Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Someone to Love/ Someone to Protect ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.16.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.7K | Visits: 487 | Status: Work In Progress
Midori
by Midori Bond
He looked up into her angelic features as she lowered herself onto his erect member. Her eyes were closed in pleasure and her head was tilted back, exposing her neck. Ever so slowly, her hips started to move against his.
With ease, Vincent sat up and wrapped his arms around her body. As her fingers tangled in his hair, she kissed him frantically. The sent of lilies filled his nostrils and clawed fingers tangled in long locks of her hair. "I love you Tifa," he whispered against her lips. The smile that blossomed on her face was radiant. He kissed her again, savoring the feel of her in his arms.
Everything came to a crashing halt when a demonic claw exploded from her chest. Garnet eyes widened as he looked into a mirror image and Tifa's blood splattered his face.
"Tifa!" Vincent gasped as he sat up in his bed. He looked around his room and saw that he was alone. He tried to steady his breathing and frowned as his eyes focused on the letter she had left him two months ago.
He climbed out of his bed and put his shirt on. "I wonder if Cloud has found you yet," he whispered. Vincent froze when he heard the doors to the mansion open. He listened as three sets of footfalls came into his home. A low growl escaped him as he grabbed his gun and started for the door.
A woman with short blonde hair walked with two guards. "I just need their research and we can forget this place ever existed," she said.
One of the guards looked at her for a moment. "But I've heard rumors that one of his experiments escaped. What are we going to do if it's still here?"
Golden eyes rolled as they reached the sitting room. "That subject is gone. There's no reason to be scared of the Big Bad Vincent." She opened the hidden door and looked ahead sadly. "It was a shame too. He was such a nice guy."
"Dr. Gast?"
She shook her head and started to descend the stairs. "Come on. Since this place is going to crumble, we need to get what we came for."
As the three went down the stairs, Vincent remained in the hallway. The daughter of one of the most brilliant, and twisted minds he'd ever come in contact with, was now looking for the notes that turned him into the monster he is now. A low growl escaped him as he moved to follow the trio. He would not allow the same hellish experiments to happen to someone else. He couldn't.
Tifa gripped the sides of the toilet as she threw up. Her throat was sore and her stomach felt like it was trying to come out of her back. She had spent the past two days like this, and while she knew it was only a cold, Reno had other ideas.
"This is not the stomach flu," he said as he held her hair back. As she turned slightly to glare at him, he shook his head. "It's okay if you are knocked up. There's a lot of single parents out there."
"Go to hell," Tifa said in a hoarse voice. Her stomach rolled as she sat next to the porcelain bowl. "I can't be pregnant," she said softly. "It would hurt too many people." Her eyes widened as she jumped up and started another round of dry heaves.
As Reno pulled her hair away from her face again, the alarm on his watch started to beep. He looked at the bathroom counter and frowned. There was nothing to tie back her long brown locks. He sighed and reached for the band holding his own ponytail in place. "It's been two months and you're still hung up on the guy," he said mostly to himself. "I give you credit, you are devoted," he said tieing her hair back. She was still gagging as he left the bathroom and went to the kitchen. Blue eyes quickly found the stick test he practically forced Tifa to take and read the results.
With a beaming smile, the redhead grabbed the phone and dialed his partner. "Yo, Rude, I told you it would be positive," he almost cheered. "Elena's gonna owe us lunch." Reno jumped up and sat on the counter as he heard the toilet flush. "Give me a call when you get this. Later!"
Tifa stood frozen as she entered the kitchen. She was torn between shock at the results, or fury at Reno making bets on it. Tears started to fill her eyes, taking the decision from her. "I'm pregnant?" she asked slowly going to the table.
Reno saw her expression and went to her side. "Tifa, this is great," he said as he helped her sit. "You're having a baby. A small creature to shape and mold into a kick ass Turk."
She looked at him and shook her head. "My child isn't going to be a Turk," she said softly. "It's father would have a coronary."
It was Reno's turn to frown. "Okay, so besides being a part of Shinra, why would Cloud be upset?"
Tifa's eyes closed tightly. In all the time she had spent with Reno, she never explained why she left Cloud and the others. She looked into his blue eyes and sighed. "Cloud isn't the father," she confessed.
Reno pulled up a chair and sat next to her. As he looked at her, he took her hand into his own. "Now, I've been pretty good at not asking questions, or looking for answers. But I think it's time for you to take things from the top."
She lowered her eyes to her hands and swallowed. "We had all gone to Nibelheim. I was feeling nostalgic, and there are still some holes in Cloud's memory. So we went and I basically threw myself at him. We kissed, and he called he Aeris."
