Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Rhapsody of Tears ❯ Love and Hate ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

ME: *wave, wave* Hiiiiiiiiii, everyone! Guess what time it is?!!
SD-Reno: [pops in, grinning] Time for disclaimers!!
SD-ME: NO, baka!! [shoves him to SD-SailorLeo and SD-Lila, who happily drag off to their domain] Umm, okay... where was I?
SD-Rufus: [comes out from no where, looking through some papers] I believe you were planning to write an AeRuf lemon...
SD-Tifa: [leaps out and punts SD-Rufus into SD-Casey's awaiting arms] IYAA!! When am I gonna appear with Cloud?!!! HMM??!
SD-Yuffie: [pops up from behind an angry SD-Tifa] YEAH!!! I wanna be in the story with Vin-chan! [holding a red string she has that's tied to SD-Vincent, but SD-SailorLeo comes back with a pair of scissors and inconspicuously frees Vincent and leaves with him]
SD-ME: *panick, panick* Uuh...
Cloud: [walks onto the scene, holding an empty coffee mug] Umm, excuse me, but someone hid the coffee again.
SD-ME: [raises her hand] That would be me! [walking towards Cloud, but gets yanked back by SD-Tifa and SD-Yuffie]
SD-Tifa & SD-Yuffie: [yelling at her] You're not getting away so easily!
SD-Cloud: *sweatdrop* Nevermind. [walks off arm in arm with Mint, who promised to make him more coffee]

[Cid and Barret are standing off to the side, smoking and drinking tea, and trying to ignore Tifa and Yuffie chasing SD-K-chan down.]

Cid: Damn these kids.
Barret: Those fools! We ain't gonna appear again if she doesn't get to writin' that part!
Red XIII: Then someone should stop them from harrassing her.

[The three glance at one another and then shrug, returning to whatever they were doing before: hanging out at the tea shoppe. The scene freezes, and Aeris sighs, pushing the frozen frame from view.]

Aeris: And now the story...
SD-ME: [runs by, screaming at the top of her lungs] Final Fantasy VII belongs to Squaresoft!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! [gets chased off again]

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

He stood at the bay window of the hotel lobby, watching the glimmering lights of the city in silence. He didn't want to be there, but he would eventually have to see the man again--might as well get it over with. In the window reflection, he saw Hojo walking towards him. "I apologize for keeping you waiting, sir," he said, locking eyes onto the blonde's reflection.

Rufus didn't bother to turn around and carry on the discussion that way because there was no need to and they were not equals, to remind Hojo of that. "I heard you were seen around the docks lately."

Hojo chuckled and sat down on the couch comfortably. "Is that it? You're here to ask me that?" he asked, having had some idea his little excursion would reach the young president's ears since most of everyone in Junon was under his employment and of course, he knew the TURKs were to keep an eye on him.

The blonde remained silent, waiting for a reply. Reno had reported earlier that he and Rude had follow the scientist out to the harbor, and when the man boarded a ship for some reas, apparently to speak to the captain about something the TURKs couldn't hear but they were only able to get little, irrelevant information. And Hojo didn't have a problem revealing the conversation he had with the captain. "Yes, I was at the docks," he admitted, "Only in the name of science. Since I am here in Junon, it would be most beneficial to obtain some sea specimen for my experiments."

"I see..." The answer matched up with what Reno received from interrogating the captain, but beneath it all, there was something not right. "But tell me, Doctor Hojo. Do you plan to continue the Promised Land project?"

Hojo took off his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief from his coat pocket, letting the seconds tick by before answering, as if to test the young man's patience. However Rufus was able to endure it. He wouldn't be Rufus Shinra if he wasn't able to confront 'heaven and hell' thrown at him throughout his whole life.

"I will see to it till the end," Hojo said, donning on his glasses, "But I understand your position is different than that of your father's." Rufus finally turned around and stared at the seated man, who wore a calm expression. "Which only means, I'll have to convince you by another way."

Rufus didn't answer to that remark, only looked away. He started to walk towards the front of the hotel, where the exit was situated, but Hojo spoke up once again, stopping him in his tracks, "But one thing that is the same about you and your father..."

He just stood there with both hands in his pockets, waiting for Hojo to finish so he could leave the miserable place.

"It was... It IS your hunger for power and control," Hojo said in a light manner, rising to his feet, as Rufus continued to walk away, "It is in your Shinra blood." He also added, "I truly hope you live long to see that Shinra empire expand and prosper."

