Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ What's Left of Me ❯ Devil's Pawn ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: FFVII is property of Square Enix, and I'm just borrowing them, but I promise I'll put them back when I'm finished.

 

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The next morning, it was the silence that woke Tifa. She lay in bed as her mind surfaced to wakefulness, thinking about the previous night, hoping that it hadn't been a dream. It wasn't until she shifted, feeling the way her body protested tiredly, and the soreness between her legs, that she realized what a wonderful reality it had been. She reached out to curl closer to Vincent, only to realize that the bed beside her way empty. Her eyes quickly flew open, and her heart plummeted in her chest. He was gone. As she looked around, there was no trace that the gunman had ever been there. She sat up slowly, pulling the sheet up around her to ward off the cold, a note on the pillow beside her head catching her eye. Her hands were trembling slightly as she picked it and unfolded it, reading what he had written to her in fine cursive.

 

Tifa,

 

I'm sorry I had to leave so soon, but I decided it was best. I know that if Cloud or Marlene walked in on us, we'd have a lot of explaining to do, and I didn't want that on your conscience. I'm sorry that I didn't wake you; you looked so beautiful sleeping that I decided not to. By the time you get this I'll probably be on my way back to Rocket Town with Cid. I know it's rude of me to do this, but I couldn't see any other way of not making this suspicious. He needs me to help him and Reeve while they excavate the new materia they've found, so it may be a while before I return. You know you can always reach me on my cell.

 

I love you, Vincent

 

Tifa stared at it for a moment, feeling warmth suddenly filling her. Her fears that he had left because he thought everything that happened between them was a mistake were quelled, and she smiled as she crawled out of her bed and headed for the shower.

 

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Cloud was silent and still as he watched Tifa cook breakfast. He had noticed that she seemed extra cheerful today, and it put him a little on edge. He listened to her hum as she stood at the stove, glancing up only when Marlene came down the stairs.

 

“Good morning, Marlene,” she said cheerfully, hugging the little girl as she ran over to her.

 

“Morning Tifa,” Marlene giggled as Tifa picked her up, putting her on the edge of the bar. “Whatcha cooking?”

 

Tifa shot her a grin over her shoulder. “Bacon,” she said. She laughed when Marlene cheered.

 

“Yeah!” Marlene turned to look at Cloud. “Tifa said you like bacon. So we decided we'd make bunches when you came home,” she said, jumping down from where she sat on the bar and running to wrap her arms around Cloud's leg. “We missed you, Cloud.”

 

Tifa paused to turn and look at them. She tilted her head, smiling gently at the way Cloud frowned down at Marlene, before picking her up and settling her on his knee.

 

“I missed you, too, Marlene,” he said, sparing a glance at Tifa. He watched her smile widen slightly, before she turned back to her cooking. After a moment, she set a large plate of bacon in front of them.

 

“Dig in,” she said, laughing as Marlene made Cloud take the first piece. Once it was all gone, and Marlene had bounced away to do some coloring, Tifa picked up the plate and walked to the sink with it. She could feel Cloud's eyes on her as she cleaned the dishes.

 

“I'm really sorry about everything, Tifa,” he said after a moment. “I know I haven't been the best friend lately.” He watched as she paused, glancing at him.

 

“That's alright, Cloud,” she said softly, flashing him a smile. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you out?” She turned back to her dishes. “I know you're suffering. We all are. I just want you to know that if you need anything, I'm here for you.”

 

Cloud smiled a little, standing. “Thanks, Tifa,” he said quietly. He felt a lot better knowing that she wasn't mad at him, but he couldn't shake the way his stomach flip-flopped when she pointed out that they were friends. Is that all she wants from me? He started to feel crushed, but shook it off, thinking he'd just give it some time. She'd come around. He walked to the door and was on his way to Fenrir, when a small feminine figure blocked his path. He paused in the doorway, staring at her for a moment.

 

“Is this the Seventh Heaven?” she asked, her voice kind and sweet. She batted her eyelashes at him, giving him a good view of her deep green eyes. She brushed her long brown ponytail over her shoulder.

 

Cloud nodded, stepping aside to allow her in. He was curious as he watched her, thinking there was something odd about her, before he shrugged, turning to look at Tifa. “Customer,” he said, watching her turn. He watched as she dried her hands, hanging up the towel and smiling, before sliding out the door.

 

“Hi,” Tifa greeted the green-eyed stranger. “Welcome to the Seventh Heaven. What can I do for you?”

 

“Well,” the woman said, walking over and sitting on a barstool. “I'm going to be in town for a while on business, and I was wondering if you had any rooms available? I've been told this is the best place to stay.”

