Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Who's John ShinRa? ❯ Strangers in Paradise ( Chapter 22 )

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

Chapter 22: Strangers in Paradise

Reno strained his eyes as he carefully shaved off the rest of the bristles on his head. A large pile of bright red hair lay at his feet on the bathroom floor of his apartment in Junon. He rarely stayed in the small studio room, but it was at times like this that he was grateful he had it: another perk of being a Turk. Rinsing his freshly shaved head under the facet, Reno smirked as he gazed at the mirror. Rude would have been proud of his new sense of fashion.

Thinking about his fellow Turk made Reno grin widely as he thought about how Elena would react to his new hairstyle. It would definitely annoy her to no end. Reno could almost hear her now, “Reno, what the hell did you do to your hair? You look like the poster-boy for that one cleaning product or something. Good lord, I could use your head as my new mirror, it's so damn shiny.”

Yes, Reno wished Elena and Rude could see him in his newfound splendor and glory. However, those things would have to wait as the Turk grabbed a T-shirt and smelled it to make sure it was clean. He threw on the shirt as he quickly swept the large clumps of hair on the floor to the corner of the bathroom. There wasn't much time to tidy up. He had a job to do and the sooner he got it done, the better for ShinRa.

“Look out world, here I come!”

Reno put on a pair of shades as he headed out into the busy streets of Junon. He blanched as he watched the sea of confused people shuffle through the streets. They all had a certain detached look that reminded Reno of the hellhole everyone loved and hated. They looked like Midgar, walked like Midgar, and even reeked of the foul stench of processed mako courtesy of Midgar.

Reno pitied these people. They had been trapped for so long in a darkened city that now they hardly knew the feeling of the sun shining on their faces or the smells of the fresh seaside air. They were uncertain of what to do with these new sensations. Freedom was that unreachable goal that these people worked hard everyday to obtain. However now that they had it, they realized it was more comfortable being enslaved under the plates of the upper sectors where, though they didn't have sunlight or freedom, they at least had their ambitions. Reno could see it in each of their eyes as he walked through the crowd and he found it to be bitterly ironic.

The dirty faces of the men and women passing through the streets hardly stood out. None of them were the two people he was looking for and Reno cursed knowing that it had been several hours since the Highwind touched down in Junon. The masterminds behind the ShinRa-King Organization were probably already setting up a base of operations. Now Reno only needed to find someone who may have information or who looks like they would know anything.

As Reno eyed the crowd, a strawberry-blond haired woman caught his eye. She was young and looked confident as if she owned Junon, despite the fact that she carried a bag with all her worldly belongings in it. Her form fitting shirt and short mini-shirt left little for the imagination. Reno knew her type. He'd seen it all the time on his visits to the Honeybee Inn. She could tell him anything she knew or saw, but for a price. Luckily for Reno, he always kept an extra wad of gil in his pocket for emergencies like this.

Keeping his eyes on her, Reno bobbed and weaved through the crowd until he was nearly an arm's length apart. He smiled when she turned and winked at him. It looked like she was an especially perceptive woman, exactly the type he was looking for. She flipped her shoulder length hair and motioned for him to follow her. Reno gingerly obliged sneaking into a dark alley that the girl had walked into.

The next thing he knew, she had her hand on his crotch as she started to chew on his earlobe.

“Hey handsome. If you want more where this came from, show me 100 gil and a room. Well?” She breathed huskily into Reno's ear.

“That better give me access to everything sweetcakes, and I mean everything.” Reno slowly ran his hands down her smooth body as he slipped some gil into her panties.

“Oh, you're quite the business man, aren't you?” Her bright eyes flashed at him seductively.

“Yeah, now let's get down to business,” Reno smirked.

* * *

Chris and Eric started at the wall as if something was going to materialize in front of them and bite their heads off. ShinRa soldiers had finally cleared all the civilians out of the Southeast corner of Old Midgar. It had been a painstaking task to try and move around all the civilians who had been housed in that area. Some obeyed orders willingly while others refused to move without a bit of force. In the end, the job was completed as a small group of men were in a house staring at a wall. The million dollar question was if this was the right place to start digging so they could speed up the efforts of getting a tunnel dug.

“Did you get the right formulas to convert the old scale to our scale?” Eric asked Chris.

“Yep. It looks like this should be the spot that the tunnel will end up,” Chris stared at the wall in the living room of one of the houses of Old Midgar.

“We'll have to tear down this house if that's the case. There's no way we'll fit all those thousands of people through that small door,” Eric mused.

“Yeah, we will,” Chris said slightly concerned. “Do you think this is the right spot?”

“Honestly, I really don't know Chris. I'm relying on your calculations and that map.”

“Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rivers, is this where we gonna dig?” Randy Lawson asked curiously.

“I hope so. I'm almost positive that this is the spot. I just wish I had a little more . . . assurance,” Chris sighed.

“What are you waiting for, a sign or something?” Eric gazed at him curiously.

“Well, kinda,” Chris said as he put his hand on the wall.

No sooner had Chris spoke; everyone could hear a loud rumbling echoed out of the walls as Chris felt the walls shake violently.

