A month had passed since Tifa's arrival in Sector 7, and her body had regained most of its strength. She practiced regularly now, so much that she was sore for days afterward. Occasionally Wedge would sit with her and talk as she went through her exercises. She never really responded much; mainly because she was so engrossed in her practice, but she didn't mind at all that he spoke to her. Whereas Biggs seemed to be the 'muscle,' and Jessie was most certainly the smartest of the three, Wedge was a natural comedian, and Tifa loved to hear his takes on everyday situations. He liked to talk to her too, it seemed, because he barely paused for breath. Today was one of those days, in fact. Wedge watched Tifa fly through a set of roundhouse kicks with a sort of baffled awe, and then began to speak. "So, Tif', it's almost your birthday, right?" Tifa jabbed left, then right, ending with an uppercut to her imaginary enemy. "Mmhmm. It's coming up soon. I'll be sixteen." She knelt down quickly and performed a dropkick, hopping to her feet instantly. "Why do you ask?" "Ehh...just wanna know, and all. We're friends, right? What kinda friend would I be if I didn't get you a gift? 'Sides, you're the only one who laughs at my jokes, and you can cook. Least I can do, you know?" Tifa laughed breathlessly, finishing up her shadow boxing and going through a series of slow stretches. "You don't have to do that for me, Wedge." "Nonsense! Why, I would be honored, Lady Tifa!" "You're so silly." "Part of my charm. Hey, you gonna go see Aeris today?" Wedge occasionally joined her on her excursions to Sector 5, so much so that Tifa was beginning to wonder if he had a little crush on the flower girl. She didn't think Aeris returned it, however, and because of that, she tried to deter Wedge from visiting so much. He was a nice guy, and she didn't want Aeris to be forced to let him down. Besides, she enjoyed spending time alone with Aeris sometimes. Jessie seemed to understand as much, and only joined when asked. Even Biggs understood, though he still did flirt here and there, but poor Wedge... "Umm...yeah, I probably will. But!" she added when Wedge's face started to light up, "I'm going by myself; sorry." She hurriedly scribbled a note and handed it to Wedge. "Give this to Barret, and tell him I might be out a little late, alright?" "Aww, geez, Tif', you break my heart." Not as much as Aeris will, she wanted to say, but she instead gave him a wink. "I'll make it up to you. How's...a chocolate cake for dessert sound tonight?" "Sounds great! Man, Tif' you're gonna turn me into a butterball. Tell Aeris I said 'hi.'" "I'll be sure to." Tifa flashed him a grin and skipped out to head to the church. She wouldn't admit it, but as much as she liked Wedge, Biggs, and Jessie, she enjoyed her time with Aeris the most. ---------- He really didn't feel like doing this today; kidnapping the Ancient was Tseng's line of work, and it was his day off. Then again, at least he didn't have to deal with Reno today; that guy never shut up. Two months into the Turks, and I'm already kidnapping little girls. Now I know why ma never wanted me to be in the Shinra. "..." Rude dusted off his pants and stared ahead at the church. He hadn't visited the slums in a while; after he joined the Turks, his ma had received a pretty hefty paycheck and a nice condo in the Upper World. Still though, he remembered it, all scrap metal and smoke. He heard a gunshot in the distance and instinctively moved a hand to his own holster. On edge today. Calm down, Rude. He straightened his tie, checked his shoes for dirt, and adjusted his sunglasses. Ma always said he should look his best when meeting a lady. He still wished Tseng was doing this though; the idea of snatching some girl didn't really sit well with him. "You've got to learn how to deal with situations like this," Tseng told him in the meeting earlier that day. Reno had been draped across a couch that looked more comfortable than it probably felt, shirt half-unbuttoned and nursing, as he called it, 'a bitch of a hangover.' "This is part of the job. It'll become easier over time. I'd go with you...but I'm very busy today. Reno and I have to take care of a small uprising in Wutai. Seems some of the younger members are still bitter over losing the war." "Damn," Reno growled, putting a hand over his face. "Have to deal with a bunch of stuck-up little snots? You told me we were just escortin' our own stuck-up little snot to some fuckin' gala. Jesus, I can't stand Rufus..." "Watch your tone," Tseng muttered. "The walls have ears, after all. Besides, I knew you were going to try to sneak your way out of it, so I lied. Anyway, Rude," he added airily, ignoring Reno's slurred complaints, "I'm sorry, but it has to be done." "...Alright. Where is she?" "In Sector 5. Oh, and Rude?" "Yeah?" "Be sure not to harm her." "..." Rude shook his head at the memory, frowning slightly. He was just about to go inside when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a young lady walking toward the church. She glanced over at him briefly, and he was a bit startled to note that her eyes were an odd shade of burgundy. She obviously wasn't the Ancient; he had