"If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...Would you slow down? Or speed up?"
― Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters
"On your right!"
Cloud dove sidewards at Barret's shout, narrowly avoiding the jet of water that sliced across the platform. The serpentine sea monster twisted through the air above their heads before diving back into the water, out of sight. Cloud's keen eyes took in the crimson blossoming on the surface of the water.
"It's injured. Let's finish this."
The next time the Terror erupted from the depths below, the group attacked with renewed ferocity. The beast roared in pain as it caught a spray of bullets from Barret's arm across one of its eyes.
"Hell yeah!" Barret crowed, pleased with his aim. His celebration was cut short when the monster refocused its attention and shot an arc of large bubbles across the battlefield, one of them enveloping Barret before he could dodge away. "Hell no!"
"I'll help Barret!" Tifa yelled, darting towards the man, leaving the others to keep their foe engaged.
Red sped forward, dodging the flailing tail of the serpent before leaping in to the air and descending in a tumbling ball of fangs and claws.
"Got enough in the tank for a lightening spell?" Cloud asked Aerith and she nodded.
"Here." She cast an Arcane Ward beneath their feet. "Two for one."
"Good idea." Cloud grinned as he pressed a hand against one of the materia slotted in to his sword. As soon as Red was clear of the thrashing coils of the monster, Cloud thrust his hand forward and cast the spell, Aerith's voice joining his own as she raised her staff.
"Thundaga!"
Four bolts of blinding electricity crashed in to the sea beast's form and it reared fully out of the water, its form spasming for a long moment before it crashed down on to the platform. The group stumbled, almost losing their footing.
"Is it dead?" Tifa approached, Barret now released from his watery prison.
"It certainly smells that way." Red's nose wrinkled in distaste.
The sound of cheering drew their attention back to the beach, and the crowd that had been watching the battle.
"That girl is still down." Aerith pointed to the prone form visible near the waterline, surrounded by a group of worried onlookers. "We should help."
Their arrival on the pebbled shore was accompanied by pats on the back and enthusiastic thanks from Under Junon's residents. Cloud nodded in polite recognition of the praise and led the way over to the unconscious girl.
Rhonda watched their approach and she offered a small but genuine smile. Any words she may have offered were cut off by a small voice, on the verge of tears.
"Yuffie? Come on, can you hear me? I don't think she's breathing." Priscilla looked around desperately.
The group looked to their leader but Cloud held his hands up and backed away slightly. "Don't look at me. I learned my lesson."
Aerith sighed and knelt down next to the unconscious girl. "Here, let me try."
Priscilla shuffled backwards slightly to give her more room, and Aerith laced the fingers of her hands together before placing them on the centre of the young ninja's chest. She pushed down firmly and a spurt of water bubbled up from the girl's lips and a pair of bleary brown eyes snapped open.
"Hey," Yuffie coughed, rolling away and onto her hands and knees. "Hands off the merchandise." Her tirade was cut short by a loud belch and she spluttered and retched as more water worked its way up her throat.
"Take it easy." Aerith soothed, rubbing the younger girl's back. "Get it all up."
Once Yuffie had brought all the water up out of her system, she sat back on her backside heavily, finally taking a good look at the people before her.
Cloud, knowing full well that Yuffie had spent time with the main Avalanche group, watched the girl's eyes widen as she recognised Tifa and Barret. He was torn between feeling amusement at just how terrible her poker face was, and weariness as he thought about how much of a pain in the ass the girl was to start with.
"Take it easy." Rhonda had stepped forward now. "These people saved your life."
"Ugh, nice going Yuffie!" Cloud's lip twitched as he watched her thump her hand against the side of her head and bemoan her rudeness. She wasn't a bad actress really, he'd give her that.
"Okay Yuffie, let's get you inside. You've had a rough day." Rhonda stepped forward and ushered the girl towards the steps back up to the town.
Yuffie paused a few steps away and turned back, raising an arm over her head and waving it in time to her cheerful call of "Thank you very much."
"You're welcome!" Barret mimicked to her retreating back.
"So that's our new team member?" Aerith mused.
