Shadows of a Fallen Angel
This series is based on my old FF7: SPECIAL EDITION series, which became
known for it's infamous second installment: "CHOCOBO NIGHTS".
Since it was my very first series, it's quality was abismal. Regardless,
the series has earned many supporters and so I have dicided to resurrect
it with this multi-part finale.
This series is set a long time after PART 6: ONE NIGHT AT COSTA DEL SOL
*********************************************************
She sat in the darkness, surrounded by her thoughts. She lit a candel
for each day that she had known her. For each day that she had loved
her. Her heart was hollow, a vaccum had been there which was once filled
with those last images of her.
"(Tifa!!!!............)"
Her own name haunts her now. Called out by the voice of her lover.
She weeps.
Mere moments after that voice calls out, she sees the end of her. The
katana blade, running though her love. The man with long white, almost
dead, hair, killing her beloved Aeris in cold blood.
I mixture of anger and pain fills her heart now. Revenge is on her mind.
But that passes, for she then sees Aeris for the last time, sinking into
the darkness....of a lonely lake. Her grave.
Her anger melts away....nothing seems to matter anymore.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]------------------------------------------------------------------
"UNACCEPTABLE!!!" Yells a man of authority from his seat of power.
"Leftenant Barret, we leave you in command of the captured Highwind, and
*what* do we see?! The destruction of Golden Saucer?! The fall of Cosmo
Canyon and Wutai, to say the very least, unacceptable."
20 people sit together around a conference room. They are the leaders of
the AVALANCHE movement. Across from the speaker was the familiar face of
Barret, with Cloud and Tifa on either side of him. The rebel-girl was
subdued, she just looked down at the table, staying mute while they
spoke.
"What the hell do you expect us to do?!" Spouted a furious Barret.
"It has been an entire year since that victory at Junon, leftenant. We
expect results." Came an expected reply.
A female board-member beside him continues. "Barrett, our movement's
goal looks more impossible by the day. The last free nation of Wutai has
been annexed, Shinra now have garrisons on every land-mass on the
planet, and disturbing reports from Midgar have suggested that Rufus has
built a religion around himself....some believe he is a God. We can't
afford to screw up like you have. We need a victory...... ..and we need
it now."
Barrett slams the desk in anger with his Gun-Arm. "DAMMIT! We have
fought tougher than ANYONE here!! And we have sacrificed...."
The leader of Avalance butts in again. "Sacrifice?! You know nothing of
it! We have lost our entire families and countless friends in our
battles! We have fought them with much less than the 'All-Mighty
Highwind'. All you have lost are 2 non-members who could bearly fight to
begin with-"
It was at that moment that Tifa suddenly rose to her feet. All look
towards her. She still kept her eyes down while she stood there for a
moment, before turning to leave. The mention of 'non-members' seemed to
upset her and her friends knew exactly why.
She takes a few steps to leave before the leader stops her in her
tracks.
"Colonel Lockheart...Where do you think you are going? I have a bone to
pick with you aswell."
She turns slightly to look at him, the scowl on her face seems to say it
all.
"-Lockheart, you are even more to blame for the failures of your unit-"
He looks down at a report in front of him. "-I have been told of 5
seperate cases where you have disregarded your mission for the sake of
one girl or another. Gross misconduct with Aki's unit on the eve of
battle and using Avalance resources to rescue your girlfriend when you
could have KILLED RUFUS!!!! You WAISTED every chance we had for victory
on this 'Aeris' girl-"
While he continued, Tifa's blood began to boil with rage.
"-who never helped the cause, and resulted in countless bountyhunters
following her to our bases. It would have been better if you had
surrendered her to Shinra."
That was enough. She faced away, stormed out of the room and slammed the
doors shut after her. Before, she may have fought him, before she may
have even punched him a few....but now....things were different.
Barrett and Cloud sat there, they weren't surprised at all and sort of
expected it too. An odd silence fills the air. They knew the hurt she
was feeling.
"You might consider trying to control your second-in-command Barrett..."
Added the leader speaking through a sigh of disbelief.
"I'm not that cold..." Muttered Barrett. "...I can't punish her for
having a heart to break..."
"What?!" Snapped the leader again, he was about to tear into Barrett
once more, before the female board-member gently stopped him with a hand
on his shoulder.
"Please..." She said soflty before turning to everyone else. "...we
shouldn't lose our heads....not now. We need to stay united. Shinra are
closing their grip around us even more everyday....I feel the stress
too...it's unbearable. But think about what we're fighting for....think
about everyone that will suffer if we lose. And if we do lose....we face
death...or even worse if we're captured alive...."
They all remain silent for the moment. A silence of thought now filled
the room, while they all looked down to the table for answers.
"Of course.." Reflected the leader, subdued. "...this is not a time to
point fingers. It is time for action....Leftenant Barrett, we need the
Highwind Division in a new operation."
Barrett just looked back at him with eyes of distain before replying.
"What....operation?"
The female board-member opens a folder infront of her and then speaks
again.
"Aki's 'Midnight Streakers' division has been attracting a lot of
attention in the Junon area. Ever since she enlisted most of the
'Avatar's' crew, she has been using them and the ship itself on raids of
the city. In one such incident, they nearly destroyed the Junon Cannon."
She turns on a projecter from a control on her seat. They all see the
dammage dealt to the Junon Cannon.
"Unfortunatly in that incident cost us the Avatar herself, which was
sunk by a new Shinra 'War-Mode' Destroyer."
A picture of the sinking Avatar is now displayed to the now shocked
board-members.
"34 of Aki's girls lost their lives, they were trapped onboard when it
went down."
She pauses for a moment.
"....Shinra Central Command have now taken thier attention off finding
your division Barrett and has now redeployed the 6th, 7th and 12th
Regements from Midgar to Junon.
Current reports indicate that this order could be just 2 days old, so
the equipment could still be in transit. If that is the case, they will
have to move their heavy armor and artillery via Calm and
'Chocobo-country'."
The leader continues.
"This brings them dangerously close to Fortress Condor and Aki's
Division. We can only assume that an assault is planned for the next few
days. We need you to get there before them. You sould also attempt to
delay them by using the M-Bombs we have stocked on the Highwind. Those
things have enough force to take out large chunks of a division. You
should attempt this before they get though 'Chocobo-country'. Then
proceed to Condor."
