The soft, mechanical hum of the buggy was a comfort as the group traversed rocky, unpaved roads to reach their next destination. Yuffie quietly hummed an old Wutaian song to herself while tapping her foot against the door in-sync to the tune, and Barret grumbled under his breath, trying to find a comfortable spot to rest his head. He finally settled on leaning against Cait Sith's giant Mog doll. The cat itself had curled up on the machine's head and fallen asleep, purring softly to itself. Red XIII rested his head in Aeris' lap, and she scratched him behind the ears fondly, before leaning on Tifa's shoulder to fall asleep. Tifa glanced out the window, watching the sun set over the horizon. It looked like something out of a painting; the soft splash of reds, oranges, and violets against the sky created a hazy, beautiful image. Tifa took this all in, and closed her eyes, briefly. They all needed to rest. She felt sorry for Cloud, who rubbed his eyes and yawned as he drove. She had just drifted off to sleep, when the buggy started to short. Cloud gasped, and slammed his foot down on the brakes, knocking everyone into each other. "OW! Shit, move yo' tail Red!" Barret shuffled uncomfortably, and moved his hand to knock Cloud in the back of the head. "The hell's your problem?!" Cloud rubbed his head, and sullenly remarked, "Something's wrong with the buggy." Tifa moved, tried to get out of her awkward position. "Ugh...did you have to hit the brakes that hard?" The buggy started to make loud, banging noises, and the group hurriedly scrambled out of it. The buggy made one last, loud noise before it died, black smoke unfurling from the hood. Yuffie scratched her head, and tentatively walked over to touch the machine. Sparks flew from the vehicle, and she stumbled backward, grasping her injured hand. "That thing is dangerous!" Cloud sighed weakly, shook his head. "Lucky for us, it stopped near this town." He pointed to the utmost peak of the canyon they were on, and the others glanced up, noticing a town with a large telescope in the distance. "Well," Tifa said. "That is good. Let's go in. We might be able to find a mechanic." ----------------- When the group reached the entrance, Red XIII ran up ahead, going to speak to the gatekeeper. "I am home!" he cried. "It is I, Nanaki!" The gatekeeper smiled brightly. "Hey, Nanaki! You're safe! Come on, and say hello to Bugenhagen!" Red XIII nodded, and ran past the gates, into the town. Cloud scratched his head. "...Nanaki?" "Cosmo...Canyon?" Aeris whispered. "I wonder if there's any relation to the planet or the Ancients..." "Red XIII seems different, doesn't he?" Tifa murmured, more to herself than to the others. Cloud shrugged at both of the questions, and walked up ahead to speak to the gatekeeper. "Welcome to Cosmo Canyon." the man greeted pleasantly. "Are you familiar with this land?" "No," Cloud said. "Let me explain," the gatekeeper began. "People from all over the world gather here to seek the Study of Planet Life." The man glanced at the rest of the party, noting how dangerous they looked. One of the young girls had a clawed glove, the other, an obscenely large boomerang. The large black man stared up at the telescope in the distance with almost childlike wonder, but the gun replacing his arm, and his hardened appearance made him look fearsome. The young man was carrying a massive sword, and the gatekeeper caught the tell-tale glow of Mako in his eyes. The girl in pink looked nice enough, but the heavy metal staff she held tightly in her delicate hands seemed to prove otherwise. The only thing that looked relatively harmless was the giant stuffed toy, and it was strange enough to make the gatekeeper wary. He cleared his throat. "Ummgah! It's full capacity at present, so I'm afraid I can't let you enter." Red XIII ran back, and addressed the gatekeeper. "They helped me some when I was on the road. Please let them in." He ran off again, and the gatekeeper nodded, looking sheepish. He shouldn't have judged these travelers before he knew them. The girl in pink gave him a soft smile, as if she understood. He smiled back. If these people had helped Nanaki, there was nothing to worry about. "...Oh, is that so? You helped out Nanaki? Please, come in." "Who is Nanaki?" Cloud asked. "Nanaki is Nanaki. That's his name." Cloud scratched his head in confusion, but, after a while, simply shrugged his shoulders. "Well, let's go everyone." ---------------- The entire group went their separate ways when they reached the inside of Cosmo Canyon. Aeris trotted off with Red XIII and Cloud after being invited to see Bugenhagen's observatory, and that left Tifa alone. I need some time to be alone and think, Tifa thought to herself, glancing around the small town. Yuffie trailed behind her, unnoticed. "Now, I'm gonna finally get to the bottom of this weird...thing. Yeah! