บท 90: Chapter 108 - Serums and Systems
"Your hair is beautiful red; why do you want to colour them black?"
Natasha tilted her head, closing her eyes as she enjoyed motherly care from the woman who shampooed her head, "My classmates…they say that I look nothing like you…so…I thought."
"Hm," Tifa chuckled, "That is so sweet, but if that is so, I'll colour my hair red. You don't have to."
"Really? You will?"
Natasha was surprised, not because of what Tifa said, but because Aerith asked the question she was about to.
Aerith rested on the bathtub's corner, her hands hanging from it, and Yelena copied her, tilting her head as Aerith did.
"Yup. If Tifa's going to colour her hair like Natasha's, then I'll colour mine like Yelena."
"Like Yelena!" Yelena celebratory raised her hands, grinning and Aerith grinned back.
"Mm, let me ask Cloud to get it right away."
"No, tell Shelke. Let's surprise him," Tifa grinned, taking the hand shower and washing away the foam from Natasha's head.
"Go, in the tub," Tifa pointed at the round tub that was triple the size of the normal one.
Natasha stood up and jumped inside the tub, scolding Tifa, "No jumping!"
"Yes," Natasha dived in the water, coming out, "I liked the swimming pool in Shetland."
"It's too far from your school, but we'll go there in Summer Holidays," Tifa put her leg inside the tub, with more than enough place for her to sit down, "Till then, join the swimming club in your school."
"I'll think about it," Natasha ruffled Yelena's hair, who slapped her head away and went back into the water, coming out, making her hair slick again.
Aerith chuckled, kissing her cheek, "Such a cutie you are."
Yelena giggled, and Natasha went under the water, jerking her head so her hair was slick again when she came out of the water.
Tifa smiled at the red-haired girl and cupped her cheek, "I can tell you'd be a beautiful woman when you grow up."
"I am not now?"
"No, just an adorable kid," Tifa pulled her cheek while Aerith watched them sweetly. It was the end of October, and they got a few chances to come here over the month, especially after Cloud went ahead and separated Shelke's mind, causing her manifestation.
She managed most of the girls and didn't just manage them; she spread them out, buying orphanages, financing the ones that had good reputations and were vetted by her, and then kept the girls together, or alone, near their hometown.
She didn't get everything Shelke was doing, but she was using a lot of money to do that, but now that didn't matter. Ever since Shelke manifested in the outside world, she was able to sell more gold from the meteorites they brought over than they had ever. If Tifa wasn't wrong, that one was building an underground network, and she invested in computer-related companies like Apple Inc. Microsoft.
She managed to gain shares with her advanced computer hardware models and software from their world, earning a position.
All this was what they knew what this girl was up to; they had no idea what more she was doing since they didn't understand half the things she did. Cloud did because he had her memories and could dive into her mind anytime.
Even so, Yelena and Natasha stuck to Cloud, and once these things were settled, Tifa and Aerith decided they should come and see him now. Though at first, the two girls were nervous since they had been making sure to visit every day, even if it was for five minutes, to see them.
The other thing that happened this month was that Natasha was admitted to a new school, and while she tried her best to get along and perform, she also got nervous about everything other people said.
Aerith closed her eyes, relaxing, when there was a knock on the door; she got out of the water and asked, "Who?"
She didn't hear the answer but still opened the door, and a hand came in, holding a bag which she took from a tiny hand, that of a child, "Thank you, Shelke."
"Mm."
She heard the voice from the other side and looked at the hair product, "Who wants to get their hair coloured?"
"Me!" Tifa raised her hand, making the two little ones laugh as she walked out of the bathtub.
While colouring their hair, a girl with red hair and blue mako eyes, who looked about 12 or 13 but was 19 years old, sat on the couch beside Cloud.
"Natasha's course book?" She asked, looking at the mathematics book he was reading.
"Yeah," Cloud studied it so that he could teach Natasha later, and he glanced to see her pick up a laptop that was at least a decade more advanced than anything this world had to offer, "Thank you."
Shelke lightly shook her head, giving him it was nothing look, and she continued the work, "When will Sir attack Red Room and save other girls? The arrangements have been made…for them to stay."
"They won't be here tomorrow…so tomorrow," Cloud muttered, "Hopefully, she's ready too."
"Sir, remember to get the new Super Soldier Serums from Howard Stark."
"I remember."
"Sir, I have had someone keep an eye on May's communication. Please erase her memory of the girls. She's trying to find them…she believes that you are using the girls for the purpose they were recruited."
"Hm."
"Are you soft on her because she helped? If so, let me handle it."