“What the hell!” Chis jumped back as two soldiers quickly ran to the two young executives.

“What was that?” Eric asked.

“I have no idea,” Chris ran his hands through his hair.

“Hey, maybe it was your sign,” Randy grinned.

“Either that or some sort of seismic activity is going on underground that we don't know about,” Eric said as he quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie. “Thomas, Eric here. Do you read me?”

Silence.

“Damnit! Thomas, Eric here. Do you copy?” Eric frantically buzzed.

The sudden dull pop of static poured out from the walkie-talkie. Eric and Chris were relieved when they heard the sounds of coughing and curses from the other line as they tried to listen to Thomas's voice over all the background noise.

“Eric? This is Thomas. We had a minor problem over here.”

“What's the minor problem and does it have to do with that rumbling we just felt?”

“Yes, it does. Mr. Highwind and Mr. Wallace had a bit of an altercation and Mr. Highwind used a grenade.”

“He what?”

“He used a grenade. That's what caused the minor earthquake,” Thomas coughed.

“What sort of damage are you looking at over there?”

“I haven't gotten a chance to really take a look. There's still a lot of dust around here and all the miners are evacuating temporarily until the smoke clears.”

“Any casualties or injuries?”

“Just a few minor scrapes and bruises so far. Mr. Highwind and Mr. Wallace took the brunt of the force and they appear to be perfectly healthy.”

“That's good. Radio back once you can tell me what sort of damage that grenade did to the mines. Also, make sure Mr. Highwind and Mr. Wallace have no access to any explosives.”

“Already on that. I'll buzz you in a few. Thomas out.”

Eric sighed as he looked over at Chris and Randy. They all stared at each other for a few minutes occasionally looking at the wall.

“Well, I guess we know we're at the right spot,” Randy said lightheartedly to break the silence.

Eric looked at Randy almost as if he had sprouted a second head while Chris merely chuckled lightly beside him.

“You know, he is right. That did pretty much confirm that we're in the right area,” Chris laughed.

“That's true, though I would have preferred a different method of finding that out,” Eric sighed. “I'll go ahead and tell the workers to break down these walls so Randy's crew can start working.”

“Let me go tell my boys we'll be diggin' any minute,” Randy left the room.

“I better mark the wall so we remember where to dig,” Chris pulled out a can of spray paint. “Hey Eric?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think anyone will remember what we're doing for Midgar?”

“Right now, yes. If you're talking about a year from now or fifty years from now, I'm not sure. I guess that'll depend on the historians,” Eric readjusted his glasses.

“Yeah, that's true. But what about the family that was originally assigned to this house or those kids who are outside watching us work. Will they remember us?” Chris asked seriously.

“Why the sudden question?”

Chris shrugged his shoulders, “I don't know. I just kinda wondered if all the long hours and hard work will be remembered in the end. You know, I haven't once heard anyone down here say one `thank you' since we've been here. Do you think the people actually appreciate what we do?”

“Honestly, I never think about that because if I do, then I'll be too depressed to get my job done. You have to remember that we have a thankless job. No one really knows what we do because they assume the President does it all. It's a harsh reality, but there are ways to see how the people appreciate our jobs. Have you seen the smiles on those kids faces and the families outside? They're happy because they're alive and I'm satisfied knowing that I took part in that. I know I'll probably never hear them say `Thank you Mr. Rivers,' but all that doesn't matter because for them to be able to feel an inkling of joy means that they're thankful. So to answer your question, yes, I do think they appreciate what we do for them, you just have to look closely to see it.”

Chris stood shocked a bit and smiled as he nodded his head in understanding. “I always wondered how you found that drive to work so hard. No wonder you have a higher salary than I do.”

“It's all a matter of perspective.”

“Yeah, you're right. Thanks Eric. That's a real help. I'll learn to open my eyes a bit more.”

“No problem. Oh, by the way. Thanks for your hard work Chris,” Eric bowed his head.

Chris smiled warmly as those words rekindled his motivation. “You're welcome.”

* * *

In the days prior to Meteor, scientists had noticed that the animals that dwelled in the Midgar Mountains were evacuating. Scientists knew that animals had very astute sense and wondered if they possessed a sixth sense warning them of the large rock in the sky. Unfortunately, no one has ever been able to study the behaviors of the animals in the Midgar Mountains because the scientists, like animals, also had a keen sense and no human in his or her right mind was going to be around the Midgar area willingly when Meteor fell.

But the animals did flee the area like the scientists theorized and now that Meteor was destroyed, they were slowly returning to their mountain home. Some animals were still climbing up the steep mountain side when they heard the mountain rumble beneath them. Their senses peaked as they crouched low fearing the danger that may still be lurking in the mountains. The loud bellowing of the mountain echoed out from the entrance to the Mythrial Mines.