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!" She giggled, rather loudly, and Tifa turned around. "Yuffie...?" she sighed, shifted her weight to her other leg, put her hands on her hips. "Listen, I don't have any money on me...and you can't have my materia to peddle off. So if that's what you want, then..." "No, no! Geez! Do I always have to want something when I talk to you?" Tifa paused, blinked. "Oh...I'm sorry then. What is it though?" "I want to talk to you about something." The young ninja sounded surprisingly serious. "Er, alright. About what?" Yuffie ignored the question, grabbed Tifa's arm and impatiently pulled her along. "Don't worry about it! Let's find somewhere quiet to talk." ---------------- "A bar, Yuffie?" Tifa murmured disapprovingly, gazing at the young ninja curiously. Yuffie frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Gawd, don't get uppity. Didn't you own a bar?" Tifa looked a bit sheepish at this, and nodded her head slowly. "Well...yes. But you're underage!" Yuffie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not here to drink anything, okay? I told you I wanted to talk, geez." "Fine, alright." Tifa rested her head on her arms. "What do you want to talk about?" "About Aeris," the girl responded. Tifa started in surprise, and then stiffened, instinctively on the defensive. "What about her?" she asked evenly. "What do you think of her?" When Tifa didn't respond right away, Yuffie continued to speak. "Me, personally, I think she's pretty cool. I mean...she's nice, you know? She's...really nice. But I uh, I know you guys are kinda...what's the word? I dunno, you're weird. Not bad weird," she said quickly, noting the dangerous look in Tifa's eyes. "Just like, one minute...you get along, and the next..." she trailed off. "Look. Sorry," the ninja muttered, surprisingly sincere. "I shouldn't have asked. I was just kinda curious." "No...it's alright," Tifa murmured, grazing her fingers against the table. "I'll explain." Or try to, anyway. "You know....Cloud and I were friends in Nibelheim, right?" At Yuffie's nod, she continued. "Well..." she leaned back against her chair, suddenly feeling tired. The same old lie. "When we were kids, he decided to leave Nibelheim, to join SOLDIER. We...made a promise. Whenever I was in trouble, he would..he'd come to save me. "Well, time went on, and Nibelheim...something terrible happened. My teacher, Zangan, took me to Midgar to recuperate, and I stayed there. I waited...for Cloud, for a lot of things. And Cloud came back, but he...I...things had changed. My feelings, and...well...that's a long story. When Aeris joined us, she was so...different from us. We had been fighting for so long, and she was so...so untouched. Inexperienced, but not naive, not really. And I felt threatened, because she was so unlike me, she could make Cloud and the others smile and laugh, and I couldn't, not really. That's why we fight sometimes, but you were right. She is nice, so I can't be angry at her. She's my friend." Yuffie was silent for a moment, and then she finally spoke. "Well, I knew all that. I'm talking about the other thing." "What other thing?" "Something's...different. I dunno what it is yet, but there's something there that wasn't there before. I know you guys think I'm just some dumb kid, but I know something is off. I'm raised from Shinobi. We have to know these things. And I'm gonna figure it out. Maybe not from you, but from...something. I know I will. It's weird," she continued, watching the color drain from Tifa's face, "how you two act. You're always helping her up, and she's always fussing over you, touching your face and stuff. She doesn't do that with Cloud. I mean, you guys do stuff like that with Cloud, but it's not the same." "Nothing is different," Tifa responded, on edge. "You don't have anything to worry about." "Yeah, sure...well, I'm gonna go. I bet they have some good Materia around here. See ya." When the girl had left, Tifa lowered her head on the table, mumbling under her breath. Were they really that obvious? Obvious? she thought, suddenly irritated. We haven't done anything, not really. It was just a...well, a couple of kisses. But that first one didn't count! "Tifa?" Tifa glanced up, and managed a weak smile. "Hi." Aeris slipped into the spot at the table Yuffie had been in. She looked unusually solemn. "Hi. What are you doing here?" "I, uh...I heard the people here talking about some drink called a 'Cosmo Candle.' I don't really drink much...but I thought it'd be worth a try." "You don't drink? With your profession?" Aeris grinned. Tifa nodded and frowned. "I don't drink because of my profession. It dulls the senses." "...Oh." "...Yeah...so uh, I'm going to go get one. Would you like me to get you something?" "Thank you. That'd be nice." Tifa slipped over to the bar, and ordered two Cosmo Candles. She was surprised when the drinks arrived, the glasses were curved, and painted pale pink and lavender. The drink itself was a swirl of colors, topped with an umbrella. It reminded Tifa of the sunset outside. She took a sip, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head of their own accord. It was wonderful; the natives had been right. She smiled, and leaned over, addressing the bartender. It was an interesting drink; she'd have to see if he would give her the mixture. "How'd you make this?" The bartender grinned at the girl, shaking his head. "Sorry, sweetheart. Can't give you the recipe." Tifa slumped in disappointment, and chuckled half-heartedly. "I understand. It was worth a shot though, huh?" The man chuckled, and agreed, and Tifa made her way back to the table. Aeris smiled at her as she approached, and