FicWad

“He’s not showing any signs of improvement.” The veterinarian said to Tifa as she sat patiently in the reception chair. Tifa had sat there since the others had gone back out to Modeo- and she had hoped to give the President good news about his pet. “We really don’t think we can save him. The President… he, he won’t take retribution will he?”

“I don’t think so hon.” Tifa sighed. “I think he’ll be very upset.”

“He doesn’t strike me as a man to be upset by many things.” The woman said heading back through to the kennel area.

Ada slid through the door and sat next to Tifa, she took her new friends hand. Tifa sighed, she didn’t have to explain it to Ada, and the woman knew the situation better than her about how the things were created and came about. Ada wondered what the President would order if the dog did go rabid and had to be put down, would he ask for them to level the area? Would he end up inconsolable?

“They have a chance to find an antidote right?” Tifa looked at her after another lengthy silence.

“People have made it before and it seems like you have very intelligent people that can make a good go of it.” Ada nodded. “Leon survived and the daughter of our President too. It’s really a race though I am afraid.”

“I hope… they win this one.” Tifa sighed. “I hope Cloud is okay.”

With that it went back to silence and they watched the clock ticking for a while. Tifa nodded off against Ada and the newcomer looked around. Some of the pets seemed to be unusual so it wasn’t just Dark Nation that had been a strange sight after all. Tifa yawned as she woke up and stretched out her legs.

“Excuse me…” The veterinarian came out. “There’s something strange going on with the hound.”

“Like what exactly?” Ada looked at her and pulled the gun from her side.

“It seems to be salivating a lot more and,” she lowered her voice, “he keeps trying to eat at the bars.”

“Well if he can’t remember that he can phase through things I think that’s a good thing.” Tifa said patting the short and skirt affair she wore straight and looked over to Ada. “Dark Nation can move through things like its smoke. It is pretty damned dangerous.”

“I would think that something natural to him wouldn’t be forgotten. That does not strike me as a good thing.” Ada sighed and walked out to the kennels at the back. She leant to the cage and looked at the strange beast.

Dark Nation snarled back at her, saliva dripping from the teeth and onto the cage floor. Ada sighed, the first sign of the virus really taking hold had begun and he was already changing his personality, she watched as the hound moved around the cage, weaving and trying to bite at her because she was the closest viable target.

“Oh lords…” Ada whispered. “Dark Nation, we have to get the cure for you. I can’t be the one to let Rufus loose his friend. Me and Leon we want to stay here.” She told him softly though quite why she was doing it she was wondering. “Hang in there old boy okay?”

Dark Nation growled with a flash of red at the corner of his eyes and then slumped at the back of the cage again. Tifa walked in and looked at Ada, she watched as Dark Nation’s loins quivered, was he in pain or fighting the virus?

“How long does he have?” Tifa asked her.

“I couldn’t tell you, we don’t even know how it will affect him since he’s not a species we know anyway.” Ada crossed her long legs over as she sat down opposite watching. “Rufus not really much of a socialite then?”

“If you mean does he party then he does but,” Tifa looked over at her and smiles, “he doesn’t keep friends. It can’t be easy to know that people are likely going to be friendly just because of who you are and so you might not get true friends. Dark Nation at least is there for no other reason than the man that he can trust to feed him and Rufus in turn finds unconditional love.”

“He needs real friends.” Ada chuckled. “Perhaps we were meant to come here, to make friends and encourage them. It would be nice to think we had a reason other than violence to be here. I think we’ve seen enough of that and will probably see more.”

“Very true.” Tifa nodded and watched as Dark Nation restlessly moved around the cage and then finally curled up in the corner, the tendril on his back whipping around nervously.

Ada watched for a while after Tifa had settled down and rested her head on the newcomers lap. Tifa liked the fact she had a woman around the place with guts and that they didn’t have to put up any kind of pretence about being friendly, they simply connected well. Ada watched the hound, she wondered how Rufus would react if they couldn’t help him, it seemed such a shame that the President was so isolated but she didn’t really understand a lot of what had been said to them about the Sister Ray or hideous pasts. To Ada he simply seemed like a busy and lonely man.