“Hey guys, the sign points this way for Second District. Be ready for whatever these Heartless things are,” Aeris cautioned.
Tifa walked in front with Aeris behind her and Yuffie bringing up the rear. A dark vorpal appeared before them and out popped a short black creature with beady yellow eyes and antennae. “These must be them. We didn’t get very far with out them showing up,” Tifa mused under her breath.
The women took up fighting stances and readied themselves for the battle. One of the heartless bounced toward the ninja and flipped over her head. It scratched her from behind and quickly bounced away. Yuffie grunted and threw her shuriken towards the pest. Miss. The heartless then bounced up toward her again and attempted the same attack style. As it jumped over her again, the ninja grabbed its leg and threw it in front of her. As it stood dazed, she threw another shuriken at it. The creature disappeared in a puff of black smoke. The teenager jumped high and turned her attention to the other heartless. Instead, she found Tifa nonchalantly leaning on the lamppost, pretending to be cleaning her nails. Beside her was the flower girl, playing with her new bracelets. “Oh what the heck!! Don’t you two be like that!”
Tifa laughed and pushed herself off the post, “I dunno great ninja warrior Yuffie. I think that heartless almost got the better of you. We were thinking we’d have to step in and help you out.”
Adding to the insult, Aeris chimed in, “in your defense they WERE rather crafty.”
The ego-bruised teen stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms with a huff. She looked at Aeris, “I liked you better before you spent all your free time with Boobs. At least then you were nice and not a smartass.”
Aeris feigned offense and brought her hand to her chest for added effect. The wine-eyed woman beside her laughed softly and proceeded on ahead. Two battles and a dead end later, they reached Second District. The women defeated a few more heartless in the centre and climbed the stairs. Behind them was a blue sign with “Hotel” glowing in bright yellow. “Finally! We’re here! I don’t know about you ladies but I am totally pooped.”
Yuffie bounced on ahead and walked inside the hotel first. Tifa followed closely behind but stopped by a hand on her wrist. She turned around and was met by shimmering emerald eyes. Her breath hitched. Timidly, Aeris rubbed the back of her neck and released the fighter’s wrist. “Um, Tif…about earlier…I just wanted to say…”
Oh damn…she is gonna tell me she made a mistake and doesn’t ever want to talk to me again. That is was horrible. That we should just act like it never happened. Everything Tifa was thinking was covering every inch of her expression. Aeris stopped talking and tilted her head. She had worked everything out in her mind that she wanted to say. That she was just playing around. That she really wasn’t interested in her. Truth be told…she wasn’t sure anymore. Right there, staring into those worried eyes, Aeris felt a pang of guilt. She was the one who put the worry there. She was the one who is hurting her. “Tifa…”
The fighter lowered her head, only for it to be brought back up by a soft hand on her cheek. Aeris took a step forward and unconsciously licked her lips. Her eyes trailed down to Tifa’s rose colored lips and she wondered what it would be like to kiss them again. This time, she’d mean it more than as a joke. Without warning, the hotel door flew open and the two girls jumped apart from each other, ready to fight. Yuffie stood there dumbfounded for a moment before a sly, cheesy smile overtook her features. “Uh huh,” she voiced perkily,” I just can’t leave you two alone for a minute can I? Well, you’ll be glad to know I got you both the same room. I need my own space so I have the green room. You two lovebirds have the red room. The room….of passion….desire…and hawt hawt-“
“YUFFIE,” both girls cried out.
“Chocolate…they have a hot cocoa maker….what?”
Crimson beyond belief, Tifa push passed the teen and headed inside. Aeris sighed. Yuffie was baffled, “what’s her problem?”
Aeris shifted her weight, “I think she thinks I don’t want anything to do with her.”
“Aerith, what did you do?!”
The Ancient raised an eyebrow before she took Yuffie by the scarf and pulled her outside. They closed the door behind them and Aeris shook her head in frustration. “I-I don’t know how I feel about her. I was just playing a joke at first but I could feel the desire in her when she kissed me back.”
“Hold it honey-buns. You’re saying that was y’all’s first kiss I caught ya in?”
A small nod answered. “I don’t believe it!! I saw the way you two were going at it! It was like the soft-core porn channel in Wutai. I was getting hot and bothered just watching!”