All the animals stopped and listened as they watched the mouth of the cave. Birds had stopped chirping, wolves had stopped howling and every living creature within the vicinity of the cave sat and waited. Minutes passed as not a sound was heard on the mountain side. Even the unruly Midgar Zolem lifted its head out of the swamp and watched nervously. Soon the cave spewed out large black creatures that coughed and roared with laughter as they ran out of the mines. The animals all recognized these creatures as humans and sighed in relief knowing that humans were far too stupid to do anything to them. Sensing that the danger had been abated, the animals returned to their normal routine hoping that the humans weren't going to cause the mountain to crash down on them, but then the animals realized that it wouldn't be too much of a loss if they killed themselves.

Meanwhile down near the entrance to the mines, hordes of men walked out of the cave coughing and laughing as they found someplace to rest along the rocky terrain. The explosion had been a nice excuse to take a break from the hot sweaty mines where the miners had been working all day excavating. A few people were lazing around while others stretched their sore limbs. All of them were snickering at the two dusty men who were the cause of the unexpected explosion.

“Of all of the things you could have thrown at him you threw a grenade? What the hell were you thinking?” Thomas screamed at Cid and Barret as they dusted off their clothes.

“Hey, no one got seriously hurt, right? So stop shitting in yer pants,” Cid shrugged.

“You were lucky no one else got hurt.”

Barret and Cid didn't pay attention to Thomas as they waved him off and compared battle scars from their earlier scuffle.

“Damn Highwind, ya tryin' to get me to lose my other hand or something?” Barret examined a burn on his left arm.

“You'd look a lot better if ya did,” Cid laughed. “Guess I win this one cause I ain't got a scratch on me!”

“Don't you lie to me! I know I got ya good right here,” Barret squeezed Cid's right shoulder.

Cid yelped in pain as he punched Barret's injured arm in retaliation.

“Oh Cid! We have to take you to the clinic to get that looked at,” Shera panicked.

“Hey, are you two even listening to me?” Thomas said to no avail.

“Don't worry Shera, I'll just pop one of those hi-potions and be as good as new.”

“You blew up the last hi-potion, Highwind,” Barret yelled.

“Barret, you need to get that arm checked-out too.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do without a hi-potion?”

“Hello! Barret! Cid! I'm talking here.” Thomas waved his arms around.

“The clinic will have one, come on you two, let's get going so we can get those injuries treated before they get infected,” Shera pleaded as she lead the two injured men by the hand.

“Damnit woman! We can walk on our own,” Cid whined as he touched his injured shoulder.

“Aw, cut her some slack man. She's just tryin' to show her love,” Barret smiled.

Thomas stood dumbfounded as the pair had completely ignored him. He didn't hear Nanaki telling him that they were always like that or that someone had been calling his name for some time.

“Mr Wheeler! Mr. Wheeler!”

“WHAT!” Thomas snapped.

“Well, I'm glad I finally got your attention,” Autumn stood with her arms crossed.

“Oh, Ms. Noval. Um, sorry about that. You just caught me at a bad time,” Thomas nervously replied.

“I'm sure I did.”

“But I'm guessing you want the inside scoop on the explosion in the mines, correct?”

“You're very perceptive,” Autumn smiled sincerely as she pulled out a pen and notepad. “So tell me what happened.”

“Well, there was an explosion in the mines just a few minutes ago at the site where the tunnel is being dug. There are no major injuries that we've seen and the digging is only going to be momentarily halted while the dust and smoke clears. After that, we'll get the miners back in so they can continue their work,” Thomas said as he straightened up his suit.

“What caused the explosion?”

“Oh, something rather stupid,” Thomas stole a glance at Cid and Barret's retreating forms. “Someone threw a grenade at another person in a minor altercation. After this incident I'm going to make sure that there are no grenades in the mines before they begin working again.”

“Are the digging efforts compromised because of it?”

“Miraculously, no. The grenade actually helped blow some chunks of rock off of for the tunnel and will make up for the momentary lag.”

“That's good news, so why not use explosives all the time?” Autumn scribbled down some notes.

“Are you crazy? Those explosions could jar some rock loose in Old Midgar and kill people if we're not careful. Those two fucking idiots should have known that before they let their primal instincts get the better of them.”

Autumn chuckled as she listened to him rant. She was getting to like this man. “So can I quote you on that one?”

“Um, please don't,” Thomas blushed.

“Don't worry, I'll paraphrase. So do you anticipate any delays in your timetable for getting the tunnel dug?”

“None at the moment.”

“Are there any other updates or tidbits of information that you're willing to share?” Autumn gave Thomas her best smile, hoping that it would persuade him to talk more.

Her smile was affecting him in the way she had hoped, but unfortunately it worked a bit too well as Thomas sputtered incomprehensible words and phrases that even he didn't understand what he was saying.

“Um, I'm sorry Mr. Wheeler, but could you repeat that again?”

“Oh, I didn't realize I was mumbling,” Thomas laughed nervously. “Well, um, what I was saying is that, er. Well, we don't have any new information other than what I told you about the explosion. Um, let's see. Oh yeah! There is a tunnel that will be started in Old Midgar by a group of miners that will be dug out to meet this tunnel. That's about it really.”