seen pictures of the girl, but he had never seen this one before. She was wearing fighting gloves, he noted to himself, and he subconsciously moved to check if his own gloves were fitted securely. She seemed more...coltish than feminine, still caught somewhere in-between adolescence and adulthood. She was cute though. She watched him, unblinking, and he returned her gaze until she turned away, slipping into the church. Oh...now that would be a problem...if she told the Ancient that he was out here; they'd be gone before he could even get inside, more than likely. Tseng had told him that she'd be hard to catch. One of his first missions alone, and he was going to screw it up because he was too busy ogling some girl. Dammit. He all but broke into a run toward the door. ---------- Aeris had an odd feeling that something was very wrong. Though for a while her Mom had believed she was able to see into the future, that was far from the truth. She could sense when people close to her had died, and she did have very good instincts about things, which was why she was so worried about the uncomfortable feeling she was getting now, but outside of that and having a natural knack with plant life, there was not much else she could do with her so-called 'gifts'. "You have a gift." That's what Tseng always told her, but it seemed more like a curse. The Shinra were always after her; her real mother had died because of her own supposed 'gift,' and all she could do with it was grow flowers and feel odd rushes that left her shaking and clammy for hours when a person rejoined the Planet. She couldn't even use the White Materia her mother had left her. At that thought, she reached to loosen the orb from her bow, her hair loosening from its braid and falling in soft tendrils along her shoulders. She stared curiously at the Materia, rolling it about in her hands. She picked up her staff and slipped the Fire Materia out of it, replacing it with the smaller, cloudy white sphere. She concentrated very hard for a moment, huffing in frustration when nothing happened. She had tried the same thing many times before, and it had never worked, but she wasn't going to give up so easily. As she was replacing the Fire Materia, the door creaked open. She jumped, still on edge from the foreboding feeling she was getting, but quickly relaxed when she realized it was Tifa. She was pleased to note the younger girl looked healthier; the color had returned to her cheeks, and her eyes were brighter. Even her hair looked glossier; she had it down today. Tifa shifted from side to side, like she always did whenever she was around Aeris (Aeris honestly did wonder why, she didn't have any reason to be nervous), and then walked over to her side. "What are you doing?" "Oh!" Aeris glanced down at the white orb, still clasped firmly in her hand. "I...umm, nothing, really. Just checking something." After a moment of thought, she added, "You look really nice today." "Oh," Tifa blushed, toying with her gloves. "Thank you. Oh, umm...I saw a weird guy outside...he kept staring." "A guy?" Aeris felt a chill go up her back. "What did he look like?" "Umm...bald. Tall, with sunglasses." "Was he wearing a suit?" "Yeah, a blue-hey! What's wrong; why are you grabbing me?" Tifa felt her blush deepen as Aeris grabbed her hand, but the flower girl did not notice, instead concentrating on tugging her younger friend out of the church. "Aeris, cut it out!" Aeris stopped immediately when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. The aforementioned Turk stood at the entrance of the church, his large frame taking up the entire doorway. He was taller than Tseng, Aeris thought absently, and she could not recall seeing him before, but she would know the familiar suit and sunglasses anywhere. He was most certainly a Turk. She spared a glance at Tifa, who looked somewhere in between curious and frightened. She had been afraid of this; that one of her new friends would be visiting when one of the Turks came to kidnap her again. She could usually escape them easily on her own; Tseng seemed to have some sort of conscience, because he never forcibly removed her from her home, but with another person, her situation became far more precarious. The Turk nodded his head slightly in greeting, and even though Aeris was unable to see his eyes through the pitch-black sunglasses, she knew he was studying both her and Tifa carefully, probably trying to figure out which one of them ran the fastest. "Hello," he greeted. His voice was toneless, but rather deep. Aeris wondered how old he was. He inclined his head in the flower girl's direction. "Name's Rude. ...I assume you know how things go from here, right? If you surrender peacefully, no one will get hurt." Tifa looked from Aeris to the Turk, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What are you talking about? You're not taking Aeris anywhere!" "...Who are you?" "Tifa Lockheart!" the girl stated, dropping into a fighting position. "If you want to get to Aeris, you'll have to beat me first." "...I don't hit women." "But you kidnap them?" Tifa snapped back, moving Aeris behind her. "Come on, you big jerk! I'm not going down without a