Reno leaned back in his chair and frowned deeply. "I never figured him for such an idiot," he said lowly.
Tifa idly placed a hand on her abdomen. "That's not the end of it," she said lowly. "I went walking, and outside of the town, Vincent found me."
His eyebrow arched. "Vincent?" he asked. "That's not the old guy with the plane is it?"
Her eyes rolled. "No. That's Cid. Vincent was a Turk a long time ago. He had gotten in the wrong person's way, and he became a test subject for Shinra."
Reno's face grew horrified. "He's the scary dude with the hand?" he asked. When she glared at him, he realized what she hadn't said. "Oh my God. You slept with him?"
Tifa looked out of the near window and sighed. "Yes, I slept with him," she said tiredly. When he opened his mouth, she frowned. "And before you say anything crude, it was beautiful, and I cherish every second of it."
They stayed in a minor staring contest for a long moment. Reno broke it off as he looked at the table. Her half-eaten breakfast was still staring at him. The way she spoke, the tone she used, it all forced him to ask the one question she probably hadn't even asked herself. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" he asked seriously.
A dark muse escaped her. "Do I still seem so devoted now?" she asked in turn. "I'm supposed to be devoted to Cloud. I've been in love with him for years, I've always played the role of the little woman waiting at home." She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "He breaks my heart and I go running to the first person that will have me."
Reno reached over and wiped away her tears. "That's saying what you thinkyou should feel. Not what you feel," he said quietly.
She continued to look at him. They shared their small house and lives for the past two months. It was almost scary how well he had come to know her. "Yeah. I think I am," she said to his original question.
He nodded. "Okay, so where do we find him?"
Tifa's eyes widened. "No," she said quickly. "I can't go back to either of them."
Reno frowned as he heard what she wasn't saying. "You don't want to hurt Cloud."
"Or Vincent," she confessed.
He watched as she stood and went into the kitchen. Now he knew why she never spoke of her traveling companions. The entire subject seemed to break her. As she started to boil some water for tea, he went to her side. "Well, the boss owes me some vacation time," he said with his usual lazy drawl. "How 'bout the three of us take off to Costa Del Sol?"
She looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"
"You know, you, me and the small fry." He pulled the tea bags from the cabinet and smiled. "Go to the beach, no memories, no stress. Just fun in the sun."
"Reno...." She was slowly shaking her head. It sounded like paradise, but she couldn't leave her worries. They always seemed to follow her.
"Come on Tifa," Reno whined. Sensing the way she was thinking, he leaned his head on her shoulder. If he was annoying enough, she would always cave. "It'll be fun." As she slowly inhaled, he quickly started to bat his eyes. "You can bring the Hellhound," he cooed.
As much as she tried to fight it, looking at Reno with that boyish, mischievous expression was too much. She laughed and turned to face him. When she had first gotten into his car, she had hoped he could provide a decent distraction from Cloud and Vincent, and he had. She just didn't expect to come to think of him as her family. "Alright," she said said with a phoney sigh. "Since you insist, we can go to Costa Del Sol."
Golden eyes looked over the journal in her hands critically. This was only one of the journals her father and Hojo left on Vincent. She snapped the book shut and placed it on a table. "With that alone we can start trying to duplicate the experiments," she said turning to her two escorts. A deep frown crossed her face when she saw both men trembling in fear. "What is wrong with you two now?"
Vincent calmly walked into the library, his gun cocked and ready. "This town has been off limits to Shinra for years. What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.
"You say it's off limits. All documents say that this mansion is still Shinra property." She looked into ruby colored eyes and felt her jaw tighten. "So, really, you're the one that doesn't belong here."
He took note of her bitterness and ignored it. "I can't let you take that Sophia."
Her eyes were cold as her fists tightened. "It's rightfully mine anyway." She ignored his glare as she approached him. "All of my father's research, all of his notes, and journals. Even this mansion."
"What you're doing is wrong," Vincent said as his gun stayed level with her heart.
"You don't even know what I'm doing. How can you say it's wrong?" she asked standing directly in front of him.
"Because I was one of the subjects," he growled. His eyes quickly narrowed as he felt a familiar rush of power.
"As was I," she whispered with glowing eyes. Before Vincent could react, Sophia slammed her fist into his chest. She stood silent as he was thrown into the hallway. As she walked after him, she could remember all of the times she followed him around. She had gone to medical school while he became a Turk. "I won't let you stand in the way of Science."
Vincent slowly sat up and felt blood trailing down his chin. "I've only stood in the way of madness," he said making his way to his feet. Just as he straightened, he received three more blows to his chest.
