The buggy headed to a stop near the outskirts of Gongaga, and the entire group clamored out, stretching tense muscles. "Geez! That thing is totally cramped!" Yuffie exclaimed. "You got 'shotgun,'" Red interjected irritably, "so you have no right to complain." "Yeah!" Cait Sith added. "We could barely breathe back there!" "Yeah, an' this foo'," Barret added, glaring at Red, "couldn't keep his damn tail under control. Almost burned me." "It wasn't that bad," Tifa murmured. "It could have been worse." "Right," Aeris added, "We could have been walking." The others grumbled, but soon fell silent. Cloud rolled his eyes. "Well everyone, let's split up. Um, Tifa, Aeris..." "Okay," Tifa said, already grasping Aeris' hand and leading her toward Yuffie, "we'll go with Yuffie, and..." Cloud scratched his head. "Well actually, I wanted you two to come with me." They both blinked in surprise. "Oh," Tifa said blankly. "I'm pretty sure you two are bored, babysitting Yuffie and all," he shrugged, and Yuffie squealed in anger from behind them, "and besides," he adjusted his sword on his back, "I haven't been around you two in a while." He gave them a sheepish grin, and both Tifa and Aeris gave their own nervous smiles back. He sensed their lack of enthusiasm and blinked in confusion. "You two okay?" He glanced at Tifa, who still held Aeris' hand. When she noticed him looking, she pulled away as quickly as she could. "We're fine, Cloud," Aeris said stiffly. Tifa tried to catch her glance, but the flower girl was doing her best to ignore her, "it's just that we haven't been around you in a while either." She gave him a genuine smile, and he returned it. "Alright then." He turned to the others. "We'll meet back up when we get through Gongaga." Aeris gave Tifa a look over her shoulder, and grasped Cloud's arm. "Let's go!" Tifa frowned and clenched her fists. ----------------- Gongaga was surrounded by foliage and forest life, and the muggy surroundings made the small group slow on their feet. Aeris made idle chatter with Cloud, who responded in a surprisingly cheerful manner, and Tifa sullenly trailed behind them. The monsters throughout the forest were weak, and easily dispatched, but the heat was stifling, the heavy humidity causing Tifa's hair to droop and curl weakly at the ends. She made a face as she gripped a low-hanging branch in her way and pulled it back, brushing damp bangs out of her face with her free hand. She heard Aeris giggle ahead of her, and viciously snapped the branch in half. When she was close enough, she grabbed Aeris' arm. Cloud looked at her in confusion, and she gave him a bright smile. "Girl talk," she murmured, "you just go on ahead. We'll catch up." Cloud smiled weakly, and did just that, and as soon as Tifa heard the clunk of his boots grow further away, she rounded on Aeris. "What's your problem?" Aeris crossed her arms and looked away. "I don't have a problem." "Well," Tifa said, trying to keep her voice from rising, "you sure have been cuddly with Cloud." "Jealous again?" Aeris asked flippantly. Tifa flushed in angry embarrassment. "No!" "Seems like it," the flower girl said. She sounded oddly annoyed. "When he said he wanted us to join him, you acted like..." she trailed off and slumped her shoulders. Tifa frowned. "Acted like...oh." She remembered the way she had pulled her hand from Aeris' own and winced. "I'm sorry. He just seemed so suspicious, and..." "Is that a bad thing?" Aeris asked. She paused. "I don't understand you..." "What?" "It's just that...he doesn't even see you, can't you tell?" "Don't say that! Cloud, he, I just haven't told him, and..." she realized her mishap and paled. "Wait, I didn't mean..." "You said you didn't feel sorry for it, didn't you?" Aeris asked quietly. "I don't!" Aeris shook her head. "I don't believe you. Maybe you need some time to figure out things. You're almost as confused as Cloud is." "Aeris..." Tifa mumbled. Aeris shook her head. "Just...figure it out." And then she was gone. Tifa sighed weakly, looked toward the sky. When had things become so strange? ----------------- When Tifa caught up with Cloud and Aeris, they were curiously staring ahead at something. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, when she heard a familiar voice. "Hey Rude. Who do you like?" The bald man frowned, but did not respond. Tifa raised an eyebrow. "The Turks? What are they, five years old or something?" Cloud chuckled quietly to himself. Reno stamped his foot impatiently, grabbing a white cloth out of his pocket and wiping his sunglasses with it. "What are you getting so embarrassed about? Come on? Who do you like?" Rude shuffled, adjusted his sunglasses and mumbled something inaudible before responding. ".........Tifa." Cloud stared at Tifa, and Aeris did the same. Then, Aeris started to laugh quietly to herself. Tifa flushed in embarrassment. "Cut it out! It's not funny..." Cloud simply scratched his head, and Reno made the same gesture. "Hmm," the redhead muttered, "That's a tough one." He slipped on his sunglasses, shook his head. "But, poor Elena. She......you......" Rude coughed. "No, she likes Tseng." Reno smacked his forehead and gawked at Rude. "I never knew that! But Tseng likes that Ancient..." Cloud frowned in confusion. "What are they talking about?" "It's so stupid!" Elena said from behind them. The female Turk scoffed in annoyance. "They always talk about who they like or don't like. But Tseng is different..." She paused, and stared at the three people she was talking to as if she had just noticed them. "Ah! Oh no! They're here! They're really here!" She ran to Reno and Rude, and Cloud frowned, shaking his head. "They sure must be low on members, if she got in..." Reno glanced up. "Hmm...then it's time." He looked over at Rude and grinned. "Rude...don't go easy on them, even though they're girls." Rude frowned. "...Don't worry, I'll do my job." "Then, we're counting on you." Elena said. "I'll report to Tseng," she added, running off. Reno dusted off his pants and glared at Cloud through his sunglasses. "It's been a while." He hefted his electric rod over his shoulder, and it crackled to life. "Payback time for what you did in Sector 7." "Out of our way," Cloud muttered. Reno scowled. "I don't like being taken for a fool." Rude took a step forward. "That's as far as you go." Cloud moved first, quickly, toward Reno, swinging his sword in front of him. It clashed in the air with Reno's rod, and sparks of electricity shot from it. Reno moved his foot under Cloud's legs, tripping him, and Cloud quickly rolled out of the way before the redhead's weapon could come in contact with his head. "Dirty trick," Cloud muttered, pulling himself up with his sword. Reno smirked. "Who said the Turks ever played clean?" Cloud rushed forward, hopping into the air and swinging the sword downward quickly, ripping through the air sharply. Reno moved just in time, but Cloud rebounded, adjusting the angle of his weapon so that the hilt of the blade crashed down on the Turk's skull with a sickening crack. Reno tottered uneasily on his feet and clutched his head. "Asshole," he muttered, wincing in pain. He swung his rod around wildly, trying to catch the blonde-haired warrior, but Cloud dodged easily, and prepared a spell. The Fire Materia junctioned to his blade glowed, and he thought of an idea. Instead of focusing the materia's energy into his hands, he concentrated, and readjusted the power to combine with his blade. He swung down quickly, the rush of wind combining with the Fire spell and creating a maelstrom of flame. Reno regained his bearings, and then stared blankly at the spell rushing toward him. He groaned. "They don't pay us enough," he muttered, before he was engulfed in magical flame. Meanwhile, Rude stared impassively at the two women in front of him, doing his best to dodge Tifa's blows. "Would you...fight back?!" He shook his head, and Tifa tottered backwards, shaking her head. "I'm not gonna just beat up on you if you won't fight back." She glanced over at Reno, who lie on the ground, groaning in pain. "See to your friend. I won't fight you if you won't fight back. So...let's call it even. For now." "..." Rude said nothing, but there was a light blush on his face. He walked over to Reno and lifted him up easily. He glanced at Cloud before leaving. "We'll be back." Aeris rocked back and forth on her heels. "Someone likes someone," she