“Yuffie! Please,” the older woman shrieked in embarrassment.
“Naw, I’m just saying, you two have got some chemistry going on there. I figured you two were bumpin doughnuts a long time ago.”
Aeris’ face and chest were on fire. That’s what she gets for talking to a teenager about serious matters. Although, who else does she have to talk to, besides the woman of subject? She rubbed her face furiously and sighed loudly. “Aerith…I know I may not act like I care or maybe I am too immature for understanding this completely, but I want to help. You should just go talk to her about it. I mean, worse that can happen is she punches you…or just ignores you for a while. We only have each other here to rely on. She can only push you away so far before I annoy the living daylights out of her. She’ll be crawling back.”
The flower girl appreciated Yuffie’s words. Also, in a sad twisted way, it was very true. Tifa didn’t have anywhere to run…and as manipulating as that might look to the outsider, Aeris was going to use it to her advantage and keep Tifa in her life. “You’re right…I’m going to go talk to her.”
The ninja stepped to the side to allow Aeris entrance. “The red room is yours, don’t forget. Green one is all mine!”
The pink clad woman walked through the lobby and found her way to the red door. She knocked softly and proceeded inside. She found Tifa standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom. She was combing her fingers through her hair and appeared deep in thought. Aeris was beginning to wonder if she even heard her knock. “Aeris…”
That answered her question. “Yes Tifa?”
Silence followed. She quit playing with her hair and leaned forward with both hands on the sink. Without looking up, “do…do you think I’m pretty?”
Aeris’ heart sped up considerably for such a simple question. Trying to find her voice she managed to whisper out, “yes. I think you’re pretty.”
Tifa didn’t move. “Do you think I’m a good friend?”
The older girl wondered what she was getting at. “You’re one of greatest.”
“And…am I good at what I do?”
Not understanding the question, Aeris took a step forward, “hm?”
“Am I’m good at fighting? Protecting what I find important. Am I good at that?”
Hearing the sense of urgency and agitation in her voice, Aeris quickly responded, “yes, Tifa. Yes. You’re such a beautiful person…inside and out. You have such passion for your friends and will protect them from anything. But…you show so much more than that. You don’t just fight for them…when off the battlefield you take care of them. If they need someone to talk to, you drop everything to listen. If they get hurt, you bandage them up. You would give them your last gil if they needed it. You’re so selfless and wholesome.”
A tear dropped from Tifa’s cheek. Then why do I feel so worthless? She wiped away the wet streak from and stepped out of the bathroom. She didn’t make eye contact with Aeris as she brushed past her to the other side of the room. She removed her boots, skirt, vest and gloves, and sat down on the bed. Playing with the ribbons on her shorts, she felt the spot beside her sink down. She sighed and laid back on the bed. “I’m sorry…about earlier.”
Aeris turned to look at her. “Why are you apologizing? It should be me…I was playing around and I shouldn’t have done that.”
Tifa hesitated before answering, “because I…I shouldn’t have kissed you back. I don’t know what happened. It was like I couldn’t control myself. That my body was just acting on its own. ”
They both sat in silence until the younger girl broke it with a simple question. “Why…did you return my kiss though?”
Aeris was suddenly very uncomfortable. She could feel her heartbeat quicken and her mouth went dry. “I um,” she searched her thoughts for anything she could say back.
After nothing formed she sighed loudly, “I don’t know why. Honestly I really don’t. I was hoping to figure it out…but I guess my body just did what it thought was right.”
Lockhart proceeded to sit up and get off the bed. She walked to the middle of the floor and scratched her head. “So what you’re saying, is that both of our bodies just thought, ‘hey, maybe this is the right thing to do.’ “
Aeris’ giggle filled the room. “Yeah, it’s starting to look like they’re teaming up against us.”
A deep chuckle escaped Tifa’s throat as she crossed her arms while shaking her head. After their soft laughter died down, Aeris tried to figure out the situation in her usual straightforward manner. “Tifa, I like you. I know that. I have such admiration for you and I hold your opinion above everyone else’s. It just never occurred to me that perhaps I’d want something more than a platonic relationship with you.”