"You want us to help them stand their ground?" Quizzed Barrett.
"No." Came the reply. "You are to *evacuate* Aki and her girls. By FORCE
if nessisary, we all know how subborn she can be. Nonetheless, her unit
is the single largest force we have, we can't afford to lose them. Take
them onboard Highwind and retreat to a hidden location. We can then plan
our next offensive..."
===================================================================><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
[2]><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
==================================================================Tifa
drifted through the corridors of the hidden Avalanche base, slowly
making her way to where the Highwind was docked.
She was still silent, her face continued to look down, and an overall
cloud of sadness still hung over her.
Turning a corner near Highwind, she was then spotted by a teenage girl
who had been leaning against the wall, quite bored, as if she had been
waiting for someone. Upon seeing Tifa, her eyes lit up with excitement,
her long wait was over.
"Yay! Tifa!" Cried out Yuffie who now skipped around Tifa while she
walked.
"I missed you while you were gone! That meeting must have taken forever!
What did they say? What? What? What? What? What? What did they say? Did
they say anything about *me*? Did they? Did they? Huh? HUH? Did they?"
Tifa merely ignored this barrage of questions while she continued to
walk.
"Not talkin' huh? Fine, I don't mind. I *love* the strong and silent
types." Spouted the girl, full of childish amourous intent.
Tifa and Yuffie continue to walk together towards the Highwind dock,
while the teenager occasonally attemted to take Tifa's hand in her own,
and failed every time.
The Highwind was docked in a massive cave, in fact the whole base was
hidden inside a mountain.
The girls headed onboard and were soon trapsing though it's corridors.
They walk past a cabin door with "Yuffie" spelt out in colourful
Katakana, and this is where Yuffie stoped in her tracks.
"Hey! Tifa-chan! Wanna come into my room with me?"
Tifa hadn't stopped walking and was now a few metres away.
"Emm..." Mused Yuffie while Tifa moved further away. "...well...I guess
my bed is too small for both of us anyway.......Hey Tifa! Wait up!!"
==============================================================================[3]==========================================================================They
reach a large doorway near the back of the blimp. The words 'Med-Lab'
were stenciled onto it.
"Ohhhhhh no! Not *her*!" Wailed the Wutai Girl who now held onto Tifa in
an attempt to stop her entering. "-Don't go in TifaaaaaaaaaaaAAA!!!!"
Yuffie was never as strong as Tifa and she found her efforts resulting
in herself being dragged into the dreaded chamber.
A green glow filled the room when the door closed behind them. The glow
came from a single dominant object in the centre, a massive glass tube,
large enough to hold a person inside.
Inside there was a shadow. It looked like a man, but it could not of
been, much of it looked metallic, like armor, tall and slender with
large domineering shoulders, almost balanced on top of it's frame. This
monster seemed impossible, it couldn't be human. But it was not a
machine either. What was it?
Inside the tube, it seemed to silently jump to life. It had been
desturbed, by Tifa. It looked straight at her through the misty water of
it's prison, and never took it's eyes off.
For some reason it hated her with increadible passion. If only it could
move, if only it could get out.....if only........
Yuffie felt a shiver move up her spine while she looked at this 'dead'
monster in the tube. Her lack of years finally caught up with her, she
was just a scared little girl now. Feverishly, she tried to get hold of
Tifa's right hand beside her. Usually, she would fail, the rebel girl
would keep her soft fingers well out of reach. But now, to the Wutai's
surprise, she felt Tifa grasp her little hand into her own.
Yuffie looks up to the face of her 'girlfriend' and with a face full of
fear, she saw something new in Tifa's eyes, something chilling. Tifa's
eye focused on this thing, never blinking, and Yuffie couldn't guess
what her beloved was thinking. It looked like pure rage, so pure that it
sliced through the air from the Rebel Girl's eyes to the face of this
thing. What had it done? Why did Tifa hate it so? Yuffie was at a loss,
she just tried her best to enjoy the moment, holding her hand. It didn't
last.
The movement of a door could be heard beyond the tube. "Back so soon
Tifa?" Echoed the voice of a mature young woman who now entered sight.
Upon spying her, Yuffie immeadiatly took refuge behind Tifa, pleading
that they would leave, now.
"Please Tifa-chan!!! I don't wanna be near her!!!"
The woman was in her late twenties, early thirties with shoulder-lenght
brunette hair and simialar vital statisics as Tifa, however with a more
modest bust and slightly taller. She wore a flowing white lab coat over
her low cut shirt and dress. An air of professionalism followed her as
she walked closer to the girls, but she was not cold, she had a warm
character, which always seemed to smile softly about something.
She stopped just short of Tifa and then bent down, grinning, to see the
little girl hiding behind. "Awww...Yuffie...you're still shy after your
phyisical?"
Yuffie merely growled at her like a cornered puppy, trying her best not
to look at the cleavage which the doctor had playfully displayed when
she bent down.
The Doctor stood straight again, and looked upon Tifa, with a softer
smile than usual.
"They talked about 'her' again, didn't they?" She uttered with
compassion, understanding the Rebel girl so well now.
Tifa never took her eyes off the beast in the tude.
"Karin.....?" Whispered Tifa.
"Yes?" Jumped the Doctor, hearing her name called now.
"Do you know any more about it." Tifa's voice was now far colder.
"Hmmm...." Karin walks over to the tube flips a switch to illuminate the
battered and metallic remains of what looked like a robot ninja.
"...SOLDIER X is a marvel of science. Somehow they merged living tissue
with a machine. The fusion seemed greater than either put together.
But...I can't figure out how it works... or even how to switch it off."
Karin turns to face Tifa. "All I know is, someone sacrificed their human
life to become this. SOLDIER X was once a man."
Tifa continued to look at the metal monster that once tried to kidnap
her Aeris and murder the rebel girl herself. She remembered that night
in Cosmo Canyon, and the night they nearly killed it, instead taking
it's broken corpse as a trophy. Tifa wanted it dead so much....it killed
Red, it would have condemned Aeris to death on a Shinra operating table.
Yet, something about it seemed so wrong, so un-natural.
Something horrible made it exist, and somehow, Tifa felt that she could
be to blame for it. She had to find out why...
"Thank you..." Uttered Tifa coldly under her breath before turning to
leave.
Before she could walk away, Karin gently caught her by the shoulder.