fight!" "Listen...er, Lockheart..." he took a step toward her, and frowned when she didn't back down. Her stance looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. "I don't want to hurt you, so why don't you just give up?" Tifa ignored him, instead addressing Aeris. "You run on ahead. I'll catch up with you after I beat up this guy, alright?" Aeris looked from the huge man back to Tifa. She was still so thin, and she couldn't possibly be up to speed just yet... "I'll stay here and help!" "No way!" Tifa gave her a little push. "Run! I'll follow you as soon as I'm done!" After a moment of hesitation, Aeris followed her orders, sparing a backwards glance at her friend before she slipped into the back of the church. When the Turk moved to follow her, Tifa jumped in the way, claret eyes glittering with challenge. "What do you think you're doing? I told you I wasn't going down without a fight." Rude sighed, reluctantly moving into a fighting stance. This was going to be a long day... ---------- Aeris pulled frantically at a large piece of wood obstructing the back door of the building, giving a whoop of relief as she finally managed to push it away. Even that small feat had left her tired, and she wished she had Tifa's exuberance. The younger girl would have probably been able to push that wood away as if it were as light as a feather. She marveled at the girl's strength, but at the same time, she wondered what it had taken to get it. Now was not the time for musing, however, and Aeris quickly and quietly slipped out of the back door, patiently waiting for Tifa to emerge. There was no way she would leave her with a Turk all by herself; she had not wanted to leave her in the first place, but the young martial artist insisted. It felt...strange, having an ally against the Turks. For so long she had barely escaped them all by herself, avoided Tseng's questions about her Ancient heritage, stayed up at night and wondered if Tseng's compassion would ever run out, if he would force her mom out of the house at gunpoint and demand that she reveal herself. The Promised Land...Aeris leaned against the back wall, closing her eyes for a moment. What was it, anyway? The Shinra seemed to think it was full of boundless Mako energy, but her true mother had told a different story; that it was a land of eternal tranquility, one no mere mortal could touch. "The Promised Land belonged to the Cetra," she would whisper to Aeris in her soft, soothing, voice, "and we are the only ones able to find it." Her smile would turn wistful at those words. "I had hoped to show it to your father, my little one, but I suppose now that it is up to you and me to find that wonderful place. We mustn't ever let the Shinra obtain the Promised Land, only those with souls untainted by greed are able to enter it. Remember that always, Aeris." But Ilfalna was dead now, and Aeris was alone. It was almost too much for Aeris to fathom; that she might be the very last person on the Planet able to seek out the Promised Land, that there was no one else who could share her burden, who could offer their understanding. She truly was one in a million, and it frightened her. She was too young to carry such a weight, and for the first time, the gravity of what her situation was finally struck her. To be alone, aimlessly seeking out a bountiful land that might not even exist; it seemed terribly sad. She didn't even know where to begin. She absently touched the White Materia nestled in the locks of her hair, and wondered if Tifa might understand the burden she had been forced to carry. The only one able to sustain the memory of a forgotten race...she doubted Tifa had anything of comparison, but she was sure the girl would offer as much help as she could. She paused at her thoughts. Already, the younger girl had become such an important part in her day-to-day situations, and Aeris wondered how the girl had so easily found a spot in her life. She thought at first she was simply lonely over Zack's disappearance, and the overall lack of anyone her age to talk to, but she realized that was not entirely the case. She barely had time to ponder over the new revelation when the source of her confusion emerged from the back door, looking a bit tousled, but not at all injured. Aeris looked her over anyway, checking her for battle wounds. Tifa laughed and gently slapped her hands away. "I'm alright! You should see him, though. Knocked him flat on his back. He's going to have a nasty black eye when he wakes up. I managed to get a look at his eyes before I punched him in the face though; they're really pretty. This weird...hazel color, almost gold. I told him so, and he was so shocked that it gave me an opening, so I clocked him." She chuckled at Aeris' reproving look. "Hey, it's not like the Turks play clean either!" Aeris shook her head and allowed herself a slight smile. "You got him really good then?" "Yep. He won't be able to see properly out of those gorgeous eyes of his for a while. But, if you don't mind my asking..." the girl suddenly looked shy, "why was he after you, anyway?" "Oh...I..." Aeris stared into Tifa's earnest eyes and felt the truth die on her lips. Right now was not the time; it was