Sophia watched coldly as Vincent's head bounced off of a familiar door. He was her first love, and he pushed her away for Hojo's tramp. He deserved every ounce of contempt she had. She walked over to his unconscious form and broke off a sliver of wood from the door's frame. "You won't stand in my way," she said shaking her head. She knelt next to him and gently caressed his face. "I won't let you." Her eyes darkened to the color of honey as she drove the impromptu stake through his heart. Her lips curled into a sadistic smile as Vincent's eyes snapped open and an inhuman scream echoed in the hall. "I won't let you stop me either, Chaos," she whispered to the snarling figure. "I will find a way to the Promised Land. And I will bring it down in flames," she said placing her hand on the top of the wood in his heart. With a thought, a bright flame raced down the wood and into Vincent's body. She backed away as the flame started to spread across his clothes and cloak.
She stood still for a few moments. Chaos screamed and snarled but otherwise was too weak to move. A small smile crossed her face as she turned to her two guards. "Set the charges, and level the town. Leave no evidence of Shinra ever being here."
The cup of coffee in front of him did nothing for his mood. Cloud knew he couldn't go outright searching for Tifa, but with each day that passed, the urge grew stronger and stronger.
"Still haven't made up your mind about leaving, huh?" Cid asked as he sat next to his friend.
Cloud shook his head. "She doesn't want me to look for her." He frowned at Cid when the pilot snorted. "What?"
"When have you ever listened to what people wanted you to do?" As Cloud continued to stare at him, he lit his cigar. "I mean, come on, if we listened to what people told us, Sephiroth would've destroyed the planet."
"Cid, you and I both know that Tifa's not like other people," Cloud said dryly. As the older man shrugged, he looked at his reflection behind the bar. "Besides, there are things around her that need to be taken care of."
Cid rolled his eyes. "Now you're trying to be responsible," he said lowly. When Cloud started to glare at him, Cid waved over his favorite waitress. "I say we hop into Sierra, and go looking for her. Two months is a big enough head start."
The young waitress looked at the pair with happy brown eyes. "What can I get you Captain?" she asked playfully.
As Cid placed his order, Cloud saw Yuffie running into the bar. "Great, now what?" he mumbled.
The materia hunter was breathless as she crashed into both Cid and Cloud. "I got you! Come on, we gotta go."
"Hey, hold up pipsqueak, where's the fire?" Cid asked as he brushed the ashes off of his tee shirt. He wanted to grimace at the gleam in Yuffie's eyes. It never boded well when she was looking at someone like that.
"A couple of months ago, Shinra found an uncharted materia mine," she said happily. She waved a piece of paper in front of Cid's face. "And guess who just got maps showing not only the location, but the cave itself."
"Why would we be interested in hunting materia?" Cloud asked, finally prying her arm from his shoulders.
"Because of this," she said teasingly. She pulled a photograph out of her pocket and held it in front of Cloud's eyes. She backed up a step as Cloud stood to tower over her.
Blue eyes went round as Cloud grabbed the picture of Tifa surrounded by Reno, Elena and Rude. "When was this taken?" he asked sharply.
The smile on Yuffie's face faded as she watched him. "About a month ago. So, are we still going?" she asked, still trying to keep up her playful mood.
Without a word, Cloud turned and left the bar. He wasn't going to look for her, he wanted to give her the space and time she wanted. But now, she was within arm's reach. If she was hanging out with the Turks, she always had been. He was going to straighten all of this out.
Yuffie sat in his vacated chair. She had known that he would react that way, but it still hurt. When she noticed Cid watching her, she painted a smile on her face. "You're coming too, right?" she asked.
Cid continued to look at her. "You idiot," he mumbled. As she shifted in her seat, he sighed. "You finally got a shot at him, and you dangle Tifa in front of his face."
Yuffie shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about old man," she said lowly. When he grunted, she turned to him completely. "I care about him. I'll admit that. But I already know, I can't compete. I'm not someone that can care for and nurture people. I'm not Aeris, or Tifa. I'm high maintenance, just like Cloud." She allowed a genuine smile to cross her face as Cid snorted. "See, even you know that's true. But that doesn't mean I can't try to make him happy."
"What about you and your happiness?" he asked seriously. "You should be out living your life. Not matchmaking and worrying about Cloud."
Yuffie giggled and kissed Cid's cheek. "Be careful old man, someone might think you care," she teased as she stood. "I have supplies to pick up. Call me when we're all set to fly out."