"Yep." Cloud rubbed the bridge of his nose, already feeling a headache coming on.
Barret was grumbling something about 'kids these days' as they made their way back up to the town too.
Of course, Yuffie was waiting for them in the town square and she wasted no time in rushing towards them.
"Hey, you guys are that Avalanche splinter cell, right?"
Barret and Tifa shared a look as the girl continued, gushing about how cool they were and how much of a fan she was.
"Think we could sit down for a chat later? Got a teensy favour to ask."
Cloud stepped forward before Barret could answer, hoping to cut the usual rigmarole short. "We have a favour of our own to ask."
"Oh yeah?" Yuffie frowned, eyeing him suspiciously. "And what would that be?"
"We want you to join our group." Cloud said simply. "We could use your skills."
Yuffie frowned right back at him. "My skills? Mister you haven't even seen my skills."
Gesturing to the weapon on her back Cloud shrugged. "Not hard to spot a Wutainese ninja."
"Oh wow, a smart guy huh? Well sorry to break your heart but I have my own important business to attend to. Now, about my favour…"
She turned back to Barret but Cloud cut her off again.
"You won't kill him you know. It won't work."
The teen paused, mouth open, and looked over at Cloud. "Huh?"
"It's your plan right - kill Rufus Shinra? I'm just saying it won't work, and it will make our lives much harder in the long run."
Yuffie mouthed silently for a moment, channelling her best impression of a trout. Catching herself she glared, pointing directly at Cloud. "What are you, some kind of spies?" She squinted fiercely at the group. "Well your tricks won't work on me. I can see what's going on here."
"Glad someone can." Barret muttered.
"Stay out of my way, Shinra scum." With that she sprinted away and the gang watched her retreating back. Cloud wasn't surprised at how it had played out, but the others looked nonplussed.
"Are you sure that's our new team member?" Tifa blinked.
"Yeah. She gets easier to deal with… sort of."
The group had gathered in a room at the inn to discuss their next steps.
"We just need to get across the sea to Costa del Sol and then we can go from there. The biggest issue is getting on a ship."
"How did you do it before?" Tifa asked from her spot near the window.
Cloud shrugged. "Disguises. We technically won our places on a ship. All went out the window in the end though."
"So we can't we do that again?"
"We could." Cloud sighed. "But it just puts us in the path of Shinra more than we need. It will be a lot less aggravation to just sneak aboard." He glanced out of the window and towards the group of people crowding around the lift to the upper city. "The parade for Rufus means the whole place is crawling with Shinra guards."
Aerith tapped her lower lip as she thought. "What disguises did we use before?"
"Infantry uniforms mainly." He glanced at Barret and smirked slightly. "And one sailor outfit."
"Bet I looked good." Barret rolled his eyes as the girls giggled. "The disguises would be enough to get us on the ship, yeah?"
"The port is locked down tight. No one gets close to the ship without clearance, including the guards. Maybe if we try during the parade we might have a shot, but it still won't be unguarded."
"What about the passengers?" Aerith mused. "The people with tickets can just walk on, right?"
"Right." Cloud eyed her. "Tickets will be like gold dust though. Not that we could afford them even if they weren't sold out."
Aerith bit her lip and seemed to wrestle with the next words out of her mouth. "What if we persuaded some people to let us have their tickets."
"Steal them?" Red couldn't hide the surprised tone in his voice.
"I didn't say that. We could just ask first!" Aerith protested and Cloud coughed to disguise a laugh.
"I hadn't considered that before. It gives us a way on to the ship and a disguise all in one. Hiding in plain sight."
"Didn't know you had such a devious mind." Barret chuckled, looking at Aerith.
The girl's cheeks were flushed in mortification as she looked at her amused friends. "Oh no, we're really going to ruin some peoples' days aren't we?"
"Don't worry about it." Cloud put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "This is one cruise that they'll be happy they missed.
"Okay," Tifa clapped her hands together and stood. "So we each need to get a ticket from a registered passenger and then just board the ship?"
"One more thing." Cloud eyed the clock on the wall. "I need to go find Yuffie."
"The Wutai girl?" Red tilted his head.