"Tifa..." She whispered, her voice full of concern. "...I am worried
about you. Please, try to cheer up. There is still good in the
world...even if you can't see it."
The rebel girl turns slightly to face Karin and then takes the hand off
her shoulder, squeezing it gently while she still held it in her own.
"I can see it now.." Whispered Tifa, her cold eyes now thawed by Karin's
smile. Slowly she then let go of an appeased Karin, turned and left the
room with Yuffie not far behind. However, just before the Wutai girl
left, she turned to see Karin's smiling face watch Tifa leave. A torrent
of anger surfaced, she felt a hissy fit coming.
"Don't even THINK about it!!" Hissed Yuffie, stamping the ground with
her foot. "SHE'S MINE!!!!!"
Her fury marched out the door with her while Karin giggled behind her
hand.
============================================[4]========================================Yuffie
quick-marched beside Tifa down the corridor.
"Can you believe her?!" Spouted the Wutai girl. "I don't trust her at
all! You should have seen her at that 'physical' of her's, she spent the
whole time leering at my naked body! She is such a PERVERT! I bet if she
wanted to she could have tried to 'have me' there and then. I could have
screemed bloody murder and no-one would hear from her *lab*!! She could
still try Tifa! Neither of us are safe, I *saw* the way she was mentally
undressing you!! The beutiful girls of this ship are not safe from her
Tifa-chan!! You have to stay away from Doc. Karin!!!!"
Yuffie's attempts to discredit the good doctor had fallen on deaf ears.
Tifa simply wasnt listening to her.
"I'm glad to be out of that lab." Continued Yuffie. "-Now we can spend
some *quality* time together." She finished with a giggle when Tifa
suddenly stopped outside her own bedroom door.
Yuffie sensed the stall and looked over. "Oh-" She purred with a smile.
"-*that* kind of quality huh? Well I'm game if you are!"
Slowly, Tifa unlocked the door of a room she once shared with Aeris and
slid it open slightly. She enters and closes it shut just before Yuffie
could enter. The Wutai girl's heart sank when she heard a click, locking
the door.
"Tifa-chan!!!!" She whipered clawing at the doorway like a cat. "You
left me outside!!! Tifa-chaaaaaan!!!"
She was met with silence. "Tifaaaaaa. I'm too scared to sleep alone
tonight! Can I sleep with you like last time....."
Still just silence. "Tifa-chan.....Tifa.....Tifa
I.......(Tifa)........." Yuffie droops her head down, she knew now, she
had been rejected.
Upset at this latest rejection, she slowly dragged herself away.
Tonight, she slept alone.
-------------
Inside the room, Tifa just sat on the bed while she looked down at a
picture of herself and Aeris. She sat motionless for what seemed like
ages.
Eventually she slept, curled up on top of those sheets, that image still
clenched to her heart.
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===||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||========[5]|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||======Perpetual
darkness hung in the streets of Midgar, like a choaking fog that was
both there and not there all at once. Everything was stained by it
making it dark and grey, and no colour of nature remained, except for
the red blood of those who dared to say 'no'. The streets were dead,
fear kept them that way and now they were ruled by one class and sect.
Above the tightly packed houses of the Slums, a Gelnika roars it's
engines as it climbs towards the 'paradise' of the upper sections, which
hung from Shinra Central Command like slices of pizza. This Gelnika was
a little different from the regular war-machine, it was larger, and
instead of the standard camoflague, it wore Jet Black with a red symbol
on each wing.
The symbol was blood red, shaped like a triangle faceing down, with the
letter 'R' printed in the middle in jet black.
The chunky Gelnika climbed over the metallic sky-hugging city and made a
bee-line for Shinra Headquarters while two normal Gelnika's followed it
in escort.
Slowing, the massive plane touched down in front of the main entrance of
HQ. The other two war-birds watched from above, anticipating any threat
that may come.
A massive battalion of soliders, all in black and bearing the same
red-triangle symbol, lined the route between HQ and the main entry. The
very second the Gelnika's door hissed to life, the entire troop stood to
attention, with the clicking of feet and weaponry.
A ramp lowered, and out of the darkness came a tall beautiful woman who
seemed to command a massive air of authority. She was an albino, with
white hair and eyes and fair, pale skin. She wore an elaborite white
hooded robe which nearly hid her face. It was made of light material and
hugged her figure where it joined together at a buckle which looked like
the triangle symbol.
Following her were 4 female monks with similar, yet less eloborite
robes. They stroad gracefully through a pathway between the soldiers.
Before they could get half way down the path, a male monk hurries
towards the albino. He seems relieved to see her here.
"Your Holyness!!" He gasped upon reaching her. "It is so pleasing to see
you back safe in Midgar once again. I had heard a terrible rumor that
the Midnight Streakers had taken you hostage. I feared it was a-"
"They did-" Announced the Albino Woman abruptly. "-but my prayers to our
Lord brought his fury and might upon them. Those blasfimous little girls
where stuck down, and I was freed by his love. Thanks be to our Lord."
She uttered bowing. This prompeted the female monks to silently whisper
the same line while they bowed themselves. "Thanks be to our Lord,
thanks be to him and his might."
"Thank's be to our High Priestess-" Added the male monk with a smile.
"-for returning to Midgar. There is much to do. The Holy Sanctum is busy
with activity, the monks and priestesses have prayed for your return.
They do need you now more than ever."
"I know...." Spoke with a chill in her voice while she walked right past
the monk and through the main entry of Shinra Central Command.
The High Priestess and her 4 personal monks took the power-lift to one
of the highest levels in the Shinra mega-complex, close to the
President's office. They got off on a floor which looked more like a
Temple than the office level it once was. Tourches, red-drapes, and
countless religious Red-Triangles decorated every room and corridor.
The lobby was heavily guarded by Red-Triangle Soldiers and several
robots bearing the same symbol. The High-Preistess didn't give this an
ounce of attention, she was all too used to having heavy security around
her. She drifted with her female monks to the centre-piece of the lobby,
a massive vault door.
In the centre there was a panel, which the priestess now looked into.
<<IDENTIFY>> Hissed a metalic voice from within the door.
"High Priestess Sina, Hand-Maiden of the Lord"
<<IDENTITY CONFIRMED, THANK'S BE TO HIM>>
With a thunderous roar, the massive vault door began to slowly roll to
one side, allowing Sina and her monks entry to what lay beyond. The door
sealed itself after them, hiding the secrets of the temple from all but
a select few.
