Out of my Element {Open}

[lala]

Tifa watched him fall to the ground as she punched him. This made her feel a ton better. He continued to make his sarcastic comments but they were starting to affect Tifa less and less since she had gotten to punch him. But he kept on saying that he was telling the truth. Tifa kept on seeing him as a liar. She knew he was her enemy and was trying to make himself seem better. She listened to him speak of the alliance that he made with Vincent.

She still didn't believe a single word of it. She was seeing him know as a coniving businessman. They were liars and would do anything needed for them to be getting in on the matter. At least that was how Tifa saw the matter. When he paused Tifa decided to speak. "I can think ratioinally thank you very much! How do I know that you aren't lying to try and get my trust and then trick me. You already tried to kill me in that gas chamber before. How do I know that you aren't just doing some unfinished business?" Tifa told him. She spoke loud but didn't exactly yell this time.

He mentioned how they did have a common enemy to fight. That may have been true but how could she work along someone she didn't trust. He told her to call Vincent and find out for herself. Tifa felt pretty confident that she was right on the matter. "Fine...I'll call him." Tifa said bitterly. She took out her own phone and just when she was about to dial in his number she heard a voice.

"Vincent!" She called out. She was a bit surprised by how he had gotten here in the first place right when they were talking about him. Vincent was always one to come randomly like this and often scare people with his sudden appearances. She was just glad to see him again. Though it was hard to tell if he was happy to see her since he was always pretty serious with his expression. Just as she was about to ask if he was in an alliance with Shinra he answered for her. Tifa's expression fell quickly.

She had hoped and believed that she was right. Why would Vincent do this to them? She let him speak though even if she may be disappointed with him. He could have something worth listening to. Plus she would certainly listen and believe him over Rufus. When he told her that he had forgiven the past and that she should also something inside her snapped. She was reminded of when she was trying to get Cloud to forgive himself when he was struggling with the deaths of Aerith and Cloud. But know was it really her turn to do the forgiving? She looked down to the ground her expression saddened. Tifa looked up to Vincent when he began to speak again.

He mentioned how they had common enemies to fight. But weren't they also enemies to eachother? Though some of the threats did prove to be bigger. She still wasn't too sure. Why did Vincent have to come along and make her start to change her mind? She looked from Vincent to Rufus. Could she really put the past behind her and moved on. Vincent mentioned that they needed eachothers help. Tifa would admit that the Turks had been a big help to them during the attack of Kadaj and his brothers. But Vincent didn't seem like he trusted Rufus that much which made Tifa feel better that he was keeping his guard up when around Rufus.

When he asked her if she would work together with him she stayed quiet for a moment in thought. She looked out into the blue ocean while she thought. Once she finally came to a conclusion she looked back to the two and then turned to Rufus. "I still don't trust you one bit and I will probably always hate your guts..." Tifa began. She bit her lip obviously showing it was hard for her to say this. "But we do have similiar enemies. And if the others are willing to, I guess I'll have to just join them." Tifa said referring to the other members of Avalanche. She didn't know if anyone else was in on this matter though.

[Rufus ShinRa]

Tifa was still going off about a few trivial things. Well, at least to him they were trivial. When she brought up his attempt to have her killed, he didn't seem brought back. Rufus stood, as if waiting for her to finish with a petty argument. Though, she did bring up a good point. This point was why she should believe him. Shinra never had a really good reputation for being trusted. Maybe this was the foundation for her disagreement.

Then, after a few moments of flying words, she agreed to call Vincent and retrieved her own phone. Rufus spaced himself from her a bit. Then he heard a deep voice and shifted sideways to see Vincent. In a way, Rufus wished he wasn't there and that his Turks were. But that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Vincent had most likely seen most of the fight, or at least knew what had happened. But Rufus had kept himself as calm as possible so not to draw his gun and harm Tifa. If he'd of done that, the truce probably would have ended. But, Rufus would not have been harmed either. Sadly, the truce was more important then a broken pride. He hadn't gotten anything on his suit and he didn't bleed.

Vincent backed up Rufus's claims to the truth, but tifa looked worse then when Rufus told her. Hmph, not even an apologetic glance. Rufus understood he deserved the punch, but it could have been at a better time. Oh well, things happen for a reason.

Then came the comment about funding the WRO and his expression hardened a little. He was not going to ever admit to doing that. He was trying to redeem himself on a more personal level then letting anyone but Reeve know. Tseng also knew, but Tseng knew everything, like Rufus did. Tseng probably knew more about Rufus then Rufus did sometimes. Hopefully Tseng was unharmed and well. It'd be a shame for him to be dead.

The thing that annoyed Rufus the most was that Vincent was verbally protecting him. He guessed it was the Turk in Valentine that led him to do this. That, or he really wanted this truce to prevail. Valentine didn't look like he'd stop another attack from Lockheart. He might actually enjoy the show.

Then Valentine turned to him and Rufus made eye contact with the raven haired man. "Hm, you know me all too well. Sadly, we need your help as much as you need ours." Then Vincent mentioned that they'd be watching him, Rufus responded. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Rufus made no comment to his redemption. This would be a personal matter, the truce would only get information relevant to it. He was going to with hold any irrelevant information.

With Vincent's closing statement, he nodded. He knew the fate of the truce would probably rely on Lockheart's answer to this. He was going to step away from the two and let them discuss it, but tifa replied before he could do so. The words lifted a little off his chest, he smirked lightly. Dislike never was the basis to a truce. It usually was what they would gain. In this, he'd be rid of the Remnants, Sephiroth and anything else that might arrive. "I know what you mean, Ms. Lockheart. But you don't ever have to like me. Just that we can work together without killer one another."