too much for the girl to take in. "I don't know," she shrugged absently, walking ahead through the slums, Tifa at her heels, "I guess they want me to join their ranks, or something. Maybe they think I've got what it takes to be in SOLDIER!" She could feel Tifa's eyes bore into her back, and considered telling her the truth for a moment, but then the girl trotted up to her, reluctant belief in her eyes. "SOLDIER? Why would you want to join them, anyway?" Aeris did not miss the note of disdain that soured Tifa's words, and quickly dissuaded her of the notion. "Oh, I don't. I just...have a pretty good knack with magic, materia, you know, so I think they want me for that, but I don't want to join, not at all. I don't really want anything to do with the Shinra." Tifa looked relieved. "Oh, okay! I'm...glad. The Shinra doesn't really do much good for anyone; that's what Barret says anyway, and I think so too. It's messed up so many lives, you know?" "Yes, I know...why do you think that, though? You haven't been in Midgar that long, have you?" Tifa paled a bit, and Aeris was a bit unnerved to see a strange, hollow look make its way into her eyes before it was gone again, replaced by her usual cheerfulness. "Oh, um, I've been here long enough to know. Where are we going?" she asked, changing the subject. "To my house. I live with my mom." "Oh, really? I get to meet your mom, then?" "Mmhmm." Aeris grinned; a little bit of Tifa's exuberance was rubbing off on her. "I'm sure you two will get along very well." "I hope so." ---------- Tifa had thought the church's flowers were beautiful, but she was in no way prepared for what greeted her at Aeris' small home. Whereas the church only had a small plot of flowers, it seemed as if this place had an entire garden. There was a gap in the Plate above, and warm sunlight pooled down into the area. Near the beams of light was what appeared to be a waterfall, but upon closer inspection, Tifa realized it was not water at all; instead pure mako energy. She had not seen anything that could compare in the slightest since she had left Nibelheim. She shook herself from the memory of Zack and Sephiroth, staring in expressions of awe and disinterest respectfully, at a fountain composed of natural mako energy, untainted by cold machinery. Aeris grasped her hand and led her inside the small home, calling out a cheerful, "Hi Mom!" as they entered. Tifa was hit with a wave of melancholy; she had not been in a place that exuded such warmth since she left her own home, and even then, that place had been tinged with an inescapable air of sadness after her mother passed away. A middle-aged woman walked down the stairs, giving Aeris a smile, and her eyes narrowed almost instantly at the sight of Tifa. The girl shuffled uncomfortably. The hand grasped in Aeris' own felt constricting now, and she forced herself to meet the woman's gaze, studying her features carefully. Besides the brown hair (and even that was a darker shade than Aeris' own), she could see no resemblance to the flower girl. Instead of bright green eyes, this woman's was a cool blue-grey, her cheekbones were not as pronounced, and the bridge of her nose wasn't as sharp. Tifa shrugged absently, silently wishing Aeris would introduce her so that she would no longer be forced to withstand her mother's cold stare. Maybe she takes after her dad... Aeris, oblivious to her friend's discomfort, happily tugged Tifa forward, introducing her. "Mom, this is Tifa. She's my friend; remember? I told you about her. She helped me today. Tifa, this is my mom, Elmyra." The woman's eyes softened a bit at this, but she gave Aeris a worried look. "Helped you? You mean those terrible men were after you again?" "It's alright," Aeris murmured softly. "Tifa helped me, like I said. She knocked the guy out! She's a marital artist." "I see...well then, Tifa, will you be staying for dinner? My daughter doesn't really bring many friends over, and we'd love to have you." Tifa ran a nervous hand through her hair, looking from one brunette to the other. "I would...but I promised a friend I'd bake him a cake today...so I'm afraid I really can't stay out too long..." "Pleeeaase?" Aeris pouted, fixing her gaze on Tifa. "I'll explain it to Wedge; that's the one you're making the cake for, right? Can you please stay? Pretty please?" "Don't force the girl to stay, Aeris..." Elmyra began, but Tifa shook her head. "Um...well, if you really want me to...I guess I can stay." She thought of how angry Barret would be as a result of her staying out too late, but all of her worries disappeared when she saw how happy Aeris was. It would be worth it, she decided. ---------- Elmyra observed the two girls carefully. Aeris was talking without pause, and Tifa answered each of her questions with an unwavering patience. Elmyra smiled. Her girl really did love to talk. She wondered where Tifa had come from; she looked nothing at all like a Midgar native, and though she saw faint traces of Wutaian heritage in her features, she doubted she was from there either. She wanted to ask, but the girl had a shadowed sadness lurking beneath her eyes, something she was sure Aeris had noticed as soon as she met the