Inside, there were no soldiers. Only female monks and priestesses could
be seen here, excitidy moving around the corridors. Sina's return had
surely brought this excitment.
The monks wore a variety of things, ranging from what's Sina's girls
were wearing to skimpier robes which left little to the imagination. But
every single one of them wore that Red Triangle. They seemed fanatical
about that symbol, literally everything had it somewhere.
The High Priestess moves down the main corridor, and is greeted by a
procession of monks going in the opposite direction. At the head, was a
blue-haired priestess wearing robes like Sina's monks.
"Your holiness!" Gasped the young woman on seeing her spirital leader.
"It is such a relief to see you!" Sina gently holds the cheek of the
priestess in her hand in a strangly customary fashion.
"His love had saved me, Sister. As it will save us all..." She uttered,
with a voice that would freeze most people.
"Thanks be to him..." Replied the priestess with a bow. "...did the
heathen women, hurt you?.... ..or dare I even ask...defile you in any
way?"
A small smile broke the porciline face of Priestess Sina. "No...all I
have suffered is the embarresment of capture. No attonement or purges of
me, will be nessisary."
The blue-haired woman sported a far wider smile, her softness seemed to
match her blind faith. "I feel so thankful to our Lord. So much so, I
have prepaired the next life-offering early-"
The woman steps aside to reveal what had been in the centre of the
procession. Flanked by 6 monks, was a bound and naked chestnut-haired
girl, wearing a freshly painted tattoo of the Red Triangle on her right
buttock.
The girl looked to the ground in dispair with water-logged eyes. Her
situation was hopeless, and the things done to her, unspeakable. She
stood helpless while Sina looked upon her.
"Oh my...what a beautiful sacrifice. Who is to be thanked?"
"An old couple in Sector 3 Slums. They hid this flower from us. They
were cast into the darkness for being so selfish." Chirped the
Priestess, envoking a small cry from the already upset girl.
Sina walks right up to the girl and takes her cheek, just like she did
with the priestess. "Yes...the Lord will be pleased."
The unfortunate girl now began to plead with this powerful woman.
"Please..." She whispered, choaked with tears. "..let me go...I just
want to go home....please..."
"Shh..." Sina hushed the girl softly. "...soon.....it will all be
over......"
The poor girl's eyes widened in terror, her worst fears had now just
been confirmed. "Perpare her for the cerimony....I must see Him now."
The blue-haired woman bowed to that command. "Thanks be to Him. All will
be done..." With that, they continued to march the girl down the
corridor. But now her terror had gotten the best of her. "PLEASE NO!!!"
She screamed, while she struggled with her binds. "Don't do this!!
Please! NOOOOO!!!!"
Her captors had a firm grip of her, she wasn't getting away. They turned
a corner and were soon out of sight, but Sina could still hear the
girl's desprite pleads, while she made her way to the Inner Sanctum of
the temple.
And then she was gone.
=======================================================================[6]===================================================================Sina
passed through the many layers of the Temple office-block and reached
it's centre. A massive golden doorway stood as a centrepiece to the
temple and before it there was a large cloister where over a dozen
priestesses knelt in prayer towards that door. While twice as many monks
stood to attention behind them.
Sina drifted through them, and leaving her personal monks behind, she
walked to the doorway. Somehow to door seemed to know who she was, and
she strolled right through it as if it were made of water, leaving
ripples in her wake.
Climbing an eloborate stairwell, she arrived in the Shinra Presidents
office.
The office looked the same as it did when old Shinra himself was
murdered here. A small hint of his bloodstains remained on the carpet,
like a reminder. An air of gloom filled the office, matched by it's only
occupant. Rufus Shinra, president and dicator of all he could see, sat
ridgedly in his chair, facing away from the desk and into the perpetual
darkness of Midgar from his massive window.
His eyes were lost in the mists of the city, interupted only by the tiny
flickering lights of anything powerful enough to fly this high up. He
didn't seem to notice Sina's entry.
The priestess marched right up to his desk and then fell to her knees,
bowing right down. "My lord.....my God...." Her cold voice almost formed
a whimper of gratitude. "...you have delivered me from the heathen
women....you answered all my prayers.... ...I can't describe my
gratitude.....I am your's....as always...."
"It's finished-" Uttered Rufus under his breath. Sina could taste the
gloom in his voice, she knew something terrible had happened.
"My lord...." Sina raises to her feet. "What is finished?"
"-she's dead......SHE'S DEAD!!" Yelled the dictator slamming his
arm-rest with a fist. In a fit of rage, Rufus stands and moves over to
the window ledge for a better view of the darkness which now matched his
mood.
"-how can I finish it NOW?!" Cursed Rufus, grasping onto the
window-ledge.
Sina drifts over to the desk a sees the cluttered contents of a
file-folder all over the table. Reports, graphs, and pictures of a
chestnut-haired girl were strewn in an arc around the chair, with one
title above them all....
AERIS GAINSBOROUGH
"The...Cetra Girl..." Mused the Priestess, before she looked over to her
'God'. "...that is what troubles you my lord? The Offering to
Inifinity?"
"I needed her to get the power...power of a God" Mumbled Rufus under his
breath.
Sina sensed what he was feeling and moved closer to where he was.
"Aeris Gainsborough was never nessisary for your plans...." Boomed the
priestess with a powerful voice of confidence. Rufus just continued to
look out the window, nothing she could say would brighten his mood.
He barely even noticed the woman softly enbacing him from behind. She
almost held him like a lover, and now spoke like one.
"A God is not made by his power...but by those who follow him....Midgar
is full of faithful....the Temple is plagued by girls wanting to give
themselves to you.... ...all love you Rufus.....I love you...."
Rufus just stood rigid, he heard this all, but he didn't react.
But then.. "What of my power....I was to be immortal...."
Sina just smiled at this reaction, her voice now became softer.
"Do you remember the texts of the Cetra Ancients?" Rufus remained
silent. "There was a text in there my Lord, called the Living Dream...."
Sina drops a file folder on the window-ledge infront of Rufus. This
catches his attention...and picks it up to read the title while Sina
continued.
"-it spoke of what happened when an Ancient....took a lover..."