"Yeah, she usually would have come to ask us to help her off Rufus Shinra, but I must have scared her off earlier."
"Is it such a bad thing to just let her take out that rat?" Barret asked.
"She's never been successful in any of her other attempts, so I doubt she's make the shot this time." Cloud shook his head. "As soon as she pulls the trigger, whether she misses or not, the city becomes an even bigger nightmare to leave undetected."
"She didn't seem willing to listen to you though." Tifa frowned. "Would telling her the truth work do you think?"
Cloud had considered this already. "I'm not sure how much to tell her. She's suspicious of us at the moment. She won't be inclined to trust us for quite while."
"Then what's your plan?"
"I'll think of something." Cloud assured the ruby-eyed woman. "But our first job is to get topside."
It seemed that no matter how many times passed, the most efficient way to sneak into Upper Junon would always be via dolphin. Cloud listened to the cheers of his team as he landed on the deck of the crane and fought down a smile. He made his way to the controls and put the crane into motion to allow the others to climb up to join him.
"Very impressive." Aerith grinned as Cloud helped her off the ladder that lead to his platform. He accepted the playful praise from the others good-naturedly and led the way to the lift that would take them to the city.
"When we get up there," Cloud instructed. "We'd be best to find some Shinra uniforms or something that will let us blend in until we get our disguises for the boat. If anyone spots us walking around the hangars as we are, they'll raise the alarm."
The lift doors opened onto a quiet stretch of airstrip, the few workers milling around the area paying them little mind. Cloud pointed towards a doorway across the way and the others followed him in silence.
"Right, there's a locker room down this way. Let's grab some clothes and-"
"Shh!" Barret lifted his hand and the group froze, picking up the sound of footsteps approaching from the next corridor. Cloud opened the door next to him and Tifa and Aerith slipped through. He looked back in time to see the opposite door swinging shut and the glow of Red's tail fading from view. Cloud slipped in to the room after the girls and eased the door closed. He waited until the patrol had passed by before emerging back in to the corridor.
"Where's Barret and Red?" Aerith frowned.
"They went that way." Cloud pointed. "They'll be fine, let's just get some uniforms and get out of here. He led the way to the locker room, fortunately encountering no other guards on the way. "Here, grab a uniform and get changed. Think the small size should be over there." He pointed to some boxes in the corner.
"Aww Cloud you know just what to say sometimes." Tifa laughed, heading towards the box marked 'Medium'.
"What?" Cloud looked at Aerith in confusion but she merely shook her head, fighting down her own laugh and disappearing in to a changing cubicle.
Cloud changed quickly, used to suiting up in the uniform, and then waited for the girls to finish, hoping that Barret and Red had made their way to the main street undetected. Cloud's attention was drawn back to the changing booths as Aerith and Tifa emerged, clad in infantry uniforms.
"How do we look?" Aerith raised her hand to her forehead in a playful salute and Cloud smiled.
"You'll do."
"Gee, such enthusiasm." Tifa deadpanned and Aerith giggled.
"I heard voices, I'm sure of it. If any of my recruits are trying to shirk parade duty, there will be hell to pay!"
The angry voice from the corridor caused them to freeze. Not wanting to get caught and forced in to any parade rehearsals, Cloud pointed at the changing booths. "Hide!" He hissed, pushing Tifa back in to her cubicle, and diving in to the other after Aerith.
The door to the booth didn't quite go all the way to the floor so Cloud sat on the bench at the back of the space, tucking his feet up on the seat also. He pulled Aerith down to join him and held his breath as he listened to two pairs of feet enter the room.
"Who is hiding in here?" A furious voice barked and Cloud's arms flexed involuntarily, squeezing Aerith closer to him.
"The room appears to be empty, Ma'am." A second, more timid, voice replied.
"I can see that! But I know I heard voices."
"Perhaps they slipped out before we got here? They may have heard us coming."