Hojo smirked when the door slammed shut, and Rufus was no longer there. He turned towards the window, pushing up his glasses. The blonde may have appeared calm and in control, but after that last comment, he was certainly furious since Hojo had hinted a possible ending like his father. Perhaps better said as an implied threat to his life.


Rhapsody of Tears

written by K-chan

Chapter Six: Love and Hate


Cloud and the others were traveling on foot now, ever since their little skirmish with two of the TURKs. They had been going on for most of the morning, so they took a short break by a grove of trees. While the others rested, Cloud went a bit ahead up the hill to see how far they needed to go to reach Junon. When he was at the top, he raised a hand over his head to block the late morning sun from his eyes as he peered towards the tiny speck in the distant.

They only had a little bit left to go, and they could save Aeris again. At the thought of seeing her again, it made him happy, and he smiled, sighing contently. When he heard footsteps coming from behind him, he dropped his smile and turned around to face Tifa, who seemed worried. She stepped up beside him, staring at Junon beyond the plains. "We'll be there soon, huh?" she sighed, as if she didn't want them to ever reach the port city. She would love to continue traveling with Cloud as they were, but coming so close to the city now, it only urked her about the relationship he and Aeris were having. It scared her that there could be more to their friendship.

"Yeah," he said, following her gaze, and stared at the place with this faraway look. "Sometimes, when I think about it, I regret taking her along... with all the dangers that laid ahead." Tifa looked at him as he continued, still staring in the distance, "So I promised myself that after we rescue her, I would leave her somewhere safe until this is over..." Then he frowned, like something didn't feel right. "I keep telling myself that, but I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can leave her alone, where I can't see her smiles and hear her voice..."

Tifa turned away from him, hiding her teary face from him, but she remained strong, holding an unwavered voice, "But isn't that for her to decide? If she wants to come, then she will."

"Yeah, I guess it is..."

"Umm, I'll go get the others. I'm sure they're ready to move on." She started to walk away, when Cloud called to her.

"Tifa."

"Yes, Cloud?" she said without turning around.

"Thanks for listening to me."

"Hey, that's what friends are for."

He glanced back at her departing figure with a strained face and said quietly, "Yeah, friends..." Then his blue eyes turned back to the city, with his heart in complete confusion.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Her eyes were moving about this place in awe as she stood in the middle of the shopping district of Junon. It reminded her a lot like Wall Street from Midgar, but it didn't compare to these extravagant stores lined up on both sides of the street. She squealed in delight when she spotted a flower shoppe and tugged on Rufus's coat sleeve, pointing to their first destination like a child wanting to go to the candy store. He chuckled at seeing her so happy and nodded, complying with what she wanted.

Rufus held her hand as they darted across the semi-busy street, but they didn't get too far when a familiar voice called after them. They turned around and Aeris was taken back by who it was, "Reno?" Then she glance over at Rufus, who didn't look too happy when Reno reached them, breathing heavily.

"Whew, what a run," the red head said, taking in a few more breaths before straightening up again, and noted the pair's hands were interlocked. "Finally caught up to ya."

"What are you doing here, Reno?" the blonde asked with every hint of irritation. "You're suppose to be with Rude, keeping an eye on Hojo."

"Yeah yeah, Rude's doing that, and it only takes ONE person. Besides, I can't miss out on taking Aeris about the town." He chuckled and put an arm around Aeris's shoulder, just to annoy Rufus, and it worked. "Ready for our date?" he teased.

Aeris playfully pushed him away and stayed close to Rufus, sticking out her tongue at the TURK. "RuRu promised me shopping, so I can't go with you, Reno."

Reno pretended to be heartbroken as he turned away with drooped shoulders, sighing, "Who am I to break up such a cute couple." Rufus and Aeris blinked and then looked at one another, blushing. The red head peeked over his shoulder and chuckled at their red faces. In a blink of an eye, he reappeared in between them with each arm around them. "All right then! I'll kick anyone's ass who interrupts THIS date!"

"RENO!" they both groaned.

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" he laughed, dragging the helpless couple off. "How 'bout lunch first though. I'm hungry from all that running."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Cloud stayed close to the walls surrounding Junon as he peeked around the corner to the entrance gates, where several soldiers were inspecting those who entered into the city. The security was tight because of the parade in Rufus's honor, and Rufus also knew that AVALANCHE would probably take such an opportunistic event to sneak into the city.

He looked up at the high wall and figured that they wouldn't be able to climb up, so he returned to the others, who were resting nearby. "There are too many guards," he informed them. "We can't walk right in--we'll be captured on the spot."