Autumn jotted all the notes down as she nodded her head, pleased that she got some new information. She knew that heading down to the mines was the best decision she's ever made. Now all she had to do was be patient and if all went well, the scoop of the century would fall right into her hands.

“Thanks for your time Mr. Wheeler,” Autumn winked as she waved him good-bye.

“Yeah, anytime,” Thomas waved back and grinned.

“Remember, you still have to update me every half-an hour,” Autumn yelled back as she walked off to make a phone call to her editor.

Thomas only nodded his head in acknowledgement and paused for a moment as he let the image of her toned ass and hips swaying from side to side become etched into his memory.

“You look happy,” Nanaki said as he walked up to Thomas.

“Who, me? I do?”

“Yes, you do,” Nanaki grinned. “But I wanted to let you know that the mines should be cleared up of all the smoke and dust. We can head back in whenever you're ready.”

“Oh, that's good. I'll go ahead and lead the first group of miners back in. Could you wait outside and make sure that they all get back into the mines? I don't want to leave anyone behind and have them wander into the swamps without protection.”

“No problem,” Nanaki bowed his head.

He had no objections to staying outside a little while longer. The close confines of the mines were getting to be too much for his olfactory system. He could handle a few sweaty humans, but not over a hundren big men who were in desperate need of a bath. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and let the oxygen clear his mind.

Nanaki took another deep breath and concentrated on all the different smells in the air. The faint smell of processed mako mixed with the sulfuric smells of the swamps were the first he sensed. He blocked out the smells of all of the miners still outside since they didn't smell any better outside than they did inside the mines. Then he sensed one other scent that seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Curious, Nanaki walked around the area sniffing the air to see where the scent was the strongest. It smelled like the scent was coming from the mountains above the mines. He felt someone watching him as he sniffed the air. Looking up, Nanaki thought he saw a faint flicker of a red blur hiding behind one of the rocks at the top of the mountain. He wanted to climb up the cliffs and explore the mountainside where the scent was coming and where he saw the blur, but it was too far away from the mines. Thomas had asked him to make sure all the miners got back into the mines and he couldn't sacrifice his duty to quench his curiosity. Nanaki reminded himself that once he had the time, he would have to explore the mountains around Midgar and find out who belonged to the scent that seemed so familiar.

* * *

Tifa faintly listened to Yuffie blabbering on about how beautiful the ocean looked and cool the salty breeze was against her face. The martial artist was feeling guilty for ignoring John, but she didn't want her feelings to betray her. He had told her that she was beautiful, something she'd heard countless times. But the only time it ever really meant anything to her was when she heard it from Cloud. Tifa could still hear Cloud's voice as he shyly commented on how she looked in her blue dress while waiting in the basement of Don Corneo's. If it weren't for the fact that Cloud was also wearing a dress, Tifa would have found the scene to be touching and sweet.

But now came another man who had that same shyness and this man was sincere with his words and he wasn't wearing a dress. The pain of losing Cloud was still too strong and it was just too soon to start thinking about anyone else. Was it even right for her to fall in love with anyone else after Cloud? Tifa knew he wanted her to be happy, but she was uncomfortable with the idea of moving on. She didn't think she should start thinking about how cute John was or how hypnotizing his eyes were. Damn, I sound so desperate. Get a grip Tifa. It's not like you haven't had guys who were interested in you.

Tifa wanted to talk to Yuffie about her emotional dilemma, but couldn't while John was silently riding next to them. Hopefully she would have some time for some “girl talk” once they got to Costa Del Sol.

“Oh look Tifa! Land!” Yuffie shouted.

The older woman smiled as she watched the ninja practically fall off her chocobo. Tifa stole a glance at John who had a stoic look on his face. He slowly turned his head towards Tifa's at that moment and made brief eye contact with her before she quickly turned back to face the shores of Costa Del Sol. Yes, Tifa felt guilty. If it wasn't the guilt of betraying her love for Cloud, it was the guilt of ignoring John. This was simply not a win-win situation for her.

The trio approached land just outside of the tropical resort town. Yuffie was the first to express her glee of reaching their destination as she jumped off her chocobo and kissed the ground. The next few minutes were filled the sounds of Yuffie's cries of joy and displays of her acrobatic skills as she did cartwheels and handstands in the grass as her teammates watched in amusement.

“Well, glad to see that she hasn't lost her usual charm,” Rufus smiled as he watched the ninja's boisterous celebration.

“Um, yeah. Well, that's Yuffie for ya,” Tifa nervously replied.

“So . . . I guess I should go find an inn for us.”

“Oh, we don't need an inn. We bought ShinRa's old summer villa last time we were here so we'll be staying there.”

“ShinRa's summer villa? Well, I guess I'll find some stables for the chocobos or something,” Rufus muttered.

“No, I got it. You should go with Yuffie to the villa since she knows where it is. I'll put the chocobos away,” Tifa quickly grabbed the harness on all the chocobos and walked toward the stables.

Rufus stared dejectedly at Tifa's back as she led the chocobos down the road. He could sense how nervous she was during their brief conversation. He was trying his best to be friendly, but it wasn't working. Sighing, he walked toward the villa that he had put on the market shortly after his father's death. It was comical knowing that ShinRa's sworn enemies were the ones that bought the villa and that he would be staying there again as an AVALANCHE member.