murmured. She glanced at Tifa and smiled. It seemed as if her earlier frustrations had melted away for the moment. Tifa only rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was someone else added on to this strange set of relationships. "It would never work out," she said, allowing herself a grin. "Bad guy, good guy dynamics hardly ever do. Besides...he's too quiet." She laughed, and then her voice lowered. "Hey." Aeris glanced up and gave her a weak smile. "Hmm?" "Um...I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I guess....I'm a little scared." She stood up straight, and sighed. "But I should...think about how you feel too. You always ask how I feel, but how..." She paused when Cloud approached them. He looked worried, and a little thoughtful. "They followed us.......but there weren't any signs of it. Then, that means....." "A spy?!" Tifa asked, shocked. She frowned. "...No way." Cloud turned away and looked toward the sky. "I don't even want to think that there's a spy...I trust everyone." He sighed. "Let's continue on..." ----------------- The group continued until they reached what looked like a destroyed reactor. Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris traversed through the path, avoiding the sharp, dangerous scrap metal. "A ruined reactor," Cloud murmured. They heard the whir of helicopter propellers and glanced up. A Shinra Inc. helicopter landed near the ruins of the reactor, and Tseng hopped out, followed by a middle-aged, blonde woman, in a red dress. Cloud ducked behind the reactor, and the girls followed his lead. "It's Scarlet," Cloud said of the blonde woman, "Head of Shinra Weapon Development." Scarlet poked around in the rubble, and made a face. "...Hmph! This isn't any good either. You only get junky materia from junky reactors." She walked back over to Tseng. "This reactor's a failure. What I'm looking for is big, large, huge materia. You seen any?" Tseng shook his head. "No, I haven't seen it. I'll get on it right away." "Please. We could make the ultimate weapon if we only had some," Scarlet said. "I just can't wait." Tseng added. Scarlet nodded. "But, even if we make the perfect weapon, could that stupid Heidegger ever use it?" She chuckled, and Tseng's face darkened. "Oh...sorry! I forgot Heidegger was your boss! Ha ha ha!" "......." Scarlet chuckled nervously. "Let's go!" They both climbed back into the helicopter, and it took off into the gloomy sky. Cloud stood up, and frowned in thought. "...Big, large, huge materia? An ultimate weapon? The perfect weapon? Just what are the Shinra up to...?" He scratched his head and shrugged. "Let's keep going. Gongaga is close." ----------------- "Wow..." Tifa murmured, glancing around. "This town has seen better days." Cloud frowned and glanced over at the small graveyard to his right. "Man..." "The reactor we saw," Aeris said. "There must have been some sort of accident." Gongaga was stagnant, caught in a nightmare, years ago. Bits and pieces of the destroyed reactor littered the dusty path toward the town, and the graveyard looked pitiful, the small grave markers covered in dead flowers. The sky was a dismal gray, and the houses were old, rickety. People walked among the town, but their eyes were dead, empty. "Let's...um. Let's look around," Cloud said quietly. He walked ahead, and the girls fell behind. Tifa lowered her head. "This place...it's terrible," she whispered sadly. Aeris nodded in agreement. "Let's follow Cloud." She pointed. "He's headed into that house." Tifa nodded and trailed behind Aeris, the lazy wind moving through the town like a sigh. ------------------ "We should ask the people in this house if they've seen Sephiroth," Cloud said, knocking on the door with soft, gentle taps. Tifa closed her eyes, yawned. Always about Sephiroth. She'd be happy when it was over. A man, black hair streaked with gray, opened the door, stared at the trio warily, glanced over at Cloud, noted the glow in his eyes. "You a traveler? Hey wait, that glare in your eye...you in SOLDIER?" A woman moved to the doorway then, face gaunt, skin pulled taut from years of worry. Tifa thought that perhaps she had been beautiful once, but life took its toll, made