The angry voice did not reply and Cloud heard the clacking of boots on the hard floor of the locker room as the commander paced towards them. He felt Aerith's warm breath against his neck and realised the position he had put them in. He was half-reclined on the bench, knees bent and the back of his shoulders pressed against the side wall to allow his taller form to fit in the space. Aerith lay on top of him, hands pressed against his chest, her legs intertwined with his own to keep them off the floor. He swallowed harshly, his eyes meeting wide green. He took in the light scattering of freckles across Aerith's nose, the way her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and how her knee pressed against the inside of his thigh as she fought to remain still. Cloud's body thrummed with energy, fueled by the temptation of what this could become, and also by vivid memories of other times he had held Aerith like this.
"Ma'am?" Cloud almost swore as the voice startled him back to the present. "The drill teams are due to gather in two minutes."
The footfalls paused just outside the cubicles and the heavy sigh was easy to hear. "Very well. I will hope that every member of the team is present and waiting for us, or someone is in trouble."
Cloud waited a moment for the room to become still and silent before releasing the breath he had been holding. "I think we're safe." He murmured.
Aerith nodded and moved to rise from the bench. Her kneed brushed higher against Cloud's inner leg and he hissed lowly, causing Aerith to freeze.
"Sorry."
He shook his head. "No, it's fine."
"Whatever you two are doing in there, I think it will have to wait." Tifa called from outside the booth, amusement clear in her voice.
Blushing deeply, Aerith finish scrambling to her feet and stepped out in to the locker room to face Tifa. Cloud ran a heavy hand down his face and allowed himself a moment to regather his wits before standing and moving to join the others. Nothing was ever simple it seemed.
"Aww Barret, you look great!" Aerith cooed when they made it to the promenade and spied a familiar, tall form.
"Damn sailor outfit was the only thing I could find in my size. Shinra is manned by skinny little wimps." The man grumbled, looking at Cloud and his uniform pointedly.
"Funny." The blonde drawled. "Here," He gestured to the kit bag he had taken from the locker room. "Stash your normal clothes in here until we make it to the ship. At least we can move around without drawing too much attention now." He eyed Red briefly, who met his gaze easily.
"I'm merely a stray dog. Easily ignored."
Cloud looked at the blazing tip of Red's tail and sighed. "If you say so. Now, the parade will be starting soon so try and find your tickets before everyone leaves to go watch it."
"Should we split up?" Tifa asked.
"Might be best." Cloud agreed. "Let's meet at the port entrance once we have our tickets. Oh, disguises wouldn't go amiss either, remember."
"You play dress up more than Marlene." Barret grumbled before trudging off towards Junon's main street. The others watched him go, amused at how much the sailor outfit diminished his angry aura.
"How about you and I go together, Red?" Tifa suggested. "I have an idea actually."
"I have a feeling I'm not going to like this." Red muttered, but followed after the woman obediently.
"You and me then?" Aerith offered Cloud a smile which he returned softly.
"Right. Let's go."
The main Junon shopping area was packed with soldiers and civilians alike, and no one gave Cloud and Aerith a second glance as they walked along the street.
"How will we know if someone has a ticket for the cruise?" Aerith asked, peering at passersby from beneath her helmet.
"Just be on the lookout for anyone who looks like they might be a tourist."
"Like someone wearing tropical print shirts and carting around a suitcase?"
Cloud huffed out a laugh. "It would be nice if it was that obvious."
Aerith nodded towards something over his shoulder, and he turned, spotting a man and a woman at the other end of the street decked out in bright summerwear and toting a large case each.
"Oh." Cloud blinked. "That'll do."
They made their way towards the couple, pausing close to them under the guise of reading the nearby bulletin board.
"I can't believe you parents are paying for us to spend two weeks in Costa del Sol." The man gushed to his partner. "They must have saved up for so long to afford this."
Cloud saw how Aerith's shoulders dropped at the enthusiasm in the man's voice and he was about to try and cheer her up when the man's companion replied.
"I know, I'm quite cross at them actually. I think my mom even sold some of her jewellery to get us the tickets."
"Ah crap." Cloud muttered.
"Should we try somewhere else?" Aerith whispered. "They seem so happy."