The file-folder had just one name: TIFA LOCKHEART.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[7]+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Highwind cut through the morning fog that hung over the ocean.
Shrouded by this, it made it's way towards land.
On the bridge a relaxed and somber mood filled the room. Too often were
they used to charging into battle, Cloud most of all, he just stood at
the wheel more pre-occupied with Tifa's suffering than anything else.
In the centre there was a workbench where Barret tuned up his gunarm
with a disheartened Yuffie slumped over the table on the otherside.
"(I don't get it..)" Came her muffled wingeing voice from the table top.
"(you guys said Tifa used to sleep with random girls....even when she
was supposed to be saving Aeris....)"
"Yea...that sounds about right..." Mused Barret while examining a wire
in his gun-arm.
"Then *why* won't she have sex with ME!!!" Spouted the thief, now facing
up to vent her fury.
"Aeris was more than just a girlfriend to her Yuffie. The fact that she
died getting married to her says it all." Continued Barrett.
"She should GET OVER HER!" Spouted Yuffie stamping the floor as she
spoke. "-people die! It happens....I....I know what it's like...she has
to move on..."
Barret stopped what he was doing and looked her square in the eyes.
Yuffie sat frozen, not knowing what to feel about this now terrifing
look he gave her. It looked like fury, but it couldn't of been. It was
more of a stern disapproval of the girl. How could she possibly know how
it felt? What she had been through was just a sucker-punch compared to
the lingering horrors of this war.
Now frightened by the look, Yuffie sank deeper into her seat, looking
for refuge from his gaze. The Thief now felt an apology coming to her
lips, only to be saved from doing so by the entry of Tifa.
The Rebel Girl ghosted her way on the bridge, and wasn't noticed until
she was ontop of them, Barrett had noticed her first.
"Tifa.....you ok now?" He asked in his usual gruff voice.
Yuffie peeks her head around her own shoulder and then with widening
eyes of excitement, she spun around in her seat, then launched herself
at the girl.
"TIFA-CHAN!!!! You're up!!"
Yelled the younger girl in mid-air before pulling Tifa into an uninvited
embrace, snuggling her head into her ample bust, treating it like a
pillow.
"-I forgive you for last night....I know you were just sad....we can
sleep together another night..."
A brief look was all the attention Tifa gave to this, other things were
now on her mind.
"Where are we going?" She asked Cloud softly, seeing him at the wheel.
"Did you read the brief I put on your door?" Cross-examined Barrett.
"Yes..."
"-we are going to Chocobo Country. We have to delay the Shinra artillary
there to give Aki a chance." Added Barrett.
Tifa said nothing, and then ghosted her way over to the bridge window.
Ahead she saw the coastline approach in the dawn-light.
"(Chocobo Country....)" She whispered to herself while Yuffie drifted
behind her, always in hope of some attention. But that was a hopeless
cause, Tifa's eyes were lost on the horizon...she was already there.
Dropping below radar height, the Highwind cut it's engines and let it's
own enertia and the ocean wind carry her silently inland. Quickly, it
drifted over the meadows of Chocobo Country, occasionally catching the
attention of migrating wild Chocobos, which would then try to give
chase.
Clutching a microphone, Barret watched the horizon for sings of his
quarry, getting ready to give the battle call. The Grasslands of Chocobo
Country now came into view.
"ATTENTION ALL HANDS, THIS IS BARRET. WE ARE APPROACHING CHOCOBO
COUNTRY! ALL HANDS TO ATTACK STATIONS, M-BOMB CREW PREPARE TO
ARM....TURRET CREWS ON-LINE NOW!"
Anticipation now filled the heart of the Highwind. Every hand stood
ready, expecting battle. They had been told that this would be a big
one, three fully armed regements of Shinra's best verses them. Death or
glory surely awaited them.
The tension of the vessel focused itself on the shoulders of Barrett who
now, with the others he stood watching the horizon for signs of the
enemy.
"Gotta watch for Gelnikas..." He mused to himself while he watched...
A moment passed, and then another. All they could see were the placid
grasslands flying beneath them. Five minutes passes, then ten, and then
fifteen passed before the patience of their leader drew thin.
"What is this? Where are they!?"
"Hey£¡Look over there!" Said Yuffie now pointing.
The Highwind ground to a hault. Before them were the tracks of hundreds
of tanks and transports. They looked fairly old.
"There's no way to know how long ago they passed by." Mused Cloud from
his post.
"It doesn't matter! Let's just follow the tracks and kick their asses!"
Yelped Yuffie jumping around like a drunken Cheer Leader.
"We can't do that...we need to know how far away they are. If they
reached the mountains, they could easily shoot us down." Countered
Barrett.
"We have to find her...she would know...." Whispered Tifa under her
breath.
"Huh? What was that Tifa-Chan?" Yuffie had never left the girl's side
and continued to cling on when Tifa had spoken,
"Cloud..." Came Tifa with a powerful voice of confinence. "...head 28
north - north west."
Unsure of this 'command' he looked over to Barrett who, after carefully
studying Tifa's face, nodded in agreement.
[8]===============================================The Highwind quickly
reached it's destination, a solitary farmhouse in the heart of chocobo
country. Tifa, Barrett, Cloud and Yuffie disembark and head towards it.
"Our past comes back to annoy us yet again..." Lamented Barrett after
recognising this farmhouse, knowning too well who owned it.
Tifa suddenly stopped in her tracks, something seemed out of place. The
all stop and look. The house seemed desolite, devoid of all life,
although it had clearly been lived in. Worried, the rebel girl jogged
and then ran into the farm house with a surprised Yuffie following close
behind.
"Hello!!" Tifa's paniced voice echoed thoughout the empty halls of the
farmhouse while she checked every room. "Hello!! Are you home?!!"
The rooms were tranquil, and untouched. Cutlery, chocobo-themed
ornaments and furnature lay gathering dust. A once well-polished
mantelpiece catches Yuffie's attention. On it she saw a photo of a young
woman and her chocobo.
"Hey, she's pretty...does she live here Tifa?" Tifa had already left the
room when she had asked.
Yuffie caught up yet again and found Tifa by another picture of the
woman. Touching the pane of glass, her worry was clear for Yuffie to
see.
"Who is she Tifa? Is she special to you?" Asked Yuffie with far more
respect than usual.
"She....she helped me once....when I was lost..."