"Damn that Shinra," Barret cursed. "Should've shot him when he stepped off that damn chopper."

Tifa wasn't paying attention to their conversation because her garnet eyes were fixed on several caravans heading towards their direction, to Junon. "Look, guys," she pointed. "We can get in that way!"

It only took a few minutes to have the caravan leader let a group of travelers looking for a job join their band for a bit of extra work, and Cloud learned that they would entertain the new Shinra president later that evening. Barret and Red immediately jumped into the back of one of the wagons while Cloud and Tifa draped themselves in cloaks and walked along side the regular people.

The trail of caravans eventually stopped at the gates, and as the leader spoke to the commander, the soldiers went to each section and searched them thoroughly. When they came to the wagon Barret and Red were on, they only found a large man covered with a blanket, coughing and hacking like a very ill patient. They immediately retreated, not liking the sound that came from him, and very afraid to catch whatever sickness he had.

Other soldiers carefully went to each person, examining their faces to see if they matched any wanted criminals, especially the members of AVALANCHE. A young soldier was heading over to Cloud and Tifa, who pulled their hoods a little lower, but luckily a woman from the caravan they stood by called out to them, "Sweeties, could you two give me a hand with my children. I'm so tied up with this to look after them." They grateful complied, each taking a twin baby into their arms, which only caused the guard to get a quick glance at them. Thinking nothing out of the ordinary, he just walked by them and checked the rest of the band.

When the inspection was completely, the group passed through the gates. They headed towards the eastern section of the city where most of the inns for travelers were located. Cloud was able to get one room separately from the others for his group, and they quickly met in there to plan out what to do next.

"Now, we have to find out where they have Aeris at," Cloud said, thinking deeply on that, while the others weren't too sure either. He tried not to think of what Rufus last said when he held Aeris possesively in his arms. Those words burned into his head as he attempted to shake away the image of Rufus taking advantage of her. In frustration, he abruptly stood up from his chair, and everyone stared at him.

"What's wrong with ya, Spikey?"

"Rufus's place. She has to be there," he grumbled with his fists clenched tightly. Tifa just stared at him. With every little detail that related to Aeris, it only broke her heart into finer pieces, and she was afraid that there would be nothing left if it continued as it did. But how was she supposed to tell him of her feelings when it appeared he cared for another?

Barret nodded, having recall the scene on the Shinra building that lead Cloud to that deduction. "Alright, but we don't know that for sure."

"I know, that's why we should check it out. And we should also get a ship out of here. If we're going after Sephiroth, then we have to get to Nibelhiem." Everyone seemed to agree, but before Cloud decided how that should be executed, he looked over at Barret and Red. "Err, well you two would stand out, so stay here. Tifa and I will look around."

"Fine," the large man grumbled, crossing his arms.

"And we'll have to do this all before the parade starts."

"Why, Cloud?" Tifa asked.

"Because that's when we get Aeris out of there."

She nodded, "It would be a good distraction."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The old man sat in his cabin, smoking on his pipe, when a knock on the door interrupted his habit. He grumbled something close to 'come in', and the door opened. The young shipmate entered and handed the captain an envelope. He stood aside as the man read it, holding his pipe in one hand. "Heh, he promised double the pay if this is successful. All right, there's nothing to lose. It's just a girl." He held the note to the end of the pipe and let the spark torch the paper to ashes.

"Tell the others to get ready. We'll carry out Hojo's plan."

"Yes, sir!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Cloud and Tifa arrived at the harbor and looked around when they spotted several men leaving a ship. They walked up to them and asked to speak with the captain. The shipmate pointed towards the lower deck and left them. "They seem to be in a hurry," Tifa commented. Cloud just shrugged and went down the stairs to see the captain. He knocked on the ajar door and entered with Tifa behind him.

The old man looked at them, "What do you want?"

"Is your ship heading for the other continent?" the blonde inquired.

"No," came the curt reply.

"Well, is it going anywhere?" he asked again.

"No."

Cloud was taken back at another negative reply, thinking if the man wasn't going anywhere when he had a ship, why have it in the first place! Tifa took it quite the opposite, fuming at the captain, but she tried to remain civilize and not pound the old fool. "Well it doesn't quite look like that, captain," she said. The man just ignored her.

"Your crew seemed to be heading into the city for some necessities for departure." He stopped puffing on his pipe and looked at her. "I'm right, aren't I?" she said smuggly.

"Look," Cloud interjected, "As long as you're going somewhere, we just need to get to the other continent. We'll even pay you."