Cloud considered it for a moment but then sighed, shaking his head. "This is probably our best shot. We're just using the tickets for the ship, I'm sure they'll be able to make it to Costa del Sol and enjoy their holiday." When Aerith continued to worry her lower lip between her teeth he continued. "And honestly, if past times are any indication, the cruise is not going to very relaxing for them."
"Okay," Aerith sighed. "So how do we do this?"
"My pickpocketing skills are a bit rusty. Yours?"
"I may have grown up in the slums, but that's not something I ever really picked up." Aerith wrinkled her nose at him.
"Figured that was the case. Guess we'll go the official route then." He gestured for Aerith to follow him and then turned to approach the couple.
"Excuse me?"
The floral-patterned pair looked up in surprise as they were faced with two Shinra guards. "Yes sir?" The man asked, voice unsure.
"Just a routine security check. With President Shinra here we have to be more careful."
"Oh yeah, of course."
"Are you a resident of Junon?" He glanced at their luggage pointedly.
"No sir." The woman shook her head. "Just visiting. We're actually sailing to Costa del Sol after the parade."
"May I see your tickets and paperwork?" Cloud held out his hand and waited for the pair to extract a small pile of papers from their bags. He glanced through the stack quickly, spotting the two tickets for the cruise and the entry and exit visas for the port. Just what they needed. "Where's your supplementary travel forms?"
"Err… our what?"
Cloud levelled the man with his most unimpressed look from beneath the visor of his helmet. "All departures via water from Junon require supplementary form 22C-slash-39B. You won't be allowed to board without them."
The pair before him shared a bewildered look. "We haven't heard of that. The person at the border check didn't say anything we we arrived at Junon."
"Did you arrive by road?"
"Yeah."
Cloud groaned and shook his head. "Those idiots probably didn't check your forms properly and didn't realise that you were departing via sea."
"So what do we do?" The woman before him looked panicked. "I don't think we have time to get all the way to border control and back before our ship leaves."
"Tell you what." Cloud hoped he sounded like he was about to offer them a huge favour. "You head back to the main gate and speak to border control. Tell them you need your supplementary form and make sure they stamp it. My partner and I will head to the port with your tickets and hold luggage and explain what has happened. We'll get them to check you in so when you get there you can priority board. Just make sure you bring the extra forms with you."
"Oh man, thank you." The flustered man reached out and shook Cloud's hand vigorously. "You've really saved the day for us."
Cloud fought down the heavy feeling of guilt that settled in his stomach and nodded. "Don't mention it. Now you'd best get moving."
The couple took off down the street at a jog and Cloud sighed, sharing a tired look with Aerith.
"Hey, wait!" Cloud turned to see the man running back towards him. "What number form did we need again?"
"Oh, err-"
"22C-slash-39B." Aerith supplied quickly.
"Right." The man smiled. "Thanks again guys!"
When the couple had finally disappeared from sight, Cloud and Aerith relaxed.
"My god, I can't believe we just did that." Aerith eyed Cloud appraisingly. "You ever thought about being an actor?"
Images of being on stage at the Gold Saucer filled Cloud's mind and his lips quirked. "It's crossed my mind. Now let's see if there's any decent clothes we can use as a disguise."
They rolled the cases down and alleyway and unzipped them, searching for some civilian clothes that would allow them to pass for tourists."
"Guessing Costa del Sol is very warm then?" Aerith asked, lifting a very short dress out of the case. "There's got to be something in here I can use…"
She went back to digging through the contents of the bag, missing how Cloud's ears reddened as he stared at the scrap of fabric in her hand.
"Any luck Cloud?"
Coughing sheepishly, Cloud returned his attention to the task at hand. "Yeah, I think I can pass as a normal guy if I try." He pulled out a pair of light grey shorts and a navy polo shirt before grabbing a pair of trainers from the bottom of the case. "I'll just go change." He moved further down the alleyway, deeper in to the shadows and swapped his guard uniform for his second stolen outfit of the day. He returned to Aerith and found her waiting for him, bundle of clothes in her arm. "Go change, I'll keep a lookout."
While he waited, Cloud stuffed the guard uniform into the kit bag containing everyone's actual clothes - it could come in useful again. His metal pauldron and wrist guard took up a fair amount of space and he just about managed to get the bag zipped back up.