Normally Yuffie would be overjoyed to hear Tifa talk to her, but this
whisper had a distraught chill to it. For the first time Yuffie wanted
to hug her, just to make her feel better...but she held back out of
respect.
Just then the voices of Barrett and Cloud could be heard outside. It
sounded like they were talking to someone.
"Chicabo?" Tifa rushed past her young charge and throught the front
door. There was no Chicabo...only a young man.
"Where is she?!" Demanded Tifa much to the bewilderment of the young
Chocobo rancher.
"This is Chocobo Billy, Tifa-" Announced Cloud. "-he's a local
rancher..."
The young man spoke with a thick country accent.
"Ya lookin' for Chicabo? Can't say I'm too surprised."
"Where is she? We need to know..." Quezzed Barrett.
"Ah yea....I recon' ieee can do's that for ye." He said with a broad
smile. "Follows me. Not too far I recon'..."
-------------------------------
They followed him into the grassy foothills near the house. While they
climbed he spoke.
"Well blow me down, some crazy characters come down in a Sky Jallopee
and ask for Chicabo! That's a new 'un! It's so good to see so many folks
come and visit her. She'll be happy..."
It was then that they reached their destination. The Rebels stood
frozen, while Tifa's eyes began to fill again. She then fell to her
knees in grief.
Before them, was a lonely grave with the name: Sally "Chicabo" Johnson.
"What happened?" Uttered Cloud to Billy.
"Well...those Shinra folks came by...house visit. From what I knows,
they say that she met those Rebel folks once. She wouldn't say
nothin'...so....she gets a free bullet here. Poor gal..."
"(Chicabo....)" Tifa's tears now began to flow while a concerned Yuffie
gently gripped her back in support.
She now embraced the headstone of her fallen friend's grave while her
tears now filled with guilt.
"(...I'm so sorry....It's my fault.......my fault....)"
She continued to sob resting her head on the headstone.
Barrett turned to Billy. "How long ago did this happen?"
"Well...I recon's that was 10 days ago today. Big Shinra army, came and
gone quick."
Barrett looked on this with pure horror, the time to save Aki, had long
since gone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[9]+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wrecklessly the Highwind screamed across the prairies at full throttle,
pointing straight for the mountains.
"MORE SPEED!!! I WANT EVERYTHING THIS SHIP HAS.....*EVERYTHING*!!!"
Yelled Barrett down the line to Engineering while the ship itself
shuddered and creaked with the tremendous strain it was under.
<<OK. That's it, all we can give you!!>> Crackled the radio after a
small boost of speed was felt.
"DAMN IT!! NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!" Barrett pounded the console with his
gunarm, nearly smashing it to pieces. His tension was shared by all
there, as Tifa and Cloud looked to the approaching horizon together and
saw only their destination. The Rebel Girl's grief simmered and stewed
within her, waiting to escape again. But she was used to this pain now,
she had lived with it daily since that night, when everything changed.
"We're approaching the mountains, we have to slow it down." Announced
the Helmsman nerviously from his post.
"NO!! FULL SPEED!!!" Barrett's obsession would see them all killed
before they even thought about slowing down. They had to make up for
lateness, and they couldn't lose *this* time.
"But sir...we-" The Helmsman is interupted by a familiar voice from
behind. "If you can't fly with the big-boys kid-" Boomed Sid. "-then
leave it to a man." The boy quickly surrendered his post to the old
sky-master who then griped the wheel with a confidence that only
experience could forge.
"Get a good grip....this will get rough..." Cid's voice was stern and
resolute. The dangers were clear to even a flying novice, but only he
could see in his mind's eye what was ahead. All held on for dear life.
The airship careared into a maze of peaks and hallows, banking hard
through the valleys and never slowing. All held on of dear life, while a
few unlucky souls fould themselves being thrown from wall-to-wall as the
Highwind banked hard to avoid countless near misses.
A massive weight was then lifted from them when a flat horizon appeared
before them. For a while, hope returned to all there and nothing seemed
impossible. It was a hope that would be short lived.
Before them, where the welcome sight of Fort Condor would normally be, a
massive ploom of fire and smoke greeted them. Shinra had been and gone.
The bridge fell silent.
All there, had friends in that mountain and no-one had any illusions of
what had happened. The stark reality of war had been etched into them.
That terrible pain gripped Tifa's heart yet again. This time, it was
because of fear. She knew this would become much greater, and she feared
it.
The Highwind touched ground and before it even moored itself, AVALANCHE
were out and heading for the battlefield. It was now little more than an
open grave. The ground was charred and blackened, with plooms of smoke
beating out out of every crack in the ground. But the true horror of
this scene was it's decoration, which were the colours of blood and
flesh. Corpses littered the battlefield, none of whom were Shinra.
The Midnight Streakers....what appeared to be all of them...lay dead at
their feet.
Only Tifa and Barrett would dare go further, they had
something...someone they had to see. Suddenly in the centre of it, an
arm had heard the duo approach and raised itself to get their attention.
Tifa and Barrett soon found the battered and still breathing corpse of
Aki. She was alive...nearly. Her body had bourn the brunt of days of
battle, and then what looked like capture, torture, mutilation and rape.
It looked like they had left her there for dead.
They knelt on each side of her. Barrett's face softened from the harsh
scowl it usually wore. Himself and Aki had been friends since before he
even met his wife. "Aki..." Whispered Tifa, agast at the living death
that was now her friend.
Slowly and painfully Aki turned her bloody face to look into the mirror
like orbs that were Tifa's eyes.
"(Tifa...)" She whispered with a weak smile.
"What happened here?" Gasped the rebel girl, in truth, not wanting to
know the horrible details.
"There were so many....they fought like I've never seen before. They
didn't care about their lives....it was madness.....I lost half the
girls on the first night.......they took the base....... those of us
that had the spirit to fight were worn down and.....and..."
The memory of her ordeal caused her to pause, the awful way her friends
died, was a little too much. Tifa felt this and tried her best to listen
to it all.
"....Tifa....it's Tara.....they got Tara, and a few of the other girls,
their hearts were too kind....they can't fight to the finish...not yet.
They took them, and kept them. Tifa..."
Aki gripped Tifa hard on the shoulder with what little strenght she had.
"....you have to save her....you know what they do to girls like Tara...
...you have to save her from that....promise me....PROMISE ME!!!"
