behind them and locked it. "She got mixed up with all of this when I was trying to get information from Corneo. I can vouch for her."
"Still wish you hadn't gone and messed with that piece of trash," the leader grumbled to himself before looking at the spiky blond. "What about you? Gonna vouch for her too?"
"If I do, you wouldn't let her stay," Cloud answered bluntly.
"That's fair enough," Barret chuckled.
"News just came in with a special report," Biggs sounded off.
"Uh, yeah; this whole day's been nothing but special reports," Jessie reminded.
"Not like this one," Biggs said as the group gathered around the screen. "Is that-?"
"Vice President Rufus ain't-nepotism-a-bitch Shinra," Barret growled as a clean-cut blond took the podium. None of the usual division leaders were at the location, most likely being taken into custody.
"Let me make one thing absolutely clear from the start," Rufus began. "I only found out of this… genocidal attempt the same time and method as the common public; when this idea had been leaked throughout the many presses of the world. I tried to establish contact with my father as soon as I'd heard, but do to chaos surrounding these unique circumstances, I was unable to establish a connection to anyone in Midgar. With no other choice, I made my approach in person via helicopter… but I was too late to stop my own father from taking his own life."
At delivering such news it would be rare for anyone to show any lacking of emotion, but Rufus Shinra was different. He'd established a reputation of never being seen crying or bleeding and he was going to keep it… and besides, he never felt that his own father was someone worth crying over.
"I am taking control of the Shin-Ra company for the foreseeable future, though I give you all my word that I will comply in full with the ongoing investigation. We have no idea whoever had leaked this info, but I certain owe them untold gratitude for what they managed to stop. Gratitude which needs to be extended to our SOLDIER program and public military for taking the correct side in this crisis. Be assured; this is only a transitional period and Shin-Ra will be serving the common public all the better moving forward."
"…He killed his old man." Everyone else went into stunned silence at Cloud's claim… observation. "No one else was going to say it."
"I mean... that's still his father," Tifa reminded, though she didn't say he was wrong. Rufus was taking questions from the press, but for now they decided to mute the TV. "So what's our next move?"
"For now, nuthin'," Barret answered. He expected Cloud to have a snarky comment to give him for that, but the merc stayed silent. "We got a few messages from headquarters and they're tellin' us to stay quiet for now and lay off the reactor bombings."
"And you're listening?" Cloud decided to cut in, though even his words lacked their usual quip.
"Just this once; with Rufus here it's clear the company is in full damage control mode and chances are they'd be able to hurt themselves far worse than any damage that we'd cause. You know what kind of assholes Scarlet and Heidegger are; if they're not removed then they're more than likely to assault their own investigators and damn themselves even further. The only thing we have to look at is if Rufus is worse than the bastard he replaced."
"Then it's a ceasefire until you know what you're dealing with; smart." Barret gave a toothy smile at Aerith's observation, happy to finally have someone giving him credit. "So, does that mean that everyone has a day off?"
"You just got here and you already want a break?" Biggs asked the new arrival.
"She was the one ready to step in and help at a moment's notice," Tifa defended. "Besides, with all of the stress we've been through lately, it's better to take this time while we can."
"I need to check in on my cats anyways," Wedge decided. "Plus, more time to fuel up for when it really counts."
"Guess I should head up and visit my parents, but I'll make this one a real visit." Jessie still had a slight guilt over what had prompted her last familial meeting.
"…Alright, I'm convinced. I've been meaning to visit Sector 5 anyways," Biggs relented.
"And we already know what we're doing, right?" Aerith asked Tifa who only nodded eagerly. "Great. Let's go get tickets before the crowds get any worse."
Even after the two girls left, it didn't appear that Cloud was going to vocally announce what he was doing for the day. Not that anyone from Avalanche would even think he would, they knew him better than that. When he headed for the door though, he had to stifle a groan as he heard Barret clear his throat.
"So… about Sector 5's reactor…" he started, a clear guilt in his words.
Cloud had nearly forgotten what had happened given the chaos after that. "…You don't have any payment ready?"
"Uh… no." Barret had even promised him a raise after Cloud had stepped up so readily following Jessie's incapacitation for the job. "And I think I owe ya a lot more than that. Stepping in for Tifa, the plate… all that probably earned you a hefty fee."
"We didn't agree to a contract before that." The members of Avalanche were in shock; what had happened to the cold merc constantly demanding to know where his money was?
"Still, matter a' principle," Barret informed. Man had a code to follow and Cloud didn't think he'd be getting past that.