The thought of his father returning hit a nerve again. He really wasn't sure if he should bring it up right this moment. But, it might reinforce Tifa's decision. "I also didn't want to bring this up, but I believe it is related in one way or another. If my father ever was to return, there would be a chance that the company might make a turn for the worse." He paused. "The Turks might not side with him, but I know any other help would not." He looked to Vincent.

"The restrictors would be out of our control if that happened. At that point, they might be able to regain the Tsviets and shift their attention to AVALANCHE. It would be as catastrophic to you as it would to the Turks and myself." His father's returning would ruin a lot of things. Hopefully it would never happen. He had not heard word of the return, so it was not at the top of any one's list. He wasn't sure what was at this point.

Now, he got quiet. This meeting would come to a close at one point or another. It was chance that he had ran into Tifa, maybe even fate. He just wished it hadn't reached such a high tension point. Valentine's presence there seemed to have calmed Lockheart down exponentially. Though, he disliked the fact Vincent was there. Rufus had a feeling that Vincent was looking down on him after he had just gotten hit by Tifa. But, he did not want to harm her. That truly would have ruined many things.

Something was going to happen in time. The confrontation was approaching fast and Kadaj had truly grown stronger. But, so had many of the other's. Yuffie and Reno both had grown in strength. When one power increases, it become apparent that others do to in order to balance it. Hopefully they could take them down before anything got too out of hand.

These were important things to be thinking on. But, as of now, they had to have a point of origin. They needed that one thing to focus on to pull away from the fact that the two group truly disliked the other. Reno seemed to be on a more friendly edge with AVALANCHE then he did. Hence why he had Reno arrange the meeting with Cloud during Geostigma. That, and because few knew he was alive. Now, he was back in the light and was going to be of some help in this fight. This would be the first one were he could personally get involved. The Turks would disagree with his thoughts and would try to keep him out of it. But, he was going to help, even if Tifa had managed to break the truth.

He was not proving anything to them, but more for himself.

[Kadaj]

"It just sounds like things are just going to get worse and worse for you fools..."
A voice that was familiar to the three of them came out of no where. It was a young sounding voice, cold as well and the tone of evil and darkness was unmistakably clear. The owner of the voice, belong to Kadaj and he was grinning to himself not too far away over towards Tifa and Vincent's right hand side. The Remnant was clad in his usual attire and the soft sea breeze was blowing through his hair, revealing his glowing, mako fueled eyes.

Kadaj had one foot placed on a log and he was leaning forwards, resting both his elbows on his raised knee and watched the trio with a dark, sinister smirk on his face. Unusual to find the President, who seemed seemed to be recovering from the blow to his nose, socializing with two other members of the AVALANCHE team... and on a beach in the outskirts of Spira.

Kadaj continued to smirk as he watched the faces of the three of them, although it was a bit hard to see Vincent's. Ultimately, his eyes eventually fell onto Rufus Shinra and the smirk quickly turned to a glare, obviously the Remnant was still feeling a little bitter about the whole, 'throwing Mother out of a building' situation, but the avatar of Sephiroth wasn't going to let some idiots like these before him, try and insult him by mentioning his Mother. Kadaj still wanted to find Jenova, he had many questions he needed answering, but he himself was his own being now. Not the avatar of Sephiroth and not a follower of Jenova. Kadaj could think for himself and do things for himself. He wasn't too sure whether the same thing could be said for Loz and Yazoo though, but their presences were not in detection range and could be absolutely anywhere by now.

The Remnant quickly forced his thoughts to the back of his mind and he stood upright from the log, folding both his arms across his chest and listening to the sound of creaking leather as he did so. The sun was warm and he could feel it pretty easily through his leather, but that wasn't such a big issue. Kadaj kept his turquoise eyes locked onto Rufus and smirked as he laughed at the white suited man.
"It's so nice to see you're trying to make up for all the mistakes you've made in the past. I wonder if that punch to your nose has jolted your memory and given you some inspiration to get off your backside and get something done?"
Kadaj chuckled afterwards, before continuing.
"But judging from what I can see, you're still just as lazy and selfish as the last time I met you, but without your precious Turks at hand... I wonder how you'll get away from me this time?!"

Kadaj's message was as clear as water. He wanted Rufus and had no intention to deal with Tifa or Vincent at this moment in time. He'd get onto those two later on. Although he did revert his eyes away from the President and over towards the AVALANCHE members. Kadaj turned his body to face the pair of them and he stepped up onto the log, before hopping over it, closing the gap between all four of them slightly. He just stared at them in silence for a moment and just stood his ground now, keeping his arms folded across his chest and his guard up. Kadaj knew well that the three of them wanted to rid him from this world, and the rest of the worlds in Kingdom Hearts, but that would not be an easy thing t do anymore. Kadaj had grown much more powerful since his time living on Gaia, with thanks to the Darkness and the Heartless, and also that of Sephiroth's actual presence.

The sea breeze blew past once more and the Remnant closed his eyes for a second as he felt it run through his hair. The smell of the sea, the feel of the wind. This world was too happy, it would have to be cleansed and turned into a Flagship for Jenova's Reign... but then again, this was the world on which Sin existed and the Remnant was eager to meet this fellow, even if that resulted in bringing the creature back from the dead, but such a feat would be next to impossible without doing adequate research into the matter.
~Perhaps i'll spare this world for the time being...~
Kadaj thought to himself quickly before he returned to his senses and continued to watch Tifa and Vincent, trying to figure out what their reactions will be and whether or not they'll try and attack him here and now, not that that would be much of an issue. The day was nice (according to Light hearted beings) and the location was well suited for a duel.

At the end of the day though, Kadaj was here to terrorize Rufus to the brink of insanity, especially since the Turk's weren't here to help him. They seemed to have gone soft anyway as Kadaj had been hearing rumours of them teaming with and siding with the likes of the Organization XIII to help battle the Heartless-Horsemen...
~Speaking of which... I wonder where Maurelle is?~

[Vincent Valentine]

Talk about 'speak of the devil'.