girl; her daughter had uncanny perception. Instead of asking the young lady anything about her past, she turned to lighter subjects: how old was she, where did she live, and had Aeris given her too much trouble? The girl answered each question with a polite respectfulness that was marred only slightly by the grin that had tugged on her lips at the last question. Aeris predictably looked rather put out. "Mom." The girl tugged at her napkin, mumbling something under her breath. "You're embarrassing me." Elmyra could not help but smile at her daughter's exasperation. She hadn't heard anything even vaguely similar to that since Aeris had been dating that boy from SOLDIER. Zack was his name; she believed. She had never really liked him; he seemed to be a gigolo, and she had told Aeris as much, albeit in a way that showed her motherly concern. Tifa, however, was polite and well-mannered, and held a strange sort of wisdom about herself, considering her age. She was surprisingly ladylike as well; when Elmyra had heard of her fight with the Turk, she had expected some badmouthed little thug, but Tifa carried herself like a young girl should, like her Aeris did. She had saved Aeris as well, and Elmyra felt herself warming up to the young lady. She would be good for Aeris, and perhaps being around another girl would help her feel as if she belonged somewhere. Her child always seemed to have a sort of wistfulness in her eyes, and Elmyra would often wonder what she was thinking of. She had never had many friends, both out of fear of being revealed as an Ancient, and also because she quite simply did not fit in with Midgar's youth. Elmyra didn't doubt that Tifa was very much the same, flung into some odd, foreign city. When both girls had finished their meal, Tifa stood to leave, wincing a bit at Aeris' protests. Elmyra gave the girl a comforting pat on the shoulder, and the remainder of the cake for dessert. "For your friend," she explained. She stood with Aeris in the doorway and waved good-bye to the young fighter. After she had faded from view, Aeris turned to her mother. "So...do you like her?" She could see that her daughter was silently asking for her approval, and nodded her head. "I like her very much." ---------- Rude lay on the dusty floor of the church, head throbbing and sunglasses askew. That girl had a mean left hook; she had knocked him flat on his back. He realized with a start that both she and the Ancient had escaped. Man, was he going to hear it from Tseng when he got back to HQ. He stood to his feet, fixed his glasses, and straightened his tie. He would have been able to subdue the girl had she not distracted him by batting her eyelashes at him and telling him he had pretty eyes. Who the hell said that in a battle anyway? He touched the side of his face and winced. He wouldn't be able to see out of his left eye for a while. Damn girl. Lockheart, she said her name was. Tifa Lockheart. Pretty name for a pretty girl. If she wasn't a girl...hell, if she wasn't attractive, skip the girl part, he would kick her ass from here to Junon. His ego was bruised along with his face, and he frowned, wondering what kind of lie he would have to make up to keep Reno from giving him hell about getting hit in the face by a girl. A really skilled, pretty girl, but a girl nevertheless. He staggered out of the church, holding his head. He glanced around for a moment, and felt his jaw drop when he saw Lockheart, humming a tune and carrying some sort of package. She didn't even know he was there, and for some reason, that annoyed him. The least she could do was acknowledge his presence; she had been the one that gave him this shiner. "Lockheart." The girl turned at his voice, glaring defiantly at him, as if daring him to do something. He had to admire her confidence. "This isn't over." Lockheart shrugged lightly, cocking her head to one side in an oddly adorable gesture. "Was that supposed to scare me?" He suddenly felt foolish. "...No. I'm just saying; next time you won't be so lucky." "Ohh, so that's what it was." She grinned at him. "Luck, huh? I could've sworn it was me kicking your butt." He frowned. "You...distracted me. It was a dirty shot." "Ah. Well...I have to get going. See you around, Rude!" She bounced off to go...somewhere, and he scratched his head, wondering what the hell had just happened. In all honesty, he should have capped her. She had interfered with his mission and punched him in the face. He realized though, that he didn't really want to. So what she had hit him? She wouldn't be that lucky next time, and besides, shooting someone in the back was pretty cowardly, even for a Turk. Rude shrugged. She didn't matter anyway; the only important thing was getting the Ancient, and he'd manage to next time. ---------- A/N: I couldn't resist throwing some Rude/Tifa interaction in this; I luff Rude. He's my favorite Turk (Elena is my second favorite). No worries though, this will still be Tifa/Aeris. If I need to change anything, be sure to comment; I'm always happy to improve. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter; you guys are super neat. See you next chapter.
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