"You know a lot of people in the slums?" he mercenary asked.
"Just about everyone knows Barret with all of his yelling. Lost track of how many noise complaints our boss has," Jessie informed.
"HEY!" Barret yelled before realizing he was proving her point. "But yeah, I get around and just about everyone knows me."
"Then spend today getting me lined up with as much work as you can; give me enough needy contacts to keep me busy and we're square," he informed. Given the deal of a lifetime, Barret couldn't help but laugh.
"Trust me, with all of the jobs I'm going to have set up for you; you'll have a month-long waitlist and gil comin' out yo ass," he bragged.
"Fine, but let them know I'm not starting until tomorrow," he informed as he headed for the door.
"Heading out with the girls?" Wedge guessed. Cloud didn't respond with his usual Not Interested. "Where are they going?"
"Shopping… bit of a promise Tifa made to herself for once the Corneo mess was done with," Cloud informed, not withholding that much. Jessie looked like she was debating tagging along, but decided she'd already committed to spending the day with the mother and father she'd nearly lost.
"Makes sense for them, but you don't strike me as a shopper man," Biggs noted.
"Never said I was but somehow I was still designated Pack Chocobo for the day." He almost sounded annoyed.
"Probably because of the hair," Jessie input. Now he was annoyed.
Later -Upper Plate-
"I had no idea that there were so many sales going on today!" Aerith exclaimed excitedly as the girls exited their fifth shopping stop that day, shortly followed by Cloud that was already having a hard time keeping all of the bags and packages together, but at least he was managing. "And look at you Tifa! I never knew you were the Queen of Shopping!"
"Today's a special occasion, so I'm working out of my life savings," she informed happily, holding a still mostly full gil purse. "Also, I've been planning visits to almost all of these shops, so I know what I'm doing."
"That makes one of us," came Cloud's groaning from behind his boxes. "Please tell me that we're almost done."
"Done? We're not even halfway through the first street." For once Cloud wished that Aerith was teasing him, now she looked dead serious. "Come on, you swing that giant sword around like it's nothing. These packages should be nothing!"
"I only have to swing the one sword; I'm losing count of how many packages you're having me carry," he retorted before someone from behind bumped into his side. He managed to save most of his haphazardly stacked pile, but one of the bags fell to the ground (thankfully not one of the fragile ones). "Great."
"S-Sorry," said the offender. He was a small brown-haired boy, probably just a few years old than Marlene. He took the bag off the ground and anxiously looked around Cloud's pile to figure out where it could possibly go.
"Anywhere there's room, I'll manage," the blond ex-Soldier insisted. The boy placed the bag in a sort of awkward spot, but it still stayed.
"Denzel," called the boy's mother from up ahead. The young man tried to say something in parting, but only ran off to follow after her. "There you are; try to keep up. We're not even halfway done here."
"But my feet are killing me; can we at least break for lunch soon?" the boy pleaded. Cloud watched the two walk away and was filled with a strange feeling. He could swear he'd never seen Denzel before in his life and he sure didn't look familiar, but… something about the boy felt familiar.
"His attitude from shopping is about the same as yours," Aerith slyly commented. Cloud only groaned as their day of shopping continued.
Elsewhere in the City
"This is really the best fashion in Midgar!? What a ripoff!" shouted a young voice from inside one of the changing rooms. Her guide, a more mature man with a staff on his back, sighed at her behavior. "If the Shin-Ra controls the entire world, you'd think they'd have a better choice in dresswear!"
"Boss, I'm pretty sure that Shin-Ra doesn't operate through this store," her apparent guide sighed. After their own failed mission to break into the headquarters and make off with the Materia they'd been after, he'd preferred to have gone info hunting… then again, they hadn't even gotten deep enough for the mission to be a failure. Security had been too tight with the gathered mob to get into the building, no telling what was happening now. "And even if they did, why would you be looking here in the first place?"
"Because I want to hate it properly!" the kunoichi shouted as she pushed back the curtain, wearing exactly what she'd had on upon entering the store. "Let's go! I know another store that's supposed to be the talk of the town! Probably going to let me down there too!"
"…Right," her guid sighed, looking down to the several bags with purchases he held in both hands.
That Night -President's Office
Rufus Shinra sat in his father's old chair at the top of the Shinra building and smiled as he looked down upon Midgar, the city that he now held complete authority over. If the surveys were to be believed, the public had completely bought into the claims that he was innocent and only working to aid them in these uncertain times. Any voices of decent were few and he'd win them over… or drown them out completely with cheers he'd soon receive.