Aki overexerted herself into violent coughing which spat up a large
amount of blackened blood. Tifa cradled the woman's head in her arms
when she spoke.
"I promise...I'll free her..."
Aki relaxed a little and smiled.
"Your face is so cold Tifa...it's like your love is gone...Tifa..." Aki
gently brushes Tifa's cheek with her hand. "...I'm so sorry she
died.....did you get what I sent you?"
Tifa simply nodded. She remembered that soon after Aeris' death she
recieved a package from Aki. It simply contained a single white rose.
"...she's an angel now...." Continued Aki who now faced a nearby hill.
"...all girls who die for good....they're all angels..."
Tifa and Barrett looked to that hill and saw a neatly arranged
graveyard. Each of the burial mounds had a white rose placed carefully
on them. While she looked at this site, Tifa could feel Aki's grip melt
away until it left.
Looking down at her, she could see that the pain was now gone. After
much suffering, and after a life of war...Aki was finally at peace.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[10]+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dusk desended onto the charred fields of Condor, and orange tint now now
shaded everything, making the desolation seem oddly beautiful. Tifa sat
alone on a log beside a fresh burial mound, where Aeris' white rose now
sat.
Some distance away several AVALANCHE members had set up a camp fire, and
were now huddled around it for warmth and comfort. Occasionaly one would
look over at that lonely shadow on the horizon.
One girl, more than others.
"I need to go over there!" Spouted Yuffie rising to her feet. Cloud and
Sid took a shoulder each and forced her to sit down again.
"But she's in pain!" Cloud and Sid forced her to sit down again.
"...but...Tifa-chan needs her girlfriend!!!"
"You're not her girlfriend..." Said Cloud forcing her to sit down yet
again.
"...leave her be..." Added Sid keeping her down. "...poor girl had gone
through plenty today....leave her be"
----------------------
Tifa couldn't cry, she had used up far too many tears. But now she felt
oddly numb. Chicabo....Aki...who knows how many more she would
lose...maybe her heart was in shock.
Her line of thought was broken by a massive shadow which settled to sit
beside her.
"Drink this" Uttered Barrett handing Tifa a cup of something hot. Tifa
took it but she never took her eyes of the white rose on the grave.
A silence followed, where they did nothing but stare at the grave of
their friend. But Barrett felt compelled to say something:
"When I lost her...." He uttered softly. "...I felt like my world was
gone, that I'd never feel hope or happiness or anything...she wasn't
just my wife...she was part of me...and then we had our kid..."
He stopped for a moment to look at Tifa who's eyes never moved from the
rose.
"...there is an end to the pain Tifa...I knew because of my little
girl... there's always life after death...it's that life we've got to
fight for... it's that life that Aeris gave her own life for..."
"She wanted to have my baby...." Whispered Tifa under her breath.
Barrett was surprised to finally hear Tifa speak. "...she thought that
if we made love enough times...she loved life that much..."
Barrett wrapped a massive arm around Tifa and she cuddled into him. "You
have to keep living for her...you know that...."
Tifa just remained silent and left herself in this moment.
"Barrett....can I be alone with Aki for a while...."
Barrett simply smiled and rose to his feet. "No problem...see you
inside..."
He patted her on the shoulder and then left.
--------------------
Hours passed. Tifa remained motionless. The sun had nearly made it to
the horizon. The camp fire had packed up, and everyone else had gone.
Despite any attempt to move her, she stayed, and no-one had the heart to
take her away. She was left alone.
Why?
Why do I have to face this?
Why do they have to suffer?
Why...do-
Tifa's line of thought was broken suddenly. Meters away, walking by one
of the graves was the glowing impression of a girl...all too famliar to
her...
"(...Aeris...)"
It smiled at her and then dissappeared.
"AERIS!!!!"
Tifa ran forward to where the ghost had been.
(.........tifa.........)
Tifa saw her further away.
"Aeris!!"
The light of day was disappearing and all that was left was the light of
this apparition which disappeared and then re-appeared further away.
"Aeris!! Come back!!!"
Unable to see anything, Tifa ran blind into the darkness and then
tripped over something very large. She fell, and then got her bearings
back. She saw that she had tripped over a burial mound. The name 'Chu'
was enscribed into it.
When Tifa got to her feet again, the light had gone....and so had the
ghost.. ..or whatever it was.
It was a terrible feeling, and she openly sobbed for the first time in
months. She had heard her voice...seen her...but she was gone again...
"Please..." She whispered bitterly into the darkiness. "..take me with
you..."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[11]////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Through the darkness Tifa slowly and carefully made her way back to the
Highwind. Her tears were used up for yet another day and she was now
mute and sullen. The Rebel Girl found that night-watch had just begun,
and the exterior lights were fadeing when she crept on board She found a
mostly deserted ship, greeted by a single guard who closed the walkway
after her.
She was told that the others had gone to sleep and that she should
probably do the same. She ignored that advice and simply wandered around
the ship aimlessly. The silence of night had gripped the innards of the
warship, while only a light hum of machinery broke through that. It was
a pleasing noise, which could have lulled any troubled heart to sleep.
But Tifa couldn't let herself relax. She now feared sleep, she feared
nightmares of losing Aeris, and she feared losing her hope in them.
She still had some hope, buried deep. it was keeping her alive. But
tonight, was still a horrid experience to add to an already unbearible
day. Tonight, she would go without rest.
Moving deeper below decks, a differnt noise came to her attention. It
was the squaks and chirping of a bird. It peaked her interest enough for
her to want to see what this was. As she moved closer down the hallway,
she could hear a familiar voice speaking softly.
"(There now....you like that?)"
It sounded like Doc Karin, speaking as if she were to an infant,
giggling softly from time to time for some unseen reason.
It wasn't until Tifa turned a corner, that she understood.
Before her was a fully grown Black Chocobo with Doc. Karin feeding and
grooming the animal. They were in a cargo bay which appeared to be
converted into a chocobo stable with straw and a stall.
The Chocobo's sudden attention to Tifa's entrance, prompted Karin to
look the same way.
"Tifa? What are you doing up so late?" Karin's eyes softened as she
spoke, which seemed to whipser loving concern for the girl.
"I couldn't sleep....today it's been-" Tifa's voice cracked a little.