 

Tifa's smile widened at the compliment. “You've come to the right place, then,” she said. She gestured to the stairs. “Would you like for me to show you to your room?”

 

“That'd be great,” the stranger said, standing, brandishing for the first time a small bag. She smiled as Tifa talked to her, explaining the cost of rent and such. She let her eyes sweep over Tifa, inwardly scowling. This was the girl Vincent had fallen for? What a joke! She had a great body, but other than that, she was too innocent for Vincent's liking, as she recalled. He needed someone with a little more experience than she guessed this girl had. She blinked the thoughts away as Tifa opened a door, allowing her in.

 

“This is it,” she said.

 

The stranger stepped inside, looking around. “This is nice,” she said after a moment, smiling at Tifa. “This will do perfectly.”

 

Tifa nodded, her hands on her hips. “Great,” she said brightly. “Oh, if you need anything, I'm Tifa, and I can get you whatever you need, or you can ask Cloud. Either of us are glad to help out.”

 

The stranger nodded. “I'm Lucrecia, and thank you for taking me in,” she said, bowing. “You have no idea how much of a service this has already been for me.”

 

Tifa nodded, excusing herself. She felt a sickening sensation wash over her as she returned to the bar. Wasn't that the name of Vincent's ex? Was this a sign? A bad omen, perhaps? She decided right then that she would be giving Vince a call that night, just to let him know that she had a bad feeling about this strange woman. She knew he could subdue her fears, and hopefully he could tell her when he'd be coming back. She felt a smile drift across her lips at the thought of hearing his voice again. She knew she was probably blushing like a love-struck school girl, but she couldn't help it. Everything about him made her feel so good, and she knew exactly what it was they'd be doing when he got back. She giggled a little, humming to herself as she went about cleaning and getting ready for her next string of customers. She was unaware of the deep green eyes watching her from the top of the stairs, scowling bitterly down at her.

 

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The desert air was hot as it was forcefully pushed around by an intruding breeze. Vincent sat atop a boulder, staring at the sky, which was very blue and cloudless today. It made the desert-scape even hotter, as there was no shade to be provided by the cloud cover, but it didn't faze the gunman as he surveyed the land. He glanced down when Cid came out of a nearby cave, his usual blue shirt turning an even darker blue because of the heat. He chose to ignore the glare the pilot shot him, mostly because of his lack of interest, and therefore lack of help, but he just didn't see how any of this was his problem. He had no interest in the materia that had been found, and he was only asked to come along to take care of any troublesome beasts they might encounter.

 

“You know, you could get your ass down here and help,” Cid said bitterly, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

 

Vincent smirked, feeling in a good mood. He supposed he had some time to waste. He slid down from the boulder and followed the grumpy pilot into the cave, noticing instantly how dank and moldy it smelled. The air inside was stale as well, and not in the least bit as cool as he expected it to be. He wrinkled his nose in distaste, but followed the pilot anyway, deep into the back of the cave. When they reached the area that he and Reeve were excavating, Vincent paused. He stared down at the shards of crystal lying on the ground, gingerly kneeling to pick one up.

 

“Reeve?”

 

Reeve looked up from where he was currently studying a large fragment. “Yes, Vincent?” he asked, rising to his feet and walking to where the gunman was kneeling. “What is it?”

 

“What exactly is this?” Vincent asked, lifting a piece of the shattered crystal off the ground.

 

“It is some form of mako,” Reeve said, taking the piece from Vincent's hand. He studied it for a moment, his lips pursed thoughtfully. “We believe that it was dripping from the ceiling of this cave, and the contact with the air made it harden into the fragments we see here. But that's really all we know. We don't know where it originated from, or why it crystallized.” He turned, motioning to a spot at the center of the cave where large fragments of the crystal still clung to the roof. “It was forming a stalactite of some sort, but, from the looks of it, someone shattered it. Thus how it ended up here on the ground.”

 

Vincent looked down at the shards, considering them for a while. He could swear he had seen them somewhere before. After wracking his brain, and coming up with nothing, he stood, watching the way Cid and Reeve carefully picked up the shards and put them in bags to carry them out. Seeing that the bags were beginning to pile up, he walked over to them slowly, and picked up a few, deciding that he could at least speed this along by helping out a little. After making several trips, and finding that the bags were heavy, this was tedious work, and his help still seemed to be getting them nowhere, he sighed, mentally making a note never to volunteer to accompany these two on another mission like this again.

 

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Weiss laughed as he watched the trio putter around in Lucrecia's cave. He looked up when the Tsviets materialized around him. It had been genius to lure them there, giving Lucrecia time to infiltrate Cloud and Tifa's home, and, if she did her job right, hopefully their lives and their trust. Pure genius. “Has our plan been activated?” he asked, the laughter still in his voice.