He turned to look for Yuffie, only finding that she had already bounded off towards the villa like a little kid running after an ice-cream truck. Luckily for Rufus, Yuffie left a trail of dust behind her that was impossible to ignore and he also remembered where the villa was located. Too bad he didn't have as much luck with women. First Tifa was ignoring him and now Yuffie had abandoned him. No one would believe that Rufus ShinRa was the poor lost man standing in the middle of the streets of Costa Del Sol. No one but Rufus ShinRa himself.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked down the cobblestone streets. There wasn't anything interesting going on in the city. The bars will all busy mixing fruity concoctions for customers as a group of children kicked a ball along the side streets. As Rufus walked closer to the residential district, a small crowd was curiously gathered near one of the less populated alleyways.

A few police officers were trying to keep the crowd behind the yellow tape as an ambulance was parked only a few feet away. Rufus could hear the teenagers `oh' and `ah' as they watched in morbid fascination. They all talked about the man being carted away by the paramedics in a body-bag.

“Hey, did you see the dead dude?”

“Yeah, he was shot man. Blam! Right through the eyes.”

“Damn, sucks to be him,” the teenager laughed along with his friends.

Rufus walked closer, weaving through the crowd as he watched the scene unfold. Police were taking photographs of the dumpster and one of them was sealing a rifle into a clear plastic bag. There was nothing more for him to see, but the baritone voice of a detective perked his ears as he watched him speak to a reporter.

“The cause of death seems to be a single bullet to the forehead. We are still going to conduct an autopsy to make sure of that. Unfortunately, we don't know the name of the deceased. The only clues we have to his identity is that he is a Caucasian male approximately 6 feet tall with piercings on his ears and the only other known visible markings on the deceased is a black tattoo on the lower extremity of his left arm in the shape of a snake. The deceased was found with a loaded rifle with a clip completely full nearby, ruling out suicide. No unknown fingerprints have been found on the dumpster or the surrounding area. We do suspect foul-play and think it may be a gang-related incident. There have been no witnesses to the crime and so far we have found little to no clues, though it is still early in our investigation.”

He had heard enough. Rufus knew even before seeing the scene or listening to the detective's droning voice who killed the man. He hadn't been trained by the Turks just for the fun of it and Rufus could spot their skilled handiwork. The only thing he worried about was who the dead man was and whether or not he could have ended up dead in the dumpster if the Turks found him. Rufus didn't want to take that chance and hoped that wherever the Turks were, they weren't here in Costa Del Sol waiting for the right opportunity to take him out.

Now there was one more thing to worry about. In his gloom, Rufus didn't notice the bikini-clad woman in front of him until it was too late as he accidentally bumped into her.

“Oh, sorry about that, I didn't notice where I was going,” Rufus quickly apologized as he started to walk off.

Before he could take a step, the woman's arms were on his seductively stroking his arm.

“Oh, that's okay handsome.”

Rufus swallowed hard knowing that any woman who came onto a complete stranger had to either be extremely ugly or charge 50 gil an hour. After turning around and almost gawking at her, he knew that she had to be one of the later, which meant one thing and one thing only: Rufus had to get away from her.

* * *

Tifa shook her head in agitation as she led the chocobos to the stables. She had just acted like an ass in front of John because she didn't know what to do with her emotions. It wasn't fair to him, but she wasn't ready for anything beyond a friendship and that was what Tifa needed the most right now: a friend.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” Tifa muttered to herself, ignoring the odd look that the old man who ran the stables was giving her.

“Ah, Ms. Lockheart. I see you're taking a vacation after saving the planet?” the old man greeted the well-known terrorist and customer.

“Um, not really a vacation Mr. Wiggins. We're just resting for the moment. We have to take off in the morning,” Tifa smiled, glad to get her mind off of her present emotional dilemma.

“Resting? Here? It sounds like you're still searching the entire planet for Sephiroth,” the old man gently led the chocobos to some nice warm stables.

“Unfortunately we kinda, sorta are, but not really for Sephiroth specifically,” Tifa nervously bit her lip.

“Will the planet ever be completely at peace?” the old man sighed. “What are we facing now?”

Tifa's shoulders slumped as she watched the helpless expression on the poor man's face. She remembered the last time they had been in Costa Del Sol how excited he had been to hear that AVALANCHE was going to stop Sephiroth and finally bring peace to the world. Mr. Wiggins probably had never seen the world truly at peace since ShinRa had been in power for generations. She hated to disrupt his momentary time of bliss, but he needed to know what was out there and Tifa needed to find it before anyone else got hurt.

“Mr. Wiggins. Have you seen any sort of creatures or heard about anything strange happening around here?”

“No, there hasn't been anything strange here recently.”

“Well . . . there's a demon somewhere out there in the wilderness and we're trying to track him down before it can hurt anyone else.”

“Good god. I take it from the tone of your voice, that thing has already done some damage.”