He heard Tifa call his name, but that did little to phase the man who's skin was as cold as the dead. Vincent would have smiled at Tifa, if it were not for Rufus's presence. It was a matter of keeping up impressions, it was a part of doing business and not showing your hand, something he was sure Rufus would understand if he could read his thoughts. He could let his guard down and talk to Tifa later, but right now he was dealing with a former enemy and someone not to be taken too lightly.

Tifa saddened at his words, something he could do little to avoid. He wanted to comfort her with reassuring words, but knew such words would be wasted if Tifa as upset and didn't agree with him. Offering words of advice and intellectual insight were usually his own way of reassurance anyway. Tifa was a big girl, and she could understand he wasn't about to change for anyone. She knew that he was there for her not only as a member of AVALANCHE and an ally, but as a friend. As did he, when she supported him through his first ordeal with Deepground, along with the other AVALANCHE members. He would make it up to her later if she didn't remember that.

Rufus didn't seem to be too phazed by his appearence as Tifa had. His body langauge suggested he decided to remain passive, as he actually hadn't countered against Tifa when she had struck him. It was a smart thing to do, not to react to someone out of pure anger, and it actually proved Rufus was a bigger person than he allowed others to show. Then again, it could have all been a ruse if Rufus had seen Vincent coming. He could have lashed back at Tifa, if he wasn't there, for all he knew. It was hard to say, but what mattered was he had not hurt his friend, and the truce had not broken as a result.

The ex-president didn't seem to be happy that he had been taken for granted by Tifa, but he wasn't petty enough to speak out about it, either. He felt Rufus making eye contact with him, and his steely crimson gaze locked with his. He didn't make any comment in reply to how he agreed that sadly they did need each other's help. Not after such things as, like Tifa had mentioned earlier, that he had tried to sentance her to death. Vincent was a Turk long before Rufus was even born, but perhaps it was the Turk in him that saw the potential in the good Rufus could accompish as their ally.

So he was making closing statements, now? The crimson-clad man man awaited Tifa's choice, respecting her free will. He had gone ahead and made the truce with Rufus speaking on behalf of AVALANCHE, but he hadn't discussed it with most of them, knowing they would detest it until there came another crisis. When her decision came, the weight off his shoulders felt a little lighter. He had spoken his words of the mention of not having to like each other, for Tifa's sake. As long as they worked efficently as a team, they could accomplish a lot more than if they were one person. Since the first time he had appeared, Vincent nodded in acknowledgement, and the faintest ghost of a smile appeared on his near-blue pale lips. There was a chance they could co-exist peacefully, after all.

How ironic how short that peace seemed to last.

First, Rufus spoke of how if his father returned, the company would take a turn for the worse. At this, Vincent's smile disappeared. "What company? The Shinra Company hasn't been operating since Meteorfall." Either this had been a slip of the tongue, or Rufus had failed to mention this to him. He also doubted Weiss and the Tsviets wouldn't go down without a fight before they were restrained by the Restrictors again. If the Restrictors were successful, Rufus and the Turks would indeed be in big trouble without AVALANCHE's help. But if they weren't, surprisingly enough, Vincent considered the possibility Weiss could offer to form a truce as well if the Restrictors became too big a threat.

Then, he suddenly sensed a scent on the wind. A scent tainted of darkness, and of... Jenova cells. He heard him before he saw him, and narrowed crimson eyes instinctively darted over to lock onto him. Vincent could have answered a witty comeback to him, such as how the only fool he could see was the one that had entered the area with him in it. But he remained silent, prefering and guessing Tifa would speak on his behalf, as Kadaj did not speak directly to him. He wouldn't dignify such a petty insult with a responce on his level. All that Kadaj needed to know was what was important, and that was he was going to meet with equal, if not overpowering force.

His eyes had met Kadaj, but his face was turned away so Kadaj could not see all of it. If he could, he would simply see a matching cold, hard stare back at him with opposing blood-red eyes to his blue Mako ones. The youthful arrogance of the Remnant seemed to be focused on Rufus, as Kadaj bided his time, throwing wasteful insults at Rufus before falling silent again. Vincent remained as still as a statue by Tifa's side, his hand already hovering over the handle of his trusted hound of a handgun, Cerberus. When Kadaj spoke again and this time offered a threat at Rufus, Vincent had to wonder what his angle was. What could he possibly have to gain from eliminating Rufus? The only motive that seemed to make sense was revenge from the Geostigma crisis. Feeling the avatar of Sephiroth's eyes on him and Tifa, his body language and expression did not shift an inch, except for when he moved his mouth to speak.

"You'll have to get through me first, larva. Which is easier said than done." he said curtly, and shifted his body tensely into a defensive stance, waiting for Kadaj to make some idiotic insult and make the next step in his assault.

He simply did not know what we had gotten himself into. The little child that couldn't live up to Sephiroth should have run along...

[lala]

Tifa was a bit moody still. A wise man would no not to egg on a woman when she was moody. Unless he wished to suffer a long period of pain. She would eventually get over this but in the back of her mind she was regretting the decision that she made when it came to trusting Rufus. She didn't exactly have to trust him but working alongside him would be pretty rough for her to get past. Which is why she didn't exactly look happy or sad at the moment. She just looked sort of neutral. And for the first time she was being quiet keeping her thoughts to herself. She had been quite open about her opinion and feelings when it was just Rufus and her talking. But once Vincent came and told her the truth she mellowed out completely. Maybe this was a good step for her. Allies were always good to have. Especially when you were fighting a common enemy. But she mainly worried about the fact that her personal feelings could get the best of her. She hoped that this had been the right decision and she would be able to keep peace.