she lowered the drinks to the table. "It's pretty good." Tifa raised her eyebrows. "I don't know what's in it though, so you should be careful." Aeris nodded and took a sip. She blinked in surprise, and then drank from the cup again. Tifa shook her head and raised a hand up. "Whoa, whoa. That's how you get sick. Drink slowly." Aeris did as Tifa asked, and sighed contently, leaning against her chair. "Wow...it's really good. I don't...drink, but that's something else." Tifa grinned, taking a sip of her own drink. "Yeah, it's pretty good. I wonder what's in it." She licked her lips, tested the flavor against her tongue. "I can't place it. It barely tastes like alcohol at all. Whatever it is, it's really nice." Aeris nodded, and finished off her drink. "It is. Can I have another?" "Are you sure you can hold your liquor?" Tifa joked. "I can drink you under the table," Aeris boasted. She already looked a little tipsy. "Is that a challenge?" "Yep! Bring it on, Lockheart." Tifa shook her head. "Wouldn't want to hurt you now. I can't have you drunk." "How can you have me?" Aeris asked. Her voice had dropped an octave, and Tifa blushed, glancing away. "This is why you shouldn't drink," she scolded. "You're being silly." "Am I, Marianna?" Aeris challenged, grinning. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were very bright. Tifa bit her lip, suddenly nervous. "I told you not to call me that." Aeris grabbed Tifa's unfinished drink and gulped it down, setting the glass down with a soft clink on the table. She grazed her fingers against the glass, staring at the condensation on her fingers in rapt fascination. She glared up at Tifa, daring her to say anything. Tifa ordered two more Cosmo Candles, gulped down one, then the other. Her stomach and chest felt warm from the alcohol. Aeris giggled. "What happened to drinking slowly?" Tifa frowned. If there was one thing she hated, it was losing. "We're playing a drinking game, aren't we? You said you could drink me under the table." She laughed, and then frowned when Aeris didn't smile. "Is something wrong?" "I...when we separated...I found out some things. About myself, and...the Cetra. I'm...this is it. I'm the last one. The last. I'm not a dying race; I am my race." "But...you have us, right? You're...you're not alone as long as we're here..." "You...can't understand, how it feels. I'm... sorry, but you can't. Even though...your home is gone, you still have Cloud connecting you to it. There are others like you. But I'm...one in a million. There's no one else who can understand. That's why I'm alone." "No." Tifa said sharply, surprising both herself and Aeris. "You're not alone, you're special. There's no one like you, but a lot of people can't say that. You have us, me, and Cloud and Yuffie, Cait Sith, Red, Barret. Elmyra, and Marlene too. We...care about you. As long as I'm here, you'll never be alone, okay?" "But, I..." "Don't say it. You're unique. But you're not alone. You have people who love you. Just...remember that." "I...alright. I'll try." "Good," Tifa said, smiling. "Still up for the game?" "I don't know." Aeris giggled, and then hiccupped. "It's having a bad effect on me. Maybe later. I'm a...little tired." "The others are around that big fire." Tifa said, remembering her conversation with Yuffie. It wouldn't be good if they disappeared. "We'll hang out with them a little, then we'll get you to bed, okay?" "Okay..." Aeris yawned. "I can do that." --------------- Later, Cloud spoke to each of his comrades around the great flame. Bugenhagen joined them later, to take Red XIII, and Aeris wanted to follow, but both Cloud and Tifa refused. "You're tired," Cloud said. "Get some rest." "That's right," Tifa agreed. "You're in no condition to run around." "I'm older than both of you," Aeris protested, even as Tifa gently led her away, "and I won't stand for this..." "You're only a year older than me," Cloud pointed out. "I've got two whole years on Tifa! I was walking before she was even born!" Both of the Nibelheim natives grinned, and shook their heads. "Take care of her Tifa," Cloud called out before he and Barret left with Red XIII and Bugenhagen. Yuffie was nowhere to be found, and Cait Sith had already retired for the night to recharge. Tifa lead Aeris up to the guest rooms carefully. The girl was almost dead on her feet, and Tifa paused a moment before lifting her up. Aeris blinked in surprise. "You're pretty strong..." she murmured sleepily, smiling against Tifa's shoulder. "Or am I just light?" "I'm strong," Tifa joked. Aeris punched her in the shoulder weakly. "Blah. You're no fun...we should stay up...what about when Cloud and the others come back? They might need healing." Tifa shook her head, arriving at their room and pushing the door open with her foot. "We'll probably stay the night. The buggy isn't fixed. Besides, you're exhausted, and you know it." She settled Aeris down on one bed, and moved to another, sitting on the edge of it. She was unfastening her boots and suspenders when Aeris' voice interrupted her. "Tell me a story?" "You're kidding." "Nuh uh. Come on, I know you have one." "Fine, fine." Tifa slipped off her boots and suspenders and sat on the edge of Aeris' bed, unlacing her own boots as she