Tifa could only nod in agreement, still battered by the events of Fort Condor.

“I'll be sure to let you know if I hear anything,” Mr. Wiggins sluggishly walked to one end of the stables. “Same type of feed as last time I take it?”

“Yes, sir. That would be great. Be sure to get them some extra water. They've had a long day,” Tifa lovingly stroked Sabina's soft golden feathers.

“I'll be sure to do that Ms. Lockheart. By the way, I would check by Gold Saucer for information on that demon you're hunting. Dio always keeps his ear low to the ground so he may know where to find it.”

“Thank you Mr. Wiggins,” Tifa smiled.

“No Ms. Lockheart. Thank you,” the old man bowed, grateful for the good deeds she and her group have done.

“You're welcome,” Tifa paused at the entrance to the stables before turning towards town.

She was glad she had talked to Mr. Wiggins. Now she knew where she needed to go next. Things were going to be alright and Tifa knew from experience that they would. Because at the most pitiful and depressing times in her life, a silver lining would always appear before her in some form or another.

When she was a young girl her mother died suddenly. Hardly anything could tear her away from her mourning until she stumbled upon her mother's diary. The words written in that diary reminded Tifa of how much her mother loved and cherished her. Those words recounted the first time that both her parents had fallen in love, the times when she was still stuck in her mother's womb and the excitement she felt when Tifa took her first steps or spoke her first words. Words that had kept her from completely breaking down into a heap of emotion; words that she wished she could have read before fatefully climbing up Mount Nibel and injuring herself and Cloud in the process; words that shared her mother's most intimate secrets and proof that she was her mother's daughter. Because her mother would not have wanted her untimely death to destroy her family and the last gift Tifa's mother gave her was to show her how precious life was and that she was loved.

She was even able to find consolation in her strength after all her friends in Nibelheim left for the bigger cities. Cloud's departure was the one that hit her the hardest. But that darn silver lining was not going to fail her as it took shape in the form of her mentor, Zangan. He taught her strength both mentally and physically. He shaped her into a better person teaching her to use her skills to help others in need. He showed her that it was futile to sit idly and hope the world will become a better place if you do nothing to help. Zangan knew that Tifa could help change the world and she certainly proved it.

Not even the Great General Sephiroth was able to kill everything that was Tifa Lockheart. The scar he left her served only as a reminder of the day she almost lost her life and Tifa was determined not to let that happen again. In a strange way, it also reminded her that Cloud truly did keep that promise to save her when she was in need. She would have died if he hadn't show-up. He was the main reason she lived that day and she swore to herself that she would find him again after she had woken up under Barret's care in Midgar.

The next few years were a testament to the lessons she had learned. She had joined AVALANCE and found Cloud. But those were only the first steps that helped lead her on the path to saving the world and destroying Sephiroth. Yes, that is what has been keeping Tifa Lockheart going and damned if she was going to let anything bring her down. At least anything except that bleach-blonde bikini-clad woman trying to get a bit too friendly with her companion John.

Furious, Tifa marched forward keeping her eyes focused on the pair. John was nervously stepping away from the woman while she slithered her tanned skinned body closer to him, probably oblivious to his disinterest. Tifa was going to show that woman a thing or two about breach of personal space.

* * *

“So how long are you staying in Costa Del Sol? I bet you're hot under that shirt, go ahead and take it off. Show me those killer abs you must be hiding,” the scantily clad woman said with a wink.

“Well, er, I really shouldn't. I'm meeting a friend somewhere and really have to get going,” Rufus tried to back away from the strange woman talking to him.

“Oh, come on. A cute guy like you could surely spend some time with a hot babe like me,” the woman reached out for his arm.

Just before she could grab him a gloved-hand quickly shot out and slapped it away. Rufus breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Tifa stand between him and the woman.

“Oh Tifa, thank god you're here,” Rufus relaxed.

But his words fell on deaf ears as Tifa and the woman both glared at each other with nothing but thoughts of all the horrid things that should befall their opponent. None of them budged even as one of the blond-woman's friends urged her to step away whispering, “Claudia, you don't want to mess with her.” Unfortunately, Claudia didn't pay attention to her friend's warning and proceeded to piss off one of the fighters who helped take down Sephiroth.

“I think you interrupted our conversation, bitch,” Claudia defiantly put her hands on her hips.

“Excuse me,” Tifa simply raised her eyebrows in amusement.

“You heard me, or is it that most of your brains have gone to your boobs, which are probably fake. I guess that's the most I could expect from a dumb bitch who's obviously jealous that she can't nab a cutie like him,” as she pointed to Rufus standing behind Tifa.

Tifa merely stood calmly as she listened to Claudia rant and rave. She smirked as she watched the woman's friends try in vain to pull her away from the situation. The poor woman truly had no idea of who Tifa was.

“If you know what's best for you, I suggest you listen to your friends and leave.”

“Not on your life, bitch!” Claudia raised her hand up to slap Tifa across the face.

Her hand never connected as she felt body spin around and a sharp pain shooting up her arm and shoulders. Claudia's sandaled feet were on her toes trying to alleviate the pain in her arms, but Tifa had her arm in a firm grip twisted behind her back.