Tifa heard Rufus mention that his father may come back. And that it would be a turn for the company for the worse. Did he want them to help stop him from ruining the company? That wasn't what she had agreed to! At least that is what Tifa had interpretted that he wanted them for when he spoke. She may have gotten the wrong idea but she couldn't help but think that, knowing who was was talking to. The mutual expression on her face shifted quickly to a slightly annoyed and irritated expression. Before she spoke she hard Vincent mention how the company hadn't been operating since Meteorfall. Were they still planning to rebuild? Or had they already begun. She figured she should throw in her own opinion on the matter.

"Besides your making it seem like you want us to help you get rid of your father for the benefit of you and your company. That wasn't the agreement we made. We have bigger enemies. Vincent said that Sephiroth was back! And the Remnant Brothers."

Tifa said. And just after she said this she noticed the figure walking toward them. The leader of the Remnant Brothers, Kadaj. What a reunion this was turning out to be. And two of the people Tifa couldn't stand to be around. Though she was going to be forced to around one of them, Rufus more often. But as for Kadaj he was the enemy. And the enemy had to be destroyed. Tifa was smart enough to know not to attack him right off the bat. She couldn't take him on her own. Plus Vincent didn't even move an inch. If a battle did start she would probably wait for him to make the first attack. But her mouth didn't have to be still.

Tifa listened as he made Rufus his main target for now. He mentioned how he was still just as selfish as before, which Tifa would agree with for now. But he also seemed to imply that he was planning to do something to Rufus. Tifa knew that she would have to defend him. They were a team now. And teamwork was key when it came to defeating an enemy. They would have to work together alongside eachother against Kadaj. She let Vincent speak first and then finall decided to speak her mind which seemed to be awhile since she had.

"We won't let you destroy this world! No matter how much it takes!" Tifa said and looked to both Rufus and Vincent when she said we. She held up her fists going into her own fighting and defensive stance when she noticed that Vincent had. She wore her serious and anger expression to the one person who she was only mad at anymore. She was curious to see if Rufus would decide to fight alongside them and keep the truce.

[Rufus ShinRa]

[*is dreading the post that will go in here. It will either be too long or not long enough.*]

The President stayed unmoved for the most part. Though, he might want to watch his tongue a little better. The smallest thing that he messed up might be something that Lockheart could dangle over his head. It's not like he'd admit he made a mistake. That would be a little unlike him. Rufus was changing, but he personality was something that was molded as a child. He grew up in a very tense and strict environment. Hence, the strong hate he had built up for his father. But, unlike Tifa, he was wise enough to keep it hidden. If he hadn't, well, he probably wouldn't be here and Scarlet or one of the others would have had control. That would have been worse.

They both ended up commenting on his father though. But one seemed to take it more personally then the other. His eyes shifted to Tifa and then to Vincent. Heh, so Cloud hadn't told him how the group had been planning on rebuilding for months during Geostigma and that they had started a bit of the rebuilding. There was already a small base near Edge now and the factory in Junon had started again. But they weren't using Mako. They had started to think up new ways of energy like coal and wind/solar power.

But before he responded to Vincent, he was going to tell off Tifa in the easiest and most politically correct way possible. "Lockheart, I don't want your help with killing him. I'd like that pleasure for myself if you don't mind allowing me it. I agree about the bigger problems, but if he manages to slip in without my notice, it could be a set back." As he glanced at Vincent to reply, the voice hit his ear and his body shifted to the voice. Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.

"Yes, I'm sure it seems that way to you." His reply was short and his watched Kadaj. It was obvious by his shifting gaze that he was still a little raw about. This caused the President to smirk slightly. It was not something he'd ever take back. That facial expression was worth ever second of it. Even if he HAD almost died.

With Kadaj's comment, he shrugged. "I doubt I have. A punch isn't going to do much. But, I was without my Turks last time as well, and it still worked out." Sadly, this time he didn't have as much leverage as he did last time. Last time, he knew where Jenova was and Kadaj needed it. Now, Kadaj had no use for Rufus. This was probably going to be one of the worst fights. Rufus could handle himself for the most part. But he was not on a level to fight Cloud. He could take Reno, but that was the extent of it, on a good day.

Seems Kadaj might find out that his shotgun wasn't just for show. Wait, Kadaj already knew that Rufus had a good shot. Hm.

Vincent and Tifa both slipped into a defensive position. Tifa had glanced at him a few times as well. He calmly shifted his coat away and put a hand on his gun. He wasn't going to stand idle. This battle was not going to be easy. Kadaj had the advantage since only Tifa could fight up close and personal. Rufus and Vincent were both going to be forced on the defensive if attacked because of their guns. Well, this was going to be a fun challenge.

[Kadaj]

A smile spread across Kadaj's lips when he had successfully gain all of their attention. It wouldn't have been as fun to sneak in and attack without saying a word... but it was amusing to see Vincent, Tifa and the President, all slowly hover a hand around their weapons... well, except Tifa. Kadaj knew from Loz that she was a hand-to-hand fighter, and judging from the way she lifted up his hands in front of her defensively, it would have taken a complete idiot to realize this. But what was really interesting the Remnant was how they all thought he was going to attack at first sight. Perhaps. Maybe not. Kadaj made it clear that he only wanted Rufus. He'd get around to dealing with Vincent and Tifa another day.... Unless Rufus provided no fun what so ever.

Staying silent for the time being, he watched the three 'Heroes' with careful eyes, flicking them back and forth and examined their smallest movements with a keen eye. The ex-Turk and the ex-President both had guns and they were both pretty good shots, getting evidence of this from the Forgotten City and in Edge. Still, Kadaj was confident with his swordplay and if he could keep Tifa between himself and the gunmen, they'd be unable to shoot without risking damaging their friend.

