Leaning on You(FF7)

28

~Tifa's POV~

"Did you locate them yet?"

"I've already checked the whole Shinra facility and I've already told you that Shinra probably didn't take them," Reeve's voice comes through Cait Sith.

"Why would Rufus want to turn on us again anyway?" Cloud pinches the bridge of his nose. Yuffie and Vincent have been missing for a whole week now. I insisted that we put our mission to Sumter on hold. The people there won't be too happy that we're too late.

"Cloud, your phone's ringin!" Barret calls. The blonde looks up and walls over to the device quickly. I think he's still holding on to the hope that Yuffie will call. It's almost like he thinks she just up and left.

"Hello? Oh. Hey. No, I'm fine Cid. No. Well obviously! Sorry... Really? Okay, we're in a town about fifteen miles from Twisted Oaks. Yeah, I kinda guessed you were from there. Okay. Bye."

"What did Cid need?"

"Nothing. He managed to fix the Highwind finally though."

"That's good," Red stretches. "I like flying. It's quite an enjoyable past time."

"Speak modern English, Red," Barret chuckles. "It's much easier to understand."

"Perhaps you have no brain mass then?" The animal cocks his furry head to the side. "I'm sure Hojo would love to see how you manage with the amount of stupid things that flow past your lips."

"Oh I'm sure he'd enjoy testing on you more, you pathetic fur ball."

"At least I have average intelligence, big oaf."

"Can we stop picking fights and help come up with ideas of who could've taken them?" I say with exasperation.

"How do we know someone took them?" Cait tries to reason.

"Vincent wouldn't just leave. And if he did, he'd leave hints or a note of something. All his stuff is still here and he was last seen in the garden behind the inn."

"Then why don't we go check it out?" Red frowns.

"We did."

"Oh cmon," he rolls his eye before bounding toward the small garden. I shrug and jog after him, skidding to a stop when I see him stand still and sniff the ground. "This way. I smell death." My heart skips a beat. Could they be... Dead?

"Is it..."

"Neither of them." I give a breath of relief before following him to the thicker shrubbery. Then he yelps suddenly and jumps back.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine. Just a little frightened by this body."

Curiosity takes over and I peer into the bushes. Nothing. Grimacing, Red bites onto something and drags it out. I cover my nose and try to keep my nausea down. A rotting body lays in front of me, dried blood caking the hole in his forehead.

"Killed about a week ago," Red announces. "By a bullet to the brain."

"Vincent..." I whisper. "Something must've happened while they were both out here."

"Obviously."

"Can you follow their scent or something?"

"Unfortunately, it's faded due to the rain and such."

"Just our luck," I groan before retreating to the rest of Avalanche. Cloud sits on one of the wicker chairs outside the restaurant we forced down lunch in, his head in his hands.