“Your name's Claudia, right?” Tifa calmly asked.

Claudia only nodded her head unable to think of anything to say to her captor.

“Well, Claudia, consider this a warning. The next time I see you making unwelcome advances towards my friend, I'll make sure you regret it. No means no. Do you understand?”

Claudia nodded her head again.

“I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you,” Tifa tightened her grip on the woman's arm.

“Ah! Yes! Yes! I understand,” she frantically shouted.

“Good. Then you'll be a good girl from now on?”

“Yes!”

Tifa released her hold on the woman and watched as she slumped to the ground in slight pain. Claudia's friends quickly came to her aide and whispered their apologies to one of the planet's saviors as they tended to their friend.

“Thanks Tifa,” Rufus said cautiously to her, hoping that she wasn't going to twist his arm behind his back like she had done to the other woman.

Tifa turned to him and relaxed as she saw the nervousness in his posture. She realized that she hadn't apologized to him for avoiding him earlier. It was probably best to go ahead and talk to him before she got too nervous or scared to even talk to him.

“Oh, no problem. Hey, let's go somewhere a bit more private, we need to talk,” Tifa pointed to the beach.

Rufus didn't particularly like the sound of it, but knew that it was better to start talking rather than be ignored all the time. “Yeah, I think we do,” nodded his head in agreement.

“Okay, let's go towards the beach, but first . . . ” Tifa turned toward Claudia's quivering form. “By the way, mine are real and if I hear you insult another person's body before knowing the facts, you'll wish you'd never been born.”

Rufus sighed and walked next to Tifa making sure he wasn't too far away or too close to her. He could feel her anger still emanating from her body as she walked forward with confidence. The only thing that lightened up the mood was the loud shriek of Claudia's voice as the pair heard her shout, “That was Tifa Lockheart! Fuck me!”

* * *

“Thank goodness I'm finally free of that woman,” Rufus lay down in the sand.

“How did you get to talking to her anyway?” Tifa sat down next to him.

“Well, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and sort of bumped into her. After that, she wouldn't let go of me. I hate to think of what she wanted,” Rufus shuddered, knowing that Claudia probably would have sucked him dry of his money, his life, or both.

“I know how you feel. Guys have done that to me more than I'd like. I guess there are women who also can't understand when a person isn't interested.”

“Yeah, I'm just glad that you helped me out back there. I didn't think I could get away from her without retaining my dignity if you hadn't shown up.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Tifa coughed.

“Um, so,” Rufus sensed Tifa's discomfort. “Wanna head back to the villa?”

“Not yet. I have something to talk to you about and I need to get it off my chest,” Tifa breathed.

Rufus sat up and crossed his legs and he gave Tifa his undivided attention. He watched her copy his position and face him as she bit her lip nervously.

“John, I apologize for giving you the cold shoulder recently. I'm, I'm just not used to being complimented like that by a friend. You're a really nice guy and I do like you, but I don't know you very well and to hear something like that, well . . . it just embarrassed me, that's all,” Tifa bit her lip.

“That's okay, I think I understand. So, what is there that you want to know about me?”

“Huh?”

“Well, you said that you don't really know me, I guess now's a better time than ever to get to know me,” Rufus said as Tifa stared at him cautiously. “I mean, by no means does this imply that I expect you to start dating me or anything. No, that doesn't sound right. Well, what I meant to say is, I just want you to get to know me better so you can trust me. That's all.”

“You want to talk, just as friends?”

“Yeah, just as friends,” Rufus's face softened.

“I can do that,” Tifa smiled as she breathed a sigh of relief. “So where were you born?”

“Midgar, though I grew up in Junon. How about you? Yuffie mentioned that you lived in Nibelheim, was it?”

“Yep, I was born and raised in the quaint little town of Nibelheim. Though, it's not really my home anymore.”

“ShinRa took it over, didn't they?”

Tifa nodded her head as she bit her lip in frustration.

“I'm sorry. Yuffie told me about that too. I guess the company still has a lot of atoning to do to make up for all their mistakes in the past,” Rufus mused thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I don't know if I'll ever forgive them for what they did to my family and friends. It still hurts to think about it,” Tifa shivered unconsciously. “Let's talk about something less depressing. How about your parents, what were they like?”

“My parents?” Rufus sat surprised. “I really didn't get to know them very well. I was never too close to my father and my mother . . . she was beautiful. She used to sing to me when I was a kid. She tucked me into bed and all sorts of nice things you'd expect your mother to do.”

“She sounds wonderful. I'd love to meet her sometime.”

“I'm sorry Tifa, but my mother passed away when I was ten. She would have loved you though.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. What happened?”

“She died while pregnant with my baby brother. Something about her body not being able to handle carrying another baby. She collapsed one day while she was playing with me outside and we rushed her to the hospital, but it was too late. Neither she nor the baby survived,” Rufus frowned at the bitter memory. “You know, that was probably the only time I ever saw my old man cry.”

“Guess you really don't like your father.”