"Okay, all set."
He straightened at Aerith's voice and couldn't help but smile when he saw her. She'd found a knee-length dress, white with small pink flowers embroidered across it, and Cloud could easily imagine her in another time, one more carefree than any of the ones he had know her in.
"Perfect."
Aerith smiled at his words, seemingly pleased. "I think we understood the assignment. Oh, and look." She moved over to the case again, pulling out a large-brimmed sun hat. She placed the item on her head and finished her outfit up with a pair of large sunglasses. "Hiding in plain sight, right?"
Cloud smiled right back at her. He thought she looked adorable, from the top of her head right down to her sandaled feet. "Right." Lifting the kit bag over his shoulder he offered her his other hand. "Come on, let's go find the others."
"There you are, we were getting worried."
Cloud and Aerith were not the first to make it to the port, finding the Tifa and Red keeping out of sight in the shadow of a large building.
"Whoa, Tifa." Aerith laughed as she took in her friend's changed appearance. "Dare I ask?"
"Whatever do you mean, Dahhhhling." Tifa drawled, flipping her hair over one shoulder. She also wore a pair of sunglasses, fared dramatically into cats eyes at the edges, while her form was enveloped in an ostentatious fur coat.
"You must be sweltering." Aerith frowned. "Who dresses like that at this time of year?"
"Rich old ladies, that's who." Tifa sighed. "I guess that only poor people get heatstroke."
"What did you do to Red?" Cloud was eyeing the particularly grumpy looking quadruped who was sporting a bejewelled collar and leash.
"He's my very rare, and therefore very expensive purebred dog who can't possibly be placed in the hold with the other animals. Oh sorry, Red." Tifa amended when he growled. "Just a bit caught up in the character."
"Dare we ask how you got the ticket and clothes from said rich old lady?"
"Found her propping up a bar." Tifa said simply.
"Ah, was she drunk?"
"She knocked the woman out." Red supplied and ignored Tifa's glare.
"Tifa!"
"It wasn't like that!" Tifa protested. "She was drunk. I tried tailing her to the bathroom and she fell."
"Into your fist."
"Shut up, Red!"
"Where's Barret?" Cloud cut in, ending the looming argument.
"Right here."
The group turned, spotting their last member approaching. The older man was wearing a crisp white shirt along with a black waistcoat and trousers. He was also pushing a large cart which seemed to contain piles of linens.
"What's all this?" Tifa raised an eyebrow.
"Figured I'd work smarter not harder and got myself a place on the waitstaff for the cruise. No ticket needed."
"They hired you just like that?" Red questioned.
"Heh, I persuaded one of the bartenders to give me his gig." Barret shrugged, looking at the rest of the group. "You can't tell me the rest of you got your tickets on the up and up?"
"Tifa beat up an old lady and Cloud and I stole ours off a young couple." Aerith chipped in.
"Err, well all for the greater good I guess?" Barret rubbed the back of his neck before shaking his head and pointing at the cart next to him. "And I figured we could hide your sword and the rest of our gear in here, Blondie. I can stash it on the ship until we're underway."
"Good thinking." Cloud conceded, depositing his sword and bag in to the pile of linens and covering them over. The faint sound of cheering drifted from the city and Cloud took the pair of tickets he held out of his pocket and handed them to Aerith. "The parade is starting. I have to go and find Yuffie. You guys wait here, I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Without your sword?" Aerith frowned. "Will you be okay alone?"
"Yeah, I know where to find here. Besides, if I don't get caught then I won't need my sword."
Barret leaned against a nearby crate and rolled his eyes. "How can we argue with logic like that?"
Cloud found Yuffie where he expected, perched on a rooftop overlooking the end of the parade route. Rufus had yet to make it to the podium and the young ninja was making some last minute adjustments to the scope of her rifle. He approached quietly, the lightweight shoes he was wearing actually coming in useful, and came to a stop just behind the girl. He made a mental note to remind Yuffie to be more aware of her surroundings in the future.
"This is a bad idea."
