Chapter 11

oOoOo

"Boss! Boss!" Elena barged into Rude and Tseng's room.

Tseng instantly sat up and looked at Elena sleepily. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's Yuffie! She's missing!" she exclaimed.

His eyes widened. "What?" he demanded as he jumped out of his bed, not caring if he was still in his pajamas.

As for Rude, he sleepily got out of bed, scratching his head as he reached for his sunglasses resting on the bedside table. "…Miss Yuffie probably escaped through the window." He suggested to Elena.

"And then what, she eloped with her dead boyfriend?" Tseng asked before rushing out of the room to go to Tifa's room while Elena followed after him. "She spent the whole night here, didn't she?" he asked as he stepped inside. "I thought it's locked?" he asked.

"Reno and I had to force ourselves in." she answered.

"Where's Reno?" Tseng asked.

"The kids were getting restless so he decided to take Denzel with him. He'll also bring Marlene to school." She answered.

Rude arrived at the scene, eyeing the open window. "I'm sure she escaped through that window." He said.

Tseng approached the window and gazed out, scanning the busy streets of Edge. "She can jump from here to the ground even if it's quite high. She was trained to do so. I'm sure she didn't break anything in her body." He said before turning back to Elena and Rude. "Ask the neighbors if they noticed something from last night. I'll call Reno up and tell him to ask around too after taking Marlene to school." He commanded.

"Yes, sir." The two said before rushing out of the room.

"I'll change into my uniform first," Rude told Elena.

"I'll go ahead." Elena said, since she was already in her Turk uniform.

oOoOo

Denzel and Reno, after dropping off Marlene in school, began to roam around the streets of Midgar. "Sorry for taking you along, kiddo. This searching thing might tire you out. Are you sure you don't want me to take you back home first?" he asked as they were walking.

Denzel smiled. "Nah. I'd like to try out becoming a Turk anyway." He said proudly.

Reno laughed and proudly patted the kid's head. "That's a great career track!" he said lightheartedly.

"We're searching for Yuffie, right?" Denzel asked.

"Yeah," Reno answered.

Denzel bowed down his head and thought for a while before saying, "She used to bring home bouquets of yellow flowers—you know, those from the church?"

Reno blinked. "You're suggesting that she's in the Church?" he asked.

Denzel nodded.

Reno smirked. "Let's check it out then." He said.

oOoOo

Tifa, Rufus, Vincent and Lucrecia arrived by the lake located at the Forgotten Capital riding an old truck they found at the garage of the hacienda.

"This is where we should bury him." Lucrecia suggested while staring at the placid waters.

Tifa just stood still beside her as she watched Rufus and Vincent carry Cloud Strife's body. "We won't let the others know." She said softly.

"It's his wish." Lucrecia added.

They have decided to tell the others later on that Cloud had decided to go someplace else where he can find his true happiness and live peacefully. If Barret, Cid, Yuffie and the Turks are able to get that, then they would not need to make any further explanations about the truth.

"Who will go to the middle of the lake to…" Vincent began as he and Rufus settled the body on the soil a few inches from the water.

"I'll do it." Rufus said stiffly, cutting him off.

Lucrecia and Tifa looked at Rufus with curious stares. "Are you sure you're strong enough to lift…" the latter began, not fully trusting Rufus's health condition, but Lucrecia placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her that Rufus is healthy enough.

Rufus kept a straight face as he looked at Cloud. "He… has done great things for me. In him I've found a friend, although we've only known each other for a short period of time. Still, I've treasured those moments." He smiled calmly. "And because of him, I met you." He continued as he looked at Tifa.

She was surprised at what he said. She knew he was not the type to say such things pertaining to his emotions, but then at that moment, he just did the unexpected. She smiled, pleased with him, and then turned her gaze to Cloud. "Thank you, Cloud." She thought to herself.

"Better yet, let's do it together, Tifa." Rufus told her.

She looked at him again. He just smiled calmly at her.

Vincent smiled slightly. "I'll help you. I owe Cloud for his sacrifice…" he looked back at Lucrecia. "Cloud decided to exchange his life for the sake of others. But we shouldn't be filled with misery because he's not here anymore… physically, at least. But I'm sure… like Aerith, he's watching us." He told them.

Lucrecia smiled at him before turning her gaze to Cloud. "Sins have been forgiven. He's now at peace." She said.

Rufus turned back to Cloud and breathed in. "Let's go." He said, giving the signal.

Lucrecia watched from the shore as the three made their way to the middle of the lake. Memories flooded Vincent and Tifa—memories coming from the past from when they witnessed Cloud letting Aerith's dead body sink to the bottom of the lake. The emotions Cloud felt when he was taking Aerith in the same place came into their minds, realizing how painful it really must have been for him; but they did not feel sad. That was the past. They were sure Cloud would not want them to think of the painful moments in their lives, because just like Aerith, he just wanted them to be finally happy.