"No," Cloud closed his eyes, "I'll talk to her…what worries me is something else entirely. Hopefully, it goes with a hitch."
"Sir's plan is good. Oh, Sir…Dobby and Winky are crying. You should visit them too."
"Crying? Why?" Cloud confusedly tilted his head, blinking at the woman who looked like a little girl.
Shelke raised her head, looking into his eyes, "Because…Sir lives here, and they can't come in front of NMPs. They feel they have failed you."
Cloud allowed a smile to appear on his lips as he looked towards the main gate outside their five-bedroom house in Riverdale. It was close to the kid's school, "If only they could transfigure and look like normal people."
Shelke's fingers tapping away on the Keyboard's keys stopped, and she looked up blankly, "I think…they can do that?"
"Hm?" Cloud sighed, "I'll talk to them."
"I'll make a note to remind you," Shelke said, and she busied herself in her work while Cloud kept reading through Natasha's course book. He was checking how it differed from what they were taught at Hogwarts and in case Natasha ever needed help. From what he saw in the first month, this was too easy for her, and she barely had to study.
'Maybe…she'd like to study something else? Piano, dance? I'll have to ask her,' Cloud thought while reading, and some time passed. He didn't keep track of it, but he put the book aside when a little girl with blonde hair came running, excitedly giggling, and jumped on his feet, "Cloud!"
Cloud caught her, stroking her wet hair, wiping the droplets from her cheek, and she closed one eye, "Cloud! Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Close! Your! Eyes!" Yelena didn't give him a chance to question, she sat on his lap, putting her tiny palms on his eyes, and Cloud put his palms on top of hers to make sure he couldn't see.
Though, there was the fact that since he couldn't see, he instinctively used Shelke's eyes to see, "Shelke, close your eyes."
"Yes, sir," Shelke closed her eyes, and soon, they felt three more presence in front of them.
"Ok, Cloud. Open your eyes."
Cloud did as asked, and Yelena removed her hand as she jumped off and went in Aerith's arm. He blankly blinked, trying to take in the striking change.
Tifa blushingly looked away, "How is it?"
"Uh," Cloud looked at her red hair, much like Natasha's, and Aerith had gone full-on blonde, with both of them hugging a girl each.
Cloud pointed at Tifa, commenting first at her and then at Aerith, "Doll. Trashy, but gorgeous."
"!?" Aerith and Tifa exchanged a look before they burst out laughing, and Aerith looked up, "What did you do to my Cloud?"
"He has been reading too many women's magazines," Natasha shrugged, "I told him that he doesn't need to. I am not that old yet."
Aerith grinningly sat down beside him, and she gripped his jaw. She turned his face towards her and kissed his lips, "So cute."
Cloud gently kissed her back, "You look really hot…."
Looking at Tifa and Natasha, Aerith grinned, folding her leg on the sofa, "I got trashy, hot, and gorgeous."
Tifa pressed her lips, "I only got a doll."
Cloud parted his lips to say something, but nothing came to his mind, and when he was about to say anyway, Natasha stopped him.
"Don't. They are teasing you, and you are only going to make a joke of yourself," Natasha raised her hand, shaking her head.
"Oh, Cloud's knight in shining armour," Tifa ruffled Natasha's hair and giggled, getting away from Tifa and rushing into Cloud's arm, who hugged her.
She puffed her chest, declaring, "I'll protect Cloud."
"Huh, thank you," Cloud funnily smiled and stroked her head, "do protect me."
"From who? Us?" Tifa crouched in front of them, running her fingers through her red hair, "From me?"
Yelena stood on the couch and covered Cloud's eyes, "Don't look, Cloud. If you look, you will be seduced."
Aerith and Tifa exchanged a look as they laughed even harder, covering their mouth while Tifa looked down, her shoulders shaking.
She looked up, taking deep breaths, "I know there's no school, but go and have breakfast and do your homework."
"Tsk, don't think I don't know what you are doing," Natasha narrowed her eyes, taking her sister's hand, gesturing with her fingers that she was watching them.
Tifa sat up on the couch beside Cloud, resting her head on his shoulder as she waved at the kids, "Those kids, they are too cute."
Cloud took her palm in his, interlacing their fingers, nodding, "Too intelligent too."
"Having trouble?" Aerith stroked his upper arm, tilting her blonde head, grinning, "Want help?"
"Nothing I can't handle," Cloud glanced towards Aerith's fingers that turned his face to her, and she gently tilted her head, planting a kiss on his lips. He parted his lips, clasping hers, and his heart sped up, feeling Tifa's fingers on the back of his neck, running through his hair, whispering in his ear.
"We should go to the bedroom."
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