The girl squealed as he spoke, flipping on to her back and swinging the rifle to point at him. "You!" Yuffie glared. "What the heck do you think you're doing!? Sneaking up on me like that!"
Cloud remained where he stood, ignoring the gun pointing directly at his chest. "I just came to tell you that this is a mistake."
"Oho I bet it is. You wouldn't want me to hurt your precious boss, would you?"
"Rufus means nothing to me." Cloud shrugged. "But if you pull that trigger, whether you kill him or not, it makes it a lot harder for the rest of us to get out of here. Got some business of our own to deal with and we need to get to the Western Continent."
"What business?" Yuffie pried, still aiming up at Cloud.
"That's privileged information." Cloud quirked an eyebrow. "I'll tell you if you join the team."
A fanfare erupted in the square below as Rufus finally made his way up to the stage and began his speech. Yuffie growled in frustration and repositioned herself to take aim at the target below. "Buzz off." She snapped over her shoulder. "You're just getting in my way."
"I know that you have no reason to trust me right now." Cloud's eyes bore into the back of Yuffie's head. "But you will one day, and I will tell you everything soon." Yuffie answered by blowing a raspberry, eye still fixed down her scope, and Cloud chuckled. "If I can't get you to trust me, then maybe I can pay you. You like materia, right?"
The ninja paused at that, turning her head to observe him. "What of it?"
"Plenty of chances to find some powerful materia where we're going. But for now, here." He prized one of the materia on his armlet free and held it out to the girl.
Yuffie got to her feet cautiously and took the red orb from Cloud's outstretched palm. "This is a summon materia?"
"Ifrit." Cloud nodded. "Powerful stuff."
"Then why are you giving it to me?"
"I'm loaning it to you." Cloud corrected. "To show you that I trust you enough to return it me. If you won't come with us now then come find us in the West. Just do me a favour and don't fire that gun."
Yuffie looked between the materia in her hand, the cryptic man before her, and the Shinra president open and vulnerable below and she swore fiercely. "You expect me to give up a huge payday just for a little bit of materia?"
"Yep." Cloud shrugged. "It's an investment."
There was a long moment of tense silence, broken by the sound of applause as Rufus finished his speech and moved away from the podium. Yuffie groaned loudly and kicked the rifle off its tripod angrily. "This doesn't mean I'm going to join you. I've just missed my window of opportunity is all."
"Right." Cloud nodded and headed towards the fire escape at the back of the roof. "See you later. Maybe."
"Urgh, forget Rufus, I should have shot you when I had the chance!"
"Where's the little punk?" Barret queried when Cloud rejoined them.
"Who knows. But she didn't take the shot and so we should be able to get out of here quietly."
"Don't say the 'Q' word." Tifa chided. "You'll jinx us."
"Some people have already boarded." Red informed Cloud. "It should be safe for us to go."
"Right." Cloud nodded. "Let's go separately, we have no reason to know each other right now."
Barret stood, guiding his cart of tablecloths and concealed weapons towards the waiting ship. "I'll be taking the crew entrance. Meet you guys inside."
"Red and I will head in first." Tifa picked up the sparkling lead attached to Red's collar. "Please don't bite me for this."
"We never talk of it again." Red grumbled, but trotted alongside Tifa as they made their way to the ticket check.
Cloud and Aerith remained where they were, watching with baited breath as Tifa and Red cleared the checkpoint without any issues. Once the pair had made their way up the ramp and disappeared inside the cruise liner, Cloud turned to his companion. "Our turn."
The smiling employee that greeted them as they approached was a stark contrast to the pair of stony-faced guards positioned at the bottom of the ramp. "Good afternoon Sir, good afternoon Madam. May I please see your tickets?"
Aerith returned the smile easily and handed over the bundle of papers she had been keeping safe.
The staff member examined the tickets before gasping, eyes wide. "Oh yes, we've been expecting you. On behalf of the entire crew of the Shinra-8, thank you for choosing to sail with us. And may I also be the first to wish you both a very happy honeymoon."
Cloud and Aerith shared a split second look of bewilderment as they processed the words. Well damn.