her tired. "Oh, you're right! Do you know anything about our son? His name is Zack." Tifa's face paled, and Aeris looked startled. The woman continued, noticing the girls' expressions. "It's been close to ten years since he left for the city, saying that he didn't want to live in the country....he left saying he was going to join SOLDIER. You ever hear of a Zack in SOLDIER?" Cloud scratched his head. "Hmm...I don't know." Aeris broke in, her voice a whisper. "Zack..." The man turned to her. "Young lady, you know him? I remember he wrote us six or seven years ago saying that he had a girlfriend. Could that have been you?" Aeris' face went pale, she shook. "That can't..." She moved, quickly, out of the house, and Tifa, shaken as well, followed her. ----------------- Cloud followed the girls outside and addressed Aeris first. "Aeris..." he began, uneasy. He had never been good at things like this. "What a shock...I didn't know Zack was from this town," Aeris whispered, giving Cloud a strained smile. "You know him?" "Didn't I tell you? He was my first love." Cloud was silent, and she continued. "Zack....SOLDIER First Class. Same as Cloud." Cloud scratched his head, shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Strange, there aren't that many who make First Class, but I've never heard of him." "That's all right," Aeris said. "It's all in the past now. I was just worried because I heard he'd been missing." "Missing?" "I think it was five years ago. He went out on a job, and never came back. He loved women," she added, chuckling weakly, "a real ladies' man. He probably found someone else..." She noticed Cloud's troubled expression. "Hey, what's wrong?" Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "Poor guy." "I don't really mind that I haven't heard from him. But...I feel for his parents." Cloud patted Aeris' shoulder, gave her a brief smile, and went to speak to Tifa. "Zack...." Tifa whispered. She remembered him, an unruly-haired young man with bright eyes, infused with Mako. Geez, you're pretty young to be a guide, but no worries! I'll make sure you get back home to your old man. I wouldn't be much of a soldier if I let pretty girls like you get hurt! "Do you know him?" Cloud asked. Tifa looked up, startled. "N, no, I don't know him!" "Your face tells me differently." Cloud muttered, crossing his arms. "I told you, I don't!" Cloud blinked, a bit taken aback by the outburst. Tifa seemed unnaturally skittish. "A, all right." "It's just, that sounds just like you, leaving town, and saying, 'I'm joining SOLDIER!'." "There were a lot of guys like that back then." Tifa smiled, weakly. "You must really be something, making it in SOLDIER out of a group like that. I really respect you..." She felt guilty, for more than one reason. Cloud shrugged, not liking the odd gleam in her eyes. "I just got lucky." Tifa laughed shakily, turned away from him. "Don't be so humble!" Cloud shrugged again, put his hand on her shoulder, a silent gesture of comfort. "Cloud," she whispered, "thanks for caring." She was happy she had turned away from him, so that he wouldn't see the tears. ------------------ While leaving Gongaga, Tifa and Aeris walked together, Cloud moving ahead of them to meet up with the others. Tifa decided to be casual, and failed. "Um...so..." "Hmm?" "You dated that um, that guy?" "I did." A pause. "Are you jealous?" "Of course not!" Tifa flushed. "I was just wondering, that's all. I mean, I just wanted to know what he was like." "He was a nice guy. Full of life. He laughed, and you couldn't help but laugh with him, even when you were sad. I really cared for him, you know?" "I know...maybe he's still out there. You never know. Maybe you'll see him again." "Maybe." Tifa sighed. "Did I mention I was sorry about earlier?" "You did." "I'm...sorry about Zack too. It must have been hard." "It's alright." She smiled. "I have you now. I mean," she coughed, suddenly awkward. "I have everyone. I'll be fine." "Right." Aeris bit her lip, and then hugged Tifa, who was so surprised, she almost fell back. "Thanks." Tifa smiled, brushed her fingers against loose strands of Aeris' hair. "Anytime."
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