The captain thought about it for a bit and finally gave in, "All right, but I'm leaving this evening. I've gotta take two more passengers to Kalm."

"Kalm??" the pair questioned.

He overlooked their outburst and said, fiddling with his pipe, "Just make sure you get here before sunset."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

That afternoon, two cars were parked in front of the Shinra Mansion, where Rufus was standing outside the first one, speaking to Reno, "I don't want to see Hojo up there. Just make sure he stays out of my way, at least for the rest of today." The red head nodded and left to the second car. Rufus watched the TURK get into the car with Rude. He frowned, sensing something not very right, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He turned around, scrutinizing his surroundings as if he felt someone was watching him. Though he found nothing noticeable, the feeling still nagged him.

"RuRu?" Aeris called, poking her head slightly out of the open cardoor, "Are you all right?" He looked at her and smiled, hoping to ease her worries.

"I'm fine. We can go now," he said, climbing into the backseat, next to her.


"They're leaving now," Tifa remarked as she and Cloud watched the two vehicles pull out of the long driveway. They were hiding among the tall bushes of the nearby residences. "He was looking our way... Do you think..." It was very difficult to see through the thick greens from the distance Rufus was standing, but they couldn't really be sure.

Cloud shook his head, "I don't think so. If he saw us, he probably would've done something."

"Well, seeing what a bastard he is, he would probably get the TURKs to pounce on us again," she snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, where do we go from here?"

"We go ask if Aeris is there."

"What?! Just walk straight to the house and ASK?? Cloud, we're wanted here!"

"Yeah, AVANLANCHE is wanted, but not everyone knows what we exactly look like." He sprinted across the streets, "C'mon, Tifa!" She groaned and followed him up to the front door. Cloud rang the doorbell, and they waited till a maid opened the door.

The woman blinked at them and then said, "Hello. How can I help you?"

Tifa just stood aside as her partner did the talking, "Hi, we have a delivery for Rufus Shinra." She gulped, wondering why in the world he would say what he did, and besides, Rufus had just left.

"The master isn't in right now, but I can take it for him."

"I wish I could do that, but he had requested that I give it to him face to face," Cloud insisted, and Tifa still didn't understand where this was going. The maid seemed flustered at the moment, and Cloud smiled politely, "It's okay, we'll just come back another time." She nodded, and Cloud prepared to leave, but he turned back around to her and asked, "Could we use your phone? I need to call the office and tell them."

"Oh, of course," she said and took them inside, being oblivious to these strangers. When they walked down the hallway to the telephone, Cloud nudged Tifa on the side, hinting for her to do something. "Here it is," she gestured to the phone on the table.

"Thank you."

Cloud went to dial whatever number while Tifa turned to the maid, asking, "Can I please your bathroom?" The woman blinked again, wondering what problems these delivery people were having, needing to call someone and now the restroom. She nodded and took Tifa down another hallway and pointed to the door. "Thanks!" she chirped, walking in. The maid shook her head and left to see how the blonde was doing. When she disappeared around the corner, Tifa poked her head back out to make certain she was gone.

She then left the bathroom and went in the opposite direction, searching through the rooms. She found a staircase and ascended to the second floor, continuing her search. She eventually found a room that appeared quite feminine from the rest. She entered and looked around, finding a familiar red jacket hanging on the armrest of a chair. She picked it up and examined it, knowing well that it belonged to their kidnapped friend, but she wasn't there.

She held the jacket, wondering where Rufus could've kept Aeris and worse, what he could've done to her. She winced at the thought and felt a shame for being jealous when Aeris was in such a dangerous position. "What are you doing in here?!" came the maid's voice. Tifa turned around, hiding the jacket behind her. "You're not a delivery person, are you?! You better leave before I call the police!" she warned, leaving.

Tifa ran after her to stop her, but luckily, she came out of the room to find Cloud had the unconscious made in his arms. He laid her gently onto the floor as Tifa walked up to him. She showed him Aeris's jacket, "She was here."

Cloud took the jacket from her and stared at it, guiltily. Tifa looked elsewhere, having mistaken his expression for worriment, and said, "The car Rufus got into... There was someone else in the backseat..." Cloud looked at her as she finished her thought, "It could be Aeris." He nodded.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The whole city of Junon was filled with crowds from its citizens to visitors across the Planet to watch the exciting parade in the streets. For the now the middle of the road was empty, but soon, a long line of beautiful sights and echoes of festive music would flood the streets. To one side was a two-story building with a large balcony protruding overhead. Below that was a platform with several seats reserved for high officials and important personnel.

