Chapter 4
 
 Red had felt uneasy the moment he and the others had entered the woods. There was a strange feeling of tension, as if something wasn't quite right. He still walked ahead of his friends, in the hope that his sensitive nose would find her trail. But as the hours passed, he continued to move farther and farther forward, which made him feel more vulnerable. But he still kept going.
 Red stopped in a clearing to rest and to let Cloud, Tifa, Tobias, and Marlene catch up. He felt very small among the towering evergreens. Everything was silent. Just then, he caught a trace of movement behind him. He glanced back.
 What......?? Oh well, probably just a rabbit...... he thought.
 He heard a twig snap.
 Make that a lot of rabbits.......
 A bullet whizzed past his face and exploded into a tree trunk.
 Red snarled and jumped back, dashing into the bushes. His heart was pumping wildly in his chest. He saw a man crouched in the bushes, a large rifle in his hands.
 "Damn cat...." he muttered, clumsily reloading the gun and taking aim again. Red leapt out of the bushes, the rifle tracking his every step. The man pulled the trigger, and another slug shot past his ear.
 "Get outta the way!" shouted a familiar voice. Cloud came charging into the clearing, swinging the Buster Sword viciously. The hunter fired a third shot, but it bounced harmlessly off the sword's broad blade. Cloud lunged at him, neatly cleaving the rifle barrel in two. He slashed downwards, stopping mere millimeters from the hunter's head.  "AAAAGGGHH!!! P-p-p-please! D-d-d-don't kill me!!" whimpered the hunter.
"What the hell are you doing?!" yelled Cloud.
 "I-I-I was hunting...!!!"
 Cloud tightened his hands. "Red's no wild animal!" Just then, Tifa and the others came running into the clearing. She marched over towards Cloud.
 "That's right! He's an intelligent person, not some wild game!"
 The hunter looked up at them. "Well, I just figured, that, because of the other one......."
 Red's ears pricked. In an eye blink he pounced on top of the hunter, baring his fangs and extending his claws.
 "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!!!!!" he roared furiously, and the hunter screamed, his face as white as a sheet.
 "I-I just t-t-t-tranquilized it!!! I d-d-d-didn't kill it!!!!!" he babbled.
"Where is she...." he growled, narrowing his eye to an angry, orange slit. "Tell me, or I'll kill you...."
 "I don't know!" he answered. Red roared again, digging his claws in, and the man shrieked. "It was sent to Costa del Sol! Leyton's mansion!!! That's all I know!"
 "Who did you send her to?" Red snarled menacingly.
 "Sir Erich Leyton! That's all I know, I swear!!!" Red's taut muscles relaxed, and he let the hunter scramble to his feet.
 "Get out of here!" shouted Tifa, and the man stumbled off into the woods.
 "Who is Sir Leyton?" asked Tobias.
 "He's a millionaire who has a huge mansion in Costa del Sol. He owns a large pharmaceuticals company," answered Cloud. "So, back to Costa del Sol, then."
 "All right," Tobias said. "But......something is worrying me. Why did they kidnap her? Why would this Leyton fellow be interested in her in the first place?"
 Tifa shrugged. "I don't know. We've got to hurry back!"
 
 "Tifa, please explain how you convinced me to wear this ridiculous disguise."
 She sighed impatiently. "How many times do we have to go through this?!"
Tifa, Cloud, and Red sat in the back of a stretch limousine they had rented. Tifa had read in the newspaper that Sir Leyton was going to be hosting a huge party at his mansion, and they had decided that would be when they tried to rescue Sita. After that, they would meet Tobias and Marlene later. In order to conceal their true identities, they had been forced to wear disguises.
 Tifa wore a shimmering blue evening-gown, and a small black handbag hung from her shoulder. Cloud had his unruly blond hair combed down, since it would look out of place, and he wore a smart black tuxedo. In his trouser pocket he had a small yellow 'Manipulate' Materia; this was key to their entry, since they had not been invited. Red's 'disguise' was by far the most embarrassing, in his opinion.
 He was covered from head to tail in stripes of black hair dye. His mane, hair and tail-tip were completely black, and Tifa had covered up all of his tattoos with it. It had been a long and messy process to put it in.