"Shh...I know..." Hushed Karen, now moving closer to Tifa. Uninvited,
Karen then wrapped her arms around the girl and hugged her.
"Have you been crying?" She added into the hug.
Tifa simply nodded slightly into her shoulder.
"It's ok....It's better to let your feelings come out...you bottle them
in too much honey...that's never healthy."
The tenderness of the moment sedated the girl slightly and slowly
brought her out of that trance of dispair. With this, her vision cleared
and she could focus on the large animal standing behind Karin. It was a
magnificent young black-feathered Chocobo. It looked sleek, nimble and
built for speed.
"Where....did we get a chocobo?" Muttered Tifa while she slowly broke
from Karin's soft hold. A strange sense of deja-vu filled Tifa's mind.
She had never seen this animal before, but she felt that she had.
Tifa moved right up to it and stroaked it's main, the animal itself
seemed to feel quite comfortable with her presence. Pleased, the bird
tossed it's head a little, causing a metallic jingle to be heard. With
this, Tifa looked down and saw a beautiful gold chain draped around it's
neck.
Inscribed onto it, there was one name: 'Aeris'.
"We got her from that Chocobo Rancher we met today..." Replied Karin
coming closer. "....he said that she is your's.....I never knew you
owned a chocobo Tifa?"
"I don't..." Added Tifa still looking into the animal's eyes. "...but
she is mine."
"Huh? I don't understand." Equired Karin, quite confused.
"It's a...very....long story..." Muttered Tifa with a small smile
growing on her face.
Karin could see the unexplained bond between Tifa and the animal, so she
dicided that it was time for her to leave.
She stretched her arms and yawned out load. "Well Tifa, I'm off for some
sleep....don't stay up too late honey..." And with that she planted a
light kiss on the girl's cheek and then left.
Tifa barely noticed her leave, all of her focus was on this animal who
warmed her heart more than she could remember.
"You remember me...don't you?" Whispered the Rebel Girl while it chirped
and purred in an attempt to answer.
Suddenly some movement behind the Chocobo pen caught Tifa's attention.
"...Yuffie?"
Caught, the teenager then trudged out from the shadows. She wore a scowl
and her eyes looked ready to burst with tears.
"...what is it?" Whispered Tifa in the same voice that had use with the
bird.
"You're.....you're with *her* aren't you?" Moaned Yuffie, her voice
nearly breaking with tears.
"...Her?....Who?..."
"DOC KAREN OF COARSE!!! WHO ELSE!!!" She let out a whimper before nearly
breaking down in tears again.
It was now clear to her that Yuffie had seen that kiss.
"Yuffie...we are close friends....but I'm not an item with her.."
A little subdued Yuffie still stood there...shaking with sadness.
"Then...then...*why* don't you love me?!" Choaked the girl with the most
bitter and saddened voice, while her face was streaming with tears.
A sudden pain then gripped Tifa's heart, for it had dawned on her. In
her own race from hurt she had done much worse to someone who hadn't
deserved it.
She looked down at the necklace of her Chocobo. She saw those letters
engaved beautifully into it and thought about the original owner of that
name.
She remembered what she was before, she remembered why she was now
living in hell. A plan began to now form in her mind. She would make
everything right for everyone. For the sake of her soul she had to do
this.
But one task remained, before she could go.
In the kindest of voices that she could muster, she called out to the
girl. "Yuffie....I'm so sorry....I've treated you so badly..."
Yuffie looked up from her sadness, surprised that Tifa was now talking
to her, for the first time, as a friend. Her heart pounded and instincts
kicked in. She ran straight for the Rebel Girl and embraced her hard.
She mumbled something in the Wutai language and then crashed her head
into Tifa's chest for comfort.
"I knew you were good Tifa....I knew you still liked me..." Whimpered
Yuffie.
"Do you know why I was so cold to you?" Quizzes Tifa, still with the
softest of voices.
"..be...becuase Aeris died?" Mumbled Yuffie now looking up to Tifa with
doe eyes.
"Yes....It really hurt my heart Yuffie...I couldn't feel love...Aeris
was my heart and Sephiroth took her from me..."
"I don't know how that would feel...."
Tifa then began to stroak Yuffie's hair. "What if I died tomorrow? How
would you feel?"
Yuffie gasped in horror at this. "Oh Tifa! Don't say things like that...
..I'd.....I'd..."
In a brief moment of enlightment the girl began to understand the power
of this pain that Tifa was suffering.
"Tifa...." She whipsered, now a little ashamed. "...why didn't I see
that.... ..I understand now....I'm...I'm sorry...."
"Shh..." Said Tifa gently hushing the girl. "Yuffie...I need to ask a
favor of you..."
"Yes Tifa! Anything...please...I'm-"
"I need to go and keep a promise...the guys won't understand, they'd try
and stop me....Yuffie...give me a head-start...don't tell them that I've
gone...."
"..I could go with you I can-"
Tifa cut her off. "No...I need to keep you safe...I can't see you
hurt...not again."
"Tifa....." Added Yuffie shyly. "...ok....I'll....I'll keep quiet....for
you."
"Thank you Yuffie....so much..."
"It's no probl-"
The girl was stopped by the most wonderful of feelings. Tifa had leaned
forward, taken her body into the embrace and had forced the girl into
the deepest of kisses she had ever known. Those lips....that
tongue....all so soft....all so much like she had imagined. She couldn't
understand why Tifa had changed her mind so quickly...but she couldn't
care less....it was finally happening.
Tifa had taken her as if she were Aeris, and then left her in a trance
of pure joy.
Yuffie barely noticed Tifa move away.....she didn't see her put a saddle
on her chocobo and then mount...and she just about saw the girl leave
the cargo bay through the cargo doors out.
It was then that Yuffie's heart jumped further.
Through the excitment of finally being kissed...Yuffie could taste a
message. Although young, she was learning a woman's intuition...and
her's told her about the kind of kiss that was.
Terror now gripped her heart.
That was no simple kiss of love......it was a kiss goodbye....
"Tifa?....." Yuffie only then noticed Tifa's absence. "TIFA?!!"
She ran...faster than she ever had before in her life.
Yuffie then left the ship and found only darkness.
"TIFA!!!" She screamed into the darkness.
"Tifa! Come back...."
Silence met her.
"Please..." She whispered bitterly into the darkness. "..take me with
you..."
Tifa had already disappeared into the night....
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