Kadaj felt like playing along and he turned his body slightly to reveal the Souba that rested quietly within it's sheath, just to show them all that he was armed and would use this weapon if it came down to it, but that wasn't the only trick he had up his sleeve. True, he could use the darkness, but there was a new weapon the Remnant had... still in it's experimental stages, so things could take a turn for the worse, but there was only one way to find out. The thought entered Kadaj's mind about whether or not he should trust this new technique... if things went pear shaped in battle, he was up against... well... two semi-serious threats. AVALANCHE seemed to work best when all teamed up... even without Cloud. Cloud proved he was a very capable fighter and on more then one occasion. Yet without the spiky haired punk, the three of them shouldn't prove too much trouble.

Kadaj smiled at Tifa and lifted up one arm behind him and gently placing his hand onto the handle of his Souba, relaxing his arm and allowing it to rest there.
"Ahh... Tifa, Tifa, Tifa... what am I going to do with you? Maybe i'll get Loz to hunt you down again and this time to spare no quarter."
He said coldly and with a matching grin. His mako pumped eyes continued to stare at her and she seemed to be pretty tense about something. Well, when speaking to Rufus and having some 'mythological' creature like Vincent breathing down your neck, it probably was a good time to be tense.
"Me?"
He continued.
"Destroy this world? Ha! What made you think of such a silly thing as that? If this world held little value to me, do you think you'd actually be standing there now?!"
Kadaj boasted and smirked as he did so. In time, Kadaj would be able to drain a planet of it's life, but that would take serious amounts of energy and a heck of a lot of patience and time.

His eyes then turned to Vincent and he watched him through narrowed eyes. He was as cold as ice, much like himself, so mind games and insults would bounce off like a bullet to Cloud's sword. Better leave him be and deal with him when it comes to combat. Kadaj had noticed the ex-Turk move a hand towards his gun and so was ready to move if a shot was going to be fired his way, from one or all three of the battles. The same could be said for Rufus as well, but the Remnant knew that somewhere within the President's mind, there was a part of him that feared him, and without his Turks to protect him, Kadaj would be able to chip away at that fear in due time. Rufus was a hard nut to crack like Vincent. Tifa on the other hand would be simple to send into a blind fury, but that would result in a barrage of fists, feet, elbows and goodness knows what else she could throw at him.

Kadaj had to be careful. It was obvious that everyone knew of each others abilities.

"And what of you?"
Kadaj said, throwing his voice over at Vincent as he continued to watch him carefully through narrowed eyes.
"What makes you fall down to his level? .... It doesn't matter, I don't actually care, but listen to me and listen well. I'm not here to cause pain and suffering to the likes of you or the woman. Just leave me with the President and i'll spare both your lives. How does that sound?"
As Kadaj finished speaking his 'offer', his hand gripped tightly around the handle of his Souba, yet his legs nor did any other part of his body move in respond to it.

[Vincent Valentine]

It was a bit unnerving to hear the others be so quiet at this moment in time. Tifa especially, as she often spoke her heart when it came to these matters. But when she was quiet, Vincent could tell there was something brewing in her mind. Like there was something she wanted to say, but couldn't quite say it. Something like she couldn't trust Rufus, or how uncomfortable it was to have Kadaj in the immediate vicinity eyeing her.

He did notice the look of irritation in her expression. Vincent did question it, before she finally did speak what was on her mind. She made her point how Rufus sounded like he wanted them to help him get rid of his father if he came back alive. IF he was alive, although Vincent wouldn't put it past the old man. And he did agree with Tifa on this one, that in the event he was and the old staff of Heidigger and Scarlet were back, he had too much to benefit from his death. Vincent made a mental reminder to himself that he'd always have to be wary of anything Rufus wanted them to do, or what he would make them think it's their idea when it was really his.

But it seemed Rufus was actually adamant about killing his own father. Vincent listened to his reply, judging the weight of his words. It could easily be a lie, to play down the fact he wanted his father dead, and didn't care who killed him. But it could have been the truth, Vincent wasn't sure. It would depend on a number of factors, like if his father could possibly ursurp power again, now that Shinra had been dismantled... apparently. Reeve was not the Commissioner of the WRO, the closest thing the world had to a leader now. It would be a hard thing to buy back, unless the old President tried to take it back by force somehow.

He listened to him, trying to defend himself against Kadaj verbally, and it sounded like he had confronted Kadaj beforehand. How Rufus got out of that last encounter with Kadaj, he probably would never know, but it didn't look like he would get off that easily this time. Unless Vincent could help it, of course. If Rufus had not answered him for a reason about his query into Shinra, he probably had restarted the company, and who knows what new secrets he was trying to cover up this time. But every life was valuable, as long as they had the intention to do good within their hearts no matter how small that light was, so Vincent would uphold the truce the seeds of which had been sown, thanks to the destructive efforts of the Remnant standing before them.

Throughout all this, the crimson-clad AVALANCHE member had not so much flinched an inch since Kadaj had spoken to them. Perhaps Kadaj had thought he had the advantage against them, since he was a melee fighter and he was a ranged one - according to his and Rufus's theory, perhaps. But only Tifa had an inkling of what sort of power Vincent truly held back deep within himself, who only unleashed it in the most dire of situations. Neither of the other men had even seen one-fifth of his true potential. True, Kadaj had seen what he liked to call his Crimson Phantom form during his assistance and rescue of Cloud during the Geostigma crisis, a form he could take on that had the intangibility of his tattered cloak.

But only Tifa had been witness to some of his more truly horrific transformations his body could undertake - and that was only if he fought long enough to reach his limit. Kadaj would have to endure a storm of bullets before he got close to witnessing some of his full potential. Perhaps he would be delighted of the prospect that someone else in AVALANCHE could provide a challenge other than Cloud, and if he thought he was simply another human weaker than him that wasn't capable of handling him as well as the SOLIDER was, he would be sorely mistaken when he found out. He wasn't the only one who had a secret weapon up his sleeve.