 "You need this to get in! If he notices you look like Sita, then you might be in danger. Just act like a domesticated animal. The dye will wash out, so don't worry. Besides, it makes you look like a tiger." Tifa smiled, scratching him behind the ears. "I'll let you keep all your stuff on, okay? We can pretend it's some sort of pet-decoration fad."
 Red nodded reluctantly, and Cloud looked at him.
 "You look fine. Oh!" He suddenly remembered something. "I got you this." He dug an object out of his pocket.
 "Oh no! I am NOT wearing a collar and leash!" cried Red vehemently.
 "It'll help strengthen the image! And look, it's got rhinestones all over it," said Tifa calmly, strapping the glittering collar around Red's neck. "Lastly, we need to come up with a name for you."
 "It's Nanaki or nothing."
 "Fine." Cloud glanced out the tinted window. "We're there. Remember, Red, no talking! Act stupid for tonight." The chauffeur opened the door, and the trio stepped out onto the rain-slick sidewalk. Cloud subtly paid the chauffeur a hefty sum of Gil.
"Look at this place! It's a palace!" whispered Tifa to herself. The mansion was enormous. The front was studded with windows, and elegantly-dressed people climbed out of their limousines and strolled towards the front door. She tugged the leash gently. "Come, Nanaki! Let's go inside."
 Tifa and Cloud held each other's hands and smiled nervously, then walked up the steps.
 "Ah, excuse me? May I please see your invitations?" asked the maitre d'.
 "Oh, yes," said Cloud, gripping the Materia, "I've got them right here."  There was a long pause. The maitre d' stared at him, his gaze gradually becoming vacant.
 "Oh yes. Lord and Lady Strife. Good to see you," he said flatly, as if he was hypnotized. "Sir Leyton eagerly awaits your arrival."
 "Thank you," said Tifa politely, and they walked inside.
 The strains of classical violin music that came from the string quartet could hardly be heard over the sound of idle chitchat that filled the mansion. There were a lot of people, and most of them seemed to be over the age of fifty. Tifa and Cloud both felt very out of place.
 "Act hoity-toity, and we'll fit in perfectly," said Tifa. "Let's mingle."
 They wandered over to the food table in the dining room, and Cloud picked up an hors d'ouerve and popped it into his mouth. Just then, a tall, thin man with grey hair walked towards them. He had a regal air about him, and Cloud recognized him as Sir Leyton. Leyton glanced down at Red.
 "My, what an, er... interesting pet."
 "His name is Nanaki." Tifa crouched down and patted Red on his nose. "Say 'hello,' Nanaki." Red looked up at Leyton and made a friendly growl.
 "I've never seen anything like him," said Leyton, apparently ignoring Red. "What is his breed?"
 "Uh...." muttered Tifa. Red had never told them the name of his kind, and he wasn't even sure that he knew at all.
 "Nanaki is a cross," said Cloud, thinking quickly. "The breeders weren't sure of his background."
 "Ah......" said Leyton, trailing off. "Well, I have some important business to attend to." With that, he walked away.
 What a snob........ thought Cloud.
 "Let's start looking." suggested Tifa.
 They wandered towards a set of stairs that led down. They were fenced off by a rope. At the bottom was a door. Cloud stepped over it, went down the stairs, and twisted the knob. The door creaked open.
 "I wonder why it's fenced off?" said Tifa, stepping over the rope. Cloud looked around on the other side.
 "Nobody here," he said. "Let's go."
 They found themselves in a long white hallway, with many rooms branching off it. The smell of antiseptic permeated the air.
 "This looks like a laboratory," observed Red.
 "Shhh! Someone's coming!" said Tifa. "Let's hide in here!" They hurried into one of the rooms. A scientist and another man with a thin, bony face and grey hair strode down the hall. Tifa put her ear to the door to hear what they were saying.
 "......Red XII has been quite violent, Doctor Leyton. It wounded several of the guards."
 Leyton shrugged. "No matter. It is of no more use to me. The Mako infusion has been interfering with all my efforts to extract the chemicals from its body. You can dispose of it anytime." He sighed. "I don't know why I bothered with it in the first place. The R Project is a complete failure."