 

At the nods he received, he stood, turning to the littlest one, Shelke. “And how is our Dr. Crescent settling in?”

 

Shelke nodded. “She and Tifa Lockhart are forming a friendship, as planned,” she said, her voice digitized. “She is to alert us when our target is sighted, although she has sent reports that Tifa speaks to him often, so there is no doubt that we have very little time on that end, although there is no official date for his return.”

 

Weiss' smile grew. “Excellent,” he said softly. “Be sure to tell her to speed things up. Tell her that she needs to make Tifa see that they can trust her.” He turned back to the monitor where Reeve, Cid and Vincent were still busy gathering the shattered remains of Lucrecia's prison. “Until then, let's play with these three.” He listened to his minions chuckle as they vanished.

 

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Tifa looked up from where she was digging around in her purse, hearing Lucrecia coming down the stairs. It was early in the morning, just before she was to open the bar, and it was normal for her to hear everyone moving around. She smiled when Lucrecia came into view.

 

“Morning,” she greeted quietly. “Cloud and Marlene still asleep?”

 

Lucrecia nodded, walking over to the bar. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked, motioning to Tifa's purse.

 

Tifa nodded. “I have to go get a few things from the store,” she said, rolling her eyes.

 

Lucrecia laughed softly, knowing what she meant. It was so tedious to have to run out all the time to get things. “You want some company?” she asked.

 

Tifa's hazel eyes widened. “Sure,” she said, surprised. Lucrecia hadn't been here very long, really only about a month, but already she and Tifa had been getting along great. It was nice to have someone about her own age to hang out with and talk with and laugh. It helped ease the fact that she was missing Vincent a lot more lately. Sure, she talked to him pretty frequently, but their conversations were always cut short because a strange group had taken to trying to steal the mako they were gathering. It was nice to hear his voice, but she was ready for him to come back to her. “Let's go.” She headed for the door, hearing Lucrecia behind her.

 

Once they were out in the morning air, Tifa watched as Lucrecia turned to her, excitement on her face. “Okay,” she said, giggling. “Spill it.”

 

Tifa glanced at her, confused. “Spill what?” she asked. She felt her heart lurch in her chest. She hoped that Lucrecia wasn't talking about what she thought she was.

 

“Who's that guy you're always talking to?” Lucrecia said, rolling her eyes. “And don't tell me no one. I know you and him are together.” She raised her brow suggestively, watching Tifa blush.

 

“Oh,” Tifa said, realizing that she must have heard her talking to Vincent the other night. She had been trying to be secretive about it, but somehow Lucrecia managed to catch her. It was embarrassing, as she was the only one who knew about it, but in a strange way, it was comforting to be able to open up and not have to keep their relationship a secret.

 

“And what's the deal?” Lucrecia went on, all gossip girl. “I thought you and Cloud were an item.”

 

Tifa felt her blush darken, realizing how this must look to her. “I'm not cheating on anyone,” she said quickly, watching Lucrecia's eyes widen, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her yet. “If that's what you're thinking. Cloud is just my friend. We've known each other forever, and he's still getting over the death of our close friend.”

 

“So you don't love him?” Lucrecia asked a bit more calmly, the excitement gone from her face.

 

“Not like that,” Tifa said, staring at the ground as she walked. She'd had a lot of time to think about all this. She felt a blush and a silly smile come to her face as she thought about Vincent. “But the other guy….”

 

Lucrecia gasped scandalously. “Give me all the juicy details!” she squealed.

 

Tifa looked up at her, seeing the way she was beaming excitedly once again. “Well, his name is Vincent, and he's so sweet and perfect…..” Tifa loved talking to Lucrecia. She didn't know why she'd ever been suspicious of the young scientist. After taking a few days to get to know her, she had totally forgotten about telling Vincent about her, and things had gotten better from there. They spent a lot of time together, talking and laughing, and Lucrecia loved to help out at the bar when she could. Tifa had never known what it was like to have a friend like her, but now that she did, she was finding that many of the things she had frowned upon, like gossiping, she loved, mostly because now she had someone to gossip with. They both chattered excitedly all the way to the store and back, and they surprised Cloud when they returned, both of them laughing so hard at a joke between them, they were practically crying.

 

“Did you two have a good time?” he asked, arching a brow at them as they came through the door, trying to stifle their giggles.

 

“Something like that,” Tifa said, sharing a glance with Lucrecia. Both of them tried to stifle more giggles as their eyes met. She had a feeling that everyone would love Lucrecia when the rest of the group finally met her.