He was not amused in the slightest when Kadaj hovered his hand over, and then placed his hand on, his Souba. It only proved he was just as defensive and cautious as the rest of them, just as vulnerable to attack as the rest of them. As he did, Vincent felt comfortable enough to place his hand on the handle of Cerberus without Kadaj retaliating on a whim. He waited for Kadaj to stop talking, only hearing him make empty threats and threatening words, all meaningless unless he carried them out on the spot. He was pretty sure it was a bluff that Kadaj would be able to destroy the world as easily as he made it sound, and that Tifa would not be standing there if he did. She was a worthy melee fighter, perhaps even Cloud's equal, as he heard that she had been able to dodge Sephiroth's sword easily when she went toe to toe with him in Radient Garden. It made him realize if Tifa did react to Kadaj's taunts and engage him, she would fight him in physical combat, and he would have a hard time providing supporting cover-fire. But it wasn't something he wasn't already used to with working around AVALANCHE co-operatively, and he could watch movement quickly enough and react with teamwork to maximize full damage between him and a melee fighter like Tifa, as difficult as it would be.

It would be a hard battle to anticipate, he could give Kadaj that. When he had fought him and his brothers on a few occasions beforehand, he knew Kadaj was a worthy swordsman that took after his origin, Sephiroth. He would be able to reflect and block bullets with his sword as easily as Cloud could. He would have to try a skillful intellectual tactic if it meant that a bullet could possibly graze Kadaj and wear him down. When Kadaj finally faced him and talked to him directly, he was glad he decided not to care about why he had stooped to 'Rufus's level, as he didn't either and wasn't going to answer to such a petty remark anyway. Vincent simply remained having his crimson eyes narrowed back coldly at Kadaj, and didn't offer any sort of heroic speech or smart comeback to stoop down to Kadaj's level, only simply side-stepped in front of Rufus and re-asserted his side-on defensive position towards Kadaj in an unphased manner.

By the look of his body language, he had clearly made his choice, he was not going to stand by and watch a life be slain before his eyes.

[lala]

Tifa was getting slightly annoyed with Rufus calling her by her last name. Sure they didn't ike eachother but he still could call her by her first name instead of her last. But she figured to just ignore it for now seeing as that was minor and barely important compared to other things going on. She listened to him say that he wouldn't need them to kill his father claiming he wanted that pleasure for himself. She looked to him once more. "Don't you ony want to get him out of the way to benefit yourself and your company though?" Tifa mumbled quietly. It was probably nothing that concerned her but she couldn't help but get herself involved due to her deep hate.

Her brown eyes focused on Kadaj with intensity as he approached them. She didn't show any mercy when it came to people that she truely hated. And he and his brothers were very high on her list of hate. She noticed him smile as he walked closure to them. Though it obviously was not a friendly sort of smile. It was a smile of pleasure. Evil pleasure. She listened to him speak to her, her expression hardening as he spoke. He mentioned how he would call on his brother to attack her. Sure she had lost the fight against him but she was still able to defend herself and fight back a bit. She was stronger then she seemed.

"I don't know if you are trying to be funny or serious but I know if you even sent him near me I'd destroy him no matter what it would take!" Tifa spoke confidently. She listened to him speak again boasting about the world. She didn't know what to say and she just looked angry. She clenched her fists once again though she was wise enough to know not to attack him like she had done with Rufus. She waited a moment then decided to speak again.

"You are speaking with great confidence...obviously you are underestimating us. We've worked along with Cloud who was able to defeat you before. We will show no fear or mercy for you should you decide to attack us or the planet. We hold great power in teamwork." Her passionate hate was coming out and could be revealed and expressed in her confident speech. She appeared confident on the outside but on the inside she felt weak and worried. She didn't know if the three of them would be able to take on Kadaj. She worried about them and the others. She did a good job of masking her feelings though and just wearing her hate and dislike.

Tifa followed his eyes as he moved his focus to Vincent. Vincent had been pretty quiet for the most part and Tifa had been doing most of the talking toward Kadaj. Vincent was always pretty quiet so she wasn't exactly expecting much to come out of him. Though Tifa had seen many of Vincent's forms and she knew the strength that he possessed inside. She felt better about the possible fight that would happen knowing that Vincent would also be their.

She listened to him try and convince Vincent to back down so that he could just fight alongside Rufus. She was tempted to speak again but she was curious to see how Vincent would respond to this. She noticed him just stand still on the ground and not even say a word. Typical Vincent. He didn't show any signs of backing down and didn't even have to express it through words. Tifa smiled a bit at Vincent and then figured that she could just do the same not having to speak. She stood tall beside Vincent wearing her cold expression still. She kept her black-gloved fists raised and they were ready to attack if needed. She still wore her confidence as well and had a bit more of it on the inside now as well. Part of her couldn't help but worry a bit though.

[/size]

[Rufus ShinRa]

Rufus got rather silent at this moment. Normally cold blue eyes shifted around the scene. Kadaj's offer was actually a good deal. The President would have been out of their hair without anyone really knowing about the truce being ripped by a shred and Tseng would have taken over. Avalanche seemed friendly towards the Turks. It would have worked out so much better for Avalanche. He would have been out of their way.

Yet, the two Avalanche held their ground.

'Don't you ony want to get him out of the way to benefit yourself and your company though?'

The mumble was heard. Though, he probably wasn't supposed to hear it. Yes, he would benefit from his father's death. But it was more the fact he hated his father with every ounce of himself. This was not a lie. He'd give up his company and everything to keep his father dead and buried. It was sad, but he would never admit how much he hated his father or what had caused this much ill will.

'You are speaking with great confidence...obviously you are underestimating us. We've worked along with Cloud who was able to defeat you before. We will show no fear or mercy for you should you decide to attack us or the planet. We hold great power in teamwork.'