“Nope.”

“Where is he now?”

“He's dead. He was murdered a month ago in Midgar,” Rufus replied, intentionally leaving out the name of his murderer.

The pair sat silently next to each other for a few minutes as they both stared off into the horizon. Tifa broke the awkward silence as she finally spoke.

“I know I didn't want to talk about anything depressing, but since you told me about your parents, I should tell you about mine. My mother died when I was ten, the same age you were. She was up in the Nibelheim Mountains guiding some ShinRa employees to the reactor site when a pack of wolves attacked. She fended them off to save the ShinRa workers, but she didn't make it back to town. My father was murdered by Sephiroth in that horrible incident five years ago. After my father died, I nearly lost it and Sephiroth almost killed me. But I'm still here now . . . and I'm alive,” Tifa finished that last part in a whisper.

“You must hate ShinRa for taking part in your parent's deaths.”

“A bit. I know that the ShinRa workers didn't want my mother to die and they weren't planning on Sephiroth going insane . . . but they've caused me so much pain. I want it all to end. I want to know that ShinRa is going to stop hurting people and finally do something to help.”

“I'm sure that Reeve will do just that since he's now the President. And if the chance ever arose where I became President, I promise you that ShinRa will start helping the people instead of hurting them,” Rufus smiled knowing it was the truth.

Tifa chuckled, “I'm sure you will. But do you honestly think you'll become President of ShinRa?”

“Maybe I am and you just don't know it,” Rufus laughed.

“Yeah, right. And Yuffie never actually steals materia, she just borrows it,” Tifa laughed.

“Well, she has given it back to you all, so I guess that could technically count as borrowing.”

“You're only saying that because she hasn't taken anything from you yet. Are you sure you aren't missing any gil or anything?”

“Oh, I'm sure. I don't really have anything of value on me,” Rufus emptied his pockets for more emphasis. “Well, except for this pocket lint.”

“Pocket lint? That's all you have?”

“Yeah, now I can allot my fortune in pocket lint,” he said absent mindedly as he blew the lint off his hand.

Tifa sat and imagined John sitting on a throne made of pocket lint with a pocket lint crown and scepter. She then imagined Yuffie coming up behind him and stealing all his pocket lint. The image was very comical as she put her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing out loud. Rufus stared at her as he watched her holding her mouth and her face turn red. He had no idea what she found funny.

“Tifa, is there something funny? Cause I'm definitely missing something here,” Rufus eyed her wearily.

Tifa still sat trying to hold in her laughter as she shook her head.

“Is it something about my pocket lint?”

The comment finally sent Tifa over the edge and she fell down onto her back laughing heartily. Rufus stared at the woman as she rolled around in the sand and laughed. He couldn't help but laugh himself as he watched her smiling joyfully over some thing only Tifa knew about. He was fairly certain that she was laughing at his expense, but since laughter is contagious, it didn't take long for him to join Tifa on the sand laughing until their sides hurt. After several minutes of almost endless laughter, the pair lay down in the sand exhausted.

“I haven't laughed like that in a while. That felt good,” Tifa rested her hands on her stomach.

“Yeah, it really did. So what were we laughing at again?” Rufus asked.

“You don't want to know,” Tifa shook her head, embarrassed that something so trivial set her off into a fit of laughter.

“Yeah, you're right. I probably don't. Who knows what your twisted little mind was thinking,” Rufus teased.

Tifa lightly punched him in the arm as she pouted. “Hey! Take that back!”

“Not until you tell me what you were laughing at.”

“It's too embarrassing. It was something really stupid anyway.”

“Oh, well in that case you'll be known to me as Tifa `the one with a demented mind' Lockheart,” Rufus crossed his arms.

“Oh yeah! Well, you'll be known to me as John `Prince of the pocket lint' Woolfe,” Tifa said before erupting into another fit of laughter.

“Prince of the pocket lint? That's the best thing you could come up with?”

“Yes,” Tifa said between giggles.

Rufus smiled as he watched her slowly control her laughter. She looked so beautiful as she lay happily in the sand. A part of him wanted to bend down and kiss her on her lips while another part of him wanted to see if she was ticklish. He knew that both choices would probably result in Tifa's fist in his face so he opted to just watch her as she gazed at the darkening sky.

“You know, I really enjoyed talking to you,” Tifa smiled brightly.

“I did too. I'm glad you can talk to me.” Even if it's just as friends.

“Well, it's getting late. We should get back to the villa,” Tifa sighed as she dusted off the sand.

Rufus followed suit and they both brushed off any extra sand off their bodies before walking back to the villa, occasionally joking about little things. They finally arrived at the villa, noticing that the lights were on inside.

“I guess Yuffie's in,” Tifa mused as she opened the door with her key.

Neither of them was ready for the sight they saw as Yuffie sat on the couch with a teenaged boy locked in a battle of tongue wrestling. The two teens didn't even hear the door open as they continued their exploration of each other's anatomy. Stunned, Tifa and Rufus slowly backed out of the room and closed the door silently as they walked away from the villa, never looking back.

(continued…)