Envious at how she could always be so direct, Tifa felt her cheeks get warm. She panicked when Aeris stood up and walked over to her. With the inch she lost having took her boots off, she now stood eye to eye with the flower girl. She was pulled into a warm hug and Aeris whispered into her ear, “I’m going to kiss you. I want to see if there is anything there. Okay?”
A low, uncertain “kay” was the only response. Stepping back, Aeris took in her friend’s expression and smiled. “Weren’t you the one who said ‘words aren’t the only thing that tell people what you’re thinking?’
Tifa bit her lip before answering, “and what is it that I’m thinking?”
Finding her little mannerism strangely provocative, Aeris smiled seductively and leaned in, stopping an inch before their lips met. “The same thing I am.”
With that, she closed the distance between them. A tiny whimper escaped Tifa. Aeris ran her hands up the fighter’s back and brought her closer towards her. She broke the kiss for only a second before inhaling deeply and reconnecting with more force. Tifa received the enthusiasm with excitement and softly trailed one hand down the flower girl’s spine. She subtly opened her mouth and followed the older girl’s lead. She ran her tongue slowly across Aeris’ bottom lip and smiled inwardly as she felt the Ancient’s stomach tighten against hers. “Tifa,” she whispered softly and continued kissing her.
Hesitantly, the fighter responded with a breathless, “yeah?”
“I,” Aeris rasped out, “I want you more,” another kiss, “more than just a friend.”
Lidded eyes turned to wine and searched the emerald gaze across from her. Expecting to see doubt, she found no traces of it. What she saw was nothing but confident certainty. She brushed back a couple strands of hair before smiling dotingly. I want her any way I can have her. I would’ve settled for friends, but this, this is what I truly wanted. Leaning forward she caught Aeris’ lips with her own. Never breaking the kiss, she followed the older woman towards the bed. Aeris felt the mattress hit the back of her knees and she slowly let herself fall back, pulling Tifa along with her. Smoothly kicking off her boots, the pink clad girl then shifted up the bed. To keep from smothering her, Tifa straddled the woman. The Centra wrapped her legs around the fighter’s and slipped her hands just under the white tank top, slowly lifting it upwards. Feeling the electricity from her fingertips against her skin, Tifa gasped and pulled back from the kiss. “What is it,” Aeris asked anxiously.
She swallowed hard and ran a hand through her hair. “Um…” Tifa was stil insecure with her scar that Sephiroth had left years ago. Though it was healed and now considerably smooth, she still felt the blanched skin was sickening. “I don’t…um, want you to see….uh, Sephiroth, years ago, cut me down and it left a horrible scar…”
Aeris cupped the girl’s face and brought her down beside her. “Tif, you’re so beautiful inside and out. A simple scar isn’t going to change my mind about that. Please, it’s okay.”
With that she slowly lifted the tank top, leaving Tifa plenty of time to stop her if she became too uncomfortable. She switched positions and delicately kissed her stomach. With every inch that she pushed the shirt up, a kiss took its place. The fabric was now resting directly under Tifa’s breasts, and the scar she spoke of was evident, but by no means revolting. Aeris glanced up to see Tifa’s face. Her eyes were shut and a tear trailed down her cheek. Green eyes fell back down to the scar and closed. She kissed it ever so gently. A sudden intake of breath broke the silence and Aeris took this as a sign to keep going. She kissed down the mark, each touch quietly saying things that words could never explain. “Aeris…”
The flower girl climbed back up to listen to Tifa face to face. She wiped the tears from her cheeks as she waited for the younger girl to continue. Tifa didn’t know what to say. She was so overwhelmed with emotion and so many thoughts. “I…”
Understanding her completely, Aeris smiled sweetly and kissed her delicately. “Shh…you don’t have to say anything.”
With that, she pushed the chestnut bangs away from tear filled eyes and kissed her once more before curling up beside her. She listened to what was once a swift heartbeat, turn into a melodic rhythm. She snapped her fingers once and the light dimmed to nothing more than a candle’s glow. Tifa felt the woman’s hand place itself back on her stomach. The warm contact reassuring her that she wasn’t alone. And the scent of lilies soothed her into a dreamy slumber. She was certain that Aeris didn’t fully understand what she had just done…but now Tifa was sure of it…that her life wasn’t her own anymore.