Impressive. He knew they were prideful, but not this much. They upheld their end of it, though Rufus knew he would have as well. It just surprised him. Though, when Vincent stepped in front of Rufus to show what side he was on.

He wasn't sure how to take it. First, it was a hit on his pride that he actually needed the help. But, in a way, it was very...appreciated. Rufus now had his gun pulled. He knew the line was going to be crossed in a moment. It was only a matter of time. Rufus remained silent the whole time.

[Kadaj]

Kadaj grinned and let out a cold laugh. He shook his head from side to side for a moment, chuckling to himself a little more under his breath, his dark eyes moving back onto the slender figure of Tifa. Tilting his head upwards slightly, as if he were looking down on the three of them, the Leader of the Remnant's lifted his free hand up out in front of him and pointed a leather clad finger at the martial art female. He paused, his body freezing solid like a statue, bar his chest that moved as he breathed and his eyes, then blinked quickly, but rarely. He wanted to keep a cold, piercing glare on all his 'victims'. He knew neither of them wouldn't be effected, but it always always good practice.

Eventually, the Remnant spoke.
"You believe you actually have what it takes to stand up against Loz? Well, that's confidence alright. Or is it stupidity? You always were quick to anger, 'Lockheart'. Perhaps you need to learn to control your temper like you can control your fist?"
Kadaj's cold, ye young voice echoed out from his mouth, sounding cold enough to freeze the air and turn the sea into a solid chunk of ice.
"Loz is more then a match for you, as I do recall hearing him brag on about how much he beat you back in the Sector 5 Church. Pity. I should have ordered him to kill. I guess i'll rectify that mistake, here and now!"
Kadaj said, his tone getting darker and his voice raising more the closer he got to the end of his sentence.

The threat was clear, but it had only been directed now at both Tifa and the President. Why not Vincent? Kadaj lowered his arm and cast his eyes over towards the crimson clad figure of the ex-Turk, who had moved himself to stand in front of the President. Very interesting. Seemed AVALANCHE certainly had teamed up with the Shin-Ra. Either that, or the rumours of the Light joining the Dark to fight the Horsemen was not a rumour at all. How pathetic. Light cannot side with Dark. They are rivals at best. Hence the reason Kadaj didn't agree to Luxord's little proposal. Kadaj would rather eliminate all life himself then side up with the likes of Cloud and Rufus.

Still, that was something to think about at a later date. Kadaj had this nagging feeling in the back of his head that Rufus was up to something, now that he couldn't be seen... by himself, nor by either AVALANCHE member. Kadaj instantly drew up a theory that Rufus would have drawn his gun due to his 'hidden' advantage. Still, not wanting to have all three of them coming at him at once, Kadaj just merely continued to hold onto the handle of his Souba tightly, getting ready to drew it as soon as anyone stepped out of line.

[Vincent Valentine]

So, this was how it was going to be. Vincent remained where he was, calm and confident, not moving a muscle as he studied Kadaj before them. Tifa made a comment to Rufus, which he did not reply to. Her comments to Kadaj, however, were not ignored by the violent youth. He pointed his finger at her in an obvious threatening gesture, as if indicating that she was going to be his first target. He probably thought that she would be the weakest he'd have to fight out of the two of them. Was it because she had lost to Loz before, or because she was female, or both? He'd rather not know. He respected Tifa, and at her full potential if she fought with all her strength, she could become more powerful than Vincent ever could be in his human form.

Even though Kadaj taunted Tifa into getting made at him, and threatened even further he would kill her here and now, he did not move. Vincent was not amused, and could see through his games. So, this is why he chose to threaten Tifa. He knew that Tifa would be the easiest to make loose her cool, and have her make the first move. Then he could counter it, and react to her weakness. It was a clever ploy, but it did not fool Vincent. And he hoped it would not fool Tifa, either. He did not say anything on her behalf, though, because Kadaj was addressing her. And this was Tifa's fight, her story now. Tifa had her issues with both the other men here, and it was up to her to resolve it and forgive herself for the anger she felt. Vincent was here to support her, as her silent guardian, and as her friend. If Tifa doubted herself and lost confidence, or she left herself open in battle, Vincent would be there to stop Kadaj every single time he tried to take advantage of it.

He didn't know what Rufus would do behind him as he blocked view of him from Kadaj. He had a hunch he might try something sneaky, like when he threw the canister of Jenova off the rooftop. Kadaj had a clear hatred of Rufus then for doing that. But like he had saved Cloud from him and his brothers ganging up on him before, he was confident he could protect both Rufus and Tifa from the Remnant, if he had to. But, he was sure he didn't need to. They had both worked against him before, and they could do it again.

He remained unwavering and strong in front of Rufus, with Tifa by his side, his tattered crimson cloak and his midnight back hair blowing back from the incoming ocean breeze on the beach. His crimson red eyes never stopped staring down Kadaj, his expression hard, as if his gaze stared straight through the Kadaj himself. He could do this all day, and into the night if he had to - he was not the villain here, and would not make the first move. Either the Remnant had to declare hostility on them, or they could turn around and go their seperate ways. Either way, if Kadaj wanted to have Rufus meet his end at his hands, he was going to meet it with extreme resistance. No lives were going to be ended - not while he was standing by to witness it.

The pink ribbon tied to his upper left arm, a reminder and tribute to Aerith's death, reminded him of that.

Never again would he stand by and watch.

[lala]

Tifa felt her anger rise when the remnant began to laugh at her. She felt like he was mocking her by doing this. And she didn't like to be laughed at or made a fool of that was certain. His laugh was so cold and cruel though. It sent some chills up her spine. She couldn't show any weakness though. He would just feed off of that more and more. She had to remain as strong as she could and try her best not to let her emotion rise or just at least not show it. Vincent never let his emotions get in the way. Tifa did have a weakness for letting her inner feelings get in the way. She knew that she probably looked the weakest in the group with all of her talking. But she knew that somebody had to say something. And in this case it would just have to be her.