Tifa and Vincent knew where to stop. They could remember where Cloud stopped back then.

Rufus kept still, keeping his eyes on Cloud's face. "Thank you, Cloud. We'll meet again someday." He thought to himself.

The three of them exchanged quick glances before finally letting go.

They stood still, watching as the body slowly sank into the dark water until they could not see it anymore.

Tifa took a deep shuddering breath as her hand traveled over to Rufus's and touched it. She held on tightly to his hand. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Vincent had a mellow look on his face. "Let's leave now." He said softly.

Rufus and Tifa nodded. With that, the three turned around towards the shore where Lucrecia was waiting for them, but then they were surprised to see that the area was suddenly bright and the trees were suddenly full of life.

Lucrecia was just standing by the shore, gazing up at the dark skies that were clearing up, giving way to the bright blue sky, white clouds and the bright sunlight.

"What is going on?" Rufus wondered out loud as he saw the green grass and a different variety of yellow flowers sprouting out from the supposedly-infertile soil

Quickly, the three rushed to the shore to check if they were seeing things or not. When they reached the shore, Tifa instantly knelt down on the grass and touched it, while Vincent looked up at in wonder at the blue skies. "Unbelievable…" he mumbled.

Rufus observed the trees and felt the fresh cool breeze blowing.

Tifa turned her gaze to the lake and saw the water becoming clear and full of life. She smiled in amusement. "This is amazing!" she exclaimed.

Rufus smiled calmly and looked up at the skies. "I guess this is the beginning of a new life for all of us." He said before turning his gaze to Tifa, who in turn looked up at him with a delighted smile on her face.

Vincent nodded. "Indeed." He said with a smile.

Tifa looked up at the skies and smiled pleasantly. "Let's go home." She announced.

oOoOo

Tseng, Elena and Rude could not believe their eyes when Reno and Denzel returned home with a grumbling Yuffie… and a Zack.

Reno whispered to Tseng, "Don't ask me, boss. I don't know either!" before his Boss could even ask Reno "Why is he here?"

Zack smiled pleasantly at the Turks. "Hey. Been a while, huh?" he asked.

Yuffie looked up at him curiously. "You know these Turks?" she asked.

"Er… yeah. From way back." Zack answered.

Elena took a step backward, eyeing him curiously. "…No, I don't know you. I just read about you from old records…" she stammered.

Tseng turned to Yuffie with an inquiring look before turning to Reno who was poking Zack at the back. Zack turned to Reno with an annoyed look on his face. "Hey, what are you doing?" he demanded.

"You're perfectly… real!" Reno exclaimed.

"Huh?" Yuffie raised an eyebrow.

Just then, the upstairs telephone began to ring, interrupting the conversation, yet nobody attempted to move.

"Isn't anybody going to get that?" Zack asked after the 7th ring.

Yuffie snorted and walked over to the stairs and proceeded to Tifa's room, leaving Zack with the Turks.

The Turks were still eyeing Zack with suspicious looks on their faces. "Are you really Zack Fair?" Tseng inquired skeptically.

Zack frowned slightly. "You can take a sample of my hair for DNA or something if that can stop you guys from thinking that I'm a fake." He said, arms-akimbo.

Elena eyed the spikiness of his hair and shook her head. "Uh… I don't think I can pull a hair strand from your hair…" she murmured in a voice audible enough for only her fellow Turks to hear.

Zack raised his eyebrow. "Huh?" he asked.

Tseng sighed heavily. "I'll have a little talk with you. I can't just make you leave now. It's going to disappoint the Princess," he said before motioning for Zack to follow him over to the living room. "Elena, I want you to go to Yuffie and keep her company for a while." He instructed.

"Yessir!" Elena ran upstairs.

Zack knew that he was going to get interrogated but he obliged and followed after Tseng.

Meanwhile, Yuffie was talking to Rufus Shinra on the phone with Elena beside her. "Oh, it's been a long time, huh? So how's it going there at the hacienda? You guys still alive or do we need to bring some food over there? How's Cloud?" she rambled, since she was so excited to hear from them again.

There was silence on the other line and Yuffie wondered if the line got cut or something. "Hello?" she called out impatiently.

Elena blinked. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Rufus spoke up. "We're… fine but… it's Cloud. He… died this morning." He explained with a serious tone.

Yuffie's smile faded.

Elena was beginning to get curious on what was going on. "Hey, come on, tell me, what did the President say? Are they all okay there?" she asked.

Yuffie felt her eyes welling with tears before dropping the receiver on the desk and she just ran downstairs again, leaving Elena in the room to continue the conversation with Rufus. "Hello, sir. It's Elena. What's wrong? Miss Yuffie's suddenly crying. Did something bad happen?" she inquired.

oOoOo

Two months later…

It was a Sunday afternoon around 3:00 and Vincent and Lucrecia were preparing to leave the hacienda. Tifa was in their room helping them with their luggage. "You guys better send over a wedding invitation to me when the big day comes!" she teased.

