F I G H T O N !

Tifa by RanyaCat

                 ❝ Maybe something could happen that can never unhappen.                                                That s c a r e s you, doesn’t it?                                             But you need to think about now. ❞

The glass is half empty by the time her presence returns to the bar with plate in hand, and Cloud finds himself grateful for the distraction. The scent of freshly prepared food greets his nose like a long lost friend, and he cannot help but consider it a little bit of a blessing that his stomach had not immediately voiced its excitement at finally receiving some nourishment. While he was typically good at remembering to eat while he was on the road ( for his mako energized body demanded such things regularly lest he be rendered weak in little time at all ), the rations he tended to rely on would never compare to a home-made meal from a trusted source– and a mumble of thanks is uttered in only just enough time before his mouth finds itself occupied with a fork full of food. His plate is scraped clean in only short amount of time, and finally, finally, Cloud finds himself resting upon the line of contentment.

      ❛–Been busy?❜ 

Small talk had never particularly been his greatest talent; but with all distractions used up and swordsman knowing that Tifa deserved more acknowledgement than that of a cook, Cloud makes an attempt nonetheless– as stilted and somewhat awkward as it may have arrived.

            ☆☆ -- tifa allows herself a moment to take a break, seeing as though             despite the number of patrons in the bar there is no demanding work             to be done. she folds her arms atop the counter as she leans against             it, keeping herself turned enough so that she can keep a watchful eye             on her establishment. she wanted to give herself the chance to catch             up with him, after all. when his question reaches her ears she spares             a glance toward him, a knowing smile tugging on her lips. the bar had             been doing rather well, but it had all been manageable enough that             she didn’t wear herself out by the end of the day.

                                     ❝ for the most part, but not to the point                                           that it’s unmanageable. it’s been good.

             small talk isn’t his thing, but she still appreciates his attempts at it              either way. secretly does she eye him, though, trying to take a quick              glance to see that overall he’s well and with nothing that needs to be              tended to that he’s just choosing to leave out of conversation.

                                     ❝ that last delivery took a while. did you go                                            somewhere else on your way back?

“What’s that? You don’t trust me? 

                            –Wait… are you saying there’s something wrong with my hair?”

           ☆☆ -- ❝ of course not! i didn’t say any of those things! i trust            you a lot! just -- let’s leave the haircutting to the experts, okay?

      “ I’m afraid you’ll have to be more descriptive then,                                                        if I am to be of any decent help to you. “

     He would never understand how he was so easily approached by mere       strangers, at any given moment; he would not deny that he usually inten-       ded to make himself seem as unapproachable as possible. Clearly he was       never trying hard enough, but no matter. He was in a decent m o o d and        saw fit to entertain this woman. She certainly seemed interesting enough.

         ☆☆ -- despite her apprehension, the fact that he was willing to          offer at least some sort of help was comforting. perhaps she didn’t          need to judge a book by its cover. talk about being embarrassing.          she cleared her throat and straightened a little bit.

                         ❝ blond, spiky hair and he carries a big sword.

“–Nope! But we can improvise….

                 I mean, OF COURSE… of course! Who do you think gave me this super stylish cut? –That’s right! myself!”

            ☆☆ -- ❝ ahh -- haha -- well, i mean, i have a hair tie,                    i can always just pull it back! don’t worry about it!

          ❝…Maybe?❞

         A warrior’s recollection was no longer what it used to be. Frayed images fused with distorted depictions of both grievous and favored events. An urge to clutch at his head was there again, longing to reach inside through mako-infused bones and ligaments to rearrange his memories. It was like a jigsaw puzzle without knowing what the picture was going to be, rendering him more confused than ever. He knew the important stuff, at least. The girl with bright green eyes, the boy with golden spikes, and the man with the wings of an angel. Those were the only good ones, however. Anything else resembled a massacre of heinous proportions. A pale ghost that stood in the flames of a burned down village, scarlet licking against his body, yet he remained unhurt. His eyes were nothing like he had seen before, a monstrous nature surrounding the swirl of emerald and azure.