Reno and Rude were in the back, keeping a lookout for any trouble as well as making sure that Hojo was in his place down there, while above the glass doors slid open, and Rufus made his appearance with Aeris by his side. The crowd watched in awe and cheered as their city's leader stepped forward to make a speech. Aeris stood behind him as he took the spotlight.

Rufus waited for the crowd to simmer down before speaking, "Today... will mark a new chapter in the history of the Planet. Midgar has been the center of business and opportunity for several decades, but now that city is the past, and Junon will be our future, taking center stage, and rise beyond what Midgar is!" The people cheered with much enthusiasm, having grown prosperous due to Rufus's leadership ever since he came to reign the city.

A waiter held a tray with a goblet of wine to Rufus, and he took it, holding it into the air. He smiled, filled with high optimism for the future, his future... He looked back to Aeris, who was watching him with a bright face, and knew it was for THEIR future. She nodded to him, feeling so proud and happy at all his accomplishments through such a rough past. He returned the nod and gave her a loving smile that only she deserved. He turned around to the crowd once more, feeling confident with her by his side, and raised the wine goblet high into the air, "TO OUR FUTURE!"

Fireworks flashed into the skies, and the streets boomed with music and screams of excitement. They could see the start of the parade from beyond the buildings as the giant balloons began to drift through the towers. "It's so beautiful!" Aeris squealed, sitting at the edge of her seat, and watched the floats make their way to them. Rufus chuckled, enjoying her voice telling him about this and that. She pointed to a group of children dancing in the streets and commented on how adorable they were. He smiled and brushed a loose strand of hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ears.

She stopped and stared at him, noticing how sweet and gentle his expression was. She let his hand touch her face, caressing it softly. His blue eyes were locked on hers, like a powerful spell woven since their first encounter. But even then, so young, they were drawn to each other as if Destiny had promised them reunion in this lifetime.

"Sir," came the voice from behind, breaking the trance between the pair. Aeris looked away as Rufus turned to the man, who was wearing a casual suit. He didn't look familiar, like any of his men. "There's a phone call for you," he informed.

Rufus looked away and sat back in his chair, waving him off, "Just take a message."

"But it's very urgent, sir, from Midgar."

He frowned, but Aeris touched him on the arm and said, "You should answer it, RuRu. Don't make me be the one to hold you back from your duties. He did say it was urgent."

"Aeris," he whispered and placed his hand over hers. How he loved her for being so considerate, so selfless. He nodded, "But they'll hear an earfull from me if it was nothing but deciding the lunch menu." She giggled as she playfully push him away. With a big smile, he followed the man into the building, leaving Aeris to pour her attention on the parade. But she sighed, knowing that it was a nicer feeling with Rufus next to her. She touched her face, blushing deeply at how hot she felt when he brushed his fingers against her skin. She thought she would turn into a ripe tomato on the spot.

Aeris was deep in her thoughts that she didn't realize anyone had plopped down in the empty seat next to her until he spoke up, "So, where's the President?" She jerked her eyes over to see Reno grinning at her. "What a shame, to leave a cutie like you all alone," he teased.

"Don't you ever stop," she rolled her eyes.

"Nope, not until I get what I want." He turned to the scene in the streets while she stared at him, speechless. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not and watched the parade in awkward silence. There was a float cover in bright flowers, and Reno chuckled inwardly, reminding him a lot of the flowers in the ruin church in Midgar--the ones he had 'accidently' stepped. He peered at her profile from the corner of his eyes, wondering if she remembered the incident. His gaze seemed to soften as he stared at her. She looked so pure and angelic, and Rufus was definitely lucky to be with someone like her.

Reno shook his head of those thoughts, cursing himself for even thinking of her in any other way than a friend. Aeris looked at him, bewildered, but he just smiled. Then another man came in and went directly to Aeris, "Miss, there's someone downstairs to see you."

"Who is it?" she asked.

"He said his name was Cloud."

Her eyes widened, and she immediately stood up, but before she took off, Reno had grabbed her hand. "You're not seriously leaving the President?" he questioned seriously, as if he had really meant himself.

She looked trouble, caught between returning to her comrades or staying with her childhood friend, who could possibly be more than that now. "I... Of-of course not, but... but they have to know I'm okay."

Reno stood up, still holding her hand, "Fine, then I'll go with you." It appeared she didn't have a choice in the matter since the past few days showed her how insistent the red head could be, so she nodded.

The man, who had informed her, didn't look to happy with the additional person, "But he said he didn't want to see anyone with you."