"Where is she?" Cloud asked sharply. He was pacing across his room, completely focused on the one person that could give him the information he wanted.
A deep sigh escaped the phone. {I can't tell you,} Reeve said seriously.
Cloud shook his head. "Don't give me that," he barked. "For two months, I've been worried sick, and you've known where she is the entire time."
{We needed her assistance with an important matter. She made us all swear not to tell you.}
"That's a load of shit and you know it," Cloud fumed. His eyes glanced at the door and saw Marlene holding a basket of laundry. "Reeve, I need to know where she is," he said in a more subdued tone.
{I don't know anymore. She was staying in Rea Village while we were there, but after that, I didn't keep track of her.}
Cloud took a slow breath and sat on his bed. "If you hear anything from her, please, let me know."
"Sure, no problem," Reeve said glaring at the pair across from him. As he turned off his speaker phone, he focused on the young woman sitting with her eyes trained on the floor. "There better be a damned good reason why I just lied to him," he said lowly.
Tifa shook her head. "It's complicated."
Reeve looked at the paperwork Reno handed him and frowned. The redhead wanted nine months of vacation, and the keys to the mansion in Costa Del Sol. "Try me," he said dryly.
Reno leaned back in his chair. "You've watched the soaps. Pick a storyline," he said sarcastically. When Reeve's eyes turned to him, he gazed back. "She doesn't want to get into it. It's a messy situation, and the least we could do is help the lady out."
Reeve leaned forward and sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "I'll grant the vacation. But if a situation comes up, we will call you."
"No rest for the weary, eh?" Reno asked. When Reeve glared at him, he smiled. "But there's gonna be a window of when I won't be going anywhere. I gotta be completely out of circulation."
When Reeve frowned, Tifa ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm pregnant, okay," she said jumping to her feet. "And Cloud's not the father," she added as she started to pace across the office.
Reeve slowly nodded. "I figured that much out."
Tifa saw the look he shot at Reno and continued to pace. "He's not the father either," she spat.
Reno frowned at her. ""You don't have to say it like that," he said in his own defence.
Reeve rubbed his eyes again. He was getting a headache. "Who is the father?" he asked, not knowing if he really wanted to know the answer.
Her hand drifted down to her abdomen and she bit her lip. Hopefully he would understand why she didn't want Cloud to find her. "Vincent Valentine."
Reeve lowered his head to the desk. He was right, he didn't want to know. He picked up his pen and signed the papers in front of him. "This is the last time I will cover for you. After your child is born, I hold no promises."
Tifa looked at him and nodded. "Alright," she said softly.
Reno saw the uncomfortable look Tifa wore and easily stood. "Well, we're gonna head out," he said with a smile. As he escorted Tifa to the door, he looked back at his supervisor. "If you're ever in Costa Del Sol, look us up."
Reeve waved the pair off as they left. Tifa knew that her situation was complicated, but he doubted how dangerous it was as well. He frowned as he thought of the two people now in charge of the Science department. Sophia Gast, and Peter Mathers.
As if summoned, Peter Mathers walked into his office. "I was coming to ask for the files on one of your Turks," he said with a smile. "Actually, he's a former Turk."
Reeve felt his jaw tighten as he turned to his computer. "Both you and Dr. Gast were given clearance on all personnel." he said simply. He knew what he was looking for, and knew that Tifa's safety was going to become Reno's only assignment for the next year.
"Well, like I said, he was a former Turk. Vincent Valentine." Brown eyes took in the way Reeve's hand curled in a fist and he smiled. "And before you answer, just remember, I can easily go and capture that young woman. If Valentine really is the father of her child, just imagine the possibilities of its genetic make up."
Reeve closed his eyes. While he knew Gast and Hojo's brilliance drove them to obsession and madness, Sophia and Peter's insanity drove them to genius. There was no doubt in his mind that Tifa and her child were about to become hunted for their next pet project, but he could do what he could to hold them back. "Valentine's files were all moved to Hojo's database. I believe the password used for those files is Lucrecia."
Peter smiled as he straightened. "There, now was that so hard?" he asked before leaving the office. As the door closed behind him, he pulled out his cell phone. "Sophia, when you get this, call me. Reeve has lost his usefulness, so you can remove him from his position at any time. Oh, and there is a piece of information I need to tell you. It's about Experiment C. We'll talk later."
As he shut off his phone, he smiled at President Shinra's receptionist. "Are we still on for dinner Maggie?" he asked kissing her hand.
She blushed under his attention. "At six, over in Sector 3, right?"
He kissed her hand again. Chocolate colored eyes danced with amusement. "I'll see you then."