        ❝I’m… trying… to remember.❞ It hurt like hell in doing so. The fires around the village seemed to burn his damned mind, palms flush and digits against his throbbing head. And then… clarity. Just like that, she came to life in the core of his mind, though she was dressed in far different of garb and noticeably younger. If it wasn’t for the pain, he probably would have made a joke about how different they looked now, but he was too busy trying to straighten himself on his own damned chair. ❝…Tifa? Is that you? It’s… It’s me. Zack.❞ He was almost angry at how quiet he sounded, fists clenched halfway against the bar as he attempted to pull a wry smile from strained lips. So much failure in so little time for one that was so determined to become a hero. ❝You uh… still hate SOLDIER? Probably shouldn’t even be talkin’ to me, huh? I wouldn’t blame ya’.❞

             ☆☆ -- the familiar feeling she felt when looking at him was fighting              against her memories. the person he reminded her of was no longer              alive and it had been some years since his death. there was no way              this person could possibly be him, right? while she felt confusion,              though, she worried that perhaps him attempting to remember just              about anything was practically driving him mad. he looked so upset,              like sorting through the memories in his head was causing him real,              physical pain. she had her own fair share of painful memories, after              all. she could surely understand.

             but when he spoke her name -- then spoke his own in turn -- her              eyes widened with shock. zack -- ? then her familiar feelings were              being confirmed. it wasn’t just familiarity -- it was the actual memory              of him fully being realized. showing him and sephiroth around her              home town -- the incident at the reactor -- her hatred for shinra all              bubbled to the surface. that was a long time ago, though, but that              didn’t change the sheer miracle that was the one sitting across from              her now.

                                                        did cloud know about this -- ?

                       ❝ but that’s -- that’s impossible.

               the shock was overwhelming, and she had to reach for the nearest                stool so she could sit down herself. her gaze rose to him and she                looked him over with a very scrutinizing stare, having a hard time                fully believing him.

                       ❝ you’re -- you’re really him? how’re you here?

“–I’m positive! Those ends need a trim… now sit still!!!”

            ☆☆ -- ❝ w-wait a minute, yuffie. i mean. have you done this before?

                 ‘ I …. – yes. He’s a very … good friend of mine. ‘

     Words were only slightly strained as they were spoken, eyes downcast for only a moment. To think of him fighting on the side she knows her abhors only allows for sorrow to crawl further into her heart. After all, it had been a while since seeing him last and for it to be this way … well, it wasn’t the happy reunion she had spent dreaming about.

         ☆☆ -- tifa makes note of the slight change in the other’s expression.          it hadn’t been her intentions to make her sad or anything. she just          wanted to see that they had something in common. as for who she          knew, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. she wasn’t very sure if          she actually knew him at all, but it was a feeling deep in her heart          that told her that she did. 

                          ❝ i’m sorry. it must be hard for the both of you.

        “— I’m Xion, by the way.”

          ☆☆ -- ❝ and i’m tifa -- it’s a pleasure to meet you!

  ʚ┊♥┊ɞ —-   ❝ Hmm, that narrows it down. Based on all of that… I’d say you were probably referring to Cloud, right? ❞ She idly rubbed her chin as she spoke, eyes directly upwards as she continued to ponder. Cloud Strife – he was a strange one, that much was a definite. She sensed that there was more to him that what met the eye, but it wasn’t like she was going to find about just what that was anytime soon. He was about as social as Squa–Leon had been back when they’d first met.  ❝ Is that who you’re looking for? Or maybe he goes by another name where you’re from–? ❞ 

             ☆☆ -- just the mention of his name makes her stand at full              attention. there’s no way just anyone would have that name              around here. if she could put that name to that description              then it had to be him. reaching out, tifa took hold of the other              girl’s hands, holding them tightly as she leaned a bit closer              in anticipation.

                         ❝ that’s him! that has to be him! where is he?

      Magic wasn’t her forte, most definitely not. It tired her out pretty quickly; however, the more she practiced it, the more resistant she became to its weakening effects. At the request for help, she rubs her hands together and slowly approaches the injured friend—hopefully she wouldn’t have to heal for too long, or else someone was going to have to carry Dr. Kisaragi on their back.

     “Alright! Step aside,” she says this despite there being no one nearby,”Dr. Kisaragi will take care of this! I promise you, Tifa, you’ll be amazed with the results. I don’t have a business card to give ya’, but you make sure to recommend me to others after this.”

            ☆☆ -- her lips twitched upward into a slight smile. the bubbly ninja             was a downright blessing to have around sometimes. keeping their             spirits up was all part of fighting through this conflict, after all. she             knew the risks of having yuffie help her heal, but if she could get             back to par then she could easily return the favor if the other would             need it. when the magic has worked its course, she lets out a sigh             of relief, followed by a thumbs up.

                            ❝ thanks -- remind me i owe you one, okay?