"Tough luck, pal," Reno said, adding lightly, "I'm her bodyguard now." Aeris just giggled, shaking her head. The man just gave in and took them downstairs to a private room. He looked back at Aeris then to Reno and carefully knocked on the door three times. Reno frowned at the cautious knocks and knew something was up. The man opened the door and let Aeris entered, followed by Reno. He suddenly pushed the TURK to the floor, but before Reno could retaliate, he fell foward unconscious.

Aeris turned around, gasping in horror at her friend's body motionless on the floor. She was about to scream, but a hand clamped over her mouth from behind as she stared straight ahead as three men piled into the room, including the messenger. Her captor pressed her body against his and held out a sharp knife in clear view, breathing hotly in her ear, "If you want your friend to live, then do what you're told. Got that?" As much as she wanted to kick and fight her way from them, she couldn't allow Reno to get hurt. It was because of her that he was in his fallen position.

One of the men tied her hands in the back and her legs and gagged her mouth. He then threw a sack over her head and tied it shut. "Let's go then," said another, throwing her over his shoulder, and the group left.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Rufus cursed as he tried to kick the door down. After the messenger had took him into the room, he went to the phone to answer, not bothering with the man closing the door after his departure. No answer came from the other end, and he turned to the door that clicked from the outside, locking him in, and he knew that it was all a set up.

When that didn't work, he remembered he had a gun on him and took it. He aimed it at the door knob and pulled the trigger until the lock was out of commission. He kicked it hard again, and the floor flew from its hinges to the opposite wall. The commotion brought the workers of the building into the area only to find a messy hallway and one pissed off blonde. They could sense the dark aura around him as they made a pathway for the armed man, whose impulse was to see if Aeris was all right.

He didn't get far when his eyes caught Reno staggering out of another hallway. He ran over to the TURK and supported him, "Reno, are you okay? What happened?"

"Uugh... Sorry, sir," he groaned, holding a hand at the back of his head, "They took her. I should've paid more attention."

Rufus did his best to remain calm, but inside, he was boiling over. "Who were they?"

Reno shook his head, standing steadily on his feet again, "I don't know."

"Get me Hojo."

As if the situation wasn't bad enough, Rude came looking for them and found them right there in the hall. The pair saw him coming towards them and thought of the worse. "I'm sorry, sir, but Hojo was gone. There was--" Rufus just held up his hand, preventing him from explaining any further because he knew what a sneaky man Hojo was.

"That bastard must've planned this," Reno growled.

Rufus stepped away from them, trying to think of where the scientist could take her to. The man couldn't risk in getting a helicopter because that are was under Shinra control, and he wouldn't be able to get on. He couldn't even get out of the city easily because the security was still high, and they had orders to not let anyone leave until the celebration was over nor anyone suspicious in. The only other alternative was by sea...

"I want all the ships detained in the bay, and every single one of them searched!" he ordered.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Hold on, Tifa!" the blonde warned as the motorcycle careened down the street. She clung to him tightly, enjoying every moment of holding him, but they weren't on a joy ride. Her eyes were glued on the car ahead of them, speeding towards the docks. They were able to locate Rufus's whereabouts and just as they were about to enter the building, they saw a group of men leaving from the backways, carrying a large bag--large enough to fit a person in. Going with their instincts, they stole a motorcycle and chased after it.

Tifa spoke into the PHS, "Barret, get your butt and Red down to the docks. Something's up." After an affirmative from the other end, she hooked it into the slot of her belt. They pursued the vehicle on the same major road that was adjacent to the shoreline that would take them to the ships they had visited earlier that day. The car swerved into the lot, so Cloud slowed the motorcycle down and parked far away.

The pair closed in on the area by foot, sneaking up to some barrels and cargos which was an excellent hiding place. It turned out to be the same ship they had planned to board that evening. They watched the men get on the ship with the heavy sack and were impatient to see who they had kidnapped.

The captain appeared and stood aside as they took the sack below deck. He then spoke to the man in charge of the kidnap, "Did it go smoothy?"

He nodded, "A nosey red head, but we dealt with him. They'll be too late."

The conversation didn't give way to anything, but the possible 'nosey red head' had to be Reno. It wasn't until a familiar face decided to show himself that they knew the person in the sack had to be Aeris. "Damn that Hojo," Cloud muttered, "He'd even betray his own side. But why would he need to kidnap Aeris from Rufus? Weren't they all after the Promised Land?"

"Who knows," Tifa whispered, "But it looks like Rufus and Hojo are at odds with each other about something."