spoke. "Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful fairy queen. Her hair was the color of warm honey, and her eyes were as sharp and green as emeralds. The queen watched over the forests, and the rivers and lakes. But, she was very lonely. There were no longer any fairies remaining in the world, and she was the last." She glanced up to see if Aeris was listening, and was surprised to see that the girl was wide-awake. She let her fingers linger on Aeris' ankles as she continued. "The fairy queen searched high and low, until she stumbled upon a young knight with hair like spun gold and bright blue eyes..." "But she was still lonely," Aeris added. Tifa raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Isn't this my story?" "Not anymore." Tifa huffed in anger, but Aeris continued for the both of them. "I didn't like the way yours was going." Aeris grinned. "Let me finish?" "Fine, I guess..." "Don't pout. It's cute, but it's really not you. Anyway...the fairy queen thought the knight was kinda cute, but he was much too confused. He had other friends though. A warrior who was just a softie at heart, a young ninja, a terrible fortuneteller, a great red wolf, and lastly, a beautiful martial artist. The martial artist had hair as sleek and as dark as a raven's wings, and eyes like red wine. Her skin was as pale as new snow, and when the fairy queen saw her, she thought she might be a princess of a far-away land." Tifa blushed. "Oh, geez, Aeris..." "Who said I was talking about you? Anyway...at first, the fairy queen and the martial artist argued, but that was only because the queen wanted the other woman to be her friend. They did start to get along, later on, and on one stormy night..." Tifa sunk her head into a pillow, blushing profusely. "Aeris! Okay, okay! I know how the rest of this story goes!" Aeris laughed and relented. "Alright." she looked nervous for a moment. "I, uh...can you..." "Hmm?" "Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?" Tifa glanced out the window and watched the last rays of sun peek over the great valley. "Alright." She shuffled a bit, and then scrambled into bed with Aeris, moving to one side. She was tired; the day had been long, and the alcohol from earlier was making her muscles feel like liquid. She yawned, and snuggled into her pillow, her eyelids fluttering shut. She had just drifted off into the realm of dreams when Aeris' voice cut through the silence. "Are you asleep?" "I was." "Oh." "What is it?" "I can't sleep." "You could barely walk before we got in here. If you can't sleep, you're not trying hard enough." Aeris threw a pillow at her, and the martial artist squealed in surprising, throwing a pillow back. Soon, both girls were pummeling each other with pillows, the room becoming filled with feathers. Both women finally collasped, exhausted, and a feather floated down from the sky, landing on Tifa's nose. Aeris crawled over to the martial artist and brushed the feather away. "You ruined my pillow," she accused, laughing sleepily. She nuzzled against Tifa and kissed her cheek. "But I'm sleepy now. Thanks." Grateful her blush couldn't be seen in the dark, Tifa laced her arm around Aeris' waist, pulling her closer. "You're welcome. Goodnight." -------------- Before the sun had even risen, Tifa heard Cloud's three familiar, distinct knocks on the door. "Hey Tifa, Aeris," he mumbled, covering up a yawn. "Time to head out." "Okay, Cloud," Tifa responded sleepily, yawning herself. Aeris was cradled against her side, and she gently shook the flower girl awake. "Hey, sleepyhead. It's time to go." "Five more minutes, Tifa...you're the best pillow I've ever had..." Tifa shook her head and gently slipped away from Aeris' grasp, moving to gather her boots and suspenders. "Right. All that sweet talking will get you nowhere. I bet you have a hangover too." "Now that you mention it, I do have a headache. Mouth feels like it's full of cotton...blech. Five more minutes? Please?" There came another knock, more impatient than Cloud's. "Come on, you two! There's Materia that needs to be discovered out there!" Tifa laughed and shook her head. "You'll have to sleep on the road Aeris. Sorry." --------------- When they reached the repaired buggy, Tifa spared a glance at Red XIII. She had thought he would have remained at Cosmo Canyon, but the creature opted to continue on with the journey. He seemed different somehow, like he had grown in some way. Aeris slipped into the backseat of the buggy immediately, but Tifa remained, glancing at the massive, beautiful canyon. Cloud stopped to stand at her side. He glanced at her curiously and cleared his throat. "Hey, Tifa. You...were really close with your dad, huh?" Tifa swallowed hard, looking over her shoulder to watch Red XIII, who stared at his homeland solemnly. "Yes, I was." "I...I'm sorry." "I'm sorry too, Cloud. I...really am. Every day." "We..." the blonde man paused, turned away. "You know where we're headed next." "I know." Tifa turned away from the Canyon, and moved to follow her leader. "I know." --------------- end of chapter ten Next chapter is of course, Nibelheim, and a sexy, sexy beast by the name of Vincent Valentine. He's no Quistis, but pfft, everyone can't be Quistis, I suppose.
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