She listened to him speak to her. Mocking her yet again. She didn't want to let her emotions run loose too much. She clenched her fists and shut her dark eyes for the moment trying to relax herself. She knew that he would be expecting her to say something so of course she would have to. "I am not stupid nor do I have a temper problem! I don't appreciate you insulting me. Personally it makes you seem weaker by just insulting me." Tifa said. Some of her anger and passion slipped in through her first sentance. She paused though and was able to calm down when she finished off talking trying to control her inner emotion in the best way that she could. She wondered if it was that obvious that she was trying to control herself. She expected Vincent to notice since he knew her pretty well.

Tifa reflected back on the battle when Kadaj brought it up. She was protecting Marlene against Loz through out the fight. In the beginning she had done pretty well and knocked him to the floor at one point. But he had turned the tables and knocked her out in the flowers. She was ashamed looking back on the battle now. She had put her all into it but her all wasn't enough. She knew that she could have done so much better. All the more reason as to why she'll have more strength in her future battles. Her eyes widened at Kadaj's last words. Was he really planning on trying to kill her and possibly the others right here? She looked back to him wearing a serious expression on her face not being able to keep her feelings inside. Her anger and passion was revealed in her facial expression as she looked at the Remnant with a cold glare.

"I know that if I ever meet that brother of yours again I will hold nothing back. I won't let you even attempt killing me or Rufus or Vincent." Tifa said some anger in her voice now. She was starting to lose her cool bit by bit though was trying with all that she could to keep it controlled in anyway that she could. But she was so bad at keeping her feelings relaxed. Her passion always seemed to break through.

[Rufus ShinRa]

Yes, Rufus had pulled his gun from it's holster. He was not going to stand idol, as he had reminded Vincent after their first meeting. So, Kadaj had made a correct assumption. It was strange, Kadaj had never been able to see threw him before, yet he correctly guessed his actions when he was hidden behind Valentine. It was more amusing than anything, if only he knew this fact.

True, any sane person would draw their weapon and prepare. So Rufus was acting typically. This wouldn't be good if he was forced to fight Kadaj. Yes, Rufus was able to defend himself to a point. But there was also a point were he would surely lose. Fangirls were one thing, Sephiroth and Cloud were another.

'I am not stupid nor do I have a temper problem!...'

Sure, she didn't have a temper problem. We'll go with that scenario this round. Rufus couldn't help but glance in her direction as she stated this, but swiftly shifted back to look in the direction of Kadaj. Sadly, with Vincent's position, he couldn't see a thing.

'I won't let you even attempt killing me or Rufus or Vincent.'

Again, what was causing Tifa to say these things. It was contradictory behavior than how she was acting moment ago. It had to either be Vincent or Kadaj's appearance. Maybe it was the truce. Well, he would never know. But he had a feeling it was some sort of lie.

Rufus stood quietly, gun in hand, hoping that somehow this would turn out well.

(Ha! I had to add fangirl in there. ^.^ Hehe)

[Kadaj]

Kadaj kept his eyes on Tifa for the time being, seeing as she was the only one where who had any 'courage' to speak back to the Remnant. Either that or Rufus and Vincent merely didn't have anything to say. Nah, that wasn't right either. I'm sure there was a lot that both of them... well, perhaps just Rufus wanted to say. Vincent was the quiet type and never really seemed the person to be easily irritable, unless the irritator held sufficient knowledge about the mysterious, crimson cloaked man's past. Unfortunately, Kadaj wasn't graced with that knowledge, and angering the ex-Turk would have been a more fun challenge, more fun then how easy it was to annoy the black-haired martial artist at any rate.

The silver haired and leather clad Remnant chuckled to himself as he ran one of his gloved hands backwards through his hair, brushing the strands away from his face, only for them to flop back down in front of his eyes once again. His eyes still held that dangerous look about them and there was that un-nerving presence about him that felt like it was about to explode at any moment.

Kadaj's eyes were still fixated upon Tifa.
"You won't let try and attempt to kill Rufus?!"
Kadaj said, a strong tone of sarcasm and amusement within his young yet cold voice. He couldn't help but lift up his free hand and wave it at Tifa, trying to make himself stop laughing from what she just said. Though to the untrained eye, now would be a perfect chance to attack, little to the attackers knowledge, Kadaj was still ready for anything to come flying his way... a fist, a foot or a bullet. With his left hand still gripped tightly around the handle of his Souba, it wouldn't take him like to draw it and defend himself.

"Oh that IS rich!"
Kadaj said, still laughing.
"Funny that, how it seems you hold as much anger within your heart towards him as you do for me. No doubt denying that, I can feel it. Yes, protect the man who ordered his Turks to kidnap Aerith, protect the man whose employee locked you in a gas room and left you for dead! Protect the man who thinks fr only himself and will ultimately end up becoming your enemy once again."
Kadaj lectured. He knew he was going to get some smart ar*ed come back from one of them, but let them say it, if it'll make them feel big and strong.

Since Vincent wasn't saying anything and not even moving much anymore, Kadaj decided to not worry too much about him for the time being. Vincent wouldn't attack first. It wasn't in his nature to do so. Rufus was a different matter though and after Kadaj finally finished laughing at Tifa, he re-directed himself towards the President, 'hiding' behind the crimson Turk.
"Here's the deal Rufus. You come with me now, and i'll allow your 'friends' here to live. Fail to comply, and you all will die!"
No more time for joking around. The battle was about to begin and Kadaj had wasted enough time talking to these 'heroes'. Every second he spent here, the Horsemen grew in strength and took ever closers steps towards their goals.