"Concerning Aeris," he added. Tifa didn't say anything as they listened to the the men.

"Let's be off now," Hojo ordered them.

"Just an hour more. I still have passengers to take care of."

Hojo growled impatiently, "I don't care! I'll triple the payment if you get this thing moving! I want to get to Midgar as soon as possible." He snorted and scurried back below deck.

"Triple pay, huh?" The captain seemed to be thinking it over, but in the end, he was still a man of his words, though it was tempting. "We'll give those kids half an hour to show up."

Cloud cursed beneath his breath, even though he knew that half an hour would be enough for Barret and Red to show up, but he was afraid the captain might change his mind at the last minute. "You wait here, Tifa," he told her, "Let me know if anything happen. I'll go wait for the others." She nodded, and he quietly left the scene and went back out to the streets to wait for the rest of their teammates. He only had to wait for twenty minutes when he saw a truck pulled up and Barret and Red hopped out from the back. They thank the driver and joined Cloud with grave expressions.

"We've got bad news, Spikey!"

"SOLDIERs have been dispatched to this area." Cloud looked confused, as Red explained, "Rufus ordered a lockdown on the harbor. No ships are to leave."

Cloud wasn't sure what to make of the news. Rufus's actions were throwing his thinking off track. What was the new president really after? "Either way, we can't let Rufus catch us," he said, leading them towards Tifa. When the team was together again, they met the captain on board the ship, informing him of the news. The old man had no choice but to raise the anchor. They watched the crew at work, preparing the ship for departure. The captain had left to the helm to take care of procedures from there.

The ship set sail as they saw the army of SOLDIERs seizing all others at the docks. The men couldn't do anything with the one ship that was already drifting far away. Barret cheered at their escape, but he shouldn't have rejoiced too soon because in the distant, a series of flying objects were heading their way. Three helicopters were dispatched after them, and one of them was Rufus, looking very deadly.

Cloud could see it in the hard, blue eyes that clashed with his own. He frowned as he told the others, "Tifa. Red, you two go find Hojo, and see if Aeris is all right. Barret, go to the navigation room and make sure they stay on course no matter what happens out here."

"Cloud," she called him, wanting to be by his side, but he raised his hand for her not continue. She knew their was no way she could change his mind, so she left saying, "You be careful too."

While the others left on their assignments, Cloud waited as the choppers came closer. Most of the crew had backed off, sensing a fierce battle, and braced for the confrontation. He knew a fight between them was inevitable, but it was too dangerous on a ship that had many innocent people on board and there was also fear that the result of an intense battle could bring the ship down. He had no choice but to stop their pursuit. Holding his sword in front of him, he summoned the materia of ice and casted on the whirling blades that kept the machines up in the air.

Rufus narrowed his eyes at the mercenary as the faint waves of icy mist accumulated around the helicopter. He wouldn't let this little obstacle keep him from getting to Aeris. He had left the inside of the helicopter, holding onto the outside handle as he stood on the the bar. The blades were slowing down because the ice building up on it, but that didn't stop the chopper from continuing its path for the ship. The pilot panicked, yelling a bunch of jargon that Rufus couldn't care less about. The aerial vehicle was gradually descending, but Rufus just need a few more meters.

Cloud had finished with the ice spell and only waited for the end, but when Rufus smiled--a determined one--his blue eyes widened at the possiblity of his enemy's risky action. "GIVE HER BACK TO ME!" Rufus shouted, leaping into the air as the helicopter swerved to the side, not to hit the ship. Cloud stumbled back to the wooden ground as the watery crash pushed against the ship, knocking it off its intended course.

Rufus landed roughly on the ship, but he got up, wincing at the surge of pain in his left arm. He pushed the pain aside and stood his position firmly, cocking his gun at Cloud, who was ready for anything thrown at him. "Where is Aeris?" Rufus demanded.

"You're never getting your hands on her ever again," he said, "As long as I'm here!" Rufus pulled the trigger, but the ex-SOLDIER blocked the bullet with his sword. "I'll never forgive you! Never forgive you for taking her away!!" he shouted and charged right at the president.

Another shot rang through the air, and blood splattered on the ship. Cloud fell forward, clutching his bleeding leg. He looked up in the air and saw Reno and Rude with a fired gun on another helicopter. The red head smirked, "Forgot about us?"

Cloud snarled and casted fire right at the chopper, but Reno quickly countered the magic with his own fire spell, resulting in a huge explosion of fire in mid air. The sparks flew in all directions--a few striking the helicopter while most landed on the ship and and took a liking to the wooden material, catching them in a low blaze. The helicopter was pushed back from the pressure of the impact.