 The scientist stopped. "It is in Storage Room 5?"
 "Yes." Leyton turned towards him. "I have to go back to the party upstairs. Do not disturb me unless it's an emergency." The scientist turned around and walked back down the hall.
 "Did you hear that?" whispered Tifa. "They're going to kill her!"
 "We've got no time to waste," said Red grimly. "We must hurry!"
 They left the room and followed the scientist at a discreet distance. They saw him enter a room, and they quickened their pace.
 Cloud shoved the door open.
  "Who are you people.......!!! Uugghh!!!" The scientist collapsed to the floor as Cloud punched him in the face.
 "Ouch........" said Tifa. "Are we too late?"
 "No," said Red quietly, almost reverently. "We aren't." He padded towards a transparent holding tank similar to the one he'd been kept in during his time as a research specimen at Shinra HQ. Sita lay on the floor inside it. She was even more beautiful than in the photograph Tobias had shown him. The door to the tank was open, and Red went inside, holding his breath.
 She sat up groggily, and she rubbed her eyes with her paws. "You're a little skinny for a tiger."
 "What?" said Red incredulously, looking down at his stripes. "Oh, these. I'm Nanaki, and I'm here to rescue you!"
 Her eyes widened. "It's.....you! From Mt. Onasuke!" She glared at him hatefully. "What do you want? Why can't you just leave me alone!?"
 "Sita, please listen....."
 "How do you know my name!?" she exclaimed angrily.
 "I've.......I've been looking all over for you." said Red quietly. "I was hoping that.....we could be friends."
 "Friends? Hah!!" she said sarcastically. "I'd never be friends with one of YOUR kind!!" Just then, Cloud and Tifa came in.
 "Sita? My name is Cloud. This is Tifa, and we're friends of Nanaki's. Your grandfather is waiting for you." Sita smiled.
 "Grandpa?" she said. "He's here?"
 Tifa nodded. "We'll take you to him. Come on, let's get out of here." Sita stood up and padded out of the tank. Red stared blankly at her.
 Tobias was right. She despises me.
 "Red? Hello, Red! Come on, we've got to hurry."
 "You aren't going anywhere."
 Leyton stood in front of the door, flanked by three burly guards armed with nightsticks.
 "What the....." uttered Tifa. "How did you find us?"
 "Ha ha ha! How naive! You would think that I would install cameras in an area like this." He pointed to a video camera mounted on the wall.
 "Damn......." cursed Cloud.
 "You have brought this down upon yourselves. I do not allow my specimens to be stolen, even if they are worthless like that one," he sneered.
 Red stepped forward. "Leave Sita alone......" he growled.
 She rolled her eyes.
 "Oh, please. Such drama is unnecessary, and besides, I can handle all three of them at once. I don't you to be my stupid babysitter."
 "So, they finally reveal their intelligence," said Leyton. "It's a shame that I'll have to eliminate her, as well as you two. But you......" he pointed at Red. "You could be useful in my experiments. I can tell that you have not received a Mako infusion."
 "Who cares?" snarled Red.
 "Ah, you do not care, but the entire human race might.....they would give anything for your gift of longevity."
 "What are you talking about!?" exclaimed Cloud.
 "Long life......these creatures are legendary for it. It isn't uncommon for them to live for 500 years. The reason is a chemical produced by their bodies," he sighed. "More than forty years ago, a scientist named Dr. Kochin began experimenting with these creatures, and discovered where it is produced, but could not draw it out. Now, with this healthy-looking specimen...... my dreams may finally come true......."
 "I don't think so!" Cloud shouted.
 "You're in no position to be making idle threats," said Leyton. "I think I may have a use for the failure after all. Once I have disposed of these intruders, I could breed these two and use their offspring in my tests......"
 "You......" muttered Tifa. "You use people in your sick experiments, for your own selfish purposes! You don't deserve to live!"
 "Take care of them," Leyton sneered, gesturing idly to his escorts, and they leered at them. "If you'll excuse me, I've got a party to attend." Then he walked out the door.

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