Lucrecia giggled while Vincent blushed. "Can't I just send you a message to your mobile phone?" he asked.

"No! That's too casual! I want to be informed in a formal manner—you know, like the classic tradition?" Tifa pointed out as she and Lucrecia headed out of the room to bring the luggage outside the house where a cab was waiting for them.

"Will you be alright here?" Lucrecia asked.

Tifa nodded. "I'm used to being alone." She answered.

"You sure? I mean, this hacienda is in the middle of nowhere; what if something bad happens here? The closest neighbor is over 2 kilometers away!" Lucrecia pointed out as Tifa opened the trunk of the cab.

Tifa chuckled lightly. "I'm not really alone, Lucrecia." She explained.

Lucrecia studied the look on her face and smiled gently. "Oh. That." she said softly.

Vincent arrived with his luggage. "Well, we'd better get going." He said as he loaded his luggage into the trunk.

Tifa was quiet, observing the two. She breathed in and smiled adoringly at them. "You two have fun on your vacation." She said.

"Oh. I will. I'm glad Rufus approved of my one-month leave." Vincent said.

With that, they bid their goodbyes and Tifa watched the cab drive away with Vincent and Lucrecia in it. She sighed and placed her hands behind her back before looking up at the skies with a solemn smile on her face. When she was about to go back inside the house, she heard the sound of a chopper approaching from above. Her face instantly lit up with a smile as she looked up at the chopper, anticipating its landing.

As soon as the Shinra helicopter landed, the engine shut down and its door opened. Rufus got down from it. Tifa wondered if he piloted the chopper himself. She approached him. "Rufus,"

He smiled as he met her on the way. "Tifa," he greeted.

"Where are the Turks?" she asked, realizing that the chopper had no one else inside.

"I piloted that thing by myself. The Turks have their own assignments. Tseng escorted Zack and Yuffie back to Wutai so that Zack can meet Yuffie's father. As for Reno and Elena, they're at your bar with Rude, taking are of business, as usual." He explained.

Her eyes widened at him. He had been away for almost a week for a "business meeting" in Edge. He left with Zack as his new personal bodyguard some days ago and she was surprised that he got back alone. "So how was it?" she asked, her eyes wide in anticipation for the news. The aforementioned business meeting was actually a meeting with big-shot bank executives who hold Shinra's money and other assets. Rufus decided to use most of the funds for world restoration, which worried Tifa because it would mean that it would take much longer for him to rebuild his company.

He smiled calmly at her. "Reeve approved of it. I met with him after I talked to the executives. It appears that I still have more than enough to save for the rebuilding of my company." He explained.

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I have enough money for world restoration, and enough to rebuild Shinra." He told her.

She was quiet for a while. She knew that if he was going to start rebuilding Shinra tomorrow, he would have to leave again and she would be alone to look after the hacienda. For some reason she could not leave that place anymore because it has too many precious memories for her. Still, she had a business to run in Edge; but she could not allow anybody else to watch over that house. "So… when are you starting?" she asked.

"Tomorrow I'll leave for Edge again. I'll be rebuilding Midgar. And you're coming with me." He said.

Tifa frowned slightly. "Rufus, you know I can't," she began.

He smiled at her. He had been aware of her reason for not wanting to abandon the house. He looked at the house with a solemn smile on his face. "If you're worried about abandoning this house, well, just think of it this way: we're going to stay in Edge until this place is renovated." He said.

"Renovated?" she asked.

He nodded. "Of course. I couldn't let my First Lady live in a dump with creaking floors and crumbling walls! The least I could do is to have the whole house renovated so that we can live here properly." He shifted his gaze back to her. "What do you say?" he asked.

She was stunned by what he said. "…First Lady?" she asked, feeling her cheeks getting warmer.

Rufus Shinra smirked and embraced her before planting a loving kiss on her lips.

Somewhere, Tifa could feel two pairs of eyes staring at them but she did not mind; she already knew who those eyes belong to. She just smiled as she accepted Rufus's offer and kissed him back. Indeed, it was a start of something more wonderful for her and for everybody else. Sure, it took a while before the rest of the group was able to accept Cloud's death, but slowly, they began to understand that Cloud decided to sacrifice his life for their happiness, and also for his own.

"Thank you, Cloud and Aerith." She thought with a contented smile as she and Rufus began to walk back inside the house to have their afternoon tea together.

oOoOo

-the end.

Author's Note: There you go. Sorry for the long delay. Better thank Advent Children because it was aired on May 26, 2007 on Animax and I was inspired to finish this when I saw Rufus Shinra once again. Hurrah.