"Damn!" Cloud cursed as the fire gradually spread. Rufus ignored him and headed towards the lower decks when he suddenly stopped at the scream. Both blondes knew the owner of the cry, "AERIS?!" They raced to the stairway, but Red leapt out, surprising them. An injured Tifa followed later, falling into Cloud's arm.

"TIFA!!" he cried, panicked at seeing her bleeding arm. "WHAT HAPPENED??!!"

She tried to smile lightly, "Guess I was too careless. I'll be all right. It's just a flesh wound, but I'm sorry, Cloud. I couldn't keep her safe."

That was when Hojo resurfaced with Aeris held as shield. At the sight of her, Rufus was about to lurch forward, but Hojo had a gun pointed at her. "RUFUS!" she called, tears streaming down her face. She then looked at Tifa, worried that her friend could die at the expense of saving her.

Tifa knew this and smiled, "Don't worry, Aeris. I'm fine."

"Just wonderful, don't you think, Rufus?" Hojo sneered, after seeing the ship in flames. Barret and the captain rushed to the main deck to see them all at a standstill with Aeris's life at stake. Most of the ship's crew had jumped overboard to save their own lives. "And to think, if you had just given me the Ancient like I requested, you wouldn't have to die here like the pathetic animal that you are."

"Would ja just f**kin' shut up!" Barret yelled at Hojo. "Don't talk like you're a god! We're all gonna die on this damn ship if we don't jump!"

"The ship's gonna blow!" the captain warned, heading for the edge of the ship, "We've got weapons on board, including explosives and gunpowder!"

Hojo glared at the them for the belated information, and Rufus took his distraction as a blessing from the Heavens and shot the weapon out of the man's hand. Aeris staggered away as Hojo cursed, clutching his his bleeding hand. She fell forward, and Rufus rushed to her side. He took her into his arms and crushed her against him, whispering comfortable words. Along with the others, Cloud and Tifa watched the two in the intimate hold, letting the situation slowly dawn on them, but their attention soon turned to the ship with several blazing boards collapsing. The ship shook and sent those standing flat to the ground.

Hojo took one last look at Rufus and Aeris before leaping overboard, swearing that it was far from over. AVALANCHE were on their feet again as well as Rufus and Aeris, but their situation was very dangerous. Two helicopters were left and could possible carry them all, but if they came any closer, the flames could cause another explosion. Either way, they had to jump off now. Red and Barret were the first ones to jump, leaving the two pairs staring at each other.

No one said a word. Rufus took Aeris's hand and held it tightly. Cloud saw the silent exchange between their eyes and knew this was a bond that spanned over time and nothing could ever break it, not even Death. For some reason, it pained to see such closeness.

He watched them jump into the water. Tifa placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her. He noticed her arm was still bleeding and took a cloth from his pocket. She watched him wrap it around her arm and smiled at seeing such tenderness. "Let's go," he said and held her hand as they leapt into the waters.

The fire continued to blaze into the night as two helicopters floated in the distance, away from the anticipated explosion. Reno and Rude could do nothing but hope that Rufus and Aeris were to get a good distance between them and ship. Even if anything happened, they wouldn't be able to search for their bodies in the darkness. It would be like finding a needle in the depths of the ocean.

The flames engulfed the whole ship, and soon, section by section, small bursts of fire became huge explosion that roared into the darkness. The flaming wreckage broke apart and sunk into the ocean, but the blaze continued to flare high in the sky. The passengers of the choppers braced themselves as the final explosion ripped through the sky like fireflies on a summer night, and only sparks of debris rained into the waters, leaving traces of a ship that once drifted there.


TO BE CONTINUED...

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Uuugh, this one is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!!! PLEASE tell me you guys enjoyed it!! Although it took me two days to write this, I worked extremely hard on it!!!! I had to keep going because I knew you wouldn't like where I would've ended it. It's still a cliffhanger, but not as bad as what I WOULD'VE given you. *yawn* I'm so bushed... I think the next chapter won't be till another 2 weeks maybe... I'm just gonna go recuperate.

AAARGH, I just realize I forgot the whole thing between Aeris & Zack!!!!! Okies, for the sake of my story, let's pretend that Aeris & Zack like never happened 'cause I don't feel like going back through the previous chapters and like write Aeris's thoughts and feelings and memories with Zack and compare them to the things she feels with Rufus. Too much time, and I bet you guys rather have me keep going than to back track, ne? GOOD. =6_6=