"President Shinra." It was Tsung of the Turks that spoke as he approached, bringing the guest that Rufus had requested. "You wanted to see Professor Hojo."
"Indeed I did; you're dismissed." Once the Turk had left the office, Shin-Ra's lead scientist only let out a lengthy sigh.
"I hope you realize that my research is of the utmost importance, not meant to be interrupted by anything so trivial as a change of leadership."
"Yes, your research," Rufus mused as he continued to look down at the city below. "…We could have knocked the supports from all of Midgar's plates ten times over… and it still wouldn't come close to the atrocities your experiments have committed."
"Are you a bleeding heart now?" Hojo questioned before he noticed a recently opened folder on the side of Rufus's desk. One with a label he knew quite well; Deepground. "Is this supposed to be a threat?"
"No, only to inform you that your trump card has become our trump card. The ultimate deterrent… and I have my finger resting on its release switch."
"Of course you would, but you are aware that Hollander and Scarlet were just as in the know on that particular project? If they let it slip during their interrogation..." He paused as he came to the realization, before he gave a haunting smile. "How did you handle them?"
"Hollander was simple enough; slip him a gun, make him volatile enough to try and use it… he was gunned down by his own immediate staff. Though honestly, I think they'd have been happy enough to do it without the prompting. As for Scarlett…" He fished something out of his coat. A single red Summon Materia, though this one was laced with dark lines to show its impurity. "She went for her weapons, they backfired, and… she became a part of her favorite hobby."
"You turned her into a Summon?" Even someone as mad as Hojo had to give credit there.
"A corrupted Shiva Materia; highly unstable and particularly dangerous." Without even glancing behind him, he threw the Materia over his back and left Hojo to stumble as he barely managed to catch it. "Do with that as you will. I believe we have an understanding."
"…We do, Mister President," Hojo said, unable to take his eyes from the Materia. 'Oh dear Scarlet, you've finally taken the form of something worthy of my time.'
Sector 5
"…I left early that morning; Aerith just had other plans," Cloud weakly defended himself as Elmyra glared at him. He was on the ground floor of her home in the slums while Tifa and Aerith unload the latter belongings up in her room.
"She got involved with Corneo and nearly became part of the Sector Seven plot," the mother testily said to him.
"Would you believe me if I told you that she dragged me into it?" Cloud asked. "I wasn't planning on wearing a dress."
"…I'd have to; she's always been a free spirit like that," Elmyra sighed, her ire dispersing for the moment. "Though she neglected to mention the crossdressing."
"Not my first choice, believe me," Cloud hastily answered, realizing he'd let onto more than he needed to. "…I'd say she'd never see me again if that's what you want, but she knows where I'm staying for now and she's stubborn enough to make the trip on her own."
"Just know that I won't forgive you for getting her in trouble, I think she already had enough close brushes with ****."
"With… who?" Cloud tried to ask, almost like something in his mind had prevented him from hearing whatever Elmyra had said last. It was then that Cloud heard a sudden Ding! from a timer and Elmyra headed to the oven. "…Tifa and I will be on our way out."
"Don't even consider it; there's no way Aerith and I can eat all of this ourselves. What you can do while I get this casserole ready is set the table."
Cloud nodded and started doing so without complaint, right as Aerith and Tifa headed down the stairs. Despite their lengthy (so lengthy) day of shopping, both were wearing what Cloud was used to seeing them in.
"Strong armed into staying for dinner?" Aerith teased him.
"I know better," came Cloud's curt response. "Besides, I'll need a good meal with all of the work Barret will have lined up for me in the morning."
"Does that mean you're really staying around?" Tifa asked.
For once, Cloud didn't try to hide behind the front he'd put up. Instead, he gave Tifa a small smirk. "I still have that promise to keep, don't I?"
"I guess you do," Tifa answered, returning his smile with her own.
"You two need to get a room already." Both broke their eye contact at Aerith's worth and turned away out of embarrassment. "Then again, considering that you two are heading back and what you did last n-"
"Are you saying something, Aerith?" Elmyra's voice sounded from the kitchen, reminding the flower seller that her mom was present to hear her less than innocent observations.
"N-Nothing mom," she responded quickly as her mother brought the oven hot casserole into the kitchen. A still blushing Cloud and Tifa took their seats on opposite sides of the table, still unable to make eye contact due to current embarrassment. Aerith couldn't help but smile at the sight…
…it was just too bad it couldn't last.